World's Tallest Mason

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

RWB. Michael H. Shirley

Editor's Note:

I visited the statue and grave of Bro. Wadlow this past Saturday. I think his story is an amazing story, and he was an exemplar of our tenet of Brotherly Love.   

When I was ten, my grandparents bought a copy of the Guinness Book of World Records. It proved a wonderful source of useless information of all kinds, but what drew me to it again and again was a picture of Robert Pershing Wadlow, the world’s tallest man. He was not just tall: he was gigantic; an order of magnitude beyond what seemed possible. Born in 1918 in Alton, Illinois, his extraordinary growth had begun immediately. Measuring 5’4” at the age of five, he had passed seven feet at the age of twelve, hit eight feet while still in high school, and topped out at 8’11.1” just before his death in 1940. He wanted to be a lawyer, and entered Shurtleff College with that aim in mind, but had to withdraw after a year, as it became too difficult for him to move around, especially on icy sidewalks; his legs grew steadily weaker the taller he became, and he required braces to walk. With that avenue closed to him, he traveled and exhibited himself widely, although not with a circus: he represented the International Shoe Company, who made his size 37 shoes. Dressed in a three-piece suit and fedora, he didn’t wear the height-exaggerating costumes and boots of shorter professional giants. He didn’t have to. Jim Tarver, who traveled with circuses for decades as the World’s Tallest Man, wore cowboy boots and a tall cowboy hat, and was still a foot-and-a-half shorter than Wadlow.

I’m still fascinated by Wadlow’s height, but I’m also intrigued by something about him that’s usually mentioned only in passing: he was a Freemason. An active DeMolay as a youth, he petitioned Franklin Lodge No. 25 in Alton on June 10, 1939. He was initiated as an Entered Apprentice on October 19, passed to the degree of Fellowcraft on October 31, and raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason on November 4. He apparently had no difficulty in memorizing his catechism; in fact, Brother William F. Sinclair, who instructed Robert in his catechism, described him as one of the most brilliant students he’d ever known. One does wonder what accommodations had to be made in his degrees, given his nearly nine feet in height. 

The rings shows the base the company
used to cast the ring. The ring on
the left is a size five and on
the right is a size 12.

Early in the next year, Brother Wadlow was given a Masonic ring. Designed and made by the Kinsley-Skovosky company of St. Louis, and presented to him by Robert Goulding at Goulding’s Jewelry Store in Alton, it was a size 25, and surely was the largest Masonic ring ever made to be worn.

He didn’t get a chance to wear it for long, of course. A poorly fitted brace caused a blister on his foot while he was traveling in Michigan. He couldn’t feel it, as his rapid growth had led to diminished sensation in his legs, and it became infected. He took ill, and was hospitalized, underwent emergency surgery, but to no avail. He died on July 15, 1940.

Bro. Wadlow, receiving
his Masonic Ring.

Over 40,000 people attended his visitation and funeral in Alton; a DeMolay Honor Guard stood vigil at the casket as mourners filed past, and accompanied the hearse to Oakwood Cemetery. Twelve of his Brother Masons acted as pallbearers, and Brother William Sinclair, Robert’s mentor, acted as Master for the Masonic funeral service. 

His family was concerned that his body might be stolen, so they had concrete poured over the casket. They burned many of his clothes and other possessions, because they did not want souvenir hunters to make a spectacle or a profit on his memory. He was not a freak, after all; he was just Robert, their son and brother, a gentle and genial man who just happened to be taller than anyone who had ever lived.

The more I’ve learned about Robert Wadlow over the years, the more my fascination with his height is colored with a wistful sadness, not because I would have liked to see him in person in order to stare at him, but because he seems to have been a nice guy whom I would have been glad to have as a friend. I just would have liked to sit in lodge with him.  By all accounts, he was an amiable and kind young man, never turning down a request to visit kids in an orphanage or hospital. Robert Landiss, one of Wadlow’s fellow DeMolays, said of him, “Anybody who knew Robert loved him. My favorite memory of Robert is of him being himself. He was an outstanding person. He was very easy to get along with. Robert liked everybody.” He had a good sense of humor, too. When asked by Robert Ripley, of Ripley’s Believe it or Not, how he dealt with annoying people in public, he said, “Oh, I just overlook them.” He had to do that a lot, given that he was stared at his entire life. He seems to have decided that being kind was a better way to go. “Ninety-nine per cent of the people are OK,” he said. “The rest are just plain ignorant, so why should I let them worry me?” 

Seventy-Five years after his death, Robert Wadlow is very much still present in Alton. The Alton Museum of History and Art has a Wadlow Room, dedicated to preserving his memory, as does Franklin Lodge No. 25. On the campus of the Southern Illinois University Dental School, the old Shurtleff College, stands a life-size statue of its tallest son, alongside a life-size model of his custom-made chair. Stand next to the statue, and you’ll see just how tall he really was. His height, however, won’t tell you something that was arguably more important about him: he was a just and upright Mason, and for far too short a time he walked and acted as such.

~MHS

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley once served the Grand Lodge of Illinois, A.F. & A.M, as Leadership Development Chairman and Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master of the Eastern Area. He was a Certified Lodge Instructor, a Past Master and Life Member of Tuscola Lodge No. 332 and a plural member of Island City Lodge No. 330, F & AM, in Minocqua, Wisconsin. He served the Valley of Danville, AASR, as Most Wise Master of the George E. Burow Chapter of Rose Croix; and was also a member of the Illinois Lodge of Research, the York Rite, Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, Eastern Star, Illini High Twelve, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon. The author of several articles on British history, he teaches at Eastern Illinois University.

September 11th - Revisit

*Editors Note* A day after, keeping with our typical schedule of release days, I chose to run RWB Michael H. Shirley's piece which he wrote for us originally back on September 11th of 2015. I think it's a beautiful piece and I hope you enjoy reading it. ~R.H. Johnson

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

RWB Michael H. Shirley

“[T]o love is better than to hate, and Forgiveness is wiser than Revenge or Punishment.” –Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma, 859.

Like everyone else I know, I remember exactly where I was when I heard about the World Trade Center attack. I was teaching an early class that morning, and was in mid lecture when the planes hit. When class ended, I started to walk down the hall and was waylaid by students who wanted to know if I’d heard. In bits and pieces, we found out that it was a deliberate act, then that one tower had fallen, and then another. Then came the news that the Pentagon had been hit. I was standing there, trying to comprehend it all, when one of my students said, “Dr. Shirley, what does it mean?” “It means we’re at war,” I said, with no real thought beyond that simple statement. As more information came out over the next several days, it became clear that things had changed beyond recovery. I did what so many others did: stayed glued to the television, tried to buy an American flag from stores that couldn’t keep them in stock, thought about what I could do to serve my country. But I kept coming back to the realization that these terrorists had killed innocents, including children, because they believed their cause was more important than people made in the image of God. And I had a choice: to hate them or not. 

I wasn’t a Mason then; I didn’t petition my Lodge until 2006. But my time in Masonry has taught me that hate is never the answer to any question worth asking. If I am committed to Masonry, love has to be my only response to everything, both large and small, because if I hate, I become what I hate. I have to see the fundamental humanity, the image of God, in everyone I encounter. Otherwise, I’m not practicing Masonry to the best of my ability.

My sister, an Episcopal priest and Air Force Chaplain, has said that she has to recognize that everyone is equally deserving of God’s love, which is to say, not at all, so acting high and mighty has no place in the world. My mother says regularly that the hardest word to accept in the Lord’s Prayer is “Our.” We all want to be special, but we can only do that if we reject what makes us human. We all need to meet on the level and acknowledge one another as fully human, undeserving of the gifts we’ve received, and just love one another.

So now I pray that I will be enabled to act as if all people are my Brothers and Sisters. For the simple truth is, they are. I don’t have to like them, and if they mean harm to others, I certainly have to stop them, but I can’t hate them without losing the best part of myself. Love, I would argue, is the answer to every question, both in Masonry and in the profane world. Every day, I am presented with the choice of whether to act with love or not. Every day, I can choose to hate, to be indifferent, or to love. I don’t always choose well, but I find that if I pay attention to Masonry’s teachings, I make the right choice more often than not. 

Fourteen years ago I chose, briefly, to hate. It was nearly impossible not to do so. But hate kills the hater, and I could not continue. Since 2006 I have cast my lot with Freemasonry, and have been grateful for its work in my life every day since. Lord knows, I don’t always choose well, but I’ve found that if I remember that Love drives away darkness, I don’t make that darkness my home. I’ve found that I prefer a well-lit room. And so I pray for light for everyone, especially for those who have shut it out of their lives and have chosen to live in darkness. I pray—today of all days—to let the Light of Love illumine our world.

~MHS

Burl Green

By Midnight Freemason Contributor

RWB Michael H. Shirley

We all knew it was coming. Worshipful Brother Burl Green, Tuscola Lodge’s oldest Past Master, had been in steadily declining health for a couple of years, and had recently had to move into assisted living a couple of hours from home. Knowing Burl, that was probably the last straw, so a few weeks ago he just laid back in his bed and died. He was 93, and had been a Master Mason for 69 years.

Burl was there for my degrees, and was at every meeting and degree I attended as long as he was healthy enough. When we had a lodge work day, he was there, on his hands and knees, using a hand vacuum behind the sideline. He was in his late 80s at the time. Burl was just always there, doing what he could, whenever he was able. He was Master of the Lodge three times, but was one of the humblest men I’ve ever known. Every stated meeting or two, Burl would slowly rise, be recognized, and talk about how wonderful it was that we had so many young men joining the lodge, how impressed he was at their devotion to the Work, and how good it was that they were doing what he could do no longer. When we had our lodge rededication on our 150thanniversary, he served as the Oldest Past Master, was expressly grateful throughout the day, and talked for years afterwards of how nice the Grand Lodge officers had been. 

A few months before he died, Burl stood in lodge, was recognized, and said, though he hated to do it, that he needed help with his yard, and was wondering if any of his Brethren might be able to help with cleaning it up. That Saturday, the lodge was out in force. To help a Brother is a privilege, and with Burl, we knew we might not have many more opportunities. 

We’ll miss him. We’ll miss the coffee stains on the floor that followed him wherever he went. We’ll miss his red truck driving fifteen miles an hour past the donut shop. We’ll miss his unmistakable cackle when something tickled his sense of humor. But we won’t miss his example, as it lives in all of us who knew him, and will live on in the stories we tell of a just and upright Mason who did what good he could, when he could, and always talked of how grateful he was to be a Freemason. Rest in peace, Brother Burl. Your column is broken, and your Brethren mourn.

Burl Green, 1923-2016

~MHS

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley is a Certified Lodge Instructor, past Leadership Development Chairman, and past Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master for the Grand Lodge of Illinois, A.F & A.M. He is a Past Master and Life Member of Tuscola Lodge No. 332 and a plural member of Island City Lodge No. 330, F & AM, in Minocqua, Wisconsin. He is Past Most Wise Master of the George E. Burow Chapter of Rose Croix in the Valley of Danville, Illinois, AASR-NMJ. The author of several article on British and American history, he retired in 2016 from the History Department at Eastern Illinois University. You can contact him at: m.h.shirley@gmail.com

By Force of Habit

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

RWB Michael H. Shirley

I’m now a Hoosier. We’ve been in the process of moving to Indiana for over a month now, with no clear end in sight, but the kids are registered for school, the animals have adjusted, our jobs proceed, and, despite frequent trips back to Illinois to deal with the giant house we haven’t sold yet, it all feels like home here.

With one exception: in all the relentless business of the move, I haven’t done anything Masonic in over a month.

Masonry took up a good part of my life in Illinois, and it was no mere habit, but the conscious choice to involve myself in things. But habitual attendance at meetings mattered. . Our stated meeting was the foundation of everything I did, and I ran in smooth tracks between my house and my lodge. And now, with my lodge three hours drive away, I just can’t go. And I find myself busy and scattered, with ever more things demanding my time and attention. I know where the local lodge is and I know when the stated meeting is, but I’ve just been too occupied with other necessary things to get there.

And so I’ve discovered that it’s easy to fall out of the habit of going to lodge. It will take effort to go back, as I’m not on any email lists, I don’t know when degrees occur, and my next real opportunity to got to a stated meeting will come in September. And here’s the problem with that: all it takes is a few missed meetings and inertia takes over. As I got into the habit of going to lodge, I could just as easily get into the habit of not going.

So I’ve got the next stated meeting of Franklin Lodge No. 107 marked on my calendar, with reminders set to text me every day for a good week in advance. Just as it took an act of will to petition for my degrees, it will take an act of will to go to a new lodge amidst the chaos of moving, and to keep going until it once again takes on the force of habit.

~MHS

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley serves the Grand Lodge of Illinois, A.F. & A.M, as Leadership Development Chairman and Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master of the Eastern Area. A Certified Lodge Instructor, he is a Past Master and Life Member of Tuscola Lodge No. 332 and a plural member of Island City Lodge No. 330, F & AM, in Minocqua, Wisconsin. He is Past Most Wise Master of the George E. Burow Chapter of Rose Croix in the Valley of Danville, IL; he is also a member of the Illinois Lodge of Research, the York Rite, Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, Eastern Star, Illini High Twelve, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon. The author of several article on British and American history, he teaches at Eastern Illinois University.You can contact him at: m.h.shirley@gmail.com

Past Master

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley

Last week the Master of my lodge, Worshipful Brother Dave McCrory, texted me to ask when he could come by. He wanted to make sure he had a chance to say goodbye before I left town for good. We settled on the following Thursday. This evening the doorbell rang, as expected, but it wasn’t just Dave who was at the door. Several other Brothers were there with him to present me with a Past Master’s apron. It was both unexpected and humbling. We chatted a bit about my plans, and then they took their leave. And so I was left to contemplate the past ten years, represented in that wonderful gesture and welcome gift.

Being Master of a lodge is a great responsibility. During my tenure, I learned to run meetings, to deal with our Grand Lodge, to confer degrees, and generally how to set an example to my newer Brethren. I had a wonderful time, and then, too soon, it was over. I was a Past Master, with the title “Worshipful Brother” in perpetuity, but with no power at all. And that’s as it should be. Masonry requires humility, and being a Past Master requires it even more. Humility—right-sizedness—for a Past Master requires not saying, “I didn’t do it that way,” or, “that’s the wrong way to handle things.” It requires silence when not asked for advice and prudence when given the chance to contribute. Wearing a Past Master’s apron is not an exercise in ego: it is a reminder that all things pass, that Masonry is eternal, and that every award given is an honor, not one’s just due. I’m truly grateful to my Brethren for their gift, and not just because I won’t have to search out the aprons with the long strings when I go to a lodge meeting. They’ve given me something that will remind me, whenever I put it on, that the chance to serve my lodge and my Craft are blessings. It is the internal and not the external qualifications of a man that recommend him to be a Mason, and that doesn’t change with fancy aprons or titles. My new apron is a continued admonishment to me to act as a Past Master should: with humility, reverence, and fraternity.

~MHS

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley serves the Grand Lodge of Illinois, A.F. & A.M, as Leadership Development Chairman and Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master of the Eastern Area. A Certified Lodge Instructor, he is a Past Master and Life Member of Tuscola Lodge No. 332 and a plural member of Island City Lodge No. 330, F & AM, in Minocqua, Wisconsin. He is Past Most Wise Master of the George E. Burow Chapter of Rose Croix in the Valley of Danville, IL; he is also a member of the Illinois Lodge of Research, the York Rite, Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, Eastern Star, Illini High Twelve, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon. The author of several article on British and American history, he teaches at Eastern Illinois University.You can contact him at: m.h.shirley@gmail.com

Island City Report 2016

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

RWB Michael H. Shirley

Island City Series

Our annual family sojourn to Wisconsin’s North Woods has come and gone, and thus it’s time for my Island City Lodge No. 330. We were away for three weeks this time, which meant I was able to attend two breakfasts and two stated meetings. Since our last trip, Island City has added a stated meeting on Wednesday night in an attempt to attract younger men who aren’t able to attend a 10 am meeting. It’s early days, yet, but things look promising (despite an occasional grumble from the north that things shouldn’t change). The morning meeting lasted for two-and-a-half hours, for no readily discernable reason, other than that Masons like to talk, and Masons who are retired like to talk more.
report on my home away from home: Minocqua’s

The evening meeting was not as well attended, but was more fun for me, as I got to demonstrate Illinois opening and closing, and the intricacies of Illinois’s rod work. Opening and closing in Wisconsin and Illinois are very different, and most of the Brethren there had not seen anything of Illinois Work. Worshipful Brother Dave Imlah, who had been asking me to demonstrate Illinois Work for a while now, declared himself fascinated, and thought it would be worthwhile to travel rather farther than Rhinelander to observe degrees. I hope someday that my trip north will coincide with a degree so that I can observe Wisconsin Work beyond perusing the cipher book.

We all have things to teach one another, if only that Masonic ritual varies, but that the lessons it teaches are universal. I’m grateful to my Wisconsin Lodge for allowing me to bring Illinois ritual to the North, and look forward to learning more from my Brethren there and elsewhere. With my pending move to Indiana, I hope to learn even more of the manner in which our eternal truths are expressed by Brethren in other jurisdictions.

~MHS

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley serves the Grand Lodge of Illinois, A.F. & A.M, as Leadership Development Chairman and Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master of the Eastern Area. A Certified Lodge Instructor, he is a Past Master and Life Member of Tuscola Lodge No. 332 and a plural member of Island City Lodge No. 330, F & AM, in Minocqua, Wisconsin. He is Past Most Wise Master of the George E. Burow Chapter of Rose Croix in the Valley of Danville, IL; he is also a member of the Illinois Lodge of Research, the York Rite, Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, Eastern Star, Illini High Twelve, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon. The author of several article on British and American history, he teaches at Eastern Illinois University.You can contact him at: m.h.shirley@gmail.com

New Horizons

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

RWB Michael H. Shirley

I became a Mason in 2006, and in the ten years that have passed since I’ve had the privilege of being conferring dozens of degrees, becoming a Certified Lodge Instructor, being master for my Lodge’s 150th anniversary with a rededication by the Grand Master of Masons in Illinois, serving the Grand Lodge of Illinois as Leadership Development Chairman and Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master for the Eastern Area, serving as Most Wise Master of the George E. Burow Chaper of Rose Croix in the Valley of Danville, AASR-NMJ, and a host of other privileges.

But things change. This summer my family will be moving to Franklin, Indiana, where my wife, a veterinarian, has found a wonderful job, and where I’ll teach part time at Franklin College. I will remain a life member of my lodge and a proud member of the Valley of Danville, but will be withdrawing from most Masonic activity in Illinois. Franklin has a very active Lodge, and I hope to be a regular there. One thing I will not do is curtail my activities as a Midnight Freemason. It continues to be one of my proudest affiliations, and my new Masonic adventures will, I hope, provide inspiration for new material for the blog. Brothers Todd Creason and Robert Johnson have provide superb leadership for our many and varied writers, and I look forward to continuing to work with them to put my random thoughts out there for the Masonic world. I’m grateful to our readers, particularly the ones who have taken the time to write to me with their thoughts on my various articles. This summer will be busy, what with everything involved in moving, registering the kids for their new schools, and preparing to teach new courses. I’ll be writing about my Lodge in Wisconsin (Island City No. 330), as I’ll be there on vacation in a few days, but I have no idea what inspiration awaits me. Stay tuned, my Brothers. I’ll keep you posted as my Masonic life changes.

~MHS

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley serves the Grand Lodge of Illinois, A.F. & A.M, as Leadership Development Chairman and Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master of the Eastern Area. A Certified Lodge Instructor, he is a Past Master and Life Member of Tuscola Lodge No. 332 and a plural member of Island City Lodge No. 330, F & AM, in Minocqua, Wisconsin. He is Past Most Wise Master of the George E. Burow Chapter of Rose Croix in the Valley of Danville, IL; he is also a member of the Illinois Lodge of Research, the York Rite, Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, Eastern Star, Illini High Twelve, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon. The author of several article on British and American history, he teaches at Eastern Illinois University.You can contact him at: m.h.shirley@gmail.com

A Leadership Trap

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

RWB Michael H. Shirley

”You cannot push anyone up the ladder unless he is willing to climb.” –Andrew Carnegie 

One of the traps of leadership is our desire to see people succeed. It is an essential characteristic in a leader, but a leader cannot create that desire in others. Success requires work, and work requires the desire to work, translated into action. Leadership is influence, not doing another’s work because we want that person to succeed. We cannot force action on our fellow Masons. We can only do what we can do, enthusiastically, offer opportunities, praise when praise is due, and act fraternally. In all things, we must lead by example. 

~MHS

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley serves the Grand Lodge of Illinois, A.F. & A.M, as Leadership Development Chairman and Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master of the Eastern Area. A Certified Lodge Instructor, he is a Past Master and Life Member of Tuscola Lodge No. 332 and a plural member of Island City Lodge No. 330, F & AM, in Minocqua, Wisconsin. He is Past Most Wise Master of the George E. Burow Chapter of Rose Croix in the Valley of Danville, IL; he is also a member of the Illinois Lodge of Research, the York Rite, Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, Eastern Star, Illini High Twelve, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon.The author of several article on British and American history, he teaches at Eastern Illinois University.You can contact him at: m.h.shirley@gmail.com

Have Faith

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

RWB Michael H. Shirley

"My observation is that whenever one person is found adequate to the discharge of a duty, it is worse executed by two persons, and scarcely done at all if three or more are employed therein." –George Washington.

"Keep it simple" is a guide that rarely leads us astray, and it is a simple truth that "let George do it" is a temptation that grows as responsibility decreases. George Washington trusted others to do their best, and gave them the chance to prove their worth. Worshipful Masters well advised to follow this example. Show faith in those you lead and give them a task that will stretch them. They will almost always prove themselves adequate to its discharge. 

~MHS

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley serves the Grand Lodge of Illinois, A.F. & A.M, as Leadership Development Chairman and Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master of the Eastern Area. A Certified Lodge Instructor, he is a Past Master and Life Member of Tuscola Lodge No. 332 and a plural member of Island City Lodge No. 330, F & AM, in Minocqua, Wisconsin. He is Past Most Wise Master of the George E. Burow Chapter of Rose Croix in the Valley of Danville, IL; he is also a member of the Illinois Lodge of Research, the York Rite, Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, Eastern Star, Illini High Twelve, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon.The author of several article on British and American history, he teaches at Eastern Illinois University.You can contact him at: m.h.shirley@gmail.com

Leadership is Not a Transaction

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

RWB Michael H Shirley

“Charity sees the need, not the cause.” –German proverb

“Transactional Leadership” is a phrase to describe a rewards and punishments system of management. It is a perfectly valid form of management, but it is not leadership, and ought not be called that. We can hope that others will improve, but if we help them with the understanding that they will do something in return we are engaged in a transaction: we are giving nothing. A gift has no strings attached; when we expect something in return, we are thinking only of ourselves. If we would lead, we must give of ourselves, and set the example we hope others will imitate. Leadership is not a transaction.

~MHS

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley serves the Grand Lodge of Illinois, A.F. & A.M, as Leadership Development Chairman and Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master of the Eastern Area. A Certified Lodge Instructor, he is a Past Master and Life Member of Tuscola Lodge No. 332 and a plural member of Island City Lodge No. 330, F & AM, in Minocqua, Wisconsin. He is Past Most Wise Master of the George E. Burow Chapter of Rose Croix in the Valley of Danville, IL; he is also a member of the Illinois Lodge of Research, the York Rite, Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, Eastern Star, Illini High Twelve, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon.The author of several article on British and American history, he teaches at Eastern Illinois University.You can contact him at: m.h.shirley@gmail.com

Expect Greatness

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

RWB Michael H. Shirley

"It is the nature of man to rise to greatness if greatness is expected of him. " –John Steinbeck

Too many lodge leaders think that they can motivate others with harsh words and high demands. They can, but not in the way they think. There are two external drivers to achievement: the desire to prove someone right and the desire to prove someone wrong. Someone who thinks we are capable of great things can fill us with such confidence that we rise to their expectations. Too often, however, we are motivated to disprove others’ doubts about us. We can achieve greatness either way, but positive motivation is inherently creative, and negative motivation is inherently destructive. Anger motivates, but it destroys. Positive motivation arises from and creates love and gratitude. To create something positive and lasting, we must practice positive motivation. If we would be Masonic leaders, we must act first with compassion for others, and recognize high potential in those who do not see it in themselves. If we expect greatness from others, they will achieve it.

~MHS

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley serves the Grand Lodge of Illinois, A.F. & A.M, as Leadership Development Chairman and Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master of the Eastern Area. A Certified Lodge Instructor, he is a Past Master and Life Member of Tuscola Lodge No. 332 and a plural member of Island City Lodge No. 330, F & AM, in Minocqua, Wisconsin. He is Past Most Wise Master of the George E. Burow Chapter of Rose Croix in the Valley of Danville, IL; he is also a member of the Illinois Lodge of Research, the York Rite, Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, Eastern Star, Illini High Twelve, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon.The author of several article on British and American history, he teaches at Eastern Illinois University.You can contact him at: m.h.shirley@gmail.com

To Be Heroes

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

RWB Michael H. Shirley

”High sentiments always win in the end, The leaders who offer blood, toil, tears and sweat always get more out of their followers than those who offer safety and a good time. When it comes to the pinch, human beings are heroic." -- George Orwell

People want to be inspired to do great things and to become great themselves. We all secretly see ourselves as heroes, but know deep down that by ourselves we aren’t. Those who enable us to become what we want to be are the best leaders, because ultimately, leadership is about inspiring others to be great. That lesson is too often lost in our lodges, with the mundane business of running things driving out aspirations to a higher purpose. It’s hard to remember why we became Masons during the second hour of minutia-ridden discussion about the advisability of adding waffles to the pancake breakfast menu.

Masonry is a progressive moral science, whose principles and mystic ceremonies are constructed to convey eternal truths through allegory and beautiful language. It calls us, through its ritual, to live heroically. We cannot ignore the mundane things required to exist in the profane world, but if they become the center of our lives, then we have removed ourselves from the essence of Masonry. We have chosen to be mundane.

To live heroically does not mean that we should routinely charge into burning buildings or seek out danger. It means simply that we should aspire to live lives of great purpose, always looking to improve ourselves, and ever seeking to give voice to the better angels of our nature. Masons are called to be heroes in everyday clothing, helping one another and doing good wherever possible. Let us live, Brethren, in the ever-present creative promise of today. Let us be the heroes needed in this moment, now, for ourselves and others. Let us be Masons.

~MHS

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley serves the Grand Lodge of Illinois, A.F. & A.M, as Leadership Development Chairman and Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master of the Eastern Area. A Certified Lodge Instructor, he is a Past Master and Life Member of Tuscola Lodge No. 332 and a plural member of Island City Lodge No. 330, F & AM, in Minocqua, Wisconsin. He is Past Most Wise Master of the George E. Burow Chapter of Rose Croix in the Valley of Danville, IL; he is also a member of the Illinois Lodge of Research, the York Rite, Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, Eastern Star, Illini High Twelve, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon.The author of several article on British and American history, he teaches at Eastern Illinois University.You can contact him at: m.h.shirley@gmail.com

Hope in the East

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

RWB Michael H. Shirley

There are days when I get depressed with the state of the things, and have trouble finding light anywhere. Today was one of those days, and, as is my wont, I turned for inspiration to Grand Orations of the past. Grand Orator Brother Beryl S. Kinser gave me just what I needed to read:

So, my brothers, let us, as Master Masons, let us always be facing the East, the direction from which comes light, hope, and promise, the bright and golden hours of the future.

In facing the East may we stand erect. The Supreme Architect of the Universe never intended that his workmen should grovel in the dust of negation and debasement or flounder in the gutter of moral disintegration and despair. This truth he impressed upon his prophet Ezekiel, a captive in Babylonia. God spoke to the prophet, prostrate in despair and hopelessness, alongside the Euphrates River, “Son of man, stand on they feet, and I will speak to thee. So may we be on our feet and face the East, standing erect, expectant and hopeful.

And then may we journey toward the East with regular upright steps, knowing full well that God expects of us rectitude of conduct and resolute purpose, for we are responsible and privileged persons, qualified to travel anywhere, to work and to receive wages.

When we journey toward the rising sun we are able to keep alive that glorious spirit which time and change can never make old. We will be moving toward the fulfillment of hope, the realization of better things to come and for us the dawn will come sooner and the light will get brighter….

Go East, old man or young man. Time and age have absolutely nothing to do with it except to provide the opportunity of adding wisdom and grace, dignity, stature and meaning, to life. Go East, man, and live!

There is hope in our gentle Craft, as Brother Kinser noted so eloquently. Sometimes it comes unbidden, without effort, but often it takes looking for it. Today I found it in the 1963 Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Illinois. Look well to the East, Brethren, for there are better days ahead.

~MHS

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley serves the Grand Lodge of Illinois, A.F. & A.M, as Leadership Development Chairman and Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master of the Eastern Area. A Certified Lodge Instructor, he is a Past Master and Life Member of Tuscola Lodge No. 332 and a plural member of Island City Lodge No. 330, F & AM, in Minocqua, Wisconsin. He is Past Most Wise Master of the George E. Burow Chapter of Rose Croix in the Valley of Danville, IL; he is also a member of the Illinois Lodge of Research, the York Rite, Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, Eastern Star, Illini High Twelve, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon.The author of several article on British and American history, he teaches at Eastern Illinois University.You can contact him at: m.h.shirley@gmail.com

Rebuilding a Lodge

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

RWB Michael H. Shirley

The other day at one of the many and varied Masonic meetings I seem to attend, a Brother stood and asked the crowd if anyone had any advice for rebuilding a moribund lodge, especially in a small town. We didn’t exactly offer advice, but several of us talked about what lodges we knew had done to turn themselves around. It occurs to me that my lodge, Tuscola No. 332, might be an example for some, so I offer this narrative in hopes of encouraging others.

When I became interested in Freemasonry in 2006, I sent an email inquiry to the Illinois Grand Secretary’s office, and received a reply saying that someone from the local lodge would be getting in touch within 48 hours. Two weeks later, having heard nothing, I sent another email. That apparently lit a fire under someone, because the next day, Tuscola’s secretary was at my door with literature and a petition. He stayed for a while, answered whatever questions I had, explained the membership process, and took my signed petition and check away with him. A few weeks later, he and another Mason came to investigate me. Apparently, this was a fairly unusual experience, as they hadn’t had many candidates in recent years. (I found out later that I was the first candidate raised in my lodge in three years.) Anyway, I was elected, and received my degrees in reasonably good order, although only one or two members of Tuscola knew enough to do any ritual in them. I was raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason on November 20, 2006. At our next Stated Meeting in December, which was the first regular meeting I was eligible to attend, we received the District Deputy, Right Worshipful Brother William C. Dillon, for his official visit. I had no real idea what was going on, but I noticed that the Worshipful Master was reading from a little blue book, and the DDGM seemed angry about it. RW Brother Dillon had been at all of my degrees, so I knew him a little, and hadn’t seen him mad before. We had our election of officers that night, and before it happened, he pointed at me and said, “you put that young man in a chair.” So they elected me Junior Warden. (I do not recommend that. It worked for me, as I’m a quick study, and emergencies require drastic steps, but try not to make the new guy a Warden.)

Worshipful Brother Frank Lincoln, who had been Master in the mid seventies, was elected Master, and Brother Matt Pangburn, a superb ritualist and dedicated Mason was elected Senior Warden. Together, we planned for a year of Frank being back in the East, to be followed by what has become a tradition: two year terms for the dais officers. It lent stability, and gave us time to learn more. Matt did an excellent job, both as Senior Warden for a year and Master for two, setting an example of dedicated work and learning more ritual than had been the norm. 

Not knowing any better about the traditional way to do things, I proceeded to learn my ritual, fulfill my duties, and tried generally to figure out what Masonry was all about. I liked it, although the meetings were sparsely attended. I particularly liked the ritual and the monthly Workers Club meetings, where Brethren from round the district came to learn and practice the ritual and floorwork. It made me realize there was more out there than just Tuscola’s way of doing things. My district was then particularly fortunate to have Arthur Lodge No. 825, home lodge not only of Bill Dillon, but then-Grand Master Noel C. Dicks, and Right Worshipful Brother Jesse Higginson, past chairman of the Board of Grand Examiners. Jesse was our regular instructor, and was quite happy to put people on the spot and push them to learn. He would regularly assign me new bits of ritual and expect me to have them ready at the next monthly meeting. 

Having found that I liked Masonry, I started looking around for potential members. Tuscola is a “city” of 4600 in a county of 19,000, so the membership pool is not huge, but I knew a few people. The first man I approached was Eric Frahm (he would later follow me as Worshipful of Tuscola Lodge), an IT guy I’d known for years, mostly through our wives. I handed him Chris Hodapp’s Freemasons For Dummies, and told him to read it and see if it sounded like something he’d like. A few months later, he said, “yeah, sounds good.” So Eric became Brother Eric. His cousin, Cory, petitioned the lodge at Eric’s urging, and the three of us set about looking (in a fairly haphazard way) for good men we thought would make good Masons. One friend of mine, now a member of our lodge, had never inquired about Masonry because he thought you had to be asked to join. Others had never realized Masonry existed. We got new members fairly regularly, and they interested their friends, and before long we had regular Work, with more and more of our members able to participate in degrees beyond just standing in the obligation line.

We started cleaning up two miles of a local highway, sponsoring the local high school’s Scholastic Bowl team and hosting their awards dinner; sponsored two blood drives every year, conducted ILCHIP events, traveled to other lodges to help them with their degrees, and generally tried to be active on a number of levels.

Three years after I was raised, I was elected Worshipful Master, succeeding Worshipful Brother Pangburn, who became Lodge Secretary. As a lodge, we set about planning our 150^th anniversary rededication. We put down new flooring in the dining room, replaced stained ceiling tiles, and generally spruced things up. Although I kept referring to the Most Worshipful Grand Master, Richard Swaney, as “Most Excellent,” because I was apparently channeling Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, it was a wonderful ceremony, held on the actual date of our charter. We didn’t feel old at all.

We kept working, with new petitioners coming fairly regularly. Eric succeeded me as Master,  and Cory followed him. I conferred a lot of degrees during my time in the East, as did Cory and Eric. It became the expected thing to know the work. If a Brother had trouble learning it, there was no shame. But everyone tried, and that was and is a wonderful thing. It’s become the norm for us to learn ritual. Some learn a little and some learn a lot. But we all learn. 

Not quite ten years have passed since I petitioned for my degrees. Eric, Cory, and I are all Past Masters. We’ve raised twenty-nine Master Masons since then, and, while some have moved away and others are infrequently at meetings, eleven of them are there every month.  We’re also active enough that some Brethren who’ve moved here from other places are now regular attendees. One of them has affiliated with us and is now our Senior Warden. This year, the Worshipful Master, Secretary, Treasurer, and Tyler are Past Masters. Everyone else is new. It feels wonderful.

So, what did we do that worked? A number of things, some of which may be universally applicable and some not. I offer them in no particular order:

1. We kept trying new things. If something didn’t work, we abandoned it, but if it did, we kept doing it. We plan plans, but we don’t plan results.

2. We learned ritual. When I was raised, if I recall correctly, only one member of my lodge could do any work in the Third Degree, and only a couple could do any work at all. Now Tuscola can do all its own work if we all show up, although we like to have visiting Brethren work in our degrees. It seems only fair to let travellers have fun.

3. We sought out new members. Illinois allows us to ask potential members to join, and we did. Sometimes we did it well, and sometimes badly, but we were looking for good men who might enjoy Freemasonry as we did. We don’t act like salesman, but I, at least, will say to a guy who I think would be a good Brother, “why aren’t you a Mason?” It gets the conversation started.

4. We got visibly involved in the community. Blood drives CHIP events, scholastic bowl sponsorship: all these things matter, particularly in a small town. Besides, doing good things together connects us to one another.

5. We maintained the building. We’re fortunate in that we have a downtown building with a tenant downstairs whose rent just covers our property taxes, and a temple board that’s frugal. In the last ten years we’ve had the building tuck pointed, repaired the roof a couple of times, replaced the sign, put down new flooring in the dining room, replaced ceiling tiles, ceiling fans, and lights, and generally kept the place looking fresh. We solicited donations among the various bodies that meet there (Blue Lodge, Eastern Star, York Rite), spent from saved funds, and did most of the work ourselves. The kitchen is a mid-70s time capsule (thank goodness the colors are muted), but it works, and that’s good enough. A lodge is the Masons and their charter, but buildings are part of our existence, and maintaining them is essential.  Old and well-used buildings are charming; neglected ones aren’t. Potential Masons look at our physical temples, and if it looks like nobody cares, they won’t usually inquire further.

6. We committed to Freemasonry. We showed up, did what needed doing, and looked for good examples among our Brethren. We didn’t wait to be shown: we got involved. That said, we also exhibited enough enthusiasm that our older Brethren volunteered to help us. 

7. We traveled to other lodges for degrees and instruction. I, for one, love my lodge, but I also love going to see other lodges, love watching other Brethren work, and generally love holding Masonic fellowship away from my home turf. Those of us who learned ritual found out we were often asked to help out in other lodges during their degrees, and we did. That not only made us feel welcome and competent, it encouraged us to learn more ritual.

8. We respected and learned from our elders. When Worshipful Brother Burl Green, 93 years old and nearly seventy years a Mason, rises to speak, we pay attention, even if he’s just talking about something we already covered. Our ancient Brethren are often fonts of wisdom. Even when they’re not being particularly wise, they’re our Brothers. We let them talk and we’re attentive.

9. We didn't inflict guilt trips on Brothers who can’t make it to lodge for work, family, or other reasons. They’re our Brothers, and we know they’re busy, especially the young guys. We just welcome them whenever they can show up, and make sure to keep them in the loop.

10. We did not look back at the “good old days” as being better than today. We study our history, but we live in the present moment, and we look to the future. There are bright days ahead, at least if we don’t rest on our laurels. This fraternity did not get to be nearly 300 years old by standing still.

So, is Masonry what I expected? Have I found what I was looking for? I can’t say yes, because I didn’t expect anything and I had no idea what I was looking for. What I did find was men looking for a higher purpose in their lives, a ritual that teaches me how to live every day, and a history rich beyond measure. I also found a future that is what we make it. Together, as long as we keep working together within the points of the compasses, Tuscola Lodge No. 332 will continue to rebuild itself on the foundation of those true Masonic ornaments: brotherly love, relief, and truth. We will, I trust, never stand still.

~MHS

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley serves the Grand Lodge of Illinois, A.F. & A.M, as Leadership Development Chairman and Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master of the Eastern Area. A Certified Lodge Instructor, he is a Past Master and Life Member of Tuscola Lodge No. 332 and a plural member of Island City Lodge No. 330, F & AM, in Minocqua, Wisconsin. He is Past Most Wise Master of the George E. Burow Chapter of Rose Croix in the Valley of Danville, IL; he is also a member of the Illinois Lodge of Research, the York Rite, Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, Eastern Star, Illini High Twelve, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon.The author of several article on British and American history, he teaches at Eastern Illinois University.You can contact him at: m.h.shirley@gmail.com

Learning From the Best

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

RWB Michael H. Shirley

For some reason, I hold the position of Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master for the Eastern Area of the State of Illinois. It’s essentially an administrative and troubleshooting position, and I try to assist the Area Deputy and the District Deputies in performing their duties, since they all work much harder than I do. The office comes with one perk I’ll be loathe to give up whenever I resign or am fired: an apron with an elastic waistband, which means I don’t have to dig through the pile of aprons to find one with extra long strings.

It also comes with some privileges, and one of the great ones has been the chance to present the Grand Master’s Pin to newly raised Brethren at the conclusion of their Third Degrees, and to make a few comments about the Fraternity of which they’ve become full members. I have nothing original to say, I hasten to add, because everything I do is based on things two others have already said in the same circumstances. I

take a bit from Right Worshipful Brother Frank Lincoln, District Deputy Emeritus of the 11^th Eastern District of the State of Illinois. Frank is a retired judge, Treasurer of my Lodge (Tuscola No. 332), and an exceptional amateur historian. He always speaks clearly, succinctly, and eloquently; when he presented pins to newly raised Brethren, he normally brought local history to his comments, and I’ve tried to do the same. 

Frank gives it his own flavor, but he told me that he took another speaker as his model, and I’ve done the same. Most Worshipful Brother Noel C. Dicks, Past Grand Master of Masons in Illinois, regularly speaks at Third Degrees, and it’s always a privilege to hear him. I have more of a chance to do that than most, as Noel’s lodge, Arthur Lodge No. 825, is also in the 11^th Eastern District. One of the things he always says is his honors and rank are really superfluous, that appendant bodies are nice and can be important, but that there’s no higher degree than that of Master

Mason. In his concluding remarks at his last address to the Brethren assembled for the Grand Communication of the Grand Lodge of Illinois in 2007, he said, 

I have constantly reminded myself that although I may be the Grand Master, I am not the king of a dynasty or the ruler of a kingdom. I am a Master Mason.

If there’s anything it’s important that I remember in my Masonic journey, it’s that. Whatever I’m called to do, whatever rank or position I hold, I’m just trying to become a better Master Mason. I’d be hard pressed to find better models to emulate than Frank Lincoln and Noel Dicks. The talks they’ve given are eloquent representations of the men they are: Master Masons in the fullest sense of the phrase, good men made better by the Masonic philosophy they’ve lived in service to others. If it is a privilege to hold the office I do, it is a greater privilege to be a Master Mason, on the level with Brethren like them, and all Master Masons everywhere. And when I’m no longer AADGM, I’ll not have stepped down, for I was never truly raised above what I am: a grateful Master Mason, looking for nothing more than to be better today than I was yesterday, and hoping I can find an apron with long strings so I can share Masonic fellowship with my Brethren.

~MHS

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley serves the Grand Lodge of Illinois, A.F. & A.M, as Leadership Development Chairman and Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master of the Eastern Area. A Certified Lodge Instructor, he is a Past Master and Life Member of Tuscola Lodge No. 332 and a plural member of Island City Lodge No. 330, F & AM, in Minocqua, Wisconsin. He is Past Most Wise Master of the George E. Burow Chapter of Rose Croix in the Valley of Danville, IL; he is also a member of the Illinois Lodge of Research, the York Rite, Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, Eastern Star, Illini High Twelve, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon.The author of several article on British and American history, he teaches at Eastern Illinois University.You can contact him at: m.h.shirley@gmail.com