By Bro Gerrit Roebert Ockerse DGMembership Officer KwazuluNatal
By Wor. Bro. William McCullough, Master of the Wilfrid Lawson Lodge in 1923/4S. Submitted by his son SW. McCullough
(This ‘paper’ was written in letter form to my late Father,Wor. Bro. William McCullough, Master of the Wilfrid Lawson Lodge in 1923/4 and Chaplin of the Lodge for an unbroken spell of some 35 years, prior to his death in 1961)
S. W. McCullough
The basis of this dissertation, while being primely concerned with the First Degree in Freemasonry, could just as well be applied to all the other degrees of the Order, but as it resulted from having attended a First Degree ceremony, and one which had left a pertinent impression on me, the bias will be principally that appertaining to the First Degree.
Some time ago, I was present in the Masonic Temple in Cairo, at a meeting of an English Constitution Lodge and witnessed there, the Initiation Ceremony of a young British Officer of the armed Forces – all or mostly all present being in uniform – as was the Candidate. The meeting was an emergency one, undertaken by the Lodge in question.
Being particularly interested in the solemnity and impressiveness of the 1° I paid great attention to the actual working, and allowed my mind to relive my own initiation, which had taken place in the Wilfrid Lawson Lodge, in June 1939. I was, however, extremely disappointed and disillusioned, for the working left so much to be desired, as to render it anything but impressive, and I could not help but feel, that owing mainly to the uncertainty of the W.M. and many of his officers, and the general lacking of a sincere and solemn atmosphere, the candidate himself derived little or no benefit from the ceremony, but found himself far more bewildered at the completion, than an E.A. normally does on such occasions.
Probably few Masons were able to grasp the whole portent of their initiation on that first night, but fewer still have failed to be inwardly impressed by the awe and grandeur that has been presented to them, when first they took the step, and when, within an hour or two, something greater and nobler took place in their minds, which was to last a lifetime.
The thought struck me then, that those who were responsible for the first guiding steps of that young Mason’s career, had failed in their task, and that very possibly more harm than good would accrue from the ceremony, with far reaching results. I could not but acknowledge the extreme seriousness of this, and I thought how wrong it was to sacrifice all the beauties of the Degree for the sake of haste, and because those in authority had not taken sufficient trouble in the preparation of their work.
A Mason’s calling is a high one, and he owes much to those about to enter the Order – too great a care cannot be taken in preparing the initiate and presenting to him, the first mysteries and sciences of the Craft.
The mind of a modern young man – or for that matter any man joining our Order – is a complex one, and very logical in its outlook; in exposing him to the ancient mysteries of Freemasonry it is so necessary that the presentation be clear and concise so as not to insult his intelligence, or leave him groping for light – unless he has some sense of awe and imagination, the First Degree can mean little or nothing to him, more especially if the charges and various exhortations are given haltingly, with repeated references to rituals and prompts.
Nothing is quite so bad as continual stumbling and forgetfulnesses, and the end result more often than not causes the candidate to become weary and disinterested. If his mind cannot be captivated and held by those doing the work, it is likely to wander away and seek diversion in the body of the Lodge, viewing that which hitherto was strange to him, with childlike curiosity. In this way many vital, important and revealing parts of the ceremony are missed by him, and the fullest import of his first step into Freemasonry passed over without due understanding which is necessary in the exercising of his mental compliancy, this, although through no fault of his own, creates in him a disadvantage and a dissatisfaction which is not conducive to his becoming conversant with all the principals and virtues that are, or should be, exposed to him at this very time in his life and masonic career.
I have already mentioned that we cannot hope for every initiate to fully grasp and comprehend the E.A. degree on that first occasion, but how among us can really forget his very first entry and impressions when we were prepared to be made a Mason. The method of preparation, the hoodwink, the cable-tow, the slip-shod heel, the poignard being presented to his naked left breast as he entered the door of the Lodge, the depth of meaning in that very first prayer in which the Divine Being is exhorted to endue him to dedicate and devote his life in such a manner as to become a true and faithful brother among us, and the plea for understanding the beauties of godliness and honour through His Holy Name; who can ever erase from his sensitivity that moment when he knelt and took his first masonic obligation, and the blessing of material light afterwards restored to him, and he saw his strange surroundings – the first rewards of having masonic secrets revealed to him, following upon that, the various explanations of the form and significances of our masonic symbols.
The beautifully worded charge, reminding us to be daily in communion with the True and Living God, Most High, with the reward being ‘A Mansion not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens’ – The explanation of the Tracing Board, wherein is contained such divine plans and moral laws as to be advantageously applied in our social and masonic lives, with equal benefits to all ourselves and our connections.
These and all the other parts of the Degree should have been so impressed upon our minds in the beginning, as to ever remain a mental pattern to measure our lives and actions by. The stressing of the four cardinal virtues, namely – Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence and Justice could be as diligently applied today in us, as they were by our ancient Brethren, and the distinguishing characteristics of a good Freemason should have been so vividly expressed by the narrator, as to have convinced the E.A. that these characteristics are distinguishable between men in general and men calling themselves ‘Freemasons’.
Yet, clearly presented they must be or the ceremony will lose all significance for the candidate. There should be no uncertainty on the part of the Brethren who have been delegated to share in the work. The W.M. has his overall responsibility, but as has become customary in most Lodges, much of the work is distributed among the Brethren who, when they accept a task, should be prepared to present it as perfectly as possible, leaving nothing to chance.
The practice of the W.M. delegating ‘Floor Work’ is a worthy one, as in this manner interest which would otherwise flag is stimulated and a Brother can feel he is taking an active part in the welfare of his Lodge, and furthering the cause of the most ancient and honourable Society that ever existed, which he is privileged to be a member of.
In this context a word of warning should be sounded! There are many Brethren who are blessed with good memories, and are able to learn and expound ritual work, but such expertise should not be looked upon as the ultimate, especially in the First Degree.
Far better for the expositions to be delivered with a sense of sincerity and feeling designed to impress the Candidate principally. To capture the Candidate’s attention and to hold that attention is far greater than to allow rhetoric and eloquence to pervade the proceedings, having as its object the impressing of the more experienced Brethren with a view to earning their congratulations. That attitude is to be strongly deplored.
The Candidate must be watched, helped, primed, prompted and all our efforts should be towards helping him to grasp the full import of the occasion. Regardless of rational ability, if THAT object goes unaccomplished, the words need never have been spoken.
Although naturally somewhat bewildered at the completion of his ceremony of initiation, the newly made E.A. should at least be conscious of the main essentials, and we, as brother Masons should strive for that end no matter what our position in the Lodge is — we owe it to our new Brethren to help all we can in starting them on their masonic careers and so fulfill the principals of Brotherhood and Fellowship both of which are characteristics of our noble order.
Those of us who were privileged to be made Masons in a Lodge where the W.M. and his officers and brethren had all these interests at heart, may never quite realise how extremely fortunate we are, but, and it is only too obvious to deny such is not a general rule sad to say, for consider the case of the E.A. I quoted at the outset of this preamble:
He had probably never given Masonry very much thought until he allowed his name to go forward, and apart from his proposer and seconder was possibly unknown to many of the members of that Lodge; he would have been totally unaware that Freemasonry consisted of several degrees; furthermore he was moving to a new destination a few days later; If and when he progressed in the science I shall never know, but I am convinced that he was not adequately equipped masonically from his first introduction to the Order.
We as Masons, whether we be P.M’s, W.M’s or just M.M. would be lacking in the basic tenets and principals of the Craft, were we not to give due thought and consideration to this so very important degree, or if we failed to recognise the responsibility each and every one of us owe to the newly initiated E.A. in that First Degree of Freemasonry.
Degree of Freemasonry.
S. W. McCullough