Please make a record of the new contact information:

Home: 586-362-8849 (anytime or leave a message)
Work: 586-977-0790 x258 (business hours)
email: rtmstroy@yahoo.com & rthompson@aphaseii.com
OR You may reach him HERE on Facebook.

Please bear with him during his period of transition into this new position.

Dress Suits

1. You eventually want to own at least three suits. Your first suit should be either dark (charcoal) or gray, possibly with a light chalk stripe (like a pinstripe, but softer), and in an all-season, medium weight.  Either of these grayscale tones will fit into most social settings.  Chances are good for Lodge you already own a dark or black suit if not a tuxedo.  Your second suit should be the one you didn’t get the first time around. Consider a light blue or a brown, though I would recommend the same suit as the first but this time solid, without the pattern or pinstripes. Your third should be black. Outside of the Masonic world if you work in a field where suits are the norm, you’ll want more than three; once you’ve covered the basics, you can move on to more distinctive suits (solid pinstripes, plaid, different weights, unconventional colors, vintage styles etc.).

2. Suits are made of wool or cotton. Higher thread counts signify higher quality, but are ironically not as durable, so stick with something mid-range. Ask the salesperson to help you with this. (Yes, ask the salesperson. Suits are not self-serve.) Synthetic fibers need not apply.

3. You never button the bottom button.   We do no longer button our bottom button because King Edward VII was a gluttonous fat man.  His Grace Edward VII couldn’t button his vest over his expanding belly, so now nobody does.  If you wear a vest to this day and button your bottom button you will be beheaded for insulting the King.  No that’s not true but it was once believed that so we still don’t button the bottom button on our vest, due to what was once fear and respect.  On a three-button jacket, you button the middle; the top button is optional. If you have a jacket with 4 or more buttons, you obviously know what you’re doing already and can skip most of this article and go back to reading GQ.

4. A gentleman carries a handkerchief in his front breast pocket.  There is a proper way to fold your handkerchief, don’t just stuff it in there.  (I’ll discuss this in another article.) Fold it square to fit your pocket and have 1/4” to 1/2” sticking out the top. Then proffer it as needed. And wash it after.  If it is made of silk then do not wash it, and don’t give blow your nose in it either, at this point it’s not functional anymore and just a fashion accessory.

Shirts

1. Don’t wear your sleeves too short or too long. 1/4” to 1/2” of cuff should show beyond your jacket sleeve.  It is obvious if your suit has been tailored to you because of how your cuffs show.  Too much and you look like a slob, to little and you look like a fool, your cuffs must be just so.

2. Shirts with button-down collars are not dress shirts. They’re sports shirts, so wear them with a sports coat. Polo players used to button their collars down so they wouldn’t flap up in their face while they played. (Are you beginning to sense a theme here? Fashion rules are largely dictated by what English gentleman and nobility did generations or even centuries ago. Sports coats? You wore them during sport, i.e. hunting. Regimental stripes on ties? They indicated your regiment in the British military. And so on.)

3. If you unbutton your collar, remove your tie. You can wear a suit or sports coat without a tie but wearing a tie with an unbuttoned shirt looks sloppy even in a frat house.

4. You can unbutton the top button always (provided you’re not wearing a tie), the second button usually, the third button only on disco night at the Skate-O-Rama.

Trousers

1. Wear your pants at your natural waist.  W.B. Betz mentioned this and I’m going to mention it again.  Yes it’s THAT important.  Too high and you look like some old man who needs to wear his pants that high because his pants don’t fit anymore.  Wear them too low and you look like me in high school. Your waistband should sit 2-3 inches below your belly button.  The bottom of your tie should be just below your belt unless your in a 1930′s crime drama.

2. Pants should almost touch the ground without your shoes on.  Your pants should hang straight.  Jeans can be a little longer, since they shrink a bit when you wash them and look good baggy, well they did in the 1990′s…

3. One pleat, maximum. If you’re a big guy, like I am, you learned somewhere along the line that pleats are slimming. They’re not. At best, they look like you’re a big guy trying to look slimmer; at worst, they actually make you look heavier because they pull out across you, broadening your appearance. In any case, the job of a pleat is to maintain that crease sown the front of your pants. For pants without that crease (and many with it), pleats are unnecessary; for pants that need the pleat, they only need one.

4. 1” to 1 1/2” cuffs. Or not. There’s nothing wrong with cuffs, there’s nothing wrong with no cuffs. They are understood, however, to be sophisticated, experienced, distinguished, and conservative.  This is because shirts with collars and cuffs sewn in are a new thing (new as in the last 90 years), in older times they were separate which is why cuff links exist in the first place to hold them to your shirt on your wrist.  Also think of the old cartoons where collars were peeling back or smacking the wearer in the face.

5. A useful piece of trivia for the American abroad: in British English, “pants” are underwear. So if, for instance, you are in London and get invited out and maybe your trousers are dirty from work, don’t say “I’d love to go out, I just need to go home and change my pants first.” And if someone should ask, “Why, are your pants dirty?”, don’t say, “Yeah, I always get my pants dirty at work.” You will be laughed at and labeled “The Kinky American” at best and “The Damned American Pervert” at worst.

Shoes

1. Pay attention to your shoes. Everyone else does. It’s hard for the non-fashion-maven to tell a more expensive suit from a less expensive one, a high-quality shirt from a medium-quality one, and so on. But everyone can tell cheap or poorly cared-for shoes.  Want a guaranteed way of looking like a jackass?  Wear shoes that don’t go with what you’re wearing.  Buy the best ones you can afford, and take care of them. Polish them regularly (a few swipes with a wax-infused polishing cloth is often all it takes) and store them covered if you won’t be wearing them for a long time. Shoe trees, it turns out, are important: they not only hold the shape of the shoe but the cedar ones absorb moisture (and thus odors) which helps preserve the leather. (Aside: women tend to pay a lot of attention to men’s shoes. Keep that in mind when a) trying to date, b) actually dating, c) interviewing for a job, and d) interviewing for a job with a woman.)

2. Shoes are made of leather (besides sneakers). Anything not made of leather you can consider a non-shoe, skater shoes notwithstanding. Leather breathes and adapts to the shape of your foot. The soles don’t have to be leather, but the uppers do.  I have rubber soled shoes but my best shoes have leather soles.

3. You need more than one pair of shoes. Black oxfords (lace-up dress shoes), black loafers (slip-on shoes), brown oxfords or loafers, and you’re set (not counting your athletic shoes, of course). A pair of ankle-high boots in black or brown can substitute for the loafers. Ox-blood (burgundy) shoes are harder to find but in theory go with everything.  Wingtips, buckle and captoe shoes.  Patent leather for pairing with a tuxedo.  You can pretty safely ignore white shoes unless you have a white suit for wearing only in the summer.  If you have white athletic shoes that’s a different story and you may wear those to the club with your white hat on backwards and vintage Public Enemy T-shirt.

4. The shinier the shoe, the dressier. Matte-finish shoes – nubuck (that pebbly leather), suede, and distressed leather shoes are automatically compatible with jeans or khakis; shinier shoes might still go with jeans but it depends on the rest of your outfit, the dressier you are the shinier your shoes should be. If you can wear them with a suit, you probably can’t wear them with jeans, and vice versa.

5. Shoes should be the same tone or darker than your pants. This is all the rule you need to know when trying to figure out what shoes to wear.  Let me repeat it; same tone or darker than your pants.  This is why you never wear brown shoes with black trousers, but you can usually wear black shoes with brown trousers.  Brown shoes with gray/blue/etc. works.  When in doubt, wear black.

6. Shoes don’t fit you like a glove, they fit you like shoes.  Shoes, like hats are still mostly made my hand if not entirely.  What machining takes place assists the cobbler or the assembly teams on the factory floor.  No one pair of shoes will fit you exactly the same, which also means one shoe in any given pair fits you slightly better than the other one does.  In shoe stores and pharmacy’s you will find shoe inserts to help one or both shoes to fit you better.  This is important as your feet being comfortable and in a good position is the foundation for the rest of your posture.  If you feet are incorrectly fitted for a shoe they will fatigue sooner and cause stress to your other support joints such as your ankles, knees and hips.  There are long term affects from improperly fitted shoes to experiencing soreness over the course of an evening.  Ask any woman who wears high heels, they might be able to give you a clue.

It’s All About Attitude

1. Match your belt to your shoes. It doesn’t have to be a perfect match, as long as you wear a black belt with black shoes and a brown belt with brown shoes.  I like suspenders, I suggest having all your pants converted to suspenders.  (The tailor will sew buttons.)

2. Match your socks to your pants. Again, it doesn’t have to be a perfect match – a little lighter or darker is fine. If you don’t have socks to match your pants, you can match your shoes, or just wear black socks.  See the next list item for further details.

3. White socks are for sports. Only. Unless you are a) a 50′s greaser rebelling against your fathers generation or b) wearing sneakers, and c) doing something athletic in them, avoid white socks. White socks don’t go with ANYTHING.  White socks get dirty.  White socks are too easy.  NOBODY who knows what they’re talking about will take you seriously and/or give you respect.  Start from the bottom up; instead of taking the easy route of cladding your feet in the same color day in and out, put some thought into it. Start by matching your socks with your pants, then move on to bolder pairings by coordinating them with accessories like ties and pocket squares. The color of your socks may seem like a trivial detail, but it’s attention to detail that distinguishes the man and the Mason — and shapes others’ perceptions of him. Leave the white socks for the suckers.

4. Your tie should reach your belt. Anything short of your belt makes you look like a rube.

5. Forget a belt and get suspenders.  Suspenders are a great accessory and differ considerably from the belt not only in function but visual impact.  It’s not expensive to have your pants taken to a tailor and converted to suspenders.  This means they will sew the appropriate buttons into the pants to accomodate suspenders.  When wearing suspenders there are only two schools of thought, 1) wear a complimentary color to your suit or tie 2) wear a contrasting color.  Unless you’re going to have your coat and vest off nobody will see your suspenders anyway so it probably is one of the lesser details but just as important.  Bear in mind there is nothing as effective as stretching or snapping your suspenders to assert your authority in a crowded room.

6. Your suit has a shelf life.  Have you seen your dad pull out that suit from his closet from the 1970′s for a night out?  No that’s because he doesn’t have it anymore.  Well, I hope not anyway and that’s because that suit should have long ago made the inevitable trip to where all suits end up, the suit retirement home otherwise known as the resale shop.  (or burned in the case of this suit from the 1970′s)  Suits if you haven’t noticed, change  along with all music, slang, style and fashion, about every decade.  Lapels get thicker or thinner and the cut changes, the notch changes, the color palette changes, everything changes.  Your suit should change too.  This is about more than a changing aesthetic however, your suit , the shirt and pants, the fabric and stitches all suffer wear and tear, stretching and shrinking, sweat, smoke, rain and body odor.  A suit worn for 100 days in a row will wear out much faster than one worn every other week for five years – still 100 wearings.  Having your suits dry cleaned and pressed regularly and when necessary will help keep them healthy and you looking great.  Stay looking sharp and rotate your suits out when the time is right.

6.5 USE WOODEN HANGERS.  That’s all there is to it.  Wood hangers will increase the shelf life of any clothes you hang on them from cheap T-shirts to expensive silk shirts from the Orient or more especially your suit clothes.

7.  Get your suit altered every few years.  As you get older from year to year your body type changes.  We gain and lose weight and muscle or our posture changes.  These factors all affect how a suit hangs on our frame.  Take your clothes to your tailor regularly every few years to get them refitted.

8. Throw all these rules out the window.  W-w-wtf?!  Yes, I’m going to say it.  No you didn’t just waste your time reading this article and I’m certainly not suggesting anything goes.  When in comes down to it, know when to bend or break the rules.  Ever heard a person use the phrase that somebody “pulled it off?”  It means they went against the grain and succeeded.  You can do this with all this fashion etiquette.   Mix and match vintages from different eras or styles, colors and fabrics.  Be careful though because when you buck tradition you play with fire so don’t burn yourself.  You can look the fool easily.  If you can successfully pull off a look that goes against these aforementioned  conventions you will be considered trendsetting. If you likewise fail you will stand out quite appropriately, as a clueless chump drenched in failsauce.

This ends this second installment our Dress for Success topic in the Masonic Gentlemen series.   The next installment will drill deeper into to dressing for success.  Now that we have discussed what to wear and how, one must need to know when.  You shouldn’t dress to the 9′s for all occasions, such as job interviews or first dates so we’ll get into the nuances of it all.  Again, I would like to give my sincere gratitude to W.B. Bill Betz for his input in the previous article and helping kick off this series of informational articles on the formalities of society.

The Temple is to the Speculative Mason only a symbol, not an historical building, and the gates are imaginary and symbolic also.  They are, in the first place, symbols of the progress of the sun in his daily course, rising in the east, culminating to the meridian in the south, which it is the object of the third degree to illustrate, symbols of the three stages of youth, manhood, and old age, or, more properly of birth, life, and death.

Sources

1. Masonic Vibes

TIME: 7 – 10 PM 

We have 3 worthy Brothers who will be Raised on this Tuesday. Those receiving their degree should already have their notice via mail.

Again, the Master Mason Degree will commence at 7:00 PM so please be down there well BEFORE this so you can prepare yourselves, mentally, physically and emotionally.  That goes for you too, Brothers.

Good luck Brethren and please check back on this post or the Detroit No. 2 Facebook page for any last minute UPDATES.

What was so special about stonemasons? Why weren’t other skilled craftsman like carpenters or blacksmiths the influential body in molding the Craft?  Sure, stonemasons possessed great skill to create the castles, cathedrals and palaces and the necessary sculpted works and ornaments demanded of their masters and perhaps such skill must have seemed almost magical to the vast illiterate masses.  But let’s not take the common people who lived centuries ago for fools.  Stonemasons were clearly the elite of the labor force, had secret trade customs and marks and would have attracted some of the brightest non-educated recruits.  However, given the complexity and the emphasis on morality of the various Masonic rituals and teachings, this simple explanation of Freemasonry seems inadequate.

Our Masonic ritual, steeped as it is in Kabalistic occultism and mystery ceremonials of the Middle East, could never possibly have been developed out of the crude beginnings of the stonemason guilds.  I firmly believe this to be a logical truth as much as a historical one.  It is in my opinion that there is a mountain of evidence supporting this, much of which I admit may be coincidental.   For starters there isn’t any documentation nor evidence during the middle-ages on the mainland of Europe or Britain of the existence of stonemason guilds in the first place; at all.  (maybe they were secret!) That pesky fact out of the way let’s move on.

In that era even the skilled artisans and their speculative associates were far too unlettered and unlearned to have been capable of coming up with anything as elaborate and esoteric as even the ear-liest forms of Masonic ritual. Knowledge of the Hebrew Kabal and the Middle Eastern mystery dramas had been ruth-lessly suppressed by the Papacy during the Dark Ages and could have returned to Western Europe only by way of the Crusades. For bringing it back, the Templars became the logical bridge.  During their stay in the Holy Land, the Templars had come into close association with a Moslem sect called the Sufi, who previously had adopted many of the beliefs and ritualistic forms of the Gnostic, or primitive Christians. From the Sufi the Templars borrowed many of their own esoteric beliefs and ceremoni-als. A number of these have made their way into modern Freemasonry. One of these, for example, is the Junior Warden’s call of the Craft from labor to refreshment and from refreshment to labor, referring in a symbolic sense to death and rebirth.

Jacques B. de Moley, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, according to Brother Pike, masterminded the plans for Freemasonry while he was awaiting execution. Before coming in unequivocally to that assertion, Brother Pike cited conclusive evidence that long before the Templars went underground, they considered themselves builders, or masons, and were even called by the English, through careless pronunciation, Freemasons.

This is clearly shown by the following extract with reference to de Moley: “The Templars, or Poor Fellow Soldiery of the Holy House of the Temple intended to be rebuilt, took as their models, in the Bible, the Warrior Masons of Zorabel, who worked, holding the sword in one hand and the trowel in the other. Therefore, it was that the Sword and the Trowel became the insignia of the Templars, who subse-quently concealed themselves under the name of Brethren Masons. The name Freres Macons in the French was corrupt-ed in English into Free Masons. The trowel of the Templars is quadruple, and the triangular plates of it are arranged in the form of a cross, making the Kabalistic pantacle known by the name of the Cross of the East.”

On page 820 of ‘Morals and Dogma’, Brother Pike leaves no doubt that he considered Freemasonry the brain child of Jacques de Moley, as this extract will indicate. “But before his execution, the Chief of the doomed Order organized and instituted what afterward came to be called the Occult, Hermetic, or Scottish Masonry. In the gloom of his prison, the Grand Master created four Metropolitan Lodges, at Naples for the East, at Edinburgh for the West, at Stockholm for the North, and at Paris for the South.

The initials of his name, J.B.M., found in the same order in the first three degrees are but one of the many internal and cogent proofs that such was the origin of modern Free Masonry.”

Coincidental yes, perhaps even given the weight behind the vast research that Brother Pike must have put into his written works, but let us move on.   We have the curiosity of the blood oaths in our initiations.  Why would stonemasons demand such devotion as to require candidates to pledge their inevitable murder and total disappearance/destruction of ones body if they violated trust?  Seems extreme even for modern gang members but skilled laborers?  If the Templars had any part in drafting these obligations, we would expect them to be fraught with dire consequences. We say today that the obligations are intended to be only symbolical. To a Templar member of the early guilds or lodges on the run they would not have been considered symbolical.  A Templar was a marked man with a price on his head. The long arm of the Papacy could reach him even in non-Catholic Scotland. Wherever he fled, there was always the threat of hired assassins and the watchful eye of the Holy See. He could take no chances of having his identity or activities revealed.  Many of the other secrets of Freemasonry can be similarly accounted for as safeguarding the security of the Templars who probably dominated the earliest lodges.

In one respect perhaps the traditionalists were right. Perhaps Freemasonry did develop in and come down to us from the stonemason guilds of Scotland. Its concept and ritual, however, could not have been originated by the stone masons per se. Perhaps the Templars who escaped to Scotland decided to infiltrate the stone mason guilds and there introduce the system of de Moley’s new Order.  They had very good reasons to do so.  The Templars had also been builders, or masons. In their heyday the Templars had exerted complete control over not only the stone masons but also over all other skilled craftsmen throughout Western Europe. That being true, the Templars would obviously have experienced little difficulty trying to infiltrate any level of society from the working class to the elite.

Some of the oldest documents in Freemasonry, one dating right back to the fourteenth century, are known as the Old Charges. This is a short list of rules about how Masons are to treat one another. One rule goes that a Mason may not reveal a secret that would result in a brother Mason losing life or property. A Mason may not have illicit sex with the female relations of a brother Mason. A Mason visiting a town should not go about the town unless escorted by a brother Mason who can vouch for him. A Mason passing through is to be given two weeks’ employment by a brother Mason, then given some spending money and sent on his way to the next lodge.

Doesn’t this sound like rules of conduct for an underground railroad? And what possible relevance could these rules hold for a craft guild of stonecutters?

There are mountains of circumstantial evidence in line with some of what I’ve discussed here, one of the most intriguing is the Masonic relation to pirates and corsairs.  I have yet to entertain any reasonable argument for why stonemasons would take to the seas and begin waging attacks on Papal shipping and those kingdoms supporting the Vatican who absorbed what Templar finances that were seized.  It all leads towards one exciting, and little spoken about (for good reason) question; could the biggest secret in Freemasonry be, that we ARE  the Knights Templar?

If you are interested in reading more please pick up a copy of ‘Born in Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry’ by Bro. John J. Robinson; pub. M. Evans and Company, Inc., New York, 1989

Sources

1. Masonic Network – A Concise History of Freemasonry - http://www.masonicnetwork.org/blog/history/
2. Book Synopsis: Born in Blood - http://aristotle.net/~russjohn/literary/bib.html
3. Masonic World – Summer 1991 Issue ‘Missouri “The Freemason”’ - http://www.masonicworld.com/education/files/artjul02/moreaboutborninblood.htm

1. The First Era extended from 1850 to 1866, under the leadership of Dr. Rob Morris, Poet Laureate of Masonry.
2. The Second Era extended from 1866 to 1876, under the leadership of Robert Macoy of New York.
3. The Third Era extends from 1876, when the General Grand Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, was established to the present time.

Of these eras, the first is perhaps the most important as it prepared the way for the other two.

The real origin of the Order of the Eastern Star, like Masonry, will always be shrouded in mystery. Many researchers believe it had a French origin as early as 1703. By some, this is claimed to be the first inception of “Female Masonry” or “Androgynous Degrees” — (degrees for both men and women).

There appeared at this time, to be a demand for “Side Degrees” or Degrees conferred on ladies, and quite a list sprang up — “Heroines of Jericho”, “Danger in the Dark”, “Tall Cedars of Lebanon”, etc. These were extensively used but soon fell into decay for lack of lasting worth.

As to the real origin of the Eastern Star degrees in its Initiatory form, there is not the least shadow of doubt that the honor belongs to Dr. Rob Morris and its real origin comes under the First Era.

Dr. Morris had traveled many years. He had written many books on Masonry which are valued references in many Masonic Libraries.

Never quite satisfied that all the good in Masonry should be confined to men, Dr. Morris felt that Masonry should be for the whole family. But by the laws of that Ancient Order, women are not eligible for its degrees. Knowing he could not change the Ancient Landmarks of Masonry, Dr. Morris sought some method by which women could share with the Masonic Brother the same inspiration that “prompts man to noble deeds.”

Although he harbored these feelings for years, it wasn’t until 1850, while confined to his home after an accident, that Dr. Morris fully developed the Eastern Star Degrees in their present initiatory form.

During this time, he carefully thought out the symbolism and significance of the floor plan and the corps of officers. He conferred the degrees upon his wife and daughters, and some neighbors, presumably having an idea to clothe the ladies with certain words or signs whereby they might make themselves known to Master Masons.

These signs and so-called mysteries of the Order were communicated freely to all Master Masons and their relatives. Dr. Morris and other prominent Master Masons gave many lectures and conferred the degrees on many ladies throughout the nation.

The first Grand Chapter was organized in Michigan in the 1867. (There is evidence for an organization of the same name founded variously in 1788 or 1793, but this group was defunct by 1867.) Subordinate (local) chapters operate under charter from state level grand chapters which are responsible to the General Grand Chapter at the International Eastern Star temple in Washington, D.C.

Members must be eighteen years or older and either Master Masons in good standing or properly related to a Master Mason in good standing. The latter category includes wives; widows; sisters; daughters; mothers; granddaughters; step-mothers; step daughters; step-sisters; and half-sisters. In 1994 this was expanded to include nieces, daughters-in- law, and grandmothers.

Each chapter has eighteen officers, some elected and others appointed. Two offices are specifically male (Patron and Associate Patron) while nine offices are specifically female (including Matron and Associate Matron). While the Worthy Matron is considered to be the presiding officer of the chapter, the degrees cannot be conferred without a presiding brother in good standing (hence the Patron and Associate Patron).

Each chapter retains the right to decide who shall be a member of the organization. Election to the degrees must be unanimous, without debate, and secret. The successful candidate must profess a belief in a Supreme Being and is initiated in five degrees, which are conferred in one ceremony. (When Eastern Star was created, it was intended to be the first of a three degree series. The second and third degrees were Queen of the South and the Order of the Amaranth, respectively.)

Interestingly, OES requires only the belief in a Supreme Being even though the degrees are based in both the Old and New Testaments of the Christian Holy Bible.

The Order of the Eastern star is beautiful in it’s structure and it’s degrees.  If you are interested in the pursuit of Masonic symbolism and enlightenment or you would like to become involved with your qualified Lady you can contact an O.E.S. chapter near you.  You may do so by following this link: MGC-OES Subordinate Chapters.

Sources

1. Grand Chapter Order of the Eastern Star. http://www.easternstar.org/oes_history.html
2. jabron.net. http://jabron.net/oeshist.htm

The December Trestle Board printed an article I wrote for the website called “The Ties that Bind.”  It was a guide to help Brethren who needed it with various topics concerning wearing ties.  Fashion and proper etiquette, like dancing or the art of sword fighting isn’t just innately skilled within in you, it is learned and observed.  This article was met with such a positive response that it will be the first article in a multipart series about the finer points of dressing proper and the subtleties of what is expected of gentlemen in high society.  

With this in mind it is my hope also that Brethren will see this series of articles as a guide.  We are all here to help carve a smoother ashlar.

Dress for Success

Wow, Somebody finally had the guts to say it. I applaud the decision by Worshipful Master Don Harper to have a dress code. My hat is off to Jeff Stokes. In the December Trestle Board he writes about dressing sharp and he hit the nail right on the head.

It does not cost a lot of money to look good. I have been an advocate of dressing well for lodge meetings and other affairs ever since I can remember.

Brothers, Masonry is a class organization and you reflect it by the way you dress. I have found the better dressed people are, the better they seem to behave.  They carry themselves with more pride and dignity.
Some time ago I put together a list of various things that I feel are important, I would like to share them with you.  Keep in mind that these are only my personal opinions and tips, I sincerely hope not to offend anyone.

- Bill Betz, P.M. Honorary Member

A FEW TIPS BEFORE STEPPING OUT… 

WHEN IN DOUBT, ALWAYS OVERDRESS

A. You can always dress down, if you show up
overdressed you can always take off your coat and
tie and blend in.
B. Show respect to whatever you are attending,
whether it be a lodge or chapter meeting, church or
a even a date with a lady.
C. Look around you and see who you think looks
really sharp and who you would like to emulate.

LOOK IN THE MIRROR WHEN YOU GET HOME

A. You should look as good when you get home as
when you leave.
<——– B. Look at many men at a wedding reception, they
spend money to rent a tux and when they get to the
reception off come the coat and tie, UGH!
C. Keep your pants pulled up, don’t be a slob.
D. Set the example, have pride in yourself.

LADIES DO IT, WHY NOT YOU?

A. Ladies like men that are neat, clean-looking and sharp like they are.

IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE EXPENSIVE

A. Blue or black sport coat goes a long way.
B. Slacks: grey, tan, blue, black.
C. Buy shirts that fit in the neck and they won’t be uncomfortable.
D. Five or six ties are plenty and tie them STRAIGHT;
look at TV anchors and see how many don’t know
how to properly tie their ties.
E. Learn the three ways to tie a tie, including five
ways to tie bow ties and ascots.
F. SHINE your shoes, no sneakers.
G. Socks should match your shoes or slacks.

DON’T BUY THE LATEST STYLE
H. Buy medium width lapels and ties. One, two or
three button jackets are the best as they never go out
of style.
I. Check out the Salvation Army or thrift stores if
dollars are tight.
J. Look at pictures of most fashion designers.

DOUBLE BREASTED, SINGLE BREASTED
A. Learn the difference in lapels; peaked, notched, shawl.
B. Vents, single, double, none.
C. Jacket pockets: flap or combination.

FOR THAT CUSTOM LOOK
A. Have the jacket fitted at the waist.
B. Pants should just break at the instep.
C. Have button holes on the buttons of jacket sleeves
D. Shirt cuff should show about a half-inch below
jacket sleeve.
E. Bottom of tie should be just below the belt.
F. Suspenders are great and very comfortable.
G. A pocket square and cufflinks are very
INEXPENSIVE, but the least expensive is SHOE
POLISH, so shine those shoes man and keep those
pants pulled up and look sharp!

(This article is part 1 of a series.)  READ: The Masonic Gentleman: Dress for Success Part II

I LOVE YOU

Join us for a romantic and unique evening with the Lodge and celebrate this Valentine’s Day.

This year our Valentine’s Party will be Saturday Feb. 18th at 5pm at the Melting Pot of Novi. Come join us for a four course meal, cooked by you at your table, in the fondue style.  This night will include a cheese fondue with a variety of breads, vegetables, and fruits to dip, a salad, beef, ravioli, and chicken for your entree, and a chocolate fondue desert. The cost for this event is $15 person/$25 couple.  Drinks will be available for purchase.  Due to the nature of this event RSVPs and payment must be received by the end of the February business meeting on Tuesday Feb. 7th.  If you would like to attend, but cannot make the business meeting, please call or text me, Jay Slauter at 313-310-8703 and I will be happy to make arrangements to meet with you before then.

After the foundation of the first Grand Lodge in England in 1717, a rival Grand Lodge arose less than two decades later, calling itself the Antients (or Ancients), whereby it intended to assert greater authenticity than the rival “modern” Grand Lodge. The Antients were also known as the Athol Masons, from their first Grand Master, the Duke of Athol. Some authors (e.g., Carl Claudy) say the Antients were schismatic–i.e., had split off from the “modern” Grand Lodge; others (e.g., Allen Roberts) of more recent vintage say that the Antients were founded independently by Lodges deriving from Scottish and Irish traditions who were excluded by the English “moderns.”

These competing English Grand Lodges, along with Grand Lodges established in Scotland and Ireland, issued charters for Lodges in the American colonies into the latter half of the 18th century, until the American Revolutionary War led to the ties between the colonies and the mother country being severed. Long after that event, in 1813 (when the two countries were again at war, in fact), the rival English Grand Lodges amalgamated to form the United Grand Lodge of England, which is the governing body of English Freemasonry to this day.

Meanwhile, in the new United States of America, Grand Lodges were organized separately in each state, some as offspring of Provincial Grand Lodges and some as self-declared independent Grand Lodges (e.g., Virginia). These Grand Lodges comprised Lodges whose charters had been issued by both the Antient and “modern” Grand Lodges in England (as well as a few Scottish and Irish constitution Lodges). The designation of whether a Grand Lodge was Free and Accepted or Ancient Free and Accepted was therefore almost an arbitrary choice, based perhaps on who had a bit more political power when the new Grand Lodge was formed.

In particular, one cannot conclude anything significant about the nature of the ritual used by a Grand Lodge as to its Antient or “modern” content, based only on the designation as F&AM or AF&AM. Many Grand Lodges use an amalgamation of the forms, and it would take detailed study (never having been done to my knowledge) to determine the precise provenance of each American Grand Lodge’s ritual contents. It does appear that Pennsylvania may adhere most closely to the work of the Antients, while a northern tier of states, running from Connecticut through Minnesota and perhaps farther west, preserves the “modern” ritual most closely. In those states where a ritual cipher is permitted, which seems to be more a characteristic of the “moderns,” the incorporation of changes to the ritual occur with much lower frequency (a fairly obvious observation). An example is the phrase “any be due,” which is synonymously rendered “aught be due” in the apparently “modern” jurisdictions: The substitution of a common word (“any”) for an archaic one (“aught”) is a natural evolution of an oral tradition, while the reverse substitution virtually never occurs in oral transmission. The states with a printed ritual cipher have maintained “aught,” while “any” has appeared in those states eschewing such written aids.

Incidentally, there are two jurisdictions which use neither F&AM nor AF&AM: The District of Columbia uses FAAM, and South Carolina uses AFM. Again, these are distinctions without any real difference.

Various suppositions are made about “four-letter” Lodges vs. “three-letter” Lodges and relationships to Prince Hall (PHA) Masonry and issues of recognition, but these are entirely unfounded.

by Bro.Roger M. Firestone

The Installation will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 3.  Reception as is customary will follow with a grand buffet feast served at 7pm. This year’s Installation ceremony will be held in the Commandery Asylum.  This majestic hall is located on the 3rd Floor, Knights Templar level. A new atmosphere this year, the social and dinner following will be held in the Fountain Ballroom.   Seating is limited for this event just like any year so your RSVP is necessary for your parties attendance.   This is a black tie event, guests are expected to dress accordingly.

The annual Christmas Party will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 17.  It will take place in the Colonnade Room in the Crystal Ballroom level of the Masonic Temple.  There will be food, gifts for the kids, all kinds of holiday fun and of course include a visit from none other than Santa Clause.  (Yes, THE Santa Clause.  Detroit No. 2 connections’ run deep and we’ve spared no expense to bring him to Detroit.)

It is imperative for Brothers who want to attend these events with their families RSVP with haste to Jr. Warden elect Jason Slauter.  There is a fee of $10 per adult which will be collected at the door. You received RSVP’s in the Trestle Board, mail those back in, or call him by telephone. Reach him today at (313) 310-8703.  NOTE: When sending your RSVP for the Christmas Party, make sure to note the age and gender of the children who will be in attendance. (We want to avoid a potentially embarrassing public relations nightmare with the Clauses should he not bring enough presents for all our Lodges wonderful children.  Mr. Clause has asked us on behalf of Mrs. Clause to please not bring him cookies.)

Your neck tie should work for you not against you.

Brothers, you all heard that the Worshipful Master Elect Don Harper has proclaimed all Brethren holding an office this coming year will adhere to a dress code.

As we must all be required to be in at least a shirt and tie I thought I would share some of my formal and business dress tips about ties.

I have lots of ties, hell I have lots of dress clothes. I have an entire closet that is just formal wear. I’m not yet wealthy and have had my bouts with the empty wallet, but that doesn’t stop the well dressed man. It takes some skill to dress sharp on zero or small budgets but anybody can do it.

My tie rack is full and I’m always looking for more ties. I found most of my ties not at expensive department stores or suit stores but in resale shops. Used dress clothes are usually well taken care of, especially an item like a tie suffers little wear and tear in what time it is in actual use. Terrific finds from different decades and styles past can be found in resale shops. From skinny ties from the 50′s/80′s to shorter fatter ties from the 40′s, whatever taste you have you can find it. (Just wash them, it takes that “eau de old man” out.)

While nothing admittedly looks quite like a crisp new suit or tie, you can find such items made from superior materials in resale shops for a fraction of the value at original purchase.  If you are like me and piece together looks from different time periods you know you cannot just walk into any department store and find vintage color schemes and patterns.

Now maybe dress clothes aren’t your thing and you are not sure of what your taste in ties (or suits or shoes) even is. That’s fine, you will only start to hone in on what you like by shopping around. Suit stores like the Mens Wearhouse have tables full of ties arranged by color gradient. It’s like a color palette of ties. Suit stores and department stores also sell shirts and ties as a set. This little trick guarantees that you look sharp with matching shirt, ties and handkerchief.

You have some of my advice, put it to good use now that you have no excuse to not dress sharp and remember real men wear pink. Go forth and look deadly Brethren.

This meeting was the first of its kind for me and a very impressive turnout was on hand.  Brighton Lodge does their work in a beautiful building and is one of the classiest I’ve traveled to.   We met a patchwork of all the Lodges in the tri-county area and north of here.  After many Cokes and choice brownies were consumed, the Brethren on hand were handily amped up for the presentation.

The Most Worshipful Grand Master of the State of Michigan Frederick E. Kaiser Jr, PM was the key speaker.

• First discussion was to address the per capita dues increases.  He assured us that the request at the Grand Lodge meeting to increase dues was warranted and will be put to best use.  We will continue to see the benefits of this investment in many areas some of which are already successful such as the Beacon Project, The Ed Program and the C.H.I.P. Program.
• MORI.  Lodge Secretaries are implored to fill out and to the best of their ability fully populate all the fields in the MORI program for individual Brothers.  The Grand Lodge wants as much information as possible about the Brothers for statistical and demographic data.  Just as important is the fact that the MORI database mirrors with the database for the Grand Lodge’s new Social Network.
• The Social Network is a new venture by the Grand Lodge.  It is essentially a social network for Michigan Freemasons.  Masons may go to the Grand Lodge website and log in with their credentials and access the Social Network, which may be found in the ‘Masons’ tab in the main navigation, under Social Access.  Lodges are supposed to also be able to make a profile so all Lodges in the state will have a web presence through this service.
• There is an increase in new membership and a loss in membership retention.  Why?  No, they’re really asking us why because they don’t know and are looking to the Lodges for ideas.  Why are we getting new members who don’t come back?  If you had an idea that came to mind, you’re probably right and that’s part of it.

  “When you are spoon fed something, all you remember is the shape of the spoon.”  One Worshipful Brother said that after watching so many young new Masons never come back that things in his Lodge had perhaps gotten too easy; requiring unsatisfying  little application or efforts of the mind.  ”Young people have many outlets for instant gratification and they are not knocking in the door of a 1000 year old fraternity for instant gratification” he said.  It takes 6 months from EA to MM on average in his Lodge now, he engages and puts the candidates to work, both ritually and even mopping floors or helping in cleanup, and they’re staying he reported.  Something to think about.

• The Beacon Project is a huge success, and surpassed the initial goal of 200,000 volunteer hours already!
• The Michigan Masons radio promotions have been met with a good reception and have been renewed.  Thank the Maker we’ll continue to “Live Better” for the foreseeable future.
• We have revamped and modernized our publicity and promotions campaign.  Booklets come with a USB web key that potentials can put in the computer and be whisked away on a magical journey to the internets learning about all that is good in the world with Freemasonry.
• The Alma Masonic retirement home is being looked at for improvements.  They’re not just talking about that specific brick and mortar building but as a concept as a whole.  Not every elder Mason wants to live in Alma.  Grand Lodge is exploring retirement home expansion to local markets with satellite retirement home centers.
• The Ed Program.  This is the Grand Lodge Masonic education program.  Too much vital knowledge is not being passed on concerning many aspects of Freemasonry including our work, history and symbolism.  Grand Lodge is continuing to grow the Ed Program to assist Lodges in this process.  We have 2 years left of being allowed to have ritual books in the Lodge room, after that  there will be no books in the room except for the Chaplain and only one person will prompt anybody who stumbles in the ritual work.
• These next two final points are the most important and stressed topics of the event.  Guarding the West Gate and diversity.  Let’s begin with guarding the West Gate.  The Grand Lodge feels that guarding the West Gate has become a BIG PROBLEM and a GROWING PROBLEM.  On a state level as a whole were are letting in too many cowans and unqualified souls.  The proper and prudent precautions are not being taken at the beginning stages of a petitioner approaching the Lodge in evaluating the nature of their true character.  In other cases these individuals do not prove to be sour until many years later.  In either circumstance the Lodge has failed.

  One part of the newer problems we are facing is publicity through TV and movies.  The History or Discovery Channel’s respectively show constant documentaries about our Order.  Freemasonry is experiencing a precarious and pressing new high in exposure and we are not as concealed as we once were.  All Lodges in this state are to brace for a membership influx from the new Dan Brown film coming out about Freemasonry titled “The Lost Symbol.”  Many members are coming in cold off the internet without the conventional affiliations of already knowing a Brother in the Lodge.   Some of these people are not being turned away for all the right reasons because they want entry to our Order for the wrong reasons.  They are being advanced to Master Masons too quickly to stop them in their path before they learn too much and become a drain on Lodge resources when necessity to purge them from the rolls arises.  Guarding the West Gate will be a priority of the state’s Lodges as we move into the future.

• Speaking of moving into the future this brings us to the final topic which was diversity.  Grand Lodge is committed to the diversity of the Lodges in this state.  Diversity is the only way to ensure the progressive strength of our institution in Michigan into the next several hundred years.  No candidates will be turned away for any discriminatory reasons except by gender alone.  Race, color, creed or national origin is not a factor in the qualifications into the membership fabric of any Lodge in this state and any discrimination or redirecting of candidates to other organizations for these reasons will not be tolerated.  The Most Worshipful Grand Master could not stress this enough.

Those of you awaiting initiation into the Order or further light in Masonry will be contacted and informed of your rescheduled dates in the future as more information arises.

We apologize for this setback and inconvenience to not only your personal schedules but to your journey along the path of Freemasonry.  Thank you for your understanding.