The New Mason:   Who Teaches Him?


                                                           The newly made Mason is almost invariable told 
                                                           that he will only get from Masonry what he puts 
                                                           into it. Yet, we "older" Masons give him very little 
                                                           guidance and let him pick his own way. We assume 
                                                           that he knows what he wants and the path to get
                                                           there. Unfortunately, there are those who have only
                                                           a vague idea as to what they want from Masonry,
                                                           less idea as to how to get there, and still less idea 
                                                           of what it is they should put into masonry. For 
                                                           them, there is a dimly perceived idea " out there"
                                                           that can be reached through some process akin to
                                                           osmosis. Even more unfortunately, what they want
                                                           and how toget it.Usually they are seekers of personal 
                                                           gain, weather it is Material, political, or social. They
                                                           know exactly what to "put in" and  what the return
                                                           will be. Usually these extreme cases can be easily
                                                           identified and treated.
                                                           For most new Brethren, we do little more than provide
                                                           a meeting place where he can learn about Freemasonry
                                                           and see the ritual exemplified. We let him fend for 
                                                           himself and find his own way toward Masonic light.
                                                           While we often go out of our way to make him feel
                                                           welcome, we seldom sit down with him to find out whence 
                                                           he came and whither he goeth. In short, we are not being
                                                           all that we can be. In the press of Lodge business, we 
                                                           are sometimes very prefunctory toward him and may
                                                           even allow ourselves to become "wrapped around the 
                                                           axle" through a number of basically irrelevant concerns.
                                                           If this is the case, the new Brother very soon learns
                                                           that if he is to"get along" he must "go along". The
                                                           result is a club member rather than a Mason.
                                                           The time to re-examine the education of our new 
                                                           Brethren is now! We must give it more than mere
                                                           lip service. By our actions we shape the new Mason.
                                                           By helping him  find his way toward the light dictated 
                                                           by his values, we can make a good man a better man!
                                                           In the process we can make this a better world in
                                                           witch to live.
                                                      

                                                                       Written by Brothe Joseph W. Illes
                                                                       Who is now deceased he was a 
                                                               member of Lodge no2 in Tacoma , Washington.