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Tlr

LukeD

Registered User
Just came across the Texas Lodge of Research site. Looked very interesting, however, can anyone shed some more light on the organization and what benefits there are to being a member?
 

nwendele

Registered User
Beathard has talked about it a fair bit on this forum, I had never heard of it until his posts. I would think any history buff would love to be a member, just to know what they are up to and researching, and to celebrate the history of Texas Masonry. It encourages Brothers to contribute to masonry by writing and researching, and through that labor provides more light to other Brethren. I would love to be able to wear a Grand Lodge of the Republic of Texas apron. It is a goal in my Masonic journey.



Then from their website:
WHEN A MEMBER presents a lodge history, a Masonic biography, or an article or paper at a TLR meeting, he
is eligible for elevation to Full Membership. Only Full Members may be elected to lodge office.

To become a FULL MEMBER a brother must prepare a suitable research paper, have it accepted by the Editorial Committee and present it before the Lodge. If the paper is well received he will be invited to FULL MEMBERSHIP by the other FULL MEMBERS present. Only FULL MEMBERS can hold elective office in TEXAS LODGE of RESEARCH.
THE WHITE APRON has a gold border with a gold five pointed star embroidered in the center. The letters G.L.R.T. across the bottom of the apron stand for "Grand Lodge of the Republic of Texas." The All-Seeing Eye is emblazoned on the bib.
 

Beathard

Premium Member
The Grand Lodge Library has a full shelf of papers written by TLR members. It is some of the best reading about Texas masonry.
 

Mac

Moderator
Premium Member
Just came across the Texas Lodge of Research site. Looked very interesting, however, can anyone shed some more light on the organization and what benefits there are to being a member?
I'm a full member of TLR, and I encourage all Masons to consider pursuit of the same. The main benefit of being an Associate Member is receiving the Transaction of TLR (our roughly annual publication with a year's worth of research papers). To become a full member, you must submit a research paper and have it approved by the editorial committee. Once approved, you present the paper at a regular quarterly meeting of TLR and are then deemed a full member and presented with your apron.

The TLR apron is quite an eye-catcher, and rightfully so. Many local brothers mistakenly introduce me as a member of "the Grand Lodge of Research of Texas." The apron is actually a replica of those worn under the Grand Lodge of the Republic of Texas. As a history buff, I absolutely love wearing it to other lodges.

There's a great paper on the website about how TLR was first formed as a means of collecting lodge histories, but there is a wealth of information on all kinds of masonic topics in the Transactions. Also, take note: a complete collection of previous Transactions was just approved for sale as a collection of PDF's on a CD.

I'm currently pressing a brother to write a paper about his experiences in Europe during the Cold War and just after. He played a part in re-establishing Freemasonry in countries where it was previously banned, and I think his story should be shared with masons everywhere.
 

Observer

Registered User
While documenting the history of Texas lodges has become the "de-facto" purpose of TLR in recent years. That was certainly not why it was founded. It was founded to encourage Masonic research and education and was patterned after Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No. 2076 (United Grand Lodge of England). If you look at the Transactions of TLR you will see that it was four years after the founding until the first lodge history appeared. In the next 16 years, only 17 lodge histories were presented. Not to denigrate the writing of a lodge history, but there is much more to Masonic research and education and Masons would do well to stretch their intellect a bit.
 

Mac

Moderator
Premium Member
While documenting the history of Texas lodges has become the "de-facto" purpose of TLR in recent years. That was certainly not why it was founded. It was founded to encourage Masonic research and education and was patterned after Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No. 2076 (United Grand Lodge of England). If you look at the Transactions of TLR you will see that it was four years after the founding until the first lodge history appeared. In the next 16 years, only 17 lodge histories were presented. Not to denigrate the writing of a lodge history, but there is much more to Masonic research and education and Masons would do well to stretch their intellect a bit.

Well said, brother, and my apologies. I just received my copy of the latest Transactions, and I thought the paper on TLR's history indicated that part of its origin was collecting the stories of the various lodges. It's entirely possible that I just skimmed it too quickly, though.

I agree 100% that TLR is a venue for true research into Freemasonry beyond the scope of a lodge history and I enjoy reading papers that do so. I should also be clear, however, that I do appreciate lodge histories being stored on the permanent record. Both kinds of paper serve a purpose. The nice part about TLR is that the Editorial Committee scrutinizes each submission so that whatever is published in the Transactions is of high quality.

Again, I would encourage any Texas Mason to join TLR. Once they've joined, I would ask them to consider a topic of interest, research it, and submit a paper for consideration. It's not impossible, you just have to have a genuine interest in the topic and a dedication to finishing what you start. ;)
 
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