Bro. Hyland is a Past Master of Phoenix Lodge in
Hancock, Massachusetts. This STB is to help the new 
Mason,or one who has not attended Lodge often, to have
a clearer understanding of the function of the Lodge and
the individual Masons responsibilities to his Lodge and
his Brethren.
Editor

MY LODGE NEEDS ME! 
By: Robert C. Hyland, P.M.

New Candidates

A man must ask to be made a Mason. 
Sometimes a little prompting may be consid-
ered appropriate, but he must ask! When he 
does, you should contact the master immedi-
ately. The master will arrange for a "pre-
application committee" to meet with you and 
the prospective candidate. Either you or the 
master should prepare the candidate for the 
meeting by informing him of the requirements 
for an initiation fee, as well as for references 
with addresses and telephone numbers. The 
applicant will be asked several questions. One 
of them must be answered in the affirmative; 
namely, Do you believe in a Supreme Being? 
Other questions may be-Will your wife or 
other members of your family object to your 
becoming a Mason? Do you have sufficient 
financial stability to support your family and 
pay dues to the lodge? Will your church ob-
ject? If there is doubt on this matter, the 
applicant should be advised that we suggest he 
consult with a leader of his church.

Sponsors

If you have signed an application recom-
mending that a candidate receive the degrees, 
you are a sponsor of that candidate. There are 
no official duties of a sponsor, and you are not
obliged to do anything as such. However, if 
you are able to do so, you are expected to 
personally guide the candidate through all 
three blue lodge degrees. This means going
with him on his visits to the Lodge of Instruc-
tion. You should also attend the meetings at 
which he receives his degrees. Also if he has 
questions during this period, you should make 
clear to him that you can help him obtain the 
answers. Make sure that any answers you give 
him are appropriate for the degree he has 
attained.

Investigating Committees

You may at some time be asked to serve on 
a committee to investigate a candidate to see if 
he is eligible to take the degrees in your lodge. 
This is done before he is voted on in the lodge. 
A past master is usually the chairman of a 
three-member investigating committee. He will 
instruct you as to how the investigation will 
proceed. It is important that this job be done 
seriously and in sufficient detail to insure that 
the candidate has the qualifications to become 
a credit to the craft.

Public Relations

In the past, many Masons have taken the 
position that the less said by Masons about 
Masonry in public forums or to friends and 
acquaintances, the better we would be served. 
This opinion has fallen into disfavor in mod-
ern times. Many of our problems such as our 
inability to attract enough good men to our 
organization, stem from the fact that our most 
valuable tenets are not well enough known in 
our communities. This fact has been proven 
recently by the success of presentations given 
at dinners and breakfasts for prospective can-
didates. The talks have centered on what we 
do, and what we believe in, as well as our 
historic background. The talks have been given 
to people who we think ought to be Masons, 
but are not. About thirty percent of the people 
addressed have become Masons! It seems ob-
vious that our objective should be to get the 
same messages across to the whole world.

Wallflowers

No Mason should ever be allowed to remain 
by himself during a social period or break for 
more than a short minute, nor should he be 
ignored during a meal. More good men have 
been discouraged from attending lodge func-
tions by being left to themselves, than by any 
other factor. We are supposed to be brothers! 
We must always be on the alert for the "Wall-
flowers". If you see a member, especially a 
new one, who is by himself, draw him into the 
group you are in, or go to him by yourself and 
talk to him. If you don't know or have forgot-
ten his name, introduce yourself. He will re-
ciprocate. If you have no propensity for small 
talk, the weather is always a suitable subject. 
Everyone has some interests. Find out what 
his are. He will be glad to talk with you about 
them. He is one of the valuable members of 
our fraternity and he must be encouraged to
become an active member.

The Tyler

Some of the Tyler's duties are clear to 
everyone. He must always be ready to tile the 
door, and he must perform a bit of ritual in the 
third degree. But, he is required to possess a 
strange combination of character traits. He 
must always be dignified, cheerful, and 
friendly. This is necessary so that he can 
properly greet visitors, and verify their cre-
dentials as brothers. He must arrange for the 
examination of those who require it. He must 
also be ready to address visiting dignitaries 
with the proper form. He should greet those 
that he knows, and introduce himself to those 
that he doesn't. He should maintain a file of 
members who have been examined for entry, 
a visitor's log, and the booklet which lists the 
recognized lodges. He should be a calming 
influence on the candidates while they are 
outside the Lodge room, and he must prepare 
late arriving brethren by apprising them of the
degree in progress. As the first of ficer seen by
visiting brothers, his demeanor will set the 
tone of their entire stay . It should be dignified, 
cheerful and friendly.

Politics and Religion

All Masons are in some way religious.
Historically, Masons are patriots. One of 
our legends (possibly true) is of a lodge meet-
ing being closed so that the members could all 
attend the Boston Tea Party. Paul Revere was 
a Mason. We know that many of the signers of 
h Declaration of Independence Were
sons as was George Washington and several 
other Presidents. Most of us have some inter-
est in politics. Nevertheless, it is a tradition of 
ours that we do not discuss politics or religion 
during our lodge meetings or other functions. 
The reason for this is the fact that these two 
subjects are viewed with very strong feelings 
by many if not most of us. Although we all 
believe in a Supreme Being, and we tend to be 
patriotic we do not always agree on the details 
of our beliefs. Therefore the harmony of our 
relationships may be easily disrupted by dis-
cussions of these two subjects, and we do not 
talk about them when we gather together as 
Masons.

Illness

When a brother Mason becomes ill we go
out of our way to visit him and send cards to let
him know we are thinking of him. This can 
only happen if we know about the illness. It is 
therefore our duty to inform our brothers when 
we become ill. Our brothers want to help us 
when we have problems, so we must keep 
them informed about our own welfare. Be-
cause of a natural tendency to ignore this fact 
at the time when it is most important, each of 
should tell our family that our brothers wa
to know when we are sick. Our family mem-
bers should feel obliged to inform the Master 
or the Service Committee Chairman. Tell your 
family about the times you have felt upset
because you did not know about a brother's
distress, and were therefore unable to comfort
him.

Other Subjects

If you should have questions on other sub-
jects, there are several ways that you can
easily find the answers. There are always
plenty of Past Masters who stand ready to
respond or to find the answers to questions

Indeed, many Past Masters will be flattered 
to have you ask them. Also, the current offic-
ers Wlll be pleased to share their knowledge 
wlth you. There are also many knowledgeable
Masons who were never officers. In any case 
do not idly wonder about any facet of Ma-
sonry. The answers are there if you simply ask
