Larry’s rant on freemasonry

Larry’s rant on freemasonry

We’ll I’ve been emailing with some folks on the Philalethes list and I’ve seen something come up again and again and I want to kinda do a rant about it.

You non masons stick with me here for a moment you’ll get something out of this

I’ve been seeing people demand the “price” of Freemasonry keep pace with the times. I’ve seen arguments about inflation and what not. Well, other things that had price increases with Inflation had an increase in value. Also the amount of salaries paid to people (yep) increased also. So when you factor an increase in income, this negates the point about the inflated price. People paid more, but they had a lot less the further back in time you go. We have a considerable amount of more money –and more things to spend it on to- so the inflation argument fails. Not so much that because we have more money we should spend more, but because unlike other things which had an increase in price masonry has not increased in its quality. When the quality of something stays the same and the price goes up… people don’t buy it no more and if the quality of masonry as an organization remained the same, but grand lodges jacked up the prices you’d see an exodus from the craft in the US the likes of which you haven’t seen.

And the elitism inherent in that premise goes against one of my favorite Masonic stories. About Teddy Roosevelt a man of huge privilege and his telling the story of how his gardner was also his worshipful master that year… if Masonry fails to be a place where people of every strata can come together in harmony, then I feel the noble message of the craft fails.

My favorite pair of shoes only cost me five bucks on sale. I’d have never bought the shoes if I saw them new, they would cost more then I ever wanted to spend on a pair of shoes… but since they were on sale ( and in my price range) I bought the most comfortable pair of shoes I’ve had in my life. If our lessons are for all men of good character and will, they should be accessible like a comfortable pair of shoes.

The price being to low isn’t the problem… the quality of the product that can certainly be told as a problem.

I hear allot of folks downing on the ritual (and to you non masons reading this part is something you’ll enjoy)

The words of the ritual aren’t what’s important its how you get to them that is Important.

After my E.A Degree Tom and I were instructed by Col. Bob Shaw. Col. Shaw had through force of will and personality become some what of an institution in the lodge. The only instructor at the time who wasn’t going up the line in Lodge (or York Rite or….). The Bald Eagle was also fighting off cancer and the great ills of his aging body. Col. Shaw didn’t teach us the work word perfectly, as he was having trouble from his treatments and the like. But seeing in my mother lodge many other classes, I think I learned allot more from the Bald Eagle.

We learned about Col. Shaw and his military career and how Masonry played a role in the life of many men he served with in the war. He showed us one day his medals, and told us about how he earned them. Bob talked to us about his experiences seeing Masonry in England, and seeing Masonry done in Virginia, and seeing Masonry done in his father’s home territory of West Virginia. We learned about how he came to be an Instructor in our lodge to.

We learned what some of the words meant that we didn’t know, and we discussed somewhat their meanings in our own lives.

We learned our errors, and some of the more comical errors made by other brothers doing the same ritual memorization by rote.

For our later degrees we learned to do more and more of the examination process ourselves, and we learned some of the interesting variations other instructors did.

One of the moments I was most upset at an officer of my lodge, an officer who knew I was in one of the Col’s last classes was forgetting to tell me about his memorial service, or the fact he even died.

All these things, these things other then learning the actual words taught us a great deal about masonry, and about the brotherhood masonry is supposed to impart to its members.

I’ve learned before degrees talking to a brother about some interesting views on the role of the “religion” line on Masonic petitions. And how he put something different on each one for each new organization he joined. And we sat and talked about the role the great architect should play in a Mason’s life. An instructive time with the Tyler happened when I as an entered apprentice was sitting waiting to come back in and hear how my proficiency went.

I learn allot of other Masonic lessons to. Like being at a ritual practice and watching some one slip up and hearing the whole room bursting into good hearted laughter.

Or sitting in the secretary’s office three masons chewing the fat over some fat that needed to be chewed off some brother’s heads at grand lodge.

It’s the sense of community that is built starting with the catechism work, and building into learning about the role of a mason in his lodge. It’s about fraternally bonding with brothers outside the purely Masonic areas.

Each mason is a brick, and that brick is built into an edifice that is the lodge. The ritual matters because it helps bridge the gaps between educated and uneducated. It brings everyone to an equal footing. I already talked about Tom’s problem with English comprehension and I just had the problem of trying to correct grand lodge’s grammar

It helps to bring together rich and poor, young and old

It is a tool that we are given to help build the community that our lodges are supposed to be.

Seeing some of these comments by men who have risen to heights in the fraternity, I am still amused at the fact when I was an EA on Alt. Freemasonry and other Masonic forum I was attacked for saying I had a fun time in my degree.

I look at how a Brother in my lodge ( and a Brother DeMolay) with a generous nature twisted my arm into joining Scottish rite because I’d enjoy myself and he also needed people for the class.

I think some people miss out that an attitude is needed for people to get interested in the craft. And if that attitude isn’t there no form of special lodge, higher prices, or other gimmicks will work.

It starts in your heart. If it isn’t right there then the rest simply is an empty meaningless form.