by
Richard E. Fletcher
PGM, Vermont
Conrad Hahn, a most distinguished Mason, once observed, "The lack
of educational work in the average lodge is the principal reason for
the lack of interest and the consequent poor attendance in Masonry
over which spokesman have been wringing their hands for at least a
century".
This quote stirs one to think about the importance and value of
Masonic education within the Masonic Fraternity. It should further
stir us to think about why this important aspect of Freemasonry has
been so badly overlooked. We must not kid ourselves into thinking
that Masonic education is playing the prominent part in Freemasonry
that by right it should.
This leads to the all important question, "Why has this situation
come about?" The real problem in trying to answer this question is
that there is no easy answer. We, as a Fraternity, have reached the
point where far to few of our members have even the faintest idea of
why they are Freemasons, let alone, have any real knowledge about
our history and heritage.
To those of you who are "ritual purists" please do not let my next
statement shock you. But the real truth of the matter is we have
come to depend on the ritual as the basis for Masonic knowledge. The
ritual does not make Masons. It only makes members! We cheat, wrong
and defraud any candidate who is left hanging at the end of the 3rd
Degree, having heard a lot of words and really not knowing what they
mean. Until the Degrees are explained to the candidate he has no
idea of what he has gone through. To suggest that the explanation is
complete with the lectures of each Degree is again burying our head
in "Masonic Sand."
Let me stress no one loves the ritual more than I do. The ritual has
an important place in the life of the person who is becoming a
Mason. But, that place is not the "throne from on high" from which
there is no more to learn. In my opinion, it is far easier to
memorize and recite the ritual than it is to study the history and
meaning of Freemasonry. So, we tend to be far more comfortable in
working the Degrees than in working with the candidate to teach him
what our beautiful craft is all about.
Has this always been so? The answer, of course, is no. But we have
drifted so far away from true knowledge within our Fraternity that
now it is very difficult to try to turn the tide. But we are going
to have to do that very thing! What are in fact the origins of
Freemasonry? Where did it begin? How did it reach the present state
in which we find it today?
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could answer these questions in ten
words or less. We can not. We can only surmise what in fact may have
happened. Historically, of course, Freemasonry did not begin with
the forming of a Grand Lodge in London in 1717. Quite obviously,
there had to have been Lodges to be formed at that time. So, they
must have had some history prior to that date. When did it all
begin? We simply don't know.
One thing has always bothered me with the explanation we are usually
given. That is: Why did the ancient Guilds of Cathedral builders
need such an elaborate method of recognition. Why would they have
needed signs and words, if in fact our early origins were with
tradesmen plying their skill in building cathedrals? That they would
wish to keep secret the method by which they constructed a building
might perhaps be possible. But, they were out in the open, visible
to anyone who wished to come near the building and certainly not in
any danger from an outside enemy. So why would they need to have
methods of recognition that would not have been known to the casual
observer?
This question has always intrigued me. Please let me tell you right
now, I do not know the answer. One of the better theories that I
have read concerning this matter is in a book by John Robinson
entitled, Born in Blood. John Robinson will be your guest
lecturer later this year. He has much to offer and I hope you will
make every effort to attend and hear this very fine man present his
theories on the origins of Freemasonry.
Let me just say briefly that his theory is that Freemasonry very
likely began with the suppression of the Knights Templar in the year
1307. At that time the Templars were crushed in France, but by the
delay of the King in enforcing the edict in England and Scotland
many escaped. It is Mr. Robinson's theory that they went underground
and had to devise a method of recognition enabling them to travel
safely and to establish safe houses where they would have an
opportunity to rest and refresh themselves. It also gave them the
ability to recognize each other as members of the order! While the
suppression of the Knights Templar may or may not have anything to
with early Freemasonry, it certainly makes more sense to me that
secret signs and words in this type of environment were far more
necessary than with the simple workman plying his trade in building
a cathedral.
Just one more thought from this particular theory. The suppression
of the Knights Templar occurred on October 13, 1307. The particular
day of the week was a Friday and ever since that event Friday the
13th has been considered to be the unluckiest day of the year.
Now, the suppression of the Templars was crude and bloody but it was
not an unusual event in those times. War, pillage, and confiscation
of property were a way of life. There were other orders in existence
who had their troubles as well. What was there about the Knights
Templar that made them known and recognized and respected? Why do I
say respected? Because there wasn't any rejoicing at their
suppression. Instead the day is remembered as unlucky! The only
conclusion that I can reach is that this order held the respect of
the people and their destruction brought about the omen of bad luck.
Why were they so respected? Obviously, there is no absolute answer
to that question, but one could surmise that if they were indeed
practicing the principles of Freemasonry they would certainly have
had the respect of the people! My conclusion is that Freemasonry has
existed for a very long time. Not perhaps, as we know it today, but
as an order of men doing good work where they were permitted to
exist.
This observation is not to be taken in the context of the claims of
many Masonic writers, such as: Masonry goes back to the times of
Solomon or even Noah and the flood. In Masonic writing we must be
very careful when making claims like this. Many times ancient
symbols, which have in more recent times been co-opted by
Freemasonry, are mistaken as evidence of early Masonic existence .
Let me give you one example. The All Seeing Eye on the one dollar
bill is certainly well known in Masonic circles and, unfortunately,
has mistakenly been interpreted as a Masonic symbol. It is in fact
an ancient symbol which was taken into Freemasonry in far more
recent times.
This lack of understanding of ancient signs and symbols has, in my
judgment, misled many Masonic historians into false conclusions. The
study of history, particularly, where the written word was not used
requires a well trained person when interpreting its meaning. That
is why we need to do a far better job of interpreting early Masonic
history than we have done in the past. If Masonic history began in
earlier times than we normally talk about, it is obviously going to
make a reconstruction of our past difficult because we have very few
written records to go by. Remember these were times when few people
could read or write. So, we don't have minutes of early Lodge
meetings available. Also remember, if their very lives were at
stake, that was another strong inducement not to put very much
information into written form!
The purpose of my tracing this obscure part of our history is simply
to say to you that I very strongly believe that there was a far more
significant purpose to the origins of Freemasonry than simply
erecting buildings! I do believe that Freemasonry evolved into that
stage, during its development, but the Cathedral builders reflected
a time in our history and not its beginning!
Let me carry this thinking one step further and bring it into the
late 1700's. Benjamin Franklin and Voltaire did not join a workers
guild! They joined what they believed to be an educational society
which was called, "Freemasonry." These were extremely intelligent
men who had no time to waste on things that were not important to
them, and yet Franklin was an active Freemason and Voltaire joined
only shortly before his death! What was it that they saw in
Freemasonry that eludes us today?
Well let's focus our thoughts more on modern Freemasonry and see
what we can determine. It has been said that Freemasonry in Europe
was for the elite and in America for the masses. With the great
numbers of members that we have attracted over the years, there
seems to be a certain amount of truth in that statement. Today we
tend to overlook the fact that even though our numbers are dwindling
we still have in excess of two and one-half million Freemasons in
the United States alone.
It would seem that when Freemasonry caught fire it did so in massive
numbers. In the 1920's we were in the three millions in membership.
In the 1950's and early 60's in the four millions and have been on a
decline ever since. But, if we look at the membership in the 1700's,
when by any standard of measurement Freemasonry was certainly at its
most influential peak, there were not very many Freemasons! Lodges
were small, intimate and every Brother knew every other Brother.
With larger numbers, perhaps also, came the seeds of our own
downfall. It is very difficult to have personal knowledge of each
Brother when our numbers are so large. One of the most frequent
complaints we hear in Freemasonry is a Brother saying that "I was in
the hospital and no one came to see me. The chances are no one even
knew he was in the hospital! We also have an extremely mobile
population. It is no exaggeration to say that somewhere in the 30%
range of the members of each Grand Lodge live somewhere else, other
than the Jurisdiction in which they where raised. How do you keep a
personal relationship with a Brother when you don't even know where
he is?
It would seem to me that one of the greatest mistakes we have made
in Freemasonry is to try to run it as we did in the 1700's. You
can't run an organization with a few thousand members the same way
as you do one with millions of members. It just can't be done!
We did not develop, through Masonic education, the training
programs, the communication, the leadership that was necessary to
deal with these vast numbers. When we talk about the "old days" when
all of the leading men of the town were in Freemasonry we overlook
the fact that the town was very small and everybody knew everyone
else. Now we have vast cities where people don't know everyone else.
Yet we still think of Masonry in terms of those earlier times. It's
impossible not to conclude that we simply have to do a much better
job of communicating with and educating our membership!
It is no secret that we have thousands upon thousands of books on
Masonry and for the most part the one thing they have in common is
that they are unread. We have to find a way of developing material
that will be used in the Masonic community. Realistically we have to
get right down to the Blue Lodge Level and insist that every Lodge
must offer a course in Masonic education.
If they don't have the resources within the Lodge to provide that
education then it must be done either by another Lodge or at the
district level. We can no longer turn out members who do not know
anything about our Fraternity. The price we are paying for that
mistake is clearly evident today! Programs can be developed but it
does require commitment on the part of the Grand Lodge but, more
importantly, commitment, on the part of knowledgeable Masons within
each Lodge who will actively accept the responsibility to see that
all Masons are taught about the Fraternity.
Certainly Grand Lodges can be of tremendous help in developing a
program common to all Lodges within their Jurisdiction a program
that would be at least enough to whet the appetite of the recipient
so that he would want to do more on his own but one that would teach
him basic Masonic information! During a recent study by the Masonic
Renewal Task Force one of the issues that kept repeating itself over
and over again was the lack of interest by our present members.
The membership of Freemasonry can really be divided into three
groups. If you will, imagine three side by side circles or, as I
call them, a snowman lying down, the largest circle being the base
which is the greatest percentage of our membership and largely
inactive, a smaller circle in the middle which would be the body
with a somewhat active membership; and the tiniest circle of all,
the head, with the smallest group of Masons and the most active.
It is with the large, inactive base that our attention should be
directed. The deaths occurring are roughly the same in number as the
new members being brought in, so one offsets the other. Where we are
losing our members is in the two categories of non-Payment of dues
and demits. Surveys have shown that of this very large base of
membership, when asked why they pay their dues, 33% responded "to
maintain membership" and 15% didn't even know why! These are the
ones who, through lack of interest, are now leaving Freemasonry.
This group I believe represents the residue of the "aura of
Freemasonry" that used to say to a man "You Should Belong." Many
joined believing this. Now we have a group of men who never quite
knew why they joined and over the years have never found out why,
have reached that point where, either through lack of interest, or
cutting back financially have no incentive to remain in Masonry.
They have been around for years and have never been active and now
see no need to stay a member. We are losing that group. We are not
replacing them and unless and until we can find a way to communicate
intelligently with them and show them a reason why being a Freemason
is important they will continue to drift away. It is inevitable!
But the good news is we can do something about this situation! We
can do something about lack of interest and that my Brothers is the
challenge facing Freemasonry today! At the very least inactive
members should be invited to attend the instructional classes for
new members that we have already talked about.
Let me not present Freemasonry as all doom and gloom. It most
certainly is not. We have a tremendous amount of good work going for
us. Let me share with you some wordsfrom our May 1991, Short Talk
Bulletin entitled, "And The Greatest Of These Is Charity." This
quote is from that Short Talk Bulletin which was written by S. Brent
Morris, a well known Masonic author:
"A study of Masonic Charities is a study of the evolving needs of the American society. When food and shelter were immediate and almost daily concerns, Masons responded with firewood and the fruits of their harvests. When care of the aged, widows, and orphans were worries, Masons erected retirement homes and orphanages. When education was needed, Masons built schools, and when these basic needs moved ever farther from common experience, Masons turned their philanthropy to crippled children, burn victims,the speech and language impaired, cancer patients, and others."
It is very clear that when Masons are challenged, they will respond! These
are visible challenges of people needing help. Now we must accept the invisible
challenge of Masons needing greater understanding of the history and purposes of
the Craft!
Perhaps Freemasonry could never be more graphically described than in another
quote from a Short Talk Bulletin. This one is entitled, "Ellis Island - The
Golden Door" and was written by a man who is not a Mason, Mr. Dennis Hearn. Mr.
Hearn worked very closely with members of the Grand Lodge of New York and did a
great deal of research into the history of Freemasonry as the Ellis Island
project developed. His association with Masons led him to this conclusion:
"The Freemasons among our Founding Fathers brought to their work the ancient Masonic Landmarks of Truth and Brotherly love, and they fashioned a constitution which, by the depth and strength of its conviction, embedded those principles in the conscience of a nation. While we as a people have not always lived up to them, neither have we been able to ignore them".
Those are very beautiful words to describe Freemasonry. Isn't it time we reintroduced ourselves to the meaning of Freemasonry and got back to living and practicing this beautifully descriptive picture of our order?!