One Day + Three Degrees = Some Great Masons

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Robert E. Jackson

*Editors Note*

The following article comes out of the Trowel, the publication of the Grand Lodge of the State of Massachusetts and was written by WB. Robert E. Jackson. It was published in the Summer 2018 Issue and a link to the entire issue is HERE.

Every man has their own journey, not just in Masonry, but in life. Our individuality is what makes us unique, by definition. We see that in the music we enjoy, the foods we find appetizing, what we find attractive or funny, and how we learn. Just last night, I had a conversation with some Brothers, and we were talking about how we learn ritual. Each of us had our own solution, but none of us were 'wrong.' Thinking back to when I took my degrees, I'm amazed at how much I didn't learn during those months. A spark was ignited for sure, but the fire was far from burning. It wasn't until years later that the spark was fanned by a dear Brother, and the passion grew into a bonfire.

Where were you first prepared to be made for Mason? What does the answer to that question really mean? Think about your spouse, or your family. There is an inherent Love in your heart. I don't have to think about if I Love my kids…I just do. Even if they do something I’m not happy with, I still, and will always, Love them. It's the same for my spouse. Regardless of our disagreements, we would rather work and find a way to preserve our relationship, because a life together, regardless of how difficult, is better than a life apart. How much time it takes to kindle that Love, is another point of individuality within ourselves. For some, it takes years to foster that Love, but for others, that Love is instantaneous.

WB Robert E. Jackson (right) presents "pin #1" to the Grand Master  of MA.

In your own journey, how long did it really take you to grow that Love for Masonry? Today, I'm amazed at how easy it is for some men to walk away from the Craft. They allow their status to go into suspension, or they demit. When I think back, however, I was almost one of them. If it wasn't for my family connections, and a very dear Brother, I probably would have found myself an inactive Mason. It took years for that fire to build for me, how long did it take for you? It doesn't matter whether you received the degrees in a single day, or over the course of years, what matters is how that Love and passion for the Craft sparked and grew into a shining beacon across a sea of darkness.

Today's modern man is vastly different from that of my father's younger life. Today's man is working at least one full time job, helping cook dinner and cleanup, volunteering with their kid's activities, and assisting with general household tasks. A good man's life, is a busy one. Yes there are some that work the bare minimum, and spend more time in front of a screen than they do in front of their family. However, is that the man that will step forward and volunteer to help? Is that the man that will constantly work towards a better version of themselves? The one-day class enables today's busy man to ignite that flame of Freemasonry. You could argue that if they are that busy, how will they find time for the Craft? However, that argument stands regardless of the method in which they were raised.

My Brothers, look for that spark within your fellow Man. Does he truly wish to improve himself through hard work and study? Does he truly want to be of service to his fellow man? Does he truly wish to continue searching for more Light? Don't let that spark die. There are many ways that spark can be initiated…from flint and steel to a butane torch. Our job is to fan those flames, and never let that flame die out.

~REJ

Robert Edward Jackson is a Past and presiding Master of Montgomery Lodge located in Milford, MA. His Masonic lineage includes his Father (Robert Maitland), Grandfather (Maitland Garrecht), and Great Grandfather (Edward Henry Jackson), a founding member of Scarsdale Lodge #1094 in Scarsdale, NY. When not studying ritual, he's busy being a father to his three kids, a husband, Boy Scout Leader, and a network engineer to pay for it all. He can be reached at info@montgomerylodge.org

The Journey, Not Destination, of Masonry

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

WB Robert Jackson

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Ying and Yang. Good and evil. Democrats and Republicans. A.F and A.M. and F. and A.M. In New England, there is another division (not just Yankees and Red Sox), powerboat, or sailboat? One of the best descriptions I’ve heard to distinguish these groups are that with a powerboat, you have a destination. Point the boat and go there fast. With a sailboat, you have a destination, but how you get there includes a multitude of potential paths. With either method, currents, wind direction, landscape, all play an important factor. The need to adjust course is almost guaranteed.

Everything we do in life is a journey, especially Masonry. In many jurisdictions these days, you are pushed to the destination. Get through the degree. Multi-degree or degree festivals enable you to get through multiple degrees in one day. Much like formal education, if the diploma is given to you, you may have the credentials, but not the qualification. The recipient can then decide whether they want the check-box, or the education.

When I first told my father about the one-day classes…well, let’s just say he was not a fan. I can certainly understand his perspective, and I’ve met with many a Mason who would agree. However, I’ve known several men that have gone through the one-day class, and they remain to be great Masons. The difference is, these men went back to the work. They studied, learned, and internalized. They certainly didn’t have to, but they saw the value in understanding what they so wistfully went through. With these men, getting a new degree wasn’t the end, it was the foundation on which to build a greater understanding of themselves. The one-day class wasn’t necessarily a short-cut, it was just a different vehicle.

There is certainly a valid argument that proper preparation is needed for each degree. You need the time between the first and second degrees to internalize what you’ve learned. Only then can you be ready to ascend to the next level. When I took the degrees, there was one month between each degree, and I studied. It certainly wasn’t perfect, but I think I did pretty well in my own exemplification. Regardless of how well I knew that ritual, I knew nothing of Masonry or the degrees I was receiving. My own hoodwink wasn’t removed until many years later. I was given the vehicle, but I had no idea where I was going.

I still don’t know where I’m going, but I do know that I’m going somewhere, and the amount of data to consume and attempt to understand is greater than all of my formal education, combined! Freemasonry has taught me that there is always more to learn. Not just within our ritual. Not just within the seven liberal arts and sciences. And not just within our love of one another. With every passing day, hour, and minute…our brains receive another plethora of data points. What we do with that knowledge is the kicker. When the wind shifts or the tides change, the mariner must adjust his course. As we learn more about the craft and our Brothers, don’t be afraid to adjust the course. We may not end up at our original destination, but where we do end up may be more beautiful and amazing than we could have ever imagined the first time we heard those three very important words….’Who comes here?’

~REJ

Robert Edward Jackson is a Past and presiding Master of Montgomery Lodge located in Milford, MA. His Masonic lineage includes his Father (Robert Maitland), Grandfather (Maitland Garrecht), and Great Grandfather (Edward Henry Jackson), a founding member of Scarsdale Lodge #1094 in Scarsdale, NY. When not studying ritual, he's busy being a father to his three kids, a husband, Boy Scout Leader, and a network engineer to pay for it all. He can be reached at info@montgomerylodge.org .

Brother Against Brother - The Masonic Civil War

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bill Hosler, PM

Brethren, there is unrest and dissension brewing among us. Brother against brother, peace and harmony being cast aside like yesterday's newspaper. Battle lines have been drawn and most have picked their side and will fight for their side until the bitter end. The shot heard around the Masonic world has been sounded and civil war is at hand!

OK, maybe I'm being a bit dramatic, but honestly when I read about this in Facebook groups or hear Brethren discuss this topic you would think the lodge room as we know it will cease to exist. (Yes I'm braced and ready for the comments when this piece is published.)

Since I became a Freemason I have heard the constant arguments amongst Brethren on many subjects. Most of these arguments are good natured and have been discussed by members for years: how to wear your ring, the pronunciation of certain words, how to hold your rod in lodge…etc. Most of these make good conversation while eating dinner. But there is one subject that will bring usually good natured brothers close to blows: one day classes. Nothing will throw peace and harmony out the window as the mere thought of participating in a one day class.

Both sides of the argument have plenty of ammunition to use. Each has their point of view, either Pro or Con...

The pro side says one day classes are a great way to bring in new members who under usual circumstances, couldn't or wouldn't become members of the Fraternity. These young men work odd hours or don't have the time to devote three evenings to go through the degrees “the usual way.” A man can walk into an auditorium in the morning, receive the three degrees of Freemasonry, have lunch, become a thirty second degree Scottish Rite Mason and finish off the day by donning the red fez of the Shriners and go home with the knowledge he now possesses within his heart the mysteries of Masonry and has started his journey to become a better man, just like he was promised.

The con side believes that one day classes are just a way for Grand Lodges to rake in new revenue from the dues of these unknowing young men who are blind to the fact that “they’re doing it wrong”, that their Grand lodge is just trying to bolster their membership numbers. “You might as well put in a drive-thru lane at the temple!” has often been heard in the Tyler's room of many lodges throughout the country. Thus, the term “McMasons” has been created. The con side believes a young man who wishes to receive further light must visit the lodge in which he petitioned and progress through the Masonic degrees as many of us have done since time immemorial. The con side also differs from their “pro” counterparts in the opinion that the man should advance through these degrees alone. Multiple candidates taking the same degrees should be discouraged, or outright prohibited. There seems to be no common ground between these two warring factions.

Sadly, there are casualties in this conflict: innocents caught in the crossfire of these warring factions. They are the ones that suffer the wounds. I have personally seen Brethren enter the lodge room for their first meeting after they were raised to the sublime degree at a one day class, expecting brotherhood and eager to take his first upright step in his Masonic career, only to be told at the point of a bony old finger of a Past Master that he “isn't a real Mason”, and to be called names such as “McMason” or “one-day wonder”, making them feel worthless and unworthy, and then to be called names by the men he was told were his “brothers” and would have his back, who would teach him to be a better man seems outrageous. Chances are, he isn't going to return, and his opinion of the Craft will be forever changed. There is an even greater chance that he will tell other potential Masons how he was treated, and they won’t even bother to knock on the door of your lodge at all. All of this, because the man had the audacity to take his degrees in one day instead of over the course of three evenings. In my personal opinion treating a brother like that, for any reason, is unmasonic.

Most of us know that Masonry is a lifelong journey; if this is the case, then why does the way a new Brother is obligated matter? Whether he was on his knees in a small lodge room, or in a large auditorium with the assistance of a mentor, that man repeated the same obligation as you did: that vow to help, aid and assist. I don't remember repeating words such as “unless he was raised in a one day class” in my obligation. Most of us say Masonry needs new members to survive. If we need this influx of new men why are we alienating the ones we are getting?

We need to treat all of these men on the level, and help them take their first upright step on their path in Masonry. These men asked to join our fraternity, and went to the trouble of going through our petitioning process. They deserve our respect, and the title of “Brother”.

Let's put all of these silly differences behind us. In the end we are Brothers, and deserve to be treated as such. Let's get back to that noble emulation of “he who can best work or best agree”. It's time we turn these swords into trowels and restore peace and harmony to our Gentle Craft.

~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.

Quick Masonry - Follow Up

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley

It's not their problem, it's yours. And it's called resentment.

When Todd Creason and I wrote an article about Quick Masonry, we expected that it would attract some interest, but the amount of discussion it generated on Facebook and elsewhere took us by surprise. The comments mostly fell along the lines we had talked about: Blue Lightnings/One-Day Classes versus traditional degrees (there wasn’t much talk about the short-form catechism). Most of the commenters preferred—strongly—traditional degrees. As it happens, so do Todd and I. However, some of the commenters went so far as to disparage the Brethren who, for whatever reason, took the Quick Masonry route, going so far as to calling them “McMasons.” (McMason defined - here) I realized, on reading those comments, that we had not addressed that point in our original piece, so I decided, with Todd’s encouragement, to write a follow up.

The criticisms of Masons who were products of one-day classes or Blue Lightnings were generally focused either on their experience (“they’re not getting what they should”) or their person (“they’re not real Masons”). The former is reasonable, and is really not a criticism of the Brothers who went the non-traditional route, but of the Craft itself for allowing a “weakening” of the experience of becoming a Master Mason. The latter, however, is not reasonable. It is a criticism of men who, in good faith (as we must presume), became Masons according to the rules promulgated by their Grand Lodges. To say that they are not real Masons is not only to dishonor them: it is to dishonor Masonry itself. It says nothing bad about the criticized, and nothing good about the critic.

Worshipful Brother Robert Johnson, editor of the Midnight Freemasons, tells me he hears “McMason” a lot, and shared with me an excerpt from a fairly typical email he received: "I don't understand how we can just give away Masonry for a check. I had to work for 4 months to become a Master Mason. What have they done? Nothing. It like working and getting paid, and then your boss hands over another paycheck to a guy who shows up and has never worked before." (Matthew 20: 1-16 might be instructive here.) Brethren who talk this way are not just denouncing their new Brother; they are not just vilifying their Grand Lodge for its willingness to bring Masonry to men who might otherwise be unable to receive their degrees; they are setting themselves up as arbiters of what a Mason is, as if they themselves are on some Masonic pedestal to which these “inadequate” Brethren must aspire. I have no doubt that it is well meaning, and comes from a love of Freemasonry, but it does no one any good.

What happened to meeting on the level? The Mason who is raised in a Blue Lightning isn’t buying Masonry, and the traditionally-raised Mason loses nothing by that Blue Lightning.  The moment they’re raised, they have before them the world of the Craft, and it’s up to each of them to embrace it.  

 Brethren, please stop criticizing your Blue Lightning Brethren, and, if you’re able, teach that Brother who you think didn’t get what he should have. Become his mentor. Be an example of what our gentle Craft can be. Be his Brother.  But don’t think you earned Masonry and he didn’t.  Masonry is a gift, and we need to treat it as such.

~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