Lodge Burroughs Strange No. 87
Vijayawada, India

The Office of the Worshipful Master is the highest honour the Lodges has in its power to confer on any of its members. From time immemorial it has been an established custom among Freemasons to select from among those who are past Wardens an experienced Brother to preside over them in the capacity of Master. He must have been selected in open Lodge by the Brethren.

Such a Brother who has been chosen to occupy the Eastern Chair must necessarily be of good report, true and trusty and held in high esteem among his Brethren. He must be well skilled in the Ancient Charges, Regulations and Landmarks of the order. He must be proficient in the Ritual and have a sound knowledge of the Constitution and the By-Laws of the Lodge. He must be exemplary in conduct and courteous in manners. He must be exemplary in conduct and courteous in manners. He must be steady and firm in principle and able to rule the Lodge wisely and well and uphold the principles and tenets of the Craft and strictly enforce obedience to the Rules and Regulations which govern the Order.

The Chair of King Solomon has been always considered as the Ancient seat of Learning and Wisdom. The Master is presumed to have acquired sufficient knowledge and wisdom by having passed through various subordinate offices. Nevertheless, the newly installed Master will very soon find that he has much more to learn, and that he has several rights and duties, obligations and responsibilities.

Before taking his seat in the Eastern Chair every Master elect is obligated. No Brother can preside over the Lodge as a Master for more than 2 years in succession. Nor can he be Master of two or more Lodges at the same time without a dispensation from the Grand Master in either case.

Every Master has a right to rule his Lodge and to exercise his own Judgement irrespective of any pressure from others. Though he may listen to the counsel of the Past Master and Brother Secretary, the decision is his. He should act without fear, for none has a right to dispute his authority in the Lodge.

The Master is first in rank and dignity. Seated in the East he is the Supreme Governor of the Lodge. Whilst in office his ruling is absolute all points of order and he is only accountable to Regional Grand Lodge for his action. Hence every Brother must submit to the Master's ruling in the Lodge, subject to his right to appeal to the higher authorities if he feels the decision is not correct. At the same time a Master should not be arbitrary or capricious in his actions and decisions.

The Master has a right to preside over all meetings during his year of Office and decide on the business to be transacted at the meetings. The practice in some Lodges of the Secretary deciding for himself the Agenda for a meeting is to be condemned, for the Master alone has the right to decide what shall appear on the summons.

If the Master is dissatisfied with the conduct of any Officer, he may lay a complaint before the Lodge at the regular meeting after giving at least seven days notice before the meeting to the Officer concerned. If the Majority of the members present is of the opinion the complaint is well founded, the Master shall have the power to remove the Officer and appoint another.

The Master has got the power to refuse admission to any visitor if he is of opinion that his presence is likely to disturb the harmony of the Lodge.

The Master has also got the power to admonish a Brother if he behaves in the Lodge in such a manner as to disturb the harmony of the Lodge, and if he persists in his irregular conduct he is liable to be punished by censure, fine, or exclusion for the remainder of the meeting according to the opinion of the majority of the members present or the case may be reported to higher masonic authorities.

A Lodge by a resolution may also exclude any member for sufficient cause, after serving him with notice of not less than fourteen days previous to the meeting at which the complaint is to be considered. The voting shall be by ballot and the power of exclusion cannot be exercised unless two thirds of the members present vote in favour of it. This is however subject to appeal to higher authorities.

It should be noted that there is a difference between Exclusion and Expulsion. A Brother permanently excluded from a daughter Lodge is not debarred from seeking admission to another Lodge. Expulsion on the other hand would mean total loss of all Masonic status and privilege. Only the Grand Lodge has power to expel a Brother from the Craft.

The Master has the undoubted right of appointing his own Officers except the Tyler. Very often it is so only in theory and not in practice. The Master's discretion is often curbed by the Senior Past Masters, whom he calls for consultation. The Master often gives in with a view to avoid conflict and possible disharmony which he apprehends may happen otherwise. Such a practice is not desirable. It must be remembered that the advice given to the Master is only a recommendation and that the Past Masters have no right to decide the appointments to Offices.

It is not only a privilege but the right and duty of a Master to install his successor. It is to be regretted that in some Lodges, instead of the outgoing Master installing the Master-Elect some Senior Past Master is invited to conduct this important Ceremony. Wor. Bro. Inman condemns this practice as "entirely wrong and inimical to the interests of the Craft."

The Master has a right conduct every ceremony during his year of Office. At the same time, for the harmony and welfare of the Lodge he is exhorted to seek the assistance of Past Masters and Brethren who can be depended upon to perform portions of the ceremony. This will not only avoid boredom to the Brethren but also the reproach that the occupant of the chair is "showing off."

The Master should not surrender his collar when he temporarily vacates his chair in favour of a Past Master who has been requested to do the ceremony for him.

Chief among the responsibilities of the Master, may be mentioned the custody of the Warrant of the Lodge. If the same is lost, no meeting can be held until a new Warrant is applied for and granted by the Grand Master or until the Warrant is found. The Master is responsible for the due observance of the laws by the Brethren of the Lodge over which he presides. He must see that every Brother is presented with a copy of the By-Laws of the Lodge.

The Master should see that the ballot is properly conducted. Blackballing candidates is not desirable. If any Brother has anything in his mind against a candidate, it is only fair that he should convey his opinion in confidence to the Master, so that the application may be withdrawn. In the proposal forms which should contain the signature of the proposer and seconder the Master's certificate must appear so that it may be read immediately before the ballot is taken. There should be no mistake with regard to the interval between two degrees and the necessary quorum must be there to conduct any masonic business.

The Master has also other responsibilities such as seeing that his Officers are properly instructed, that the Lodge is opened punctually for the meeting and that he himself has thoroughly mastered the Ritual.

Though the Master can have the assistance of an able Secretary, the ultimate responsibility of seeing that all Returns to the Regional Grand Lodge and Grand Lodge are sent in time and al dues are paid rests with the Master. The Master cannot delegate his responsibilities to any one.

The Master should never forget that "The honour, reputation and usefulness of the Lodge will materially depend upon the skill and assiduity with which he manages its members will be generally promoted in proportion to the zeal and ability with which he promulgates the genuine principles of the institution."

The Master should not be too anxious to increase the membership of the Lodge during his year of office. Considerable care should be taken to see that undesirable candidates are introduced into the Lodge.

The Wor. Master should endeavour to create sufficient interest in the Brethren of his Lodge in Freemasonry. When there is no ceremony to be done in the Lodge, the Master can invite the Brethren to a discussion on subjects of Masonic interest. The Master may lead the discussion. Brethren from other Lodges also may be invited to participate in the discussion. Many beautiful truths are taught in Freemasonry. Each degree emphasises a different aspect of life. Talks on Masonic subjects by eminent Brethren who may be invited to do so is bound to stimulate interest. The Lodge may arrange social functions to bring the Brethren closer together.

To conclude, every Master must possess a certain amount of tact and good humour to keep all the Brethren of his Lodge together without allowing any disharmony to creep in. it is well worth remembering that among the various qualifications recited to him before he is installed as Master he is told that he should not only be well skilled in the Noble Science but also be exemplary in conduct and courteous in manners. If the Worshipful Master can maintain personal touch with each and every Brother in the Lodge and has a nice word to say to him, there can be no doubt that it will greatly help him in running the Lodge smoothly and harmoniously.