More Freemasonry in Popular Culture

The late great actor John Edward Thaw, in his popular British series "Detective Morse" plays a police inspector who becomes suspicious of Freemasons in the police department, only to find that a villain used imagery associated with Freemasonry as part of a plot to mislead the inspector while framing him for murder. It is not really a treatment of Masonry but the use of popular perspectives on the fraternity in the U.K. as an incidental plot device.

Best Holiday Wishes Brethren and Friends

The Passing Of The Year
by Brother Robert William Service (1874 - 1958)

My glass is filled, my pipe is lit,
My den is all a cosy glow;
And snug before the fire I sit,
And wait to feel the old year go.
I dedicate to solemn thought
Amid my too-unthinking days,
This sober moment, sadly fraught
With much of blame, with little praise.

Old Year! upon the Stage of Time
You stand to bow your last adieu;
A moment, and the prompter’s chime
Will ring the curtain down on you.
Your mien is sad, your step is slow;
You falter as a Sage in pain;
Yet turn, Old Year, before you go,
And face your audience again.

That sphinx-like face, remote, austere,
Let us all read, whate’er the cost:
O Maiden! why that bitter tear?
Is it for dear one you have lost?
Is it for fond illusion gone?
For trusted lover proved untrue?
O sweet girl-face, so sad, so wan
What hath the Old Year meant to you?

And you, O neighbour on my right
So sleek, so prosperously clad!
What see you in that aged wight
That makes your smile so gay and glad?
What opportunity unmissed?
What golden gain, what pride of place?
What splendid hope? O Optimist!
What read you in that withered face?

And You, deep shrinking in the gloom,
What find you in that filmy gaze?
What menace of a tragic doom?
What dark, condemning yesterdays?
What urge to crime, what evil done?
What cold, confronting shape of fear?
O haggard, haunted, hidden One
What see you in the dying year?

And so from face to face I flit,
The countless eyes that stare and stare;
Some are with approbation lit,
And some are shadowed with despair.
Some show a smile and some a frown;
Some joy and hope, some pain and woe:
Enough! Oh, ring the curtain down!
Old weary year! it’s time to go.

My pipe is out, my glass is dry;
My fire is almost ashes too;
But once again, before you go,
And I prepare to meet the New:
Old Year! a parting word that’s true,
For we’ve been comrades, you and I—
I thank God for each day of you;
There! bless you now! Old Year, good-bye!

M:.W:. Bro. Richard Fletcher Resigns

(Photo: From left: Judy Fletcher, Nicolas Cage, Darlene Alban,

and Richard E. Fletcher, at the premier of

National Treasure: Book of Secrets in New York City in December 2007)

M:.W:. Brother Richard Fletcher has announced his resignation as Executive Secretary of the Masonic Service Association of North America, to be effective at the close if the MSA's annual meeting in Denver next February. He has served with great devotion and courage in this position since 1987. Below is an excerpt from one of his initiatives, "It’s About Time!" a report completing a study undertaken by a special task force of the Masonic Information Center Steering Committee that focused on the need for Masonic "Public Awareness". The most important part to me is the part focused on Masons image of themselves and the Craft which is what is excerpted below. (A MSA video follows that.)

Facing the Facts and Accepting the Challenge

“Freemasonry evolved from 18th century European enlightened thinking. Today, Masonry is shaped by the 19th century concept of social benevolence and the 20th century emphasis on ritual as the completion of a Mason’s education about the fraternity.”
 

— MIC Task Force

In order to evaluate present-day Freemasonry, we had to assess the Fraternity’s strengths and weaknesses. The Task Force proceeded methodically to question Masonry’s past, present and future. We asked a series of penetrating questions, listed our findings, and then completed each section with a summary formed by observations and conclusions. In order to properly determine a course of action for a Masonic Public Awareness Program, we believe it imperative that we understand, as a fraternity, where we have been, where we are today, and what happened in the intervening years.

Forthright answers to the questions we posed did not come easily and required an enormous amount of soul searching and critical evaluation.

Much of the data used in this report came from United States sources because those were the ones most readily available and accessible to our Task Force. We have pointed out where data was specifically from a United States source, but we have reason to believe that data from Canada would be almost identical.

For instance, there were no Canadian membership statistics available to us unless we laboriously went through, year by year, the figures from each Grand Lodge to determine if the same trends occurred as in the United States. Because we have had many discussions with Canadian Masons, there is no doubt in the minds of the Task Force that the data trends are the same.

So this report needs to be considered in the context of North America, including the United States and Canada, even though, on occasion, we list a United States source.

Exploring the patterns of Masonry

The deliberations of the Task Force were lengthy and lively. Below are the questions that guided the discussions and the summaries of our findings.

 

1. What has Freemasonry done in the past?

For a fraternity that is centuries old, this question is extremely significant. It asks how Freemasonry developed and what Masonic affiliation meant to Masons of an earlier time. The Freemasons of the 1700s set a very high standard. In the late 1700s, Freemasons helped build two new nations founded on Masonic principles.

Patriots chose to help create the United States; Loyalists chose to help strengthen Canada. Both groups had many Masons in their midst. For detailed information, we turned to the historians on our Task Force who led a review of our Masonic past. The key points and summaries are listed below.

In the past, Freemasonry accomplished the following:

• Provided camaraderie
• Created elite status
• Served as a stepping stone to military, arts, business and social contacts
• Attracted leaders to its membership

Guilds of Masons (early labor unions) probably originated in Scotland in the 1600s. Early Masons concentrated on the following tasks:

• Protecting workers’ interests
• Helping Masonic families
• Operating lodges
• Opening lodges to non-stonemasons
• Formally ritualizing the method of creating new members

In colonial America, Freemasonry provided leadership during the American Revolution and throughout the nation’s history. It also provided a moral philosophy relevant to the individual and to communities. In early America, Freemasonry:

• Promoted a philanthropic focus supporting fraternal kinship.
• Inspired authors to create a body of popular literature, offering satiric views, i.e. Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain.
• Stimulated thought consistent with Masonic values. Lodges became sites of Revolutionary debating, responding to contemporary thought.

We looked for historical trends that reshaped our Masonic identity. We found several pivotal events:

• (Speculative) Freemasonry evolved into and eventually from 18th century European enlightened thinking.
• In the late 1800s, Victorian values influenced Masonic priorities both in Europe and North America by placing emphasis on heightening social awareness and stressing social idealism.
• Twentieth-century Freemasonry sustained Victorian idealism and reinforced philanthropic emphasis of fraternity.
• During World War II, President Truman said that men should join the Masonic fraternity before going to war, which reinforced a rise in Masonic membership.
• Masonic tradition became locked in ritual as an end, not as a simply part of a process.
• Today Masonry is shaped by the 19th century concept of social benevolence and the 20th century emphasis on ritual as the completion of a Mason’s education about the fraternity. (Structured study rather and focus on the ritual but not the free intellectual inquiry that will rise independently in the worthy candidate.)

 One thing that tells me a company is in trouble is when they tell me how good they were in the past. Same with countries. You don’t want to forget your identity. I am glad you were great in the 14th century, but that was then and this is now. When memories exceed dreams, the end is near.

 

2. What is currently happening within Freemasonry?

Obviously, this question has no right or wrong answers because—like public opinion—it asks for personal perceptions and observations. The Task Force members agreed that there were and are tensions inherent in our organization today, including but not limited to the following perceptions:

• There is a slight movement toward wanting to educate the public about the fraternity.
• There is recognition that traditional communications tools have failed to heighten public awareness.
• The inclusion of family members at Masonic events has produced mixed results.
• Masonry is no longer identified as an elite organization.
• There are disagreements regarding priorities of financial commitments to Masonic buildings and charitable obligations versus starting new programs.
• Current Masons generally do not understand the true meaning of our fraternity.
• A reliance on historic heroes inhibits Masons from achieving contemporary significance. 

UK Freemasonry and UGLE University Scheme's Astounding Success, Challenges

UK FREEMASONRY: SUCCESS WITH UNIVERSITY SCHEME, CHALLENGES OF GROWTH  

from United Grand Lodge of England, (edited for clarity for U.S. readership)

Although still in its early years, the Universities Scheme has tremendously grown and expanded, not so much like a balloon, but rather more like an inflated rubber glove. The thought that (with renewed focus) university masonry would spread in predictable and orchestrated fashion is one that I abandoned in the first few months of the Scheme’s existence, when it became swiftly apparent that it would take on its own life and character, irrespective of what intentions we had for it. We are now seeing lodges taking up participation not only across England and in areas of South Wales but also, potentially, beyond these shores, wherever the writ of Grand Lodge runs.

The stated aim of the Universities Scheme is to establish or enhance opportunities for undergraduates and other (targeted university and college) members to join and enjoy Freemasonry. What that means in practice is creating a network of lodges, each linked to a university to whose suitable members it will offer lodge membership, including while undergraduates and including if under twenty-one. Participating lodges adapt their way of operating to ensure that they are truly undergraduate-friendly, whatever that may mean in the context of their university. As I write, there are twenty-one lodges in the Scheme, but that figure will immediately be out of date.

Although, at the outset, Provinces were approached and lodges were invited to participate, it is now many months since the scope for lodges to apply to participate was first announced and since that offer was first taken up. The Scheme has long outgrown its Steering Group’s capacity to provide one-to-one coordinator support for every lodge. That transformation, which has depended crucially on the skill and enthusiasm of key individuals, both in the lodges themselves and in provincial executives, has allowed the Group to focus its time and resources on the critical issues that are common to university lodges and to university masons.

THE CRITICAL ISSUES TO SUCCESS

One such issue is how to retain these young masons when they leave university and move on. In the Universities Scheme, retention is a subject of special significance as graduates will often move many hundreds of miles to settle into their new lives as young professionals. Unless the Craft takes care to avoid it, the chance that those young masons will lose contact with their lodge is high.

For that reason, we are creating a structure to ensure that university masons will always have a ready welcome into a lodge within easy distance of their new abode, at least while they stay in England or Wales, (albeit that ‘easy distance’ takes on a special meaning for those who choose to dwell, say on the Lizard or the Lleyn Peninsular.)

Scheme lodges have an important mentoring duty to provide detailed advice and practical support for their young members’ future masonic careers and various areas of personal development and advancement.

In most cases, and particularly for London-bound graduates, a lodge will develop a few ‘standard’ routes which are expected to become well trodden in time.

The link with London is especially important, as that is the destination for a large proportion of graduates. There, the Steering Group has identified a number of ‘receptor’ lodges whose character makes them suitable for graduates moving to the area, and in the vanguard of these are the Lodge of Honour and Generosity, No.165; Phoenix Lodge, No.173; and Tetragon Lodge, No.6302. All of these meet in Great Queen Street. For graduates moving elsewhere, Scheme lodges exist in many cities and may be able to offer them membership.

Many graduates will find that their old (secondary) school has a lodge, many of which are affiliated to the Federation of School Lodges or the Public School Lodges’ Council, while some universities have lodges for their alumni that meet in London. Graduates can also look to their future careers when identifying a suitable receptor lodge, as many ‘specialist’ lodges welcome members of particular professions. As the need grows or befitting changes that are welcomed, the development of more specialist lodges and receptor lodges will be necessary.

Meanwhile, in London, groups like the Connaught Club, informal social groups for younger masons which meets regularly and is well placed to offer advice.

The process of retaining these young men in masonry involves an element of altruism for Scheme lodges, particularly in those university towns where many students pass through rather than stay. It is a duty to the Craft in general and the long term rather than to their own immediate well-being, and includes the need to stay in touch even after a graduate has moved on. (This also may involve programming a limited number of special or home-coming events, including those corresponding to university alumni programming.)

FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

If that represents the present and perhaps the immediate future, what will these arrangements look like in ten or twenty years? Will the receptor lodges grow out of all recognition? That will depend on a number of factors, the most important of which is whether that is their wish.

Were each receptor to receive a larger number of joining graduates per year than they might otherwise receive from any other source, in a few years they would be well above average size with many joiners not offered the opportunity to take office. Is that a problem? Yes and no.

Large lodges can provide much enjoyment, as the Grand Stewards’ Lodge with its four hundred members can well attest. And progressive office is not universal and receptor lodges may choose to introduce alternatives to that norm. And lodges have many equally important functions with office holding being only one, and one that does not appeal to many.

The receptor lodges may also recognize that one function that they perform is as a conduit, or perhaps bridgehead, in the graduate’s new location, providing the opportunity to meet other masons locally and to join other lodges either as informal "secondary receptors" or not.

It is possible that receptor lodges may resolve at some point that they need to change their status once more and withdraw from that particular role, either permanently or temporarily, while digesting their new cohort of members.

Or they may operate on the basis of an annual limit, but in doing so forgo the benefit of a prompt build-up of members of similar age and aspiration, with its valuable scope for attracting the like-minded. Just as there are many questions; there will be many different solutions.

The Universities Scheme has always avoided, and will continue to avoid, prescription. The Steering Group’s role is to guide and encourage, never to rule, the lodges that participate in the Scheme. Each lodge, having made its own decision to take part, determines its own course to achieving the Scheme’s objective. And with that number growing as it is, the future looks fascinating and very bright.



We Direct You to this Post from the Online Journal "Millennial Freemason"

The University Scheme and College Lodges (Reprinted) Below

 

The University Scheme is a program developed a few years ago to give men that are attending a university a chance to join a Masonic Lodge even if they are not 21. These brothers pay a lower amount in dues and are around other young men interested in the Fraternity. This program is, in my mind, brilliant. Our Fraternity is just that, a fraternity. Yet, we offer something that the Greek system often fails to, the unity of lifelong brotherhood.'


It is true that a man or woman can go about their lives meeting others from their Fraternity or Sorority; the problem is that once you graduate from college, that’s it. No more meetings, no more living together in a house, nothing but fond memories of your time in the college fraternity (but not much structured beyond). Freemasonry offers more to its brothers.


Once you become a Freemason, you are one forever. You can travel to different Lodges, meeting new brothers and know that anywhere in the world, a brother is watching out for you and your family. Once a man gives the obligation, he makes a commitment to the Fraternity for the rest of his life. The values and storied past of our Craft gives us prestige over other Fraternal organizations. (The Mason is often able to bring other older men into his Masonic chapter as he proceeds with his personal life and career.)


The University Scheme is a great system but it is not “new” in the sense that Freemasonry has never existed on campus. In fact, Freemasonry and Universities have gotten along together on both sides of the pond. There are many examples of Academic Lodges in the United States and Canada, including University Lodge #496 at the University of Toronto, University of Washington Lodge #141 in Seattle, Richard C. Maclaurin Lodge A.F.&A.M., and Harvard Lodge A.F.&A.M. There are now and have been many, many others. Richard C. Maclaurin Lodge was the first college Lodge, having been formed in 1920, while Harvard Lodge was the first Academic Lodge, having been formed in 1922. 


Richard C. Maclaurin Lodge formalized what was originally “the Masons at MIT” club into a Lodge in 1919. Harvard Lodge AF & AM was formed, in part, from the efforts of Dean Roscoe Pound and Professor Kirsopp Lake as a way to join the myriad number of Masonic organizations at Harvard University into one Lodge. Harvard Lodge, as an academic Lodge, is very distinctive in its methods, including wearing academic robes during most regular stated meetings. Both Richard C. Maclaurin Lodge and Harvard Lodge require that a University connection be established, whether it be administrator, student or alumnus, to be eligible to receive the degrees.


College and Academic Lodges are, in my opinion, one of the best ways to create the strong connection between men and Freemasonry at a young age. It is true that a young man could join De Molay but it is the connections that we make in our years at a university, college, trade school, or our first job that last the longest. The UGLE has, in my opinion, committed itself to a laudable and important goal, using these intimate associations formed during these years as starting blocks for making Freemasonry not merely a Fraternity, but a lifestyle.


The current Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota, AF & AM, Most Worshipful Brother Thomas Jackson, has stated his commitment in creating connections among brothers that were members of college fraternities and I agree with him fully. My advice for my own Grand Lodge and Grand Lodges around the globe would be to encourage the formation of College or Academic Lodges.


In Minnesota, we have one of the largest University systems in the country, so it would seem appropriate to me that a Lodge be formed in this state called the University of Minnesota Lodge. I am an alumnus of the University of Minnesota system (I went to University of Minnesota) and would love to see a Lodge, even one that meets only a few times a year, formed for the benefit of students, staff and alumnus of the U. But it needn’t stop there. If a brother is a student, staff, or alumus of one of the many private colleges or the MNSCU system, such as Hamline (my Law School Alma Mater) or Moorhead State, a Lodge could be formed to serve the students of those colleges and could continue to foster those connections made as students.


I believe one of the best ways to continue growing and strengthening the brotherly bonds of our Fraternity will be to create these Lodges based upon school affiliation. I hope that we see a continuance of the University Scheme started by the UGLE, the coming of fruition of Grand Master Jackson’s college fraternity goal and the continued prosperity of North America’s College and Academic Lodges. Connections are what makes our Fraternity what it is and using collegial affiliation is just one way to continue fostering these connections.

Posted by The Millennial Freemason

Notes on the One Day Class or Grand Master's Class (One Side of the Discussion)

The One Day Class (ODC) whereby several the three Blue Lodge degrees, (or in other cases a group of York or Scottish Rite degrees) are offered by a number of jurisdictions.  Some form or the other has been carried out for hundreds of years.

The all-day affairs are offered in various formats.Champions of the ODC tend to be affinity lodges, military lodges, collegiate lodges, lodges made up of largely young and mid career professionals and lodges that serve a constituency of brothers that tend to be more geographically spread out.  Grand lodges interested in introducing candidates into the Craft with the best quality degree work and a large assembly of brothers often look to the One Day Classes. Whether judged by numbers or retention, the ODC has been successful overall, all told significantly more so than single degree sessions. 

However there are some vocal critics of the practice. Some opponents fail to differentiate between how the ODC degrees are awarded or conducted or whom they are offered to, instead finding that the act of single day scheduling inherently "lessens" Freemasonry. One wonders if in their criticism these Masons considered the many notable Masons who have been "made" in expeditious fashion, including many of our U.S. President Masons, Congressman, high ranking military officers and other distinguished Brothers.

It would seem that critics of the ODC judge the Mason by the time between the taking of degrees instead of the quality of the man brought in.

Perhaps resistance to One Day Classes is to some extent a class and age issue. For some who may be employed at more traditional "blue collar"  9-5 employment or those that are retired there may be a feeling that they give time instead of money and participation in activities outside of the lodge which they cannot afford.  The lodges most likely to use One Day Classes tend to be white or gray collar lodges, especially professional affinity lodges, historic lodges, military lodges, collegiate lodges, and research and scholarly lodges.  If this is the case, the time pressed young and mid-career professional, business owner and member of the managerial class may want One Day Classes but they should be careful not to mistakenly give the impression that their support for One Day Classes has to do with superior social position or a lack of appreciation of the time that others give.  

Though Masons are split with neither group being a majority and most having no opinion, proponents of the ODC tend not to be as vociferous, so here we offer excerpts of correspondence, from the other side of things on the topic of the ODC, or more properly, Grand Master's Class (GMC) particularly as offered in Affinity or Academic lodges:

...As often noted, Masonic jurisdictions continue to lose members, whether through death, non-payment of dues, or demit while the number of new Masons who stay active is relatively small. Some of this may stabilize to some degree; and to that end I have seen some well-rewarded efforts after a certain manner in neighboring jurisdictions, which is why I am inquiring about the Grand Master's class.
 
We have been directing a number of young men to the Masonic collegiate affinity lodges and programs in surrounding jurisdictions --New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as they use the limited, collegiate Grand Masters Classes. For some in the requisite collegiate fraternities I also have sent to the District of Columbia's  Fraternity Lodge and Magnolia Lodge and for others in the military, military friendly lodges (in D.C. and N.J.), because their schedules and one day classes, tend to actually be easier to accommodate even with travel, and the young men have a chance to meet with individuals nationally. These lodges have superb brother retention for such candidates with their Grand Masters Classes whether they are formal or informal affinity lodges or lodges simply accommodating those with the particular need. 

In all of this one thing has been regrettable for me: that of the many young men, I have not been able to direct them to similar situations in my own Grand Lodge.


As an illustration- the NJGL's Collegiate One Day Class focusing on young men who are attending a four year college that petition a lodge of choice has been remarkably successful not just in numbers or even participation but in spirit. They accept along with the students, any college professor, administrator or other staff member of college, focusing specifically on Rutgers University. This is modeled on the successful Harvard Lodge and Harvard Masonic Club on that campus as well as many like them nationally. W.B. Howard Dumhart with the assistance and support of the DDGM of the NJ's 12th Masonic District, the brethren of Union Lodge, and Philo Lodge, which opens its doors to host the One Day Class petitioners; these men experience a very fine introduction into Freemasonry. It is very encouraging to see their success.


With this approach the young men have the inspiring, invigorating experience of spending a full day with other Masons sharing their background, as well as with veteran Masons from various lodges and districts.  They are able to observe and participate in first-rate ritual and learn first-hand about genuine friendship, fellowship and brotherly love with a larger gathering. Otherwise the young men often first encounter a limited number of brothers, most or all of whom are decades older who may struggle to put on a ritual due to so many lodges having very limited numbers of active, proficient brothers.

Their education, youthful energy and idealism provides them knowledge of the historical and philosophical ideas presented in Masonry.  Crucially, they have a proficiency that we see far too seldom in reviewing the degree: reading with understanding.  It is good that this is being appreciated by having a small program that facilitates things for these candidates, in terms of the special dispensations for the size and single day scheduling.

Structurally I think, many lodges are not equipped to process this number of men who want to come into a lodge together due to the limits on men undergoing degrees at one time and the ability of lodges to put on degrees. (There are exceptions of course but this seems to be the general rule.) This creates an obvious "catch 22".


Lodges now might continue to be flexible and expeditious (as with the Grand Master's One Day Class) at a time when young men are most likely to need expeditious scheduling-- fellows in new jobs, and graduate school and /or working. It is a perfect time for these young men- without extensive family obligations, etc. to commit their energies. 


These young men however find themselves at a time when scheduling is more complicated, working for corporate employers who require extended hours during the week or attendance in law or medical schools where exams come up. (It becomes then easier to take a full weekend day with good advanced notice than multiple days with little advance notice during the week.)  In lodge culture where so much time can be wasted in agenda-less meetings, is it not better to tighten up the time?
 
Interest (even in the face of such waiting) among these young men continues because that the core group provides a natural basis for "recruitment" and familiarity. These candidates are usually much better informed than the average candidate. Candidates are often already familiar with the brothers and Masonic ritual (it is all public today for good or bad) and thus the candidates have contemplated their decision and are whole-heartedly committed, and they have a lodge with familiar faces to join, even if right now most of them are being separated as I mentioned, to suburban lodges in four jurisdictions.


As with the Lodges mentioned, it also helps that they have clubs to form the basis of unusually successful convivial calendar (with dinners, mixers, cocktail parties, nights out, family nights, business networking, job boards, discussion groups and internet forums.) Surely to practice Brotherhood does more than reciting words about it.


This in my humble opinion is why lodges who have taken the approach of Grand Master's Classes, particularly for this demographic have been so successful and why this or any jurisdiction does well in embracing it. 
  

--------------------

Following is a discussion on the topic of Grand Master or One Day classes. A Mason who rails against the "GMC" or "ODC" receives responses.

Bro. Klaus Replies

Dear Bro.,


WOW! I'm impressed by such a rapid reply! Thanks!


I thoroughly appreciate your thoughtful reply. In many ways I think our positions are pretty close together, if they are on opposite sides of this issue.


Yours are very much the arguments I understand were presented during the (time) it took to amend the Masonic Code of Iowa to include these classes. Here I can't speak from personal experience because I had not yet joined the fraternity when these discussions occurred. I have, however, had in-depth discussions with many of the "movers and shakers" on both sides of the issue in Iowa, and feel I have at least a partial handle on the situation.


As I understand things, declining membership was only one of a number of issues involved. Like so many Grand Jurisdictions, Iowa's death rate among Brothers exceeded the initiation rate for a number of years. Over a decade or so, several changes were put in place. The first two were actually more important than the institution of ODCs. The first to occur, as I understand it, was the removal from code of the injunction against "recruitment." Indeed, many of my senior Brethren here are still suspicious of the notion that we may now discuss Masonry--with several proscriptions, of course--with non-Masons.


The days when Lodges were prominent in almost every city and village in Iowa are, sadly, long past. Moreover, the days when many residents of a given community had deep family and business roots in their places of residence have disappeared in proportion to our society's increasing mobility and our less-secure job market. In addition, and probably because of greater mobility, men are less inclined to ask the "right question" about how they may join a Lodge--there seems simply to be greater reticence about discussing such matters with mere acquaintances.


At the same time, there are indications that the present generation of men between the ages of (approximately) 18 and 30 are actually MORE potentially inclined toward Masonry than any generation since WWII veterans returned to civilian life. (I recently attended a very interesting seminar presented by M.W.B. Bob Conley, P.G.M. in Michigan, who suggests rather convincingly that the present generation of young men has more in common with men at the beginning of the twentieth century than with any generation between them.) Whatever the reason, we in Iowa are seeing a significant increase in interest among younger men. Being able to approach men openly and honestly to discuss Masonry is, in my opinion and experience, a very good thing.


The second important change to our code is the institution of the "Invitation to Petition." Because of Masonry's decline in Iowa (and this applies rather specifically to my home Lodge), there were often well-known, highly-respected, highly-qualified men in communities who had never considered joining a Lodge. In Iowa, these men can now be brought up in open Lodge and discussed prior to their petitioning for admission. Three Brothers in good standing sign the Invitation to Petition. They must have known the potential candidate for at least two years. I have attached the form in PDF format. While we certainly do not use this method indiscriminately, it has been a very valuable tool: when one can approach a friend after he has already been "approved" by the Lodge, it has proved generally to be viewed by the potential candidate--as it should be--as a great honor.


And then came the ODC. In my experience, your credit-card analogy has not proved accurate, at least in our Lodge. As I noted previously, in three years we have probably Raised about 20 new MMs in ODCs. Of these, one is now serving in the Mid-East. Several have moved out of the area. A couple of them have not been very active. One has demitted. However--and I just went through our membership list--fully 15 of these Brothers are actively involved in the activities of our Lodge, attend the majority of Communications and participate actively, serve on committees, assist enthusiastically in community service projects, and so forth. Several have also joined the Scottish Rite (more active in this area than is the York Rite) and are equally as active in the Consistory. One is presently serving as Venerable Master of our local Knights of St. Andrew chapter as well as being Junior Deacon in our Lodge.


Thus my personal experience has been that we have Raised some really good Brothers via the ODCs, and most of these neophyte Masons have involved themselves enthusiastically in our Lodge's work. Moreover, I know for a fact that at least five of these enthusiastic new Masons WOULD NOT have joined us had the ODC not been available; two of these had dropped out previously, one after the Entered Apprentice Degree, and one after the Fellowcraft.


In short, and arguing from a huge sample of a single, rather rural, small Lodge, the Iowa ODC has breathed new life into our Lodge. In a Lodge with a total membership of 83, with only about 40 within a cable tow, this is a major turn-around. Interestingly enough, it is the OLDER Brethren who seem most reinvigorated by this influx of "new blood." Our oldest active member is 91, never misses a meeting, has served several times in every chair, saw his Lodge reach the brink of extinction less than a decade ago, and now can't stop grinning about belonging to such an active and enthusiastic Lodge. His joy alone is enough to make this worthwhile. (Can you tell he's a dear friend?)


Meanwhile our in-Lodge Degrees have probably tripled in number, In 1999, two years before I did my work, our Lodge had NO degree work. The next year two candidates went through the work. This year we have already Raised five Brothers in-Lodge, and have several still on the agenda. So, far from diminishing our local work, the ODC seems to have increased it, since some of these candidates had ODC members as top-line signers. Increased in-Lodge work, of course, increases the frequency of our ODC Brothers to see--and participate in--Degree work regularly, and that was NOT available before, simply because there WAS almost no Degree work.


Yes, technically speaking, the old "sponsor system" was supposed to enroll new Brothers. Here, at least, it didn't, probably because there was no real structure. The enlightenment course HAS structure, but it is open-ended; it probably raises more questions than it answers, and leads easily, in my experience, to more extended discussions.


As you know very well, the more one explores the craft, the more excited--and committed--one becomes. So I think it's not so much having the MEC replace sponsorship, but rather the structure of the MEC. The MEC is now required by Iowa code, as is its mentoring structure; not to follow this procedure with some care is thus potentially a Masonic offense. In almost every case, the top-line signer serves as mentor. And all too often in the past, it seems to me that rote memorization of obligations was simply that: rote without reflection. The MEC forces reflection and discussion. Curiously enough, many of our newer Brothers have CHOSEN to memorize the Q & As and the obligations, and I find that vastly superior to rote.


And yes, we probably DO remove some individual attention with the ODC. In fact, some of our local and active ODC Brothers have some regrets about having taken the ODC route. HOWEVER, this is with hindsight--and they freely admit this. WITHOUT the ODC, they would never have become Master Masons at all. So, when they discuss joining the fraternity with their friends, they often recommend doing the work in-Lodge. Interestingly, they don't really feel they were "cheated," only that, knowing what they now know, they'd have stayed at home and joined here.


And since there does seem to be some correspondence between the institution of the ODC and an increase in in-Lodge work, the ODC Brothers have a greater opportunity to see and participate in work at home than was the case before. The ones with time problems--and I maintain that these can be very real, having spent a career in a job that often required 90 hours of my time per week--are eternally grateful for the ODC.


So it's a mixed bag. I do not feel, speaking only for myself, that the GL has cheated our ODC Brethren or ourselves. Like the Invitation to Petition and the ability to recruit, the ODC is a tool. It doesn't work for every job, any more than a screwdriver can drive a nail better than a hammer, but then, a hammer's pretty ineffective at driving a screw too... I don't feel, again arguing from a sample of one, that we have somehow "swindled" our ODC Brethren. Several of these new Brothers are close friends of long standing. We regularly discuss Masonry over coffee (sometimes even over a snort!).


Their experience in the INITIAL stages of Masonry is certainly different from yours or mine. Because I haven't been in their shoes, I can't say whether that's good or bad. What I DO know is that these are good Brothers, vitally interested in and involved in our craft. They are accumulating libraries of books on Masonry, and reading them. They follow to the letter the admonition to discuss Masonry with their senior Brothers. They can participate in MANY more local degrees than they could have just a few years ago. And, because they were raised with Brothers from all over the state, they are more excited about attending state-wide functions, such as the annual GL Communication, if only to renew friendships formed during the ODC.


The mentoring program is, as noted, a part of Iowa Masonic Code, and was instituted prior to our ODCs. Thus the two issues are divisible. And, with all due respect for your point of view, and while the mentoring program is, in fact, very successful, it does NOT address several concerns the ODC addresses head-on: isolation of individual Lodges, dangerously declining membership numbers, the PERCEPTION of the amount of time required to become a Mason, and introduction of a truly state-wide (and, by implication, world-wide) brotherhood. Attending the first-ever ODC in Iowa at the Des Moines Scottish Rite Temple, candidate in tow, with 400 prospective Brothers and 600 Brothers present, was an awe-inspiring experience, even for my jaded world-view. That kind of cumulative fraternity simply cannot occur is a Lodge with 15-20 Brothers present. 1,000 male voices singing the National Anthem, accompanied by a noteworthy pipe organ, beats our local Pledge of Allegiance all hollow! And the ritual was--and has continued to be--excellent. The degrees are, of course, somewhat longer, because there are appropriate pauses in ritual for the mentor and candidate to exchange signs of recognition and so forth. EACH candidate repeats the obligations, with the Book of Holy Law held by his mentor.


I paint a rosy picture. I genuinely believe the ODC has been a very good thing FOR THIS JURISDICTION, and certainly for Mount Vernon Lodge. It does NOT work for every Brother--but then, I submit, neither do in-Lodge Degrees. Who knows how many potentially excellent, committed Brothers we may have lost in the past? I think it's a tool, not a revolution... After all, most Lodges no longer have a box of cigars on the Tyler's table, or spittoons spread around the Lodge, nor do most Lodges have their own supply of wine and Scotch to use following meetings. Do we cheat those Brothers who anticipated their monthly fine cigar with such glee? (Sorry! Those analogies are also unkind!) Ed Note: Lodges would do well to return to such provision of fine wines, Scotch, cigars as well as taking the time taken to enjoy them together!


Thanks so much for the discussion! It's almost as invigorating as our area outdoor Third Degree last night, where one of our own local Brothers was Raised by the Grand Lodge. The ritual, food, and fellowship were as good as it gets!


Sincerely and fraternally,
John M. Klaus
Junior Warden, Mount Vernon Lodge No. 112
Past Grand Musician, Grand Lodge of Iowa



Brother John Noted the following in his other correspondence:


1. Inability to memorize long examinations is a genuine problem, at least in Iowa, and has been the reason some otherwise well-qualified men have "dropped out" after the First or Second Degree. As noted above, we have reclaimed several Brothers locally who fall into this category.


2. The question of time—or at least the PERCEPTION of the time required—can also be a very real one. There is certainly a perception among the "profane" that becoming a Master Mason is a long, arduous journey. Certainly this is the case, if one is truly to become a Master Mason (it takes more than a lifetime), but the opportunity for me to assure a potential Brother than he can, in fact, become a full member of our Lodge by completing a One-Day Class and completing the enlightenment course can be a potent recruitment tool. During the enlightenment course I have the opportunity—indeed, the obligation—as the new Brother's mentor to explore what it means to be a Mason, and to discuss these matters for as long as he wants to talk.


3. Far from diluting our in-Lodge Degrees, the One-Day Class seems actually to have increased this work. Now that a potential Brother can CHOOSE either the One-Day or the more personalized in-Lodge approach, many have opted for the more personal in-Lodge approach. The important thing—at least for us—has been his OPPORTUNITY to choose.


4. A palpable excitement and enthusiasm for the Fraternity has been apparent at all One-Day Classes I have attended...


5. One-Day Classes have, if anything, improved our local proficiency in conferring Degrees, perhaps because the classes have afforded many of our local Brethren the opportunity to see excellent ritual and to encourage them to a higher level of proficiency.


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Some words from various jurisdictions about the GMC or ODC:

The Washington State Grand Lodge Proceedings for 2001 (pages 50-52, Grand Secretary's report from several years ago comes to mind. He said of the work:
 
(1) The quality of the work is uniformly good.
 
(2) The candidates are placed in an environment where they are assured of
success and generally free from criticism.
 
(3) The instruction offered candidates between degrees is generally to the point, well
delivered, and does not give the candidate any opportunity to slide off
into the distant world.

". . . The one-day conferral is a lot like going through basic training with a rather kindly SDI. And that is  why it works. Most Lodges virtually ignore candidates between Degrees. As a generality we put emphasis on the presentation of the material. That is, we focus all of our attention on the ability of the guy  conferring the Degree, giving the lecture . . . Many of them do a flawless job but the real purpose of the exercise is to communicate to  and with the candidate what Masonry is all about and how he - the candidate - fits in the Lodge. In the one-day conferral the candidate is surrounded by people, made to feel important, and humanely indoctrinated in the tenets of Masonry. . . . the rate at which one day Degree recipients proved up exceeded the rate at which Lodge conferrals proved up. I would earnestly recommend, therefore, that at least four one day conferrals be scheduled annually."

I know many individuals who have also spoken highly of the practice in the District of Columbia GL that since 1992, has held a Grand Master's Class. In most years this has consisted of conferring all 3 degrees conferred several times a year. In DC the 1-day class is done in an manner so that each and every candidate goes through almost all the ceremonies of each degree. (Each candidate is dressed the same as all candidates in traditional degrees, each is received in lodge in the same manner as in traditional degrees, each is conducted by a personal conductor for that candidate alone, each has a separate area of a table (altar) with a separate copy of the 3 Great Lights, each takes the obligations exactly the same way as at traditional degrees, and each goes through the 2nd section of the 3rd degree in exactly the same manner, with the same raising, as in traditional degrees.) Many of the members of these classes form a bond, and many have become officers of their Lodges and Grand Lodge.

A brother once asked me, “Since over the hundreds of years, the ritual has changed, lectures added, the number of degrees have changed, the rules for candidates have changed, what then remains the same.’  His reply, “The brotherhood has not changed”.  So we are doing things that assist the brotherhood that causes no change except in our routine and way of thinking.

Some want membership to include difficulties-  if they could they might introduce physical torment and exercises in mental dexterity and duress that even would surpass their own endurance but of course would have nothing to do with Masonry and Brotherhood or quality of the candidate. What these Brothers may be ignoring is that in Freemasonry it is for us to choose the best candidate and to improve that already worthy and well qualified individual by involving him in the work of lodge toward building Brotherhood. The sooner we get our well chosen brothers active in the business of the lodge the better.