Here is a question in a special form that should be asked by every Mason who has not already asked it, and answered it for himself: "I want an education in Masonry, and what books should I start with?" Especially should every initiate and newly made mason ask it, and I am glad to observe as I go about the State that more and more the question is in the minds of those Masters who, to assimilate their newly made Brethren into the Lodge, want to impart to them something of the traditions, Landmarks, history, symbolism and allegory of the Craft.

All this is to the good, but in this article I desire to stress the fact that, while the importance of educating Masonically the newly made Masons and our Junior Officers cannot be over-stated, yet at the same time we do give too little thought to the "in-between" - the man in your Lodge and mine who was raised last year, maybe, or the year before that - ten, twenty, years ago.
We do too little to impress upon him that the task of real Masonry is more than the mere passing and raising of candidates.

Why is it, then, that practically all of our efforts in Masonic education are directed to the top and to the bottom of the membership of a Lodge? Why does organized effort seem to be directed principally toward the Worshipful Master and his Officers on the one hand, and on the other to the newly raised?

An answer to the question is, for the new Mason, that we are anxious to actualize in the
degree possible the business of becoming a Craftsman; and to set up in the mind of the Officer coming up through the chairs a conviction that what the Lodge amounts to in the future is going to be pretty much "up to him"; that in the course of time, as he assumes the East, and becomes the directing head (and likewise, we hope, the directing force) of the Lodge, his members are going to look to him for leadership.

And that is one of the places where the "In-Between" comes in. Who, if not he, is going to be the inspiration for the newly mades and Officers to be trained Masons, each in his job. Who, if not he, is going to be the pool from which flows the edification of the new Craftsman and Steward, no mater what his place in the line, alike. Remember that we are all Master Masons, and that the implication is that every one of us is skilled in all the technique of the Art, in the theory of our Lodge set-up of a kind of faculty, whose job it is to instruct these other two groups, and because they are Masters of the Art, to inspire to the highest efficiency, the one in his office, and the other on the side-lines.

Thus it comes about that each Mason must ark of himself, "What am I doing to build the Stewards into efficient Masters of Ceremony, men who will have a proper conception of their duty, who will know that they must preserve the proper atmosphere in the preparation room. And likewise, as these men in turn become Deacons, and the Deacons become Wardens - what am I doing to develop in them, year by year, a deep sense of responsibility in their various Offices."

And by the same token each "In-Between" must ask himself about the newly-raised man. All the food that a man can eat, no matter how hungry he may be, will do him no good unless he is able to assimilate the life-giving property of that food. This is true in a Lodge - all of our members will be of little practical value to the organization unless each, side-liners and all, shows an active interest in these new men as Brother Masons, seeking to build them into something more than a mere dues-paying name on the roster. We have too little conception of the latent possibilities in those about us. A bit of encouragement, a helping hand - these will give the new member a tremendous boost and aid him to be an asset to the Lodge instead of a liability.

Freemasonry is always in need of one thing above all else - leadership, embodied in the Worshipful; Masters of Lodges; leadership expressed in terms of vision, imagination, vitality, and all those other qualities of mind and heart that make a man a leader and not just a follower.
It is for this reason that the man who approaches the East owes it to himself, and to his Lodge and his community, so to develop himself that he may fulfill all the implications of his title, "Master!"

More and more Wardens - Wardens especially - are asking for information on matters pertaining to the Mastership. Records in the various departments of Grand Lodge dearly indicate this. Perhaps this is due to special activities carried on by Grand Masters in recent years, such as Area and District Meetings, and in the services and facilities of the Board of General Activities, which have enjoyed a wider acceptance among Lodge Officers with each succeeding year.

Twelve years ago, when I entered upon the Grand Lectureship, there seemed to be less interest, except on the part of a comparative few, in this mater of preparation for the East. Today one sees a vast and welcome change. I sense it in my Conventions; I observe it in the Lodges I visit; I find it among the individual contacts I make through Gut the State, and discover it to be almost universal, as compared with a few years ago. I know from personal experience as Master of my Lodge, and from observation over a period of years among the Brethren of this entire Stat; that the work of the Board of General Activities is of special significance and importance, being an effort that makes for leadership - provided the individual who looks that way will take advantage of the opportunities that are his. He has only to ask to receive. I know because I too have asked.

There have also been put forth efforts designed to increase the usefulness of new members. "Usefulness" may be a strange word to use here, but before a man can be useful he must learn. Educational booklets, reading lists, branch libraries, study clubs, and lending of books - these services in many Lodges are recommended to the newly-raised Brethren, with the Board of General Activities always ready to minister to the new Mason's desire for "more Light."

Thus we see that Officers, particularly the administrative Officers, are beneficiaries of our education efforts, while more, a great deal more, is being done for the new initiate than was ever done before. When we contemplate this fact, however, when we consider what is being done for the for and for the newly raised man, We must concede that in between these two classifications is a practically virgin field, white unto harvest - the great body of "In-Between" and it is their education, their mastery of every aspect of the Craft story - its history, its philosophy, its symbolism, the details of its organizational machinery - that, as they become the inspiration and source of Masonic wisdom, in the end will be a measure of the training given our newly made Masons and our Officers.

One of our difficulties has been that we are too inclined to consider what it is that will help us at the present moment rather than what will be the effect on the Craft in time to come. A plan that cares only for the present and does not consider the future is of little use. We need vision. We must look ahead. Furthermore, so far as this "In-Between" problem is concerned, I believe that the man who submits himself to formal training, who assembles with his Brethren with that object in view, will find his interests re-awakened, while his Lodge will discover that he is an asset and not a liability. The eighty per cent of our dues-paying members will, in part at least, be, not a variable entity, but a dependable part of our Lodges.

This is all theory, you say, but let me repeat - from practical experience, and from observation over a considerable period of years - I know that it is practicable to introduce a System of Masonic education into our Lodges, and that the results will not disappoint us.

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