May, 2008
Page 10
¡±and improve myself in
Masonry¡±
Visitors who come to a Lodge expecting a fraternal welcome
never forget either its offering or its refusal. The visitor from another
jurisdiction is happy when the Brother who introduces him sits with him and
makes him feel at home. A perfunctory welcome from the East and neglect for the
rest of the evening are not characteristic of that jewel of Masonry, the belief
of every traveling Brother that he can find ¡°a home away from home¡± in any
No phrases seem more fitting than the following by R.W. Henry G. Meacham, Grand Lexcturer, Grand Lodge of New York:
¡°There is a
certain grave beauty in the practice of Masonic etiquette. The Masonic life as
it is lived out in our assemblies is a conscious work of art, with each and every part
coordinated to every other, and instinct with the feeling of the whole. If a
man enters into that system without preparation or forethought, and trusting
only his instincts, his manner will strike an awkward note like a discord
jangling across a strain of music. But, if he has trained himself in his part
and caught the spirit of the whole, the genius of Freemasonry will shine
through. His actions will express itself through ritual, symbol, law,
philosophy, fellowship, and daily deed. To have one¡¯s self thus become a part of a great and living whole is a kind of satisfying
pleasure nothing else can give, a participation in the very life of beauty,
appreciated as much by the beholders as by the actors. This ability to confer
pleasure upon one¡¯s fellows when gathered in communication or in ceremony is
not the least of etiquette¡¯s rewards.¡±
Taken from website ¡°freemasoninformation.com¡±
Good manners in Masonry, like
those in civil life, are rooted in kindness and flower in good will.
Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see.
Luck is a matter of
preparation meeting opportunity.