Perspective On Fraternity Of Masons' Recent Struggles

Everything about the Masonic Temple looks old so old that it is hard to believe the cornerstone was laid in 1927, and not a hundred years earlier. The effect is intended to remind the state's 32,000 Masons that they belong to fraternity rich in tradition and ritual -- not to mention myth and legend.

Inside the temple's three ornate meeting rooms are beautifully detailed rugs scarred by wear and tear. But a former leader of the fraternity liked the well-worn look. It reminded him, he said, of the men who had come before him. The rugs, threadbare in places, have not been replaced.

Daniel M. Wilson, the current grandmaster of New Jersey's Masons, appreciates tradition as much as the next fraternity brother. But the 56-year-old resident of Hamilton Square is about to step off the beaten path. In an effort to invigorate the organization, he is planning to increase membership in New Jersey by 5 percent in a single day.

Doing so will require a departure for an organization known for its mysterious rituals, ancient symbols and archaic titles. Mr. Wilson, a silver-haired family man who is in the insurance business, has decided to shorten the long process of becoming a full-fledged Mason. Instead of several months of preparation, study and ritual traditionally required to become a master, or third degree, Mason, candidates will be able to go from first degree to third degree in a single day.

This E-Zpass route is not without some controversy among some of the group's veterans, but it has precedent. It has been tried in Ohio -- the capital of Masonry in America with 135,000 members -- and New York, and is about to be implemented in Pennsylvania.

And in New Jersey, the fraternity's procedures have been set aside in special circumstances. More than 20 years ago, when he was head of the Gothic Lodge in Hamilton Square, Mr. Wilson received a phone call from a Masonic brother, inquiring whether Mr. Wilson would consent to speeding up the admission process for a special candidate. Mr. Wilson agreed. The special candidate turned out to be the entertainer Danny Thomas, who had become familiar with Masonry in his work with St. Jude's Hospital in Memphis.

Mr. Thomas arrived in Hamilton Square after a performance in Manhattan, walked in a special door reserved for candidates, and walked out a third degree Mason. Mr. Wilson himself administered the oath to Mr. Thomas, but not before the entertainer, who died in 1991, was put through the rituals and oral presentations that remain a mystery to nonmembers.

''We hear the word 'secret' too much in regard to the Masons,'' said James J. Ross, a deputy district master and a historian of the group's temple in Trenton. ''My father put it this way: In families, there are no secrets, but some things should be private. The only thing that's a secret about the Masons is the way our members live their lives according to Masonic principles.''

Mr. Wilson said he hopes the one-day program, scheduled for March 19, 2005, will bring in as many as 1,600 new members -- in addition to the approximately 600 new members who join every year through the usual procedures. ''People just don't have the time to spend on getting those degrees,'' he said. ''There are a lot of professional and business people who'd like to be Masons, but their time is valuable.''

Masonry reached its peak in New Jersey in 1959, when 108,000 residents were members, and belonged to 293 lodges statewide. As of Jan. 1 of this year, membership was at an all-time low of 32,000 in 142 lodges. The one-day membership drive is designed to reverse the downward trend, and to deal with actuarial reality -- the average age of New Jersey's Masons is just over 60 years.

Masonry is distinct from organizations like the Rotary Club or Kiwanis Club because it does not lay claim to being a service organization. It is a fraternity, open to men of all religions -- as long as they have one. Atheists and agnostics need not apply.

But even if comradeship is its primary reason for existence, Masonry has its charitable side as well. In New Jersey, the Masons have established six learning centers to help children with dyslexia, own a low-income apartment complex in Lumberton and run the Masonic Home in Burlington. Set on 400 acres, the complex in Burlington is home to more than 500 elderly residents. In addition, the group runs a blood bank, and members work as volunteers in the state's five veterans hospitals.

To heighten awareness of the membership drive and of Masonry in New Jersey, Mr. Wilson is sending letters to every Mason in the state, explaining the unusual procedure and asking them to share the information with friends. One integral part of Masonry will not change: You will not find Masons knocking on your door, asking the man of the house if he wants to be a Mason. That's simply not done.

''We're not allowed to solicit members,'' Mr. Wilson said. ''Everybody has to come to us on their own free will and accord. If they ask us questions about the fraternity, well, we go from there.''