Ronald A. Seale, 33°
Sovereign Grand Commander

Masonry is unique to each individual Brother because it interacts with him in a way that is his alone.

The old cabinetmaker placed a little beeswax on his cloth and gave the table one final rubbing. The wood glowed under his hand with a living richness and depth. He had sawn the log into planks, seasoned them, and planed them smooth. Setting aside all but the best, he had labored over them, giving them shape, discovering the patterns in the grain, letting the wood speak to him as he brought out its full beauty. He had carved and finished the legs. Today he would deliver the table to the purchaser with a quiet pride. It was unique.

The purchasing manager for a nationwide retailer clicked on his computer screen and ordered another 500 card tables with aluminum frames and "desert sands brown" vinyl tops. He was confident they would arrive in 16 days and that each one would be exactly like the other.

Both tables hold things, but one will be tenderly cared for and passed as a legacy to children and grandchildren. The other will be used for a while and then discarded without a thought. One will become a part of the history of a family; the other will become part of a landfill.

We enjoy the products of mass production. They have given us a standard of living never before known in the world. But we do not love and treasure them. We reserve that for the unique, the one of a kind.

Masonry is like the craftsman's table. It is what it is because generations of men have loved it, polished it, cared for it, given it an honored place in their lives, and passed it on to their children and grandchildren. It is one of a kind.

Even when the Degrees are conferred upon classes rather than individuals, Masonry is not mass produced. It still involves the person, makes demands on him, and works beneficial changes in him. Masonry is unique to each individual Brother because it interacts with him in a way that is his alone. And it is unlike anything else in his life.

It is an association of emperors, for it teaches him that each man must establish an empire over himself.

Masonic Brothers are closer than many blood brothers, because the relationship is chosen, not a matter of chance.

Masonry brings not just the knowledge but also the wisdom of a hundred generations and hands it to its initiates, to make of it what they will.

Where else, in this age of mass production, do you find men working at crafting their lives as the master cabinetmaker crafts a table? Where in this era of selfishness do you find men willing to set aside their own comfort and interests to help a Brother or to make a difference in the lives of children? Where else can you find older men willing to share the experience of their lives with younger men, freely giving them information and insight which cannot be purchased at any price? Where will you find men of every religious creed, race, political persuasion, social and economic level willing to meet and agree that neither creed, nor race, nor politics, nor wealth, nor social position matter? Where else could you hope to discover not just individuals but an entire society which believes integrity is more important than profit and that success purchased at the price of honor is not success but abject failure? Where but in Freemasonry?

Masonry understands that the human spirit is unique, even in this age of mass production. Freemasonry, like each Freemason, is one of a kind.