stb-1992-07
Bro. Hyland is a Past Master of Phoenix Lodge in
Hancock, Massachusetts. This STB is to help the new
Mason,or one who has not attended Lodge often, to have
a clearer understanding of the function of the Lodge and
the individual Masons responsibilities to his Lodge and
his Brethren.
Editor
MY LODGE NEEDS ME!
By: Robert C. Hyland, P.M.
New Candidates
A man must ask to be made a Mason.
Sometimes a little prompting may be considered appropriate, but he must ask! When he
does, you should contact the master immediately. The master will arrange for a "preapplication committee" to meet with you and
the prospective candidate. Either you or the
master should prepare the candidate for the
meeting by informing him of the requirements
for an initiation fee, as well as for references
with addresses and telephone numbers. The
applicant will be asked several questions. One
of them must be answered in the affirmative;
namely, Do you believe in a Supreme Being?
Other questions may be-Will your wife or
other members of your family object to your
becoming a Mason? Do you have sufficient
financial stability to support your family and
pay dues to the lodge? Will your church object? If there is doubt on this matter, the
applicant should be advised that we suggest he
consult with a leader of his church.
Sponsors
If you have signed an application recommending that a candidate receive the degrees,
you are a sponsor of that candidate. There are
no official duties of a sponsor, and you are not
obliged to do anything as such. However, if
you are able to do so, you are expected to
personally guide the candidate through all
three blue lodge degrees. This means going
with him on his visits to the Lodge of Instruction. You should also attend the meetings at
which he receives his degrees. Also if he has
questions during this period, you should make
clear to him that you can help him obtain the
answers. Make sure that any answers you give
him are appropriate for the degree he has
attained.
Investigating Committees
You may at some time be asked to serve on
a committee to investigate a candidate to see if
he is eligible to take the degrees in your lodge.
This is done before he is voted on in the lodge.
A past master is usually the chairman of a
three-member investigating committee. He will
instruct you as to how the investigation will
proceed. It is important that this job be done
seriously and in sufficient detail to insure that
the candidate has the qualifications to become
a credit to the craft.
Public Relations
In the past, many Masons have taken the
position that the less said by Masons about
Masonry in public forums or to friends and
acquaintances, the better we would be served.
This opinion has fallen into disfavor in modern times. Many of our problems such as our
inability to attract enough good men to our
organization, stem from the fact that our most
valuable tenets are not well enough known in
our communities. This fact has been proven
recently by the success of presentations given
at dinners and breakfasts for prospective candidates. The talks have centered on what we
do, and what we believe in, as well as our
historic background. The talks have been given
to people who we think ought to be Masons,
but are not. About thirty percent of the people
addressed have become Masons! It seems obvious that our objective should be to get the
same messages across to the whole world.
Wallflowers
No Mason should ever be allowed to remain
by himself during a social period or break for
more than a short minute, nor should he be
ignored during a meal. More good men have
been discouraged from attending lodge functions by being left to themselves, than by any
other factor. We are supposed to be brothers!
We must always be on the alert for the "Wallflowers". If you see a member, especially a
new one, who is by himself, draw him into the
group you are in, or go to him by yourself and
talk to him. If you don't know or have forgotten his name, introduce yourself. He will reciprocate. If you have no propensity for small
talk, the weather is always a suitable subject.
Everyone has some interests. Find out what
his are. He will be glad to talk with you about
them. He is one of the valuable members of
our fraternity and he must be encouraged to
become an active member.
The Tyler
Some of the Tyler's duties are clear to
everyone. He must always be ready to tile the
door, and he must perform a bit of ritual in the
third degree. But, he is required to possess a
strange combination of character traits. He
must always be dignified, cheerful, and
friendly. This is necessary so that he can
properly greet visitors, and verify their credentials as brothers. He must arrange for the
examination of those who require it. He must
also be ready to address visiting dignitaries
with the proper form. He should greet those
that he knows, and introduce himself to those
that he doesn't. He should maintain a file of
members who have been examined for entry,
a visitor's log, and the booklet which lists the
recognized lodges. He should be a calming
influence on the candidates while they are
outside the Lodge room, and he must prepare
late arriving brethren by apprising them of the
degree in progress. As the first of ficer seen by
visiting brothers, his demeanor will set the
tone of their entire stay . It should be dignified,
cheerful and friendly.
Politics and Religion
All Masons are in some way religious.
Historically, Masons are patriots. One of
our legends (possibly true) is of a lodge meeting being closed so that the members could all
attend the Boston Tea Party. Paul Revere was
a Mason. We know that many of the signers of
h Declaration of Independence Were
sons as was George Washington and several
other Presidents. Most of us have some interest in politics. Nevertheless, it is a tradition of
ours that we do not discuss politics or religion
during our lodge meetings or other functions.
The reason for this is the fact that these two
subjects are viewed with very strong feelings
by many if not most of us. Although we all
believe in a Supreme Being, and we tend to be
patriotic we do not always agree on the details
of our beliefs. Therefore the harmony of our
relationships may be easily disrupted by discussions of these two subjects, and we do not
talk about them when we gather together as
Masons.
Illness
When a brother Mason becomes ill we go
out of our way to visit him and send cards to let
him know we are thinking of him. This can
only happen if we know about the illness. It is
therefore our duty to inform our brothers when
we become ill. Our brothers want to help us
when we have problems, so we must keep
them informed about our own welfare. Because of a natural tendency to ignore this fact
at the time when it is most important, each of
should tell our family that our brothers wa
to know when we are sick. Our family members should feel obliged to inform the Master
or the Service Committee Chairman. Tell your
family about the times you have felt upset
because you did not know about a brother's
distress, and were therefore unable to comfort
him.
Other Subjects
If you should have questions on other subjects, there are several ways that you can
easily find the answers. There are always
plenty of Past Masters who stand ready to
respond or to find the answers to questions
Indeed, many Past Masters will be flattered
to have you ask them. Also, the current officers Wlll be pleased to share their knowledge
wlth you. There are also many knowledgeable
Masons who were never officers. In any case
do not idly wonder about any facet of Masonry. The answers are there if you simply ask.
Free JavaScripts provided
by The JavaScript Source