Call me a traditionalist, and I'm much like Brother Stewart. I'm quite young, but I think it would be kick in the nuts to Masonry's ideals for the memory work to be thrown out in any capacity. I recently purchased a Monitor that was published in 1889. Now, in the grand scheme of things, this isn't too long ago, but it IS 120 years. As with modern Monitors, scattered throughout the book are bits and pieces of the memory work. It's dang near word for word with what we have now. To me, this IS Masonry. We are a fraternity of like-minded individuals who are joined together for a common cause, to improve ourselves in Masonry. If we drop these time-tested Q&A, can we even say that George Washington would consider us as his Masonic brethren? Gentlemen, I'm only 18. I'm aware that until quite recently, I would not have been allowed to join the Fraternity, and that this rule was changed in hopes of encouraging new members, and I'm very grateful for that. BUT, this was a change in age requirement, NOT a change in work requirement. I was raised on January 31, and as of today, February 18, I'm halfway through the three sections of EA memory work. Upon first hearing this work, I was amazed and thought that certainly, I would graduate from college before becoming a Master. Now, I'm equally amazed at how fast a mind can absorb information in so short a time, if one so dedicates himself. And THAT'S the real driving point of my perception on this subject. If an entering Mason doesn't want to learn the memory work, then, as many have done before him, let him slowly soak it in over time, and when he's ready, he'll be ready, but let's not take away tried and true tradition for the sake of appeasing us new guys. If this had already been done before I was entered, I'm confident that I would have opted to memorize the work anyway. It's integral. Necessary. It proves one's intentions in joining the fraternity. Without it, any person, whether he be true and worthy or refractory and refusing, can easily be among us. I'm all for exploring new ways to expand masonry, but not at the expense of its integrity. The last thing I want is to doubt whether the new guy in my very lodge is nothing but a note-takin, eaves-droppin, intruder. In my honest opinion, with the removal of the memory work, masonry, itself, dies shortly thereafter. How ironic would it be that in our efforts to attract more brothers, we kill the whole tradition.