Freemasonry: The Next Generation

by Midnight Freemasons Regular Contributor

 Bro.Robert H. Johnson 32°

As a father of three boys, it is of course my deepest wish that they too become Freemasons. And even more important to me is that they go into the York Rite together and then become companions. If you are well versed in the York Rite you will remember that there is a heavy significance with the number three, which is why it's so important to me.


The question is, when the time comes, what do I say? Do I wait until they are all 18 or of legal age? Or do I approach them individually? What do I say? Can I "solicit" for lack of a better term?

As a Freemason who really adheres to the "old school" tradition, I would rather not solicit. An interesting paper I once read said that "A father may say to his son, 'If you ever decide to become a Mason, I’ll be proud to sign your petition.'" Another quote from that paper was "A darker shade of gray may be the classic story of a grandfather’s discussion with the grandson on his 21st birthday. He said, 'Son, now that you’re 21, whose lodge are you going to join - your father’s or mine?'" And finally this take on the situation from the same article "The final kind of solicitation may be by the indirect method. Mothers may be responsible for encouraging sons to petition lodges for membership."

My view is of course a man with sons, however if I had had daughters, I believe I would have the same yearning for her to join a Masonic group such as the Rainbow Girls or Jobs Daughters. And as I dive deeper that eventually I would ask she be married to a Freemason. Freemasonry is just that important to me, and so many others. My son regularly compliments me on my Masonic ring. He asks if he can put it on. I tell him that he can't--not yet anyway.


No matter what happens, it goes without saying I'll always be proud to be a father to my children. Perhaps the right decision is the easiest. This is to just be a positive influence, attend meetings and when your kids ask where you’re going and what you do there is to just say hopefully one day you’ll find out.

~RJ

Bro. Robert Johnson 32° is a Freemason out of the First North-East District of Illinois. He belongs to Waukegan Lodge No. 78. He is also a member of the York Rite bodies Royal Arch, Cryptic Council and Knights Templar. Brother Johnson currently produces and hosts a weekly Podcast (internet radio program) Whence Came You? which focuses on topics relating to Freemasonry. In addition, he produces video shorts focusing on driving interest in the Fraternity and writes original Masonic papers from time to time. He is a husband and father of three. He works full time in the safety industry and is also a photographer on the side as well as an avid home brewer. He is also working on two books, one is of a Masonic nature.

Masonic Photography: The Art Of Gregory J. Knott

by The Midnight Freemason

Todd E. Creason

Final resting place of the March King
Sir Knight John Philip Sousa

Over the last several years, I've had an amazing resource for this blog--the photographs of WB Greg Knott.  He's allowed me to borrow from his massive photo archives, and his photos have enhanced the posts on here for years.  It's not easy finding unique art for blog posts.  Greg's photos have been a great resource for original art.

Greg and I have known each other for over twenty years, and since we've both become Masons, we travel in the same circles--same lodges, same Scottish Rite Valley, same York Rite Chapter, Council & Commandery.  And Greg was recently my sponsor in becoming a Shriner.

I think the thing Greg and I are most proud of recently is chartering a new High Twelve Club in Champaign/Urbana (IL)--the Illini High Twelve No. 768, which is the largest newly-chartered High Twelve in the United States in the last decade.  Greg is the Secretary of that organization, and I'm the President.  We just received our charter last month with all due pomp and circumstance.  It's something we've been talking about for a long time finally realized.

Greg is  now a regular contributor on The Midnight Freemasons, and his pieces are very popular with the readers of this blog.  You can find all of Greg's pieces thus far by clicking here.

Just look at the subtle Masonic detail on this stone

And the good news is, he sent a piece to me this week about his visit to the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C. (including about a dozen of his remarkable photos).  Be sure and watch for it--it's scheduled for June 18th.

The photos in his upcoming piece are remarkable, and I got looking through all the photos he took at the Congressional Cemetery this evening, and decided I'd share a few more he hadn't included in his article--he took nearly 500 photos that day.

The broken column...

It never ceases to amaze me how many Masonic symbols you'll find in cemeteries.  I first noticed it shortly after I became a Mason and visited Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, GA.  I've taken a lot of photos of these myself (not as good).  Greg also has an interest in history, and visits cemeteries like I do.  Masons sure aren't shy about advertising the fact they were Masons, even after they are gone.  You don't have to look very far to find a Mason in just about any cemetery you decide to visit.  It's there, if you're looking for it.

I visited a local cemetery a few months ago, and found a square and compass on one of the stones--a Master Mason that passed to the Celestial Lodge in 1938.  I knew he had probably been a member of my lodge. So I wrote his name down, and checked the register for my lodge--a book every Mason signs when they become a Master Mason.  The same book Greg and I signed just a few years ago.  And there was his signature--he'd signed that same book about eighty years before we did--in 1925. And that's what I love about history--we're all a part of it.  What we do today will become part of history tomorrow, and what we're doing today is because of all the things that happened yesterday.

So I hope these photos whet your appetite for what's to come in the next few weeks. There are a few more of Greg's photos from the Congressional Cemetery below.

~TEC

His name has faded away, but his
affiliation sure hasn't--Sir Knight!

Another Sir Knight decided to memorialize his affiliation in bronze, now green with verdigris

This was obviously an "Illustrious" member 

Again, much about who he was has faded away over time,
but there's no question about what he was--a Master Mason

Freemason Wisdom: Harry S Truman On Reward

by Midnight Freemasons Regular Contributor

Judy Gordon

"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit."

~Harry S. Truman

PGM of Masons in Missouri

DEFINITION OF REWARD: "A thing given in recognition of service, effort, or achievement."   That is what happened last night at our Job's Daughters meeting.  Every month we have a Job's Daughter of the month.  The girls attend meetings, Bethel functions and fun events.  Last night at our installation, the "Jobie of the Month" was announced.  It obviously took her by surprise--the look on her face was priceless.  The reward is a certificate, with her name and a Masonic quote on it.

. . .where we get the quotes!

It's nice to be acknowledged when you've done a good job, and very often, those who do the most in an organization are the most surprised when they do receive that much-deserved reward.  They are surprised because reward was never their motivator--for them, working at the things they feel are important is reward enough. 

Is there somebody in your life that deserves a little credit where credit is due?  Have you ever received a reward that made you speechless?  

I have . . . (to be continued)

~JAG 

Judy Gordon considers herself a York Rite Child. She's very active in Job's Daughters. She's the Past Honored Queen, and Bethel Guardian of Bethel No. 55, Pekin (IL). She received the Cryptic Masons Masonic Youth Leadership Award along with her husband, Ray Gordon in July 2007. She's also Past Matron of the Morton Chapter No. 974 (IL) of the Order of the Eastern Star and Historian of the Emblem Club No. 424 of Pekin (IL) Ray and Judy have two (soon to be three) grandkids, and a very spoiled dog, Reggie (who incidentally volunteers as a Therapy Dog at local hospitals and nursing homes.)

From Light to Darkness: Losing Our History One Lodge at a Time

by The Midnight Freemason

Todd E. Creason

reposted from 4/15/11

The Masonic Lodge my great-grandfather was a member of closed recently—another victim of poor attendance and declining membership. I was fortunate to have had a chance to visit the lodge where he was raised a Master Mason, and where, nearly a century ago, he attended lodge meetings with several of his brothers. That lodge is forever dark now, and its long tradition in that community is now a part of history never to return.

It’s a sad thing to see a lodge close. Here in the Midwest, there is a lodge in just about every small town, and in most cases, the history of those lodges go back to the beginnings of the community itself—in fact over the last few years, I’ve found a few instances where the Masonic Lodge was chartered before the community itself was.

Masonic Lodges were important to growing communities. Masonic Lodges provided leadership training for its members. It taught values and encouraged good character traits. It raised and donated money that helped those communities grow in many ways. You don’t have to look very far to see the deep marks that Freemasons have made in the communities they serve.

And do you know what?

Nothing much has changed. We still do all these things. So why are lodges closing and merging?

There are a lot of bad reasons this happens, but very few good ones. Mostly, it seems to be the result of lodges falling into a rut. They stop growing. They get comfortable with the way they do things. They forget that as Masons, they meet in the lodge, but their work is done in the community. And slowly, the light burns low, and the lodge membership fades.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. I’ve seen some remarkable success stories in the last few years. I’ve seen lodges come roaring back from the brink of extinction. One of our fastest growing lodges in the area was but a couple meetings away from turning in their charter just a few years ago. In fact, there are several now in our area that have come back to life again, and are stronger than they have been in decades.

It will happen for your lodge too, but it takes hard work and determination. The members have to put their foot down and refuse to let those doors close. They have to be willing to put themselves out there in their communities and re-engage themselves with what is going on outside the lodge walls.  They have to get back to the reason most of us became Masons to begin with--to grow, and to give of ourselves.

The solution isn’t with the members we already have—that's only a small part of it.  The continuation of the fraternity ultimately lies with the members we don’t have yet.  You can't pass down a long tradition if there's nobody there to take it up.

~TEC