DECEMBER 1927, THE BUILDER

Masonic Charity in America

By BRO. E. E. THIEMEYER, Research Editor

IT is almost immediately apparent that there are difficulties in
the way of any attempt to compare English Masonic charitable
activities with American. If we should endeavor to analyse the
latter in the manner adopted by Bro. Gilbert W. Daynes in his
article on Masonic Charity in England, we would be confronted with
the task of writing not an article but a book, and a sizable volume
as well. In treating the English side of the question there is only
one Grand Lodge to be considered, but in this country there are
forty-nine jurisdictions which would require consideration. There
are wide variations in the amounts expended for charity by the
various American Grand Lodges which make any attempt at
generalization almost impossible. It is necessary, therefore, that
certain things be taken for granted, and that other matters receive
no mention whatever. The purpose of this article is not so much to
show what we are doing as to throw some light upon what we are not
doing.

So far as existing American Masonic charities are concerned they
may be grouped under three or four heads. By far the most important
is the Masonic Home --we are not interested in the others. Almost
every jurisdiction in this country maintains some sort of an
institution for the care of the aged and the orphans. These homes
are designed to fill the same need as the English institutions, but
whether or not they do so is a matter of considerable doubt. There
is not much that can be done for those who are approaching the end
of their span of life. Their requirements are, in most cases,
limited. The providing of a comfortable and congenial home, with
opportunities for recreation and amusement, is about all that can
be offered. It seems that the American Mason is as capable of
providing this need as is his E1nglish brother. Capability is not
really the criterion, we are as capable of doing anything in the
way of charity as efficiently and effectively as the Masons of
England, but the question is, Do we measure up to our capabilities?
There is some question on that score even in the case of our homes
for the aged. It is not necessary to enter into that phase of the
matter at this time. For the present it may be granted that our
Masonic Homes, so far as this function is concerned, are equal to
those of the Grand Lodge of England.

When it comes to the orphans an entirely different problem
confronts us. There is an obligation to those of our brotherhood to
see that their children are fitted to become useful members of
society. The ramifications of that problem are too numerous for
detailed analysis. The American Masonic Homes depend largely upon
the public school systems for the education of their charges. This
is somewhat different from the practice prevailing in the Royal
Masonic Institution for Boys, and the similar school for girls.
These homes are really boarding schools. The children are given a
good education, even to training in a trade or profession if the
student shows ability along some particular line. So far as the
writer has been able to learn, there is nothing of the kind in
American Masonry. It is certainly true that an education is
provided, but it is only an education of sorts. Usually it ends
with high school, and in some cases a course in a business college
finishes the schooling. This is not really first class equipment
for the struggle for existence which is to follow. The reason for
this practice is not far to seek. There are too many organizations,
you may say, or the funds are lacking. Perhaps both of these are
true, but one is reminded of the story of why a man could not buy
an automobile. He had thirty Ieasons according to his own
confession. The first one was that he did not have the money, and
the other twenty-nine made no difference.

According to the latest proceedings published by two American Grand
Lodges, one of them considered among the three wealthiest
jurisdictions, and the other just about average on this score, the
total income for Masonic charities, meaning by this, homes and
charity funds, was approximately $650,000. The total membership of
these two jurisdictions is approximately 320,000. In other words,
these two jurisdictions comprise slightly over 10 per cent of the
total membership of the Craft in America, and since they are above
the average in wealth, they may be fairly taken as a criterion for
the rest of the Masonic Fraternity in America. In order to make the
estimate as favorable as possible we will take the expenditure of
$650,000 as 10 per cent of the total spent by all jurisdictions,
and adopt the usual estimate of the number of Masons in this
country, namely 3,000,000. We then have the interesting fact that
3,000,000 Masons spent a total of six and one-half million dollars
for organized Masonic charity, an average expenditure of $2.17 per
member.

Let us make a comparison with the English figures. According to
Bro. Daynes, the three Royal Masonic Institutions, for Boys, for
Girls, and the Benevolent Institution, had an income last year of
$1,120,000 in round numbers. The United Grand Lodge of England has
an approximate total of 250,000 members. We thus arrive at an
average expenditure among the English Masons of almost $4.50 per
member. Remember this fact, it is important, THE ENGLISH MASON
SPENT MORE THAN TWO AND ONE-HALF TIMES AS MUCH FOR THE MAINTENANCE
OF THEIR HOMES AS THE AMERICAN BROTHER SPENT IN ALL ORGANIZED GRAND
LODGE CHARITY. Are you proud of that ?

When we take all English Masonic charity into consideration the
figures are even more impressive. The total revenue of the English
charities during the last year was approximately $1,450,000, an
average of almost $6.00 per member. At the present time we are, not
interested in the other funds, but there is food for thought in the
mere fact that there are such things as the English Benevolent Fund
in existence.

The picture of American Masonic Homes in comparison with those of
England would, perhaps, be more interesting if it were interpreted
in another way. A country with twelve times as many Masons as the
Grand Lodge of England is spending, in caring for its aged and
orphans, approximately four times as much money. There is one other
interesting feature that has thus far been left out of
consideration entirely. The English Masonic Homes are not supported
by per capita taxes automatically deducted from the annual dues of
the members. The funds are acquired chiefly by subscription, and
apart from any dues paid by the members to their lodges.

The question of what individual lodges do for their distressed
brethren or their dependents has been left out of consideration in
both English and American instances. The discussion has confined
itself who]ly to organized Grand Lodge charity.

In view of these facts it seems apparent that it is time for an
awakening in the American bodies. A question may be asked in
conclusion: Is American Masonry spending for the erection of
massive temples and costly edifices money that should be spent for
charity ? In doing this are we not listening to our ritual
exhortations to practice charity and misinterpreting them so that
in fact we preach charity and practice vanity ?

