MasonicAdept
Premium Member
No matter the details of the back story, the charter from the Premier Grand Lodge of England establishes the Brothers of African Lodge 459 as regular. We don't necessarily know if getting that charter counted as healing for some or all of them but having that charter settled the matter. As I've been reading the discussion I've been thinking of all the parts of the story and that's the piece that fell into place for me. Charter equals regular. Name on a charter equals acceptance. History before that goes form crucial to interesting, even fascinating. History before that is history.
It was racism that kept 459 from being accepted into the forming GLs of New England. It is still racism that keeps recognition from happening in both directions in many states. I accept that once 459 was large enough to hive other lodges it was time for them to do that and once there were at least 3 it was time to organize their own jurisdiction. Not the usual process but it's the only choice they had at the time. It took until the 1980s for that process to be retroactively declared regular. So here too history goes from crucial to interesting, even fascinating. History before that is history.
I'm a history buff so I love history. Reading through this discussion it took a while for me to realize that two transitions are involved - Regularity guaranteed at the point of receiving a charter. Regularity guaranteed at the point of receiving recognition.
Great Observations Bro. @dfreybur:
In the preface of my book I explain that the book doesn't deal with any period in African Lodge's formative years but the years 1778-1784.
Many of the PHA hardliners want a pristine history clear of any irregularities. Even the sympathizers will attempt to "cover" the irregularities as well. The facts are the facts, and it is better to have the entire history put on the table and addressed, than to have to sit through another century acting as if these findings weren't there and failed to be addressed by past historians.
Thank you for your honesty.