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Document TitleSTB-85-02 THEY LIED ON THEIR KNEES
STB-FE85
Music by Brother J. L. F. Mendelssohn.
THEY LIED ON THEIR KNEES
by William A. Carpenter
R. W. Crand Moster of Pennsylvania
This Short Talk Bulletin has been adapled from
an article appearing in the August, 1984 issue of The
Pennsylvania Freemason. It has been republished as
a Short Talk Bulletin because of the many readers
who recommended its use.
Taking an oath and an obligation is a binding and serious thing.
Accepting and fulfilling an oath and an
obligation is an honorable thing.
Not adhering to an oath and an obligation is
disgraceful and dishonorable.
During my first months as Grand Master, it
has been shocking and disturbing to learn of the
number of Masons who have lied on their
knees.
Apparently there are Masons who having
taken the oaths and obligations of the three
symbolic degrees, have not only lied on their
knees but have evidenced a total disregard for
the Masonic advice spelled out in the Charges
shared following the degrees. Following the
Entered Apprentice Mason's degree, the
Charge says: "In the State, a Freemason is to
behave as a peaceable and dutiful citizen, conforming cheerfully to the government under
which he lives. " That same Charge says:
"Nothing can be more shocking to all faithful
Freemasons than to see any of their Brethren
profane the sacred rules of Freemasons and
such as do, they wish had never been accepted
into the Fraternity."
In the Ancient Charge delivered following
the conferring of the Sublime Degree of a
Master Mason, we are admonished "You are
bound by duty, honor and gratitude to be
faithful to your trust, to support the dignity of
your character upon every occasion and to enforce by precept and example, obedience to the
tenets of Freemasonry."
Every Mason should at all times conform to
and abide by the rules and regulations of the
Fraternity. These include the legislation and
by-laws of our "Blue Lodge," the Constitution
of our "Blue Lodge," the Constitution and
Edicts of the Grand Lodge, and also those Ancient Customs, Usages and Landmarks of the
Craft that have been passed down to us through
the ages. Thus we have a set of rules and regulations that govern our conduct in our own
Lodge, those that govern our conduct in the
outside world. All of these, taken together, set
the boundaries and should govern our conduct
at all times.
Our "Blue Lodge," the Grand Lodge, and
the Grand Master have ample authority to enforce the rules, regulations and Edicts, even as
they relate to violations of civil law, over Pennsylvania Masons wherever they may be and also
over all Masons who live within our jurisdiction.
By far, the most important rules concerning
our conduct are those governing our actions
toward the world outside Freemasonry. The offenses within our Lodges and toward other
Brethren and even the Grand Lodge can be
handled without adverse publicity, but when we
forget the rules laid down for our behavior
toward non-Masons, we blacken the good name
of every member of the Craft.
There is a tendency among many Masons to
regard the Grand Lodge as some obscure clique
or mysterious group working behind the scenes
to decide and dictate the affairs of
Freemasonry. Nothing could be further from
the truth. The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania is
comprised of approximately 25,000 Living Past
Masters and Wardens of the more than 570
Symbolic Lodges in Pennsylvania.
Masonic trials are unpleasant affairs that
consume both time and effort and often impose
a financial burden on a Lodge. Even the
outright suspensions and expulsions handed
down by the Grand Master are distressing.
Most if not all such actions could be avoided by
these steps:
(I) We should make certain that every
Mason is educated Masonically so that he
knows what is expected of him as a Mason.
(2) When we find a Brother forgetting his
Masonic teachings, we should whisper good
counsel in his ear, gently admonishing him of
his errors, and endeavor, in a friendly way, to
bring about a true and lasting reformation.
(3) And, finally, we should guard our portals so that we accept only those men who will
be receptive to our teachings and will not find it
difficult to conduct themselves as Masons.
Too often, we have witnessed shocking examples of the irresponsibilities of men in high
places as well as in low places. As a man
thinketh, so is he.
The good name of Freemasonry is not the
result of what we do not do, it is the result of
practicing outside the Lodge those great moral
lessons we are taught within the Lodge. At no
time in the history of our Nation has there been
a greater need to exercise the principles and
moral teachings of Freemasonry than now.
Freemasonry is one of the great moral
forces remaining in the world today. But if
Freemasonry is to achieve its honorable
purpose--that of building a better world--it
must first build better men to work at the task.
No man has any right to claim to be a
Freemason unless he has endeavored to put into
practice the lessons received when he was
Entered, Crafted and Raised. A Mason should
never entertain the thought that he must go to a
Lodge Room to practice his Masonry. Masonry
must be practiced in daily life where human
kindness and helpfulness and honesty are so
much needed. The surest way to make
Freemasonry useful, is to make use of
Freemasonry. Every Mason is charged with the
responsibility of keeping the reputation of the
Fraternity unsullied.
Masonry cannot condone the continued
membership of those who bring disgrace,
dishonor, and discredit to our Ancient and
Honorable Fraternity. Hence, my Brethren, if
and when you learn of a case or cases whereby
the behavior of any Mason or Masons borders
on or actually results in a felony or another
form of unmasonic conduct, please make such
a case or cases known to the Grand Master
through proper and expeditious channels.
Today, we hear it said from time to time
that our own Lodges are winking at violations
of our Masonic law. I ask the question: Are we
growing that lax in the enforcement of our
penal code? If such be the case, then it is time
serious concern and consideration be given to
this matter--this unfortunate circumstance
within our Craft. And, for the record, be it
known that this Grand Master plans to give the
matter top priority in an effort to rid our rolls
of any undesirables.
Our priority emphasis will at all times cover
the three types of Masonic offenses: (I) violations of moral law; (2) violations of the laws of
Freemasonry; and (3) violations of the laws of
the land including moral turpitude.
We cannot deny that there are men on our
membership rolls whose lives, conduct, and
character reflect no real credit on Freemasonry,
whose ears seem to turn from its beautiful
lessons of morality, duty and honor, whose
hearts seem untouched by its soothing, manly
influences of fraternal kindness, and whose
hands are not opened to aid in living deeds and
charity. We express our grief as we
acknowledge this truth.
These men, though in our Temples, are not
of our Temples in the true sense of the word.
They are among us, but they are not with us.
They belong to our household but they are not
of our faith. We have sought to teach them, but
they have failed to heed the instruction; seeing,
they have not perceived; hearing, they have not
understood, or prefer not to benefit by the symbolic language in which our fraternal lessons of
wisdom are communicated.
The fault is not with Freemasonry or with
us, that we have not given, but with them that
they have not perceived or received. And, indeed, hard and unjust would it be to censure the
Masonic Fraternity because, partaking of the
infirmity or weakness of human wisdom and
human means, it has been unable to achieve the
perfection desired for all who come within its
environs. The denial of a Peter, the doubting of
a Thomas, or the betrayal of a Judas, should
cast no reproach on so grand, so longestablished and honorable a fraternity as that
of Freemasonry. But misconduct and misdeeds
do hurt our Craft and bring grief to all worthy
Freemasons.
Freemasonry prescribes no principles that
are opposed to the sacred teachings of the
Divine Lawgiver, and sanctions no acts that are
not consistent with the sternest morality and the
most faithful obedience to government and the
laws. And, while this continues to be its
character, it cannot, without the most atrocious
injustice, be held responsible for the acts of unworthy members.
The fact is, it is no secret that the moral
fiber of the people of our great nation has
broken down. It has been noticeable since the
late 1940s. We often hear of white collar crime,
embezzlement, fraud, collusion in some of our
largest corporate board rooms, with guilty fines
running in hundreds of thousands of dollars,
with our peers only seeing the wrong if the
culprit got caught.
These are not the lessons we are taught at
the Altar of Freemasonry. Perhaps it would be
difficult to convince many Masons that we have
Brethren guilty of the quick fix and fast buck.
But we have had them, we may still have them,
and with immediate and proper Masonic
disciplinary action, we shall go to the nth
degree to eliminate such a curse from
Freemasonry.
The young people of our Masonic affiliated
youth organizations are always watching us
closely. These young people have a new
sophistication and awareness of what is right
and what is wrong. They have their Masonic
advisors whom they naturally emulate, but to
them, all Masons are the same and supposed to
possess honesty and integrity. These young people are the future of our communities and also
our Fraternity. We cannot afford to let them
down, my Brethren.
What can Masons do to remedy this situation? We must begin at the first step of recommending a petitioner. The mere possession of
sufficient money to pay the necessary fee does
not qualify a man to be made a Mason. Before
a member signs his name to any petition for the
degrees of Freemasonry, he must assure himself
beyond any question of doubt that the petitioner he recommends is, in a sense, already a
Mason in his heart, and that, if he is accepted,
the member will never have cause to regret his
endorsement. That is the most important duty
and responsibility which a member owes to the
Masonic fraternity, his "Blue Lodge," and
himself.
And, my Brethren, thorough investigation
of each and every petitioner to our respective
Lodges is not only the proper time but also the
only time for Freemasonry to safeguard against
accepting anyone who could very well bring
disgrace, dishonor, or discredit to the Craft.
Oh, perhaps the galleries are full of critics
relative to points covered by this article. Those
who criticize plan no ball. They fight no fights.
They make no mistakes because they attempt
nothing. The real "doers" are down in the
arena. The man who makes no mistakes lacks
boldness and the spirit of adventure. He is the
one who never tries anything. He is the brake
on the wheel of progress. And yet, it cannot be
truly said that he makes no mistakes, because
the biggest mistake he makes is the very fact
that he tries nothing, does nothing, has ab-
solutely no positive input into the cause of
Freemasonry and just seems to be his happy,
useless self in criticizing those who are making
an attempt to do certain things.
We have learned to tolerate our critics. But
when you have faith in your plans, designs and
convictions, you govern yourself accordingly.
Methinks it was Shakespeare who wrote:
"Sweet are the uses of adversity." It has also
been proven that "Adversity causes some to
break, others to break records." And, in the
words of Burke: "He who wrestles with us
strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill."
My Brethren, it was once stated that the real
purpose of Freemasonry is the pursuit of excellence. I like that statement.
Every lesson in every degree of Freemasonry
reiterates the idea that the individual is committed to self-improvement, to the acceptance of
responsibility, to deeper sympathy and
benevolence, to greater truth, to genuine love
of fellowmen.
So Mote It Always Be!
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