THE MASONIC WORKS OF RT. WORSHIPFUL BROTHER PETER ALFRED TAYLOR, PAST DISTRICT GRAND MASTER OF GUYANA

Rt. Worshipful Brother Peter Alfred Taylor was born in Somerset, England on 31^st October, 1925 and ascended to the Grand Lodge above on Tuesday 8^th April 2008. Bro. Taylor, though English to the core, loved Guyana and settled here during World War II at a time when most resident British were planning to return to Britain. Bro. Taylor was a man of many parts, among which he was a paper merchant, being the local distributor of newsprint and high quality papers, and an impacting journalist, once serving as editor of the well-known Argosy and owner-editor of the Evening Post. The Evening Post was published in the 1960’s at a time of great political turmoil in Guyana and has an important niche in the History of Guyanese politics and media. This offering would however be devoted wholly to Rt. Worshipful Brother Taylor’s Masonic career and would not deal with his personal or non-Masonic life and activities.

Freemasonry was established in Guyana in the last quarter of the 18^th century and by the beginning of the 20^th century it had become one of the most notable local institutions, catering for the important persons in business, Government administration, the professions and the Church. Concord Lodge No. 3508 was a premier Lodge. It was one of the older lodges in Guyana and its membership was largely British. It is therefore not surprising that the young Peter Taylor gravitated towards Concord. He was initiated in that lodge on 9^th July 1952 and the enthusiasm, seriousness and devotion he exhibited that evening accompanied him throughout his long and outstanding Masonic career.

He became Master of Concord in 1957 and again served in the Chair of that Lodge in 1968/9 and 1969/70. He also became a joining member in other lodges in the District and was always one of the most regular and welcome of visitors. Later, he was honoured with honorary membership of almost all the local English lodges.

Bro. Taylor had a flair for research into Masonry both in Guyana and in the wider dimensions of the Craft and was an avid reader of Masonic magazines such as the Quatuor Coronati journal and newly published Masonic writings. He therefore became a specialist in certain aspects of Masonic History and in the various rituals and ceremonials. Even before Bro. Taylor was elevated to District Grand Lodge office, he knew the details of the Book of Constitutions and could advise Directors of Ceremonies of the various lodges how to perform their respective rituals with faithful exactitude.

In 1967 he was appointed District Grand Secretary and proved of invaluable assistance to the then District Grand Master, His Grace Rt. Wor. Bro. Dr. Alan John Knight, the Archbishop of to the West Indies, and a great Masonic scholar in his own right. As District Grand Secretary, Bro. Taylor’s great administrative capabilities manifested themselves and such capabilities became even more impacting when he became District Grand Master in 1980. He demitted office as District Grand Master in 2001.

During his tenure as the main Masonic administrator in Guyana, in his capacities as District Grand Master, District Grand Secretary, District Grand Scribe E, and Grand Superintendent of the District Grand Chapter, he ushered in a period of an expansion of the Craft which had been unthinkable in the two centuries of the existence of Freemasonry in Guyana. As a Ruler in the Craft he demanded strict Masonic discipline by insisting that brethren and lodges adhere to the Book of Constitutions, that lodges work according to their respective Rituals and that the Craft operate within the ambit of Masonic Etiquette at all times. And Bro. Taylor’s leadership was universally respected not only by English brethren but by Scottish as well.

With Bro. Taylor’s administrative skill, determination and personal hard work, the following lodges were consecrated in the period between 1970 and 1993:-

Kara Kara No 8349

Eureka No. 8515

Guyana Lodge of Research No 8525

Lotus No. 8735

Klubba No. 9103

University Lodge of Guyana No. 9331

Guyana Wheel of Service No. 9431

Phoenix No. 9517

This more than doubling the number of extant lodges was done to meet particular Masonic needs: Phoenix helped to expand the Craft in Berbice; Kara Kara was the first lodge away from the Coast and probably presages the time of development of Guyana’s Interior; it particularly catered for the Bauxite Industry. Eureka met the needs of professionals; the Lodge of Research to stimulate Masonic research and learning; Lotus catered for the overflow of Mount Everest and met the requirements of brethren of Indian cultural ambience; Klubba essentially met the requirements of the members of the historic Georgetown Club; University Lodge for University of Guyana members and associates; and Wheel of Service for Rotarians. It should be underlined that during the period of Bro. Taylor’s administration, the number of men of good report who were Initiated kept markedly growing and a very high proportion of the total Masonic membership were active.

The following new Chapters were also founded:-

Silent temple No. 3254

Concord No. 3508

Roraima No. 3902

Mount Everest No. 5868

Kara Kara No. 8349

Eureka No. 8515

Guyana Wheel of Service No. 9431

Bro. Taylor’s stimulation of the founding of Chapters was indeed a noteworthy achievement. For nearly a century, there was only one Chapter –the Union Chapter –and though other Lodges felt the need, they could not have formed Chapters since they were not Union members. This resulted in many English brethren joining Scottish Chapters and indeed, Mount Everest Lodge and Silent Temple formed the Temple Everest Chapter under the Scottish Constitution. By the establishment of new chapters, Bro Taylor satisfied a long felt Masonic need and enriched English Freemasonry in Guyana.

Bro. Taylor had a deep interest in the smaller Masonic Orders and he felt that by injecting new life into those which existed and establishing new ones such effort would increase the breath and depth of Freemasonry in Guyana and open new vistas for those who would wish to further enrichen their Masonic experience. Orders such as Cross of Constantine; Rose Croix; Royal Ark Mariners, Knights Templar; Knights of Malta and Royal and Select Masters attracted more brethren under Bro. Taylor’s tutelage than at any time in the past. Bro. Taylor was very helpful in establishing new Orders, the most prominent of them being the Order of the Secret Monitor. Most of the Orders were Christian but the Secret Monitor accommodated non-Christians and as such met the needs of brethren of Hindu and Muslim background who form a substantial part of our Masonic community.

Bro. Taylor took a deep personal interest in the establishment of these Lodges, Chapters and Orders. He often helped in the choice of names, design of banner and motto, and compiling of the by-laws. He gave guidance in the administrative processes of establishing them, and in their first years, was always willing to lend his help and support. An example of such generous help and involvement was with Lotus Lodge. Various names were suggested for the new lodge until the brethren settled down to two: “Whitby” – the first ship which brought Indian indentures to Guyana, somewhat reminiscent of the “Mayflower” which brought the Pilgrim Fathers to New England. – and “Lotus” a flower regarded with great respect in the Hindu/Buddhist and Islamic traditions. Bro. Taylor took part in the debate and the name “Lotus” was chosen. The motto of that Lodge “Truth, Light and Immortality” is taken from the ancient Indian prayer:-

From Untruth lead me to Truth

From Darkness lead me to Light

From Death lead me to Immortality

This prayer, incidentally, was the first one used by his Holiness the Pope when he landed at Bombay on his first visit to India. Bro Taylor readily supported this motto emphasizing how Masonic it was, but suggesting in his rather humourous anti-high brow fashion, that neither the original Sanskrit or Latin or any other Classical language be used. When the other new lodges were being established Bro. Taylor equally and unstintingly gave them help and support in a variety of ways.

One of Bro. Taylor’s greatest attributes was that he clearly understood the plural nature of English Freemasonry and that it was designed to satisfy the various requirements of the Human Condition. Accordingly, each of the new lodges which was established under his tutelage satisfied a particular need thus bringing greater utility, acceptability and indeed respect, to the Craft.

For example, the then District Grand Master, His Grace the Archbishop long wished to form a University lodge as he knew very well the virtues of the lodges at Oxford and Cambridge since he was Initiated while a student. But his wish could not have materialized at the time, thus Eureka, a lodge catering for professionals was formed. In the 1970’s, Bro. Taylor recognized the need for another lodge catering for brethren of Hindu and Muslim cultural background, since Mount Everest had grown too large and was unable to accommodate all those desirous of being Initiated, thus Lotus was formed to meet that need and absorb the overflow of Everest. By so doing he greatly strengthened English Freemasonry. And so was it with other lodges such as Wheel of Service for Rotarians or Klubba for members of the Georgetown Club.

Bro. Taylor’s quietly underlining this very important facet of English Freemasonry – its pluralism – was an invaluable contribution to the development of the Craft in Guyana since many brethren, even in high Masonic office, had been under the serious misapprehension that English Masonic lodges should be all monolithic institutions with the same raison d’etre and an all pervading sameness, making no accommodation for the vagaries and needs of the Human Condition. Had these monolithic and totalitarian attitudes prevailed, the kaleidoscopic richness of English Freemasonry in Guyana would have been diminished. Thanks to Bro. Taylor’s efforts, such ignorance and prejudice have been almost removed from English Freemasonry in Guyana.

Bro. Taylor was interested not merely in the broader areas of Masonic administration; he was also equally involved in the details of running a successful District Grand Lodge. For example, he ensured that the 19^th century wooden building at Company Path, the headquarters of English Freemasonry, was maintained and even improved. And when extensive repairs were being done to the serving brother’s wooden cottage on the western side of the Hall, he insisted on maintaining the unique architecture of that cottage though it entailed more cost than if it were to have been replaced by a modern concrete building. Or he personally ensured that a generally acceptable and capable person was chosen as caretaker of the Hall and thus there was never a complaint or dissatisfaction with the caretaker from any of the lodges or brethren since the caretaker’s performance was kept under constant surveillance. Or he took care of details like ensuring a Masonic diary was written up for the coming year and before the end of one year. He also kept the financial status of the District Grand Lodge and of the Craft in general in constant review.

Though, in a mechanistic way, the rise and fall of Masonic lodges have a strong relationship to the economic conditions of a country or District, Bro. Taylor’s foresight went beyond this factor. In the 1970’s and 1980’s when most of the new lodges were established, , Guyana was not in the best economic health, but Bro. Taylor understood the necessity of creating a Masonic infrastructure to accommodate the future. And the historic Masonic infrastructure he bequeathed is awaiting to effloresce into even greater Masonic prosperity once there is proper administration at the District and lodge levels.

Finally, another important spinoff of Bro. Taylor’s innovative foresight was his putting Freemasonry in Guyana in the forefront in the Caribbean Region and of Freemasonry in Guyana helping in the development of the Craft in other territories. In the words of W.Bro. Fritz McLean who presented the Eulogy at Bro. Taylor’s Anglican burial: “From his dedication to Masonry, a number of new orders and lodges have been established and consecrated in Guyana in the last 30 years, well before similar development in the rest of the Caribbean. Indeed, in recent times, Masonry in Guyana has been sponsoring and assisting such developments in the Caribbean islands”.

In a short tribute, it would be impossible to mention the numerous examples of Bro. Taylor’s fairness and his throwing oil on troubled waters and restoring peace, harmony and concord among brethren and lodges. Such details would very likely be mentioned in lodge histories or in individual memoirs. His reign as District Grand Master would long be remembered as one of the most creative and distinguished periods of English Freemasonry in Guyana and stands out as a guide, precedent and inspiration to future District Grand Masters and leaders of the Craft .

Inderjeet Beharry P.M.

May 2008