Companions:

Are you prepared to die? That is the fundamental question asked by Freemasonry. Not the more familiar "memento mori" or "remember that you must die," which is and has been the motto of secret societies from antiquity to the Skull and Bones club at Yale University. The mere remembrance of mortality can become simple license for moral indifference or depravity, as in the saying of the Epicureans, "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die." Or in the famous university song, "Gaudeamus igitur," which advises the young to make merry before they own nothing but a place in the dirt.

Masonry is different: It teaches us to prepare for our demise because it teaches as well that there is something beyond death. Freemasons may not use death as an excuse for saying that our actions in this world are of no import; we are taught from the first that there is a Source of the benefits we enjoy, and One to Whom we must give account some day for our stewardship of the blessings bestowed upon each of us.

Cryptic Masons have had this lesson taught twice before they arrive at the door of the Council, once in the legend of the Third Degree, which recounts the fidelity of an individual to his trust and teaches that there are things worth dying for, and once in the Royal Arch, in which the fidelity of an entire people is rewarded with a spiritual rebirth or renewal. In the Master Mason Degree, much is hidden behind the allegory of a pledge not to reveal mysteries, which, when we receive them, may seem trivial. In the Royal Arch Degree, the veil is drawn aside slightly, when some historic treasures are brought to light and inspire the completion of the reconstruction effort.

But the most important points are still omitted for those who only progress so far as the Capitular Degrees. Left unspoken is the process by which the discovery of the Royal Arch was made possible. It all seems fortuitous: Merely deciding to do something is enough for the Great Architect to provide the means of accomplishment and encouragement.

It is not until one has received the Degrees of Royal and Select Master that some of the deepest lessons of Masonry become apparent. Without the deposit, there can be no discovery. Those who returned from Babylon would have found nothing, had not those who went before prepared the way for them, even though they themselves received no obvious reward–and could not have, for utmost secrecy was vital to the success of the project, as the only way to ensure that the deposit could be undisturbed for nearly five centuries.

What is the meaning of this allegory of the relics of the First Temple and the eventual building of the second? It is that we ourselves must make a deposit for the future if we wish our own tombs to be judged worthy of being opened, and our relics brought again to the Light. More, we are taught symbolically by the items deposited the nature of what is expected of us.

Our individual deposits in our crypts for our future beyond the grave must be akin to those which are part of the allegory of the degrees. To instruct us, we have been told of the Mysterious Nine. What are these nine things, to which we allude each time we open a Council of Select Masters?

They are items familiar to any Mason: Wisdom, strength, and beauty; faith, hope, and charity; brotherly love, relief, and truth. Each group of three has three parallels to the elements of the deposit.

Wisdom alludes to the Book of the Law, which our ritual teaches contains the Divine Wisdom, all the guidance men need to live in peace with one another. Strength alludes to the manna, which the Great Architect provided to his children to strengthen them for their trials in the wilderness. And beauty alludes to the blossoming of Aaron's rod, which teaches us that the beautiful and wonderful lie everywhere for our discovery, even in a presumably desiccated and lifeless branch.

Faith again alludes to the Book of the Law, which can only be meaningful to those whose faith is well founded; without faith, the laws therein contained have no meaning, nor does the promised reward of faithful service await them. Hope is represented by Aaron's rod, which recalls to us that "there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down...the tender branch thereof will not cease." Its miraculous blooming taught the power of the Creator and symbolizes our hope in immortality of the soul. And charity is taught by the gift of manna, by which heavenly charity the Great Architect sustained his needy children when they could not provide for themselves.

Brotherly love is signified by Aaron's rod, which recalls to us the fraternal affection between Moses and his brother Aaron, broken only by Aaron's death, despite the many trials to which that bond was put. Relief again alludes to the manna, which was distributed equally to all that none might be put to shame for having less nor boast for having more; so should Masonic charity treat all upon the level. And truth is the Book of the Law, found always at the center of our Council chamber, whose truth transcends the ordinary truths of science and philosophy as we hope someday to transcend this mere physical world as promised in that essential, central Truth.

We can only expect to have our faith in that promise fulfilled if we have kept our part of the covenant taught in the Book of the Law and made our necessary deposits which make our tombs opening worthwhile. To be Masonically prepared to die, we must have deposited for our future labors of wisdom, strength, and beauty, acts of faith, hope and charity, and deeds of brotherly love, relief, and truth. Are you prepared to die?

It is customary for the Grand Master to recount the various activities in which he has engaged during his year. Since last March, it has been my pleasure to have been the honored guest of the Grand Councils of Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York at their annual Grand Assemblies, and I am sincerely grateful for their generous hospitality and warm fraternal friendship they showed me. I was also recognized as a distinguished guest by the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons in Virginia, which jurisdiction subsumes the Cryptic degrees under its umbrella and had the great pleasure of seeing a member of my own Council in DC installed as the new Grand High Priest in VA. I wish to especially thank MIC Marshall Gardner, Gr. Rep. of the GC of NY near the GC of DC, for joining me in Owego, NY for that Grand Assembly. And I was also especially honored by being allowed to serve as Grand Installing Musician for the Grand Council of Connecticut–although the three minutes’ advance notice for doing so was a cause of some stress!

I attended the Northeast Regional York Rite Conference in Bowie, where I enjoyed the company of many York Rite Companions and personal friends I have met over the past few years in my service in this Grand Council’s line. And I was present to represent DC Masonry at the visit of Most Worshipful Brother George H. Chapin, Grand Master of Masons in Virginia, to the Fourth Masonic District in that commonwealth, sharing a table with our own Companion, Most Excellent Comp. Douglas Jordan, GHP of RAM in Virginia, to represent the York Rite, and I thank MW Chapin for his kind words on that occasion. Likewise, I am equally grateful to MEC Jordan for his recognition on the occasion of his official visit to Capitular District One in Alexandria.

I also traveled with the Grand Master of Masons in this Jurisdiction for his several Grand Visitations to constituent Lodges in the District of Columbia, and I was most honored by the warm remarks and kind courtesies expressed by Most Worshipful Brother Eldon Brown on those occasions. His successor, Most Worshipful Brother Dan Frederick (a member of my own Council here), has been equally kind in recognizing Cryptic Masonry for its contributions to our Fraternity as a whole on occasions such as the Grand Lodge Installation of Officers. Similarly, I accompanied the Most Excellent Grand High Priest, Solomon Zeidman on one of his Grand Visitations to constituent Chapters, when I was shown the same fraternal regard for which I am likewise grateful.

In constituent bodies of various jurisdictions, I enjoyed the privilege of representing the Cryptic Rite on an appendant-bodies night at Osiris-Pentalpha Lodge #23 here in DC, supporting the Rainbow Girls youth group at regular meetings as pianist and at installations of their officers, and being recognized as a grand presiding officer in various contexts.

I provided programs on Cryptic Masonry to our own Washington Council No. 1 at the request of its Master, Bill Willis, and to Loudon Royal Arch Chapter No. 55, Herndon, VA, at the request of its High Priest, Edmund Cohen. I was also invited to respond on behalf of the visiting dignitaries at the Grand Council of Connecticut. Though I had other speaking engagements in Masonry during the year, these were the only ones with Cryptic content.

As always, it has been a particular source of gratification to participate in the degrees of our Rite, which I was able to do in a York Rite festival here in September and also in the role of the Principal Conductor of the Work for my Council in St. Paul, Minnesota when they conferred the Royal Master degree in February, although the slight difference in ritual used there led me to produce some raised eyebrows over the unauthorized variation. It is not true that a Grand Master can do no wrong! At least if he is out of his jurisdiction. I was especially honored on that occasion by the unexpected arrival of Most Excellent Companion Hugh Swift, GHP of RAM in Minnesota, and Most Illustrious Companion Jerry Korstad, GM of CM in Minnesota, who had driven a considerable distance to share the occasion with me on my return to my home Council.

It is a malady of Masonry today that so few Masons seem to be filling so many positions. We find Companions in more than one line at a time; even more than one Grand Line. And with many bodies having their own agendas, more especially in this locality where three jurisdictions are within but a few miles of each other, demands on time pile up. During my progress through this Grand Line, I have found myself serving as presiding officer of other bodies in Masonry not once or twice, but four times, both here in DC and across the river in Virginia, including at this very moment. Not to mention holding other offices as well. As a result, I have often experienced simultaneous demands for my presence by different organizations. I commend those who have represented me as Acting Grand Master or as subordinate Line Officers on occasions when I could not be present, especially RIC Urban T. Peters, RIC William Hershiser, and MIC Solomon Zeidman. They all have their own obligations to fulfill and yet were able to assist me on those occasions, such as Grand Visitations and other states’ Grand Assemblies which my Masonic schedule or my employment did not allow me to attend.

I cannot conclude this chronicle without remarking upon at least a few disappointments. I had hoped the Cryptic Degrees would be conferred more than once this year, the second time to include those degrees of the Rite which have not been frequently done in DC, but it was not to be, due to circumstances beyond my control. I was also most regretful that the conflicts of my schedule precluded attending the Grand Assemblies in Minnesota and California, where the incoming officers were personally known to me, and that two possible trips to Hawaii, where I also have Masonic contacts, could not be arranged. My employment simply did not allow me to plan for those Grand Councils whose sessions are held mid-week, and I apologize to those jurisdictions for being absent from their ceremonies. There were also some other plans I had made which did not come to pass; I’m afraid that to remark more specifically on them would reflect adversely on identifiable Companions, and that I cannot do. They will have to resolve the matter with their own consciences and the judgment of the Great Architect.

I would now like to reflect on the state of Cryptic Masonry and the rest of Freemasonry, both here and in the world at large. The Cryptic Rite is at the end of a long supply line. We cannot greet new Companions unless they come to us from the Royal Arch, and the Capitular Rite is dependent upon Master Masons choosing to seek further light in Masonry in the York bodies. And the inventory of Master Masons depends on men choosing of their own free will and accord to become Masons. All of us know the circumstances of membership decline in Ancient Craft Masonry, which is our foundation stone.

We must increase our efforts as Cryptic Masons to encourage Royal Arch Masons to obtain the light we have to offer in our beautiful degrees and not ignore this rite while seeking knowledge in other parts of Freemasonry. We are all also Royal Arch Masons ourselves and owe that Rite the duty of enticing Master Masons to continue their search for learning there. I believe that the Capitular Rite has more to offer than just the usual facile claim of providing what was promised but not given in the Lodge: The secrets of Masonry are far more profound than a simple word or two or grip that accompanies them. We, as Cryptic Masons, have the additional degrees that give us the tools to understand the meanings of the earlier rites better, and I have expounded some of those in the opening section of this talk.

And we must find ways to make Masonry the desirable institution it was fifty years ago, when Lodges could not hold raisings fast enough to accommodate all the decent young men who knocked at our doors. In those days, a Master Mason was not something just anyone could hope to be. Masons were the pillars of the community. Hundreds of fraternal organizations were formed in the 19^th century for men not good enough to pass the ballot in a Masonic Lodge. If you were a Mason, everyone knew your word was good, your business was honest, your children were raised right.

Today, we are in Babylonian Exile. We have hung our harps on the trees, sat down, and sing no more but only think of the days before our decline. Unlike our ancient Brethren, no malign force has carried us away from our Temple and City and destroyed our sacred treasures. We have allowed mere time and neglect to accomplish what our enemies could not. We have permitted our meetings to become boring recitations of committee reports and bills. We have tolerated a Masonry that does not teach Masonry–its philosophy, symbolism, and learning. No wonder we cannot get men to put down the TV remote control and petition. No wonder those who pay dues do not bother to come to Lodge, Chapter, or Council! And yet, we know there remains an emptiness in that human life which fills its time with passive entertainment instead of direct human interaction. Men (and their families) need to be with other people. We have the answer to the feeling of disconnectedness in our society…but people do not know we have that answer.

Each of us is a Royal Arch Mason; each of us knows what needs to be done. We need to travel over a difficult road from our Exile and labor strenuously when we come close to our goal, perhaps without knowing exactly what the fruits of our labors shall be. But if we believe the truth of what is symbolically taught in our ritual, we know that effort and reward are two sides of the same coin.

In other words, we must begin to act again like Masons. We must not rely on others to do the work. We must not be content with the status quo. We must make every effort to make our Fraternity and our particular Rite an interesting, active, and desirable place to be. No Mason should stay home because meetings of a body he belongs to are boring; he should take action to see that they are exciting and enjoyable instead. No Mason should look to the Grand Master or Master to have the answers for him or to keep him entertained. Every Master Mason is as much of a Mason as it is possible to be, and the power to change Masonry for the better is in the hands of every one of us. King Solomon did not build the Temple alone for the benefit of an idle populace; he had 153,302 masons to help him.

In my years in DC as a Cryptic Mason, I have seen many Illustrious Masters of Councils in service. Some have recognized that they are fully in charge during their year; others have been overawed by the fact that in this small jurisdiction, the Grand Master and other Grand Officers are constantly about, and came to rely on them for too much that they should have done themselves. We may have lost such exemplars of Cryptic Masonry as Alex Green, Maury Minner, Mac Ward, Tom Weir, and the other Companions now enjoying the noontide of bliss in the Lodge Eternal, but we have other exemplars to show us the way. Look around you, Companions; guidance is everywhere for those who want to find it.

What does the Grand Master expect of the Master of a constituent Council? Only that he do the job he was installed for: Plan a year of interest to his Companions, provide good stewardship of the assets of his Council, and master the ritual of the Rite. I was most disappointed to hear it offered as criticism that a Council could have increased its membership but for a degree festival not having been held. It is the responsibility of every Council to be able to confer the degrees when it chooses or desires to do so! Perhaps it may wish to request assistance from one or two expert Companions if it needs to. But those passing through the line should view it as their duty to learn the ritual of the degrees, as well as that of opening and closing, as they pass through the various stations. The ritual of this Rite in this jurisdiction is short, compared to such others as the Master Mason’s Lecture, or the work of the Principal Sojourner. You can do it. The title "Illustrious" should mean more than time served; no one is expected to be another King Solomon or Zerubbabel, but anyone who undertakes an obligation in Masonry should endeavor to discharge it to the best of his ability. Relying on a printed ritual or on others to do your work is not what Masonry is about.

That said, I am pleased by the efforts put forth in a number of areas by the three Masters who served during most of my term. They planned interesting programs, worked well together in the meeting conditions currently prevailing–which I still would prefer to see modified–and provided continuity in the officer line and even growth in numbers in some cases. I compliment Illustrious Companions Willis, Greenwood, and Rocha for what they did accomplish this year. And I offer my encouragement and support to their recently installed successors.

I would also like to express my thanks for the support of Companion Robert Bussler, who picked up a burden that he had not expected to bear, despite personal difficulties during the year. His is an example I hope that others will follow. And I thank the Grand Officers, appointive and elective, for their work during the year in their various capacities, especially those who worked on our annual fund raising activity, which Illustrious Companion Baldwin conducted and which benefited so much from the past experience of Right Illustrious Companion Peters.

How can a year seem so long and so short at the same time? Obligations and responsibilities make time elastic: It drags when they are a burden, yet vanishes when more is needed to fulfill one’s commitments. It is hard to believe that four years have passed since the Grand Assembly at which I was elected to the position of Grand Captain of the Guard. Or that it has been more than a decade since I affiliated with what was then Adoniram Council #2, and nearly that long since Illustrious Companion Hugh Shawen was generous enough to appoint me to line as Conductor of Council. I believe that I have discharged my basic responsibilities to Cryptic Masonry in that time, although there is always more that one could have done. And now, my time is up. I hope I have shed some light in Masonry, urged others by precept and example to achievement and excellence in Masonry, and aided those who needed it.

My work is not complete, though I have labored long and faithfully to execute it. The Temple I am laboring on will never be complete, for it transcends the laws of physics and can always be built higher. The bricks I have added are but support for those who come after me; I know that their hands are strong and capable and will build wisely. I leave you now in sadness that my day in the sun is past, in gladness for what I have been able to contribute, and in confidence that my successors will do well by our beloved Cryptic Rite.

Thank you all.

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