Masonry (sometimes called "Freemasonry") is the largest and best known fraternal organization, numbering some three million members worldwide. It is not a secret society, or you would not be here now to learn about the fraternity. Masonic Temples are not hidden, but are prominent buildings in their communities, and the Brethren proudly wear the Square and Compasses, the symbols of their membership in the Fraternity. The only secrets are the grips and passwords that Masons use to identify each other as genuine Brethren. Masonry is a society dedicated towards individual self-improvement, learning, developing the art of social behavior and the building of character. It is not a religion, but does require belief in a supreme being as one condition of membership, and supports and encourages each Brother's practice of the religion of his choice. It is based on the principles of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth, and teaches the virtues of Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence, Justice, Faith, Hope and Charity.
Masonic charity extends beyond the Lodge and its Brethren. Over two million dollars per day are raised and contributed to charitable works by Masons in the United States. Some, like the network of Masonic Homes for elderly brethren and their wives, are limited to members. Others, like the crippled children's hospitals and burns institutes operated by the Shrine, are open to all without distinction and without charge. In Massachusetts, the Masonic Fraternity is the largest single group of Red Cross Blood Donors, contributing in excess of 20,000 pints annually. Masonic organizations support a variety of medical research activities, including schizophrenia, diabetes and eye disease.
Masonry traces its origins to the building of King Solomon's Temple, and every Lodge hall is a representation thereof. That is why we refer to the building as the Temple. King Solomon's Temple was situated due east and west, and so we refer to locations in the Lodge hall by these compass directions, with the East being location of the Master and authority.
Freemasonry uses the tools of the stone mason as symbols to remind us of desirable personal qualities one should cultivate. For example, the common gavel, which operative masons use to break off the rough edges of a stone, making it square and perfect for construction, teaches the speculative Mason to divest his heart and conscience of the vices of life, thereby striving to perfect his mind and thoughts. The twenty-four inch gauge, used by the operative mason to measure and lay out his work, teaches the speculative Mason to divide his time in order to provide a portion for the service to God and the distressed, a portion for employment and a portion for rest and refreshment. The level teaches equality; the square, morality; and the plumb, rectitude of life. The trowel teaches Masons to spread the cement of Brotherly Love and Affection which binds us into one society of friends and brothers among whom no contention should ever exist.
It is hard for us to comprehend the practice of indentured servants and restricted travel that existed during medieval period. Because of their construction skills, stone masons were free from indenture and free to travel without restriction, practicing their craft at superior wages. This knowledge and skills formed the closely guarded secrets of a Master Mason.
It was during that time that guilds were formed and lodge membership controlled. These guilds or lodges formed a network for the traveling mason, where he could find friendship and social companions. They also provided relief for his widow and orphans should he be killed on the construction site; a not uncommon occurrence.
During the middle ages operative masons were employed in building the great cathedrals of Europe. Believing an immoral or blasphemous person should not be building God's house, there evolved a requirement of a higher moral code for membership in the Craft. Later, when the construction of the cathedrals declined, to maintain membership the guilds began accepting individuals who were not practicing stone masons, but were men of high moral character. They were known as speculative or Accepted Masons. The initials "A.F.& A.M." used after a Lodge's name stand for "Ancient Free & Accepted Masons". This was the evolution of the Fraternal Lodges as we know them today.
The first Lodge organized in the colonies was St. John's Lodge in Boston in 1733. It met in the Bunch of Grapes Tavern and continues to meet to this day. One of the characteristics of the Masonic Fraternity is its roots and the sense of continuity these roots provide the Brethren. Today's mobile society has discarded much of the connections of the extended family and other sources of mutual dependence of one person on another. One part of the Installation Ceremony of the Master of a Lodge is the passing of the Lodge's Charter. St. John's Charter has literally been passed hand to hand from one Master to the next since the Lodge was formed in 1733.
Hiram Lodge first met in the Munroe Tavern in Lexington and the proprietor, William Munroe, was the first Master. This building still exists on Massachusetts Avenue and the rear room has the Square and Compasses carved in the floor. Hiram Lodge relocated to West Cambridge in 1843 and met in Bethel Hall, situated where the Town Hall now stands. In 1864 new quarters were secured on the corner of Medford Street and Massachusetts Avenue (then Main Street). That building served until destroyed by fire in 1924 and the present Temple was built.
Richard C. Maclaurin Lodge was the first of several University Lodges in the United States, where association with a particular school was a requirement for membership. At seventy-six years it is among the younger Lodges in Massachusetts. Yet it has this claim to contributing to Masonic history.
There are many interesting stories about Masonry and its part in the development of the United States. George Washington was a prominent Mason. The Battle of Bunker Hill was led by Gen. Joseph Warren, Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts. The first Bunker Hill Monument was built by King Solomon's Lodge of Somerville, and their Lodge Hall contains the granite descriptive plaque that graced that first structure. Benjamin Franklin was Grand Master of Pennsylvania. Paul Revere also served as Grand Master, and presided over the meeting of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts which approved the Charter for Hiram Lodge. It is generally accepted that the Boston Tea Party was a bunch of Masons. Many of the Presidents have been Masons; Harry Truman was Grand Master of Missouri.
There are certain words Masons use that deserve some explanation. We address the Master and Past Masters as "Worshipful". This does not mean we worship them; it is simply a term of respect dating back to England, where judges are still addressed "Your Worship" just as we use "Your Honor". "Right Worshipful" and "Most Worshipful" are terms used for persons of more eminent station. At the close of prayers, the Masonic response, analogous to Amen, is "So mote it be", meaning "So may it be". Tuxedos are worn by officers as a token of the seriousness of the business in which we are engaged. Optionally, a top hat may be worn by the Master, or by the person who is presently in charge of the Lodge's operation, as a badge of his authority.
A gold jewel worn from the left pocket indicates the Brother is a Past Master. Tradition dictates that these jewels be returned to the Lodge when the individual dies, to be presented to another Past Master. In this way the memory of all Past Masters is kept alive. Some of these jewels date back more than a century. Do not hesitate to ask to examine them. Past Masters are extremely proud of their jewels and will be pleased to tell you of their history.
Bruce D. Wedlock January 1998