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.