FREEMASONRY AND EDUCATION
Traditionally, throughout its long history,
Freemasonry has taken a leading role in the promotion of learning and
education. From its early beginnings,
in the 18th century in England and Scotland, Masons were among the
founders of learned academies. Masons
have been active in education at every level from grammar school through
university.
The Charge of the Fellowcraft Degree reminds the
candidate that the impressive ceremonies of the degree are calculated to
inculcate in his mind the importance of studying the liberal arts and
sciences. He is particularly reminded
to study the noble science of Geometry, which forms the basis of
Freemasonry. Not only does Geometry
explain the properties of nature, it demonstrates the more important truths of
morality.
If Freemasonry is “about” anything,
it is about the education of the individual to become a knowledgeable,
informed, and moral human being within society. Education is valued above ignorance. Seeking further Light in Masonry means more than learning more
about the Craft. It also means that
Freemasons and non-Masons alike must discipline themselves to seek knowledge
through whatever means available—by studying at colleges and universities or by
self-directed reading and study.
Because Freemasonry places such
great importance on education, we have become steadfast supporters of the
Public Schools. Horace Mann, the father
of our present system of public schools, wrote that the object of a free public
schools system is “to give every child a free, straight, solid pathway by which
he can walk directly up from the ignorance of an infant to a knowledge of the
primary duties of a man.” The same can,
of course, be said about the progress of a candidate through the three Masonic
Degrees, from Apprentice, to Fellowcraft, to Master Mason.
Freemasonry and the public schools share several
important values. Basic to each is the
concept of the dignity of the individual.
Every man, in every condition, is great. The grandeur of each man’s unique nature makes insignificant all
external distinctions. It is the
internal and not the external qualifications that make a man who he is, and
entitles him to be treated with respect and dignity.
Respect for the dignity of the
individual is essential in a free society.
Human rights rest on human dignity.
Man’s minimum needs must be met if he is to live at all, but men and
women cannot live a human life “unless they have the chance” to satisfy the
needs of their rational and spiritual nature.
Democracy is the only form of government founded on the dignity of
man. Equality and justice, so important
to Freemasons, are the two distinguishing characteristics of democracy. Democracy enables us to enjoy the freedom to
live human lives. We must be free in
order to exercise those talents wherewith God has blessed us, as well to His
glory as to the welfare of our fellow creatures.
Freedom, security and well-being can
only be attained in society through an educated population. James Madison wrote that “Knowledge will
forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must
arm themselves with the power that knowledge gives.” And Thomas Jefferson said:
“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization,
it expects what never was and never will be.”
Our Founding Fathers, Freemason and non-Mason alike,
understood that eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. And vigilance requires an educated
population equipped with the skills to learn about and discuss the great
issues. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787
was one of the greatest accomplishments of the infant United States. Under its regulations, Congress set aside a
section in each township in the old Northwest Territory (Ohio, Indiana, etc)
for the support of public schools. This
was the first time in history that a government had the foresight to plan for
the education of its people. Since
that time, the individual States and now the Federal Government have supported
and developed our system of free public education.
The California State public school system was
started in the 1850’s, and the first State Superintendent of Public Instruction
was John Swett, a transplanted Mason who had come west in the years following
the Gold Rush.
The public schools have always been a special
concern of California Masons. Charles
Albert Adams, Grand Master in 1920, wrote that as Masons “we subscribe to the
belief that an enlightened citizenship is the first great care of a progressive
State.” He believed that the future of
our free democracy depended on the quality of our public schools. His Proclamation of the first Public Schools
Week in 1920 sounds eerily familiar when we consider the conditions of our
public schools in 2005. Here is what he
had to say:
“There is a dearth of competent teachers; schools are being closed; children, particularly in the rural communities, are being denied the education to which they are entitled and there is apparently a deplorable apathy concerning remedial measures which have been proposed.”
While the details may be different than they were 84
years ago, but the problems in our public schools still remain. A crisis is confronting our public schools
once again. And it is our Masonic
responsibility to do something about improving the conditions in our schools so
that our children can receive a quality and useful education.
Under the California Masonic Code, matters
concerning the public schools are the sole exception to our Lodges becoming
involved in political issues in our communities. The Lodge is a proper forum for discussing problems in the
schools in our local communities. It is
proper for a Lodge or a group of Masons to act publicly in support of school
bond issues and similar matters before the electorate. And individual Masons are encouraged to
assist their local schools to make policy, by volunteering to serve on advisory
committees or even seeking election as a member of the school board. These are only a few of the ways Freemasons
can influence public policy pertaining to our free public schools.
Freemasonry and education remain closely related in
the world at large as well. The modern
world is confronted with poverty and its effects; religious and political
fundamentalism; and overpopulation. The
fight against bigotry and fanaticism must be fought in the minds of men. Education is the key to the solution of the
world’s problems in these present circumstances. An educated man learns to appreciate the wide range of opinions
on any subject. Freemasonry, in
addition, allows men of many different professions and backgrounds to meet
together in a spirit of cooperation and understanding.
All of Freemasonry’s principles and ideals are
worthless, unless they are inculcated in the minds of each Mason by education
within our Lodges. Our fundamental
principles are called “landmarks” because they are signposts. They are not constraints. Freemasonry is not restricted to what goes
on in the Lodge room. It has to become
a way of life in order for the new Mason to become a true and full-fledged
Mason. The threefold orientation of
Masonic work for the candidate is toward himself, toward his Brethren, and
toward the world at large.
A Mason cannot do Masonic work in isolation. He needs to be within the Lodge’s
framework. This interaction with his
fellow Masons will lead the suitably prepared and educated Mason to the
practice of tolerance himself, and spreading the message of tolerance
everywhere.