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cardinal virtues

Wisdom

by MasterMason

Wisdom  (Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary)

(a)    accumulated philosophic or scientific learning; Knowledge ; (b) ability to discern inner qualities and relationships ; Insight (c) good sense ; Judgement  2. a wise attitude or course of action 3. the teachings of the ancient wise men;

Wisdom  (Lexicon of Freemasonry) Albert G. Mackey

One of the three principal supports of Freemasonry. It is represented by the Ionic Column and the Worshipful Master; because, the Ionic Column wisely combines the strength with the massiveness of the Doric; with the grace. without the exuberance of ornament of the Corinthian; and because it is the duty of the Worshipful Master to superintend, instruct, and enlighten the craft by his superior Wisdom. Solomon King of Israel, is also considered as the column of Wisdom that supported the Temple.

Wisdom  (a Masonic Paper)

Wisdom is one of the three pillars that support a Masonic lodge. Although there are many references to wisdom an adequate explanation is seldom found. We are told in the book of Job 12:12-13 that

“With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.”

In I Kings 4:30-31 it is stated that

“Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men and his fame was in all the nations round about.”

In verse 10 of Psalm 111 there is:-              “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

In St. Augustine’s writings can be found                    “patience is the companion of wisdom.”

Montaigne, in his essays, says             “You can be erudite with the knowledge of others; you can be wise only with your own wisdom.”

Pericles’s funeral oration given in Athens about 430 BCE tells the audience that ” “Ours is a simple love of beauty and a manly love of wisdom.”

The word “wisdom” is used quite freely in these, and many more examples.

But what is wisdom? And where does one find it?

It is suggested that it could be found in Masonry, because Masonry is a sanctuary, a place to breathe, a place to think quietly, and a place to grow wise.

It is clear that “wisdom” is not a thing of itself, but rather a use of other means and materials gathered over a lifetime. Wisdom is using the resources of knowledge, of experience and of good judgement; it is, therefore, the action, the proper use of the tools of the mind, brain and soul.

The desire to learn is the beginning of wisdom and so it is very significant that we speak of becoming wise, for wisdom is a creative energy, and its fruits are temperance, fortitude, prudence and justice.

The human heart is like a bottomless well; it is always thirsty and searching for the quietude that comes only after the heat and turmoil of living has been overcome.

It is certain that the key to civilization is not technology, but the wisdom that comes from ample leisure.

As it is humanly impossible to know all the facts, to count the sand of the sea or the drops of rain; it becomes the task of wisdom, therefore, to recognize our limitations and faults.

Part of wisdom, is knowing when one cannot be wise

One cannot think, much less develop new ideas, unless one has units of comparison and wisdom provides the experience and right judgement for this.

Intelligence all by itself is useless, but added to energy and willingness it becomes formidable; combined with knowledge it has no limits.

It is apparent that wisdom is a lonely personal affair and is similar to the loneliness of the leader, for one has stepped beyond the limits of other men and stands apart.

Masonry can provide a path to wisdom, along which one meets the happy companionship, the friendliness, the morality and the spiritual values that finally blossom into wisdom.

A learned man cannot take you into the sphere of his own wisdom, but can only propel you along the path and leave you at the door to your own wisdom.

Many of us remain outside that door, but those who enter are blessed with abundance.

In wisdom there is an intelligent, lucid and Holy Spirit; wisdom is knowledge, but not knowledge for its own sake, but knowledge which helps to widen the horizon and deepen the communication between man and man.

Masonry may be termed a progressive science but it is also a reflective science, a place to think, to become human, to consider one’s fellowman, not as an integer, but as flesh and blood, and, above all, as a stepping stone to wisdom.

By M.W. Bro. David C. Bradley (date unknown) Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario Canada

 

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Temperance ; Leadership

by MasterMason

 Temperance

Temperance As defined in Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary,

  1. to Moderate ; be moderate
  2. Moderation in action, thought and feeling.
  3. Habitual moderation in the indulgence of the appetite or passions.

Temperance       As dealt with in The Freemason’s Guide and Compendium. Bernard E. Jones.

The most important virtues in Freemasonry are:- Prudence, Temperance. Fortitude & Justice

“The first to direct, the second to chasten, the third to support a Brother and the fourth to be a guide to all his actions”

I was unfamiliar with the word chasten so, in the thought that there could be others just like me, I decided to look it up.       Webster’s defines it as follows:-

  1. To correct by punishment or suffering.
  2. To prune off excess, pretence or falsity.

Temperance From Lexicon of Freemasonry by Albert G. Mackey

“ One of the four Cardinal Virtues, the practice of which is inculcated in the first Degree. The mason who properly appreciates the secrets, which he has solemnly promised never to reveal, will not, by yielding of the unrestrained call of appetite, permit reason and judgment to lose their seats; and subject himself, by the indulgence in habits of excess, to discover that which should be concealed, and thus merit and receive the scorn and detestation of his Brethren. And lest any Brother should forget the danger to which he is exposed in the unguarded hours of dissipation, the virtue of Temperance is wisely impressed upon his memory, by its reference to the most solemn portion of our initiatory ceremony”      

 I must admit that when I first encountered this word I immediately thought of the Temperance Movement, which lead to Prohibition in the 1920’s, and also to the governance of Masonic Festive Boards.

Now I can see the greater scope of the word which includes our thoughts, words and actions, and which makes it even more appropriate for use in Freemasonry in general and to each of us in particular.

I do recall weather which was free of turbulence, bluster or storm being referred to as Temperate.   Possibly this is a word that could receive wider usage in our personal lives.

The following is directed to the DOERS in our Fraternity and elsewhere, you are appreciated!!

The Penalty of Leadership

In every field of endeavour, he that is First, must constantly live in the white light of publicity.

Whether the leadership be vested in a man or a manufactured product, emulation and envy are ever at work. In art, in literature, in music, in industry, the reward and the punishment are always the same. The reward is widespread recognition; the punishment, fierce denial and detraction. When a man’s work becomes a standard for the whole world, it also becomes a target for the shafts of the envious few. If his work be merely mediocre, he will be left severely alone-if he achieved a masterpiece, it will set a million tongues a-wagging.

Jealousy does not protrude its forked tongue at the artist who produces a common-place painting. Whatsoever you write, paint, play, sing or build no one will strive to surpass or to slander you, unless your work be stamped with the seal of genius. Long, long after a great work or a good work has been done, those who are disappointed or envious continue to cry out that it cannot be done. Spiteful little voices in the domain of art were raised against our own Whistler as a montebank, long after the big world had acclaimed him its greatest artistic genius.

Multitudes flocked to Bayreuth to worship at the musical shrine of Wagner, while a group of those whom he had dethroned and displaced, argued angrily that he was no musician at all. The little world continued to protest that Fulton could never build a steamboat, while the big world flocked to the river banks to see his boat steam by.

The leader is assailed because he is a leader, and the effort to equal him is merely added proof of that leadership. Failing to equal or to excel, the follower seeks to depreciate and destroy, but only confirms, once more, the superiority of that which he strives to supplant.

There is nothing new in this. It is as old as the World and as old as human passions, envy, fear, greed, ambition and the desire to surpass. And it avails nothing. If the leader truly leads, he remains the leader. Master-poet; Master-painter; Master workman, each in his turn is assailed and each holds his laurels through the ages.

That which is good or makes itself known, no matter how loud the clamour of denial. That which deserves to live-LIVES.

Theodore F. McManus     Saturday Evening Post, Jan 2, 1915  Copyright, Cadillac Motor Car Company.

 

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Cardinal Virtues & No Charge for Love

by MasterMason

Cardinal Virtues

There  are Four Cardinal Virtues ie; Prudence; Temperance; Fortitude& Justice, PLUS the Three Excellences of Character Secrecy; Fidelity & Obedience.

Obviously, I hope, it is realized that that this topic cannot be attained in one presentation, so my plan is to work my way through this overall subject one small step at a time.

To begin, let me first address what is meant by a “Cardinal” Virtue and where that word originated.

Rather than try to reinvent the wheel, I have decided to simply provide you with what has already been written so well on this important subject.

The following in transcribed from the Freemasons Guide and Compendium, by Bernard E. Jones.

“We speak in Freemasonry of Cardinal Virtues, Cardinal Points & Cardinal Winds. Briefly this curious word means ‘Important’ ‘Significant’ and carries with it a mental image of matters of great moment all revolving round a centre-point acting as a hinge, or pivot, (Latin, cardo).  Much ecclesiastical history is wrapped up in this word, which is associated with the red colour of the robe worn by a Roman Catholic Cardinal—that is, worn by a powerful priest occupying a fundamentally important place.

We now go to the doors made and hung by the ancient peoples for the original idea of the meaning of the word.  There are two vertical pins, or dowels, projecting from the door, one from the top and the other from the bottom, each fitting into a socket, and on these pivots the door swung. The ancients took this hinged door as a figure, or symbol, and supposed that at the TOP of the Universe was a pivot upon which the heavens revolved, while at the BOTTOM was another pivot, corresponding to that at the bottom of the door.

In course of time, the old Roman writers applied the word “Cardinal” to the four points: East, West, North & South, and to the winds blowing from those quarters.

The East symbolizes WISDOM, the West STRENGTH, the North DARKNESS and the South BEAUTY

We are told that the Cardinal,that is the most important,virtues in Freemasonry are PRUDENCE, TEMPERENCE, FORTITUDE and JUSTICE, the first to direct, the second to chasten, the third to support a Brother, while the fourth should be a guide to all his actions.”

Enough of this for now, as it is my plan to expand on what, I believe, these WORDS mean to us, as Freemasons, in subsequent editions.  By the way, as Freemasons, be sure to look for the Symbolism of these Virtues in your own Lodge Room. You should be able to see them as Tassels hanging in the four corners of the Lodge Room, OR possibly on the four corners of the Tesselated Floor.  Check it out!!!!!!

No Charge for Love

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the four pups, and set about nailing it to the post at the end of his yard.

As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of a little boy. “Mister” he said. I want to buy one of your puppies.

“Well” said the farmer as rubbed the sweat off his neck, “These puppies are from fine parents and cost a lot of money”

The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. “I’ve got thirty nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?

“Sure” said the farmer, and with that he let out a whistle. “Here Dolly!” he called. Out of the doghouse and down the ramp came Dolly followed by four little balls of fur.

The little boy pressed his face to the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight. As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring in the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared, but this one was noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid.

Then in an awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing his best to catch up.

“I want that one,” the little boy said, pointing to the runt. The farmer knelt down at the boy’s side and said “Son, you don’t want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would”

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so, he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg and attached to a specially made shoe.

Looking back at the farmer, he said “You see Sir, I don’t run too well myself and he will need someone who understands” With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down and picked up the little pup. Holding it carefully he handed it to the little boy.

“How much?” asked the little boy.

“No Charge” said the farmer, “There is no charge for LOVE”

Norm

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