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Freemasonry is seriously indebted to those dedicated members of our Fraternity who labor for months and years in learning the various elements of ritual. I have often observed however, that the effort and valuable time spent in memorizing and perfecting these magnificent moral lessons is not always fully exploited; surprisingly, this is not the result of faulty or halting memory, but rather ineffective delivery. How do we measure the effectiveness of delivery? Quite simply. Effective delivery is achieved whenever ...

While many Masons may have heard about European Concept lodges, which are themselves a relatively new concept in American Freemasonry, few have heard of the Traditional Observance lodge. Traditional Observance lodge s are similar to European Concept lodges in that they also incorporate higher dues, festive boards, a strict dress code and higher standards of ritual, but differ in that they choose to follow a close observance of the traditional initiatic elements of Continental European and South American Freemasonry ...

Light. Enlightenment. In my first article for MasonsofTexas.com/Freemason Connect, I felt it would be best to start with these ideas and concepts. Even thought I am just an E.A., I know the importance placed on this concept in Freemasonry. So let us look at it in context and concept.

Light, in Masonry, means Truth, Knowledge, or my favorite, True Knowledge. It is to be an Upright person, Square in your dealings with others, honest and Level-headed, and to always seek the Truth in any situation no matter the outcome ...

In 2008 I was a true believer of the Traditional Observance (T.O.) Lodge or European Concept Lodge, in which the men would dress appropriately, emphasis on education, research, and ritual and of course no more fish fries. Now in Texas this would fly in a couple of places (College Station for one), but they aren’t allowed to be called Traditional Observance as the Grand Lodge does not recognize the practice, also some of the TO “ritual enhancement” are not part of our blue lodge degrees which are strictly controlled ...

From a very young age he seemed to develop a special talent for invention and improvement. As a young boy he always looked forward to assisting his father, Jordan Gatling, who was also a gifted inventor, and invented several interesting machines.

While he was still in his teen years he helped his father, invent two very important machines of the day. One was for sowing cotton, and the other was for thinning young cotton plants ...

We are familiar with the game of "Musical Chairs" in which those playing march around a group of chairs, one chair less than the number of players and when the music stops, the person that is unable to find a seat is out of the game. As the game progresses, a chair is removed so that there is always one chair less than the number of players. The winner of the game is the last person to be seated in the remaining chair. The Wrecking Crews of Shrine Temples have dreamed up many versions of it, as well as other groups and organizations ...

Institutions do not survive through the ages by accident; they live only through the possession and operation of everlasting principles. When an organization runs back beyond historic records, and relies upon tradition for the story of its origin, its career during a known period either justifies or falsifies the tradition. An ancestry of virtue and good works is a liberal education. The power of the accumulated wisdom of the past is a resistless impelling force upon the present. The architects, the decorators, the draftsmen, the woodcarvers, the workers in precious metals ...

Making good men better is no easy task. One of our biggest catch phrases in explaining the craft is that we make good men better. This is usually said with ease and brushed over like it just happens after you receive the master mason’s fairy dust. This each of us know is not the case nor are we assured we will ever have the secrets of this craft, quite the contrary actually. We are told it is a monumental task to enable oneself to receive all the craft has to bestow. From our memory work to our obligations masonry is shown not to be for the faint of heart ...

The office of Warden is very old; older, probably, than any reference we will ever find in documents relating to the Craft. All through our organization the influence of the Guilds of the middle ages may be traced; occasionally with ease, more often by the methods of a “higher criticism” which reads analogies by inference and a logical interpretation of the spirit of the document. That Freemasonry derived its Wardens from the Guilds, however, needs no very critical labor to suggest ...

John Philip Sousa (1854-1932), the man called "March King," was proud to be a native-born American. And make no mistake that he was also proud to be a Mason.

Sousa's Masonic affiliations aren't common knowledge, but he entered Masonry at age 26 and was a Master Mason for 51 years. A summary of his Masonic career is seen at the end of this article. Three of his best known marches have Masonic origins ...

Peace and harmony prevailing....a Masonic mantra if there ever was one. We say as part of our opening in Preston-Webb lodges that we would like to ensure that we not part unless things are harmonious.

We quote from scripture and provide Master Masons that no contention should exist among Masons ...

Is our Fraternity just a little too common?

Thoughts about the fraternity from the 19th Century---------

A real Freemason is distinguished from the rest of Mankind by the uniform unrestricted rectitude of his conduct ...