Masonry, the unfinished task

Title

Creator

Ofilada, Macario M.

Language

English

Year

1960

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

Masonry, the Unfinished Task By MWB MACARIO M. OFILADA Grand Master I see Masonry as a mighty river. Descending from the heights, the river flows through the plains and the valleys and makes the land green and fruitful. Even so, Masonry flows from on high, its driving force being identified with the fundamental principle of Christian philosophy, which is love of man for num. As the stream gathers the totality of its power from its confluent tributaries so docs Masonry derive its driving force from its numerous branches. And if the walers of the river enliven the field that it traverses, so does Masonry enrich human life over the areas of its influence. The similitude does not end there. Don't the flood waters of a river sweep away the accumulated flotsam of the eddies, wash clean all the miasma of the swamplands that breed sickness and sieasc? In a similar manner, my brethren, Masonic action purifies the national atmosphere of the corrosive poisons that corrupt society and dcstrov the people's liberties. But in praising and appraising the whole we often miss the parts. When wc visualize the great Nile, we think nothing of the untold molecules that nuke up the stream. And when we wc think of our great Craft, we frequently overlook the individual Masons and their humble parts that make up the whole . The note gets lost in the symphony. I have been giving this topic considerable thought, and have been sobered by the fact that without the humble member of the blue lodge, without the youngest apprentice, the Craft could never be. It is the unglamorous Master Mason of the blue lodge that is the backbone of the Fraternity, and it is his humble part as a mason that sums up the glorious annals of Masonry throughout the ages. To my mind, a Master Mason is composed of various masonic tasks definitely finished, from his investigation as an applicant for apprenticeship until his raising to the sublime degree. But Masonry itself is quite another matter. Wc must distinguish the finished ones. Until all men loved one another, so long would Masonry remain an unfinished business. The masonic ideal of universal brotherhood seems to be a will-o-the-wisp in this era of what I call jungle civilization, where world leaders who formulate policies are misleading peoples to mutual hatred. Therefore the members of the Craft must zealously continue working, even as untold Masons of untold centuries have done their part, each in itself a finished part in the overall drama that will project unfinished into the limitless future. In that unfinished task that wc all endeavor to continue, wc can not all be Masters. Ccrainly wc can not all be Grand Masters. Ever the Master (Continued on page 165) 143 THE CABLE TOW April 1960 Tjhe ‘Welcome Words - "Well Done” (fraud Master Ofilada journeyed Japan-ward, strengthened the friendly relations between the Grand Lodge of Japan and ours. (Below) — Dedicated the Temple of Memorial Lodge No- 90 at Munoz, Nueva Ecija. J.ii route to Japan, passed Okinawa to dedicate the Masonic Cent pie there. Of itself, the Temple on the hill is an imposing edifice. One of the pleasant tasks of a Grand Master is attending District Grand Lodge conventions (22 of them), where his humility and affability is enjoyed by the brethren. With rolled sleeves, distributed Christmas “bavongs" of foodstuffs to indigent* who flocked to Plaridel Temple on Christinas Day. Was guest of lhe Shriners at their annual conferral, after he “walked the hot sands' himself; the reception and ball at the Manila Hotel climaxed the activities. Here he poses with Cavite brethren who held their convention at Binakayan with Primera Luz Filipino No. 69 (namesake of the first Masonic Lodge established in the Philippines in 1854) as host lodge. Witnessed the giving by the Shriners of a substantial amount for the MHCC. WB. Stater hands the Shrine check to MW 13 Goldenberg, Treasurer of MHCC. Delivered the Rizal Day speech at San Juan, Rizal and exhorted his hearers to be ever vigilant of our liberties else we will be enslaved again. In his term, another assembly of the Order of Rainbow for Girls was organized in Cavite City. Il was sponsored by Eastern Stars and Masons of the city that is the Cradle of Masonry in the country. (See inside back cover.) 150 THE CABLE TOW April 1960 THE YEAR OF NOSE-COUNTING The year 1960 being census year, it will be of interest to recall how population in the Philippines has grown since 1570, two decades after Magellan landed in the Philippines, when an estimate of the Philippine populace was made on the basis of the number giving tribute to the encomenderos. The following are figures gathered from historical sources: 1570 ........ 500,000 1591 ........ 667,612 1735 ........ 837,182 1799 .... 1,502,574 1877 .... 5,576,685 1896 .... 6,361,359 1903 .... 7,635,426 1918 ... 10,313,310 1939 .. . 16,000,303 1948 ... 19,234,182 1960 ... 25,000,000 (Estimated) Delore 1877 census-taking was a matter of estimating; however in 1877 and 1896, the Spanish government took the counts on a scientific basis thus making the figures fairly accurate. Just before the final revolution of 1896, the official census was made with the technical assistance of ProfPlehn, a Belgian statistician. The censuses taken during the American regime in 1903, 1918 & 1939 were even more scientific. The first census taken bv the Philippines two years after her independence contained more data than just noses in that certain economic Tacts were known in conjunction with the population count. 1 his year's census is even more complicated and seeks to gather more ccoSECOND ANNUAL MASONIC PILGRIMAGE An invitation has been extended to Philippine Masons thru Wor. Bro. Kurt Eulau, PM, Cosmos Lodge No. 8, to join the Second Annual Masonic Pilgrimage which will be in Jerusalem from June 4-29, 1960. The pilgrimage has its office headquarters at Suite 1101, 15 East 40th St., New York 16, New York. RW Bro. Monty Winslow is Coordinating Representative for the Western Hemisphere and inquiries and reservations may be directed to him. Concurrent with lhe 1960 Pilgrimage will be the World Conclave of Grand Lodge Representatives in Jerusalem. This year’s pilgrimage is led by MWB Chester Hodges, 33°, Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ohio, who has set the site of the pilgrimage in Jerusalem on invitation from MWB Max Seligman, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the State of Israelnomic data which can be used for economic planning in the next decade or so. This census is being made in conjunction with the United Nations program of counting the population of the world, lhe Philippine government is spending Pl2,000,000.00 for this national project. Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of joy, you must have someone to share it with. —Bro. Mark Twain The finest kind of friendship is between people who expect a great deal of each other but never ask for it. —Sylvia Bremer . 151

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