STB-82-06
Music by J. L. F. Mendelssohn
FREEMASONRY: THE SLEEPING GIANT
by Richard A. Kidwell, GM Arizona
M.W. Brother Kidwell presented this challenging
paper as the Keynote Address at the Conference of
Grand Masters of Masons in North America on
February 22, 1982--the 250th Anniversary of George
Washington's birth. M.S.A. is pleased that M.W.
Brother Kidwell allowed us to use it as a Short Talk
Bulletin.
FREEMASONRY: THE SLEEPING
GIANT! What a challenging topic to introduce! It brings to mind the familiar story of
Rip Van Winkle who slept so long he failed to
make his contribution to the world. When he
awakened, he found himself out of touch, and
he was unable to accommodate to the changes
which had taken place while he slept. Is
Freemasonry sleeping while the world is going
by? Is Freemasonry an escape into an unreal
world of dreams? Or is Freemasonry an active
and vital force in the shaping of the future?
When we are asked, ''What is
Freemasonry?," we respond with a description
of our ancient and honorable fraternity. To the
layman, according to Webster, the word
freemasonry has become an uncapitalized noun
meaning "a natural or instinctive fellowship or
sympathy." Fellowship is defined as "a company of equals or friends sharing a community
of interest, activity, feeling, or experience."
Sympathy is defined as "united or harmony in
action or effect . " Thus, Freemasonry in its
derived definition becomes: "A natural community of equals, bound by shared experiences
and interests, and united in action."
Certainly at one point in our nation's
history, Freemasonry was not sleeping. Though
proportionally no greater in number than today, the community of Masons did indeed
display unity in action, and they did indeed produce a harmony in effect. Our Founding
Fathers took pains to create a republic which
would protect America not only from tyranny
of foreign governments, but also from any proposed domination by their own government.
They agreed that "The best government is the
least government." The primary cement binding these men together was the desire for
freedom and justice. The War for Independence grew out of negotiations for
restoration of usurped rights, rights which had
been granted to the citizens of the British Empire since the time of Magna Carta. When the
negotiations were unproductive, the cry of
"Taxation without representation" may well
have led St. John's Lodge to exchange the
apron for the tomahawk and sweeten the waters
of Boston Harbor with good English tea.
There is some evidence that the colonial
lodges were made up of an elite group. George
Washington is said to have paid fees amounting
to about $20 for his degrees, a fee that was far
beyond the aspirations of many less affluent
men. But there is also evidence indicating that
Masonry was active on the frontiers. Members
of the Order made themselves known to their
Brethren and probably accomplished a good
deal of informal recruiting and initiating of
good men who were also dedicated to preserving peace and harmony.
These informal "tavern lodges" provided
the only Masonic communication available outside the established population centers. Thus,
there were many unsung Masonic heroes working for the preservation of a way of life that had
already become precious to them. These men
instinctively knew what sort of foundation had
to be laid if this land was to survive. They were
inspired with the realization that Masonry is
morality in action, and that their obligations at
the altar of Freemasonry were sacred promises
that required appropriate action. They were
committed to a pursuit of excellence embodied
in the teaching of the Fraternity.
The urge for casting off bonds of oppression, for seeking equal rights for all, and for
demanding the intellectual, moral, and spiritual
freedom of the individual has always
characterized Masons, not only in this country
but in others. Witness the great Masons around
the world--Benito Juarez in Mexico, Simon
Bolivar in South America, Jose Rizal in the
Philippine Islands, for example. Wherever the
need for reasserting the doctrine of right and
freedom has emerged, Masons have taken a
leading role in the quest for intellectual and
moral liberty.
From the scattered Masonic lodges and congregations of sojourning Masons in our own 13
colonies, the influence of Masonic principles
made itself heard through our Declaration of
Independence, our Articles of Confederation,
and our Constitution with its Bill of Rights.
Many of these names are familiar to
all--George Washington, John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin, Edmund Randolph--a list of
these leaders would constitute an Honor Roll of
Freemasonry, and it would include a great portion of our Founding Fathers. Such an Honor
Roll must also include Masons who contributed
in a less public manner, such as Brother de
Montesquier who, as early as 1748, wrote of the
necessity for three branches of government and
a system of checks and balances between these
branches.
Of course, no listing of honored Masons of
colonial times would be complete without paying special tribute to our own Worshipful
Brother George Washington. Not only was he
an outstanding Mason at the time and a universal choice to become General Grand Master of
the Grand Lodges of the country, but he also
served as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, Chairman of the Constitutional Convention, and first President of our new Nation.
The principles which he encouraged and were
directly responsible for the development of our
Republic. We are proud to honor him today on
the 250th anniversary of his birth.
Indicative of the future of our form of
government were the words of Benjamin
Franklin at the conclusion of the Constitutional
Convention. As he merged from the meeting
room, he was asked what form of government
we had. He replied: "A Republic, if you can
keep it!"
And that is the question facing our nation
today: Can we keep it?
Masons helped to form a nation based on
human liberty. Those Masons were
knowledgeable and concerned. They realized
that the granting of any right implied a concurrent responsibility. Over the centuries we have
shown a representation of Masonic Brothers in
positions of eminence and authority in our
government. However, we have never been able
to match the numerical representation and
power exercised by the 13 known Masons who
signed the Constitution--13 out of a total of 39
signers.
Documents and plans for government as
masterfully drafted as our Constitution,
however, do not make government; they only
make government possible. Governments are
made by people, people who are not limited to
consideration of the monetary problems of the
present but, instead, look to the heritage and
tradition of the past and to the unlimited frontiers of the future. These people see the
American Eagle, not as a scavenger and eater of
carrion, but as a soaring symbol of the ideals of
those who founded our country. Free governments are made by people who have the imagination to recognize the glory of the development of a nation, who have full knowledge of
their rights as individuals and are ready and
willing to devise effective means for the preservation of those rights.
If we as Masons want to assert greater prominence in the governance of our nation, we
must first become knowledgeable. Good
Masons are informed and responsible citizens
who know the issues and are willing to stand up
and make themselves heard on matters in accord with the proven principles of our Craft.
Good Masons lead the people in exercising our
right to vote on candidates and issues. But the
key word is "knowledgeable." We need first to
educate our youth and our candidates in terms
of intellectual rights, individual and civic
responsibilities, and moral conduct. We must
make Masons in fact rather than Masons in
name.
Our Brotherhood has the potential for
wielding a great deal of power in our local and
national affairs. To do so, we must also make
ourselves known and respected among the people. We must let the public know the principles
for which we stand and become attractively
visible in our communities.
Our nation today needs the active support
and participation of every Mason as it did when
our Constitution was formed. While we can
never hope to achieve the epoch-making accomplishments of our Brethren in George
Washington's time, we must maintain the work
which they accomplished. We must remember,
too, that in honoring these Founding Fathers,
we are truly honoring their adherence to their
Masonic ideals and their dedication and zeal.
Today we need to revitalize those ideals and
help America return to a new dedication. Many
of our people have lost perspective and are
viewing this era in terms of a leisure ethic rather
a work ethic; they are looking to government
for solutions to all their problems rather than
depending upon their own convictions and
abilities. We are experiencing a decline in
respect for law, for morality, for quality, even
for truth as a guide to our actions. We are
threatened both from without and from within,
and once again it becomes the obligation of
Masonry to take up our working tools and construct a bulwark of defense that will stand
against any adversary.
The solution is within our grasp. We have
the knowledge and the materials to shape the
future of our Fraternity and to influence the
future of the nation and of the world. The way
we use our capabilities will determine our
destiny. Masonry has always dedicated its efforts toward taking good men--one at a
time--and making them better men. Then in
periods of distress and social upheaval, these
good men, imbued with the philosophy of our
Craft, have stepped forward to lead the world
back to the concept of liberty and justice. The
founders of our country were that sort of men.
George Washington, the Father of our Country, was one, as were a great many of those who
stood with him when this nation had its
precarious birth.
All of us are Masons, and thousands of our
government leaders are Masons. If we have truly accepted our Masonic education and our
Masonic obligations, we have only to unite our
thoughts and actions to create a resurgence of
those virtues on which our nation was founded.
We need to apply our working tools in our collective pursuit of excellence to meet the problems that lie ahead and to be certain that
moral virtue will prevail.
Never in the history of mankind is the inculcation and implementation of the principles
and ideals of Masonry so important, and yet
apathy, indifference, and complacency are
common even within our own ranks. If
Masonry is to continue to exist and to be effective, we must relinquish passive principles and
become an aggressive vital force to this nation
and among its people. Masonry, by its very
origin, has no choice. It must be a living,
breathing force. Masonry must act through a
body of idealistic men applying Masonic principles to a way of life and bringing about the accomplishment of its goals. We must have
Masons who will match in fortitude and
courage those who faced the rack of the inquisition and the bitter cold of Valley Forge;
Masons who are alert and faithful to their convictions and who are ready to struggle to win
liberty again in each generation.
We owe this to our country; we owe this to
our people and our way of life; we owe it to
ourselves; and particularly, we owe it to the
leaders of tomorrow. Let us reawaken the
sleeping giant--the greatest force for mankind
ever conceived in the minds of men. Let us, too,
stand up and be counted.
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