MW Grand Master Ridge, MW Past Grand Masters, Right Worshipful Grand Wardens, Worshipful Grand Lodge Officers, Worshipful Masters, Wardens, Brethren, and Ladies. I am pleased to present to you my inaugural oration. Let me give you a little background on the wording of my title. As a young Scottish Rite Mason, I was encouraged to purchase the book “Clauson’s Commentary on Morals and Dogma.” Clauson was Illustrious Henry G. Clausen, 33°, Soverign Grand Commander. He reviewed, interpreted and commented on the seminal work entitled “Morals and Dogma” by Albert Pike, a highly respected Masonic writer. That gave me the idea for the title of this oration. I want to comment on why we have unity and how we keep it.

This year, MW Grand Master Ridge’s theme is: “Together in Unity, The Family of Freemasonry.” As I reflected on the implications of this theme, I was reminded of the scripture we use in the Entered Apprentice degree which is Psalm 133 – “Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” You can see that the term unity is one of the guiding principles of Masonry. My Webster’s II New College Dictionary defines unity, in part, as: the quality or state of accord or agreement : Concord, the combination or arrangement of parts into a whole : Unification, and singleness or constancy of purpose : Continuity.

Concord. Masons begin with a high degree of concord. Our Entered Apprentice lecture states that Masons are linked together by an indissoluble chain of sincere affection. There are at least six things you know about a Mason before you know his name. The first thing you know about a Mason before you know his name is that he believes in God. Masonry does not admit atheists because no obligation taken by an atheist would be considered binding upon him. The second thing you know about a Mason before you know his name is that a Mason offers himself to the service of God. Because of this, you know that a Mason believes in striving to live a moral life, the third thing you know about a Mason. A Mason’s faith in God teaches him to believe in the immortality of the soul which belief is proudly stated in our Graveside farewell to a departed Brother. This is the fourth thing you know about a Mason. A mason desires to be of service to mankind because charity is a foundation principle of Masonry. He learns in the Entered Apprentice degree that charity extends beyond the grave, throughout the boundless realms of eternity. This is the fifth thing you know about a Mason. Masons pledge to assist and protect one another. One of the first lessons taught in the Entered Apprentice degree is the requirement to assist one another. Protection of one another is specifically taught in the Master Mason degree. This is the sixth thing you know about a Mason. This is a big deal. Other civic organizations exist with charitable objectives, Kiwanis and Rotary come to mind, but they require only that you be civic minded to become a member. They do not emphasize living a moral life, supporting and protecting one another, belief in the immortality of the soul. Thus, Masonry is more than a fraternal group of men. Masons are indeed linked together by an indissoluble chain of sincere affection.

Unification. The Family of Freemasonry is a good example of this unification principle. Based on the principles of Masonry, Job’s Daughters and DeMolay teach the love of God, respect for adults, charity outside of the group. They also teach life skills of leadership and public speaking that are not as readily available elsewhere. This is particularly noticeable at large masonic functions where senior DeMolay and Job’s Daughters address the assemblage with grace, poise, and intellect. These are skills not taught in the public schools. The Order of the Eastern Star joins together husband and wife that they might share in the quest for a moral life, a charitable life. The Scottish and York Rites exist to extend a Mason’s quest for additional moral teachings as well as satisfy his desire to be of service to his fellow men. The Shrine is dedicated to the rehabilitation of children, a goal with which all Masons agree. Shrine appendant bodies like the Daughters of the Nile and the Ladies Oriental Shrine once again involves a Mason’s wife in living a moral life, a charitable life. Taken together, the Masonic Family is dedicated to the assistance and protection of one another. They present a united front to the community dedicated to the service of mankind.

Continuity. The Masonic Family as a whole has charity as their singleness of purpose. Let’s start with what is probably the most widely recognized Masonic charity, the Shrine Children’s Hospitals for burned and crippled children. The wife of this year’s Imperial Potentate has crafted a pin which has as its central feature a “smilely face.” In her travels, she has seen how kids behave and react at non-Shrine children’s hospitals; they cry often and cling to their parents seeming not to understand what will happen to them. But at Shrine Children’s Hospitals, the children all smile, and have confidence that their treatment will give them a better life. The Scottish Rite Children’s Learning Centers are dedicated to helping autistic children. If you have not visited a Learning Center or seen a presentation from one of the Learning Center professionals, which often includes a visit from one of the children being helped, you are missing a joyous occasion. To see the transformation of a child who hardly talked and was greatly withdrawn from the world, to one with boundless energy, excitement, and enthusiasm, ready to talk to everyone, will bring a tear to your eye. The York Rite Eye Foundation has been leading research in eye diseases for many years. The foundation is dedicated to providing assistance to those who face loss of sight due to the need for surgical treatment without regard to race, color, creed, age, sex, or national origin provided that they are unable to pay or receive adequate assistance from current government agencies or similar sources, and to provide funds for research in curing diseases of the eye. Last year, the Grand Lodge of Utah joined the efforts of many other Grand Lodges in sponsoring a program known as the “Masonic Model Student Assistance Program.” This program gathers together school teachers, principals, and administrators to teach them how to recognize “at risk” children, children at risk for drug abuse, delinquency, juvenile crime. It discusses and teaches how to enlist the aid of support agencies to help these children before it is too late. This charitable work by all the Masonic Family organizations links them together from a common purpose and contributes to the unity among them.

Perhaps the one thing that contributes to unity more than any other is Enthusiasm. You know, each morning when we awaken we have the opportunity to choose our attitude for the day. We can choose to be happy, we can choose to be sad. Those who choose to be happy attack the day with gusto, are optimistic, are leaders. Enthusiastic Masons, workers, volunteers have a very positive effect of those around them. Organizations with enthusiasm try harder, accomplish more, seek results rather than processes. Organizations with enthusiasm have more members to share the load because people like to associate with enthusiastic people. They call it fun! People like to do things that are fun. So when you show up for a meeting, practice, degree, banquet, or picnic and radiate enthusiasm, people notice. They are affected by your enthusiasm and often pick it up and radiate it to others. All of a sudden you have an entire group of enthusiastic, can-do people ready to go out and conquer and have fun while doing it. Even a job as mundane as seal coating the parking lot is remembered fondly afterward. I know, just ask the eight of us involved in that effort here at the Bountiful Masonic Center a couple of years ago.

So there you have the secret to unity; the Enthusiastic You. People judge you by your actions, not your words. The actions of an Enthusiastic You will match your words and you as well as those around you will dwell together in unity.