Home | Masonry Q&A | Events | Light | Poetry | Officers | Past Masters | TrestleBoard | History | Forums | Gallery | Guestbook | Links	November

The Trestle Board

Smithfield Lodge #455 A.F. & A.M.

8013 Main Street, North Richland Hills, Texas

P. O. Box 821413, Fort Worth, Texas 76182

Lodge telephone number:   817.656.2311

Contact the Lodge on  Tuesday and Thursday evenings between 7 PM and 9 PM

                                      WEB ADDRESS: http://www.smithfieldlodge.com

Webmaster Note: Portions have been edited from the printed version in order to conform to standard webpage design practices and grammatical/spelling errors corrected.

 171st Grand Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Texas AF&AM

At the Memorial Grand Lodge Temple, in Waco,

beginning at 1:15 PM, November 30th, and concluding on

December 2, 2006. Open Installation of Officers for 2007

will be held at 2:00 PM, December 2, 2006.

From the East

Brethren,

Men lie somewhere in the scale between truly bad and truly good. Some men are Masons but in name only. Some men are not Masons in name but they are in heart and in deed. Some men are Masons in name and in heart and in deed. What kind of man are you? I am working very hard on being the later. I believe that if a man will adhere to the lessons that he has been taught by the art of Freemasonry, he will advance down the scale toward truly good. Ask yourself on a scale of one to twenty four what number are you?  If that number is less than twenty four then you need to be showing up down at the lodge with the rest of us until the principles of Freemasonry are imbedded in your heart.

Freemasonry seems to be on the move these days. There are so many events taking place no one can attend them all. If you have the opportunity to attend a Masonic Service Bureau meeting I highly recommend it. They are Masonry in action, and full of kindness, fun, and fellowship. Our own Senior Steward, Ernie Runyon, is the treasurer. At the last meeting we went to Braums afterwards and had even more fun! The MSB is an open meeting and anyone can attend.

We had a nice dinner and time at our Wives and Widows Banquet. We only had a couple of Widows show up. I hope our future events with our wives will be even more pleasant for them. We need to make them more a part of who we are and what we do. I am thinking maybe a sweetheart dinner for wives and girlfriends.

We have a few loyal and dedicated past masters. We have an excellent line of talented and intelligent officers. What we need are more members to attend. There are always plenty of things that need to be done. It is a wonderful time to be a mason. We are still holding fast to our values at a time when virtue and honor and morals are falling by the wayside. Come and hang out with us for a while.

These events are coming soon ---64^th district breakfast and Grand Lodge at Waco, Smithfield blood drive at Wal-Mart, the Fort Worth Stock show, and the MSB at Smithfield. I hope to see all of you at these events.

Fraternally,
Herb Taylor
Worshipful Master

We recently had our “Wives and Widows Banquet” and I must say it was a bit disappointing.  Don’t get me wrong, we greatly appreciate those that did attend.  But with some 200 members and at least a dozen or so of widows, I would have expected a better turn out.  I wish Smithfield Lodge could get the wives more involved in our activities.  I’ve only been a member here for 3 years, but they haven’t been too involved since then.

I attended the Warden’s Retreat last year, and took my wife.  We were both  surprised to find out that a lot if not most lodges encouraged the wives participation  in a lot of the activities.  They help plan and they help work in these activities.  Also, the Rainbow Girls from the FT. Worth Temple are available to help out with fund raising activities for a donation.

I really feel that it is imperative to include the wives, if the Lodge is going to survive.  They help get us to the Lodge or keep us away!

If you have any suggestions on how we can get the wives involved, please contact myself or any officer of the Lodge with your suggestions.

Fraternally,

Rick Montey

I would like to start out this month with a question that we all have been asked at one time or another. For some it may be a little tough to put the answer into words.

A Mason is sometimes asked by a friend, a neighbor, family member or a business associate,  "What do the Masons do?" The question may be worded more generally, "What are the Masons?"

In either case, the Brother is challenged by the realization that there is no simple answer which he can rattle off "from the top of his head," because the questioner is really asking him for a comprehensive explanation about what organized Freemasonry is. Some of these considerations arouse the fraternal doubt that "you can't tell that," or "that's secret," so that the Brother's reply is marked by hesitation or reluctance to explain.

Puzzled by the difficulty of knowing what facets of the vast subject of Freemasonry the questioner is really inquiring about, the Mason "just doesn't know where to begin, " and too often may avoid a simple statement of facts. He isn't sure of what to say. He realizes that Freemasonry's reputation cannot be explained by charts, statistics, or financial statements, because the Fraternity's real worth can be expressed only in spiritual terms, and that is rather difficult to explain to the uninitiated.

Embarrassment is probably the commonest cause of a Brother's difficulty in replying to the question. He is embarrassed because he realizes that he doesn't really know enough about the Fraternity to give a good simple reply. He never expected to be asked such a question by a non-Mason outside the lodge. A well-informed Brother, therefore, will prepare himself for the possibility of being asked such a question. Even though no one ever asks the question, he will have the confidence of knowing what Freemasonry means, especially to himself.

First of all, he will determine to give a Masonic answer, one which asserts the real nature of the Fraternity as a spiritual force, as "a way of life" which seeks to improve men morally and spiritually, by associating with other idealistic who share the same views and want to improve the quality of life around them by means of a brotherhood which emphasizes the Fatherhood of God.

A Mason must give a Masonic answer to the question, "What are the Masons."

There are really so few "secrets" which a Mason is required to keep, and so much that he should be proud to proclaim to others, that his principal concern in answering questions is probably the doubt that he can give an adequate Masonic reply.

There is so much that can be told about Freemasonry, about the particular lodge, about the individual Mason, that the real problem in answering the question, "What do the Masons do?" is to say only enough to satisfy the questioner without boring or distracting him. He can point out that Freemasonry is an educational organization. Masons learn and teach the truths of morality, justice, patriotism, and the necessity of brotherly love to achieve those universal ideals. Reverence for the Great Architect is inculcated because men are brothers only if they are related to God as the, sons of the Creator Father.

He can explain that Masonic meetings, while resembling the meetings of any organized society, have a distinctly Masonic character. They are opened and closed with prayer. They are patriotic because the nation's flag is kept in an honored place in the lodge and properly saluted with the pledge of allegiance. They are opened and closed with Masonic ceremonies to remind the members of the principal purposes of the Fraternity, which are to develop brotherly love and respect for truth. A Mason is also free to explain that Freemasonry is a charitable organization. Scholarship aid for worthy and needy young people in college. Masonic Homes and Hospitals, Grand' Lodge Scholarship Programs, Charity Funds, and the Hospital Visitation Program of the Masonic Service Association are examples of such achievements.

When a Mason is conscious and proud of the moral and spiritual achievements he has made through Masonry, when he has been inspired to display the beauties of friendship, morality, and brotherly love, when he realizes that his own personal life is the most important evidence he can give to show what a Mason is. He knows that his lodge is a spiritual force, when it is learning and teaching its members the universal ideals of the Craft, when it is actively promoting charitable programs and pursuing truth, he will tell what Freemasonry is with conviction and enthusiasm.

When he is asked the question he must then decide on how much or how little to say. A brief but adequate reply is advised, for if the questioner is not satisfied, he will undoubtedly ask for further information.

The following answer is only a suggestion.

"Masons are men who voluntarily asked to join a lodge. They were accepted because they were good men who believe in God and hold high ethical and moral ideals. They go to meetings which they call the lodge, in order to learn and to teach what 'friendship, morality, and truth really involve, and to practice on a small scale the reality of brotherhood. They also have meetings open to their wives, children, and friends where they promote an understanding of the serious nature of the Fraternity by entertainment and sociability. Practical programs for charity and relief are planned and executed. The special kinship they feel for each other as a brotherhood is their deepest satisfaction."

Fraternally,

Walter Busch

The weather is cooling, at last. Autumn in Texas can be very nice.

We attended the Masonic Service Bureau meeting the second Wednesday of October where Brother Charles McKay spoke. He has declared himself a candidate for the Grand South at the next Grand Lodge meeting, by the way.  He brought a talk on our Masonic memories. We each have those from when we were first introduced to our gentle fraternity. He spoke of his seeing those men who were in attendance lining up between the alter and the East when he was brought to light. He was impressed so much that to this day he remembers that time fondly. Each of us has some good memory of our first steps in this journey. He then said that if our memories outweigh our dreams, we are in danger of losing the purpose of the Masonic teachings we revere.

We, too, must have a goal for our Lodge. The W.M. has been busy trying to make a difference in our Lodge, he needs our help in making Smithfield Lodge a destination for our newer brethren. Good leadership creates good followers. The officers coming up will benefit from Herb's leadership. He can use our help.

By the time you get this article those of you who have paid your dues, those you who are endowed members, and those of you who are exempt from dues ( 50 year +) will have received your dues card. Please check it out to see that there are no errors, sign it, and keep it in a safe place. This is your ticket into all well regulated Lodges. Use it wisely.

Thanks again for letting me be your secretary, what a pleasure, and if I can be of assistance to you please call.

Fraternally Yours,

BR Campbell