CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY OF INDIVIDUAL LODGES
This Short Talk Bulletin is adapted from a challenging paper given at the
Southwestern Masonic Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1974, by Brother
Marvin L. Anderson when he was Deputy Grand Master, Arizona.
It was said long ago, and has been repeated many times, that to solve a
problem, that problem must first be defined. To correct any situation, we must
be aware of the situation as it exists.
Our Masonry, as we now practice it, is call ed "Speculative." According to
Bernard Jones: ''Freemasonry's Guide and Compendium,'' 'To speculate is to take
a view of anything with the mind; to consider anything mentally.' It comes from
the Latin which means, 'I see' or 'I look,' and from the Latin we have several
other words, such as spectacle, spectator. In the 17th century meaning of the
word, anyone who was given to contemplation, to thoughtfulness, was indulging in
speculation. The speculative man was the idealist, not the man of fact and practice.
Speculative Masonry arose to distinguish 17th century Masons from operative
or stonemasons. Most 20th century men do not want to be spectators within their
organization. Speculative is a descriptive word in an historical sense, but the
concept of tranquil contemplation is not helpful today to encourage Craft
Masonry to be active.
J. Fred Latham (PGM, Oklahoma) said: "Some 260 years ago the foundation for
the present day structure was 'poured.' For the first fifty years our Brethren
cut and tried, fitted and revised, adopted and discarded many ideas and
procedures. Since that time, some 200 years, we have, more or less, let things
drift. Our forefathers of the revolutionary days were extremely active in
public affairs and accomplish ed much outside the lodge room. It would appear
that Freemasonry has resigned itself to those accomplishments and is unwilling
to do much thinking of our own."
"We, of the present day, need to bestir ourselves and begin to do something
besides ex pressing lovely platitudes and referring to ancient
accomplishments. They were great and we should not forget them. On the other
hand, we should use their accomplishments as incentives to attain greater things
in this age. We should try to do as much under present day conditions as they.
That would give us a real job."
We do owe a civic duty as Masons. Most Worshipful Brother J. Clay Thrash,
stated: "Masonry's role is self-evident. Its work is done when it has,
un-obstrusively, in the dissemination of its precepts, and by example of its
brotherhood, fitted people for a sound, well informed citizenship, capable of
electing responsible representatives of government 'for the people, of the
people, and by the people'."
To take this further, Masonry is the system of brotherhood, but it is also
the system of order, and if order is not enforced, love and peace and harmony
will be of little avail. Paul the Apostle called for submission even to a pagan
government, because it was trying to promote some kind of harmony in a pagan
world. This demand is still with us, for any power that brings order out of
chaos is working in the name of the Supreme Architect of the Universe.
J. Lewis Monical (PGM, Arizona) told us: "If we are to regain the stature of
former years, we must move Masonry out of the lodge room and make it a powerful,
constructive influence in community, state, national and international affairs.
The Masonic body, as such cannot act, but we as individuals and Masons, can
certainly do our part. We must speak out through the public platform and the
public press. We must assume a positive attitude in public affairs. Hopefully,
such action will pro vide a powerful modern awakening for Masonry today. The
time is coming, it may even be here, when societies like ours must come out in
the open with a public declaration of aims so all men may see in all this
political confusion that there is one body with strong and worthy ideals."
In the first degree, we are charged to be true to our government and just to
our country. From Morals and Dogma we are told: "This degree teaches us that no
free government can long endure, when the people cease to select for their
magistrates the best and the wisest of their statesmen; when, passing these by,
they permit factions or sordid interests to select for them the small, the low,
the ignoble and the obscure, and into such hands commit the country's destinies.
There is, after all, a 'divine right' to govern; and it is vested to the ablest,
wisest, best, of every nation.
"A democratic government undoubtedly has its defects, because it is made and
ad ministered by men, and not by the Wise Gods. It cannot be concise and sharp,
like the despotic. When its ire is aroused it develops its latent strength, and
the sturdiest rebel trembles. But its habitual domestic role is tolerant, patient, and indecisive. Men are brought together, first to differ, then to agree.
Affirmation, negation, discussion, solution; these are the means of attaining
truth."
Our present government is seen by many to be crumbling into ruin, It has lost
much of its effectiveness because Americans have lost trust in it. The crisis
has been long in the making. Long before the present flagrant corruption and
moral bankruptcy in our government, it was axiomatic with sophisticated citizens
that first rate people seldom make a career of politics.
Because we have entrusted civil government to men of mediocre ability and
shabby morality, we now have the reverse of what we want, yet we're "asking
for it" by our cynicism.
This nation has reached a point in distrust of government beyond which it
must not let itself drift apathetically any longer. We now have two apparent
options: (A) Let "government of the people, by the people and for the people"
run right on down the drain; or (B) take a full turnabout and return to the
kind of government our forefathers designed for us.
If the choice is Option A, there will be a time of anarchy and chaos. Then
the "Savior of the Republic" will ride up to the "rescue. " Government will be
restored with a vengeance, and it will be for the people, but not of and by
them. Nations drift into despotism and dictatorship. As Chesterton said: "A
despotism is a tired democracy."
If the choice is Option B, it will be up to Masonry, the church, and other
institutions which influence the public mind to reeducate the nation about the
worth and dignity of public service in government. It is a truism and a
notorious fact that a nation gets the kind of political leaders it deserves; and
its deserts are determined by its expectations and demands. If we expect
third rate people and demand nothing better, that's what we get. If what we get
in the end is Option A, it will be because in that fleeting moment, when we were
still free to choose, we wrung our hands and said: "Well, that is politics. It's
a dirty game, so we have to put up with the dirty people who play it for the
rest of us. Who wants a saint in the White House? "
Masons today, especially the younger ones, desire to act together as a
Fraternity, not as individuals only. We have fostered this idea in DeMolay and
continued it in our own Craft. Historically, Masonry steers a wide path from
involvement as a Fraternity, but as individuals, we do the Fraternity a great
disservice if we do not involve ourselves in the task of bettering our schools,
our community and our government.
This stance of un-involvement is sometimes unpopular, unattractive and perhaps
in some ways accounts for our decline in membership, and NPD suspensions. We
might also consider this as a partial reason for nonattendance in Blue Lodges
because of increasing commitments to appendant bodies of Masonry. Our Craft
traditionally prevents the sponsoring of Boy Scouts and other good works which
the member can do in our other Masonic organizations.
We return to the definition of the problem. How can our beloved Craft find
its way out of this predicament without radical change? Radical change is not
desirable, nor is it necessary.
Nothing forbids the members of the Craft from joining others within the
Masonic family to act in civic duties. From Morals and Dogma again: "Masonry is
action and not inertness. It requires its initiates to work, actively and
earnestly, for the benefit of their Brethren, their country, and mankind. It is
the patron of the oppressed, as it is the comforter and consoler of the
unfortunate and wretched.... It is the advocate of the common people in those
things which concern the best interest of mankind.... Its fidelity to its
mission will be accurately evidenced by the extent of the efforts it employs,
and the means it sets on foot, to im prove the people at large and to better
their condition. "
Specifically, what can we do? Our real civic responsibility is to convince
the world by our actions that we are Masons. We should do those things which
provide leadership in improving the physical, moral and emotional status of
our environment. We should sit in on school-board meetings, announce our support
of well-qualified and fair-minded candidates for public office. We should
support community drives for blood banks, traffic safety and community
beautification. We should support our DeMolay, Rainbow, and Job's Daughters, not
only with advice and money, but with our presence.
In fine, we should provide, with our actions, the kind of a public image
which the whole world can admire and will wish to emulate . Most Worshipful
Brother Marvin E. Anderson's address is P.O. Box 217, Coolidge, AZ 85228.
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