BROTHERHOOD
"My Brother, for by that sacred appellation I
now address you."
This salutation is sometimes used in the
ritual of the first degree when the initiate
is greeted for the first time as Brother. It
is not found in every version of Masonic
ritual. Regrettably, it has disappeared from
some which formerly contained it. Perhaps it
has become a victim of the desire of
modernists who want to "shorten the work" or
to make it "more relevant to our times".
In most versions of the ritual the candidate
is addressed as "Mister Blank," or "My
friend," until that moment when he may be
properly saluted as "My Brother". Then the
Worshipful Master merely changes the mode of
address from "Mister" or "Friend" to
"Brother," without any special emphasis or
observation.
If the language of Masonic ritual is one of
the most important elements which help
initiates to become impressed with the
meaning and philosophy of the Fraternity,
that salutation needs to be made significant
and impressive. That sacred appellation is a
key for revealing the fundamental spiritual
quality of the institution. Merely to slip in
the words, "My Brother," as a variation in a
form of address, is to risk the initiate's
failure to discern the mystic quality of
Masonic brotherhood.
Archaic as the word appellation may sound to
the ear of a twentieth century initiate, it
does suggest to his surprised mind that
Freemasonry is a society of cultivated men,
that it is rooted in intellectual
aspirations, and that he is being addressed
as a man who will strive for mental
attainments.
The word sacred is even more stimulating to
the attentive initiate because of its
connotations. Not only does he realize that
he is now accepted as a member of the
Fraternity, that he is now a Brother among
Brethren; but also, even if only vaguely, he
becomes aware that this new relationship of
brotherhood is to be something special,
something spiritual, something related to the
ideas he has acquired from sacred writings,
something scriptural perhaps, something
related to the purposes of the Great Creator.
We Masons like to describe the special
quality of our fraternalism as the Mystic
Tie, a phrase which acknowledges the
spiritual quality of our associating and
working together. Mystic, of course, is
derived from a Greek word which designated
"an initiate into the ancient mysteries," and
further suggests a sense of awe or wonder in
contemplating or communing with God.
Any expression in the ritual which helps the
initiate to relate his Masonic experience to
such a spiritual understanding is worth
preserving, be it ancient or modern, archaic
or new, "My Brother, for by that sacred
appellation I now address you."
To qualify the title of Brother as sacred,
the first time it is used to salute a new
member, is to prepare him to understand "the
great secret" of Freemasonry, a secret which
is no real secret at all, for it has been
told again and again by the lives of
dedicated Craftsmen. It is a secret and a
mystery only to those who have never been
made Masons, for it is the meaning of
brotherhood as experienced only by Masons,
and even by them, only imperfectly.
Dr. Joseph Fort Newton once wrote, "The
secret of Masonry, like the secret of life,
can be known only by those who seek it, serve
it, live it. It cannot be uttered; it can
only be felt and acted. It is, in fact, an
open secret, and each man knows it according
to his quest and capacity. Like all things
most worth knowing, no one can know it for
another and no one can know it alone. It is
known only in fellowship, by the touch of
life upon life, spirit upon spirit, knee to
knee, breast to breast, hand in hand."
Such is the thinking-feeling which is stirred
in every receptive Mason when he hears the
words, "My Brother," as a sacred appellation.
Such are the elements of reverence which
should characterize his understanding of the
Mystic Tie.
He is not merely an associate or ally; he is
not merely a well-wisher or a sympathizer; he
is not merely a comrade or supporter; he is
not merely a confidant or friend.
A Mason is a Brother, in the oldest, finest
and truest sense of that word. He is a
brother human being, for the sake of
humanity. No dogma binds the brotherhood
together; no narrow political or social goal,
no intolerance of class or nationality
provides the brotherhood with a common
platform.
Masons are Brothers, in the universal meaning
of the word, men who are united by complete
freedom of conscience under the banner of
pure tolerance, of an affectionate regard and
respect for every other human being. A Mason
is a man without prejudice. (So mote it be.)
He is a Brother when he estimates the worth
of a fellow human being, not by his
profession or vocation, not by his special
interests as a fellow citizen, not by his
sectarian religious beliefs, not by the color
of his skin, and not by his age, or
nationality, or economic status.
A Mason is a Brother because, of his own free
will and accord, he has chosen to seek the
light of truth which will set humanity free,
because he has been accepted by the
Brotherhood to work for the welfare of the
whole human family, and because he earnestly
desires the Brotherhood of Man, of all men,
under the Fatherhood of God.
If that Masonic hope and ideal were the real
secret of Freemasonry, it is obviously no
secret at all. It is an ideal shared by many
men in many places, in many religious and
benevolent associations. The secrecy
associated with Masonry's mission and purpose
lies not in its universal hopes and
aspirations; it lies in its methods of
instruction, in its ritual and ceremonies, in
its fraternal activities and labors.
That secrecy is really symbolic, for its
purpose is not to exclude the "profane", but
to benefit the individual initiate, by making
his initiatory experiences, in which he must
actively participate, sacred, i.e., a mystic
consecration. It is the nature of man to seek
that which is hidden and, like Prometheus, to
acquire "the knowledge of the gods".
The real secret of Masonry, therefore, is an
experience which only the members of the
Fraternity have voluntarily undergone. The
Mystic Tie is their expression for this
experience of Masonic brotherhood. They have
lived the Mystic Tie when they have visited
another lodge in an unfamiliar city, where no
one knew them even by name. But having
established their claim to genuine Masonic
brotherhood, they found themselves accepted
and drawn affectionately into the mystic
circle of the members of the lodge. No demand
for rank, or money, or social status was
made. Only the ancient phrases and forms to
prove the Brother's Masonic experience were
required.
And once he had demonstrated his knowledge of
the common Masonic experience, whether it
were in Europe, or Asia, or the North
American continent, he found himself welcomed
with joy into a group of men who were
concerned only with the work of making
brotherhood real; and the special joy of that
common aspiration brightened every activity
of the lodge, whether at labor or around the
festive board.
Only a Mason can understand the more solemn
expression of brotherhood which may come to
him as he visits at the bedside of a dying
Brother, who in his feeble speechless
condition, responds to his sympathetic
ministrations with a certain pressure on the
hand, as if he were trying to say, "Thank
you, my Brother; with that sacred appellation
I'm about to say farewell."
Unfortunately, there are Brethren to whom the
mystic Masonic experience is a dimly
remembered verbal exercise only. The words of
the Masonic ritual were impressive, and they
acknowledge the noble and lofty ideas which
they inspired. But to ponder them as
challenges to the self, as testing tools to
measure their own Masonic effort "to improve
myself in Masonry," this is disquieting
enough to "turn them off," and to regard
themselves merely as members of a comfortable
club or social organization.
They have heard the Masonic instruction: "By
the exercise of brotherly love, we are taught
to regard the whole human species as one
family - the high and the low, the rich and
the poor, who, as created by one Almighty
Parent, and inhabitants of the same planet,
are to aid, support, and protect one another.
On this principle, Masonry unites men of
every country, sect, and opinion, and
conciliates true friendship among those who
might otherwise have remained at a perpetual
distance."
My Brother, for by that sacred appellation I
now address you, in what ways do you exercise
brotherly love? Do you really regard the
whole human species as one family, in which
every man is just as much of a brother as you
are? What do you actually do to unite men of
every country, sect, and opinion? How can a
Mason help to aid, support, and protect our
human brothers of that generation with which
communication seems so difficult? How do you
conciliate true friendship, even in the
narrow arena of your own lodge?
On your working answers to such questions, my
Brother, depends not only the strengthening
of the Mystic Tie, but in a world of
tumultuous changes and disturbance, the
future influence and usefulness of our gentle
Craft.
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