You have now had conferred upon you the First and Second Degrees of Craft Masonry, and while you have yet to reach the climax of your journey in the Sublime Degree of a Master Mason, already you have discovered that Freemasonry has a certain teaching of its own, and to expound upon it one of the principle functions of the Ritual.

You have likewise discovered that Masonry’s method of teaching is unlike that of the schools. Instead of employing teachers and textbooks and lessons in didactic form, expounding its teachings in words, Freemasonry uses ritual, symbol, and allegory. This is not as easy to follow as the schoolroom method, but it has this great advantage: it makes a mason study and learn for himself, forces him to search out the truth, compels him to take the initiative, so that the very act of learning is of educational value. The purpose of secrecy is not to keep a candidate in the dark, but to stimulate him to seek the light; the symbols and emblems do not conceal the teaching, they reveal it, but in such a manner that a man must find it for himself. Only when a man finds truth for himself is it likely to remain a permanent possession.

A few interpretations of Masonic teachings can only suggest what you will find by your own efforts, how you will find it, and where. Necessarily, there can be no exhaustive exposition of Masonic truth because, in it’s nature, it is something each man must discover for himself.

Freemasonry is devoted to Brotherhood, exists to furnish opportunities to its members to enjoy it not only for it’s own sake, but as a means to something beyond. Brotherhood rests on a religious basis; we are all Brothers because God is the Father of us all; therefore a religious basis is one of the foundations of Masonry.

Masonry is dedicated to God, the Great Architect of the Universe. An Altar at the center of every Lodge room bears the Holy Bible open upon it. Lodges begin and end their meetings with prayer. Applicants must believe in a Supreme Being. All this is genuine religion, not a formal religiousness; it is sincerely held and scrupulously upheld and, without this basis, the Craft would wither and die like a tree with roots destroyed.

But, this religion of Masonry, like all its teachings, is not set forth in written creeds; the Mason must come upon it for himself, and put it in such form as will satisfy his own mind, leaving others to do likewise. This is Masonic tolerance, one of the prime principles of the craft, and protected by the Old Charge which forbids all sectarian discussion in our assemblies.

Masonry teaches the necessity of Morality, requiring its members to be good men and true, righteous when tried by the Square, upright when tried by the Plumb, their passions kept in due bounds by the Compass; just in their dealings with their fellows, patient with the erring, charitable and honorable. A candidate must possess such a character as indicated to be qualified for admittance, and a Mason must persevere in it to retain his right to membership.

Through the agency of the Lodge and of the Grand Lodge, each of us give support to the charities maintained by both. Also, each of us should privately extend a helping hand in relief of an unfortunate Brother, or of his dependents. Masonry does not advocate a charity carried to the limits of fanaticism; it is limited by the extent of ability and opportunity, and we are not asked to give relief injurious to ourselves, or hardship to our families.

Another of Masonry’s great teachings is Equality symbolized by the Level. This does not represent that impossible doctrine which would erase all distinctions, and holds that in all respects, all men are the same. There are no duplicates in Nature. Men are unequal physically, intellectually, morally, and spiritually. Heredity and environment are constant forces. It is, rather, the principle that we owe good will, charity, tolerance, and truthfulness equally to all, and that, within our Fraternity, all men travel the same road of initiation, take the same obligations, pay the same dues, and have the same duties, rights, and privileges.

The Mason is a good citizen, loyal to his government and just to his country, conducting himself as a wise and moral man, remembering in all things that he has in his keeping the good name of his Fraternity.

These teachings are bound together in an organic unity by the nature and needs ofthat Brotherhood for the sake of which the whole system of the Craft exists. To endure through all vicissitudes, and to satisfy our natures, Brotherhood must have a spiritual basis, hence the importance of our conception of religion. Brotherhood requires that men must be held together by unbreakable ties, hence the necessity for morality, which is a name for the forces that bind us together in ethical relations. Differences in beliefs and opinions must not rupture these bonds, hence the need for tolerance. Men cannot easily come together except they have the same rights and privileges, hence the necessity of equality. They cannot work together except all understand the work to be done, hence the need of enlightenment. They will not be drawn together except they are filled with that spirit of good will which necessarily expresses itself in charity and relief. And Brotherhood cannot exist, except in a nation which admits of it, hence the need for Masons to be good citizens. Through all the teachings of Masonry run these principles which lead back to the conception and practice of Brotherhood; form that conception all teachings emerge, to it all come in the end. Gain a clear understanding of that, and you will have that secret by which all else is made plain.

Excerpted from “The Masonic Scholar: A Manual of Masonic Education for Candidates”

Printed by the Grand Lodge F.&A.M. of California.