Well....well....well....seems to be the current state of the "Craft" in our little area here. Lately some lodges have been overwhelmed with the response of visiting brothers attending degree work. For several years, many skeptics and nay-sayers have been saying that we are on the brink of our own demise.
It seems that the words of the Fellowcraft recap ring true once again....Freemasonry nothwithstanding, has still survived.....through a succession of ages, are transmitted unimpaired, the excellent tenets of our institution.
The numbers attending degrees here of late are staggering for our time. They remind many of the "good old days" when large numbers were the norm. Perhaps we are establishing a new "norm". Another encouraging factor is that the age of the candidates seems to be decreasing, young men seem to be the ones really embracing the craft and for a variety of reasons.
For some time, I've been commenting that it sure seems that we are doing a lot of degree work and wondering if it will pay off. My brothers, it seems to be paying dividends. It appears that several factors are driving the increase in numbers. First and foremost is traveling, the lodges that travel are reaping the rewards, sometimes it can be only one faithful brother and that brother will influence brothers to travel to his lodge. Some of the new brothers are being encouraged to travel with some of the more seasoned brothers, imagine that, including new brothers to participate in perhaps the greatest influencer the act of traveling to other lodges. For a while it seemed that first the TV, then the internet, then the phone were big distractors of people attending lodge.....but I think brothers have grown bored with those things and they realize.....thus man was formed for the social and active life, the noblest part of the work of God.
So, for the ol' timers out there.....occasionally pinch yourself, keep your head down and keep going....the greatest and best of men in all ages have been encouragers and promoters of the art, and have never deemed it derogatory to their dignity to level themselves with the Fraternity, extend their privileges, and patronize their assemblies.
