Melville H. Nahin, 33°

A prison anecdote proves that Masonry can change lives for the better at any age.

Though not a criminal lawyer, I sometimes have occasion to visit a member of a client’s family who is charged with a crime and in jail. Recently, such an occasion gave me a new perspective on our Craft.

Soon after the young man was led into the prison’s cramped interview room, I had a good idea of why he was in jail. He was from a broken home, his parents had separated when he was quite young, and he had been raised in a foster home that was less than it should have been. He never completed high school and had earned only minimum wage all his life. Also, he had a speech impediment, something our Order’s RiteCare Childhood Language Program might have helped, but neither he nor his caregivers had ever heard of our philanthropy.

Listening to him, I wondered if things might have been different if he had lived in one of our Masonic Homes, gotten Scottish Rite help early, or participated in DeMolay as a youth. Young people in our Masonic Homes get good training, a solid education, and, most of all, love. Our RiteCare Programs provide effective therapy in clinics across the Southern Jurisdiction. And statistics show that young people who belong to Rainbow for Girls, Job’s Daughters, or DeMolay for young men generally do well in life. The time, knowledge, and support we devote to Masonic youth groups really make a difference. An officer in the Los Angeles Police Department assures me that very few young people or adults with a Masonic background end up in trouble with the law.

Happily, the young man I was visiting had a very short stay in jail. His arrest was for a low misdemeanor, a non-violent crime, and the charge against him was dismissed. Surprisingly, he has had a turnaround, and recently he asked me to assist his petition for the Masonic Degrees. The prison library had books and magazines, including the Scottish Rite Journal, on Freemasonry. Even Pike’s Morals and Dogma was there, perhaps donated by a well-meaning Brother. It was difficult for my young friend to read, but Grand Commander Pike’s book had piqued his interest, and he wanted to learn more about Freemasonry.

I felt that, despite his difficult early years, we could still help this young man, so I gave him a petition to my Lodge, with my name as a first-line signer. I intend to help him during every step of his Masonic journey. If only we could have helped him earlier, but it’s never too late.

Melville H. Nahin Valley of Los Angeles, is a Past Grand Master of California (1998-99) and present Chairman of the Los Angeles RiteCare Clinic and the Board of Governors, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Los Angeles Unit. Contact: 1924 San Ysidro Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210