Freemason Wisdom: Will Rogers On Living Right

"Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip."

~Will Rogers
Claremore Lodge No. 53, Oklahoma

The Knot Head Part I: Mastering The Eldredge

The visually stunning Edredge knot

Freemasons like to dress up.  That's one of the first things I realized when I joined the Lodge.  When they showed up for my degrees, they were wearing suits and ties.  Many Masons, I later learned, are very snazzy dressers.  When I joined the Lodge, I'd been wearing a tie to work almost every day for a couple decades--I've probably got over a hundred ties in my closet.  But I didn't own a jacket.  Purchasing a jacket was one of the first things I did after my first degree--right off the rack at Wal-Mart.  I must admit, I've learned to dress a little better in the years since.  And I've learned a few things about shoes, about overcoats, and even about hats.  And a lot of what I've learned isn't from the older members--it's from the younger ones.

After a dictionary full of inappropriate language during a few tries
over the last couple years . . . I finally got it!

I was at our Grand Lodge session a few years ago, and I met a young man who was wearing this really cool tie knot.  I'd never seen anything like it before, and I finally asked him about it.  He told me it was called the Eldredge knot, and then he showed me how to tie it a few times.  I thought I had it, but later, I realized I'd missed something important apparently.  I found a video--that didn't help.  I found some instructions, but they weren't very clear either.  I've tried it a few more times over the last two years without success, but I was never able to tie it again.

Last weekend, one of my friends on Facebook brought it up that he was trying to learn to tie the Eldridge.  Perhaps it was a sense of competition, or maybe boredom that weekend, but I finally found an illustration that worked for me, and succeeded during my second attempt.  I've tied it several times since.  I finally got it!



How to tie an Eldredge knot

Like with anything, once you do it once, it gets easier.  My advice is to use a very light material tie--like silk.  Be sure to put a dent in the fat end of the tie before you begin tying it.  And keep the knot tight when you're tying it--it's impossible to tighten this knot up after the fact.

I was so happy to have finally, excuse the pun, untangled the mysteries of the Eldredge knot, that I found a few more really interesting tie knots you might enjoy.  I'm going to put up a short series over the next few weeks, and share a few more of them.  Perhaps, as they have me, they'll encourage you to step up your game a little.  We can't let these young Masons show us up--even old dogs can learn new tricks.

The good news is, of all the knots I'm going to cover over the next few weeks, this one is the hardest to master.  If you can figure this one out, you shouldn't have any trouble with any of the rest of them.

~TEC

Todd E. Creason is an author and novelist whose work includes the award-winning non-fiction historical series Famous American Freemasons and the novels One Last Shot (2011) and A Shot After Midnight (2012). He's currently working on the third novel Shot to Hell which will be released in Spring 2014. You can contact Todd E. Creason at: webmaster@toddcreason.org

Freemasonry's Better Half

Reprinted from THE MIDNIGHT FREEMASONS blog
with permission



Todd and Valerie Creason at a Scottish Rite luncheon (2011)

"My most brilliant achievement was my ability to be able to persuade my wife to marry me."

~Winston Churchill

Studholme Lodge No. 1591, England

In my part of the world, we have a practice when it comes to investigating a petitioner that from what I understand, isn't that widespread.  When our investigating committee calls to arrange a time to meet with a petitioner, if he's a married man--we invite his wife to join us!

It's true.  And there's good reasons for it.  It's a good place to ask questions.  It's a good chance to introduce his wife to who we are, what we do (and don't do), and the things that are important to us.  And of course the most important reason is obvious.  It's unlikely he's going to ever be very involved in Freemasonry if his wife doesn't support his decision to join the Lodge.


Valerie (with helper) managing our trail run

My wife, Valerie, wasn't that thrilled when I brought up the idea of joining the Masonic Lodge.  We'd been down that road before.  I'd briefly been active in another organization some years earlier (I won't say which one).  My friend and I went to the meeting every month for awhile.  The meeting started at 7, the bar opened at 7:30, and I'd wind up walking home at some hour well after midnight.  I was a little younger then, but it caused problems in the marriage to say the least.  I still pay my dues, but it's been a decade since I've attended a meeting.

But it was pretty clear to her that this was different when three Masons arrived at our house and talked to us about Freemasonry.  They had a few questions for me, and we had a lot of questions for them.  When they finally left, Valerie was almost as excited at the prospect of me being involved in the Fraternity as I was. 

I'm gone quite a bit, and when I'm not attending something Freemasonry related, I'm writing something Freemasonry related.  It's a very involving hobby of mine.  Oddly enough, there's never been one argument in my house about me leaving to go to a meeting--in fact, she'll look at me some evenings and say "isn't there a meeting you could go to?"  She told me one time she doesn't mind me going to meetings and events, because she realizes she has benefited from Freemasonry as much as I have--she's wound up with a better product than the one she married.

My story isn't unique.  It would be impossible for our Fraternity to thrive without the support of our wives.  They don't just let us go to the meeting, most of our wives are right there doing a lot of the work. 

Those two have obviously grown pretty comfortable in a lodge room

I've very fortunate in that department.  I sometimes wonder how many hours Valerie and I have sat at the kitchen table folding, stamping and addressing newsletters.  Or writing out invitations and thank you cards.  I wonder how many tables and chairs she's helped set up and take down.  I wonder how many events she's helped me organize and plan.  She's designed posters, printed event tickets, helped me organize two Masonic Charity Trail Runs, and then gotten up the day of the event and manned the registration trailer herself.  And when our Lodge orders polo shirts from the Secretary (me) to wear at our events, and when they arrive and everyone has the right size and color--well, I'm not the genius behind that miracle.  Thank Valerie for sorting out that mess.  On top of that, I wonder how many hours she's spent reading my blog posts, articles, and book chapters long before anyone else sees them.


A rare occasion when I actually remembered to thank my wife . . .

And guess who we always manage to forget to thank at these events?  You guessed it--our spouses.
 
Always remember that behind any successful Lodge, there's often a collection of very dedicated and hardworking spouses that rarely receive the recognition and thanks they deserve.  So let me just say to all of you right here . . . thank you!  There's no way we could do the things we do without you.

~TEC

Todd E. Creason is an author and novelist whose work includes the award-winning non-fiction historical series Famous American Freemasons and the novels One Last Shot (2011) and A Shot After Midnight (2012). He's currently working on the third novel Shot to Hell which will be released in Spring 2014. You can contact Todd E. Creason at: webmaster@toddcreason.org

What It Means To Be The Worshipful Master

I copied this out of a hundred-year-old book on Freemasonry a friend gave me some years ago.  I thought it was pretty interesting.  I hope you enjoy it. 

The Office of Master is of great antiquity and respect, and is one of the highest dignities to which we may aspire. Its incumbent, to rule well, should possess and practice several important prerequisites.

As a MAN, he should be of proven integrity and irreproachable morals, freed from the dominion of hasty temper and ill-governed passions, of good repute in the world, and practicing, as an example to his Brethren, the cardinal virtues of Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence, and Justice.

As a CITIZEN, he should be loyal to his government, obedient to its laws, prompt in the duties he owes to society; and, [should demonstrate] a pattern of fidelity in all social and domestic relations.

As a MASON, he should cling to the old landmarks and be sternly opposed to their infringement; be desirous to learn and apt to teach; be prompt to aid and relieve, and be ever mindful that, though elevated for a time above his fellows, he is elevated by them, and should therefore cultivate, everywhere and at all times, the golden tenets of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth.

As an OFFICER, he should remember, first of all, that he is an individual Mason, sharing in that respect a common lot with his Brethren, and therefore interested in the welfare of each and all; be devoid of undue ostentation and haughty overbearing; be accessible to all, cultivating the closest friendship and the most unlimited confidence with his associate Officers; be eager to take counsel with his Brethren and ready to give it; be ready to reward good; be devoid of favoritism; and, [be] wholly impartial.

Such are some of the most important qualifications the Master should possess and the errors he should avoid. It may be that most, if not all of us, have failed to reach this standard; but, it is attainable, and be it your purpose to reach it, and be a bright and shining example to those who shall come after you.

~TEC

Todd E. Creason is an author and novelist whose work includes the award-winning non-fiction historical series Famous American Freemasons and the novels One Last Shot (2011) and A Shot After Midnight (2012). He's currently working on the third novel Shot to Hell which will be released in Spring 2014. You can contact Todd E. Creason at: webmaster@toddcreason.org