Comments from WM Charles A. Dyer upon his installation 12/4/2008:
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“We take good men, and make them better.” This is the creed of modern Freemasonry. Do we really make them better? Does Freemasonry really have that much of an effect? Is it possible to go thru the degrees, be raised a Master Mason, maybe even join a handful of appended bodies, and simply be a better man? Or is it just a stepping stone? A beginning to what is a lifetime of education.
Tonight I had the privilege honor to spend the evening with my brethren and friends; many of whom, I have know for a long time. Some I had only seen at lodge, and a few I met only for the first time this evening. Good Men!
When I looked around the room tonight, watching the faces of my brethren. I came to a realization. These men that I was sharing my evening with, the men that I gladly call brother, they are good men, and it is through Freemasonry that I have had this chance to meet them. It is through Freemasonry that any of us have ever met. Some here tonight are businessmen, another a real estate agent, one a farmer, and many I don’t even what they do, and myself being in IT . Where would you ever see such a combination? It is under the flag of Freemasonry, that you see men from all walks of life, come together, and unite for both brotherhood and fellowship.
WE make them better. Who are “we”? We are the fellow brothers that interact and befriend the newly made brother. We are the brothers that are there for you when you are alone in the darkness and need help being brought to Light. We are the brothers that help, aid, and assist you in becoming a better man. We are the brothers, that when you are walking down a wrong path, or are living a destructive life, are there to be a shoulder to lean on, even sometimes a crutch. It is the fellow brothers that are the ones that are making us better men. Freemasonry is a place where men who are good can come and associate themselves with other good men, and through this interaction that we become better.
Tonight as we leave here and say our goodbyes, we will all take the time to shake each other’s hand, and may even greet each other with a brotherly hug. Not because we are all mushy inside, but we all recognize that the time that we just spent together, was not just fun and games. We recognized that the time we just spent together was not just another night on the town. We recognized that what we had just done, was not only strengthen our bonds between each other, we had just also added something very important to each other’s lives. That was the gift of brotherhood. We had just participated in an age old event, which brought us all closer together, not just as Freemasons, but also as brothers. I have no doubt in my mind, that if I ever needed anything, I could call on one of these men, one of these better men, and they would be there.
Do we take good men, and make them better? Yes we do!"
