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Post by Tamrin on Aug 15, 2008 7:31:49 GMT 10
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Post by Tamrin on May 24, 2009 19:11:12 GMT 10
Fame is relative. There are local heroes and ones only famous in particular circles. Let us not judge degrees of fame but include as many individuals as we can, be they widely famous or deserve to be (as always, a few infamous names may add spice). Leafing through some old copies I had been given of The Australian Co-Mason, I came upon the following article about a local hero, " Fanny Furner, J.P." The article (v.19, #2, Nov., 1988, pp.12/13) by Celia L.M. Novy (Editor) reads: Earlier this year—and quite by chance—I met a lady who was writing a thesis on her maternal grandmother as part of her studies at the University of Technology in Sydney. Later she sent me a draft of her thesis to check for possible errors.
Yes, you guessed it, Her grandmother, Fanny Furner, was not only a mason, but a distinguished member of the community, whose ideas were well ahead of the time.
It was fascinating reading. Born in 1863, she had been deserted by an alcoholic husband and left to raise a large family single-handed. With no formal education she nevertheless, in later years, was to give public lectures, sit in on University lectures, was conversant with Astronomy and manufactured face and hair creams to her own formulae in her kitchen and then sold door-to-door in times of economic necessity.
Fanny was a member of Lodge Isis No, 412 and an old installation card found among her belongings indicates that she was its Secretary from 1919-20. Interestingly, The V.Ill.Bro. J.I. Wedgwood 33° was the Installing Master on this occasion. One wonders whether Masonry was one of the prime inspirations for her considerable social work. It was during this period that some of Australia's most outstanding women were initiated—Edith Cowan in 1916, Bessie Rischbieth in 1918, Ruby Rich in 1921, to name but a few. Like them, she devoted her life to helping humanity where it was most urgently needed at the time, so that when she died, the Manly Daily's obituary called her an outstanding leader in charitable work. Among her many activities was work carried out for the Sydney City Mission, the Red Cross, the newly-formed Kindergarten Union, drink reform and aid for destitute women. Significantly, her tombstone merely states "FANNY FURNER, J.P."  Fraternally, Philip Carter, J.P. |
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Post by Tamrin on May 24, 2009 19:12:31 GMT 10
Local hero Fanny Furner also has a Wikipedia entry, which I have taken the liberty of reproducing as it is under notice of review for lack of notability and may be deleted. Fanny Furner (1864 - 1938)[1] was an activist who worked to further the rights of women and children in the early 1900's in Sydney.
Fanny Furner was one of the first female JPs in New South Wales[2] and along with fellow member of the Theosophical Society, Mrs AV Roberts, the first women to stand for election in local government - Mrs Roberts in North Shore, Fanny in Manly.
Accomplishments
Furner was instrumental in setting up a Memorial at the gates at the Wharves in Woolloomooloo to commemorate the place from where most of the men embarked for the First World War. She was also instrumental in getting the Children's Playground near the wharf at Manly built (opposite the police station). Furner was responsible for the Home Mission Society bins being placed at the Manly Wharves.
Media Attention
Furner had many articles in The Manly Daily on civic and social matters and was friendly with the editor and owner. However the paper was burnt out in 1959 and there are no copies at the State Library held before that date.
Legacy
References to Fanny Furner and her accomplishments continue to surface. On 19 September 1987, an article appeared in the the Manly Daily newspaper, stating:
This article, published long after Furner's death demonstrates the longevity of her suffrage work.
References
1. ^ Papers of Edna Ryan (1904-1997). National Library Australia. Retrieved on 2007-07-08.
2. ^ New South Wales Government Gazette, 16 August 1922 |
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Post by Tamrin on May 24, 2009 19:13:33 GMT 10
Of Dame Edith Cowan ('Co-Mason', 1861 - 1932), we read: Edith Dircksey Cowan OBE, first woman member of an Australian parliament in 1921, the first woman to be appointed a justice of the Children's Court in 1915, and namesake of Edith Cowan University. Initiated in Co-Freemasonry 14 Oct 1916, founding member of St Cuthbert's Lodge 408, Perth For her general Bio, please refer to this Wikipedia article. |
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Post by Tamrin on May 24, 2009 19:14:42 GMT 10
THE GRAND DAME (5th millennium BCE) Here is a "Woman Freemason" (probably famous in her time) for those who wish to trace "Freemasonry" back to the dawn of civilization. This figurine is included in the Ritual Costume chapter of Marija Gimbutas' The Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe: Myths and Cult Images 6500—3500BC and Peg Streep's Sanctuaries of the Goddess: The Sacred Landscapes and Objects. The figurine, which I like to call the 'Grand Dame,' is from the Vinca culture in the former Yugoslavia (near where what may be the world's oldest pyramid is being excavated). The figurine has been dated to the fifth millenium BCE and it features a square apron with remnants of white pigment, side tassels and a collar featuring a raised boss (albeit, not a 'beehive' maybe a 'bee', resembling more a 'queen bee') and a small pendant resembling 'compasses,' (which today would signify a Grand Master). Make of it what you will. Details in the above texts are as follows: Streep, 1994, Bulfinch Press, Boston, p.62 (accompanying picture)
Seated Goddess, Vinca Culture, Carsija, Yugoslavia (c. 4700-4500 B.C.)
The V-shaped emblem around her neck identifies her as a Goddess, as does the ritual costume she wears: a hip belt and a dotted apron with fringes. The holes in the apron are filled in with white; made of clay, she is fired nearly black.
Streep, ibid., p.212, picture credits
Seated Goddess, Erich Lessing / Art Resource, New York... Gimbutas, 1982, Thames & Hudson, London, p.50
Clear definition of breast and navel suggests that the seated figure from Caršija wears no clothing above the waist. Below the belly, a dotted apron with tassels or skirt fringe on each side covers her lap. The figure’s fat legs seem to be bound, perhaps with thongs or woven bands, but are probably otherwise bare.
Gimbutas, ibid., p.52 (accompanying half-tone plate)
Seated Vinca figurine from Caršija, central Yugoslavia, wearing hip-belt, dotted apron in front and side fringes. Leg-bindings just below knees and calves. Topless except for goddess emblem or V-shaped collar.
Gimbutas, ibid., p.282, half-tone plate #20:
Terracotta seated figurine from Caršija at Ripen, central Yugoslavia. Fine grey fabric, polished surface. H. 16.1 cm. Head, arms and feet broken off. One side and buttocks damaged. Otherwise well preserved. Breasts, navel, hip-belt, apron, and leg bindings indicated by white encrusted incisions. Excavated 1906 by Vasic and published by him in Glas Sprske Kraljevske Akadamije, LXX: Pl. X and XI, Fig. 14. NM Belgrade, 765. NM Belgrade Catalogue (1968):141.
Gimbutas, ibid., p.240, abbreviations
NM Belgrade: National Museum Belgrade
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Post by Tamrin on May 24, 2009 19:15:38 GMT 10
Famous Ambiguous Freemasons:Referring to Dudley Wright’s, Woman and Freemasonry (1922, William Rider & Son, Ltd.), we find two cases of initiation under ambiguous circumstances. The first case (pp.85/6) is that of the late eighteenth century initiation of Chevalier D’Eon De Beaumont (see also this link). S/he was initiated in a French lodge, holden under the Grand Lodge of England, while controversy over his or her gender was at its height. Fearing a kidnapping attempt by people who had placed large wagers on the issue, s/he was sheltered by a Past Grand Master of that Grand Lodge. Current opinions typically favour the autopsy finding stating s/he was male. However, this statement is at odds with D’eon’s own admission under oath, that s/he was female, after which s/he continued to live as such. The other case is that of Helene, Countess Hadik Barkoczy, who had some justification for considering herself to be male under the laws of her country. Wright tells us (pp.86/7): Helene, Countess Hadik Barkoczy, who was born in 1833, was the sole heiress of Count Johann Barkoczy, and being the last of her race was permitted by the Hungarian Courts to take the place of a son. She succeeded her father on his death in 1871, in the extensive Majorat of Barkoczy. In 1860 she married Count Bela Hadik, aide-de-camp to the unfortunate Emperor Maximillian of Mexico. With her inheritance she came into the possession of an extensive Masonic library. She was a highly educated lady, and made the Masonic literature her earnest study; and having mastered the statements concerning almost every degree in Freemasonry, an ardent admiration for the Masonic idea was aroused in her. She was well acquainted with some Freemasons, through whom she endeavoured to gain admittance into the Craft. Her desire was granted and in 1875, she was duly initiated in the Lodge Egyenloseg, in Unghvar, holding a warrant from the Orient of Hungary. On hearing of this glaring violation of the statutes the Grand Orient of Hungary instituted proceedings against the brethren who had been guilty of this “breach of the Masonic vow, unjustifiedly conferring Masonic Degrees, doing that which degrades a Freemason and Freemasonry, and for knowingly violating the statutes.” The judgment of the Council was given at their meeting on January 5th, 1876, when all the accused were found guilty. The Deputy Master of the lodge was condemned to the loss of all his Masonic rights and expulsion from the Order forever; the officers to have their names struck off the lists and the other members of the lodge to be suspended for a space of three, six, or twelve months. But still the question remained as to whether the duly initiated Countess could and ought to be looked upon as a regular Freemason and whether she could claim all the rights of a member of the Fraternity. On this point the Grand Orient of Hungary decided in their meeting held on 10th March, 1876, as follows:
1. The Grand Orient declares the admission of the Countess Hadik Barkoczy to be contrary to the laws, and therefore null and void, forbids her admittance into any lodge of their jurisdiction, under penalty of erasion of the lodge from the rolls, and requests all Grand Lodges to do the same.
2. The Countess is requested to return the invalid certificate which she holds within ten days, in default of which measures will be taken to confiscate immediately the certificate whenever produced at any of the lodges. While that may have been their decision, I suggest it does not necessarily fully address the question as to whether or not she was entitled to be considered a Freemason, by virtue of her legal status and the regularity of her initiation.
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Post by Tamrin on May 24, 2009 19:16:50 GMT 10
Hypatia (5th century C.E.), her name means, the ‘Most High.’ She was the last head of the Neo-Platonic School in Alexandria, renowned for its museum and the greatest library in antiquity. In his Encyclopedia (p.61), Albert Mackey says: From this school we derive … the system of symbolism and allegory which lay at the foundation of the Masonic philosophy. To no ancient sect, indeed, except perhaps to the Pythagoreans, have the Masonic teachers been so much indebted for the substance of their doctrines, as well as the esoteric method of communicating them, as that of the School of Alexandria. The manner of her death was as follows: Having loyally supported Orestes, the pagan Prefect of Egypt, and having refused to restrict herself and her school to exclusively Christian doctrines, she incurred the wrath of Cyril, the fanatical Patriarch of Alexandria, (later declared to be a Father of the Church and a Saint). In March of 415, he incited a mob of his monks against her. While she was going about her business, the ruffians stopped her chariot, dragged her into the Caesarean Church, stripped her naked and clubbed her to death. They then tore her limb from limb, scrapped the flesh from her bones and carried her remains to a place called the Cindron, where they burnt them to ashes; these they took and cast into the sea, to be lost and buried among the sands, so that no trace of their prey would remain among men.
References:M. Alic, 1986, Hypatia's Heritage: A History of Women in Science from Antiquity to the Late Nineteenth Century, Women's Press, London M.P. Hall, 1975, The Secret Teachings of All Ages (20th edition), Philosophical Research Society, Los Angeles C. Kingsley, 1968, Hypatia, J.M. Dent & Sons, London A.G. Mackey, 1917, Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, McClure Publishing, Philadelphia
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Post by Tamrin on May 24, 2009 19:17:37 GMT 10
Christine de Pisan (1365-c.1430), practiced Freemasonry in a speculative sense (as a vehicle of moral instruction), in various French courts. Three of her manuscripts, The Order of the Rose, The City of Ladies and The Three Virtues deal with the involvement and suitability of women in Orders like, but preceding, modern, speculative Freemasonry. In The City of Ladies, Christine presents an allegory in which she builds an ideal city, specifically for worthy women, where they may be safe from slander. In doing so, she is assisted by Reason, Rectitude and Justice, personified in the allegory by three queens. Therein (McLeod, p.127), we read: [After she had dug] … a great ditch for the foundations … Reason tells her she must now take her trowel and her plumb and begin to lay the foundation of the walls. The work goes on apace and by the end of the first part of the book the cloister or surrounding wall of the city is built and Rectitude takes over. She shows Christine the beautiful stones she had selected for the masonry of the buildings, tells her to temper her mortar and shows her how to use the rod or line, which is her personal symbol, to help set the rows straight. By the end of the second part all the buildings – palaces, streets and places – are completed, so that all Christine has to do with the help of Justice is to add the high towers and battlements. References:E. McLeod, 1976, The Order of the Rose: The Life and Ideas of Christine de Pizan, Chatto & Windus, London C. de Pizan, 1983, The Book of the City of Ladies, Picador, London C. de Pisan, 1985, The Treasure of the City of Ladies or Book of the Three Virtues, Penguin, London M. Quilligan, 1991, The Allegory of Female Authority: Christine de Pizan’s Cite des Dames, Cornell University Press, Ithaca "Masons constructing the city wall" (detail).
Collected Works of Christine de Pisan, MS. Harley 4431, f..290,
French 15th century, British Library, London
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Post by Tamrin on May 24, 2009 19:18:59 GMT 10
EVE — Time-Immemorial In his History, Gould tells us (1883, v.ii, p.491): A metrical tradition of the German carpenters would read thus in English—
When Adam suffered heat and cold
He built a hut, so we are told. If so, he probably had Eve do the work. Anthropologists have found that providing shelter is typically, according to the “time-immemorial” customs and usages of recent and contemporary tribal societies, considered to be “women’s work.” The examples here are not "famous" in the sense of the individuals being widely known in a Society for standing out from their group: Rather, in this case, it is the group of women builders which is "famous," being so widely known and accepted in the Society, that its individuals are simply taken for granted. Citing Robert Briffault, Evelyn Reed informs us (1975, Woman’s Evolution: From Matriarchal Clan to Patriarchal Family, Pathfinder, Sydney, pp.121/2 & 175): " They built elaborate houses and even whole pueblos or towns. Briffault assembled voluminous data on this aspect of woman’s work as architect and engineer," of which the following is a portion.The huts of the Australian, of the Andaman islanders, of the Patagonians, of the Botocudos, the rough shelters of the Seri, the skin lodges and wigwams of the American Indian, the black camel-hair tent of the Bedouin, the ‘yurta’ of the nomads of Central Asia, are all the exclusive work and the special care of the women ...
When Mr. Bogoras was studying the language of the Chukchi, he enquired from some men the names of the various parts of the framework of the house. But they were quite unable to inform him on that point; ‘I don’t know,’ they would answer, ‘that is woman’s business.’
... The earth-lodges of the Omahas were built entirely by the women. The ‘pueblos’ of New Mexico and Arizona ... Courtyards and piazzas, streets and curious round public buildings serving as clubs and temples, form part of these towns ... Those edifices are built exclusively by the women ... (The Mothers, vol.I, pp. 478-79).
The Spanish priests who settled among the Pueblo Indians were astonished not only at the beauty of the churches and convents built for them but by the fact that women built them. One priest observed in a report to his European countrymen that ‘no man had ever set his hand to the erection of a house.’  Pueblo During the middle ages women participated in the guilds and companies of the building trades, including work as Stonemasons. In at least one instance, the average ratio of women to men among low-skilled labourers on building sites exceeded three to one. On the far side of the equation, we may look at such work in modern, Western societies, where we find the participation of women persists to this day. Indeed, under 'Stonemason' in the New South Wales Job Guide for 1990, the final sentence specifically states, 'This field is open to both females and males.' |
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Post by Tamrin on May 24, 2009 19:19:51 GMT 10
Madame de Xaintrailles Referring to Dudley Wright's, Woman and Freemasonry, (available online at Phoenix Masonry), we read, p.82): Madame de Xaintrailles, the wife of General de Xaintrailles, was a member of an Adoptive Lodge, and it is said that she was afterwards initiated into Craft Masonry. This event is said to have occurred at the close of the eighteenth century, but the whole story rests entirely upon tradition. The story is told by Clavel in his Historie Pittoresque de la FrancMafonnerie, but neither date nor place is mentioned:
"Although the rule which forbids women admission to Lodges is absolute, yet it has once been infringed under very remarkable circumstances. The Lodge of Les Freres Artistes, presided over by Bro. Cuvelier de Trie, was giving a fête d'Adoption. Before the introduction of the ladies the Brethren had begun their ordinary work. Among the visitors who were waiting in the ante‑chamber was a young officer in the uniform of a Major of cavalry. He was asked for his certificate. After hesitating a few moments he handed a folded paper to the Senior Deacon, who, without opening it, proceeded to take it to the Orator. This paper was an aide‑de‑camp's commission issued to Madame de Xaintrailles, wife of the General of that name, who, like the Demoiselles de Fernig and other Republican heroines, had distinguished herself in the wars of the Revolution and had won her rank at the point of the sword. When the Orator read to the Lodge the contents of this Commission the astonishment was general. They grew excited and it was decided unanimously that the bearer should be admitted at once into the Order. Madame de Xaintrailles was acquainted with the decision of the Lodge and asked if she would accept the hitherto unprecedented favour. Her reply was in the affirmative. 'I am a man for my country,' she said, 'I will be a man for my Brethren.'; The initiation took place, and from that time Madame de Xaintrailles often assisted in the work of the Lodge." In A.E. Waite's, A New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry, 1996 (org.1921), Wings Books, New York) he adds, (p.19): The Rev. A.F.A. Woodford, Past Grand Chaplain of England, says that he fails to see how the French Brethren were to blame, or how they could have done otherwise under the circumstances. We who know the heroism of English womanhood—not to speak of other peoples—in the adjourned war of the world cannot help speculating humourously what might have been done by himself under similar circumstances, had his gracious presence filled the Chair in the East during any of these recent years. |
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