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Masonic brotherhood. His ambition is to use the Templar A few years ago, while editing Masonic magazine, I
cross on his chest. If entered the Scottish Rite, the Lodge of received a letter from a subscriber who was the Grand
Perfection will not give you content, although this degree Orator of a certain Grand Lodge and wished to discontinue
provides material for months of study. He has risen, higher their subscription. To mention a reason, he said
and higher on the scale and persevering e orts, can get
to the top of the rite and be invested with the grade 33, “Although the work contains a lot of valuable information,
but little absorbed any knowledge of the organization of I have no time to read because all this year dedicates to
the Rite or sublime lessons it teaches. He has reached the teaching.”
height of his ambition and is authorized to use the double-
headed eagle. I can only imagine what a teacher like this man should
teach, and students should instruct.
Such Masons are not distinguished by the amount of
knowledge they possess, but by the number of the jewelry is article is greater than I intended it to be. But I feel
they wear. ey give fty dollars a medal, but do not give the importance of the subject. ere are more than four
fty cents for a book. hundred thousand active Masons. How many of them are
active readers? Half or a tenth? If only a quarter of the
ese men are causing injury to Freemasonry. ey can members who are in the Order read and did not depend
be called mere “ringing,” but in practice, they are more than only on the visits to their stores to get knowledge, they
that. ey are the wasps, the deadly enemy of industrious would certainly have higher notions. rough them,
bees. ey give a bad example for the younger Masons, friendly scholars would feel encouraged to discuss their
discourage the growth of Masonic literature, away from knowledge and give the public the results of their thoughts
intellectual men who would be willing to disseminate and good masonic magazines would enjoy a prosperous
the Masonic science to other elds, depress the energies existence.
of our writers, and debase the character of speculative
Freemasonry as a branch of mental and moral philosophy. At present, the reason there are few Masons who read the
When profane see men who have high levels and positions Masonic books hardly of more than pay publishers printing
in the Order, which are almost as ignorant as themselves on expenses, while the authors did not receive anything and
the principles of Freemasonry and, if asked, they would say the Masonic magazines are being year after year, taken
that they regard only as a social institution, to the Literary Museum, where the bodies of deceased
publications are deposited, and worst of all, Freemasonry
One should not conclude that all Masons should be resists blows depressing.
instructed Masons or that everyone who starts; they
must be to devote himself to the study of science and A Mason who reads even a little, even if it is only the
Masonic Literature. is expectation would be senseless pages of the monthly magazine that subscriber, you will get
and irrational. Men are not equally competent to capture higher prospects of the institution and enjoy new pleasures
and retain the same amount of knowledge. Order, says the hold such views.
Pope, the Order is the rst law of heaven, and some are, and
must be greater than the other, richer and wiser. Masons who do not read will never know anything of the
inner beauty of speculative Freemasonry and are happy to
All I say is that when a candidate enters Freemasonry, assume it’s something like “Odd Fellowship,” or the Order
he should feel that there is something better than mere of the Knights Phytias but older. Such Mason is aloof. It has
touches and signs, and should strive with his ability to not been an established passion.
achieve some knowledge. is is your best goal.
If this indi erence, instead of being curbed, the result is
He should not seek to advance to higher degrees until very clear. Freemasonry no longer has a higher position,
you know something lower, not to cling to positions unless as it is hard to keep, through the e orts of its researchers,
he has already gained a reputation with some Masonic and our stores, instead of being sources of speculative
knowledge, the performance of a post below. I once knew and philosophical thought, it will turn into social clubs or
a brother whose greed for positions led him to occupy high societies with to pro t. With so many competitors in these
o ce in his store, then Grand Master of jurisdiction and elds, their struggle for a prosperous life will be very hard.
throughout this period never read a Masonic book or try to
understand the meaning of a single symbol. In the year he e ultimate success of Freemasonry depends on the
was president of his shop, he always found it appropriate intelligence of its members.
to have an excuse for his absence from the store sessions
that were to confer degrees. However, for his personal and
social in uences, I have managed to rise in the hierarchy,
above those who were above him in Masonic knowledge.
ey were really above it, they all knew something, and Written by Albert G. Mackey - Published in 1875 and
they knew nothing. If he had stayed in the rear, no one reprinted in “ e Master Mason “ in October 1924.
would have complained. But where he was, and taking
advantage of his position, he had no right to be ignorant.
eir presumption was an o ense.

Montana Freemason Page 21 July 2019 Volume 95 No. 5