freemasonry and Law and order
I presume that any member of the Lodge, or any similar Lodge,
should have at any rate in his own mind, a reason for his choice of a subject
when submitting a paper to his fellow members. If he can convince his hearers
that his reason is sound, he will surely have justified his choice, even though
his ability to deal with his subject may be, by reason of the fact that the
audience is composed of mature, experience and, in many cases, of learned
Masons, well skilled in this, our noble science and themselves both students and
scholars in all that pertains to the Craft.
Why then, have I taken the subject of "Law and Order" I this, my contribution to
your syllabus? Perhaps the reason may appear as I proceed. I can say at once
that this paper does not involve a research of either Masonic history or
symbolism. It is not in any way an addition to Masonic knowledge. Nor can it
claim to be (as many of your contributions have been) the result of study and
investigation. It consists merely of some thoughts and reflections of my own,
some of which may not meet with the concurrence of my listeners. At present I
merely make the statement that the maintenance of law and order is vitally
important at all times, and that in the condition of the world to-day, it is of
urgent and paramount importance.'
I must at once explain what I mean by "Law". I distinguish it from "laws". By
the latter word I mean the body or collection of rules laid down by the
Government of a Sovereign State for the guidance and obedience of the subjects
of that State. The laws of a country may be comprised in a code. They may be
composed of Statutes of the Legislature, and of judicial decisions interpreting
those statutes and defining the common law. The laws may be largely contained in
a vast number of regulations and proclamations promulgated by the Government, as
is the case to-day, not only in our own country, but in Great Britain. In any
case, the laws of a country or nation, however enacted, consist of numberless
rules laid down and enforced by the State. In the aggregate, these rules
(whatever form they may take) are the laws.
Now the "Law" is something much greater and wider, something far more vital and
important than laws. It is that conception of authority - of supreme authority -
which must be acknowledged, respected and obeyed by all members of the State,
even by the Government of the day. It is indeed the State itself. It is supreme.
It holds together all the individuals and elements comprising the people, and if
it fails to command due respect and acknowledgement, if obedience to it is no
longer given, then the result due obedience shall be given to the laws of the
State, unless and until those laws are amended or abrogated in a constitutional
manner. It is this regard and respect of the Law and this acknowledgement of its
authority which gives us good order. Hence the expression "Law and Order."
Now, Freemasonry recognises the need for law and order very definitely, and its
tenets and principles include the necessity for obedience to duly constituted
authority. Let me here quote the section (Section II) of the "Charges of a
Freemason", a charge with which we are, of course, all familiar. This is headed,
"Of the Civil Magistrate Supreme and Subordinate", and is as follows:-
"A Mason is a peaceful subject to the civil powers wherever he resides or works,
and is never to be concerned in plots and conspiracies against he peace and
welfare of the nation, nor to behave himself undutifully to inferior
magistrates. He is cheerfully to conform to every lawful authority; to uphold on
every occasion the interest of the community; and zealously promote the
prosperity of his own country. Masonry has ever flourished in times of peace,
and been always injured by war, bloodshed and confusion; so that kings and
princes in every age have been much disposed to encourage the craftsmen on
account of their peaceableness and loyalty, where by they practically answer the
cavils of their adversaries, and promote the honour of the Fraternity. Craftsmen
are bound by peculiar ties to promote peace, cultivate harmony, and live in
concern and brotherly love."
Will you pardon me if I again remind you of a passage in that wonderful "Charge
after Initiation" which we have heard so often, but which always seems so fresh
and inspiring:-
"As a citizen of the world, I am to enjoin you to be exemplary in the discharge
of your civil duties; by never proposing, or at all countenancing any act that
may have a tendency to subvert the peace and good order of society; by paying
due obedience to the laws of any State which may, from a time, become the place
of your residence or afford you its protection; and above all, by never losing
sight of the allegiance due to the sovereign of your native land, ever
remembering that nature has implanted in your breast a sacred and indissoluble
attachment to that country whence you derived your birth and infant nature."
I think, then, that it can fairly be claimed that it is not only the privilege
but also the bounden duty of all members of the Craft to show a proper respect
for and submission to Law, and that it is incumbent on us as Freemasons to
encourage such respect and submission in the community at large. We should do
what lies in our power to counteract all tendencies towards a weakening of the
claims of lawful authority and thus join with al men of goodwill, whether within
or outside our own ranks, in upholding Law and Order.
I believe it is generally admitted that war, especially a great war, tends to a
weakening of moral restraint, the loss of respect for civil authority and a
degeneration of the social structure. How great then must be the risk of these
evils for the nations engaged in such a war as afflicts the world to-day (1944).
We have on all sides unfortunate evidence of the direct and indirect prejudicial
effects caused by a state of war which has existed for nearly five years, and we
see these effects even in our own Dominion. This aspect of my subject was well
dealt with in the leading article of the January number of the "New Zealand
Craftsman" (1944).
Whether or not a state of war has caused it, there appears to be a growing
tendency for various individuals to seek their own advantage by ignoring and
attempting to over-ride the rights of others. I am not going to trespass on
political matters and would say at once this tendency does not appear to be
confined to any one section of the community. It would seem that in all sections
of the people there is a growing temptation to resort to direct action, with a
consequent injury to other sections, and a breaking down of respect for lawful
authority. In his address to the Senate of the University of New
Zealand, in January last, the Chancellor, the Hon. J. A. Hanan, describes true
democracy as 'seeking to do justice to all men, embodying discipline, order,
adequate knowledge and opportunity for spiritual expression." It is in such a
democracy that Law and Order flourish. But democracy must beware of aggressive
groups and selfish class interests which seek to manipulate constituted
authority for their own profit or preferment, which seek to life on the labour
and savings of others to the injury of the people as a whole. Democracy must
guard against those individuals and associations which would be a law unto
themselves. Again I submit that the whole social structure rests on respect for
law and order and that we, as Freemasons, should resist all such downward
tendencies as would weaken the processes and ideals of a true democracy.
Brethren, some of you may have previously heard me speak of the conservatism of
the Craft; and I say now, as I said then, that I must not be misunderstood.
Obviously, I do not use the term "conservatism" in the political sense.
Freemasonry is conservative in that it seeks to discover the truth and, having
found it, to hold it fast. It enshrines certain principles of morality, of right
living, of social and domestic duties and of brotherly love, which in past ages
have been found to be elementary and essential. These principles Freemasonry
holds to be unalterable; and in our rituals, ceremonies and lectures, and indeed
in our whole system, they are laid down as fundamental. These principles we are
bound to adhere to and conserve. Thus is Freemasonry conservative.
It must be obvious to all that the world is changing very rapidly, and to some
extend drastically, in its conceptions with regard to social order, economic
systems, politics, and indeed with regard to government itself. Various changes
are bound to come in the necessary reconstruction of the world. Some of these
changes ill not be welcome to those who have become accustomed to an established
order or living. But the important matter is to insure if possible, that the
changes which come are right in essence and based on sound principles. Surely it
is not too much to claim that any new order which may be evolved might well and
successfully be tested by and based on, the tenets and principles of our beloved
Order. In any case, it is vital that, in such new systems and modes of life as
may be imposed on society in the future, all that is good and true in past and
present systems shall be retained. Freemasons have in their keeping a wonderful
system which claims to embody much of what has in the past been tested and
proved to be sound and true. It will greatly assist in the retention of law and
order in the future of the civilized world if we and all men of goodwill seek to
maintain the tenets on which the Craft is based. What is desirable and indeed
essential in the future of the nations is Stability. We, with our truly
conservative Masonic teaching, can at all times assist in the maintenance of
Stability.
King Solomon's Temple had at its entrance two great pillars, of which we all
know the significance. Freemasonry has, or should have the same two pillars. One
points to the strength f our Fraternity. The other teaches the need to hold and
conserve our philosophy and principles- in other words to "establish" them.
Together they mean for us "Stability". And they show the need for stability.
Our Lodges are said to be supported by three great Pillars, symbolizing
respectively Wisdom, Strength and Beauty. I apply these symbolic conceptions to
my subject. Surely we may say that the accumulated traditions of Masonic
philosophy, its insistence on the need for truth, honour and morality and its
regard of the great virtue of charity constitute the Ionic pillar of Wisdom;
that the stability which we possess by reason of that Wisdom constitutes the
Doric pillar of Strength; and that the perfection of our system, which comes
form the Wisdom of Strength so acquired, constitutes the Corinthian pillar of
Beauty.
The foregoing remarks, if they are sound and if they are acceptable to my
brethren, suggest two spheres in which Stability is necessary and in which law
and order must be maintained. In the first place, in Freemasonry; here we must
cultivate the virtue of loyalty to our Masonic constitution and to our
philosophy. By loyal adherence and obedience to the tenets and principles of the
Craft, by due submission to Masonic authority and by the active practice of
those virtues inculcated in our teachings, we must promote and maintain law and
order within our own teachings, we must promote and maintain law and order
within our own Fraternity. And secondly, outside the Craft; the above-mentioned
virtues must be cultivated n our civil spheres as members of a particular
community, as citizens of our own Dominion, and as members of the world family.
It may be remarked here that in cases where Freemasonry has (as in some
countries) adopted teachings and practices subversive and good government, has
taken sides in party politics, tot has worked for political ends, the results
have usually been disastrous.
I should like also very shortly to refer to the danger to our Fraternity., which
always arises where a people disregard the principles of law and order, and
where, instead of a sound and stable government, founded on a just and upright
basis, there is set up a government of confusion, whether such government be a
dictatorship or otherwise. What has happened to the Craft in Europe during the
past ten years sufficiently illustrates my contention. Truly, the Charge I
quoted in an earlier part of this paper is right when it affirms that Masonry
has been always injure by war, bloodshed and confusion.
In conclusion, and in order to give some practical applications to what ahs been
a very general argument, let me suggest to you, my brethren, that the
safe-guarding of Law and Order is work well worthy of our zeal, and that it can
be assisted to a material degree by the Masonic body. Let Freemasonry as a body,
let our Lodges scattered throughout the territory, and let us ourselves, as
individual Craftsmen, set our faces against the breaking down or weakening of
duly constituted authority; let us in our various vocations and walks of life,
evince a true loyalty to the State; and let us, in our social life, set forth
the value of and need for stability. Let us keep these ideals before us at all
times and we as Freemasonry will do much in these days of change and evolution
to uphold and maintain the stability of Law and Order. For let us remember that
this rule of law is indeed fashioned in the Law and Order of the G.A.O.T.U.,
who, by his Wisdom, Strength and Beauty has formed, and now rules and supports
his vast Creation.
So shall we have a part in the ultimate aim of the Almighty to which Tennyson
refers:
One God, one law, one element,
And one far-off divine event,
To which the whole creation moves.
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