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I AM FREEMASONRY
I was born in antiquity in the ancient days when men
first dreamed of God. I have been tried through the ages and found
true. The crossroads of the world bear the imprint of my feet and the
cathedrals of all nations mark the skill of my hands. I strive for
beauty and for symmetry. In my heart is wisdom and strength and
courage for those who ask. Upon my altars is the Book of Holy Writ,
and my prayers are to the One Omnipotent God. My sons work and
pray together, without rank or discord, in the public mart and in the
inner chamber. By signs and symbols I teach the lessons of life and of
death and the relationship of man with God and of man with man. My
arms are widespread to receive those of lawful age and good report who
seek me of their own free will. I accept them and teach them to
use my tools in the building of men, and thereafter, find direction in
their own quest for perfection so much desired and so difficult to
attain. I lift up the fallen and shelter the sick. I hark to the
orphan's cry, the widow's tears, the pain of the old and destitute. I
am not church nor party nor school, yet my sons bear a full share of
responsibility to God, to country, to neighbor and to themselves. They
are freemen, tenacious of their liberties and alert to lurking danger.
At the end I commit them as each one undertakes the journey beyond the
vale into the glory of everlasting life. I ponder the sand within the
glass and think how small is a single life in the eternal universe.
Always have I taught immortality, and even as I raise men from
darkness into light, I am a way of life.
I Am Freemasonry.
- Ray V. Denslow
WHAT I BELIEVE
I'm a Mason and:
I believe
firmly in the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Almighty God.
I believe
in my country, my fellow man, and myself.
I believe
we are here in our various roles for a purpose and not by chance.
I believe
that Masonry has been in existence through the ages for a purpose and
that it will remain a strong force for good as far into the future as
man will go, and I have confidence in that future.
I believe
that the teachings of Masonry parallel those found in the Great Book
of Life so closely that no conflict between the two can exist.
I believe
our ancient customs have proven their worth and value and are as sound
today as ever before and will withstand the test of the future.
I believe
Masonry can be as good as its members want it to be, and that we will
all be better men and our fraternity, our country, and our world will
be better for our having passed this way.
I believe
we have the opportunity as Masons and as men of good will to move to
new heights in every area of life as we study and act upon our high
principles of brotherly love, relief, and truth.
THE REAL SECRET
OF FREEMASONRY
No one
need be alarmed about any book written to expose Masonry. It is
utterly harmless. The real secret of Masonry cannot be learned by
prying eyes or curious inquiry. We do well to protect the privacy of
the lodge; but the secret of Masonry can be known only by those who
are ready and worthy to receive it. Only a pure heart and an honest
mind can know it. Others seek it in vain and never know it, though
they be adept in all the signs and tokens of every rite and rank of
the Craft.
THE
MASONIC LODGE
DUES CARD
I hold in my hand a little scrap of
paper 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches in size. It is of no intrinsic worth, not a
bond, not a check or receipt for valuables, yet it is my most priceless
possession. It is my membership card in a Masonic Lodge.
It tells me that I have entered into a spiritual kinship with my fellow
Masons to practice charity in word and deed; to forgive and forget the
faults of my brethren; to hush the tongues of scandal and innuendo; to
care for the crippled, the hungry and the sick, and to be fair and just
to all mankind.
It tells me that no matter where I may travel in the world, I am welcome
to visit a place where good fellowship prevails among brothers and
friends.
It tells me that my loved ones, my home, and my household are under the
protection of every member of this great Fraternity, who have sworn to
defend and protect mine as I have sworn to defend and protect theirs.
It tells me that should I ever be overtaken by adversity or misfortune
through no fault of my own, the hands of every Mason on the face of the
earth will be stretched forth to assist me in my necessities.
And finally, it tells me that when my final exit from the stage of life
has been made, there will be gathered around my lifeless body, friends
and brothers who will recall to mind my virtues, though they be but few,
and will forget my faults, though they may be many.
It tells me that, and a great deal more, this little card, and makes me
proud yet humble, that I can possess this passport into a society of
friends and brothers that are numbered in the millions.
SO MOTE IT BE !!
TRUTH
Freemasonry is a
perpetual discovery. There is something new at every turn,
something new in each man as life deepens with the years; something new
in Masonry as its meaning unfolds. The man who finds its degrees tedious
and its ritual a rigmarole only betrays the measure of his own mind.
If a man knows God and man to the uttermost, even Masonry has nothing to
teach him. As a fact, the wisest man knows very little. The way is dim
and no one can see very far. We are seekers after truth, and God has so
made us that we cannot find the truths alone, but only in the love and
service of our fellow men. Here is the real secret, and to learn it is
to have the key to the meaning and joy of life.
Truth is not a gift; it is a trophy. To know it we must be true, to find
it we must seek, to learn it we must be humble, and to keep it we must
have a clear mind, a courageous heart, and the brotherly love to use it
in the service of man.
RECOGNITION
"These
signs and tokens are of no small value; they speak a universal language,
and act as a passport to the attention and support of the initiated in
all parts of the world. They cannot be lost so long as memory retains
its power. Let the possessor of them be expatriated, shipwrecked or
imprisoned; let him be stripped of everything he has got in the world;
still these credentials remain and are available for use as
circumstances require."
"The great effects which they have produced are established by the
most incontestable facts of history. They have stayed the uplifted hand
of the destroyer; they have softened the asperities of the tyrant; they
have mitigated the horrors of captivity; they have subdued the rancor of
malevolence; and broken down the barriers of political animosity and
sectarian alienation."
"On the field of battle, in the solitude of the uncultivated
forests, or in the busy haunts of the crowded city, they have made men
of the most hostile feelings, and most distant religions, and the most
diversified conditions, rush to the aid of each other, and feel a social
joy and satisfaction that they have been able to afford relief to a
brother Mason."
Brother Benjamin
Franklin
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