United Grand Lodge
of Antient, Free and Accepted Masons
of England


 
Province of
South Wales Eastern Division

Feature

Liberty amidst the destruction
On September 11, as the world watched the calamitous events unfold in New York, a great plume of grey smoke obscured one of the world's most famous skylines. It was perhaps a fitting paradox that the only remaining visible landmark was the Statue of Liberty. It has generally been forgotten that this famous statue was actually masonically-inspired. It's full title was Liberty, Enlightening the World, which was designed and created by the French sculptor and Freemason, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904).	Photograph: Associated Press
Bartholdi was initiated on 14 October 1875 in the lodge L'Alsace-Lorraine, Grand Orient of France. He was encouraged in the project by a mason, Henri Martin; the inner steel skeleton of the statue was supplied by another mason, the engineer Gustav Eiffel. Funding came ostensibly from the efforts of Freemasons in France and America, including the future President Theodore Roosevelt, a keen mason. When the statue was virtually complete, Bartholdi convened the Brethren of his mother lodge in order that they might review his work, even before it was shown to the United States committee. The finished piece was finally presented to the American Ambassador in Paris. 4 July 1884, and a month later, on 5 August, the Grand Master of New York. William A. Brodie, laid the cornerstone of the pedestal in a full masonic ceremony. In an address delivered to hundreds of assembled masons and visiting dignitaries, he stated that "No other organisation has ever done more to promote Liberty and to liberate men from their chains of ignorance and tyranny than Freemasonry". Today Liberty's pedestal bears a plaque adorned with the square and compasses, reminding the millions of visitors to Liberty Island of Freemasonry's desire to spread light, liberty and tolerance to all mankind.
FREEMASONS A part of the community, not apart from the community