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INSTALLATION CEREMONY OF THE GRAND LODGE
the official monitor
grand lodge of texas (1922)
[The following Installation Ceremony was prepared by Past Grand
Master John Sayles, in 1879, was approved, and has been since then used by the
M. W. Grand Lodge in installing its officers. By special permission of his
widow, Mrs. Mary E. Sayles, and son, Henry Sayles, of Abilene, Texas, this form
is incorporated in this edition, with the Official Titles as pre-scribed in the
Constitution, and some necessary preliminary instructions by the compiler.]
The Grand Master-elect may be installed by a Present, or a Past Grand Master,
and if by the latter, he does so by request of the retiring Grand Master.
It is the prerogative of the newly installed Grand Master to install the
other Grand Officers; but this right is usually waived, and the officer who
installed him, Proceeds to install the remaining Grand Officers.
The hour for installation having arrived, the Installing Officer takes the
chair, calls the Grand Lodge to order, and states the order of business. He
directs the Grand Marshal to have the jewels and other insignia of office
collected and arranged in proper order, and instructs the Grand Secretary to
call the roll of the Grand Officers elected and appointed. As the name of each
is called, he should come forward and take his seat according to his
rank.
The installation then proceeds as follows:
Installation Ceremony
The Grand Marshal presents the Grand Master-elect, and
says:
Most Worshipful Grand Master: I present you Bro. A. B., who has been duly and
constitutionally elected Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Texas for the
ensuing Masonic year. He has signified his willingness to accept the office. I
therefore ask that he be duly and constitutionally installed therein.
The Grand Master-elect is then placed at the Altar, facing the
East; the Grand Chaplain is conducted to the Altar, facing the West; the Grand
Lodge is then called up, and the Grand Chaplain says:
Brethren, let us pray:
Prayer
Eternal source of life and light, we ask Thy blessing upon Thy servant now
before Thee, as he is to enter upon new and responsible duties, and assume new
and important relations to his brethren. Invest him with Thy choicest gifts; may
heavenly wisdom illuminate his mind; may heavenly power give strength to his
exertions; may heavenly goodness fill and enlarge his breast; may his feet rest upon the rock of justice, and from his hands
may streams of beneficence continually flow; may his administration of the
affairs of the Fraternity redound to Thy glory, to the good of the Craft, and to
the welfare of mankind.
Add Thy blessing upon the officers associated with him. May they be faithful
and zealous in upholding the hands of their chief in all good deeds, and with a
just sense of their accountability to Thee, and to the Craft, may they labor for
the advancement of the Institution.
Bless the Grand Lodge and its subordinates, and all the Brotherhood, wherever
dispersed! Make them more helpful and beneficial to each other and to all Thy
children; and inspire them with an ardent love to Thee, to their brethren, and
to the whole human family. In Thee, we place our trust! Guide us, we pray Thee,
through all the vicissitudes of life, and at last bring us to dwell in Thy
presence forever! Amen.
Response: So mote it be.
The Grand Chaplain is conducted to his station, but the Grand
Master-elect remains kneeling at the Altar, and the Installing Officer, addressing
him, says:
You will repeat after me your official obligation:
"I, A. B., do promise, upon the honor of a Mason, that I will serve as Grand
Master of the Grand Lodge of Texas for the term for which I have been elected
and until my successor is duly and constitutionally installed, and will perform
all the duties of that office to the best of my ability."
The Brethren are seated.
Installing Officer: Brother Grand Marshal, you will conduct the Grand
Master-elect from the Altar to the East.
Installing Officer: Brother A. B., you having been duly elected Grand Master
of Masons, and having taken on obligation to discharge the duties of that
office, it is with much pleasure that I now invest you with this Jewel as the
badge of your office. It will silently admonish you always to do justice to the
cause of Masonry; and to consult, as the exalted rank you now hold demands of
you, the real interests of the Institution. It will instruct you to infuse into the many Lodges of which you are now the head, the true
spirit of our Order; to make wise decisions for the good of the Fraternity; to
give due commendation to the worthy; and to rebuke those who act contrary to our
laws.
By immemorial usage and the irrevocable landmarks of Masonry, you are
invested, as Grand Master of Masons, with powers and prerogatives which are
well-nigh absolute. The interests of the Craft, for weal or woe, are placed in
your hands during your term of office. The good resolutions which, I doubt not,
you have formed in your mind, that these powers shall not be abused or perverted
by you, I would gladly strengthen by a word of admonition which it will not
become me henceforth to utter. The very consciousness of the possession of a
great power will ever make a generous mind cautious and gentle in its
exercise.
To rule has been the lot of many, and it requires neither strength of
intellect nor soundness of judgment. To rule WELL has been the fortune of but
few, and may well be the object of an honorable ambition. It is not by the
strong arm, or the iron will, that obedience and order, the chief requisites of good government, are
secured; but by holding the key to the hearts of men.
The office of Grand Master is of great antiquity and respect, and is one of
the highest dignities to which we may aspire. Its incumbent, to rule well,
should possess and practice several important requisites.
As a man, he should be of approved integrity and irreproachable morals, freed
from the dominion of hasty temper and ill-governed passions; of good repute in
the world, and practicing, as an example to the Craft, the cardinal virtues of
Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence and Justice.
As a citizen, he should be loyal to his government; obedient to its laws;
prompt in the duties he owes to society; and a pattern of fidelity in all social
and domestic relations.
As a Mason, he should cling to the old landmarks and be sternly opposed to
their infringement; be a proficient in the laws, language and literature of the
Fraternity; be desirous to learn, and apt to teach; though not, for the time, a
workman, yet the master of the work, and qualified to earn his wages; be prompt to give aid, and slow to demand it; be ever mindful, that
though elevated for a time above his fellows, yet he is elevated by them, and
that he is still a Craftsman, more sacredly bound by a Craftsman's obligation;
and that he should cultivate everywhere, and at all times, the golden tenets of
Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth.
As an officer, he should remember, first of all, that he is an individual
Mason, sharing in that respect, a common lot with his brethren, and therefore
interested in the welfare of each and all. He should be devoid of undue
ostentation and haughty overbearing; accessible to all; cultivating the closest
friendship and the most unlimited confidence with his associate officers; eager
to take counsel with his brethren and ready to give it; patient in investigation
and hearing; deliberate in judgment; prompt in execution; forbearing long and
much with evil-doers; ready to reward good; devoid of favoritism and wholly
impartial; watchful over the treasury; having an eagle-eye upon every portion of
his jurisdiction, and breasting ever the restless spirit of innovation.
Such are some of the most important qualifications which a Grand Master
should possess, and the leading errors which he should avoid.
While the tools of operative Masonry (to us the most expressive symbols), the
Book of Constitutions, and the Holy Writings, are all placed in your charge, I
would call your attention specially to the latter. In this you find the
principles upon which Masonry is founded; from this it derives its Wisdom,
Strength and Beauty; this will confirm your faith, strengthen your hope,
encourage your charity, and direct you to that Temple where all is harmony, love
and peace.
I also deliver to you the emblem of that power with which you are now
invested. In your hands it must never be sounded in vain. Use it only for the
good of the Craft.
I now seat you, Most Worshipful, in the Grand East, at the head of an Order
which is calculated to unite men by true friendship, to extend benevolence, and
to promote virtue. And allow me to say that the honor with which you are
invested is not unworthy of a man of the highest position or most distinguished
abilities.
May you do honor to
your exalted station, and late, very late, in life, may you be transmitted from
the fading honors of an earthly Lodge, to the mansions prepared for the faithful
in a better world!
The Grand Lodge is called up, and the Installing Officer
says:
Brethren, salute your Grand Master!
The Grand Honors are given, after which the following
Installation Ode should be sung:
Master's Installation Ode
Music--DUNDEE
Behold, O Master, in the East,
What glories
greet thee there!
What floods of radiance eastward stream!
The
sun is rising fair.
Behold, O Master, glorious arts,
Were cradled in the
East;
Behold, what sciences came forth
Man's waking mind to
feast.
O Master, in thy symboll’d East
Seek wisdom from above,
And
spread the light which heaven shall send
Within thy Lodge in
love.
The Grand Marshal is directed to conduct the Grand
Officers-elect to the East, where, standing with the right hand on the left
breast, they take the official obligation as follows:
"I, A. B., do promise, upon the honor of a Mason, that I will serve the Grand
Lodge of Texas in my office for the term for which I have been elected and until
my successor is duly elected and installed, and that I will faithfully observe
the laws and Constitution of the Grand Lodge of Texas, all ancient Masonic
usages, and perform all the duties of my office to the best of my skill and
ability."
The Installing Officer proceeds as follows:
Deputy Grand Master
If. W. Sir: You are invested with this Jewel as the badge of the office of R.
W. Deputy Grand Master.
The office to which you have been elected by your brethren is one of great
dignity and importance. In many cases your powers and prerogatives are
co-extensive with those of your chief. At all times, if he be present, you are
to assist him with your counsel and co-operation; and in his absence, death,
incapacity or inability to act, the whole duties of his office devolve upon you.
In case of the Grand Master's absence from the State, or his disability to act,
you are empowered by the Constitution of this Grand Lodge to preside, when present,
in any Lodge under her jurisdiction; to grant dispensations for new Lodges;
install and constitute Lodges to whom Charters are ordered to issue; to suspend
Lodges for un-Masonic conduct, and to instruct in the Ritual of Masonry. But
while your powers and privileges are thus extensive, remember that they will
bring with them a heavy share of responsibility.
The honor thus conferred, and the trust reposed in you, demand a
corresponding fidelity and attachment to the interests of those to whose
kindness and confidence you are indebted for your official elevation. Let,
therefore, no effort of yours be wanting in the faithful discharge of the duties
of your office, so that you may have honor, and the Craft profit thereby.
The Deputy Grand Master is then conducted to his seat, to the
left of the Grand Master.
Grand Senior Warden
R. W. Sir: You are invested with the Jewel of Grand Senior Warden. The
position which you occupy in the Grand Lodge and among
the Fraternity is one of no little importance. In the Grand Lodge, to control,
practically, under the direction of the Grand Master, the admission of all
visitors; to announce specially those who are of rank or eminence; to aid in the
preservation of order; and at all times to render counsel and ad-vice to the
Grand Master, are high and responsible duties, requiring circumspection,
vigilance and reflection; but when to these is super-added the more onerous
labor, in conjunction with the Grand Junior Warden, of diligently preserving the
ancient land-marks throughout the jurisdiction, it then becomes a trust of deep
moment to the welfare of the Craft.
Your fitness for the discharge of such a trust undoubtedly led to your
selection for the office by your brethren, and it will be your duty and pleasure
to so act as to justify their confidence. Look well to the West.
The Grand Senior Warden is conducted to the West by the Grand
Marshal, and the following words may be sung:
Grand Senior Warden's Installing Ode
Music--DUNDEE
O Warden, with thy Level poised,
What lesson
dost thou give?
Are all men equal? Shall the worm
On king and
peasant live?
O Warden, where King Hiram stood,
Like him, seek strength
above;
Sustain the East, pay all their dues,
Protect the weak
in love.
Grand Junior Warden
P. W. Sir: As the duties of your office and the qualifications for it are
almost identical with those of the Grand Senior Warden, except as it respects
the introduction of visitors, I will only add to the charge given to that
officer, that you be equally vigilant and circumspect, not only at your station
in the Grand Lodge, but in the broader field of action without, dividing with
him his labors, and taking due care that the great object of your united
solicitude shall remain inviolate.
Accept the Jewel of your office, and repair to the South, being ever
watchful, whether in labor, or at refreshment, that the high twelve of
observation do not find you with your work, and that of the Craft you superintend, unperformed.
The Grand Junior Warden is conducted to the South by the Grand
Marshal, and the following words may be sung:
Grand Junior Warden's Installing Ode
Music--DUNDEE
O Warden, with the Plumb upraised,
What doth thy emblem
teach?
Do all the Craft uprightly walk,
And practice what they preach?
O Warden, where the Faithful One
Observed the glorious sun,
Like him,
adorn with beauty still
The work by him begun.
Grand Treasurer
R. W. Sir: You are invested with this Jewel as the badge of the office of
Grand Treasurer.
It is your duty to receive all moneys due the Grand Lodge from the Grand
Secretary or other officers, giving your receipt for the same; to enter all
moneys in regular accounts, with the purposes for which they are intended; to
keep regular accounts with all officers, charging them with all fees, dues or
other moneys received by them and known to you; to make disbursements only on legal orders from the Grand Lodge, or of the Grand Junior Warden on
Grand Stewards' accounts, or to Lodges entitled to distribution from the grand
charity fund; and to keep accurate accounts thereof; to make regular reports to
the close of each Annual Communication, and whenever required by the Grand
Lodge.
The keys forming the Jewel of your office have a two-fold significance; they
are instruments to bind as well as to loose; to make fast as well as to open;
they will never, I am confident, be used by you in any other manner than the
Constitution, laws, rules and regulations of the Grand Lodge shall direct.
The Grand Treasurer is then conducted to his proper place in
the Grand Lodge.
Grand Secretary
R. W. Sir: Usage as well as positive enactments from time to time have
rendered the duties of Grand Secretary more onerous and varied than those of any
other officer.
Brought by his official position more immediately into communication with the whole body of the Fraternity, it is requisite that he should possess
ability, skill and industry, to meet the various demands upon him. Placed in a
position where he holds almost constant correspondence with our Masonic brethren
of every State and country, upon him devolves, in a large degree, the good name
and credit of the Masonic family of this State.
The Fraternity should enable him to maintain it; he should strive that it be
maintained. Courtesy and patience are to be elements in his manners and
character. Vigilance and fidelity must also be necessary qualities.
Our Constitutions, my brother, point out to you fully the duties of your
office, and I will not recapitulate them. Your capability for their prompt and
faithful execution has induced your brethren to confide this trust to you, and I
feel assured that it is well placed.
In investing you with your official Jewel, the pens, I am persuaded that they
will make an enduring record, not only to your praise, but to the welfare of a
Craft so largely dependent upon your experience and integrity.
He is then conducted to his seat at the Grand Secretary's
desk.
District Deputy Grand Masters
R. W. Sirs: You have been appointed District Deputy Grand Masters of the
Grand Lodge of Texas.
It is your duty to assist the Most Worshipful Grand Master in the discharge
of his duties during the recess of the Grand Lodge; to visit all the Lodges in
your respective districts; to examine their records and see that they are
properly kept; to correct any errors you may observe, and to make a full report
of all your acts and doings to the Grand Master before the next Annual
Communication of this Grand Lodge.
In the discharge of your respective duties you will have many serious and
important questions propounded to you, the solving of which will require each of
you to be well skilled in Masonic jurisprudence. The office to which you have
been appointed embraces an important trust, and the choice of you by the Grand
Master is an evidence of the high opinion he entertains of your fidelity and
discretion. Labor, therefore, to discharge the duties of your respective offices
in such a manner as not to bring censure or dishonor upon the head of your
illustrious chief.
They are then seated, and the
Grand Marshal presents the Grand Chaplain, and the Installing Officer proceeds
as follows:
Grand Chaplain
R. W. and Rev. Sir and Brother: The sacred position of Grand Chaplain of the
Grand Lodge of Texas has been intrusted to your care by our Grand Master, and
you are now invested with the Jewel of your office.
It will be your duty to conduct the devotional exercises of our Grand
Communications, and to perform the sacred functions of your holy calling at our
public ceremonies. In faithfully performing these duties, it may be the means of
refining the souls, strengthening the virtues, and purifying the minds of our
Masonic brethren and thereby preparing them for admission into the society of
those above, whose happiness will be as endless as it is perfect. The profession
which you have chosen for your lot in life is the best guarantee that you will
discharge the duties of your present appointment with steadfastness and
perseverance in well-doing.
He is then conducted to the Grand Chaplain's desk, to the right
of the Grand Master.
Grand Orator
R. W. Sir and Brother: You have been appointed Grand Orator of the Grand
Lodge of Texas, and you are now invested with the badge of your office.
It is your duty to attend the Annual Communications of this Grand Lodge, and
at public installations, dedications, or other public occasions, to deliver a
suitable address.
To do this, it is necessary that you should be familiar with the operations
of Masonry, both at home and abroad, and well versed in Masonic lore. And from
your known zeal and attachment to the Order, I have no doubt but that you will
perform your duties with credit to yourself and pleasure to the Fraternity.
He is then seated.
Grand Marshal
R. W. Sir and Brother: You have been appointed Grand Marshal of the Grand
Lodge of Texas. The office with which you are intrusted is one of great
importance, and requires much skill and attention in the discharge of its
duties.
You are to superintend all processions of the Grand Lodge, when moving as a
distinct body, either in public or private; and as the world can only judge of
our private discipline by our public deportment, you will be careful that the
utmost order and decorum he observed on all such occasions.
You will ever be attentive to the commands of the Grand Master and always
near at hand to see them duly executed. You are now invested with the badge of
your office, and I presume that you will give to your duties all that study and
attention which their importance demands. I now present you this sword as the
appropriate implement of your office.
Grand Senior and Junior Deacons
W. Sirs and Brothers: You have been appointed Grand Deacons of this Grand Lodge. It is
your province to attend upon the Grand Master and Grand Wardens, and to act as
their proxies in the active duties of the Grand Lodge; to see to the
introduction and accommodation of visitors, and such other duties as may be
as-signed you by these officers.
The badges of your office are intrusted to your care, without doubt of your
vigilance and attention.
Grand Stewards
W. Sirs and Brothers: You have been appointed Grand Stewards of this Grand
Lodge. The duties of your office are to assist the Deacons and other officers in
performing their respective duties, and to see that none are admitted into the
refreshment rooms but such as are justly entitled to be there by the regulations
of the Grand Lodge.
Your regular and early attendance will afford the best proof of your zeal and
attachment to our Grand Lodge.
Grand Pursuivant
W. Sir and Brother: You have been appointed Grand Pursuivant of the Grand
Lodge of Texas, and you are now invested with the badge of your office.
It is your duty to announce all applicants for admission into the Grand Lodge
by their names and Masonic titles; to take charge of the Jewels and regalia of
the Grand Lodge; to attend all communications of the Grand Lodge, and to perform
such other duties as may be required of you by the Grand Master or presiding
officer. I presume that your respect and attachment to the Grand Lodge, and your
earnest solicitude for the good of the Order, will prompt you to the faithful
discharge of the duties of your office.
Grand Tiler
W. Sir and Brother: You have been appointed Grand Tiler of the Grand Lodge of
Texas, and are now invested with the implement of your office. As the Sword is
placed in the hands of the Grand Tiler to enable him to effectually guard
against the approach of cowans and eaves-droppers, and permit none to pass
except those who are duly qualified, so it should admonish us to set a guard
over our thoughts, a watch at our lips, post a sentinel over our actions, thereby preventing the approach of every unworthy
thought or deed, and preserving consciences void of offense towards God and
towards man.
The Installing Officer then calls up the members of the Grand
Lodge (and only the members should rise, as the address is exclusively for
them), and delivers the following:
Address to the Members of the Grand Lodge
Brethren, Members of the Grand Lodge of Texas: Behold the officers of this
Grand Lodge for the ensuing Masonic year.
Such is the nature of our Constitution, that as 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 officers who have been elected and appointed to govern this Grand Lodge
are sufficiently conversant with the rules of propriety and the laws of this
Institution to avoid exceeding the powers with which they are intrusted, and you
are of too generous dispositions to envy their preferment.
I therefore trust that you will have but one aim, to please each other and to unite in the grand design of being
happy and communicating happiness.
Finally, my brethren, as this Grand Annual Communication has been conducted
thus far with so much unanimity and concord, in which we greatly rejoice, so may
it continue to the end. May you long enjoy every satisfaction and delight which
disinterested friendship can afford. May kindness and brotherly affection
distinguish your conduct as men and as Masons. May your children's children
celebrate, with joy and gratitude, the annual recurrence of this auspicious
solemnity. And may the tenets of our profession be transmitted, through this
Grand Lodge, pure and unimpaired, from generation to generation.
The Installing Officer then calls up the entire Grand Lodge,
and the Grand Marshal, by his direction, makes the following:
Proclamation
Grand Marshal: I hereby proclaim that the Most Worshipful Grand Master and
other Grand Officers, elected and appointed, of this Grand Lodge, have been
regularly installed into their respective stations.
This proclamation is made from the East (one blow with gavel), from the West
(one blow with gavel), from the South (one blow with gavel), once, twice,
thrice. All interested will take due notice, and govern themselves
accordingly.
The Installing Officer then surrenders the East and the gavel
to the Grand Master. who seats the Grand Lodge.
[If the installation is public, a Program, with music and an address, may be
readily arranged. If the time allows, the ceremonies should always be
interspersed with appropriate music.]
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