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Unattached Brethren.

Unattached Brethren .

THE M ASONic l

UA / STRATEP .

THE unit in Freemasonry is tlie lodge , not the brother , and one of the undisputed landmarks is the obligation , under which all Freemasons lie , to meet in lodge . True , there is no actual compulsion , in the sense that a brother does not incur any penalty when he ceases to he a subscribing member of a lodge , but for that very reason the obligation ought to be all the more binding and be regarded as a debt ol honour .

Unattached Brethren.

He ceases of course to have any share in the government of the Craft and his right of visitation is curtailed , but neither of these things leaves behind it any Masonic stigma , and the brother concerned is at liberty to resume his active connection with the Order whenever he is disposed , subject always to the chances of the ballot-box .

The number of these brethren is far too large , and though there may be no constitutional stigma involved , the fact that about one-third of the Masons in the country have lost practically all their interest in the Order , seems to suggest blame somewhere . And it does not always lie with the

unattached . Once upon a time these brethren were keen and enthusiastic , they incurred much trouble and expense before they entered the Order , and once admitted they were anxious to make daily progress in Masonic knowledge , but they found little or no encouragement . Successive Masters were too anxious to make their respective years of office

" successful , " whatever that may mean , and had no time to bestow on their candidates once their fees were safely gaz * nered . Thus they learnt nothing , and worse still , they did nothing . After waiting for two , three , or four years , in the vain hope of obtaining notice , or even being put into temporary occupation of a vacant chair , they lost heart . The

highest ambition of a Freemason , the hope of reaching the Master ' s chair , seemed too far off to be realized . Then attendance began to be irregular , but so long as the clues were regular no one seemed to care , and then resignation followed , and who will maintain that all the fault is with

the brother . This is a very typical case and it could be so very easily dealt with . In some lodges there is a visiting committee whose duty it is to look up irregular brethren , and it certainly may fairly be expected of the Master that he should take an interest in the absentee brother , and when such an one found that not only his purse but his personality were objects of attention , he would easily be won back .

Then there are other unattached brethren who took offence at something . Generally the extent of the grievance varies inversely with the cause of it , and the smaller the grievance the deeper it seems to rankle ; but we cannot go into that . When dealing with sensitive plants of this description care must be taken to continue the horticultural

metaphor , not to pull them up by the roots . A few words in season from the lips of some old and respected Past Master will often smooth matters over , and the brother must be told that if Masonry is worth anything at all it ought to be robust enough to weather such trifles as these . Perhaps

there has been a disappointment with regard to office , or the unexpected has happened at the ballot-box . These are accidents that may happen to anybody , and we are all human enough to know that a little soreness may quite naturally be felt . A little consideration and the right thing said at

the right moment by the right man and in the right manner , may prevent a valuable Masonic career from being made shipwreck of .

Next on our list is the brother who changed his residence , and whilst not forgetting to resign membership of one lodge , entirely forgot the necessity of joining another . In order to keep these brethren in the fold may we not take a hint from the custom of many friendly societies under similar circumstances . The Master should communicate with some

influential brother who will in due time look up the newcomer , and all else will naturally follow . There are others unattached who have retired from their lodges on account of inability lo meet the expenses involved in continued membership . These brethren are to be sympathized with .

The Order is not in itself expensive , and it is cause for regret that the ill-considered action and mistaken zeal of many brethren tends to make it so . Expensive dinners , testimonials continually on the lapis , and in the provinces an expensive summer outing , require a certain amount of

moral courage to withstand , and they are not essentials of Freemasonry . If the traditions of the lodge make all these necessary , a quiet intimation should have been given to the brother concerned when he was admitted . So far we have considered those unattached brethren , by far the greater majority , who it is desirable to reclaim , but