We Make Good Men Better

The Masons have many branches - or lodges - in many countries, but a lot of people don't know much about them, and worse, think they are a secretive society. Andrew McKenna sat down with two of them to find out what makes a Mason.

What do Charles Darwin, Wolfgang Amadeus and George Washington have in common?

The answer is that they were all Masons. To outsiders, the Masons or Freemasons are perhaps a bit mysterious, but many towns throughout the world have a lodge where Masons meet. Gisborne is no exception, and the Gisborne masons have just celebrated their 100th anniversary. The Masons were founded in England, Scotland and Ireland, in the 18th Century, and the first meeting of the Gisborne was in February 1922. With disruptions due to the pandemic, their 100th birthday was celebrated on July 23.

Once a year the Masons hold an "installation" or a change of officers, and this year that regular event was cause for extra celebration because it coincided with their 100th anniversary in Gisborne.

The proceedings started on Friday, July 22 with a meet and greet with the grand master of New Zealand and the district grand master, then a welcome with the deputy mayor, Josh Wharehinga.

The grand master and 44 masons attended, mostly from the North Island. Among them were two past members who have become district Grand Masters of the New Zealand North Island Scottish constitution.

The grand lodge officers occupy chairs and install the master, who invests officers for the coming year. And the new members are called apprentices.

Confused?

The idea behind the Masons is simple. The organisation originated with stonemasons, when stonemasons were a stronger force than they are today - serious builders who knew a lot about mathematical equations and building structures with solid foundations. Those early Masons formed a society to pass on their knowledge, and to belong to it you had to have a good moral standing and conform to a code of ethics.

Ralph Scott, a Master of the Gisborne Lodge, said the Masons were still basically the same organization today. "We're not a religious organization, although it does have very sound morals," he said.

"To be a member you must uphold those morals. The primary thing is you must have a belief in a creator. It doesn't matter what the creator is, it could be Christian, Muslim, any monotheistic religion. As time has gone by the concept of the stonemason has dropped away. We don't tell members what they have to believe, but part of the motto is brotherly love, relief and truth. There's a connection between having a good character and a good direction in life - it's one serving humanity."

So Masonry is not a religion, but it has preserved rituals from it's early days and some of the language does sound obscure to outsider's ears.

Every Gisborne member will receive a medal for the centenary, for example, but it's described as a "jewel". The leaders of the various lodges are called "Masters", and the "Grand Master" covers all of New Zealand.

To complicate matters further, four different "constitutions" exist in New Zealand: Scottish, Irish, English and New Zealand. The beliefs are the same, but all the rituals are slightly different, and they all come together under an untied body of lodges.

As well as jewels and rituals, the Masons have allegories and symbols, the Masons have allegories and symbols, just as a religious order - or any other organisation might have.

"It's a way of life, a code of conduct," Ralph said. "It's partly philanthropic, and partly educational. It's about self-development and promotion of a moral code."

Honesty and truth are part of the code, he said, and of course members have to abide by the laws of the country they live in.

Bruce Kells, also a member of the local lodge, said the code of conduct masons must abide by is strict. "Masonry is not a religion, but the concepts around it are similar. Jesus taught in parables. We use allegories, and the stonemason's tools are symbols of our morals. Churches have a set routine you are expected to follow, a set of precepts or guidelines, but we provide avenues for members to research and get a better understanding of our history and what life's about."

The Masons offer lectures involving the "the seven liberal arts and sciences" to members, to help them work their way through "degrees", from apprentice to ultimately master mason.

They give to charities and offer universities scholarships. Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was a recipient of one of their university scholarships in her early years. They also fund the Freemasons New Zealand Special Olympics National Summer Games, enabling athletes with disabilities to get out and compete. Masons are raising funds for Blind Low Vision NZ as well.

"We have an arm to deal with benevolence and charity," Ralph said. "Money comes from bequests, and it's been invested, and that branch operates independently"

Part of the mystery around freemasonry probably comes because they are not permitted to advertise. "When it comes to joining members, you can't 'improperly solicit'," Bruce said. "We can't go around and advertise. We're not allowed to do that, which is why we are often considered secretive. And not anyone can come and join - we have to see they meet certain criteria."

"While the members of any given lodge the world over will include teachers, bus drivers, mechanics, or policemen, if you have a criminal conviction, you can't join," Bruce said.

"You don't need a lot of money or power or business acumen, it's more to do with moral code," Bruce said.

"A lot of people are seeking an avenue because of the turmoil in the world, and we often get approached and asked what is freemasonry," Bruce said. The masons have worldwide connections and deep roots.

"Some of our ceremonies are hundreds of years old," Ralph said, "and while the language has been modernised, the ceremony is the same. It's about meeting like-minded people and the social aspect, and the rituals, which is part of being a mason. We strive to make good men better."

Written for The Gisborne Hearld