The Universal Language of Freemasonry - ArchiMeD - Johannes ...

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Chapter 3 - Overview of Rites
clandestine organizations of white or black men calling themselves
'Masonic.' 239
The above quotation is very utopian indeed; history has proven contrary to
the assertion. This statement merely refers to the regularity of a Masonic body
and claims that there are clandestine off-shoots of all colors. According to the
statement above, generally, black Freemasonry is legitimate. Legitimacy, as we
have already seen is defined administratively as having a charter granted by a
recognized mother lodge, such as the Grand Lodge of England. Nevertheless,
whatever proofs of legitimacy black lodges have tried to procure, even their
having the same ritual as white lodges did not save them from being excluded,
ignored, and denied regularity. So what were the reasons for white lodges to
keep black lodges apart? Neither Jewish nor American Indian brethren
encountered as many difficulties as colored Freemasons, although their
initiations were also disputed in several countries or depended on the goodwill of
individual lodges. In the annals of Caucasian American Grand Lodges, we can
read regulations such as "Exclusion of persons of the Negro race is in accordance
with Masonic law and the ancient Charges and Regulations, 240 " "A mixture of
white and Negro blood made a man ineligible for the degrees of Masonry, 241 " "A
candidate 'must be a free-born white man, 242 ' "A Mason who discusses
Freemasonry with a Negro should be expelled from his Lodge, 243 " and
"Admission of persons of color should be inexpedient and tend to mar the
harmony of the fraternity." 244
One of the major reasons for excluding the blacks used to be the Masonic
requirement of the Ancient Constitutions that the initiate has to be a "free" man.
After the abolition of slavery, there were free black men interested in Masonry
who, however, were not "free born." If white Masons interpreted "free" as "free
born," this automatically meant exclusion of such applicants. However, this
rather seems to be an alibi reason, for we can conclude from the following
quotation that economic reasons and race prejudice played a more important role.
We can read in the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge, F. & A.M. of New York for
1851:
It is not proper to initiate in our Lodges, persons of the Negro race; and
their exclusion is in accordance with Masonic law and the Ancient
Charges, and regulations, because of their depressed social condition;
the general lack of intelligence, which unfit them, as a body, to work or
239 CME, p. 98.
240 Cited in Walkes, A Prince Hall Masonic Quiz Book, p. 78, from Proceedings of Grand Lodge,
A.F. & A.M. of Iowa, for 1852.
241 Ibid, cited from a decision of the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge, A.F. & A.M. of Louisiana,
from 1924.
242 Ibid, cited from the Constitution of Grand Lodge, A.F. & A.M. of North Carolina, edition of
1915.
243 Ibid, cited from Proceedings of Grand Lodge, F. & A.M. of Mississippi, for 1899.
244 Ibid, cited from Proceedings of Grand Lodge, F. & .M. of Ohio, for 1847.