Bro. Bennett
Premium Member
Yes, I may have to, but only if asked... lol That reminds me, perhaps when he does come with excess cow dung on I should wear my full NBC suit... What Say Ye?
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Lodge Attire
- Thread starter wwinger
- Start date
Yes, I may have to, but only if asked... lol That reminds me, perhaps when he does come with excess cow dung on I should wear my full NBC suit... What Say Ye?
MikeMay
Premium Member
Great thing about Texas...we have work boots and dress boots!
Ashlar
Registered User
It is a special occasion , I look forward to lodge , I have only missed two meetings in all my years as a Mason . Where did I say it was not a special occasion ? If you want to wear a suit to stated meetings , then wear a suit , I for one will not . But I will add that I do not wear a suit to other '"special occasions" either . When I get together with my family for special dinners and other special occasions it is just as special as going to lodge as we all do not get together very often , but I do not wear a suit for that . And that is what going to lodge is to me , getting together with my extended family . I shouldn't be made to feel uncomfortable being amongst my brothers , nor would I want them uncomfortable .
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JohnnyFlotsam
Premium Member
A Lodge should never do that. The should, however, close the doors on a brother based on how chooses to dress. The brother who chooses to dress as if a Lodge meeting is a casual social affair has lost sight of what makes a Mason a Mason. The same goes for a Lodge that regards dress as inconsequential. Our labors are supposed to be something special, to be engaged in by a privileged few. While it is certainly true that such privilege is granted to suitable men, regardless of their station in life, it is expected that they will assume that privilege with the fervor and dignity it deserves.
Notice that I've said nothing about what particular dress is expected. I would rather sit in a Lodge full of men in clean pressed jeans and polo shirts than in one where everyone wears a tux, provided that those Brethren in the former case were wearing the best clothes they had, for those Brothers will have shown me the regard they have for the Craft and it's Labor.
I feel like this is incorrect, but whatever.
Christopher
Registered User
I think this depends on what's going on. On degree nights, I personally like the idea of dressing more seriously, because I feel like the ritual is serious. We get maybe four hours over the course of three nights to take a good man and make him better by our ritual. We must then be very serious about the labor that we are about during those four hours or the job won't get done. However, for stated meetings, most of what's accomplished is just enjoying each other's company, and if a man is going to go have dinner and fellowship with his friends, it's natural to want to feel comfortable. Again, I think it's different for officers because they are more "at labor" than the other brethren, but I still don't feel it's as serious as a degree.
I like the suggestion by JohnnyFlotsam that a man should wear his best, whatever that is. I would probably add the caveat that a man should show respect to the expectations of those around him. I personally dislike feeling out of place. I enjoy wearing suits to lodge because dressing up for lodge is part of my feeling that it's special, and, despite going almost every week, it still feels special to go to lodge every time. But, when I visit a lodge for the first time and find out almost no one else is wearing a jacket, I feel out of place and awkward. No one makes me feel unwelcome, but I feel like I'm behaving badly. Whether you're overdressing or underdressing, it's not polite, and if you're out of place by enough, it's distracting.
I think flexibility is the key. Flexibility of lodges to take men as they come, within reason, and a lodge to expect a brother to fit in, within reason.
jwhoff
Premium Member
Brother, I know of one PM who wore suit, tie, hat and one spur on his (I believe) right boot. No place but Texas!
I am not sure that this discussion is going anywhere at this point other than within a circle.
Wear the best attire that you can based on the circumstances. I do not believe that anyone can ask anyone any more or any less.
I would like to add that I find it interesting that we are having such a detailed discussion regarding "coats & ties" when the ladies of the Order of the Eastern Star are Required to wear dresses to their meetings. My wife did not even own a single dress until she joined our local OES chapter. Also, I find no difference in the "coat & tie" as an officer of the Lodge than the requirement of a "Uniform" as an officer of York Rite Commandry, or the tuxedos in York Rite College & Allied Masonic Degrees... For most Masonic bodies the attire is what it is. Those who choose not to persue those organizations so that they do not have to conform quite simply can make that choice. I for one will not limit myself based on the attire, there is far too much Masonry out there to learn and discover.
With that said, again there is no difference between a Brother who dresses in his best jeans and shirt and the Brother who dresses in a suit or tuxedo. It is what it is!
Wear the best attire that you can based on the circumstances. I do not believe that anyone can ask anyone any more or any less.
I would like to add that I find it interesting that we are having such a detailed discussion regarding "coats & ties" when the ladies of the Order of the Eastern Star are Required to wear dresses to their meetings. My wife did not even own a single dress until she joined our local OES chapter. Also, I find no difference in the "coat & tie" as an officer of the Lodge than the requirement of a "Uniform" as an officer of York Rite Commandry, or the tuxedos in York Rite College & Allied Masonic Degrees... For most Masonic bodies the attire is what it is. Those who choose not to persue those organizations so that they do not have to conform quite simply can make that choice. I for one will not limit myself based on the attire, there is far too much Masonry out there to learn and discover.
With that said, again there is no difference between a Brother who dresses in his best jeans and shirt and the Brother who dresses in a suit or tuxedo. It is what it is!
MikeMay
Premium Member
Amen to that...its all about what is on the inside of a man, not how the man is dressed up... ;-)