Embarassing degree work

A few months back, I visited a lodge that was holding an EA degree.
- They started to open lodge and realized that the S&C was locked in the storeroom, and nobody had the combination. They opened lodge by putting a Masonic ring on the VSL and then went to ... I don't know, some kind of break while they figured out how to open the door.
- The SD (a PM!) discovered midway through the degree that he was not wearing an apron.
- The JW was in the East (it was a move-up night) and the current Master sat as Chaplain, and kept urging him to skip over parts in order to hurry things along.
- The SD screwed up some lines, but compounded it by making a joke out of it with the candidates.
There were more things, but you get the idea. :-\

The fact is that some lodges simply aren't up to the challenge and they need help. Unfortunately, those lodges tend not to ask for help, and become particularly resistant to suggestions that they need work.

As it happens, That lodge has an entirely new crop of officers this year, and they've asked me to come to their rehearsals. They've done one EA already, and it's like an entirely different lodge! They are doing another tomorrow, and I'm sure they're on their way to an excellent turnaround.

Understand, though, that the WM this year is committed to changing and improving. Perhaps the others just gave up or were tired. The old officers didn't even show up at the last degree, and I don't know what's going on. Maybe it's better that they're not around, considering what went on ;-)

I feel extremely lucky to have gotten 3 good degrees. They are cherished memories and served to whet my thirst for Freemasonry.

If Freemasonry had a 'product' ,beyond making good men better, it would be our degree work. How can we expect a man to pay his $75 degree fee then give him a crap degree? How can we except him to be excited about the Order he is joining?

I was reading and thinking of this last night. It is so crucial to make the candidate feel as though we are talking directly to him and really trying to teach him, not just ramble off some memorized lines. I understand that what is said is important, however, I wonder how many officers think about timing, tone, and pronunciation when doing degree work. Without even realizing it until last night, this was indirectly pointed out to me last Friday. I thought our SD was angry about something that evening because he had a slightly angry tone after hailing the alarm and then slammed the door after the candidate was told to wait with patience...He explained to me later that he did that to instill the feeling to the candidate that by knocking, he (the candidate) was disturbing the meeting going on inside. If all of us were to place more emphasis on teaching the lessons instead of just giving them, I believe many brothers would find much more interest in returning to lodge, and wanting to discover more...

Same here, my 3 degrees were amazing! The 2nd was absolutly awesome. The third floored me!

brother, i suggest that before any conferrals be made, a little practice be done. some of our brethren are either burnt out or became stale. It happened too here in the Philippines. The Lodge Inspector should tighten the screws so to say.Our candidates must be impressed with our floor works and proficiency in every degree work. Here, the three lights before they are installed are required to take a proficiency examination.

I read your post and it sounds like an unfortunate situation. Good leadership in a lodge and in your district should address the situation and must hold the officers accountable. In our jurisdiction (NJ) unless 5 officers from your lodge are not at the "District Lodge of Instruction" each month to exemplify degree work our DD does not permit the lodge to do degree work until their attendance is up to par. He enforces this and it's a good thing. Also our "District Ritual Instructor" makes himself available to our lodge to help with rehearsals if need be. The lodge officers must be held accountable to have a baseline level of proficiency by the DD and DRI. Just my humble opinion.

We had the same situation in my lodge. Some tried hard, others didn't, but the bottom line in my experience is that many brothers don't want to take time out of their lives. It isn't a priority for some. That hurts the lodge. There was a time when, outside of a brothers family, the lodge was THE priority of a mason. We need to find out how to recapture that.

I have attached an article to my post which sums up the opinions of a lot of Masons in various jurisdictions. It was circulated in New York last year in response to the questions regarding bad degree work. We have to admit that much of the decrease in membership has to be related to our slacking off on the ritual. In my lodge, we take pride in our degree work, and we would rather invite a brother from another lodge to do work that to put soneone on the floor who is not ready. I am a Middle Chamber Lecturer, and I do that lecture for a lot of different lodges, because I don't want the "impression" to be lost on any candidate who might be as impressed as I was to see that lecture, and all of the other work done splendidly.

WM Thomas C. Brooks, Jr.
Adelphic Union Lodge #14
1st District PHNY

I can only speak to my EA initiation at Fredericksburg # 4 and I was blown away. Many thoughts ran through my mind but there were three things that I will never forget - being received, welcomed by the bretheren and ever to be the mason they made me and enstilled the responsibility of the same. Once being an EA I've had the occasion to witness the initiations of several other new EA's and I can say without a doubt that my Lodge takes this work seriously and it is a pleasure to see the hard work. I look forward to being raised and the hopes that I too can learn and participate in the work.