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Braden Lodge News : LODGE COURTESIES
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| Posted by John Stitely on 2008/3/28 20:10:00 (1872 reads) News by the same author |
This is edited and expanded from a Short Talk Bulletin deals about Masonic protocols and courtesies, I thought this was an excellent reminder. Additionally as we have just initiated several Brothers this may be of timely information to them.
Conventions are the rules which society makes for itself, without the force of law, by which its members live together with the least friction. It is not a sin to eat with one's knife or to keep one's hat on in the house. But these are not "good form" or good manners.
Masonry has developed its own conventions, by which its members act in lodge and the anteroom. Not to proceed according to their dictates is not a Masonic offense; it is merely a lack of Masonic manners.
As you passed through the Third Degree you received instructions in the Ritual and the obligation. You were carefully taught those essential things which a man must know in order to be a Mason. But unless you belong to a most unusual lodge, or had a most wise brother for a mentor, you may not have been told much about these little niceties of lodge conduct. by custom, you are supposed to attend your lodge and learn by observation.
Not all brethren are observing, however. It is not uncommon to see some brother, old enough in Masonry to know better, crossing the lodge room between the Altar and the East. He might have observed that his brethren did not do it; but it is more difficult to note the absence of an act than to take cognizance of something done.
Brethren do not pass between the Altar and the East in lodge. It is a convention; there is no penalty for its infraction. It is a courtesy offered the Master. It is rooted in the theory that, as the Great Lights and the Charter of the lodge are essential to the regularity of the meeting, as these are the particular care of the Master, and as their place is upon the Altar, the Master should never be interrupted in his plain view of them, even for an instant.
Well informed brethren do not take seats in the East without invitation. All brethren within the tiled door are equal; the officers are the servants of their brethren and not their superiors. All seats, then, might well be considered open to all. But Masonry exacts long services of her officers; Past Masters have worked hard and long for the lodge they love. The Master recognizes their devotion and their loyalty with a special word of welcome, and an invitation to them to occupy a seat with him, in the East where they once sat. From this pretty custom has developed the invitation to a "seat in the East" to any distinguished visitor, or some member the Master wishes especially to honor. If all in the lodge helped themselves to seats in the East there would be no opportunity for the Master to offer that courtesy.
The Worshipful Master in the East occupies the most exalted position in the gift of the lodge. A lodge which does not honor its Master, is lacking in Masonic courtesy. The position he occupies, more than the man, must be given the utmost respect, if the traditions of the Fraternity are to be observed.
The Master is at the very least, a Brother, A member of the Lodge who has devoted seven years or more in service of that lodge, He has been selected from his bretheren by the members to hold this position thus signs of respect to him are to the man, the service, the members of the Lodge and the ancient Tradtions of Masonry. Therefore, when you salute the Master, it is not to only “Abel Baker”, the man who happens to be the Master, that you offer a salute when you enter or retire from lodge. While each of these, the man, the brother, the service, the Lodge, and the Fraternity, is alone deserving of your respect; when combined in the symbol that the Master is, the minimal offering due are the ritual acts of courtesy.
Like any other salute, this may be done courteously and as if you meant it, or perfunctorily as if you did not care. The salute to the Master is your renewed pledge of fealty and service, your public recognition before all men, of your obligation. It is performed before the Master and the Altar to show him your veneration for his authority, your respect for all that for which he stands. To offer your salute as if you were in a hurry, too lazy properly to make it, or bored with its offering, is to be, Masonically, a boor.
“Your attendance at our meetings is earnestly solicited.” In you choice of dress be advised Dress varies according to the custom of the individual lodge and occasion. Dress should however always be tasteful and respectful.
On entering the Lodge building, it is appropriate and customary to shake hands with each brother in attendance. This custom regrettably gets overlooked. There is an old tradtion of brothers resolving all difference prior to sitting in Lodge together. In English Lodges the Entered Apprentice Charge includes directions to resolve any such difficulties before entering the Lodge so as not to bring the spirit of disharmony into the Lodge. In the second lecture you are informed that the handshake is a symbol of and a pledge of our fidelity in the work in which we are engaged. The custom of shaking handsbefore Lodge distills both of these laudable ideas into a simple symbolic act. Further should thir be issues between two brothers it offers a ritualize opportuntiy to begin that reconciliation. On minor issues it may be that the act becomes a silent acknowledgement of “No hard feelings” and this custom becomes a part of the collective rites- the “proof” of the Lodges Peace and Harmony.
Promptness in ones appointments is a virtue among masons as well as in the world at large. We as masons are charged with extra consideration to our brothers therfore one should endeavor to arrive on time for Lodge or other appointments. If you are late, as does happen, even to the most dilligent, you may gain admission to the Lodge. If you arrive at a lodge meeting after it has opened. You should sing in the Tyler’s book and put on your apron in the appropriate manner, The Tyler will announce your arrival to the Junior Deacon, who informs the Worshipful Master. You will then be instructed to go West of the Altar facing East or to the Senior Warden facing West, give the Due Guard and Sign to the appropriate officer and be seated.
Brethren who respect the formalities of their lodge will not enter it undressed; that is, without their apron, or while putting that apron on. The spectacle of a brother walking up to the Altar, tying the strings and adjusting his apron while the Master waits for his salute, is not a pretty one. A man who entered church buttoning up his collar and tying his necktie could hardly be arrested, but he would surely receive unflattering comment. The strangeness of the new badge of a Mason and unfamiliarity with its meaning cause many to forget that it is as important to a Mason in lodge as clean linen, properly adjusted, is to the man in the street.
A man in lodge is the servant of his brethren, if he engages in any lodge activity. Servants stand in the presence of their superiors. Therefore, no Mason sits while speaking, whether he addresses an officer or another brother. This does not refer to conversation on the benches during refreshment, but to discussion on the floor during business meeting.
During the refreshment the Master relinquishes the gavel to the Junior Warden in the South, which thus becomes, for the time being, constructively the East. All that has been said about the respect due the Master in the East applies now to the Junior Warden in the South.
It is illegal to enter or leave the room during a ballot; it is generally, discourteous to leave during a speech, or during a degree, except at the several natural periods which end one section and begin another, or in the cases of the call of nature or the peformance of a duty for the Lodge.
A courteous brother does not lightly refuse a request made in the name of the lodge. There are three duties which devolve upon the membership which are too often "the other fellow's business." Every lodge at some time has a knock upon the door from some visiting brother. This requires the services of two brethren from the lodge on the examination committee. Some one has to do that work. To decline it, on any ground whatever, is discourteous to the Master, to whom you have said, in effect, "I don't want to do my share; let George do it. I just want to sit here and enjoy myself while the other fellows do the work."
A degree cannot well be put on without the services of conductors. When you are assigned such a piece of work, it is not Masonic courtesy to refuse, for the same reasons given above. And if you are selected as a member of the Fellowcraft 'team in the Master Mason degree, the only reason for not accepting is that of physical disability. Like other matters herein spoken of, refusal here is not a Masonic offense. Neither is it a legal offense to drink from a finger bowl, seat yourself at table before your hostess, or spit on your host's parlor floor! But the convention of good manners is what makes society pleasant, and Masonic good manners make lodge meetings pleasant.
One does not talk in church. God's House is not for social conversation; it is for worship and the learning of the lesson of the day. A good Mason does not talk during the conferring of a degree. The lodge room is then a Temple of the Great Architect of the Universe, with the brethren working therein doing their humble best to make better stones for His spiritual Temple. Good manners as well as reverence dictate silence and attention during the work; officers and degree workers cannot do their best if distracted by conversation, and the irreverence cannot help but be distressing to candidates.
There is a special lodge courtesy to be observed in all debates to any motion. When one wishes to speak they should stand an wait to be recognized. When recognized, address the Worshipful
Master, give his title, the sign only, and continue your statement.
The Salute should also be given to the Master at when You are finished speaking. One speaks to the Master; the Master is the lodge. One does not turn one's back on him to address the lodge without permission from him. The spectacle of two brethren on their feet at the same time, arguing over a motion, facing each other and ignoring the Master, is not one which any Master should permit. But it is also one which no Master should have to prevent!
Failure to obey the gavel at once is a grave discourtesy. The Master is all powerful in the lodge. He can put or refuse to put any motion. He can rule any brother out of order on any subject at any time. He can say what he will, and what he will not, permit to be discussed. Brethren who think him unfair, arbitrary, unjust, or acting illegally, have redress; the Grand Lodge can be appealed to on any such matter. But in the lodge, the gavel, emblem of authority, is supreme. When a brother is rapped down, -he should at once obey, without further discussion. It is very bad manners to do otherwise; indeed, it is close to the line between bad manners and a Masonic offense.
Failure to vote on a petition is so common in many jurisdictions that it may be considered stretching the list to include it under a heading of lodge discourtesies. In smaller lodges the Master probably requires the satisfaction of the law which provides that all brethren present vote. In larger ones, where there is much business, and many petitions, he may, and often does, declare the ballot closed after having asked, "Have all the brethren voted?" Even though he knows quite well that they have not all voted. This is not the place to discuss whether the Master is right or wrong in such action. But the brother who does not vote, because too lazy, or too indifferent, or for any other reason, is discourteous because he injures the ballot, its secrecy, its importance, and its value. Few brethren would be so thoughtless as to remain seated, or stand by their chairs, when a candidate is brought to light. Yet indifference to one's part in this solemn ceremony is less bad manners than indifference to the ballot; the former injures only a ceremony; the latter may injure the lodge, and by that injury, the fraternity.
It is a courtesy to the Master to advise him beforehand that you intend to offer thus and such a motion, or wish to bring up thus and such a matter for discussion. You have the right to do it without apprising him in advance, just as he has the right to rule you out of order. But the Master may have plans of his own for that meeting, into which your proposed motion or discourse does not fit.
Therefore, it is a courtesy to him, to ask him privately if you may be recognized for your purpose, and thus save him the disagreeable necessity of seeming arbitrary in a public refusal.
Lodge courtesies, like those of the profane world, are founded wholly in the Golden Rule. They oil the Masonic wheels and enable them to revolve without creaking. They smooth the path of all in the lodge, and prove to all and sundry the truth of the ritualistic explanation of that "more noble and glorious purpose" to which we are taught to put the trowel. |
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| Russell |
Posted: 2008/4/6 20:56 Updated: 2008/4/6 20:56 |
Just popping in   Joined: 2007/4/22 From: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 17 |
 Re: LODGE COURTESIES Nice bit of information, well done!
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