Whenever friends bemoan the falling membership and current unfashionable image of Freemasonry, I attempt to cheer them. But the Order has been going 300 years, seen bad times before and will still be here in another 300 years.
    English Freemasonry must address the shortage of good candidates in many lodges.
    There are many different answers, but one simple practical measure for some Lodges would be to scrap the festive board. This is not a new or revolutionary idea. Struggling Lodges in London were advised in this way some years ago. Many English lodges abroad only banquet on installation night, having a simple buffet after most meetings.

Lack of leisure time

Time and again, when I sound out friends, they are interested in joining, but simply do not have the leisure time that membership of most Lodges demands. The working world has changed since our fathers’ day. Many professional men, owners of businesses and others cannot get home until 7pm or later. Many work a great distance from their homes. It is virtually impossible for them to be suitably attired as early as 4.30pm or even 6.30pm on a weekday, and they have better things to do on Saturdays.
    We should offer the choice of a lodge that normally meets at 7pm or 7.30pm on a weekday and refreshes itself with an informal buffet. There would normally still be plenty of time for brotherly chat before going home at 10pm.
    Except at installations, we can do without all the wine-taking, toasts and speeches. We will not starve, and if we heard these speeches only once a year, the impact would be all the greater.
    The object should be to increase not only the numbers but, much more important, the quality of candidates. Time on a waiting list is a good test of sincerity. Lodges should not be the preserve of the retired and bored.

Masonry an interest

They should embrace busy men of all ages who also have plenty of healthy non-masonic interests. Masonry should be an interest, not a main occupation or obsession.
    Lodges can also reduce the time commitment by reviewing the number of their meetings. Many country lodges have eight or more meetings each year, and some are desperately searching for two or three candidates every year.
    Although it is good to have lectures etc occasionally, why not cut down to four or five meetings a year? If the candidates are of the right quality, most will want to take the Chair. The incentive to do so will be all the greater if the overall time commitment, including rehearsals, is substantially reduced.
    Getting younger men into the Craft will do it the world of good. How refreshing it is to visit the University Lodges at Oxford and Cambridge! Many men would enrich the craft by their presence at Lodge, even only two or three times a year.
    Far be it from me to suggest that all Lodges should scrap the festive board, but what is desperately needed is willingness to adapt.
    Just as a festive board is not essential to good freemasonry, neither is it necessary that Grand Officers etc should always sit at the top table. A recognition by some that rank does not entitle them to boss young masons about would also help enormously.
    Sadly, for some senior brethren, Freemasonry has become their “be-all and end-all.” Many junior masons have professional skills sorely needed on committees, but they are never even considered for appointment. Somehow the idea has gained ground, even at the highest level, that it is only masonic rank that counts. This deprives our charities of talented administrators.

End autocracy

The history of the Craft and its Constitutions show that autocratic rule has no place in Freemasonry, yet it is all too prevalent, and it directly discourages both recruitment and retention.
    To recruit and retain the right men, we need instead to spread a truly caring culture throughout the Craft. This will ensure that all Lodges frequently visit or at least telephone absent members and Lodge widows. This vital task cannot be left to only one Almoner.
    He should split up the list and lead a team of assistant almoners. In too many Lodges, out of sight is out of mind. Sadly, not all Lodges recognise that the great scourge in modem society is not lack of money, but loneliness. n

David Wyatt is a Gloucestershire Freemason.