Brother_Steve
Premium Member
I see discussions on how WWI and WWII flooded Freemasonry because men returning from Europe and Asia wanted to belong to an organization that promoted fellowship or nostalgia of comradery they experienced while serving.
We discuss Masonry and what we want from it. Too many times I have been to Lodge and gone home "empty handed" because all we did was run down the checklist. Some would consider it a "good night" because we only missed a few words here and there in the opening and closing.
Did the influx water Masonry down to what we have now? Did those that came before us fail to hand down that experience we're looking for today?
What did Freemasonry look like before the great wars?
I guess the answers lay hidden in the archives of Lodge Minutes and historical logs. Has anyone here sat down and read the minutes and/or the historical records of a high profile lodge from before the spike? What were they like?
How can we set aside 70 years of Masonry to get a clean sample and then compare it to today? Can it be done within reason? If so, where do we start?
Here is the bigger question. Is this the point of Masonry to begin with? To keep us always looking for this answer? My questions seem to fit the interaction between the Worshipful Master and the Senior Warden ... I guess for now I will have to accept the substitute...
We discuss Masonry and what we want from it. Too many times I have been to Lodge and gone home "empty handed" because all we did was run down the checklist. Some would consider it a "good night" because we only missed a few words here and there in the opening and closing.
Did the influx water Masonry down to what we have now? Did those that came before us fail to hand down that experience we're looking for today?
What did Freemasonry look like before the great wars?
I guess the answers lay hidden in the archives of Lodge Minutes and historical logs. Has anyone here sat down and read the minutes and/or the historical records of a high profile lodge from before the spike? What were they like?
How can we set aside 70 years of Masonry to get a clean sample and then compare it to today? Can it be done within reason? If so, where do we start?
Here is the bigger question. Is this the point of Masonry to begin with? To keep us always looking for this answer? My questions seem to fit the interaction between the Worshipful Master and the Senior Warden ... I guess for now I will have to accept the substitute...