Role call of officers

[Timothy Fleischer]

I am Treasurer of the lodge. Twice a Past Master. As soon as I was raised, became JD, then JW, SW and WM. Ten years later, I served as WM when the SW moved before advancing to WM. It was better to recycle than to throw the JW to the wolves, so to speak.
I can say that I was much better in the East the second time. I think we are forced to send young Masons through the chairs too early. They would do better by being brothers for a while. Small lodges are forced into this and forced into recycling the old guys.

 

[Dave in Waco]

I can say that I was much better in the East the second time. I think we are forced to send young Masons through the chairs too early. They would do better by being brothers for a while. Small lodges are forced into this and forced into recycling the old guys.

I can't speak from experience not having been to the East yet, but I've always heard from PM's that just about the time you really get a feel for what you are doing in the East, your term ends. But I think each brother is different in the time they need to mature and/or prepare to go through the chairs. Some it takes years before the are ready to begin, others get thrown into the deep in early because they swim very well.

 

[tom268]

I can't speak from experience not having been to the East yet, but I've always heard from PM's that just about the time you really get a feel for what you are doing in the East, your term ends

I think, yout tradition, to have 3-year-terms, gives you the opportunity to develop a real feeling of being the WM. And you are usually about 4 years a mason and 2 years a MM, before you can even get electable as WM (you need the 6th degree in Swedish Rite to be electable as WM in Germany, in Sweden you need even the 10th degree, which means about 12 years in the craft minimum). So, as a new WM, you can develop your own style and feeling, and there is no need to start plans together with your successor in office, immediately after installation. Which is not possible anyway, as the successor is unknown until the election.

 

[Dave in Waco]

In Texas, the only real time requirement is that the man has served a year as a Warden. And any MM can serve as an officer in the lodge. So it is possible to even find a JW who has only been a MM for less then a year. That is an unusual circumstance, and it puts a lot of weight on that JW. I know many would consider that unfair to a new brother to step into such an office so quickly.

In Texas, once a man is initated, he has a year to turn in his EA work. Once he becomes a FC, he has a year to turn in his FC work. Then after he becomes a MM, he only has 90 days to get his work in. He can petition for more time if he needs it, but those are the usual requirements. Also between degrees, he must wait at least 14 days between degrees. In otherwords, he can't pull a John Wayne and come right back and turn in his work and get his next degree.

 

[tom268]

What does "the work" mean? Is it a paper on symbolism or memorized ritual knowledge?

 

[Beathard]

In this case it means the memorized questions and answers. Every new mason is required to learn the answers to the same questions. These can be used to test to see if he is a mason. It is called the Trial Lecture.

 

[tom268]

Ah, I see. I know that from a visit in a lodge in Mass. We have something similar, but often, the questions are different, and even the answers to the same questions are different as well, as we have different words and more or less different signs for the degrees.

 

[Benton]

Yeah, it varies from Grand Lodge to Grand Lodge in the US as well. Really can only be counted on to be the same within a particular state. Hence, dues cards.

Sometimes it varies from lodge to lodge, although it's certainly not supposed to....

 

[tom268]

It took me over 1/2 hour to convince the WM, who did the test, that I am a mason. And I think, he only let me in, because of three brothers, who I knew from the internet. I explained to him half of our ritual and a quarter of german masonic history. *gg*

 

[KSigMason]

I am currently:

Marshall (and Past Master) of my home Lodge
Worshipful Master of the Idaho LoR
Jr. Deacon of the ID Historical Lodge

 

[dfreybur]

I can't speak from experience not having been to the East yet, but I've always heard from PM's that just about the time you really get a feel for what you are doing in the East, your term ends.

Having been in the east 3 times so far I can confirm it was true for me.

I'm a sideliner at the moment. Amazing. Of course being out of state I'll still a visitor and with the recognition issue in Texas I'm delaying affiliation for a while as I visit both jurisdictions. Once I do affiliate I'm likely to end up in a chair at least pro-tem. Tonight I'm doing a part in a third degree.