On December 7, 2008 R.W. Michael T. Anderson, Deputy Grand Master of The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Texas appeared on the radio podcast Masonic Central. This podcast is nationally and internationally known and has recently interviewed such Mainstream notables as Brothers Chris Hodapp, S. Brent Morris, Robert Davis, Tom Jackson, Stephen Dafoe and Nelson King to name a few. So Brother Anderson followed some heavy hitters on a radio show that is doubling its listeners every two months.
Assisting the Co-owners Brothers Greg Stewart of California and Dean Kennedy of Nova Scotia, Canada interview Brother Anderson was Texas Prince Hall’s own Brother Frederic L. Milliken of Pride of Mt. Pisgah #135, Dallas, Texas.
Brother Anderson was able to paint for his audience a good picture of Prince Hall Masonry. He emphasized his belief that Masonry is not about outward appearance but rather inward character. He spoke lovingly about his Masonic mentor Lawrence “Pap” Anderson who instilled in him the importance of getting a good Masonic education and having a solid foundation of knowledge about the Craft.
Talking about how Masonry affects the individual, Brother Anderson said that you ought to be able to identify a Mason by his actions. “My actions should speak louder than anything else”, he emphasized. “Even if someone doesn’t know you are a Mason, they should be thinking that there is something different about that man”, he added.
He answered questions on the numbers of Texas Prince Hall Masons by saying it is not the quantity of men that we should be concerned about but the quality. Another question was asked about the emphasis upon Christianity within Prince Hall Masonry and Brother Anderson answered that Masonry should always point a Brother to the church. And then he said something about the Bible on our altars that everybody listened intently to. “The more words you put in you, the more words come out of you”, he said.
A question was asked about the longevity of service of Prince Hall Grand Masters and Brother Anderson replied that he thought it was a good thing and allowed Grand Masters to implement some long range visions. He said that he was very, very appreciative of Grand Master Wilbert M. Curtis and all he has done to being a new attitude to Prince Hall Texas and how growth even in mid winter Grand Lodge attendance has increased, reflecting the Brothers love for the continued leadership of their Grand Master. He spoke about Grand Master Curtis’s hard work in getting a compact signed with the Grand Lodge of Texas for Prince Hall recognition and the subsequent recognition by UGLE.
And still another question was about the Masonic Family and the cooperation and closeness of the rapidly growing Bodies of The Eastern Star and Heroines of Jericho. Brother Anderson spoke about the importance placed on the fraternalism of the entire Prince Hall Family.
Many people across the USA and Canada were exposed to a better understanding on just what Prince Hall Masonry is like and we can thank Brother Anderson for that. If you were there live on December7, 2008 you not only got a good show but an unrecorded after show. For those that were not there the show can be accessed on podcast on the Masonic Central website http://masoniccentral.blogspot.com/. Knowledge begets understanding and understanding begets pride in your fraternity. You can tell that when you listen to Brother Anderson. So could the rest of North America.
2 comments:
This phrase caught my attention:
"Talking about how Masonry affects the individual, Brother Anderson said that you ought to be able to identify a Mason by his actions. “My actions should speak louder than anything else”, he emphasized. “Even if someone doesn’t know you are a Mason, they should be thinking that there is something different about that man”, he added."
I've been pondering the idea of "Selling Freemasonry," and have posted a mind map of some of my ideas on my blog, FreemasonFromTheFreestate.blogspot.com.
One of the principle ideas that I've been looking at is this issue of deportment, both personal and institutional. Clean persons, clean actions, clean buildings. Are we enlightened? So what, if it ain't reflected in our presentation; are we mysterious? So what, if people don't want to know us; Are we making good men better? How can people tell?
Take a look at some of the ideas on this map. I am going to incorporate peoples' ideas into the next iteration. I'm going to TRY to rein in my evil judgemental nature, and put the good ones in.
OK you got my two cents. I just hope that my judgmental nature has not pissed you off. If you ask for my opinion you are going to get it. Just remember I love you, Brother!
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