* The following is a letter we sent to our newsletter subscribers. To get our Masonic letters delivered to your inbox once (sometimes twice) a week, sign up using this link.
Clothes do not make the man, that’s true.
Yet, the Lodge is one of the last bastions where formal dress is the expected standard.
… WHY?
(& why should it remain as such?)
From the beginning of Speculative Freemasonry, we have observed the formality of dress.
Some may consider it “old fashioned” but dressing up does give the gathering a sense of occasion.
It’s also an outward gesture of respect for the Craft in general and our Brothers in the Lodge, in my opinion.
Uniformity in dress symbolizes teamwork – unified purpose and concerted action – an indication that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
In sports, the military, the police, and the performing arts, the individual wears a uniform to signify that he is part of a larger group with a common purpose.
Will a relaxation in the formal dress requirements of Freemasonry attract new members to our lodges?
or will it perhaps encourage present members to attend more regularly?
I doubt it very much.
The lowering of standards in Freemasonry, whether moral or social, will ultimately destroy us by eliminating the reason for our existence.
Actions always speak louder than words.
What do you think?
~ MasonicFind.
PS: This is just one of the many conversations being had inside the Freemasons’ Community on how we can become better men and better Masons.
