The Progressive Line
A tradition that has harmed countless Lodges
It seems that at least within the Jurisdiction of Washington the concept of a progressive officer line is the norm in all of our Lodges. I don’t know where this tradition originated. It certainly is not required by our Masonic Code, and it results in harm to our Lodges.
If a man is not qualified to lead our Lodge, he should not be elected Master simply because he is next in line.
It is, frankly, a little bit nuts that we will vote for a man who does not have the skills, or in some cases, the interest needed to run our Lodge, but we do just that in far too many cases.
Perhaps a large Lodge starts its line with the Junior Steward. Skykomish Lodge did that when I was active there. Perhaps a small Lodge starts it at Junior Warden. Wherever it begins, those years are training years for the man who will eventually lead the Lodge. Equally important though, those years should serve as evaluation times of the man who hopes to lead the Lodge. As he moves through the chairs, the Lodge should evaluate his performance. If it isn’t up to snuff, he should be removed from the line.
This disqualification of a man is never more important than when he steps up to make himself available for the office of Worshipful Master.
Over the course of five or ten years a struggling Lodge can continually improve and grow, eventually reaching a point at which it is truly thriving and providing meaning to its members lives. Yet all of that can be completely wiped out with just a single year of an unsuitable Master. When that happens, it can take yet another five or ten years to build up again. Of course if unsuitable Masters come in before it is truly thriving, then the Lodge risks never rising above its struggles.
When we vote for officers in our Lodge, we must vote for the good of Masonry.
We must vote in such a way that only qualified men are elected to the East. We can not vote for someone just because it is his turn, and we don’t want to hurt his feelings by electing someone else. We owe that basic duty of care to our Lodge, and our Brothers.
Someone will likely mention this in the comments, so I’ll just state it here. In my opinion, this holds true for Grand Lodge officers as well. If there is a Brother in the line who seems to be unsuited to the office of Grand Master, well then, it would be wrong to elect such a man.
I can think of very few things that have done more damage to Freemasonry than our almost iron commitment to the concept of the progressive officer line. As a fraternity, we would do very well to re-think it.
Last week’s Emeth schedule was off because my days were spent on the road, adding a huge number of miles to the car. Things will revert back to normal this week and into the future.
I would like to take a moment to give a hearty and sincere Thank You to everyone who holds a paid subscription to Emeth. This online community would not be possible without you.
I’d also like to thank everyone who participates in the comments following my essays, and in the weekday discussions. The insight and information you provide is extremely valuable, and each of you are effectively adding your voices to the improvement of our Gentle Craft.
Finally, I’d like to give thanks to everyone who reads Emeth. A writer without readers is nothing at all, so thank you for giving me your time.
As with every Sunday, we will have a gathering via zoom for all of those with a paid subscription to Emeth this evening. I hope to talk about improving the Lodge experience, and share some concrete examples of that from a Lodge right here in Washington.
The email with login information will go out at 3:00 PM, Pacific, and the zoom gathering will begin at 7:30.
Just in case you missed them:
Let’s Discuss Helping A Brother
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If we think back to the early part of the 1700’s in England, the only degrees the members could obtain were the EA and FC, whereupon the Master of the lodge would be conferred in to the third degree; MM.
I think the point of the topic today can be found in the Old Constitution of Freemasonry (rule VI, page 7) “…and there Euclydes gave them these admonitions following: I. To be true to their king. II. To be true to the Master they serve. III. To be true, and love one another. IV. Not to miscall one another, &c. V. To do their work so duly, that they may deserve their wages at their Master’s Hands. VI. To ordain the wisest of them Master of the rest of the Work. VII. To have such reasonable wages, that the Workman man live honestly, and with credit. VIII. To come and assemble together in the Year, to take Council in their Craft how they may work best to serve their Lord and Master, for his profit, and their own credit, and to correct such as have offended.”
So, in this regard those who are initiated in to the third degree can be thought as raising the candidate as a priest or minister (ordained). If he does not receive education or simply doesn’t understand the symbolisms and philosophies, is he really dually prepared? This is why I believe it’s important to educate and mentor as much as possible. If the master of a lodge is elected, he should be the wisest of the lot, as it states in Euclid’s eight admonitions. Wise can be interpreted various ways, but I see fit, a wise man is objective, and what is referred to by the ancients as a priest, magi or shepherd, who leads with love in his heart and with a sober mind. Intelligence is always subjective. Also to add, ideally, one who can has knowledge of our charges, laws and obligations, and provide education so others will be dually and truly prepared, not just in lodge but in their own temple.
I think it’s also good to also point out here, we should not be so quick to judge another, as we all have defects; a rough stone if you will (see admonitions 2-5). I for one have a terrible memory and my hats off to those who have gone up the line to the east. I am also especially thankful for those who give their time to share information, give lectures, conversations and education on or related topics to our Craft. The greatest outcome of this silly “pandemic” thing, is the amount of time I’ve been given to listen to brothers around the world on various topic through internet video and other platforms such as this. So thank you MWGM Bailey, and those who research, study and share.
Progressing to the East shouldn’t be anything any brother strives for. No brother is initiated and receives the degrees of Masonry with the thought of one day wearing the big hat. A Master (leader) should, above all things, be humble. A good Master needs to be humble enough to seek counsel and strong enough to know how to apply it to a given situation. A good Master needs to show proficiency in fiduciary matters, Human Resources and consensus building. A brother who is sitting in the West or South should be able to show their leadership abilities by identifying and dealing with most issues before they ever reach the Master. A Junior or Senior Warden who continually brings issues, large or small, to the Master isn’t a leader. All the brothers need to be courageous, all the time. We’ve talked a lot about the importance of guarding the West Gate, so too is the importance of guarding the Oriental Chair. The brother that needs to be applauded for his courage is the one that knows within himself that he is not the brother to lead a lodge and steps aside. No “unqualified” brother should be elected to Master without having been the recipient of counsel about his shortcomings. In the end, the brothers of the lodge need to weigh the consequences of hurting an entire group or an individual who hasn’t the abilities to lead.