STB-JU87
THE WIDOW AND THE CRAFT
by
John T. Freeman
This Short Talk Bulletin has been adapted from excerpts of a paper
presented by John T Freeman, Secretary-Treasurer, Vancouver Masonic
Service Bureau, at The 33rd biennial meeting of the Masonic Relief
Association of The United States and Canada in Louisville, KY,
September, 1959
How often do we hear the phrase, "The Masons will take care of
everything?"
Those of us who are in contact with the relief problems of the
Craft probably have this statement, or its implications, thrust at
us more often than any other Masonic group.
With us lies the task of making explanations, in detail, of the
obligations of a Lodge to the survivors of a deceased member, or
to such other persons who are acting on behalf of distressed members
or their families. Therefore, with us would seem to lie the
responsibility of encouraging Lodges to properly educate their
Brethren on such matters so that they, in turn, will not misinform
their families and friends regarding the obligations of the
Fraternity.
To do this effectively it is necessary to search for the origin of
such a misleading statement, as well as other similar phrases having
the same import. Enquiries are constantly received as to the
procedure for collecting Masonic insurance, paying funeral
expenses, paying doctor's and hospital bills, and other similar
requests, all apparently made in good faith.
Unfortunately, many of these requests do not come directly from
the family concerned. More often than not a well-meaning friend, a
family lawyer, and sometimes a trust company will approach a Lodge
or Board of Relief for such information. In all cases a long and
detailed explanation is required to insure that the applicant does
not gain the impression that the Masonic Order is evading a
responsibility or breaking a contract.
In many cases such assistance is demmanded, rather than requested,
which would indicate that the applicants have a firm conviction that
the Fraternity has entered into a contract with its members to
provide financial aid when requested.
The fact that such enquiries emanate from so many varied sources
denotes that somehow, and somewhere, the families and friends of
many Brethren are given the definite impression that such benefits
are automatic with membership in the Order.
Even when an explanation has been made, an argument will quite
often be put forward by the applicant to the effect that the
distressed or deceased Brother has paid Lodge dues for so many years
that a substantial sum must have accrued. Such persons fail to
realize that a considerable portion of Lodge dues is always
required to operate the Lodge in such general expenses as rental of
premises, taxes, flowers, postage, insurance, stationary,
refreshments, printing and other administrative costs, usually
leaving very little for extensive financial assistance. Coupled with
this seems to be the general idea that the Masonic Order has
unlimited financial resources.
This erroneous idea of the wealth of the Fraternity is probably
gained by non-members, and very often by members, when they see, or
hear of the many charitable acts carried out be the Lodges, other
Masonic bodies, and individual members. Those of us in active
participation in relief work know that the widow and the orphan, and
also the member in distress, is dealt with most generously if an
actual need is seen to exist. It is doubtful if any estimate of
the combined efforts of Lodges and Brethren in this direction could
be made, inasmuch as such charitable acts are not publicized by the
benefactors thereof.
In the Bureaus which we represent, for example, there are
records of many cases where the assistance given in individual
instances has, ovcr a period of years, passed the ten thousand
dollar mark. We have one such case where a small rural Lodge
assisted an ailing Brother, then his widow, and now his
incapacitated daughter, over a twenty year period.
Thus it is that the charitable activities of our organization are
interpreted as being the discharge of a rightful financial
obligation, rather than a voluntary expression of Masonic
principles.
The Brother who assures his family, either by inference or direct
statement, that the Masonic Order will take care of everything, is
shelving his responsibility as a husband and a father. Individual
members go to make up the Fraternity as a whole, and the
dissemination of such halftruths casts a reflection on the Craft
in general.
It is a very unpleasant duty, more especially when emotional
stress is present, to convey the information to the distressed that
they have been misinformed. It must come as a rude shock to a widow
for her to find that she has no entitlement to automatic financial
assistance such as she has been led to believe is forthcoming. Our
experience has been that many widows have contracted for funerals
at an expense far beyond their means, on the supposition that the
cost would be borne by the Masonic Order.
In our ceremonies of initiation the candidate is impressed with
the necessity of secrecy but this seems to be carried so far in some
cases that he, under the questioning of family or friends, will
impart information that is interpreted as implying that the Order
extends all the benefits of life insurance, social security, free
legal and medical advice, unlimited financial assistance, and excep-
tional employment opportunities.
Based on pure supposition, and rarely corrected, he implies that
his acceptance into the Order, following a thorough investigation
into his qualifications, is an assurance that all his security
worries and problems have been solved. This type of new member
rarely extols the virtues of membership to the extent that he may
be more susceptible to giving than receiving.
Such statements from a newly-made member can be condoned,
especially if the true facts have not been impressed upon him during
the investigation and subsequent ceremonies. The member of long
standing, however, has no excuse, for, if he is an active member
of his Lodge and takes an average interest in its affairs, he would
realize the folly of giving such impression to his loved ones.
Before a Brother boasts to his family and his friends of the
extensive benefits of membership he should ask himself these
questions:
Do I contribute as liberally toward distress as I have promised my
Brethren I will do?
Do l go out of my way to make life easier for Masonic widows and
orphans?
Have I, with the exception of paying dues, contributed financially
to the benevolent fund of my Lodge to the extent that it is as
wealthy as I would imply?
Do I go out of my way to assist a Brother in gaining employment?
Such self-examination would bring a realization of the actual facts
to any Brother so that he could not, with a clear conscience, assure
his potential survivors that the "Masons will take care of
everything." If he persists in disseminating such information he is
not honest with his family, his friends, or his Lodge.
Why do they do it?
There is sufficient in Freemasonry to make a man proud of
membership, without necessity of boasting of premiums, bonuses, or
financial benefits. Such advertising will attract to our Fraternity
many whose only incentive would be financial gain.
It would be well for every Lodge to ensure, from now on, that each
and every Brother gains a complete understanding of Masonic charity
so that, in the years to come, our successors will not continue to
reap a harvest of misinformed widows and orphans.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
The Masonic Relief Association of the United States and Canada is
designed to help coordinate work of the Masonic Boards of Relief of
the United States and Canada and assist with their problems in
helping the sojourning Mason and his family. Functioning in that
capacity since their organization in 1886, they provide a valuable
and appreciated SERVICE.
S .M . L . P .
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