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Royal Arch Mason - Fall 1961
Masonry is neither a church nor a substitute for a church. It can be made into a substitute, but this would be a perversion. It does embrace several great beliefs, but it is not a dogma. It in no sense has a system of theology. It is set against bigotry and intolerance.
It is a fellowship but not an ecclesiastical system. It is a Fraternity with vast ramifications, but has no hierarchy. Its ties of brotherhood are strong. Its obligated devotions are solemn and severely binding.
Its symbolism is ritualistic but not sacramental. Some of its ritual is similar but not the same as practiced by the church. One rite of Masonry is distinctly Christian, but it is not sectarian. All men who are true Christians in faith and life can belong.
The other rite is inclusive of all monotheists or those believing in one God. Yes, it includes devout Christians, for they believe in the unity of Deity. This rite, while reflecting in its lectures and pageantry the philosophies and insights of all high thinking people among all religions, does not purpose to be either a synthesis of all beliefs or a world religion. These philosophies and insights are presented for our enlightenment and reflection. We are under no pressure to accept them. Only the obligations are mandatory. These obligations are in no sense religious tenets. They are fraternal commitments to loyalties that do no violation to conscience.
Masonry, like church, stands for charity of a broad nature. However, its motivations and objectives do not stem from the same source as it is true of the church. The Masonic objectives and motivations are wholly humanitarian. In the church they spring from a love shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit and are both man-ward and God-ward.
Masonry is a bulwark for religious liberty. It does not propose to make bad men good, but to make good men better. It is a friend and supporter of the basic objectives of religion. The churches and Masonic bodies should be cordial allies. They are not identical, but have so many interests in common.
Masonry is not to permit the Mason to replace church, but to reinforce it. It does not supplant, but supplement. It does not subvert, but support.
DR. WILLIAM R. WHITE, - President, Baylor University, Waco, Texas
THE AMERICAN FREEMASON - JULY 1911
THE Grand Master of Minnesota, Brother William B. Patton, last year spent a great deal of time and effort to collect some statistics of an unusual hind relative to the Lodges of that jurisdiction. These statistics are interesting, but they proved very little profitable to the Grand Master himself, Although figures do not lie, they speak a foreign language to most people, and need an interpreter that they may be understood. The Grand Master commented in part as follows:
In considering these figures, one fact seems to stand out very strongly, and that is that our large Lodges, as compared with the smaller organizations, are not effective Masonic instrumentalities. Much as we may pride ourselves on having, in the jurisdiction, or personally belonging to Lodges of commanding numerical strength, we must not shut our eyes to the problems which they create. When we realize that over 20 per cent of the Masons of Minnesota belong to 3.2 - 10 per cent of the Lodges, and that these same Lodges make over 20 per cent of the brothers added to our ranks each year, it certainly becomes a matter of importance to inquire if these bodies represent the best possible conditions for doing Masonic work, and if their work is well-tried, true and trusty.
These Lodges are situated in our large cities, where they are able to surround themselves with every facility for making their meetings attractive, and where the members have convenient means of transportation; and yet, withal, the average attendance, including visitors, is only equal to 8.2 - 10 per cent of the resident membership, and in one instance is as low as 2.6 - 10 per cent.
When it comes to paying the last sad honors to the body of a departed brother, a duty which should appeal with peculiar force to all members of the fraternity, one Lodge reports an average attendance equal to 2 6 - 10 per cent of its resident membership, and the average for the whole of the Lodges in Class V, as before stated, is but 5 3 - 10 per cent. When we add to these facts the further information that but one Lodge makes any attempt to regularly introduce social features into the meetings, and thus have the brethren so related, in fact as well as in name, and when but one Lodge, and that the one before mentioned, makes even an occasional attempt at enlightening its membership in matters Masonic, other than the ritual, it certainly gives us cause to doubt, if in the large increases in their membership, they are not adding mere members, rather than Masons.
Brother Patton is a member of Palestine Lodge of Duluth, one of the large Lodges which he condemns, being the second largest Lodge in Minnesota. That is all that we know about him. But we are just as sure as if we had the evidence before us that he is, and is known as, a strong supporter of some higher degree body; that his interest is there rather than in the Lodge. We should like to bet with anyone that knows no more about the facts than we, that he is a 33d degree man, or something of that exalted sort.
Why do we say this? Because it is well known that size and strength are just as useful to a Lodge as to a Consistory; that the large and strong body will control the many small and weak ones. Therefore when we see a man advocating a course which will make the Lodges weaker and the higher bodies relatively stronger, we have our suspicions, and when we find him using arguments specious rather than sound, we conclude that he himself knows perfectly well that he is laboring to get the Lodges to act against their own interests, and in the interests of other Masonic bodies, the rivals and competitors of the Lodges.
"These Lodges are situated in the large cities," he says, "where they are able to surround themselves with every facility for making their meetings attractive." That sentence alone stamps the whole argument as far-sought and far-fetched. For any candid observer, instituting a comparison between large Lodges and small, would be sure to write a sentence something like this: "The large Lodges are situated in our large cities, where alone they come into competition with the Scottish Rite bodies and the Shrine, which invariably deprive the Lodges of two-thirds of their strength, not only by monopolizing the time and the energy of many of the most active workers, but also by conflicting with the Lodges in prestige, in social activities, in attractiveness of work and in every possible way, and compete upon terms most advantageous to the higher bodies and most disadvantageous to the Lodges, due to the fact that the Lodges and Grand Lodges can always be deceived into legislating against their own interests and in the interests of their chief rivals."
This is what any candid person would write, for these are the facts which strike any intelligent observer right between the eyes. A man looking for facts will see the primary disadvantage of the city Lodges. A man engaged in muddying the water, as higher degree men commonly do, with the object of concealing their purposes, will call attention to some fictitious advantage which city Lodges can be said to have.
Of course it would occur to a candid man that the city Lodges have other competition naturally affecting attendance, in the way of theaters, clubs, lectures, musicales, shows and entertainments of a hundred kinds, which the country Lodge does not have. However, this element in the case, powerful as it is, is secondary to the one first pointed out.
The Grand Master points out that Minneapolis Lodge, of Minneapolis, had an attendance at funerals of only 2 6 - 10 per cent of its resident membership. Reference to his table shows that this means an average attendance of twenty-five, at thirty-six funerals.
Now a candid man would see at once that an attendance of twenty-five may be just as large for a Lodge of 1230 members as it is for a Lodge of 123 members, for the reason that the former will have ten times as many funerals as the latter. While the large Lodge is having thirty funerals, and turning out 750 of her members, the small Lodge in the same time is having three, and turning out 75 of her members, exactly the same percentage.
We have understood that Minneapolis Lodge has the matter of attendance at funerals systematized. Any Lodge as large as she, and having as many funerals as she, ought to and must systematize the matter. We admit that an average funeral attendance of twenty-five seems small, but only because it would suggest an attendance upon some occasions of fewer than twenty.
The average attendance is of no consequence, in our opinion. The important question is, what is the minimum attendance. A minimum attendance of twenty-five is large enough for any Lodge, and many more than that would represent a waste of human life and energy, limited as these assets are.
An intelligent administration will try to accomplish three results in the matter of Lodge funerals: First, that the attendance shall never fall below a minimum which is becoming and creditable. Second, that each member shall do his share, unless unavoidably prevented, and; third, that the time of the members shall not be wasted by giving to funerals a disproportionate amount of time. Unless upon some special occasion, there is no satisfaction to any thoughtful man in attendance at a funeral of one hundred men, seventy-five of whom might be doing work to make the world better or richer. The individual member will get just as much good for himself out of one Masonic funeral a year as he would out of attending thirty-six.
If Minneapolis Lodge has the matter so systematized (as we have understood that she has) that her average attendance of twenty-five means, as a rule, not the same twenty-five, but so that in due time practically the whole Lodge is turned out, then no one outside the Lodge has any license to criticize her. And if we were inside the Lodge, our only effort would be to make the average of twenty-five a minimum of twenty-five. And if the system is such that the average and the minimum are already practically the same, in that case we have nothing but congratulations for Minneapolis Lodge upon her solution of the funeral problem.
It remains to be said that the conclusion drawn by the Grand Master of Minnesota is predicated upon insufficient data. Even if the showing made by the large Lodges of Minnesota is not creditable, there are large Lodges elsewhere. The annual report of Palestine Lodge of Detroit, for example, shows that her average attendance during 1910 at all meetings, exclusive of funerals, was 301, and the average attendance at funerals was fifty. This with an average active membership of 1535, Last June THE AMERICAN FREEMASON printed statistics of sixteen large Lodges in eleven states. Not one of them is in Minnesota. Fourteen of the sixteen gave their average attendance at all meetings, including funerals. Following are some figures relative to those fourteen:
Aggregate membership of fourteen Lodges 9380
Aggregate average attendance 1618
Per cent of average attendance 17.2
Highest per cent 27
Lowest percent 8.4
These are percentages of total membership, not of resident membership. And the Lodges which keep the average down are certain old and inactive Lodges, which would make a very different showing if only resident membership were considered, as in Grand Master Patton's figures.
It would be fair to conclude that the condition in Minnesota is exceptional. It certainly is such if we are to understand that but one of Minnesota's large Lodges makes any attempt to promote social features. It is our experience and observation that the larger Lodge becomes, the more it cultivates the social features.
The large Lodges of Minnesota are exceptional, there must be some reason. Our guess would be they have abandoned the social side of Masonry wholly to the higher degree bodies, and that the limit of their ambition is to qualify men for these other bodies.
Undoubtedly such is the tendency in American cities. Unquestionably that is the cause of our enormous American Lodges. And this we feel bound to point out for the benefit of our British cousins, who cannot understand a Lodge of more than a thousand members. This is, perhaps, the first time that any one has undertaken to show them the why of such a Lodge.
We once had the original system, which still survives in the British Isles. The first edition of Webb's Monitor, published near the end of the eighteenth century, states, in effect, that when a Lodge has more than fifty members it is thought to be too large, and in such case some of the most expert Craftsmen, gathering to themselves some of the other members, will leave the old Lodge and form a new one. At that time Lodges had no competition. Afterwards competition of the Commanderies had the effect of increasing somewhat the ordinary maximum. Until the present generation very large Lodges were unknown, or almost unknown, and it is not more than ten years since an American Lodge for the first time touched a membership of 1000. Now, it is only within the present generation that the competition of the Scottish Rite and of the Shrine has been felt.
Suppose in an average body of fifty Masons there are just enough active members to keep a Lodge moving. Now in a large American city you must have fifty more to furnish workers for some Chapter, fifty more for some Commandery, one hundred more for some set of Scottish Rite bodies, and fifty more for a Shrine. Total 300, and the Lodge has lost all the advantages of small size, and has nothing left to work for but the advantages of large size.
Our British cousins will understand this at once, for they know in what the advantages of small size consist. They will also realize how different is the Masonic spirit in an American city Lodge from that in a British city Lodge. Compare two of the same size, whether of fifty or five hundred, if you can imagine an American city Lodge of fifty or a British city Lodge of five hundred. Let each of our British cousins think of the most zealous and enterprising Lodge which he knows, and then imagine the same Lodge with five-sixths of its best men giving their time, their interest and their energy to other Masonic bodies, thinking when they think of Masonry, not of the Lodge, but of Commandery, Consistory or Shrine.
Of course it is understood that these bodies are always relatively large, Consistories and Shrines especially. A Consistory (which is a short term meaning, in popular American usage, a set of Scottish Rite bodies, officially comprising a Lodge of Perfection, a Council, a Chapter and a Consistory) or a Shrine (meaning a Temple of the so-called Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine) is always relatively large. They exist in the large cities only, and there is always only one of each. Here are two instances illustrating the character of their activities in America: In Chicago last month Oriental Consistory and its concordant Scottish Rite bodies conferred the Scottish Rite degrees upon 1251 Masons in a single class and in four successive days, and must have collected in fees not less than $125,100. Medinah Temple of Chicago a few years ago had a single class of upwards of a thousand men. Both of these bodies have plans for great buildings, that of the Shrine (Medinah Temple) for example, is to be 150 by 218 feet in size. It will seat 5,000 men and will have a stage 70 feet deep. It will have a banquet room large enough for 2,500 men to sit down at one time. The figures of the membership of these bodies are not accessible at this moment, but they have each 8,000 or 10,000 members.
But a very small part of the influence of such bodies upon the Lodges has been analyzed, and the limit of a single article is reached. But, to hint at a great deal in a single sentence, let us ask, what figure would each Lodge cut if there were in the same city five or six hundred Lodges of fifty members each? They might aim at prestige in legitimate ways if they were all on an even footing. But with these great and wealthy bodies overshadowing them, what choice have they, if they have any ambition at all, but to try to rival them upon their own ground? An American city Lodge which wishes to amount to anything must have a large membership and large funds. It may be that in the cities of Minnesota, even the large Lodges have become nothing but the vestibule to Masonry, of no consequence in themselves and fulfilling no function except to qualify men for the higher degree bodies. In other cities they represent a heroic struggle against such a fate, and they ought to be appreciated and applauded instead of being depreciated and condemned.
Finally, the time has come when Lodge men should make the plans for the Lodges, and the advice of men should be received with some degree of coldness when they are men who, figuratively speaking, are Lodge men only one day in each year, and for 364 days (in leap year 365) are Commandery men, Consistory men or Shriners. They have each chosen to prefer some other body to the Lodge, and cannot complain if they are rated accordingly in the Lodges. The interests of these several bodies are not identical but diverse, and very often adverse. Any man who argues that they are identical is always a man who, when the time comes to make a choice, will choose the interest of some body other than the Lodge. They are all honest men, no doubt, and do not realize that adversity of interest. It is not denied that they have the right to prefer what they call the higher bodies. There is not in this article any appeal to them to change. But there is in it a call to Lodge men to see the truth as to the situation of American city Lodges, and to become and to continue open-eyed and watchful.
W.Bro Robert Davidson, Past Master, Grand Lodge of Saskatchewan
R.W.Bro. Webber phoned me some time ago and asked me if I would address you this evening and told me that the topic was my choice. A topic that has been written about and discussed at length at almost every Masonic gathering in recent past is the problems facing Masonry. We have talked about lack of new members, lack of attendance, Lodges surrendering their Charter, Lodges amalgamating and so on. Tonight I am not going to quote statistics, I think we all are aware of the magnitude of the problem.
However, I am a person who believes in solutions rather than problems, and so tonight I have decided to share with you what I believe is one solution. I like a challenge, so I said to myself, suppose I could contribute something to this gathering that would send you away with not only an answer to Masonry's problems, but also advise who is going to be responsible.
A tall order? Yes it is!!
Do I indeed have the secret? Yes I do!!
First of all, am I going to advocate huge changes for Masonry? No! No I believe, as I am sure you do, the uniqueness of Masonry is our strength. We offer something to a man that I don't believe can be found anywhere else.
But do we have to change some things - definitely yes - all aspects of our fraternity has to be looked at and examined.
It will not come as a surprise if I say to you that we live in a changed and still changing world. But I sometimes wonder if we realize just how much things have changed in a short time. I consider myself to be a young person, but consider some of the changes just in my short time on the planet. I was born before television, almost before commercial radio, computers, credit cards, pavement, traffic lights, ball point pens, snowmobiles, multi speed bicycles, Oreos, deodorant, automatic transmissions, panty hose, air conditioning and instant coffee, and bunnies were small rabbits, a loony was a very strange person, grass was mowed, coke was a cold drink, pot was something you cooked in and making out was how you did on an exam.
In a 1993 Tracing Board, the Grand Master of the time suggested membership/friendship nights leadership programs, mentor programs, a philanthropy that we can brag about - he stated that we need these things not only for our present members but to once again make Freemasonry something to which young people want to belong. Are these good suggestions? They are excellent - there have been many excellent suggestions. We have talked about officer proficiency leadership training . . . . . . . . . . The problem I find with a lot of these suggestions is that personally find it hard to know where to begin. How I can make a difference. I am, at heart, very simple, basic person and I have always believed that a problem is only an opportunity in disguise and the best way to begin changing a problem into an opportunity is at the grass roots. At the basics, if you will.
In my work with small businesses across Western Canada, we don't talk about the philosophies of business, or the magic answer, we talk about the basics - sweeping the sidewalk, greeting customers, dressing up the presentation. We ask owners to step back and take a new look at their business - to look at it as if you have never seen it before - get a new perspective - a new outlook.
I believe we should do that with Masonry - and our Lodge. Look at ourselves with a new look - perhaps through the eyes of prospective members or a new candidate. What do they see?
I ask myself this question - where can we begin? The answer to me seems to lie with the monthly Lodge meeting and in fact with all Masonic meetings, district, area and the Grand Lodge Communication.
Wouldn't our problems be solved if we could fill all our meetings with old and new Brethren every month? I think so!!
Now I am going to tell you it is possible. If I went out and asked every successful organization the secret of their success, every one would give me good reasons. Also if I asked every successful business for the reasons for their success they would all have good reasons. But every one of them, organizations or business uses this secret to guarantee success.... and I am going to give you the secret.... But I can't just give it to you in so many words. It is too simple. It is, in fact, so simple you might not totally grasp it's importance and significance.
So I am going to use humor to etch it in your memory so that every time you wonder what you can do to increase attendance or membership, you will remember this story and the important message it denotes.
There was this young fellow who became tired of city life and so he purchased a small farm. A hobby farm if you like. With the farm he acquired three small creatures called piglets. Now in the course of time they grew up into rather large animals. One morning our new and inexperienced farmer found his animals to be acting in a strange and agitated manner. In consultation with a real farmer, he was informed they were experiencing the pangs of anticipated and desired motherhood. He was informed the solution was to transport his charges to a neighboring farm and acquire the service of a boar. This, with some great difficulty, he did. The owner of the boar advised he was to note the reactions of his pigs the next morning. If they ensconces in mud, the trip was successful, however, if they were lying on the grass, the visit had not been a success, and would have to be repeated. It turned out, he had to repeat this laborious process for two more mornings. The third morning when he went to the barnyard for his morning observation, he found two of the pigs in the back of his truck, and the third in the cab honking the horn!
Now before you get the wrong idea, let me explain. You see folks, our behavior depends on the amount of reward. If a situation is rewarding, we repeat it, and the more rewarding, the more enthusiasm, and if it continues to be rewarding, we continue to repeat it. Take a moment and think about the real reason why you attend meetings, entertainment events, why you like to shop at particular places of business in favor of others.
I believe you will agree it is because of the reason I just stated. In each case you returned and participated because the experience was rewarding, generated a feeling of enthusiasm and invited a repeat. Now here's the secret. . . .
The Rewarded Mason Enjoys,
Multiplies,
and comes back! !
How does this relate to our Masonic gatherings? If each occasion is rewarding, interesting and challenging, we will repeat it. If not, we find something else to do. Now, let me stop here for a moment and tell you that I am not standing here purporting to be an expert - I have been Master of a Lodge three times - did I run great meetings - did I have a challenging program - no not always, and for that I owe those Lodges an apology...
Times have changed and we have to change our methods. Let's consider again how times have changed - there's television - We are bombarded with images of the things that are fun to do - we see all sorts of people enjoying themselves in a variety of ways - is it any wonder that our young people have strong ideas about what is fun and what isn't? Look how the work situation has changed. Twenty or thirty years ago we had the idea that we would get a job, and work there for life - or if you were born on the farm, you'd stay on the farm - I remember how shocked Mother and Father were when I came home one day and announced that I was leaving my job. Dad had the same job for 43 years. Now our young people see reorganization, take overs, mergers, downsizing, right sizing, cut back, so their outlook has changed.
A survey of 250,000 North American workers listing ten motivational items revealed that the number one motivational reason was interesting work. . and number two was a feeling of being "in on" decisions - a part of the action - so now when a young person comes to apply to a company, one of their unspoken questions is "Will it be interesting to work here?" "Will they give me a true feeling of belonging?". If the answer is yes, it has to actually become a reality, and continue to be true, or they move on. Companies have adjusted to changing times, and Masonry has to change, and I'd suggest we begin with the Lodge meeting. When a new member or a visitor comes, will they find it interesting - will they get a feeling of being "in on things", a sense of the belonging?. We have to examine every aspect of the meeting - is it on the right night - is it at the ore right time - do we have an interesting challenging program? Are we continually adapting to the ink members needs? Are we being creative? Are we wary of long time rules - do we examine the statement "We've always done it that way! ! "
Our meetings are considered to be retreats of friendship and brotherly love. We must not let them and deteriorate to a session to discuss the same type of problems that we meet in daily living. If the atmosphere does not constitute a retreat from the cares of the day, we have missed the purpose. Our purpose is to provide a change from the daily atmosphere, a safe and scared retreat for Brethren tired of the hustle and bustle of modern living spending a quiet evening devoted in the main to the needs of their fellow men. We have to be better prepared. We have to learn how to meet change head on and turn it into an opportunity.
To be successful in this world of ours, we need people - we need each other. And yet, we are living in an increasingly unfriendly society. We are losing personal interaction. We used to have bees, dances, pot lucks. Many excuses to meet - we had a song "The More We Get Together the and Happier We Will Be". Today we're turning inward. A word has been coined. We're cocooning. for Answering machines, fax machines, automated tellers, drive in windows, home shopping have all contributed to a loss of interaction. We are becoming a nation of people who would rather stay not home.
Yet I believe men want what Masonry offers. People today appear to be searching for direction, peace of mind. As evidence, consider some of the best selling books - "Chicken Soup For The Soul" - "The Celestine Prophecy" and the Robert Fulgham and John Bradshaw books. These, for some, have become the new Bible.
Masonry can play an important and necessary role for men. Masonry offers true friendship, brotherly love, solace in time of sorrow or need, a solid rock of morality, relief and truth. We have the responsibility of continuing to offer this to good men. Offering it in a way that will attract, enthuse, stimulate, challenge and encourage participation.
Our Notices must be rejuvenated to offer news, to attract and to invite. Questions must be asked of our other assemblies. District meetings, area meetings, Grand Lodge Communication. Do they measure up in the areas of timing, interest, attraction, challenge, variety and reward.
There's the good news I want to leave with you - we can change - we can build on what we have.
What could be the bad news? - I promised I would tell you who is going to do it - well Brethren the answer is in this room and in rooms around our country - interested, loyal, faithful, enthusiastic Brethren who care ! ! MWBro Richard Brown has chosen "Personal Commitment" as his theme and his slogan "It Is Up To Me".
Can you and I make a difference - Yes we can.
With commitment and action.
It will take commitment. We have to focus on our objective - take action - follow through - try another approach if necessary.
Whatever it takes - that's commitment.
There's always a way if you are committed.
And it will take action. Action creates emotion.
Emotion is created by motion - action makes the difference.
We have to be enthusiastic about Masonry. It has been said that, "Nothing of consequence ever been accomplished without enthusiasm." So I believe - you and I can make a difference..
"If It's To Be - It's Up To Me"
Let's Do It ! !
DELIVERED BY J. Q. GOSS at OMAHA, NEB., JUNE 19, 1867.
M.'.W.'. Grand Master, Fellow Craftsmen, Ladies and Gentlemen:
In standing before this vast audience, composed of many whom we, in Masonic language, term "profane," of the representatives of the Fraternity of this State, and I have no doubt, of many others - skillful craftsmen - representing the Fraternity at large, but not members of this Grand Body, I feel that the duty assigned me is one of no ordinary magnitude, and were it not that I have been schooled in the Masonic lesson of obedience, my feelings would have prompted me to have declined the honor of being your orator on this occasion.
I shall not, at this time, urge upon you the necessity of becoming Masons, or ask you to unite yourselves with the Fraternity, for this the regulations and spirit of Masonry forbid; but in obedience to the commands of the Grand Lodge, and in accordance with a custom of our Order, on occasions like the present, I stand here to address you upon the principles, the aims and object of our institution.
So much has been said and written about the antiquity of Masonry, that no one, not impervious to the charge of being a mere "copyist," would attempt, on such an occasion as this, or indeed at any other time, to trace the Masonic institution through all its periods of prosperity and adversity, from its inception to the present time. In relation to the date of its origin, permit me to say, that it is so far back in the remote ages of the past that the precise time cannot be determined. This is sufficient proof, if proof be necessary, that Masonry is not of modern origin, that it has passed through its periods of prosperity and adversity, and it stands before you to-day with the traces of age upon its brow, yet marked with none of those signs and evidences of decay, which age generally produces.
I shall not, then, on this occasion, delve into the subterranean caverns of the dead past, and, from amid the rubbish and ruins of antiquity, exhume musty records, and from their time-stained pages decipher those mystic characters and letters which tell of the mysteries of the Gymnosophists of India, of the Persian Rite of Mithras, the Egyptian of Osiris and Isis, the Eleusis of Greece, or of the Scandinavian and Druidical Rites, of the Gothic and Celtic tribes, and adduce these as proofs of the antiquity of Masonry, for however much we may search those vaults of antiquity, translate the dusty records of dead centuries, and decorate and beautify the walls of our Masonic temple with the fragrant garlands of poesy, or with traditions and legends of the days of yore, it will avail us nothing, unless we know what Masonry is, and what are its principles and teachings.
In leaving those empyrean heights, intended only for the flights of genius, and contenting myself with traveling in more practical paths, and an examination of the vital, living present of Masonry - that in which we live and move, and with which we have to do - I ask your indulgence for the brief time allotted me on this occasion.
Masonry is founded in the very wants of the nature of man. When the human emerged from the hand of the Divine Being, there was implanted within him a desire for society and for social intercourse. The declaration of God, that "it is not good for man to be alone," applies as well to every individual and to all classes of society, as it did to Adam in the garden. Through the ages that have rolled into eternity since God created man, and looked upon everything that He had made, and pronounced it "very good," down to the present, this longing for social intercourse has maintained its position in the human breast, and inspired man with noble aspirations and desires to elevate himself and his fellow-man in the scale of moral and social being. It is true that there are some who have none of those Heaven-born aspirations and longings within their bosoms, who are content to grovel in ignorance, and who seek not their own good or the welfare of their race. Such as these can never become Masons. It was but the beatings of the pulsations of our common humanity that laid the corner-stone of the Masonic temple, that has placed block upon block in the walls of this stupendous edifice, and that will continue to infuse life and energy into the hearts of those who bow at its altars, until the temple shall be completed in all its parts - the keystone having been placed in its proper position - a monument to the wisdom of its founders and builders - its pillars being strong and enduring, and "beauty" being inscribed thereon in indelible characters.
Man should not live for himself alone, for he is a member of one great family or brotherhood, each member of which derives its support and assistance from the whole, and is therefore a dependent being. This dependence of the parts is true of all created matter, and is beautifully exemplified in all the works of the Sovereign Architect of the Universe, as proclaimed in the dignity, peace and harmony of nature. The animal world breathes out gases for the vegetable kingdom, and in turn exhales or stores up those elements that are essential to animal health and vigor. Every mountain slope supports its own herbage, and from the gentle rains which fall from heaven to moisten their surface, the little rill is formed, which flows into the vale below and feeds the herbage there, - thence it flows onward and still on, until it reaches the boundless ocean, whose waves wash every shore, and upon whose bosom is carried the commerce of the world. The warm gulf stream that flows from the sunny regions of the equator to near the polar coasts, softens the winds of that arctic region; the poles, in return, send forth their vast array of icebergs, which, floating onward, at length reach the torrid zone, and there serve to temper the fierce tropical heat. Thus we find that, by the harmonies of creation, selfishness is condemned, and that from the interwoven service of nature each department gives and receives a corresponding benefit.
The harmony of nature is produced by the organization and order which over all prevails. The idea of organization is in fact connected with that of order. This is true of societies as well as in nature; and the more perfect the organization, the greater the harmony. It makes no difference how discordant the elements of which a society is composed; if there is perfect organization, entire harmony exists therein. This is beautifully illustrated in Masonry; within our lodges may be found men of every shade of opinion, political and religious; yet, notwithstanding those differences, peace and tranquility abound; and while assembled in the lodge room, at least, "brethren dwell together in unity." There is a reciprocity of brotherly kindness, which springs up in the hearts of those who in deed and in truth are Masons, that time cannot obliterate, and that circumstance can never change. This has been fully exemplified during the strife from which our country has just emerged. When hostile armies met in deadly conflict - when the fiercest passions of hate and revenge were aroused - when the clashing of arms and the booming of the cannon were heard - when the shrieks of the wounded and dying saluted the ear on every hand - above all these, Masonry asserted her sway - the mystic sign was not unheeded. It checked those unholy passions of strife, envy, hatred and discord, which, but a few moments previous, had crushed out all the ennobling qualities of the man, and rekindled within the bosom of those hostile combatants, those feelings of brotherly love and affection which Masonry inculcates.
We do not claim for Masonry that it is of Divine origin. It is an institution founded by man, upon those divine principles which underlie all that is truly noble and good in humanity. Its object is to educate man, and to develop him to the fullest extent in all those faculties of his nature that tend to harmonize the human family and to elevate mankind to the highest attainable condition to which it is possible for human agencies and institutions to raise him. Its teachings are pure and holy, designed to fill the soul of the initiate with higher conceptions of those duties which every man owes to himself, to his fellow man and to his God. He is taught that to himself he owes the sacred duty of refraining from all those indulgences which tend to impair his faculties and degrade his being; to be temperate in all his desires, and chaste in all his actions, and to place such restraint upon all his affections and passions as shall most effectually free his mind from the allurements of vice.
To his fellow man he is taught to act upon the principles of brotherly love. From the time when he first crosses the threshold of the Masonic temple, through all the forms and ceremonies of the three degrees, until he becomes a full brother among us, and as long as he continues to worship at the Masonic altar, he is constantly reminded that it is his duty to practice brotherly love, relief and truth. Love to his fellow man, and especially to the brotherhood, is strongly inculcated; and he is taught that the unity and harmony that pervades the universe should form conspicuous elements in the human character. To the individual who has been fully prepared at heart to become a Mason, how beautifully sublime must fall upon his ear the exhortation to "behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." He learns that
"There is a calm in friendship's hour,
There is a spell when hearts unite,
There is a magic in that power,
That leads to better worlds of light -
That cheers the soul with heavenly ray,
And tells about a peaceful home,
And, 'mid the gloom of sorrow's day,
Says softly, 'brighter hours will come.' "
This unity constitutes the secret of the permanence of our Order. At our communications, all those subjects which tend to produce discord and contention are strictly forbidden. Political partisanship is forever debarred, and cannot enter within our walls. In this respect, Masonry is indeed peculiar. The founders of the institution, and those who built upon the foundations so skillfully laid, have ever solemnly declared that this prolific source of bickering and strife should never enter within her doors. How truly good and pleasant, then, is it, when the heart has become careworn and chilled by the beating of pitiless storms of adversity. to enter there, where "kindred hearts in fond embrace doth meet." When the angry waves of the troubled ocean of political contests have tossed us about, and almost made shipwreck all the faith, hope and charity that once existed within our breasts; when fierce prejudices and passions have been engendered, how good and how pleasant to enter the lodge room, where this fruitful source of jarring discord cannot enter, and where heavenly peace is a welcome and delightful guest.
In religious matters, also, Freemasonry holds itself aloof from any and all attempts to control the opinions of its members. It is true that we recognize the existence of Church and of State; but we also recognize to its fullest extent the fact that were we to go farther than this, were we to point out the party to which those who become associated with us should belong, were we to lay down the principles or tenets of a religious faith and practice to be observed and believed by all, we should endanger the very existence of our Order. In religion, therefore, where religious denominations begin to construct their systems of faith, Masonry halts. Here her path lies in a different direction from theirs. Denominations, or religious sects, adopt a theology peculiar to the views of their founders, and to these views their devotees must subscribe; while Masonry demands from its disciples a recognition of a simple and primitive faith in Deity, an acknowledgment of, and a pure simple trust in Him as the author and giver of all good - those principles in which all men who are not atheists agree - leaving it to their own consciences as to their application of this faith to their daily walk and conversation; thus reserving to itself the sacred mission of propagating the principles and true ideas of brotherhood of man as extended as humanity itself, and of uniting in the bonds of friendship and love those who otherwise must have remained at variance, and possibly at enmity, with each other. In the lodge room, then, we may truly say that
Earth's distinctions vanish here;
We know no race, nor sect nor clan,
Only the brother tried and dear;
Only the Mason and the man.
Hail, holy, happy brotherhood !
Truth, love and friendship bind in one
Hearts that are true, sincere and good,
By thy refining influence won.
There are certain prominent points of Masonic duty, of which no Mason can be ignorant, although he may not be acquainted with all the minutiae and ceremonies of the Order. The peculiar traditions and doctrines which are included in the lectures may, by him, have been unexplored; but the principles of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth - of Faith, Hope and Charity - have all been inscribed upon his tracing-board in such bright, indelible characters that he cannot be uninformed as to his duties in relation thereto.
The true Mason is continually seeking opportunities for the exercise of those virtues of which I have just spoken, and which have formed so prominent a part in his Masonic education. He knows his duties, and knowing, seeks to reduce them to practice; for with him Masonry is a living reality and not theory alone. It is in the practice of those virtues that he delights for he has learned that in doing good there is much joy. Is a brother afflicted and distressed, his hand is ever ready to aid and assist him, and to relieve his wants and necessities. The blessed influences of brotherly love and charity - twin daughters of Heaven - prompt him to those noble deeds of benevolence which give joy and gladness to many a weary, sad and sorrowing heart.
Masonic charity is not limited to simple gifts and contributions of money or other tangible material of worldly goods, although these, when necessary, are right and proper, and are included within the term of charity. The being who is compelled, by the force of adverse circumstances, to beg from door to door, feels grateful for a crust of bread or other food with which to appease the cravings of hunger. Thanks are uttered for a pair of shoes to protect the feet, or a coat to shield the body from the chilling blasts of winter. He calls these acts charity, because they alleviate his bodily sufferings and provide for him the necessaries of physical life. True charity, however, extends beyond these, to all the wants of the great brotherhood of mankind. Have the cold and pitiless storms of a selfish, unfeeling world beat upon the heart, charity throws around it her broad mantle of brotherly love and affection, which warms and infuses into its whole being new life and animation, and as the genial showers and summer sun cause the face of nature to smile and look glad, so the drops of genial affection and the rays of brotherly love, beaming from the benign countenance of one whose heart is prompted by the honest impulses of genuine charity, cause the soul of the recipient thereof to overflow with gratitude and joy. Is a brother led astray by the erring propensities of his nature, this charity prompts the true Mason to gently remind him of his faults, to whisper good counsels in his ear, and to aid and assist him in all his efforts at reformation. She bends over the poor fallen brother, and with her broad mantle hides from the inquiring and condemning gaze of the world the self-inflicted shame and degradation, and at the first dawn of returning reason, she lifts him again to his feet, and by the gentle allurements of affection, endeavors to lead him back to the paths of rectitude and self-respect. She enters the house of mourning, and there, unto the saddened heart that has been bereft of some loved one by the cruel hand of death, she presents the cup of sympathy and affection, and pours the oil of consolation into its bleeding wounds.
This is the charity which envieth not another and which puffeth not itself, which is kind and forbearing, full of long-suffering, and goodness and truth; and this charity every Mason should practice.
It is to be feared, however, that there are some who become members of the Fraternity for the benefit they expect to derive from it, rather than from a desire to confer blessings and benefits on others. They are advocates of brotherly love, when that love is to flow from another's breast towards them, but which kindles within their own hearts no sympathetic spark of love and affection. They believe it to be a duty to relieve the distressed, and who more distressed than they? They hope that great good will inure to them from their association with Masons, and above all they believe that charity is the greatest of Christian graces, and they have also learned that "charity begins at home." Such men have no sentiment in common with the teachings and spirit of Masonry. Within their breasts there pulsates no emotion of pure love. They live for themselves, and for themselves alone; and their hearts, if any they have, are like the glaciers of the Alps and the icebergs of the arctic seas. I thank God that but few such ever darken the doorway in the Masonic temple; and those few soon find that the lodge is no place for them, and they soon cease to frequent our assemblies, for the heartfelt greetings and fraternal communions there enjoyed are but torments to their uncongenial natures.
Faith, Hope and Charity are so interwoven that they cannot be separated. They are stars which give light and luster to the Mason's pathway here, urging him onward to the exercise of the noble principles of the Order to which he belongs. Faith lends to him her seraphic wings, whereby he soars above the transitory things of earth, and beholds the Great Architect of the Universe, and learns to adore Him as the chief good; while Hope points him to a home beyond the tomb. He has "faith in God, hope in immortality," and these engender within his bosom "charity toward all mankind." These stars shine with brighter luster, as he becomes more and more in harmony with the teachings of Masonry. The poet has sung:
There are three stars of luster bright,
Which cheer the Mason's conflict here,
And cast their pure and holy light
Across life's billows dark :and drear
The star of Faith, when doubts arise,
And veil the troubled heart in gloom,
Points to bright realms beyond the skies,
And lasting joys beyond the tomb.
When o'er life's ocean, rude and wild,
Our fragile barks are madly driven,
The star of Hope, with radiance mild,
Points to a harbor safe in Heaven.
When reckless of a brother's tears,
Down pleasure's slippery track we go,
The star of Charity appears,
And points us to that brother's woe.
Oh ! brethren of the mystic tie,
Pure light upon our path will shine
If on these stars we fix our eye -
"Faith, Hope and Charity divine."
Masonry is a permanent institution. Its existence dates far back into the annals
of the past; and although empires and kingdoms have been overthrown, and changes
and revolutions have taken place in Governments and in society, since it first
had a being, yet Masonry still lives having withstood the ravages of time, the
shafts of persecution, through periods of prosperity and adversity; and to-day
occupies a prominent position on the earth - yea, is has to-day a living, vital
existence, and will continue to exist as long as time shall be. It stands forth
to the world as a tried institution. She has been weighed in the balances, and
"Tekel" has not been written against her.
Notwithstanding the ancient origin that Masonry can boast, the permanent character that she sustains, and the moral influence of her teachings, she has, in all ages, been assailed by her enemies, and the shafts of persecution have been hurled against her - yet without effect. We may congratulate ourselves, however, that organized opposition has long since ceased; yet there are still some who bring objections against the Order.
These objections have been met and answered, from time to time, until they have become stale; and, to Masons, it seems almost a waste of time to consider them. There are one or two, however, that I will at the present time briefly consider, coming, as they do, from a source that deserves some attention, and also to combat any idea that may be entertained of their truth. Some of our clerical friends (?) have, not long since, asserted that "Masonry teaches infidelity." We, who belong to the Fraternity, know full well that this charge is utterly unfounded; but coming, as it does, from those who profess to be ministers of the Gospel of Christ, and who consider it to be their duty to warn mankind against all attempts to overthrow the influence of the Christian religion - and in this work we bid them Godspeed - some might be induced to believe the charge. Let us first inquire as to the means of knowledge of those who thus testify against us. Are they now, or have they ever been, Masons? If not, they know nothing about Masonry, except so much as they can derive from sources that are open to all who do not belong to the institution. All others, then, have as good an opportunity of judging as they. Read, then, our Masonic literature - our Monitors - which give all that is connected with the ceremonies of Masonry, that instructs the candidate as to the principles of the Order. View the class of men who are Masons; look at them, as they appear before you to-day, and tell me if they are not men who rank as high in community as those even who oppose us. Some of our members are even ministers of that same Gospel of peace. Examine these things carefully, and you can readily determine whether the charge of "infidelity" is well founded. Masonry challenges your scrutiny in this as well as in everything or objection that is urged against her.
There are others who bring wholesale charges against Masonry because some of its members violate its teachings. Is one Mason intemperate in his habits, then Masonry teaches and encourages drunkenness. Does one Mason swear, then Masonry teaches profanity. And thus, from the misdeeds of its members, Masonry is brought into disrepute, and its enemies exultantly exclaim: "I would not belong to an Order that teaches or allows such practices as these."
Stop, one moment, my friend, and see what would be the result of your reasoning. Are you a member of some one of the Christian denominations? Do all who profess religion, or who belong to any of these denominations, live in accordance with the doctrines of Christianity? If not, then you must denounce Christianity, sever the ties which bind you to the sect to which you belong, and come out from among them.
Again: God created man pure and holy. He has laid down his laws for the government of the human race. He says that "no drunkard shall enter the kingdom of Heaven." He has commanded us to "swear not at all," thus forbidding intemperance and profanity; yet men in society and in the world, yea, even outside the Masonic ranks, become drunkards and are profane, thus violating the laws of the Creator, and committing those very vices that thou condemnest in Masonry. Go then, thou objector against Masonry on account of the misconduct of some of its members, and find upon this wide world some place - some lovely spot - where these vices do not exist, and there, perchance, thou mayest dwell in peace, with no compunctions of conscience on account of being associated with those who are contaminated with those vices. If thou canst not find so blest a spot upon this earth, let thy body take to itself wings and fly to some more congenial sphere, where sin was never known, for here thou canst not find a resting place, for those vices which thy soul so abhors, to a greater or less extent, cover every portion of this fair earth.
In conclusion, Fellow Craftsmen, let me ask you whether we, ourselves, are not, to a great extent, the cause of those objections against our beloved Order? And here, at the close of this session of the Grand Lodge, as we are about returning to our homes to engage in those duties which devolve upon us in our several stations in life, and which we as Masons are taught, "that we are on no account to neglect," let us ask ourselves a few plain, practical questions. Do we attend to our duties as Masons as we ought? Do we live up to the principles of the Order that we profess to love and cherish ? Do we act towards ourselves, our fellow men and our God as Masonry has taught us we should ? Craftsmen, be it ours to exemplify by our life and conduct, the noble principles of Masonry. Let us, in all our actions, make a constant application of those principles, that others, seeing our good work, may be constrained to acknowledge the utility of Masonry, and that our influence, silent, yet ever working, may draw to the support of our Order the good and true of every land. Take lovely charity by the hand; do whatsoever she commands, and sweet peace will dwell within your faithful breasts. The widow's tears will engrave m indelible characters the benefits of Masonry. The mother's heaving breast - the infant's cries - the orphan's thanks shall answer all objections against the Masonic institution. Learn then, my brethren, the art of doing good, of producing peace amidst the jarring elements of disturbed nations - of producing order out of chaos, and harmony out of discord. Learn to handle well the tools of Masonry - especially the "trowel," and with it spread well that cement of brotherly love and affection which produces no discord nor envy, but instead thereof, that "noble emulation of who best can work and who best agree." Then, when the dim lamp of life is expiring, when we are about to close our labors in the lodge below, to join the celestial lodge above, where the "Supreme Architect of the Universe presides," we shall feel conscious of having well performed our work - of having done good, square work; and we shall feel happy, knowing that we are in possession of the pass-words, which will gain us admission into that lodge of the just, the true and the good, being "duly and truly prepared" to become associated with those true craftsmen who have gone before.
If from our throbbing hearts shall flow
Pure streams of friendship, truth and love,
When we "demit" from the lodge below,
Brothers, we'll join the lodge above.
Institutions do not survive through the ages by accident; they live only through the possession and operation of everlasting principles. When an organization runs back beyond historic records, and relies upon tradition for the story of its origin, its career during a known period either justifies or falsifies the tradition. An ancestry of virtue and good works is a liberal education. The power of the accumulated wisdom of the past is a resistless impelling force upon the present. The architects, the decorators, the draftsmen, the woodcarvers, the workers in precious metals and the Masons who were building the famous Temple of King Solomon came from every nation in the then-known world. Their union of mutual help, protection, society and improvement was the marvel of an age when all navies were pirates and all nations enemies.
Masonry, marching under the leadership of God and the banner that bears the motto, "Love thy neighbor as thyself," with the peasant and the prince, the mechanic and the merchant, the learned and the unlearned following in equal rank and common step, knows neither race nor nationality, neither caste nor condition, as it proudly and beneficially moves down the centuries.
Chauncey M. Depew (1834 - 1928), Financier, U.S. Senator
The following is from the South Carolina "Closing Charge" written in plain text in the "Ahiman Rezon" Page 57, and is not under a code or any secrecy provision: Brethren:
We are now about to quit this sacred retreat of friendship and virtue, to mix again with the world. Amidst its concerns and employments, forget not the duties which you have heard so frequently inculcated and so forcibly recommended in this lodge. Be diligent, prudent, temperate, discreet. Remember that around this alter, you have promised to befriend and relieve every brother who shall need you assistance. You have promised, in a most friendly manner, to remind him of his errors and to aid a reformation. These generous principles are to extend further. Every human being has a claim upon our kind offices. Do good unto all. Recommend it more especially "to the household of the faithful." Finally, Brethren, be all of one mind; live in peace; and may the God of love and peace delight to dwell with and bless you.
Further, from the "moving finger" of Omar Khayyam, in "The Rubaiyat" stanza 71: The moving finger writes, and, having writ, Moves on: nor all your piety nor wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a line, Nor all your tears wash out a word of it.
We would all do well to take these two bits of truth from our elders and betters, and to meditate on them.
Brethren,
following is the general charge given at the completion of the installation of the worshipful master and investiture of the officers in the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario. This lecture, although partially used in other jurisdictions, in its complete form is unique to our jurisdiction.
I find this to be the most impressive charge of all Masonic lectures and one which can, and should, be shared with those both within and without the Craft. I offer it as a sign of peace to all.
Brethren, such is the nature of our institution, that while some must of necessity rule and teach, so others must of course learn to submit and obey. Humility in both is an essential duty. The brethren elected and appointed to assist in the government of this lodge are too well acquainted with the principles of Freemasonry and the rules of propriety to exceed the power with which they are entrusted, and you are of too generous a disposition to envy their preferment. I, therefore, shall trust that we have but one aim, to please each other and unite in the grand design of being happy and communicating happiness.
Masonry, my brethren, according to the general acceptance of the term, is an art, founded on the principles of geometry and directed to the service and convenience of mankind; but, Freemasonry, embracing a wider range, and having a nobler object in view, namely the cultivation and improvement of the human mind, may with more propriety be styled a science, inasmuch as availing itself of the term of the former it inculcates principles of the purest morality, though veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols. To draw aside this veil, therefore, or more properly speaking, to penetrate throughout it, is the object of rulers in Freemasonry, and by a careful and appropriate attention to them, we may hope, ultimately, to become acquainted with all its mysteries.
Freemasonry, from its origin to the present time, in all its vicissitudes, has been the steady unvarying friend of man. It has (in the language of an eloquent brother) gone forth from age to age, the constant messenger of peace and love; never weary, never forgetful of its holy mission, patiently ministering to the relief of want and sorrow, and scattering with unsparing hand blessings and benefits to all around. It comforts the mourner, it speaks peace and consolation to the troubled spirit, it carries relief and gladness to the habitations of want and destitution, it dries the tears of the widow and the orphan, it opens the sources of knowledge, it widens the sphere of human happiness, it even seeks to light up the darkness and gloom of the grave by pointing to the hopes and promises of a better life to come. All this Freemasonry has done, and is still doing. Such is Freemasonry, and such its mission; and we should never forget, while enjoying its benefits and appreciating its value, the duties we owe to the Order; for there is no right without a parallel duty, no liberty without the supremacy of the law, no high destiny without earnest perseverance and no real greatness without self-denial.
A Freemason's Lodge is the temple of peace, harmony and brotherly love; nothing is allowed to enter which has the remotest tendency to disturb the quietude of its pursuits. A calm enquiry into the beauty of wisdom and virtue, and the study of moral geometry, constitute the chief employments in the tyled recesses of the lodge. The lessons of virtue which proceed from the east, like rays of brilliant light from the rising sun, illumine the west and the south, and as the work proceeds, are carefully imbibed by the workmen. Thus while wisdom contrives the plan, strength lends its able support to the moral fabric, and beauty adorns it with curious and cunning workmanship. All this is accomplished without any compulsory or coercive means, but on the principle of friendship and brotherly love, which guards the precincts of our temple that nothing may enter to disturb the peaceful sanctity of that holy place.
The object, however, of meeting in the lodge is of a two-fold nature, namely moral instruction and social intercourse. Our meetings are intended to cultivate and enlighten the mind, to induce the habit of virtue and to strengthen the fundamental principles of our order: Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth. And if these meetings are blended with social mirth, and a mutual interchange of fraternal feelings, then Freemasonry will be shown in its true light, as an institution which fosters and improves the best affections of our nature, and carries into active operation the practice of the four cardinal virtues: Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence and Justice, combined with the theological virtues: Faith, Hope and Charity, thereby demonstrating to the world at large that in Freemasonry is to be found the true import of the three great social treasures: Fraternity, Liberty and Equality. Therefore the utmost extension of fraternal feeling and affections which can exist between man and man is expected to be displayed amongst the brethren in a Freemason's lodge, and then will be attained the chief point in Freemasonry, namely, to endeavor to be happy ourselves, and to communicate that happiness to others.
Before I conclude my brethren, let me portray to you the ideal of a Freemason.
If you see a man who quietly and modestly moves in the sphere of his life; who without blemish fulfills his duties as a man, a subject, a husband and a father; who is pious without hypocrisy, benevolent without ostentation, and who aids his fellowman without self-interest; whose heart beats warm for friendship, whose serene mind is open for licensed pleasures, who in vicissitudes does not despair, nor in fortune will be presumptuous, and who will be resolute in the hour of danger.
The man who is free from superstition and free from infidelity; who, in nature, sees the finger of the Eternal Master; who feels and adores the higher destination of man; to whom Faith, Hope and Charity are not mere words without any meaning; to whom property, nay, even life, is not too dear for the protection of innocence and virtue, and for the defense of truth.
The man who towards himself is a severe judge, but who is tolerant with the debilities of his neighbor; who endeavors to oppose errors with arrogance, and to propagate intelligence without precipitation, who properly understands to estimate and employ his means; who honors virtue though it be in the most humble garment, who does not favor vice though it be clothed in purple; and who administers justice to merit whether dwelling in palaces or in cottages.
The man who, without courting applause, is loved by all noble-minded men, respected by his superiors and revered by his subordinates; the man who never proclaims what he has done, will do, can do, but where need is, will lay hold with dispassionate courage, circumspect resolution, indefatigable exertion, and a rare power of mind, and who will not cease until he has accomplished his work. but who then, without pretension, will retire into the multitude, because he did the good act, not for himself, but for the cause of good.
If you, my brethren, meet such a man, you will see the personification of brotherly love, relief and truth; and you will have found the ideal of a Freemason.
Finally, my brethren, as our fraternity has been formed and maintained in perfect unanimity and concord, in which we all greatly rejoice, so may it continue until time shall be no more. May kindness and brotherly love distinguish your conduct as men and as Masons. Within your peaceful walls may your children's children celebrate with joy and gratitude the annual recurrence of this auspicious solemnity. And may the genuine tenets of our time-honored institution be transmitted through your lodge, pure and unimpaired, from generation to generation.
SMIB
Peace to all
R W Bro Wally Marner
The words "worship" and "worshipful" as used in Freemasonry have no connection with their modern meaning of glorification, idolization, deification. In church the congregation worships God; in a lodge a brother is "Worshipful" when he is Master; in Grand Lodge a brother is "Most", "Right", or "Very Worshipful", the words being used in the old English sense.
The word "ship" as a suffix (hardship, horsemanship, lordship) is from scip and/or skap-Old Teutonic words indicating a rank or qualities that go with it. Anglo-Saxons used weorth to describe value. Hence "Your Worship", and also the Masonic "Worshipful".
"Honor thy father and thy mother" in the King James Bible, was "Worship thi fadir and thi modir," in the Wycliffe Bible (Fourteenth Century).
Masonic usage of the word may be freely given as respected, or honored. The Most Worshipful Brother is he who is most greatly honored or respected. This is doubtless as much a descendant from ecclesiastical practice as from old English phraseology; an Episcopal marriage service used "with my body I thee worship" meaning honor or reverence.
It apparently was first used Masonically at the formation of the Mother Grand Lodge; Anderson's Constitutions has a "Postscript" titled "Here follows the Manner of constituting a New Lodge, as practis'd by his Grace the Duke of Wharton, the prefent Right Worfhipful Grand Master, according to the ancient Usages of Masons."
The word was used in other than ecclesiastical circles at a very early date; Samuel Pepys' "Diary" notes, a clergyman having addressed his congregation as "Right Worshipful and dearly beloved" in 1661. In the seventeenth century, gilds in London called themselves Worshipful, as "The Worshipful Company of Grocers".
The use of "Most", "Right" and "Very" in Masonic titles seems a direct descent from the Church of England. The heads of the Church are the Primates of Canterbury and of York. Their official title is The Most Reverend. Under them in the Hierarchy come the Right Reverend the Bishops. The next title of honor in the Church is that of Very Reverend applied to Deans or heads of Cathedral Chapters. In the English Parish is The Reverend Parish Priest who is assisted by two Wardens. There is a strong resemblance between the ceremony of the induction of the priest into the benefice of a Parish and that of the installation of a Master of a lodge. In the more formal appointment of a Canon the resemblance is more marked by the ecclesiastical use of the word "installation". The Bishop installs the new Canon with a ritual that comes with no novelty to one who has previously been installed as the Master of a Lodge. In the United States "Most Worshipful" is used in the official titles of some Grand Lodges, as well as for Grand Masters.
These titles differ in the several States; many variations are interesting, as A.F. & A.M.-A.Y.M.-A.F.M.-F. & A.M. and F.A.A.M.
The titles of the forty-nine Grand Lodges of the United States copied from their Proceedings, are as follows:
The same titles are used by the Grand Lodges or Supreme Masonic authorities of Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Greece, and also by the Grand Lodges of the South American States.
The correct Masonic method of addressing Grand Officers in the United States is as follows:
In all Grand Lodges, Grand Masters retain their titles when leaving office, except the Grand Master in Texas who is "Most Worshipful" as Grand Master and "Right Worshipful" as Past Grand Master. In 39 Grand Lodges all elective officers retain their titles when they become "Past". A few Grand Lodges have no law on the subject; in others titles are not retained.
In other bodies of Masonry, Officers and Grand Officers are addressed as follows:
In the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction,
The Supreme Council has not legislated concerning titles or modes of address in subordinate bodies of the Scottish Rite. These titles are taken from the ritual. The address is usually by title only-such as "Wise Master" (Chapter of Rose Croix), "Venerable Master" (Lodge of Perfection and Council of Kadosh). Custom in some valleys is to address 33' Honorary brethren as "Illustrious Brother. . ." The present Statutes provide specifically for the mode of address to the first three Officers of the Supreme Council. Earlier Statutes provided that all other Officers of the Supreme Council be addressed as "Brother", followed by title. While this provision is not now mentioned in the present Statutes, it has not been superseded by new instructions and is still observed.
In the, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Northern Jurisdiction
The Grand Master of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar is addressed "Most Eminent". All other officers are addressed "Right Eminent." All Past Grand Masters of the Grand Encampment are addressed as "Most Eminent." In Grand Commanderies of the States, the Grand Commander is addressed as Right Eminent. Addresses vary for lesser officers, but in general "Very Eminent" and "Eminent" for the higher and lesser officers prevail.
In Grand Chapters of Royal Arch Chapters, "Most Excellent Grand High Priest" and "Right Excellent Deputy Grand High Priest" is proper; in the General Grand Chapter the addresses are similar; "Most Excellent General Grand High Priest" and "Right Excellent General Deputy Grand High Priest." As these official titles are so long, they are by common consent usually shortened to "Most Excellent" and "Right Excellent Companion (name)".
In the Grand Councils of Royal and Select Masters the modes of address are "Most Illustrious Grand Master", "Right Illustrious Deputy Grand Master", with the other officers merely "Illustrious" with a few exceptions. In the General Grand Council, however, the word "puissant" is added, the titles being "Most Puissant General Grand Master", "Right Puissant General Deputy Grand Master". All others are "Right Illustrious" except the General Grand Sentinel who is "Puissant."
The Imperial Council of the Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, addresses all Imperial officers as "Imperial Sir"; Temples of the Shrine address the Potentate as "Illustrious Potentate" and all other officers as "Noble" (name of office.)
From the Beehive State Trestleboard, Feb. 1996., by Roy L. Demming, S.W., Utah Research Lodge
Many of us have had the pleasure of visiting lodges in other jurisdictions within our country, and some have even had the opportunity to visit in foreign countries and observe the differences in ritual and arrangement of the lodge room. I have not been fortunate enough to have enjoyed the latter, but have often wondered about procedures in some of these jurisdictions -- how do they obligate a candidate who is not of the Christian or Jewish faith? What is used on the Altar in place of the Bible, and how are the Great Lights arranged?
While reading thru a copy of the Year Book of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, I came across some information which helped to satisfy my curiosity and which I thought might be of general interest to summarize here. Before proceeding farther, it may be advisable to consider briefly a few of the features of our order which might ease the appreciation of some of the Eastern customs:
If the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible are to be taken as separate Volumes, there are no fewer than seven sets of Holy Writings in use in the Lodges of the East, in the band of countries stretching from Israel to New Zealand.
These are:
All of these Sacred Books Allude to a Supreme Deity. It is a universal practice, throughout this area, to have the Old Testament of the Bible open on the Altar (either open or closed -- the custom varies). It is not generally considered necessary to have a separate Bible open at the New Testament since Christian Masons accept the whole volume as one Sacred Book. In Israel, however, where the Old Testament alone is the Holy Writings of the majority community, a New Testament is also open if there are Christian members present.
Lodge Singapore No. 7178 (E.C.) has all seven volumes always on the Altar, of which six are open. The Bible used contains both Testaments and is open only at the Old Testament. The Square and Compasses are normally placed on the Bible, but when a candidate is taking an Obligation on another Book, a separate set of Square and Compasses is placed on that Book.
The Koran is normally kept closed until required for an Obligation and must not be handled by the bare hands of a non-Muslim. Brethren, therefore, wear gloves as part of the Lodge regalia, and the Koran is usually covered with a white cloth.
The Grand Lodge of India has six Sacred Books upon the Altar, with five open -- again the Bible is opened at the Old Testament only. Since there are no Buddhist Masons in India, the Dhammapadra is omitted. The Square and Compasses are placed on the Holy Writings to which the MWGM owes allegiance. In installations, they are placed on the Book of the MWGM-Elect's faith. Constituent Lodges under the Grand Lodge of India follow the same procedure. Lodges under other Grand Lodges but residing in India place the Bible on the Altar and, usually, the other Sacred Books representing the faith of their members. Some Lodges display only the Bible on the Altar, but provide other Volumes when required for an Obligation.
The Lodges of the Grand Lodge of Israel have the Old Testament always open on the Altar with the Square and Compasses thereon. If Christian and Muslim Brethren are present, the New Testament and Koran are added and one large set of Square and Compasses covers the three Volumes.
There are several variations to the usual method of taking Obligations, kneeling with the hands on the Bible, as we are accustomed. In Singapore, Muslims kneel, but have the Koran held over the head and use the words "hereby and hereunder" rather than "hereby and hereon." In one New Zealand Lodge, the Charter is held over the head of the candidate, at the beginning of the Obligation, and the words "hereby and hereunder" are used. Brethren in Israel of the Orthodox Jewish faith take their Obligation standing, with their hands on the Old Testament and with the head bowed towards it. Since the destruction of the Temple, Jews do not kneel, except on the Day of Atonement. Jewish Brethren, also, usually have their heads covered when in Lodge, as in the case when in the Tabernacle.
The method of sealing the Obligation also varies from area to area. Christians, Jews, and some Muslims seal their Vows by kissing the Holy Writings, as we do. Other Brethren may touch the Book with the hand or forehead, or salute with the hands before the face, palms together, and bowing. There has even been an occasion when a Buddhist candidate had a candle burning during his Obligation and considered his vow binding when, at its conclusion, he extinguished the flame. It is most interesting to note that the many problems, which could have arisen from the meeting of Brethren of various creeds, have been anticipated and procedures have been adopted, to promote Peace and Harmony within the Lodges and the welfare of Freemasonry in general. While other Holy Writings may be introduced in various Lodges as occasion demands, the Old Testament Scriptures still perform their traditional function as a Landmark of our Order which has united men of every country, sect, and opinion, through the fundamental belief that above all things, there ever reigns Supreme but one Grand Architect of the Universe.