SHORT TALK BULLETIN - Vol.VII   August, 1929   No.8

THE POWERS OF THE WORSHIPFUL MASTER

by:  Unknown

The incumbent of the Oriental Chair has powers peculiar to his 
station; powers far greater than those of the President of a society 
or the Chairman of a meeting of any kind.  President and Chairman are 
elected by the body over which they preside, and may be removed by 
that body.  A Master is elected by his lodge, but he cannot be 
removed by it; only by the grand Master or Grand Lodge.  The 
presiding officer is bound by rules of order adopted by the body and 
by its by-laws.  A lodge cannot pass by-laws to alter, amend or 
curtail the powers of a Master.  Its by-laws are subject to approval 
by the proper Grand Lodge Committee or by the Grand Master; seldom 
are any approved which infringe upon his ancient prerogatives and 
powers; in those few instances in which improper by-laws have been 
approved, subsequent rulings have often declared the Master right in 
disregarding them.

Grand Lodges differ in their interpretation of some of the "ancient 
usages and customs" of the Fraternity; what applies in one 
Jurisdiction does not necessarily apply in another.  But certain 
powers of a Master are so well recognized that they may be considered 
universal.  The occasional exceptions, if any, but prove the rule.
The Master may congregate his lodge when he pleases, and for what 
purpose he wishes, "provided" it does not interfere with the laws of 
the Grand Lodge.  For instance, he may assemble his lodge as a 
Special Communication to confer degrees, at his pleasure; but he must 
not, in so doing, contravene that requirement of the grand Lodge 
which calls for proper notice to the brethren, nor may a Master 
confer a degree in less than the statutory time following a preceding 
degree without a dispensation from the Grand Master.

The Master has the right of presiding over and controlling his lodge, 
and only the Grand Master, or his Deputy, may suspend him.  He may 
put any brother in the East to preside or to confer a degree; he may 
then resume the gavel at his pleasure - even in the middle of a 
sentence if he wants to!  But even when he has delegated authority 
temporarily, the Master is not relieved from responsibility for what 
occurs in his lodge.

It is the Master's right to control lodge business and work.  It is 
in a very real sense "his" lodge.  He decides all points of order and 
no appeal from his decision may be taken to the lodge.  He can 
initiate and terminate debate at his pleasure, he can second any 
motion, propose any motion, vote twice in the case of a tie (not 
universal), open and close at his pleasure, with the usual exception 
that he may not open a Special Communication at an hour earlier than 
that given in the notice, or a Stated Communication earlier than the 
hour stated in the by-laws, without dispensation from the Grand 
Master.  He is responsible only to the Grand Master and the Grand 
Lodge, the obligations he assumed when he was installed, his 
conscience and his God.

The Master has the undoubted right to say who shall enter, and who 
must leave the lodge room.  He may deny any visitor entrance; indeed, 
he may deny a member the right to enter his own lodge, but he must 
have a good and sufficient reason therefore, otherwise his Grand 
Lodge will unquestionably rule such a drastic step arbitrary and 
punish accordingly.  "Per contra," if he permits entry of a visitor 
to whom some member has objected, he may also subject himself to 
Grand Lodge discipline.  In other words, his "power" to admit or 
exclude is absolute; his "right" to admit or exclude is hedged about 
by pledges he takes at his installation and the rules of the Grand 
Lodge.

A very important power of the Master is that of appointing 
committees.  No lodge may appoint a committee.  The lodge may pass a 
resolution that a committee be appointed, but the selection of that 
committee is an inherent right of the Master.  He is, "ex officio," a 
member of all committees he appoints.  The reason is obvious; he is 
responsible for the conduct of his lodge to the Grand Master and the 
Grand Lodge.  If the lodge could appoint committees and act upon 
their recommendations, the Master would be in the anomalous position 
of having great responsibilities, and no power to carry out their 
performance.

The Master, and only the Master, may order a committee to examine a 
visiting brother.  It is his responsibility to see that no cowan or 
eavesdropper comes within the tiled door.  Therefore, it is for him 
to pick a committee in which he has confidence.  So, also, with the 
committees which report upon petitioners.  He is responsible for the 
accuracy, fair-mindedness, the speed and intelligence of such 
investigations.  It is, therefore, for him to say to whom shall be 
delegated this necessary and important duty.

It is generally, not exclusively, held that only the Master can issue 
a summons.  The dispute, where it exists, is over the right of 
members present at a Stated Communication to summons the whole 
membership.

It may now be interesting to look for a moment at some matters in 
which the Worshipful Master is not supreme, and catalog a few things 
he may "not" do.

The Master, and only the Master appoints the appointive officers in 
his lodge.  In most Jurisdictions he may remove such appointed 
officers at his pleasure.  But, he cannot suspend, or deprive of his 
station or place, any officer elected by the lodge.  The Grand Master 
or his Deputy, may do this; the Worshipful Master may not.

A Master may not spend lodge money without the consent of the lodge.  
As a matter of convenience, a Master frequently does pay out money in 
sudden emergencies, looking to the lodge for reimbursement.  But he 
cannot spend any lodge funds without the permission of the lodge. 
Some Jurisdictions do allow the lodge by-laws to permit the Master to 
spend emergency funds up to a specified amount without prior consent 
of the lodge.

A Master cannot accept a petition, or confer a degree without the 
consent of the lodge.  It is for the lodge, not the Master, to say 
from what men it will receive an application, or a petition; and upon 
what candidates degrees shall be conferred.  The Master has the same 
power to "reject" through the "black cube" as any member has, but no 
power whatever to "accept" any candidate against the will of the 
lodge.

The lodge, not the Master, must approve or disapprove the minutes of 
the preceding meeting.  The Master cannot approve them; had he that 
power he might, with the connivance of the secretary, "run wild" in 
his lodge, and still his minutes would show no trace of his improper 
conduct.  But the Master may refuse to put a motion to confirm or 
approve minutes which he believes to be inaccurate or incomplete; in 
this way he can prevent a careless, headstrong Secretary from doing 
what he wants with his minutes!  Should a Master refuse to permit 
minutes to be confirmed, the matter would naturally be brought before 
the Grand Lodge or the Grand Master for settlement.

A Master cannot suspend the by-laws.  He must not permit the lodge to 
suspend the by-laws.  If the lodge wishes to change them, the means 
are available, not in suspension; but, in amendment.
An odd exception may be noted, which has occurred in at least one 
Grand Jurisdiction, and doubtless may occur in others.  A very old 
lodge adopted by-laws shortly after it was constituted, which by-laws 
were approved by a young Grand Lodge before that body had, 
apparently, devoted much attention to these important rules.

For many years this lodge carried in its by-laws and "order of 
business" which specified, among other things, that following the 
reading of the minutes, the next business was balloting.  As the time 
of meeting of this lodge was early (seven o'clock) this by-law worked 
a hardship for years, compelling brethren who wished to vote to hurry 
to lodge, often at great inconvenience.

At last a Master was elected who saw that the by-law interfered with 
his right to conduct the business of the lodge as he thought proper.  
He balloted at what he thought was the proper time, the last order of 
business, not the first.  An indignant committee of Past Masters, who 
preferred the old order, applied to the Grand Master for relief.  The 
Grand Master promptly ruled that "order of business" in the by-laws 
could be no more than suggestive, not mandatory; and that the 
Worshipful Master had the power to order a ballot on a petition at 
the hour which seemed to him wise, provided - and this was stressed - 
that he ruled wisely, and did not postpone a ballot until after a 
degree, or until so late in the evening that brethren wishing to vote 
upon it had left the lodge room.

A Worshipful Master has no more right to invade the privacy which 
shrouds the use of the "Black Cube" (or Ball), or which conceals the 
reason for an objection to an elected candidate receiving the 
degrees, than the humblest member of the lodge.  He cannot demand 
disclosure of action or motive from any brother, and should he do so, 
he would be subject to the severest discipline from the Grand Lodge.  

Grand Lodges usually argue that a dereliction of duty by a brother 
who possesses the ability and character to attain the East, is worse 
than that of some less informed brother.  The Worshipful Master 
receives great honor, has great privileges, enjoys great prerogatives 
and powers.  Therefore, he must measure up to great responsibilities.
A Worshipful Master cannot resign.  Vacancies occur in the East 
through death, suspension by a Grand Master, expulsion from the 
Fraternity.  No power can make a Master attend to his duties if he 
desires to neglect them.  If he will not, or does not attend to them, 
the Senior Warden presides.  He is, however, still Senior Warden; he 
does not become Master until elected and installed.

In broad outline, these are the important and principal powers and 
responsibilities of a Worshipful Master, considered entirely from  
the standpoint of the "ancient usages and customs of the Craft."  
Nothing is said here of the moral and spiritual duties which devolve 
upon a Master.

Volumes might be and some have been written upon how a Worshipful 
Master should preside, in what ways he can "give the brethren good 
and wholesome instruction," and upon his undoubted moral 
responsibility to do his best to leave his lodge better than he found 
it.  Here we are concerned only with the legal aspect of his powers 
and duties.

Briefly then, if he keeps within the laws, resolutions and edicts of 
his Grand Lodge on the one hand, and the Landmarks, Old Charges, 
Constitutions and "ancient usages and customs" on the other, the 
power of the Worshipful Master is that of an absolute monarch.  His 
responsibilities and his duties are those of an apostle of Light!

He is a gifted brother who can fully measure up to the use of his 
power and the power of his leadership.


