SCOTTISH FREEMASONRY 1725-1810 ... - Lodge Prudentia

untrained as stonemasons. This entry also clearly illustrates that the
employment and welfare of operatives took precedence over lodge meetings, as
well as over the discussion of lodge affairs. In addition to the well-being of the
members, this November minute entry accounts for seasonal travel and the
convenience of the operative members. The survival of the lodge depended on
the success of the operative masons in securing employment, the admission of
new members to the lodge, and the subsequent collection of entry fees and dues;
the influence and impact of the few Geometrical members in the lodge were
negligible. By deferring the discussion of lodge business, the lodge was
essentially protecting the authority of its operative members.
Occasionally, the division between old and new unified working
stonemasons against the perceived corrosive influence of speculative
freemasons. No. 8 Journeymen Lodge in Edinburgh, for example, stipulated in
its constitution that the lodge should contain no more than eleven non-operative
masons at any one time. Exceeding this number threatened the stability of the
lodge and created a certain apprehension over the possible diminution of
operative authority and control. 88 The actions of No. 8 Journeymen Lodge
coincide with David Stevenson’s claim that “the stonemason majority of lodge
members might fluctuate between pride that others…wanted to join their
organization and were willing to pay fees for the privilege” and “disillusionment
at finding that admitting new types of members was changing the character of
the lodge and that there was a danger that the newcomers might take over
88 Stevenson, Origins, 197.
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