‘It was twenty years ago today’

    

Random House USA

On this date in 2002, New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education 1786 was constituted by Grand Master David A. Chase. This singular occurrence more than likely is what resulted in me remaining in the fraternity beyond a couple more years.

At that time, my uninspiring mother lodge was dying, and its merger with our landlord lodge the following year was anything but certain. My York and Scottish rite groups were equally unimpressive. AMD was nice, but lacking. My invitation into the Knights of the North, where I finally would meet like-minded brethren, was three years off. The Masonic Society wouldn’t even be a concept for another six years. Then, approaching my fifth anniversary in Freemasonry, there appeared this purposeful lodge of learning.

It was 1) a meritocracy that 2) hardly anyone in that jurisdiction wanted to know about. Those two characteristics convinced me it was the place to be. (Plus, a gaggle of old hens in my mother lodge—elderly uneducated men who couldn’t understand why anyone would read a book about Freemasonry—made clear their dissatisfaction with my research lodge activity and pleasure. Further proof I was on the right track.)

It was just one of the great accomplishments of MW Chase, with securing recognition of our Prince Hall neighbors and bringing Sons of Liberty Lodge into the family being two others. For that one year, I believed that grand lodge could achieve important forward-thinking successes.

Happy anniversary to my Masonic first love.