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Lodge Burroughs Strange No. 87
Vijayawada, India


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Article on Freemasonry - 38





The Apathetic Mason and How to Enthuse Him



Apathy is indifference or lack of interest. The reason for this may be analysed as follows : -
  1. An initial misconception about the order leading to a disappointment subsequently.
  2. Un-impressiveness of ceremonies and rendering of the rituals.
  3. A lack of opportunities for active participation and advancement.
  4. A feeling of neglect and unwantedness.
  5. Disillusionment about precept and practice.
Let us deal with these causes at length.


By W.Bro. C.V. Krishnamoorthy, P.A.G.D.C., P.J.R.C.D.,
P.M. Lodge United Services No.58, GLI

  1. Many of the applications for admission are based on an erroneous impression that the Lodges is an organisation of the higher social strata, membership of which will lead to openings for closer contacts for social or material advantage in one's own profession or calling. When the candidate finds that the activities inside the Lodge are focused on moral and spiritual elevation only, disappointment may set in according to the individual's personal earlier notions and calculations.

    To avoid this, it is necessary, even at the time of consideration of the proposal, to make it clear to the candidate in no uncertain terms what exactly Masonry stands for and what his duties and obligations will be as against the rights and privileges which will ensue. Regularity. And punctuality of attendance emergencies excepted, must be stressed. He must understand that progress in Masonry must be from within and that while the ceremonies are symbolic, it will be for the individual to speculate and contemplate on their significance and elevate himself to higher levels that no material personal advantage is to be expected must be impressed on him unequivocally.

    These aspects will have to be borne in mind by any Freemason who wishes to propose a candidate for admission into his Lodge. Only the material which is basically good and receptive. Will then volunteer to join the order.
  2. The ceremonies of the degrees are full of symbolism and inner meaning. The passages in the rituals like the Prayers, the charges, the Presentation of the Working Tools and the explanations of the Tracing Boards are replete with wisdom and enlightenment. The ceremonies must be so conducted that the Candidate gets are impression that they are specially arranged for his benefit - an impression which any good working is bound to create. The delivery of the Prayers, charges, the presentation of the W. Ts and the explanation of the T.Bs should be to thorough, well modulated and sincere that their purpose is not lost on the Candidate. All these require a thorough preparation and understanding on the part of the Brother entrusted with this task. A mechanical recitation of the passages can carry no weight.

    I have come across many candidates who after an impressive ceremony have expressed themselves so glowingly about the first impressions they had gained and looked forward to further progress.
  3. The interest of the Candidate so kindled, must be utilised to advantage. He must be encouraged to take up responsibilities in the working of the Lodge in whatever capacity he can. To begin with, he can be asked to deliver small pieces to the juniors. He can be trained to act as a substitute for the I.G. or Deacons. Once he has discharged such duties commendably, he will legitimately aspire for more. With many Brethren so enthused, there will be a feeling of healthy competition among them to do one better than the other. There is enough work in the Lodge to be apportioned by turns to all those interested.

    This approach will automatically create a sense of personal involvement and ensure regular attendance on the part of the Brethren which will become a habit in due course. And the Lodge will have a wealth of trained talent to support it at all time. We must not lose sight of the fact that the traditions and responsibilities of the Lodge must be transmitted from generation and this is possible only by training every interested member to shoulder responsibilities according to his merit and abilities.
  4. It follows that lack of opportunities for personal involvement right from the beginning will result in a feeling of neglect and unwantedness. None would like to spend two or three hours in the Lodge as a side bencher and subscribing spectator ! He feels his time is wasted. He is not going to be missed in any case and can afford to be absent. Absenteeism becomes a habit. Such Masons, not having had the opportunity to learn, participate in and out across the ritualistic parts of Masonic teachings to others, cannot have anything impressive to tell others about the Orders.

    Very often, unintentionally though, seniors tend to group together, leaving the juniors to 'feel' comparatively inferior. I have come across meetings of Permanent Committees of Lodges where the non-members of the Committee present, have been asked to keep out for the duration of the meeting, forgetting that the nomination to the P.C. is derived from the vote of the non-members ! Where the deliberations of the P.Cs are routine matters, the non-member can be invited to join, so that he knows what the responsibilities of this unit of administration are.

    It will be good practice for seniors to seek out and speak to the juniors both in and outside the Lodge and exchange notes as to the latter's progress in the art. An uninhibited and readily accessible seniors is loved and respected more. The younger Brethren will invariably look up to him for guidance and advice. The self consciously pompous senior who is conscious of his Rank and position in the hierarchy, though outwardly honoured is neither respected nor loved as an individual.
  5. Masonry is not confined to the four walls of the Temple. It is universal. Its tenets, principles and teachings are to be practised in and outside the Lodge. Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth, Fortitude, Temperance, Prudence and Justice, Benevolence and Charity, meeting on the Level, acting on the Plumb, and parting on the Square are not mere slogans. These qualities are to be reflected in every Mason's daily conduct.

    Most often we fail to reflect these in our conduct both in and outside the Loge i.e. both in matters of the Lodge and outside, though we may find plausible justifications for our deviations. When we cannot or do not follow in our actions what we preach in the Lodge, the others are disappointed, disillusioned and frustrated and some decide to keep themselves out altogether.

    From the above analysis, it will be evident that the apathetic mason is mostly a creation of circumstances. The factors contributory to creating apathy in him must be eliminated, provided the material introduced to Masonry is verified to be suitable at the outset by a discreet enquiry into his background. The performance and progress of Lodge is in direct proportion to the quality of its membership and not its quantitative strength.

    As in life, there have been ups and downs in the fortunes and progress of every Lodge depending on the worth of those in charge of the ruling and governing of the Lodge. There are dedicated individuals all over who have made personal sacrifices even over a period of decades to serve their Lodges. Given the proper guidance and encouragement the talents and labour of most of the Brethren can be harnessed to this purpose.

    At the same time, seniors should guard against developing an attitude of personal possessiveness or vested interest, to the exclusion of a majority view within the limits of the Constitution and By-Law. Maturity and experience in the right direction on the part of seniors will always be valued if not imposed.

    Ranks are conferred in recognition of services. They are not to be flaunted but are meant to adorn the individual who by his continued masonic conduct should prove himself humbly worthy of the recognition. There is nothing more unbecoming and more irritating than a show of superiority sought to be attached to such honours which should sit lightly on the recipients.


By Wor. Bro. T. Janardhanan Nair, R.B.Asst.T.G.,

  1. The causes that lead a Mason to apathy can be enumerated as follows, for the purposes of this article, that he was raised after having made himself acquainted with the principles and practices inculcated in the former two degrees.
  2. A mason becomes apathetic because :
    • First: He gets few opportunities to participate in the conduct of the ceremonies.
    • Secondly: The Installed Masters of the Lodge are not able to create any impression in his mind either due to inefficiency of indifference ;
    • Thirdly: The excellences of Freemasonry are either not grasped or are inadequately appreciated ; And lastly : the lack of touch among masons.
  3. These and probably allied or similar causes make a Freemason indifferent to the principles of the Craft and even to the Craft itself, taking the brotherhood as nothing more than an association of individuals who aspire for regalia of various types. His attendance at the Lodge meetings becomes few and far between and ultimately he forgets even the Ss and the P.W. and the P.G.
  4. The modus operandi of conversion depends upon the cause that occasioned this effect. I am leaving out of discussion, for the time being, him whom "the improper solicitations from friends and the like" dragged into the fold and am concentrating my attention only on those who came in "due to a favourable opinion preconceived of the Order." The latter is red hot iron and the former its opposite.
    1. Want of opportunities: A mason generally loses interest in the Craft when he finds that he has nothing to do except to sit and watch with a mind, oftentimes, travelling outside the T. hall. when left alone the mind, even as iron, gets rusty. The W. M. would do well to pick out these unfortunates and assign to them some function in the ceremonies that call for concentration and application. Opportunities make or mar man. The W. M. has also to assist the concerned Mason by making him understand the importance and the implications of the portion or portions so assigned. This process would certainly improve the improvable. A feeling of elation generated in consequence of the participation in the ceremonies would turn out to be a sense of responsibility later. In resorting to this process an important aspect has to be born in mind by the w. M. or any other installed master. A school master method is to be eschewed. A feeling of equality that is generated and the "assistance and instruction" imparted must be so manipulated as to make the mason believe or feel that two friends are at work at a common cause. There should be no air of superiority. "Courtesy and affability" must be the first and last attitude.
    2. The First impression: This has always much to do in the relationship of the man with the thing regarding which the impression arises. The initiation, the passing and the raising must be done with such meticulous precision and correctness as to attract the mind and the imagination of the candidate. This is the first step. At installed master, must therefore, get himself posted with the rituals and then endeavour to be a "Purohit." The "monomaniac" attitude must be shed and a feeling of "studying together" must be created. The candidate is free and of mature age. A short banquet speech in a friendly and dispassionate manner would add to the benefit. An unqualified or indolent physician has to be told to "heal thyself first" to avoid a state of "Yadha Raja Tatha Praja" in the lodge. The next step in this regard is the inculcation of the Grand Principles on which Freemasonry rests. This is to be done more by example than by precept. It all depends upon the dignity and the decorum with which the meetings are conducted. The casual routine-like performance must give way to a solemn and graceful display of every item from start to finish. Every Master must insist that the Wardens and himself enter the lodge in a procession and in the prescribed manner. Ordinarily and "all in" and then a gavel start the session. The Deacons and the Director of Ceremonies must first be briefed to perform their respective roles "to precision". It is a trite saying that the Deacons and director of Ceremonies make or mar the ceremony. In the R the Master's voice that "masonry is free and requires a perfect freedom of inclination in every candidate for its mysteries" and later "let Prudence direct you, Temperance chasten you, Fortitude support you and Justice be the guide of all your actions" ought to reverberate with emotion and vitality. It all depends upon the Installed Master or Masters.
    3. Defective appreciation: This, as mentioned above, is the result of the first impression. This evil has to be effaced by a lecture for about 8 minutes at every meeting on the excellences of Freemasonry depicted by the symbolic expressions so freely found in the rituals. The quality of the lecture counts. This lecture must be printed and circulated to every member of the lodge.
    4. Want of touch among masons: A time-honoured, nevertheless an unwritten, tradition is that all masons have only one voice. This idea of oneness is possible only if a mason has 'masonry' in him, a feeling and an attitude that can be cultivated by often time "coming together." The monthly meetings prescribed apart, informal meetings in the T buildings during leisure days sprinkled with a kind of discussion would be more so when he realises that membership in the Order invites succour in cases of accident or unforeseen calamity. If would, also , be worthwhile to institute a system more or less analogous to the duties of the V.DD of the O.S.M. that afford mutual help, of need be, and understanding, two essential elements underlying the ideals of the Order. A post 'Toast' speech by the concerned 'Mason' would invite him to think about the Order and his membership therein ultimately leading him to believe that his zeal for the institution of F.M. is the first step in every Mason's study of the most interesting of all the subjects namely the Knowledge of Yourself."




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