I'm a Curmudgeon ... and proud of it - Revisit

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Steven L. Harrison, 33˚, FMLR

*Editors Note* When this piece first came out back in July of 2013, I hadn't been a visitor in many lodges. What I had seen as far as decorum was almost all, pretty good. Fast forward to today, and I've almost seen it all and this piece makes more sense to me today than it did back when it came out. What should the decorum of a lodge be? Is there a dress code or at least a standard by which we should hold ourselves? I believe the answer is a resounding, "Yes!" In this piece Bro. Harrison nails it and I hope you enjoy...

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There is a picture that hangs in my home Lodge. It is a portrait of George Washington looking stately in his finest Masonic attire. It's a reproduction of a painting you've probably seen. In it Brother Washington stands erect with a trowel in his right hand, wearing his Master Mason's apron, and the Worshipful Master's jewel around his neck.

I sometimes look at that picture and wonder what it would have been like to sit in Lodge with him. I imagine the other Brothers similarly dressed in the fine attire of the day, conducting business and fluent in ritual.

So I attended a Lodge meeting last night. I went to a Lodge which had the same picture hanging on its wall. There stood George, attired in a manner which reflected a seriousness of purpose and respect for his Brothers and the fraternity. I imagined sitting there as he called the Lodge to order; and then suddenly, almost ruthlessly, I popped back to reality as the Master of the Lodge I was attending did the same.

"BRETHREN," he boomed, "you will say the pledge of... uh, no... you will join in the saying of the Pledge of Allegiance to... is that right?" Making up for the fact that he couldn't even stumble through the first line in the opening ritual was the uninspiring fact that he was dressed in cut-off jeans and a T-shirt. Adding a pork-pie hat to his ensemble, along with his slight frame, he had me convinced I was staring at Pee Wee Herman in his skivvies.

Now, don't get me wrong. It was 95° outside and that Lodge's air conditioning was struggling. I'm not advocating we should all be standing there in tuxedos suffering starch-induced prickly heat; but I couldn't help wondering what George would think. For the record, I was wearing a golf-shirt and dress slacks. That's a far cry from formal attire, but at least, given present day fashions, I don't think it was insulting to the Brethren or the fraternity. (When I wear a golf shirt, the only thing it really insults is the game of golf itself).

I know all Lodges aren't like the one I was attending; but at the expense of sounding like the curmudgeon I proudly am, couldn't we at least upgrade to business-casual? Maybe a new pair of jeans instead of the ones you inherited from you grandfather?

In case you're still with me and still in agreement, I think there was something even more unsettling about last night. That first line of the ritual was one of the WM's better efforts. The Brother stood in the East and butchered almost every line as others in the Masonic Peanut Gallery, asked or not, called out the proper wording — or close to it — to help him plod along. The opening and closing went excruciatingly slow, extending what should have been an efficient meeting well into the evening.

And we wonder why Lodge attendance is down.

I guess, Brothers, if we can't dress in somewhat appropriate attire for meetings, maybe it's just a sign of the times and we shouldn't worry too much about it. But, for God's sake, and for the sake of accelerating meetings beyond a snail's pace, learn the ritual. Were he with us today, I'm sure WB George would recommend it.

~SLH

Bro. Steve Harrison, 33° is Past Master of Liberty Lodge #31, Liberty, Missouri. He is the editor of the Missouri Freemason magazine, author of the book Freemasonry Crosses the Mississippi, a Fellow of the Missouri Lodge of Research and also its Worshipful Master. He is a dual member of Kearney Lodge #311, St. Joseph Missouri Valley of the Scottish Rite, Liberty York Rite, Moila Shrine and a member and Past Dean of the DeMolay Legion of Honor. Brother Harrison is a regular contributor to the Midnight Freemasons blog as well as several other Masonic publications. His latest book, Freemasons: Tales From the Craft & Freemasons at Oak Island. Both are available on amazon.com.

A Matter Of Degrees

by Midnight Freemasons Senior Contributor

WB Gregory J. Knott

 

Gregory J. Knott and family at University of Illinois graduation May 2017

This past May, on a Sunday morning I sat in Smith Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois.  I was wearing my academic regalia and listening to the speakers talk about the bright future all the soon to be graduates had as they leave the University and enter the “real world”.  I was one of those soon to be graduates.  

A couple of days earlier I had submitted my final research papers and completed all the classwork.  My last semester had been especially long because the two classes that I took were extremely rigorous, but I enjoyed them both very much.  One class was Storytelling and the other was Genealogy and Library Service.  My Master’s degree in Library and Information Science was now finished.

I was glad to be finished with my academic work, but at the same time I quickly found myself missing the challenge of learning new things, having the opportunity to discuss ideas with classmates and working on the various projects.

The same opportunities that I enjoyed in class are also available in Freemasonry.  As my good friend and fellow Midnight Freemason Founder Todd E. Creason outlined in his recent series on Masonic education, our membership is looking and expecting more from our meetings than just paying the bills and reading minutes.

I have some further goals and one of those is sharing some of the library research skills that I have acquired, with our Midnight Freemason readers.  There are an amazing amount of resources simply waiting for you to utilize them in your Masonic education and research efforts.  Stay tuned soon as the articles start to come together.

Additionally, I would like to review with you what opportunities there are for research waiting to be discovered in your local Masonic Lodge.   I recently gave a presentation on this topic at the Illinois Lodge of Research entitled “Discovering Your Past”. You can watch this presentation on You Tube at https://youtu.be/Y1KcoEcTDf8 .

Enjoy your summer.

~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 is a Senior Contributor and Founding Member of the Midnight Freemasons blog.

The Value of Old Books

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

RW Robert H. Johnson

With the NMJ (Northern Masonic Jurisdiction) Scottish Rite releasing their new 700+ page edition of the Francken Manuscript, it's time to talk about the value of these kinds of books. First of all, if you would like to read about this full color facsimile rendition, with essays etc., please visit HERE. It's a bit pricey, but I am sure it's worth the money. My only gripe is that not everyone involved in its production is a Mason. I don't think it detracts from the quality, just my opinion.

The main point I would like to cover in this short piece is the value of reprints, facsimile or otherwise. I personally own several facsimile reprints. Of course some do not like them because the quality can sometimes be not as great, but when it comes to being able to access rare prints etc. these are perfect. A great company is Kessinger's  Books. They offer a multitude of amazing books which are insanely hard to find for a reasonable cost.

Case in point, a copy of "The Masters Word - A Short Treatise on the Word, the Light and the Self" can run the gamut in price like this one which is over $1000.00 for an original in "good" condition. This is a lot to spend on a book that is about 116 pages. Forgotten Books Series from Kessinger's on Amazon gives you a wonderful reprint of this text for $11.00. Also, in the back of many of these facsimile reprints, the company will put a page at the end of the book, listing other books like the one you're reading which you can purchase through them at similar cost.

Hope this aids you all in your search for more light! Keep reading.

~RHJ

RWB, Robert Johnson is the Managing Editor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Freemason out of the 1st N.E. District of Illinois. He currently serves as the Secretary of Waukegan Lodge No. 78 where he is a Past Master. He also serves as the District Deputy for the 1st N.E. District of Illinois. Brother Johnson currently produces and hosts weekly Podcasts (internet radio programs) Whence Came You? & Masonic Radio Theatre which focus on topics relating to Freemasonry. He is also a co-host of The Masonic Roundtable, a Masonic talk show. He is a husband and father of four, works full time in the executive medical industry and is also an avid home brewer. He is currently working on a book of Masonic essays and one on Occult Anatomy to be released soon.

What To Expect When You're Expecting: Worshipful Master's Edition

by Midnight Freemasons Guest Contributor

WB Darin A. Lahners

One of the first purchases for any expectant parent is the book, ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’.   It is a guide to help you as a mother or father to understand what happens during pregnancy.  Unfortunately, a newly elected Worshipful Master does not have a similar guide to help him prepare for his year in the East.  Trust me, I’ve looked. Serving my lodge as Worshipful Master should be one of the high points of my Masonic career.  Since my election as Worshipful Master last month, I’ve been full of trepidation.  I’ve been asking myself the below questions: Why am I so nervous?  What if they (my brethren) don’t respect me?    Should I step aside so someone more competent can do the job?  I hope to answer these questions and more below.  I really need to get my emotions subdued if I’m going to have a successful year in the East.  Since there is no guide, I need to come up with one.

Why am I so nervous?  There are plenty of reasons for me to be nervous. We have a CLI (Certified Lodge Instructor) in our lodge, so I want to make sure that all the ritual is by the book.    I’m going to be Master of a lodge that has a good mix of newer younger masons and older veteran masons.  As you might imagine, sometimes there is a difference of opinions between these sets of Masons.  I want to make sure there is harmony among the brethren.  I’ve been a member of this lodge since November 2011.   I know all of these brothers and they know me.  I know the ritual.  Sure I might swap a word here or there, but I’m pretty confident with it.   There is no reason I should be nervous.  Yes, I’m going to make some mistakes.   It’s my first journey to the East.    By the time I feel comfortable in the East, my time will be at an end.    I just need to accept this and breathe.  I need to relax and have fun!

What if they don’t respect me? I need to realize that there is a mutual respect between all the brethren in my lodge.   Several of them have mentored me throughout my masonic career thus far.   I don’t want to let them down, but ultimately I might disappoint them.  They might not like the goals that I’m setting for the lodge for the coming year.    It’s okay if they don’t.   They might have different ideas, goals, and aspirations than I.  Some of their ideas might be better than my own.  Our differences make us stronger as a fraternity.  I realize that my time in the East is just a continuation of the masonic journey I’ve been on thus far.   I have exchanged ideas and communicated with them just fine up until now, there should be no difference due to me being in the East.  As long as I keep the lines of communication open, I will be fine.       

Should I step aside so someone more competent can do the job? No! My brothers elected me.   They have the utmost confidence that I can do the job.   I need to have the same confidence.   I’ve already reached the realization that I’m not going to be perfect.    I’ve realized that I might not be able to please all of them as Master, but that I should have an open dialogue with them.  They have elected me because they believe that I’m ready.   So if they believe in me, then I need to also believe in myself.   I’m ready to serve this lodge as Worshipful Master.   It would be more of a disservice to them if I stepped aside.   

So what am I missing?  Oh yes, a mission statement.  I need to summarize my goals that I’ve set out for my year as Master.  This will make it easier to communicate my plan to the brethren without going over each goal individually.   Let’s face it, we all have a short attention span.  I don’t think all of the brethren will want to know all of my goals, and if a few of them do, they will ask me.  Therefore, I present my mission statement.  

I want to make Saint Joseph Lodge a better place. A place for brothers and their families to spend time, and a better asset to the community.  A place that men in my community want to join.  I want to educate the brethren not only using traditional education, but also teach some of the esoteric meanings of the ritual as well.   Lastly, I want to raise some funds by having fun.  

However, it still feels like I’ve forgotten something.  Is it not taught that we as Masons should never commence any great or important undertaking without first invoking the blessing of Deity?  The trust of a Mason is in God.  We open and close our Lodges with Prayer.  Prayer serves an important role during the initiation of our candidates.   Is it not right and proper that I should pray to the Great Architect to bless my labors as Worshipful Master?  Of course it is.  That great lesson applies here, and I should have done this to begin with.   My emotions would have been minimized had I followed that lesson.  I’m going to need God’s help as much as my fellow brethren’s help to have a successful year in the East.  

So, it looks like I’ve written my own “What to expect when you’re expected to become Worshipful Master” guide.  Five easy steps:   

1.       Relax and have fun!  You’re not going to be perfect, but you’ll be okay.

2.       Communicate and be open to listening.  Exchange ideas with your lodge.  

3.       Believe in yourself!  Your brothers believe in you.  

4.       Have a plan.   A mission statement is a good way to set out your goals in a few sentences.

5.       Most importantly, invoke the blessing of Deity always before undertaking any task as Worshipful Master.

Your journey to the East might have been different, or maybe you’re still travelling East.   Hopefully, you can use this guide to help you.  I think it works for any step in your masonic journey.  It’s too bad that it took me until I was going to be Worshipful Master to come up with one.   I’m sure Greg Knott or Todd Creason will have a joke or two ready about that.

~DAL

WB Darin Lahners is the Worshipful Master of St. Joseph Lodge No.970 in St. Joseph and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL). He’s a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, a charter member of the new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter U.D. and is the current Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign – Urbana (IL).   He is also a member of the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees.  When he’s not busy enjoying Masonic fellowship, Darin spends his time as a DM for his children’s D&D campaign, reading, golfing, watching movies and listening to music.  You can reach him by email at darin.lahners@gmail.com.