Over at the Papers of Robert G. Davis there is a new paper to read: Fraternalism -- The Lost Word in Charity. It traces how the Craft "got into the business of public charity and asks a very good question at the end. I recommend it.
1 comment:
Anonymous
said...
Amen. I find especially significant his closing line, "It makes one wonder how many other Masonic traditions have been lost to time only because a current generation had not a clue about the past." I have repeatedly stated, both publicly and privately, that it is important for us to all be educated on our history, because that lets us know where we came from, who we are, and why. But too many of our members (our brothers) have not the slightest clue that Freemasonry is anything more than a men's organization that requires degrees for initiation.
And in my Grand Master's report, I lamented the effect the Shrine Hospitals have had on the Shrine of North America. Here is what I said:
I am proud to be a Shrine Mason. I get chills when I visit the Shriners Hospitals for Children. I beam when I see advertisements extolling the wonders of these hospitals. I am pleased to quote the immense expenditures put forth on behalf of these needy children. And I am appalled to see the effect on the Shrine of North America. The Shriners have been consumed by their own charity. They are no longer a fraternity that just happens to support a wonderful charitable system, perhaps the greatest philanthropy in the world. They have become their charity. They spend all their efforts, all their time, and most of their money, managing and arguing about how to run the hospitals. They have forgotten their fraternal roots. They live and breathe Shriners Hospitals. I fear that they will die, supporting their hospitals.
1 comment:
Amen. I find especially significant his closing line, "It makes one wonder how many other Masonic traditions have been lost to time only because a current generation had not a clue about the past." I have repeatedly stated, both publicly and privately, that it is important for us to all be educated on our history, because that lets us know where we came from, who we are, and why. But too many of our members (our brothers) have not the slightest clue that Freemasonry is anything more than a men's organization that requires degrees for initiation.
And in my Grand Master's report, I lamented the effect the Shrine Hospitals have had on the Shrine of North America. Here is what I said:
I am proud to be a Shrine Mason. I get chills when I visit the Shriners Hospitals for Children. I beam when I see advertisements extolling the wonders of these hospitals. I am pleased to quote the immense expenditures put forth on behalf of these needy children. And I am appalled to see the effect on the Shrine of North America. The Shriners have been consumed by their own charity. They are no longer a fraternity that just happens to support a wonderful charitable system, perhaps the greatest philanthropy in the world. They have become their charity. They spend all their efforts, all their time, and most of their money, managing and arguing about how to run the hospitals. They have forgotten their fraternal roots. They live and breathe Shriners Hospitals. I fear that they will die, supporting their hospitals.
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