By Guest Contributor: Bro. Andre Beliveau
Originally published in Livingstones Magazine; March 2015
Freemasonry, like most fraternal organizations, is composed of many different types of men. We all come from different backgrounds; we all have different personalities etc. But once we are made Masons we are all linked by our obligations and the many allegorical lessons we have been taught, so we’re all the same right? Even still, within our great fraternity there are different types of Masons just as there are different orders of architecture. Briefly summarized, the orders of architecture in my jurisdiction are described as the Doric, which is plain and natural, The Ionic, which bears a kind of mean proportion between the more solid and more delicate orders, The Corinthian, being very ornamental and the richest order, The Tuscan, which is the most simple and most solid, and the Composite, which is compounded of all the orders and found in buildings where strength, elegance and beauty are displayed. I’m sure sitting back and thinking, you can probably come up with some categories or orders to put some of your Lodge Brothers into or even yourself. Using this idea in a light-hearted way, let us examine the “Orders of Masons” that exist in our Craft today.
“The Doric”
Doric Brothers are plain and natural Masons. They can be described as your “side line Brother.” While they may not hold the title of Worshipful or Right Worshipful, don’t be fooled, these Brothers are full of light. The Doric Brother has not reached the Chair of Solomon, and probably never will, but he has attended practically every meeting of the Lodge since he was raised. He may have served as an appointed officer at one time; he may serve on a committee or even do a small lecture here and there for degrees. These Brothers can often be seen quietly whispering the words of the ritual to themselves at Lodge meetings. They tend to be the back bone of the Lodge, filling in on committees and taking on minor responsibilities that some other overzealous Brothers may not want to fill. Doric Brothers are loyal members of the Craft, typically belonging to only one Blue Lodge. Some of them may be involved in a concordant body or two, and they fill the same role in those as well. These Brothers are too often over looked for the great work that they do.
“The Ionic”
Ionic Brothers are a great bunch filled with ingenuity. They are right in the middle between the more solid and more delicate orders. Ionic Brothers can be Past Masters or Brothers on their way to maybe be a Worshipful Master one day. This tends to be your most common order of Masons. These Brothers are very involved in the Lodge. They take on an officer’s chair early on in their Masonic career and do ritual quite well. These Brothers participate in almost everything that the Lodge does and often have some great ideas for the organization to improve. They enjoy learning about some esoteric and historical material. They enjoy fellowship and ritual just as much as they enjoy the pancake breakfasts and community service outreaches. The Ionic Brother gets just as much light from Freemasonry by being the Senior Deacon the night of a degree as he does by being involved with the Lodge’s charitable event or fundraiser. They tend to also be involved in multiple concordant bodies. In some cases, they may be Blue Lodgers only, but typically are affiliated with more than one Lodge. Sometimes the Ionic Brother is a notable member of the community, possibly a local elected official or popular local business owner. He can be a white collar businessman, a blue collar worker or a retired man. This Brother is filled with Masonic pride and he displays it every day by his actions as a man and on the bumper of his car. An Ionic Brother is your every day, run of the mill, blue blooded, multi-pin wearing, pancake flipping, check writing, active and engaged all American Freemason.
“The Tuscan”
Tuscan Brothers often challenge our ability to uphold our Masonic Obligations to them. I often feel that the Great Architect of the Universe has sent these Brothers to the door of our Lodges to keep us in check, to make sure that we will embrace the trowel and allow no contention to ever exist among us. These are indeed the most simple and solid of the five orders. They are simple in their approach to Freemasonry and solid enough that they will never change. These Brothers are the first ones to stand up and say things like “That’s not how we’ve always done it”, or oppose ideas and have no legitimate reason as to why they do. These Brothers can be anywhere from a side liner, to a Past Master, right up to a Right Worshipful somebody. They contemplate nothing esoteric in nature and building their inner temple refers to the amount of food they take in during collation. To them, the ritual work of the Lodge is just as profane as reading the minutes. They may know the ritual and can perform it, or even feel that is has some sort of importance, but to them the ritual and lectures are nothing that they would ever contemplate or think that there are benefits to be had from it, other than of course making someone a member of the Lodge. To this Brother, Freemasonry is no different than the many other service organizations and fraternities that exist for a grown man to join. This Brother is also a huge fan of wearing as many pins as his lapel can handle, collecting bumper stickers and boasts his own version of “Masonic pride.” Everyone knows at least one Tuscan Brother.
“The Corinthian”
Corinthian Brothers, like the architectural column itself, are adorned with great masterpieces of art. Their outward structure is ornate and rich, the purple of the fraternity for sure rests on their honored shoulders. This Brother has as many Masonic titles as there are members of a baseball team, and be sure to always address him with one of them or he will definitely remind you to do so in the future. Now, this is not to suggest that all who hold titles above that of Worshipful are of this particular order. There are many who hold great Masonic titles, who are leaders in our Craft that are great Masons and are knowledgeable Brothers who earned those titles and do great work for our fraternity. Those types of Masons are not what I mean here. The Corinthian Brother can be described as your “purple chasers.” These Brothers are only focused on titles, adding more aprons to their collection and having power. They may have a great exterior design; fancy aprons, big gold collars and a rank, but working on the design of their inner temple is almost forgotten about entirely. They are more like the Tuscan order, only having a prettier exterior. The philosophical purposes of Freemasonry are practically non-existent with these Brothers. Corinthian Masons are perfect examples, and reminders of the Masonic value of looking for the internal, rather than the external qualifications of a Brother. They may be good men and may in some way benefit the fraternity, but they are indeed lost travelers stuck in the material world.
“The Composite”
The Composite Brother is compounded of all that Freemasonry has to offer. In this order there can be found strength, elegance and beauty. These Brothers tend to be the movers and shakers in their Lodge and district. If they are not already Masters of their Lodges, they will be and they may even move on to be Grand Lodge Officers. These Brothers are not in it for the titles or for the glory; they are in it to better themselves as a man and Mason. They look out for the interest of their Lodge and for the entire Craft. They love to share Masonic knowledge and love to learn it even more! Whether they are the Worshipful Master or the Grand Master, these Brothers never lose focus. They nurture their minds and build up their inner temples, often contemplating things of an esoteric nature. Composite Brothers love the ritual and take pride in doing it as perfect as they can. These Brothers know how to balance Masonic relief and charity, with esoteric study and fellowship. Most of the time they tend to belong to several concordant bodies, but have a specific reason for why they joined each particular one. They are not afraid to stand up for their values and what they believe the tenets of Freemasonry are, even if it is not the most popular thing to say. These Brothers love tradition and history, and take pride in being Freemasons. We all know these types of Brothers; in fact most of us probably think that we are one of them even if we really aren’t. Some may even poke fun at these Brothers or point them out as the “Masonic nerds” and elitists. Our Tuscan Brothers tend to be the pointers most of the time. Composite Brothers simply observe the Craft as it should be observed, and arguably get the most out of Freemasonry.
I’m sure there are many other “orders” of Masons out there and that one Mason could be a mix of all the five I’ve listed here. No matter which order we identify ourselves or identify another Brother with, it is important to remember that Freemasonry is still important to each and every one of us. We all may get something different out of it, or have different views as to what Freemasonry truly is about, but in its own beautiful way the Craft has touched and changed each one of us. In closing I’d like to share a poem titled “The Builder”, which happens to be one of my favorites and I think sums this all up quite well.
"I watched them tearing a building down, a team of men in my hometown. With a heave and a ho and a lusty yell, they swung a beam and a sidewall fell. I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled as the men you’d hire if you had to build?” He gave me a laugh and said, “No indeed, just common labor is all I need, for I can easily wreck in a day or two, what builders have taken years to do.” And I thought to myself as I went my way, which of these two roles have I tried to play? Am I a builder who works with care, measuring life by the rule and square, shaping my deeds by a well-made plan and patiently doing the best that I can?
Or am I a wrecker, who walks the town, content with the labor of destroying and tearing things down?" – Unknown
