Masonic Dinosaurs

Arthur H. Scott, 32°

So-called "Masonic dinosaurs" can be central to Freemasonry's revitalization. Do you recall the breakfast cereal commercial on TV where the grandfather relates to his grandson how he regularly walked five miles to school in three feet of snow, uphill both ways?

I was thinking of that commercial as I reflected on a dialogue I recently had with some Brethren during a very sociable Masonic gathering, and I began to ask myself if, perhaps, I had failed to realize, until now, that I have become a Masonic dinosaur.

Although I consider myself still young in Freemasonry, I have been a member of the Craft for more than 25 years. I must confess that I have seen some big changes in Masonry over that relatively short span. But then look at the even bigger changes that have occurred in the world around us, some so quickly it makes your head spin!

So, when at the Masonic gathering I began to lament about various subjects-such as empty Lodge sidelines, lack of preparedness of officers, and a noticeable decline in the overall quality of Freemasonry--I was abruptly chastised for my comments. This weighed heavily on my mind. After mulling it over, however, it soon occurred to me that I was like the grandfather in the cereal commercial.

None of my Masonic colleagues had been Masons for more than 10-years. Some had missed more chairs than they had occupied on their way to the East. I suddenly realized that my Masonic discourse was not unlike telling young children about how we used to ride a trolley car for 15-cents, or take a steam-drawn train to visit relatives in neighboring cities because in those days few families owned an automobile, or reminiscing about when Coca-Cola was six bottles for 36-cents and gasoline was 40-cents a gallon.

It was then I realized that people couldn't miss something they haven't seen or experienced. So, although I personally lament the passing of the steam engine with its glistening power, black smoke, hissing steam and polished brass, I cannot expect today's generation to share that nostalgia. Why then, should I expect them to share Masonic nostalgia about comfortably filled Lodge rooms where ritual was done with such feeling that it brought a lump to your throat and a tear to your eye? Most younger Masons have little experience of ritual delivered with such perfection that it makes you sit up in absolute awe, something that was the rule, rather than the exception, in years past.

We often hear old-timers say, "Those were the good old days." In most instances, the clock cannot be turned back. But in Freemasonry it can. Comfortably filled Lodge rooms, where ritual is done with feeling and delivered with perfection, are achievable. The nostalgia that enhances Freemasonry so much can be made a reality. We just have to want it and work at it.

Come to think of it, that's where we Masonic dinosaurs could lend a hand to these young whippersnappers!

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I ran across a quote from Brother Will Rogers that goes something like this: There are three types of men. Some who learn by reading, a few that learn by observation and the rest who just have to pee on the electric fence.