THE BUILDER MARCH 1929

Freemasonry and the Progress of Science

The fifth of a series of discussions of Ancient Freemasonry and
Present Day Problems

BY BRO. HERBERT HUNGERFORD
Author of The Masons of Tomorrow

The present is commonly said to be an Age of Science. It is also an
age of super-specialization, and specialization leads to one-sided
development. It is often amazing to find out how little some people
know outside their own immediate concerns.

Speculative Freemasonry was definitely designed to be an all-round
educational influence. How has this come to be so completely
forgotten? How can we recover the original balance of interests in
our Institution?
ACCORDING to the views of many profound observers, there is but one
fundamental problem in the world to which all other problems are
auxiliary or incidental. This basic problem is the conflict between
ignorance and education; the warfare of science against
superstition, of truth against the twin falsehoods of prejudice and
intolerance.

From this point of view, our present article may be considered as
the keystone of our entire series of discussions of the relations
of our ancient institution to the various modern problems which our
world is facing today. It may readily be seen, after due
reflection, how all the other social, political, commercial and
religious problems of our times might be regarded as phases of this
basic problem of the progress of scientific discovery and the more
popular diffusion of scientific knowledge and understanding.
Probably, there never has been a more excellent statement of the
benefits to be derived from the solution of this basis problem than
the maxim of the Master Teacher "Ye shall know the truth and the
truth shall make you free."

Surely the founders of Freemasonry and the authors and revisers of
our ritual must have given due regard to this basic problem of life
when they designed the ceremonies whereby candidates are inducted
into our Craft. Certainly the central theme of all our rituals is
the leading of those blinded by the darkness of ignorance, and
bound by the cords of superstition, out into the uplifting light of
truth and knowledge. No one will deny the design of Freemasonry's
educational aims and activities; but some may doubt whether, in our
modern Masonic program, we are placing proper emphasis on the
fundamental objectives of our Fraternity.

Have Our Lodges Shifted Their Objectives?

I do not hesitate to state that my personal observations of present
day Masonic activities have developed the conviction that we modern
members of the Craft have shifted the emphasis from the matters of
highest importance and practical character-building value, which
have been chiefly the cause of our world-wide influence and our
worthy history. We still talk about the ancient activities, upon
which the fame and credit of our institution has been established.
We still profess due reverence and admiration for our ancient
traditions. But, in our actual practice in most modern lodges, it
seems to me that we place our real emphasis upon trivial and
incidental matters, and devote most of our attention to "feeds,"
functions and fraternity politics.

This criticism is not directed against the essential social
activities of our Fraternity. My objection is that too few lodges
devote any part of their program to anything but social and
ritualistic matters. The great popular educational activities of
our Order are thus side-tracked, or omitted altogether.

Freemasonry Had Educational Aims

Even the most superficial study of our ritual will disclose its
essential educational character. In the early days, as any student
of Masonic history will testify, the educational activities of
Freemasonry were kept first and foremost. In fact, it would not be
wide of the mark for Freemasonry to lay claims to the credit of
being one of the earliest exemplars and advocates of the now
popular adult educational movement.

While it must not be denied that many foremost leaders in our
Fraternity today are putting forth most commendable efforts to
preserve our worthy educational traditions and still keep our
educational activities in the foreground; yet I doubt if any widely
and well informed observer of Masonic activities will pretend that
the average lodge devotes one-tenth as much attention to affairs
that could in any sense be termed educational as every lodge ought
to.

The Progress of Science: What Is It?

I trust that I am not causing confusion among the Craft, or at
least in the minds of those who are following this series of
discussions, by referring to the progress of science as meaning the
same as educational progress. The terms actually are synonymous,
even though so much of the activity of our times that is labeled
educational is neither scientific, nor truly deserving of the title
educational.

The scientist is a searcher for truth, an investigator, explorer
and experimenter with the facts of our natural world. The teacher
or educator explains and gives instruction regarding the facts
discovered and the conclusions deduced by the scientist. This, of
course, is not the entire task of the teacher, but it should
comprise his principal endeavor.

Freemasonry and Science Are in Accord

Bearing these facts in mind, it will be noted that the aims of
Freemasonry are in complete accord with the attitude of science.
Every Mason should be a seeker after the enlightenment afforded by
truth, on exactly the same basis as the student of science.

The deepest personal impression that I have gained from a study of
the structure of our organization, and the history of the
institution, is a profound admiration for what appears to me the
sound scientific principles on which Freemasonry is based. It
would, therefore, in my opinion, be a tragedy if we permit our
lodge programs to continue their present tendency towards
superficialities and frivolities, without serious protest and an
earnest endeavor to turn the trend of thought back to the great
educational aims and activities on which the solid fame of our
Fraternity has been established.

Understand, please, that this must not be construed as a protest
against any wholesome social or entertaining feature of Masonic
activity. It simply registers my personal opinion that too many
lodges at the present day are concerned chiefly with the lesser
things of Freemasonry, while they permit the greater and more
worthy features to be crowded out of their programs.

While I must admit that my observations of Masonic activities have
been limited principally to lodges in New York and a score or so
suburban towns and rural villages, but, I should conclude from this
circumscribed survey that not more than one lodge in a hundred now-
a-days is placing proper emphasis upon educational matters in its
regular program.

What Do Masons Know of Masonry?

This is not a plea for more dry-as-dust lectures in lodges. Neither
is it a protest against a reasonable amount of fun and frivolity in
our lodge activities. Wholesome fun is just as essential to
character development as any other activity. But when your lodge
devotes practically all its efforts to the operation of your degree
mill and to purely entertaining affairs, you certainly are missing
many of the real benefits and privileges of Freemasonry.

What I deplore most in modern Masonic activities, as I have
observed the same in my visits to various lodges in my section to
deliver my address on "The Masons of Tomorrow," is the appalling
ignorance which so many of our younger brethren disclose regarding
the real fundamentals of Freemasonry.

It was my observation of these matters which first drew my
attention to the work of the National Masonic Research Society, and
THE BUILDER. No auxiliary of Freemasonry, it seems to me, is
undertaking a task that is closer to the fundamental ideals of
Freemasonry, and no present day activity in the Fraternity is more
deserving of the cooperation of all lodges and the support of all
thoughtful members of our Craft.

The Crying Need of American Masonry Today

I have long contended that the crying need of modern Masonry is for
a better understanding of the real principles and practices of the
Craft. It is practically impossible, under modern conditions, to
give our novitiates more than a smattering of Masonic information
and understanding by depending entirely upon our ceremonials and
our occasional informal lectures. Consequently a Masonic Study Club
ought to be regarded at least as essential in every lodge as the
Entertainment Committee.

In my travels, however, I have met with only one Study Club in the
lodges that I have visited, but every lodge had an active and
aggressive Entertainment Committee. I have been asked questions on
Masonic matters which were such a confession of ignorance of the
fundamentals of Freemasonry that it would seem to me that the
questioners ought to be ashamed to ask them.

Some Little Things That Count

The blame for this condition, I believe, lies upon the Masters of
our lodges, who are blinded by modern notions of "making a big
show," so that they fail to estimate justly the value of certain
things, which may be small in the general esteem and make little
noise, but which loom large in making for the sound progress of a
lodge.

I have run across any number of lodges which have had all sorts of
difficulty in filling their chairs with men well grounded in the
fundamental principles of Freemasonry. I have seen lodges disrupted
because untrained and injudicious officials have been elected to
responsibilities which they were incapable of undertaking.

All these and many other difficulties would be overcome if it
should become the universal practice in our lodges for the Master
to appoint an Educational Committee to take charge of organizing
and conducting a Masonic Study Club. It is not pretended that the
work of such a Club would make as much show as the activities of
the Entertainment Committee. It would be nonsense to claim that any
sort of scheme would make Masonic study as popular as Masonic
entertainment. But, in the long run, I believe, the half dozen
members who might meet quietly once or twice a month to study the
real fundamentals of Freemasonry would ultimately contribute more
towards the permanent upbuilding of your lodge than the biggest
entertainment you could possibly hold, or a whole series of them.

Perhaps you think I am straying from my subject. Quite the
contrary, I assure you. In fact, we have now reached the heart of
this series of discussions that I have been attempting to develop.

Let Freemasonry Keep Pace With the Advance of Science

My firm conviction is that Masonic Study Clubs should not confine
their research to the dusty minutiae of Masonic history, but should
include among their investigations some comparison between ancient
Masonic principles and practices and the present day problems of
our own lives and the real world in which we live.

Of course we must delve into the history of our ancient and
honorable institution in order to discover its fundamental aims and
objectives. Yet the vitalizing factor of our historic research will
be the connections we make between the past, the present and the
future of our grand old Fraternity.

It is my sincere belief that no single activity would do more to
make Freemasonry keep Pace with the progress of science than to
adopt some measure for establishing Study Clubs in all lodges. I
hope to live to see the day when any lodge will be ashamed to admit
that it does not maintain a Study Club.

As in our previous discussions, we have not attempted to treat this
tremendous topic in any degree exhaustively. We have simply aimed
to hit a few high spots, but, principally, have endeavored to raise
questions in the minds of our readers. Our object, you understand,
is to provoke or stimulate "come backs" and thus develop genuine
discussions rather than the one-sided expounding of one man's
personal opinions and observations.

The editors of THE BUILDER will welcome your comment on any phase
of this series of discussions. If your views are at variance with
those of the writer, so much the better. If you agree with the
writer's general aims, but wish to suggest other and, possibly,
more practical solutions of problems involved, by all means send in
your suggestions.

In the next article of this series, we expect to discuss
"Freemasonry and Modern Business Problems."
