If you wanted to check on the health of a Lodge, and you only had one man in that Lodge that you could examine, whose pulse would you check?
The Master? In most Lodges, he is only there for a year or two. He has just arrived from the West and, though he probably has some things he wants to accomplish, he is trying to wade through the term without messing everything up. Yep, he is the boss, but he is dealing with his own personal issues. No, not the Master.
The Wardens? They are very much like the Master. They are trying to refine their roles while, at the same time, setting their sights on the East. No, not the Wardens.
A Past Master? Maybe. But which one would you examine? You can’t get an accurate reading by examining just one of them. No, not a Past Master.
A member of the Craft? Not a good bet. Like the Past Masters, it will do no good to examine just one of them. No, not a member of the Craft.
The Secretary? This man is usually in his position for a multitude of years. Very often, he is also a Past Master. He sees and records the membership, the attendance, the financial matters, and everything that is said in the Lodge. He is in direct communication with the Grand Secretary and, therefore, sees many of these same things at the Grand Lodge level. Take his pulse!
The Master? In most Lodges, he is only there for a year or two. He has just arrived from the West and, though he probably has some things he wants to accomplish, he is trying to wade through the term without messing everything up. Yep, he is the boss, but he is dealing with his own personal issues. No, not the Master.
The Wardens? They are very much like the Master. They are trying to refine their roles while, at the same time, setting their sights on the East. No, not the Wardens.
A Past Master? Maybe. But which one would you examine? You can’t get an accurate reading by examining just one of them. No, not a Past Master.
A member of the Craft? Not a good bet. Like the Past Masters, it will do no good to examine just one of them. No, not a member of the Craft.
The Secretary? This man is usually in his position for a multitude of years. Very often, he is also a Past Master. He sees and records the membership, the attendance, the financial matters, and everything that is said in the Lodge. He is in direct communication with the Grand Secretary and, therefore, sees many of these same things at the Grand Lodge level. Take his pulse!
[Author’s Note: As a fourth term Secretary, this opinion piece may be somewhat biased. I am also fully aware that there are exceptional stories in individual Lodges that will not match what I have said in this article.]
2 comments:
At my mother lodge we are lucky in having a very active, committed and dedicated secretary, a PM and a past GL officer. We're lucky to have him and I shudder to think what would occur if he suddenly got sick of all the ordure.
Several years ago, I had the opportunity to communicate with the Secretary of another Lodge here in my State.
That fellow had been Secretary for forty (40) years!
Post a Comment