The
Potential Candidate – Should We Solicit?
by R.W. Bro. Lloyd Hussey
District Grand Master G. L. of
Newfoundland (S.C.) – 1991
As Freemasons we are charged to preserve
the ancient usages and established customs of our order, sacred
and inviolable. "Sacred" suggests a sanctity to our usages
and customs; "inviolable" indicates, in the strongest terms,
that they cannot be assaulted, changed or amended. The
question that this paper will examine is whether these usages and
customs permit us to solicit potential and worthy candidates,
and, if we are so permitted, under what parameters must we be
governed. The Constitution and Laws of the Grand Lodge of
Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland appear to be
silent on this matter. The Ritual of Scottish Freemasonry,
however, is not so silent and offers some illuminating
guidelines. All candidates join freemasonry and are admitted
to its mysteries and privileges "by the help of God, being free
and of good report". This statement encompasses within itself
the three essential qualifications that must be met before
any man can become a freemason. We are all here "by the
help of God" and are freemasons because we believe in
the existence of a Supreme Being, a Creator. We are all
masons because the tongue of good report was heard in our
favour when our applications for membership were considered
by our mother lodges. But, we are also masons, "being
free", that is, not subject to the orders or mandates of any
person in our decisions to join freemasonry, nor bullied,
nor blackmailed, nor coerced, nor bribed, not browbeaten,
nor badgered into our decisions, but rather, freely, of our
own free will and accord did we make the decision. In
considering the question, therefore, of whether we may
solicit candidates, we must always bear in mind this absolute
and inviolable guideline, that the candidate's decision to
seek membership must be made of his own free will and
accord. This, I would suggest, is the sole parameter by which
we must be governed. If a potential candidate feels in
the slightest way pressured by approaches made to him,
then the brother or brethren who made the approaches will
have acted unlawfully. If, however, the candidate can truly
say, "This is my decision; freely and voluntarily I offer myself
as a candidate," then those who approached him will
have violated nothing. Each candidate into freemasonry is
asked, in accordance with our Ritual, whether he comes unbiased
by improper solicitations of friends against his own
inclinations. An affirmative answer indicates the freedom of his
choice. "Improper solicitations" would lead to a candidate
seeking membership against his own free will, for the question to
the candidate includes the term " against your own
inclinations". But, note the term "improper solicitations". The
very term suggests that there can be "proper" solicitations. If
not, why use the adjective "improper" at all? Why not ask, "Do
you come unbiased by solicitations of friends?" I have
absolute confidence in the wisdom of our ancient brethren and
believe that when our ritual was first composed each word
was chosen carefully. The word "improper" was
included because, I believe, it was recognized that there could
be proper solicitations. If my premise is accepted, it is
still necessary to ask why we should solicit potential members
and how that solicitation should be effected to make it
"proper". In 1962 I accepted a teaching position in Sri
Lanka, then known as Ceylon. Within a few days of our arrival in
our new community high amidst the tea estates, my wife and
I became friends with a couple who had children at the school.
The friendship flourished and we spent many evenings together.
Two or three nights a month, the husband, Ron, would be absent.
In time I discovered that he was attending lodge meetings. My
father was a freemason and I was interested in joining, but I did
not know how to do so. One evening, two years after our arrival
in Ceylon, Ron indicated that he had been at a masonic meeting
the night before and that a mutual acquaintance of ours had
joined the lodge. Feeling bolder than usual I asked, "What's so
special about you masons? What does a person have to do to
join? Why haven't you invited me?" Immediately he asked me if
I was really interested in joining and, when I
replied affirmatively, he put his hand into his pocket, extracted
an application form and gave it to me. He had carried it in
his pocket daily for a year and a half waiting for me to make
the first move! A few months later, twenty-five years ago
this year, I was initiated into freemasonry in my mother
lodge, Dimbula Lodge 298, Irish Constitution, sponsored by
my friend, Very Worshipful Brother Ron Harrison,
Honorary Grand Director of Ceremonies, Grand Lodge of Ireland.
But, if the devil had not been in me that evening and had I
not questioned Brother Harrison as I did, I might never
have become a freemason. His masonic upbringing, as was
mine, and as was that of so many masons, taught that
candidates had to make the first move. We seemed to have
the conviction that if a potential candidate did not approach
us first he was not a worthy candidate. The term "unbiased
by improper solicitations of friends" was interpreted as if
the adjective "improper" was omitted so that no
solicitations could be made or as if "improper" meant "any"
solicitations. How many potentially excellent masons have we lost
to the Craft over the centuries because of this interpretation?
Are we doing freemasonry a service if we persist in
this approach? Since we all join freemasonry because of
a general desire for knowledge and a sincere wish to
render ourselves more extensively serviceable to our fellow
beings, are we not being particularly selfish and elitist if we
deprive others of this most desirable goal? Are we not
being unfeeling and unsympathetic to men whom we
consider worthy of being good masons if we fail to show them how
to become freemasons? The answers to all these
questions indicate the first and most important reason why we
should be prepared to solicit candidates. In short, we owe it to
the Craft and to our fellow beings. The second reason why
we should solicit potential candidates, or at least be more open
in our approaches, is to educate. Imagine the following. A
certain lodge had not attracted any new members for many years.
The brethren, fearful for the future of the lodge, decided, after
some debate, to approach a Public Relations firm. A young, eager
executive met with the brethren and received from them as much
information as they could disclose. In due course, the
following advertisement appeared in the local
newspaper.
Can You Keep A Secret? Are you financially
secure? Do you own or would you like to own a tuxedo? Would
you like to mix once a month with distinguished
local citizens? If you can answer "Yes" to all these
questions, then Lodge X has vacancies for six new
members. NOTE: Membership is not guaranteed. Atheists and
women need not apply.
This story, of course, is
fictitious. But, there is no statement in the advertisement that
is blatantly false about freemasonry. It does sum up how some
perceive us. We are viewed by them as a chauvinistic group of
rich, religious elitists who belong to a secret society.
Unfavourable press reports at different periods of history have not
added to our image. How many potential candidates do we lose because of the
impression they have of the Craft? If we can identify individuals who might make
good masons, then by approaching them properly we can rectify any false
impressions they might have. Initiates into
freemasonry are asked if they are prompted to seek the privileges
of ancient Freemasonry "from a favourable opinion, preconceived,
of the institution". How can any potential candidate have a
preconceived opinion that is at all accurate if no-one will speak
to him? Why would he seek membership 'of his own volition if he
had no preconceived opinion? Certainly, many of us
joined freemasonry in this manner, but perhaps we found
an organization that we enjoy more by good fortune than
good judgement. Initiates into lodges under the jurisdiction of
the Grand Lodge of Ireland are not asked if they have
a favourable opinion, preconceived, of the institution. If I
had been asked this question at my initiation, I could not, if I
had been absolutely honest, have answered in the affirmative.
I had no preconceived opinion. I knew nothing bad
about freemasonry, but that does not, of its own, constitute
a favourable opinion. I did not know what freemasonry
stood for, what freemasons believed in, nor what was expected
of me. I had a favourable opinion of the men who I knew
were masons, but they were not the institution. I now
know masons who after joining the Craft, have ceased to be
active members for they have discovered that masonry was
not what they expected and was not for them. They
joined freemasonry with a false preconceived opinion. That
should never have been allowed to happen. Potential
candidates, whether they make the initial move or whether
their membership is solicited, must be given some indication
of what masonry entails, what our philosophy is, what
values we try to live by, and what is expected of a mason. We
owe it to the Craft to ensure that a favourable opinion
is preconceived of the order. We owe it to potential
candidates to educate them, as fully as possible, about
freemasonry in general. Candidates should know what they are
joining. Finally, we must determine how we can properly
solicit potential members. I would suggest that we can do so in
two ways, subliminally and directly. Traditionally, the
only outward visibility, to a community, of the existence of a
masonic lodge has been the lodge building itself and the annual
church parade. We have, for too long, hidden the light of
freemasonry under a bushel. Yet, we have so much of which to be
proud. By our actions, individually and as an organization, we
can help to create a favourable impression of our Order. By such
actions, we can attract members. For the last four years,
Lodge Mic-Mac has sponsored, organized and hosted an annual
Roast. We have "roasted" celebrated citizens of the community,
three of whom were not masons. Tickets are sold and are eagerly
purchased since the Masonic Roast has become the social event of
the year. All proceeds are donated to a local charity. Except
for the one year when I was the unfortunate victim of the
Roast, I have had the honour to be the Master of Ceremonies.
Each year, I have introduced the masons present. The first year
I gave a brief synopsis of what freemasonry is, who
could become candidates and how they could apply
for membership. We now have worthy members in our Lodge who
joined because of our visibility through the annual roast. This
is but one example of how we try to become involved in the
community. It is but one example of what can be done by any
lodge. By such subliminal soliciting we have attracted members.
By such actions a favourable opinion has been received of the
excellence of our Order. Whenever we approach a potential
candidate directly, we must bear in mind that should he
eventually seek membership in a lodge he must do so of his own
free will and accord. Our approach, therefore, must be gentle. If
the approach is clearly rejected at any time then we should
not pursue it. If, however, a spark of interest is shown then
we should offer to discuss masonry, at an appropriate time
and place, so that the potential candidate can be
properly informed. If the interest is maintained, then
discussions should continue, literature could be offered and
other masons introduced. Only when the candidate is
ready should an application form be offered. Let us remember
that we are not salesmen pursuing the hard sell, but
freemasons gauging, on our part, the suitability of the candidate
and permitting him, on his part, to assess whether masonry is
for him. A person may solicit in many ways. One can
solicit by asking or seeking earnestly, by tempting or enticing.
This is not masonic soliciting. As masons we can only solicit
by enquiring, by offering to share relevant and
permissable information, by praising honestly the virtues of our
Order and by indicating our own faith in the potential of the
candidate. Such gentle soliciting cannot possibly be contrary to
the ancient usages and established customs of our Order for
the final decision will always be the candidate's. If we can
enrich the Craft with worthy men then we can play our part
in securing the future of our great, fraternal
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