A Paper for…

Sequoia Council No. 228 (AMD)

Tulare Masonic Temple, 135 W. Tulare Avenue, Tulare, CA

… to better serve the Craft through the medium of study and research

Tolstoy’s Classes of Masons

by Rudy Olano

Sequoia Council No. 228 (AMD)

06-06-06

Masonic maturity may be attained by having a thorough knowledge and understanding of our Masonic duties and responsibilities and practicing them.---unknown author.

Masonic maturity comes also from learning through study, understanding, and actual practice of the Craft. Just as a child learning to walk, bruises and cuts were part of learning process. As our unknown author expounded some of our duties and responsibilities by using the EA Charges, there are “many terms and facts and principles and precepts that we must learn and imbibe so that eventually we will attain Masonic maturity.” It is unnecessary as it has already been explained to us the meaning and origins of cowans, profane and eavesdroppers. His summary of Masonic characters defined by Leo Tolstoy in War and Peace, certainly enlightens rational thinking minds. The comparison of Tolstoy’s Russia to “present-day Philippines” and the call to “wake up NOW” to save the Fraternity from “physical and spiritual decays” through Masonic education is a noble appeal. His elucidation of cowans, profane and eavesdroppers were a nice start but I wish the focus was more on something that we should learn to prevent the corporeal and divine collapse of our Craft.

Leo Tolstoy four characterizations of Masonic brethren are not exclusive to Romanov’s Russia or the present-day Philippines. This “distinct classes” is always been a world-wide state of the Fraternity. Men joined Freemasonry for variety of reasons and as we mature within and under care of our watchful and caring brethren, we progressed through those classes. Uncomfortable and controversial maybe, but we could compare Tolstoy class 4 to EA, class 3 to FC, class 2 to MM and class 1 to those few brethren who had reached the level of which I am not even near qualified to describe. The previous statement is not meant to trifle the brethren person or feelings, but it was used to teach a lesson and illustrate the different possible stages during Masonic maturity.

The basic in the class of Tolstoy Masonic brethren according to our unknown author are “those who believe nothing, desire nothing, and enter the brotherhood simply for the sake of bringing themselves into intimate relations with the rich young men endowed with influential connections.” Harsh words but that’s the unknown authors composition. The notion of placing a blind trust to strangers is difficult to explain especially in the absence of readily available information of what the organization is all about. Class four is a rough ashlar. It is rude and imperfect.

Class 3 is “those who seek in Masonry nothing but the superficial formalities and ceremonies and who insist on the fulfillment of those external forms, caring nothing for their real essence and significance.” A step above class 4. The stage of knowing enough to be dangerous. Class 3 knows the floor works and memorized the ritual but has not yet understood the meanings of the works.

“Those who seek, but are inclined to waver, not yet successful in walking the straight and intelligent way of Masonry, but all the time striving to walk in it” is the Class 2 according to our unknown author analysis of Tolstoy’s War and Peace. This is the stage where majority of Masons falls into, those of us who everyday strive to be a good person and hoped to live a good life guided by the ethics reinforced by Masonic ideals. They are the Master Masons trying to master their lives.

The last class is “those who take no interest in the transaction of the Lodge or in human affairs in general but are exclusively absorbed in the mysterious doctrines of the Order . . . and all the symbolism of Solomon’s Temple.” The number of brethren who came close to reach this category can be counted in our hands, the first one I could think of is Albert Pike and his Morals and Dogma.

The unknown author obviously is lamenting on the “negative trend.” Being unfamiliar with the current situation and not “more knowledgeable about masonry in this jurisdiction,” I would defer my comment on the political state of affairs. The use of Leo Tolstoy War and Peace character to describe the classes of Masons and its inference as a “negative trend” is I submit as unfounded. As long as Freemasonry exists in this world, it will continue to attract men---mortal men who will start as rough ashlar and hope to be perfect ashlar, of that state of virtuous education. The vision of a perfect temple created not by hands but eternal in heaven is this imperfect world is a very optimistic dream and might be a little bit too far to reach in our individual lifetime. Our Craft existed for sometime with all kinds of brethren identified in all those four Mason classes. The Czar or the Communist regime did not stamped out Freemasonry in Russia and heaven is not falling in the Philippines or in the US and the rest of the Masonic world.

Some of the root causes of confusion in the temple are the pollution of good men by few undesirables. This is often than not due to weak investigation effort, failure to follow conscience and cast the cube, in addition, for a want to increase membership. We can help “save” our Fraternity my brother, by remembering our First Charge, “by refusing to recommend ANYONE to participation to our ancient privileges, unless you have strong reasons to believe that, by a similar fidelity, he will ultimately reflect honor to our ancient institution.” As long as good men join our Craft we can reasonably expect the Freemasonry to turn them to a better man