by Midnight Freemason Contributor
WB Bill Hosler
I think something like this happens in every lodge. Everyone wants to be part of the fun. Dinners with white tablecloths and gourmet food served on fine china. Toasts to the health and longevity of the lodge, fun, and merriment for all. But when the lights go out, the crystal glasses are empty and the last bite of food has been consumed, no one wants to wash and dry the dishes. Let “Hiram” do it.
It’s fun to have a big degree night with Brethren from all over. The happy talk and handshakes make the evening a special evening everyone will remember for a long time. The next day who is there to empty the wastepaper baskets or sweep the lodge room floor. Let “Hiram” do it.
Everyone always assumes “Hiram” will be there to plan events, pay for materials needed and clean up afterward. “Hiram” is the one that is expected to get up early on a Saturday morning. To help clean and repair everyones Masonic Temple. To work at the pancake breakfast, which by the way, the lodge voted to hold, so they won’t have to raise the yearly dues five dollars a year. But what if there isn’t a “Hiram” there to do all the nasty work you don’t want to do? Chances are it doesn’t get done, and our temples begin to disintegrate. Long-standing traditions tend to get abandoned. Sound familiar?
Not long ago the Grand Lodge of Illinois held a “Masonic Pride day”. Basically, The Grand lodge asked the Brethren of their jurisdiction to wear Masonic branded clothing on a certain Saturday while they were out enjoying their weekend. This was done to display pride and membership, and possibly create an interest in Freemasonry within the profane world.
I thought this was a great idea. If Illinois could do it why couldn’t Masons in other jurisdictions take part and don a Masonic T-shirt or ball cap on the same Saturday? So I posted their graphics and hashtag on my social media and on the Midnight Freemasons Instagram page.
The posts garnered a lot of interest and I saw Brethren from many jurisdictions posting photos of themselves in their Masonic clothing and using the hashtag. Maybe with promotion, in a few years, this can become an annual event.
Sadly, one thing troubled me in some ofthe comments on these posts. Although most of the replies to these posts were positive so many comments were along the lines of, “I wish our Grand Lodge would do this.” or "I wish someone around here would start something like this.”
I have been seeing comments like these on many posts being shared around the Masonic world. There are always people saying, “I wish someone would do this here” or “I wish our Grand lodge would do this.” My thought is, Why don’t you start it?
All good ideas must start somewhere, usually at the grass-roots level of membership. If it is successful, others take notice and may adopt the program themselves, and eventually they may become something that benefits everyone. What if everyone sat around the Lodge room and complained and ex[ected “Hiram” to start it? Eventually, something that could benefit everyone would fly away to that place in Heaven, that all good ideas are laid to rest.
Brethren, if we want to try new things (Or bring back old traditions which we have cast aside) we need to each be willing to take part, and use our strengths and God-given talents to at least try to make that event a success. If it works; Awesome! Carry on! If it fails, you go back to the drawing board and come up with another idea.
Brothers, you don’t need a large group to make a change, just several men who are willing to try.
~BH
