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

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Chapter 8 - Categorization of Rituals
• the Order of the Rainbow for Girls (the Flag is placed at the
station of the officer "Patriotism; " among the
"treasures" hidden in the "Pot of Gold" that the
candidate finds are a little Flag, a copy of the
Declaration of Independence and of the
Constitution, and a list of the names of Masonic
Presidents of the U.S.A.);
• Job's Daughters (the Flag is carried through the "Bethel" in a
procession; "America the Beautiful" is sung).
It is not easy to draw conclusions out of this chart. Let us view group 1 first.
Here, it is surprising that the Security Benefit Association has no Flag
Ceremonies, whereas the Woodmen have, while both orders are benefit
fraternities. However, the Modern Woodmen of America have a more elaborate
ritual, more content, more metaphors, etc., while the Security Benefit
Association has only a very short and dry ritual, coming immediately to the main
point, protection. It is rather an advertising ceremony containing few moral
thoughts, mainly established for insurance purposes. The ritual of the Security
Benefit Association is merely a marketing trick to gain members, and it is not
even a good one. Maybe this is the reason why this organization did not bother to
include a Flag Ceremony. The Woodmen have much suspense in their
ceremonies, almost like a social club performing a theater play, and therefore can
afford to act as true Americans and give the "Woodmen 's Honors" to the
national emblem.
It is further astonishing that the colored women of the Heroines of Jericho do
not mention a Flag in their ritual. Perhaps they wanted to distance themselves
from the U.S.A. as another race, but there is no evidence to support this thesis.
Here, too, it may be due to simple negligence. One would have to compare
different rituals to check whether it was intended not to pledge Alliance to the
Flag, or whether it was left out by mistake.
In order to support the thesis that the American Masonic Craft ritual evokes
patriotic feelings, we are going to enumerate two instances where patriotic
sentiments are expressed in the ceremonies by means of songs and remarks.
Thus, in a relatively modern American Masonic ritual (published 1980 in New
York) there occurs a passage that evokes strong patriotic feelings through the
soft playing of background music. This takes place in the Fellow Craft degree,
just after the candidate has received a lecture on the "seven arts and sciences,"
arriving at the science of music. This part, in which "The Star Spangled Banner"
is played, proves the patriotic sentiments of the Masons. Moreover, "Home
Sweet Home" is played, which adds to the patriotism a tint of sentimentality. The
scene that is described is the one of a soldier who has fallen on the field of honor
for his mother country, and dying, hears in the distance the melody of "Home
Sweet Home":