W. Howard Coop, 32°

While studying American literature in my high school, I was introduced to Henry David Thoreau (photo right), the poet, naturalist, and essayist of Concord, Massachusetts. It did not take long to realize Thoreau was a rugged individualist with strong opinions about a variety of things. In 1845, at age 28, Thoreau withdrew from Concord. With little more than a borrowed axe, a spyglass, and a transit, he bade the world goodbye and headed for the woods.

For two and a half years, he lived a reclusive life in a log hut measuring 10 by 15 feet that cost him less than $29.00 to build. There, one mile south of Concord by Walden Pond (photo below) on a tract of land made available to him by writer/philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, his close friend, Thoreau chose “to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and to see if I could learn what it had to teach.” During that period, he kept a careful diary which, when it was published in 1854, became the book that made him famous, Walden, Or Life in the Woods.

Thoreau’s secluded existence does not appeal to many folks of this generation. While people frequently say that they want “to get away from it all” for a while, many of them don’t want to get too far away. When they do get away, they want to keep a cell phone nearby to keep in touch with the world from which they, momentarily, have withdrawn.

While isolated in the woods and contemplating life, Thoreau caught a glimpse of many key truths. Among them, he observed, “In the long run, men hit only what they aim at. Therefore, though they should fail immediately, they had better aim at something high.”

Over the years, I have been privileged to witness a number of Lodge installations and the effectiveness of the officers elected. Masters that have been newly elected can serve effectively and lead the Brethren to significant accomplishments. To do so, they must take the following key steps.

• Have lofty and clearly defined goals that truly are worthy of accomplishment.
• Enunciate these goals distinctly.
• Keep them in mind and before the Brethren at all times so there is no distraction by nonessentials.
• Demonstrate leadership ability conducive to wholehearted work and enthusiastic cooperation.
  Have a great New Year as an officer of your Lodge!

The Fourth Degree key pictured above is the gift to our Supreme Council from the Supreme Council for Austria.

W. Howard Coop Valley of Danville, Kentucky, is a retired United Methodist minister, a 51-year Mason, and a Past Master of Lancaster Lodge No. 104, currently serving as Lodge Chaplain. Contacts: 111 Dogwood Drive, Lancaster, KY 40444–1034. E-mail: hkcoop@aol.com