C. Fred Kleinknecht, 33°
Sovereign Grand Commander

In one of the classic Laurel and Hardy movies, the boys are in a grocery store. There is an enormous pyramid of oranges on display. Predictably, Laurel takes one from the bottom row, and the entire pyramid collapses, sending oranges rolling to the corners of the store and into the street. Similarly, the Y2K problem is based on one simple code among the millions that make up a computer program. Both are examples of what I call "the power of parts."

It is well to focus on the "big picture," but it is essential to remember that the big picture is made up of thousands of bits of pigment. Without them, there is no big picture. A missing part can bring down a pyramid of oranges or a computer.
This is especially true of philanthropy. Masonry's great charitable and educational programs benefit many thousands of people, but they are possible only because of the parts—the commitment of individual Masons and of the friends of Masonry. You, personally, are vital to these great charitable activities. If you ever doubt that, just think about the pyramid of oranges.

This issue of the Scottish Rite Journal focuses on Masonic philanthropy. It is good for each of us to review these programs from time to time and to renew our commitment to them, for we as individuals are essential to their success. We are the parts that make these philanthropies work.

Language disorders are among the most common problems found in children today, and they can be devastating. Children who are slow in developing language or affected by dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, or an undiagnosed hearing impairment learn slowly in spite of often superior intelligence. Shunned and teased by their peers, sometimes not understood by their teachers, these children can be doomed to lives of frustration and failure by problems which can be corrected through the early diagnosis and treatment provided by the Scottish Rite's 135 clinics, centers, or programs in the Southern Jurisdiction.

If you ever doubt our program's importance, you only have to watch the children in our clinics and see how they progress, or see that progress reflected in the eyes of the mothers, fathers, and grandparents of these children. See that once, and you'll never forget it.

Visit a Scottish Rite facility, confer with a clinician, and hear some of the stories. Listen to recordings of the children, before and after therapy, and see the improvement. Talk to those who were children in the early days of our program and have now gone on to be successful doctors, lawyers, engineers, and teachers. Let them tell you what a difference the clinics have made in their lives.

That is the work we are doing—the work YOU, as a member of the Scottish Rite, are doing. This is the power of parts—for without each part, it could not happen. There is no more noble work than to give a child a brighter future and, at the same time, guarantee our nation a better tomorrow. It is up to us to be a part of that accomplishment, and we—each of us—can do it, for there is power in the parts.