BY S. Kenneth Baril
How long has it been since any form of Masonic education actually broke out within the confines of your lodge rooms? Luckily, it doesn’t happen often. For if so, it probably it would scare or disturb those of us who are still awake. So let’s be extremely cautious and not permit it to occur often and surely not without much planning, contemplation and defiantly not before forming several committees to study its long term effects in the Lodge. Then a report must be made and returned to the brothers so that it may be discussed in great detail over the course of several meetings, or until a consensus is made that it probably would take up so much time as to surely shortened our business meetings, and the thought would quickly dropped or tabled for future consideration by the Lodge.
The concept of actually having Masonic education program during open lodge, though radical as this concept may seem, was accomplished in lodges that are near and dear to our hearts, but that was long time ago in our past when men still read, studied and cared about such matters. Programs were planned for regular meetings with articles brought in; varied as history, , music, morality, philosophy, symbolism of the working tools and other elements within the degrees. These subjects were the discussed in great detail. Questions were asked and learning happened. This had a tendency to expand one’s mind and knowledge not only of the lodge, but society in general. This is one of the main tenets of the lodge – to improve ourselves in Masonry.
Too many brothers are unaware of what the Lodge is really trying to accomplish in its teachings by symbols and allegories. We have nearly stopped educating ourselves about the meanings of the symbolism and allegories presented in the degrees. Brother Oliver Day Street was quoted in The Builder Magazine, August1919. “In our Masonic studies, the moment we forget that whole and every part of Freemasonry is symbolic and allegoric, is the same instant we begin to grope in the dark. Its ceremonies, signs, tokens and words and lectures at once become meaningless or trivial. The study of no other aspect of Freemasonry is more important. Yet I believe the study of no aspect of it has been so much neglected.”
We all know the old standard “To make good men better.” In reality it means so much more, as it charges you to explore your senses and acquire make a working knowledge of the seven liberal arts and sciences to make you a more rounded person by improving yourself in Masonry.
As stated earlier, this would have a definite effect upon our business meetings. It might even encourage men to attend meetings and participate in the free exchange of knowledge and actually learn about Masonry. A man freely gives up his time to attend our meetings; sitting except when a through a meeting that that was very much like the last one and without much difference degree is worked.
We may have conditioned ourselves to these types of meetings but if we are to attract and keep new members we are going to have to give them something more substance for the time they spend away from their families and to make their attendance feel more worthwhile.
Be prepared to raise the ire of more than a few brethren if you are so bold as to make a recommendation of injecting a little Masonic education into their meetings.
Don’t be foolish enough as to make the suggestion that once a year they have a special meeting in which to put on a degree with all its related lectures. This will be received as though you are a leper, iconoclast, even though this would be a perfect opportunity for the newer brothers to gain knowledge and experience about the Craft. It would also afford them the chance to learn and participate in actual degree work. True, it would take longer to confer the degree but not nearly as long as we have endured while sitting through two degrees in one meeting. By virtue of being a special, it could happen on a Saturday which would afford us the time to do it right and not take time away from more deliberations .This by no means the only thing that could be injected into our lodges. Some jurisdictions have instated informal study groups open to all Masons on various subjects about the Craft.
We must be ever mindful that the new members of today will have the stewardship of the Lodge in the future. The better their knowledge of Masonry today, the better they may teach its principles to the future generations of Masons.