Hi Marian, thank you for coming forward with what you know as well. I was rather shocked when I saw the thread declaring Mason's as devil worshipers and I do tend to get short with my answers when false info is spread.
The lodge I am with was fortunate to have a large amount of money donated years ago and every year we use the interest earned for multiple charities and paying tuition for poor college students. Not to mention the countless hours we put into our communities. We have official lodge meetings twice a month but I and other officers are there 3 to 4 nights a week. They are all family and just as you said, will go our of our way to help people in need. There will always be some conflict between members in every lodge but there is a fine line that is rarely crossed and at the end of the day, we would give the shirts off our backs for one another.
My wife, mother and sister are also in the Eastern Star. They all wondered for years what happened in the lodge behind closed doors but there are those rare occasions where the public is allowed in the lodge during awards ceremony but is strictly non business. If anyone ever gets a chance to one of these ceremonies, please check it out, I think it will help demystify a lot about the Masons.
I glad am to have helped with the book. I actually found mine at an estate auction and nobody knew what they were. I was very fortunate to have saved them from the trash pile since no one else placed a bid on them. I'm not a librarian but I know how you might have felt to see something like this tossed in the trash.
