The Old Past Master
by Carl Claudy- 1924
Masonic
Libraries
"I
can't just see the idea in founding this new Masonic library,"
objected a comparatively newly made Master Mason, talking to a group in
the
anteroom during refreshment. "Books are all right, of course, and
libraries are necessary, but why insist on such a complete library for
the new Temple?"
"Well,
why not?" asked someone.
"If
you follow out the idea to its logical conclusion," answered
the new Master Mason, "the Elks ought to have a library and the Knights
of
Pythias ought to have one. The I.O.O.F. should support a library and
the Red Men should have one, too. All the hundred and one fraternities
should have libraries and the curious spectacle would be presented of a
hundred groups of a few hundred men each, each supporting its own
little collection of books. Wouldn't it be much more sensible
if
they all supported one big collection?"
There
was a moment's silence. The group turned questioning eyes to the Old
Past Master.
"We
already support one big collection of books," the Old Past
Master began. "All of us here present contribute our quota towards the
support of the city library. In practically every town of any size in
the nation is a local library, which all support by their proportion of
taxes.
"But
the general library for the general run of people is naturally
general in character. It will have books on science and history and
travel and adventure and mathematics and botany and business and poetry
and art....a great many books on a great many subjects, but no
authoritative collection on any one subject. The doctor may use the
library for general purposes, but when he wants the last word, he goes
to his medical library. The lawyer may use the general library for one
purpose or another, but it is either his personal law library or that
of his Bar Association which he depends upon for accurate information
in regard to a knotty point of law.
"A
Masonic library may partake of the character of a general library,
in that it may have a lot of fiction and current literature. It serves
Masons in that way, just as the coffee and sandwich at refreshment
serves him. The Lodge isn't and doesn't pretend to be, a restaurant,
but it gives him something to eat to make his visit pleasant. The
Masonic library isn't, and doesn't pretend to be, a competitor of the
city library, but it gives him some fiction and some current literature
to serve him at his
pleasure."
"But
the main purpose of a rightly conducted Masonic library is to
convey knowledge to its owners and users. Masonry makes much of the
liberal arts and sciences; not to provide the means by which Masons may
learn of these is for Masonry to fail in practicing what she teaches.
"The
Masonic library is poorly conceived and ill furnished which
contains only books upon Masonry. A doctor's library which had books
only upon office practice and business systems would be of little help
to the physician. The Masonic library which has only Masonic history
and philosophy, offers but little to the true seeker of light. A
Masonic library should be a library of all knowledge, including a great
deal on Masonry, but as much on philosophy, science, religion, art,
history, that its users have the opportunity to learn.
"In
the capital of this nation is America's
largest and finest
collection
of books; the Congressional Library, second only to the library of the
British Museum
in size, and with its volumes far more accessible to
readers than that of the English library. But that doesn't prevent the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction from
maintaining one of the very finest Masonic libraries in the world. In
the great House of the Temple
are a hundred thousand books. They are not all books on Masonry, though
the Masonic collection is world famous. It is a general library, of
general knowledge. Incidentally it contains a wonderful Burnsiana
collection, the largest collection of English translations of Goethe's
Faust in the world, as well as the priceless Pike manuscripts, some of
them not yet in print.
"Yet
in spite of this there is a Grand Lodge library in the capital of
the nation, for the use of Master Masons, and the local Scottish rite
bodies got up a library of their own, by asking members for unwanted
books.
"I
think every Order should have its own library. I see no reason why
Elks and Red Men, Pythians and Odd Fellows, should not find equal
benefits from libraries of their own. But there is this distinction;
Masonry is old. It is worldwide. Its history is the history of the
world. Its philosophy is the philosophy of all ages. With not the
slightest disrespect for the various other fraternal orders, it may
truthfully be said that none of them has the lineage, the extent, the
spread, the history or the intimate connection with knowledge that is
Masonic pride. Therefore, Masonry has, perhaps, an especial need for
books, and books, of course, mean a library.
"Something
has been said about including books in lighter vein in
Masonic libraries. I think they should be included. One gives candy to
a child to make the taking of medicine easy. We supply entertainment
and refreshment to make attendance at specially vital meetings, easy.
Why not the inclusion of books of purely entertainment character to
make the use of the library easy to those who know little of libraries?
As those who once came to scoff remained to pray, so it is often the
case that the man who starts browsing in a library after light fiction
remains to examine, and be interested by, works of real information.
"So,
my brethren, I believe we should support our Masonic library to
the limit; I believe we should make sacrifices for it, help it, use it.
"Masonry
has only gentle methods at her hand for the working out of
her great purposes. We wield no battle-axe and carry no sword.
But....the pen is mightier than the sword, and the book is but the
printed thought which some man penned. Education is Masonry's greatest
tool; and books are at once the foundation and the superstructure of
education."
"I wish I could
learn to think first and talk afterwards' said the
newly
made Master Mason. "I am for all the help we can give."
"You
see," smiled the Old Past Master, "even talking about a
library has help our brother's education."
