MASONRY IN BUSINESS
All great moral forces in men's lives permeate, and to some extent effect,
their business careers. A Sincere Christian will endeavor to live by the golden
rule. A Consistent church member will not be honest because it is the best
policy, but because he believes in honor. A real philosopher will apply the
principles of his study to his daily relations with trade and commerce. A real
Mason will act Masonically in business as well as in the lodge. It is idle to
say that Masonry is only for Masons. It is not. Masonry, if it is to fill its
promise, must be, in its esoteric aspects, as much for the profane as for the
Mason. Still more must Masonic principles be applied when dealing with Masons.
But there are many abuses committed in the name of Masonic business, against
which the newly made Mason may well guard himself. Chief of these is the demand,
in the name of Masonry, for business favors which would never be asked or
granted without a Masonic background.
There is no real excuse for the stranger who comes to you pleading for your
indorsement on his note because of your common Masonry, and you are not acting
un-Masonically if you refuse it. It is far less Masonic to get than to give, to
ask than to offer, to demand than to propose. The Mason who uses his Masonry as
a means of getting, when without the Masonry he would have no excuse, is not
acting in a truly Masonic manner. Therefore, it is not at all necessary that he
who is asked should respond as he would to a legitimate Masonic request. To a
man who says to you:
You should do this because we have a common brotherhood;" you can well reply:
"You should not ask it because we have a common brotherhood."
Your real brother will not ask you to do that in the name of brotherhood
which he would not ask you to do in the name of friendship.
Yes, there are exceptions; many of them. The tales which might be written of
the instances in which the Masonic brotherhood feeling has saved men from
disaster are legion. A man in deep trouble may turn to his brethren for help,
when the man who only wants an accommodation in business is outlawed before he
starts. There was a Mason whom we will call Jim Jones, because that was not his
name. Jim was about to fail in business, through no real fault of his own. Jim
laid the matter before the Master of his lodge. The Master called a couple of
bankers into consultation, and the loan needed was made, not as bankers to
client, but as Masons to a Mason. Five Masons signed the notes; and every note
was paid. Here was a case where a man had exhausted his commercial credit, and
had to call on his Masonic credit; it was a wise thing to do, and the Masonic
aid was beautifully given. But when Jim's neighbor, Smith, was ready to fail and
asked the same remedy for himself, he met with no success. He professed himself
as unable to understand why, if Masonry could help Jones, it could help Smith.
But the reason was patent to all who knew of the cases; Jones was in danger
through no fault of his own and Jones had a reputation, both in business and
Masonry, which made him a good risk. Smith was in trouble because he lacked
judgment and ability, and his reputation was good in neither business nor
Masonry.
We quote these little instances because it is difficult to phrase a rule as
to when Masonry may be used in business and when not. In general, it should
never be used when any other means is available. Masonry does not contemplate
that its followers lean on each other, but expects them to stand upon their own
feet. Masonry does not contemplate that the strong shall carry the weak, the
able supply ability for the feeble. Masonry is not a panacea for social or
business ills. A blood brother will help one while he will help himself, will
love one while he is lovable, and defend one while he is weak, as long as he
knows his brother will give him of his own strength when he recovers it. But
blood brothers will not, because of mutual parentage, support one is he is a
wastrel; lend to one if he is dishonest; or prop one up if he stumbles, if one
is not man enough to learn to walk alone.
The Masonic brotherhood is modeled upon the tender relation of blood-
brother. Its most optimistic altruists do not believe it should go further. If a
rule be necessary, let it be this: Give, when you can, help sought; ask help
only when all other means fail. Offer the helping hand as often as you have the
strength to spare; use Masonry for a crutch only when its absence will mean
disaster.
Never forget, in a sentimental willingness to lose rather than to deny an
appeal, that when you aid a brother who has not the right to ask your aid, you,
as well as he, are injuring Masonry. If the superintendent of a charitable
organization receives a call for aid which he knows comes from an undeserving
source, he should not give the aid requested. But if he is soft-hearted and
yields, rather than say "No!", the result is that he wastes aid which should go
to the deserving, cheapens his organization in the eyes of the recipient, and
makes true charity ridiculous in the eyes of the public.
Lest some say that this seems to draw back from giving aid, rather than
pressing forward to give it, let us reply that we truly believe it is better to
give Masonic help where is should not be given, than to deny it where it should
be given. But, we have a great regard for Masonry, and are jealous of its
reputa-tion; we hold it too high and too holy to look equanimity upon its
exploitation. We believe there is no more heart- stirring appeal than that made
in the name of Masonry, when it is proper to be made; as a consequence, we must
believe there is no more despicable act than abusing Masonry for personal ends
when the appeal is made and granted improperly. Help your brother all you may;
but never let your brother abuse your help, your heart, or your Masonry. For
Masonry is far, far greater than the individual, and its purity and its
preservation far more important than, that we give ourselves the pleasure of
saying "Yes," when the only Masonic answer we can give is "No!" The young Mason
is faced with a question, almost as soon as he becomes a Master Mason: "Must I
trade only with Masons; is it un-Masonic to trade with the profane?" He will
submit this to older Masons and receive almost as many different answers as the
questions he asks.
We give here an answer which seems to us to be correct. But it should be
noted that others have rights to their opinions. In all questions which have two
sides there is room for argument and differing viewpoints. Since this question
is not of law, but of ethics, there is probably more than one correct answer.
Masonry is not a mutual benefit society, in the sense that the Rochedal
Corporative Society is one. That and similar organizations are formed for the
purpose of promoting trade among members; they offer financial inducements to
trade with their members.
There is nothing like that in Masonry!
There is no Masonic obligation taken at the Altar which even hints that a
Mason must deal only with Masons. There is no Grand Lodge law, nor any lodge
by-law, which compels such trading.
It is, therefore, not a violation of any Masonic law or obligation not to
trade with a brother Mason. Any one who believes the contrary is misinformed.
Nor is there any unwritten law on the subject.
But there is an obligation of brotherhood. How far that is here to be
applied, every individual brother must decide for himself. If one has a blood
brother for whom one possesses a sincere affection, and that brother sells, let
us say, coal. That is, one would do so as long as the brother sold good coal on
its merit, and for as fair a price and with as good of service as one could get
from some non-relative. But if one's brother took advantage of the relationship
to charge a dollar more a ton, or to keep one waiting and cold while he filled
non-relatives' orders, one would speedily change one's coal merchant!
It would seem that the same principle should apply in regard to one's Masonic
brethren. As between two merchants, one a profane, the other a Mason, both
giving the same goods at the same price and rendering the same service, the
Mason should receive the Mason's trade. But as between a Mason selling at a high
price and a profane selling at a lower one, as between a Mason giving poor
service and a profane giving good service, the choice should be the other way.
This is not only good business, and good common sense, but good Masonry. For
Masonry should encourage progress and weed out the drones; it should make its
membership love Masonry for what it is, not for what it brings. It should fight
hard against any attempt to commercialize the Order, and resent bitterly the use
of its teachings for the making of money.
The Mason who says: "Trade with me because I am a Mason" is seldom a good
merchant. Certainly he has no pride of calling or willingness to stand on his
own feet. The Mason who says: "Trade with me because I give good goods at an
honest price" is upholding the dignity of his calling, and scorning to take
advantage of his Masonic brotherhood for the sake of making more money.
The man who must depend on Masonry to enable him to keep his store open is
not a good Mason.
It is a Masonic obligation to do one's best by one's family, to work hard and
honestly; and to get, as well as to give, value received for one's labor. Paying
more to a Mason than is necessary to pay to a profane is injurious to one's
family since it deprives them of something in order to benefit a Mason who has
no right to it. As a general rule Masons are not the type and kind of men who
wish to take advantage of their Masonic brotherhood. The greater part of them
scorn to use Masonry to further business ends. The vast majority of Masons
revere their Masonry; they hold it high and sacred, and far apart from the money
changers and the marts of trade.
But there are exceptions who ask and expect to receive special consideration
because they are Masons. This is very sad and very bad! No Mason has a right to
ask or expect a discount from another Mason because of mutual brotherhood. To
use Masonry - the Fatherhood of God, the Brotherhood of Man, the Religion of the
Heart, the Philosophy of Life - to get a ten percent discount on a purchase of
garden hose, is to abuse Masonry. Give your trade to your Masonic friends
because you like them, because you know them to be good men and true, because
they sell goods at honest prices; hunt out the lodge member among the Masons to
deal with because you like him and want to help him. But deal with him because
you want to help him, not because you expect him to help you. If you sell
instead of buy, give the Mason the best you can in service, because you like him
and wish to help him, not because you feel you have any moral or Masonic right
to trade to which your name, your business methods and your standard of ethics
would not entitle you.
Hold Masonry high; keep its dignity, its reputation, unsullied. Do not mix it
up with money and with barter. For it was written: "Render therefore unto Caesar
the things which be Caesar's and unto God the things which be God's."
Money and trade belong to Caesar. Masonry in men's hearts belongs to God!
back to top |
