The North Carolina Mason

July/August 2015 The North Carolina Mason Page 5 The BoTTom Line Guarding the West Gate By Douglas L. Caudle Grand Master "If, in the circle of your acquaintance, you find a person desirous of being initiated into Masonry, be particularly attentive not to recommend him un- less you are convinced he will conform to our rules." ese are a portion of the words in our North Caro- lina Lodge Manual (Bahnson Manual) concerning men wanting to join our Craft. Our communities today are more transient, and we often do not know our neighbors or co-workers. In years past, families lived in the same community for many generations. Many times, members of the lodge knew the petitioner's father and grandfather and could effectively give an opinion on his charac- ter. Today, this is the exception rather than the norm. erefore, we must be more diligent in our checks into the character of men who seek admission into our lodges. With low initiation fees, it is easy for a man to petition a lodge just to satisfy his curiosity. With the technology of today, we can easily check into the criminal background of a petitioner. A few years ago, we began public records investigations on every applicant for the degrees. I have been shocked at the information received from these background checks. Convictions of many crimes (some serious) are often listed in these reports. However, criminal checks are only a part of a man's character. An additional way to determine character is to visit the candidate in his home. Many lodges have stopped having home visits by the investigation committee to expedite the process. Home visits give the committee an insight into the petitioners life. We must also resist the temptation to quickly recommend someone just because they have a de- sire to join. Before signing a petition, we must ask ourselves, "Would I trust this man with my wife, mother, sister, or daughter?" Certainly I am not sug- gesting that we be so selective that we never allow anyone to join. However, we must not take it lightly when signing a petition for membership. Investigation Committee guideline One of the topics of discussion in my District meetings, was the need for guidelines for our Inves- tigating Committees. Currently, we have no official guideline to conduct this important part of our la- bors. Although e Code gives many rules, we do not have a practical guideline to help us put this important task into practice. Many times, Lodges rely upon their usual customs when an investiga- tion committee is needed. Brothers Mack Sigmon and Larry ompson have compiled a two-part guideline consisting of a checklist that you can take with you to the interview and a primer to refresh the committee on all of the aspects this important committee. is guideline will soon be available on the Grand Lodge website. Charles Cathey Masonic Scholarship campaign e sale of the decals that each North Carolina Mason has received has been brisk. Many of you have contributed the requested $25 donation, and several have been most generous by contributing even more. I appreciate each of you who have helped with this wonderful and needed program. Our tar- get is to raise enough funds to double the amount of scholarships awarded each year to 16. Although we are well on our way we have not quite reached that goal. I ask your to please consider helping these de- serving high school seniors further their education. Annual Communication e Grand Lodge Annual Communication Committee has been working very hard to make this years event even more special. A new audio system will be in place so that everyone will be able to hear better. Additional video monitors will also be used so that reports being presented can be eas- ily seen as well. is year we will also be incorporating more music into the program. We have beautiful music hidden in plain sight. Our Bahnson Manual has music for each degree that will be presented. We will also have group songs that we will be sing- ing at the opening of Annual Communication and during the necrology service. The vendor area will be doubled in size to give better access. The Grand Lodge ladies will be conducting a silent auction to benefit White- Stone's MESH Foundation LLC. As a special feature, we will be having a special speaker dur- ing our Saturday morning session. I look for- ward to seeing you at our annual session Sep- tember 25–26 in Winston-Salem. STATESVILLE — Keith B. Rash, left, is the latest recipient of the Joseph Montfort Medal, North Carolina Freemasonry's highest honor. At his final district meeting May 27, Grand Master Douglas Caudle, right, presented Rash the honor. Rash, a member of Harmony 299, is currently grand lecturer. He is past district grand master and past district deputy grand lecturer of the 30 th Masonic District. Back in 1996–1997, he served as DDGL of the then 51 st District at the same time his father, John B. Rash, center, was DDGM. e Montfort Medal is the highest honor presented by our Grand Lodge. It is given for "distinguished Masonic service or achievement." A grand master may present only three during his tenure. — Mack Sigmon Rash named Montfort Medalist

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