A form of "Show and Tell" can spark a Masonic meeting.

If your Lodge or Temple is looking for an enlightening and entertaining way to enliven your programming and to increase your attendance, then you might consider a fresh form of "Show and Tell." This program can be a fast-paced, 20-minute audience pleaser, and it is easy to sandwich it between the closing of the dining hour and the opening of your regularly scheduled meeting. Plus, it can be managed with no cost and little or no rehearsal.

The format is patterned after those highly successful TV productions that feature an affable host along with well-known celebrities who have some amusing and interesting stories to tell. Best of all, everyone is invited to participate. For example, some Brothers might like to recommend an ideal vacation spot, announce some new enterprise, suggest a must-read book, describe a recent visit to some exotic place, or even just tell a good joke. Others might review a new movie release, analyze a news development, evaluate a medical breakthrough, congratulate someone for outstanding service to Masonry or the community, recite a favorite text, lead a song, read a favorite poem, play a musical instrument, demonstrate a new product, display a toy collection, or explain how to really enjoy retirement. The subjects are endless and interesting. More than likely, you'll find a quizmaster who would like to challenge the group with little-known facts about famous people and favorite Masonic figures, for instance Bro. George Washington. Questions might include (1) Which one of his senior officers praised Washington as being "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen"? (2) What foreign- born young officer did Washington treat almost like a son and who later named his own son after his Commander-in-Chief? (3) Who prevented a 14-year-old George from joining the British Royal Navy? (Answers: Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee, Gilbert Motier de La Fayette, his mother, of course!) Another approach might reveal that our revered Declaration of Independence actually contains many of the same ideas about life, liberty, and consensual government that the noted English philosopher John Locke had written about almost 100 years before.

Your Masonic meeting might be fortunate enough to have a retired Naval officer who could tell some amazing sea stories. He might explain why the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was so spectacularly successful. One theory is that the Japanese somehow got access to highly sensitive information about how the U.S. Navy conducted a successful mock attack against this same Pacific base on another Sunday morning, February 7, 1932. Allegedly, the Japanese simply copied our naval exercise down to the same number of ships, planes, and targets. This theory suggests we inadvertently showed them how to do it!

Some added benefits of such a Masonic program could be to foster an even greater sense of fellowship and to enable members to become better acquainted on a more personal basis. It could prove to be a rewarding experience for everyone connected with it as well as a device for encouraging prospective new members to participate.

One possible obstacle to implementing this event might be the natural reluctance of some members to speak up, even though they would thoroughly enjoy seeing others take part. That's why it is advisable to test this innovation a few times before deciding whether or not it should be regularly scheduled. If the program were selected for a trial run, it would be helpful to have the concept first presented and discussed in an open meeting to determine its general appeal. Then it could be featured and explained fully in a newsletter. Once there is agreement that it is worth a try, your telephone committee might promote it.

Whether or not this suggestion proves to be successful will largely depend upon the program's host. If he has the right combination of contagious enthusiasm, stage presence, organizational ability, and good humor, chances are you'll have a hit on your hands!

Try it. You may like it!

Horace E. Curtis is a member of the Valley of Dallas, Texas, and John L. DeGrazier Lodge No. 1349, Dallas. He was raised a Master Mason in Central City Lodge, No. 305, North Syracuse, N.Y., in 1942. Following USMC military service (receiving two USMC Letters of Commendation for meritorious staff and combat duty), he affiliated with St. John's Lodge, Boston, Mass. He received his 50-year Pin in 1992. Before retiring in 1988 as SW Manager for Business Week BIP, he spent 26 years as either VP or SVP with major national advertising agencies. A recipient of Syracuse University's Outstanding Alumnus Award in Communications, Bro. Curtis is married and has two children and two grandchildren.