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When M.W. the Grand Master, M.W.Bro.
G. R. Divan graced the annual meeting of the Regional
Grand Lodge (SI) in February 1992, he said in his address:
"....the ritual contains a message
not only to the candidate, but also to the Brethren
listening to its delivery, and the person reciting the
ritual....."
There cane be no better way than what
M. W. the Grand Master had stated to stress the importance
of proper delivery of the rituals.
One of the major obstacles which a
new Master Mason faces is the preparation for the delivery
of the Rituals inside the Lodge. It can be a frightening
experience the first time we are asked to learn some
ritual and present it in open Lodge. Often it is years
since we have had to menorize anything, and we've forgotten
how to go about it. The following observatiosn may prove
helpful to some brethren in such circumstances.
(a) What does the Passage Mean ? :
First read it aloud two or three times, to determine
what the words mean A language is a precise toll for
expressing thoughts. Here we are concerned, not with
our own thoughts, but with the intention of the persons
who wrote the ritual. This preliminary interpretation
is not really difficult if you pay attention, and read
with your mind as well as with your eyes.
You should decide what it means to
you. In general terms, this will correspond to the meaning
intended the writer, but there may be a few passages
in which the words could have more than one interpretation.
For example, in the sentence.
"At my In, n, I was taught to
be cautious,
...I will either I... ..or h.... .. it with you"
Consider the worlds "with you".
Should you say "with you" (but not with others)
? Or "With you" (but not by myself) ? What
you take out of the passage is one method of getting
variety, and hence of keeping the interest of your hearers.
If you have not decided what it means, then you cannot
give it any meaning at all. It becomes a monotonous
recitation of words, and your hearers will either half
heartedly ascribe their own meaning to it, or, more
likely, pay no attention at all.
(b) Aids to memory :
There are several little tricks that will help to fix
the words in your mind.
(i) Visual : Always use the same ritual
book.
Book to book, and edition to edition the location of
the words may be in a different place. Your eyes must
get used to seeing the same word at the same place whenever
you refer to the Ritual book. Your eyes get used to
the actual printing. It will help to stamp the words
on your mind.
(ii) Auditory :
Get a good pronouncing dictionary or glossary, and learn
the correct way to pronounce the words and names. There
is a right way. and a wrong way, to say, such words
as "heinous" "beneficence" and "sublunary".
If you have trouble with some of them, say them over
and over again, until they slip easily and naturally
off your longue. You have already decided what the passage
means to you. As you read aloud to learn the work, always
try to use the emphasis and shading that will convey
that meaning to your hearers.
(iii) Subconscious :
If you have a mental picture of the text, and if your
cars are used to hearing your voice say the words, and
if you have repearted them enough, there will come a
time when, once you have started to speak, the words
will come without conscious effort on your part. Most
of us do this with certain sets of sounds we have learned
in our childhood, such as the letters of the alphabet
or the multiplication table. Perhaps it is partly a
sort of "muscular" memory; your organs of
speech get used to saying the words in the same order.
This may be akin to the memory which is in the fingers
of a typist.
(c) Mechanics of Memorizing:
There are various techniques which are suitable for
different people. Few of us have an almost photographic
memory; after reading the passage over from beginning
to end several times, we know the whole thing right
off. Most of us have to work harder at it than that,
and memorize it a bit at a time. Once way to do it is
as follows:
Begin with the first sentence, or as
much of it as you can repeat immediately without peeking.
(In time you will be able to do this with longer sentences)
Keep repeating it until you can say the sentence naturally
and without hesitation.
Take the next sentence or group of
words and get them to the same state of perfection.
Then read the first and second sentences together (always
aloud). Then try them together without reading and keep
at it until you can repeat all of the first topic or
heading. When you first succeed in doing to, then read
it aloud once (to make sure no errors have crept in),
and say it from memory.
Do not start on the next topic until
you have mastered the first. Then take the last sentence
of the first group and the first of the second topic,
and proceed in the same way until you come to the end
of the passage. Now, tie it together. Read the whole
thing aloud two or three times, and then try your luck.
If you get stuck, glance at the copy and go on. Then
go back to the place where your memory failed, and say
the words before and after the failure several times.
If it is a long piece of ritual, this
will likely take quite a few sessions in your private
room. Always begin each session by reading what you
have already learned, and then reciting it.
Deliver
(a) Posture :
It always helps in the control of the voice to stand
perfectly erect (not necessarily with your feet in the
form of a square). Stand easily erect, balance evenly
on both feet. Do not be afraid to shift your position
a little if the work is long. It will help you, and
relieve your audience.
(b) Gesture :
A few gestures may well he used to emphasize certain
passages. They should be so natural and inevitable that
your audience is not specifically aware of them, but
only of the cumulative effect of your presentation.
(c) Projection :
Your audience is supposed to here what you are saying.
Therefore, speak so that you can be heard in every corner
of the room. Do not let your voice drop in volume at
the end of a sentence or paragraph.
(d) Pace :
Do not hurry. A good many ritualists (especially those
with good memories) speak too rapidly. Your audience
is always a few words behind you in their understanding
and you may lose them completely if you go too fast.
(e) Enunciation :
Pronounce the consonants in the words distinctly. Remember
there are only five vowels, but twenty one consonants.
If you slur them, the word is likely to be unintelligible.
Do not run the words together, particularly if one word
ends with the same consonant with which the next one
begins, as for example in "dedicated and devote",
"moral or religions", "meant to represent"
Pronounce the short words clearly and distinctly. These
are mainly the prepositions, conjunctions, articles,
pronouns - the framework on which the sentence is built.
Without them, there is usually no meaning.
(f) Tone and pitch of the voice :
Avoid monotony. The tone of the voice should be appropriate
to the words you are saying. Quite different tones are
used in an obligation from those suitable for dialogue
or instruction. Proper word stress will help to prevent
monotony.
(g) Dramatic pause :
Do not start in a hurry. Stand up and wait for a moment.
This will focus attention on what you are going to say,
Then, as you proceed, a pause or two will enable your
audience to catch up with you, and will make the next
thing you say more impressive. A pause, short or long
as the occasion demands, should precede a statement
which you wish to drive home. It should be long enough
to make your audience conscious of the silence, but
not long enough to make them wonder whether you have
forgotten the next word.
All this advice can be summed up in
a single sentence. "Know you ritual, say it so
you can be heard, and try to make it convey to your
audience what its meaning is for you".
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