co-Masonry in Australian newspapers
When looking for something, I ran into the website trove.nla.gov.au, a digital database of Australian newspapers. Looking around a bit, I found a lot of news about co-Masonry. Different newspapers wrote about the subject frequently and often quite lengthy too, also with some interesting details here and there. A little inventory.
The oldest text that I found was published in The Register, Adelaide, Saturday December 28, 1907 and the short text is called Mrs. Besant a Freemason. In another publication the reporter noted that “Mrs. Annie Besant has founded a new sect under the name of Freemasonry, to which both men and women are admitted.” Later it is explained, that Besant did not found any organisation, but that she is the British representative of a French organisation. What is not explained is who Annie Besant is. Apparently the reporter takes it that everybody knows who he writes about. Besant must -therefore- have been well known in Australia at the time.
The same text appeared again after a few months.
In July 1908 there is a fairly long report of an hour long session in which Besants answers questions about Theosophy for “a very large gathering”. Besant also answered a few questions about co-Masonry, but nothing much of that made it to the report.
Australia was interested in events in England. In August 1911 there is some information about co-Masonry after a report of Besant and others wearing their regalia during a “suffragette” procession. The text is more about co-Masonry than about the procession.
In 1914 things became visual. This is a short text in the Daily Telegraph, Sydney of 11 February.
The same text, without photo, was republished in different newspapers in the coming months.
A bigger event was the visit of the British Grand Secretary. The 10 May 1921 edition of The Harald has an amusing (yet incorrect) introduction:
The the last nine years there have been women masons among the public. They have managed to guard their secret well. After this who will dare to suggest that women are not able to hold their council?
The existence of women freemasons has been brought to light through the visit of Mrs Rodney, St. John, Grand Secretary for Great Britain and dominions, who passed through Melbourne recently on her way to London.
Seeing the 1914 photo above, “secret” is not exactly the word. The text has some history of mixed gender Freemasonry and is clear about how other Masonic organisations view the new co-Masonic movement.
More lengthy about St. John’s visit appeared on 19 March 1921 in The Queenslander. “Mrs. Rodney St. John” who was a “prominent” British co-Mason arrived in Brisbane. The article has a history of co-Masonry with a few interesting details that are worth quoting.
At the time there were seven co-Masonic lodges in Australia “with 400 to 500 members”. There is a history of Le Droit Humain going back to the Grande Loge Symbolique Ecossais, stating that the first lodge in England was founded in 1903 and the first in Australia in Melbourne in 1909, then Sydney 1911 and Brisbane 1913. After a quote of “Mrs. St. John” follow some biographical details of her. Unfortunately the reporter does not say when St. John was initiated, only that she took up the position of Grand Secretary when her husband went to war. It was in that capacity that St. John visited Australia.
Then the text gets oddly specific. I think the reporter is simply quoting St. John. I do wonder if she really knew or understood how things were or if she bends the information a bit (or the reporter did). Let me give you a quote:
Freemasonry for women started in France at the end of the last century, and the Order was known as Universal co-Freemasonry (Le Droit Humain), which worked under different obediences to facilitate operations in different countries, partly owing to the differences of opinion on minor matters. In France La Grande Loge Symbolique Ecossais, a perfectly regular body of Masons known to be true by other Masonic bodies, worked according to the Antient and Accepted Scottish Rite, but had no connection with the Grand Orient of France, which has rejected the belief in the Supreme Being -the first principle in Freemasonry- and was atheistic in nature.
I don’t think Le Droit Humain ever worked “under different obediences” and St. John obviously didn’t know the rituals of Georges Martin (either those of the GLSE or LDH) when she claims that both GLSE and LDH were not “atheistic in nature”. I doubt (m)any of the other French organisations (especially not the Grand Orient de France) would have thought the Grande Lodge Symbolique Ecossais “perfectly regular”.
Then follows (a version) of the initiation of Marie Deraismes and the foundation of Le Droit Humain which: “gave itself a charter, just as the Grand Lodge of London did when they broke away from operative Masons in 1717.”
St. John says that Le Droit Humain spread to America before it did to the UK. Interestingly, she says that when Besant went to Paris to join Le Droit Humain: “the men of the party affiliating, the women being initiated”; thus suggesting that all men were already Freemasons.
The closing quote is also interesting:
The ritual was modelled on that of the Grand Lodge of England, with certain additions from the Scottish rites and a few of more mystic character.
Which differs from my conclusion based on textual comparison that “Dharma” was the combination of The Scottish Workings of Craft Masonry” and the ritual of George Martin. Also French reports of the time claim that Human Duty was consecrated using a Scottish ritual.
More history follows in the 14 December 1920 edition of The Register which has a history of co-Masonry claiming that the wife of Georges Martin was initiated together with Marie Deraismes! The text has some more misunderstandings, but perhaps a remark of interest is that Australia supposedly had 12 Le Droit Humain lodges at the time.
In 1926 there is again some history of co-Masonry. Also here are some remarkable points. There is the story of Besant hearing of Le Droit Humain from Francesca Arundale and went to Paris with a few others to be initiated. (The Arundales also made the papers: Daily Standard 25 September 1926.) Then it says that she wanted to found a grand lodge in London. What follows is the strange sentence: “The Supreme Council of co-Masonry is situated in Paris, and confers all degrees, but the British lodges work under the London Grand lodge, under the ‘quaint Scottish rite’, and on a ‘more religious basis than the French'”.
Does the author confuse federation with Grand Lodge perhaps?
For the years to come, co-Masonry kept being mentioned in the papers. It depends a bit on the newspaper, but mostly the information is favourable, albeit short and not always entirely correct.
Leadbeater
Leadbeater appears to have been rather famous in Australia. A couple of lengthy texts are devoted to him in different newspapers. Especially the newspaper Truth vehemently railed against him.
In 1 July 1916’s Truth (Melbourne edition) there is a lengthy text about allegations made against Leadbeater in England.
We are astounded to find that, among the alleged religionists who have come to this country, is the notorious Charles W. Leadbeater, who is now lecturing to Theosophists in Sydney. Our readers will possibly remember that we have, at various times, dealt with this unpleasant person pretty thoroughly.
What follows is a history of Theosophy, the Mahatmas, Leadbeater’s career within the Theosophical Society and outside of it and lawsuits against him, accusations at the address of Annie Besant of founding an occult branch of Freemasonry and more against the “detestable” Leadbeater.
Not much new information, perhaps safe that halfway 1916 somebody realised that Leadbeater had settled in Australia.
In 1922 (The Daily Telegraph 17 May) there was another lengthy text about Leadbeater. This time in response to the visit of Besant to Sydney. Besant tried to bring to attention that Leadbeater was cleared of his charges in England and seems to try to untangle the allegations within the Liberal Catholic Church from the Theosophical Society. No information interesting to this website here.
In 1925 Leadbeater made the papers once more (Truth 11 October 1925), this time complete with photos. Again this is a text burning Leadbeater to the ground and presenting false information about co-Masonry. There is an “inner circle”; its head is Blavatsky, just to name an example. The only thing of some interest is that Wedgwood enters the stage. He is also “notorious” and he is the “most intimate friend” of Leadbeaters. It also says that Wedgwood consecrated Leadbeater to Bishop (as he initiated him into co-Masonry) and that allegations against him forced Wedgwood to resign the Liberal Catholic Church, the Theosophical Society and co-Masonry in 1922.
It would have been nice if we learned a bit more about Wedgwood; when he came to Austrialia, how long he stayed.
Leadbeater kept making the news. Even his death (he “died in Perth on his way to Sydney”) and funeral in 1934 did not pass unnoticed.
Summery
At first glance I had some hope to find new information about co-Masonry in Australia and perhaps about Leadbeater and Wedgwood’s stays there. I never really gave it a thought, but it seems that Leadbeater came to Australia as a Theosophical lecturer, stayed there and then became both a co-Mason and a Liberal Catholic due to Wedgwood. Leadbeater seems to have kept living in Australia until he passed away. Was he really touring or did he flee problems in his homeland?
As we saw, by the time he came to Australia, everybody already seems to have known about the allegations raised against him in England. Still he is frequently described as having seen in town with groups of boys and everybody knew that he kept tutoring them. Some newspapers kept trying to bring that do light.
Most newspapers were interested in, or even supportive of, Theosophy and co-Masonry and also followed events abroad, mostly in England. Articles kept appearing, also after the passings of Besant and Leadbeater.
One little snippet I want to share to close this little investigation. I don’t think I ever heard about that.
