Is the duty of three, mandatory for opening a Master Mason Lodge? Didn’t it use to be five?

In the opening ceremonies, a Lodge is described as consisting of at least three, five, or seven Masons, depending on the Degree, after which the Master inquires as to who they are and what their duties are. In doing this, the Master may inquire as to a greater number than that specified for the Degree, but never a lesser number.

In the New York system that existed from the mid-nineteenth century until 2019, all meetings opened as Master Mason Lodges. Prior to that time, however, New York Lodges could open on any of the three Degrees, as they can today, and most often worked as Entered Apprentice Lodges. The best guess as to why the incongruous duty of five was required under the then-new “third Degree only” system is that it was meant to appease Masons who were used to hearing the duty of seven at most meetings and may have resisted the change. The present system reverts to the traditional number of duties required to be given for each Degree, although the Master can always call for the number of duties specified for a lower Degree. The history and politics of how and why we implemented the previous system is beyond the scope of this column, but if you’re interested in learning more you can invite me to give a talk in your Lodge!

When should the Letter G be turned on?

Most purpose-built Lodge rooms have an illuminated Letter G on permanent display in the East that is turned on and off with an electric switch. It is worth noting, however, that the only time the Letter G is required to be displayed is at the conclusion of the Middle Chamber Lecture, and there is no requirement that it ever be illuminated. Indeed, the only time illumination of the Letter G is mentioned in the Ritual book is to specify when it must be turned off. This makes it the Lodge’s choice when and whether the Letter G is illuminated. A good choice would be to turn it on and off together with the general purpose lighting of the room—e.g., before the meeting commences and after it concludes—and as the Ritual specifies.

In what order should the Altar candles be turned on and off?

The New York Ritual does not specify an order. Purely as a matter of practicality, it may be useful for the Senior Deacon to address the candles according to the order in which he encounters them, starting with the east for the opening and the south for the closing. The important thing is that the candles are always lit when the Bible is open, thus the Senior Deacon lights the candles before opening and extinguishes them after closing the Bible.

Considering all of the bad behavior we observe in our daily lives, what does the Ritual tell us we should do to help improve society and the human lot?

One of the most notable features of our system is that it does not tell us what to do, but instead presents us with concepts and encourages us to reach our own conclusions about how they should apply outside of the Lodge. That said, I do think our Ritual implies that the most important way Freemasons improve society is simply by existing within it and acting on Masonic principles. The Second Degree Charge has something to say in this connection, for example, and it turns out to be supported by scientific inquiry. Researchers looking at data from the decades-long Framingham Heart Study noticed that behaviors tended to pass from friend to friend, and in examining the reach of this influence they found that it extended about three degrees of separation. Thus, for example, if the friend of a friend of a friend quit smoking, your likelihood of quitting increased by more than ten percent. Three degrees of influence and three Degrees of Masonry. . . Surely not a coincidence!