This article has been developed from an address
presented to the executive Councils of DeMolay of North
America on March 1, 1991. It was prepared by Thomas W
Jackson, Grand Secretary of The Grand Lodge of
Pennsylvania.
Editor
DEMOLAY'S RELATIONSHIP
TO FREEMASONRY
by Thomas W Jackson
It was my privilege to recently address the
executive officers of the Order of DeMolay
on the subject "What Does Freemasonry
Expect from DeMolay?" When preparing
to address this subject, I found it to be an
interesting and intriguing question but one
without a recognized and clear-cut answer.
Many times we hear expressed what
DeMolay expects from Freemasonry, but I
had never before considered what
Freemasonry expected from DeMolay.
As a boy I did not have the opportunity
to be a member of the Order of DeMolay.
In fact, I never heard of DeMolay until I
became a Freemason. I was, however, active
in the Boy Scouts of America for a period
of 27 years and found the basic principles
of both organizations to be the same
although the modes of operation are quite
different. I would have loved, however, to
have had the opportunity to work with the
ritualism of DeMolay.
Freemasonry does, indeed, have a right
to expect something, from not only the
Order of DeMolay as a Body, but also from
each individual member of that Body.
Simply defined, we have the right to expect
a performance from the members of
DeMolay that reflects the purpose of the
organization. Many of our Members,
however, fail to recognize that purpose.
Brother Frank Land, when asked to
define the Order of DeMolay, stated:
"Literally speaking, I would say the Order
Or DeMolay is a youth organization for
young men whose purpose is the building
of better citizens."
In trying to define what Freemasonry
expects from DeMolay, we should look to
the seven cardinal virtues and the vows of
a DeMolay. They are, after all, reflective of
what it takes to become a better citizen.
They also represent what is required as a
commitment to DeMolay.
The systematics within the Order to build
that better citizen lies within the keeping of
the vows and the practice of the seven cardinal virtues. Freemasonry has every right
to expect that purpose to be carried out by
each individual member of the Chapter, as
well as the Order in general!
One of the unique facets of DeMolay
which has made it so different from other
youth organizations has been the emphasis
on the first cardinal virtue, Filial Love. This
is a quality never specifically stressed in any
other organization with which I am familiar. We have the right, as a Masonic Fraternity, therefore, to expect the members of the
Order of DeMolay to display a respect for
their parents and to acknowledge their
parents contributions in their lives.
We have every reason to expect a member
of the Order to display reverence for sacred
things. A genuine belief in a Supreme Being
is a fundamental philosophical principle of
Freemasonry, and we can accept no less
from the Order of DeMolay.
Courtesy as a virtue seems to be a lost
ingredient in present day society and is an
attribute which contributes to the exemplary quality of the Order. Freemasonry has
every reason to expect courtesy in every way
from our young men.
The ability of man to relate to man may
well determine the future of the world.
Indeed, I would suspect the virtue of comradeship would be one that will become
more valuable in the life of a young man
with each passing year. We have every right
to expect the development and practice of
this virtue by members of the Order.
We have every reason to expect a display
of fidelity on the part of each young man
who belongs to the Order. Perhaps this is
one of the least emphasized virtues in society today, yet one of the most valuable.
Cleanliness in thought, word and deed
becomes more unique to general society
yearly! The last two decades have evidenced
a remarkable change in sociological attitude
toward this virtue. Indeed it seems almost
nonexistent in our permissive society. What
was once an accepted standard is now
almost the exception. We have however
every right to expect cleanliness as a virtue
within the members of DeMolay.
Finally, above all, we should expect no
less than an absolute dedication to the concept and display of patriotism. The
Masonic Fraternity, itself, emphasizes the
need for the commitment of each of us to
his country, and we should never expect less
from members of the Order of DeMolay.
In addition, the vows of DeMolay require
each member to uphold and aid the public
school system, and to honor and protect
every woman. Freemasonry has a right to
expect to see these vows practiced.
To see a more specific aspect of what
Freemasonry expects we would have to look
at the reaction of our Members to specific
stimuli and the image that they expect to
see in the organization they support.
It may not be fair and, indeed probably
is not, to expect the members of DeMolay
to respond to the image some of our
Members expect. However, as an active
Advisor of a Chapter, I heard, and I am
certain all of you have heard, some of our
Members complaining about the actions of
individuals within the Order of DeMolay.
These actions can be as minor as simple
misconduct in a Lodge Hall to major
misconduct which can reflect upon the
organization as a whole.
Many of our Members who have never
been exposed to the Order of DeMolay, or
for that matter to the actions of current
young people in general, have a much
greater tendency to look with disdain upon
the Order of DeMolay because the young
men of the Order do not always create the
image which is expected of them. Appearance and acts of individual DeMolays can
and do impact the opinion of Masons
about the Order.
I personally do not disagree with the
right of anyone to express themselves, this
is part of their inherent right as an
American citizen. I do, however, as a
Freemason, feel that there is an assumed
obligation by a member of the Order of
DeMolay to display a mode of conduct
which reflects positively upon the Order.
Many Masons who are in a position to
greatly influence the future of DeMolay
express concern with images created by
individual members of the Order.
The fact remains that simple and
unintentional misconduct or poor appearance by one individual member of the
Order can and does create an impact on the
Body as a whole.
We as Masons assumed an obligation
that whatever we did would reflect positively upon the Fraternity. The members of the
Order of DeMolay assumed that same
obligation !
Because the majority of society accepts
a certain set of values does not mean that
Freemasonry or the Order of DeMolay are
obligated to comply with this same set of
values! What is considered wrong in accordance with Masonic Law and Masonic
values does not have to fall to the level of
the values of todays society. This higher
value system applies also to the Order of
DeMolay.
Therefore, what Freemasonry expects
specifically from the young men comprising the Order of DeMolay is that they present themselves in appearance and conduct
on a level higher than that expected from
society in general.
Much of the "sale" of DeMolay to
Freemasons is based upon their future
membership in Freemasonry, and it certainly serves as a selling point for Masonic support for the Order.
However, Masonic membership is not the
purpose for the existence of the Order of
DeMolay. Brother Land stated that its purpose was to develop better citizens. If those
"better citizens" then choose to affiliate
with the Masonic Fraternity, that should be
regarded as a side benefit. But, it certainly
should never be the expected end result to
justify the support of Freemasonry!
Inasmuch as our Fraternity is devoted to
developing a better world, if we can develop
a better citizen, we are accomplishing that
purpose whether they are a Member of the
Craft or not.
There is a universal problem today in
securing leadership in the form of Advisors
to our Chapters. This lack of leadership is
alarming to all of us. However, it would
behoove us to recognize that it is not a problem limited to the Order of DeMolay. It
is a problem basic to our Lodges and to just
about every other organization in existence.
When I affiliated with the Boy Scouts of
America in 1948, 1 joined a troop which
was being re-organized because they were
able to secure a Scout Master. In the 27
years I was active in that organization, lack
of leadership was always a problem.
Whatever decisions we make today to solve
this problem should be based on a thorough
analysis of what the end results will be over
a period of time!
We, as leaders of DeMolay, must take the
initiative to expose the Order to the
Masonic Fraternity. We cannot sit back and
expect the Fraternity to invite us to be a participant in their activities. It is important
that we educate our Masonic membership
to realize that the purposes of DeMolay
justify all the support we can provide, but
Masons must know that purpose.
It, therefore, is extremely important not
only to let the Order of DeMolay know
what Freemasonry expects from it, but also
to let Freemasons know what Freemasonry
expects from DeMolay. We must educate
our Masonic membership so that they
realize that the purpose of their support for
DeMolay should be to produce better
citizens, through the teachings of the Order
of DeMolay.
It is the responsibility of members of the
Order to become better citizens. This improved citizenship should be revealed by the
practice of the seven cardinal virtues and
vows of the Order. Freemasonry has every
right to expect to see this end achieved.
The understanding by both members of
the Craft and the Order DeMolay of what
is expected from DeMolay cannot help but
improve the relationship between the two
organizations!
Free JavaScripts provided
by The JavaScript Source