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Correspondence from L. B. Yardley to Frank Bennett
O .T . O.
Ancient and Primitive Rite of Masonry (Scottish, Memphis & Mizraim) Office of the Grand Administrative General For the Union of South Africa 33° 90° 95°
"Baynards", Inner Street, Observatory, Johannesburg, 2nd. Feb. 1915.
Dear Sir and Wor. Bro.,
I am in receipt of your letter of the 28th Dec last together with the Oath of Allegiance. I will deal with the several points raised by your letter seriatim.
Oath of Allegiance. This is not correctly executed. The signature of yourself should have been at the bottom and that of the Witness at the side as marked in pencil on the Document returned herewith.
Furniture and Regalia. This matter entirely rests with you and your friends. You can be as economical or as lavish as you wish. For your information the following is a list of the more essential items of Lodge furniture:—
3 Pedestals for the 3 Senior Officers. 3 Candlesticks for the Pedestals, emblematic of the three Lights of the Lodge. 2 Columns for the 2 Wardens. 3 Gavels or mallets. 1 Volume of the Sacred Law (Liber Legis) and Square and Compasses.
An altar of double cube with Incense Burner and 2 Candlesticks could be added to this list. None of these items of furniture are essential as a Lodge can be worked without any of them. As regards Regalia you are no doubt aware that no Brother can be present in a Lodge opened in any of the Degrees without being properly clothed. Aprons are therefore essential. In this Section of the Order we use the English Constitution Apron with this difference—it has Gold Trappings instead of Silver, our Sovereign Grand Lodge is Dark Blue with Gold. As regards the Trappings you can use your discretion but the distinctive colour for the first three degrees must be Light Blue as this section of system ranks its Blue Masonry as you are no doubt aware.
Propaganda. Here again you must use your own discretion. You should disseminate the views and aims of the Order in so far as you understand them, always with due regard to the safety of the secrets. They must never be communicated to the profane. Should you desire to read up on the subject, and I would submit that the head of the Order in an Orient cannot expend too much labour in order to qualify for his high and responsible position. The following works can be studied with advantage:—
The Arcane Schools John Yarker. Speculative Masonry John Yarker. The Rosicrucians, Their Rites and Mysteries Hargrave Jennings. Gnostics and their Remains [Charles William] King. Signs and Symbols of Primordial Man Dr. [Albert] Churchward. The Rivers of Life [James George Roche] Forlong. The Anacalypsis Godfrey Higgins.
The works of Eliphas Levi and any of Prof [E. A. Wallis] Budge's Books on the Egyptian Religion and the Book of the Dead. Some of these books are rare and difficult to obtain and there are many others by erudite Brethren, true seekers after the Hidden Wisdom.
The National Grand Master desires me to inform you that should you find it difficult to obtain three suitable Brethren for the formation of a Council, he is willing to give you a Charter for a Blue Lodge Working up to M[aster]. M[ason]. The fee of Honour, however, for the Charter must first be paid. On receipt of this and an Application couched in your own words for such a Charter I will forward you the Charter and copies of Rituals for the Degrees covered by the Charter. I would remind you that the Fee of Honour in your case has been fixed at Five Guineas.
As regards the Oath form herewith returned I would suggest that you retain a copy of same which you can then have completed by the other two Brethren as they come forward.
I also forward you herewith a sample Pledge Form for Applications for Membership, we also use this form for Affiliations for eliminating Clause A.[1] We cannot give you a supply of these forms as our stock is limited, but you may get them printed locally in a cheaper form if you so require.
By command of the SOVEREIGN GRAND MASTER GENERAL of The Orient of South Africa.
L. B. YARDLEY SOVEREIGN GRAND SECRETARY GENERAL Orient of South Africa.
1—"Clause A" of the Minerval Pledge Forms of the time required the candidate to whether or not he had been a Freemason. The somewhat contentious "Clause B" required the candidate to acknowledge Grand Master Baphomet as "the sole and supreme authority in Freemasonry."
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