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| Lodge Light in Arabia No. 3870
On behalf of the Brethren of Lodge Light in Arabia No. 3870, I would like to extend a warm fraternal welcome to all visitors to this site. I hope you will find this site interesting and informative, whether you are looking to become a Joining Member, or whether you are interested in becoming a Freemason.
My name is Barry Smith and I am the current Master of the Lodge. Lodge Light in Arabia was formed in 1919 and I am the 91st Master following a long line of Masters. I sincerely hope that this succession will follow on for many years to come.
Yours sincerely & fraternally
W. Bro. Barry Smith
Worshipful Master
Lodge Light in Arabia No. 3870
History of Lodge Light in Arabia No. 3870
Lodge Light in Arabia was consecrated in Aden at Sheikh Othman on 29th January 1919 and transferred to the Province of Surrey on 3rd February 1967.
Until then it was under the jurisdiction of the R. W. District Grand Master for Bombay.
Family Tree
When do we meet?
Lodge Light in Arabia meets on the first Friday in October, December, February and April. Our Installation Meeting is that in April. Our meetings usually start between 4.30pm and 5.00pm.
 Lodge Light in Arabia meets at the Croydon & District Masonic Hall:
73 Oakfield Road
Croydon
Surrey
CR0 2UX
How do I get there?
Directions: M25 junction 7. M23, then A23 (Purley Way), north to
Croydon. Turn right at Waddon into Duppas Hill Road (A232), across flyover. Turn left at roundabout and take the underpass into Wellesley Road (A212). Follow the one-way system into St James's Road (A222), then left again into Oakfield Road.
Parking: Parking in the Hall Car Park is limited. Go past the Hall
and take the first turning right,
Stanton Road. The main car park is on the
left (about 100 yards from the Hall).
'The Mother Lodge'
To truly understand the dynamic of a Masonic Lodge and all it stands for, you first need to understand the principle that every Brother is equal. This principle is well illustrated by Bro. Rudyard Kipling's poem - 'The Mother Lodge':
There was Rundle, Station Master,
An' Beazeley of the Rail,
An' 'Ackman, Commissariat,
An' Donkin' o' the Jail;
An' Blake, Conductor-Sergeant,
Our Master twice was 'e,
With im that kept the Europe-shop,
Old Framjee Edu1jee.Outside - "Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!
Inside - 'Brother," an' it doesn't do no 'arm.
We met upon the Level an' we parted on the Square,
An' I was junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there!
We'd Bola Nath, Accountant,
An' Saul the Aden Jew,
An' Din Mohammed, draughtsman
Of the Survey Office too;
There was Babu Chuckerbutty,
An' Amir Singh the Sikh,
An' Castro from the fittin'-sheds,
The Roman Catholick!
Outside - "Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!
Inside - 'Brother," an' it doesn't do no 'arm.
We met upon the Level an' we parted on the Square,
An' I was junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there!
We 'adn't good regalia,
An' our Lodge was old an' bare,
But we knew the Ancient Landmarks,
An' we kep' 'em to a hair;
An' lookin' on it backwards
It often strikes me thus,
There ain't such things as infidels,
Excep', per'aps, it's us.
Outside - "Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!
Inside - 'Brother," an' it doesn't do no 'arm.
We met upon the Level an' we parted on the Square,
An' I was junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there!
For monthly, after Labour,
We'd all sit down and smoke
(We dursn't give no banquets,
Lest a Brother's caete were broke),
An' man on man got talkin'
Religion an' the rest,
An' every man comparin'
Of the God 'c knew the best.
Outside - "Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!
Inside - 'Brother," an' it doesn't do no 'arm.
We met upon the Level an' we parted on the Square,
An' I was junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there!
So man on man got talkin',
An' not a Brother stirred
Till mornin' waked the parrots
An' that dam' brain-fever-bird.
We'd say 'twas 'ighly curious,
An' we'd all ride 'ome to bed,
With Mo'ammed, God, an' Shiva
Changin' pickets in our 'ead.
Outside - "Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!
Inside - 'Brother," an' it doesn't do no 'arm.
We met upon the Level an' we parted on the Square,
An' I was junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there!
Full oft on Guv'ment service
This rovin' foot 'ath pressed,
An' bore fraternal greetin's
To the Lodges east an' west,
Accordin' as commanded.
From Kohat to Singapore,
But I wish that I might see them
In my Mother-Lodge once more!
Outside - "Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!
Inside - 'Brother," an' it doesn't do no 'arm.
We met upon the Level an' we parted on the Square,
An' I was junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there!
I wish that I might see them,
My Brethren black an' brown,
With the trichies smellin' pleasant
An' the hog-darn passin' down;
An' the old khansamah snorin'
On the bottle-khana floor,
Like a Master in good standing
With my Mother-Lodge once more.
Outside - "Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!
Inside - 'Brother," an' it doesn't do no 'arm.
We met upon the Level an' we parted on the Square,
An' I was junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there!
Rudyard Kipling received his degrees in Hope and
Perseverance Lodge No. 782, Lahore, Punjab, India, in 1886. He was 20
years, old at the time.
Proposed into the Craft by an Englishman,
seconded by a Chinaman (who also initiated him), passed by a German, raised by an Irishman and installed in the Chair of King Solomon
by a Cantonese.
He further said his Mother Lodge has members who are
Protestants, Anglicans, Roman Catholics, a Muslim, a Hindu, and several
Buddhists.
Later Kipling became a member of Independence and
Philanthropy Lodge No. 301, at Allahabad; then he became an Honorary Member
of Kilwinning Lodge, Edinburgh, Scotland.
He received his Mark Master Degree in Mark Lodge
Fidelity on 12th April 1887. On 17th April 1888, he received the Royal Ark
Mariner's Degree in Lodge Mt. Aarat.
In England Kipling was one of the founders of Builder
of Silent Cities Lodge No. 4948 in 1927. He was also a member of Authors'
Lodge No. 3456 in London.
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