Let us reflect upon the subject of refreshment after labour. Is it a good thing or is it a bad thing? Masonry has sometimes been branded as a highly exclusive Dining Club; is there any truth in that? Is the dinner really necessary?
    Look at the bad side first: there is no doubt that it is the meal after the meeting that has attracted some recruits into Freemasonry and if the meal were to be abolished probably most of those recruits would drop out of the membership list straight away. Unfortunate, but inevitable. So, how necessary is the meal? Looking at the printed summons to a masonic meeting one might think it as important as the meeting itself: following the agenda for the meeting we find the details of the meal, its place, its time, and very often nowadays, its menu as well! A few of the regular members will attend the Lodge even if they are unable to stay for dinner, but not many.
    The timing of the dinner is another factor to consider. Most provincial Lodges tend to hold their meetings at about six o’clock in order to give those in full-time employment a chance to get there. This means that the meeting will seldom finish by seven-thirty at the earliest, making dinner start between eight and nine. Now I don’t suppose this matters much to the young and middle-aged with healthy appetites but old fogeys like me (at eighty-nine) find it very uncomfortable to eat at that time of day and almost impossible to go to sleep afterwards. Personally I am now accustomed to take the last meal of the day at five-thirty or six which allows digestion to operate for a few hours before bed-time.
    Then, of course, there is that interval between the labour of the Lodge and the refreshment at the table. This is the time for pre-dinner drinking and it tends to be a somewhat protracted interval. Naturally those who are collecting the cash for these drinks - especially when in hotels and licensed premises - prefer to see this go on as long as possible, but in many cases a shorter interval would be quite adequate. One has even heard tales (I mention no names) of dinners being ‘slightly delayed’ in order to allow more time at the bar!
    So, could a lot of this bother be overcome by starting Lodge meetings earlier? In the Provinces, as we have seen, six o’clock is about the earliest convenient time, but in London many Lodges meet earlier than this and members seem to get there. I know at least a handful of Lodges that open at five, or four, or even at three-thirty. This means that they can dine at six, and Brethren are on their way home by nine. That’s all very well, you might say, for London Lodges which meet only four times a year but Provincials generally meet every month. Yes, you have a point there, I must admit.
    So much, then, for the ‘bad side’ of refreshment after labour, now turn to the good side. Remember that the grand principles on which our Order is founded are Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth. Truth is what we profess and proclaim in our ceremonies; Relief is concerned with what we do in the cause of Charity, but Brotherly Love can only be understood by getting to know each other; and how can this be any better achieved than by sitting down at the dining table together?
    Dining has always been considered a highly important part of education and fraternity. It is no mere coincidence that our Inns of Court and many Universities and Colleges insist that, no matter where their students have their breakfasts and lunches, on a minimum number of occasions in each term, they are required to dine together in Hall in order to qualify as barristers or graduates. In a similar way Rotary Clubs insist on regular attendance to eat together, and Livery Companies have maintained the same tradition all down the ages. Brotherhood cannot be experienced when our feet are walking on different roads, but only when our feet are together and preferably under the same table.
    Yes, there is a lot to be said for the good side of refreshment as well as the bad. How then can we reconcile the two sides, and is there any possible solution? Attempts have certainly been made: some Lodges now meet in the morning with lunch afterwards. This overcomes the difficulty of eating too late in the day, but though it might suit the ‘old fogeys’ it is of no use to those in full-time employment. Others have abandoned a formal dinner (except perhaps after Installations) and serve a sandwich buffet after their meetings. This has the advantage that Brethren can move about and talk to different men instead of being limited to the one on either side at a table, but most would agree that this is ‘not the same’ as having a dinner. Then there is the cost to consider: dining fees have increased by leaps and bounds and in London particularly some have become astronomic. Are we doing the right thing by spending so much on our own culinary enjoyment?
    Well, these are some of the thoughts that have emerged while reflecting on this subject. I feel sure that quite different thoughts will have occurred to our readers. The Editor is always pleased to receive letters expressing opinions and ideas, and I trust that the debate will continue in the pages of Freemasonry Today. Meanwhile may you enjoy every part of your masonry - remembering always to be ‘mindful of the needs of others’.