The bridge to the future of masonry

Title

Creator

Smith, Emory Clark

Language

English

Source

The Cabletow Volume III (New Series No. 4) April 1961

Year

1961

Subject

Masonry

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

THE BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE OF MASONRY BRO. CAPT. EMORY CLARK SMITH, USN Asst. Chief of Staff for Legal Affairs COMNAV-I’HIL. Sangley, Cavite First, I want to state, and 1 think J express the sentiments of all Amer ican Masons in the Philippines, particulary those American Masons at the U. S. Naval Station at Sangley Point, our heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to be nurtured in our practice of M a s o n ry at the rich feasting table of Philippine Masonrv. To be with vntt is alwass an inspiration by which we are able to rededicate ourselves to the eternal tenets of Masonry when visiting this wonderful lodge. I congratulate the officers just installed in this impres sive ceremony. After the effective and brilliant charge and admonition given each officer by Brother Donado, yov do not need me to remind you of the grave responsibilities now thrust upon you. We all have every confi dence that you will rise to the chal lenge posed by your new duties. For want of a better one, I have < liosen as my topic tonight the Bridge to the Future of Masonry. My re marks will be few, but I hope you will find them pungent enough that you will share my own feelings re garding the challenges and new hori zons that face all Masons tomorrow. First, we should examine what Ma sons have been doing in the past, what Masons must do tomorrow. During past years we have devoted much effort to our charities, looking after each other, our widows and or phans, the sick and infirm and num erous other worthwhile activities. Of this work we can all take pride. How about today? We are doing our best to continue those good works of yesteryear. We have also sought to expand our membership. We have encouraged our companion and subsidiary organizations such as the DeMolay, Job’s Daughters, and the Eastern Star, but we know that what we are doing today at this Christmas time of I960 is not enough. What then is our challenge for tomorrow — What, also arc the new horizons which will lace us tomorrow? 1 am no seer or a clair voyant, but some of these things I do see: First, our current activities must be intensifed and expanded. Yes, we have more destitute widows and orphans than ever before, we must do all we can to further the cause of public education lor all. since it is in the hands of our chil dren that the future of the lice world lies. We must prepare the way for them. We must do all we can to promote those things that will insure full employment for all. We must drive poverty Irom the lace of 99 the earth, we must insure equality of opportunity to all, we must be certain that our institutions and our per sonal lives arc so directed to insure social justice for all. Why have all these things so sud denly confronted us, and to which we must now face-up? 1 can give a partial answer: Some of these chal lenges or problems have been the re sult of our own derelictions. Some of them have resulted from misguid ed custom stretching over generations and we are now just reaching the point in a complex and sophisticated society where we can perceive some of the errors of our old habits, tra ditions and customs. But of all the challenges facing us in our time is the paramount and transcendent challenge of World Peace. We find this year, as is customary, ihc distinguished officers of this lodge sworn in at the lime of the Birth day of the Prince of Peace. Bui even at this glorious moment we tan hear the voices of free men everywhere calling out for peace. But we find the Mad (logs of Communism in Peiping and Moscow, blustering, bullying, threatening, flatly refusing to sit with the leaders of the free nations to even discuss peace. There would be no need for a NATO or a SEATO or an ANZIIS or a single American military base overseas if free men had not felt it necessary to protect themselves against the cannibalistic daws of Communism. It was not free men who divided Germany: It was not free men who halved Korea and Indo-China by bloody conllict; It was not free men who conducted the murder, pillage and enslavement of Tibet: Il was noi free men who slammed an Iron Curtain around Eastern Europe and who butchered the Hun garians for wanting freedom; It was not free men who after enslaving Tibet now seek, to encroach on India's borders; It was not free men who have in vaded Laos; It was not free men who conspired and aspired to spread a tyranny which recognizes neither God nor humanity; It was not free men who started the arms rate — they have belter things than arms on which to spend their energy and wealth; It was not free men who plundered and conquered territories and held millions in misery for years; But it was free men who produced the Athlaniic Charier of human rights; It was lice men who founded the fnited Nations Organization: It was free men who have striven to aid the under-developed nations, to succor the sick and hungry people of the World; And one thing we can all be sure of is that it Ik’/l.S' free men who founded EREE MASONRY! Then how can you and I obtain peace? We know that by keeping our selves militarily strong this can go a long way toward avoiding bloody conflict. This, we must sec that our respective nations do. But what is needed today more than military hardware is an awareness by all of us of just what and where the real arena of battle is located and the moral strength to enter that battle and fight it to the victory of ever lasting peace. Wc know that as long as we keep militarily strong no com munist jackal will dare attack you 100 THE CABLE TOW April, 1961 ('.apt. E. (.. Smith and 1, bin instead will employ its customary weapons <>l deceit. misre presentation, fraud, infiltration, dis tortion, subversion and the BIG I.IE! That is what it is doing today. This means that the battle is raging about us night and day in the home, in the factory, and in out social ins titutions to the end that discord and strife will be fomented within the fortress of democracy which are cal culated to weaken all of us to the point where we will be pushovers for Communist enslavement. Of all the free institutions hated most by the Communists, Free Masonry pro bably heads their list. In short the battle ground is men's minds. As we all know, democracy con tains the seeds of its own destruction. When people look forward to the great promise that democracy posses ses and see irresponsible and corrupt leadership — to them it is the triumph of evil over good and when this hap pens they look to something else that they feel offers them a better life and their succcptibility to com munism's wiles increases. The friends of Communism are poverty, ignorance, unemployment, social inequality, lack of equal op portunity, grail and corruption in government, lack of adequate educa tion to mention a few. It is in these areas that the great challenge to Masonry lies, for it is we who are Masons who can lead the fight to < reate an invincible moral and social armament which will be impetvious to the onslaught ol Communist sub version. Before we tan do this, however, we must have a searching self-examina tion. You anti I must develop in ourselves a dedicated, if not indeed, a fanatical, sense of mission. Hav ing done that then what do we do? 1 can tell you that we can do what Masons have clone lot thousands ol vears — We tan go back to the very foundation stones of Masonry embo died in the Sermon on the Mount and the Fen Commandments. A re dedication to these principles we well know gives us moral strength anti courage. Without them our fight would be lost before it started. Next, we tan dwell upon what the brotherhood of Masonry really means. What that tompanionship or rather b r o t h e r 1 y companionship really means. Except for the close relation ship of husband and wife, brotherly companionship as known to Masons, is perhaps the closest of all human relationships; it is that treading to gether along life's pathway to eternity. We must also thoroughly examine the structure of our own lodges and rid out lodges of those who be 101 long only as a matter of personal convenience. Self-sacrifice and hu mility arc the hall-marks of the true Mason. We must not seek members simply for the sake of numbers, we must seek members of the highest and toughest moral fiber. Better to have 10 members who are true and dedi cated practicing Masons than a 100 who only give lip service to this cherished organization and consort with concubines and corruption as a mode of life. Once having cleansed and rcdcdicated ourselves we thus command the resped of everyone be he friend or enemy. Hand in hand with resped would go leadership and with leadership, Masons, in the appli cation of Masonic principle, can be certain that they have done their part: that you and I as Masons, have fought the good light to protect the imperishable ideals of a free de mocracy. We will have won the fight for everlasting peace. Yet, also we will have built the Bridge for future generations who will follow us. So it is that we must meet the challenges and New Horizons of tommorrow. An old man going a lone highway, Came in the evening cold and To a c hasm vast and deep and wide, The old man c rossed in the twilight dim, The sullen stream had no fear for him; But he turned when safe, on the other side, And built a bridge to stem the tide. "Old man," said a fellow-pilgrim near, "You arc wasting your strength in building here; Your journey will end with the ending day, You never again will pass this way; You’ve crossed the chasm deep and wide, Why build you this bridge at evening tide?” The builder lifted his old gray head, "Good friend, in the way I’ve come," lie said, "There followetli after me today, A youth whose feet must pass this way. The sullen stream was naught to me, To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be; Good friend, I am building the bridge for him.” MEMORIAL LODGE NO. 90 Munoz, Nueva Ecija The newly elected and appointed olliters of .Memorial Lodge No. 90 for the Masonic year 1961 were ins talled on January 11, 1961, at the Memorial Lodge Hall. Most Wor shipful Bro. Macario M. Ofikida, Past Grand Master (12), was the insstalling officer. Very Worshipful Bro. Hcrmogenes P. Oliveros, was the Master of Ceremonies. Worshipful Bro. Patricio A. del Rosario (12), Grand Lodge Inspector was the guest speaker. He was introduced by Wor shipful Bro. Marianito O. Tinio, (hand Lodge Inspector (53). The installing officer gave the citation and presented the Past Masters jewel to Worshipful Bro. Onofre B. Padolina, four times Worshipful Master of this Lodge - 1953, 1957, 1959, I960). Very Wor. Bro. Doroteo M. Joson (53), District Deputy Grand Master, 6th. Masonic District of the Philip pines, gave the dosing remarks. 102 THE CABLE TOW April, 1961

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