June,1954
Contents
THE MERRY MONTH OF MAY WHERE IS THE WORD ?
THE AUTHORITY OF THE OLD CHARGES ANNOUNCEMENT
The Message of
The Stars and Stripes
BUREAU OF MASONIC INFORMATION
Masonic education is not a senseless luxury to use when we are not conferring degrees. It is an essential part of our work and a continuing obligation, if men are to be made Masons, and if Masonry is to hold fast to its ideals. Yet, what we learn and believe as Masons can never be expressed alone behind tiled doors. We are a universal fraternity, and wherever we find ourselves in conflict with forces that would destroy the freedoms we cherish and whose values we have learned within our craft, there must we as Masons, proclaim by our lives, demonstrate by our actions, and teach by our examples, the overwhelming value of these freedoms, that men the world over may join with us in preserving the way of life that produces the highest good for mankind. Thus we must ever be faithful to our craft, alert to dangers that may threaten, supporting the good that exists, and ever mindful that the eternal God has made each of us "his brother's keeper."
Rev. George M. Cordner, M. P. S.
(From an address delivered on October 8, 1953, at Toledo, Ohio, before the Grand Chapter of Ohio)
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THE PHILALETHES
Volume 7 JUNE, 1954 Number 7
PUBLISHED BY THE PHILALETHES SOCIETY
3637 Linden Boulevard - St. Louis, Missouri
Lee E. Wells - President
P.O. Box 111 - Canoga Park, Cal.
Alphonse Cerza - First Vice President
130 Akenside Road - Riverside, Illinois
Arthur H. Triggs - Second Vice President
2117 Funston Place - Oakland, California
Lawton E. Meyer - Executive Secretary
3637 Linden Boulevard - St. Louis, Missouri
John B. Vroomon - Treasurer
P.O. Box 402 - St. Louis, Missouri
The Philalethes is the official publication of The Philalethes Society, founded on October 1, 1928. All articles appearing in its columns express the ideas and opinions of their contributors only, and in no way need they express the opinion of the Society.
No advertising in any form is solicited or accepted.
All communications relative to the magazine should be addressed to Alphonse Cerza, Editor, 130 Akenside Road, Riverside, Illinois.
Membership to the Society is by recommendation only. Inquiry relative to membership should be addressed to the president.
The joining fee is $3.00; the annual fee is $5.00.
A limited number of subscriptions are available to non-members of the Society, lodges, study clubs, research lodges, and similar groups at $3.00 a year in the United States, elsewhere $4.00 a year, payable in advance.
When requesting a change of address, please give the old as well as the new address, including zone number, if there is one.
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Regarding Constitution and Nomination of Officers
With this issue of The Philalethes there is being sent to each Fellow and Member of the Society a copy of the Constitution and By-Laws prepared by the Constitution Committee. There is also enclosed a ballot relating to this document and a sheet for the nomination of the officers of the Society. You are urgently requested to read each of these items carefully.
The Constitution and By-Laws were prepared by a committee consisting of Elbert Bede, F.P.S., Dr. William Moseley Brown, F.P.S. and Laurence R. Taylor, M.P.S. Suggestions were received from a number of Fellows and Members but the main draft, which constituted the basis for discussion and consideration, was prepared by Brother Bede. The Society owes these brethren a vote of thanks for their faithful and excellent job. But in order to make the work of these brethren effective, it is necessary that each Fellow and Member vote and indicate his approval or disapproval of the document. The ballot should then be mailed to Brother Bede, who has agreed to count them for the Society.
Upon the adoption of the Constitution and ByLaws it is desirable that officers be selected by the Fellows and Members. The present officers have been acting solely for the purpose of reactivating the Society. While it is true that Brother Wells, as Vice President, became the President by virtue of the passing of Brother Kinney, he has nevertheless taken the position that the success and continuous functioning of the Society can be assured only by a democratic organization with periodical election of officers and an equal division of the work. In keeping with this idea the pro tem officers urge each Fellow and Member of the Society to nominate someone for each elective office. Brother Bede has graciously agreed to receive the nominating sheets and to prepare the list of names to appear on the ballot. Nominations will be closed thirty days after the mailing of the Constitution and By-Laws with the nominating sheets. It is, therefore, imperative that you make your nominations as soon as possible. In the interest of economy, it is suggested that the ballot and the nominating sheet be mailed at the same time.
The next issue of the magazine will contain a complete report of the balloting of the Constitution and the nominations of the officers. It is hoped that at that time the ballots will also be enclosed so that duly elected officers may take over the duties of the Society within the very near future.
Please cooperate with the officers in this regard so that the Society may be placed on a permanent basis.
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Notice!
Many of the Fellows and Members of the Society have not paid their current dues. Their names have been carried on the membership list and they have been sent the copies of the magazine in the interest of harmony and also that they may hove full knowledge of what the pro tem officers were doing. Since this is probably the last issue of the magazine to be published by the present officers, it is essential to observe that we do not know what action will be taken by the elected officers of the Society. If the proposed Constitution and By-laws are adopted it will be incumbent on the permanent officers to drop these Fellows and Members from the rolls.
If you have not sent your contribution, we urge you to do so at once. The Society needs your financial assistance. In this concrete manner you can assist the officers in their work, help make the reactivated Society a success, and give your encouragement to the officers to be elected.
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James Shufakiss, M.P.S.
Hammond, Indiana
MAN has searched for truth throughout the ages. Freedom and liberty for the individual, as embodied in the democratic and Masonic concepts of life, accelerate the great search today.
Among the valiant champions of free and open discussion as an instrument for gaining truth has been John Stuart Mill. This English philosopher and economist wrote a classic defense of the individual's right to think and act for himself in On Liberty, Published in 1859.
It is well to examine the meaningful words of Mill at a time when the individual is being pressured by those forces plotting the destruction of democratic ideals while professing to preserve them; when the safest course to many appears to be "security through conformity" and when authoritarianism in varied forms threatens the very Dignity of Man.
Mill evaluates those who blindly follow authority with: "There is a class of persons (happily not quite so numerous as formerly) who think it enough if a person assents undoubtingly to what they think true, though he has had no knowledge Whatever of the grounds of the opinion, and could not make a tenable defense of it against the most superficial objections. Such persons, if they can once get their creed taught from authority, naturally think that no good, and some harm, comes of its being allowed to be questioned. Where their influence prevails, they make it nearly impossible for the received opinion to be rejected wisely and considerately, though it may still be rejected rashly and ignorantly; for to shut out discussion entirely is seldom possible, and when it once gets in, beliefs not grounded on conviction are apt to give way before the slightest semblance that the true opinion abides in the mind, but abides as a prejudice, a belief independent of, and proof against, argument - this is not the way in which truth ought to be held by a rational being. This is not knowing the truth. Truth, thus held, is but one superstition the more accidentally clinging to the words which enunciate a truth."
The fallacy of authoritarian dictation comes under the fire in these words:" . . . an enemy of free discussion may be supposed to say that there is no necessity for mankind in general to know and understand all that can be said against or for their opinions by philosophers and theologians. That it is not needful for common men to be able to expose all the misstatements or fallacies of an ingenious opponent. That it is enough if there is always somebody capable of answering them, so that nothing likely to mislead uninstructed persons remains unrefuted. That simple minds, having been taught the obvious grounds of the truths inculcated in them, may trust to authority for the rest, and being aware that they have neither knowledge nor talent to resolve every difficulty which can be raised, may repose in the assurance that all those which have been raised have been or can be answered, by those who are especially trained to the task."
Mill's avid support of free and open debate is expressed in this passage: "All languages and literatures are full of general observations on life, both as to what it is, and how to conduct oneself in it; observations which everybody knows, which everybody repeats, or hears with acquiescence, which are received at truisms, yet of which most people first truly learn the meaning, when experience, generally of a painful kind, has made it a reality to them. How often, when smarting under some unforeseen misfortune or disappointment, does a person call to mind some proverb or common saying, familiar to him all his life, the meaning of which, if he had ever before felt it as he does now, would have saved him from the calamity. There are indeed reasons for this, other than the absence of discussion: there are many truths of which the full meaning cannot be realized, until personal experience has brought it home. But much more of the meaning even of these would have been understood, and what was understood would have been far more deeply impressed on the mind, if the man had been accustomed to hear it argued pro and con by people who did understand it. The fatal tendency of mankind to leave off thinking about a thing when it is no longer doubtful, is the cause of half their errors. A contemporary author has well spoken of 'the deep slumber of a decided opinion."
Mill pursued the ever-present subject of "half-truths" and intolerance with this observation: " . . . opinion ought, in every instance, to determine its verdict by the circumstances of the individual case; condemning everyone, on whichever side of the argument he places himself, in whose mode of advocacy either want of candor, or malignity, bigotry, or intolerance of feeling manifest themselves; but not inferring these vices from the side which a person takes, though it be the contrary side of the question to our own; and giving merited honor to every one, whatever opinion he may hold, who has calmness to see and honesty to state what his opponents and their opinions really are, exaggerating nothing to their discredit, keeping nothing back which tells, or can be supposed to tell, in their favor. This is the real morality of public discussion: and if often violated, I am happy to think that there are many controversialists who to a great extent observe it, and a still greater number who conscientiously strive towards it."
As applicable as if it were written today, Mill's message may be combined with the statement that "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty" to point the golden way to those who prize a freedomloving heritage based on the enlightened will of free men.
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By Laurence Healey, M.P.S.
(Grand Master of British Columbia, Canada, 1953)
Vancouver, British Columbia
THE month of May is called the "merry month" and in many parts of the world "May Day" is observed as one of the merriest festivals of the year. It marks the period when spring steps out in all her finery, sporting the newest shades of green. The young of the animal kingdom gambol and frolic to sheer estacy. The feathered chorus fills the daylight hours with song; even frogs in the pond add their base notes to the symphony of joy. Trees which stood gaunt and bare in the winter winds have burst forth in bud, leaf, and flower. All around is abundant evidence of the re-birth of life and growth in the earth, the annual cycle of life's renewal - nature's testimony to the principle of Mortality.
To the thinking Freemason it brings confirmation of these eternal verities which have been revealed to him by allegory and symbol around the altar of his lodge. Life here, and its renewal hereafter, is a subject upon which Freemasonry has something to say, as it seeks to meet the challenge of that great question of all the ages, "If a man die, shall he live again?" As the novitiate proceeds on his mystical journey from east to west in search of the answer it invites hen to pause awhile, and "reflect upon that most interesting of all human studies, the knowledge of himself."
Science tells us that the human body is an integral part of the universe, a collection of chemical elements, carbon, hydrogen, chloride, calcium, iron, clay, etc. in a solution of H20. A professor at one of our universities estimated the total value of the commercial market at about ninety-eight cents (an apt reminder to those who think that they are important people around the office or the home). The only thing that gives the human body any real worth in the world is the spirit which animates it, that mysterious force called life which manifests itself as the being, the ego, the self, the personality, or whatever else we call it that inhabits the earthy house. And this intangible thing is not of man but is an emanation of the Great Eternal spirit of all Life - the center "from which a Master Mason cannot err."
When that life force is withdrawn by the incident that we call death, the subsequent dissolution of the body brings a change of form to those chemical substances, which in due course return to their original components, so much carbon, so much clay, and so on. But in the economy of the universes nothing is destroyed, nothing is lost, nothing dies in the real sense. It is simply the form that is changed, or in the magnificent phrase of Ecclesiastes, "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and thaw spirit shall return unto God who gave it."
For everything that the being, or personality, does here a body is necessary whereby it can function through corporeal senses and from what we know of the interaction between spirit and body in this life it is difficult to imagine how any progress can be made along the pathway of existence in the life hereafter without a body of some kind through which the being, or personality, can manifest itself. We may rest assured that the same Supreme Power, which assembled those chemical elements into the house of our present mortality, will in due time re-assemble them in another form, altered and adapted to the requirements of a world redeemed and perfected in that great millenial cycle of life's renewal which is yet to be. And when we study the symbolism of the legend concerning the exhumation of H. A. we become convinced that Masonic philosophy relative to the life hereafter includes a resurrection of the body as well as a survival of the spirit.
The great Galilean Master, who gave a practical demonstration of the equalities of such a raised or supernatural body, laid down the principle that "except a corn or wheat fall into the ground and die it abideth alone." Well, the corn or wheat sown undergoes a chemical disintegration and from the life latent in it there springs a new plant which in due time becomes a reproduction of the original, true to its identity and species. But the continuity of identity in the seed sown and the grain that springs from it involves not continuity of the actual particles which made up that seed when it was planted. They have disintegrated and gone back to their original chemical components. So it is in the Sublime concept of raising, there is continuity of identity involving the entire individual, spirit and body, but altered and adapted to an ultra-natural environment.
The ritual tells us to "continue to listen to the voice of nature which bears witness that even in this mortal and perishable frame there exists a vital and immortal principle." To the listening Freemason the "merry month of May" presents nature's voice so amplified that even the dullest ear must catch its triumphant notes.
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By, Harry E. H. Grant, M.P.S.
Mountain View. California
Someone has expressed the seemingly trite but true thought that "The world is all about us."
This concept is still more true of things spiritual; things, in the Anglo-Saxon sense that things are thoughts and thoughts things, things such as The Word.
The word is all about us, and more.
To those of us who accept the record quite literally, The Word was in the beginning before the world of so called material things was made. It is that of which the material things were made, and still more.
No thing nor thought completely describes The Word for it is everywhere and is everything and interpenetrates all things; all things in the somewhat arbitrary subdivisions of things material and of things spiritual.
The Word is design and the purpose of the design; is the Creator and all that is created and is that of which the all is created.
To locate The Word in its entirety would be to encompass the everything of reality; not omiting the greater clarification of the comprehensive concept that "things are thoughts and thoughts things."
There is no record of anything in the beginning with God except The Word; and we reasonably know that which is without form could not hurtle formlessly throughout space, or could it; for where, uttered or unexpressed, is The Word.
It can not be a word which existed but is now lost; for naught but a sense of The Word could actually be lost.
That which is described seems to be a positiveness or potential which exists within every appearance of vacuum or negation "without form and void" until touched or brought into atonement with the other powers of the Almighty; that which at creation received both positive form and character through utterance of The Word. Things became seen, as they still become seen through and by that which was not seen - The Word. Things are also perceived through The Word.
Where then is The Word that was in the beginning; The Word that is in all, is the potential of all beginnings, and which remains without end; for it has continued throughout all time to this moment to be and to remain as it has been forever. Where then is The Word.
Men have known The Word from time immemorial. Its Signification or reality has caused much speculation; but at all times and in any place it is the connection between the Creator and his creation, between God and man; hence the presence and the potency of The Word is accepted by the real Masters as a fact and by the true Adepts as the tool by which they are able to accomplish even to the seemingly miraculous.
The Word is not necessarily an alone word even though it is sole. It is not any word in particular merely as a word. That which is The Word is all around and about us and permeates and interpenetrates us and all; hence The Word may in part be cognized by the senses. It can be heard with the hearing ear, seen by those who have the eyes with which to see, and cognized also by the other senses. The Word is sense, common and uncommon.
The Word is not only in an afar heaven, The Word is here and now; and men may attain mastery and be conscious of the presence with its plentitude and power.
It should be herein asserted that The Word is of primary interest and importance as The Light, or, stated more exactly, as the illumination of mankind. It is the vehicle and The Way by which the Creator communicates himself to his creation, the mind potency of The Infinite brought down to man on the earth; the "as in heaven so on earth," a mysterious and profound thought transference so simple that it may be constructively utilized by anyone even though its processes are not fully understood.
Concepts are expressed through The Word, which was and is and shall be forever, but when that which was conceived within anyone is allowed to die, then for that individual The Word is indeed lost; and it returns to God who gave it; the gift with which the Creator spoke and it was done. Without The Word, man is enexpressed and is as though dead.
The recovery, betimes called the discovery of that which was lost in an uncovering of supreme and eternal importance to everyone. It is the greatness which is the reservoir of the allness of life and of truth and love and idea and interpretation of the idea, of conception and consciousness of the concept, the creative potency of The Word which was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be; the One Word which is The Word which God spoke and it was done.
Those who presume to be self-sufficient and who deny God do not accept, that is, cannot receive nor appreciate The Word. A perfunctory service is not enough, nor is it sufficient to merely be in agreement with the idea, to as it were concede that The Word is something that was in the beginning with God.
Integrity is of the essence of The Word; as also are absolute honesty, purity and all the other elements of Perfection. Only the Master is perfect.
Neither averment, affirmation, allegation, assertation nor all of these combined together constitute The Word; neither does its potency depend upon careful enunciation nor on emphasis nor clarity nor repetition nor confident utterance nor the exact pronunciation of its syllabic content. The Word IS, IS GOD; hence is here as over there, is everywhere. Its repository or place of detection is at The Point Source of power and of performance at the heart of your receptive thought. Not therefore where. but here is The Word.
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THE AUTHORITY OF THE OLD CHARGES
By V. M. Burrows, M.P.S.
Long Beach, California
LITTLE was known about the history of Masonry until late in the nineteenth Century, for our oldest document, known as the Regius Manuscript, was not discovered until A. D. 1838, and was not published until 1840. That manuscript was probably written in A. D. 1390, and it was thought to be a copy of a document which had been compiled about 1350 but had become lost. It is true, however, that the information contained within the written record of the Regius Manuscript has existed in the form of Masonic Tradition for many years previous to A.D. 1350. After that date, we have evidence to show, Lodges based their authority on written documents which we now refer to as the Old Charges.
In the Masonic Edition of the Holy Bible, published by the Masonic History Company of Chicago, Brother H. L. Haywood writes about the Old Charges as follows:
"A body of men in the Middle Ages could not legally exist or work unmolested unless it had a charter or some similar document of authorization given and sealed by the authorities of the borough or else by the King or one of his officers. The Freemasons claimed that they belonged to a Fraternity which had received a royal charter from Prince Edwin at York in Athelstan's time, and held that this was sufficient authorization for their holding a permanent Lodge. This claim was made in the middle of the Fourteenth Century.
"In substance the Old Charges consist of three parts: first, a statement of the grounds on which a charter had originally been issued; second, the claim to a written charter from a Prince Edwin, said to have been a son of King Athelstan; third, a set of rules and regulations, called 'points', under which Lodge members were governed.
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WE are happy to state that there are still available some old issues of The Philalethes as well as a few bound volumes. There are very few complete sets left, and each year they become scarcer. Before too long they will be collectors' items.
if you wish to complete your set of the magazine, or secure any of the bound volumes, you are urged to act at once.
If you are interested, write to:
Alphonse Cerza,
130 Akenside Road,
Riverside, Illinois
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"In his statement of the grounds on which the royal charter had been granted, the author of the opening portion asserts that Masonry was an old name for the art and craft of the builder, and that Freemasons therefore belonged to one of the most ancient and well-established and honored of the Crafts, and that hence Masons were honorable and lawful men, and therefore could be trusted to engage in no illicit or subversive undertakings and not hold illegal covines or assemblies. Like an ancient family of the Nobility this Mason craft had a high and honorable ancestry, for it had been practiced or honored or established by such men as David, Solomon, Euclid, and Pythagoras. It had not been introduced into France and England as an alien and illegal black art or heathen cult but had been accepted by the Emperor Charlemagne and his sons, had been honored by the Popes and other high lords of the Church and State, and had been loved and practiced by such Kings as Athelstan."
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LET'S WORK TOGETHER
The Philalethes Society started as a "help-each-other-club" of Masonic students. When the Society increased in size it lost the personal touch and close association of the few original members. We ought to make an effort to recapture the original idea of the Society.
It is suggested that the columns of the magazine be used by Masonic scholars as a means of working together on their projects. For example, if you are interested in specific projects let us know; we can tell the members about them, and they may supply some ideas to you. If you are gathering information for an article you plan to write we will be glad to tell the readers so that they may send you suggestions and facts which they may have. If you have a question that is perplexing you, we should print it and invite the readers to send you their answers. Or, if you wish to correspond with readers having mutual interests with you, we should make the columns of the magazine available to you to make the pen acquaintance of other readers.
The readers should be encouraged to let the editor know what specific subjects they would like to have discussed. These should be publicized so that the literary workmen in the quarries may have a guide for their labors.
These are just a few of the suggestions which the permanent editor can use to make the magazine more useful to the readers.
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Midwest Conference on Masonic Education
The Fifth Annual Midwest Conference on Masonic Education will be held November 5 and 6, 1954, in the Masonic Temple, North and Illinois Streets, Indianapolis, Indiana. The first three Conferences were held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; the fourth was held in Chicago, Illinois.
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The Message of The Stars and Stripes
By FRANKLIN KNIGHT LANE
"I am whatever you make me, nothing more. I am your belief in yourself, your dream of what a people may become. I live a changing life, a life of moods and passions, of heart-breaks and tired muscles. Sometimes I am strong with pride, when men do an honest work, fitting the rails together truly. Sometimes I droop, when purpose has gone from me and, synically, I play the coward. Sometimes I am loud and garish, full of that ego that blasts judgment. But always I am all that you hope to be and have the courage to try for."
"I am song and fear, struggle, panic and ennobling hope. I am the day's worth of the weakest man, and the largest dream of the most daring. I am the constitution and the courts, statutes and statute makers, soldiers and dreadnoughts, draymen and street sweep, cook, counselor and clerk. I am the battle of yesterday and the mistake of tomorrow. I am the mystery of the men who do without knowing why. I am the clutch of an idea and the reasoned purpose of the resolution. I am no more than what you believe me to be and I am not all that you believe I can be. I am what you make me - nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a brilliant gleam of color, a symbol of yourself, the picture suggestion of that big thing that makes this nation. My stars and stripes are your dreams of labors. They are bright with cheer, brilliant with courage, firm with faith because you have made them so out of your hearts, for you are the makers of the flag, and it is well that you glory in the making."
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A CLEARING HOUSE FOR MASONIC STUDENTS
Conducted by JOHN BLACK VROOMAN, F. P. S.
Personal Methods in Masonic Study
It is a difficult thing to tell anyone else how to read. It is likewise hard to show another Mason the most effective way to gain Masonic information. Each must take his own method of procedure, and it is only by a combination of personal effort well-directed, and intelligent supervision and counsel, that any Mason can find the path to a successful acquisition of that which he is seeking.
As has already been intimated in these columns, WORDS are the working tools of the Craft, and without a knowledge of their meaning and use, it is virtually impossible to interpret the myriad of facts of Masonry, and without the ability to use these words as messengers by which to convey a message, the student is seriously handicapped.
Most of us, I believe, are appalled and awed by the vast amount of material from which to draw our Masonic knowledge. We scarcely know where to look to find exactly what we seek. In a sense, we cannot see the forest for the trees. What then, is to be done, in order to make the best use of our time and efforts?
Two things spell the success of Masonic study. First, a zealous, continued and Untiring PERSONAL effort to gain knowledge; second, the intelligent, careful and Brotherly supervision and counsel of a well-versed and broadly-experienced Mason, who will serve as guide, mentor and friend in the long journey towards Masonic self-improvement.
No man - no Mason - will get far in gaining Masonic knowledge until he sets himself to the task of doing a little Masonic reading every day. It is the continued and bit-by-bit reading that brings results.
Too often, both in Masonry and in other walks of life, we have been impressed by the fact that those things which are given us - which we get without individual effort are not appreciated, and often, not remembered. Hence, the cardinal virtue in gaining Masonic knowledge is Personal Energy.
Once a Mason has set out upon a course of study, it is essential that he take inventory of his work periodically. It is not enough to read, but it must be determined just how much has been acquired in the readings.
Let us take a hypothetical case, by which, to build a program of procedure for one who wants to become better acquainted with the facts and legends of Masonry.
Fundamentally, there is no better opportunity for a newlymade Mason to get the essentials of Masonry than at the time he is instructed in the several Candidates' Lectures of the three degrees. If he who delivers the lectures to the candidate is a wise and intelligent Mason, he will see the opportunity offered, and will take time to interpret and illustrate Masonry while he is teaching the necessary catechism. More than that he will explain the words, so new to the candidate, and interpret them in such a way, that there can be no doubt in the mind of the candidate as to their place in Masonry.
When the words have been thus explained, and when the student has had a chance to become accustomed to the newness, both of the words in the ritual and the working of the Craft, he can then make individual effort to further his knowledge.
One way that has been suggested, has been to take Mackey's Encyclopedia, browsing through it at random. By taking a topic thus found, reading it, and finding in it something of interest, the reader will also see references to other Masonic topics of a similar character and nature.
By reading the allied articles, by letting one topic of interest lead to another, the reader will soon have a wide variety of things from which to start a study of the particular subject or phase of Masonry which is most interesting to him. He has, by diligent searching, found the general classification of material most appealing to him.
The words which our student has studied, both by interpretation by his Mentor, and by his own reading, have now taken on a new joy. He can again talk to his Mentor, get additional light on the topics which he has studied, and best of all, he can feel that he has made some progress in his attempts to find a better and more personal meaning of Masonry.
The important thing in Masonry is not What it is, but How it effects and influences Human Life. Definitions are the children of those who give them; Masonic Lives are the result of those who live them. There can be no doubt in anyone's mind which is the most important.
The Masonic student, in his individual efforts to get More Light, is making available to himself, as a rule of Life, some of the fundamental attributes of the universe. As such, his study becomes a means of making Masonry the essential quality of good citizenship, good sportsmanship and a means of helping others. It is in this interpretation, that Masonic students are interesting themselves in Masonry.