About Clothes
What we should expect in our Lodges
I’ve just got to say it. I don’t care how you dress in Lodge.
I would rather have you in Lodge with me, than have you skip an opportunity for fellowship because your workday or other obligations prevented you from making it home in time to change.
I read about a Lodge this past week that will not let a Mason in unless he is wearing a jacket and tie. I read about a Fellowcraft this week who was admonished by his Worshipful Master because he took his jacket off during dinner.
How sad those things seem to me.
They clearly communicate that the man’s clothes are more important than the man.
Now, I am not saying that we should all stop thinking about what we wear to Lodge. I am not saying that we should start attending in flip-flops, shorts, and a t-shirt. Nor am I suggesting that we should go to Lodge in unclean clothes, or unclean ourselves.
What I am saying is that if a Mason, due to circumstances beyond his control, has to attend Lodge immediately following a hard days work, he should be welcomed as a Brother, just as warmly as he would be when he shows up in a jacket and tie.
We should never forget that our priority must be on enjoying fellowship with our Brother. Not worrying about the fact that he was unable to change before coming to Lodge.
That said, I’ve also got to say that I am a big fan of Lodge ‘uniforms.’
When we dress alike for Lodge, it helps to build the bonds of brotherhood so essential to Freemasonry. It creates an esprit de corps.
Some do this with Tuxedos. One Lodge that I’m quite fond of dresses all in black, and that looks mighty sharp too. But I’m not recommending either of those things.
What I do recommend is that if a Lodge wants to create a kind of ‘uniform’ for itself, that it create a ‘uniform’ that fits its focus and its personality. Maybe it is the Tuxedo, maybe it is the black suit with black shirt and tie, or maybe it is the Railroad shirt and jeans worn so proudly by one of Washington’s better known Lodges.
Whatever it is, it should fit the Lodge, and the Masons who compose the Lodge. It should speak to the community in which the Lodge is located, and the history of that community.
How proud are those guys in their Railroad clothes? How proud are the guys all in black? They are proud indeed, as a single glance will easily show.
If brotherhood is lacking in your Lodge, one of the quickest ways to start turning that around is to select a Lodge ‘uniform’ for everyone to wear. It truly will strengthen the bonds of fellowship.
But when that Mason has to work late, and doesn’t have time to change before Lodge, don’t make him feel as if he shouldn’t come. Welcome him, for he is a Brother, not a set of clothes.
We will be having our weekly gathering over Zoom this evening for all those holding a paid subscription to Emeth. It’ll begin at 7:30 Pacific, and go until we are all talked out. This week, now that I know just how many of you actually enjoy the briar and weed, I think I’ll be joining pipe in hand.
Login information will go out in the early afternoon. I hope to see you there! If you would like to join us, but don’t yet hold a paid subscription, you can upgrade by clicking the button below.
The big game should be over by the time we begin, if not, I’ll see how I do talking to myself via Zoom!
From the archives:
Isn't it funny how poorly dressed you are when you *first* enter a lodge? No one would doubt that this is acceptable dress. We're taught that (in part) this is about signifying the internal rather than external qualifications of a man.
I rather like suits and ties as a way of showing respect & creating a "sense of occasion" for lodge. I rather like the cultural norm that's established that's how we should dress. But I strongly agree no one should be made fun of, criticized, or made to feel bad for whatever they're wearing, particularly trivial stuff like when they came from work. Best not to separate men based on external qualifications and dress, it draws us away from real qualifications
Is it not a case of when in Rome?