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    MEMORIZATION-     NOCAS.TXT
A Masonic Fetish!

AND IT'S DESTROYING US!
by John R. Nocas, FPS

What is wrong with Masonry? This
question is asked over and over again as
our leaders bemoan the decline in mem-
bership. Hundreds of high-level meet-
ings have been held throughout the
country to find out what is wrong with
our ancient Craft - with no answer. Of
course there is no answer because,
simply, there is nothing wrong with Ma-
sonry! Its principles stand out as shining
beacons of light in a world of moral de-
cay. . . and will continue to do so until time
shall be no more.

Why, then, the decline in membership
and the closure of so many lodges? The
answer stares us in the face but we are
unwilling to face it because, if we do, it
means Change - that unspeakable word
in Masonry.

We've lost hundreds of thousands of
Masons this century because we insist
candidates MEMORIZE. We say it is
the "internal" qualities that makes one
a Mason. Not so; if he can't or won't
memorize, regardless of his character,
leadership ability or standing in the com-
munity we don't want him and send him
packing. There are thousands and thou-
sands of "first degree" Masons in this
country to whom we owe a great apol-
ogy; they passed the necessary moral
qualifications to become a Mason, we
presented them with the badge of a
Mason, the Lambskin Apron, and then
threw them ouut because they didn' t pass
the MEMORY test. Shameful!

Now is the time to put a stop to this
questionable memory qualification to
proceed in Masonry. All that is needed is
a one-session review of the first degree
perhaps a couple of items to be mem-
orized, and then on to the Fellowcraft
degree. We have excellent precedent for
this. In England the first degree memory
proficiency can be learned in one eve-
ning no roadblock there.

Now on to the serious problem of
Lodge closures and mergers. Why do
Lodges merge? Not because of lack of
members (my Lodge merged with some
300 members) or lack of money, for most
have thousands or even hundreds of
thousands of dollars. Why do they
merge? Because they can't get officers!
Thousands of today's lodges are manned
by past masters _ all doomed to eventu-
ally close. Simdply put, most Lodge mem-
bers wlll not the memorizing neces-
sary to become a Senior Deacon or
Junior Warden. Many of our members
are dedicated and have administrative
ability but are disqualified from holding
an of fice because they can't or don't have
the time to memorize the lectures.

The answer is obvious _ but it is a
Twenty First Century answer and we
won't accept it now. We must make it
optional for qualified officers and mem-
bers to READ the lectures and charges.
I suggest schools of instruction in how to
speak well and READ well in Lodge.
With the type blown up, high lecterns (so
the speaker can face the audience) and
loud speakers (so everyone can hear)
well-read lectures might be a great im-
provement over the (often) mumbled
and stumbled memorized lectures. The
middle chamber lecture, given from the
East, could be enjoyed by side-liners; not
always the case now. Further, there are
many in the cast for the third degree so
why not add another (one who knows it
well and enjoys doing it) to give the ob-
ligation...thus no stumbling and
prompting at the altar.

Put the above together - WE CAN
GET OFFICERS TO MAN OUR
LODGES. There are many officers and
members in every lodge who can read
well and thus take care of lectures. We
have plenty of members with dedication
and admimstrative ability to become of-
ficers and confer degrees if only it wasn't
compulsory to memorize long lectures.
Are we going to continue telling them to
"get lost, who needs you?

All Grand Lodges should give serious
thought to the optional reading of lec-
tures and thus stop the tragic closures
and consolidation of our lodges. Inciden-
tally, a welcome boon to this would be the
easier opening and formation of new
lodges. Perhaps instead of accepting the
gradual decline in our membership stoi-
cally and helplessly we should accept the
challenge of expanding to every city in
our great country. Or, should we do
nothing but talk and wail?

In closing, one of the definitions in
Webster's dictionary of the word
"fetish" is "anything held in unreason-
ing devotion." Does this apply to the
importance Masons place on memorizing?
