International Order of Freemasonry for Men and Women "Le Droit Humain”

Although still in the minority, mixed Freemasonry is well established throughout the world, especially in Europe. There are many co-Masonic bodies, including, of course, the "Droit Humain", and even the Grand Orient of France, although it does not claim to be mixed, has accepted women for initiation since 2008. But the origins of Co-Freemasonry are undeniably French, and can be traced back to the "Droit Humain". "Droit Humain" is the fruit of a rather extraordinary history that is worth remembering. And even if it is no longer the only Masonic body to allow mixed membership, it is still the pioneer of this new form of Freemasonry, which strongly affirms the equality of men and women. So let's set out to discover the origins and development of the "Droit Humain".

Maria Deraismes and the first steps towards mixed Freemasonry

The feminist cause was born in the second half of the 19th century, and many Freemasons, especially in France, took an interest in it, to the point of becoming activists for women's rights. This was the case of Léon Richter (1824-1911), a freethinking journalist and feminist, and a Mason of the Grand Orient of France.

In 1866, Richter invited Maria Deraismes (1828-1894) to give a lecture to the lodge on women's rights. Maria Deraismes was a militant writer and lecturer who, together with Richter, founded the Society for the Vindication of Women's Rights in 1869 and organised the International Congress on Women's Rights in 1878. It was probably through Richter that Maria Deraismes discovered Freemasonry and wanted to join. But she also worked with other progressive Freemasons, such as Victor Poupin (1838-1906), a writer, socialist politician and co-founder of the "Ligue de l'enseignement" and the "Union démocratique anticléricale", with whom she organised the first anticlerical congress of the Grand Orient of France in 1881.

But despite the apparent goodwill of some Freemasons, the lodges were far from ready to open the door of the Temple to women. While many members of the Grand Orient of France expressed feminist sympathies, the Order itself remained cautiously reluctant to break with the tradition of male Freemasonry. One might have expected more boldness from the "Grande Loge Symbolique Écossaise", the most progressive Masonic body of the time, which was formed in 1880 when a dozen lodges seceded from the very conservative Supreme Council of France. Despite its feminist sympathies, the “Grande Loge Symbolique Écossaise” didn't dare take the plunge. However, one of its lodges ("Les Libres-Penseurs" in Le Pecq) decided to go ahead and initiate Maria Deraismes on 14 January 1882, in the presence of Georges Martin (1844-1916), Grand Master of the "Grande Loge Symbolique". However, this courageous initiative was frowned upon by the Obedience, which expelled the Lodge found guilty of such disobedience. It was only reinstated in 1884, on condition that Maria Deraismes did not appear on the Lodge's roll.

 

Although a Freemason, Maria Deraismes found herself without a lodge and did not despair of finding any doors open to her. With Georges Martin, she multiplied her writings, conferences and contacts of all kinds, but to no avail.

Fed up, Maria Deraismes and Georges Martin decided to stop waiting for the good will of male Freemasons and to force destiny by creating a mixed Masonic obedience themselves. Several informal meetings were held between 1890 and 1893 to prepare for this future mixed lodge, and on 14 March 1893, Maria Deraismes, assisted by Georges Martin, initiated sixteen women, all committed to the feminist cause. The new Sisters became Fellowcraft on 24 March 1893 and Master Masons on 1 April 1893. Three days later, on 4 April, the College of Officers was elected and the Statutes and Regulations were adopted. The "Grand Lodge Symbolique Écossaise Mixte "Le Droit Humain" was born and Georges Martin became the first male member of this new Masonic body.

From the Mixed Grand Lodge to the International Order

Maria Deraismes did not live to see the new Obedience grow, as she died in 1894, leaving Georges Martin in charge of its development. He devoted himself body and soul to the project. In 1895, four new Lodges were founded in Lyon, Blois, Paris and Le Havre, and the phenomenon spread outside France (to England, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Indonesia, India and the United States).

In 1897, Georges Martin set about creating a Mixed Supreme Council so that the members of the "Droit Humain" lodges could have access to the higher degrees of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite. In 1899, he received the 33rd and final degree from Joseph Décembre (1836-1906), a writer and Freemason of the Grand Orient of France. Georges Martin was then able to pass on this degree in his turn within the "Droit Humain", and the Universal Supreme Mixed Council was officially created in 1901, thus enabling the creation of the International Order of Freemasonry for Men and Women "Le Droit Humain".

The new organisation still needed a headquarters worthy of the name. After using various premises, Georges Martin bought a plot of land in Jules-Breton Street in Paris and donated it to the "Droit Humain" for the construction of a Masonic building. Work began before the First World War, but the building was not inaugurated until after the war, when Georges Martin died in 1916. The building is still the headquarters of the "Droit Humain".

The international organisation of the "Droit Humain"

The first form of international organisation conceived by Georges Martin was strictly pyramidal : the Universal Supreme Mixed Council had authority over all lodges from the 1st to the 33rd degrees in the world, with no structure equivalent to a Grand Lodge or Convent at national level.

This is all the more curious given that Georges Martin was one of the founders of the "Grande Loge Symbolique Écossaise", which was created precisely to challenge the authority of the Supreme Council of France over the Blue Lodges of the Rite. As early as 1904, opposition to this pyramidal organisation arose in several French Lodges of the "Droit Humain", which demanded that a French Convent be convened. This was done in 1907, but Georges Martin pointed out that only a universal convent had the authority to decide on the constitutions of the Order. Several other assemblies of French "Droit Humain" lodges were held until 1912, but the problem of relations with the Supreme Council could not be resolved, so that in 1914 a dozen lodges broke away to form a dissident symbolic Mixed Grand Lodge.

 

Georges Martin realised that it was time to convene an international Convent, which should have taken place in 1914. But the First World War prevented such a Convent from taking place, and in the same year, 1914, Marie Georges Martin, wife of Georges Martin and Grand Master of the "Droit Humain", died. Her husband succeeded her as Grand Master, but he also died in 1916, leaving the question of the relationship between the Universal Supreme Mixed Council and the blue lodges unresolved.

In 1920, the International Convent finally took place and decided on the form of world organisation that still prevails in the "Droit Humain", i.e. an International and Mixed Supreme Council, with a single Grand Master of the Order (the Most Powerful Sovereign Grand Commander, Grand Master of the Order), who guarantees respect for the constitutions and guidelines of the Order, but National Councils, with an annual Convent, administering the Blue Lodges in each country. The President of the National Council is the equivalent of a Grand Master of a Craft Grand Lodge, but does not have the same power, as he remains subordinate to the Most Powerful Grand Commander, i.e. a member of the Supreme Council of the 33rd Order, who represents the Grand Master in the country.

The International Order of Freemasonry for Men and Women "Le Droit Humain" today

The International Order of Freemasonry for Men and Women "Le Droit Humain" currently has around 32,000 members in more than sixty countries, and its Lodges operate in 21 different languages. The local establishment depends on the number of Lodges : Federations for at least 7 Lodges, Pioneer Federations (or Jurisdictions) for at least 3 Lodges, and below this number we speak of Pioneer Lodges.

The National Convents are held annually and elect the National Council, headed by a President, who bears the title of Grand Master only in the French and Belgian Federations. The members of the National Council and its President must hold the rank of Master.

The International Convent is held every five years and is attended by delegates from the Federations, Jurisdictions and Pioneer Lodges. The International Convent elects the Supreme Council from among the 33rd degree holders, and the Supreme Council elects the Grand Master from among its members. If the Grand Master is not French, the Deputy Grand Master must be.

From the outset, the official rite of the "Droit Humain" has been the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite. However, out of respect for local Masonic customs, other rituals may be practised by Blue Lodges. Some English Workings (notably the Lauderdale Working, written by Annie Besant and Charles W. Leadbeater, who were both members of the "Droit Humain") are used in Anglo-Saxon and Nordic countries. In France, as far as we know, only one lodge, "Le Comte de St-Germain" in Paris, uses the Lauderdale working. In countries where they are particularly widespread and honoured, Side Degrees such as Royal Arch or Mark Masonry are also practised within 'Droit Humain'.

Active for more than 120 years, the International Order of Freemasonry for Men and Women "Le Droit Humain"has remained faithful to its original intentions and still aims to create a fraternally united society without distinction of ethnic or social origin, philosophical or religious beliefs. Its members are committed to respecting the right to absolute freedom of conscience for all, and seek to achieve the maximum moral, intellectual and spiritual development of all human beings throughout the world.