Charles W. Amidon, 33°
1706 Hillside Drive, Omaha, Nebraska 68114-1621

In the Lodge, as well as in the kitchen, too much is no better than too little.

My daughter baked some Amish bread using starter dough provided by a friend. The recipe called for 3/4 cup of baking powder. She thought to herself, "Well those Amish must know something I don't know." She followed the directions as written. While it was baking, she called her mother on the phone. During their conversation, she screamed and hung up. A short time later she called back and explained that her oven was completely full of bread dough, and it had pushed open the door! The correct measurement should have read 3/4 teaspoon. Clearly, too much is no better than too little!

Then my wife baked some cornbread from a box another of our daughters had sent her from Phoenix. It was about three years old. It came out of the oven 1/4" thick and had the consistency of hardtack. She wanted to put it down the disposal, but I suggested we feed it to the birds, and I threw the cornbread out in the backyard. It was still there two days later. The birds wouldn't eat it either!

Maybe we as Masons can learn a lesson from all this. We are all trying so hard to improve how we conduct our Lodges. Efforts of some members are directed toward membership. Others push for fun activities. Yet others feel more charitable causes should be underwritten. The ritualists concentrate on perfect ritual, professionally performed, as they strive to interest others in Masonry.

What should we do? Should we choose one major mission over all others and concentrate our efforts in only one direction? Or should we try to do all of the above at the same time?

This is where the rubber hits the road. This is when true leadership rises to the top. A Master who has come up through the ranks will have been exposed to all of the possibilities and knows what will work now and what didn't work in the past. He should also know why something didn't work and how to tweak it so it will work. A leader in Masonry has to be like the conductor of an orchestra. He doesn't need to know how to play each instrument, but he must be able to tell when everyone is in tune or at least working toward harmony. Also, an orchestra won't amount to anything if it only knows one tune.

An orchestra, like a Lodge or Temple, has to tackle a multitude of arrangements to be successful and to attract an audience.

A good dinner consists of soup or salad, an entree, a dessert, some rich coffee, and interesting conversation. Leave any one element out, and you might as well have fast food.

To all the Masonic leaders, the best of luck during your time in office, but ask yourself one question. How is my orchestra doing and am I serving a worthwhile meal to the Brethren?

Charles W. Amidon was Grand Master of Nebraska in 1986 and has served as Chairman of the Nebraska Committee on Ritual for over 12 years. He is a member and has been Class Director of Omaha Valley of the Scottish Rite for 25 years. Previous articles for the Journal were "A Committee of One," "Ketchup," and "Are We Trying to Raise Mushrooms?" He has also served on the Omaha Valley Board of Trustees for 20 years. In 2003, he accepted the position of Master of Shiloh Lodge No. 327, years after serving as Master of Florence Lodge No. 281 in Omaha. He is a retired Executive Director of the Omaha Home for Boys and continues to serve on its Board of Trustees.