Fraternal Review

Editor - Ralph A. Herbold

No. 672                                                                                                                                             6-1-93
                                                                                                                                                    _


HUNGARY
On March 25th, one of our members in Ohio, Brother William Wadl of Cincinnati,
attended the third annual communication of the Grand Lodge of Hungary in
Budapest. "They are growing.  In 1990 when I first met M.W. Bro. Istvan
Galambas, the first Grand Master, the count was 40 members, now it is 120.
Hungary, along with Yugoslavia, is listed in the 1993 List of Regular Lodges.
Of course, there is no Yugoslavia now.  I guess they are in exile."

Brother Wadl is the Grand Representative to the Grand Lodge of Hungary and
sent along a copy of his report of this visit.  Interesting to note they met in
a building used regularly by the Unitarian Church, the Grand Master using the
pulpit and that they opened and apparently conducted their business in the
First Degree.

MASONIC BOOKS
Thomas W. Jackson, book reviewer for The Northern Light (N.M.J. Scottish Rite)
in the November 1992 issue, opened one review with a pertinent observation that
gladdened my heart and made me appreciative of the job we are doing in making
Masonic books available:

"The more I read about Freemasonry, the more I regret that I did not take the
time to read more in the past and that I will not have the time to read as much
as I would like in the future."

TRADITION - RULES
From "A BAD RULE" by Most Worshipful Brother Joel W. Frampton, P.G.M., Chairman
of the Committee on Work and Ceremonies, in the February 1993 Masonic Light of
the Grand Lodge of South Carolina, a demonstration of differences from
jurisdiction to jurisdiction and something to think about when one is different,
quoting in part:

"Some Lodges have a rule, custom or tradition, that the Senior Deacon cannot
advance to the Junior Warden's station without having first given proficiently
the Winding Stair Lecture in the Second Degree.  This so called 'Proud
Tradition' is a Bad Rule.

"In the first place, is the fact that the Junior Warden's station is an elective
office.  No caucus of Officers and Past Masters has any legal right to prevent
the Senior Deacon, or any Brother in the South, from being nominated and voted
for, or against, by all the Lodge members present.  To pack the attendance with
Brethren to vote one way or another is not in the true Masonic spirit.

"The Senior Deacon has obligated himself to perform all of the duties pertaining
to his office to the best of his ability.  If the best of his ability does not
include the capacity to memorize the long passages of ritual, he has not
violated his promise, he has done his best. (Unless other reasons than the
lecture are charged against him.)

"The candidates are not getting a fair shake if the lecturer has to be prompted
on every other word, and this happens frequently.

"Most Worshipful Brother Thomas H.  Pope, quoted in the Digest of Decisions of
Grand Masters, had this to say about the Right of Lodge to elect officers.
'While Grand Lodge through its Service Committee (now Masonic Education
Committee) has emphasized the importance of each officer of a subordinate Lodge
demonstrating his proficiency before being elevated to the next higher office -
it does not and cannot contravene the right of a subordinate Lodge to elect its
officers in accordance with Masonic Law.'  Such a Bad Rule is certainly not in
accordance with Masonic Laws.

"Of the 329 Lodges in South Carolina, only a very few have this Bad Rule and
they are hurting the Fraternity by denying the Master's Chair to Brethren who
clearly are able to conduct the business of the Lodge with dignity, efficiency
and enthusiasm, and as to the ritualistic work will cause the same to be done.

"Visit a Lodge which has this Bad Rule.  See who occupy the Warrant Officer
stations.  You might be surprised at the number of 'Retreads.'  These faithful
Brethren work hard to keep the Lodge alive.  They deserve a rest and they can
get it by not observing these Bad Rules."

TRADITION
John W. Driskell, then Deputy Grand Master, in the California Freemason, March
1985, had "Masonic tradition: A rudder, not an anchor," reprinted in part in
the November 1992 The Northen Light (N.M.J. Scottish Rite):

"Freemasonry has many traditions of which it has reason to be proud, provided
it uses them as rudders instead of anchors.

"When we point with pride and complacent satisfaction to the cherished
traditions of Freemasonry and let them lead to inactivity on our part, then we
are using those traditions as an anchor instead of a rudder.

"When we point to what has been done by Freemasons in the past and let that be
an excuse for our doing nothing to which Freemasons of the future may point
with pride as having been done in our past of which we were part, we are using
our time-honored traditions as an anchor instead of a rudder.

"Let us not be content to point with pride to our long established traditions.
Let us not be content to point with pride to the number of Freemasons who were
signers of the Declaration of Independence.

"True, we should have pride in the accomplishments of these Freemasons of other
years.  But our pride in their accomlishments should not anchor us in self-
complacency.  Rather, their deeds should be a rudder to guide us toward similar
goals, so that we can best serve, in a comparable way, our God, our Country, our
Brethren, and Freemasonry.

"Let us hoist the sails of enthusiasm and participation and steer a course away
from the seas of apathy and toward the seas of accomplishment."


