Sqaure & Compasses on a signature line in an e-Mail

[Ol Kev]

So, I made a signature line on my personal e-mail that includes the square and compasses. My own thinking on this was simply to identify myself as a Mason. A brother saw it and asked me to help him do one for him and then he passed it on to others. I personally view this not unlike wearing masonic jewelry or decals on the car, masonic ball cap, whatever.

Well, the brother that I originally helped with this happened to send an email out that was politically charged and referenced unions. He told me that since it wasn't masonic in nature that he forgot to remove the square and compasses and tried to do so when he sent e-mails that were not masonic in nature. Well, another brother, who is a union member, got REALLY hot about it and declared that using the square and compasses like that amounted to official communication or communication that gives the idea that whatever is contained therein is endorsed by the Grand Lodge. He is threatening to read the email in open a lodge as Masonic communication and really raise a fuss. There is no reference to the Grand Lodge in this email. As part of his signature the brother did reference his office and identify the lodge of which he was a member. I told him that given the stink, he might want to take that part off.

So, the question before us is:
Is there any Texas Masonic Law that regulates the use of the square and compasses in personal communication?
Is using the square and compasses prohibited in personal emails?
How is this different than identifying yourself as a Mason with jewelry, clothing, etc.

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

 

[BryanMaloney]

I am not yet a Mason, so I cannot comment on the legalistic aspects, but how would it look if someone were to write a hotly charged message and send it on letterhead?

 

[Ol Kev]

I am not yet a Mason, so I cannot comment on the legalistic aspects, but how would it look if someone were to write a hotly charged message and send it on letterhead?

The brother in question understands that. The e-mail with the signature line got out by accident and he has apologized for it. But, the whole set of circumstances raised the question as to whether or not there was masonic law governing the use of the square and compasses in personal communication.

 

[Mac]

The brother in question understands that. The e-mail with the signature line got out by accident and he has apologized for it. But, the whole set of circumstances raised the question as to whether or not there was masonic law governing the use of the square and compasses in personal communication.

I know it's not the same situation, but it might be similar enough for consideration. When I made my wedding invitations, I made a separate set just for brothers from the lodge. I initially planned on mailing them out with a S&C on the outside of the envelope. When I called the Grand Secretary, he made it explicitly clear that I am now allowed to do so.

I don't have a law I can cite, though.

 

[Ol Kev]

I think I have located the relevant part in the Laws of the Grand Lodge of Texas:
Title V, Chapter 2, Art. 505, 3 & 5
The Reader's Digest Version is that you cannot use the words "Masonic", "Mason" or "Masonry" or the faith and credit of Masonry, to display Masonic emblems, for a secular, business or political purpose.

 

[JJones]

Illegal or not, the thing to do would have been to approach the brother who sent the email with his concerns. Threatening to raising a stink about it right off the bat seems more than a bit excessive, unless it's been a problem for a while.

 

[Ol Kev]

Illegal or not, the thing to do would have been to approach the brother who sent the email with his concerns. Threatening to raising a stink about it right off the bat seems more than a bit excessive, unless it's been a problem for a while.

Well, it was an accident on his part. It seems that he put it in the signature creator deal in Outlook and set it up as his default signature. He says he erased on the email it before he hit send but Outlook apparently re-inserted it. He sent another apology and it seems to have calmed down to a non-event. But, at least we found the law guiding such things.