Masonic Relief - (Peacetime - Wartime)One of the great objects of our institution is, to afford relief to a worthy, distressed Brother. In his want and destitution, the claim of a Mason upon his Brethren is much greater than that of a profane. This claim for relief, he may present either to a lodge or to a Brother Mason. The rule, as well as the principles by which it is to be regulated, is laid down in that fundamental law of Masonry, the Old Charges, which state:
"You are cautiously to examine him, in such a method as prudence shall direct you, that you may not be imposed upon by an ignorant, false pretender, whom you are to reject with contempt and derision, and beware of giving him any hints of knowledge.
"But if you discover him to be a true and genuine Brother, you are to respect him accordingly; and if he is in want, you must [emphasis added] relieve him if you can, or else direct him how he may be relieved. You must employ him some days, or else recommend him to be employed. But you are not charged to do beyond your ability, only to prefer a poor Brother, that is a good man and true, before any other people in the same circumstances."
Practicing charity in peacetime is vastly different from charity in war, and Masons found themselves asking how they could reconcile their principles with the political reality of open war. In October of 1861, the Grand Master of New York, Finlay M. King, supplied his jurisdiction with the answer:
"Arguing that Freemasonry was in a unique position to mitigate the horrors of war, being pervasive on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line, he urged greater Masonic participation in military units, and called for an increase in charitable efforts on the battlefield and in military hospitals, letting "the light of Masonic charity and mercy shed forth their cheering beams, bringing balm to the sufferer, comfort to the sorrowing, and sustenance to the poor and hungry."
[The Better Angels of Our Nature - Freemasonry in the Civil War, Michael A. Halleran, University of Alabama Press, 2010]
Fraternally,
Norm Leeper, PM, HA
Secretary, SCRL
