DORMER MASONIC STUDY CIRCLE NO. 46 

"THE ILLUMINATION OF THE CRAFT" 
By Wor. Bro. W.H. Topley, 
P.M., P.Z., P.P.G.St.B., (R.A.), Sussex. 

The Quest. 

"It is the glory of the Lord to conceal a thing, but the honour of kings is to search out a matter." 
(Proverbs, Chap. 25. V. 2.) 

The Beginning. 

"Well done, good and faithful servant : thou hast been faithful in a few 
things." (Matthew, Chap. 25. V. 21.) 

The Ending. 

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John, 
Chap. 8. V. 32.) 

INTRODUCTION. 


As I stand before you this afternoon (13th April, 1946), it is with a 
feeling that we as Masons have arrived at a tide in the affairs of men, 
which, if taken at the flood, may lead on to fortune. With at least the 
formal restoration of peace on earth, a world wide organisation has been 
established, the declared intention of which is goodwill towards men. And 
it is not too much to say that the discovery, for good or ill, of a means 
of releasing some portion of the fearful energies contained within an atom 
of physical matter has transformed the whole situation confronting mankind. 
For believe me Brethren, nothing in the field of human endeavour will ever 
be quite the same again. 

You will remember the words Tennyson puts into the mouth of King Arthur, as 
he lay dying amid the ruins of his Kingdom :- "The old order changes giving 
place to new and God fulfils Himself in many ways, lest one good custom 
should corrupt the world." I, with adult memories of the years before the 
year 1914, when the great tribulation in which we are still engulfed, fell 
upon the world, have seen the breaking down of much that seemed to me 
gracious and of good report in the little world I knew, and it may well be 
that the ruthless exuberance of reforming zeal will sweep other things I 
might wish to see retained. Yet I have faith enough to believe that the 
ancient prophecy is constantly in process of fulfilment, when the old men 
dream dreams of battle-fields gone by, and the young men see visions of new 
and arduous ways in which to build on old foundations, after clearing away 
the rubbish of former systems, by no means without beauty and merit in 
themselves, but which have served their purpose and had their day. I say 
"Old Foundations" because they were laid for humanity before the world 
burst forth from chaos and created nature had its birth, and no others can 
support the superstructures of man's brightest dreams. What are these 
laundations? Perhaps their clearest and simplest expression is to be found 
in the Grand Principles on which our Order is founded. Only let these be 
accepted as having Divine sanction and eternal consequences, and let the 
generality of men endeavour to live in the light of them, and the dream of 
unity in diversity would come true; men and nations building their several 
Temples according to the pattern of the Faith their hearts love best, while 
acknowledging a common foundation in brotherly love, relief, and truth as 
it is given to each to see it. 

How well I remember the beginnings of the old League of Nations and the 
Meetings we held about it. Some of us seemed to see the Pentecostal fires 
descending on those early assemblies - and perhaps we did. The plans were 
admirable, but too many tried to build upon the shifting sands of national 
self interest and the footings collapsed under the hands of the builders. 
Today, in spite of discouragements, it is I think permissible to hope that 
the Delegates to the new United Nations Organisation may prove wiser than 
their predecessors. But if not, we, or those who come after us, or maybe we 
coming after our personal selves, must clear away the rubbish and start 
afresh. Yet, lest the mind be overwhelmed in contemplation of the vast 
majestic sweep of Cosmic unfoldment, and we are tempted to feel that our 
own little strivings are of no account, let us remember for our comfort 
that to each of us has been assigned a particular task, however small, in 
the building of the Mystical Temple of Humanity: a task no one else can 
perform exactly as we can. For each human soul is a unique creation. It has 
been said that God makes a man and casts the mould away. One day, those who 
have steadily persevered will hear the voice of the Master saying - Come 
ye, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared from the foundation 
of the world, for I was hungry for souls, and thirsty for the love of men, 
and ye fed Me and gave Me to drink. Pondering thus I cannot but feel that 
the events and portents of these times add point and urgency to the plea I 
am about to put before you, for I believe we as Masons, if we are worthy of 
our calling, have a great part to play in influencing the shape of things 
to come. 

Today, all Institutions are being called into question, and I entertain a 
private conviction that Freemasonry as an organised Institution after 
nearly two and a half centuries of cloistered seclusion, is about to be put 
on trial before the bar of humanity. You see, speaking in general terms, 
Masons have professed so much to each other in their private assemblies, 
and have done so little to put their professions into practise in the outer 
world, and in their daily lives. Perhaps one reason for this is that so few 
Brethren really understand what they are corporately implying as they 
gather in Lodge or Chapter time after time, year after year. Let us 
therefore just in case I happen to be right about this, prepare first 
ourselves and then our Brethren in Freemasonry, that we may have a good 
defence should the hour of trial come upon us. And let us, who are 
privileged to be Members of this Study Circle, try in every way open to us, 
to further the true object of our Institution, which is to spread the light 
of its mysteries among the Members of the Order. 

ARGUMENT. 

My theme is really an amplification of what is advocated in the 
"Progressive Reflections" issued by the Circle, and I should like to quote 
two extracts from Part One of these Reflections :- 

"While these 'Personal words' and addresses are offered for the 
contemplation of Members of the Craft in general, they are intended in 
particular for the use of Installed Masters, and it is hoped that they will 
be found helpful to them in the discharge of their paramount duty of 
'employing and instructing the Brethren in Freemasonry.' 

There is nothing to prevent the delivery of the official rite being 
supplemented by unofficial words of explanation, and if these are carefully 
chosen will serve to lend the official rite additional impressiveness, give 
it a more intimate and personal bearing, and awaken in him who undergoes it 
a more deep and real sense of becoming incorporated into living truth, and 
into a Brotherhood to whom that truth is no mere sentiment, but a profound 
reality." 

Some time ago when in conversation with a knowledgeable friend, not himself 
a Mason but who knew I was, he remarked - apropos of nothing in particular 
- "Isn't it a fact that Freemasonry only dates back to 1717?" I replied on 
the spur of the moment that it would be as true to say that Christianity 
began at the Reformation. The parallel is perhaps not exact but maybe it 
will serve. As regards the Christian Faith, Origen and other early fathers 
of the Church have said in effect that Christianity has always been in the 
world, but was not known by that name until Christ came. As regards 
Freemasonry, some old chronicler using a lovely phrase, affirms that God 
imparted the secrets of Masonry to Adam in his sylvan Lodge in Paradise, 
not meaning any earthly eden. Later writers of what I will call the 
literalist school of Masonic enquiry - I will not say interpretation - 
forgetting that ours is a system veiled in allegory, have much derided this 
affirmation as an extravagant fantasy, yet it enshrines a deep 
transcendental truth - for who shall set a period to the adventure of the 
spirit of man, or assess in terms of mortal dereliction the unfolding of an 
immortal quest ? 

The emergence of certain epochs in the affairs of men can be placed in 
their historical perspective as actual historical events, but they do but 
mark the culmination of what has gone before in the realm of unrecorded 
things. The spiritual evolution of the human race defies historical 
analysis. I am thinking specially of epochs of particular interest to us as 
Masons. We have it on the authority of Brother James Anderson, in his 
Constitutions of 1738 that on the 24th of June, 1717, certain Brethren from 
four London Lodges, met within a stone's throw of where the home of 
Freemasonry now rears its stately head, and constituted themselves the 
Grand Lodge of England. Thus Speculative Masonry as a manifested and 
organized Institution came into being. But what influences and 
personalities inspired, and were behind those quite undistinguished 
Brethren who builded so much better than they knew? - For what then came 
into manifest existence derives from something as old as the mind of man 
itself. Such an enquiry is beyond the scope of this paper but is undertaken 
in our Transaction No. 4, entitled " Freemasonry, how, whence, and 
whither." The union of the two rival Grand Lodges of England in the year 
1813 is by no means without significance for us, but may perhaps be 
regarded as a stage, in terms of an harmonious accommodation, in the 
development of Speculative Masonry. 

I now want to refer to the emergence of another epoch-making Masonic event. 
On the 16th December, 1927, the Lodge of Living Stones No. 4957, was 
consecrated, and came into manifested existence. Humanly speaking it owes 
its formation to that great writer and teacher known to us in the flesh as 
Walter Leslie Wilmshurst, now passed to the Grand Lodge above, but, as some 
of us believe, still guiding and inspiring those who are called to carry on 
the work he so splendidly inaugurated. He was the first Master of the Lodge 
of Living Stones, and its conception is foreshadowed in that wonderful book 
of his, "The Masonic Initiation." A book which with its companion volume 
"The Meaning of Masonry" should be the constant companion of every earnest 
Masonic student. It is true to say that he was the founder of a recognised 
School for the mystical interpretation of Masonic Doctrine, and that the 
Lodge of Living Stones is his memorial, erected for the express purpose of 
perpetuating and propagating his teachings, as enshrined in his books and 
papers, and in the private instruction imparted to those privileged thus to 
learn from him, and one knows that this oral tradition is not without 
witnesses amongst us. I have a feeling that the need for circumspection was 
very present in the minds of Brother Wilmshurst and those associated with 
him in this great work of setting up a predominately mystical Lodge of 
Freemasons. But be that as it may, the Lodge of Living Stones, in 
conformity with its rules and regulations, ministers rather to the chosen 
few. If I may venture to say so, it is more like a Masonic University for 
the training of prospective Professors and Teachers than a Masonic School 
of Instruction for the education of pupils in the Craft. The need for 
something more; something in the nature of a School of Instruction for the 
Brethren at large in the true meaning and purpose of Masonry made itself 
felt, and has been satisfied in what I should like to call a flowering from 
the Lodge of Living Stone. Need I add that I refer to our Dormer Masonic 
Study Circle, which draws its inspiration from the same source as, and is 
in fraternal association with, the Lodge from which it did in a manner 
spring. 

Our Circle, however, operates over a wider field, and I make bold to claim 
that in its own chosen sphere it is unique in the annals of organised 
Speculative Freemasonry. Not unmindful of the fact that there is much in 
its teachings that may not, indeed, cannot be imparted indiscriminately, 
and without due preparation on the part of the hearer or reader, it 
welcomes to its Membership and privileges all Master Masons of proved 
sincerity of purpose. This Membership is world-wide, and ever increasing, 
and although nothing can adequately take the place of that impact of mind 
upon mind which prevails at our Meetings, the Transactions issued 
periodically to all Members, are, within the limits imposed upon the 
printed word, of incalculable value to the seeker after truth; and further, 
we possess a quite remarkable and extensive library of books and papers 
dealing with the deeper implications of our Masonic Art, made easily 
accessible by the issue of a library list. 

I have called your attention, Brethren of the Dormer, to what you already 
know, in support of my contention that the time is ripe for pioneering in 
the field of Masonic instruction, and that our Circle is not only the 
appropriate, but the only body of its kind in existence, capable of 
sponsoring effectively, the activities I have in mind, through the 
instrumentality of its Members, acting individually in their several 
spheres of influence. Effectively, by virtue of the ideals and aspirations, 
which in a peculiar manner bind the Brethren of the Dormer together, 
imparting to each a strength of purpose (and, may I add, courage - for 
courage will be required), which, in isolation, they could not in the same 
manner possess. At our Circle Meetings, where much is said which never 
appears in our Transactions, I feel very conscious of the slenderness of my 
Masonic knowledge, and spiritual awareness, and am reminded of the saying 
of the Christian Master to His intimate friends and disciples - "I have 
many things to tell you but ye cannot bear them now" - and I know that I 
must possess my soul in patience, and be careful not rashly to rush 
forward. Yet when privately pondering some simple Masonic theme, my 
thoughts turn to those many - grievously many - Brethren for whom, what 
interests us so much is a closed book. Doubtless they admire the 
commendable sentiments expressed in the surface meanings of Masonic Ritual, 
but they are not concerned to see or to seek its deeper implications; and 
there comes to my mind the parable of the wedding feast - Go into the 
highways and hedges and compel them to come in that my house may be full. I 
am thinking, of course, of the Masonic "highways and hedges" - of those 
Brethren who are in Masonry, but not of it. Yet I think we may assume that 
by the very nature of their tenure Masons as a whole are thoughtful men, 
but thousands know practically nothing about Masonry beyond what they may 
gather from Lodge and Chapter Ceremonial. They may wonder what these 
"secrets of our Masonic Art" may be, but nobody tells them, and they are 
too diffident, or not sufficiently interested to inquire. 

It is for us as Dormer Members to draw out such Brethren as we are able to 
contact, and, in the simplest terms, make them interested. It would indeed 
be a wonderful thing to possess the skill and ability to be, so to speak, a 
sixth form teacher in the School of the Craft, and feed the sheep - but 
someone must look after the kindergarten, or how shall the lambs be fed? 
Or, for that matter, the sheep prepared for sixth form nutriment. For the 
lambs of today are the sheep of tomorrow and every Master in the Craft was 
once an Entered Apprentice. It is true that all earnest Master Masons, on 
being properly vouched for, are welcomed as Members of our Circle, but I 
would emphasize that its teachings are of a very advanced nature, and 
assume some pre-knowledge of the technique of Masonic Symbolism, and a 
considerable degree of mental and spiritual preparation. Or, to put it 
another way, just as the Lodge cannot be opened direct in the Third Degree, 
or an Entered Apprentice become a Royal Arch Mason, so a Brother whose 
knowledge of things Masonic goes little beyond an unassisted contemplation 
of formal "work in Lodge" cannot fully enter into all that our Study Circle 
has to impart. The point I am trying to make is, that there is a gap to be 
filled between what I will call the Floor of the Lodge, and the advanced 
studies with which we as Dormer Masons are most concerned, and that in 
trying to do something to fill that gap, we should remember that first 
things must come first. 

WAYS AND MEANS. 

The question therefore arises, what means are available, or could be made 
so, whereby these first things may be taught to those desirous of learning 
about them; and equally important, how can a desire for Masonic knowledge 
be implanted in the hearts of those who as yet feel no such emotion? What 
can we, that is, you and I my Brother, do about it? Of course, much must 
depend upon the atmosphere of the Lodge one belongs to, and upon ones 
personal circumstances. Is one a Past Master or Officer, or has one not yet 
achieved Office. Can one give a great deal of time to Masonic work without 
neglecting the ordinary duties of one's station. But, however we may be 
situated, there is probably something each of us can do if our hearts are 
in it and we try hard enough. 

There are Study Circles small and large, which deal with various topics of 
Masonic interest and the simpler aspects of Masonic teaching - very 
excellent and necessary preliminary instruction. Should there be one within 
your reach, attend yourself, if time and circumstances permit - example is 
better than precept - and endeavour to persuade others to do likewise. You 
may (or may not) find what is dealt with elementary: in any case it will 
probably be interesting and instructive. There must, however, be many 
localities where no Study Circle is situated, probably because a sufficient 
number of Brethren cannot be found to create a demand for this service. But 
whose business is it to awaken in the hearts of the Brethren a dawning 
interest in the meaning and purpose of Masonry? Masonic Initiation is 
emblematic of a spiritual re-birth. Were should a new-made Mason turn for 
his infant nurture, if not to his Mother Lodge? 

Let us, therefore, consider this matter of Masonic instruction through the 
medium ready to hand, namely, the ordinary working Craft Lodge. The First 
Section of the First of the Craft Lectures contains this question and 
answer :- (Q) What is a Lodge of Freemasons? - (A) An assemblage of 
Brethren met to expatiate on the Mysteries of the Craft. On turning to the 
Oxford Dictionary I find this definition of "Expatiation" - "The action of 
discussing at large: extended talk or description." By what stretch of this 
definition can the recitation by rote of prescribed ceremonial, intended to 
be rendered verbatim, be regarded as Expatiation? It will be remembered 
that in the Charge after Passing, it is stated that a Craftsman may offer 
his opinions on such subjects as are introduced in the Lectures, under the 
superintendence of an experienced Master who will guard the Landmarks from 
encroachment. Is it not evident that in earlier days instruction of some 
kind, and that of a speculative nature, was in fact a regular feature of 
Lodge work? Surely, any other supposition makes nonsense of the Charge 
after Passing, and also of the retrospect following the Third Degree 
obligation. And further - and this is a very serious matter - it must 
appear to be nonsense to any thoughtful and intelligent Brother who belongs 
to a Lodge where the Charge after Passing is used, but no instruction is 
given beyond the prescribed Ritual. If the present day position is held to 
be that so far as the Lodge is concerned, anything beyond the prescribed 
Ritual is optional, and that the Officers have fulfilled their obligations 
in Initiating, Passing, and Raising Candidates in the established Degrees 
of the Order, why not be honest about it, and revise our Rituals 
accordingly ? 

For the sake of my thesis and to maintain the personal touch, I will assume 
I am addressing a Brother whose situation is as follows :- 

(1) It is not the custom in his Lodge to go beyond the prescribed Ritual. 

(2) He is a Master Mason who has not attained Office. 

(3) He feels that something ought to be done by his Lodge, in an organised 
manner, to instruct the Brethren in at least the elements of the meaning of 
our "Peculiar System of Morality." (One knows that something on these lines 
is done in many Lodges - the case is stated for the sake of my argument). 

Possibly an approach to Officers or Past Masters may receive a discouraging 
reception. You may be met with the objection that time cannot be found for 
these extra-ceremonial activities, but this plea will seldom stand up to 
investigation. Sometimes two, or even three Ceremonies, are worked at a 
single Meeting, so great is the press of Candidates for the several 
Degrees. Would it really hurt Candidates to exercise a little patience? 
Must they be rushed through the three Degrees in as many Meetings? I 
suggest that in the great majority of cases time could easily be found if 
the will to find it were present. Apart from occasional instructional 
efforts, fitted in with formal work, I should like to see at least one 
Lodge Meeting in every Session set aside for the sole purpose of 
instruction. An examination of the attendance book of such Meetings would 
be a useful guide to the Master-Elect when considering whom to appoint to 
the offices in his gift. 

Failing authoritative support for your ideas, what, my Brother, are your 
constitutional rights and privileges in the matter, and what further steps 
are open to you ? To begin with I dissent from the hypothesis that Lodge 
proceedings should be governed solely by the wishes or predilections of 
those in authority for the time being. Every Mason is pledged to a ready 
acquiescence in all votes and resolutions duly passed by a majority of the 
Brethren in open Lodge; and at every Lodge Meeting the Master is required 
to ask, before the Lodge closes, whether any Brother has ought to propose 
for the good of Freemasonry in general, or his Lodge in particular. You 
have every right, at any time, in response to this invitation, to rise in 
your place and put forward such proposals as you may consider appropriate 
regarding the instruction of the Brethren, whether by way of comment or in 
the form of a resolution. One would of course, first prepare the way by 
testing the feelings of the younger Brethren for whom such Instruction Is 
primarily Intended. Should the response be poor it might be wise to wait, 
but it would be unwise to give up hope. But I believe the chances are that 
a quite surprising number of Brethren would be found ready, indeed eager, 
to support you, and my feeling is that in some cases it might be a good 
thing if the formal Initiative came from outside the executive. 

Let us now consider the important question of procedure. In some Lodges, on 
convenient occasions, a paper is read or a talk given in open Lodge and is 
discussed in open Lodge. This course is considered by some to be open to 
objection on the ground that differences of opinion might reveal themselves 
in the course of the discussion, and the harmony of the Lodge thereby 
endangered, and I find myself in agreement with this view. In other Lodges 
the Master "Calls off" when discussion is to follow a talk or paper, thus 
avoiding this possibility, and "Calls on" when the discussion is concluded. 
Again, it is the custom in some Lodges to defer discussion of what has been 
said in Lodge (or in the Lodge room, with the Lodge "called off") until the 
after-proceedings, in which the toast list is, for the occasion, reduced to 
a minimum, and this I feel is the best thing to do. In some Provincial 
Lodges I know of, a slender toast list is the general rule. One appreciates 
that at the Installation Dinner a full toast list is called for, but for 
myself, I must confess that I derive more pleasure and profit from these 
simpler ways, than I do from a formal dinner where sustained conversation 
with one's immediate neighbours is well nigh impossible, so swiftly does 
the I.P.M.'s gavel follow upon the latest oratorial effort. 

It needs to be said that practise varies as between the London District and 
the several Provinces in regard to these matters, and it would be wise and 
proper to seek authoritative guidance in particular cases. It goes without 
saying that on any Masonic occasion nothing must be said in the presence of 
an E.A., a F.C. or a M.M. which these good Brethren respectively ought not 
to hear, but notwithstanding this necessary limitation there is much of 
interest and instruction that a speaker may say at the after- proceedings, 
without any violation of his obligations. 

And now let us turn from the particular to the general. I do not believe 
that the Brethren as a whole are really indifferent to the things we of the 
Dormer make our special care and study, but they do need to be lead in that 
direction. No Brother of any sensibility can fall to be moved in some 
degree by his ceremonial experiences. The soil is good, but if the seed be 
not sown and watered how shall the harvest be gathered? In the 
instructional field, our formal ceremonies of themselves are not enough. A 
good and earnest friend and Brother who had recently been raised to the 
Sublime Degree of a Master Mason, once said to me In an evident spirit of 
disillusionment, "Isn't there anything else?" I tried to explain that there 
was everything else, namely, the appreciation in terms of one's own Inner 
experience, of what lies behind the veils of allegory and illustration by 
symbols; that Masonry is essentially an instructional system concerning a 
higher way of life than that which we ordinarily tread. "Then," said my 
friend," if that is so why are we not told something about it, and how can 
one obtain light on these matters?" Now I am persuaded that what my friend 
said thousands of Brethren are thinking. 

Within the kingdom of the Craft the highways and hedges are thronged with 
potential workers, teachers, healers. Many may be just waiting for the call 
- the right message at the right moment. Indeed, how great a fire a tiny 
spark may kindle. A word spoken and a life transformed is within the 
experience of many a seeker after souls. Truly the Masonic harvest is 
plentiful, but the labourers, as yet, are all too few. I seem to sense a 
stirring in the hearts of men, particularly our Brethren in Freemasonry. A 
flood tide in the affairs of Masonry is upon us - let us take it in the 
flood, and by this means or by that, use such rights and influence as we 
may possess to bring home to Masters, Officers, and Past Masters their 
responsibility for at least the initial instruction of the Members of their 
Lodges. Get the Brethren interested; that is the great thing - make them 
realise that there is much more in our wonderful system than appears on the 
surface. Study Circles, and similar agencies will I am sure spring up to 
supplement the ground work thus provided, as these extra-ceremonial Lodge 
activities stimulate a sufficient demand for them. 

My appeal is to all "Brethren of the Mystic Tie" into whose hands this 
paper may come, but especially to fellow Members of our Circle. And my hope 
is that except where sheer necessity prevents, we may all, employing the 
advantages and fortified by the inspiration of our Membership, play some 
individual part in such a crusade as is here envisaged, to the end that not 
only may like minded Brethren rally to our standard, but that many a 
Brother who might never, in the real meaning of the word have become a 
Mason at all, may in due time, be moved to join us in receiving and 
spreading throughout the Order, the Light of our Mysteries. 

CONCLUSION. 

Doubtless there are some Lodges where the desire for something more that 
the prescribed Ritual is present or could be engendered, but no Member of 
it feels himself competent to "Expatiate on the Mysteries of the Craft" - 
and in some Provincial Lodges outside help if not impossible, is very 
difficult to obtain. But be that as it may, it would greatly strengthen 
one's hand if one were able and willing to step into the breach, if called 
upon. It is not suggested that all is going to be plain sailing - this is 
no field of endeavour for those who look for easy victories. But no Mason, 
particularly a Dormer Mason, should too readily assume that it is beyond 
him to speak acceptably on some simple Masonic theme. 

It will be observed that no attempt is made in this paper to indicate what 
kind of instruction should be given in the various ways referred to, but I 
would venture to suggest that except in the case of a deeply instructed and 
experienced Brother, it should be of the simplest nature, designed chiefly 
to encourage further enquiry. 

Masonry is a Mystery System scarcely to be comprehended by a life time's 
study. Those who essay to speak to their fellow Masons need not pretend to 
know all the answers. But what we can all do for an earnest and enquiring 
Brother, is to invite him to join the Dormer that he and we may learn 
together from the same source, but each along his own lines. Just as every 
soul is a unique creation, so there are as many paths to Paradise as there 
are souls on pilgrimage. When we arrive at that stage of spiritual 
unfoldment, at which we shall be entitled, in a plenary sense, to demand 
that "last and greatest trial" we must go forward alone, so far as mortal 
aid is concerned. But that experience is a long way off for most of us and 
meanwhile we are within hailing distance of like minded Brethren, and it is 
good to travel the pilgrim path in company. We are all familiar with the 
saying that if a thing is worth doing at all it is worth doing well. But a 
famous musician once said to his pupils, "If a piece of music is worth 
playing at all it is worth playing badly," his meaning being, I take it, 
that skill in any art comes only by practice, in overcoming imperfection; 
that earnest endeavour has a value all its own. Believe me, Brother reader, 
there may be more power in a few halting phrases, spoken from the heart in 
evident sincerity, than in the most eloquent of orations coming only from 
the head. Such verbal dexterity without deep feeling and conviction behind 
it may hold us for a moment, but will not awaken any answering chord. But 
speak with your lips, your hearts consenting, and your words may bear fruit 
in ways beyond your knowing. 

Freely, Brethren of the Dormer, we have received shall we not freely give, 
using the talents wherewith God has blessed us (be they ten, or be it one) 
to His glory and the welfare and advancement of our Brethren in 
Freemasonry. 

Peace to all beings, 

S.M.I.B.