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Could You Imagine?

KSigMason

Traveling Templar
Site Benefactor
Some food for thought:

Reading through one of the volumes of the "History of Royal Arch Masonry" I came into a chapter discussing the Most Excellent Master degree. In the second paragraph it states:

Again, we were permitted to witness the conferring of the degree in what was the largest tiled meeting of a chapter ever held. We refer to the degree conferred in the old Convention Hall in Kansas City, MO, in 1922, at which eight or nine thousand members of chapters, in and near Kansas City, witnessed the conferring the degree upon a class of more than 1,000 candidates. With a 75 piece orchestra, a chorus of 150 voices, and processions in which two or three hundred participated, it presented a picture which it will take many years to duplicate.

Could you imagine attending such a presentation?? This must have been quite the sight to see. With conducting the research for my book, I have been a little absent on posting articles, but once I read that paragraph that I had to share it with all of you.

SOURCE
 

Michaelstedman81

Premium Member
Now, normally I'm not really big on those huge "classes", but something like that would be very impressive to take part in or recieve the degrees through. I'm getting pretty big on the whole thing that degrees should be done in a manner that is VERY memorable to the candidate and even though a thousand candidates are going through at once while probably only one or a handful are getting to do the candidate part, something like that would be pretty doggone amazing in my opinion.

Nice post!
 

Benton

Premium Member
Now, normally I'm not really big on those huge "classes", but something like that would be very impressive to take part in or recieve the degrees through. I'm getting pretty big on the whole thing that degrees should be done in a manner that is VERY memorable to the candidate and even though a thousand candidates are going through at once while probably only one or a handful are getting to do the candidate part, something like that would be pretty doggone amazing in my opinion.

Nice post!

I agree. While I appreciate how amazing that ceremony must have been, I'm not a fan of watching degrees. Of my York Rite degrees, I basically remember nothing about the degrees where I watched, yet I took away something significant from the degrees where I was the 'exemplar.' If I had my way, all the degrees would be single candidate, and everyone would hate me because of how busy their schedules would be. But I truly believe it would be the superior initiatory experience.
 

Kaivon

Registered User
Agree with making it memorable

I feel that Masonry is a personal trip and should be made that way when conferring degrees. I think that Lodges need to make effort to devote the time to the new Brother and make the degree about them ensuring that the message is properly imparted and meaningful. Large groups are amazing but feel meaning is lost.
 

KSigMason

Traveling Templar
Site Benefactor
I agree with that many candidates some of the luster was lost, but imagine filling that cast, slightly scaled down, for a manageable candidate class. I would like to have seen that presentation as it must have been very awe inspiring.
 

BroBill

Site Benefactor
Site Benefactor
I'd definitely like to see and hear the orchestra and see the processions! Wow! It's an incredible degree anyway (one of my two favorites), but an orchestra would be incredible. I'd also love to have seen the floor practice!
 

BroBill

Site Benefactor
Site Benefactor
I agree with that many candidates some of the luster was lost, but imagine filling that cast, slightly scaled down, for a manageable candidate class. I would like to have seen that presentation as it must have been very awe inspiring.

That may be the one degree where you can get the lesson by watching... remember what the candidates are doing towards the end of the degree... and in this case, the huge processions would be an excellent illustration of the underlying point of the degree. For the record, I endorse individual degrees over the festival for all the reasons stated by the companions earlier, but I'd pay to see this degree on that scale.
 

Michaelstedman81

Premium Member
I agree. While I appreciate how amazing that ceremony must have been, I'm not a fan of watching degrees. Of my York Rite degrees, I basically remember nothing about the degrees where I watched, yet I took away something significant from the degrees where I was the 'exemplar.' If I had my way, all the degrees would be single candidate, and everyone would hate me because of how busy their schedules would be. But I truly believe it would be the superior initiatory experience.

Yea, being the "exemplar" in certain degress, I do remember more of what happened. Thankfully, while I was going through my York Rite degrees, there were only a handful of candidates. A couple of the degrees, we went down to Boerne and there was more Brothers there going through them, but still not too many that detracted too much from the experience. Being in a lodgeroom that I have never been to and seeing the amount of other Companions and Knights that were there to put on the degrees and also watch was pretty exciting for me cause I come from such a small lodge (of course small Chapter, Council, and Commdery as well). One thing that I really like about our Commandery is that they really believe that each new candidate should go through the Temple degree on his own and not watch someone else go through it for them. Even if I was on the sidelines for that degree, I would still think as highly of it as I do....Lol then again, I did get dubbed a Sir Knight in a real CASTLE hahah In Texas, no less...lol

All in all, I think the event that is the topic of this thread would have been really amazing to see, but I don't know if having something like that go on a couple times a year, or even every year, would be beneficial to the candidates or the York Rite. An event like that would be very beautiful and extravagant, but I would really hope that they aren't doing it as a way to "rush" in a bunch of new members. I think it would be amazing to see one of those things happen every few years or so cause it would be really hard to top an experience like that.....Other than getting a degree in a real castle...lol Hopefully, I can get a hold of the pictures from my castle degree.... Of course there was some MAJOR editing that needed to happen..lol
 
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