Alan Cross the new Grand Master of BC

City home to top B.C. Freemason

Published: July 07, 2010 2:00 PM
Updated: July 07, 2010 2:08 PM
By Jan Beecher

For the News Bulletin

Not many people in Nanaimo get called “Most Worshipful Brother” every day – but Alan Cross does.

Cross is the new Grand Master of All Freemasons of British Columbia. He began his one-year reign last month.

Cross is a member of Ashlar Lodge in Nanaimo, one of the oldest lodges in B.C. He’s been a freemason since he was 23 – 38 years ago.

“I had a favourable impression of them. I worked with men who were Freemasons and I liked the type of person they were – the type of men they were,” said Cross. “You go where your friends are.”

When he first joined, Cross was busy with his family and career as a banker and mortgage broker. His active involvement with the Freemasons didn’t begin until about 20 years ago.

Since then he has acted as the hospital representative for the Shriners and did a stint as the Master of Ashlar Lodge.

Cross now rules over some 9,300 members of the B.C. and Yukon Chapter of the Freemasons – part of a worldwide organization with more than two million members.

The Freemasons are an ancient fraternity of men with origins that can be traced back to at least the 16th century, hence the dated terminology of ‘Grand Master’.

The organization is said to have begun through gatherings of stone masons who were responsible for building large structures, like cathedrals, in medieval Europe. The reason the guilds were formed was lost to history, but theories suggest a support network for travellers, or means to exchange of information about the trade.

Although they claim otherwise, the language – terms such as ‘ritual,’ ‘master,’ and ‘craft’ – combined with the implied secrets of the Freemasons, has draped the brotherhood with a tone of mystery over the centuries.

“A lot of secrets allude to the ancient stone masons – they passed on secrets about the craft to one another,” said Cross.

Ken Draper, another member of Nanaimo’s Ashlar Lodge, says the secrecy is ancient history.

“Now we like to say, ‘We are a fraternal organization that has some secrets,’” said Draper. “We are not a secret organization. We have signs out.”

Mystery and secrecy are hardly associated with those men in funny hats who ride tricycles in every parade, but a Shriner must be a Freemason first.

Other bodies within the Freemasons are the Scottish Rite Charitable Foundation, which funds the Learning Centres for children with dyslexia; and the Order of the Eastern Star, which involves freemasons and women related to freemasons, who dedicate their time to fundraising and charitable work.

To become a member of the Freemasons, one simply needs to express interest to a member and that member will initiate the application process.

That is, assuming the applicant meets the requirements of membership.

“No. 1 is you have to show you believe in a supreme being,” said Draper, adding the religion requirement isn’t necessarily Christianity.

The Team is not made up of members from any one Lodge, but from several. All the Brothers must live in the State of Oklahoma and be willing to travel two and occasionally three weekends a month, if the Team can travel from Tulsa to a Lodge in an hour, we will work week nights. This amount of travel time during a year can be stressful on home life, but we have a very supportive “home team”. On occasion, the “home team” gets to “go on the road”; that is to say the wives of the Team get invited to visit when the ladies of the Lodge members for whom the Team is doing the Degree work. It is through this fellowship that many long-standing friendship, for both the members and the wives, have been built. Team members genuinely enjoy getting to know their Brethren from other states and finding kindred spirits in Masonry.

Since the early 60′s the Team has had picture postcards available as a memento of their degree work. The donations received through these help to pay for their travels. Lately, they have added lapel pins, ballcaps, and coins as another souvenir. When the Team travels out of state, they ask the requesting Lodge pay for travel, food and lodging. In recent years , members of the Team have put on a traditional Indian dance programs and Story telling of legends and tales to help some of the Lodges defray part of the cost of their travel. This has been a favorite, not only of the Lodge members, but also their ladies and family members. This is the only time that the ladies and children can see the Team members in their authentic tribal regalia or dance clothes. The Team often visits the Shrine hospitals located near the Degree work. They enjoy their talks with the kids and staff, ans perform their dance programs for them.

The Native American Nations represented on the team are Apache, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Creek, Keetoowah, Oneida , Ottawa ,Quapaw, Shawnee. In the past members have been Delaware, Kaw, Kiowa, Pawnee and Ponca.

This is “The oldest Degree Team” in existence today, and mostly that is because as a Team the group has never stopped or had a break since inception – over fifty year ago. The OMIDT have raised over 900 to the Master Mason Degree.

THEY ARE the only known Indian Degree Team.

In the Beginning:

The early history of the formation of the Greenleaf Lodge No. 670 and Gardens Lodge No. 621 is one rooted in the most basic tenets of our craft, with a desire for an association with good men of similar purpose. Greenleaf Gardens Lodge No. 670 united with the Gardens Lodge No. 621 to form Greenleaf Gardens Lodge No. 670 in 1995. This union has strengthened every member with the consolidation and has united our Lodges as one band of brothers with a common aim of bringing Masonry to the forefront within the community. In that by setting an example of brotherly Love, relief and truth for all good men to follow.

We would like to offer a brief history of the beginnings of each Lodge. This review does not cover all the participants who have contributed in the progress in the building of each of the Lodges, nor does it cover the entire history, but is a concise documentation of the beginnings of each.

The Gardens Lodge No. 621:

The beginning of the Gardens Lodge can be traced back to a meeting which was held be a group of interested and civic minded sojourning Masons on April 18, 1923, in a barber shop located in Belvedere Gardens. The barbershop was operated by Brother, Edward Skinner, a member of the Pasadena Lodge No. 272. This group felt that there should be a Lodge of Master Masons located in the community of Belvedere Gardens. They knew of other sojourning Masons in the area with no Lodge to attend and who would be interested in a Lodge in their area.

These Masons continued to meet and at one of their meetings it was agreed that a name should be selected for their group until such time as a formal name was adopted. After much discussion, the name “CINOSAM” was adopted, this being “MASONIC” spelled backwards. It was also agreed they would hold their meetings twice each month in the back room Of the barbershop.

At the first official meeting of the “Cinosam Club”, there were 23 members present and the brother John C. Post, a member of the Hollenbeck Lodge No. 319, acted as President. Brother Edward P. Woods, a member of the Westgate Lodge No. 392, acted as Vice President and Brother Floyd C. Nelson acted as Secretary.

Finally, on May 15, 1925 the embers of the Cinosam Club, together with other sojourning Masons, held a meeting in the Chamber of Commerce Office in Belvedere Gardens, to take the first steps towards forming a Lodge of their own. They were proud of the community of Belvedere Gardens, its residents and its business establishments. These men Sincerely hoped to organize a Lodge in their own community that they and others to follow could enjoy and of which they would be proud. The records show that they exceeded their fondest hopes and expectations.

At the meeting, Brother John H. Craig was called to act as a temporary Chairman and Brother Floyd O. Nelson to act as temporary Secretary. Much was accomplished, including a discussion of an appropriate name for the Lodge. It was decided that all proposed names for the new Lodge would be submitted to Brother John C. Post who was given full authority to select a name and report back at a later date. A motion was then made to petition the Grand Lodge of California for a dispensation to organize a Masonic Lodge in Belvedere Gardens and the following officers were proposed:

• John C. Post, Worshipful Master
• Edward P. Woods, Senior Warden
• Edward F. Skinner, Junior Warden
• Fred M. Hale, Treasurer
• Roderick M. Harvey, Secretary

A Committee was formed to find a meeting place and report back to Brother Post. The committee reported that the name. “The Gardens Lodge” had been selected. They also reported that Koehl Hall would be the new meeting place and that the rent would be $40.00 per month.

The dispensation was issued by the Grand Master on August 5, 1925 and on August 18, 1925 the Gardens Lodge, U.D. was instituted by Worshipful Franklin D. Caldwell, Inspector of the 86th Masonic District.

The first meeting of the “Gardens Lodge U.D.” was held in August 19, 1925 and there was a total of 17 petitions for membership received on October 15, 1925. This was less than 60 days after the first meeting of the Lodge. The Grand lodge issued the Charter for the Gardens Lodge No. 621.

Grand master Albert E. Boynton and several of the Grand Lodge officers appeared at Sunset Masonic Temple in Los Angeles on October 30, 1925 and officially constituted the Lodge. There were four other Lodges constituted at the same time.

The Lodge continued to grow and plans continued to be made. A Temple Board was formed as the “East Los Angeles Temple Association”. They held their first meeting on December 6, 1939. A series of property transactions the followed which finally concluded in 1950 with the purchase of the property located at 9310 East Olympic Blvd. The original building located on the site was to be remodeled to form the Lodge room and dinning room and kitchen was to be added later. The Secretary received the deed to this property on July 5, 1950.

Brother George Brooks, Past Master of the Gardens Lodge, being a building contractor, then took over the actual remodeling job abd served as foreman. Several of the members would come down on the weekends to assist with the carrying out of his plans. Other members who could not help on weekends would offer their help during the week. Brother George took one year off from his regular work in order to get the building in condition.

Much of this time he worked for little or no wages at all. Brother George was truly a Master builder and the architect of the Temple. During this time, the financial records were maintained by Brother Floyd, Vandegrift, P.M., who was the Secretary of the Temple Board During the time the members were working in the Temple, their wives, as well as the ladies of the Eastern Star, No. 464 would bring and serve lunch to everyone at the Temple.

When the remodeling work was completed, the first meeting in the new temple was held on September 5, 1951. Shortly thereafter, construction was started on the dinning room and it was used for the first time on January 5, 1952. Grand Master Louis C. Drapeau and several of the Grand Lodge Officers were present to dedicate the Lodge building on September 6, 1952. The dinning room and Lodge room was filled to capacity for this event.

The Final mortgage payment for the building was made in April 1960.

In the 1980′s they moved to Rio Hondo Lodge and then moved to the Montebello Lodge until the earthquake in 1991. At that time they moved again to the Greenleaf Lodge and decided to consolidate with them to form Greenleaf Gardens Lodge No. 670, in 1995

Many fine men assented to the oriental chair between 1960 and 1995. Uniting with the Greenleaf Lodge in 1995 has proven to be a great relationship and we are honored to have such good men join together to form one Lodge of Brothers united.

Greenleaf Lodge No. 670:

The history of the formation of the Greenleaf Lodge No. 670 has come down to the actions of two men. Brother Bill Moore and Hugh M. Topping Sr. Brother Bill returned from World War I and felt that forming a new Lodge in Whittier was advantageous to the community.

Greenleaf Lodge was started in the shop at the Standard Oil Co. and some of the early references to Greenleaf were as “The Standard Oil Lodge”. It was Bill Moore with his idea talking to a brother Worshipful Harold Mann, which started the process.

Once it was decided that they would attempt to form a new Lodge, it seemed that associated came easily and Grand Lodge stated that they would definitely consider a new Lodge as the community was large enough to support another. The early planning sessions began in the rear of Art McNeil’s insurance office. They had the bare minimum of officers consisting of Worshipful Ken Matson, Ed Skinner, Ray Berry and Harold Mann, all of whom remained as active brethren throughout their lives. These men formed the nucleus of the new Lodge, which was to be names after the Poet John Greenleaf Whittier and which was suggested by Ken Matson. All of these men worked with their hands and had little experience with bookkeeping or secretarial duties. Hugh M. Topping Sr. arrived in Whittier to take over the duties as the city fire chief. He agreed to be the Secretary of the Lodge which added to the momentum for forming the new Lodge. A dispensation was granted and the Officers were elected and appointed. Work was commenced under the fellowship and spirit of all Masons who desire to make a home for themselves and a place to be proud to meet within the community.

Our first line of officers in 1928 were: Kenneth L Matson, Worshipful Master, Harold Mann, Senior Warden, Paul Wessman, Junior Warden, Hugh M. Topping (Chief) as Secretary and Arthur MacNeil as Treasurer. Degrees were performed and the raising of the first Master Mason was conducted in that year.

Time raced forward and the membership increased. Within a few short years a move was made from Greenleaf Ave. to South Bright Street. This facility was our home until late in 1951.

In 1945, under he leadership of Worshipful Larry Vestal, a Temple Association was formed with the purpose in mind of building our own Temple. This was the dream of some of our founding fathers and they spent every effort towards that goal. Breakfasts were held, barbecues, annual dinners and whatever would make money for the Temple fund. Property was acquired on West Hadley Street. It was “horse-traded” for property on Beverly Blvd. The building project was started in 1950.

First, the avocado trees were cleared off by the brethren.

“The call went forth and the craftsmen assembled with equipment ranging from handaxes and hammers to giant bulldozers.
A brother brought in heavy equipment, leveled and impacted the site for the building. A contract was set for the floors, the outside walls and the roof.”

Again, the brethren took over – digging ditches for the sewers, gas, electricity and water lines under the floor. After contractor put floors, walls and the roof into place and the real fun began.

Every weekend found about 100 brothers swarming all over the place putting in doors, conduit, light fixtures, painting, sanding smoothing, and you name it, they did it, all very well. The fellowship found in the relations among the workmen only enhanced the closeness of an already warm and friendly Lodge. In August of 1951 there was held the first Stated Meeting in the new Lodge room under the Worshipful Grover Ahmann.

With the passing of the years, fine men have held offices in Greenleaf Lodge. We have provided our Masonic district with four Inspectors; Edmund Skinner, Hugh Topping II, Lee Strong and Raymond Frazier. Two of Greenleaf’s Past masters have been selected to serve in appointive stations in the Grand Lodge of California. Worshipful James Twadell as Grand Pursuivant in 1995 and Lee Strong in 1978 as Grand Senior Deacon and Grand Orator in 1990.

Hello Brethren all,

The first CAUSE meeting was held today at the Front Page Cafe in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Attendees included Masons from across northeast and north-central Arkansas with one driving more that 4 hours to attend. Attendees included both active and illegally expelled Masons.

History was shared with the group about what is happening to Masonry nationwide. There are some states where Masonic officials have abused the power of their offices by illegally expelling members. Such abuses went unchecked for many years, eventually forcing illegally expelled Masons to turn to the civil court system in order to receive justice, because Masonic Jurisprudence was being ignored.

In 2001 Matthew Dupee filed suit against the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, prevailed in his lawsuit, and was reinstated into the fraternity. Richard Evans filed a similar suit against the Grand Lodge of Virginia in 2005 and was also victorious, being reinstated in 2009. Past Grandmaster Frank Haas sued the Grand Lodge of West Virginia due to his illegal expulsion in 2007 and clearly expects to prevail at his trial which in scheduled for December 6, 2010 in Charleston, West Virginia. In Arkansas, Darrell Pickney, Robert Stewart, and Melvin Pickney have sued the Grand Lodge of Arkansas and their suit should go to trial in 2011. A detailed summary was shared with the attendees in regards to the Arkansas case.

The dominoes are beginning to fall. Abuse of power will no longer be tolerated in the Masonic fraternity. The civil court system is doing what some leaders of Masons were not willing to do—ensure that fair and due process is granted under its laws. Masonic leaders in many states are rightly concerned about the abuse of power in those states being sued. The unfair treatment of members in a few states is casting a negative stigma on Masonry nationwide. Many believe it should no longer be tolerated and that good Grand Lodges must step up to the plate to police the bad. It has been suggested that a national governing body should be established. Who knows what the future may hold for Freemasonry in the United States.

The number one action item taken from today’s meeting was the consideration of building a website for communicating our CAUSE. A committee will make recommendations on how a website can best be utilized.

Next months meeting will be held Wednesday, July 28, 2010. A reminder will be send the week before the next meeting.

Darrell Pickney

Wine Steward (WS): I am W. Bro. Perry, try me and prove me.

TM: How were you first prepared to be made a steward?

WS:I was divested of my coat and my arms were laid bare. An apron was placed about my waist, and a Corkscrew placed in right hand

TM: Being yourself acquainted with the proper method you will instruct the stewards to prepare in the proper manner.

WS:Brother Stewards (wait for them to stand) by the request of the Toastmaster you will prepare yourselves in the proper manner. (pause while they dress by placing a towel over their arm and holding a corkscrew)

WS: W. Bro. Perry the stewards have prepared themselves in the proper manner.

TM: Brother Young, What is a corkscrew?

WS: An instrument fashioned like a winding staircase, up which our ancient brethren received their beer.

TM: Where did they receive it?

WS:In a convenient room adjoining the chamber.

TM: And how?

WS:In Tankards and Half Tankards.

TM: Why in this peculiar manner?

WS:In half Tankards, well knowing that the same would be replenished and in Tankards from the great reliance they placed in the integrity of the Brewers in those days.

TM: What were the names of the two great Banners hung at the porch way or entrance to the Ancient Chamber?

WS:That on the left was called Guinness, and that on the right, Big Rock Traditional (local Calgary Beer).

TM: What were their separate and conjoined significations?

WS:The former denotes in strength and the latter goodness and when conjoined INSTABILITY.

TM: What is Beer?

WS:A peculiar product of chemistry, veiled in mystery and illustrated by labels.

TM: How is this depicted in our Chambers?

WS:By a couple of Hops near to a barrel of water.

TM: Brethren, these are the usual questions, I shall put others if any Brother wishes me to do so.

[pause]

Then Bro Stewards you will do your duty.

Q. How do you expect to gain the rights and privileges?
A. By being a man too lazy to work, not ashamed to beg, and under the tongue of generally bad report.

Q. Where can this report be had of you?
A. In the police reports and inebriate asylums.

Q. From whence came you?
A. From a town in Texas called Booze.

Q. Then you are a regular tramp I perceive?
A. I am so taken and arrested wherever I go.

Q. How do you know you are a regular tramp?
A. By being often arrested and tried and never acquitted, and expect to be arrested and tried and convicted again.

Q. Where were you first prepared to be a tramp?
A. In a small bar room adjoining my place of abode.

Q. How were you prepared?
A. By being kicked and cuffed around until divested of nearly all my clothes, having been previously deprived ofall my money and diamonds.

Q. What first induced you to become a tramp?
A. That I might travel all over the land and indulge my ravenous appetite for beer – and sponge my living from an easily humbugged public.

Q. How am I to know you to be a tramp?
A. By the size and laziness of my feet, by the size and color of my nose, and by signs, grips and words.

Q. What are words?
A. Certain plausible tales that will best serve to induce the lady of the house to give up her cakes and pies.

Q. What are signs?
A. Dirty face and hands, torn and dirty clothes, with a bad limp in either leg.

Q. What is a grip?
A. A tight hold on anything portable that can be turned into ready cash.

Q. Will you give me the grip?
A. No; get one on some other fellow.

Q. How did you first gain admission to this town?
A. By a good long tramp at “low twelve” the time when all policemen are called from labor to refreshments.

Q. How were you received?
A. By a cop, just on the point of taking a Manhattan eye-opener.

Q. What did he do with you?
A. He put me in the cooler in due form.

Q. What was next done with you?
A. He conducted me around from East to West, to the court house, and told me to stand erect and face the judge.

Q. What did the judge say to you?
A. He told me to say my name and promise to obey the law, after which he ordered me to take a step to the left and follow the cop to the place from whence I came.

Q. What was then said to you?
A. I was asked whether I would be off or from.

Q. From what unto what?
A. From this town to the next quite quickly.

PASS

I read this in today’s News & Courier and wanted to share it with you all.

Equality for everyone
Thursday, May 13, 2010

Equality and love for everyone. It’s hard to argue that. We were born pure: not seeing race, sexuality, ego, hate, anger. It’s hard to remember those days, but there are reminders every time a new life enters this world. And, if you can believe it, it is still inside everyone. Our core has been clouded over the years, but perspective usually comes when you least expect it. It is truth.

Here is a quote that sums everything up quite nicely: “Your task is not to seek for love but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it,” Dr. Helen Schucman.

-Marcus Amaker

Brethren, my wife and I took our 4 month old grandson to Edisto Serpentarium last Saturday and given that most people are, if not downright afraid, at least apprehensive of snakes and such, Jay’s reaction was amazing. He was TOTALLY FASCINATED with all the differently colored snakes and other reptiles. When I brought over a 6ft ball python for him to see up close he was actually reaching for it! He could sense Betsy and I weren’t afraid of it, so he wasn’t afraid either.

It was something new, and he wanted to experience it. The experience for me just reinforced in me the fact that we aren’t born afraid of anything, it’s all learned behavior – we learn it form our families first and then our companions. Our children learn to fear what we fear. Just as we learned to fear what our parents feared. Something to think about. Pause and reflect, my brothers.

Respectfully and Fraternally,
Tom Lewis, Jr 32° KT KRC
WM Mariner Lodge #2 Charleston, SC
Life Member Jackson Lodge #45, Jackson TN
“Fraternitas Humana Sub Paternus Deus”

I recall a quotation I heard many years ago, ‘When you place your hand in a flowing stream, you touch the last that has gone before and the first that is yet to come.” A man’s relevant position in history and our position in Freemasonry is as that hand. We stand today as the hand in the flowing stream of Freemasonry touching the last that has gone before and the first that is yet to come. There is a distinctive difference, however, between the hand in the water and us. The hand has no power to change the ultimate destiny of the flow of the water. But we, my Brethren, have the capacity and the power to change the ultimate destiny of Freemasonry.

I want to make it totally clear that I speak to you today expressing my views and my opinions, and mine only. I speak for no Masonic Body. I do speak, however, as one who has spent thirty-six active years in Freemasonry, eighteen of them as Grand Secretary. I speak as one who has made some effort to study the Craft and has a great concern about its future.

Freemasonry has existed in some form probably at least since the 14th century we think In its organized speculative form it has existed since 1717 we know. Although we cannot be sure of what it was originally, we think we know what it is now. But do we? Freemasonry has been defined in many glowing terms by Freemasons for a long period of time and in less than glowing terms by its detractors for an equally long period of time. The definitions are there, and yet there are precious few who truly know what we are, and that includes us.

We look with regret at not being as significant in today’s world as we were in yesterday’s because our numbers are not as great. We evaluate ourselves in terms of quantity instead of quality and that is an unfortunate appraisal of the Craft for it has caused us also to lose sight f what we were. Our attempt to return to former influence may, therefore, be unachievable, for if we don’t know what we are how can we hope to become what we were. One thing is certain, however, if we continue to change from what it was which made us great we reduce the chance to regain that greatness.

Think for a moment of how much time and money you have invested in this Craft. Now multiply that investment by tens of millions. The resultant figures are astronomical. Why have we done this? There has to be some stimulating factor which has caused the Craft to be carried in its speculative form for almost 300 years. I would suggest that it was the constancy of its purpose and the positive image it projected to the world. We have for the last two decades been concentrating our best leadership ability on an issue which we perceive to be the greatest threat against our integrity–the loss of our quantity. It is significant that we are not a static organization. Freemasonry is an ever evolving entity, and change cannot be opposed because it is change, but nor should it be accepted for its own sake. We each have an obligation to be certain that any change we make will be of a benefit to the Craft or, more importantly, at least not a detriment. In analyzing this evolution we find one constant denominator that did not vary through all its years the emphasis on the quality of its membership, which in turn probably has been the primary reason for most Member affiliations. We projected to the world an image which good men wanted to be part of.

We have probably changed Freemasonry overall more in the last 20 years than was done in the prior 250, and what have we accomplished? We certainly have not stopped the decline in numbers for which reason we made most of the changes. We have, however, managed to reduce our attractiveness to the professional class which comprised much of our membership. Perhaps the time has arrived for us to examine more closely what has been done and what has been the result. Let’s take the time to analyze what we have accomplished and honestly answer and acknowledge where we have failed. We have not stopped the bleeding of numbers, but we sure have reduced our influence from what it once was. I propose that Freemasonry became as great as it did, and remained as great as it has, for three primary reasons. Reason #1 it was probably the first organization to accept, at least philosophically, men from all stations of life as equals. Reason #2 it attracted some of the greatest minds that ever lived. Reason #3 it remained selective on the quality of the man it would accept.

The deletion of any one of these reasons would have prevented the Craft from becoming what it did or remaining as it has, and I am convinced that the loss of any one will also destroy it, at least in the historic form for which it is known. It, therefore, behooves us to ask what are we trying to save?

Make no doubt about it, my Brothers, Freemasonry is the greatest organization ever conceived by the mind of man. It has impacted the evolution of civil society beyond that of any organization outside of organized religion. There can be no doubt that without Freemasonry the civilized world, in its present form, probably would not ex1st. The world is as it is today because Freemasonry lived.

Recognizing these facts, my Brothers, we have inherited an awesome responsibility, one of more than just keeping the name Freemasonry alive. We must keep it a viable force that can display to the world what is good and right in mankind, an enclave of toleration in an intolerant world, a unique organization in a world that needs that uniqueness, an organization known worldwide by the quality of its membership. We are making many decisions today, however, that seem to indicate a lack of interest in preserving the integrity of the Craft. We seem more intent on redefining and reshaping it in almost any manner to fit into what we perceive to be what society wants us to be. But, we must be more than that. Freemasonry leads not follows.

We have always been distinctively different from any other organization. Why should we attempt to change into something someone else wants us to be? The world needs Freemasonry. There is nothing out there to replace us. We must make sure the world knows.

It sometimes defies logic to put so much effort into programs that are geared to emulate the principle purposes of other organizations which are declining in membership more rapidly than are we. Not only can we not hope to be more significant than they in their field of endeavor to begin with, but none have ever reached that pinnacle of greatness that we have. If we are not succeeding by emulating, should we not be considering building upon our uniqueness? We are what we are because of it. First, however, we must understand the cause of the decline.

We look at the loss of membership and interest and have the tendency to blame ourselves for what we deem to be a failure in our structure and our leadership. My Brethren, I honestly do not believe that any difference in our structure or our leadership would have shown results much different than they do today.

The loss in membership can neither be blamed solely on inadequacy of leadership or failure of our system. Our purpose and precepts have carried us through changing societies for centuries. Why should it now be judged a failure because our numbers fluctuate even as they have fluctuated in the past? We are no different in terms of membership decline than almost all other organizations today, including most religions. The climate of society today simply is different and not geared to organizational interests that place restrictions on its activities.

Because society lowers its standards does not mean we must do the same to attract them. Indeed, we have an obligation to the future to lead the way to what is morally and ethically right, to be more than just average in society. In essence, to be what we have always been. I feel strongly that we are looking at a sociological phenomenon, one probably created by our attempt to make life easier for each succeeding generation and which must run its course before we find a redevelopment of interest in our way of life. We must realize that there is no immediate spontaneous solution to our decline in numbers. We must acknowledge that this is a problem not localized to either area or organization. It is time for us to recognize that our decrease in numbers is due to a sociological condition of the time and not to our inability to cope with change.

The pendulum will swing, my Brothers; there will be a renewed interest in a quality organization based upon our philosophical principles. But, will Freemasonry as a quality organization be there to accept those interested? I quote from Rejections on Masonic Values. “If we shall not be careful in the admission of candidates and improve the procedure of admission, we are then starting the composition of a funeral hymn for the death of our noble institution. As Freemasons, we should not allow this to happen. If and when we do, we are doomed for we have just hammered the last nail in the sarcophagus of Freemasonry.”