Freemason Wisdom: Henry Ford On Making Mistakes

by Midnight Freemasons contributor

Todd E. Creason

(originally posted 12/6/10)

"Don't find fault, find a remedy."

~Henry Ford
Palestine Lodge No. 357, Detroit, MI

It's never been difficult to accept credit for something when everything goes right, but it's always been hard to accept blame when things go wrong.  It's much easier to assign blame, than accept responsibility.  But what we often forget is that we learn much more from an error than we do from a success.  A person that never makes a mistake doesn't have the opportunity to learn from it.  They never learn to adapt, change, and try again.  They never learn to look at problems from other angles and see other possible solutions.

It's difficult to be wrong.  It's embarrassing to fall on your face.  It's hard to be laughed at.  But a person that is never criticized never learns to accept criticism and goes through life terrified of the prospect of making a mistake and looking foolish.  They never learn to rise above it.  They never learn to brush themselves off and keep on going with the experience of that mistake behind them, and the wisdom of a valuable lesson learned the hard way.  

The secret in attaining wisdom isn't never making a mistake--it's never making the same mistake twice.

~TEC

Todd E. Creason, 33° was the original Midnight Freemason. He's the author of several books and novels, including his popular Famous American Freemasons series.  In 2012, Todd expanded his popular blog The Midnight Freemason into a collaborative effort Midnight Freemasons. Todd is the Past Master of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and a member of both the Scottish Rite, and York Rite. He's also a member of the Ansar Shrine (IL) and Charter President of the Illini High Twelve in Champaign-Urbana (IL).  He is also the author of the blog From Labor To Refreshment . . .

Freemason Wisdom: Quotes For The New Year

Bro. Benjamin Franklin
St. Johns LodgePA

This being my last post in 2011, I thought I'd leave you with a few inspirational "Famous Freemason" quotes as you ponder your New Years Resolutions.  As for me, I just keep that same list every year, and write "ditto" at the bottom.  I hope you all have a safe and happy New Years Eve.

"Words may show a man's wit but actions his meaning.

~Benjamin Franklin

St. Johns Lodge, Philadelphia, PA

"It isn't sufficient just to want--you've got to ask yourself what you're going to do to get the things you want."

~Franklin D. Roosevelt

Holland Lodge No. 8, New York, NY

Bro. Douglas MacArthur
Manila Lodge No. 1, Philappines

"Character, not circumstances, makes the man."

~Douglas MacArthur

Manila Lodge No. 1, Philippines

"Stand upright, speak thy thoughts, declare the truth thou hast, that all may share; Be bold, proclaim it everywhere: They only live who dare."

~Voltaire

Lodge of Nine Sisters, France

Happy New Year!

~TEC

And of course, if you like these quotes, these and many more can be found in my collection A Freemason Said That? Great Quotes of Famous Freemasons.

Freemason Wisdom: Henry Ford

"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right."

~Henry Ford

Palestine Lodge No. 357

Detroit, Michigan

You know what ol' Henry was saying?  You're only limited by what you really and truly believe you can do.  Success in any endeavor is based on belief alone.  Confidence that your plan is good, and it's going to work is the key to being successful in it.  It's only a lack of confidence, and lingering doubt that takes the air out of a good plan and leads to failure.  If anybody has learned that lesson well, it's me.  Come up with an idea, come up with a plan, and charge forward with it without a single lingering doubt, and keep going through every obstacle, and you'll surprise yourself at what can happen.

It's amazing how simple it is, and it works, because there are so few that are willing to do it.  And very often, as my famous Freemasons tell me, you wind up way further than you wildest expectation.  That's because there are so few really willing to go against the grain of conventional wisdom and try something new--those willing to chart those new waters without fear of those warnings on the edges of the known map that say beyond this point 'here be dragons.'

One thing I noted in nearly all of the Famous American Freemasons I've profiled in my books over the years, was this belief that nothing is impossible. In fact, I think most of them achieved success and fame because of that belief alone. They had their own ideas about how things should work.  They had their own opinions, and refused to believe anyone that said what they were planning on doing couldn't be done.

Just think of the stories that wouldn't exist in our history if it weren't for people that believed the impossible was possible.  Lewis & Clark.  Charles Lindbergh.  John Paul Jones.  The Doolittle Raid.  And even, the American Revolution--the first great grassroots uprisings that actually succeeded! 

Without question, the most successful men in our history were those that wrote their own rules, set their own standards, and ignored those naysayers that predicted failure, and charged on, driven by the beat of their own drum alone.  We wouldn't be where we are today without them. 

If you don't know these stories, you should.  They are inspirational.  And while it's history, those principles still work today.  There's a good source where you can learn a few of these stories.  They are in my books. 

~TEC

On This Day in History: Henry Ford Dies in 1947

The Illustrious Henry Ford, 33rd Degree
(1863 - 1947)

Automobile manufacturer, and Freemason, Henry Ford died on this day in 1947,

Ford was born July 30, 1863, on his family's farm in Dearborn, Michigan. From the time he was a young boy, Ford enjoyed tinkering with machines. Farm work and a job in a Detroit machine shop afforded him ample opportunities to experiment. He later worked as a part-time employee for the Westinghouse Engine Company. By 1896, Ford had constructed his first horseless carriage which he sold in order to finance work on an improved model.


Ford incorporated the Ford Motor Company in 1903, proclaiming, "I will build a car for the great multitude." In October 1908, he did so, offering the Model T for $950. In the Model T's nineteen years of production, its price dipped as low as $280. Nearly 15,500,000 were sold in the United States alone. The Model T heralds the beginning of the Motor Age; the car evolved from luxury item for the well-to-do to essential transportation for the ordinary man.

Ford revolutionized manufacturing. By 1914, his Highland Park, Michigan plant, using innovative production techniques, could turn out a complete chassis every 93 minutes. This was a stunning improvement over the earlier production time of 728 minutes. Using a constantly-moving assembly line, subdivision of labor, and careful coordination of operations, Ford realized huge gains in productivity.

In 1914, Ford began paying his employees five dollars a day, nearly doubling the wages offered by other manufacturers. He cut the workday from nine to eight hours in order to convert the factory to a three-shift workday. Ford's mass-production techniques would eventually allow for the manufacture of a Model T every 24 seconds. His innovations made him an international celebrity.

Ford's affordable Model T irrevocably altered American society. As more Americans owned cars, urbanization patterns changed. The United States saw the growth of suburbia, the creation of a national highway system, and a population entranced with the possibility of going anywhere anytime. Ford witnessed many of these changes during his lifetime, all the while personally longing for the agrarian lifestyle of his youth. In the years prior to his death on April 7, 1947, Ford sponsored the restoration of an idyllic rural town called Greenfield Village.

The Illustrious Henry Ford was raised on November 28, 1894, in Palestine Lodge No. 357 in Detroit, Michigan. The Masons that composed the degree team were dressed in overalls and worked with Ford at the Edison Company. He was a faithful member of this lodge for over fifty years. On March 7, 1935, he was honored by his lodge with a life membership and presented with a plaque commemorating his 75th birthday.

Ford often visited lodges near his summer home at Traverse City and his winter residence in Georgia. He made several visits to Zion Lodge No. 1, which was Michigan’s oldest lodge, and in 1928, he was made an honorary member. His brother-in-law, William R. Bryant, served as master of Zion Lodge in 1932.

He was honored with 33° in the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Northern Jurisdiction in September 1940. On that occasion, he said, “Masonry is the best balance wheel the United States has, for Masons know what to teach their children.”

A few years after Brother Ford’s death, two of his grandsons followed in his footsteps. Benson and William were raised in Corinthian Lodge No. 241 in Detroit, Michigan, on May 1, 1950. Both grandsons were 32° Scottish Rite Masons, and William was a Knights Templar.

Pub Song to Anthem: The Star Spangled Banner's Interesting History

Now I think almost everyone knows that the lyrics to "The Star Spangled Banner" come from a poem "In Defence of Fort McHenry" written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 to record the events he witnessed from aboard a British ship as the British Navy bombarded the fort.

What's interesting is where the melody came from.  It was a popular British drinking song written by John Stafford Smith for the Anacreonic Society.  The tune was already well known and popular in America with several different versions of the lyrics in circulation, and Francis Scott Key's poem was adapted to the already well known melody.

"The Star Spangled Banner" was officially recognized for use use by the Navy in 1886.  President Woodrow Wilson first suggested it be made the National Athem in 1916, but it wasn't adopted until 1931 when the measure was passed by an act of Congress.

And there you have it--how a British drinking song came to be America's National Anthem.

Another thing you may not be aware of . . . there are three more verses!  And famous poet Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote another verse during the Civil War that appeared in popular songbooks at the time.

The Star Spangled Banner

O! say can you see by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
’Tis the star-spangled banner, O! long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion,
A home and a country, should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave,
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation.
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the Heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust;”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Verse written by Oliver Wendell Holmes in 1861

When our land is illumined with liberty's smile,
If a foe from within strikes a blow at her glory,
Down, down with the traitor that tries to defile
The flag of the stars, and the page of her story!
By the millions unchained,
Who their birthright have gained
We will keep her bright blazon forever unstained;
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave,
While the land of the free is the home of the brave.



~TEC

This Day in History: Corrupt Bargain In House Decides Presidency

February 9, 1825



Andrew Jackson
Grand Master of Masons of
Tennessee 1822-24

 Andrew Jackson ran against three other candidates in 1824: Henry Clay, who was Speaker of the House of Representatives at the time, William Crawford, and John Quincy Adams. An-drew Jackson received the largest share of the popular vote and the most electoral votes as well, but with four candidates, no candidate had the majority, so it was up to the House of Representatives to decide the election. Jackson had ninety-nine electoral votes, John Quincy Adams eighty-four, Crawford forty-one and Clay thirty-seven. Clay’s votes, however, were not considered because he was Speaker of the House. Since most of Clay’s backers considered Jackson their second choice for President, the general consensus was that Clay’s votes would go to Jackson and that he would win the Presidency. However, in what was later dubbed a “corrupt bargain,” Clay gave his votes to John Quincy Adam—an act which surprised many. Very shortly after John Quincy Adams was announced the winner of the election on February 9, 1825, he made Henry Clay the Secretary of State. It was pretty obvious even to the elitists in government that Adams and Clay had made a dirty deal.

Jackson was outwardly calm. He even attended a reception for the President-elect given by President Monroe. Adams wrote in his diary, "It was crowded to overflowing. General Jackson was there, and we shook hands. He was altogether placid and courteous."



John Quincy Adams

 But Jackson was livid. He was convinced, as were his many supporters, that Henry Clay had traded his votes for the Secretary of State position. Jackson later said, "The Judas of the West has closed the contract and will receive the thirty pieces of silver. His end will be the same." Jackson supporters claimed they had been robbed. The Nashville Gazette declared Jackson a candidate for President in 1828 without even consulting him, but Jackson was more than willing to make another run for the Presidency. It was the beginning of one of the longest and ugliest campaigns in the history of American politics—even by today’s standards.

For the next four years, shots were exchanged between Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams in the press. Jackson accused Adams of being a dishonest and corrupt politician—a perfect example of what was wrong with government. Adams accused Jackson of being a murderer and a dangerous militant, as well as immoral in his personal life.  With little popular support, Adams' time in the White House was for the most part ineffectual, and the so-called Corrupt Bargain continued to haunt his administration. In 1828, he was defeated in his reelection bid by Andrew Jackson, who received more than twice as many electoral votes than Adams.


TEC
Excerpt from Famous American Freemasons: Volume I  ISBN: 978-1435703452

Henry Ford: Freemason Wisdom To Begin Your Week

"Don't find fault, find a remedy."

~Henry Ford

It's never been difficult to accept credit for something when everything goes right, but it's always been hard to accept blame when things go wrong.  It's much easier to assign blame, than accept responsibility.  But what we often forget is that we learn much more from an error than we do from a success.  A person that never makes a mistake doesn't have the opportunity to learn from it.  They never learn to adapt, change, and try again.  They never learn to look at problems from other angles and see other possible solutions.

It's difficult to be wrong.  It's embarrassing to fall on your face.  It's hard to be laughed at.  But a person that is never criticised never learns to accept criticism and goes through life terrified of the prospect of making a mistake and looking foolish.  They never learn to rise above it.  They never learn to brush themselves off and keep on going with the experience of that mistake behind them, and the wisdom of a valuable lesson learned the hard way.  The secret in attaining wisdom isn't never making a mistake--it's never making the same mistake twice.

TEC

You like this? Check back next Monday for another great quote from a famous Freemason. This may wind up being a regular feature of the Toddz Spot blog