Page 7 - Jan 2019 MFM.indd
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 e       Figure 2. Combined membership gains from Raised, Reinstated and Affi  liated members 1866-2016.
          Figure 2, above shows our combined gains per year      Figure  3,  below  shows  that  the  majority  of  our
        from  new Master Masons,  members  who  have  been  membership comes from newly raised Master Masons.
 t      reinstated and those who have affi  liated to a Montana  However, it also clearly shows that we have not done
 e      Lodge. These bar charts show historical data, such as  a very good job of raising new members. On the next
 s      growth over specifi c periods of time, and for comparing  few  pages,  we  will  look  at  each  of  the  membership
 n      data  across  categories  and  provide  additional  gain categories by individual breakout.
 o      information  about  the  distribution  of  membership.
 n      These  membership  charts  portray  distributions  of    The  high  mark  in  degree  work  was  in  1920. That
 e      quantitative variables. The highest point on the highest   year 2,152 men were raised to the sublime degree of a
 s      point in the bar, represents the highest event point in   Master Mason. The year before it had been 1,352 and
        a  series  of  data,  while  other  events  are  distributed   the  year  following  it  was  1,902  and  two  years  later
        around the most probable event, creating a downward-   only 1,272. The total degree conferred jumped from
 e      sloping line on each side of the peak, or shorter bars.   4,215 in 1919 to 6,459 in 1920 and then dropped back
 s                                                             to 5,525 in 1921 and 3,617 in 1922. That record has
 d      The important take away here is that as we survey the   not been approached in the years since.
        chart, the continued collective loss of membership is
 d      alarming. Figure 3, below shows the same information
                                                                 Membership in Montana, reach a low point in 1942,
 y      by each category, Raised, Reinstated and Affi  liate by  started climbing back, and the resultant prosperity was
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        year.                                                  longer, even though not as dramatic as it was after the
                                                               First  World  War.  But  membership  started  dropping
                                                               like a rock in 1977.


























         Figure 3. Membership gains by category of members Raised, Reinstated and Affi  liated members 1866-2016.
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