If more Freemasons followed the example of the author's parents, who loved to work with Masonic youth groups, many of our membership problems would be solved.

Bro. Milton Carlson and his wife, Margaret, the author's parents, celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.

I've read articles in the Scottish Rite Journal praising Masonic heroes or mourning the passing of significant Masons. To me, my parents were Masonic heroes and most significant people. One of my dad's favorite lines was to say he had raised his sons to be his Brothers, but I'm starting at the middle of the story, not the beginning.

My dad's first connection with Masonry came when he joined a newly chartered DeMolay Chapter in the 1920s. In a few years, he was elected to the position of Master Councilor. During his term of office, he invited a particular young lady to a DeMolay dance. I guess she liked what she saw in him. They were married some years later and spent over 60 years together, raising three sons (including myself) and enjoying both grandchildren and great grandchildren.

My dad was very active in his local Blue Lodge and the Scottish Rite. He joined my mother in the Order of the Eastern Star and the Order of the White Shrine of Jerusalem. Early in my life, I learned that many of my parent's friends shared their Masonic involvement. I honestly can't tell if they met their friends through Masonry or if they joined Masonic organizations because their friends were there. I do know that my parents found Masonry a pleasant way to spend time with family and friends. They also made it a safe harbor in which to find positive activities for their children. Their work in Masonic youth groups is what makes them Masonic heroes to me.

When my two older brothers reached DeMolay age, there was no local Chapter to join. My parents' solution was to involve some of their Masonic friends in starting one. My dad served as a Chapter Dad or as a Chapter Advisor for many years past the time when his first two sons were active DeMolays. My mother spent her time in the DeMolay Mother's club, dutifully baking after-meeting treats when her turn came, sewing capes, and helping other mothers to understand what this "DeMolay thing" was about.

My father received the Legion of Honor from the Order of DeMolay in recognition of his work. Years later, in order to make DeMolay a part of my life, my parents again became active in DeMolay. Some years after that, they helped start a Job's Daughters Bethel, even though they had no daughters. However, it was no coincidence that they had granddaughters who would soon be of the right age. For much of their lives, my parents spent hundreds of hours per year in meetings and driving to and from activities with their children and other people's children. I never heard them voice a regret for the time (or the money) thus spent.

My parents would be disappointed in me if I wrote an article only to brag about them. They didn't do these things in search of praise. Every Masonic organization can cite selfless examples of those who have given years of their time and large amounts of their money. Perhaps my parents weren't unique, but I think they are heroes for all the time they spent working in Masonic groups with young people.

I've read many articles in the Scottish Rite Journal regarding our decline in membership. Several have noted a great deal of ignorance among the general population regarding Freemasonry. I must agree, and, in addition, I suggest the Craft is suffering from too much competition for too little resource. This is not a new thought nor terribly profound, but it leads to the following proposal.

I suggest we focus significant resources on our youth organizations, which have decreased in membership far more than the adult Masonic Bodies. We need a supply of worthy young men and women, with a positive opinion of Masonry and a willingness to learn and apply its teachings in the real world. By providing Masonic youth organizations with strong programs, good role models, and a solid foundation of principle, in a few years time we could have thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of young men and women with positive experiences in the Masonic family. They would then wish to continue this experience in adulthood. At a minimum, we will have tens of thousands of new voices that will state with authority that Masonry is a good thing. They will speak from personal experience of good works performed, good times shared, and good people met. Along the way, we will gather many a parent who has been introduced to Masonry through their son's or daughter's experience in a Masonic youth group and who now wishes to become a part of the work of Masonry. I know several men in my own Lodge who are proof that this does happen.

If this seems too self-serving for you, consider that a large percentage of the young people applying for membership in Masonic youth organizations are from dysfunctional homes. The Masonic family gives young people a safe place to grow and develop with strong values that may not be available in their families. By protecting and supporting our young people, we improve not only their lives but also the quality of life in our nation as a whole. To me this is a work worthy of heroes (and heroines) and an appropriate field for the Scottish Rite's efforts.

My parents and thousands like them showed us a way to strengthen and build Masonry and to improve our world, but not enough of us have followed their example. Freemasonry is not a place just for adults. It is a place for family, and by involving all of your family and friends, you will make the world a better place for everyone. I hope the Journal's readers with children or grandchildren of the right ages for Masonic youth groups will agree with me and step up to the challenge.

Peyton M. Carlson is a Systems Manager for Aveda Corporation. He received his Scottish Rite Degrees in the Valley of Hibbing, Minnesota. He is a Past Master of Nashwauk Lodge No. 331, Nashwauk, Minn., and Winslow Lewis Lodge No. 125, Osseo, Minn. A Past Chapter Advisor of Itasca Chapter and Northstar Chapter of the Order of DeMolay for Young Men, he is a Past Bethel Guardian of Bethel No. 93 of the Order of Job's Daughters. He and his wife met as teenagers at a Shrine Circus, where the Job's Daughters and DeMolays were selling concessions. His wife says, "It's been a circus ever since."