Mark Coleman Wallace PhD Thesis - University of St Andrews

Freemasonry was popular for several reasons, although it successfully
blended the elements of associations to create an organization accessible to all
ranks of society. During the first half of the eighteenth century, it existed
primarily as an improvement and charitable organization, although as the nature
of enlightenment sociability changed, so too did the masons. The reasons for
joining a particular club or society were as numerous and varied as the
individuals and personalities comprising their membership: general fellowship
and drinking, political and religious discussions, taking part in sports, or social
and national improvement. This assortment of backgrounds, motivations, and
interests certainly influenced Enlightenment sociability, and the varying reasons
for joining an organization necessitated several shifts in masonic perspective.
As such, freemasonry enthusiastically embraced diversity, and its popularity
subsequently stemmed from a predilection for conviviality, its economic
benefits, and the pursuit of public and self-improvement.
A ‘Chearful Glass and Song’
Scottish Lodges are often depicted as social clubs epitomized by their
conviviality and the incorporation of arcane rituals and ceremonies into lodge
meetings. Moreover, minutes detailing lodge banquets, processions, drinking,
music, and song do not appear frequently until the mid- to late-eighteenth
century. Davis McElroy writes that the Cape Club “was popular at least in part
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