Draft:The Mostly Venerable and Ignoble Fellowship of the Silver Spoon
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In the first paragraph in the account of the founding of the Mother Grand Lodge in 1717, it states that the old Lodges in London had two, and only two, purposes in constituting the Grand Lodge: one was to establish a center of union of harmony; and the other was to revive the quarterly feasts.
The Mostly Venerable and Ignoble Fellowship of the Silver Spoon (the “Fellowship”) was constituted on 25 June 2022 as a masonic dinner club with only one purpose: to commemorate the quarterly feasts in a table lodge setting. The quarterly feasts are:
1. the Feast of Annunciation on the Saturday closest to March 25th;
2. the Feast of St. John the Baptist on the Saturday closest to June 24th;
3. the Feast of Michaelmas on the Saturday closest to September 29th; and
4. the Feast of St. John the Evangelist on December 27th.
In order to provide the Fellowship with a modicum of credibility (or incredibility), the bar to membership was set as being publicly recognized for an entertaining tale on his harrowing ordeal in sojourning to, and attending, the fictional Grand Lodge of Timbuktu.
Annually in July, the Chancellor calls on all available Silver-Tongued Devils to attend the Magna Convivium de Cochleari (“The Great Feast of Spoons”) to set out the plan and budget for the ensuing year.
The Constitution[edit]
We, the Silver-Tongued Devils, in order to publicly recognize the respective harrowing ordeals of those brethren that have sojourned to and attended the Grand Lodge of Timbuktu, do hereby ordain and establish this Constitution for this, the
Mostly Venerable and Ignoble Fellowship of the Silver Spoon
Article 1 – Composition of the Fellowship. The Fellowship shall consist of an unlimited number of Silver-Tongued Devils and a single Chancellor.
1. Silver-Tongued Devil.
a. Election.
(1). In recognition of the admiration, respect, and deepest gratitude of the inebriated Brethren assembled at a table lodge for the mostly accurate, splendidly entertaining, and jubilantly inspirational reminiscence of his harrowing ordeal in sojourning to and attending the Grand Lodge of Timbuktu, a Silver-Tongued Devil shall be elected by a favourable super-majority open vote of Brethren present and capable of balloting.
(2) The number, name, and table lodge date shall be recorded in the nominal roll.
(3) A candidate for admission to the Fellowship has one opportunity per table lodge to regale the Brethren with only one inductee per table lodge.
b. Term. In perpetuity.
c. Certificate. Each duly-elected Silver Tongued-Devil shall be granted with a certificate that has been executed and witnessed by the Chancellor and the Worshipful Master of the table lodge. Should that certificate be voluntarily or involuntarily misplaced so sad, too bad.
d. Jewel. Each duly-elected Silver Tongued-Devil shall be presented with a sterling-silver coffee spoon enhanced with a post and hook. The jewel is to be worn on the right lapel. The first jewel shall be provided by the Fellowship upon election. Should that jewel be voluntarily or involuntary misplaced a replacement Jewel must be purchased by the Silver-Tongued Devil.
2. Chancellor.
a. The Chancellor shall be a Silver-Tongued Devil.
b. Election. Upon the death or resignation of the sitting Chancellor, a new Chancellor shall be elected through a favourable super-majority open vote of all Silver-Tongued Devils capable of attending, and then only after each Silver-Tongued Devil present has consumed no less than one quart of spirits or port.
c. Term. Until death or resignation.
d. Powers and Duties. The following powers, prerogatives and privileges are attached to the office of Chancellor:
(1) Authority to ensure the due observance of this Constitution;
(2) Authority to interpret this Constitution;
(3) Authority to prescribe procedures where the Constitution is silent; and
(4) Compile and preserve a record of all matters connected with the Fellowship.
Article 2 – Mottos. The following are hereby adopted as the mottos of this Fellowship:
1. “numquam veritas obsistit bonae fabulae”, which translates to “never let truth stand in the way of a good story”; and
2. “qui mentitur optimum vincit”, which translates to “who lies best wins”.
Article 3 – Amendments. Whereas a Silver-Tongued Devil desires to make an amendment or alteration to the Constitution, he shall submit the matter in writing by hand to the Chancellor. The Chancellor shall promptly destroy the request with extreme prejudice in front of the applicant.
Article 4 – Dissolution. In the event of the dissolution of the Fellowship for any reason any assets remaining shall be forwarded to the Grand Lodge of Timbuktu by Canada Post with postage specified as Cash On Delivery with an unsigned note saying “thanks for the fraternal memories”.
Done in Convention in Calgary by the Silver-Tongued Devils present this Twenty-Fifth Day of June in the Year of our Lord Two Thousand and Twenty-Two in witness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our Names,
Bro. James Eilander, Silver-Tongued Devil No. 1
Bro. Paul Kelly, Silver-Tongued Devil No. 2
Bro. Eppo van Weelderen, Silver-Tongued Devil No. 3 and Chancellor
The Seal[edit]
by Bro. Paul Kelly, Silver-Tongued Devil No. 002
“Brethren, please allow me to draw your attention to the front of your menu covers. There you may observe the Seal of our Fellowship, which is comprised of many symbols.
Upon closer inspection you will observe, at the six o’clock position, a square and compasses. For, while we are not a Lodge, this Fellowship is founded on the principles of Freemasonry.
As each member of this Fellowship has made the same figurative pilgrimage to the heart of the Songhai Empire, we have in effect, become masonic explorers. As such, we must always travel light. We cannot be packing all the working tools of the degrees, but must limit ourselves to the square and compasses alone, but importantly after having first adjusted the square against the twenty-four-inch gauge, so that it becomes a square of known length.
Thus, with a calibrated square and compasses we can determine the distance between any two points on a map.
However, still hidden on our Seal, is a third working tool essential to a masonic explorer, but before I elucidate this, let me cast your minds back to a nursery rhyme written at about the same time Anderson wrote the constitution of the mother Grand Lodge:
“Hey diddle, diddle,
the cat and the fiddle,
the cow jumped over the moon,
the little dog laughed,
to see such fun,
And the dish ran away with the spoon”.
At first glance this appears to be nonsense, but it was used in the 18th century to explain the constellations to young children. For each character in the rhyme corresponds to a celestial figure.
The cat is the constellation of Lynx.
The fiddle, as stringed instrument, is the constellation of Lyra.
The cow represents Taurus, which being over the moon refers to the Aristotelian model of the cosmos, where the stars are fixed in place upon the canopy of heaven known as the firmament. In the third degree, it is mentioned that we live down here in our “sublunary abode”, meaning below the moon.
The little dog is the constellation of Canis Minor.
The dish, a bowl or cup, is the constellation of Crater.
Which brings us to the spoon. The great celestial spoon is the Big Dipper, which is accompanied by the Little Dipper. These well-known asterisms are found in the constellations of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor respectively. These rotate, head-to-tail at the top of the celestial dome, circling and pointing out Polaris, the north star. Ancient mariners would look to the night sky for the Big Dipper, in order to find true north.
Now, when you look at the Seal, you will see these asterisms represented by two spoons, with the north star at the top. The whole symbolizing a celestial compass.
Thus, the working tools of a masonic explorer are the calibrated square, compasses and compass. With these tools the distance, and the direction, between to points on a map may be accurately determined; a course may be plotted using triangulation; and you have everything you need to safely navigate across the shifting sands of the Sahara to reach the fabled City of Timbuktu, which is itself represented in the centre of the Seal.”
Nominal Roll[edit]
No. 001 Bro. James Eilander, 25 June 2022, Charter Devil
No. 002 Bro. Paul Kelly, 25 June 2022, Charter Devil
No. 003 Bro. Eppo van Weelderen, 25 June 2022, Charter Devil. As No. 003, he was surreptitiously appointed Chancellor by No. 001 and No. 002.
No. 004 Bro. Mark Toon, 25 June 2022. Duly elected at the Feast of St. John the Baptist held by Zetland Lodge No. 83 at the Mounted Patrol Clubhouse at the Al Azhar Shrine Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
No. 005 Bro. Chris Uchman, 30 September 2022. Duly elected at the Feast of Michaelmas hosted by The Goose and Gridiron Lodge No. 203 in the Blue Room at Calgary Freemason’s Hall in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
No. 006 Bro. Lee Elliott, 2 February 2023. Duly elected at the Table Lodge held by the Goose and Gridiron Lodge No. 203 in the Fireside Lounge at the Al Azhar Shrine Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
No. 007 Bro. Stuart Bentley, 25 March 2023. Duly elected at the Feast of Annunciation held by the Fellowship in the Blue Room at Calgary Freemason’s Hall in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
No. 008 Bro. Jeremy Butler, 30 September 2023. Duly elected at the Feast of Michaelmas held by the Fellowship in the Blue Room at Calgary Freemason’s Hall in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
No. 009 Bro. Gordon Berard, 27 December 2023. Duly elected at the Feast of St. John the Evangelist held by the Fellowship at the Regency Palace in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
No. 010 Bro. Gordon Hughes, 23 March 2024. Duly elected at the Feast of Annunciation held by the Fellowship at the Red Deer Resort and Casino during the Grand Lodge of Alberta’s “Weekend Without Titles 2.0” in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.
Table Lodge[edit]
As the quarterly feasts are commemorated at table lodges throughout Alberta, the Fellowship procured a large rolling carry all to simplify the transportation and storage of the table lodge accoutrements (e.g., masonic firing cannons, candelabras, gavels, menu covers, etc.).
The following generic menu cover was created and printed in quantity on laminated paper (for easy cleaning). The inside summarizes the table lodge program applicable to all feasts.
In March 2024, Mr. Roy Smith graciously loaned an antique snuff mull to the Fellowship, who subsequently adorned the hinged lid with a silver spoon handle. Snuff is a form of powdered tobacco that was popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. The snuff mull originated in Scotland, and was often made from materials such as horn, pewter, silver, and wood. In Scottish tradition, the snuff mull was often passed around as a way of sharing snuff with friends and guests as it was considered a sign of hospitality to offer a pinch of snuff from the mull.
In April 2024, the Fellowship procured 75 masonic firing glasses. An especial thank to Bro. Mark Toon, Silver-Tongued Devil No. 004, from from Canadian Masonic Supply Shop (https://masonicsupply.ca/)