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The Office of the Worshipful Master
is the highest honour the Lodges has in its power to
confer on any of its members. From time immemorial it
has been an established custom among Freemasons to select
from among those who are past Wardens an experienced
Brother to preside over them in the capacity of Master.
He must have been selected in open Lodge by the Brethren.
Such a Brother who has been chosen
to occupy the Eastern Chair must necessarily be of good
report, true and trusty and held in high esteem among
his Brethren. He must be well skilled in the Ancient
Charges, Regulations and Landmarks of the order. He
must be proficient in the Ritual and have a sound knowledge
of the Constitution and the By-Laws of the Lodge. He
must be exemplary in conduct and courteous in manners.
He must be exemplary in conduct and courteous in manners.
He must be steady and firm in principle and able to
rule the Lodge wisely and well and uphold the principles
and tenets of the Craft and strictly enforce obedience
to the Rules and Regulations which govern the Order.
The Chair of King Solomon has been
always considered as the Ancient seat of Learning and
Wisdom. The Master is presumed to have acquired sufficient
knowledge and wisdom by having passed through various
subordinate offices. Nevertheless, the newly installed
Master will very son find that he has much more to learn,
and that he has several rights and duties, obligations
and responsibilities.
Before taking his seat in the Eastern
Chair every Master elect is obligated. No Brother can
preside over the Lodge as a Master for more than 2 years
in succession. Nor can he be Master of two or more Lodges
at the same time without a dispensation from the Grand
Master in either case.
Every Master has a right to rule his
Lodge and to exercise his own Judgement irrespective
of any pressure from others. Though he may listen to
the counsel of the Past Master and Brother Secretary,
the decision is his. He should act without fear, for
none has a right to dispute his authority in the Lodge.
The Master is first in rank and dignity.
Seated in the East he is the Supreme Governor of the
Lodge. Whilst in office his ruling is absolute all points
of order and he is only accountable to Regional Grand
Lodge for his action. Hence every Brother must submit
to the Master's ruling in the Lodge, subject to his
right to appeal to the higher authorities if he feels
the decision is not correct. At the same time a Master
should not be arbitrary or capricious in his actions
and decisions.
The Master has a right to preside over
all meetings during his year of Office and decide on
the business to be transacted at the meetings. The practice
in some Lodges of the Secretary deciding for himself
the Agenda for a meeting is to be condemned, for the
Master alone has the right to decide what shall appear
on the summons.
If the Master is dissatisfied with
the conduct of any Officer, he may lay a complaint before
the Lodge at the regular meeting after giving at least
seven days notice before the meeting to the Officer
concerned. If the Majority of the members present is
of the opinion the complaint is well founded, the Master
shall have the power to remove the Officer and appoint
another.
The Master has got the power to refuse
admission to any visitor if he is of opinion that his
presence is likely to disturb the harmony of the Lodge.
The Master has also got the power to
admonish a Brother if he behaves in the Lodge in such
a manner as to disturb the harmony of the Lodge, and
if he persists in his irregular conduct he is liable
to be punished by censure, fine, or exclusion for the
remainder of the meeting according to the opinion of
the majority of the members present or the case may
be reported to higher masonic authorities.
A Lodge by a resolution may also exclude
any member for sufficient cause, after serving him with
notice of not less than fourteen days previous to the
meeting at which the complaint is to be considered.
The voting shall be by ballot and the power of exclusion
cannot be exercised unless two thirds of the members
present vote in favour of it. This is however subject
to appeal to higher authorities.
It should be noted that there is a
difference between Exclusion and Expulsion. A Brother
permanently excluded from a daughter Lodge is not debarred
from seeking admission to another Lodge. Expulsion on
the other hand would mean total loss of all Masonic
status and privilege. Only the Grand Lodge has power
to expel a Brother from the Craft.
The Master has the undoubted right
of appointing his own Officers except the Tyler. Very
often it is so only in theory and not in practice. The
Master's discretion is often curbed by the Senior Past
Masters, whom he calls for consultation. The Master
often gives in with a view to avoid conflict and possible
disharmony which he apprehends may happen otherwise.
Such a practice is not desirable. It must be remembered
that the advice given to the Master is only a recommendation
and that the Past Masters have no right to decide the
appointments to Offices.
It is not only a privilege but the
right and duty of a Master to install his successor.
It is to be regretted that in some Lodges, instead of
the outgoing Master installing the Master-Elect some
Senior Past Master is invited to conduct this important
Ceremony. Wor. Bro. Inman condemns this practice as
"entirely wrong and inimical to the interests of
the Craft."
The Master has a right conduct every
ceremony during his year of Office. At the same time,
for the harmony and welfare of the Lodge he is exhorted
to seek the assistance of Past Masters and Brethren
who can be depended upon to perform portions of the
ceremony. This will not only avoid boredom to the Brethren
but also the reproach that the occupant of the chair
is "showing off."
The Master should not surrender his
collar when he temporarily vacates his chair in favour
of a Past Master who has been requested to do the ceremony
for him.
Chief among the responsibilities of
the Master, may be mentioned the custody of the Warrant
of the Lodge. If the same is lost, no meeting can be
held until a new Warrant is applied for and granted
by the Grand Master or until the Warrant is found. The
Master is responsible for the due observance of the
laws by the Brethren of the Lodge over which he presides.
He must see that every Brother is presented with a copy
of the By-Laws of the Lodge.
The Master should see that the ballot
is properly conducted. Black balling candidates is not
desirable. If any Brother has anything in his mind against
a candidate, it is only fair that he should convey his
opinion in confidence to the Master, so that the application
may be withdrawn. In the proposal forms which should
contain the signature of the proposer and seconder the
Master's certificate must appear so that it may be read
immediately before the ballot is taken. There should
be no mistak with regard to the interval between two
degrees and the necessary quorum must be there to conduct
any masonic business.
The Master has also other responsibilities
such as seeing that his Officers are properly instructed,
that the Lodge is opened punctually for the meeting
and that he himself has thoroughly mastered the Ritual.
Though the Master can have the assistance
of an able Secretary, the ultimate responsibility of
seeing that all Returns to the Regional Grand Lodge
and Grand Lodge are sent in time and al dues are paid
rests with the Master. The Master cannot delegate his
responsibilities to any one.
The Master should never forget that
"The honour, reputation and usefulness of the Lodge
will materially depend upon the skill and assiduity
with which he manages its members will be generally
promoted in proportion to the zeal and ability with
which he promulgates the genuine principles of the institution."
The Master should not be too anxious
to increase the membership of the Lodge during his year
of office. Considerable care should be taken to see
that undesirable candidates are introduced into the
Lodge.
The Wor. Master should endeavour to
create sufficient interest in the Brethren of his Lodge
in Freemasonry. When there is no ceremony to be done
in the Lodge, the Master can invite the Brethren to
a discussion on subjects of Masonic interest. The Master
may lead the discussion. Brethren from other Lodges
also may be invited to participate in the discussion.
Many beautiful truths are taught in Freemasonry. Each
degree emphasises a different aspect of life. Talks
on Masonic subjects by eminent Brethren who may be invited
to do so is bound to stimulate interest. The Lodge may
arrange social functions to bring the Brethren closer
together.
To conclude, every Master must possess
a certain amount of tact and good humour to keep all
the Brethren of his Lodge together without allowing
any disharmony to creep in. it is well worth rememoering
that among the various qualifications recited to him
before he is installed as Master he is told that he
should not only be well skilled in the Noble Science
but also be exemplary in conduct and courteous in manners.
If the Worshipful Master can maintain personal touch
with each and every Brother in the Lodge and has a nice
word to say to him, there can be no doubt that it will
greatly help him in running the Lodge smoothly and harmoniously.
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