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I have been extremely fortunate over the last 20 years than in the quantity of the membership. The decrease in
or so to be able to travel the world as a Freemason and to the quality is a major contributing factor in the decrease
experience Freemasonry as it operates outside of North in quantity today. Every person likes to be affiliated
America. In these travels I have been able to observe with a quality organization. If quantity is lost, quantity
Freemasonry in many foreign countries and compare it can be regained, but if quality is lost, it may be lost
to the Freemasonry of North America. I have been able forever. Freemasonry in North America has been losing
to see where it works well, where it continues to increase its attractive force for quality professional men over the
its membership, where it continues to attract some of last 25 to 30 years. This is not the case in almost every
the greatest men in their jurisdictions, indeed where it foreign Masonic jurisdiction. One of the most impressive
remains an organization whose members are the movers observations that I have made in my travels is in the
and shakers of their societies. quality of the brothers that I meet throughout the world.

I have experienced new Grand Lodges being consecrated In my studies of the craft I have found that the
and extinct or suppressed ones being re-consecrated philosophical purpose of Freemasonry is universal
following the fall of dictatorial regimes. I have watched and unalterable but the operational philosophies are
Freemasonry rising on the continent of Africa and its dependent upon the environment in which it exists.
members occupying some of their countries dominant Freemasonry has been driven to evolve into a form that
positions. In fact, two of the presidents of African fits most comfortably into the environment in which it
countries are also the Grand Masters of their Grand must operate. The only exception that I have found of
Lodges. the society driving the Freemasonry is in early Russia,
where instead of the society driving Freemasonry,
At the same time I have watched the struggles of these Freemasonry drove the society. This was prior to
new Grand Lodge officers in trying to cope with the Catherine the Great closing down the craft. For the last
challenges of operating an organization that promotes 15 years I have been attempting to classify the variations
the freedom and equality of men in environments where in these characteristics and place Freemasonry into what
freedom and equality was unknown for decades and I refer to as styles. As a result I have to the present time
where individual struggle to achieve success was, at found four specific styles and probably five. European
best, a muted phenomenon. Freemasonry has retained much
If quantity is lost, quantity can be re- of the basic philosophy and
I have become familiar with the gained, but if quality is lost, it may be lost intellectualism that characterized
requirements of foreign Grand forever. early Freemasonry. There is
Jurisdictions for a man to gain a continued emphasis on the
membership and to remain a member acquisition of knowledge and programs to stimulate
of our craft, both of which are far more stringent than thought. European Freemasonry has not been forced
anything we know in North America. I have become to diverge from its roots by societal pressures that have
more consciously aware of the universality in Masonic been found in some other areas of the world.
philosophy and precept that dominates Freemasonry
globally while at the same time observing definitive I put European Freemasonry into what I refer to as a
differences in the operating philosophies in different “philosophical style”. I have for a long time placed English,
sociological environments. Scottish and Irish Freemasonry in the same philosophical
style although recently I am tending to place that
I will emphasize some of the observations that I have Freemasonry into what I refer to as a “social style”.
made in various areas of the world regarding the Although similar to the philosophical and intellectual
evolution of Freemasonry and the resulting differences characteristics of European Freemasonry it also includes
that characterizes the craft in those areas along with my the retention of more of the social relationships that
opinions as to why Freemasonry is declining in North tended to characterize the early Freemasonry of the
America while it is thriving in many other parts of the British Isles.
world. I will also relate to you some of my personal
experiences demonstrating the significance of the South and Central America although also retaining much
fraternity in other parts of the world. of the philosophical and intellectual style of Europe
has evolved into a more unique style stimulated by the
None of us can be unaware of the decreasing interest sociological pressures of the environment. I find it to
in our craft and decline in influence that North American be more idealistic and perhaps even more intellectually
Freemasonry has experienced over the last 50 years challenging than the philosophical style. It also tends to
and especially over the last 25. One of the first Lodge establish goals that are more difficult to attain. I refer
addresses that I gave over 35 years ago dealt with my to this style of Freemasonry as a “sociological style”
observations of the decrease in the quantity of our because of its character being impacted more stringently
membership. North American membership has gone by the sociology of the environment.
from over 4 million to approximately 112 million. It does
not take much thought to recognize that Freemasonry’s Mexican Freemasonry although existing in an
future in North America is bleak if we continue with environment not totally dissimilar than that of South and
this loss of membership, at least Freemasonry as it is Central America, has a tendency to become more directly
historically known. involved with the political climate in which it exists. For
this reason I have placed it into a style all its own which
I have however, in more recent years been far more I refer to, for lack of a better term, as a “political style”
concerned with the decreasing quality of the membership of Freemasonry.
Montana Freemason Page 23 Jan/Feb 2022 Volume 98 No.1