Live Within the Compass, Part Upon the Square
My Brother, in the Courtyard
Each one of us has stood
Outside the tyled Temple door
Awaiting as we should.
Take heed, thou young Apprentices
The Word emblazoned there:
To meet upon the level
And part upon the square.
My Brother, at the Altar
Each one of us has knelt
With solemn Oath and Brotherhood
The Mystic Tie we’ve felt.
Take heed, my Brother Fellowcraft
The Word emblazoned there:
To act upon the plumb
And part upon the Square.
My Brother, in the Temple
Each one of us was Raised
And on receiving further light
Into the Light, we gazed.
Take heed, my Brothers, Masters all
The Word emblazoned there:
To Live within the compass
And part upon the Square.
– Author unknown
A Little Lodge Of Long Ago
The Little Lodge of long ago-
It wasn’t very much for show;
Men met above the village store,
And cotton more than satin wore,
And sometimes stumbled on a word,
But no one cared, or no one heard.
Then tin reflectors threw the light
Of kerosene across the night
And down the highway served to call
The faithful to Masonic Hall.
It wasn’t very much, I know,
The little lodge of long ago.
But, men who meet in finer halls,
Forgive me if the mind recalls
With love, not laughter, doors of pine,
And smoky lamps that dimly shine,
Regalia tarnished, garments frayed,
Or cheaply bought or simply made,
And floors uncarpeted, and men
Whose grammar falters now and then-
For Craft or Creed, or God Himself,
Is not a book upon a shelf:
They have a splendor that will touch
A Lodge that isn’t very much.
It isn’t very much- and yet
And, if a handful or a host,
This made it great: there Masons met-
That always matters, matters most.
The beauty of the meeting hour
Is not a thing of robe or flow’r,
However beautiful they seem:
The greatest beauty is the gleam
Of sympathy in honest eyes.
A Lodge is not a thing of size,
It is a thing of Brotherhood,
And that alone can make it good.
The Lambskin Apron
A Poem by Edgar A. Guest
It is not ornamental, the cost is not great,
There are other things far more useful, yet truly I state,
Tho of all my possessions, there’s none can compare,
With that white leather apron, which all Masons wear.
As a young lad, I wondered just what it all meant,
When Dad hustled around, and so much time was spent
On shaving and dressing and looking just right,
Until Mother would say: “It’s the Masons tonight.”
And some winter nights she said: “What makes you go,
Way up there tonight thru the sleet and the snow,
You see the same things every month of the year.”
Then Dad would reply: “Yes, I know it, my dear.”
Forty years I have seen the same things, it is true.
And though they are old, they always seem new,
For the hands that I clasp, and the friends that I greet,
Seem a little bit closer each time that we meet.”
Years later I stood at that very same door,
With good men and true who had entered before,
I knelt at the altar, and there I was taught
That virtue and honor can never be bought.
That the spotless white lambskin all Masons revere,
If worthily worn grows more precious each year,
That service to others brings blessings untold,
That man may be poor tho surrounded by gold.
I learned that true brotherhood flourishes there,
That enmities fade ‘neath the compass and square,
That wealth and position are all thrust aside,
As they’re on the level men meet and abide.
So, honor the lambskin, may it always remain
Forever unblemished, and free from all stains,
And when we are called to the Great Father’s love,
May we all take our place in that Lodge up above
Family Night at Fraternal
We had an incredible turnout thanks to everyone who joined us! The food, the conversation, and the overwhelming love that was shared this night were inspiring and we can’t wait to see all of our families, friends, and visitors again.
Here are a few images from our night and if you’d like to share yours, please email us or send a message on Facebook!
Family night at Fraternal 
WM Tom Carder and his wife Jenni prepare the ham
Families enjoying dinner together 
Families enjoying dinner together
We had quite the spread! 
A great turnout!
Our team photographers! Bro. Jim and his daughter Claire 
Fellowship while the meal is prepared
Letting the kids enjoy the lodge 
From the lodge room
Are You the One Keeping the Lights On?
Someone at the Lodge
I know there is someone at the Lodge,
There’s a meeting there twice a month.
I know someone cuts the grass,
I can tell because it gets done;
I know someone pays the lights and water,
Because I see them on each month.
I know someone repairs the building;
Because I see it happen when needed.
I know someone teaches the work;
Because candidates go through.
I know someone sends in the reports;
Because the Lodge keeps its charter.
I know someone keeps things going;
I’d like to help but don’t have time.
I’ll let them do it,
They seem to always be around.
I’ll just wear my ring;
And pay my dues.
When others ask about the Lodge;
I’ll proudly say I’m a member.
And I’ll just let someone else,
Do all the things that keep it going.
Sometimes, though, I wonder…
Who is that someone?
Robert E. Rowland, PM
Secretary, Goshen Masonic Lodge No. 71
The Bridge Builder
Dedicated to Past Masters of Fraternal Lodge No. 37
An old man going a lone highway,
Came, at the evening cold and gray,
To a chasm vast and deep and wide.
Through which was flowing a sullen tide
The old man crossed in the twilight dim,
The sullen stream had no fear for him;
But he turned when safe on the other side
And built a bridge to span the tide.
“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,
“You are wasting your strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day,
You never again will pass this way;
You’ve crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
Why build this bridge at evening tide?”
The builder lifted his old gray head;
“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,
“There followed after me to-day
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been as naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be;
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building this bridge for him!”
I Am Proud to be A Freemason
I shall never forget my first thought as I made my initial entrance into the Masonic Lodge that conferred the Entered Apprentice Degree on me, and followed with the Fellow Craft and Master Mason Degrees. I was immediately made to feel that I was surrounded by Brothers. I felt there were no strangers present. This was one big family that seemed to have adopted me, and I, in turn, was elated to adopt them as my family.
My horizon of Masonry expanded, and my pride and joy were bubbling and effervescent. I couldn’t wait to be able to confer the Degrees on others as there was so much I wanted to explain and elaborate about each Degree.
I was offered this opportunity and immediately began to study and memorize many parts, and over the years I became very active, holding office, lecturing, and taking an active part in every phase of Masonry where my talents and abilities could be used. One aspect of Masonry that has made a great impression on me was the ability of all Brothers, regardless of religion, to ask me why did I need Masonry as a Rabbi, because my profession was one of integrity, kindness, honesty, and all the attributes expounded in Masonry. It was difficult for many to grasp my need for this addition and supplement to religion. I worked with men of different religions, as well as of the Hebrew faith, and they were all impressed when I would say that Masonry is not a religion, but to be a Mason we had to believe in God, and if this was the only aspect of our religion and we had no other formal religion, yet we adhered to all the moral teachings of Masonry; this too would have put us in the category of men of integrity. However, Masonry is not a substitute for religion, nor is it a religion.
My experience has shown that Masons are, for the most part, deeply religious men. I am proud to be a Mason and a part of an organization that is devoted to helping, without question or embarrassment, widows, orphans, and those in need.
I am proud to be a Mason and to be a part of a Fraternity dedicated to the upholding of the Constitution of the United States of America and the Bill of Rights.
I am proud to be a Mason who believes in the freedom of mankind and the sanctity of human life.
I am proud to be a Mason who believes in the dignity of God’s children and opposes hatred and bigotry, and stands for truth, justice, kindness, integrity, and righteousness for all.
I am proud to be a Mason and shall always be happy to number myself among those who uphold those cardinal principles and moral standards of life that are so needed if our organization is to continue on the high level that has been its character from its inception. May God grant it continued strength to go, to grow, and to glow so that I and all Masons can exclaim: “I am proud to be a Mason!”
A $25 Loan Between Two “Brothers”
A young man passed a pawnbroker’s shop. The moneylender was standing in front of his shop, and the young man noted that he was wearing a large and beautiful Masonic emblem.
After going on a whole block, apparently lost in thought, the young man turned back, stepped up to the pawnbroker, and addressed him: “I see you’re wearing a Masonic emblem. I’m a Freemason too. It happens that I’m desperately in need of $25 just now. I shall be able to repay it within ten days. You don’t know me, but I wonder whether the fact that you are a Freemason and that I am a Freemason is sufficient to induce you to lend me the money on my personal note.”
The pawnbroker mentally appraised the young man, who was clean-cut, neat, and well-dressed. After a moment’s thought, he agreed to make the loan on the strength of the young man being a Freemason.
Within a few days, the young man repaid the loan as agreed and that ended the transaction.
About four months later the young man was in a Lodge receiving the Entered Apprentice Degree; he had not really been a Mason when he borrowed the $25.
After he had been admitted for the second section of the degree, the young man looked across the Lodge room and saw the pawnbroker from whom he had borrowed the $25. His face turned crimson and he became nervous and jittery. He wondered whether he had been recognized by the pawnbroker.
Apparently not, so he planned at the first opportunity to leave the Lodge room and avoid his benefactor. As soon as the Lodge was closed he moved quickly for the door, but the pawnbroker had recognized the young man, headed him off and, to the young man’s astonishment, approached him and greeted him with a smile and outstretched hand. “Well, I see you weren’t a Freemason after all when you borrowed that $25,” the pawnbroker commented.
The blood rushed to the young man’s face as he stammered, “No, I wasn’t, but I wish you’d let me explain. I had always heard that Freemasons were charitable and ready to aid a Brother in distress. When I passed your shop that day I didn’t need that $25. I had plenty of money in my wallet, but when I saw the Masonic emblem you were wearing, I decided to find out whether the things I’d heard about Freemasonry were true.
You let me have the money on the strength of my being a Freemason, so I concluded that what I had heard about Masons was true, that they are charitable, that they do aid Brethren in distress. That made such a deep impression on me that I presented my petition to this Lodge and here I am. I trust that with this explanation you will forgive me for having lied to you.”
The pawnbroker responded, “Don’t let that worry you too much. I wasn’t a Freemason when I let you have the money. I had no business wearing the Masonic emblem you saw. Another man had just borrowed some money on it, and it was so pretty that I put it on my lapel for a few minutes. I took it off the moment you left. I didn’t want anyone else borrowing money on the strength of my being a Freemason.
When you asked for that $25, I remembered what I had heard about Masons, that they were honest, upright, and cared for their obligations promptly. It seemed to me that $25 wouldn’t be too much to lose to learn if what I’d heard was really true, so I lent you the money and you repaid it exactly as you said you would. That convinced me that what I’d heard about Masons was true so I presented my petition to this Lodge. I was the candidate just ahead of you.”
From the January 1977 New Mexico Freemason