wwinger
Registered User
Recently I sent the following email to the officers of the two lodges I belong to.
I have received comments, both negative a positive. Here is one of them:
To: Officers of 33 and 81
Brethren,
Proper attire for attendance at our lodge functions has long been a concern of many of the members of 33 and 81.
We have all been concerned that being too restrictive can be a negative when a person is debating about whether or not to attend lodge. Still we have also noticed that without standards the appearance of the officers and members in the lodge is deteriorating.
Lodge meetings used to be, and should still be, something special. The membership should be looking upon the meetings as an opportunity to put their 'best foot forward', and not look like they just finished mowing the lawn or changing the oil in the car.
True, it is the internal qualities that recommend a man to be made a Mason. Unfortunately, our newest Masons and those that visit our lodges have not had the time to learn about our inner qualities. They have only the external by which to judge us. If they don't see something they want to emulate, we will not likely see them again.
Recently, I received the following notice. What caught my attention was the part in quotation marks, not only that the WM was describing the 'preferred dress' but why he was concerned, "...a very energetic and driven candidate seeking the light of Masonry."THU, APR 7 --- EA degree, S.B. Mosser Lodge in Alice. Meal at 6:30 PM,Isn't that what we want all of our candidates and members to be? If so, why shouldn't we dress appropriately for all of our lodge meetings?
degree to follow. Lots of prominent Masons on the degree team. Secretary
Ben Johnson says, “Worshipful Master has requested Coat and Tie as the
preferred dress with Past Masters wearing their aprons if available. Hope to
have a good turnout, because this is a very energetic and driven candidate
seeking the light of Masonry…â€
I realize that with Winter Texans making up so much of the attendance in the Valley, we have to permit attendees to come in casual dress as many of our visitors do not even bring a coat and tie with them. Still, the officers can set the tone.
At 81, the WM has asked all officers to wear a coat and tie at all meetings. Although that has slipped a bit recently, it has inspired others, myself included, to dress better for lodge meetings. Non-officers, such as myself, do not often wear a tie and we may even leave the jacket at home but we do dress better than before to avoid feeling out of place.
33, located in the midst of a resort area, probably should not even encourage its officers to wear a coat and tie. Still, we do not need to allow the standards to drop so precipitously as to suggest that canvas shoes, blue-jeans and/or collarless shirts are considered acceptable.
We all want to see both of these lodges grow and prosper. That is not going to happen if we do not make Masonry something special that others WANT to participate in. There is little interest in those things that can be had cheaply or with little effort. There are many things that we need to do to make Masonry attractive, but how we dress is one of the easiest fixes and one we should correct immediately.
Fraternally,
Warren Winger
I have received comments, both negative a positive. Here is one of them:
I would like to have your comments. My letter was my opinion. I would like to hear yours.This is the page I am on in regard to the message: I firmly believe that it is the internal and not the external virtues that qualify a Mason, still I believe in decorum. For me this means a persons best foot forward and not his best shoe. Our brethren around the world with less fortune than we enjoy and our local lodge brothers that may not have the coin to sport lack tie are no less the Mason than our Grand Master himself. Our recent younger, less formally attired, brothers work better that any I have heard any where else or than those any better dressed.