On February 20, Wyllys - St. John's Lodge No. 4 held the second of our 2012 series of Lodges of Instruction as Worshipful Brother Martin Ede, Past Master and Research Member of the Philosophic Lodge of Research and the Masonic Lodge of Research examined the similarities and differences of British Masonry - Different Customs.

Born in Britain and a recent American citizen, WB Martin's interest and personal experience in the comparison between different lodge customs and ritual crafted a fascinating look at the evolution Freemasonry. In many ways, American ritual resembles the English ritual at the time of the joining of the Ancients and Moderns into the United Grand Lodge of England more than contemporary British Freemasonry. Over the years, oppressive social forces, a natural conservatism  and waves of anti-masonic sentiment encouraged our brothers across the sea to tone things down. While they meet less frequently than we do, they have a greater variety of rituals which Martin has explored and compared to ours. It was a fascinating lecture and very enlightening. Many thanks to Worshipful Brother Ede!