TAKING MASONRY SERIOUSLY

TAKING MASONRY SERIOUSLY

Author: The Builder Magazine

Year: 1916

This 1916 editorial from The Builder Magazine , titled "TAKING MASONRY SERIOUSLY," argues that there is a growing desire, especially among young men, to engage with Freemasonry on a more profound level, rather than treating it as a social club for "big eats and big meets." The article highlights a deep dissatisfaction among thoughtful Masons with the state of the fraternity. It cites a letter from a brother who laments that Masonry has become diluted and "a little bit foolish" due to members belonging to numerous other orders and holding leadership roles in them simultaneously. This same brother expresses his frustration with "childish legends that pass for Masonic 'History'" and "worthless" literature, indicating that he was drawn back to the Craft only by the hope of intellectually rigorous content, such as an article by Harvard's Roscoe Pound. The editorial posits that this intellectual laziness—the perpetuation of "silly legends, fantastic history, and mathematical puzzles"—is a primary reason for falling lodge attendance and waning interest. It presents a clear ultimatum: either Masonry should admit it is merely a "dramatic Club" preluding a banquet, or its members must commit