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18th Centary Ritual
in America, what many lodges had for ritual was also observing the operation of a MacBride lodge. To be
based upon similar handwritten copies of notes and sure, the opening will impress him, and the degree
lectures accumulated over time. Th ese may have been ceremonies will leave him speechless. Yet everything
indirectly received from Th omas Smith Webb, then— within the work is entirely Masonic, based upon
depending on where one was located—modifi ed by things well-known to any bright Mason.
Jeremy Cross or John Barney or another itinerant
lecturer, occasionally with a bit of Th addeus Mason Now one comes to the question of why MacBride
Harris and other earlier sources added in between. made his revision. Surely it wasn’t just a matter
Th e ritual of our own Grand Lodge was not fi nally of replacing an old notebook. MacBride enters
decided upon until 1869, and in the process, elements Freemasonry at a time where he observes that “the
of British Isles ritual were brought in at that “late” beauty and truths of Masonry were being drowned
date that are not found in other American Grand in a Bacchanalian fl ood”. All about him he fi nds that
Lodges. Th erefore, MacBride is craft ing his ritual at the Craft has neglected its symbolism. It has neglected
the same time that Masonry is beginning its modern its obligation to instruct the brethren in what that
renaissance everywhere in the late 19th century, the symbolism has to teach, and as a result has become
period of time which would bring all of us to where little more than a social exercise that expedites the
we are today in terms of how we are doing what we do. actual purpose of a Masonic meeting in order that
men can get to the libations which follow it. To his
To say this is not to suggest that we should all go mind, the neglect of knowledge has led to a neglect of
about writing our own rituals today, nor is it to say decorum, which has subsequently led to a neglect of
that we should not be informed by earlier, possibly everything, which was the very crisis that put him in
undiscovered workings from before the Grand Lodge the Oriental Chair in the fi rst place.
era. Th e point to be taken is that ritualistically, in
terms of understanding “complete plans” for Masonic MacBride is not writing ritual just for the sake of
ritual, almost everything we do—with a few notable writing ritual. He is writing with the voice of someone
exceptions—was in some way revised, rearranged, who is confronting all of the same issues that also
or honed in the late 19th century. In this sense, the seem to confront every generation of men who join
MacBride ritual is not an entirely diff erent piece of our ranks. In Speculative Masonry (1913), his later
work. Any Mason, particularly one familiar with the and only substantial Masonic work aside from the
form of work in the British Isles, will feel at home ritual, MacBride gives an idea into why he may have
felt the need to create his ritual:
Montana Freemason Page 37 March/April 2021 Volume 97 No. 2