Study
The Lodge as a Place of Equality
In Masonic teaching the lodge is a place where members meet on the level, whatever their wealth, rank or station outside its walls, and this equality shapes how they treat one another.
In Masonic teaching the lodge is a place where members meet on the level. Whatever their wealth, profession or station outside its walls, they stand as brethren within it, and this equality shapes how they speak to and treat one another.
Equality in the lodge does not erase differences of responsibility. Officers have duties that others do not, and the rules apply to all. What equality demands is that every member be heard with the same courtesy, that no one be humiliated for his origin, and that the work be judged by its merit rather than by the standing of the one who offers it.
Example: a newly initiated member, who works as a labourer, offers a proposal at a meeting. Some members are inclined to dismiss it because of his trade. The presiding officer asks that the proposal be read in full and discussed on its content. The idea is adopted, and the new member learns that his voice counts as much as anyone’s.