The topic of quantity versus quality is discussed a lot in my lodge, and I am sure that it is a popular subject among the membership of most organizations in existence today. Whether it’s the NAACP, a BGLO, the SCLC, ACM, or NSBE you can have but so many membership drives or reclamations before you realize that the same 20-30 people are bearing the work of the entire organization.
Freemasonry has an internal mechanism that I speculate was incorporated in order at its origin to ensure that this argument did not exist as our most excellent tenants were passed through succeeding generations. This failsafe is embodied in one of the first questions that a candidate for the Entered Apprentice Degree is asked, “Is this an act of your own free will and accord?”. Only after this question is answered in the affirmative is the individual allowed to continue with the ceremony of initiation. And then his affirmation is periodically verified throughout his initiation, passing, and raising.
As the class instructor for my lodge I have seen many men enter and leave through the doors of the lodge hall. Many men leave after the first night of degree work. They generally have the most legitimate reason, “This isn’t what I expected.” Others attend a few classes (we require our candidates to attend weekly classes and to perform community service) and decide that they don’t want to invest the time to learn the material or perform the community service projects that they touted as the very reason that they wanted to become Masons in the first place. Others stick around until they get raised and then fade away like the memory of some dearly departed loved one.
After being in the lodge for a few years I thought that I had the ability to determine who would complete the class and who would continue to participate in lodge activities after they were raised. I have found that to be as impossible as predicting the weather. I have since determined that this is a futile practice because there is no way to see within another man’s heart.
So who’s responsibility is it to guard the door of our lodge to ensure that the men whom we let enter will be as dedicated as we? This, too, can be found in our rituals. As EA's we are all admonished to be careful when recommending anyone for membership in the Lodge. We should be sure that he will conform to our rules in order to ensure the dignity of the institution and that the world at large is assured of its good effects.
So what does this brief lecture have to do with the title? If you are a Mason, then you wouldn’t have to ask.
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7 comments:
Welcome to the Masonic blogging world, Bro. Darrell. It's a growing community, and there's a lot of great stuff around the net. Glad to have you with us.
Tom Accuosti
The Tao of Masonry
Brother - it's the same in my Lodge as well. Although I am A.F & F.M., a very good friend of mine is in the local PH lodge (St. John's No. 14, F & AM, Emporia, KS). He's just recently taken the post of secretary after being WM for about nine years. There are currently three - five active members of that Lodge and they can't even open some days.
In my Lodge, although we do have enough people to open, it is still a crapshoot as to which initiates will stay and which merely pass through on their way to the Shrine.
Your title question is incisive, and if the answer to that question is the corner bar, or wherever, then chances are you will see a dues check every year, but little else.
Still, I argue that the huge membership rolls in the 1940s-50s were inflated, maybe because the world hadn't heard of ESPN2 yet. I think there exists the potential for the same dedicated membership that there has always been, it's just a question of the right motivated fellows finding out about us. Do you agree?
In the Womb.
Then my parents worked me over with their working tools.
Then the Prep Room and everything else that followed: for perfecting the use of the Working Tools that the are in The Masonic Tool Box for my use on me.
are you still blogging?
This seems to be an alarming trend in many lodges. It is difficult to predict who will stay and put in the work and who will fade out like eight track. When the numbers on the roles gets low and the brothers present get up in age the quality seems to go out the window in favor of quanity. Bro. Jordan, Mt. Ogden #20, MWPHGL Colorado
My Brother, My Lodge has the most members in CT. We have over 200 Brothers on our roll. Every year at the Raising the speach about coming out atleast once a month to meetings, not putting on a hat, t-shirt and car emblem and dissappearing is given. We have about 40 - 70 Brothers who actually come out and be active in the operation and functions of the lodge. Some dissappear after a disagreement or don't like who sits in the east that year. Some we call "knife & fork" Masons come out for dances, Balls, or dinners. The rest send in their dues monies once a year, recieve their card and are content. I'm sure this happens all over.
Widow's Son Lodge #1 PHA
New Haven, CT
Definitely where the blood ebbs and flows through out my body. I myself have only been raised for about 3 weeks, but you can tell when they went through the rolls and half the people wern't even in the lodge, something wasn't right.
We have one indiviual who is so cheap that he only pays Grand Lodge dues as oppose to finding a local lodge to join.
Its obvious that some people are becoming Masons just to get a hook up. Trying to be the most well connected man in the world. And yes being connected comes with the Territory of being a Mason, but you have to put in the work to reach that status. Then thats when laziness settles in with some of the newly raised MM's.
But best believe your boy continues to use his tools and works on his Perfect Points of Entrance.
Bro. Henry C. McRoberts III
Key West Lodge #257 F&AM(PHA)
Wichita Falls, TX
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