It is the internal qualifications

Title

Creator

Karschner, Norman W.

Language

English

Source

The Cabletow XXXVIII (1) July 1962

Year

1962

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

“It is the Internal Qualifications” WB Norman W. Karschner, P.M. District Deputy Grand Master, Japan In the lecture of the Entered Ap prentice Degree, which all newly made Masons hear on their first night in Masonry, we learn that “it is the internal, and not the external qualifications which recommend a man to be made a Mason.” We also learn that a charter is an instrument ‘ authorizing certain brethren to ini tiate, pass and raise all good men and true who may apply for the pur pose and whom they may find wor thy.” I low many of us ieallv lake these things to heart and consciously strive to make Masonry what the ancient charges and regulations prescribe that it should be — a brotherhood of man under the Fatherhood of God, a fraternal haven for men of all races, creeds and religions, all backgrounds and all stations in lile, provided only that they meet the qualifications of be lief in a Supreme Being, good moral character, and "being a man, free-born, under the tongue of good report and coming well recommended'" How many of us. as individual Masons, see fit to take it upon ourselves to impose ad ditional qualifications, such as "He must be a Christian,” “He must not be a Catholic or a Jew,” “He must not be a janitor or a bricklayer,” "His salary must be at least S16.000 per year,” "He must be white," and myriad other conditions which a brother imposes to suit his own per sonal beliefs rather than conforming to the philosophy of Masonry? I have often heard a Brother say, regarding a prospective member, "Why, he’s a waiter (or a janitor, or a ditchdigger).” I cannot say that I have ever heard a Brother express a belief that a candidate should be rejected for this reason, but by his evident air of distaste during the dis cussion, it is usually quite plain to those listening that the speaker is not at all pleased by the idea of basing that individual in his lodge. While this type of unmasonic con duct will not influence the older, more experienced Masons who arc trying hard to live the teachings of Masonry, it is certainly not a good example for the newer Masons who have not yet formed their Masonic philosophy of life. Each of these lit tle incidents constitutes another brick in the wall of intolerance be ing erected around every one of us by those who are seeking to impose their own bigoted thinking upon the entire Fraternity. One qualification which is im posed so often by individual breth ren that many believe it to be ;r bona-fide requirement for member ship is that a candidate must be white, or reasonably so. This false belief is much more prevalent among brethren in the United States than anywhere else in the world. So much so, in fact, that it is difficult to find a non-white Mason in many parts of the country. I cannot state with certainty that a non-white Mason would be denied admission to a lodge if he attempted to visit, but in certain sections of the United States it would certainly cause a great deal of consternation among the members, and particularly among the officers who would be charged with the decision to admit him or turn him away. Why? If he is a Mason in good standing, and can produce proper voucher of his hav ing been initiated, passed, and raised in a duly constituted lodge, there is no question as to what Masonic courtesy requires. Yet we will find, in many cases, that the brethren con cerned will allow their personal pre judice to become the master of their judgment, to the detriment of the teachings of Masonry. My study of this prejudice bears out my original belief that it is di rected mostly against members of the Negro race. 1 cannot count the number of times I have been ap proached by well-meaning brethren who inform, me, with the uimost se riousness, that they fear that a cer tain individual, who is a religious, clean-living person of high morals, and whom they like personally, is going to request a petition for mem ber ship. However, there is one catch: He is a Negro. “What shall I do to discourage him?” the broth er asks, “How can I refuse him dip lomatically?" The tragedy of this, My Brethren, is that the brother asks not “What shall I do to help break down this barrier?” but through misguided thinking, based on remarks he has heard passed by other brethren, he is seeking a way to dissuade the man from petition ing. I have even heard brothers go so far as to state flatly that they would not sit in a lodge if a Negro visitor were to be admitted, but rather that they would depart from the lodge immediately. 1 ask you, My Brethren, is this what we are taught in Masonry? Many newly made Masons are con fused, and on occasion bitterly dis appointed, when they learn of the prejudicial practices to which mem bers of the Fraternity subscribe. They have joined Masonry out of a sincere desire to promote the gen eral good of society. They have learned that the three principal ten ets of Masonry are Brotherly Love Relief and Truth, and they eagerly look forward to the opportunity of promoting these tenets. They arc no sooner accepted into Masonry, how ever, than they are rudely awakened from their idealistic dreams. They find two of these tenets, Brotherly Love and Truth, being flagrantly ig nored. They are disillusioned with Masonry before they arc well into it. Admittedly, not all new Masons even become aware of these viola tions of our basic tenets until much later, as the problem docs not arise in many lodges. When they do no tice it, they feel nothing — they have learned to accept without protest that which once would have serious ly shaken their beliefs. It is not to any of these brethren that I am speak ing. Rather, it is to those in the first group I have mentioned that my remarks will apply. It is not to be supposed, or even hoped, that a revolution will be brought about overnight, that bigot ed thinking and personal prejudices THE CABLE TOW July, 1962 will be banished from the lodge room tomorrow, or even next week. But it behooves every one of us, each Mason and particularly each mem ber of a non-white jurisdiction such as ours, to take up our trowels and do our part toward spreading the cement of brotherly love and affec tion throughout all mankind, in eve ry land and without regard to race, creed, color, occupation or other ex ternal qualifications. This is not a plea for change in any of our valid lodge landmarks or practices. It is merely a reminder to every brother within hearing that Masonry and its teachings re quires of all of us adherence to cer tain principles and precepts, that if you want to live according to the Masonic, way of life, and hope to be credited with retaining that good ness of heart, that purity of inten tion and that love of virtue which we all have been thought to possess at one time, you cannot ignore these principles. z\s a Mason, it is your duly not only to live by them, but to dedicate yourself to instilling them in others, particularly in Ma sons. Remember that you ate author ized to correct the irregularities of your less informed brethren, and that you must be ever ready to stretch forth a helping hand to raise a fallen brother. You arc to whisper good counsel in his ear and, in the friend liest manner possible, endeavor to bring about a reformation. I bis means that when you see a brother straying from the broad pathway of Masonry; when you know that he is transgressing its principles and tenets, it is your sacred duty to en deavor to bring him back into the fold, to strive with all that is in you to raise this fallen brother. When you do this, you are a Mason. When you can truthfully say to yourself and to the world that you arc living and teaching the vital precepts of Masonry, and not just paying them lip service, then, my friend, you are a true brother. You can never achieve this stale of perfection by a lackadaisical altitude; by remaining silent when you hear unmasonic con versations among other brethren. You must be aggressive; you must constantly strive to make less inform ed brethren see, not your viewpoint, but the Masonic viewpoint based on the philosophy which has been and is being taught you in the lodge. You must never be afraid of what others will think. If you arc pro mulgating tlte true teachings of Ma sonry, no brother can think anything but good of you. He will say to him self, "There is a brother who has the courage of his convictions and is not afraid to argue them. Would that I had such courage.” You will have light on your side, and it has been historically proven, time and again, that right makes might. In closing, allow me to remind you once again, My Brethren that ‘ it is the internal, and not the ex ternal, qualifications which recom mend a man to be made a Mason.” I daily examine myself in a threefold manner: in my transactions with men, if I am upright; in my intercourse with friends, if I am faithful; and whether 1 illustrate the leachings of mv master in mv conduct. -Confm 9

pages

7-9

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