Excerpts from the Proceedings of The Grand Lodge of Texas A.F.&A.M.

(1970 - 1979)

(This is a continuing project as copies of Proceedings are cleaned, read & excerpted.)
1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979

1970 -- Hal Burnett, G.M.

It is an evident fact that most every person has a hope for a better life. It is that hope plus a confidence in self-potentialities that enables mankind to look forward to a better world. Increasing knowledge and scientific experiment throughout the centuries have given mankind this hope and this confidence for a material evolution in living; in short for a more comfortable and a wider range in enjoyable living. This is the real purpose of the Masonic Institution.
(W. Merritt)

1971 -- J. W. Steed, G.M.

Masonry, in its final analysis, is a very personal thing, founded upon the dignity of the individual and his relationship, as an individual, to his God and his fellow man. Instead of trying to make Masonry 'relevant' to the modern world, or to anything else, I suggest that each of us as Masons, try the obvious solution of 'Practicing what we teach.' This is our theme in Kentucky this year -- Masons Practicing What They Teach.
(G.R. Effinger, GM of Kentucky at the Conference of GM of N. America)

A Mason is a man who professes a faith in God. As a man of faith he uses the tools of moral and ethical truths to serve mankind. A Mason binds himself to like-minded men in a brotherhood that transcends all religious, ethnic, social, cultural, and educational differences. in fellowship with his brothers, a Mason finds ways in which to serve his God, his family, his fellow man and his country. A Mason is dedicated. He recognizes his responsibility for justice, truth, charity, enlightenment, freedom and liberty, honesty and integrity in all aspects of human behavior. A Mason is such a man.
(Communication of the GL of Minnesota)

Being an officer in a Lodge is not a matter of being on time for the regular meeting, although this is essential, it is a matter of devoting much of one's time -- living Masonry -- talking Masonry -- sleeping Masonry -- telling the world that Masonry is a way of life.
(Grand Lecturer of GL of Prince Edward Island)

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1972 -- Jack Hightower, G.M.

We in our Baptist churches don't build auditoriums big enough to hold all the members because we really don't expect them all to be there at any one time. And we in our Masonic Lodges don't build the Lodges big enough to hold all the membership. If everyone came to a stated meeting after two or three months the Master would be screaming for help, because we wouldn't know how to cope with the situation.
And yet, sometimes we seem to think that the character of service of a Mason is in his attendance at each stated meeting. I think that this is important, it must be done. But if some Brother finds another place of service, if he chooses to work in his Chapter, wish him Godspeed and assist him in that work. If he wants to work in his Council or in his Commandery or in the Scottish Rite, that, too, is Masonic service. He should not be judged as a Mason by where he serves but by whether he serves.
(Jack Hightower, GM)

This is my country. It is a beautiful land of natural wonders. We are proud of its mountains, lakes, shores and timberlands. In this fertile and beautiful land we have built our great cities and small towns. Here we are at home. Our country is more than land and buildings. America is also people. We are a people of many races and origins. Some of our fathers came to find opportunity and to build a way of life free of the tyrannies they left behind. They asserted the value of the individual as the natural and inalienable right of man. Our country is also more than land and people. There is and must remain a 'spirit' and 'ideal' that is America. We may at times lose sight of this unseeable and hard to define reality but it must not be lost. The spirit of America acknowledges that we are brothers, God's children, in His world, and that His rich gift of land, of life, and of time is the opportunity that is ours. True Masonry teaches a love of country. No man has more reason to be truly patriotic than the citizen of the United States of America. It is OUR country. Ours to love and serve, to improve and defend, and to pass on to our children as their greatest inheritance.
(Jack Hightower, GM)

In this day in which we live there are many challenges. While the world seems to change with a frightening speed we cannot close our eyes or deny our responsibility. With each challenge and difficulty should cause us to be more aware of our need for insight, inspiration and the wisdom of the ages. in religious fellowship and in fraternal service we must continue strong. Failure in either makes us less than we must be if our work is to be found worthy.
(Jack Hightower, GM)

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1973 -- Duncan C. Howard, G.M.

One time a man took his son to church. It was a beautiful day and the light shone through. And as it came through the beautiful stained glass windows, the image was cast on the floor. The son asked the father, 'What is that?' He said, 'It's an image of Saint Paul.' They stood by another window. And as the light shone through the window, he said, 'And, Father, what is that?' He said, 'Son, that's the image of Saint John.' At the third window, the Father explained to his son that this was light transpiring through an image of Saint Peter. After they returned home, the son was explaining to his younger sister the whole activity he had done with his father. He explained how the light had come through and reflected the picture on the floor. And she said, 'What's a saint?' The son said, 'Sister, a saint is someone that the light shines through.'
(D.C. Howard, GM)

Three Georgia Masons, after the Lodge had closed, for some reason they didn't see fit to go home immediately. And they were out until the wee hours of the morning. So they went in. And the next morning they met at the corner drugstore for coffee. One of them asked the other one, 'Did your wife have much to say about you coming in so late last night?' He said, 'Oh boy. She was historical.' The other said, 'What do you mean ... historical? Don't you mean ... hysterical?' He said 'Oh no. She brought up things that happened many, many years ago.'
(H.T. Hooper, GM of Georgia)

Have you ever thought that Masons actually started out as the most selfish men in the world? Each of us when we started out in Masonry wanted something he thought another person had. He didn't start out because he thought is was a great political organization, a great religious organization. He had no knowledge whatsoever of what Masonry was all about. It was a selfish thing. There was part of him that was missing, a part of each of us that was missing that we thought would be filled by whatever it was that man that we knew as a Mason had in himself. Then after we became Masons, that gap began to partially close. But it was a selfish thing as far as we were personally concerned. We wanted something that somebody else had. . . . And it is my opinion that if we are to truly grow in size and scope, then we must start with that part of us within ourselves. And the way I believe that it can be don is by practicing what Brother Kowalski of Temple Lodge #4 used to say -- he was Past Master of J.H. Gurley Lodge for over fifty years and thousands of Masons knew him.
He used to give a talk. He called it the Ten Commandments of Masonry: faith, hope, charity, brotherly love, relief, truth, temperance, fortitude, prudence and justice."
I thought about this for so long. I thought about the fact that Brother Benjamin Franklin, Past Grand Master of Pennsylvania, as a young man decided that he would be successful in life if he practiced one of the virtues for a week at a time and didn't concentrate on the others, that this practice would become part of his inner being. . . . I ask each of you to join me in this practice.
(D.B. Jordan, DGM)

Most Worshipful Grand Master, I present to you a gavel which has been manufactured or made by our Brother and Past Master Lee Smith, who with the labor of love fashioned gavels to present to incoming Grand Masters for many, many years. This year he had prepared this gavel and was unable to remain to present it and asked for me to do so. I present it to you with these thoughts: that in presiding over the Grand Lodge of Texas, if at first you do not succeed, try not to look astonished; and always put off until tomorrow what you are messing up today.
(D.C. Howard, PGM)

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1974 -- Dan B. Jordan, G.M.

Last year I told you about the two cows that were standing on the hill in Georgia. They both looked up and there was a milk truck down the hill; a great big tank truck. It said, 'Eight thousand gallons of milk; homogenized, pasteurized, vitamin D added.' One cow turned to the other and said, 'Some days I feel so inadequate.'
(D.B. Jordan, GM)

I have heard this business of 'Stand up and be counted.' and as somebody said last night, 'The only thing in the world that happens when a person stands up and is counted is that the men are able to get their drawers straightened out and the ladies are able to straighten out their girdles.' I believe that was the way it was put. That's standing up and being counted. And if everyone of you stood up and was counted and sat down, you wouldn't do anything.
(D.B. Jordan, GM)

Man, thank God, is constantly endeavoring to prove to himself that Freedom means more to him than existence under a Tyrant. The Alamo, Corrigedor, Thermopylae, and hundreds of thousands of incidents occur daily where men, individually and collectively, stand, in the face of great odds, for their belief in their God-given right to be free. There is something in man, a part of the Spirit which dwells within, I suppose, that is only quiescent when a man has said, 'Here I stand. I can do no other!' Each of the 188 heroes (and each was as great as the other) who fell at this Alamo, knew that he had rather risk the oblivion of Death than to live within himself -- if he did not listen to that 'something within himself.' I doubt that any single one of them thought of himself as a hero . . . but, rather, was sustained by the knowledge that 'he could do no other' . . . that what he was doing was the right thing for a man to do. We face situations daily wherein we have to decide whether or not to take a stand on opposition to Tyranny in one form or another . . . should we truckle to the arrogant Boss? . . . or fawn over the titled fop? . . . or bow to the browbeating bully? The 'would-be-tyrant' never starts out with full strength. he sucks his strength and courage from the reservoirs of the timid who fail to use their strength and courage in the beginning . . . and when they become desperate, it is too late . . . the Tyrant has their strength and can run rough-shod over them as he pleases.
Let the heroes of the Alamo ever remind us of the truths so ably stated by Brother Winston Churchill, who, during the darkest days of the Battle of Britain, gave strength and courage to the free world when he said, 'If you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without blood she; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; there may come a time when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of success; there may be even a worse case -- you may have to fight when there is no hope of victory; for it is better to perish than to live as slaves.'
(D.B. Jordan, GM)

While I am here, may I say a little personal philosophy? We are traveling through this life on a one-way journey. We never expect to retrace our steps or come this way again. but while we are here, may it be our pleasure to bring smiles where once there were tears, to plant flowers in those hearts where once only weeds and despair grew, to bring happiness to all, and when we are on our way to depart, may it be our pleasure that every man, every woman, every child that we may be glad that we came this way and be sorry that we must depart.
(S.B. Tracy, GM -- New Mexico)

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1975 -- Robert B. O'Connor, G.M.

Every progressive organization and every conscientious individual will periodically undergo self-examination and self evaluation to determine how well they are functioning. Just as the storage battery must be recharged by the generator, so must organizations and individuals pause occasionally to regenerate and renew their own spiritual energy. The Masonic Fraternity is no exception; and we, as Masons, must rededicate ourselves to the intangible values of our fraternity, including but not limited to the Ten Commandments of Masonry (Faith, Hope, Charity, Brotherly Love, Relief, Truth, Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence, and Justice) by breathing life into them through our daily relations with our fellow man.
We shall pass through this world but once; consequently, if there be any kindness we can show, or any good we can do, let us show it and do it now. Let us not be negligent; for we shall not pass this way again, nor shall we have another similar opportunity.
Enthusiasm is the ingredient which transforms a philosophy into a reality or a principle into action. For example, at 211 degrees water is merely hot water - inert and powerless; at 212 degrees water is live steam with more inherent power than man has ever been able to harness at full efficiency, notwithstanding all his engineering knowledge and skill. At 211 degrees the water in a locomotive boiler exerts not one ounce of pressure, and the locomotive is as powerless as if the firebox were cold and empty; but at 212 degrees that same water provides awesome power to haul a mile-long train of cars over a mountain.
Many Masons are, figuratively speaking, walking around at 211 degrees; and for want of but one additional degree of temperature they are relatively inert, powerless, and much less effective than they could be. If, however, they would throw only one more log on the fire, they could raise their temperature to 212 degrees, thus increasing their power to infinity.
Just one degree added to 211 may seem insignificant by itself, yet it is of incomparable and immeasurable importance. The man who cannot or will not elevate his temperature to the boiling point may never achieve anything worthwhile in this world; but the man who can and will maintain his temperature at or above 212 degrees, who can and will operate his boiler at full steam, who can and will stoke his fire of enthusiasm at white heat, can achieve anything in this world to which he may reasonably aspire.
I urge you to join me in the REDEDICATION of our Fraternity and of ourselves that we, together' and individually, may demonstrate and practice Masonry with ENTHUSIASM in our daily life.
"Nothing great has ever been achieved without enthusiasm!" (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
(R. B. O'Connor, GM)

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1976 -- Thomas C. Yantis, G.M.

I would remind you of the warning of McCauley, the great English historian who wrote in 1857: "Your republic will be fearfully plundered and laid to waste by barbarians in the Twentieth Century as the Roman Empire was in the Fifth, with this difference: that the Huns and Vandals who ravaged the Roman Empire came from without and your Huns and Vandals will have been engendered within your own country by your own institutions."
Why such dire prediction? True, we see on our pages of history where great empires such as that established by the Greeks and Romans have come, gone and almost been forgotten. But isn't ours a republic wherein the people have reserved unto themselves the power to govern? Should not such government grow stronger and be eternal? McCauley's prediction and that of other historians see our form of government as a prime cause of our demise.
There are three basic requirements for any people to govern themselves as in our republican form of government: (1) We must have confidence in our leadership, that is, in our ability to govern ourselves; (2) We must have a high sense of moral values, that is, a willingness to live by the Golden Rule; and (3) We must be willing to sacrifice individual greed for common good.
In recent years there are many signs that we are losing confidence in our ability to govern ourselves. We became disillusioned with our leadership when some of our highest officials betrayed our confidence. This distrust and lack of confidence has been fanned by the media who seem obligated to emphasize the negative aspect of our leaders and our basic institutions. Many of our people, particularly our young, sincerely believe that it doesn't matter who are in the positions of leadership. Our participation in choosing our political leaders has dropped off to where we now feel good because just over fifty percent of those eligible voted in our recent National election. Surely our fraternity, with its heritage, cannot be proud of anything less than all its members being concerned citizens.
We have opened up our system in our zeal for a free society and for freedom but we have opened it to the point where an issue-oriented minority can short-circuit representative government and delay, obstruct, or paralyze the decision making process. In our thrust toward an open system, we must not lose the capacity to act.
Wherever there is liberty, there must be law and self-restraint, for freedom unrestrained descends to license. License is a short step removed from anarchy.
In our desire to create a society wherein no one can abuse authority, we must not create one wherein no one can exercise authority.
Let us never forget that in our Declaration of Independence, life and liberty are categorically stated, but that happiness is limited by the words "pursuit of." That is, "Life, liberty and pursuit of happiness." The American plan does not promise a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If we are to break the cycle of inflation which has the power to destroy a nation, we must return to a basic philosophy of a day's work for a day's pay. We cannot expect, much less demand, that our government provide for us from cradle to the grave. We need only to look at the present economic situation in England to see the power of inflation to destroy a great country.
Our Constitution declares and promises that all men are created equal. True, all individuals are equal in intrinsic worth and are entitled to equal access to rights and privileges. But equal worth does not translate to equal ability and equal access does not equate to equal achievement. Unless we cultivate excellence and reward performance, there will soon be no opportunity.
In the name of freedom of speech, we permit our minds and those of our children to be polluted with all forms of moral depravity.
Yes, we have problems-- the cancer of inflation, the despair of unemployment, lack of equal opportunity for some of our citizens, escalating crime rates, particularly among juveniles, and creeping mediocrity in every phase of our National life. But where are things better? Nowhere.
This is forcibly illustrated by the 840 mile Iron Curtain which prevents those under Russian domination from entering the Free World.
Just as Masons were in positions of leadership at the formation of this great country, so Masons today must be in the forefront of the vigil to preserve her. We must renew the clear, strong voices of our Brethren whose Bicentennial handiwork we have celebrated this year. It will not be done by reciting our obligations rather we must by our actions reaffirm those fundamental principles on which our Craft is based. We must by our personal lives restore Masonry to its rightful place of moral leadership.
(Charles W. Barrow, Grand Orator)

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1977 -- Herman Vinyard, GM

GRAND MASTER VINYARD: I did not make a speech yesterday and I don't plan on making a speech now. But since we do have some time to kill, I would like to make a few comments.
We have often heard the story: What is wrong with Masonry, or what is happening in the decline of membership? As you know, we lost 2,421, I believe it was reported, during the year. We are now down to actual, total membership as of last June of something like 221,000 Masons. Out of that 221,000, there are 12,000 exempt - or 11,000 exempt from paying dues because they are Fifty Year Masons. So actually we have dues' payers of about 210,000.
Well, Brethren, I have found out one thing: there is absolutely nothing in the world wrong with Masonry. We have the same teachings that we have had for years and years and years. The Teachings are just like they are in the Bible. They are as good today as they were when they first came into being.
I have been asked so many times this year: what can we do to improve? I may be stepping on some toes, but maybe some toes ought to be stepped on.
The things that I have found this year in traveling throughout the State and the things that have come across my desk and in my mail concerning Masonry in Texas has absolutely nothing to do with the teachings of Texas. It boils down to one thing: The Worshipful Masters of Lodges. Some of them just have not prepared themselves to be Masters. They have waited until they were installed in the East before they learned how to open a Lodge.
If you are going to be a Master of a Lodge and if you have a desire to become a Master of a Lodge, then start preparing yourself when that first man appoints you Senior Deacon or Junior Deacon or whatever. If I had of waited until a year ago to prepare the program for Grand Lodge this year, then I guarantee you one thing, nothing would have happened because it is too late then. And that is what it boils down to.
I am going to step on another toe or two right now. If any Lodge in this Grand Jurisdiction has an officer that is elected Junior Warden and he expects to be Master and does not fulfill his duty, then that Lodge has an obligation to pass him by somewhere along the line before they install him as Master. (Applause)
We had twelve Regional Conferences this year. We had an increase of 15 percent in attendance over last year. It wasn't because of Herman Vinyard or Tom Yantis. That had absolutely nothing to do with it. It is a fact that the Regional Conferences are gaining in popularity and people are finding out that they can learn something at these conferences.
However, the State Coordinator for the Regional Conferences, Brother Jimmy Wilison, mailed to me several weeks ago the final figures of the Regional Conferences for the year. We had plenty of District Deputies. In fact, in every Regional Conference with the exception of two or three, every District Deputy throughout that particular area was present at that Regional Conference meeting.
We had plenty of Worshipful Masters there, but, as I say, they are welcome, but, Brethren, it is too late for them.
We had plenty of Senior Wardens and a sprinkling of Junior Wardens. We seldom ever had a Senior Deacon or a Junior Deacon in attendance. And these are the ones that need to be present at these conferences and start learning something.
This, Brethren, is what is wrong with Masonry right today in Texas. There are some of the Officers in the Constituent Lodges that are just not willing to put forth the effort. And once they are elected Junior Warden in 99 percent of the Lodges of this State of Texas, then they are never stopped and the Lodge attendance starts sliding off because they are not prepared, either mentally, programwise, or Masonically to assume the East in any Lodge. And it is no wonder to me that some of them are drying on the vine like a sun-scorched melon.
That is all I have to say about it. That is the only address I am going to make to this Grand Lodge. Thank you for letting me share this with you. (Rising applause)

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1978 -- Roy Furman Vinson, GM

The world needs Masonry today probably as much or even more than any time in our history. We need men to join our organization who have vision; men who seek and look with us into the future; men who have imagination and new ideas that can help us to see the needs of our Lodges, our communities, our state, and our nation.
(Jimmy Willson, Grand Orator)
 
Harold Blake Walker, an outstanding minister of the Chicago area, wrote in a recent article, "Our times are in need of men and women who are seeking not to be comfortable, but to grow in mind and spirit so that they can be adequate to serve the common good."
We as Masons need to be a little less comfortable and to practice the tenets of the Fraternity for the good of mankind.
Our purpose in all of Masonry has been to make the organization one of charity for all mankind, to practice the Golden Rule, to love our country, to serve God with reverence, to be humble, to adhere to the cardinal virtues, and to greet everyone on the same level of human understanding.
To preserve the future of our great Fraternity means to grasp the present. Only he who gives of himself can create the future. Each one of us must share in the responsibility of preserving the future for this great fellowship of Freemasonry. I would hate to think that we would allow our Fraternity to become like the title of a book I observed last week -- "Due to Lack Of Interest Tomorrow Has Been Canceled!"
We have too long, in my opinion, been a silent majority. It is certainly time that we proclaim ourselves before our families, our friends and associates and let them know what Freemasonry is and what it stands for.
What are you witnessing? It seems that the world which we know of beauty has reverted to a world of savagery and brutality.
It is time for Masonry not to retreat, not to surrender or despair, but it is time for Masons to show by word and deed the reality of the principles of morality by which every man must live if he is to survive.
Masonry is in a position of responsibility. Ours is an institution in which men are trained in mind and heart to elevate the spirit over the material. It is an institution which has never sought selfish advantage or arbitrary power. It is an institution which has never capitulated to the demons of tyranny, turned its back on history, or modified its moral demands. Because it is such an institution, there is a heavy responsibility placed on each one of us as Masons to do his part in making Masonic teachings visible to the world through our thoughts, acts and deeds.
The future of Freemasonry, in spite of the actuarial figures, is in our hands. Freemasonry will be what you and I make it. I believe in Freemasonry and I hope you do. You as the leader of your symbolic Lodge are expected to do more. Have you?
Edmund Burke, the English philosopher said, "All that is necessary for the forces of evil to win the world is for good men to do nothing."
As Masons and leaders I think we should become aware of Masonry's goals and challenges. We must recognize Masonry's opportunity to make a better world, a better place to live.
You, my Brothers, are the leaders. What will be your answer to the honor you have inherited? Will you accept the challenge? Do you have vision to see, faith to believe, courage to do? Only you and your God know! (Applause)
(Jimmy Willson, Grand Orator)

We meet in these Grand Lodge Sessions to labor for the good of our Masonic Orders and yet we know this beautiful Grand Lodge Memorial Temple is more than a place for Masons to meet for work.
We cannot keep from remembering it is a place where we should reflect upon the past and our obligations to the present to protect our Masonic way of life for future generations. What we do today is the heritage we leave for our children and our children's children.
The great need of today is to have a rededication to our time-proven ideals; a full understanding of Americanism; its documents; and what it means to have religious liberty with separation of church and state; to maintain free public schools and to protect personal freedom within the limits of constitutional government.
Each of us, as American citizens, should dedicate ourselves to the cause of democracy. We must promote those institutions which protect our great American program of the sovereignty of the people - a limited constitutional government, adequate judicial protection and untrammeled public free schools.
It is indeed gratifying to see so many of our Brethren here today. Your presence is indicative of the awareness you have of your obligations to Masonry. I commend you most heartily for your constancy, your devotion and your continuing service. May you continue to serve and always be diligent in promoting the interests, ideals and purposes of our great Fraternity.
Freemasonry is kindness in the home, honesty in business, courtesy in society, fairness in work, pity and concern for the unfortunate, resistance toward evil, help for the weak, forgiveness for the penitent, love for one another, and, above all, reverence and love for God.
Carved upon the cornerstone of our beautiful Grand Lodge Memorial Temple are these words: "Erected and dedicated to the use and purposes of Ancient Craft Freemasonry and to honor and perpetuate the memory of those valiant Freemasons who served in establishing and preserving freedom and democracy in this land of liberty, equality and fraternity."
Freemasonry is many things, but, most of all: Freemasonry is a way of life.
Let us rededicate ourselves to the principles of our great Fraternity and to our great nation. As we leave this Memorial Temple, let us say to ourselves again and again:  Thank God, I am a Master Mason and an American.
Thank you, my Brethren. (Applause)
(Lee Lockwood, PGM)

Motivation -- encouraging, inspiring, convincing others to want to be Masonic leaders -- is a "will of the wisp." It's hard to get hold of. Ideally, one would think that just being asked to serve as a Lodge officer should be motivation or inspiration enough to make a man ride off on his white charger, eager to lead his Lodge and Masonry to great heights. A few react this way. Most do not. The pressures of business, family, church and civic activities; the unwillingness to be committed or tied down for several years; the fear of inadequacy in the ritual, in public speaking ability, in just being able to handle the job of Master -- each of these tend to temper and cool the individual Mason's enthusiasm for Lodge office.
The first hurdle to overcome, then, in the search for Lodge leadership, is to inspire Masons to want to be leaders. Without question, this is the toughest task of all. Each person is different, with different ideas, "hangups," goals. Where one individual responds to the example of an outstanding Master, another will be frightened by the possibility of future comparison. Where one person will quickly recognize the marvelous training offered in public speaking, management techniques, human relations, personal psychology, ethics and philosophy, another will totally fail to see these advantages, and see only the hours spent away from other leisure activities. In a nutshell, no Lodge officer training course can serve as a basic motivator for sideliners to become officers. It CAN help to clear up the unknowns, reduce the so called complications of Masonic leadership to bite-size pieces, and establish a logical and practical approach to learning how to be an effective Lodge leader.
But the actual motivation, the desire to be an outstanding Lodge officer, must come from the individual, with the inspiration and challenges supplied by the local Lodge members, officers, and Past Masters.
(Lodge Officer Training)

First of all, the Brother who considers being a Lodge officer should NEVER be told: "You don't really have to do anything - except maybe learn some of the ritual - until you are Junior Warden. That's plenty of time to get ready to be Master."
Nothing could be further from the truth! "Getting ready" to be Worshipful Master will take every bit of available time a man has, beginning at Junior Steward. NEVER permit a Brother to be misled into thinking that preparing to be Master isn't WORK. It is! It's fun -- it's Brotherhood with a capital "B" -- it's soul satisfying, making you feel good down deep inside -- but it is WORK.
(Lodge Officer Training)

Brethren:  From time immemorial Masons have championed education and the pursuit of knowledge.
The great stone cathedrals of Europe were built by the Freemasons because they were the only group of men that knew how to design and erect them. They were men who had gone through long periods of education or training with gradual promotion from apprentices to master workmen.
During the days of the Republic of Texas and into early statehood, Freemasons were noted among the foremost advocates of a public school system in early Texas.
President Mirabeau B. Lamar, a member of Harmony Lodge No. 6, is given much credit for the development of the public school system and is known as "the father of education in Texas." This statement by Brother Lamar, "It is admitted by all, that a cultivated mind is the guardian genius of democracy, and while guided and controlled by virtue, the noblest attribute of man" can be said to have probably emanated from his background in Freemasonry.
(GM Vinson)

Brethren:  Since 1974, the Grand Lodge of Texas has suspended 12,241 Masons for non-payment of dues. This is a tragic loss not only to the men who are suspended, but to the Grand Lodge as well. To minimize this large loss of manpower would be one of the greatest services that you and I as Masons could render.
Some Masons take the stand that if a man is not interested enough in Masonry to keep his dues paid up, then he is not worth trying to save. I do not ascribe to this theory. Any man who has knelt at the Holy Altar of Freemasonry and taken the Obligations, as we all have, had to be interested in the Fraternity.
Men go suspended for many reasons. Sometimes finances are the reason, others change jobs, move to a new community and lose contact with the Fraternity. It should be the duty of each Master Mason in Texas to do everything in his power to keep as many as possible from going suspended.
I hope that every Lodge in Texas will have a live, functioning committee in addition to the individual efforts of its membership to help lower this appalling loss.
With sincere fraternal regards, R. Furman Vinson, GM.

It is and has been the custom of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, not only to inter with due honors and appropriate ceremonies, those who have been admitted to its sanctuaries, but also, after some time has passed, to perform these solemn offices of mourning, in testimony of affectionate remembrances, and not by undeserved eulogies and honorable actions of those who lived worthily, and of whom the world has not wearied before they died, but acknowledging their worth, lamented that they should not have had longer lives. We are again gathered to perform that duty and pay proper respect and honor to the memories of our Brethren who were faithful in life and until death and whom God has called away.
They have gone a little in advance of us to travel in lands beyond the grave and receive their wages of a well spent life and we hope in possession of the "The Master's Word." The reverence that we owe the dead chiefly consists in following the examples that have been bequeathed to us, and in bestowing the honor of filling their places on men in whom, (so to speak), they live again.
The pale lips of the dead are very eloquent. They tell us how vain and empty are all the hatreds, jealousies, disputes, and rivalries, the great effort made for rank and power, and wealth and reputation.
Life is too short for dissentions and disputes and the heart of a Mason should be softened towards the living and sanctified in the presence of the dead.
Let us not set too high a value of the transitory things of this life, but remember that there are some things in this life worth living for and even dying for.
How the dead teach us peace, patience and resignation; they have left behind them a life of devotion and courage that should be an inspiration to all men.
The time, my Brethren, is not far off for each of us when we shall lay aside the working tools of life, the ranks and titles, the offices and honors of the world and receive the habiliments of the grave.
Let us hope that those who survive us will sometimes think of us kindly and regretfully and say that we, too, lived worthily and as good Masons.
(A.C. Tircuit, Chairman of Committee on Memorials)

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1979 -- William P. Lamb, GM

This Committee, like all groups or individuals who promote Masonic Education, is made up of incurable optimists. We are always so positive that, if we offer good material to the Lodges, their leaders will automatically agree with the need and go to work. Alas, it doesn't seem to work that way.
In 1978, at the request of then Grand Master R. Furman Vinson, we worked very, very hard to develop a simple, easy-to-read and easy-to-use, challenging program of Lodge Officer Training. M:W: Brother Lamb also agreed with the need for the program, and in 1979, we supplemented and broadened the material in Volume II. (The 1979 program is attached).
We wish we could report that the Lodge Officers have jumped at the chance to improve their leadership capabilities. Unfortunately, we cannot. Yes, a few have and are using the program, and we congratulate them. However, many of the Lodges which are the weakest, and have the most problems, are the ones who have ignored the program.
But we remain optimistic! And, at the request of the current Deputy Grand Master, R:W: Sam E. Hilburn, we have again revamped and added to the program for 1980.
First, we have broadened the base of the program. Where we concentrated in the past on the Junior Warden as the leader of the local Lodge officer training, the 1980 program will suggest that the Master appoint the best possible program chairman he can find - one who will dedicate himself to a total project of preparing Lodge officers for the East - whether he be a Past Master, a sideliner, one of the Wardens, or the Master himself. The 1980 District Deputy Grand Masters will also be asked to assist, advise, stimulate, lead and promote the program in every Texas Lodge.
(Grand Lodge Committee on Masonic Education)

Brethren: In the acceptance of the high honor you afforded me on December 2, 1978 at the Annual Grand Communication in Waco, I feel that the words expressed by the Past Grand Master of Oklahoma, Charles Herman Everett in his acceptance of the same honors given by his Grand Lodge in 1939 could very well reflect those of my own when he said, and I quote, "I understand that the extent of the honor depends upon the use of it. If I do not rule and govern this Grand Lodge in a careful and efficient manner, it will reflect upon every Mason in the State and upon this Grand Lodge in selecting me. I think I understand the duties and requirements of the office. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to do the best I can and give of the best I have in me."
In our own ritual, we have often heard: "Such is the nature of our Constitution that some must, of necessity, rule and teach, while others must, of course, learn to submit and obey. Humility in both is an essential duty." And it is in this same spirit and with a deep sense of humility that I acknowledge the privileges extended to me, and to each of you I am most grateful.
Let us not be like the Roman God, Janus, pictured on the ancient Roman calendar with two faces, one looking forward and one backward. We are aware of the events of the past, but it is with great Faith and anticipation that we look to the future, hopeful of better things to come. Masonry, like the many fields of man's endeavors, has come a long way. We still have a long way to go, and in so doing we would do well by emulating the words of the great American Poet, Longfellow, in his poem, "A Psalm of Life,"

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate,
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

I, along with your Grand Lodge Officers, Committee members, and Grand Representatives, pledge to you and the Craft, our continued service.
May the Blessings of Our Heavenly Father abide with each of you and your families for this year of 1979, and in our daily walk through life, let us ever keep with us the sacred words of the Psalmist in admonishing us: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalms 119:105.
May Brotherly Love Prevail, W. P. Lamb

Brethren: We who live today stand at the apex of a vast pyramid of human development, slowly accumulated through the many long struggling generations of the past. We are the heirs of all that has ever been accomplished, all that man has ever done to improve himself and the world in which he lives. We are the heirs of all that man has ever dreamed, thought out, fought and died for - all that he has eloquently written or expressed and left behind for the guidance of future generations. All this has been reflected by the rich deposits of the inspirational left by our predecessors and have taken on a new and vital significance for the present.
As of now, there has never been a time when people are more desperately in need of a faith in God, of courage and peace of mind, of standards and ideals by which to live, and above all an abiding belief in the future and in the progress of mankind. Masonry has made its great contribution to those ideals which we deem essential in giving people something to cling to, something on which to build the strong, firm structure of their lives.
Our Brethren of the past have abetted us by bringing from the quarries the perfect stone, the better to fit them for the builder's use. Nothing less than this is expected of us. In view of this, thank God, we have been permitted to ascribe our names on the Trestle Board of Life and are a part of His grand design for mortal man.
"Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." Matt. 7:20.
May Brotherly Love Prevail, W. P. Lamb

Never has there been an age that did not applaud the past and lament the present. Alas, times are not what they used to be. And in one way or another people have been saying that same thing in all the centuries since. For in the long panorama of man's progress through the centuries, the trend has been upward, always upward. The way has not been smooth or straight. It has been broken periodically by failures and mistakes, by crushing setbacks and catastrophes, by dark periods of war and depression. But always irresistibly, the element of progress has been at work. Always, out of every great struggle or disaster, has come a new dawn, a rebirth of life and spirit, and the powerful surge of progress carrying man onward and upward again.
This has been a part of our great heritage and confirms my belief in America. Here we are free - free to choose our government, to speak our minds, and to observe our different religions. Because we are generous with our freedom, we share our rights with those who disagree with us. Because we hate no people and covet no peoples' land; because God has blessed us with a natural and varied abundance; because we set no limit to a man's achievement; and because we have great dreams, we are afforded the opportunities to make those dreams come true. We can be grateful that Freemasonry has been an integral part in the destinies that have shaped us into a great nation.
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." Psalms 33:12.
Sincerely and Fraternally, W. P. Lamb

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