The Masonic Book Club, Vol. 34

IN SOME JURISDICTIONS, Freemasons are exhorted "to endeavor to make a daily advancement in Masonic knowledge." Here is your opportunity to comply with that exhortation-by reading a series of educational talks delivered over the years by distinguished Masonic students, all of whom belonged to a group that is known as the Blue Friars.

The Society of Blue Friars was formed in 1932, explicitly "to recognize Masonic Authors." The name was chosen because Blue is the basic color for Masonic regalia, and Friar is related to the French word for Brother-the term by which Freemasons address one another; but the name Friar would also recall the monks of the Middle Ages, the men who wrote most of the books in those days. The Society's regulations (at least in their present form) state that "One new Friar shall be appointed each year," but that "additional Friars may be appointed to fill vacancies caused by demise or resignation when the total membership is not over twenty."

Until 1944 the Society conducted all its business by correspondence. Then, on 20 February 1944, for the first time, it held an open meeting (called a "Consistory") in Washington, D.C., as part of the annual weekend sponsored by the Allied Masonic Degrees. The gathering scheduled for 1945 had to be canceled, because of the War Effort, but since then there has been one every year.

At the first eleven Annual Consistories, papers were delivered, or performances were presented, by various people-generally senior officers of the Society. But at the 12th Annual Consistory (19 February 1956), for the first time, the newly proclaimed Blue Friar was invited to address the assembled Brothers. Since then, at every Consistory there has been at least one lecture, delivered by the new Friar. It seems appropriate that a collection of these inaugural papers, so far as they are available, should be published.

We have succeeded in locating copies of most of them (46 in number), generally from published sources, but in a few instances from typewritten copies. Unfortunately we could not find texts of the addresses given by James Royal Case (1956), Ray Baker Harris (1960), Henry Emmerson (1968), Bruce H. Hunt (1981), Roy A. Wells (1982), Wilmer E. Bresee (1983), and Stanley Maxwell (1987).