The Mystic Tie – Symbols and Symbolism

In this installment of Symbols & Symbolism, we look at a reading from Albert G. Mackey’s Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and from a piece from Joseph Fort Newton’s The Builder on the Mystic Tie. Defining this mysterious phrase is often troublesome as how does one define the ineffable or the unseen? Often times, to define the mysterious we resort to putting words to feelings, or expressions of a feeling, that still fall short of the what the meaning represents. Perhaps, in Mackey’s definition with help from Newton, we can find some help in putting feeling to this important symbol.

The Mystic Tie

Encyclopedia of Freemasonry

That sacred and inviolable bond which unites men of the most discordant opinions into one band of brothers, which gives but one language to men of all nations and one altar to men of all religions, is properly, from the mysterious influence it exerts, denominated the mystic tie; and Freemasons, because they alone are under its influence, or enjoy its benefits, are called “Brethren of the Mystic Tie.”

The expression was used by Brother Robert Burns in his farewell to the Brethren of Saint James Lodge, Tarbolton, Scotland in 1786.

RObert Burns and the Mystic Tie
Burns addressing Saint James Lodge

The full text of the poem/song reads:

Adieu! a heart-warm fond adieu;
Dear brothers of the mystic tie!
Ye favoured, enlighten’d few,
Companions of my social joy;
Tho’ I to foreign lands must hie,
Pursuing Fortune’s slidd’ry ba’;
With melting heart, and brimful eye,
I’ll mind you still, tho’ far awa.

Oft have I met your social band,
And spent the cheerful, festive night;
Oft, honour’d with supreme command,
Presided o’er the sons of light:
And by that hieroglyphic bright,
Which none but Craftsmen ever saw
Strong Mem’ry on my heart shall write
Those happy scenes, when far awa.

May Freedom, Harmony, and Love,
Unite you in the grand Design,
Beneath th’ Omniscient Eye above,
The glorious Architect Divine,
That you may keep th’ unerring line,
Still rising by the plummet’s law,
Till Order bright completely shine,
Shall be my pray’r when far awa.

And you, farewell! whose merits claim
Justly that highest badge to wear:
Heav’n bless your honour’d noble name,
To Masonry and Scotia dear!
A last request permit me here, –
When yearly ye assemble a’,
One round, I ask it with a tear,
To him, the Bard that’s far awa.


From The Builder

June, 1920
by Bro. Joseph Fort Newton

Joseph Fort Newton
Joseph Fort Newton

“The moral solidarity of mankind is dissolved. The danger is imminent that the end may be a war of all against all. Sects and parties are increasing; common estimates and ideals keep slipping away; we understand one another less and less; even voluntary associations, that form of unity peculiar to modern times, unite more in accomplishment than disposition, bring men together outwardly rather than in reality.”
These words, written by Rudolph Eucken in 1912, were like a star-shell over No Man’s Land, revealing the divided mind of the world, and they had a terrible fulfilment. The War, by its principle of violence, made no positive contribution to society, but only stirred up and brought to the surface what already existed. For both men and nations, it intensified tendencies already active, precipitated passions held in obscure solution, and brought into focus forces that had long been uneasily accumulating. It neither initiated nor changed the direction in which the world was moving, but it did quicken the pace, and, in quickening it, revealed it. That is why a haunting uneasiness possesses the minds of men today. Even when local disturbances subside and isolated disputes are settled, we still doubt whether a stable tranquility has returned or ever will return again. For these things are only symptoms of a profound and widespread mental ferment and moral restlessness.

The insight of Eucken goes further back and deeper down to the real root of the matter, divining the causes and logic of it all to be moral, spiritual, religious. For, if anything is made plain by history, it is that the mystic tie which holds humanity together in ordered and advancing life is moral and spiritual, and when that thread is cut anything may happen. From the beginning of the century the spiritual disintegration of the modern world, the breaking of the ties that bind together the fabric of civilization, had been observed and noted by many. Faith grew dim, moral sanctions were relaxed, and it was deemed clever and smart to talk lightly of those sanctities without which no society has long existed. Much of our literature has been intellectually Bolshevistic for thirty years, attacking the basis of marriage, of the home, of the church, of the state, as if the moral laws were only conventions, if not fictions. Verily we have our reward; we know now that when fools play with fire they get burned.

For a time, during the stress and strain and terror of the war, there seemed to be a re-knitting of the ties that bind men and nations together; but it was only seeming. It was the power of fear and force, not the power of faith. How unreal, how artificial it was is shown by the rapidity with which that amazing solidarity was demobilized, to be followed by a revival of class rancor, sectarian ardor, and a narrow, myopic nationalism. A world which, having sent young men to die by the thousands for magnanimous ideals, has already half forgotten them as it coolly and briskly resumes business at the old stand – such a world may be grieved, but it ought not to be astonished, at the revolt of both the minds and souls of men. Not that the immediate future will see a triumph of subversive schemes and radical ideas. If we follow an almost universal precedent we shall pass first through a period of luxury and extravagance, and there will he a momentary craving for the old social and religious orders, as in the years following the Napoleonic Wars. But this is not significant. It is merely the first reaction from the emotional strain and nervous tension of the war. This mood will soon spend itself, and then, at once, new forms, new forces, new demands will begin to arise which will sweep away much that has seemed precious and permanent in our lives.

Without a spiritual renewal, without a re-knitting of that “moral solidarity,” of which Eucken speaks so eloquently, – without the Mystic Tie – we may not hope for security and real progress. The truth is that we have been trying to build a human civilization on a materialistic foundation, and it cannot be done. No human community can long exist on such a basis. Russia has rendered incalculable service to humanity, by showing, with deadly consistency, how materialism issues into anarchy and animalism. Hear now a proof of this in the words of a spiritually-minded man who lived in the midst of it, watching the decay and destruction of his country. Eugene Troubetzkoy, Professor of Law in the University of Moscow, in the Hibbert Journal, for January 1920 (page 210), shows us what happens when the tie of spiritual faith and fellowship is broken. Here are words which he who runs may read:

Bolshevism is first and foremost the practical denial of the spiritual. They flatly refuse to admit the existence of any spiritual bond between man and man. For them economic and material interests constitute the only social nexus; they recognize no other. This is the source of their whole conception of human society. The love of country, for example, is a lying hypocritical pretense; for the national bond is a spiritual bond, and therefore wholly factitious. From their point of view the only real bond between men is the material – that is to say, the economic. Material interests divide men into classes, and they are the only divisions to be taken account of. Hence they recognize no Nations save the Rich and the Poor. As there is no other bond which can unite these two Nations into one social whole, their relations must be regulated exclusively by the zoological principle revealed in the struggle for existence.

The materialistic conception of society is the Bolshevist method of treating the family. Since there is no spiritual bond between the sexes, there can be no constant relation. The rule is therefore that men and women can change their partners as often as they wish. The authorities in certain districts have even proclaimed the ‘nationalization’ of women, that is, the abolition of any private and exclusive right to process a wife even for a limited period, on the ground that women are the property of all. The same children. A powerful current of opinion is urging that children must be taken from their parents in order that the State may give them an education on true materialistic lines. In certain communes some hundreds of children were ‘nationalized,’ that is, ‘taken from their parents and placed in public institutions.

There it is, showing us what the red logic of hell means when it works itself out in action, and what results follow when the Mystic Tie of spiritual faith and fellowship is cut. Political anarchy, social animalism, moral bedlam follow with mathematical certainty, and all the fine and holy things of life are thrown into the junk heap. Man has an animal inheritance – moods of ape and tiger mingle in him with divine dreams and thoughts that wander through eternity – and when the Divine is denied, he reverts to the law of the jungle, and the hard-won trophy of spiritual struggle and agony vanishes. What happens, happens again. The Bolsheviks are men of like passions as ourselves; they simply carry out with the fatal logic of fanaticism the dogma of materialism upon which we have been trying to base our modern civilization. If anyone thinks that what has taken place in Russia cannot happen in America, he knows little of history and less of human nature. The practical denial of the Divine dehumanizes humanity, and the rest follows as night follows day.

For that reason, if it should be a part of our religion to be patriotic, it must be a part of our patriotism to keep the light of spiritual faith aflame on the altars built by our fathers. Down in Wales, at a time when it seemed that revolution was inevitable, I asked a labor leader what bond held men together. He said:

All that holds these men back is the fact that they were trained in the Sunday-schools of these Welsh chapels years ago. That is all that keeps the spark from blowing up.

Within the last four years, ten thousand Sunday-schools have ceased to exist in America, and the end is not yet. Facts such as these, and others of like kind, make a thoughtful man wonder as to what the future will be. What confronts us is not specifically indifference to religion, but indifference to pretty well everything outside the circle of creature comfort and self-gratification. There are many exceptions, of course, but in the main it is true that society has as yet been able to persuade only a few of its members to be really interested in its higher concerns. By the same token, men who do care for what is finest in our national life must make use of every opportunity, every instrumentality, to keep alive the faith that makes men faithful, and the vision of the moral ideal that lights our human way toward the city of God.

There is no need to apply what has been said, least of all to men to whom the Mystic Tie is a reality, and who are bound together by it in a fraternity of spiritual Faith and Fellowship. In every degree of Freemasonry, we are taught – by art, drama and symbol – the moral basis of human society, its spiritual interpretation, and the necessity of a fraternal righteousness among men, without which manhood is rudimentary and intellectual culture is the slave of greed and passion. Of Lincoln it was said, that “his practical life was spiritual,” and by as much as Masonry builds men of like faith and fiber who, in private life and public service, keep a manhood neither bought nor sold, true of heart and unbefogged of mind, it is helping to weave that Mystic Tie that holds the republic together. The words of James Bryce, in The American Commonwealth (page 583), ought to be written and hung up in our hearts. If history teaches anything, it teaches us that hitherto civilized society has rested on religion.

It was religious zeal and religious conscience that led to the founding of the New England colonies two centuries and a half ago… Religion and conscience have been a constantly active force in the American Commonwealth ever since…

And the more democratic republics become…

…the more the masses grow conscious of their power, the more do they need to live not only by patriotism, but by reverence and self-control, and the more essential to their well-being are those sources from which reverence and self-control flow.

The full quote reads:

America is no doubt the country in which intellectual movements work most swiftly upon the masses and the country in which the loss of faith in the invisible might produce the completest revolution because it is the country where men have been least wont to revere anything in the visible world. Yet America seems as unlikely to drift from her ancient moorings as any country of the Old World. It was religious zeal and the religious conscience which led to the founding of the New England colonies two centuries and a half ago those colonies whose spirit has in such a large measure passed into the whole nation. Religion and conscience have been a constantly active force in the American commonwealth ever since not indeed strong enough to avert many moral and political evils yet at the worst times inspiring a minority with a courage and ardor by which moral and political evils have been held at bay and in the long run generally overcome.

It is an old saying that monarchies live by honor and republics by virtue. The more democratic republics become the more the masses grow conscious of their own power the more do they need to live not only by patriotism but by reverence and self control and the more essential to their well being are those sources whence reverence and self control flow.

More on Symbols and Symbolism.

Taking Control

Lone Star Grand Guild Emblem

Lone Star Grand Guild Emblem

One of the problems in Freemasonry is a problem that is indigenous to most large, prestigious organizations, societies and politics. It is that these prominent groups attract leaders who are all about gaining the position of leadership and little about improving or growing the group. We call these people medal or title chasers. They get to be top leader not by what they do but who they know, by favors and even bribery.

There is an old saying: “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  The fact that leadership positions in these groups brings to the leader a lot of power and prestige can be a corruptible factor.  This tendency is not confined to private groups and societies. We can see it in large corporations and in politics.

Some good well intentioned people who obtain leadership face such a quagmire when they get to the top that they decide not to push for reforms. They are not up to a fight, a bloody battle where they will have to make some tough decisions for the good of the organization

Either leadership type will “go with the flow” and cruise through their time in office refusing to create any waves lest they lose their coveted position. They are caretakers, seat warmers, who cruise and smooze through their time as top leader. But in the long run the group suffers.

None of this describes the leadership style of Grand Princess Captain Lucille Samuel.  Not a wilting flower, Samuel is all into building relationships based on TRUST, SINCERITY & THE GOOD OF THE ORDER. At the same time she refuses to accept mediocrity and will not hesitate to discipline those who are bringing her Order down. Lastly she is not afraid to vocally criticize her Order demanding that it straighten up and fly right.

Here in the second Allocution The Beehive has published from Grand Princess Captain Samuel given at her Grand Session last week she does just that.

TAKING CONTROL

Speak not in the ears of a fool; for he will despise the wisdom of thy word.
Proverbs 23:9 

R. Lucille Samuel Grand Princess Captain Lone Star Grand Guild of Texas PHA Heroines of the Templars Crusade International Grand Senior Shepherdess International Grand Deputy of Texas International Grand Court of Cyrene Crusaders

R. Lucille Samuel
Grand Princess Captain
Lone Star Grand Guild of Texas PHA
Heroines of the Templars Crusade
International Grand Senior Shepherdess
International Grand Deputy of Texas
International Grand Court of Cyrene Crusaders

Those of you that are computer savvy I want you to take a moment to ride with me.  Those of you that are not I will be your driver.  Most people know that when a computer is infected with a virus it completely shuts down all programs.  All your files and software are infected by an unknown virus that usually cannot be cured.  Most of the time the computer has to be thoroughly wiped clean and all software and hardware reloaded.  This is so costly and time consuming especially when 80% of our time is spent on computer technology.

Many people are afraid to learn or become acquainted with computers or any type of advanced technology.  They don’t feel confident or brave enough to tackle the age of modern information.

I am sure all of you can relate to the Mainframe of our organization which is our Lodges, Chapters and Palaces.  Because we allow these viruses to enter our organizations and spread their infectious ignorance our Order is becoming a Social Club instead of a well respected Masonic Order.

We have lost our confidence in ourselves and forgotten that this great Order is based upon true brother and sisterhood and not friendship.  It is respect for all others and not only listening but truly hearing what you were taught during your obligation at the Altar.  The most sincere respect of another is hearing what others have to say and not always monopolizing the conversation.

How can you consider yourself a member of any organization when you can’t look your own brother or sister in the eye?  How can you deny others admission into the order because of the hatred you have for their friend or mentor?  What gives you the right to slander your brother or sister because of envy or hatred?  Did you know Haters are people with NO vision and they envy progress?  Many people live for compliments and not accomplishments.

R. Lucille Samuel Grand Princess

.
R. Lucille Samuel
Grand Princess Captain
Lone Star Grand Guild of Texas PHA
Heroines of the Templars Crusade
International Grand Senior Shepherdess
International Grand Deputy of Texas
International Grand Court of Cyrene Crusaders

Instead of being the problem try solving the problem!  All these smiling wolves in sheep’s clothing need to be eliminated.  Don’t come to me with gossip about me.  Stop the gossip instead of entertaining it.  You can’t play both sides of the fence or ride the fence.  You either saddle that horse and ride or stay in the Barn!  Some of you are pretty weak when you allow friendship to override integrity and your own self respect.  When you allow your supposedly friends (by the way they are only using you in case you did not know) to handle their dirty work so they can gain control of the Order then that makes you a pawn in their chess game.   If you are so blind that you allow potentially great members to be turned away then why did you ever petition our Order?  As Reverend Sampson says Are You A Fan or a Follower?  Always remember a FAKE person is like GOLD because FAKE never FADES!

We need to STAND UP and TAKE BACK this Masonic Order.  Those that do not have the confidence or strength to work with us instead of against us need to step aside!  Our strength and struggles are the backbone of this Order.  We cannot be cowards and allow this virus to infect us any longer.  This virus needs to be deleted like Spam Mail!  Courage is needed to speak up and say what is on our minds.  Complaining to each other will solve absolutely nothing.  The greatest power in the world is pen and paper.  USE IT!  Compromising is out of the question.  Leaders you have the power to make a change.  If members cannot follow the programs then get rid of them.  You cannot voice any opinions sitting at home and complaining.  Attend your meetings and be a part of the positive so we can eliminate the negative.

Many people have a fear of losing friendship if they voice their opinions during meetings.  When you are conducting business, friendship takes a back seat.  You have to be ambitious if you are pursuing leadership.  Be persistent in all your efforts.  When you are a threat you are always the target.

The mentality of new members today seems to be how soon can I get in and how soon can I take over.  If we start at the door and work our way to the East it is well worth the wait.  We have members currently that have never taken the time to thoroughly read the Constitution or the Ritual.  But if you ask them when the next Ball or White Party is they have the answer.

Proverbs 16:18

Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.

You will find many leaders that are lost in the clouds over their Egos.  People place them on pedestals.  But you are not a leader when your members don’t respect you.  Leadership is defined by results and not attributes.  If you really want to know the true character of a person just observe how they treat their subordinates and not their equals.

We need to stay encouraged and promote encouragement.  Problems are not stop signs they are guidelines.

If we portray a lack of confidence we will not succeed and potentially fail.  We cannot worry about popularity or disapproval of others.  This is about regaining control of this Great Masonic Order.  We would all prosper if we learned to stop trying to change the rules of the game and play the hand we are dealt.

You already know that people outside of the Order already consider us as devil worshipers or members of a cult.  WE NEED TO EDUCATE in the Communities what we are all about.  Show them that we are believers of GOD and our true sense of honor!

 When we exhibit confidence in ourselves it earns the respect of others and our membership.  We must stand tall and portray competence and empower ourselves with knowledge so we are able to educate new members.

 Until we stop fighting amongst each other the enemy will always win.  We have to learn the meaning of FAITH again.  We are not our Brother or Sisters Keeper when we can’t stand the sight of each other.  If we want peace and perseverance we must LET GO AND LET GOD!

In closing I ask that we all remember:

Ability is what you’re capable of doing.  Motivation determines what you do.  Attitude determines how well you do it.

Please do not hesitate to contact Grand Princess Captain R. Lucille Samuel at rouchellion@yahoo.com

Freemason Tim Bryce.

Our Governing Documents

BRYCE ON GOVERNMENT

– The written instruments used to govern and shape America.

NOTE: You may want to “bookmark” this column and pass the web address on to others, particularly young people.

I have many pamphlets describing the country’s governing documents, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, but I wanted something more comprehensive where I could quickly access the various documents by computer. What follows is a listing of the documents which shaped our nation. In addition to governing documents, the list includes treaties, acts, and landmark Supreme Court rulings. The Magna Carta and Mayflower Compact are included as they greatly influenced our need for government. I did not include presidential farewell addresses or speeches, except for the Gettysburg Address.

 I’ve organized this into three sections:

* CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
* ALPHABETIC ORDER
* OTHER IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS that had a bearing on our country.

It is hoped this will become an important research repository for you. For each document, I am including background information as provided by Wikipedia as well as the actual text of the document itself. I hope you find it useful.

 CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

Magna Carta – 1297
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Mayflower Compact – 1620
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Declaration of Independence – 1776
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Articles of Confederation – 1777
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Northwest Ordinance of 1787
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Federalist Papers – 1787-1788
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Constitution – 1789
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Bill of Rights – 1791
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Jay’s Treaty – 1794
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Alien and Sedition Act – 1798
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Louisiana Purchase – 1803
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Supreme Court Decision – Marbury v. Madison – 1803
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Treaty of Ghent – 1814
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Supreme Court Decision – McCulloch v. Maryland – 1819
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Missouri Compromise – 1820
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Monroe Doctrine – 1823
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Supreme Court Decision – Gibbons v. Ogden – 1824
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Compromise of 1850
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Kansas-Nebraska Act – 1854
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Supreme Court Decision – Dred Scott v. Sanford – 1857
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Ordinance of Secession – 1860-1861
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Confederate States of America (CSA) Constitution – 1861
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Writ of Habeas Corpus, Lincoln suspends – 1862
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Emancipation Proclamation – 1863
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Gettysburg Address – 1863
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Appomattox Surrender – 1865
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Sherman Anti-Trust Act – 1890
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Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty (Panama) – 1903
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Peace Treaty of Versailes – 1919
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Social Security Act – 1935
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Lend/Lease Act – 1941
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United Nations Charter – 1945
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North Atlantic Treaty – 1949
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Peace Treaty of San Francisco – 1951
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Supreme Court Decision – Brown v. Board of Education – 1954
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Supreme Court Decision – Gideon v. Wainwright – 1963
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Civil Rights Act – 1964
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Supreme Court Decision – Miranda v. Arizona – 1966
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Supreme Court Decision – Roe v. Wade – 1973
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Torrijos–Carter Treaties (Panama) – 1977
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Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) – 2010
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 ALPHABETIC ORDER

Alien and Sedition Act – 1798
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Appomattox Surrender – 1865
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Articles of Confederation – 1777
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Bill of Rights – 1791
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Civil Rights Act – 1964
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Compromise of 1850
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Confederate States of America (CSA) Constitution – 1861
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Constitution – 1789
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Declaration of Independence – 1776
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Emancipation Proclamation – 1863
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Federalist Papers – 1787-1788
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Gettysburg Address – 1863
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Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty (Panama) – 1903
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Jay’s Treaty – 1794
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Kansas-Nebraska Act – 1854
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Lend/Lease Act – 1941
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Louisiana Purchase – 1803
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Magna Carta – 1297
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Mayflower Compact – 1620
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Missouri Compromise – 1820
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Monroe Doctrine – 1823
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North Atlantic Treaty – 1949
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Northwest Ordinance of 1787
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Ordinance of Secession – 1860-1861
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Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) – 2010
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Peace Treaty of San Francisco – 1951
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Peace Treaty of Versailes – 1919
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Sherman Anti-Trust Act – 1890
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Social Security Act – 1935
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Supreme Court Decision – Brown v. Board of Education – 1954
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Supreme Court Decision – Dred Scott v. Sanford – 1857
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Supreme Court Decision – Gibbons v. Ogden – 1824
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Supreme Court Decision – Gideon v. Wainwright – 1963
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Supreme Court Decision – Marbury v. Madison – 1803
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Supreme Court Decision – McCulloch v. Maryland – 1819
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Supreme Court Decision – Miranda v. Arizona – 1966
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Supreme Court Decision – Roe v. Wade – 1973
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Torrijos–Carter Treaties (Panama) – 1977
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Treaty of Ghent – 1814
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United Nations Charter – 1945
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Writ of Habeas Corpus, Lincoln suspends – 1862
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 OTHER IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS

Bank Bill of 1791
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Napoleonic Law – 1804
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The New Deal – 1933-1936
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Kennedy Doctrine – 1963
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Indian Treaties
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Keep the Faith!

author, freemason, business management, from the edge
Freemasonry From the Edge

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim’s columns, see:
timbryce.com

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Copyright © 2014 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

Perspectives on American Freemasonry and Fraternalism

Perspectives on American Freemasonry and Fraternalism

Perspectives on American Freemasonry and FraternalismRegistration is now open for the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library symposium

Perspectives on American Freemasonry and Fraternalism

April 11, 2014

From the Library:

The Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library announces its symposium, Perspectives on American Freemasonry and Fraternalism, to be held Friday, April 11, 2014.

This day-long symposium seeks to present the newest research on American fraternal groups from the past through the present. By 1900, over 250 American fraternal groups existed, numbering six million members. The study of their activities and influence in the United States, past and present, offers the potential for new interpretations of American society and culture.

The symposium program is as follows:

  • “’The Farmer Feeds Us All’: The Origins and Evolution of a Grange Anthem,” Stephen Canner, Independent Scholar
  • “Painted Ambition: Notes on Some Early Masonic Wall Painting,” Margaret Goehring, Assistant Professor of Art History, New Mexico State University
  • “The Colored Knights of Pythias,” Stephen Hill, Sr., Phylaxis Society
  • “Mid-Nineteenth Century Masonic Lodges: Middle-Class Families in the Absence of Women,” Kristen M. Jeschke, Adjunct Professor, DeVry University
  • “Pilgrimage and Procession: The Knights Templar Triennial Conclaves and the Dream of the American West,” Adam Geoffrey Kendall, Henry Wilson Coil Library & Museum of Freemasonry, Grand Lodge of F. & A.M. of California
  • “Bragging Brethren and Solid Sisters? Contrasting Mobilization Patterns Among Male and Female Orders During the Spanish-American War,“ Jeffrey Tyssens, Professor of Contemporary History, Vrije Universiteit Brussels
  • Participants’ choice of a staff-led tour of “A Sublime Brotherhood: Two Hundred Years of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction,” a behind-the-scenes tour of the Museum collections or a tour of highlights from the Van Gorden-Williams Library and Archives.

Registration, open now through March 21, 2014, is $65 ($60 for Museum members) and includes morning refreshments, lunch, and a closing reception. The registration form with full instructions and details can be found on the Museum’s website at www.monh.org.

For more information, contact Hilary Anderson Stelling, Director of Exhibitions and Audience Development, at hstelling@monh.org or 781-457-4121.

The symposium is funded in part by the Supreme Council, 33°, N. M. J., U. S. A.

The Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library is dedicated to presenting exhibitions and programs on a wide variety of topics in American history and popular culture. The Museum is supported by the Scottish Rite Freemasons in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States. The Museum is located at 33 Marrett Road in Lexington at the corner of Route 2A and Massachusetts Avenue. The Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Admission to the Museum is free. For further information contact the Museum at 781-861-6559.

More info at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, Inc. – National Heritage Museum 

Our Intolerant Society

Freemasonry is one of the most misunderstood institutions on the planet. It is not a religion, charity, political action committee or cult. It is simply the original fraternity whereby members congregate to enjoy friendship, morality and brotherly love. Despite this, people are suspicious about their motives and have accused the Masons of everything from starting World War I to the Kennedy assassination. No, they are not trying to secretly commandeer government. Heck, they have trouble organizing a picnic, let alone the world. Now I’m going to let you in on a little secret, but before I do, you should understand in order to join the Masons you must possess a belief in Deity (in a Supreme Being). Because of this, no atheist or agnostic can join the Masons. I have personally sat in Lodge with members representing every religious denomination imaginable, all enjoying peace and tranquility. Now for the secret: discussion about religion and politics is forbidden in a Masonic lodge. This is done in order to maintain the harmony of the Lodge.

It’s interesting to see what a little tolerance can do. Instead of squabbling over theological or ideological differences, Masons sit as brothers looking for ways to cooperate and understand each other. I’ve discovered a little tolerance can go a long way. It’s a pleasure to know men who are my political and religious opposites. You gain invaluable insight as to their interests and perspectives on life. We learn from each other. It’s actually quite refreshing to speak on the level without fear of retribution. The fraternity proves it is indeed possible to have civil and respectful discourse, but certain rules of decorum have to be observed.

Outside of the Lodge, there are no rules or decorum. In the real world of today, it has become commonplace to make scurrilous claims designed to attack the integrity of another. It wasn’t always like this though. Although we understood differences existed between ourselves, there wasn’t a public venue to comment. Thanks to the advent of easy-to-use social media, where a wide variety of disparate personalities and interests meet and pass public communiques, decorum and cordiality have been replaced with venom and hostility. People will say things in such venues they would never dare say face-to-face. Such discourse is changing our society and makes for heated arguments. Nobody is immune from this, including yours truly who has been duped into reacting upon having his nose tweaked. Even those of us who do not use social media are affected as they will undoubtedly encounter a person influenced by such technology.

Thanks to electronic communications, where we observe the thoughts of others, we have sharpened our personal sense of social and ideological right and wrong, thereby accelerating the rift between us. One side sees our country as half-empty, and the other half-full. To illustrate:

Liberals pound on conservative doctrine, and vice versa.

Atheists ridicule people over their religious beliefs.

Politicians spin lies and deceit against their opponents. Negative advertising is now the norm, not positive.

Gays argue with straights over lifestyle.

Our divisiveness is now in full bloom for all the world to see. Our common sense of right and wrong is cloudy at best and we no can longer agree what kind of country the United States should represent. Not surprising, one side or the other will not not be happy, which is why I worry about the fallout from the November elections. It is impossible to elude.

We have gone from respectful discourse to a society intolerant of the other person’s point-of-view, thanks in large part to technology. It’s too bad we cannot all sit in Lodge together and speak on the level.

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director ofM&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim’s columns, see:
timbryce.com

Copyright © 2012 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

Freemason Tim Bryce.

Instant Karma’s Gonna Get You

I shot out a traffic light the other day with my shotgun, one that has been giving me fits lately as I go to work. No, I didn’t actually shoot it, but I have found myself fantasizing about doing so lately as I have become increasingly agitated while waiting on this particular light. In fact, I’ve noticed I’m becoming more irritable lately and have even found myself yelling expletives at machines, particularly my computer and cell phone. No, I don’t think I’m going through a change of life. Heck, I wouldn’t even know what a hot flash was, but I don’t think I’m alone. When I mention this to my friends, they recognize their level of impatience is rising as well. I have older friends who are retired and appear much less stressed out and this got me thinking as to what was the cause of the discrepancy. True, I am still actively employed and they are not, but this is as it has always been. There must be something else.

Other than being employed, I am much more imbued with technology than my predecessors. For example, I make extensive use of computers on a daily basis. I write and communicate with them, I prepare presentations and spreadsheets, develop and use data bases and web pages, process financial transactions, and I use them for entertainment purposes. I have a cell phone which I use only occasionally, unlike a lot of people who seem to be addicted to them. My children are probably more proficient with such devices than I am, not to mention games and digital multimedia. Then it hit me; through our technology we have been nurturing a sense of instant gratification thereby affecting our tolerance.

Take photography as a small example. Just fifty years ago you would have a simple box camera where you carefully loaded a roll of film, usually consisting of just 12 shots (exposures). After you took your “snapshots” you would take the film to a drug store to be processed at a price and normally requiring a couple of days. 35mm cameras slowly made their way into our lives offering superior pictures with a roll of 36 shots. Nonetheless you would still have to wait to have the film processed. The point is, because you had limited exposures which cost you money to process, you tended to be more judicious in taking a photograph which was normally used for special occasions, such as group shots at birthdays, anniversaries, reunions, etc. or to capture memories while on vacation. Today it’s different. You would be hard pressed to find anyone without ready access to a digital camera of some kind (the cell phone took care of that). Now we expect to take voluminous instant pictures and upload them to the Internet for sharing with family and friends. Whereas fifty years ago, the average family may have taken no more than 100 pictures in a year, today we take thousands and distribute them around the world instantly. And if we cannot, we become terribly upset.

This leads me to believe there has been a significant change in our dispositions due to our enhanced use of technology. It would be interesting to see some research substantiating how our tolerance levels have changed over the years, thereby leading to heightened stress in our society. Technology has dramatically altered how we access news, our eating and sleeping habits, even how we learn which, in turn, affects our mental acuity, such as our alertness, our attention span and our sense of work ethic.

Technology has conditioned us to be intolerant of inefficiencies and limitations thereby causing us to think faster, virtually, and to multitask. Think about it; we don’t like to wait in traffic, we expect to be able to call and talk to any person anytime we want, we want information at our fingertips, we expect to be able to listen to any song or watch any movie whenever we’re in the mood, we want to get in and out of hospitals, we want instant food, instant pictures, instant credit, instant money, instant everything. We drive faster and talk faster because we have been conditioned to do so. The pace of business has also picked up considerably because it is driven by technology. We want things to be built faster and cheaper, and have no patience for anything less.

When John Lennon wrote his song “Instant Karma!” he was poking fun at our inclination to want everything instantly, that we didn’t want to work hard for anything, such as instant coffee, instant food, etc. Since he wrote the song in 1970 there have been sweeping changes to technology beyond what Lennon could have imagined as we have developed an unforeseen addiction to it.

Our sense of instant gratification today causes us to throw childlike tantrums when we cannot get something on demand. Waiting is one thing, our tolerance level is another. I contend our personalities are being subliminally distorted by technology. We obviously want everything faster, cheaper and better, but is it possible that too much communications is a bad thing? Or too much entertainment, or too much information? If it distorts our culture negatively, the answer is, Yes.

There is a certain amount of Parkinson’s Law being applied here – “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” For example, video games used to be nothing more than tic-tac-toe, then PacMan was introduced, both of which were amusing but rather lethargic by today’s standards. Now we have realistic video graphics featuring blood and guts that move at warp speed and teaching questionable ethics. As the pace of video games increased, so did our pulse.

I find one of the biggest differences between my generation and my older retired friends is we no longer know how to enjoy the moment. We are constantly pushing ourselves to move aggressively faster. Not enough people are finding time to unplug and decompress, and, No, collapsing in front of the boob tube at night is not the answer. Activities such as reading, attending civic events, art, exercise, sightseeing, fishing, etc. offer a distraction that a lot of us need to regain our composure. In other words, there is nothing wrong with occasionally stopping to smell the roses.

If things are this hectic early in the 21st century, imagine what we’ll be like by the 22nd. We already see signs of change in our youth who want everything now and as painlessly as possible thereby creating a sense of entitlement. Older people have trouble understanding why youth no longer has the drive and desire to earn things. The answer is rather obvious; they’ve been conditioned to think this way. It would be interesting to see what would happen if the plug was suddenly pulled from our technology. People would probably go through withdrawal symptoms before finding it necessary to think for themselves again, to learn to cooperate, communicate, socialize, and all of the other people related skills that have been altered over the years. It would actually be quite fascinating, but, of course, this will never happen.

Finally, consider these lyrics from Lennon’s “Instant Karma!”

Instant Karma’s gonna get you
Gonna knock you right in the head
You better get yourself together
Pretty soon you’re gonna be dead

What in the world you thinking of?
Laughing in the face of love
What on Earth you tryin to do?
It’s up to you, yeah, you

Instant Karma’s gonna get you
Gonna knock you right in the face
You better get yourself together darling
Join the human race

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim’s columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

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Copyright © 2011 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

My Brother’s Keeper – Open Racism in Georgia Freemasonry

Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

The LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

Genesis 4: 8-12 N.I.V.

Georgia Flag

The Grand Lodge of Georgia has openly documented its policy of racial exclusion of “non-white men”.

In a court filing to the Superior Court of Dekalb county – civil action 09CV7552-8, are documents (attached below) which include the charges brought against the Worshipful Master of Gate City Lodge No. 2.

The charges as filled were quantified as a Violation of the Moral Law.

Specification 1 in this – That said worshipful master xx xx did in fact raise or allow to be raised in and about February 2009 in the lodge that he is the Worshipful Master, a non-white man, xx xx.

Specification 2 – This said worshipful master xx xx did commit overt act or acts against moral laws of Free and Accepted Masons and the moral duties as the Worshipful Master of Gate City lodge no 2 as follows:

  • Violation of moral law from word of mouth
  • Violation of moral obligation to the ancient landmarks, ancient customs, ancient traditions, ancient usages, constitution, laws and edicts working under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Georgia.
  • Violation of moral official obligation was taken at the time of installation of officers.
  • Violation of moral obligations of not upholding the charter of Gate City Lodge #2
  • Violation of moral obligation of keeping peace and harmony in the craft by allowing the operation of a Cabal in Gate City Lodge #2
  • Violation of moral obligation as pursuant to Masonic Code 1-104 without having obtained the sanction of the grand Lodge are hereby declared spurious and clandestine and of no Masonic authority whatsoever.

The Master of gate City Lodge, proclaiming his innocence, was then charged in the following manner.

Violation of the Laws of Masonry

Specification 1 In This: That said Worshipful Master xx xx did in fact embrace a formed Cabal to secretly unite to bring about and overturn with usurpation of the constitution, laws, ancient landmarks, customs and traditions of Free and Accepted Masons working under the jurisdiction of ancient landmarks, customs and traditions of Free & Accepted Masons working under the jurisdiction of the grand Lodge of the state of Georgia, when he was elected Worshipful Master in December 2008.

Specification 2 in this – The worshipful master xx xx knowingly and willfully did in fact allow a raising of a non-white man in February 2009, which has never been done working under the jurisdiction of Grand Lodge of the state of Georgia. According to the old customs of the Grand Lodge of the state of Georgia which has existed continuously since February 21, 1734. After the fact, xx xx did allow parading xx xx to other Masonic Lodges, presenting him as a Master Mason accompanied by a letter dated February 25, 2008 on gate city Lodge#2 letterhead with the typed from xx xx xx, Grand Master.

Specification 3 In this: That the said worshipful Master xx xx did commit act or acts of destroying peace and harmony throughout the craft of Masonry in the state of Georgia.

Specification 4 in this: that said worshipful master xx xx of Gate City Lodge #2 did in fact knowingly and willfully commit this act or acts which is in conflict with the ancient landmarks and Masonic code sections 71-101, 4-101#6, 1-101, 1-201, 1-202, 1-205. Worshipful Master xx xx committed act or acts knowingly and willfully that conflicts with the ancient customs and traditions which are the immemorial usages and fundamentals of the craft which have existed from time immemorial and are unchangeable.

Specification 5 in this: That said worshipful Master xx xx of gate city lodge #2 must be tried by a trial of present and or past masters pursuant to Masonic code 83-401 and when found guilty of this charge of violation of the laws of Masonry as he would be under no less penalty than that established by Masonic code 21.106 and 21.107.

Masonic Law speak, the charges are based on committing act or acts of destroying peace and harmony, but involving the moral law as to the cabal behind the making of an “non-white” man a Mason. The disharmony seems to have stemmed from the “parading” of an African American Georgia Freemason, which is apparently now, a violation of their moral law. Never mind that the brother was made and recognized by the state, and never mind that he was acknowledged in a tiled lodge as such

Some speculation suggests that rather than drop the proceedings, the Grand Master will hold the trial to quell the misconception of racism and set the record straight, but this remains to be seen.

In the mean time, a civil filing by the Worshipful Master turned Plaintiff suggests that the Grand Lodge is in violation of its Non-Profit Status as it is now openly admitting that it discriminates based on race, which is against the public policy of the State. In the filing, it is also points out in several sections where the Grand Lodge is …an enemy of bigotry or intolerance… and also states the the Grand Lodge in leveling the charges is in violation of its contract with the member(s) when facing revocation of charters and membership privileges as members have a value property investment (contract) from their dues. Interesting to point out, the filing also says openly that “Upon information and belief, Plaintiffs show that there are currently in Georgia active, regular Master Masons of at least the following extractions in whole or in part: American Indians, East Indian, Arab/Lebanese/Egyptian, Persian/Iranian, Vietnamese, Chinese, non white Mexican/Hispanic, African-American, and Filipino, in addition to those of white/Caucasian ancestry.” So, now there seems to be a provision of the fraternity being not strictly white, which seems to countermand the white only exclusion.

The long and short of this convoluted tale comes squarely to rest on the odious claim that a “non-white man” can not be a Freemason.

I affirm, that racism is not tolerable, and bigotry, open or otherwise, is not included in our Moral Law. The brothers of Georgia are sorely mistaken in this assertion.

As I AM my brother’s keeper my “…brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground“. To let this go will put the fraternity under a curse that will send us “…driven from the ground”.

If not addressed this open proclamation could destroy the fraternity.

This is not Freemasonry in the 21st Century. This is not tolerable, on a personal level or from a Grand Lodge level, especially our Grand Lodges are an electable body from the craft lodge. Recognition of Georgian Freemasonry must be held in questioned especially if they are so ignorant to hold these ideas to be Moral Laws.  If in fact they do then Recognition must be terminated.

We are our brother’s keepers and only have the Great Architect to answer to. How will we respond when he asks us how we addressed this?

More on the Gate City Lodge.

The Age of Masonry

evolution

Society vs. Sociological perceptions

From the last installment, the point I wanted to build on was the item covered by Br. Dafoe’s article in the Masonic Journal and the missing membership.  To touch on briefly what his article said, the most significant loss measured was in NPD’s and SNPD’s which made up the lion share of members who join our ranks, and then for a variety of reasons stop attending or paying dues.  That in these numbers could be found the reason for the decline.

But, there are certain problems with that measure.  When a member joins the organization the process can take several months, but when a member leaves, there is really very little process or paperwork, and consequently, no way to quantify why the member is leaving.  This is different from returning an item or requesting a refund from a store where there is a short form or question involved to explain “why” the item is being brought back.  In Masonry, that’s not the case, as there is no exit interview, no closure, to find the point of dissatisfaction.  Rather it is a phantom hole, members who were there and now who are not.

So, because of that vacuum, there is no way of knowing what happened.  Does the new member come in, stay a while, and then lose interest?  Do they make the decision to drop out because of other membership obligations (church, work, bowling leagues, etc), or is that there was a lack of an affinity with Masonry itself?  Did they just not find it relevant?  Once they’ve left, do they pursue other interest groups (civic, spiritual, or academic)?  What they do after Masonry is beyond the scope of our ability to know.  All we can quantify it as is that they are no longer on the roles.  Is it a society issue where there is a lack of resonance with the society, or is it sociological issue in that the ideas from the non masonic society is shaping their perception of what Masonry is supposed to be doing?

So this leads me to another question, are there other avenues to do what the lodge offers without having to meet to pay bills, or plan events?  Is the competition today different than what it was before (say 50-100 years ago)?

In the next post, let’s look at some of the competition.  What do you do when you’re not doing Masonry?

Is the Age of Masonry Over?

evolution

Often I wonder if the era of Freemasonry is over.

Not so much the physical age in years, but the age of its being.  What I mean by that is the age of a Masonic existence in light of the age in which we live in today.  The reason this seemed relevant to me was that as we examine the landscape of society, with its myriad of organization (both non profit and philanthropic) it seems that the age of the local community champion lodge has passed. I’ll admit that this is a generalization, that “what is in one place is not in all places” but in those areas that are diverse and developed, it would seem that the effectualness of the lodge, as it is presently configured, pales in comparison to the broader reach of the community in general.  So the question that arises in my mind is if the drop in membership is something more than merely a drop of knowledge in the fraternity?

Stephen Dafoe, in an article written for the Journal of the Masonic Society (issue 2 autumn 2008) indicated that the problem was not a matter of poor showing, that many men were coming to the doors of the lodges, but that the problem was retention.  Of those that did come, that the attrition rate was significant of those who returned, that the drop in membership was higher in Non Paid Dues and Suspensions for Not Paying Dues than in the completion of the degrees region wide.   The study was on a very narrow slice of North American Masonry, but I think you can extrapolate the data to suggest a wider, more endemic issue, that once new members come, only a very small portion return year after year.

Read: The Death of Freemasonry: When Change Changes You

In the past, I’ve talked about the various reasons that some attribute to this: the lack of openness, the disparity in age,  the degree of interest of those already in attendance, or the degree of which the aspirant to the west gate is prepared or ready to be made a mason, that those who petition are not of the right caliber or quality for the degrees and naturally leave of their doing.

But as much as those have been the problems, my question turned back to society in general: has something changed in the modern society that has shaped the aspirants’ idea (or perception) of what the Masonic lodge “should be”, and when they get there.  Is it not what they expected?  If the latter then it is a good lesson on expectations that seldom are they met, but underneath the surface of that expectation, is there something missing that society is pre-engineering into their consciousness that they are just not seeing when they enter into our chambers?

I plan to explore these ideas in upcoming posts to see if we can break down some of the ideas and formulate some new ideas to bring to the public forum.  But before we can do that, I’m curious to know what you think.  Is the drop of membership representative of something more?  Is there a societal or sociological change in modern day that is different than it was 6o years ago?

Next up – Society vs. Sociological perceptions