From the Archives: The 50 Year Member - Part Twelve - Demon Rum

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Bill Hosler, PM

“I can't believe this!” Herb Johnson exclaimed. “This is going to destroy Freemasonry!” Mike Bailey smiled, “Aww come on Herb. We all know what happened the day you were raised.” The entire dinner table busted out in laughter. The color in Herb's face turned bright red as he began to wave his arms around in a wild manner. “You mark my words! When this is implemented you are going to see Masons laying on the front steps of the temple drunk as a skunk. The fraternities’ reputation will be shot!” Herb punctuated each point of his argument by pounding his fist on the table.

The usual lodge dinner that always before the stated meeting, was more animated than usual. The members discovered that a resolution was passed at the recent Grand lodge communication repealing the ban on alcohol within a Masonic temple. Masonic lodges within the state were now allowed not only to possess alcohol, but also enjoy a drink before and after a Masonic event.

“I think it's a good thing”, Brad Sloffer said as he cut a piece of meatloaf. As the manager of this building, it gets frustrating showing the building to people who want to rent the hall for a wedding reception and then tell them you can't serve alcohol at the party or even to toast the couple's future of the bride and groom. They look at you like you are from Mars and then you never see them again. I can honestly say we have lost at least a hundred thousand dollars in rental revenue in just the last few years alone by this silly rule!” Mike Bailey retorted, “We need every dime to keep this building going. The temple is falling down around our ears! Makes me wonder how many temples in the state could have been saved from being sold or from the wrecking ball if we wouldn't have had this silly rule.”

“It isn't silly!” Herb said loudly, his voice nearly shrill. “This ruling will ruin us! How many of our Brethren will get pulled over for DUI's on their way home from a meeting? I'm sure there are many members who have been alcoholics in their past. Do we really want to tempt them with alcohol? What would our Masonic forefathers think of all of this?”

The 50 year member put his fork down and snickered. “I think they would ask why it took so long to repeal this rule and then question us why this silliness began in the first place.” Herb looked at the old man dumbfounded. “John I can't believe you support this. You of all people should know what this will do to Freemasonry!”

“I know exactly what it will do for Freemasonry. It will save it.” The 50 year member continued. “If you go and read the minutes of this lodge or any other lodge that was chartered before this silly ban you will read about the fine dinners and celebrations that the lodge held. Fine foods and barrels of cider, beer and yes even hard liquor was purchased by the lodges for the enjoyment of the members. There was a real spirit of fraternity. It wasn't just cold coffee and a frozen lasagna from a big box store. Those gatherings feed the soul as well as the body.”

Herb continued, “You are missing the point John!” Are you not concerned about our members getting
sloshed and giving the Craft a bad name?” “Absolutely not! The 50 year member exclaimed. Herb you go down to the Shrine and you would see many members enjoying a beer on a regular basis. How many Shriners do you see sloppy drunk and passed out in front of the Shrine Center? None! The reason you don't see it is because the members of this fraternity are responsible people. We watch out for each other. If it looks like a brother might be drinking a bit too much you then whisper good council in his ear and find him a ride home. I find it a bit hypocritical of us to say we can drink in this Masonic building, but not the other building just because of the symbol displayed on the front door.”

The old man continued, I also find it hypocritical to say we allow only the finest men to join our exclusive group but then we tell them we do not trust them to drink an alcoholic beverage. Then we preach that we do not convert the purpose of refreshment into intemperance or excess. We say one thing then we practice another. How can we be taken seriously if we speak out of both sides of our mouths?

We are a fraternity that began above taverns. Our Brethren would come to lodge, enjoy a drink or two and then open lodge. When the business was over, they would enjoy a drink and have a large festive board complete with toasts. Do you think George Washington lifted his glass in a toast filled with grape juice? Of course not! It was a glass filled with a fine wine. I doubt if excessive drinking was even considered by these men. They were gentlemen of refinement and knew how to conduct themselves.

The only reason we had this silly rule was because of a few temperance zealots and religious fanatics gained control of our Grand lodge in the Victorian era and forced their will on our members. There was nothing Masonic about it at the time and there is nothing Masonic about it now. In my opinion, this was the first upright step in the destruction of the fraternity. The United States is the only country in the world that denies their Brethren a drink in the building. Tell me Herb, have you heard about rampant alcoholism and alcohol induced car crashes in any other country that involve Masons?

Herb seemed stunned at the 50 year member’s statement. “Well, maybe but times are different now. What about a Brother who is a recovering alcoholic? All we would be doing is tempt him to fall off the wagon.” The old man shook his head. “I've been hearing this old saw for years. This is another example of why we should have been protecting the west gate all these years. It clearly says in the requirements for membership in our Grand Lodge that the petitioner cannot be an alcoholic. He shouldn't have been made a Mason in the first place, but since he is here and obviously he will not be going anywhere; his Brethren will keep an eye on him. They would make sure he stays on the straight and narrow. That is what we do.”

Herb began muttering under his breath. “I better get the lodge ready for opening. I will see you all inside.” He rose from his chair and walked away. Mike Bailey snickered, “Well I guess he isn't happy right now, but to be honest I am.” Mike continued, “I like the sound of having a drink before lodge and enjoying a fine meal after we close.” Brad Sloffer smiled. “I'm happy too! It was frustrating for years to see every other reception hall in town filled most all weekends just because they can serve alcohol. Maybe now I can rent the hall on New Year’s Eve too. We have such a beautiful, ornate ballroom that just sits empty because we could not rent it regardless of the price being offered. Maybe now I can compete with our competition! Our caterer told me this will become THE venue now! Not only will we be able to keep our building, but the profits will go a long way to restore and repairs things that have been neglected for decades.”

Pudge, who stayed silent during the debate finally spoke up. “I like the idea of coming into the social room and having a nice scotch with a cigar as I have a nice Masonic discussion with my Brethren. It sounds like what grown-ups would do.”

“I agree Pudge.” The 50 year member replied. “For years we have been saddled with this rule. Members would leave the lodge as quickly as they could so they could enjoy fellowship somewhere else instead of the building their dues paid for. Now maybe we can restore the fellowship our Fraternity greatly needs to restore. I really think we are on the right track. I bet this place will become a beehive of activity again like it used to be”

Pudge smiled. “Exactly! I don't think anyone looks at this as an opportunity where they can now get hammered at lodge and then go home. This is just another way I can spend time with my brothers in a place that was built by Masons who came before us.” The old man smiled. “I like how you put that Pudge. For years I have had an antique bar in storage that would be perfect in the Social room. I think we need to take a look at it and think of the perfect place to put it.”

~BH

WB Bill Hosler was made a Master Mason in 2002 in Three Rivers Lodge #733 in Indiana. He served as Worshipful Master in 2007 and became a member of the internet committee for Indiana's Grand Lodge. Bill is currently a member of Roff Lodge No. 169 in Roff Oklahoma and Lebanon Lodge No. 837 in Frisco,Texas. Bill is also a member of the Valley of Fort Wayne Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite in Indiana. A typical active Freemason, Bill also served as the High Priest of Fort Wayne's Chapter of the York Rite No. 19 and was commander of of the Fort Wayne Commandery No. 4 of the Knight Templar. During all this, he also served as the webmaster and magazine editor for the Mizpah Shrine in Fort Wayne Indiana.

The Three Masonic Bodies to Which You Should Be a Member

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

Bro. Adam Samuel Roth

When you join Freemasonry, your options for participation and learning are endless. There are blue lodges, lodges of research, and grand lodge activities. There are a myriad of appendant bodies, ranging from the Scottish Rite, York Rite, and Shriners, just to name a few. How do you choose which lodges and appendant bodies to join and in which to participate? Every Master Mason should be a member of three Masonic bodies. The lodge that raised him, his local lodge, and the body that speaks to his passion. Allow me to explain why.

You will always have a special bond with the brothers and lodge that raised you. Hopefully, you will have spent countless hours with a mentor or several brethren who taught you the catechism and ritual. This lodge introduced you to Freemasonry and gave you your first impressions of it. This lodge "berthed" you as a mason, which is why it is often referred to as your mother lodge. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the fifth commandment is to "(h)onor thy father and thy mother." So should you honor the lodge that raised you with your continued membership and prompt payment of dues. Though you may move far away from this lodge, you now have a duty to ensure that it is sustained. This duty continues even if your mother lodge merges with another.

Your local lodge is where you can truly be a part of your community and do the most good. The men of your local lodge, and their families, are your neighbors. You will see them at school, the supermarket, and elsewhere about town. You will get to know them well. They are the ones who will lend a helping hand when you are in need. It will also be easier for you to help your fellow brother when he is in need. Due to your proximity to the lodge, the labor you do will not place an undue burden on you or your family. You can also do the most good for your community with your local lodge. The local lodge is the lodge that sees what the community needs and acts to alleviate it.

There are many forms of Freemasonry. There are ritualistic, social, historical, charitable, and esoteric forms of Freemasonry. I am sure that one or more of these forms of Freemasonry is what you were looking for when you joined the fraternity. Perhaps you discovered a new passion during the process of becoming a Master Mason. No matter which form of Freemasonry you wish to practice, there is a lodge or appendant body that will feed your passion. If your mother or local lodge is not providing you with the form you crave, don't give up on them. Find the lodge or appendant body that satisfies your needs. This will keep you engaged and make your labors within the quarry more enjoyable.

Some are lucky enough to have a single lodge perform two or all three of those functions. But why should you stop at three? Shouldn't you join all the appendant bodies? The answer is quite simply no. If you spend all your time going to Masonic events, you leave no time to practice your Masonry out in the real world. Your spouse, your children, your family all want to see you. Isn't that the purpose of all of that we do and why we devote our time to the Craft?

I hope that all Masons, young and old, heed this advice. It keeps not only our passions within due bounds but our labors as well. It ensures that our families don't resent our participation in the Craft. It prevents us from getting burnt out. Most importantly, it keeps us engaged and happy. 

~AR

Bro. Adam Samuel Roth is the Chaplin of Anacostia-Pentalpha Lodge No. 21, in Washington, DC and a member of Acacia Lodge No. 16 in Clifton, Virginia. He is the curator of the Masonic Archive, which can be found at www.masonicarchive.org. He is also a devoted husband and father who works in the IT industry.

The Birth of a New Lodge, Not a Merger

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

Bro. Adam Samuel Roth

Our lodge in the District of Columbia (DC) is what one could call a commuter lodge. Most of our members join while their job is in the city. They attend lodge as they wait for the horrific traffic to subside before they commute back home to the suburbs. Many become inactive or leave the lodge after they find jobs outside of the city or retire to a more tax- and climate-friendly location in the South.

We have an enthusiastic core group of gentlemen who keep our lodge vibrant. With the exception of two or three brothers, all of these active members live outside of the city. So keeping the lodge active in the community and engaging in educational activities is tough for our lodge. More than once have members of our lodge, including a sitting Grand Master, suggested that we merge with another lodge. Since we were financial sound and had a core group of brothers who were committed to continuing the work of the lodge, we decided not to seek a merger.

We are not the only lodge in DC who struggle with these issues. So it was no surprise when five years after we decided not to seeking a merger, another lodge approached us and requested to merge. I am pleased that they see what we have been doing as a lodge and want to join us. I am also excited at the prospect of creating a new lodge.

Yes. You read that correctly. It is time to stop viewing the merging of lodges as a failure or an event to be avoided; instead, it is time to think of merging lodges as an exciting event that creates a new lodge. A new lodge that will make Freemasonry stronger.

Mergers can be tricky. We need to respect the history and traditions of both lodges, but recognize that neither lodge will continue to exist as it was. If we think of mergers as creating a new lodge, we can avoid a lot of pitfalls that comes with a merger. This new mindset would go a long way to do away with the tribalism that can result from a merger.

One way we can reinforce this new mindset is to retire both names. No more hyphenated names like George Washington-Acacia-Hiram Abif-Harmony-Solomon Lodge No.69. No fights as to which lodge’s name comes first in the line of hyphens. Create a new name that speaks to the aspirations we have as a new lodge.

Now this is the point in the discussion when the past masters of our lodge stand up like a Greek chorus and shout out their best rendition of “Tradition” from Fiddler on the Roof. The traditions of our two 125-plus year old lodges must and will be respected. However, we need to recognize that we are no longer two lodges. We must instead recognize that we will now become one lodge and celebrate our new beginning with a brand new name.

Merging lodges, if done correctly, can be a reinvigorating event for the brethren of the new lodge. Renew with great vigor the traditions that are lifting us up. Jettison the traditions that are dragging us down. Create new traditions that hearken to a bright future. Let us take the ashes of our merged lodges and let them rise up as a fiery phoenix, blazing with Masonic light. Long live the new lodge!



Bro. Adam Samuel Roth is the Chaplin of Anacostia Lodge No. 21, soon to be Anacostia-Pentalpha Lodge No. 21, in Washington, DC and a member of Acacia Lodge No. 16 in Clifton, Virginia. He is the curator of the Masonic Archive, which can be found at www.masonicarchive.org. He is also a devoted husband and father who works in the IT industry.

Adapting a Corporate Path for Freemasonry - The Cheese

By Midnight Freemason Contributor

Robert H. Johnson

I’ve taken some serious time off lately. There, I said it. For almost ten (long) years, I made the Fraternity a priority. I had planned on retiring from many of my Masonic duties this coming October, at this years Grand Lodge Sessions in Springfield Illinois. Some things occured recently and have made that retirement sooner. As I've had much time recently to sit around and do (almost) nothing in regards to meetings and the like, I’ve really enjoyed spending quality time with my four kids.

I think my kids enjoy the time we spend together a lot as well, that is, when I’m not hounding them about closing the door, touching the thermostat, putting their shoes on the mat, picking up wrappers, and putting the milk away. We’ve really done some fun stuff. In my down time however, when I’m not hanging out with them or my wife, I notice my thoughts returning to the Craft.

Reading the various opinions, statements and diatribes from around the web on Freemasonry and its goings-on, whether here in Illinois or around the world for that matter, it’s really the same stuff I’d pontificated in my writings since I began. Read some old Manly P. Hall, read some old Mackey, Pike, Pottenger, Waite, it really doesn’t matter, you’ll find the guys 100 years ago are complaining about the same thing we are today. Attendance, Education etc etc. Regarding the blogs of today, sure there are some new takes on old problems, and those new takes get some guys really excited. Whilst I and others may not be thrilled, let’s face it, we’ve seen this kind of thing before. We should remember however, that the momentary bursts of wind, however stale we may think the air is, can still move a ship.

Concepts from the corporate world--seemingly weird common sense systems invented to sell books to CEOs worldwide are still prevalent in business today. Concepte that are seriously basic, and yet we treat these books or ideas like they’re the new gold standard for protocol. These ideas are making their way into Freemasonry. We’re trying to adapt the teachings and utilize them to motivate, accelerate and put into practice ideas and concepts which, may have a kind of impact on the fraternity that we’re looking for.

Some have claimed that these kinds of concepts are corporatizing Freemasonry. That we’re a Fraternity, not a business. I agree. But that really shouldn’t stop us from looking at how we can adapt successful systems, and see how it can be used to make Freemasonry better. I’ve joked with the always data-driven Jon Ruark about writing such a book, and it's on the way. But in this piece, I thought I might put to the reader a “Corporate Concept”, what it means generally, the critique of the concept and finally, how each part of it might be used within Freemasonry.

The first one comes to mind because I joke about it frequently, usually to my peers (who are much younger than me) and the response I get--a blank stare. They're just too young to remember, “Who Moved My Cheese?” Perhaps when they go through a corporate restructuring or acquisition, they might get a chance to read it. The book itself spent five years on the NY Times best seller list. “Who Moved My Cheese” is an allegory, something Masons should already be familiar with, that conveys a set of mantras if you will.

These mantras or sayings, are really aimed at the business, and whilst we’re not a business, it might be well to pay attention to them. What you need to know to understand them: Two “mice” are in a maze and they learn where the cheese is. They return everyday to eat it. Humans come and move the cheese and the “mice” get mad. One mouse becomes pessimistic, the other is scared. The “mice” are named “Hem” and “Haw”, you know a couple Maso…, I mean “Mice” by that name I’m sure. One of the “mice” decided to not live in fear any longer and to strike out to find the new cheese anyway. As this mouse is looking for the new cheese, he scrolls mantras on the walls as he realizes them, hoping if his friend ever decides to follow, he will read them and be changed. Here are those Mantras:

Change Happens
They Keep Moving The Cheese

Anticipate Change
Get Ready For The Cheese To Move

Monitor Change
Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old

Adapt To Change Quickly
The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese

Change

Move With The Cheese

Enjoy Change!

Savor The Adventure And Enjoy The Taste Of New Cheese!

Be Ready To Change Quickly And Enjoy It Again

They Keep Moving The Cheese.

I’m sure you have ideas of how this could be applied to Masonry already. But before you jump the gun and write a lengthy response, your own article, or click “unfollow”, here are some main contentions with this analogy.

Firstly, that the “Cheese” doesn't matter. Rather, at a point in the allegory, one of the “mice” comes to believe that the cheese is really just a superficial way to get to happiness. It isn’t the grand aim or goal, it’s just a road to the goal. There may be others. Masonically, I think this could be related to a great many things; titles, appointments, degrees, being published, the list is as long as the day.

Secondly, that we’re comparing mice to men. We’re literally comparing the mice in the maze to the men in cubicles whilst the humans who move the cheese are our overlord bosses and corporate entities who are ruled by the evil board of directors in search of profits. Masonically, this could be how some see the Grand Lodge and it’s officers or perhaps how brothers of a local lodge see it’s executive officers.

Thirdly, that philosophically speaking, there just isn’t any cheese. It’s an existential crisis that leads one to the thought that no matter what, there are an infinite amount of roads and paths that lead to the issue. Masonically, maybe nothing matters but that you’re being fulfilled? I can let you think about this one. It is, existential after all.

So let’s address those Mantras one by one.

Change Happens
They Keep Moving The Cheese

In this mantra we should understand that the world continues to change and because of this, the people, the minds, the populace, will influence the changing of policies, the normalities of society and the rules to which we’re all held. Ultimately, we need to know this. Never for one second think that our Fraternity, just because we’re based on tradition and ancient rules and edicts, won't change. It will. You will see it. Be prepared mentally. 

Anticipate Change
Get Ready For The Cheese To Move

Here, we need to take what we just talked about and live by it. Understanding that the world, and all things therein contained will change. We must anticipate these changes. It allows us to stay on top of things. We can be proactive, instead of reactive. Strike first. This is important because it breeds an air of credibility in terms of relevance. If we’re viewed as antiquated, the organization will die. The teachings may live on in books, but you’ll not be reading your minutes or eating those green beans anymore in a tax exempt building. 

Monitor Change
Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old

In this passage we should be charged to do our research. We should look around the bend, send a scout on ahead and send a report back. By doing this, we are prepared for the challenges that we’ll be facing shortly. There’s just no getting out of this one. We’ve spent so much time looking in and being concerned with our own Fraternity, the world that we once set an example to, has passed us by. You spend so much time being busy looking at how to stay the same rather than how to adapt, and surprise, it’s already too late to save ourselves, according to the mathematics. As Isaac Asimov once wrote in his quintessential sci-fi series, “Foundation”, the fall of the great Empire which has stood for 12,000 years will happen. And when it does, we will have 30,000 years of barbarism to look forward to. This is almost unavoidable. If we act now, we can cut the 30,000 years down to just 10,000. Work now to save not our children, but our ancestors in the distant future. 

Adapt To Change Quickly

The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese

In this piece, we can say to ourselves, ‘Let go”. What that means to you, I don’t know. Maybe it’s a lodge, maybe it’s a scholarship program, maybe it's a proficiency requirement, I don’t really care. The point here is that if you can look to the future, see the dawn on the horizon and get excited about it, you can turn your back on the night that much easier. Let go of things that no longer have a place in today's world. You’re holding onto something, an idea that has no place in this current world in some respects. Do you sweep a carpet? Maybe sometimes. More often than not you’re using a vacuum. Who amongst you is demanding to use incandescent bulbs? Ditch the things we can ditch and latch on to new traditions. Get passionate about these new things. 

Change

Move With The Cheese

Here, the takeaway should be evident. If you’ve read these in order, they build on each other in fundamental ways. Look ahead, see where the trend is going and go there too. Cut them off at the pass. Be the change. I know you’ve all heard that. It is imperative that if we are moving with the trends, it puts us in a better position economically to impress or to influence the changes in the future, those that are to come. If you refuse to be a part of the future, you’ve signed your death warrant. 

Enjoy Change!

Savor The Adventure And Enjoy The Taste Of New Cheese!

In the “Adapt to Change” paragraph, I ended with, “Get passionate about these new things.” I mean it. If you get serious and get excited about the new things that are happening, then you’re honoring the idea of a progressive moral science. We should always be excited about our new brothers and what they’re interested in. Right now, the big wave is Education. I’m on that wave, in fact, I’ve been on it since almost the beginning of my joining. I wasn’t on it in the very beginning because I assumed we had Education covered. Unfortunately that was just all ritual instruction. Not my thing really. So you know what? I got passionate about Education. My best friend is the embodiment of education. My mentors are all educators in a masonic sense. They are passionate about changes, they’re passionate about tasting that new craft beer, that new steak rub, or trying that new social network that didn’t sell their personal data. But all jokes aside, be excited!

Be Ready To Change Quickly And Enjoy It Again

They Keep Moving The Cheese.

Simply put, know that change is always happening. Just when you bring home that top-of-the-line computer, they’ve already agreed on the marketing for the new model, and the production line is already fired up. It’s important to be educated on the trends of society, not that we need to bend to the will of society, but so that we may maintain relevance and spread the light of Freemasonry to anyone looking to understand it’s important concepts and morals. And lastly, be excited about trying those new things all the time. If you get excited about the changes and find the value rather than continuing in a downward spiral of doubt and despair about things, you’ll find that by freeing yourself of fear, we’re allowing ourselves to operate at our fullest potential, a concept that every Master Mason should be well acquainted with. 

*Editors Note* This article is an excerpt from an upcoming book on using and adapting corporate stratagems for Freemasonry. It will be released in 2018.

~RHJ

RWB, Robert Johnson is the Managing Editor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Freemason out of the 1st N.E. District of Illinois. He currently serves as the Secretary of Waukegan Lodge No. 78 where he is a Past Master. He is also a Past District Deputy for the 1st N.E. District of Illinois. Brother Johnson currently produces and hosts weekly Podcasts (internet radio programs) Whence Came You? & Masonic Radio Theatre which focus on topics relating to Freemasonry. He is also a co-host of The Masonic Roundtable, a Masonic talk show. He is a husband and father of four, works full time in the executive medical industry and is also an avid home brewer. He is currently working on several books, Masonic essays, strategy and one on Occult Anatomy to be released soon.

Unicorns

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Scott S. Dueball

Most of you either hold membership in or know of a lodge that is just barely crawling along. A close friend and Brother messaged me the other day saying his lodge was going to fold. I was unsure if this was sentimental or if the proverbial train had actually been set in motion. He continued with the explanation that last week he sat in the lodge all alone at the time they had scheduled ritual practice. On its own, this is not a red flag but not surprisingly the same brother attended their annual Lodge Holiday Party with only 2 other families present. This called to mind an exercise I recently sent around to our own upcoming officers. As this situation is not at all unique to one or two lodges I would like to share the exercise for each of you to reflect.

What I am about to describe is in no way a reflection of my thoughts on the future leadership as I think the world of the men who will take over; it's simply an exercise. Our Annual Stated Meeting and Elections will take place in just over 10 days (no, I am not counting…). Those who are elected will be installed some time before our January Stated Meeting. I asked these leaders to consider hypothetically that no one shows up to the January stated except the 3 principal officers. I then asked them to reflect on the following questions:

1. Who are the first people you call to ensure that they come to February Stated? Think about if that list contains the most critical people for the future success of the Lodge or if you are calling them because they will be the easiest to convince. This is rhetorical; I am not looking for a response per se.
   
   
2.  How do you plan for February to entice those Brothers to come?

Of course, I neither hope nor expect this to happen. However, I find these to be important questions if we are truly creating a membership-centric plan. We should have an idea of who are most critical to the success of the lodge. While all brothers are equal, I often see an imbalance of brothers providing support only in a few specific areas. Basic supply and demand would suggest that if the there are gaps left by this imbalance--internet/social media work, communications, youth, or education (all real examples in my lodge)--then for the lodge plan to succeed, brethren who can fill those gaps are in higher demand.

Think about what tasks are most critical to the success of the lodge plan. Be cognizant that some of the easiest Brethren to motivate to attend may not be as critical to the lodge plan when it comes to ensuring that fundraisers actually raise funds or the needs of new members are met in order to maintain their participation. My lodge is flush with men able and willing to cook but when it comes to some of the nuts and bolts of a fundraiser, we are void of men interested in promoting any of the functions we have. It's not that I love or value the cooks any less but I recognize that someone executing on the other functions would make a massive difference to a fundraiser.

It's in the interest of the lodge to support a plan that encourages the participation of those men who can help fill in some of our weak areas. If we need someone to run facebook and website we have to be willing to offer him a fulfilling experience to encourage his participation. He has to want to elevate the priority of the Lodge above other wants and needs in his life. That isn’t going to happen because we offer green beans and a short meeting. Maybe the gaps can be filled by guys who live to help others. Or maybe the just enjoy fellowship. This requires the leadership to get to know their members and create balanced plans that give each brother more of what they seek. Its undoubtedly easier to do what we have always done but if that plan has left gaps necessary to the future success of the Lodge then it needs to be revised. All of this can be stated in a much more simplistic way:

• Identify where the lodge has gaps in what needs to get done 
• Identify brothers with those talents 
• Identify ways to attract the interests of those brothers 

~SSD

WB Scott S. Dueball is the Worshipful Master of D.C. Cregier Lodge No. 81 in Wheeling, IL and holds a dual membership in Denver Lodge No. 5 in Denver, CO. He currently serves the Grand Lodge of Illinois as the State Education Officer. Scott is also a member of the Palatine York Rite bodies and the Valley of Chicago A.A.S.R.-N.M.J. He is passionate about the development of young masons, strategy and visioning for Lodges. He can be reached at SEO@ilmason.org

A Unique and Important History

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Steven L. Harrison, 33°, FMLR

A recent episode of The Masonic Roundtable (it's Must-See-TV*) discussed Lodge history.  Saying Lodge history — or Grand Lodge history, or even Masonic history — is a good thing is about as bold as being for Mom and apple pie but cataloging it and keeping it up to date is a difficult process.

First of all, I have to mention my state, Missouri, has done a great job preserving its history with a large Masonic Museum and an extensive library.  If you're ever in Columbia, both are worth the trip — but there is more.

Beginning in 1999, the Missouri Lodge of Research, under the direction of its Editor Ronald E. Wood, Jr., published a complete history of existing Missouri Lodges.  The monstrous eight-volume set included one volume of Grand Master biographies and took seven years to complete.  As a reference library it's a masterpiece and, in my opinion, hasn't gotten the recognition it deserves.

In order to get it written, Brother Wood asked each Lodge to submit its own history with a picture of the current building.  He then compiled it into what may be the most comprehensive history of the local Lodges in any jurisdiction.

The project had some rough spots.  First, different authors made for differences in writing styles and inconsistencies in the individual histories.  Some Lodges submitted extensive reports requiring as much as 20 pages.   Others contributed only a paragraph.  One such Lodge's only item of significance, for example, was that at one time it moved from 111½ Vermont Street to 111 Vermont Street... an earthshaking piece of Masonic history thankfully never to be lost.

The second issue related to the fact that the Missouri Lodge of Research selected each of these eight volumes to be its "book of the year" — the premium distributed to each member.  While cataloging this history was important, members became impatient with receiving similar books over the seven-year period.  More than that, Ronald Miller, then Secretary of the Missouri Lodge of Research, reported there was a significant drop in membership from those outside the Grand Lodge of Missouri, who saw the books as not being relevant to their interests.

Still, even with its foibles, this is a unique and important history.  As Editor of the Missouri Freemason magazine, I found the set invaluable.  

It would have been more valuable were it on the Internet in searchable, usable form.  In fact, groups contemplating such projects should consider — as the Roundtable pointed out — publishing them on the Internet, followed by hard-copy publication, a step that may not even be necessary.  This kind of project is an enormous undertaking but, for the purposes of Masonic research and history, well worth the work.

*Well, technically, its a podcast most listen to, so it's Must-See-TV that most don't see and it isn't TV.

~SLH

Bro. Steve Harrison, 33°, is Past Master of Liberty Lodge #31, Liberty, Missouri. He is the editor of the Missouri Freemason magazine, author of the book Freemasonry Crosses the Mississippi, a Fellow of the Missouri Lodge of Research and also its Worshipful Master. He is a dual member of Kearney Lodge #311, St. Joseph Missouri Valley of the Scottish Rite, Liberty York Rite, Moila Shrine and a member and Past Dean of the DeMolay Legion of Honor. Brother Harrison is a regular contributor to the Midnight Freemasons blog as well as several other Masonic publications. His latest book, Freemasons: Tales From the Craft & Freemasons at Oak Island. Both are available on amazon.com.

Clubs

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley

Athenaeum Club's South Library

Nostalgia is a word we use to color what one borrows 

from half remembered yesterdays and unfulfilled tomorrows. 

--J. Allan Lind

Indianapolis Masonic Temple

I’ve been a student of Victorian British history since I first read Sherlock Holmes when I was twelve, and, while I’ve done serious scholarly work on it, including a doctoral dissertation on mid-Victorian radical journalism, one of my less serious interests is the British Gentleman’s club. They always seemed to me to be like a cross between a library with comfortable chairs, a good tobacconist, and a less seedy faculty lounge furnished with old wood, marble, and servants. There were clubs for every interest: the Reform, the Conservative, and the Carleton Clubs for politicians, the Army and Navy Club for members of the armed forces, The Athenaeum Club for artist, writers, and scientists, the Oxford and Cambridge University Club for members of those universities, and more. They usually offered the amenities that a gentleman might seek when socializing: fine dining, reading rooms, smoking rooms, and a bar. Most of them were in the same neighborhood in London, informally called “Clubland,” which made it easy for a gentleman who belonged to several clubs to choose where to spend time according to his mood. They were such a well-known feature of elite life that P.G. Wodehouse set several scenes in them for his creation Bertie Wooster to make observations about life among the chinless idiots of the upper class, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created the Diogenes Club for the misanthropes of Sherlock Holmes’s world.

Athenaeum Club Library

These were elite institutions for those who could pay the hefty subscription fee and other costs associated with yearly membership. Socialization with others of similar social standing and interests was their reason for being. They existed as a refuge from the world, where men of like minds and congenial dispositions could dine, converse, read, and drink, and generally just be themselves. Andrew Robert Buxton Cavendish, the 11^th Duke of Devonshire, said, “You can, to a very considerable extent, judge a man’s tastes, possibly even his character, by the club to which he belongs.” The company a man keeps, it seems, says something about his character, and in that, at least, clubs resembled Masonic lodges in their desire to admit only those men who met internal as well as external qualifications. 

Athenaeum Club

The club buildings themselves, especially the ones built in the 19^th century, were usually grand affairs, with glorious interiors. The Athenaeum Club’s South Library in particular is worth the membership fees by itself, and the thought of spending a day in the library, with dinner and cigars to follow, makes me a trifle giddy. Buildings like these are architecture done right, for the right purposes, and follow a tradition of beautifully arranged structures with which Masons ought to be fully in sympathy.

Reform Club Room

Masonic Temples and the Grand Lodge buildings erected at the beginning of the 20th century are very much in that tradition. The Indianapolis Freemasons' Hall, to name just one, is a glorious example of that kind of Masonic architecture, and would look quite at home among London’s clubs. It’s also unusual in being still in use as a thriving Masonic building. If you pay any attention to Masonic news these days, you'll soon discover that many lodges and appendant bodies are divesting themselves of the great buildings they erected in the halcyon days of the fraternity, as being too expensive to maintain. There’s much sadness at these losses, and I’m entirely in sympathy with that feeling. I look at the London Clubs and the Grand Masonic Temples with a nostalgic wistfulness, for they are no longer the norm. But it’s a mistake to view them as being the same kind of thing. A London Club’s building was essentially its reason for being, which was to provide a place of refuge and conviviality. A Masonic Lodge is a different thing entirely. A lodge is not a building, but is a certain number of Masons duly assembled, with a charter empowering them to work. Freemasonry is not found in buildings, no matter how humble or grand or beloved. 

Reform Club

Where there is enough population to make these buildings economically viable, and a board of directors exists with enough vision to move with the times, a grand Masonic Temple can survive, and even thrive, as the Indianapolis Freemasons’ Hall demonstrates. But both of those conditions are necessary; neither is sufficient. That’s not to say that a seemingly hopeless state of affairs can’t be turned around, but Masons work based on real knowledge, rather than nostalgia, and a hard analysis of whether a building can and should be saved can’t be rejected in favor of sentimental inertia. 

The Reform Club Building

If we can save our historic buildings, we should at least try. If a lodge or lodges occupy a beautiful physical building, that is truly wonderful, and they should be good stewards of that heritage. But we need to recognize that buildings are not essential to our Craft. Our Temples are not to be found in Clubland. They are visible in our actions, glorified in our Work, and majestic in our hearts.

~MHS

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley serves the Grand Lodge of Illinois, A.F. & A.M, as Leadership Development Chairman and Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master of the Eastern Area. A Certified Lodge Instructor, he is a Past Master and Life Member of Tuscola Lodge No. 332 and a plural member of Island City Lodge No. 330, F & AM, in Minocqua, Wisconsin. He currently serves the Valley of Danville, AASR, as Most Wise Master of the George E. Burow Chapter of Rose Croix; he is also a member of the Illinois Lodge of Research, the York Rite, Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, Eastern Star, Illini High Twelve, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon. The author of several articles on British history, he teaches at Eastern Illinois University.You can contact him at: m.h.shirley@gmail.com