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(This Short Talk was written expressly for The
Masonic Service Association's educational publications by Walter M.
Callaway, Jr., Past Master of Oakland City Lodge No. 373, and of
Lodge of Research No. 104, both in Atlanta, Georgia. We are deeply
grateful to Brother Callaway for his interest and assistance.)
This essay addresses itself to all Freemasons but more particularly
to the Worshipful Masters of all regular Lodges and to those members
of the Lodge who are, from time to time, honored by assignment to
Investigative Committees.
Fortunately, there is little in this treatise which has to lean for
authority on the ancient mysteries or on speculation of origin or
background, per ye, to justify the proper use of this tool of
Freemasonry. No particular Masonic scholarship is required to
consider the subject of Masonic Investigation. In this essay a
Petitioner is so called from the time he submits his Petition to the
Lodge for admission. It ds after he is accepted that he becomes a
Candidate.
Masonic Investigation covers a broad field, but in this presentation
we shall limit its scope to that particular phase of investigation
by which we try to ascertain all the pertinent information
obtainable about a Petitioner for the Degrees of Freemasonry: his
moral, mental, and physical qualifications to become a Freemason, a
member of our ancient Brotherhood.
It is incumbent upon us, upon receipt of his Petition for the
Degrees, to examine his personal background, his habits, his general
philosophy of life, his reputation in the community and among his
fellow-workers and associates. We are to diligently inquire among
those who know him best and who can be relied upon to furnish as
unbiased information as possible. From this information we are to
collate and evaluate the Petitioner's qualifications to become one
of us. It is not the easiest of Masonic tasks.
The Lodge Brother who is appointed by the Worshipful Master to serve
as a member of the Investigating Committee should consider such
appointment a high honor, a visible expression of implicit trust and
confidence in his ability, his zeal, and his concern for the welfare
of the Lodge and Freemasonry. The Worshipful Master, by this
appointment, has clearly manifested his respect for the good
judgment of the Brother so appointed.
No phase of Masonic work is more important than the thorough,
impartial and unbiased investigation of those who seek admission
into our ranks. The members of the Investigating Committee are the
first line of defense against external enemies of the Craft as well
as those who, through indifferent character, might be pi-one to
bring discredit upon the Craft. Our fraternal security depends in
great part on the ability and fidelity of our Investigating
Committee and their findings. In the Ancient Charge at Raising, our
duty in this respect is clearly and unmistakably pointed out to us:
"To preserve the reputation of the Fraternity unsullied must be your
constant care." Besides being an admonition to us in the daily
conduct of our lives, it also includes the acceptance of
Petitioners.
Each member of this vitally important Committee should ever bear in
mind that he may be investigating a Petitioner who might one day
become Worshipful Master of his Lodge, or one who may sometime wear
"the Purple of the Fraternity" and rule and govern the Grand
Jurisdiction. He may be investigating a man who will never become
renowned in the Fraternity or ever attend Lodge very often but who
would accept the tenets and precepts of Freemasonry and live his
future life in full accordance with the spirit of the Fraternity. A
man who does not first have Freemasonry in his heart is not likely
to ever acquire it in the Lodge room.
In 1824 a man was admitted, without due inquiry, into a Masonic
Lodge in one of the Eastern states. As a result, some two years
later, this proved the greatest disaster to ever befall Freemasonry
in America. Not long afterwards saw the beginning of a long period
of Anti-Masonic frenzy in the United States which came close to
eradicating the Fraternity. Bigots, political knaves, religious
charlatans, and sincere but misguided people united in trying to
suppress the Order in America. For some fifteen years it was touch
and go for the Fraternity all over the nation. (See S.T.B. of March,
1933, entitled "William Morgan.")
The Investigator has much to consider during his inquiry. How far
does he go, how deeply does he delve, what questions are proper to
ask, where is a satisfactory stopping place in his task? There is no
easy answer to these questions, but lie should go far enough and
deep enough to satisfy himself beyond doubt that the Petitioner is
indeed worthy of consideration for membership. One point should
always be stressed: that the Investigator, perhaps pushed for time
on his assignment, should never, under any circumstances, restrict
his inquiry to contacting the Petitioner's Recommender and asking
him for evaluation. When the Recommender brought in the Petition,
-it was implied that he himself was satisfied. The Recommender i-nay
have thought he knew enough personally about the Petitioner to so
recommend him, but at the same time he was relying on the Committee
to obtain the full picture of the Petitioner. Nor should the
Investigator, at the last minute before time to report, contact the
other Committee members, ask the results of their discoveries and,
if favorable, to "go along" with their reports. Such an
investigation, on its face, is worthless. Each investigator should
make an independent inquiry and file his own report, regardless of
what the others may do. If the investigator needs more time, the
Worshipful Master will grant him whatever reasonable time is needed.
Freemasonry is in no hurry and works by no timetable.
How does one go about conducting a full and proper investigation?
Obviously, no investigation can be "foolproof" and leave no margin
for error or miscalculation. All the highly skilled and professional
investigators in the world cannot guarantee the ultimate results of
a character investigation. Men change. A man may be one thing today,
another tomorrow. There is always the calculated risk. All of us
have read of bankers who, after years of utterly honest dealings,
have skipped the country with a suitcase full of money belonging to
his depositors. Who has not heard or read of the minister, with a
wife and family, who runs off with the pretty young widow in the
choir: the respected public official who, after a quarter-century of
honorable service, suddenly succumbs to a Ruffian named Bribery? No
amount of investigation can fully prevent such occurrences.
Fortunately, such contingencies are rare. Many Freemasons express
astonishment when they learn that General Benedict Arnold, once a
brave, gallant, and faithful American soldier, but whose name has
become synonymous with the word, Treason, was a practicing and
faithful Freemason who used to visit Lodges during the war with
General and Brother Washington. The most skillful and thorough
investigation in the early days of Brother Arnold would not likely
have presaged such a future possibility.
The Worshipful Master, in making appointments, should not concern
himself with the convenience of the Investigator, to appoint him
merely because he lives near or works in some proximity to the
Petitioner. Not all Brethren are skilled or adept at investigative
work. It is always advisable for the Worshipful Master, wherever
possible, to select those who have investigative experience, or a
talent for such. If they are available, the Worshipful Master might
appoint those who are lawyers, law enforcement officers, private
investigators, and the like. Because a Brother is a fine ritualist
or a great coach does not mean that he is a competent investigator.
At the beginning of his "year" the Worshipful Master would be well
advised to examine his membership roll and select certain Brethren
whom he knows to be qualified or to have such talents as are
required. He should rotate such committee assignments among those
chosen so that no one group is overly burdened with work.
He should then call a meeting of those selected for the year and
explain to them their duties and what the Lodge requires of them.
The meeting should produce a broad outline of what normally
constitutes a thorough investigation and the Master should emphasize
that no phase of investigation is to be left to chance or
assumption. The members should be cautioned that there are certain
limitations to the scope of their investigations; that each
investigator should take into account that although a Petitioner's
politics may be different from his own, and they may be of differing
religious denominations, that these differences have no bearing on
the evaluation of the Petitioner's qualifications for admission into
the Lodge. So long as the Petitioner expressly believes in the
existence of One Supreme Being, the investigator has no right to
probe further and quiz the Petitioner about his church affiliation,
or perhaps his lack of same.
Brother Albert G. Mackey said it well: . . no other religious test
is necessary or proper in the candidate, except that he declare
himself a firm..believer in the existence of a Supreme Being." For
the investigator to probe further than this on this question is to
turn his inquiry into an inquisition, which would be highly
un-Masonic on his part.
Likewise, if one is a Democrat and the other a Republican, this is
of absolutely no consequence and should not even be discussed.
(Note: in matters political it should be borne in mind that the
Communist Party is not a bona fide political party but is held to be
an instrument of a foreign power inimical to both the American way
of life and to Freemasonry.) Partisan politics and sectarian
religion are forbidden subjects in every Masonic Lodge and every
Freemason knows this, or should know it.
The investigator should be strongly advised that after a thorough
and painstaking investigation, and after he has exhausted all known
sources of information, if he is still possessed of doubts of the
Petitioner's qualifications, he should always, without variation or
hesitation, resolve his doubts in favor of Freemasonry and the Lodge
and not in favor of the Petitioner. No man has a right to become a
Freemason; it is a privilege controlled at the ballot box.
No attempt is made in these pages to go into the techniques of
successful investigations. No specific rules would be applicable
everywhere. Generally speaking, all sources of information should be
explored which would lead to a complete picture of the Petitioner.
He should be a man who first has Freemasonry in his heart, a man of
unimpeachable character who enjoys a good reputation among his
friends, neighbors, acquaintances and associates wherever he is
known. It should be made clear to him, and possibly to his wife,
that if he is accepted into the Fraternity, he must sacrifice some
time and energy which call for evenings away from home. He should be
a man who has a record for paying his just debts and living up to
his word, who has no record of living a dissolute life or having
immoderate habits. He should have no criminal record. He should have
sufficient education to be able to grasp and retain the precepts of
Freemasonry as taught him in the lodge. He must be literate and
sufficiently fit physically to participate in the degrees. He must
have filed his Petition for the mysteries of Freemasonry of his own
free will and accord and not from any improper solicitation of
friends. He must be unbiased by any mercenary motives. He should not
view the Craft Lodge as being nothing more than a stepping stone for
what he thinks is something more desirable or where he can have more
fun, but where admission is dependent upon his being a member of the
Lodge and in good standing.
All these are areas to be explored in detail by the investigator.
Such inquiry should be conducted with the utmost tact, discretion,
and as diplomatically as possible. Derogatory information developed
from the investigation does not become a subject for later gossip
and rumors and talk to the detriment of the Petitioner whether he be
accepted or rejected.
A negative investigation is utterly worthless. It is not acceptable
to file a favorable report because the investigator talked to a
number of persons who said "I never heard anything against him." An
investigator might talk to scores of people who could say that much.
What the investigator is looking for are positive statements
attesting to the Petitioner's good name, or his bad name, as the
case may be.
What are the advantages of Masonic investigation? The answers, while
obvious, warrant repetition: to preserve the reputation of the
Craft, to ensure harmony, promote our advancement and our progress
in our service to God and man, to maintain our reputation before the
world, and to confound our enemies by accepting none but good men
and making better men of them, men whom we are proud to address as
"Brother," men who can be counted on to practice fidelity even unto
death, if need be, to keep the faith of our Masonic ancestors and to
pass it on, unsullied, to our Masonic descendants. Make Freemasonry
hard to get into; don't sell it cheaply. Worthy men, and worthy men
only, are the ones we want. We cannot afford less.
Not only is your own Lodge dependent on you as a successful
investigator; so are your neighboring lodges, your Grand Lodge, and
Freemasonry the world over. This is a universal Brotherhood; what
affects one affects all. When you admit a man to the degrees and to
the status of Master Mason, you are opening thousands upon thousands
of doors to him over the Masonic world. You are giving him the right
to wear the Square and Compasses and to have a claim upon the
kindness of millions of Freemasons. Let us never forget one of the
great maxims of Freemasonry: "Careful inquiry into the physical,
intellectual, and moral fitness of every candidate for the mysteries
of Freemasonry is indispensable."
All components of the Craft look to you, the Investigator, for the
security and well-being of our beloved Fraternity. You are under the
gravest of obligations to discharge your duty to the very best of
your ability. When you have accomplished this duty with efficiency,
zeal, and impartiality, you will have rendered your Brethren,
wherever dispersed, an invaluable service. You will have complied
with the dictates of your own conscience and the Masonic law which
specifies your duty in this field.
Your compensation will be the satisfaction of a job well done and
the knowledge that you have been the eyes and ears of the Craft
during this period. Whether spoken or not you will have earned the
gratitude of your Brethren.
You, the Investigator, have a solemn responsibility. Look well to
it!
OUTLINE for a TALK
I. Introduction
II. Definition of Subject
III. The Investigator
A. Honor
B. Carefulness
C. Potentials of petitioner
D. Pitfalls to avoid
E. Qualifications of
IV. Investigation
A. Selecting committee
B. Meeting for instruction
C. Politics and religion NOT
investigated
D. Individual reports
E. Qualities required of petitioner
F. General principles
V. Values of Investigation
A. To the Lodge
B. To others
C. To universal Masonry
VI. Conclusion: a Charge to Investigators.
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