PARABLE OF THE CHERRY TREE
In March of 1967, at a seminar of the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of
the Mystic Shrine, this paper was presented by Robert A. Hockstad, then Grand
Master of Masons in Michigan. M.W. Bro Hockstad now serves as Chairman of the
Execulive Commission of the Masonic Service Association. The original title
of this paper was:
BUILDING RELATIONS WITH THE BLUE LODGE.
At first thought this topic might seem rather meaningless, for Building
Relations between the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine and the
Masonic Lodge is, in effect, building a relationship between a man and himself,
since we are all members of the same body .
Yet, and all too often, the right hand knoweth not what the left hand is
doing, and, even though we be members of the same parent body, misunderstandings
and lack of communication do exist. It is in the hope that a closer rapport
may exist, and in the firm conviction that it should exist, that Seminars such
as this are called, and it is my pleasure, as a Grand Master of Masons, to
participate therein.
In the spare time left over after serving the Grand Lodge, I am engaged in
fruit processing in Northern Michigan, and it is from this experience that I
would draw the symbolic picture of our Fraternity, and the specific application to the subject under discussion.
We in Michigan grow the finest sweet cherries in the world, largely because
of the manner in which we prepare the tree. The nursery stock, carefully chosen,
is nurtured and tended with constant attention until the main trunk has attained
growth and vigor. It is then pruned and directed into two or more principal
branches--growing outward--to provide the greatest exposure to the elements, and
the largest area on the outer, or bearing, surface. Consider, if you will, how
closely this parallels our Masonic Fraternity. We institute a new Lodge, or bend
our attentions to one already existent. In the beginning, we give it our full
attention, and nurture it through the work of the Brothers in securing petitions
for membership. Through this devotion the Lodge flourishes and attains growth
and vigor. It is at this stage--if not before--that the 'pruning' starts, and
dedicated and zealous men direct the Brethren into the divergent paths of the
Scottish Rite, the York Rite, and the myriad other offshoots of Freemasonry.
With this, per se, I have no quarrel, since there should be enough workers in
the quarries of our Craft to necessitate additional outlets for their talents.
But let us get back to our tree, which is now in the full flower of its
maturity. And let us consider, particularly, the most spectacular of the
divergent branches. It is on this branch that the blossoms are thickest in the
Spring, as it displays its beauties for all the world to see, and provides
nectar in bounteous supply for the bees which here assemble. Here, too, will
hang, in greatest profusion, the fruits of the labor of the tree. Fruit which
will furnish food for the birds of the air, and will, in harvest, be plucked and
utilized by man for his sustenance and pleasure.
It is to this branch that I would compare the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine. For, of all segments of our Fraternity, certainly the
Shrine is the most colorful, and in its pageantry it displays its beauties
before the world, as it furnishes the nectar of fellowship and pleasure to the
workers in Shrinedom. It is in the labor of this Mystic Circle that we find,
too, the finest fruits of human endeavor, as to its outstretched arms are drawn
the halt, the lame, and the burned, to be restored to health and to take flight,
like the birds, from pain and the shackles of the crippled, to the heights of
joy and the potential of a full and rich life.
Again, consider our literal tree, now in the fullness of its harvest. Observe
how the several branches, deliberately separated, are bending away from each
other with their load of fruit. It is now that a strong wind, a chance blow, a
lightning stroke, or even the preoccupation of the tree itself in increasing its
fruit, may be the cause of stretching the fabric of the tree past its breaking
point, and the branch may tear away and crash to the ground, there to die.
Similarly, in our symbolic tree, again deliberately separated as to its
branches, the strong wind of unfavorable publicity, the chance blow of a
thoughtless remark, the lightning stroke of an ill-considered deed or proposal, or the preoccupation with the increasing of membership and activities in
any one branch without a corresponding increase in the parent Lodge, may so
imbalance the fabric of our Craft that one or all of its branches may fall away,
or even the Lodge itself wither from the drain on its resources.
In our trees, we could probably avoid this danger by training the tree into
one main stem, with smaller branches emanating from it. Thus, too with our
Fraternity. There are those who say that any of the appendant bodies must be so
closely entwined with the Lodge that, to all intents and purposes, they might as
well be one. To this I do not subscribe. It is my firm conviction that the
several parts of our Order should be separated, and that, while all, of course,
must stem from and owe allegiance to the Lodge, it is of equal importance that
they be allowed to independently flourish and to bring forth their own
individual harvest of charity and good works.
In actuality, the good orchardist preserves his trees by propping up the
heavy-laden branches, and by tying the several branches together for mutual
support. This I propose for our symbolic tree, and, while the things of which I
shall speak are directed primarily to you as fellow Nobles, they may be equally
applied to any of the other principal branches of our Craft.
I shall dwell but briefly on the 'props', as they are, at best, only a
temporary and sometimes insecure help, and it is in the ties that we must
place our trust.
In general, the props which we employ might be considered to be those things
which are promulgated by the Grand Bodies or by the Temples as a unit. In this
category would be the formation of Shrine Degree Teams who are available to the
Lodges. This is of tremendous value in cementing relations with the Lodge
affected, and I most heartily endorse this program. I class it as a 'prop'
only because with changing personnel it may well be abandoned by a Temple.
Similarly, in the respect that it is temporary in effect, would be the Shrine
Ceremonials and the publicity attendant thereon. Certainly there cannot help but
be an awareness of the occasion among the members of the Lodges in the area,
and, if done in good taste, it cannot help but reflect with credit on the
Fraternity and may well induce Master Masons to wish to belong to such an
obviously fine organization.
On the Imperial Council level, there can be no greater service to humanity
than the programs to care for the children in the several hospitals maintained
by the Shrine. I am sure that every Master Mason joins with me in his pride at
being a member of the great Fraternity which is the father to the child which
has provided this most magnificent of humanitarian charities, and, on every
occasion at which the Hospitals are publicized, I am sure that each of us basks
in the reflected credit which our relationship to the Shrine makes possible.
Just as the ties which bind together our literal tree are the permanent and
most effective means of preserving the tree, so are the figurative ties which
bind our Fraternity into one whole, the permanent and most effective means of
promoting and preserving the fabric of our Craft, and of illuminating the warp
and woof of that tapestry which is our Fraternal life.
Some of these ties are traditional, and form the foundation for the bonds
which join us together in unity and brotherhood. Of such is the relationship
between the Shrine and the Rites in Masonry which require membership in the
Knights Templar, or that the petitioner be a 32ø Scottish Rite Mason.
In the final analysis, however, each and every tie is composed of a weaving
together of many individual fibers, and may be best represented in our case as
being constituted by the combined efforts and effects of the countless numbers
of individual Masons who collectively form the institution we know as the
Shrine.
It is, then, through individuals that we must look to the Building of
Relations, even though the direction may well come from the echelon of officers
within the respective bodies.
By the same token, it is the individual Noble who is responsible for some
unfortunate incidents which have occurred within the scope of my knowledge,
and which give ammunition to the Brother who claims allegiance only to the
Lodge. As Nobles, let us be always circumspect in our conduct.
On the positive side, we ought to attend our Lodges, and evince an active
interest in its affairs. Develop a genuine interest in the welfare of the
Lodge, in the education of its members, and in the promotion of petitions for
membership in the Lodge, remembering always that it is from the Lodge originally
that Shrine members must come.
Finally, my Brethren, let us recognize that all our relations must be on a
personal, one-tone basis, and that each of us has a responsibility to
strive for not only a fraternal relationship within the framework of our several
Masonic Bodies, but also that, as Masons, we must have a one-to-one relationship
with our Creator such that, by Faith, we may forge an instrument of Peace, of
Hope, and, above all, of Charity, to the end that this Fraternity, with all its
parts, may justify its existence and be a force for the right in this troubled
world.
By so doing, you will have built the best possible relationship with your
Blue Lodge. SO MOTE IT BE
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