Freemasons In New Jersey Today

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Who are the “Masons” or Freemasons? In two words: your neighbors. Masons come from all walks of life and include men as young as their twenties and as old as Madison Lodge’s oldest active member, Austin Mitscher, who just celebrated his 101st birthday. Some are local residents, others not. Some have local businesses and professions; others commute to the area and some live here but work elsewhere. So, what attracts all these different people and what is it that Masons “do”?

The Wikipedia definition is a handy, high-level introduction for non-Masons, although it leaves much unexplained about one of the oldest fraternities in the World.

“Freemasonry or Masonry consists of fraternal organizations that trace their origins to the local fraternities of stonemasons (sic) that from the end of the 14th century regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities and clients. Freemasonry has been the subject of numerous conspiracy theories throughout the years.

“The basic, local organizational unit of Freemasonry is the Lodge. These private Lodges are usually supervised at the regional level within a state, province, or national border, by a Grand Lodge or Grand Orient. There is no international, worldwide Grand Lodge that supervises all of Freemasonry; each Grand Lodge is independent, and they do not necessarily recognize each other as legitimate.

“The degrees of Freemasonry retain the three grades of medieval craft guilds, those of Apprentice, Journeyman or fellow (called Fellowcraft), and Master Mason. The candidate of these three degrees is progressively taught the meanings of the symbols of Freemasonry, and entrusted with grips, signs and words to signify to other members that he has been so initiated. The degrees are part allegorical morality play and part lecture. Members of any of these degrees are known as Freemasons or Masons.”

Historical Roots of the Fraternity

Wikipedia repeats what many books on Freemasonry say, that the source of the fraternity is Medieval stonemasons who had guilds to protect the quality of work performed in building ports, castles, fortifications and churches. So, then, Freemasons were stonemasons? Not exactly.

Although it may disappoint many American Freemasons to learn this, John J. Robinson makes a convincing case, based on extensive research, that there is no documented connection with the English Guilds, because there were no English Guilds of operative stonemasons! As he remarks, endless repetition of something does not make it true. (See, Born in Blood, The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry, © 1989, ISBN 0-87131-602-1. Or Google the title.)

It is generally agreed among Freemason scholars that, during the Age of Enlightenment, (1715-1789), an intellectual and philosophical movement arose that dominated the world of ideas in Europe. Educated men like Sir Isaac Newton and Sir Christopher Wren were known to be Freemasons. Due to the bitter and lethal disputes in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, between Roman Catholics, loyal to Rome, and King Henry VIII’s Anglican Church, independent thought was a dangerous pursuit. Many Masons kept their affiliation secret in England and Scotland, as did others elsewhere, for fear of offending Church or State or both.

Many authors, philosophers and scientists joined the fraternity. In France, philosophers, mathematicians and astronomers and members of the Académie Francais were members. Many joined because they were able to converse freely with liberal thinkers in Lodges that were secure from prying eyes and uninvited ears.

They called themselves Speculative Masons, adopting the tools and symbols of operative masons as means to illustrate principles and ideals. In the eighteenth century, Lodges in England, for example, often were composed of men engaged in a particular field. Shipbuilders might form a Masonic Lodge; merchants another; fishermen another, and so on. In large cities it was common to have Lodges with members from a number of occupations. Some included men in government, law enforcement, finance and members of the clergy.

The resulting friendships among members became one of the strengths of the hundreds of Lodges throughout the United Kingdom and Western Europe. Unfortunately, to some observers, it came to be regarded as a secret, unofficial power structure that “ran everything”. This was understandable when members of the British Royal Family, Members of Parliament, Ministers, judges and lawyers belonged to the same fraternity.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as the economic power shifted in the UK from landowners to merchants, manufacturers and financiers they, too, embraced the fraternity. Little wonder that even Monty Python sketches in the twentieth century spoofed and satirized the Masons as a secret cabal. It may be true that some people who “ran the world” were, in fact, Masons. It is equally true, however, that not all Masons run the world!

The Use of Rituals

One aspect of Masonry, that contributes to both the tradition and the mythology is the use of rituals. It requires explanation because it is part of “what Masons do.” Masons use ceremonies in opening and closing their meetings and in conferring the three degrees referred to above. They also have rituals for installation of officers each year, for dedication of Masonic and public buildings and for funeral services for members.

These ceremonies involve customs, habits and formalities that remains unchanged through centuries. Courts and other government activities have their rituals for doing business. In colleges and universities that have fraternities and sororities, these each have their rituals. Every religion has its own. All ritual serves the same purpose, which is to connect each new generation of members to every generation before and after, in a manner and form unique to the organization.

New Jersey Masonic rituals date back to the 1820s, based on even older forms from England. They are still performed from memory and use nineteenth century English. While rote memorization is difficult for many in this century, and the grammar and vocabulary challenge understanding at times, Masons make the effort because the ritual is part of the shared experience that unites members, Lodges and Grand Lodges around the globe. Not all Masons master the ritual, but all participate at some level.

Continuing the earliest traditions, today’s Masons also use confidential, or secret, means of recognition including special hand grips and exchanges of words and phrases that enable them to identify each other, “In the dark as well as in the light.” This ritual is “occult”, in the broadest meaning of the term, in that it is hidden from the uninitiated. It is not sinister or evil and serves only beneficial purposes. Masonic ritual has no connection to Black Magic, no matter how many works of fiction suggest otherwise.

Consider if you, the reader, found yourself in a distant country and lost your passport and wallet. If you were a Mason, you could identify yourself as such without papers, and seek assistance of other Masons. If you did not know where Masons lived or met, you could identify yourself through the grips and speech, even if you were not fluent in another language. This method also makes it difficult for a non-Mason to impersonate one and thereby take advantage of the generosity of host Masons.

New Jersey Freemasonry

Madison Lodge is formally known as, Madison Lodge No. 93, Free and Accepted Masons. It operates under Warrant from the Grand Lodge of New Jersey, headquartered in Trenton. It was established, in January1869, as the ninety-third Lodge in the State. There are also Lodges in Bernardsville, Chester, Dover, Livingston, Morristown, and Mountain Lakes, as well as in every county.

A New Jersey member can visit Lodges in other jurisdictions, subject to common standards for courtesy and recognition. It is worth noting that almost all Lodges in the USA and Canada occupy buildings that are clearly marked with signs identifying them as Masonic, including the Masonic emblem pictured here. So much for the allegation that Masons meet in secret.

New Jersey Masons are representative of virtually all groups of men in every profession, occupation and field of interest. When a man is initiated he is told that, “Masonry regards no man for his worldly wealth or honors. The internal and not the external qualities of a man recommend him to Masonry.” At the end of life’s journey, the principle is echoed. In the brief, public funeral service given every deceased member whose family requests it, the orator reminds all that, “At the grave, the scepter of the prince and the staff of the beggar are laid side by side. There all fallacies are detected, all ranks are levelled, and all distinctions are done away.”

Masons are your neighbors, your colleagues, your workmates your friends. Many serve the community as first responders. In this COVID-19 era, Freemasons are found among doctors, nurses, medical technicians and support workers in healthcare. They are bakers and bankers, judges and lawyers, teachers from pre-school to post-graduate. Some work in government, most in the private sector. Some are union workers, and some are management. Some are entertainers and some are professional athletes.

In short, Masons are a cross-section of the community who share values like self-reliance tempered by mutual dependence. They respect each other’s beliefs enough not to attempt to change them. They can actually disagree on a subject without allowing themselves to become disagreeable. They are not perfect people, but they make an effort to become better members of their communities. They also like to meet as brothers and enjoy each other’s company.

They are single and married and may be childless, or natural or adoptive parents. Many are devoted grandparents (and will show you pictures). They include Giants fans and Jets fans, and even a few Eagles and Patriots fans. There are confirmed reports that even Dallas Cowboys fans are welcome in New Jersey Lodges. More to come in future articles. For more information on Freemasonry, try these links: for Madison Lodge: http://madisonlodgenj.com/

For information about the Masonic Fraternity a reliable source is: https://beafreemason.org/

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