Something To

by

Mull

Dick James,

Brothers, I want to throw out some
ideas and concerns about the Craft--
something to mull over at home.

If one has the time--takes the time
--or makes the time today to do any
Masonic reading -- beyond the
monthly notice, beyond the Ritual, bey-
ond the ceremonial booklet--at least
two themes generally stand out.

Is the craft in decline? Put another
way - Is Masonry nearing its death?

The second theme: Equally pondered,
and well discussed, is a concern that our
Lodges turn out, even crank out
"Members" who may not be properly
initiated and educated Masons.

First, a look at the decline question:

Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia

Membership Figures:

1944 9,624

1945 10,538

1957 14,860

1994 7,718

Membership started to rise dramati-

ally during the war years. Today the
membership in Nova Scotia is roughly
half that of 1957.

Before we ask ourselves if the figures
represent a major crisis for Masonry in
Nova Scotia--let's ask another ques-
tion. Were the 14 thousand recorded on
the registry in 1957 "Masons" or were
they the "membership?" There is no
true answer to that question. It's just
something to think about. The same
could be asked about today's member-
ship as well.

If we are to consider any sort of re-
sponse to the dramatic change in the
membership over the past few years,
let's first think about an item which
plays a prominent role in our lives
today--the television remote control.

There were no such devices during the
war years -- no such devices during
most of the 1950's. Compared to
today's rampant technology race --
there weren't many things . . . other
than a fairly good economy with com-
munities busting at the seams. "Yester-
day," it was fashionable to take pride,
even show off a new car on your street.
It was fashionable to be the first to have
those new fangled aluminum windows
and doors . . . and it was fashionable to
"join. "

And join people did . . . as Dr. Spock
spoke . . . people listened . . . PTA's
were formed . . . parents took part . . .
communities of people did things to-
gether . . . parades, neighbourhood
cleanups . . . remember when fire de-

98

Over At Home

MPS

partments collected broken toys and re-
paired them for Christmas? Everybody
pitched in. Everybody took part.

That sense of community is not with
us in the 90's. We are the transient
society. It's not what can I contribute
anymore. It's what can I get? We now
have the "me first" and "me only"
society.

Masonic membership numbers may
be down. But so are the numbers for
every other organization.

Communities are no longer communi-
ties. Very few folks proudly state that
they live in a family home . . . the place
that Great Granddad built, the home
where Dad lived. Today . . . we buy
s~ar~r h~mes and th~n leapfrs~g up the
economic status ladder of success.

There is little stability today, except
within a Lodge room when the door is
closed. So, I would be thankful for the
membership numbers we have in 1996
when you consider all else around us.

No, Masonry in Nova Scotia and else-
where is not in decline. We are just ex-
periencing a life curve.

Let's go to the second issue--regard-
ing the worry about Masons of sub-
stance.

To set the theme, a quote:

"It is clear . . . that Masonry must be
something more than a factory which takes in
raw material, puts it through three processes
and turns it out as finished goods. Altogether
too much If ear Masonry a degree factory. In
its heart, in its essence and in its opportuni-
ttes, zt ts much more . . . we are tn grave
danger that our Lodges, being overloaded with
degree work, wiU have no time or strength to
devote to the greater accomplishments. "

Yes, we all have pondered the issue
raised in the paragraph above. Such
questions however are not new. The
above concerns were expressed in 1919,
75 years ago by a speaker at a formation
meeting of the Masonic Service Asso-
ciation of the United States of America.

Consider the following extract from a
recent Grand Lodge of New York publi-
cation, author unknown:

"I 'm The Guy "

I'm the guy who asked to join your
organization. I'm the guy who paid his
dues to join. I'm the guy who stood up
in front of all of you and promised to be
faithful and loyal.

I'm the guy who came to your meet-
ings and no one paid any attention to. I
tried several times to be friendly to
some of the fellows, but they all had
their buddies they talk to and sit next to.

I missed a few meetings after joining

Fifheth Anniversary Year

because I was sick. No one asked me at
the next meeting where I'd been. I
guess it didn't matter very much
whether I was there or not.

The next meeting I decided to stay
home and watch TV. The following
meeting I attended, but no one asked
where I was when the last meeting was
held.

You might say I'm a good guy, a good
family man who holds a responsible job,
loves his community and his country.

You know what else I am? I 'm the guy
who never came back.

It amuses me when I think back on
how the heads of the organization and
the members were discussing why the
organization was losing members.

It amuses me now to think that they
spent so much time looking for new
members when I was there all the time.

All they needed to do was make me
feel needed, wanted and welcome.

And, consider the following, part of a
letter requesting a demit . . . in which
a Brother wrote:

". . . I have always looked upon Lodge as a
sanctuary from the trials and tribulations of
living in these most compla times.

" Lodge has been a place where
could engage in friendly discourse with
friends and Brothers. It was a place
where by virtue of the tenets on which
Freemasonry is founded, the often dis-
cordant tones and petty differences
which clamour outside had no right of
entrance.

"It was a place where Brotherly Love,
Relief and Truth were truly a source of
comfort and support from the rigors of
making one's way in life, and more par-
ticularly, for my family and myself of
overcoming the greatest of tragedies,
the loss of a child.

"Over the recent past, this sanctuary
has had its walls gradually but steadily
eroded. Brick by brick, the true tenets
of Masonry have been allowed to dete-
riorate.

". . . {the} lodge has become more
concerned with the physical attributes
of Freemasonry and less of practicing
the Five points of Fellowship.

". . . {the} lodge seems to have lost
the patience to work with and improve
upon the value of our fellow Brothers
and chosen to take the expedient way
out of diff~culty and danger. Perhaps
feelings and petty differences have
clouded what should be a clear path.

" My request for a demit is my
humble expression of rebellion against
this erosion.

"Most importantly it is an expression
of my patient support for my Brothers
and in strict accord with those high
principles of Freemasonry which first

The Philalethes, August 1996
compelled me to seek admission in this
the greatest fraternity of all."

Brothers, words from 1919 about the
craft, words from 1985 about the craft,
words from 1996.

k looks as though we have always had
a few problems.

And, it looks as though we have al-
ways talked about the problems.

In the vernacular, we've been open
and honest--we've identified the prob-
lem. But it hardly matters--if we don't
have a solution. No solution in 1919, no
solution in 1985. What have we got
before us in 1996?

Back to the remote control from the
TV.

Twenty-five, 30 years ago we didn't
have a heck of a lot to do outside of
what you might describe as daily living;
go to work, pay bills on time, wash the
car for a Sunday drive, then settle in for
the evening with Bonanza, The Honey-
mooners, I Love Lucy or the Ed Sul-
livan Show. We had to make one major
decision each night--which of the two
existing black and white channels on
TV would we watch after religiously
reading the daily paper.

Today . . . we are on overload . . .
how many television channels? Twenty,
30. . . 150?

Too much to choose from . . . we sit in
our easy chairs and flip . . . it's called
"channel surfing" . . . never settling on
one program . . . we just click that re-
mote control all night long until we are
tired and ready for sleep.

To a great degree we do the same with
the rest of our lives . . . we don't settle
on one channel . . . one path, one pur-
suit. No continuity . . . just rush, rush,
and more rush.

What about our Masonry? Has it just
become one other thing along the su-
percharged highway of the 90's?

Do we live our Masonry today, or do
we go to "meetings?"

Have we become so caught up in th~
mechanics and logistics of holding a
meeting to the point we might be over-
looking the substance -- the meaning
-- the greater goal--that of making
good men better? Do we speed through
the evening . . . wondering "how much
longer?"--"what time will get out of
here in order to get home at a decent
hour? "

If that is the case, we should leave
now.

Is it time to find a solution that will
solve the problems? The problems of
declining membership--the problems
of substance--the problems of mean-
ing?

How many Brothers carry the ritual?
Does it go with you when you are
away? Is it with you now as your read
this article? Is it handy at home where
you can see it?

Brother-- Do you ever just look at
the book . . . touch it . . . think about it?
Think about what it is? Think about
what it means?

Do you, Brother? Can you feel that
little book?

If you can feel it . . . we don't have a
problem. However, if that little black or
blue or red book is just a textbook---
something we must memorize from . . .
then . . . yes, we do have a problem.

Masonry is more than just monthly
attendance of meetings. More than just
the planning of getting a meeting to-
gether and conducted properly. It ' s
more than the beautiful ritual of our
respective lodges. Masonry is a way of
life. Not just a momentary once a
month escape from a rather burden-
some world.

Some major problems exist outside our
tyled doors. Our world is in turmoil . . .
think of the children who died at the
hand of a gunman in Scotland, bombs
being planted again in London, more
terrorism across the State of Israel.
Yugoslavia has been destroyed.

I referred earlier to "joining" in the
fifties. . . joining that died off. Our
membership rolls dropped. That urge
to join--to find sanctuary and mean-
ing, fellowship, friendship-- it's back
with us today . . . there are future
Brothers outside our lodge doors look-
ing for comfort, for friendship and for
fraternity in ever growing numbers.
Looking for a way and a guiding hand.

For us to survive. . . to be meaningful
. . . to make a contribution toward a
better world . . . we must take Masonry
outside the doors of the lodge. . . what
we have learned . . . what we practice
inside the lodge is needed outside . . .
right now, today.

Not only must we take this wonderful
Masonry outside the lodge building . .
but we must live it outside the building.
We must share it . . .

And we must Shepherd those new
Brothers who have come to us in search
of Light. We must share what we feel,
share what we have learned. We must
give them more than just a beautiful
initiation ceremony and a book that
which must be memorized without un-
derstanding.

Do we have the time and interest to
educate the new Brothers? Time to Vi~lt
with and be a Mentor to? Time to, set
up Masonic Education evenings to add
depth and understanding to the work
presented during the conferring of
degrees?

If we do, if we make the commitment,
take the time, then our new Members
will become the Masons we want them
to be. We will become the Masons we
talk about being.

If we reach out . . . if we take the
Lodge "downtown" and into the hearts
of those waiting . . . hopefully then, in
the next decade, next five years or even
next fall, we will not be reading any
new quotations similar to those pre-
sented in this article.

Editor's Note.

Bro. James, has just recently moved
from Ontario to Nova Scotia and has
assumed the office of Secretary in his
new Masonic home.
