MASONRY'S IMPORTANT INGREDIENT - THE
INDIVIDUAL
MORE LIGHT in MASONRY (IX)
MASONRY'S IMPORTANT INGREDIENT - THE
INDIVIDUAL
by Allen E. Roberts
Freemasonry in the United States counts
almost four million individuals in its
membership. The word individual is all
important. In Masonry the individual controls
his own destiny. He is a free man.
The man who enters a Masonic Lodge is free to
become a good, or indifferent member He can
attend meetings, if he wants to. He's not
penalized if he doesn't. He isn't rewarded
with stars or bars for perfect attendance. He
receives no awards fur performing particular
duties. He may work a lifetime for
Freemasonry and receive no special
recognition. His counterpart in a civic club
would probably have his name prominently
displayed in the news media constantly.
Then why do so many Freemasons devote so much
of their lives to the Order? Actually, there
is no obvious answer. It's impossible to
generalize There is probably no one answer
that can fit even a dozen individuals.
Let's look at the case of one Brother whom I
know intimately.
Twenty-five years ago he said to a friend
while at church one Sunday, "I've always
wanted to be a Mason, but evidently you
Masons don't like me."
"Why do you say that?" asked his friend.
"Because none of you has ever asked me to
join." His friend laughed and told him no one
ever would, but he would take care of that
right now. A petition was in his hands before
the day was over. He filled it out. It was
signed by two of his Masonic friends and
submitted to the Lodge.
Before the petition could be acted on, the
petitioner's wife had a miscarriage. He had
no hospital insurance; his savings were tied
up in a new business he had just started. His
friend called and offered to have the
petition held over till things were better.
The petitioner said he appreciated that, but
he didn't want that done. He and his wife had
talked it over. They had reserved one last
Savings Bond so he could become a Mason.
That's the way they wanted it.
He was elected to receive the three degrees,
which were conferred on him promptly. He
learned the Master Mason's catechism. Then he
learned all the lectures. He received all the
instruction in the ritual he wanted. But the
Lodge had no library. When he asked where he
could obtain books about Masonry, no one
could tell him.
Some time later he learned about the Masonic
Service Association. He wrote to it and his
Masonic education began. A few years later he
attended a "Masonic Church Service" with
members of his Lodge. The minister was an old
man, and evidently a dedicated Master Mason.
He told of many episodes of Brotherly Love in
action, particularly during the Civil War.
His heart was filled with pride to know that
he was a member of an organization that in
spite of the hells of war would help a
Brother in distress.
In the weeks that followed he couldn't forget
that preacher and his stories about
Freemasons. Search as he did, he could find
no one who knew what Freemasonry was all
about. He determined to do what little he
could to change this - to work in the field
of Masonic education.
About this time a Past Grand Master learned
of his interest and took him by the hand.
They learned and worked together to develop
an educational program. They mace a lot of
mistakes. They made some friends, some
enemies, and many dedicated Master Masons.
They are still working and won't be satisfied
until every man who enters a Masonic Lodge
has the opportunity to learn what Masonry
really is.
This series of Short Talk Bulletins is an
endeavor to further their aim - to make every
member a dedicated Master Mason. It can't be
done, as we've said before, without
Constructive Leadership. If the leaders don't
care, the member won't either. This series
has tried to prove that Leaders do care.
Who are the leaders? Every individual who
becomes a Freemason is now a leader, or at
least a potential leader. So, every member
should learn the Masonic ritual. But above
all, he should learn the meaning behind the
ritual. He should become Masonically educated
so that he will become Masonically dedicated.
Every Masonic Lodge is a Team. In the
Constructive Lodge the Worshipful Master
assigns a coach to see that the Team
functions properly. As in football, each
member has an assignment. When he carries out
his assignment fully, goals are reached
without difficulty. In this series, we've
laid down some ground rules to follow. But we
can't emphasize too strongly that every Lodge
is different. Every Lodge will have to
establish its own format to achieve success.
We have merely pointed the way.
Where the Team doesn't function, the
individual is of necessity on his own. It
will be more difficult for him to learn what
he ought to know about Freemasonry, but he
can do it. He can prove that he is a leader.
He should remember that there are ways to
achieve success as an individual. Not all
games require teamwork. Tennis and chess
champions come from individuals who have had
to strive alone. But the help they need is
always available somewhere.
For the individual who wants a self-study
course in Freemasonry, there are many good
Masonic books available. Last month's Short
Talk listed some and told where to find
hundreds of others. As an example, here are a
few that can give anyone interested an
immediate well-rounded background in Masonry:
Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia, available from
Macoy Publishing Company, is an excellent
one-volume history of Freemasonry. Among its
many features is a "History Reading
Directory". By following this outline, the
student of the Craft can obtain a
well-rounded background. Mackey's Revised
Encyclopedia of Freemasonry is still a
valuable tool for finding answers to
particular questions about the Craft. In
these two books the student of Masonry can
find most of the Masonic knowledge he needs
to know.
Carl Claudy's Introduction to Freemasonry is
available from The Temple Publishers, 8120
Fenton Street, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910.
It's an easy to read explanation of the three
degrees of Freemasonry. It covers the
symbolism and history of the Craft that the
Master Mason ought to know. Although it was
written in 1931, it is as up-to-date as
tomorrow.
For the Master Mason who wants to become a
leader in his Lodge, Key to Freemasonry's
Growth will help. It is available from Macoy.
Its pages contain the "meat" from hundreds of
books on management written for industry. It
has been adapted for the fraternal leader. It
is being used as a text by Grand Lodges,
district conferences, Lodges, individuals,
and even by some military and government
agencies. One reviewer asserted: "It is a
must reading for the peanut vendor, the heads
of large corporations, as well as the line
officers of Masonic Lodges."
These four books can serve as starters for
the individual, or group, who wants a
self-study course in Freemasonry. In
addition, there are hundreds of other books,
pamphlets, and brochures available. The
Masonic Service Association has been in the
"business" of Masonic education since 1919.
It wants to be of service to all Freemasons.
Let it know what you want.
As pointed out in the November Short Talk,
Grand Lodge libraries are available to all
who are interested. Grand Lodge educational
committees have material pertinent to their
Jurisdictions. They want to get this material
into the hands of every member.
Every Master Mason has promised "to improve
myself in Masonry." This is an individual
commitment which every member ought to take
seriously. You didn't say you would improve
yourself in Masonry only if the leadership
was interested. Or if someone took you by the
hand and led you along a thornless path. Or
if everything was made easily obtainable.
What you promised was "to improve myself in
Masonry."
When a man is raised to the Sublime Degree of
Master Mason, he has become a member of the
world's greatest fraternal organization. What
he does from that day on strengthens or
weakens the Fraternity. If he is a good
Mason, he enhances the name of Masonry in his
community. His actions make other good men
want to emulate him. He becomes a stronger
citizen, a better churchman.
Being made a Master Mason, a member of a
Lodge, doesn't automatically make a man a
good Freemason. Like the high school or
college graduate, he still has much to learn.
He has really received only enough knowledge
to "get by". If he doesn't put this knowledge
to work to acquire more knowledge, he has
wasted his time and his money. He won't
satisfy his ego needs.
While there is disagreement in determining
just what man's needs are, most behavioral
scientists agree that there are three kinds:
(1) Physical and security needs, such as
food, shelter, and clothing; (2) Social
needs, because all human beings arc dependent
on each other. and must help or be helped to
realize self-satisfaction; (3) Ego needs,
resulting from man's desire to be an
individual, to do things on his own, to
realize a sense of self-accomplishment.
Every man who enters Freemasonry has
satisfied his physical and security needs. He
has become a Mason because he must satisfy
his social and egoistical needs. In Masonry
every individual has an unlimited area in
which to work to realize these needs. This is
good, because it has been determined that a
man utilizes only from 10 to 20 percent of
his natural creative ability in the work that
satisfies his security needs-his daily job.
Of course, there are men who desire no
responsibility. Many would rather spend their
time building model ships or planes. There
are others to whom money is "king" and
acquiring it is a compulsive activity. But
the vast majority believe in the American
dream that every man can rise to the highest
position in his organization, his company, or
the land if he works to achieve worthwhile
social and spiritual goals.
Human relationships thrive on a balance of
giving and taking. This is particularly true
in Freemasonry. The better the balance is,
the more the relationship will flourish and
grow. This will help to fulfill the needs we
all have.
Apart from the material things, we all need
recognition, approval, encouragement,
affection, understanding, sympathy, and
especially acceptance of our weaknesses.
These are the ingredients of the "mystic
tie". Those who are strong should willingly
help the weak. Those who have knowledge to
impart should not hesitate to teach those who
need it.
We will do this, and more, if we will follow
these words of wisdom from Bits & Pieces:
"The man who does only what is required of
him is a slave. The moment he does more, he's
a free man."
Elsewhere I have given Masonic expression to
this thought as follows:
"You have entered a new world. Symbolically,
and perhaps literally, you have been reborn.
This started the moment you were prepared to
become a Freemason.
"As you progress in Masonic knowledge, your
wisdom will broaden; you will become more
vitally alive than ever before; you will
become more aware of your fellowman, your
family, your church, and your country. Your
whole philosophy of life will improve.
"This will take place, but only if you become
Masonically educated."
The last statement is most important. To
become Masonically educated you will have to
do more than is required of you. As you do
this you will achieve a self-satisfaction
that cannot be measured. And you will be
proving that you have the qualities that are
necessary for a leader.
Too often we are told, and unfortunately
believe, that an individual can do nothing.
Individuals have ideas. It is from ideas that
countries and organizations grow. They grow,
that is, if the ideas are brought out into
the open and discussed, then put to work.
Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, and Henry
Ford, three individuals we have discussed
earlier, had ideas, or used those discarded
by others. Their accomplishments have been
well documented in the pages of history. So
are the deeds of countless other individuals
who put their ideas to work and went on to
become the leaders of their day.
Many, many individuals have influenced
Freemasonry through their ideas. It is
impossible in these pages just to name them
all, without even mentioning their
accomplishments. George Oliver wrote a
Dictionary of Symbolical Masonry and dozens
of other books and tracts on Freemasonry.
Much of what he wrote has been discredited,
but he did inspire others to add to or
subtract from what he wrote. One so inspired
was Robert Macoy, who published A General
History, Cyclopedia, and Dictionary of
Freemasonry. In 1849 he formed what is now
the Macoy Publishing & Masonic Supply
Company, Inc., practically the only publisher
of Masonic books in the United States today.
Albert G. Mackey gave up his practice as a
medical doctor to write about and for
Freemasonry. He is most famous for his
Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, written in 1874.
It was he who compiled the 25 Landmarks which
have influenced the Masonic law of several
Grand Lodges in the United States. It was he
who conferred the Scottish Rite degrees on
Albert Pike, and it was Pike who revitalized
the Scottish Rite by revamping the rituals of
that Masonic Order.
Thomas Smith Webb (1771-1819 ) was the
foremost ritualist of his day. He is credited
with being the founder of the American, or
York, Rite of Freemasonry. What he did with
the ritual has influenced almost every Grand
Lodge to this day. He inspired Jeremy Ladd
Cross and John Barney to carry on as
ritualists and organizers where he left off.
In this century there have been individuals
such as Frank S. Land, who organized the
Order of DeMolay for young men; George L.
Schoonover, who is credited with founding The
Masonic Service Association, which has helped
to harmonize American Freemasonry. Out of its
annual meetings came the Conferences of Grand
Masters and Grand Secretaries. Through the
Association American Freemasonry was able to
unite in service to our soldier sons and
Brothers during World War II, and frequently
during periods of calamity to help, aid, and
assist distressed worthy Brothers.
No well informed Freemason needs to be
reminded of the contributions made by Joseph
Fort Newton, D.D., whose book, The Builders,
is still the best selling Masonic book in our
country. The spiritual philosophy in his
writings will influence countless generations
of Freemasons to become better than they
might otherwise be. One of the many Newton
influenced was Carl H. Claudy, whose
imaginative writings have inspired thousands
of Craftsmen, and who brought The Masonic
Service Association from infant weakness to
the `strength it enjoys today.
What can one individual do? Nothing - or
everything! It all depends upon what the
individual wants to do. But there is one
thing certain - he can accomplish nothing by
sitting on his hands. He will achieve nothing
by burying his ideas. If he fears criticism,
he will get nowhere.
"He that will so demean himself as not to be
endeavoring to add to the common stock of
knowledge and understanding, may be deemed a
drone in the hive of nature, a useless member
of society."
Whether or not an individual aspires to
leadership, he can achieve most of the goals
he sets for himself. But he first has to set
those goals. If he does, he will be well on
the road to success.
The man who sets goals for himself will
utilize the principles of leadership that
have been discussed in this series. He will
use the planning process to reach his goals;
he will organize himself and those around him
to make his plans work; his "staff" will
include those with the knowledge necessary to
help him toward his objectives; he will know
how to communicate his ideas and listen for
the feedback essential to his success; he
will practice participative control and take
the corrective action needed every step of
the way.
How important is the individual? Only the
most important ingredient in Freemasonry!
back to top | 
