The functions of freemasonry

Title

Language

English

Source

The Cabletow Volume XLII (No. 2) February 1966

Year

1966

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

Address delivered by Kt. Wor. Dr. Raymond E. Wilmarth, DGM, at the Convention of Visayan Masonic Lodges in Dumaguete City, January 8, 1966

Fulltext

(Address delivered by Kt. Wor. Dr. Raymond E. Wilmarth, DGM, at the Con vention of Visayan Masonic Lodges in Dumaguete City January 8, 1966) Men were embracing Masonry, in some form or other, long before re corded history began. Why have men become Masons throughout the ages? Why do men continue to be come Masons? Why did you become a Mason? Perhaps the answer is not the same for every brother, but if we search for it, there is an under lying reason common to all which can be found by examining carefully the function of Freemasonry. The purpose which Freemasonry serves in the lives of men. Masonic historians may disagree on the actual date that Freemasonry ceased its operative function and be came the speculative fraternity that it is today but they are in gqperal agreement that whenever that date was, it was a long, long time ago. On the other hand, there is no dis pute that the first Grand Lodge in the world was constituted in Lon don on June 2-1, 1717, from which came the Freemasonry you and I know and practice here in the Phil ippines. Today there is a greater need for the world to know more about the function of Freemasonry. To some, it provides a way of life; to others a common ground on which to meet other men looking lor truth; to some, it is a haven for lonely men seek ing the fellowship of other men; and to our critics, it is the instrument of the very devil himself. If our Brethren were more conscious of the critical eyes which scrutinize their daily activities and ears that listen to their words, they w’ould take bet ter care that their deeds would pro ject an image of Masonry that would no longer be the disputed subject o( controversy. The booklet published by the Grand Lodge of Kansas entitled “The Master Mason”, states, “Free masonry will be to you what you will make of it.” It then continues, "Masonry’s great mission is to bring mankind to a full comprehension of the Brotherhood of all men under the Fatherhood of one Everlasting God. In seeking to accomplish that mission, Masonry calls upon each of her sons to contribute something: to perform some great service to his fel lowmen. It is the internal and not the external qualifications of a man which is regarded by Masons, and your mark among us will depend greatly upon the performance of those things which tend to increase the stature of your inner self. In that manner you will be building your Masonic edifice, that house not made with hands eternal in the heavens.” According to the ancient charges Freemasonry offers itself as “the cen ter of union between good men and true, and the happy means of con ciliating friendship amongst those who must otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance.” Freema sonry has survived centuries of changes in culture and political forms of government and has with stood persistent attacks from multi tudes of uninformed and misin formed critics. The fact that Free masonry has survived under these circumstances is ample evidence that it does serve an important purpose in the lives of men; if not all men, most certainly those men who have 14 The Cabletow embraced it and have remained ac tive in it. Masonry knows no language bar riers, observes no political bounda ries, and is not restricted by religious beliefs. Freemasonry, believing in God, the Great Architect of the Uni verse and the life everlasting, is a fraternity of men dedicated to the building of temples within the hearts of men throughout the world, whcrcever men may be. While Freemasonry may have a different meaning to each of its members, its basic meanings are com mon to all. From its name Free masonry, we are immecdiately in formed that its basic concern is the desire to remain FREE. It is per haps because of this that it has been the source of many free thinkers who have arisen from its ranks to become national heroes, leading their countrymen out of oppression to en joy the benefits of political freedom. The word Freemasonry suggests a personal religion and a philosophical way of lile. While it is admitted that the primary basis of Freemason ry is religion, Freemasonry is defi nitely not a substitute for any form of religious beliefs and it does not seek to undermine or destroy any es tablished religion. Masonic meet ings are prohibited from being held on the Sabbath, since that day is set aside with reverence by Masons to render their respect to God by wor shipping in accoi dance with the teachings and ritual of their religion. Masonry does not ask its members to accept any particular religion but to be better followers of their respec tive beliefs. Freemasonry provides a place for all people who believe in God to meet regardless of creed, dogma, or ritual; whether they be Jews, Bud dhists, Mohammedans, Hindus, or Christians. The Masonic Lodge is the only common ground where be lievers of different faiths can join to gether in praying to their common God, the Great Architect of the Uni verse for wisdom and guidance in their daily lives. Most men believe that man is fun damentally good and wants to do good. Some men, however, have not been able to discipline themselves to keep their individual lives within, the due bounds expected by society. Generally these men will not be found within Masonic Lodges be cause Freemasonry is a highly selec tive association and the members of each Lodge, through the judicious use of the ballot box, admit only good men who have been able to keep their passions and actions with in the due bounds of propriety. Freemasonry provides for those men who are accepted as Brothers, a continuing opportunity to serve mankind and in so doing improve the individual himself by budding within his heart greater strength and courage to practice out of the Lodge the good works taught within it, not for any material benefits which may accrue, but because of the richer re ward of knowing ne has helped his fellowmcn. Most people arc fast to talk and slow to act. Although talk is essen tial to exchanging ideas, it never gets a job done. Thinking is fundamen tal, but the best thoughts in the world are of little value, if no one puts them into action. The Lodge is a place where good men can as semble to translate good thoughts in to good deeds. Every day each of us goes about living much the same as every one else. There are a few who try to do better than the rest or to accom plish more than others, but their di vided efforts seldom reach above the average. The Lodge provides a place where tlte efforts of good men can Turn to next pege February 1966 15 be coordinated and harnessed for a better than average performance that will help others. Most people spend nearly all of their lives trying to copy others and don’t have any time left to do something distinctly their own. The Lodge is a place where original thinking and action is in spired. Once conceived, the creative idea can be put into coordinated ac tion for a dynamic accomplishment. The main difference between the average man and the successful man is — the average man is a follower while the successful man is a leader. The difference between the follow er and the leader is — superior hu man performance. The Lodge ac cepts all as equals and gives to each the equal opportunity to serve. Through the work, leaders are dis covered within the Lodge and re peated opportunities give them the chance to excel themselves but only lhe individual can improve himself. His family can help, iris school can help, his employer can help, his Lodge can help but in the long run personal improvement is strictly PERSONAL. If a brother has the will to personally improve, the Lodge will provide the place and the opportunity for him to improve. The vital comparison of men and the leader is that men look to the past to find the standards set by others, they conform to those stand ards and hope to comply better than other men to what is discrete and acceptable whereas, leaders arc men of vision. Leaders not only know what is the best -r; existing standdards — but in addition, they can visualize what should be done to im prove themselves, their society, and their nation. What is more impor tant, they have the courage to act even though it is not in conformity with past or present standards be cause they know that more than pas sive compliance is necessary to move forward. They know that positive non-conforming action is essential to the progress of man individually and of all men collectively, and they know that only strong men of vision can meet this challenge. History has shown that here in the Philippines and elsewhere in the world many of the strong men of vision who have emerged as world leaders began their ascent within a Lodge of Freemasons. No greater challenge can be made upon the courage of man than to live a moral life while exposed to the material environment and expe riences of earthly existence. The valor of a Mason is not tested on the field of battle but within the confines of his conscience. It is my fervent hope that now and in the future our Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in the Philippines will be the source of strong men of vision who will seize the opportunities provided by Ma sonry and emerge to lead this great nation onward and upward to its rightful place in the political, eco nomic, cultural and scientific world of tomorrow. We must visualize the needs of our Fraternity and start do ing something about it TODAY. That is why we all came here to this convention. We were looking for the opportunity to act for the good of our Order. Let us not depart until each one of us has done his work. We want more Masons, but we want real Masons. We want more Masonic Lodges, but we want strong Lodges. We want a Militant Masonry — ever moving forward, in the service of God, executing the will and de sign of lhe Great Architect of the Universe. A 16 The Cabletow

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