"Rotarian" style Masonry

[Warrior1256]

Large memberships are assumed to be the norm by many but the reality is that membership is returning to equilibrium.

Interesting point.

 

[dfreybur]

I was solicited to join Rotary but it didn't interest me. I did join the Elks, but since my initiation I haven't been back. Why? The initiation meant very little to me and the sense of Brotherhood wasn't there. I think those organizations will fold before Freemasonry.

I was solicited to join the Elks by an old friend and mentor. "I can invite you to join the Elks but I can't invite you to join the Masons". We was a 50 year member of a local PHA lodge. I thought back to a few years before when I'd learned that in most states/countries no one is ever invited. Once those two parts of the puzzle fell together I was ready to petition. California has lines for character witnesses on the petition and lines that have to be members of the specific lodge you're petitioning. He signed for me as a character witness because I petitioned a different lodge. We had discussed which lodge in town I should petition.

I have a high opinion of the Rotary. Maybe the best of the service clubs. I have a high opinion of the Elks. Maybe the best of the social networks. I eventually decided that a hybrid of several other types of orders is for me, so I petitioned.

 

[CLewey44]

JJones said: ↑
Large memberships are assumed to be the norm by many but the reality is that membership is returning to equilibrium.

Interesting point.

This makes sense too. The 'business' can't survive when it's too big. I think 300K-1M is pretty healthy numbers maybe as long as it's healthy, quality members. I still think we should start inviting people if we feel someone is the 'bee's knees'. Not cheesy advertisements but invites maybe. Strangers could still petition but really have a solid vetting process for those guys. Maybe even with a nice, formal letter or something along those lines if possible. Some may turn it down and then they shall not get invited again but could still join later maybe if they wanted to. This would also be a little quicker maybe instead of "investigating" a guy we've never met a few times, it'd be better maybe to invite folks we find as quality men already. Or at least guys that'd find Masonry interesting and would enjoy it.

 

[dfreybur]

I still think we should start inviting people if we feel someone is the 'bee's knees'. Not cheesy advertisements but invites maybe.

Some European jurisdictions do very well with invitations. They don't have the history of abuse that happened in the US of small shops only employing Masons as a substitute for having a small local labor union. I suggest that abuse faded into the past with the advent of specialty unions as members of the AFL-CIO.

I know Brothers who were invited to join the Shrine and then later in the same conversation informed that only Masons can petition for Shrine membership. It's odd the loops our guys jump through to make end runs around the rules against invitation. Plus some jurisdictions allow "invitation to petition" with complex sets of rules.

 

[Bloke]

.....They don't have the history of abuse that happened in the US of small shops only employing Masons as a substitute for having a small local labor union. I suggest that abuse faded into the past with the advent of specialty unions as members of the AFL-CIO........

That's such an interesting social comment dfreybur. I suspect the same happened here in some workplaces, but its only a guess (based on possible coincidence) and reported in oral history. its certainly a thing of the past now..