Robert G. Davis, 33°
P.O. Box 70, Guthrie, Oklahoma 73044
It is a central strength and wonder of Freemasonry
that so many men who are and have been Masons have made a difference
in someone else's life.
Photo
of Brother J. J. Williams, Dry Goods Merchant
It was musty in the hall. An old dampness had settled in the
rug and plaster. The musk was older than the current generation
of Lodge Brothers. One wondered if the active members even noticed
it. The smell, always there, had become so much a part of the
place that it no longer registered in the awareness of its occupants.
I was there to perform a most melancholy duty-to archive the
last remnants of a Lodge that had met for the final time. Most
of the furnishings had already been donated to a local nonprofit
trying to make a new beginning. The Lodge altar and pedestals
had been returned to Grand Lodge. The Past Master pictures (and
the Washington print which had hung in the Lodge Room so long
that nobody knew how it originally got there), all went to a
local museum. The memories of the Lodge were consigned to collect
in some dusty corner amid the forgotten records of another time.
All that remained in the hall were a few old pictures, a couple
of pillars, some assorted paraphernalia, yellowing papers, and
the Lodge Charter. It was the Charter I could not bring myself
to remove from the wall. It had hung there for more than a century,
proudly displaying the signatures of the men in whose hands
were committed the care and governance of the Fraternity in
their town. They were all honored men, sharing the hope of the
Lodge's stabilizing and compassionate influence over their families
and environs. The Lodge brought into their lives Masonry's tenets
of morality and virtue. It made an abiding statement about themselves
in their time-and for all time.
There was John Allspaugh, founding president of the town's
first bank, whose faith in commerce financed most of the town's
beginnings. There was Henry Knox, circuit judge and justice
of the peace, in whose trust the contracts of the community
were drawn. And there was J. J. Williams, dry goods merchant,
through whose establishment much of the town's trade flowed.
There were 25 photos of these men, each representing the hope
and ideals of his time.
The signatures on the photos were faded or long gone, like
the breath of life from their signers. Yet these men carried
the seed of Masonry to the generations who followed in their
path, good men all, who knocked on the door of self-improvement,
became both Brothers and friends, and found that hieroglyphic
light which only Craftsmen know.
I'm convinced that this Lodge made the community better. And,
while it is perhaps in the overall fate of things that this
small, rural place, like its Lodge, will not survive, those
of the last century who were reared here most surely carried
with them at least some sense of goodness and optimism, some
feeling of good will toward their fellowmen, some understanding
of how to live their own lives because they knew the men of
this Lodge.
Reading the words and names on the stained and wrinkled Charter,
I felt an old pride mounting from deep within me, a silent patronage
which comes only from common identity and meaningful association.
I remembered the men who were the most important models in my
own young life. I admired them most because they were the pillars
of my community. Only when I became a Freemason myself did I
learn they were also my Brothers. And such association even
more personally blessed me. It is a magical thing indeed when
your own father also becomes your Brother.
Holding back tears, I gently took the old document-this honorable
and ancient symbol-from the wall. The Charter reminded me that
there are, in every generation, men who are good or who aspire
to be good. In fact, every town has its models of integrity.
A young man watches older men. He decides for himself who is
worthy, who he wants to grow up to be like. Then he goes out
into the world and lives his life, carrying these influences
with him. It is a central strength and wonder of Freemasonry
that so many men who are and have been Masons have made a difference
in someone else's life. It is a testimony to human progress
that people are influenced by good example.
As I took the Charter in my hands and wiped the dust from the
glass and frame, everything suddenly became brighter and clearer.
For just an instant, I could feel the men whose names were written
there. They tugged at my heart and soul, reminding me that the
purpose of their lives, like mine, was to illuminate our world.
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Robert G. Davis
is the Secretary of the Scottish Rite Bodies in Guthrie,
Oklahoma. He is Past Master of two Oklahoma Lodges, serves
as editor of the Oklahoma Scottish Rite Mason, is actively
involved with Masonic education and renewal programs both
in Oklahoma and nationally, and serves as a member of the
Advisory Committee of the Masonic Information Center. |
