State Rep. Jerry L. Maygarden, 33°
Majority Leader, Florida House of Representatives
7201 North 9th Avenue, Ste. A-6, Pensacola, Florida 32504
jmaygarden@aol.com

The future of Freemasonry is a mirror image of its past.

During the year 2000 Scottish Rite Leadership Conferences, Sovereign Grand Commander, Ill. C. Fred Kleinknecht, 33°, is challenging each of us to think about our role in Freemasonry and the Scottish Rite's relevance as we move into the new millennium. In fact the theme of the four Leadership Conferences is "The Relevant Rite." While reflecting on this important charge, I was drawn to an anonymous quotation that goes something like this: "All a person needs in life is a purpose to live for, a faith to live by, and a self to live with." Today, I would like for each of us to remember our rich Masonic heritage as we reflect on the future of this great Fraternity—our purpose, our faith, and our people.

What is our purpose? Is the Scottish Rite merely another gathering place in the constellation of community organizations where men and women come together to engage in social discourse, dine, and pass time? Are we simply a conduit for charitable offerings in support of great and noble causes? Or, are we a repository for knowledge about the past, a historical record of great men and great deeds? Perhaps we are all of these things, but I believe Freemasonry is more, much more.

From the very beginning, our Fraternity has been a harbinger of intellectual and political freedom. Surely divine intervention brought our Fraternity toward American shores in the middle of the Eighteenth Century. The Scottish Rite filled the English colonies with radical new ideas about ethics, brotherhood, and morality. It was this special brand of philosophy—based on Masonic idealism—that demanded equality among men, and these early Americans fervently believed that Deity endows all men with special rights to life, liberty, and peace. Our Masonic Brothers came together during the Revolution in order to form a more perfect union. They had a common purpose and a common bond that is special in the annals of history, and it was their philosophy that gave birth to a great, new nation.

We inherited that common bond, that reason for being. Twenty-first Century Masons, you and I, must continue to hold the lamp of freedom high so that all men the world over might share equally in life, liberty, and happiness. Could there be a more noble purpose? I think not.

Unfortunately, freedom's lamp flickers dim from time to time. In December of this past year, my legislative office in Florida received a report on the recently released National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) critique of civic education in America. The NAEP is the only congressionally mandated assessment of student achievement. The report states that three-quarters of America's high school seniors are not "proficient" in civics, that branch of learning which studies the relationship between citizens and their government. The report went on to say, "Most high schoolers know who occupies the White House, but they have no idea what the President does." Ironically, many of those same students will be eligible to vote for the first time this November.

Student performance in basic education doesn't fair much better. According to Dr. William Bennett, former U.S. Secretary for Education, American 12th graders rank 19th out of 21 industrialized countries in mathematics achievement, and 16th out of 21 nations in science. We rank dead last in physics.

Since 1983, over 10 million Americans have reached the 12th grade without having learned to read at basic levels, and more than 20 million young people are unable to do basic math. Almost 25 million students have reached the 12th grade not knowing the essentials of American history, and in the same period, over six million Americans have dropped out of school altogether.

As we ponder the Scottish Rite's relevant role in the new millennium, it behooves us to remember the words of Thomas Jefferson: "A nation cannot remain ignorant and free." Perhaps we should consider implementing community-based civics programs in our Masonic Centers or provide mentors to assist students in need of help with mathematics, reading and writing, much as we already do through the nationwide network of Scottish Rite Childhood Language Disorders Clinics, Centers, and Programs. Certainly, we should, at the very least, insist that our public schools and elected officials do a better job of teaching the basic building blocks of a free society.

The award-winning video presentation, Architects of Freedom: The Story of Freemasonry in America, recently produced by the Supreme Council, states "faith is a vital element in Freemasonry—faith in a Supreme Being; faith in ourselves and families; faith in our communities; faith in our country."

Religious faith is a life-shaping attitude. It is our way of developing confidence in those things we cannot yet see. Faith shapes our perceptions of the future and makes a difference in the choices we make. It is difficult to envision our Order's role in the new millennium without faith.

The historic Mayflower Compact, signed in the cabin of the little vessel that brought the Pilgrim Fathers to America, begins: "In the name of God, Amen." Those are the opening words of the first official paper ever adopted for the governance of a community on American soil. Many years later, Benjamin Franklin also recognized the importance of faith.

It was June 28, 1787, when the Constitutional Convention found itself in great confusion and could not agree upon a course of action. Brother Franklin arose in his place and addressed President George Washington, a fellow Mason.

"We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings," he said, "that except the lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel. I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth, prayers imploring the assistance of heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business."

Franklin's motion was not adopted, but two days later, he made further comments that assisted in calming the dispute between the small and large states, a conflict which seemed likely to end the Convention and, with it, our experiment in representative government. Even though the Constitutional Convention did not agree to have prayers during its meetings, perhaps Franklin was correct in thinking our country's founders received Divine aid. After all, they developed a governmental idea that has since changed the entire world from one where the idea of democracy was scorned as impractical to one where it is the common goal of all humankind. Clearly, the concepts of Divine Providence and faith are deeply ingrained in American culture and also central to our Masonic experience.

Finally, what kind of people will it take to maintain a position of relevance as we move into the new millennium? In the February 2000 issue of the Scottish Rite Journal, our Sovereign Grand Commander says his heroes have always been cowboys. "Cowboys are manly," he says. "They have a code of honor, and they abide by it. They have a clear sense of right and wrong.... They have a low tolerance for injustice, and they act to correct it.... They act when others talk. They are self-reliant. They can take hardship and privation when necessary. They are generous to others, protective of the less fortunate…. Their values have been tested by the roughest winds of life, yet they are rock steady. They are men of their word."

I like these words. My heroes have always been cowboys, too, and many of those cowboys were Masons living by Masonic values. The Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is replete with heroes, great men who have made significant contributions to their communities and country. Many of our Brothers have achieved greatness in the arts, business, the clergy, education, government, and nearly every station along the way. Masonry has been blessed with the very best in mankind, but, much like the Sovereign Grand Commander, I've been inspired most by plain-spoken men—local leaders, common laborers, small businessmen, bankers, lawyers, family men, ministers, and mentors. They are men who elected to live by the virtuous values that undergird our greatest Masonic heroes. They are prepared for every twist and turn in life; they love their families and country more than life itself; and, they give generously of their time and talents so that others might know kindness.

I am convinced that the future of Freemasonry and, in particular, Scottish Rite Freemasonry is a mirror image of its past. The Rite's relevant role in the new millennium and beyond is forever embedded in the foundational values that have been a part of our great Fraternity from the very beginning, and they are alive and well today. You and I, Twenty-first Century Masons, have a grand and glorious purpose to live for, a faith to live by, and a self to live with.