100 Years Of Jobs Daughters and The Gavel - “ Honor your past for a brighter future.”

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

Michael Laidlaw, 32°

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Jobs Daughters. Founded in 1920 by Mrs. Ethel T. Wead Mick in Omaha, Nebraska. They take their teaching from the story of Job and his trials. And in particular to a reference in the 42nd Chapter that says, "And in all the land were no women found so fair as the Daughters of Job." I had the pleasure of serving as the Master of Ceremonies for my Daughter as she took the Chair of Honored Queen. With that comes a speech, and it is a custom to acquire a gavel. Sending out a few requests, one Brother stepped up and had a gavel made. Here is the expert from the speech.

"We have an extra special gift prepared for you, and this gift also has a story, a story of Brotherhood and obligation. I had contacted a few Brothers and ask them if they knew anybody who could make a gavel for my Daughter, who is preparing to become Honored Queen. Without hesitation and on the other side of the country, Brother Brandon Hale stepped up and said, "I will take care of it." He asked what type of gavel I had in mind. Although I left it entirely up to him for style, I did request he incorporate some nuances of Jobs Daughters. Brother Brandon lives in Virginia, and he has a message for you regarding the gavel:

"There is a maker's mark on the gavel from the Brother who made it. It's for Job's Daughters. The JD print is his mark. It just hit me that it was meant for him to make it. His name is Joseph DiPietro. He has a heart of gold, and I love him like family. "

Brother Brandon had this gavel made, especially for you. The man who made it, Joseph DiPietro, is a Mason; the man handing it to you, Brother Brandon, is also a mason. A story of obligation, for three men who have never met in person, could come together and produce a gavel for their Masonic daughter. Never look at the Jobs Daughters as "just a club" or say, "it's just a ceremony." This act proves there is a much deeper meaning to our Masonic family than just a club. Just as every Mason is my Brother. Every Jobs Daughter is your sister. "

Just a few years prior, my Daughter was embarking on a journey, walking in the same steps as her great Aunt before her. Luckily our Aunt with us the day she was made a Jobs Daughter. But sadly, she never did get to see her great-niece take the gavel in her hands, but, her Spirit lives on. Through my daughter's theme, "Honor your past for a brighter future," and through the Spirit of Freemasonry. The legacy of not only Craft, jobs daughters, but sisterhood and Brotherhood will forever live in the hearts and minds of those who attended that event. And the gavel will forever be a testament to Brother Love, Relief and Truth

- A Jobie Dad, ML

Michael Laidlaw was raised to the Sublime degree in 2011 and is a plural Member of South Pasadena 290 and Southern California Research Lodge where he is Junior Warden and Pop Culture editor for The Fraternal Review Magazine. He is also serving as Senior Steward for Arcadia 278. Michael is an active council member for Jobs Daughters Bethel 210 Arcadia (where his daughter is serving as Honored Queen) and serves on the Grand Lodge of California Youth Orders Committee. He is a 32° Scottish Rite Mason from the Valley Of Pasadena Orient of California where he has completed all three Master Craftsman Courses. Michael is also a member of San Gabriel Valley Chapter No. 100 RAM, Alhambra Council No. 25 CM, and Foothill Commandery No. 63 KT. He also holds Membership in Cinema Grotto and Order of Eastern Star.

Taking Back the 24-Inch Gauge

By Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Jason Richards

Freemasonry is a complex organization. Its history is rich, dynamic, and largely unknown. The organization itself has spawned hundreds of others--some open to women and others open to children--almost all of which predicated membership on first having been raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason. Many of these organizations, including the Tall Cedars of Lebanon, the Grotto, DeMolay, Job's Daughters, and Rainbow for Girls, were all formed at the cusp of the twentieth century—a period in which Masonry had once again begun to expand following two distinct periods of major anti-masonic sentiment in the United States (first in the 1830's following the Morgan Affair and second in the 1870's-1880's). In the heyday of the post-WWII Masonic membership boom—and partially due to the societal norms of the day—these appendant and concordant bodies (as they came to be called) expanded and flourished. 

But this is no longer the case today, at least universally. Masons are overburdened, and the entire craft is suffering because of it. Many appendant bodies, at least on the local level, obtain just enough support from overwhelmed Masons to stave off shutting their doors. I would argue that given the decline in Masonic membership, changing socio-cultural norms and the concurrent breakdown of the “Masonic family,” and the proliferation of non-masonic organizations—all of which have occurred over the last century—the myriad appendant bodies, and women’s and youth organizations attached to the Masonic fraternity is no longer sustainable. One of the best things that we as Masons can do is to take struggling chapters and organizations off of life support and let them die. 

One of the very first lessons Entered Apprentices are taught is to manage time through the use of the 24-inch gauge. But today’s Masonic fraternity does not lend itself to proper time management. Masonic membership has been in sharp decline across the world for the past 60 years, yet Masonic obligations have not diminished proportionally. The calendar in my Masonic district is packed, and a lodge officer can be assured that he’ll be away from home a minimum of 2 nights a week just for his home lodge, not counting the events occurring in the district on a weekly basis to which he is “expected” to show up—and this is just for Blue Lodge! It doesn’t take into account the weekly Shrine club meetings, Scottish Rite pancake breakfasts, or the last-minute phone call from the local Royal Arch Chapter looking for one more member to attend their monthly meeting so that they have enough brethren to open. Seeing how overburdened Masons in my own District happen to be, it’s no wonder that Masonic youth groups and other aforementioned organizations fall by the wayside.

But declining Masonic membership is only one reason for this lack of support. Changing sociocultural norms also play a role. In the 1950’s, many women derived their identities from their husbands’ hobbies and lives. If your husband was a Mason, you could spend time with him by taking part in women’s Masonic organizations like Amaranth or the Order of the Eastern Star. If you were the child of a Mason, you could spend time with your father by joining DeMolay or Rainbow for Girls. This way, a Mason could concurrently spend time with his family and tend to Masonic obligations. Today, however, the “Masonic family” arguably no longer exists, especially in today’s younger generation of Masons. I can count on one finger the number of Masonic spouses under 35 who are actively engaged Masonic endeavors with their husbands (Sorry, Cori—you’re quite the outlier at present). Masonic and familial obligations today simply do not overlap. 

A final reason for lack of support is the proliferation of other organizations and ways to spend one’s time. Freemasonry no longer holds the enviable position of being the only game in town for extracurricular socialization and entertainment for men and their families. The success of youth organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America has dwarfed Masonic youth organizations like DeMolay and Job’s Daughters. 

Now that we’ve diagnosed at least a portion why Masons today are so over-obligated, how do we chart a way ahead? How do we take back the 24-inch gauge? Should we try to squeeze more commitment out of Masons through guilt, Grand Lodge edicts and resolutions, or other requests for aid? I have seen each of these tactics employed time and time again. Yet, youth groups and other appendant bodies in my area retain barely enough support to keep their doors open. Case in point—while at a blue lodge meeting I overheard a brother bragging about a youth group chapter that had become one of the biggest in the state—at 16 members. That’s a lot of effort for little quantifiable reward. Far more concerning to me, however, is the fact that I consistently witness more and more of my fellow brethren fight with their spouses over how much time Masonry is taking away from family.

Something needs to change. Short of building the membership back up to where it was at the turn of the twentieth century, the only way to lessen the burden on today’s Mason is to sacrifice struggling organizations currently on life support. No one wants to see a pet project or a chapter of an organization die, but the fact of the matter is that we can’t do it all anymore. Nor should we. Capture the institutional knowledge of an organization, document its ritual and history, and let it go.

Be bold. Make difficult choices. Take back your 24-inch gauge. We may find a strengthened fraternity as a result.

~JR

Bro. Jason Richards is the Junior Warden of Acacia Lodge No. 16 in Clifton, Virginia, and a member of both The Patriot Lodge No. 1957 and Fauquier Royal Arch Chapter No. 25 in Fairfax, Virginia. He is also Chaplain of Perfect Ashlar Council No. 349, Allied Masonic Degrees. He is the sole author of the Masonic weblog The 2-Foot Ruler: Masonry in Plain Language, and is a co-host on the weekly YouTube show and podcast The Masonic Roundtable. He lives in Virginia with his wife, cats, and ever-expanding collection of bow ties.

The Masonic Academic Bowl

By Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Gregory J. Knott

St. Joseph-Ogden H.S. Scholastic Bowl Team

“Who wrote the Broadway musical - The Sound of Music?”  The correct answer was quickly given by one of the young team members, “composers Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II.”   This was one of the questions recently asked at a regional contest of the Illinois Masonic Academic Bowl.   

The Illinois Masonic Academic Bowl is a program of the Grand Lodge of Illinois and is an academic knowledge competition between Illinois high school scholastic bowl team.  Local high school teams are sponsored by a local lodge.  The goal is to provide positive recognition for academic excellence.

Eric Buzzard

 Our area lodges are strong supporters of this program and many lodge members were in attendance to watch the tournament.   The students are very bright and eager to demonstrate their knowledge.   The questions are not easy and honestly I didn’t know most of the answers.

This program hits the heart of what Freemasonry should be, education of the mind and self-improvement.  It’s also a wonderful program to put Freemasonry in front of the general public to help understand what we are about.

One of my St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 brothers, Eric Buzzard, has long been an advocate of the scholastic bowl team at our high school.  He and his wife Lyna regularly attend the matches.  They also coordinate a year pizza party that is sponsored by the lodge.  Many people in the community know about the lodge because of Eric’s efforts.   Eric is also a member of the Illinois Grand Lodge academic bowl committee.

Does your Grand Lodge have a program similar to this?  If not I encourage you to inquire and get one started.   Illinois has a wonderful model to look at.

~GJK

WB Gregory J. Knott is the Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 in St. Joseph (IL) and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL) and Naval Lodge No. 4 in Washington, DC.  He’s a member of the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, Eastern Star and is the Charter Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign-Urbana.  He is also a member of ANSAR Shrine (IL) and the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees.  Greg serves on the Board of Directors of The Masonic Society and is a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society and The Philathes Society.  Greg is very involved in Boy Scouts—an Eagle Scout himself, he is a member of the National Association of Masonic Scouters.