Three Legs At Twilight

Short Papers Competition 2009 © 2010 Internet Lodge and the author Paper 16/2009 Title Three Legs at Twilight Author Bro Charles Richard Telfer – England “What walks on four legs at dawn, two legs at noon and three legs at tw ilight?” So goes the Riddle of the Sphinx. The answer is “a man”. At the dawn of its life a baby crawls on a ll fours. A man in his prime walks on two legs but in the twilight of his life walks with a stick, his third leg. A Mason is the same. When a man first becomes a Mason he is helpless and must be led everywhere. His four legs are his own and those of his leader. He le arns to walk freely though in itially, like a child, he requires constant guidance. Some Ma sons later get jobs like Chaplain or party pieces like The Chain. These require initial learning but then make little dem and. Like sticks, they enable Masons to continue activity when the vital fires wane. There comes a critical point when a Mason can give more guidance than he needs to take. Nowadays this point frequently comes after he has been Master. Why should someone who is supposedly the fountainhead of guidance need so much guidance? In England, there was a time when most Masons never took office and those who did typically would have been a Mason for 25 years before becoming Master. Af ter World War II there was an influx of ex- servicemen who introduced still more Candidates. Numerous Lodges were founded to process the flood. As this passed the peak, the founding of Lodges did not stop. With rising prosperity a new breed was not content to sit on the sidelines for 10 or 20 years before taking office. Lodges were formed by those impatient for active participation. Typically, out of 10 current Lodges at least 4 were founded since WWII and 3 in the first 30 years¹. Though recruitment conti nues to fall, great effort has been made to keep Lodges going. The inevitable result is too many Lodg es and not enough bodies to fill the slots. New Masons are under pressure to take office even bef ore they know what the offices are. Many other Constitutions are similar. Sooner on the ladder means sooner off. Someone holding a particular progressive job for the first time is like someone on work experience; by the time he k nows how to do it he has moved on. And just when a Mason is approaching his prime we have least use for him. Some enter a demanding job like Secretary but for many in their fullest energy there is nothing. What is to be done? To begin with, slow down. Move someone on only when he is ready. There is plent y to do besides degree work. Place burdens on the capable. Recycle Past Masters. They provide a va luable steadying influence on the ladder and can be used to adjust the progression. Most importantly, bring into being sticks for those who would rather not become Holy Men, sitting, shaking their heads and muttering “Oh, my God!” as others perform. ¹ Surrey website - 47% & 38% of 329 Lodges, Cum berland & Westmoreland website – 49% & 28% of 82 Lodges, Shropshire website - 42% & 24% of 33 Lodges, Surrey Year Book 2001 – 47% & 38% of 351 Lodges, Essex Year Book 1996 – 50% & 36% of 306 Lodges.