The Universal Language of Freemasonry - ArchiMeD - Johannes ...

1. Bright Mason
Chapter 5 - Technical Terminology 303
That not all Masons are equal but distinguish themselves by their zeal shows
in the satirical expressions invented for the over-ambitious among their own
members, who want to show off by knowing the ritual by heart. Thus, MD
defines a "bright Mason" as a brother who is "well acquainted with the ritual, the
forms of opening and closing, and the ceremonies of initiation. This experience
does not, however, in its technical sense, appear to include knowledge of the
history and science [...]." 902 This encyclopedia concludes that bright Masons are
not necessarily learned men, and further states that there are several learned
Masons who are "not very well versed in the exact phraseology of the ritual." 903
According to CME, this term was seldom used: "A term no longer heard, and
possibly not heard much, if at all, after the 19 th century. It was applied to one
proficient in rituals and lectures." 904
Parrot Mason (synonym of "bright Mason")
CME contains an entry referring to "Parrot Mason" as to one who memorizes
the ritual perfectly while being ignorant of its meaning, purpose, or philosophy,
i.e. merely a verbal perfectionist, synonymous with "bright Mason." 905 The IFL
offers the same interpretation: "Papageienmaurer [...] nennt man im "Slang" der
amerikanischen Logen solche, die das Äußerliche der Freimaurerei wohl
beherrschen und das ganze Ritual nachplappern können [...]." 906 An ironic
newspaper article from the "Master Mason" of the 1920's compares such a
Mason with a music teacher who coaches a pupil to name every note, without
enabling him to produce any piece of music therewith:
Can you imagine a music teacher coaching a pupil to name in perfect
sequence every note in a great musical masterpiece; every flat, every
sharp, every major and minor chord, but never bothering to teach the
pupil to interpret these notes and to reproduce them? Perfect nonsense,
of course. Utterly absurd! And why? Because it would mean nothing
except that the music teacher had developed a queer kind of mental
freak - a note-parrot, perhaps. Yet no more nonsensical, no more absurd,
than a Masonic system which teaches men to commit chapters of ritual
to memory but which never interprets these chapters, thereby
developing an equally queer mental freak - a ritual-parrot. 907
902 MD, p. 136.
903 Ibid.
904 CME, p. 110.
905 CME, p. 464.
906 IFL, p. 1186.
907 Douglas Martin, article "Blind Men -Dark Closets - Black Hats," in: The Master Mason (1925), p.191/192.