             PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF FREEMASONRY
                by Donald Maynard Robey, PGM(Va.)

     First, I may say that I'm honored to be here with you this
evening.   We've just finished our Grand Annual Communication in
Virginia, and our newly installed Grand Master is here with us
this evening.   I'm personally delighted that he could fit this
occasion into his busy schedule.  He will visit my mother lodge
in Alexandria, tomorrow evening for the Annual George Washington
Birthday Celebration.

     I congratulate the Philalethes Society  on its sixty years
of service to the Masonic Community.  It may be of interest to
you to know how I became involved as a member of the Philalethes
Society in 1975.

     I was the Worshipful Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge
that year.  Early in the year we had a letter from a Brother John
Black Vrooman, who was the Editor of the Philalethes Magazine.
He requested permission of the Lodge to use a photograph of the
"Williams" portrait of George Washington which is owned by the
Lodge and hangs in the George Washington Memorial in Alexandria.
It was to be used in an article by Norman C. Dutt to appear in
the August, 1975 issue of the Magazine.  Upon receiving that
letter, my first reaction was "what is the Philalethes Society?"

     I wrote to Brother Vrooman and he sent me a copy of the
magazine and told me about the Society and some of the principles
upon which it had been founded and some of the people who had
participated in the activities of the Society.  He also sent me
an application for membership which I filled out and returned to
him with permission to use the photograph of Washington in the
article by Brother Dutt.  I have always enjoyed my membership in
the Society and cherish my collection of Philalethes Magazines.

     Allen Roberts called me early in 1988 and asked if I would
prepare a paper to be presented on this occasion.  I've read with
great interest the lectures that have been delivered at this
affair.  The lecture last year by my friend Jack Kelly entitled
"TANSTAAFL's Law", has evoked comments from Masonic Leaders
across the land.  It made a lot of people aware of some of the
things that are going on in our fraternal world.  I predict that
portions of that address will be quoted by Masonic speakers for
years to come.

     In an editorial in the April 1977 issue of the Philalethes
by Brother John Black Vrooman, who was the Editor Emeritus at
that time, he says:

                   That while Freemasonry is timeless we must
         again divide it into past, present and future. To learn
         from the past, to make use of the present and to look
         well to the future should be our goal. Someone has said
         that to live the present we must forget the past.  This
         is erroneous and misleading, for it is necessary for us
         to look to the past for those good precepts which
         inspired our present, learn from the past mistakes we
         have made and make wise use of all that we have learned
         in order to make a future that is worthy of our
         heritage.

     After I did some serious thinking about what my subject
matter would be, I called Allen back and told him that I would
prepare a paper entitled, "The Past, The Present and The Future
of Freemasonry."  During the time I served as Grand Master in
Virginia, I used as my theme, "Proud of the Past, Confident of
the Future" and hoped to build upon some of the research I had
done in that year.

     Allen agreed with the topic I had suggested.  He said that
men had tried to address this subject before, but unfortunately,
no positive answers to our present day problems have come out of
anything he had seen.  I told him it was not my intent to come up
with any "Cure-Alls" for Freemasonry.  I just felt that someone
should come up with a comprehensive listing of where we've been,
where we are now and some of the things that we're doing or
should be doing to keep this organization moving in the right
direction.

                 THE PAST - HOW WE GOT THIS FAR

     I'd like now to take you back into the past briefly to talk
about how Speculative Freemasonry began.  I'm not going to go
into great detail.  I'm not a great one for lengthy footnotes, so
I'll tell you where I received my information as I go along.

     Looking into the past, I relied upon my file of information
from the Masonic Service Association.  In 1958 a digest was
published by them entitled "From Operative to Speculative"
written by a Past Grand Master of Virginia who was also a Fellow
of the Philalethes Society, William Mosley Brown.

     In reading through that work I find that "Operative Masonry"
began its transition to "Speculative Masonry" about the year
1600. Up to that time it had been almost totally "Operative."
The Masons up to that time were actual workers in stone, builders
in the operative sense.

     By 1700 the Lodges were almost entirely Speculative in
membership.  In June of 1717 is recorded the organization of the
Grand Lodge of England.  The first entirely Speculative Grand
Lodge in the World.

     I look upon the Lodges of those days as I do a modern day
country club.  Becoming a Mason in those days was something of a
status symbol in the community, just as some believe belonging to
an elite country club is a status symbol today.

     When we look back upon where we were in technology in the
eighteenth century, it's no great wonder why men joined Masonic
Lodges.  True, they were seeking status in their life, but what
other organization could they join that would give them the
opportunity to meet other men of good moral character that
Freemasonry has always been so known for.

     The nineteenth century was not much different Masonically
than the eighteenth century.  Freemasonry had spread to the new
world in the eighteenth century, but experienced it's real growth
in the nineteenth century with the formation of the Lodges and
Grand Lodges in this hemisphere.

     In an article in the February, 1978 issue of the Philalethes
Magazine, Doctor Eugene Hopp says:

                   The simple brilliant idea of eighteenth
         century Freemasonry was to bring together men from every
         walk of life.  Commoner and King, merchant and
         philosopher, churchman and soldier, in cordial
         comfortable surroundings and in an atmosphere of human
         warmth and affection.  This contact was designed to take
         place in a precinct shielded from the distractions of
         the larger world where men might speculate together in
         freedom on philosophical and moral issues central to
         their lives.

     Freemasonry suffered its greatest setback since its
inception in this country with what has become known as the
"Morgan Affair" in 1826.  William Morgan, who was born in
Culpepper, Virginia in 1775 or '76, relocated to the Batavia area
of New York state and was apparently made a Mason in a Lodge in
that state.  Morgan had a "disagreement" with the Masonic Order
and announced that he and a Colonel David Miller were going to
publish an "Expose" on Masonic Ritual.

     I won't go into any further details of this incident other
than to say it was alleged that Morgan was murdered by men who
were known Masons for violating his Masonic obligations never to
reveal any of the secrets of Masonic Ritual.

     Nothing conclusive was ever proven in this case.  It was
never proven that Morgan was even murdered.  Many historian feel
that the entire story was a fabrication of a Mr. Thurlow Weed to
promote his Anti-Masonic Political Party.

     The publicity which this incident caused wreaked havoc with
Masonic Lodges and Lodge membership well into the 1840's.
Thousands of Lodges went out of existence and tens of thousands
of Masons withdrew their membership.

     Moving on now further into the nineteenth century.  In an
article by Brother William Stemper in the April 1981 issue of the
Philalethes Magazine, we find these words:

                   Freemasons in the United States were part of
         the great social sweep of "Lodgism" which hit the United
         States following the Civil War.  In this period Lodges
         were social and economic support societies as well as
         vehicles for Masonic teaching. The vast number of other
         Lodges, in effect, "fraternities", date from this
         period. The Elks from 1866, the Moose from 1888, the
         Knights of Columbus from 1882, the Knights of Pithias
         from 1864 as well as our own Grotto from 1889 and Shrine
         from 1870. All of these represent an impulse to make
         fraternalism more of a social experience and in the
         process less of a fund of moral ideas and traditions.
         In retrospect we can see that the nature of Freemasonry
         itself in the United States changed in this period as it
         began to win once again the form of social
         respectability, if not the same quality, it had in the
         period before the death of Morgan in 1826 and the
         subsequent persecution.

     The beginning of the twentieth century saw continued
increase in the number of Lodges being chartered across the
United States. Following World War One, continued increase in
membership in our Lodges was evident.  Although the period of the
great economic depression in the early thirties caused the loss
of many members the period following the end of World War Two
more than made up for the members we lost during the depression
period.

     Closing in now on the present and some of our problems.
Masonic membership in the United States saw a gradual increase
until the year 1929.  With the oncoming of the great depression
of the 1930's Freemasonry saw a heavy decline beginning in 1932
which continued on until 1941 when it started to rise again,
first with a one percent increase per year, then several years
with a three percent increase and from 1945 until 1947 we saw
five and six percent increase per year.  Membership continued to
rise at from three to five percent a year until it peaked in 1959
with just over four million Masons in the United States.

     From 1959 through 1967 we saw nearly a one percent decline
in membership each year.  From 1967 through 1977 membership
decreased at a rate of about one and one-half percent per year.
In 1977 we had approximately 3,400,000 Masons in this country.
By 1987 we are now seeing more than a two percent decline in
membership each year with the latest figures indicating our
membership in 1987 at 2,800,000.

     The significant loss of members in Masonry has been one of
the major concerns of Masonic leaders during the '80's.  This is
only one of many problems that beset our fraternity today.
Membership loss, of course, is of primary concern because with
that goes the loss of qualified leaders.  It's less possible
today to "explain away" our losses as we have in the past.  The
unfortunate part is I don't see any serious studies being done on
the reason for this decline in membership.

                      PRESENT DAY PROBLEMS

     One of the serious problems we have today is the shortage of
young, affluent new members coming into our fraternity.  We don't
seem to be communicating with these younger men.  One of the
problems is that professional demands are so heavy today on a
young man that he hesitates to become involved in a fraternal
order.

     A few young men I've had the opportunity to speak with in
the professional world, about Freemasonry, have opened my eyes to
something that I hadn't considered before.  Many men that do
petition our Lodges for the degrees are in the age bracket from
25 to 35.  In this age bracket, just 25 years ago, the working
wife was found in only 20 to 25 percent of the couples in that
age bracket.  Today that figure is in the 70 to 75 percent
bracket.

     I spoke with a young man in this age group, about
Freemasonry. His father was a Mason.  I asked him why he had not
petitioned a Lodge.  He said that he and his wife both work and
he remembered the amount of time his father had put into
Freemasonry.  He felt that if he became a Mason, he would want to
take an active part. He also felt that when he and his wife came
home from work, that it wouldn't be fair to her, to be out
working all day, and for him to take off to be with the men of
the Lodge.  I tried to explain to him that there are a lot of
activities in the Lodge for the wives and families of Masons.  I
could see that he had made up his mind for the present, so I
dropped the subject.

     This is just one individual, but I'm sure that there are
many men in this category that feel the same way.  Fraternal
organizations, unfortunately, are just not as high on the
priority list for a young man today as they were just twenty
years ago.

     There are serious leadership problems in today's Lodges.
Lodge officers are not being motivated to plan their activities.
There just seems to be a lack of encounter with modern trends in
the leadership of our Lodges today.  Of course, apathy is one of
the major problems with the members that we have.  Many men just
seem to have no interest in their Lodge after they join.

     Many men join and are surprised to see the average age of
our members well into the sixties.  Many of our members are
defensive on this issue.  They don't see it as a problem.  I
believe we have a problem if Masonry is to become a shelter for
the aging.  Many activities in today's society exclude this
segment of our population, but Masonry does not.  The unfortunate
thing that I've seen is the criticism of a young Mason by older
members when he is enthusiastic about doing some "new" things in
the Lodge, making changes.

     We are experiencing much criticism by religious leaders
today across the country.  The unfortunate part is that we don't
seem to know how to answer them.  I don't know whether we're not
sure what the criticism's are, but "silence and circumspection"
seem to prevail throughout Freemasonry.  What concerns me most is
that our not answering them seems to make their side more
believable to those who are hearing the criticisms.

     At one of the conferences I attended recently, in a
discussion concerning this very subject, it was stated that the
"people who are criticizing us know more about Masonry than most
Masons do." That in itself does not speak well of Freemasonry.

     The continued problem of the lack of attendance at our
meetings has plagued us for many years.  I believe that many men
don't come to Lodge because they fear being asked to become
involved in the activities of the Lodge or being asked to "go in
line."  They would like to come to some meetings but they don't
want to become fully committed to working in the Lodge.

     I'm convinced that the major cause of the lack of attendance
is due to the lack of effective programs in our Lodges.  One man
I spoke with about Freemasonry, asked "what do Masons do besides
make other Masons?"  I told him about some of the activities of
the Lodge and about some of our charitable endeavors, but I
really didn't have a definitive answer for him.  Regrettably,
this is all that many Lodges do, make Masons.

     Another reason for our attendance being down is the massive
amount of home entertainment so readily available today.  VCR's,
television, cable TV, computers, home video games and so much
more to occupy a man's time with his family in his home.

     Another area of much concern as far as attendance is
concerned is the depressed condition of the buildings in which
many of our Lodges meet.  I made official visits to Districts in
Virginia in 1987, in July and August, in Masonic Temples which
were not air conditioned.  By the time the evening was half over,
every man in the room was soaking wet from perspiration.  When I
asked the obvious question, "why don't you air condition the
Lodge room?", I was told "attendance is not very good in the
summer time anyway, so it wasn't necessary to install air
conditioning."  How in the world can we expect a man to attend a
Lodge with this type of mentality obviously ruling the
organization.

     Now I'll step on some toes.  Some of our problems seem to
come from the lack of continuity in the programs and goals of our
Grand Lodges.  It seems that each Grand Master has a different
approach to leadership, but the Grand Master is not the Grand
Lodge.  Each Grand Master wants "do his own thing," be remembered
for something he started in "his year" in the Grand East.  Having
just finished a term as Grand Master in the Commonwealth of
Virginia, I see this as a real problem and believe the only way
this will ever be corrected is through legislation regularly
submitted and adopted by the delegates of the subordinate Lodges,
directing the path we want to take in the future.

      Although each Grand Lodge has a program for officer
training I see a lack of effective Lodge Officer training
everywhere.  Very few Grand Jurisdictions have compulsory
administrative training for Lodge officers.  The main emphasis is
put on ritualistic proficiency.  In a skit that was put on at the
Sixtieth Anniversary celebration of this society in Richmond,
Virginia last year, one very hard fact was dramatically
presented.  A question was asked the Worshipful Master, "How in
the world did you get your certificate?"  His reply was "Easy,
all I had to know was the ritual."

     We are experiencing some very real problems today with our
relationship with some of the Masonic Appendant Organizations.  I
never petitioned for membership in the Shrine, but I have always
respected the image which the Shrine projects of Masonry to the
public.

     In 1987 the Imperial Shrine Representatives adopted a change
in their law which would permit a Mason who loses his membership
in the prerequisite bodies of Symbolic Lodge, York Rite or
Scottish Rite for any reason other than non-payment of dues, to
appeal to the Imperial Shrine Grievances and Appeals Committee to
retain his membership in the Shrine.  Grand Masters across this
country issued strongly worded warnings condemning this action.
The major concern now is the resolutions being presented which
would not require Masonic membership as a prerequisite to
becoming a Shriner.

     Internal squabbling in Freemasonry must stop.  If we can't
get along among ourselves in the various Masonic organizations,
how can we get along with other organizations which are not
Masonic in nature.  Peace and harmony must prevail if we are to
survive.

     Solicitation of members has become a very controversial
subject among Masonic leaders and even Grand Lodges.  I was told
of a Grand Lodge that had a resolution on its floor to withdraw
recognition of another Grand Lodge because the other Grand Lodge
was using the Solomon II program to attract new members.  Though
we don't use the Solomon II program in Virginia, I consider it an
"awareness" type program and not direct solicitation.  Apparently
the brother who put the resolution in, considered the program as
solicitation and unmasonic in nature.  I understand the
resolution was defeated.

     Another concern which needs to be discussed is community
involvement by Masonic Lodges.  It seems in years past Lodges
have been prohibited from taking part in any type of community
activity as a Lodge.  Most of our Lodges need some purpose for
existence other than to "make more Masons."  If we have at least
some community involvement by our Lodges we will increase our
visibility in our communities and increase our image in the eyes
of the unmasonic population.

     One area of concern to many members and non-members is the
fact that most Grand Lodges don't have any black members in their
Lodges.  We don't have any regulations prohibiting minorities
from petitioning a Lodge.  Current members fear criticism from
within the Lodge if they sign as vouchers on a petition from a
black person, even though he believes him to be worthy of
becoming a member.  There is a great reluctance on the part of a
black person to petition a Lodge through fear of rejection by
ballot.  I know of at least one member of my own Lodge that
demitted because he felt we were discriminating by not having any
minority members.

              THE FUTURE - WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT

     So much for where we are today, where do we go from here?
What is our mission today in Freemasonry?

     I'll begin this part by emphasizing the importance of our
Lodges supporting youth groups.  Certainly Masonic youth groups
would be first on my list, DeMolay, Job's Daughters and Rainbow
for Girls.  There are a variety of youth groups that are not
Masonic affiliated that our Lodges which do not have Masonic
youth groups in their communities could get involved with to
enhance their image in the community.  Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts,
Little League Baseball, 4-H Clubs, and Future Farmers of America
are just a few that come to mind.

     Forty Grand Lodges in this country have Masonic Homes for
the care of their aging members and the rest have Charity Funds
to assist in caring for the financial needs of their aging
members. We've been criticized in this area for "only taking care
of our own."  I believe Lodges could improve their image in their
local areas by lending support to non-masonic homes for the aging
and nursing homes.  Many of these facilities are seeking
volunteer workers to assist with many non-professional chores.
Certainly one of the best public images we have for Freemasonry
is the Hospital Visitation Program in our Veterans Hospitals
sponsored by the Masonic Service Association.  I don't see why
something similar to this couldn't be done on a local level by a
Masonic Lodge.

     I mentioned "Community Activities" earlier as one of our
problems today.  I think we need to do a survey of the public
concerning Freemasonry to find out how they feel about it, and
what they know about it.  I began a program in Virginia in 1987
which has been used in other Grand Lodges of recognizing
non-masons in our communities for their contribution toward
helping to make their community a better place to live.  This
program has met with great success in Virginia and from the
things that I've read in our Masonic Herald this year, it
continues to be an effective program for increasing the
visibility of a Masonic Lodge in the community in which it's
located.  I have many newspaper clippings from across the
Commonwealth with articles and photographs of someone well known
in a community being recognized by a Masonic Lodge.

     Another area that I think we need to explore as a way to
improve our visibility in the community is through permitting
more public and social activities to be held in our Masonic
Temples. Many Lodges have fine buildings which could and should
be utilized for community activities.  At least two of the Lodges
in Northern Virginia lease a part of their temple to a day care
center for small children.  This brings some amount of income
into the Lodge and allows non-masons to at least have some
exposure to a Masonic Temple.

     Just this past week I received my "EMESSAY NOTES" and read
with great interest about the Masons in Seattle, Washington
manning the telephones during a "TV Telethon" to raise funds for
a local Educational Television station.  The article states that
"manning the phones gave the Masons an opportunity to explain who
we are, what we do, why we do it and how people benefit
therefrom."  It was also mentioned that a similar program was
underway in Vermont.

     I think it's necessary to talk about change.  I don't think
I spoke to a group in Virginia in 1987 without telling them
"We've got to stop being afraid of change!"  Some learned brother
once said "We must evolve, or become extinct!"  Those are strong
words, but it takes strong words to make some people listen.  I
think it's absolutely necessary that we make changes to make
Masonry more relevant in today's society.  We need to adapt our
methods of operation to more modern trends.

     One of the undue criticisms we've received by religious
organizations recently has been concerning the penalties
contained in our obligations.  I think it's essential that we
explain that these penalties are merely symbolic and not
physical.  Some jurisdictions have actually removed the penalties
from their obligations.  I'm personally against this action.
They are totally symbolic and shouldn't even need to be explained
as such.  I favor a simple statement to be read to each candidate
before he is initiated giving an explanation that the penalties
are symbolic in nature and that the only penalties we have in
Freemasonry today are reprimand, suspension or expulsion.

     The solution to our declining membership problem, is to get
the members which we do have on our roles involved in more of our
activities.  We just don't have enough Masons involved in
Masonry! History has proven that small numbers can affect many
people if utilized correctly.  I'm convinced that we don't need
outright solicitation of new members.  Certainly we need to
develop a set of standards that will be uniform throughout the
Grand Jurisdictions in this country concerning solicitation
restrictions.

     A method is needed to improve our system of electing a man
to become a member of our organization.  Too many good men are
being rejected from having the privilege of becoming a Mason.
Too many good men have never submitted a petition because they
know someone with whom they've had some petty disagreement that
is a member and would use the ballot box to keep them out of the
Lodge.  One jurisdiction now requires three rejection ballots to
prevent a man from becoming a candidate for Freemasonry.  The
so-called "Spite Ball" has kept many good men out of our order.

     I believe the only way to eliminate this problem is to
completely change the method of secret balloting currently in use
in all jurisdictions.  If a man is vouched for by two Master
Masons as being morally fit to be a Mason; if a properly informed
investigating committee interviews a petitioner; if the
petitioners name, address and occupation is listed in the Lodge
Bulletin as having petitioned the Lodge; the only way this man
should be kept out of Freemasonry is for a member of the Lodge to
personally inform the Worshipful Master of the reasons why  the
petitioner should not become a Mason.

     A matter of great concern to men who want to petition a
Lodge is the amount of memorization he knows will be required of
him to become a member.  Ritual memorization is just not for
every man, and never has been.  I personally enjoy the ritual
work and have committed to memory all of the Virginia Esoteric
ritual including the public ceremonies of Installation,
Dedication, Cornerstone Laying and Funeral Service.  I've seen
good men initiated as an Entered Apprentice and never go on to
come a Master Mason because of the requirements of memory work.
Someone described our procedures as "Requiring every member of
the congregation to be a member of the clergy!"  The requirement
of memorizing the catechisms to become a member was originally
adopted as a means for the candidate to demonstrate that he has
sufficient mental capability to be of some credit to the
fraternity.  This requirement dates back to times when there was
no requirement or provision for public education.  As we approach
the twenty-first century, we need to make some changes in our
current procedures.

     Concerning leadership within our Lodges, the same comments I
made concerning obtaining new members apply here.  We must seek
out qualified leaders within our current Lodge membership.  If we
must revise the requirements for ritualistic proficiency for the
men who want to become officers in our Lodges, then so be it!
None of us would like to see Symbolic Lodges go to the "Degree
Team Concept." If modern trends in our society prescribe this,
and this is the only way we can get qualified leaders to serve as
officers and Worshipful Masters, then we need to go to a system
which would reduce the ritualistic requirements for a man to
serve as Master of his Lodge.

     We need to devote more of our resources toward educating our
Lodge officers in administrative procedures, basic Masonic Law,
planning effective programs within the Lodge and communicating
with the members of the Lodge.  A man who serves his Lodge well
in these areas will continue to attend and support his Lodge in
all of it's endeavors when he has completed his responsibilities
as a presiding officer.

     Last year in the Grand Lodge of Virginia a survey was sent
to approximately 900 of the 10,000 Masons in Virginia who are
between the ages of 21 and 45.  The questions in the survey were
designed to determine this age group's thoughts on becoming a
Mason, on Lodge activities as a Master Mason, on Public activity
as a Freemason and to get the individual's personal feelings
regarding Freemasonry.

     The results of the survey indicate that our members in this
age group feel that we need to make some changes.  Fifty-two
percent indicated that they would like to be permitted to "ask" a
good friend of high moral standing to join the fraternity.
Forty- six percent indicated that their attitude about
Freemasonry had changed since becoming a Master Mason,
unfortunately sixty-eight percent of these experienced a negative
change.  Sixty-nine percent felt that Freemasonry needs to be
involved with a nationally recognized "hands-on" program of
assistance.  More than fifty percent felt that Masonic Lodges
should be permitted to sponsor and participate in community
activities.  Seventy-one percent felt that Freemasonry should be
more family oriented.

     The survey confirmed many things that we already suspected
were areas of concern among our younger members.  Many of those
surveyed felt that more of the Lodge programs are by older
members and thus geared more for the older member.  A major area
of concern was cliques and politics within the Lodge.  On the
positive side, Fellowship and moral principles and teachings were
highest on the list of things most liked about Freemasonry.
Seventy-two percent reported participating in degree work since
becoming a Master Mason but only thirty-one percent said they
presently participate. Eighty-three percent felt that "The
Ritual" was not over-stressed in Freemasonry.

     You may or may not be aware that a "Task Group" has been
informally organized by the Southern and Northern Masonic
Jurisdictions of the Scottish Rite, the York Rite Bodies and the
Shrine.  One objective of this Task Group is to undertake and
fund a professionally conducted national survey of public and
Masonic attitudes and expectations concerning Masonry.  The
Masonic Services Association is acting in a liaison capacity for
this Task Group.  Most Worshipful Richard Fletcher tells me that
the results of the public survey will be presented to the Grand
Masters and heads of the appendant bodies this week during the
Grand Master's Conference.

     I received a copy of the minutes of the first meeting of
this Task Group.  The topics discussed by the group were the same
ones I have outlined for you here this evening.  We all seem to
know what the problems are.  We just need to begin doing
something to correct the problems.

     One area that no one wants to talk about in Freemasonry was
discussed by the Task Group, apparently in great detail.  This
topic which I touched on briefly tonight as a problem area is the
fact that we do not have many minority members in our Lodges.
The Task Group "conceded that this is one of the most important
topics which Masonry must address, and also one of the most
difficult. Because of the universality of Masonry it is by
definition color blind.  But some individual Masons are not.  The
secrecy of lodge balloting, coupled with the provision that one
cube rejects, can enable a single member to make a lodge appear
racist.  As a result, Masonry becomes vulnerable to media
attacks; judges and other public figures become reluctant to
join; and there is some indication that some young people view
Masonry as hypocritical in its talk of a brotherhood of man while
at the same time preserving a predominantly white membership."

     This entire situation weakens our position as a fraternity.
The provision in our laws that allows a member to object to
permitting a member of another recognized Lodge to visit has been
a major cause of concern to our leadership.  The Grand Master of
Virginia last year issued a strongly worded Executive Order
concerning the use of this provision in the law, following an
embarrassing incident in Northern Virginia.  A Grand Secretary of
another jurisdiction told me last month that he was seriously
concerned with the number of black regular masons in his
jurisdiction that were "caught in the middle" as far as visiting
a Masonic Lodge was concerned.  They are reluctant to attend a
regular Lodge as a visitor because someone may object to them.
They cannot attend a Lodge of "Prince Hall" Masons because that
organization is not recognized as Masonic.  There just do not
seem to be any workable answers to this problem.

     If this provision on visitation were removed from our laws
it would at least remove the racist implications that it being
there provides for our critics.  If an agreement could somehow be
reached among all of the Grand Jurisdictions and appendant bodies
acknowledging that the Prince Hall Affiliates Organization is
Masonic in nature we could begin some form of contact with them
concerning solutions to our mutual problems.  This is the most
difficult area to even talk about, much less come up with a
solution for the problem.

     I briefly touched on how we got here.  You know where we are
today.  As large as this country is and as conflicting as the
feelings are throughout the Grand Jurisdictions that make up
Freemasonry in the United States, I don't see any light at the
end of the tunnel yet.  I told Allen that I couldn't come up with
any "cure-alls" for Freemasonry.  Awareness of the problems is a
step in the right direction toward solving any problem.  The
members of this society have more influence on the Masonic
Leadership throughout this country than any single group I know
of.  We have to keep talking about the problems, writing about
the problems and maybe, just maybe, a seed will be planted in the
right spot to implement some of the changes that are needed to
take this fraternity on through the Twenty-first and even the
Twenty-second century.

         Your task, said GOD, to build a better world, I
         answered, how? The world is such a large vast place, so
         complicated now, and I so small and useless am, there's
         nothing I can do!   But GOD in all his wisdom said, just
         build a better you.

     I believe that the original intent of Freemasonry was to
build a better you.  I pray that we shall all live to see it once
again carry out it's real purpose.

     I appreciate being asked to share some thoughts with you
this evening and I thank you for your kind attention.

     Good evening.                                     

                                -30-

The preceding was the PHILALETHES LECTURE FOR 1989 presented
during the Annual Assembly-Feast-Forum of The Philalethes Society
at the Hotel Washington, February 17, 1989. The June issue of The
Philalethes magazine will carry the text in full.

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