Articles by the Fraternity
THE APATHETIC MASON AND HOW TO ENTHUSE HIM
1. The causes that lead a Masson to apathy can be enumerated as follows, for the purposes of this article, that he was raised after having made himself acquainted with the principles and practices inculcated in the former two degrees.
2. A mason becomes apathetic because :
First : He gets few opportunities to participate in the conduct of the ceremonies.
Secondly : the Installed Masters of the Lodge are not able to create any impression in his mind either due to inefficiency of indifference ;
Thirdly : the excellences of Freemasonry are either not grasped or are inadequately appreciated ;
And lastly : the lack of touch among masons.
3. These and probably allied or similar causes make a Freemason indifferent to the principles of the Craft and even to the Craft itself, taking the brotherhood as nothing more than an association of individuals who aspire for regalia of various types. His attendance at the Lodge meetings becomes few and far between and ultimately he forgets even the Ss and the P.W. and the P.G.
4. The modus operandi of conversion depends upon the cause that occasioned this effect. I am leaving out of discussion, for the time being, him whom "the improper solicitations from friends and the like" dragged into the fold and am concentrating my attention only on those who came in "due to a favourable opinion preconceived of the Order." The latter is redhot iron and the former its opposite.
5.(i) Want of opporunities: A mason generally loses interest in the Craft when he finds that he has nothing to do except to sit and watch with a mind, oftentimes, travelling outside the T. hall. when left alone the mind, even as iron, gets rusty. The W. M. would do well to pick out these unfortunates and assign to them some function in the ceremonies that call for concentration and application. Opportunities make or mar man. The W. M. has also to assist the concerned Mason by making him understand the importance and the implications of the portion or portions so assigned. This process would certainly improve the improvable. A feeling of elation generated in consequence of the participation in the ceremonies would turn out to be a sense of responsibility later. In resorting to this process an important aspect has to be born in mind by the w. M. or any other installed master. A school master method is to be eschewed. A feeling of equality that is generated and the "assistance and instruction" imparted must be so manipulatied as to make the mason believe or feel that two friends are at work at a common cause. There should be no air of superiority. "Courtesy and affability" must be the first and last attitude.
(ii) The First impression has always much to do in the relationship of the man with the thing regarding which the impression arises. The initiation, the passing and the raising must be done with such meticulous precision and correctness as to attract the mind and the imagination of the candidate. This is the first step. At installed master, must therefore, get himself posted with the rituals and then endeavour to be a "Purohit." The "monomaniac" attitude must be shed and a feeling of "studying together" must be created. The candidate is free and of mature age. A short banquet speech in a friendly and dispassionate manner would add to the benefit. An unqualified or indolent physician has to be told to "heal thyself first" to avoid a state of "Yadha Raja Thatba Praja" in the lodge. The next step in this regard is the inculcation of the Grand Principles on which Freemasonry rests. This is to be done more by examplethan by precept. It all depends upon the dignity and the decorum with which the meetings are conducted. The csual routine-like performance must give way to a solemn and graceful display of every item from start to finish. Every Master must insist that the Wardens and himself enter the lodge in a procession and in the prescribed manner. Ordinarily and "all in" and then a gavel start the session. The Deacons and the Director of Ceremonies must first be briefed to perform their respective roles "to precision". It is a trite saying that the Deacons and director of Ceremonies make or mar the ceremony. In the R the Master's voice that "masonry is free and requires a perfect freedom of inclination in every candidate for its mysteries" and later "let Prudence direct you, Temperance chasten you, Fortitude support you and Justice be the guide of all your actions" ought to reverberate with emotion and vitality. It all depends upon the Installed Master or Masters.
(iii) Defective appreciation: This, as mentioned above, is the result of the first impression. This evil ahs to be effaced by a lecture for about 8 minutes at every meeting on the excellences of Freemasonry depicted by the symbolic expressions so freely found in the rituals. The quality of the lecture counts. This lecture must be printed and circulated to every member of the lodge.
(iv) Want of touch among masons. A time-honoured, nevertheless an unwritten, tradition is that all masons have only one voice. This idea of oneness is possible only if a mason has 'masonry' in him, a feeling and an attitude that can be cultivated by often time "coming together." The monthly meetings prescribed apart, informal meetings in the T buildings during leisure days sprinkled with a kind of discussion would be more so when he realises that membership in the Order invites sucour in cases of accident or unforeseen caamily. If would, also , be worthwhile to institute a system more or less analagous to the duties of the V.DD of the O.S.M. that afford mutual help, of need be, and understanding, two essential elements underlying the ideals of the Order. A post 'Toast' speech by the concerned 'Mason' would invite him to think about the Order and his membership therein ultimately leading him to believe that his zeal for the institution of F.M. is the first step in every Mason's study of the most interesting of all the subjects namely the Knowledge of Yourself."
