Top hat or a stetson?

Unless of course, you look at symbolism by different Worshipful Masters where the WM in Washington wears a top hat and the WM in Texas wears a 10-gallon stetson.

During his recent visit, he attended two lodge meetings and looked at a number of masonic sites. In Texas, he met a range of interesting characters from an oil tycoon to an ex-circus trapeze artist who had travelled through Australia and New Zealand in the 70s with Ashton’s Circus.

His first visit was to Lodge Zavala No 1059 in Dallas, Texas where he was fortunate to meet the Grand Master of Texas. The plans of the Grand Master revolved around the importance of the membership and he said that without individual members of lodges, the Grand Lodge had no relevance. His point was a call to support your lodge and remember that Grand Lodge is there to support lodges and their members.

The meeting was well attended and members were incredibly welcoming and friendly.

Moving on to Washington DC, he visited a young and progressive Federal Lodge No 1 who had J Edgar Hoover as an earlier member.

‘This lodge was attended by young, energetic masons who were determined to bring their lodge into the next century. The newly installed WM was keen to instil a sense of ‘business’ language to the lodge and spoke of the importance when communicating to young masons of strong branding, clear marketing and a vibrant and engaging website,’ said Nathan.

‘Among the lessons I learned was that Freemasonry is universal and the right hand of friendship is extended in all lodges. Visiting lodges, particularly those in other jurisdictions, reminds us of the universal principles of the fraternity. No matter how different the lodge operates or the differences in the ritual, we are all the same. Our differences highlight our similarities.

‘Embrace new ideas, treat your lodge like a business and have a clear vision of where it should go and how to get there. Also, travel. Go out and see the world and enjoy your Freemasonry wherever you may go.’

He took time to visit the George Washington National Masonic Memorial in Washington and also discovered the unusual Masonic Commemorative coins. Each Grand Master creates and distributes his own commemorative coin. Many lodges have adopted the practice and openly share their coins as a means of promotion and friendship.

Article extracted from Freemason magazine, June 2014, page 26.