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Interested in YR but NOT KT

Companion Joe

Premium Member
The whole uniform dead horse debate is a danged if you do, danged if you don't. I've been on both sides of it.
For clarification, I am not a fan of the uniforms. Before I had one, I was all for changing. Now that I have a full Past Commander's uniform, no way in heck am I changing. You can't get new guys because they don't want to buy the uniform (mine was pieced together over time and through hand-me-downs). Old guys who have long since paid for their current uniform aren't going to buy something new.
 

Companion Joe

Premium Member
Without the uniforms, swords, and military aspect, the Commandery would be just like every other appendant body.
Without the swords, you would have to rewrite every piece of ritual in the entire organization.
 

Ripcord22A

Site Benefactor
Without the uniforms, swords, and military aspect, the Commandery would be just like every other appendant body.
Without the swords, you would have to rewrite every piece of ritual in the entire organization.

Like I said im not a YR so I don't know how it works but you could keep the sword.....
 

Brother JC

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
It can, and eventually will, change. At least one US Grand Commandery has already done it.
The worst part of the hand-me-down method is that those uniforms look like hand-me-downs, which only makes the dead horse look worse.
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
It can, and eventually will, change. At least one US Grand Commandery has already done it.
The worst part of the hand-me-down method is that those uniforms look like hand-me-downs, which only makes the dead horse look worse.
Agreed, that's why I am buying new stuff a little at a time.
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
Sounds like an expensive organization to be a part of. I have no idea why these organizations cause so much money.

I take the opposite view. Masonry has always had a reputation for being expensive. When I was handed my dues bill the night I was Raised I looked at the number and asked "This is per month, right?". Nope, dues per year.

Dues prices have not tracked with inflation but all other expenses have. When dues were a week of wages for a skilled laborer, it was all expensive.

Costing money is an odd thing. Shrine Brothers buy a new motorcycle to join a unit to be in parades to raise money for the hospitals. The amount raised doesn't seem like it would be more than the amount spent on the new motorcycle. And thus the Shrine is a party body with a side purpose of the hospitals.
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
I take the opposite view. Masonry has always had a reputation for being expensive. When I was handed my dues bill the night I was Raised I looked at the number and asked "This is per month, right?". Nope, dues per year.

Dues prices have not tracked with inflation but all other expenses have. When dues were a week of wages for a skilled laborer, it was all expensive.
I have always been of the mind that if the cost of an organization gives you reason to pause, you honestly don't need to join. Paying your household bills is far more important in the grand scheme of things.
I agree with both. Blue Lodge dues are very inexpensive as far as the ones that I know of. However, if these dues or those of an appendant body would cause even a slight financial burden then put off joining until you are in a better place income wise. Those that depend upon you come first.
 

Ripcord22A

Site Benefactor
I agree with both. Blue Lodge dues are very inexpensive as far as the ones that I know of. However, if these dues or those of an appendant body would cause even a slight financial burden then put off joining until you are in a better place income wise. Those that depend upon you come first.
Everyone knows that dues are a yearly thing. I am by no means well off, I work for the govt after all..lol, all I do is set some aside and when dues come im good to go, Also tax time helps a lot!
 

Companion Joe

Premium Member
With the exception of a nice chapeau, it really doesn't have to be that expensive.
You can buy a brand new complete uniform for $130. My jacket is a 50+ year old hand-me-down (free) that looks brand new because it has been taken care of. My pants came from the department store for $30. Any black shoes, black socks, white shirt, and black tie that a grown man should already own will do. So, for the uniform, the expense is minimal. With the exception of the jacket, all those other items can be worn as a regular part of your wardrobe.
You can get swords all across the board. Mine is a mass-produced new sword that I paid either $40 or $45 for. I know guys who have paid $700 for a really nice, custom made sword. I know people who have struck gold on eBay and bought really nice antique swords for $100. Again, it's up to the individual. Most Commanderies have a stock of swords, so some people never even buy their own.
Sword belts can be expensive ($150) or you can luck up and get a deal. I think mine was $75 brand new. Just like the swords, most Commanderies have a few extra for people to use. You really don't even have to buy a sword belt (at least in Tennessee) because a shoulder sling is authorized, and they cost about the same as a fancy cup of coffee.
The chapeaus are the biggie. You can go cheap or find an antique one, but it shows. If you wear an old, beat up chapeau, it looks really bad. The chapeaus are expensive because they are hand made one at a time. I started off with an old loaner from the Commandery for a few years and waited until I just before I was voted in as Commander and bit the bullet. I figured it was a once in a lifetime expense, and I wasn't going to go cheap. I think mine was $400, but I got what I consider the best. You can get new ones for less than half that, but the difference is appearance is night and day.
You don't even have to get everything all at once. Most people piece together a nice uniform over time. With the exception of a nice chapeau, I think the sticker shock of joining the Commandery is blown out of proportion.
 

chrmc

Registered User
A thing they do in many "Templar degrees / bodies" around the world is provide the clothing to the brethren. When you arrive there's a changing room where the necessary gear can be donned. Often they aren't as nice as if you had your own, but it usually works pretty well. Many of these places also wear hats, though not as fancy ones as the chapeau.
Not sure if that has ever been considered in the US.
 

Glen Cook

G A Cook
Site Benefactor
A thing they do in many "Templar degrees / bodies" around the world is provide the clothing to the brethren. When you arrive there's a changing room where the necessary gear can be donned. Often they aren't as nice as if you had your own, but it usually works pretty well. Many of these places also wear hats, though not as fancy ones as the chapeau.
Not sure if that has ever been considered in the US.
Some with the mantle in the US do provide. Providing the GEKT uniform would be somewhat difficult, due to sizing.
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
Some with the mantle in the US do provide. Providing the GEKT uniform would be somewhat difficult, due to sizing.
I am very new to the York Rite having been knighted in the KT this past December. So there are some jurisdictions that use a mantle and no other official uniform?
 
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