With Points and Without Heeltaps

In this article, a brother crosses the Atlantic ocean and becomes a member of Unity Lodge No. 146. He combats prohibition and improves membership by improving the social call with pop, biscuits, cheese, and songs.

“With Points and Without Heeltaps”

The question “How far should the social side of Masonry be encouraged in the meetings of the Blue Lodge? In what manner should it be promoted?” is best answered by my personal experience here in Virginia. Virginia is, as you are aware, dry, very dry. It is, however, a land of letter- or word-perfect Masons, the ritual dominating everything. Here, as in all other Jurisdictions, the thinking and reading Mason is the exception. We have, therefore, the problem up to us of bringing candidates and members into our lodges by making the lodge attractive without the assistance of “Old King Booze,” attractive not only to the small minority of reading Masons, but to the ritualist, and the big majority of members who are always ready to respond to the social call of our Order, which feature, though now very much neglected, was once part of “The Original Design.”

My experience begins with almost my first visit to a lodge on this side of the Atlantic (Unity Lodge No. 146, Front Royal, Virginia, of which I am now a member), about three years ago. On that occasion I sat for two mortal hours listening to a discussion on “ways and means,” ways of raising the wind in the shape of unpaid dues, and means of getting enough brethren together to keep the lodge going and elect officers for the ensuring year. After they had exhausted the subject, I rose and explained a method which I had never known to fail, asking a free hand with the “refreshment fund” and their co-operation after the lodge was closed. As a last resort they agreed to let the “big Irishman go to it” so I waded right in that evening. As far as I can remember there were only about ten of us, but with a dozen bottles of “pop,” a couple pounds of biscuits and a bit of cheese, we had “some night” as they expressed it. I went right through the whole program, gave the “seven Masonic Toasts,” and had every man jack of them on his feet several times. We gave the “Grand Honors,” drinking the toasts with “points and without heeltaps.” We had the “Tyler’s Toast” and the “Charter Song,” the “Mystic Chain,” and “Auld Lang Syne,” and a “Three and one in solemn silence.” We really did have a splendid night. We kept it up, we boosted it, it caught on, and today our lodge room is regularly filled. We are talking of building, our “Degree Team” now visits neighboring lodges, and our sister lodges, when they visit us, go home with something to think about.

We had exactly the same experience in the Chapter with equally good results.

Yes! get the boys together around the social board, start your lodge early or cut out some of the work, but don’t neglect the social feature. Think out the new stunts for the next meeting and get the members interested. They don’t want a feed every night. A bottle of pop, a cup of coffee, a biscuit and a nibble of cheese will do, but get them together round the festive board to yarn and laugh and gag each other over a cigar or jimmy-pipe.

Try it, Worshipful Masters, don’t let the Shrine monopolize all the fun, and write THE BUILDER your experience twelve months hence.

I believe the social feature of Freemasonry is just as surely a Landmark as is the Hiramic Legend and, notwithstanding Deuteronomy 27:17, a landmark which is being slowly but surely obliterated.

J. L. Carson, Virginia.

The Builder, December 1919, Fraternal Forum, “With Points and Without Heeltaps”, J. L. Carson, Virginia