STB-80-08
PARABLE OF THE CHERRY TREE
by Robert A. Hockstad, PGM (Mich.)
In March of 1967, at a seminar of the Ancient
Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, this
paper was presented by Robert A. Hockstad, then
Grand Master of Masons in Michigan. M.W. Bro
Hockstad now serves as Chairman of the Executive Commission of the Masonic Service Association. The original title of this paper was:
BUILDING RELATIONS WITH THE
BLUE LODGE.
At first thought this topic might seem rather
meaningless, for Building Relations between
the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine and the Masonic Lodge is, in effect,
building a relationship between a man and
himself, since we are all members of the same
body .
Yet, and all too often, the right hand knoweth not what the left hand is doing, and, even
though we be members of the same parent
body, misunderstandings and lack of communication do exist. It is in the hope that a closer
rapport may exist, and in the firm conviction
that it should exist, that Seminars such as this
are called, and it is my pleasure, as a Grand
Master of Masons, to participate therein.
In the spare time left over after serving the
Grand Lodge, I am engaged in fruit processing
in Northern Michigan, and it is from this
experience that I would draw the symbolic picture of our Fraternity, and the specific application to the subject under discussion.
We in Michigan grow the finest sweet
cherries in the world, largely because of the
manner in which we prepare the tree. The
nursery stock, carefully chosen, is nurtured and
tended with constant attention until the main
trunk has attained growth and vigor. It is then
pruned and directed into two or more principal
branches--growing outward--to provide the
greatest exposure to the elements, and the largest area on the outer, or bearing, surface.
Consider, if you will, how closely this
parallels our Masonic Fraternity. We institute a
new Lodge, or bend our attentions to one
already existent. In the beginning, we give it our
full attention, and nurture it through the work
of the Brothers in securing petitions for
membership. Through this devotion the Lodge
flourishes and attains growth and vigor. It is at
this stage--if not before--that the 'pruning'
starts, and dedicated and zealous men direct the
Brethren into the divergent paths of the Scottish
Rite, the York Rite, and the myriad other offshoots of Freemasonry. With this, per se, I
have no quarrel, since there should be enough
workers in the quarries of our Craft to necessitate additional outlets for their talents.
But let us get back to our tree, which is now
in the full flower of its maturity. And let us
consider, particularly, the most spectacular of
the divergent branches. It is on this branch that
the blossoms are thickest in the Spring, as it displays its beauties for all the world to see, and
provides nectar in bounteous supply for the
bees which here assemble. Here, too, will hang,
in greatest profusion, the fruits of the labor of
the tree. Fruit which will furnish food for the
birds of the air, and will, in harvest, be plucked
and utilized by man for his sustenance and
pleasure.
It is to this branch that I would compare the
Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine. For, of all segments of our Fraternity,
certainly the Shrine is the most colorful, and in
its pageantry it displays its beauties before the
world, as it furnishes the nectar of fellowship
and pleasure to the workers in Shrinedom. It is
in the labor of this Mystic Circle that we find,
too, the finest fruits of human endeavor, as to
its outstretched arms are drawn the halt, the
lame, and the burned, to be restored to health
and to take flight, like the birds, from pain and
the shackles of the crippled, to the heights of
joy and the potential of a full and rich life.
Again, consider our literal tree, now in the
fullness of its harvest. Observe how the several
branches, deliberately separated, are bending
away from each other with their load of fruit. It
is now that a strong wind, a chance blow, a
lightning stroke, or even the preoccupation of
the tree itself in increasing its fruit, may be the
cause of stretching the fabric of the tree past its
breaking point, and the branch may tear away
and crash to the ground, there to die.
Similarly, in our symbolic tree, again
deliberately separated as to its branches, the
strong wind of unfavorable publicity, the
chance blow of a thoughtless remark, the lightning stroke of an ill-considered deed or proposal, or the preoccupation with the increasing
of membership and activities in any one branch
without a corresponding increase in the parent
Lodge, may so imbalance the fabric of our
Craft that one or all of its branches may fall
away, or even the Lodge itself wither from the
drain on its resources.
In our trees, we could probably avoid this
danger by training the tree into one main stem,
with smaller branches emanating from it. Thus,
too with our Fraternity. There are those who
say that any of the appendant bodies must be so
closely entwined with the Lodge that, to all
intents and purposes, they might as well be one.
To this I do not subscribe. It is my firm conviction that the several parts of our Order should
be separated, and that, while all, of course,
must stem from and owe allegiance to the
Lodge, it is of equal importance that they be
allowed to independently flourish and to bring
forth their own individual harvest of charity
and good works.
In actuality, the good orchardist preserves
his trees by propping up the heavy-laden
branches, and by tying the several branches
together for mutual support. This I propose for
our symbolic tree, and, while the things of
which I shall speak are directed primarily to
you as fellow Nobles, they may be equally
applied to any of the other principal branches
of our Craft.
I shall dwell but briefly on the 'props', as
they are, at best, only a temporary and sometimes insecure help, and it is in the ties that we
must place our trust.
In general, the props which we employ
might be considered to be those things which
are promulgated by the Grand Bodies or by the
Temples as a unit. In this category would be the
formation of Shrine Degree Teams who are
available to the Lodges. This is of tremendous
value in cementing relations with the Lodge
affected, and I most heartily endorse this program. I class it as a 'prop' only because with
changing personnel it may well be abandoned
by a Temple.
Similarly, in the respect that it is temporary
in effect, would be the Shrine Ceremonials and
the publicity attendant thereon. Certainly there
cannot help but be an awareness of the occasion
among the members of the Lodges in the area,
and, if done in good taste, it cannot help but
reflect with credit on the Fraternity and may
well induce Master Masons to wish to belong to
such an obviously fine organization.
On the Imperial Council level, there can be
no greater service to humanity than the programs to care for the children in the several
hospitals maintained by the Shrine. I am sure
that every Master Mason joins with me in his
pride at being a member of the great Fraternity
which is the father to the child which has provided this most magnificent of humanitarian
charities, and, on every occasion at which the
Hospitals are publicized, I am sure that each of
us basks in the reflected credit which our
relationship to the Shrine makes possible.
Just as the ties which bind together our
literal tree are the permanent and most effective
means of preserving the tree, so are the figura-
tive ties which bind our Fraternity into one
whole, the permanent and most effective means
of promoting and preserving the fabric of our
Craft, and of illuminating the warp and woof
of that tapestry which is our Fraternal life.
Some of these ties are traditional, and form
the foundation for the bonds which join us
together in unity and brotherhood. Of such is
the relationship between the Shrine and the
Rites in Masonry which require membership in
the Knights Templar, or that the petitioner be a
32ø Scottish Rite Mason.
In the final analysis, however, each and
every tie is composed of a weaving together of
many individual fibers, and may be best represented in our case as being constituted by the
combined efforts and effects of the countless
numbers of individual Masons who collectively
form the institution we know as the Shrine.
It is, then, through individuals that we must
look to the Building of Relations, even though
the direction may well come from the echelon
of officers within the respective bodies.
By the same token, it is the individual Noble
who is responsible for some unfortunate incidents which have occurred within the scope of
my knowledge, and which give ammunition to
the Brother who claims allegiance only to the
Lodge. As Nobles, let us be always circumspect
in our conduct.
On the positive side, we ought to attend our
Lodges, and evince an active interest in its
affairs. Develop a genuine interest in the welfare of the Lodge, in the education of its members, and in the promotion of petitions for
membership in the Lodge, remembering always
that it is from the Lodge originally that Shrine
members must come.
Finally, my Brethren, let us recognize that
all our relations must be on a personal, one-to-
one basis, and that each of us has a responsibility to strive for not only a fraternal relationship
within the framework of our several Masonic
Bodies, but also that, as Masons, we must have
a one-to-one relationship with our Creator such
that, by Faith, we may forge an instrument of
Peace, of Hope, and, above all, of Charity, to
the end that this Fraternity, with all its parts,
may justify its existence and be a force for the
right in this troubled world.
By so doing, you will have built the best
possible relationship with your Blue Lodge.
SO MOTE IT BE
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