152 lines
8.2 KiB
Plaintext
152 lines
8.2 KiB
Plaintext
From: Peter Trei <ptrei@mitre.org>
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Subject: Masonic Pamphlet: Should I ask?
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What follows the <FF> is a public booklet about Masonry. Between this and
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the other one I will post, most of the questions and mis-conceptions about
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Masonry should be answered. ;-)
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This is from a booklet called "Should I Ask?", published by Supreme
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Council Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction.
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THE MASONIC COMMITTMENT TO CHARACTER
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Many years ago, the famous Dr. Albert Schweitzer wrote these magnificent
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words,
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It is not enough merely to exist.... Every man has to seek in
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his own way to make his own self more noble and to realize his
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own true worth.
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Those words capture the meaning of Freemasonry. As the world's oldest and
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largest fraternity, our goal is to build a man's most valuable
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possession--his character.
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We believe that the strength of the family, the church, the community and
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our country rests with men of strong conviction, firm ethical and moral
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values and a devotion to our democratic system of government. As Masons,
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we help each other intensify our devotion to these enduring values.
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In a day when it seems that few people really care about rising to the
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highest and best in life, it is good to know that there is a group where a
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man can work to really improve himself.
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In lodge meetings, there is no talk of politics, no discussion of
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religious issues, even though every Mason must affirm a belief--according
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to his own understanding--in deity and devotion to his country.
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Masons are concerned with developing their minds and enlarging their scope
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of knowledge. In a word, Masons are dedicated to becoming better men.
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Because a man's personal desire to build his own character is at the heart
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of being a Mason, you must ask to join. You must make the request.
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Men of every walk of life belong to Masonic Lodges. They are proud of
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their centuries of tradition, their belief in brotherhood, country and the
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many Masonic acts of charity and compassion.
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THE FOUNDING OF FREEMASONRY
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The origins of Masonry reach back to Medieval times when the great
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cathedrals of Europe were built. The stonemasons who created these
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awe-inspiring Gothic structures formed craft guilds to protect the secrets
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of their trade and to pass on their knowledge to worthy apprentices.
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In 17th century England, these guilds began accepting honorary members,
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men of learning and position. These new members were not working
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stonemasons or even associated with the building trades. As "accepted
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Masons," they eventually grew into a separate organization called
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Freemasonry, a moral and ethical society that taught the 18th century
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ideals of equality and the importance of education in freeing mankind from
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prejudice, superstition and social injustice.
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MASONRY TODAY
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Masons continue to use the simple tools of the ancient stonemasons--the
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square and compasses, the trowel, plumb and level--as symbols to teach
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their ideals. A Mason is oath-bound to build his life and character with
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the same care and precision that stonemasons used to construct the
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cathedrals and temples centuries ago.
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Today, there are almost five-million Masons in the world, with the United
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States claiming about three and one half million of the total membership.
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MASONIC CONCERN FOR OTHERS
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Freemasonry has an outstanding record for helping others. Along with
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scholarships and loan funds to assist young people in furthering their
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education. Masons support important research projects aimed at finding
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answers to many devastating diseases. Retirement homes and hospitals for
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the elderly provide care for those who can no longer care for themselves.
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One of Masonry's associated groups operates institutes for the severely
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burned, along with the famous hospitals for crippled children, while
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another sponsers an eye foundation responsible for restoring sight to many
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youngsters and adults.
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One of the nation's most prestigious schizophrenia research programs is
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sponsered by Scottish Rite Masons. Nearly $8,000,000 has been contributed
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since 1934 to finding the causes of this widespread and devastating form
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of mental illness.
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Scottish Rite Masons also sponsor extensive programs to understand and aid
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children suffering from aphasia. These youngsters have serious difficulty
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in learning to speak. Other aphasic children have an inability to read,
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write and communicate in other ways.
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The Scottish Rite Masonic Museum of Our National Heritage in Lexington,
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Massachusetts, expresses the strong Masonic committment to our country, as
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this vigorous institution tells the story of America to thousands of
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visitors. It fosters a feeling of patriotism and a dedication to
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principles which have made this country great.
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THE IMPROVEMENT OF LIFE
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Yes, Masons are members of a fraternity that has its secrets, but the many
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charitable and character-building activities of Freemasonry indicate that
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it is far from a secret organization. Masons are active in their
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dedication to improve life. Always ready to undertake a difficult task in
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a quiet, dignified way, today's Masons go about the job of extending the
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hand of brotherhood.
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It should not be surprising that so many famous men have been proud to be
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called Masons. George Washington and thirteen other Presidents have been
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Masons. Other countries honor such names as Simon Bolivar, Benito Juarez,
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Bernardo O'Higgins, Jose' de San Martin, Francisco de Paula Santander,
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Jose' Rizal, Jose' Marti, Pandit Nehru, Lajos Kossuth, Jonas Furrer,
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Guiseppe Mazzini, Eduard Benes, John A. MacDonald, Edmund Burke and
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Winston Churchill.
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But is is perhaps not as well known that many leaders in the professions,
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arts and sciences and other human endeavors benefiting the world at large
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have been members of the Masonic Fraternity. A few names that come to
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mind are such writers as Walter Scott, Robert Burns, Rudyard Kipling and
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Mark Twain; poets-playwrights--Wassily I. Maikow, Heinrich Heine, Jean
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P.C. de Florian, Leopoldo Lugoner and Antonio de Castro Alves;
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musicians--Wolfgang Mozart, Jean Sibelius, Franz von Liszt, Josef Hayden;
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philosophers--Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Gottholf E. Lessing and Francois
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Voltaire; medicine--Drs. Alexander Fleming, Jules Bordet, Antoine DePage,
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Edward Jenner, Charles and William Mayo and Karl and William Menninger;
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sculptor--Gutzon Borglum; artists--Charles W. Peale and Alfons M. Mucha;
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scientists--Hans C. Orsted, Jons Jakob Frk. von Berzelius, Alfred Edmund
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Brehm, Luther Burbank, Johan Ernst Gunnerus, Albert Abraham Michelson,
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Gaspard Monge, C.F.S. Hahnemann and Pedro N. Arata; labor--Samuel
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Gompers; industrialists and commerce leaders--Henry Ford, Walter P.
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Chrysler, John Wanamaker, S.S. Kresge and J.C. Penney.
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Many others prominent yesterday and today in these and other fields, such
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as the law, religion, space exploration, news media, sports and
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entertainment, have a common bond to Freemasonry.
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THE FIRST STEP
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For the man who is looking for deeper meaning in life and who wants to be
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part of a fraternity committed to his growth and improvement, Masonry is
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filled with marvelous opportunities and limitless possibilities.
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The first step in Masonry is one a man must take for himself. He must say
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"I want to become a Mason." What follows will be a thrilling, exciting and
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extremely worthwhile.
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"Should I ask?" That is the one important question. The answer is up to
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you.
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