From the Worshipful Master

Anyone who has been to my apartment may have noticed something beside the front door.
Hanging alongside the door is a brass plumb bob on a length of twine. It is there, not as decoration, but as a reminder, each time I go out into the world, to always strive to be a just and upright mason.

But what does that mean?

Being “upright” has been defined as being “honest and honorable.” This is important to masons, because we always strive to be honest, and to display honor, in all we do.
Being honest and honorable is also sometimes described as being “square,” or “on the level,” concepts which are also derived from operative masonry and building.

Masons have many ways to describe being fair and honest, just and honorable. And we have so many ways to describe those things, because they are of great importance to masons.

Being “upright” is one of the ways that masons show the world that we refuse to give in to the ease of dishonesty and corruption, that we always work to be better than we have to be. Descending to the lowest common denominator is easy; being “just good enough” is simple. Being only what’s expected is easy.

Being honest is hard. Being honorable is hard. Being better than we must is hard.
And we aim for those things that are “hard” because we believe, not that aiming for more is better, but that when we do manage to attain those things–when we act with honor and integrity and honesty and fairness–it makes _us_ better.

This is why we always seek to be upright men and masons: because it means we are always reaching for something better, always trying to _be_ better, than we have to be.

And that reaching for betterment is a hallmark of a mason.

Bryan Bullock
Worshipful Master

From the Senior Warden

Before any man can become a Mason, he will already be a good man. He must have a basic foundation of morality and ethics and will have already come to the Craft under a tongue of good report and well recommended. We knock at the door and are admitted into a place that represents a temple. Brother Riviere explains “so, my Brother, Masonry teaches by allegories and symbols, and it is your part to extract from them the truths that will be of service to you in the building of an upright Masonic character.”

As we proceed through the ceremonies we are introduced to working tools. One of them is explained by Brother Poll “Plumbum was the Latin for lead, and was used also of a scourge with a blob of lead tied to it, of a line with a lead ball at its end for testing perpendicularity, etc., the source of our plumb, lumber, plunge, plumbago, plummet, etc. A plumb-line is accordingly a line, or cored, with a piece of lead at the bottom to pull it taut, used to test vertical walls with the line of gravity , hence, by a simple expansion of reference, an emblem of uprightness…Up mean up, right means straight; an upright man is one who stands strait up and down, doesn’t bend or wabble, has no crooks in him, like a good solid wall that won’t cave in under pressure.” We also do some traveling. The directions “West” and “East” have great deal of depth and meaning in Craft symbolism. While we are seeking further light in Masonry, we must understand that our personal conduct is of the utmost importance. Brother Riviere explains “Hence a Mason travels from West to East on his search for Masonic Light, and hence also the regular upright manner of approaching the East and rendering it due respect.” We must be in due form before we can proceed to the East.

Operative masons used their tools to build churches and cathedrals. As modern Masons, we use our tools to build up ourselves and each other. “We, as Masons, no longer build temples and cathedrals of stone but we build spiritual temples, temples of character, temples of upright manhood and integrity.”
My Brothers, I am honored to be among you and I am great full for the associations I have found in the Craft. It would be an impossible task for me to write down all the fine examples I have witnessed while being a mason.

Christopher Huson
Senior Warden

From the Junior Warden

The general concept of being a just and upright Mason has been covered in countless trestle board articles in the past, therefore I’m going to focus tonight on a particular topic. Given that we find ourselves in a particularly animated political season, let us consider what it means to be a just and upright Mason in the terms on being involved with and interacting in politics.

Masonry is, as we all know, an apolitical entity. However, while the term ‘politics’ evokes images of the presidential race, politics exists everywhere people are involved. Lodges have their own politics, and brothers will certainly find it in other organizations, as well naturally if they become involved in city, state, or federal government.

Being a just and upright Mason when involved with politics of any sort means being honest and true above all else. An upright brother does not mislead, or be ‘technically’ truthful while omitting information. Likewise, he does not spread information, however factual, in order to hurt or slander people he doesn’t agree with. An upright Mason looks to himself, to keep his own in good order. This shall be his shield and his sword against those who would lie and slander and attack, for against a truly upright Mason, they shall find nothing legitimate to attack.

An upright Mason should not speak behind the backs of others, but instead let the opinions and policies of those he disagrees with speak for themselves. This should not mean he shouldn’t answer when questioned, but he should avoid conjecture, and especially abstain from the ‘drama’. Again, an upright Mason, and a good man, does speak behind other’s backs with the intent of doing harm or blackening the character of others.

This is not to say that being entirely forthcoming is always proper, however. There are times when information should not be shared, such as the former when that information would be harmful to someone’s character or person. Certainly in politics and positions of leadership there exists sensitive information. How an upright Mason reconciles this with the need to be always truthful is that he is honest with the inquirer about why he cannot share that information, and offers them succor in other ways. He should be a man people look to for honesty; someone they know can be trusted. Even if he cannot give them what they seek, the people know there’s a good, honest reason why he cannot say, and that he is not hiding information for personal gain.

In any organization, be upright, be of good character, truthful and one worth of trust. Always be mindful that when in leadership positions, an upright Mason serves the people of which he is a leader, not the other way around.

Cameron Smith
Junior Warden