Leo Schuman

We hear it said that the purpose of Masonry is to “make Masons.” But, how exactly do we do that? My personal experience as a brother of “Friendship Masonic Lodge #160, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons” has been unusual in some respects. Like 5 of my brothers, I was raised in the “united” Friendship 160, during the period when we were consolidated with Kenton 145. Yet, the first time I ever spoke in open Lodge, other than during my degrees and proficiency testing, was to offer prayer as Chaplain the night our Lodge was divided by the Grand Master back into its predecessors. The lines of our closing prayer – “[n]ow that we are about to separate …” – have never rung so strongly for me as they did that night. Read More

The word “libertine” was first coined in the 16th century by the Protestant reformer John Calvin, to deride those who opposed his insistence that the discipline of his church be uniformly enforced against all citizens of Geneva, Switzerland. In later centuries the term became more generally equated with debauchery. Now, Merriam-Webster defines a “libertine” as “a person (especially a man) who leads an immoral life and is mainly interested in sexual pleasure.” In the 18th century, the “libertine novel” emerged as a recurring literary genre, focused on stories with anti clerical, anti-establishment, and erotic themes. One of the most famous novels of this genre, Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons), was re-popularized in the 1980’s through an award-winning West End and Broadway play, and later a film which received multiple Academy Award nominations. This story centers on aristocratic adventures in seduction, revenge, and marriage-wrecking. Read More