“If
you think about what you ought to do for other people, your character
will take care of itself.” –Bro. Woodrow
Wilson
Perhaps
it is true that all institutions ultimately move away from their orthodoxy.
Times change. People move through organizations; some affect them, some don’t. Over
the long haul, it is hard to keep the original definition in focus.
I
am sometimes amused at how hard we work at defining Freemasonry. Every Grand
Jurisdiction has at least one brochure espousing what Freemasonry is and what
Masons do. We attempt to tell the world what we are, and are not; what Masons believe;
what we do in lodge, the kinds of charities we support, our importance in the
world, why men should join us; and even how to join. Every state and national Masonic organization I
am acquainted with offers a number of printed materials about Masonry. Essentially
all have websites.
Of
course, we also suffer from our share of “not so informed” information about us;
often distributed by non-masonic groups who delight in taking a published
interest in us. This includes anti-masons, television evangelists, individuals
who print hatred just because hatred sells; and weak fundamentalist sects with
the wrong mission at heart.
I
personally don’t mind any of this. Certainly, Grand Lodges should make as much
available in the way of Masonic information and education as they can. It helps
both our members and the larger public. The anti-masonic materials do little
damage. We get attention, even when the information is bad. I hold to the premise
that thoughtful people will generally give little credence to information which
appears biased in its content. And I’ve never met a thoughtful anti-mason.
All
of this really makes little difference anyway. What does make a real difference
to everyone is that we hold to our orthodoxy. The creed of Masonry is moral
action. Masonry to the world is the character of Masons. The character of
Masons speaks more eloquently than all the books and pamphlets written about our
fraternity.
This
means that in the community where Masons are seen as men of high integrity, the
fraternity stands in high repute. In the community where Masons do not have the
respect of the public, Masonry has little chance of being seen as an
organization of men with a beautiful system of moral and ethical teaching.
It
is just that simple. The reputation of Freemasonry rests literally in the
character of each Brother. It is in the power of every member to glorify or
diminish the institution.
We
must recognize that most people will never read a word about Masonry or know of
its philanthropies. The public’s perception of the fraternity will never be
well defined. The sole basis of judging it will be the character of the men who
are known to be Masons.
People
do not read books—people read men. Masonry is to them what they see in the
temperament of Masons. While this places an awesome responsibility on every
Mason in every community in the world; it is indeed the distinction of Masonry.
It is its orthodoxy.
The
sad fact is that one bad example can do us a lot of harm. When one of us is
caught up in some public scandal, or unethical business dealing, or an immoral
act, the public takes it for granted that Masonry, for all its beautiful system
of morality, either condones such behavior, or is too weak to be of adequate
influence by its teachings to prevent it.
So
it really is up to each of us. The bottom line is that the Mason who lives up
to the teachings and obligations of Masonry will be a man above reproach—not only
to his brethren; but among his neighbors, his family, his friends, his business
partners, and his community. It would be wonderful to hear the merchant say, “I
have been taken in by a good many scoundrels, but never have I had any trouble
with a man who wore the square and compasses.” Or, to have the minister
proclaim, “I know nothing of the religious or non-religious teachings of the
Masonic fraternity, but I have never heard a Mason make a disparaging remark
concerning the church.” Or to have the judge say, “Never in my experience as a
judge have I had a case before me of two Masons going to law.” Or, to hear non-masons
say, “I frequently attend social gatherings of Masons and while I don’t know
anything about the inner side of Masonry, their exhibition of good mindedness
and solid behavior impress me to think that their teachings must be good.”
In
fact, I would be more than delighted if most people thought our most famous Masonic
emblem, the letter G, stood for Gentleman.
After all, every man who wears it is to be one.
You see, we are what other
people say we are. The best argument for Masonry is a good man. Just as the
best example of humanity is a good human being.
