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Contents : The Masonic Speaker - Unknown The Masonic Speaker Unknown This Bulletin is based upon an article written by Bro. Robert W. Hassell of Newtown Lodge No. 427 Past District Deputy Grand Master of the 8th Masonic District of the Grand Lodge of F.&A.M. of Pennsylvania. We appreciate Bro. Hassell sharing these thoughts with us and trust that they will be used to promote harmony and understanding. Masonic Speakers are a very special breed of individuals. who have the ability and willingness to share their knowledge and experience with their Brethren. They spend many hours researching their material more hours in planning organizing and preparing their presentations and in many cases they spend long hours of travel to deliver their talks. For their dedicated service to the Craft they deserve certain considerations courtesies and recognition which are often overlooked. This paper is designed to discuss some of the protocol and common courtesy Masonic speakers should be accorded. Planning for a speaker should start early. The more time a speaker has to prepare his presentation the better it will be. The invitation to speak should always be confirmed in writing well in advance of the date. This will preclude last minute embarrassments as to time date place length of talk etc. Finding a Masonic speaker is not really much of a problem. Obvious sources are the speakers bureau maintained by the Grand Lodge Scottish Rite Valleys Chapters Councils or Commanderies of the York Rite and Lodges of Research . A Symbolic Lodge should take stock of its members. The old adage that a prophet is not without honor save in his own country can be paraphrased to "a speaker is not without honor save in his own organization." Most Lodges probably number among their members officials of local county or state historical commissions or societies who would be happy to talk about those activities. As soon as a Brother is elected Junior Warden of his Lodge he would be wise to start a file on speakers he has heard in his visitations to sister lodges. Page 1 of 5 The Masonic Speaker - Unknown In looking over printed speeches it is well to keep in mind a quotation attributed to Archibald Philip Primrose the Earl of Roseberg dating back to the middle of the nineteenth century: "Few speeches which have produced an electrical effect on an audience can bear the colorless photography of a printed record." Having secured a speaker one should treat him in much the same manner one would treat a guest in his home. He should be made to feel as much at home as if he were in his own Lodge. Some Lodges use the slogan: "there are no strangers here only friends we have not yet met." Certainly it is a sine qua non that he be introduced to the officers and if a dinner meeting to those with whom he will be sharing the head table. Speaking of the head table brings to mind a classic "blooper" committed by this writer some years ago. The speaker involved was a Past Grand Master of a neighboring jurisdiction. As agreed upon he met me at my home which was located just a few miles from the Lodge and we both made what was for me an embarrassing discovery. As a Past Master of the Lodge and the one who would introduce him I was dressed in a tuxedo he was in a business suit. He took one look at me and came forth with the perfect gentlemanly reprimand "Gee if you had told me the dress for the affair was tuxedo I could have arranged to rent one." This conveyed a lesson I have never forgotten. We must bear in mind that customs in any one jurisdiction are by no means universal. The Universality of Freemasonry is a well established fact but does not pertain to such local customs as this. Having selected a speaker it would in many cases be best to extend the courtesy of carte blanche in regard to his topic. However to aid him in selecting a suitable topic certain facts should by all means be given to him. If possible a personal meeting should be set up with the speaker at which time he should be given the objectives of the meeting and his role in the attainment thereof. By all means the speaker should be apprised of the type of audience. If it is a meeting at which ladies will be present he should most certainly be so informed. If on the other hand only members of the Lodge will be present he should be cautioned as to the presence of Entered Apprentice Masons and Fellowcraft Masons in addition to the Master Masons. Certain phrases and topics obviously would be omitted if the speaker were aware of the fact that not everyone in his audience had attained the rank of Master Mason. The time limits for the talk should be clearly indicated. In this respect Publius Syrus back in the First century B.C. admonished: "Keep the golden mean between saying too much and too little." An old Army adage conveys much the same thought by using the acronym KISS "Keep it short stupid." Then too there is another saying that the mind can absorb on

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