THE APPROBATION OF BOTH

HEAVEN AND EARTH
Masonry is often misjudged by those outside the

society, and the misjudgments are often enough rooted

in prejudice or ignorance. Even today there is wisdom

in the saying, "By their fruits ye shall know them." One

of the tests by which to judge Freemasonry or any other

organisation consists in the assessment of what the

organisation does.

The benevolent work of the Craft is not an incidental

activity: it is as much a part of Masonry as the ritual. It

provides one of the ways in which the Craft

demonstrates its essential lessons, but it is not done for

purposes of demonstration. It is done because in order

to be a good Freemason one must feel and practice

Charity, for good Freemasons do just that—it is

inherent in their tenure.

The Report of the Wellington Masonic Association

makes heartening reading. The Board of Trustees has

had the satisfaction, during the year, of watching the

development and progress of the construction of the

home for the elderly at Woburn: as we go to press, the

home is at the furnishing stage.

Some important changes have taken place in the

composition of the Board of Trustees, and with

increasing demands on the time of the Secretary and

the Treasurer it has been found desirable to appoint a

salaried Secretary-Treasurer, with the necessary

supporting staff and office facilities near the Home.

A Matron with excellent relevant experience has been

appointed, and as we write everything is well in train

for the official opening by R.W. Bro. Sir Edwin Hicks,

C.B.E., P.G.W., Australian High Commissioner on

Saturday, 12 December 1970. By the time this article

reaches the Brethren the Home will have been in

occupation for more than a fortnight.

This successful culmination has not been effected

without considerable effort—on the part of some

Brethren, very considerable effort indeed. This year's

stronger spurt towards the tape was largely due to the

stimulus derived from the Provincial Grand Master's

meeting of lodge representatives and charity stewards,

which put all the lodges on their mettle. Lodge

Secretaries have been kept supplied with progress

reports, and a service Council has been established

which will afford members participating many

opportunities to help with duties connected with

running the Home.

The Board acknowledges the contribution of members

of the Association amounting to $29,644, as well as an

increased grant of $4,000 from the Board of

Benevolence. Twenty thousand dollars from the Aged

Persons' Distribution Committee of the Golden Kiwi

Lottery will go a long way towards providing

furnishing, and a purely local gesture has been made in

the form of a grant of $240 from the Izard Trust.

An appeal is currently before the Brethren to provide a

capital sum to assist in meeting the expected annual

deficit in the running of the Home.

This is not the first project of this kind in New Zealand,

but it is typical of one of the best and most important

kinds of Masonic activity. Certain Brethren have really

deserved well of their fellows

for the thought, work, time and money they have put in

so that this project may prosper and endure as well for

God's glory as for the welfare of their fellow men.

Looking back through the ages to the period before

Masonry was organised as it is today, to the era of our

forebears the cathedral-builders, we may profitably

note that one of the greatest and most important duties

of the Craftsman was that of hospitality. It did not

manifest itself primarily as it does today, in an

extended welcome in the convivial atmosphere of the
refectory after the formal acceptance into the lodge for

ceremonial proceedings. Hospitality of this kind there

was, but it was rooted primarily in mutual defence and

support, in protection from the Cowan or intruder who

might wish improperly to extort or obtain the secrets

which constituted the mason's livelihood, or otherwise

to interfere with his freedom or activities. It was based,

it will bear repetition, on protection.

In the organised modern democracy, society in spite of

its patches of lawlessness, is well organised. In the

welfare state there may be want, but it is limited.

Circumstances today are different from those which

faced the cathedral-builders. But there is still need for

protection.

Infirmity and loneliness are two cowans, two intruders

on our well-ordered lives, who are hard to deal with.

Either or both can constitute a serious menace to

happiness, can go a good way towards destroying it.

The establishment and maintenance of an institution

which will help to disarm either of these intruders and

reduce his strength is in the direct Masonic tradition

and is a manifestation of the distinguishing

characteristic of which those concerned may well be

proud.

The funds which are being accumulated at the moment

are as we have indicated to provide a capital sum to

reduce the annual deficit on the Home. Should that

sum be large enough there would be no deficit to

reduce. There is room for still more contributions, and

in drawing attention to this we may perhaps at the

same time refer to one of the few passages in the

Masonic ritual where words have been borrowed from

Shakespeare, those wise words which point out that

Charity blesses him who gives as well as him who

receives.

In writing about the meaning and significance of

religious ceremony, one author finds the manner in

which a person prays quite unimportant, writes

Vladimir Chekhov in "The New Age." I agree with

him. Whether or not he believes in the effectiveness of

a Tibetan prayer wheel or a quiet bending of knees is

immaterial provided the ceremony leads his thoughts

toward the Great Creator of all things.

If within the limits of his mental development this or

that form of ceremony is nearer and more acceptable to

him, if it puts him in the right mood for prayer by

taking him away from the bustle of life and everyday

worries and turns his mind to something higher, let him

continue in his on way.

Any form of prayer is good regardless of ceremony as

long as it is not considered to be the only one

acceptable to God and those praying in a different

manner are not regarded as giving offence to the

Almighty and therefore in their iniquity deserving of

punishment. If the servants of all religions could reach

this conclusion, if they could be thus enlightened, they

could be freed from religious intolerance and become

useful, workers in the social and economic structure of

mankind.

It is a well known fact that no man remains unaffected

by ritual, particularly if it be impressive and colourful.

Rejecting it with his reason, he still falls under its

influence and his thoughts are turned to other

unfamiliar spheres. Ritual affects people of great

intelligence; naturally, this effect is even greater upon

people of a lower cultural level.

Psychology, literature and experience have proved that

there is no person so evil minded or cruel as to have no

kindness or good impulses in his heart. Here ritual may

play an important base. Base thought, if only for a

short time, may alter and attain a higher spiritual level.

Ritualistic ceremony is of great importance. The
rationalisation of some religions, the abolishment of

ritual and such vestiges of magic as they possessed

may have made them more acceptable to the critical

mind, but at the same time these bare and unadorned

religions lose their mystic influence on the simple

minded.

Philosophy can hardly justify ritual, but it is more

powerful than philosophy, and those religions or

religious organisations whose rituals are particularly

magnificent will always attract a greater number of

disciples.

Separate individuals as well as whole communities that

have gone through periods of apostasy seem always to

return to ritual of some kind. Man is attracted by

ritualistic service. Elevated thoughts and ideas are

more acceptable to the human mind when conveyed in

the form of symbols and ceremonies than in their pure

form.

Poetry with its similes and metaphors plays a

considerable part in the literature of the world, and

ritual is the poetry of religion. It does no harm to

anybody as long as it does not consider other forms of

ceremony heretical and does not stimulate the

persecution of the adherents of other religions.

Logical reasoning, the highest achievement of the

human mind, and depth of thought can convince some

few, but ritual in a suitable atmosphere and supported

by simple symbols can be very effective even if

obviously illogical.

Through its allegorical and symbolic meaning

ritualistic ceremony forces us to seek its deeper

meaning. By doing so it forces those taking part in the

ceremony to think. Thus ritual becomes one of the

most effective means of stimulating thought and

religious emotion and through this puts us upon the

path of self perfection.

Because of this, ritual is not only useful but

indispensable and ought not to be simplified, as the

richer and more effective it is the greater the

impression it makes upon those present

—The West Australian Craftsman

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

Journals bearing the following addresses have been

returned to this office marked, "Gone, No Address".

Should any Lodge Secretary or Brother know the

present address of any of these Brethren, we would be

pleased to receive their advice.

E. Fleming, 207 Riverside Drive, Lower Hutt.

G. A. Lindsay, 18 Melrose P1., Tokoroa.

T. W. J. Matthews, 245 Edmonton Rd., Te Atatu.

R. McGregor, 22 Lydia Ave., Northcote

W. Morrow, Box 44, Ranfurly.

P. H. Tomlins, c/o Box 489, Hastings.

J. C. Bishop, 104A Hackthorne Rd., Christchurch 2.

H. D. Cook, 718 Pioneer Highway, Palmerston North.

H. K. Johnson, 6 Massey Ave., Lower Hutt.

H. R. McDougall, 1 Tarawera Rd., Johnsonville. P. R.

Shaw, 11 Stirling St., Wellington 2.

R. J Wilson, Plimsoll St., Carterton.

LEARNING TO LIVE
All of us repine at times and wish that things were

otherwise. We wish we had more money, a different

home, more congenial work, or that a particularly

heavy load might be lifted from our shoulders.

Sometimes it is a fit of irritation, sometimes an

enduring sadness, but none of us can hope to be content

all the time. And yet we know, as all who have come

through adolescence to manhood have discovered, that

the mere alteration of circumstances cannot very much

affect our happiness. Truisms, trite sayings, often

provoke simply impatience, but that is for the reason

that man perversely tries to refuse a truth which for the

moment is unpalatable.

To kick against the pricks is an unrewarding exertion. It

expends energy, releases pent-up temper for a short

period, but affords no lasting relief. It has probably less

value even than an attitude of fatalism.

If things go ill there are positive ways of dealing with

them. There are few situations which cannot be made

better by dint of taking thought and action. If this is of

no avail, or of too little avail, there remains what we

may call the subjective approach. Be the evil what it

may, it can only conquer us if we allow it to do so.

Instead of letting it become a dominating cloud over all

our thoughts and actions, we can sometimes regard it as

a means to an end, an opportunity for testing our

strength, even something that can be turned to account.

It was written of an army of mercenaries: "Their

shoulders held the sky suspended." In the Craft, the

celestial canopy of the heavens is supported by three

Great Pillars; they are called Wisdom, Strength, and

Beauty. Wisdom is to conduct us in all our

undertakings, Strength to support us under all our

difficulties, and Beauty to adorn the inward man. In the

Craft and its teachings we may find the Wisdom to

analyse our attitudes, the Strength to deal with them,

and the reward of Beauty in a better and happier

character, endowed with further wisdom and strength

from the experience. It is not only evil things which

swirl round in vicious spirals; good can be cumulative

to, and character can progress, victory by victory,

moving always towards the ultimate if unattainable

perfection.

The Craft is of little use to us if it does not make us

happy, not simply individually, but by brotherly

affection and action, as we unite in the Grand Design.

The Lodge is a haven in which we forget the trials and

care of the outside world, perhaps as much as in any

other place, a haven where there is no wealth and no

position, except the kindly sway of the Master and his

Wardens. The Lodge is a place where we go to play, re-

enacting ancient happenings, like the players in a

commemorative drama; and we do it with

light hearts and in happiness, although the events we

commemorate are of the most awful significance, and

not to be regarded lightly. The happiness comes from

the attitude. He, for example, who contemplates Death

unaided, as Ajax faced the lightning, is indeed alone,

but the Freemason who relies upon aid, and especially

the aid which we describe in that noble charge. The

Light of a Master Mason, may look in Death's face

without fear, with a light heart, and with supreme

confidence. The old ethical conception of the good life;

the newer religious idea of a benevolent God, have

their common meeting ground in the Third Degree of

Freemasonry.

It is an historical fact which those of us who have lived

through brief periods of apparent equilibrium

sometimes forget, that this is the normal state of the

world. Security is not a thing mankind has been able to

command all the time or even most of the time. We are

no worse off than our forbears. But if, we like we can

be worse off.

Today we live in a period of rush and bustle, the

mechanised age of speed and noise. Resting quietly at

home we do not have the peace, the leisure for

meditation and reflection that men in other times have

used. We have, to some extent, lost the ability to

meditate, and without meditation it is hard to arrive at

conclusions. We must have some faiths and beliefs,

whether the simple Faith which leads us to the second

step, Hope, and so to a comprehension of that Charity

which the world so lacks today, or some others. If we

have no faith, no beliefs, only uncertainty, then the

Leveller of all human greatness will be for us the Grim

Reaper indeed, and the act of death will be a painful

one, the hope of life a small one.

Whatever our religious and ethical conclusions may

amount to, we must have them, and the leads provided

by Freemasonry, allied to the brotherly aid which the

Craft affords, can help us a great deal to live well and

to die well.

—"Masonic Press"

g g g

Within the Compass

Let your Masonic Lodge be a beehive of worthwhile

activity in your community, so that its wholesome and

vigorous influence may be felt beyond its Temple

walls. Let us practise a form of Masonry that is warm

and vibrant, tolerant and human.

—Charles W. Fossell, P.G.M., New York

g g g

The Common Gavel
By Bro. Leslie E. Kitchen

The presentation of a Gavel as an insignia of office,

together with its use in the maintenance of order and

the imposition of authority, are practices with which

the Candidate is doubtless familiar before learning

anything of its Masonic employment. When he is

enabled to discern for himself the shape and

composition of the Lodge ,one of the first of the

discoveries which he makes is that this symbol. of

power is frequently employed in a manner which

though in some sense is quite peculiar to Masonry, is

quite in accordance with what he might reasonably

expect to find.

During his initial steps, and especially during that

moment when he is about to commence his S. and S.

Obligation, he hears it used to convey some unspoken

command of the Master. Also during his preparation,

while the Lodge is being opened, the repeated sound of

this implement may be heard, filling him with

conjecture if not actual apprehension as to what

particular ordeal lies before him. At the presentation of

the W.T.'s, when he is more at ease with regard to the

unfamiliar position in which he finds himself, he again

meets with the Common Gavel although usually in not

the same form as that employed by the Principal

Officers.

Actually the term Gavel is somewhat loosely employed

in Masonic circles. The instrument used for demanding

the attention of the Brethren v,ould be of little use to an

Operative Mason. however detrimental its continued

application may be upon the value and appearance of

an ornate wooden pedestal. In reality it is seldom a

Gavel in size, shape or form. Customs vary in different

Lodges, and whereas in one the newly-installed Master

places into the hands of his Wardens as an emblem of

office a miniature of the heavy setting-maul, with the

use of which all Master Masons are familiar, in another

the particular Masonic furnisher patronised by that

Lodge has seen fit to provide something in the nature of

a mallet, which, though doubtless very nicely finished

and costing considerably more than its operative

counterpart, is indubitably a mallet and not a Gavel.

A true Gavel does not seem to be familiar within our

Lodges if we are to accept the findings of Bro. Mackey,

who really seems to have concerned himself with the

elucidation of this interesting though seldom

considered point. He describes the Gavel as being a

stone-mason's hammer, possessing a cutting edge for

the removal of the superfluous knobs and excrescences,

and adds an illusrtation which shows the implement to

be shaped like a house, one end of which may be taken

to represent the gable end elevation, from which fact he

derives the name Gavel. The handle thus becomes an

elongated chimney.

This type of Gavel would present a number of useful

cutting edges which we can imagine to be of great

value in the preliminary reduction of a stone to the

required conditions that by the skill of the more expert

craftsman it may be rendered fair work and square

work and such as is required.

The Entered Apprentice is therefore presented with a

Gavel in order to emphasise his rough and unhewn

state, and by putting him in possession of the

instrument, to imply that it is he who is to do the

moulding of the rough ashlar, though in accordance

with the precepts advocated by Masonic teaching.

By this stage of his Initiation, the Candidate has

acquired a firm but humble confidence, his humility

having been impressed upon him by his helplessness

during the trials and approbations through which he has

passed.

He realises that he has begun a quest along a Masonic

pathway. The object of his search will for some

considerable time remain concealed. At the

commencement of this journey of personal progress he

declared himself desirous of obtaining knowledge and

of rendering himself more extensively serviceable to

his fellow-men, though at the time he did not realise

what a magnificent epitome of Masonic aspiration

these words really are.

The principle appears to him to be eminently
praiseworthy, and before he has time to consider this

angle of his approach at any greater length, assuming

him, of course, to be gifted with the power of

introspection, he has taken the preliminary steps which

in turn will lead him to the contemplation of things

which shall remain even after time itself exists no

more. The method of this improvement can only be

communicated by stages according to his powers of

assimilation and proven worthiness to receive it.

The teachings of the First Degree are wonderfully well

summed up in the words which accompany the

presentation of the W.T.'s The twenty-four-inch Gauge

indicates the various spheres of earthly activity,

namely, praise and contemplation of the workings of

the Supreme Being, the necessary and cheerful

performance of the duties incident to temporal

existence, and thirdly the acceptance of opportunities to

be of service to others as long as by so doing we keep

ourselves within the bounds of ability and discretion.

The Chisel indicates to man the position he is to

consider as the only one he may merit in accordance

with the dictates of humility, that of a unit in a

harmonious and well-regulated social whole.

The Common Gavel has, however, an immediate call

upon his attention. In his progress through the

Ceremony of his Initiation, the Candidate was exhorted

to exercise a particular type of caution. But it must be

noted that this does not merely refer to a reticence in

connection with a definite mode of communication. He

is now enjoined to keep himself within due bounds, a

lesson which, though somewhat enlarged upon during a

later stage of his Masonic progress, shines throughout

the whole of Masonic teaching; that of self-governed,

conscious restraint.

A Mason is expected to be aware of his own failings,

and while doing his best to subject them, to ensure that

they do not have an opportunity of springing up in any

new and unsuspected direction. They must be entirely

obliterated from his moral being. He can only cultivate

this awareness by constant self-examination and by

never commencing any chain of thought, word or deed

until he has estimated their probable conclusion, and

the extent of their effect, to the best of his ability

through the exercise of that knowledge and experience

which he may possess.

Masonry regards Man as a worthy unit in the Eternal

Scheme and exhorts him to travel towards perfection as

far as lies within his power when directed and

strengthened by the teaching which it affords. That

which is vain and unbecoming must be ruthlessly

rejected, lest by allowing that which is base to

contaminate our purity of life and action, our chances

of heavenly approbation may be lessened; and the

honoured duty which we are permitted to perform as a

unit in the edifice of the Temple of humanity, judged

not to have been carried out to the best of our ability

when that great moment shall arrive when called from
all too short a period of earthly labour to eternal

refreshment, time shall be with us no more.

— The Freemason

LODGE MANAGEMENT
As a world-wide institution, Freemasonry, in common

with every other institution, commercial business,

organisation—call them what you will—has known its

highs and lows, strength and weakness, rifts and

reconciliations, says the R.L.O.V. Newsletter,

published by the Rewa Lodge of Viti (Fiji), No. 2238,

E.C., of Suva.

That it has survived to stand four-square in the world

and become the great movement that it undoubtedly is

can be traced to some great men over the years who

have wisely guided and shaped its destiny and to the

countless thousands of members of private lodges who

have given and are giving invaluable service to the

Craft.

For all its vicissitudes, and there have been some

serious ones, we are. grateful that for over 250 years

now our English Masonry has survived in an organised

form to bring "profit and pleasure" to over three-

quarters of a million members whose lives, without its

influence, would be infinitely the poorer.

Now and then in our Grand Lodge Quarterly

Communications we see a list of new lodges which

have been founded and we rejoice. On the other hand,

there is, sometimes, the name of a lodge which has

been erased and has been compelled to surrender its

Warrant. It is perhaps significant that most of these

lodges are overseas and the causes for their failure are

many. Political change, as former colonies achieve

independence, brings the premature departure of lodge

officers and members, often to the serious detriment of

the lodge. There has also been hostile opposition to

Freemasonry by governments such as in pre-war Nazi

Germany, the communist countries and many Arab

States such as Egypt. All this has militated against the

active growth of Masonry overseas because it cannot

flourish in an atmosphere of repression and

persecution.

But we face another danger far more insidious than

those mentioned above. Many lodges become

weakened and are finally extinguished by sheer apathy,

indifference, lack of foresight and planning and—just

bad management.

The last two words should make us think.

It is always a source of wonder to us that many

Masons, and some holding very responsible positions

in business seem to take it for granted that their lodge

can continue to function efficiently and happily over

the years without the slightest effort on the part of the

majority of its members. After all, every member of a

lodge, whether in office or not, has the responsibility

for seeing that, for example, visitors are made more

than welcome, subscriptions are paid promptly,

candidates are instructed properly and not left to their

own devices, and that in the lodge there is a warm and

abiding friendliness which makes men want to come.

There is no such thing as a perfect lodge, but there are

certainly good lodges and lodges which leave much to

be desired in every respect.

Although lodge management is the prime responsibility

of the Master and his officers, a joint drive to make

things better by all the members is essential for a

successful Masonic lodge.

What do we mean by lodge management? How can the

"floor member", out of office, assist?

That is what we mean by lodge management. This is

what will keep hard-working Masons keen on their

lodge. First of all, punctuality in tyling and at all

business meetings. Discipline, both in the lodge and at

the festive board. The precision and smartness of

officers taking part in the ceremonies; the impressive

delivery of charges and systematic participation of the

younger members. Freshly-laundered clothing for

candidates (in the tropics pyjamas are used). An

efficiently run refectory with speakers told beforehand

that they will be called upon (how many are told?).

Good housekeeping, both in the lodge and its

surrounds. Remember that outsiders not only judge

Masons by their conduct and character in the

community; they also at times pass the lodge buildings

and will have a very poor impression of the Craft if

they see ill-kept grounds and a building badly needing

a lick of paint. We can ill afford the creation of poor

impressions. Masonry in this modern world has to

compete with other laudable organisations and, if we

are to compete successfully, we have to be good and

more than good. We can defeat the twin evils of apathy

and indifference in our members only if we pay

attention to details, to forethought, to positive action.

What about those members not yet in office; what can

they do to help? Pester, and keep on pestering. Pester

the Master, Secretary, the Director of Ceremonies until

you are given jobs to do. Show them that you mean to

get on in the lodge, and are prepared to work really

hard to attain your aim. But, always remember, when

you undertake to deliver a charge, you undertake to

uphold the reputation of your lodge for faultless

working. Remember also that by your efforts in this

respect you will be impressing a man joining Masonry

who now stands where you and all of us once stood. He

is well worth the time and trouble you have gone to;

well worth all your efforts in perfection.

We have seen that our lodge, all lodges in the world,

need good management, both to make them viable and,

what is more important, attractive. If we all can put the

extra ounce of effort towards the better management of

our lodge, we need have no fear for the future of our

Masonry.

g g g

A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the

contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together,

knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it,

keep what is worth keeping and with the breath of

kindness blow the rest away.

—Arabian Proverb

g g g

THE PLUS OF MASO NRY
By W. Bro. A. H. Smedley

The title for this lecturette is the outcome of an associa-

tion of ideas based on an old Eastern custom to which

reference is made in the Volume of the Sacred Law.

The record therein is "Whosoever shall compel thee to

go a mile, go with him twain". The picture it presents is

one of a traveller needing direction, and who, therefore,

sought the aid of his fellow man. An unknown road

was to be travelled, and the custom in the Holy Land

was such that he who knew the way was compelled to

go thereon with the inquirer who was setting forth on

the journey, for at least one mile. But the Great Teacher

of mankind struck an entirely new note in His

conception of the requisite of relationship, as demanded

by the custom, when He added volition to compulsion

by recommending the second mile of attendance. As a

practical issue it meant the "plus" of courtesy in service

as well as the making of assurance doubly sure. And he

who travelled back alone, after having accompanied the

stranger on the right road, would experience the glow

of inward satisfaction that always comes from doing

more than customary requirements demand.

If there is anything in the significance of Masonic

teachings, and I am sure we will all agree that there is,

then there devolves upon each one of us the

responsibility of correctly interpreting, and putting into

practice, those ideals and principles which we know are

so fundamentally sound.

Into the vocabulary of modern life has crept this word

"plus". It has come to be regarded as the dynamic of

success. It is used in advertisements; it is taken as the

inspirational basis of sales talks to groups of men; it is

capitalised by its adoption and association in the titles

of proprietary products, but constructively it may be

taken to affirm a positive attitude in contradistinction to

a negative impulse. As the dynamic of success it must

be regarded as a relative factor, for I think we will all

admit that he who scales the ladder of achievement

must have a purpose fixed high, coupled with a positive

pertinacity. The difference between mediocrity and

superlativity (if I may be permitted to coin a word) is

summed up in the little word "plus" and of this there

are many illustrious examples, both in regard to

persons and corporate bodies. There is a gulf, fixed and

certain, between those who shelve, and those who

shoulder the responsibilities of life, and it is at this

point that I wish to introduce the subject of Masonry in

its relation to the title of my lecturette and the

associated conceptions already set forth herein.

We are all aware that when a man seeks to enter Free-

masonry he is called upon to take vows or obligations

of fidelity, which are defined as "not being

incompatible with his moral, civil or religious duties".

The pledge is one of inviolable secrecy and while this,

of course, is essential it is, by itself, a negative attitude,

in that it purely presupposes a direct refusal to divulge

the secrets and mysteries entrusted to his keeping, to

anyone not entitled thereto. But the "plus" of Masonry,

or the positive reflex, comes into operation when the

man himself commences to put into practice the

teachings delivered in the various charges of the

different degrees. There is nothing new or novel in

implied secrecy, nor is a vow or obligation peculiar to

Masonry alone. These are really common principles in

everyday transactions, but the real significance of the

Masonic position rests in the underlying truths for

which the Craft stands, and a pardonable pride in being

permitted to participate in these high ideals of

citizenship. If this knowledge, secret in the primary

sense but practical in its application, does not give birth

to bridled ambition and enthusiasm, then we are

missing the mark, and failing to recognise the plus

which is the birthright of every true Mason, even in its

most rudimentary conception.

We are all familiar with that portion of our ceremony in

the first degree which is frequently referred to as "the

moment of revelation". It is the point where a man sees

the light under an entirely new set of circumstances,

and in new surroundings. It is an experience which, by

virtue of its very strangeness, opens the man's mind to

the fullest degree of receptivity and wonderment.

Turning to the ritual for the purpose of analysing the

statements made therein in regard to this particular

matter we find it says—"When a candidate expresses a

desire for light, . . . which is ever the object of

Freemasonry to teach". No one would be so foolish as

to imagine that candidates for the Craft come within the

category of those who are totally ignorant of their

responsibilities in regard to morality and virtue, in fact,

we make it an essential pre-requisite, that their lives

must have shown some reflex of these principles before

we admit them to our assemblies. Nevertheless, the

ritual seems to suggest the existence of this state of

ignorance, and it is only as we carefully ponder over

the statement dealing with this matter that we find the

import of its construction. There is a symbolism in our

teachings that is original and inspirational, and apart

from this concept speculative Masonry becomes so

much jargon. The light which shines into a Mason's

heart places knowledge in a new perspective and, while

it may reveal many shortcomings, it certainly provides

the incentive to the adoption of remedial measures. We

must never forget that "light was ever an object of

attainment in all ancient mysteries. It was then, as it is

now, the symbol of truth and knowledge." Its

incidence, according to the Volume of the Sacred Law,

was a proclamation by the Great Architect of the

Universe, and of this fact we duly impress our

candidates. They stand, as it were, on the threshold of a

new experience, and the outstanding impression we

seek to convey to them is that they must walk in the

light. And what is light? From science we learn that

light is but a radiant reflection of an outside body. In its

rays, however, there are hidden beauties of colour

which may only be seen under the conditions of

prismatic division. Nevertheless, they are there all the

time awaiting discovery, and once the student has

found them out there opens to him an entirely new field

of research. Should it not be so with Masonic light?

When a man finds, or realises for the first time, from

the teachings of, say, the "tools" In the first degree, that

he is to apportion the hours of each day in such a

manner that the responsibilities of life assume their

correct relationship, that he is to measure time with

unswerving regard to eternity, that he is to correct, curb

and moderate the unlovely principles in his character,

that the latent qualities for good can be so cultivated

that he can be made to appreciate and to perform his

duty to God and man, does he not enter a new realm of

living that is both colourful and inviting? To my mind

the teachings of no other institution shed such a radiant

glow on the pathway of mere mortal man, as do those

of the Craft. Again I say it is the "plus" of Masonry.

There is an interesting experiment often shown to

students on the colour divisions of light, and its

application will serve to demonstrate still further the

point I am seeking to make. If you take a disc upon

which the colours of the rainbow are set forth, and

revolve that disc at sufficient speed, you find that the

colours entirely disappear, and the disc becomes a pure

white. What better example could there be of unified

activity in the Masonic sense? As individuals we are

members of a great organisation. We see the light as

separate entities, and if we understand this light as a

practical power of life, then are we inspired to do and

to keep on doing. But in this doing it is not individual

effort alone that counts, rather is it harmony of action

so that the personal colour reflexes, being set in

motion, resolve themselves into a unified whole which,

to follow the simile of the rotating disc, presents to the

w orld a purity of thought and motive, white as the

driven snow and powerful as light itself.

Many useful lessons may be learned from forces which

oppose themselves the one to the other, and in this

regard we may take as examples of light and darkness.

It is quite easy to demonstrate that the former is greater

than the latter. Again, if we take the example of plant

life we find that growth is always towards the light. In

the darkest cellar may be planted a seed, and if it

germinates and can find even the tiniest chink of light it

will struggle to reach that light. It never grows towards

the darkness. And so when Masonry becomes part of a

man's experience he will find himself, almost

unconsciously, reaching out for a greater revelation and

a higher and grander interpretation than ever before of

those things concerning which he already has some

knowledge. And the beauty of it all is that he will find

that which he sincerely seeks. It is the glorious plus of

Masonry.

I feel that I have but touched the fringe of my subject,

but as brevity was the promise I gave when undertaking

to deliver this talk, I will content myself by expressing

the sincere hope that food for thought has been given,

and that in the ultimate we will all respond more

readily than we have done in the past to those positive

and practical impulses which make Masonry the "plus"

of useful living.

—New South Wales Freemason

g g g

WHAT WAS BRITAIN LIKE IN 1717?

What was Britain like when Grand Lodge of England

was

formed in 1717? Very unlike the Britain of our day.

Shakespeare who is supposed to have authorised the

ritual had been dead a hundred years. Milton had sung

of Paradise Lost and Regained, and had pleaded

mightily for the freedom of human speech and thought.

Lord Francis Bacon's Novum Organum had given birth

to science endowing it at once with a new spirit and a

new method.

Old things were passing away, and all things were

becoming new. And yet, compared with the Britain that

we knew, darkness was still upon the face of the deep.

One-fifth of the population was composed of beggars

and paupers, most of whom were able-bodied women

and men. Labour was oppressed. Corruption reigned in

high places and brutality prevailed in low.

There were one hundred and sixty crimes in the

calendar punishable by death. Executions, if not a

public amusement, were at least a favourite spectacle.

Small wonder that the spirit of man was growing

restless, that the shoulders of Atlas were weary of the

intolerable burden of such a life.

And in 1717 the streams of Masonic influence suddenly

sprang from their hitherto concealed channels into the

light of day. On St. John the Baptist's Day-24 ,June —

there met in the City of London an assembly of

Freemasons representing the membership of four or

more lodges, three of which still exist.

Under the chairmanship of the oldest member then

present this assembly organised itself into a Grand

Lodge, the first body of its kind. Within ten years there

was a Grand Lodge of Ireland, and within twenty years

in Scotland also.

The truth that the honest worker is in partnership with

God had crystallised in some minds. It found its

crystallisation in the teaching of Freemasonry, which

exalts the builder to partnership with T.G.A.O.T.U.

A hundred lodges, with perhaps a thousand Masons, in

England, Ireland and Scotland, had taught this truth

during the centuries that preceded the birth of the

English Constitution.

How largely they had prepared the way for the emanci-

pation of labour, for the sovereignty of the common.

The work of Freemasonry. however, is not yet

completed. Its career in the world is far from finished.

Its office in the moral economy of mankind lacks much

of fulfilment.

The doctrine of the brotherhood of man must continue

to be effectively preached and practised. When the

whole influence of Freemasonry is generally

appreciated, then and then only will it be recognised as

the one and only factor in achieving universal

reconcilement.

—"Masonic World"