OUR
MODEL LODGE
THE MASONIC REVIEW - 1854
Perfection and
human nature are, unhappily, inconsistencies; but the more
humanity strives to be better than it is, the less do we suffer
from the consequences of this inconsistency. Masonry is one of
the means whereby man may be exalted to a deeper sense of
the responsibilities of his life, and led to study more carefully
the part he is called upon to play in the varied theatre of the
world's history. Nothing, however, that is truly important,
can retain its position if it be' treated as a matter of
indifference. If Masonry possesses the powers we claim for it,
viz., of elevating the character, of teaching man to cling to
man, not only for his own sake, but for that of his neighbors,
and of ripening the moral as well as the intellectual faculties,
it is clear that the duties of the Lodge-room are of a
more serious character, and that to be a "bad Mason," is to be a
most formidable and mischievous stumbling-block to the social
welfare of man. In a word, the Master of a Lodge is, to no
small extent, a custos morum, and although kindliness and
forbearance should be the first promptings of a Mason's heart, a
stern regard for propriety should never be lost sight of, even
for a moment. Let us, from some careful observation of masonic
matters, in a variety of quarters, state candidly, but without
the smallest desire to wound the feelings of any one - still less
of a masonic brother - what the errors in practice are which we
believe to be the chief drawbacks to our possessing a " Model
Lodge," such as every loyal and upright Mason would wish to point
to as the safest and truest of landmarks. The first evil
against which we must protest, is the admission of very young men
into Masonry, with little or no scrutiny as to whether they
possess the disposition likely to reflect credit upon the Craft,
or whether their position and prospects are likely to be improved
or deteriorated by their association with a public body. It may
seem a startling expression, when we insinuate that Masonry can
"deteriorate" any one; but it is a statement too frequently
borne out by facts to be easily disproved. A neglect of other
pursuits, necessary to the welfare, if not inseparable from the
actual duties of the individual, frequently leads to serious
mischief; and Masonry, fascinating as a study, becomes a
dangerous quicksand to those whose juvenile enthusiasm runs far
ahead of their discretion. Moreover, there is another evil
in close connection with the one of which we are speaking, we
mean the natural tendency among young men to join Masonry,
because they possess many friends who have done so, and the
indirect "proselytism" thence arising. It too frequently happens;
that the good nature of one brother prevents him discouraging a
friend from joining, who, though perhaps free from positive
disqualifications, possesses little that should recommend him to
such a society. The very delicacy of feeling which must at all
times influence our conduct, where the ballot-box is concerned,
should not operate exclusively; nor should our willingness to see
new brethren among us, and our anxiety that no proper-minded man
should be debarred from sharing in our cherished pursuits, suffer
us to degenerate into a state of laxity, which may render it
difficult to impose a proper check, even when the necessity for
so doing becomes so painfully evident. Another evil,
springing out of the first, is the system of taking office in
many Lodges. Young men are proverbially enthusiastic; but this
enthusiasm is their most dangerous, as well as their
most important characteristic. To our own mind, the steps to
office in Masonry should be so gradual, as to insure sound
knowledge in every department of the Lodge work, the lectures,
&c. Nor is this all that is required. The Master of a Lodge
ought to possess a tact and delicacy in his manner of .regulating
the business, and directing the subordinate officers, which can
only be found in one who has "worked up" steadily and
progressively; not in one whose money and influence have been
considered, rather than his aptitude, or who has perhaps been
guilty of culpable and mischievous neglect of other duties, in
order to revel in the glories of a Provincial apron, or a Past
Master's jewel. Such hasty promotion is not only injurious to
the brethren, who are thus thrust forward, but is inconsistent
with the sound government of a Lodge, or the fair advancement of
the quieter and more steady-working Masons. Unquestionably, many
a fine young fellow carries off the "chair" with a dash and
brilliancy which it is ever pleasant to witness, but in the
deeper duties-of the office, in the discrimination of proper
objects for Masonry's greatest work, her charities - in the
etiquette, without which no society of "gentlemen at heart" can
be rightly maintained - and in that rigid impartiality which
should be the brightest light in the code of masonic morality -
young men, can scarcely hope to be grounded. Four or five years'
probation, if not a longer period, should be required for every
Master of a Lodge, except in the unfortunate cases where the want
of competent candidates renders such an exclusive system
impossible. There is no question that both, practices, viz.,
the admission of very youthful candidates, and the rapid
promotion to office, are favorable to the financial welfare of
Masonry, and that its best purposes are in some wise furthered by
permitting some degree of indulgence on both heads. But the
mischief utterly counterbalances the good. Not only does mistaken
enthusiasm usurp the place of real and steady, because gradually
acquired knowledge, but the work of the Lodge degenerates into a
mere amusement, and, eventually, into little else than a means of
spending time which is perhaps required for other
occupations. Besides this, there is a still more serious
defect inherent in this system of early taking office, viz., that
it leads to young men, even of promising abilities and superior
education, confining themselves to the mere getting up of set
formularies, without ever diving into the many subjects of deep
and varied interest with which Masonry is concerned. Fine as are
the formularies (especially as developed in the lectures, it is
as great a mistake to suppose that the enlightened study of
Masonry ends with them, as it would be to attempt to neglect
them. They are the Alpha but not the Omega, of Masonry. The whole
history of secret societies - viewed, not through the distorted
medium of those who scoff at every thing in the world of the
ancients, and of our own forefathers - the progress of art, as
fostered by those who had a common interest in the retention of a
common secret; and the no less interesting, but more painful and
suggestive vicissitudes of the private life of public men; such
are but a few of the many studies which Masonry should lead us to
cultivate, if we would be thought "good Masons," in the truest
sense of the words. The Lodges of instruction on the continent,
take a wider range than those of our own country, and instead of
contenting themselves with the plain routine already laid down,
the brethren are glad to tax their own powers, and to
bring forward, or point out the sources of, fresh information in
every point to which their reading and reflection has enabled
them to furnish illustration. The same attempt has been recently
made in the "United Lodge of Instruction" at Oxford, and with a
success that seems likely to increase and fructify to the good of
Masonry, and the fair improvement of the brethren. In
connection with this important question, we must protest
against the habit of crowding too much business into a single
evening, thereby rendering the omission of the charges, and
sometimes of other interesting parts of the ceremony, almost
unavoidable. Such practices are not only unconstitutional in
themselves, but deaden the otherwise powerful impression of
Masonic ceremonies. A thing incompletely done, is always
unsatisfactory; and, for this very reason, the work at "Lodges of
Emergency" is not unfrequently better done than at the regular
meetings, and conveys greater and more lasting feelings of
pleasure to the candidate. However agreeable it may be to find
Masonry on a perpetual and steady increase, we .must still feel
that too many initiations and other ceremonies in the same
evening, are rather a proof of the persevering and praiseworthy
patience of the worshipful Master and officers, than a proof of
the steady good management, which is certain in its very
slowness, and which works its way through difficulties and
prejudice without ever periling its credit by rashness and
impatience. As a rule, we cannot help thinking that no
candidate ought to be initiated on the same night on which he is
balloted for. We remember being at a London Lodge, where the
Master had actually forgotten the name of one of the parties who
was to be proposed, and where no one present had any personal
knowledge of either. The mistake was rectified by the arrival of
the proposer; but there was not only much unnecessary delay, but
a general feeling that the proceedings exhibited carelessness -
an impression heightened by the fact of two or three excellent
brethren walking about the room, and chatting sotto voce during
the sublime ceremony of the third degree. There is another
matter to which we must make strong exception - we mean the
formation of small Lodges for the sake of thrusting brethren into
office, making them, in fact, a sort of escape - valves for those
who are in too great a hurry to assume the "pomp
and circumstance" of past officers. It is against all reason that
a Lodge should be held in the upper room of a tavern, in a
village which does not contain more than two or three Masons, and
that whole parties of the brethren should file away from a
neighboring town to play at office, when perhaps there may not be
a single initiation throughout the year. We have too many
incompetent "past" officers already; and it is to be feared, that
for every really good working Mason, to whom these "training
stables" give an opportunity of gaining his wished for dignity,
we have half a dozen who would never have been invested with
jewel or collar, had they depended on their own work. Moreover,
these minor Lodges give too many opportunities for canvassing,
and indirect influence in the obtaining of office. They also lead
to a good deal of indirect expense, both of time and money; and
although they give the opportunity for an occasional pleasant
reunion, we must feel that the good of which they are productive
ends there. They have neither funds adequate to maintaining the
dignity of the Lodge room, nor do they contribute efficiently to
the great work of charity, which should be the very first thought
in the mind of every brother, and to which all other
considerations should be sacrificed. In reference to the
performance of the ceremonies, we can of course write but little,
and what we have already said as to the fitness of candidates for
office, embodies our wishes on the subject. The musical question
of the ceremony deserves a brief notice, especially as it is the
department most neglected in too many of our Lodges. Music
has ever been a leading feature in the ceremonies of initiation
throughout the world. Indeed, the close connection between such
ceremonies and the rites of public worship, is sufficient to
explain the reason for the respect shown to this moat charming of
the liberal arts. In Masonry the organ has deservedly been
selected as the instrument most complete in itself, and
moat expressive of the feelings which should accompany our
entrance into a sacred and solemn obligation. No worthy brother
can remember, without feelings of awe, the impression which the
deep sounds of the organ produced upon him at his initiation, nor
can he deny that, few and simple as were those strains, they
formed a worthy introduction to the ritual that
followed. Many of the London Lodges possess excellent
instruments, but some are utterly unprovided, while, in others,
the organ is so like what is popularly described as a "box of
whistles," that it adds but a doubtful effect to the ceremony. It
is hoped that some of the prettiest Lodge-rooms in the kingdom,
belonging to large bodies of the most zealous and steady working
Masons that could ever be desired, will ere long possess
instruments, worthy not only the general excellence of their
arrangements, but of the rising musical taste, which every year
produces so large a number of accomplished amateurs. A moderate
private subscription would, we believe, enable sufficient money
to be raised for the reconstruction or thorough repair of many of
the present bad instruments, without trespassing on the general
funds of the Lodges to any undue extent. We sincerely hope, ere
long, to hear the realization of our wishes in many of our
provincial towns:- F.M.Q.Rev.
THE LODGE ROOM
"The Masons on the continent of Europe have a
prescribed form or ritual of building, according to whose
directions it is necessary that every hall for masonic purposes
shall be erected. A Lodge room should always, if possible, be
situated due east and west. This position is not absolutely
necessary, and yet it is so far so, as to demand that some
sacrifices should be made, if possible to obtain so desirable a
position. It should also be isolated, where it is practicable,
from all surrounding buildings, and should always be placed in an
upper story. No Lodge should ever be held on the ground floor." -
Mackey. Masonry is one of the most sublime and perfect
institutions that ever was formed for the advancement of
happiness and general good of mankind; creating, in all its
varieties, universal benevolence and brotherly love.
It
holds out allurements so captivating as to inspire the
Brotherhood with emulation to deeds of glory, such as must
command, throughout the world, veneration and applause, and such
as must entitle those who perform them to dignity and respect. It
teaches us those useful, wise and instructive doctrines upon
which alone true happiness is founded; and at the same time
affords those easy paths by which we attain the rewards of
virtue; it teaches us the duties which we owe to our
neighbor, never to injure him in any one situation, but to conduct
ourselves with justice and impartiality; it bids us not to
divulge the mystery to the public, and it orders us to be
true to our trust, and above all meanness and
dissimulation, and in all our vocations to perform
religiously that which we ought to do - DUKE OF
SUSSEX. back to top |
