I watched them tearing a building down
A gang of men in a busy town.

With a ho-heave-ho and a lusty yell,
They swung a beam and the sides fell.

I asked the foreman, “ Are these men skilled
And the kind you would hire, if you had to build?”

And he gave me a laugh and Said, “No indeed,
Just common labor is all I need.

I can easily wreck in a day or two
What other builders have taken a year to do.”

And I thought to myself as I went my way,
“Which of these roles have I tried to play?”

Am I a builder that works with care,
Measuring life by the rule and square.

Am I shaping my deeds to a well made plan,
Patiently doing the best I can?

Or am I a wrecker who walks the town
Content with the labor of tearing down.

Freemasonry is the oldest, and by far, the largest fraternity in the world. Its Lodges stretch around the globe, and like the British Empire, it might as well be said that the sun never sets upon the Masonic order.

Fraternity means an association of brothers, and that is exactly what Freemasonry is– a society of friends and brothers. The origins of Freemasonry date back to the dawn of civilization. The Egyptians practiced many of the philosophies known to modern Freemasonry, and men practiced many of the operative skills as guilds formed in Europe during the Tenth Century. Written records of modern Freemasonry have been kept since 1717 with the formation of a general governing body called a Grand Lodge in England.

It is not a secret society in that its Temples are openly marked and almost everyone in the community knows where they are located. The Grand Lodge publishes a roster of members of every lodge in the jurisdiction. Many of the Lodges have individual bulletins or newsletters which carry the names of the officers and members as well. Thus it is, in the strictest sense of the word, a society with secrets, and these are limited to its obligation, its modes of recognition, such as passwords and grips, etc. And certain parts of the ritual.

It is religious in character, but is not a religion. It is founded upon the basic principle of the Brotherhood of man under the fatherhood of God, and everyone who comes to its lodges must express a particular belief about God, for this is the privilege of each individual and is not infringed upon by our Fraternity.

Freemasonry practices selective charities, founded on the principle of brotherly need which is not applicable in all cases that appear similar.

No member has a specific claim upon the society for its charity, for this is not a right acquired by becoming a member of the society, rather it is a privilege.

Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth

Brotherly Love

Every true Freemason will show tolerance, respect the opinions of others and also behave with kindness and understanding towards them.

Relief

Freemasons are taught to practice charity and to care, not only for their own, but also for the community as a whole.

Truth

Freemasons strive for truth, practice high moral standards and aim to live just and truthful lives.

To be friendless is indeed to be unfortunate, but the hearts of men, when unprejudiced by any obvious self-interest, are full of brotherly love and charity.

When deciphering ancient history there is always the question as to how much is legendary and how much is historical. With an institution like Freemasonry, whose teachings reach back thousands of years this is an inevitable problem. For example there are Masonic indications teaching as far back as twenty-two centuries before Christ.

In one of the oldest documented Chinese classes there is written a directive that “Officers of Government apply the compasses.”

Writing in “The Pentagram” (1949), the Official Masonic Gazette of the District Grand Lodge of the Eastern Archipelago (comprising the Malaysian area), the author in an article entitled “Legend or History – Which?”, to the fact that in a Fifth Century B.C. a work it was written that a man should refrain from doing to others what he would not want done to himself. This the writer characterized as “acting on the square. In a similar manner Confucius and his disciple Mencius measured proper conduct with the Compasses and the Square, together with the Level and the Marking Line.

Mysterious rituals practiced at Memphis are described by Plutarch. There were two groups of these orders. The lesser one allowed a large membership and the greater one restricted its membership. The lesser embraced dialogues and ceremonies, and had signs and passwords. But the greater order confined its membership to the few who proved that they were capable of receiving the secrets of science, philosophy and religion. These had to undergo trial by ordeal before they were held eligible to receive by symbols the highest wisdom to which man had up to that time attained, namely, the fine arts and the laws of nature as well as of faith.

Upon more in depth investigation of previously written manuscripts of ancient civilizations the central theme of the immortality of the soul runs through many ancient mysteries and, spiritually at least, Masonry is held by many to be the descendant of the Great Ancient Mysteries. For instance, around 1800 B.C., the Grecian Mysteries depicted the death of Dionysius. There was a stately ritual, which led the neophyte from death to immortality. Similarly, the Druids conducted individuals, through rituals, from bodily surcease to spiritual perpetuity. A considerable time prior to the coming of Christ the Mysteries preached the same general theme – birth, life, death, immortality.

Then during the time of the Roman Empire special privileges were extended to the Colleges of Architects. They were presided over by a Master and Wardens. They used the simple tools of the builder as their emblems.

These same Architects of Rome are credited with having carried their knowledge of architecture to Germany, France, Spain and England. Masonic authorities have characterized them as Freemasons because they were builders of a privileged class, relieved of the duty of paying taxes, absolved from servitude and free to travel about in times of feudal bondage.

In England their descendants are credited with being responsible for many of England’s most magnificent structures of the early centuries. And one fact stands out to show the camaraderie of these architects and builders. During the reign of Henry II and many years after the arrival of St. Augustine, in England over 150 cathedrals, churches and monastic buildings, were built and, despite the ravages of World War II, many of these magnificent buildings exist today and reveal superb symmetry and exquisite beauty.

The symbols of Masonry, old and simple and universal, still have magnetic appeal to bring men together in a bond of integrity and brotherhood and humanity.

It is recommended that each Master Mason have at a minimum for personal use the following books or booklets:

• Masonic Ritual
• Lodge By-Laws
• Robert Rules of Order
• Masonic Funeral Services plus
• Mackey’s Jurisprudence of Freemasonry

Dr. Albert G. Mackey (March 12, 1807 – June 20, 1881) wrote his classic work dealing with Masonic law which is a great and difficult task. Obviously, his writing took delicate treatment in discussing the fundamental facts of Freemasonry. Brother Mackey devoted care, study and comment enduring the critical tests of his wisdom for many years.

Dr. Mackey’s book is difficult to read, the 1800’s literary treatment is much different from 21st Century literature, the fundamental elements of the books topic, Freemasonry, have not changed.

Dr. Mackey, as a student of classic literature, often aptly made reference to other languages and subsequent authors attempting to revise the original text attached the English equivalent in meaning to every foreign phrase. Therefore there are many footnotes appended to the pages.

What makes Dr. Mackey’s a must read is that he explores the science, philosophy, legends, myths and symbols that make up the essence of Freemasonry. He spends great effort in presenting the origins of all these fascinating elements.

Albert Gallatin Mackey was an American medical doctor, and is best known for his authorship of many books and articles about freemasonry, particularly Masonic Landmarks.

He served as Grand Lecturer and Grand Secretary of The Grand Lodge of South Carolina; Secretary General of the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States.

I met a dear old man today,
Who wore a Masonic pin,
It was old and faded like the man,
It’s edges were worn quite thin.
I approached the park bench where he sat,
To give the old brother his due,
I said, "I see you’ve traveled east,
"He said, "I have, have you?"
I said, "I have, and in my day.
Before the all seeing sun,
I played in the rubble, with Jubala, Jubalo and Jubalum."
He shouted, "don’t laugh at the work my son, It’s good and sweet and true,
And if you’ve traveled as you said,
You should give these things their due."
The word, the sign the token,
The sweet Masonic prayer,
The vow that all have taken,
Who’ve climbed the inner stair.
The wages of a Mason, are never paid in gold,
But the gain comes from contentment, when you’re weak and growing old.

You see, I’ve carried my obligations,
For almost fifty years,
It has helped me through the hardships and the failures full of tears.
Now I’m losing my mind and body, Death is near but I don’t despair,
I’ve lived my life upon the level, And I’m dying upon the square.
Sometimes the greatest lessons Are those that are learned anew,
And the old man in the park today has changed my point of view.
To all Masonic brothers, The only secret is to care,

May you live your life upon the level, May you part upon the square.

No one knows with certainty how or when the Masonic Fraternity was formed. A widely accepted theory among Masonic scholars is that it arose from the stonemasons’ guilds during the Middle Ages.

The language and symbols used in the fraternity’s ritual come from this era.

The oldest document that makes reference to Masons is the Regius Poem, in a copy dated about 1390, which was a copy of an earlier work. In 1717, four Lodges in London formed the first Grand Lodge of England, and records from that point on are more complete.

Within thirty years, the fraternity had spread throughout Europe and the American Colonies. Freemasonry became very popular in colonial America. George Washington was a Mason; Paul Revere served as the head of the fraternity of Massachusetts, as did Joseph Warren. Other well known Masons involved with the founding of America included Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, John Sullivan, Lafayette, Baron Fredrick yon Stuben, Nathaniel Greene, and John Paul Jones. Another Mason, Chief Justice John Marshall, shaped the Supreme Court into its present form.

Over the centuries, Freemasonry has developed into a worldwide fraternity emphasizing personal study, self-improvement, and social betterment via individual involvement and philanthropy.

During the late 1700′s it was one of the organizations most responsible for spreading the ideals of the Enlightenment: the dignity of man and the liberty of the individual, the fight of each person to worship as they choose, the formation of democratic governments, and the importance of public education. Masons supported the first public schools in both Europe and America.

During the 1800′s and early 1900′s, Freemasonry grew dramatically. At that time, the government, and the Masonic tradition of founding orphanages, homes for widows had provided no social "safety net", and homes for the aged provided the only security many people knew.

Today in North America, the Masonic Fraternity continues this tradition by giving almost $1.5 million each day to causes that range from operating children’s hospitals, providing treatment for childhood language disorders, treating eye diseases, funding medical research contributing to local community service, and providing care to Masons and their families at Masonic Homes.