Book-review
When you browse through the history of our remarkable craft, you will find it impossible to get away from eating, drinking, food and speeches from the very start. After all, organised Freemasonry began in June 1717 around a dining table at the Goose and Gridiron in London, and seven decades earlier, in the early evening of the 16 October 1646, Elias Ashmole wined and dined, following his initiation in Warrington.
From the very start, the Premier Grand Lodge wasted no time to decide on two Grand Masters a year, elected every six months so that the brethren could enjoy two major festivals annually. Little has changed over the centuries.
We may have moved from ceremonies conducted around the dining table at inns and taverns to purpose-built lodge rooms and sophisticated dining halls, but a most important aspect of English Freemasonry remains the festive board and its after proceedings.
That is what this book is all about. The content applies equally, with logical adaptation, to Craft, Royal Arch and Mark as well as other Orders and organisations.
Historical facts will give you 'fillers' for your speech, as will the anecdotes. Please do not look for new never-before-told stories: there is no such thing as a new story. It is only a question as to whether you have or have not heard it before. The tales Beresiner tell are tried, tested and successful and a good story is always worth repeating.
For the best part of a half-century, Beresiner has collected stories and anecdotes from umpteen sources and more recently from the Internet.
The Author has added an extended chapter on Talks and Lectures - this will complete the guidelines and instructions that he was able to convey on the subject of speaking.
The summarised listing at the end of each chapter is intended for reference and practical use.
Everyone agrees that Masonic speeches should be fun, entertaining and inspiring. So it seems rather strange that previous books on the subject have had none of these qualities!
This book is different, it's not a dry ponderous "how to" guide, it's a hilarious journey. Because it is such an enjoyable read, you will learn and remember whilst being entertained.
By the time you have finished the book you will know everything you need to make a confident and enthralling speech, even at short notice.
This book offers the best guide to help you prepare for any speech, Masonic or otherwise.
Thank you Yasha, it is a great book.
Bruno Virgilio Gazzo
editor, PS Review of FM
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