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Article FREEMASONRY AND LABOUR. ← Page 2 of 3 Article FREEMASONRY AND LABOUR. Page 2 of 3 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Freemasonry And Labour.
Yankee received more pay in proportion to his time . He really had earned as muoh as the foreigner . The Yankee was-last in time but first in value . " Many are called ;"
that is , many are invited to work , but "but few are chosen ; " that is , fow are picked , choice , chosen , or selected men . Few are selected for special rewards and praise , is the idea .
This is true in life generally . The first men in business are not , as a rule , those whose parents have left them fortunes , but those who have come to town with twentyfive cents or half a dollar in their pockets . The rich millionaires of our land were generally in humble
circumstances when they started in business . They were then the last on the list . They eventually became the first . I have known a boy enter college with the highest honours and graduate at the foot of his class . I have known others , who were rated as stupid at the first , who became the best
scholars of their respective classes . The same is true with respect to professional success . Many of the most distinguished physicians , surgeons , clergymen , aud statesmen have given little indication in youth of the powers of intellect which they possessed .
Here , then , is the key to the wonderful parable of Jesus , which forms au important Scripture lesson in onr Masonic ¦ work , and may . be regarded as a Masonic working-man ' s text . It is simply this—labour is to be estimated by quality as well as by its quantity . One man may do in an
hour what it would take another a day to perform . It creates , no necessary antagonism between a labourer and his employer .: It does not decide the amount of pay that shall be given to any person . The key to tho parable is the simple fact that labour should be paid for what it ia
worth , neither more nor less . If any one who works a less number of hours earns as much pay and performs as much service as one who has wrought more hours , he is entitled . to the same compensation . It is difficult to enforce this principle . It is difficult for ignorant men to
understand that there should be any difference in the rates of wages . Many strikes have been inaugurated to force the payment to incompetent men of wages which were suitable only to men of skill . Our text is just , alike to the labourer aud the employer : to the labourer , because it
recognises his right to what he is actually worth , even if he comes late ; to the capitalist , because it allows his right to gauge his pay-roll according to the standard of merit . The trouble is likely to be with unskilled men who cannot recognise their own inferiority , or with unions of men whose standard of ethics does not
lead them to avoid taking an unfair advantage , if the situation of the employer is such that he must either yield to them for the time or lose some heavy contract . Ifc is ,
of course , conceivable that employers may cut wages unjustly , but the law of supply and demand is so inexorable that it operates ss a oheck against carrying such a plan too far .
2 . We have Btudied our Masonic Scripture text with respect to the whole question . Now , how is Masonry related to the labourer ? What help , advice or encouragement has our institution for the labouring man ? Masonry started as a working-men ' s guild . Our present
institution , with its three essential degrees , together with all the multifarious degrees of other Masonic rites aud bodies , is comparatively recent . Gould , in his great work , sided by American Masons , has ' doubtless told us the truth about the origin of modern Masonry . I think he has been
a little too sceptical about ancient Masonry , although it is a fact that so many worthless and absurd statements about the origin of the institution have been published that so good a writer as Gould may be pardoned for approaching the subject with feelings of disdain towards those who have
perpetrated such unhistorical statements . It is most probable that the germs of our Institution , so far as concerns organisation , may be traced to the colleges of builders in ancient Rome though all that pertains to Masonry had a decidedly English origin . We learn from
Plutarch that there were m Rome collegia fabrorum and collegia artificum , though Dionysius of Halicarnassus and Livy do not ascribe them , as he does , to Numa Pompilius . These collegia followed the Roman legions . They constructed Crosar ' s bridge and the great works in Britain of which the ruins still exist .
These collegia continued to nourish in Britain . They there acquired an exemption from taxation or tribute . They continued after tho Saxon invasion . They built the publio works , aud were still free from taxation . Hence ,
Freemasonry And Labour.
in the Saxon dialect , they were known as Freie-Mason or Freemasons . Here , I think , we have the physical origin of the Masons . They had probably only one simple degree , with various signs and passwords , which were communicated , at different stages of their progress , to
Craftsmen and Masters . When they became a large and influential body their influence was courted by the nobility , who patronised them and sought admission , for the sake of the personal influence and help which the Masons could render them . Even sovereigns sought admission to the Order .
Then , very naturally , the simple ceremonials would be expanded , and the secrets and rituals dignified with more elaborate procedures . Then came the expansion of the one degree into three , and there followed , later , the spread of the work to the Continent , and , after a little , the
invention of many new rites and degrees . Such , I believe , to have-been the true method of Masonio evolution . It will thus be seen that the Fraternity is closely identified with the interests of the labouring man . Yet , at every step , the workman is taught the important
lesson that he must be worthy of his hire . " When , by his regular and upright conduct " and other qualifications , including skill and character , the Craftsman was found " worthy of so great an honour , " he received promotion and not before . Masters , Craftsmen and Apprentices
received different rates of wages . It would appear that promotion did not depend upon length of apprenticeship , so much as upon skill . The Master ' s secrets were imparted only to men of skill who , by upright and legular deportment and efficiency , deserved them . There appears to
have been a limit of time before which they could not be imparted . After that limit was passed , all would seem to depend upon skill . The phrasing of onr rituals , which
most likely have a legendary basis , confirms most decidedly the teaching of Jesns in the parable of the labourers in the vineyard , that the higher wages must depend upon merit .
It has been thought that Masonry may give some countenance to the strikers , from the ^ fact that , in the evolution of the institution ont of its primitive collegium , it made imperative demands such as exemption from taxes . There is some analogy ;
nevertheless , there are important differences . The exemption from taxation of the members of the Masonic guild continued for centuries , it is believed ; yet there was a steadiness in the demands and working of the guild . Those sudden and unfair advantages which the modern strikers take were not
a characteristic of the old Masonic collegia . The nobility , who had tbe money to pay for tbe buildings , and the church corporations and the state knew on what to depend . There was a steadiness in the working of the institution which gave a stability and fixedness to the
public business . It is the unreasonableness , suddenness , and exorbitant demands of modern strikers , especially when controlled by unions , which keeps capitalists in terror , and renders their business unstable . The real bond of sympathy between the old Masonic collegia and , the
modern trades unions is found in the element of helpfulness which each had in view for the poor labourer . The element of fraternal equality which is found in both , which recognises neither wealth nor poverty , which looks not at the external but the internal qualifications of the man , are
praiseworthy , but liable to a distorted and injudicious interpretation and application . The notion of helping the poor may be pushed so far as to make them lazy . The idea of treating alike all persons belonging to the same class may be carried so far as to dim the ambition to excel ,
and to diminish that interest which . an employed man ought to feel in the business of his employer . So far , therefore , as Masonry is to be judged by its rituals , it allows the labouring man all that is his due , and no more , while it holds him to a strict accountability for the value
of his labour , insisting that the " master ' s " ( that is , the best ) " wages" shall be given to those " whose upright and regular conduct" and skill shall entitle them to special consideration . This is true and just doctrine , and truly interprets the parable of Jesus .
3 . But what is the relationship of Freemasonry to the capitalist ? In olden times Masons were all operative brethren . Now , ihe speculative brethren are in the majority . Masonry is no longer a collegium or a guild .
It is not for the benefit of a class as opposed to tho rest of mankind . The capitalist and the man of leisure , the nobleman and the sovereign , have all entered tho Order . They all alike learn the lesson " to be good men and true . ''
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Freemasonry And Labour.
Yankee received more pay in proportion to his time . He really had earned as muoh as the foreigner . The Yankee was-last in time but first in value . " Many are called ;"
that is , many are invited to work , but "but few are chosen ; " that is , fow are picked , choice , chosen , or selected men . Few are selected for special rewards and praise , is the idea .
This is true in life generally . The first men in business are not , as a rule , those whose parents have left them fortunes , but those who have come to town with twentyfive cents or half a dollar in their pockets . The rich millionaires of our land were generally in humble
circumstances when they started in business . They were then the last on the list . They eventually became the first . I have known a boy enter college with the highest honours and graduate at the foot of his class . I have known others , who were rated as stupid at the first , who became the best
scholars of their respective classes . The same is true with respect to professional success . Many of the most distinguished physicians , surgeons , clergymen , aud statesmen have given little indication in youth of the powers of intellect which they possessed .
Here , then , is the key to the wonderful parable of Jesus , which forms au important Scripture lesson in onr Masonic ¦ work , and may . be regarded as a Masonic working-man ' s text . It is simply this—labour is to be estimated by quality as well as by its quantity . One man may do in an
hour what it would take another a day to perform . It creates , no necessary antagonism between a labourer and his employer .: It does not decide the amount of pay that shall be given to any person . The key to tho parable is the simple fact that labour should be paid for what it ia
worth , neither more nor less . If any one who works a less number of hours earns as much pay and performs as much service as one who has wrought more hours , he is entitled . to the same compensation . It is difficult to enforce this principle . It is difficult for ignorant men to
understand that there should be any difference in the rates of wages . Many strikes have been inaugurated to force the payment to incompetent men of wages which were suitable only to men of skill . Our text is just , alike to the labourer aud the employer : to the labourer , because it
recognises his right to what he is actually worth , even if he comes late ; to the capitalist , because it allows his right to gauge his pay-roll according to the standard of merit . The trouble is likely to be with unskilled men who cannot recognise their own inferiority , or with unions of men whose standard of ethics does not
lead them to avoid taking an unfair advantage , if the situation of the employer is such that he must either yield to them for the time or lose some heavy contract . Ifc is ,
of course , conceivable that employers may cut wages unjustly , but the law of supply and demand is so inexorable that it operates ss a oheck against carrying such a plan too far .
2 . We have Btudied our Masonic Scripture text with respect to the whole question . Now , how is Masonry related to the labourer ? What help , advice or encouragement has our institution for the labouring man ? Masonry started as a working-men ' s guild . Our present
institution , with its three essential degrees , together with all the multifarious degrees of other Masonic rites aud bodies , is comparatively recent . Gould , in his great work , sided by American Masons , has ' doubtless told us the truth about the origin of modern Masonry . I think he has been
a little too sceptical about ancient Masonry , although it is a fact that so many worthless and absurd statements about the origin of the institution have been published that so good a writer as Gould may be pardoned for approaching the subject with feelings of disdain towards those who have
perpetrated such unhistorical statements . It is most probable that the germs of our Institution , so far as concerns organisation , may be traced to the colleges of builders in ancient Rome though all that pertains to Masonry had a decidedly English origin . We learn from
Plutarch that there were m Rome collegia fabrorum and collegia artificum , though Dionysius of Halicarnassus and Livy do not ascribe them , as he does , to Numa Pompilius . These collegia followed the Roman legions . They constructed Crosar ' s bridge and the great works in Britain of which the ruins still exist .
These collegia continued to nourish in Britain . They there acquired an exemption from taxation or tribute . They continued after tho Saxon invasion . They built the publio works , aud were still free from taxation . Hence ,
Freemasonry And Labour.
in the Saxon dialect , they were known as Freie-Mason or Freemasons . Here , I think , we have the physical origin of the Masons . They had probably only one simple degree , with various signs and passwords , which were communicated , at different stages of their progress , to
Craftsmen and Masters . When they became a large and influential body their influence was courted by the nobility , who patronised them and sought admission , for the sake of the personal influence and help which the Masons could render them . Even sovereigns sought admission to the Order .
Then , very naturally , the simple ceremonials would be expanded , and the secrets and rituals dignified with more elaborate procedures . Then came the expansion of the one degree into three , and there followed , later , the spread of the work to the Continent , and , after a little , the
invention of many new rites and degrees . Such , I believe , to have-been the true method of Masonio evolution . It will thus be seen that the Fraternity is closely identified with the interests of the labouring man . Yet , at every step , the workman is taught the important
lesson that he must be worthy of his hire . " When , by his regular and upright conduct " and other qualifications , including skill and character , the Craftsman was found " worthy of so great an honour , " he received promotion and not before . Masters , Craftsmen and Apprentices
received different rates of wages . It would appear that promotion did not depend upon length of apprenticeship , so much as upon skill . The Master ' s secrets were imparted only to men of skill who , by upright and legular deportment and efficiency , deserved them . There appears to
have been a limit of time before which they could not be imparted . After that limit was passed , all would seem to depend upon skill . The phrasing of onr rituals , which
most likely have a legendary basis , confirms most decidedly the teaching of Jesns in the parable of the labourers in the vineyard , that the higher wages must depend upon merit .
It has been thought that Masonry may give some countenance to the strikers , from the ^ fact that , in the evolution of the institution ont of its primitive collegium , it made imperative demands such as exemption from taxes . There is some analogy ;
nevertheless , there are important differences . The exemption from taxation of the members of the Masonic guild continued for centuries , it is believed ; yet there was a steadiness in the demands and working of the guild . Those sudden and unfair advantages which the modern strikers take were not
a characteristic of the old Masonic collegia . The nobility , who had tbe money to pay for tbe buildings , and the church corporations and the state knew on what to depend . There was a steadiness in the working of the institution which gave a stability and fixedness to the
public business . It is the unreasonableness , suddenness , and exorbitant demands of modern strikers , especially when controlled by unions , which keeps capitalists in terror , and renders their business unstable . The real bond of sympathy between the old Masonic collegia and , the
modern trades unions is found in the element of helpfulness which each had in view for the poor labourer . The element of fraternal equality which is found in both , which recognises neither wealth nor poverty , which looks not at the external but the internal qualifications of the man , are
praiseworthy , but liable to a distorted and injudicious interpretation and application . The notion of helping the poor may be pushed so far as to make them lazy . The idea of treating alike all persons belonging to the same class may be carried so far as to dim the ambition to excel ,
and to diminish that interest which . an employed man ought to feel in the business of his employer . So far , therefore , as Masonry is to be judged by its rituals , it allows the labouring man all that is his due , and no more , while it holds him to a strict accountability for the value
of his labour , insisting that the " master ' s " ( that is , the best ) " wages" shall be given to those " whose upright and regular conduct" and skill shall entitle them to special consideration . This is true and just doctrine , and truly interprets the parable of Jesus .
3 . But what is the relationship of Freemasonry to the capitalist ? In olden times Masons were all operative brethren . Now , ihe speculative brethren are in the majority . Masonry is no longer a collegium or a guild .
It is not for the benefit of a class as opposed to tho rest of mankind . The capitalist and the man of leisure , the nobleman and the sovereign , have all entered tho Order . They all alike learn the lesson " to be good men and true . ''