THE BUILDER MARCH 1916

MASONIC RESEARCH: WHAT IT HAS DONE AND CAN STILL DO

BY BRO. JOHN T. THORP, ENGLAND

Up to within the last thirty years, the ceremonial of the three
degrees through which he had passed, and which he saw repeated from
time to time, was virtually all the ordinary Master Mason knew
about the Fraternity of which he had become a member. He had
listened to a ritual which appeared to him strangely archaic and
out of date, curious words had been used the meaning of which he
could only surmise, and soon he came to the conclusion that the
whole thing was too old-fashioned, and antiquated, to justify
further wasting time in this restless and go-ahead world. Even if
he troubled to make inquiries, he could learn little or nothing of
the past history of the Craft, of its origin, growth and gradual
development. What wonder then that after a few years of more or
less active participation, his interest waned, he became a
nonaffiliate, a Mason in name only, ignorant of the glorious
history of the Brotherhood, and unconscious of the grand legacy
which he and his Brethren had inherited from the past?

PIONEER STUDENTS

But by slow degrees, through the last quarter of a century, this
unsatisfactory condition of affairs has been improving. The
movement towards a fuller knowledge and a more just appreciation of
what, Masonry has been and has done in the world, commenced by a
handful of enthusiastic Masonic students, has spread and developed
beyond their utmost expectations and their fondest hopes. No longer
must we be content to grope in the darkness of our previous
ignorance; the veil has been lifted from before our eyes. We see
our ancient and beloved Craft now occupying a position in the
esteem and affection of the Fraternity, which in the days gone by
we never imagined possible. Our lineage has been traced back
through many centuries. We rejoice to know that it is to our
forefathers in the Craft that we are indebted for those magnificent
temples, palaces, cathedrals and abbeys which are spread over the
world, which charm us with their beauty and fill us with wonder and
admiration. Realizing our direct descent from the cathedral
builders of the Middle Ages, whose genius adorned many lands with
beauty, we begin at length to recognize a value in Freemasonry
which hitherto had escaped our notice. A visit to Milan, Cologne,
Westminster or York, or even the study in books of the magnificent
temples of worship there, has given us a new estimate of the
Society which we had before held so cheaply, and taught us more
justly to prize our connection with a Fraternity, which has left
behind such splendid examples of skill and industry, of noble work
and pious worship.

MASONIC ANCESTORS

There has thus been established, growing in conjunction with the
increasing knowledge, a legitimate pride. We are proud to belong to
a society of men, that in days gone by worked so nobly for the
world. No longer is there the same inclination to drift away from
our allegiance to the Craft, for what we are proud of, that we
rejoice in, that we cherish, that we strive to serve in our own day
and generation, not indeed as our forbears did, but in ways more
suitable and necessary to these modern times. Thus our increased
knowledge of the past has added a charm to the present by widening
the horizon, and has rendered the future radiant with a glorious
promise.

RESEARCH LODGES

It is but fair to acknowledge, that much of this changed condition
of affairs in the Masonic Fraternity, is the result of the
unceasing labor and undying zeal of the Research Lodges and
Societies, which have been established among us during the last
twenty-five years. They have lighted up the past, that we can see,
admire, and claim our inheritance in the glorious work of the grand
old Craft; they are ceaselessly active in stimulating us to further
research, in order that our knowledge and affection, advancing hand
in hand, may inspire us to noble work for the present, and they bid
us look forward to a gradual extension of the Masonic principles,
as the basis of all human intercourse, and as foundation stones of
a grand and glorious temple to be built in the days to come.

NEW FIELDS OF LABOR

The work is still very far from complete. Much, very much, remains
to be done. There is a boundless field for the enthusiasm and
devotion of every individual member of the National Masonic
Research Society. I devoutly wish it were possible for me to speak
a word that would not merely encourage you, but would impel you to
the fascinating work--for even after more than forty years of
Masonic Research it still fascinates me. I wish that I could so
inspire and deepen your affection for the Brotherhood and its
glorious past, that your best efforts might be devoted to its
elevation, purification and regeneration, so that a solid
foundation might be laid for its permanent welfare.

THE LIVING TEMPLE

Labor on, then, my Brothers, ours is a noble work, a glorious task-
-one worthy of our best endeavors. Seek to make Freemasonry a
shining light, dispersing the darkness, and illuminating all
mankind with a new spirit. Strive to make it a living force,
permeating our social and national life with the grand Masonic
principles of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth. Thus it will become
a real power for good in the world, for although we should no
longer be building stately temples of stone, as our ancient
Brethren did, we should be contributing, in body, soul and spirit,
to the erection of a sumptuous palace, an edifice of a regenerated,
ennobled and glorified humanity, a temple of living souls.
So mote it be.


WHEN IS A MAN A MASON?.

When is a man a Mason? When he can look out over the rivers, the
hills, and the far horizon with a profound sense of his own
littleness in the vast scheme of things, and yet have faith, hope,
and courage. When he knows that down in his heart every man is as
noble, as vile, as divine, as diabolic, and as lonely as himself,
and seeks to know, to forgive, and to love his fellow man. When he
knows how to sympathize with men in their sorrows, yea, even in
their sins--knowing that each man fights a hard fight against many
odds. When he has learned how to make friends and to keep them, and
above all how to keep friends with himself. When he loves flowers,
can hunt the birds without a gun, and feels the thrill of an old
forgotten joy when he hears the laugh of a little child. When he
can be happy and high-minded amid the meaner drudgeries of life.
When star-crowned trees, and the glint of sunlight on flowing
waters, subdue him like the thought of one much loved and long
dead. When no voice of distress reaches his ears in vain, and no
hand seeks his aid without response. When he finds good in every
faith that helps any man to lay hold of higher things, and to see
majestic meanings in life, whatever the name of that faith may be.
When he can look into a wayside puddle and see something besides
mud, and into the face of the most forlorn mortal and see something
beyond sin. When he knows how to pray, how to love, how to hope.
When he has kept faith with himself, with his fellow man, with his
God; in his hand a sword for evil, in his heart a bit of a song--
glad to live, but not afraid to die ! In such a man, whether he be
rich or poor, scholarly or unlearned, famous or obscure, Masonry
has wrought her sweet ministry!
--Joseph Fort Newton. The Builders.

THREE KINDS OF MASONS(?)

There are three kinds of Masons. The Mason who has taken the
degrees out of curiosity and after being accepted as a member never
finds his way again to the lodge room and forgets what he has heard
but not understood. The Mason who attends when an election is to
take place, or when he can exhibit himself in a public procession,
always pays his dues and demands to be buried with pomp and show,
and the Mason who at his first inception begins to see the beauties
of the Craft, and to understand its teachings, and who studies to
know and serve his lodge with faithfulness. He pays every
obligation, sustains his lodge, accepts every assignment of duty,
and may be depended upon always for his work. The first class never
produces a real Mason. The ceremonies meant nothing and can mean
nothing. One wears the gilt button, but is unable to tell its
meaning. The second class is a drag upon society. The recognition
and benefits are demanded, and the burdens refused. The third class
makes possible that progress without which the Order would long ago
have fallen into decay and been buried unknown in the great
pyramids of the past.
--Selected.


THE LOT OF US 
"There is so much good in the worst of us, 
And so much bad in the best of us, 
That it best becomes the best of us 
To praise the best in the worst of us, 
And ill becomes the worst of us 
To mock at the faults in the best of us. 
Then let the best and the worst of us 
Extol the good in the both of us 
And hide the fault in the lot of us."
--Joaquin Miller.
