Greetings--to the 'old home lodge'

Title

Creator

Hatten, Leo A.

Language

English

Source

The Cabletow III (3) January 1961

Year

1961

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

From a long-lost brother . . GRffllDGS-TO "OLD IM LODGP by LEO A. HATTEN Okinawa Lodge No. 118. /•'. & J.AL 1 take this opportunity through our grand organ, which apparently is about the only thing left in pub lication, to address a few remarks to the Lodge, to let you know how some ol us who have left your midst are faring, and what our feelings are to ward our home Lodge. I can speak lairly accurately for the members of our Lodge who are here in the Wa shington, D.C. area, as well as those who have traveled through here re cently on their way to foreign counOkinawa Lodge No. 118 prides it self with being a friendly lodge. I am happy to say we are not alone in this. In every lodge that I have vi sited since leaving Okinawa, in the Southern Part of the United States, District of Columbia, and in Mary land where I now reside, my treat ment as a visitor has been most sin cerely cordial. Perhaps I received a little! more attention than some others because I am from a foreign juris diction. Every one of the visited lodges is extremely interested in our Philippine Jurisdiction, and in Oki nawa particularly. Masonry has an intriguing history of growth on Oki nawa, and when I casually mentioned this in a lodge in Texas last sum mer, I was invited to come back and give an hour lecture to the assem blage of Past Masters of the lodge, concerning Masonry on Okinawa. The same thing happened to Brother John Harshman up in Minnesota last Fall prior to his leaving for Ger many. The Brethren back here are gen uinely interested in all facets of Ma sonry as we practice it. I think the two points they are most interested in are (1) how selective are we in choosing candidates to assure that we are getting nothing but the best, and (2) how- do we maintain disci pline? 1 was proud to be able to report that our Committee system which is the same used nearly every where has been quite successful in selection. It was also pleasant to report that we require a minimum of discipline. Other than the usual formalities of dropping memberships for non-payment of dues, 1 witnessed none. It probablv will not be argued too vigorously that the Home Lodge owes a duty to its “out of town” members in keeping them informed of what is going on, changes in the lodge, who the present officers are, etc., just as much as the departed members owe allegiance and duty to the Home Lodge, being bound by 79 its laws and regulations. This is not a one-way street. Based on iny ob servations while I was Treasurer there, at least half and maybe twothirds of the 500 Master Masons car rial on the rolls are not on the Is land. ("Out of town” so to speak). What is die Lodge doing to keep this group informed? Obviously the Secretary does not have time to write a personal letter to each member, so it seems that a general-type commu nication is in order. That could be the Trestleboard, the Grand Lodge Cable Tow, or a Newsletter. Unfor tunately, none of us off-Island have ever received a Trestleboard, because as I understand it, no one will write any articles for it so that it may be published. This is a shame really, lor there are many good thoughts among the Brethren there, and ma ny unclassified subjects about Mason ry that are easily discussed. The Grand Lodge Cable Tow is an excel lent guide. One does not have to be a Randolph Hearst to write arti cles for these news media. Leading professors of business writing state that a simple, direct style that gets a point across is the most desirable type of writing. In fact, this is writ ing. The Grand Lodge Cable Tow is a line publication with much worth while news in it. It is no longer mailed to us because of postal ex penses incurred by our lodge. I per sonally think enough of it that I am paying for my own subscription. Conversely, I can hardly be convinced that this expence is an excruciating one at bulk rate. Leonard Wood Lodge in the Philippines does it, and so does practically every other lodge in that jurisdiction as far as I can find out. This receiving of commu nications is about the only value re ceived from the Home Lodge, for dues paid, other than having a place to call "Home.” The York Rite Bo dies on Okinawa are able to furnish The Ladder, a quarterly publication of the York Rite, while at die same time it supports three bodies for only a small amount of dues in excess of what the Blue Lodge charges. And just for good measure, to its more than 100 members, the Secretary often adds a personal note. A Newsletter would not be an in surmountable task occasionally. One of the Past Matrons of Shuri Chap ter No. 1, O. E. S. on Okinawa, rec ognizing the problem of lack of com munication, published a Newsletter not long ago about the happenings on Okinawa, and quoted several let ters from members scattered around the world. This was not an elaborate publication, just a few <S% x 13 sheets mimeographed and stapled together, mailed out through the Chapter. It was very well received. The Blue Lodge is the basic organization upon which all other Masonic activities are s;-tellited. By that analogy it should be leading, guiding, and directing the others — especially in member rapport. Closing with a paraphrase of the Writer Paul, a simple direct-style writer, "I exhort you Brethren to communicate with me for I have been with you and worked with you, and we are as one Body.” A A. A THE CABLE TOW January, 1961

pages

79-80

Media