Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes

My favorite Country singer, George Jones, had a great hit called "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes?"
It talks of his wondering, just who is going to fill the shoes of all the great stars who had blazed a trail and went on to the great stage in the sky.

In Masonry if we've learned anything at all, we should be aware of the symbolism all around us. In songs, written word, and everyday life experiences.

One can make the case that this song parallels our Masonic life. Just who is going to fill the shoes of the great leaders and legends in their own time in this great fraternity. There will never be another WB Bennie King as just one example. Bennie in his humble manner would never own up to the fact that he is a living legend in this world of Masonry.

I've had the pleasure of knowing many of the fine brothers through the years that were what brothers consider to be a Mason's Mason.

WB Howard Durbin is one that comes to mind whenever this subject comes up along with WB Bob McClellan and a whole host of others.

The challenge to those who are now active in the fraternity is, who is actually going to fill the shoes of the greats who have gone before us. Not that any of us could ever dream of replacing them, but to carry on the tradition and legacy that greats prepared for us. It is incumbent on all of us to carry on that tradition and to ensure that the legacy continues.

As I've mentioned many times before the fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons is far greater than any of us would ever dream of being. Freemasonry has endured through all the years because it, the fraternity, is far greater and more complex that any man, now or ever since the inception of the fraternity.

Currently we are blessed with a number of what I consider to be Living Legends in our Masonic world. However, as we are taught....we are all born to die. This presents a huge to challenge to those younger brothers.....who is going to do the FC lectures......who is going to present the apron.....who is going to do the history of the MM degree.....I wonder....who's gonna fill their shoes.

Who's gonna fill their shoes....Who's gonna stand that tall.......Who's gonna give their heart and soul to get to me and you....Lord I wonder....who's gonna fill their shoes?????

S-th

For fear of being reprimanded I will exclude the actual spelling of Shib**ol**h.....but we will take a look at the origin and meaning of this word.

From the Bible in the 12th chapter of the Book of Judges....that in fact the battle of the Gileadites and the Ephramites did occur and that the mighty people of Gilead inflicted great victory and pain on the invading Ephramites.

When the Ephramites attempted to cross the Jordan river back into their home country, they were tested to determine if they could properly pronounce S-th....and we have learned that because of their trifling defect, they were unable to pronounce the word and met with death......we also learn from the ritual the number was forty and two thousand.

In our rituals we learn that it is represented by ears of corn hanging near a waterfall. This ancient Hebrew word literally means the part of a plant containing grains...such as an ear of corn....in other contexts is can mean a stream, a torrent....thus the waterfall.

For anyone that has been near a waterfall.....the word torrent is very good description of the power of the water.

In latter years the term S-th....is used to distinguish the in-group from the out-group.....thus in our fraternal use of the word it is to separate the brothers from the profane and the Fellowcrafts from the EAs.

We also learn that the wages of a Fellowcraft are the corn of nourishment, the wine of refreshment, and the oil of joy....which denote plenty, happiness, and peace. Corn has many references in the Bible and is mentioned a number of times in our ritual. Corn of Biblical years can be interpreted beyond corn as we know it today.....in the old times, corn could also mean grain of many varieties or sustenance.

Wine of refreshment....a part of the wages was used to refresh....back in those days, drinking water could kill you....which seems odd to us today, but wine and later beer was used as a way to purify water which was notoriously unstable.

The third part of the wages of a Fellowcraft was and is the oil of joy.....again during Biblical days oil was a very special component of society.....not only was it used in food but in soothing the body from the heat and toil of the day. We learn in our ritual that the oil which ran down upon the head of Aaron to his beard and so on. In the bible we learn that Jesus was anointed with oil and also used oil on his followers as a way of expressing joy and to bring comfort.

So the next time you have the opportunity to attend a Fellowcraft degree......look for the painting of ears of corn hanging near a waterfall.....or pay close attention to the slide if the painting is not near the Junior Warden's station. S-th.....has a historic meaning....and the ears of corn and waterfall are accurate descriptions of the ancient Hebrew word.

Once again, the creators of our ritual packed so much meaning into very few words.....those words are there waiting for us to discover the true meaning.....the question remains, how many of us will seek out those meanings.....or as we like to banter around......further light in Masonry.

Doing Masonry

Reflecting on the past, I remember something the PGM Lemons(then SGW?) said while visiting Davison Lodge during a difficult time for that lodge.

In discussing their predicament at the time, Lemons said, "You brothers need to get out from under the pressures of keeping this building going and get back to doing Masonry."

That is one of the most profound statements concerning our fraternity that I've ever heard.

Davison Lodge was at a crossroads as a lodge. The building was killing them financially based on their dues paying members and the amount of revenue generated. They were simply doing everything they could to pay the bills and the true mission of the lodge was floundering.

The day came and they realized that the building would have to be sold, and a new home would need to be found for Davison Lodge. They moved to the Flint Masonic Temple. They continued the struggle for several months.

Now fast-forwarding to present time about 3+ years after moving out of their building in Davison they are on the upswing. Membership has continued to grow, involvement of the members has increased and they are once again "doing Masonry."

I feel that they have done a tremendous job in several key areas. First and foremost....survival. Secondly...bringing new members into the fraternity, and last but by no means last....getting the new members and some of the older ones involved in...you guessed it....doing Masonry.

This above scenario will undoubtedly play out several times in the near future. There are many that think because of the constricting of lodges and the levels of membership the fraternity is on it's death bed. A brother told me just a few days ago that if things don't change Masonry will cease to exist.

My response was a very strong disagreement. Yes, we have the older membership that is rapidly transitioning to the Celestial Lodge above....but at the time I was talking to the brother, I could easily count at least 7 brothers in our area that had either been raised or was in the process of moving toward that goal. That was 7 new brothers in contrast to I think 1 or possibly 2 brothers who had passed.

I don't like comparing Masonic Lodges or the Fraternity as a whole to the business world, but there seems to be a relationship that can't be ignored. For example in our own local area, General Motors has moved many operations out of the Flint area and the number of GM employees has greatly diminished.....but now that the light truck market has evolved into a more efficient and again a desirable vehicle, GM has made some significant investments in the Flint area and built a new shop and is working on a second one.

My point with the fraternity is that yes we have lost membership numbers...but now we are gaining a whole new generation of brothers because we lost at least a generation. We are still maintaining more buildings than we actually need....just as Davison Lodge was met with the harsh reality that they could no longer afford their building.....we have many lodges that are slaves to a building...they concentrate all of their efforts to paying the bills....suddenly when the burden is lifted they start "Doing Masonry"....it's amazing how things grow when the focus is shifted back to where it needs to be.

Now Davison lodge will be merging with Fellowship lodge....putting the resources of two lodges into one....and hopefully "Doing Masonry" will become the new focus for this combined lodge and meet the needs of the new brothers who are discovering this great fraternity.

Another One in the Books

Another Grand Lodge session is in the books. This years Grand Lodge session was an interesting one at least. Full of lively discussion...oftentimes to a fault....really how much does one really need to kick a dead-horse.

As usual the Grand Lodge/Masonic politics was alive and well and demonstrated in grand fashion.

I must say it was refreshing to not hear a proposal regarding life membership and the elimination thereof. Typically there is amendment addressing this, I've seen the same thing worded a dozen different ways.

One thing which has bothered me for some time is that we tend to dwell in the past on many issues. The number one issue is membership and the lack thereof. It's quite disturbing to hear from the leadership over and over again that the proverbial glass is half full.

Just once it would be so refreshing to hear from the leadership that we are making strides. That the best days for the fraternity are ahead of us and that the glass is half full. Like most things in life I feel the fraternity's membership is cyclical, full of ups and downs.

I truly believe that we are approaching the corner and ready to make that turn and move in a positive direction. This slate of Grand Lodge Officers may be the ones to realize that we are growing despite what the numbers show. One has to remember that the great generations of yesterday are growing older and are nearing the end of their toilsome journey. Yes, we are losing at a very strong rate....but remember those brothers are from the heyday of membership growth. The brothers we are gaining are younger, want to be more involved, and want to learn the lessons from an esoteric aspect.

Quality vs. quantity is the new norm....again, my opinion. Thus the merits of the 6-step program shines clear.

Although the political machine is alive and well, I feel that this slate of Grand Lodge Officers offers a multitude of talents and leadership. The problem with the machine is one never knows which direction it's moving, at what speed, and what the anticipated outcome is.

This year's session was in sharp contrast to last year's session in that a more than adequate amount of time was given to the candidates who were able to field questions from the Grand Lodge Officers and also the delegates.

Of course the questions seemed to change from softball to hardball with one candidate, who did very well and prevailed, even overcoming a direct attack from the floor.....which I've been told is strictly forbidden in parliamentary procedures.....but Masonic decorum is a strange mix of Robert's Rules and parliamentary procedure....so if it's accepted by the chair then it continues...still doesn't make it right.

This year's election proved the theory that if one truly wants to get elected to the Grand Lodge line the best chance at success is to be nominated from the floor. This is a sad commentary on the delegates who are charged with voting the will of the lodges. One can campaign vigorously all year, usually to no avail. It seems as though if one is nominated from the floor his chances are vastly better than one who has traveled many miles and campaigned very diligently. This theory has proved itself quite clearly in both last year's and this year's Grand Lodge sessions. It seems that the one who is freshest in the minds of the delegates stands the greatest chance of being elected.

One of the Past Grand Masters asked the candidates, "Why they didn't declare their intentions to seek office earlier in the year, why be nominated from the floor?" I think that I have already described that above, it may not be what the powers that be want to hear...but it is richly steeped in reality. Another thought is that when one campaigns for a year, that action allows the machine the opportunity to squash that candidate before or during the election process....in other words being nominated from the floor catches the machine off guard and it's too large of a machine to react effectively in a short amount of time.

So to quote a modern day cliche, with all that being said......it looks as though the craft is gearing up for an insurgence of new quality brothers, thanks to the programs in place and the Grand Lodge insisting upon the 6 Steps to Initiation. For a while we were trying to take in quantities as opposed to quality. What good does it do anyone to bring men into the fraternity before they have any idea of what we do and who we are. While the number of lodges have been reduced as well as the overall number of members, I feel that we are on the climb upward. Hopefully the climb is sure and steady and that as we increase in qualified brothers, the work we do can be magnified. Magnification in optics can be obtained by the use of lesser quality lens...but the clarity is sacrificed.....however, when good quality materials are used and expertly polished by master craftsmen, magnification occurs along with outstanding clarity to those who are observing.

Remember Now Thy Creator

The twelfth chapter of Ecclesiastes, verses 1-7 is an often heard passage in the Fraternity of Free an Accepted Masons.....but why?......and what does it actually mean?

We are first introduced to this scripture in the first section of the Master Mason degree, incidentally the Bible is opened to this same scripture on the altar for all Master Mason degrees. In addition to this important time of all of our Masonic journeys it is usually a part of the Masonic memorial service.

In researching this passage, I learned that the author was more than likely a student of King Solomon and used the influences of Solomon in preparing this lesson.

Remember, now thy Creator in the days of thy youth,
while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh,
when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them

I doubt that it was merely a coincidence that this passage is first introduced in the Master Mason Degree when a brother is becoming fully equipped to begin his Masonic journey in full. The teacher of this lesson is stressing that one needs to become involved with his Creator early in life and not later....the earlier the better. While in our youth we do not fear life and time moves slowly....in our later years because of our life's experience we become fearful and the years fly by....and sadly some find no pleasure in their last days.

While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be
not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain
In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble,
and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders
cease because they are few, and those that look out of the
windows be darkened, and the doors shall be shut in the
streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall
rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of
music shall be brought low;

In this passage the author is speaking of old age metaphorically. If you or someone you know has had cataract surgery this is very relate-able.....in that with age the vision becomes dim...however with the new technologies this is becoming less of an issue in the aging process.

The keepers of the house are said to be strong arms or strength in general and the trembling in old age when trying to exert strength....the strong men are thought to be the legs and back which bow with age....and the grinders are the teeth....with the aging process, often the number of teeth are few...again with the new technologies the aging process is better, one must remember that this passage was written probably 2500+ years ago.

The aged before the days of laser cataract surgery said that the felt they were looking out dark windows....and also in age people tend to lock the doors more than in their youth....sounds are low even the big sounds which came from grinding grain, etc....however, the older people tend to hear some of the soft sounds as the birds chirping in the morning because they tend to get up very early...and even the music seems soft because of the loss of hearing...again technology has helped in this matter.

Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high,
and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall
flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire
shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the
mourners go about the streets:

When folks get older they are afraid of falling thus afraid of that which is high....even a fall from a standing position for an older person is pretty scary......in fact many fears are in the way of pursuing a life worth living.

It is thought that the almond tree flourishing relates to the graying of ones hair....almond trees when they bloom are a vibrant pink and as they mature and just before the nuts are ready for harvest the blooms turn white....again a symbol of the aging process....even a pesky grasshopper becomes a burden or worrisome......man goeth to his long home, or the hereafter as the mourners go about the street attending a funeral or memorial service for the one gone to his long home-heaven.

It's interesting to study some of the metaphors and how the writer/teacher used things known to him to illustrate the lesson.....the objects he used were symbols known to him. In doing some more research the phrase concerning the mourners going about the street could be the mourners of someone who passed or they were paid mourners which were hired by families to be openly demonstrative of grieving for the one who had passed.....incredibly there are still paid mourners who attend funerals and grieve in a very public fashion.

Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God
who gave it.


Many commentators feel that the silver cord is symbolic for the spinal cord or central nervous system an internal component of humans which age....and the golden bowl is thought to reference for the vessel holding the brain.....the pitcher being broken at the fountain is emblematic of the water of life or perhaps the blood of the body and the pitcher being the heart, just as the wheel broken at the cistern would not allow for the flow of the water of life...again the teacher of this lesson is using metaphors of things available to him over 2000 years ago.

We have all heard dust to dust.....so our bodies are returned to the earth and the spirit returns to that long home and the Supreme Architect who gave it.

Like so many aspects of our ritual....the authors of our ritual were very specific in the words they used, the symbols, metaphors, and in this case being very specific in choosing this scripture. This scripture illustrates metaphorically the aging process and that we should know our creator as soon as possible.

Fare Thee Well WB Jim

Along our journey in Masonry we are called upon to pay our last respects to a brother who has answered the summons of his God and laid down the working tools of life.

Yesterday was one of those days. Masons from throughout the area gathered to pay their last respects to one of the great examples of our fraternity, WB James Kerry.

It's always interesting to look through the pictures chronicling one's life. To see youthful versions of the man we now call brother and to take note the visible change the man makes when he becomes a brother, the pictures often morph into scenes from his Masonic life.

WB Jim was an interesting man. His Masonic career started about 10 years ago and his ambitious feet did travel round after round of the ladder that leads to fame in our mystic circle and yes the purple of our fraternity rested upon his honored shoulders.

As the Right Worshipful Grand Lecturer, Thomas Braun mentioned in the apron portion of the memorial, that the simple white apron all Masons receive is the greatest and most distinguished honor that can be bestowed on a Mason, more honorable than the star and garter or any other order....the white lambskin is an emblem or purity and all perfection.

For me the greatest thing that WB Jim demonstrated was being "Pa" to his cherished grandson, Nathaniel. Jim was the primary male influence in young Nathaniel's life. History, geography, current events, and being a gentleman were all things that Jim taught Nathaniel.

As a group, this fraternity also adopted Nathaniel as one of our own,  in spite of his very young age. WB Jim made sure to take Nathaniel along on those public Masonic events.

Overall, the Masonic memorial is a much overlooked duty incumbent on all Masons. Those who were extremely active as Jim was often have a well attended memorial. Unfortunately those who were less active tend to not have such great attendance. In the memorial service it mentions that it matters not whether two or three or hundreds have assembled to attend the memorial service.

That may be true but it is an outward expression of brotherly love not only to the departed brother but to his loved ones and friends. It demonstrates to those people, that this man was involved in a truly worthwhile endeavor.

It's hard for me to make the memorials, it seems that they are usually on a Thursday evening which is my late night for work. However, yesterday really spoke to me and I hope to re-concentrate on attending memorials in the area. It means a lot to those left behind and is a good demonstration of what we do.

In talking to the brothers in attendance at Jim's memorial they all mentioned that it would be great to have turn-outs like this at all memorials, degrees, etc. Which brings me to another topic, one never knows if it is their last time to sit in lodge and to enjoy the greatest gift of all, fellowship and brotherly love.

Too often we sort of drag ourselves out to a degree or meeting. What if we took the approach that this may be our last opportunity to sit in lodge with a brother or it may be the last time we get to sit in lodge period. We need to relish every opportunity to enjoy the company of our brothers.

WB Jim did a lot of things for the craft. Most were easily recognizable such as becoming DDI, Master Ritualist, and then Regional Grand Lecturer. He also did a lot of things behind the scenes, such as hospital visitation and shut-in visitation. Also, he was instrumental in the latest redistricting plan by the Grand Lodge of Michigan.

May we strive to be the best Mason we can be and follow the example which WB Jim set for all of us. Fare Thee Well WB Jim....Fare Thee Well

Half Empty or Half Full

Another reunion of the Valley of Bay City Scottish Rite has come and gone. In terms of things working as planned the reunion was fairly successful. The fellowship, portrayal of the ritual, and the food was all very good.

The only real glitch was one of the degrees being cancelled due to a lack of participation. To fill the void a DVD was shown. We are very blessed in the Valley of Bay City to be able to present for the most part the necessary degrees. We later found out that this is not the case in all of the valleys of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, thus the availability of the DVD.

The class of candidates was unusually small even by today's standards....three instead of the usual 8-12. If one takes a look at some of the class pictures from years gone by they pale in comparison, as far as numbers go. Another interesting note was that in 1983 I spent a half day Wednesday and Thursday, three-quarters of a day Friday and all day Saturday to get my 32nd degree.....talk about numbers now it is a day and a half or one day if needed.

It seems that everything we do in life is now measured by numbers. In my business one lives and dies by the numbers. Our fraternity as well has become one of numbers.

In the days gone by a Mason who desired to be a Shriner had two ways by which they could join the Shrine. One was by way of the York Rite, a lengthy process....or they could become a Scottish Rite Mason and become eligible to join the Shrine.

Also in the days gone by, the Shrine was the playground for Masons. Although they did a wonderful work through the hospitals for the most part the Shrine was known for their parties more than their work for crippled and burned children.

Through the years the Masonic fraternity has seen a decrease in their numbers(there it is again) and were faced with the challenge of what to do. One solution was to eliminate the bulk of the catechism or the "lesson" which required memorization.. By doing this the fraternity could surely increase their numbers....and they did for a short while.

The Shrine was faced with a similar situation and their numbers were suffering also....they too relaxed their requirements to attract more numbers or members.....the way they tried to accomplish this was by eliminating the requirement of being either a York or Scottish Rite Mason. This too seemed to work initially.

Meanwhile the Scottish Rite was left in the cold so to speak. With the Shrine relaxing their requirements the number of members coming into the Scottish Rite dropped dramatically.....those in power would argue that this had nothing to do with the decline in numbers....but in the real world we knew that it had a devastating affect on the numbers(just can't get rid of that word).

So here we are some twenty years later give or take a few years......and the numbers for all three organizations are not what the "leaders" would like to see. We hear a variety of reasons why the numbers are not where they should or need to be.

In my opinion the biggest reason is that we, the fraternity as a whole missed at least one and perhaps one and a half generations. After the end of World War II the men returning home had experienced the value of camaraderie and sought out something to fill that void they experienced while fighting for our freedom. That spilled over into the beginning of the next generation, the Korean War era and our country seemed to be firing on all eight cylinders, and the "family" was intact more than today with the man working outside the home and woman working inside the home. Freemasonry helped to provide camaraderie, social events, fellowship, and entertainment....a tremendous value for the investment.

As we moved into the sixties and change occurred in society and suddenly young men didn't want anything to do with what their fathers were doing. If one adds to that the extreme tight-lipped secrecy from fathers to their sons about what actually took place in lodge added to and set the stage for severe drop-off in our........you guessed it.....numbers.

During the sixties and into the seventies and certainly the end of the seventies and early eighties we saw a dramatic decline in the number of men joining the fraternity. This decline can be readily traced to the decline of the family unit, a strong feeling of young men to not be involved in anything that their fathers were involved in and perhaps the single most dominant reason is.... that we as a fraternity did not "share our secret" with those closest to us, our very own sons.

So, again in my opinion that is how we skipped at least one and perhaps one and a half generations of young men....we, the fraternity thought that we could not breathe a word about what we did, what we stood for, or the ultimate goal of the fraternity to provide an avenue of like minded men in pursuit of becoming better men through the tenants of this grand organization.

Now in the last 10-15 years we have seen a remarkable number of young men seeking out....yes seeking out the fraternity. They are seeking us out because they have learned that their grandfathers....not their fathers(remember we skipped them).....their grandfathers were Masons. With all of the hype of the 21st century about the fraternity there are some that are very close to being factual and others are a little out in left field....suddenly the grandsons are learning that their grandfathers were Masons.

The grandsons ask their fathers about it and they know nothing.....they were the ones that didn't want anything to do with what their fathers were doing. Now we have the grandsons turning to the Internet to find out what the Masons are and what we do. They are intrigued by the history, tradition, and the mystique of the whole situation.

By investigating the fraternity online and reading a little perhaps, they seek us out and want to join. Then when they do join we put on a degree and much of the time we don't do the degree justice. I happen to be fortunate enough to be in an area that takes the ritual very seriously. However, we kind of lose the mystique and rich heritage when we stumble and fumble our way through the examinations at the south, west, and east gates. Here we are representing an institution that is centuries old and presenting our rites and ceremonies to someone that probably knows more about the Esoteric side of Masonry than anyone present and we bobble the only supposed secret parts of our fraternity....the sign-grip-and word.....you only get one chance to make a first impression as they say.

After espousing some of my ideas of why our numbers are at the place that they are......and believe me I have a few more, such as population shifts, competition for one's time, showing the value to new initiates, and spreading the brothers too thin to keep some of the appendant bodies afloat to name just a few.

Again, strictly my opinion here.....I believe that our great fraternity is a lot like water.....in that it seeks it's own level. We are far from extinction.....we need to embrace the changing face of our new initiates and brothers.....also we need to give them what they are looking for. It's time that we ourselves learn the deep and profound lessons of our craft. This will require work, study, and discussion.

My brothers I've come a long way to get to the point of my ramblings.....and thus the title of this monologue......is our fraternity Half Empty or Half Full. At our recent Scottish Rite reunion there were some heads of other Masonic bodies in attendance and they brought remarks. The underlying theme was...."We are all in the same boat my brothers.....our numbers are down."

I found it remarkable that for heads of appendant Masonic groups to say that their numbers are down and that they are in the same boat as the Scottish Rite. I thought to myself how many of the brothers in attendance both in the audience and the head table actually attend Blue Lodge and give it the same dedication that they do in the appendant bodies.....after all the only place the appendant bodies draw from is the Blue Lodge.

I wondered further that all of those pictures that show massive classes.....how many stuck around after it wasn't required membership to be in the Shrine.....just how many stayed because they enjoyed the teachings and quest for further light.

After all this contemplation has our fraternity sought it's own level and now we can build on a more solid foundation.....there is supposedly strength in numbers....perhaps it's time to realize that there is strength in concentration.....quality over quantity........just once I would love for a leader to stand before us and say...."Our fraternity is half-full.....there is still room for more well meaning qualified brothers as we continue to grow this great institution into the 21st. century, our brightest days are ahead, and we've only scratched the surface of the meanings laid down by our forefathers of this great craft we call Freemasonry!"