“24 Hours A Day”

Illustrious Brother Lancaster, Scottish Rite Members, New Masters of the Royal Secret, Ladies:

I very much appreciate the chance to address this group as Grand Master and I thank our Sovereign Grand Inspector General for the courtesy afforded to the office of Grand Master. The Scottish Rite is a very interesting, powerful philosophical organization, as each new class learns and the rest of us relearn every reunion. I’m thankful to be a part of it.

As usual, this has been a long intense weekend, and I’ve been worried that I might have trouble keeping your attention - even for a few minutes. But I read somewhere that an easy way to interest an audience is to reveal some massive fraud or large framework of deceit, so I thought - why not. I’m going to speak tonight on a wide-spread Masonic untruth.

I’ll start by asking how many ladies here were told by your husbands or significant others that Masonry would require only one or two nights a month? How many Masons here still believe in the accuracy of the Entered Apprentice charge that “Masonry should not interfere with your necessary vocations” ? As Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Utah, I feel obliged to tell you that’s all untrue. The real truth is this. Masonry is a 24 hour a day occupation. And I need to further state that our continued membership in this fraternity means that we agree to that concept.

Now that I’ve made that statement, I will backtrack a little bit and say that yeah, lodge meetings are normally once or twice a month. The Scottish Rite here in Utah meets once a month and so add that to your calendar. In fact each Masonically related body you belong to probably meets once a month. Add this all together and you should still be around 4 or 5 nights a month, and our charges do point out that there is nothing wrong with missing meetings if you have a valid reason to do so.

But Masonry itself is a 24 hour a day obligation - make no mistake about it. The obligations taken during each degree, each one building upon the other, do not end when the Junior Deacon tells the Tyler that the lodge is closed. The obligations you agree to do not end when you walk out of this building, or our of the Cedar City Masonic Center, or the Midvale Masonic Center or the Odgen Masonic Temple or wherever.

Not only are we under the specific obligations taken at the alter, we are also bound by all the side lessons, allegories and charges connected with each degree, and even the subtleties alluded to each time we open and close lodge. Throw in all the symbolic teachings of the Scottish Rite degrees and, as our new Masters of the Royal Secret are probably now beginning to realize, you are no longer free to act as if you’re the center of the universe, no longer free to let your passions outstrip your responsibility to keep them in due bounds. And the irony is - you came here of your own free will and accord. You bound yourself to these obligations. Masonry didn’t do this to you. Brethren and ladies, I am going to now admit what many Masons probably feel but don’t dare to express too loudly. These 24 hour a day obligations we Masons have voluntarily agreed to can be a real pain.

For instance, look at one definition of this Fraternity that many people mention when asked about it - you know the one that says we take good men and make them better. When does this stop. Does this mean for the rest of my life I have to worry about making sure I’m a better man next year than I was last year? I thought I was an alright guy to begin with.

Here’s another one. One of the main lessons of the Entered Apprentice degree is that of charity. Drive through the back street ally ways of any city and you’ll get a small idea of how great a burden this can be. Our Shriners of North America certainly know what a burden it is to take on the responsibility of helping children. So does the Scottish Rite Children’s Learning Center. Once started, charity is a never ending responsibility.

The degree of Fellowcraft teaches us that that education is necessary for us to better understand the world around us so that we can better appreciate the wonders that life has to offer and in my mind the degree implies that you should not stop learning. So add that to your list of things to do. Never stop learning. I won’t spend time talking about the numerous burdens and responsibilities laid on us by the Master Mason degree except to say that those who haven’t participated in or attended a Master Mason degree in awhile should do so and refresh your memories on the heavy responsibilities connected thereto.

How many of your lodges give the closing charge at the end of the meeting. You know the one - it says something about you having promised to befriend and relieve any brother who shall desire your assistance - or that you will vindicate his character when wrongfully traduced? Or that every human being has a claim upon your kind offices? That one is a doozy. No wonder it isn’t given at every closing in every lodge.

I suppose if I keep this up I may single-handedly create a noticeable drop in membership in our Fraternity, and I really don’t want to change my theme from unity in our Masonic Family to Membership Dives in 2005. So I’ll switch to the other side of the ledger. Why do we put up with this Fraternity? I ask all of you to think about this over the next few days just for your own education. Share what you come up with with your family. I think it’s important that your family and friends have an idea as to why you put so much time and energy into this group. I’ll list a few of my own ideas to get you started.

For some, it might be the very challenge of handling these obligations, which provides a feeling of accomplishment and self worth. To others it might be the fellowship you find among brothers or the friendships that develop. Perhaps the warm feeling of .contributing to society or helping out a charity. What about the lump in your throat when you hear a teenage DeMolay boy recite ritual that is so powerful it brings tears to their parent eyes. Or seeing a young shy teenage girl develop into a self assured capable adult as she goes through the training afforded to her by our Job’s Daughters organization.

I know some who just love the beautiful complex ritual and love discussing that complexity late into the night on the internet. Still others that just enjoy participating in a centuries old fraternity with a colorful and important history. Summarize your own reasons for maintaining your membership here. I am positive – at least extremely hopeful – that you’ll find more than enough reasons to overcome the burdens placed on you by this 24 hours a day commitment. In fact, I would hope the pride you get from knowing that you voluntarily agreed to the obligations in this beautiful system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols will be all you require to continue that 24 hours a day commitment.

I have one other point to make regarding the topic. I don’t think Masons get enough credit for putting themselves in this position. In some limited cases, even his family doesn’t give him enough credit for it. I’m not saying this because we all need an ego boost. I’m just pointing it out because it’s unusual. We live in a society of increasing selfishness, where the objective is to take care of Number One without regards to anyone else. We live in a society where a handshake is no longer a viable method of doing business. In the middle of all this chaos, here is a group of men who voluntarily agree to at least try to be good guys. In this day and age, that is phenomenal! If the public at large really understood this, I think this Fraternity would be un-challenged as the premier social organization in this country. And even though it sounds like I’m only speaking to the masons here, the same can be said for the ladies and youth organizations connected with Masonry.

So my point is this. Pat yourselves on the back. You deserve credit for joining, participating in, and maintaining your membership in our Masonic family. You are not normal (I guess I should say you are not the norm) and I am proud and honored to be your Grand Master this year.

Ridge Gilmour
Grand Master