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Short Talk Bulletin Vol 07 No 07
SHORT TALK BULLETIN - Vol.VII July, 1929 No.7
LODGE AND GRAND LODGE ORGANIZATION
by: Unknown
All Master Masons should be familiar with the organization and
government of the Craft. Yet, only occasionally is instruction in
these subjects given to the newly-raised Master Mason. He is
required to attain a sufficient proficiency in the esoteric work of
the preceding degrees, and some Jurisdictions insist upon a
proficiency in the Master's degree, but information regarding the
structure of Freemasonry is left to time and chance in far too many
cases.
To become a Freemason of his own free will and without solicitation,
a man makes a written application, which is duly endorsed or
recommended by brethren of the lodge to which he applies. His
application is laid before the lodge for acceptance, or rejection.
If accepted, the Worshipful Master appoints a committee, the duty of
which is to satisfy itself of the applicant's fitness to be a Mason.
After a certain period of time (usually a month), the report of the
committee is read to the lodge, and a ballot taken on the
application. A unanimously favorable ballot elects the applicant to
receive the degrees, or, in some Jurisdictions, just the First
Degree. He is initiated into the First or Entered Apprentice Degree,
attains a suitable proficiency in the esoteric work, waits a month or
more, is Passed to the Second or Fellowcraft Degree, again attains a
suitable proficiency in its works, waits another month or so, and
finally is Raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason.
Before any of these steps can be taken, there must be what is called
in some Jurisdictions a "just, perfect and regular lodge," in others
a "just and regularly constituted lodge," to which the petitions can
be made, and in which the degrees may be conferred.
Before such a lodge can come into existence, there must be a Grand
Lodge, or governing body of all private, the particular, or the
subordinate lodges (they are called by all three names in different
places) to give a Warrant of Constitution, or Charter, to certain
brethren, empowering them to work and to be a Masonic Lodge.
The age-old question which has plagued philosophers; did the first
hen lay the first egg, or did the first egg hatch into the first hen;
may seem to apply here, since before there can be a Grand Lodge,
there must be two or more private lodges to form it! But this
Bulletin is written of conditions as they exist in the United States
today - and indeed, in almost all the civilized world - and not of
the historical conditions which pertained in 1717 when the four
lodges in London formed the first grand Lodge!
Today no regularly constituted lodge can come into existence without
the consent of an existing Grand Lodge. It is certain that other
Grand Lodges will be formed in the future, but they probably will not
be many. Let us suppose that Commander Byrd should discover a
habitable continent at the South Pole. This continent slowly fills
up with adventurers, travelers and pioneers. Some of them will be
Masons. They then ask the consent of some Grand Lodge permission to
form a lodge - Massachusetts, for instance, has five lodges in China.
Some English Brethren, let us suppose, receive a Charter for a lodge
in Antarctica from the Mother Grand Lodge of England. Perhaps the
Grand Lodge of Texas Charters another lodge in "Byrdland." After a
while these lodges unite to form their own Grand Lodge; the Grand
Lodges which have Chartered them relinquish jurisdiction, and a new
Grand Lodge is born. But most civilized countries now do have Grand
Lodges; the great formative period of Grand Lodges - the Eighteenth
and Nineteenth Centuries - is practically over. Therefore we may
consider that most of our hens are grown up and laying, and that the
vast majority of new lodges which are hatched will grow up to be
chicks of the mother, and not start out to form other Grand Lodges
for themselves! It is not contended that no new Grand Lodges will
ever be formed, but only that less will come into being in the future
than have in the past.
A Grand Lodge, then, is formed of particular lodges; the Masters, or
the Masters and Wardens of which, then represent their lodges in the
meetings of the Grand Lodge.
The private or particular lodge usually comes into being when a
certain number of brethren, in good standing, will petition a Grand
Master to form a lodge. The Grand Master, if it his pleasure, issues
a Dispensation to these brethren which forms them into a provisional
lodge, or a lodge "Under dispensation." The powers of this Lodge
Under Dispensation are strictly limited; it is not yet a "Regularly
Constituted Lodge;" but an inchoate sort of organization, a fledgling
in the nest. Not until the Grand Lodge has authorized the issuance
of the Warrant, or Charter, does it begin to assume the status of a
"regular" lodge, and not even then, until the new lodge is
consecrated, dedicated and constituted by the Grand Master and his
officers, or those delegated for the ceremony. The ceremony, by the
way, is one which every Master Mason should make an effort to see, if
possible. The Charter of the new lodge will name those who are to be
its first Worshipful Master, Senior and Junior Wardens, who will hold
office until their successors are duly elected and installed.
The Grand Lodge (consisting of the particular lodges represented by
their Masters - in most cases also include the Senior and Junior
Wardens, Past Masters; and Past Officers and Past Grand Masters of
the Grand Lodge), is the governing body in its Jurisdiction. In the
United States, Jurisdictional lines are coincident with the state
lines; there are currently forty-nine United State Grand Lodges; the
forty-ninth being that of the District of Columbia. Each Grand Lodge
is supreme unto itself; its word is Masonic law within its own
borders.
Grand Lodges adopt for themselves a Constitution and By-Laws for
their own government, just as particular lodges adopt by-laws for
their government. These documents are the body of law of the Grand
Jurisdiction, which, however, rest upon the Old Charges and the
ancient Constitutions (which have descended to us from the first
Mother Grand Lodge).
The decisions in mooted questions made by Grand Masters, or the Grand
Lodge (or both); are usually based on the Ancient Landmarks, Usages
and Customs of the Fraternity.-."
In the interim between meetings of a Grand Lodge, the Grand Master is
the Grand Lodge. His powers are arbitrary, absolute and almost
unlimited; at least in theory. Most Grand Lodges provide that the
acts of the Grand Master may be revised, confirmed or rejected by the
Grand Lodge in its meetings; which is, of course, a check against any
too radical moves. But, as a matter of fact, a brother rarely
becomes a Grand Master without having served a long and arduous
apprenticeship. Almost invariably he has been Master of his own
lodge, and by years of service and interest in the Grand Lodge has
demonstrated his ability and fitness to preside over the grand Lodge.
The real check against arbitrary actions of the Grand Master is more
in his Masonry than the law, more in his desire to do the right thing
than in the legal power compelling him to do so.
Private lodge and Grand Lodge officers arrive at their respective
stations either by election or appointment. In some lodges, all
officers in the "line" are elective. In other lodges, only the
senior officers (Master, Senior and Junior Wardens, Secretary and
Treasurer) are elected, all other being appointed by the Master. The
same is true of Grand Lodges; for instance, in the District of
Columbia all officers are elected. In New Jersey, the Grand Master,
Deputy Grand Master, Senior Grand and Junior Grand Wardens, Grand
Secretary, Grand Treasurer are elected; all other Line officers are
appointed by the Grand Master.
In particular lodges, as a general rule, appointed officers are re-
appointed to one station higher each year; the highest appointed
officer is then, usually, elected to the lowest elective office.
This custom is broken, of course, when incumbents are no longer
available, or when the lodge decides, for any reason, not to re-elect
an officer. In the normal course of events, in most lodges, both
particular and Grand Lodges, election or appointment at the "foot of
the line" will eventually lead to the highest office, provided the
officer works, is able, willing and demonstrates that he can fill the
highest chairs. It is this system which is depended upon to give
long experience and years of Masonic knowledge to future Masonic
leaders.
The term of office for Masters and Grand Masters is one year; in some
Jurisdictions, by custom and not by law, Grand Masters are elected
two years in succession and in one he serves three consecutive terms.
In some Jurisdictions, also, the "line" is not advanced, but Grand
Masters are elected "from the floor." Occasionally the Master of a
particular lodge will be elected for a second or third, or even
greater number of years, but generally the "line" proceeds to "move
up" at the annual elections.
Secretaries and Treasurers generally serve as long as they are
willing; a lodge which has a good Secretary and Treasurer almost
invariably re-elects the same incumbents year after year, which is
also true of Grand Lodges. These officers, then, become the
connecting links between different administrations, which makes for
stability and smooth running, except in those rare instances in which
a Secretary, from long service, comes to believe that "his" lodge and
"his" Master should do "his" will, not their own. When the tail thus
attempts to wag the dog, the remedy is found in the annual election!
In Grand Lodges, decisions are reached in four ways:
"by Viva voce" or rising votes, by a showing of hands, votes by
lodges and/or written ballot. The method is usually a matter of
constitutional law; ordinary questions are decided by the least
cumbersome method; difficult and involved questions by votes of/by
lodges; elections and matters of grave import, such as expulsions,
are usually by paper (secret) ballot.
The same holds true of the particular lodge; except of course that it
cannot "vote by lodges" and that it uses the ball or cube instead of
the paper ballot.
In the absence of a Master, the senior Warden presides sand has, for
the time being, the powers and duties of the Master; in his absence,
the same devolves upon the Junior Warden. Should all three be absent
the lodge (1) either cannot be opened at all, or (2) can be opened by
a Past Master, or (3) only by the Grand Master, or his Deputy acting
in his stead. Which of these three depends upon local law in the
particular Grand Jurisdiction.
In these few pages, only the broad outlines of the organization of
Lodges and Grand Lodges can be given. But enough has been written to
indicate that the simple skeleton of the Fraternity has a complicated
and involved body of law and procedure, that there is much to know,
and much, therefore, which the individual Mason should make it his
business to study.
In these words we point out the way, and indicate the extent to which
his inquiring mind should reach, and if followed they will have been
written to a good purpose.
