EBee 1217

The concept of this section of Ebee is to record Freemason events, actions , social events, and histories
of the lodges within the jurisdiction. To do this well and to do justice to each and every event I would
request the following info upon submission or to keep in mind if considering submitting an article,
photograph etc.
Things to consider;
1. Where is the event that is depicted? Lodge, District, etc.
2. What is the event you have photographs for? A little bit of detail would be great. - Grand Master’s
visit, presentation, degrees, special events, social events etc.
3. Is there a brief write up about the event. Who attended, what happened etc.
4. When did this event take place? - Date etc.
5. It would be great if individuals - at least the important ones could be identified.
The more information I receive the better article I can produce.
Thanks for your kind attention
Regards

Chris Foxon
Lodge Southern Cross
E-Bee Editor
Freemasonry in Action

Editorial

A Masonic Dress Code: In Black and White

By MWB Bill Cave, Editor-in-Chief, E-Bee, and Chair of the Grand Lodge Protocol Committee

The question is often asked, “What is the Masonic Dress Code for Brethren attending Lodge
meetings?” The simple answer is, there really isn’t an official answer but, here’s a simple
guideline in black and white:

To a meeting held in the evening it is generally expected that a Brother will normally wear a
tuxedo or, failing that, a dark suit; the suit being accompanied by a black or similarly plain dark
tie and white shirt. To an afternoon meeting all Brethren would appropriately wear a dark suit
and tie and white shirt (not a tuxedo). Please note that we are not here discussing expectations
for Grand Lodge Officers who’s dress will be directed by the Grand Master. We also recognize
that formal Scottish dress such as the kilt is widely accepted and most welcome attire.

Why do we dress up and wear tuxedos and suits to our Lodge meetings? Because we are a
fraternity of men who are a cut above average and we therefore dress and behave accordingly;
without ostentation or pretention. To do less would not be representative of the standard
which defines the exceptional men who constitute our craft. Furthermore, distinction among
and between the Brethren beyond those badges constitutionally defined as being attendant to
our Rank and Office within Freemasonry would not generally be in keeping with the principle of
the level upon which we all meet.

Here you have one Brother’s opinion. Please note that there is no official policy, guideline or
constitutional definition of appropriate Masonic dress in this jurisdiction. Neither does this
article purport to be one.

“Brethren, we publish this article with permission from the Grand Lodge of Washington. In my
business as a newsperson, I am constantly seeing the heartache caused to many, particularly
senior citizens and others most vulnerable, by these scammers. This article gives us a general
idea of what to look for if you get electronic mail or even phone mail. The thing to remember is
that if you get a call that appears to be bogus, don’t respond. Don’t give the caller any
information; don’t panic if they say a relative has lost his money in some foreign country, or if
Revenue Canada says you owe them. Almost all of these things are scams.

If someone gives you a phone number to verify, don’t use that phone number. You have
emergency numbers on your credit cards, you online banking site and other sources, including
the police, if you think the information is real. These scammers are becoming very
sophisticated, and as soon as you reply to these emails or give something over the phone, you
are making yourself more vulnerable. Read this information carefully, and follow the advice
given.

It could save you a lot of pain in the end.

– MWB Doug Collins-Managing Editor”

From the desk of the Assistant Grand Secretary

VW Clint Brown, Assistant Grand Secretary

Scam Warning

We have had several calls to the office regarding
scams that are being received via text messages,
telephone or email messages. It seems that the
scammers are getting more sophisticated. For one,
they are not asking for money when they make initial
contact. Second, they have your personal information
and use real names that you can verify on the
internet. For example, they may use the name of a
law firm that you can easily find with an internet
search. However, further investigation will show that
the phone number or email address is different than the ones listed on the internet. Here are a
few scams that we have heard about.

1. You receive an email from a law firm saying they represent the estate of a person who
may be a long-lost relative (in all likelihood, it will be someone you have never heard
of). They do not say anything about an inheritance but say something about needing
to speak to you immediately. They don’t ask for any money or personal information
in the letter. They just ask you to contact them to help determine if you are a
relative. Have no doubt though, they will eventually ask for money or personal

information to try to help them “determine if you are entitled to the inheritance”.
2. You receive an email asking you to take an online survey. The survey question may be

for a social interest or to help an organization (such as the Masons) that you are a
member. If you don’t know who is sending you such a request, don’t open the
email. It can download malware onto your computer and allow cyber criminals to see
every move you make online.
3. You receive a telephone call from someone claiming to be raising money or wanting
to confirm personal information for a Masonic Lodge, a Shrine Temple or another
similar organization. These are called Charity Scams. When in doubt, get their
information and investigate their legitimacy.
4. You receive an email or telephone call from a third party that something bad has
happened to someone you know and they need you to wire money to them
immediately. Again a scammer looking for money.
5. You receive a call from someone claiming to be with the IRS and stating that you owe
the IRS money and must make a payment right away in order to avoid arrest.

Here are some things to help you avoid being a victim:

 Scammers are notorious for bad grammar and spelling. This is also true with robo-call
scams. I received a robo-call saying that the IRS would be “filling” a lawsuit.

 Beware of links within emails. If you see a suspicious link DO NOT click on it. You can
rest your mouse (but don't click) on the link to see if the address matches the link that
was typed in the message. If it does not match, it is a dangerous link.

 Spoofing is making an email or website appear to be associated with a well-known
organization (such as the Masons). If you receive an email or a link to a site but you
are not familiar with the sender or they ask for personal information, do not click on
it.

 If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Trust the little voice inside your
head. Scammers play on your sympathy, fear and trust.

Because of this, you may see a change in the amount of information that Grand Lodge is
providing via Team Directories, Rosters and on the Grand Lodge Website.

Education the key to Growth

by Brother Bill Overy

Fraternal Greetings All,

I have based this on an article that was printed in the April 2000 Masonic Bulletin of the Grand
Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon. The author was Bro. Leon Zeldis who presented it first in
1999 in “Haboneh Hahofshi, The Israeli Freemason,” that is a Masonic magazine published in
Israel.

All human beings as they grow and develop, physically and mentally must simultaneously
experience, a process of learning. We acquire knowledge from many sources such as reading,
listening to lectures and observing the conduct of others as well as learning from our own
experience.

Likewise, organizations go through periods of growth concurrent with learning. For example
take the extraordinary expansion of Freemasonry in the 18th century expanding from a small
London Grand Lodge 300 years ago to one that encompasses the entire world today.

They established the development of the Masonic Rituals and the creation of degrees,
producing the framework of the worldwide organization we know today.

If everything had then considered complete, and no more learning was deemed necessary by
the membership, the organisation could start to stagnate and eventually, could either
disappear through loss of membership, or worst still; it could change and lose the goals and
aims it started off with.

There are many reports of loss in membership in the Lodges of our order, all over the world. So
what can be done to renew our growth and instill fresh energy in our ranks?

I am sure we have all read about the many solutions tried, in many countries, with mixed
results. However one answer I feel is clear, and is that we must assign a higher priority to the
education of our membership that we have today.

Education takes many forms, but the most important leader in this, as far as we are concerned
in a lodge, is the position of Director of Masonic Education. Unfortunately he is usually
regulated to a 5 to 10 minute spot during the regular meeting once a month and even this is
occasionally dropped to make time for something else.

In my opinion as soon as a member becomes an Entered Apprentice his education should begin.
Not under high pressure but at least an explanation of what he has just been through. I have
found that in many cases this important issue is pushed aside to make sure that he can
complete his prove up as soon as possible.

I understand this, but he will not learn about our Fraternity from this trial in the “Art of
Memorie” as our Scottish Brothers called it, when it was introduced in the 16th Century and do
you realize that it was introduced by someone who was not even a mason.

I also believe that a well delivered Ritual is a pleasure to behold, and every effort should be
made to provide this for all our members, new or old, without the use of books or someone
being prompted at every sentence. Maybe a Degree Team could be formed to do this very
important presentation that I feel the new initiate deserves.

Sad say we are not all are blessed with the “Art of Memorie” and I should know as I am one.
Also I would like to say I am NOT advocating removal of the “prove up” but I do feel that it
should be a prove up that make sure our new brother fully understands what has just gone
through.

I am sure that many new members do not continue because we do not carry out this basic
education, that should encourage him, and remind him what we are all about and welcome him
properly into the Craft.

Freemasonry is so much more than just a ritual. It should be making good men better and we
should concentrate on that from an early stage in their membership so that they can start to
understand the important things about our fraternity.

Curiosity is one of the basic instincts of the human nature. Learning something new,
appreciating our history and legends and discovering the hidden messages carried by our
symbols, all this will encourage research and reflection and this should be a principle activity of
the lodge.

We should instruct our new Brother from the start what is expected of him as a new member of
our fraternity. Things like a commitment to his community and maybe helping those in need.
A typical example in this is while we give him instructions during the degree work on say, “Faith
Hope and Charity” it is just a flash of the evening that goes above his head. So how he is
expected to make this an active part of his Masonic life?

Publishing a newsletter or printing books of instruction are positive steps.

Maybe printing up copies of the Grand Lodge bulletin that in many cases are in an electronic
format these days. Having an established library and encouraging new members to use it.

When the lodge operates as a teaching academy allowing each brother to participate actively in
a discussion especially on evenings when not much is going on, then maybe the Lodge meetings
will become more attractive and the brethren will feel that coming to the lodge is both pleasant
and satisfactory.

The lodge that educates its members will grow but if it stops educating, stagnation and
boredom will very likely follow.