
The President's Corner


by John Mauk Hilliard, FPS



Style has been defined as "the way a
man can, by taking thought, add to his
statue" (Quentin Crisp). Surely this
concept has an integral place in Masonic
thought. Among the elements of lodge
life that cannot be overlooked are basic
amenities of dress, manners, and deport-
ment. Without special attention to the
social graces, lodges can lose or dilute
much of the natural civility and dignity
that have traditionally characterized
Masonic proceedings.

Since Freemasonry is truly a universal
institution, there are wide variations
from region to region in custom and
social usage which affect the general
tenor of social transaction in the lodge.
What is considered acceptable dress in
London, New York City, Philadelphia,
and Boston might be inappropriate in a
small ranching town in the American
Southwest. Indeed, an Freemason who is
familiar with both smalltown and big city
lodges anywhere in North America
knows that these differences exist. I have
attended small cowtown lodges in my
native New Mexico where the Worship-
ful Master presided in levis, wearing
cowboy boots and a Stetson with most of
his officers and members similarly at-
tired. Polyester leisure suits and open
collars characterize acceptable dress in
many lodges in smalltown America. In
hot weather throughout the South and
Southwest it is not unusual, to see open-
necked sport shirts and bolo ties with
only a few brothers wearing sport jack-
ets, and virtually no one in a tie.

Standards on this issue vary widely, but
there is one general principle which pro-
bably can be held to apply everywhere in
the Masonic world. It is simply, that
lodge life should be an encouragement
for a,l brother os the Mystic Tie to reach
sightly beyond their usual standard of
social intercourse toward special modes
of dress and behavior that do justice and
honor to the whole concept of the Gentle
C raft . We are a covenanted band of
brothers bound by Mystic Tie; we meet
in temples consecrated to Gentle and
Royal Arts of life and thought; our cen-
tral Craft mysteries address the most
profound issues of life, death, and the
goals and end of man as a thinking and
loving creature. Indeed, our Third De-
gree can be said to be essentially a fu-
neral service, a sacramental act of mem-
orialization and celebration of a great life
well-lived, brutally ended, yet redeemed

from that tragedy by its final fidelity to
high ideals. My brothers, how can we
enact that great mystery, partake of the
ritual dynamic of that myth, without
demanding of ourselves the highest
standards in all the transactions of our
lives together as Masons? It seems to me
imperative that every lodge examine
these issues of high standards of style if it
is to be a successful community of
brother and to do justice to our ideals as
a community.

The issue of dress, subject only to re-
gional variations in style and taste, and
to elements of personal expense, is one
that every lodge should forthrightly con-
front. I myself prefer to see the great city
lodges of our day require Black Tie for
sideliners, and White Tie for the
Master, Wardens, and Officers. I think
there is no more magnificent social and
fraternal scene than a lovely-appointed
lodge room filled with brothers who care
enough about Freemasonry to dress for
it as they would for a major event in
their personal lives. This bias toward
formal dress in Craft life is purely a mat-
ter of personal taste; I firmly believe that
there is no man living who does not
appear at his very best in a well-tailored,
classic dinner jacket in the pure black
and white standard of attire for formal
gentlemen's wear established by our
European forbearers of the last century.
Dressing up, rather than down, striving
for elegance as a symbol of our pursuit of
excellence, represents the final personal
compliment that we offer to the majesty
and mystery of the Masonic degrees
which we are privileged to work.

If formal attire is at too great a variance
with local taste and habits, a,l American
lodges should at least consider the excel-
lent dress standard used in British
lodges; a dark business suit (or lounge
suit, as the English term it) with a white
or light-coloured dress shirt with a four-
in-hand tie of somber hue, solid color, or
of conservative pattern. All English bre-
thren are expected to wear white gloves,
and each is given a pair of white gloves
at his raising. The gloves symbolize his
status as a Master Mason, and the purity
of thinking, action, and life to which he,
as a Freemason, aspires. The uniformity
of dark clothing and white gloves sym-
bolizes the unity of the Ancient Craft and
lends the lodge an atmosphere of dignity
and refinement. Surely this is an easily
attainable standard to which we Ameri-
cans should and could repair.

Issues of attire are not the only factors
of Masonic style which American lodges
must confront. Lodge appointments,
jewels, aprons, and equipment are far
often seedy and battered from age, ill-
use, and lack of maintenance, and as a
result, lend an unfortunate air of in-
difference and decay to our ceremonials
and formal lodge undertakings. Con-
certed attention from Masters, Tilers,
Secretaries, and Trustees is necessary to
see lodges properly dressed, orna-
mented, and furnished.

No amount of formal dress and eqm-
page will suffice in a lodge, however, if
the socia, and fraternal amenities are not
scrupulously observed. Standards of be-
havior in lodges are based on long tradi-
tion of Masonic manners and deport-
ment, and style in lodge life is ultimately
dependent on how carefully they are cul-
tivated. Among those of particular im-
portance are the following: 1. the pre-
scribed manner for individual brothers
to enter or retire from the lodge while it
is open. 2.a uniform manner of wearing
the apron outside the suit jacket unless
the brother is attired in a formal swallow-
tail morning suit, or white tie and tails.
3.rising and properly saluting the Mas-
ter when one seeks the floor for any kind
of discourse. 4. preserving the sanctity of
the Master's carpet. 5.never smoking in
open lodge. 6.careful avoidance of wise-
cracking, heckling, or interruptions of
brothers who hold the floor. 7. curbing
the ancient Masonic landmark of con-
stantly whispering to one's neighbors on
the lodge bench, even if one is a Past
Master on the "buzzard's roost' who has
seen it all before. 8. eschewing gratuitous
prompting during ritual as a mark of
respect for the effort and preparation of
degree team members. 9. careful
avoidance of sectarian or denomi-
national references in prayers offered in
a Masonic context so as not to let the
nation's prevailing faith improperly
colour lodge religious observance. 10.
the scrupulous avoidance of off-colour
stories, profanities, unrestrained cross-
toasting, or unseemly imbibing during
Masonic feasts and assemblies, and table
lodges.

A final suggestion is that lodges limit
excessive patriotic and national refer-
ences. Freemasonry is an international
institution, not a purely American one.
Citizens of other nations are often pre-
sent in lodges, and it is important to
emphasize the international dimensions
of the Craft over its patriotic ones. Even
though American Freemasons are the
best of citizens, and have proven their
loyalty to the nation over and over, we
should keep in mind that not all Freema-
sons who may be present in our lodges
share our political allegiances and opin-
ions. Citizens of other nations,for in-
stance should not be expected to offer the
"Pledge of Allegiance" in lodge ceremo-
nies, and in lodges where many non-
Americans are frequently present, a case
could surely be made to limit the amount
of patriotic fervor attached to Craft un-
dertakings. Many will find this sugges-
tion controversial, but just as
Freemasonry is charitable but not a char-
ity, and religious but not a religion, so
can it be patriotic without being a con-
stantly flag-waving society.
  Everything we Craftsmen do must be
reflective of the beauty, the splendor, the
innate dignity and wisdom inherent in
our Gentle Craft. Gentleness and Gen-
tility must be the twin guides of all Ma-
sonic conduct and the twin pillars of
Masonic style.
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