Dean F. Harwood, 33°
PO Box 385, Wacissa, Florida 32361–0385

Giving new members and sideliners jobs to perform, especially in our Masonic philanthropies, is crucial to the success of the Fraternity in the 21st Century.

We often hear that membership of our Fraternity is declining, and the data clearly supports this assertion. However, all is not lost. There are ways in which we can turn membership decline around.

As Masons, we are supposed to be of sound mind and retentive memory. Most of us feel we are of sound mind, but for many of us, retentive memory is another story. Probably, no more than 10% of our members are blessed with outstanding memories. In many cases, these are the Brothers who learn "The Work," earn the Blue and Gold cards, confer the Degrees, and become Worshipful Masters of their Lodges and Officers of our Appendant Bodies. Without these Brothers and their gift of memory, our Craft might not have survived. I take my hat off to these Brothers for a job well done!

But what about the other 90% of the membership? What do they do? Many have lost interest in the Fraternity and do not attend meetings while others participate only sporadically. Yet they could be interested in what I call "The Other Work," and their participation in it could be used to benefit our Fraternity and the charities it supports. My definition of "The Other Work" is the physical labor needed to keep our Lodges and Temples going. It consists of things like fundraising dinners, car washes, paper or aluminum can collections, yard sales, building maintenance projects, support of youth organizations like DeMolay, and community activities such as highway clean-up programs. The list of projects and activities is limited only by our lack of imagination. It is crucial to the longevity of our Fraternity to give new members and the sideliners jobs to perform. It has been demonstrated time and again that activity is the key to a successful, dynamic, and growing Masonic Body.

Masonic history demonstrates that there is one feature common to all Masonic and Appendant Bodies. This universal feature is our sense of duty in supporting charities. Over the years, Masonic charity has evolved with the needs of society. In earlier times, when food and shelter were immediate and almost daily concerns, Masons responded to those in need with firewood and food. When care of the aged, widows, and orphans was necessary, Masons erected hospitals, retirement homes, and orphanages. Originally, Masonic charity was available only on a local basis. Eventually, as the basic needs of the communities were met, Masons turned their attention to state, regional, and national charitable works.

In this way, local and state boundaries were transcended. Today, the result is a network of Scottish Rite and Shrine hospitals for children, including three burns centers. The York Rite Brothers have established the Knights Templar Eye Foundation with the objective of providing research, surgical treatment, and hospitalization for those who suffer from eye diseases. In the early 1950s, the Colorado Scottish Rite Bodies initiated a program to help children with speech and language disorders. This program led to the establishment of a national Scottish Rite network today of over 147 clinics, centers, and programs throughout the Southern Jurisdiction and, more recently, a similar program for children with dyslexia is expanding in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite. Tens of thousands of children have been helped as a direct result of these many Masonic charitable programs.

My Brothers, we can take pride in our national and local charitable efforts, but we can't sit back and rest on our laurels. We must continue to fill these needs. We must include our charitable efforts in "The Other Work." This will provide additional opportunities for the involvement and fulfillment of our idle members. Through "The Other Work," we will generate greater activity in our Lodges and Temples and thus carry our Fraternity successfully into the Twenty-first Century.

Dean F. Harwood is a Perpetual Member and Past Master of Crawford Lodge No. 294, Crawfordville, Florida, Past District Deputy Grand Master, and Past Junior Grand Steward of the Grand Lodge of Florida. He is Past President and current Treasurer of the Masters and Wardens Association. Brother Harwood is a Perpetual Member of the Tallahassee Scottish Rite Bodies, having served as the head of each Body. He has served as Director of Work and Class Director and currently is the Valley Treasurer and Venerable Master of the 14th Degree. In 1991, he was coroneted an Inspector General Honorary, and since 1990, he has served on the Board of Trustees for the Scottish Rite Foundation of Florida. He is a Life Member of the Tallahassee York Rite Bodies and is currently proceeding through the chairs. Brother Harwood is also a member of the Shrine, the Royal Order of Scotland, the Red Cross of Constantine, and is an Officer in the Florida Lodge of Research, Allied Masonic Degrees, and the High Twelve Club.