The Order of the Secret Monitor

What Does it Bring to Me?

A Lecture by
W Bro Gary Kerkin PGStwd
June-November 2010

If you knew nothing about it and were to ask a Freemason what Freemasonry is, he would probably give
you one of two different answers. He would either suggest that he was taught to be cautious and avoid
your question, or he would give you the stock, standard answer he is taught in the First Degree: that it is a
peculiar system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols. This reply would likely leave
you perplexed, insulted, and/or annoyed because it would not have answered your question.

What would answer your question? Do you know? Does the average Freemason know? Does a Secret
Monitor know?

Let’s ignore the “taught to be cautious” reply – that derives from a circumstance in the First Degree
Ceremony and doesn’t need to be pursued because it won’t take us anywhere. Instead, let’s look at the
“stock, standard answer”!

Morality is easy—well, I guess most of us would think it is. It is about how we act under every
circumstance.

System—this tells us about how something is going to react if we draw an envelope around a group of
interconnected objects (which could be us as members of a Conclave of the Order of the Secret Monitor)
because changing one part always influences the other parts. I guess what we are saying here is that how
we act influences what goes on around us—an application of the “golden rule” perhaps: we would like
others to treat us as we would treat them.

Peculiar? Now there’s a wobbly. Unfortunately the word “peculiar” has many connotations and modern
day meanings do not really encompass the meaning in which it is applied here—that is that it applies
strictly to the object to which it is attached. So, no! We are not strange! Nor is the morality we are
referring to. It applies in a very strict way to Masonic philosophy.

Veiled, in this context does not mean hidden or curtained. It is more intended to convey a sense in which
the word “explained” would better fit the context. We don’t want it hidden, do we? We want it out in the
open—we would rather that greater numbers would subscribe to Masonic philosophy, wouldn’t we?

Illustrated means just what we think it means—that it demonstrates what we need it to show. And we
need it to show the symbols which are important to us. And the symbols are reasonably clear when put in
the context of our rituals—which is why we don’t talk about them. Well, they are secret, aren’t they?

Someone once told me, having found out that I was a Mason, that he couldn’t belong to a secret
organisation. (Well, I didn’t exactly hide it!) I asked him if he knew all about us and he replied that he
did. “Well,” I said, “We’re not very good at it are we?”
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But those symbols: you can look around here and see them—squares, compasses, levels, plumb rules,
volumes, ashlars, ezels, bows and arrows, and the like. They’re obvious, aren’t they.

This brings me back to “allegory”. Just what is an allegory? The dictionary definitions are: the
representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or
pictorial form; a story, picture, or play employing such representation (for example John Bunyan's
“Pilgrim's Progress” and Herman Melville's “Moby Dick”); or a symbolic representation (for example the
blindfolded figure with scales is an allegory of justice). As an example consider something from “A
Celtic Childhood” by Bill Watkins1. Watkins was born of Irish parentage in the Midlands of England in
1950 and his early childhood was spent in the Midlands and Ireland. His early schooling was in the
Midlands, not far from Stratford on Avon and of this he writes:

… the next subject is the dreaded arithmetic or sums, as we called it, and that is the one subject I
have the most difficulty with.

Now, it isn’t that the idea of adding and subtracting, multiplying and dividing is all that strange.
The problem lies in the teaching methods and the British school’s standard math textbook. The
course work relies heavily on allegory, which is fine for teaching fables or parables, but to me
mathematics is abstract and it is best dealt with in abstraction.

I could readily understand that 1 + 5 = 6, but to the Celtic mind, one carrot + five carrots = a
bunch of carrots and nothing else. Similarly 3 – 1 = 2, fair enough, but the book would ask: “You
have three apples in one hand and you take away one, what have you got?” To the Anglo-Saxon,
the simple answer is two. To the visually minded Celt, however, you have two apples in one hand
and one in the other. Apples and carrots, me arse; I’d rather be fishing.

The lesson begins with a cane being rapped on the face of the blackboard to draw our attention,
and Mr Bury, now on firmer ground, feels like he’s back in control.

“John Costello, if it takes one man one hour to dig a hole, how long does it take two men?”

“Two hours, sir!”

“No, no, no! How could it be two hours? Come on, John, think about it!”

“Well,” says John, “the second fella would be getting in the first fella’s way for a start and then
they’d be talking and wisecracking an’ carrying on. Then they might stop for a smoke and then—“

“Stop, stop, stop! The answer is simple: half an hour! OK?”

“Noshatall!” continues John. “There’d be no hole dug in half an hour that could accommodate
two men with picks and shovels and them both working!”

We all support his irrefutable logic and we know full well that John’s dad is a ganger for Ryan
Construction and so he knows what he is talking about.”

1 “A Celtic Childhood” Bill Watkins, Flamingo 2001 ISBN 0 7322 7030 8, p112.
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There’s allegory for you! Later he refers to it again2:

More bloody allegory!

“A farmer plants 800 potato plants, 6 out of 10 die. What has he got, Watkins?”

“Colorado beetle, sir!”

In Freemasonry we use allegory as a metaphor in which we encapsulate lessons about the philosophy we
are seeking to impart.

There are many examples in our rituals but most of them are too complicated to trot out in response to a
question as to what “veiled in allegory” means.

So how do we explain Freemasonry?

This is a matter over which I have pondered often. When I was researching some of things I wanted to say
during my inaugural address when I was installed as Master of the Waikato Lodge of Research No 445, I
happened on a quotation from Immanuel Kant. In the conclusion to the “Critique of Practical Reason” he
wrote “Two things fill the mind with ever increasing wonder and awe, the more often and the more
seriously concentration reflects upon them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.”
Like you, I can do nothing about the starry heavens above us. But we can all do something about the
moral law within us and to me this quotation expresses how I feel about Freemasonry.

So how does Freemasonry help me, us, develop that moral law?

As you all know (and yes I know our ladies know too) there are three degrees, or levels in Craft Masonry.
What is it that each imparts? Well, simply put the First Degree introduces us to a work ethic; the Second
Degree to concepts of education, justice and equality which reinforce the work ethic; and the Third
Degree to a spirituality involving integrity and mortality.

It is not always clear, unless significant thought is devoted to it, that the First Degree encapsulates the
whole of Masonic philosophy. It tells us that the essential characteristics of a Freemason are Virtue,
Honour and Mercy. The aspect of Virtue is summarised in the three Principal Virtues of Faith, Hope and
Charity, and the four Cardinal Virtues of Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude and Justice. Ten simple
points! But ten great points! Just think about it. Those ten points exemplify a way of living which is
expounded by the major religions and which is summed up in the golden rule.

But if we are introduced to that in the First Degree and appreciate that it is the sum total of Masonic
Philosophy, what use, then, is the other degrees? The short answer is that at the end of the First Degree
we have been told about it—but we know little about it. The intent of the following two degrees is to
extend our knowledge and understanding of it. For example the Second Degree extends our understanding
of equality and justice—essential parts of the virtue of Justice. The Third Degree explains aspects of
Prudence, Fortitude and Justice by way of an allegorical play which exemplifies integrity and then
reinforces our view of Faith and Hope by asking us to consider our own mortality.

2 Ibid p272
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Does that end it, then? Again the short answer is no! Because, if he thinks about it carefully, the newly
Raised Master Mason will realise it still leaves many questions unanswered. Some of these are peculiarly
Masonic in nature: why a Lodge is structured the way it is? Why at one stage has he been called an
“Entered Apprentice” and then later a “Fellow Craft”? What was the relationship between the two? Other
questions are more universal: what does that Masonic philosophy mean to him? How should it apply to
him? How will he use it in his life? How will it benefit him in his life?

Since the development of Speculative Freemasonry in the 17th century many fine minds have considered
these questions and it is perhaps significant that although there was a deliberate move to de-Christianise
Freemasonry before the establishment of the first Grand Lodge, in London, in 1717—a move which
enabled those of other religious faiths who could express a belief in a Supreme Being (however they each
define it) to join the Order—none the less there was a strong drive to get back to the Christian roots that
so dominated their lives. This may be because much of the philosophy of established religion expressed
their beliefs in how they and their Brethren should behave and because it offered an explanation which
would readily be understood by those who wished to participate in the Order. Even so it fell short—
particularly if they wished Freemasonry to be universal and attract “free” thinkers. Appreciating that the
Second Degree (which, in 1717, was the culminating degree) and later the Third Degree left so many
questions begging, those minds sought ways of answering the questions and extending the knowledge and
understanding of the basic philosophy. Their solution was to either establish another degree ceremony, or
even another order. I understand, for example, that by the middle of the 18th century there were some
1,200 or more degree ceremonies. Although there is evidence to suggest that other Orders were present in
some rudimentary or developmental form, by the end of the 18th century other Orders such as the Royal
Arch, the Ancient and Accepted Rite (usually, if incorrectly, referred to as the Rose Croix) and the Secret
Monitor had been formally established. The Royal Arch appears to be a product of England, Scotland and
Ireland. The A&A Rite is said to have originated in Germany, but that is probably not correct. The Secret
Monitor, our Order, has its antecedents in Holland. There are, of course, many other Masonic Orders—
too many for the purpose of today’s discussion.

A dilemma faces every new Master Mason. He knows that his knowledge and understanding of
Freemasonry and its philosophy are limited. How then does he improve them? He could read. He could
surf the Internet. He could ask his Brethren. But will these resources give him the answers he needs? He
has to be circumspect about what he reads and hears—too often he will be confronted with
misinformation and misconceptions. Harry Carr, for example, writes in his lecture “600 Years of Craft
Ritual”3 wrote:

Brethren, many of you will know that I travel vast distances in the course of my lecture duties and
the further I go the more astonished I am to see how many Brethren believe, quite genuinely, that
our masonic ritual came down straight from heaven, directly into the hands of King Solomon.
They are all quite certain that it was in English, of course, because that is the only language they
speak up there. They are equally sure that it was all engraved on two tablets of stone, so that,

3 Harry Carr PGD “600 Years of Craft Ritual”

http://www.freemasoninformation.com/history/sixhundredyears.htm
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heaven forbid, not one single word should ever be altered; and most of them believe that King
Solomon, in his own lodge, practised the same ritual as they do in theirs.

If he is very lucky, he will have a skilled and knowledgeable mentor to guide him. But, in my opinion, if
he really wants to extend his knowledge and understanding of the philosophy, what better way than to
join another Order and learn from its rituals? For example the Royal Arch takes the allegories of
Solomon’s Temple and extends them to explain the workings of a Lodge, the organisation of the work
force, the importance and antecedents of the signs by which Masons recognise each other, and indeed the
“genuine” secrets of Craft Masonry. In this way it builds on the work ethic I referred to earlier. The A&A
Rite will lead a Master Mason who is inclined to Christianity to a closer association with that religion
and, based as it is on the New Testament Gospel of John, to a more personal understanding of the three
Principal Virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity.

What then can the Order of the Secret Monitor bring to him?

I suppose the simplest and shortest answer would be an exemplification of brotherhood and friendship.
But the simplest and shortest answers always understate the situation don’t they?

The allegory on which the Order is based is the relationship between David and Jonathan as described in
the Old Testament in the First Book of Samuel.

When David went to fight Goliath, Saul asked Abner who “the stripling” was, to which Abner replied that
he had no idea, and was instructed to find out. When David returned carrying Goliath’s head, Abner took
him to Saul who asked him who his father was. David replied that he was the son of Jesse the
Bethlehemite. David struck up a great friendship with Saul’s son Jonathan—a friendship that took on an
almost spiritual, if not mystical, importance:

18:1 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of
Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 18:2 And Saul
took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house. 18:3 Then Jonathan
and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. 18:4 And Jonathan stripped
himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword,
and to his bow, and to his girdle.

Saul gave David charge of his armies, but became jealous of his triumphs. As his jealousy turned to
paranoia, he gave Jonathan and his servants orders to kill David. Jonathan, risking his father’s wrath,
informed David about the plot telling him to hide himself while he tried to convince his father to revoke
the order. Saul, however, was not convinced for long and his paranoia resurfaced and David went into
hiding again. However, ultimately he asked Jonathan why he was being persecuted. Jonathan revealed the
great love he had for David, and David asked Jonathan to tell Saul, should he enquire about it, that he was
going to Bethlehem to join his family for their annual sacrifice, and to plead for him should it prove
necessary. It did!
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In 20:8 he asks Jonathan … for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father? 20:9 And Jonathan said, Far
be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then
would not I tell it thee?

The nub of the allegory of the Order is reached in Chapter 20 Verse 13 when Jonathan replied

… but if it please my father to do thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou
mayest go in peace: and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my father.

And in Chapter 20 Verse 16

So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at
the hand of David's enemies. 20:17 And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved
him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul. 20:18 Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is
the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. 20:19 And when thou
hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst
hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel.

At this point the narrative reaches a point which is crucial to the implementation of the essence of the
Order:

20:20 And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark. 20:21 And,
behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold,
the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and no
hurt; as the LORD liveth. 20:22 But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are
beyond thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee away. 20:23 And as touching the matter
which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the LORD be between thee and me for ever.

So David remained hidden and, when questioned by Saul, Jonathan gave him the story David asked him
to concoct which was at first accepted but later Saul’s paranoia caused his thoughts to fester against David
and Jonathan bore the brunt of his anger, and when Jonathan questioned him, Saul threatened his son,
who realised there was little hope for David if he returned, so he went out to warn David, as they had
agreed.

20:35 And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time
appointed with David, and a little lad with him. 20:36 And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now
the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 20:37 And when the
lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and
said, Is not the arrow beyond thee? 20:38 And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay
not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master. 20:39 But the lad knew
not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 20:40 And Jonathan gave his artillery
unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city. 20:41 And as soon as the lad was gone,
David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself
three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded. 20:42
And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of
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the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for
ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.

What does this story bring to us?

Firstly it exemplifies friendship. But what a friendship! Not merely an expression of friendship is
involved. The two of them entered into a covenant to support and protect each other. Indeed Jonathan
thought so highly of his friend and his future that when he realised that David was more likely than
himself to accede to the leadership of Israel that he gave him his clothes and his military gear thereby
symbolically and physically relinquishing his own aspirations to the throne. He risked the wrath of his
father defending David against the delusions and paranoia Saul felt, and ultimately ensured the safety of
his friend by warning him in the manner they had agreed.

Secondly it takes the level of a mere friendship to that which skirts the brink of self-sacrifice. We have
heard this in a religious sense (“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his
friends.” John 15:13) and in the stories of great heroism and courage in times of war which have resulted
in citations for awards such as the Victoria Cross or the Congressional Medal of Honour. Jonathan was
ready to protect David with his own life.

Thirdly it reveals to us another dimension of the implications of the virtue Justice which is exemplified in
the Second Degree in Craft Masonry. Here we have the hatred and paranoia of Saul over-ruling any
previous feelings he entertained about David and treating him unjustly. It is not clear whether or not Saul
believed that David was actively seeking to supplant him, but he certainly acted as though he had
evidence of it. As a result of the injustice Saul lost his greatest military supporter and Jonathan lost the
friendship he so dearly treasured.

Later in the history after Jonathan had been killed by the Philistines and Saul effectively suicided in his
grief, David went to considerable lengths to reclaim the bones of his great friend and his former King.

This sets the allegory on which the Order is based and which the Induction and the Prince’s Degree
elaborate. It brings to us an understanding of the importance of looking to the well-being of our fellows
and, in the name of friendship, the necessity of being proactive in establishing their status. It examines the
nature of friendship and gives us a method of assessing it. For example in the address to the Candidate in
the Induction Ceremony, the Candidate is told: “In admitting you a member of our Order … we trust we
have received in to our ranks one whose future conduct will fully justify the choice we have made, whose
presence among us will always be welcome, whose advice within the Conclave will be fraught with
wisdom and sound judgement, whose ear will be continually open to the cry of the suffering and needy
and whose bosom will ever glow with satisfaction in fulfilling the great ends and aims of our Order.”

That’s a pretty solid exhortation, isn’t it?

We are enjoined in the degrees of Craft Masonry to certain actions with respect to our Brethren such as
caring for them (to support their honest and praiseworthy undertakings; to consider their needs; to protect
their secrets; to support their character). We expect that our Brethren will consider us in the same light
(i.e. that they will treat us as they would have us treat them). Curiously these thoughts turn up among
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what are loosely referred to as “secrets”. They aren’t, of course—they are extensions of that basic
philosophy I defined and are implied in the seven virtues. If we can treat our Brethren with that care then
we are indeed applying Faith, Hope and Charity: faith in our Brethren, that they are not calling on us to
support illegal activities; hope by offering them our friendship and support; and charity (or love) to care
for them in whatever way our resources and means can sustain.

It may be of interest that although these implications turn up in so-called secrets they are merely an
extension of the Golden Rule—that we are enjoined to treat others as they are enjoined to treat us.

So how is all of this manifested in the Order of the Secret Monitor?

It appears in the structure of a Conclave—the gathering of members. Rather than a “Master” we have a
“Ruler”, a person who is not only installed into the chair of Conclave to administer it for the time being,
but is also commissioned as a “Ruler” in the Order, meaning that he has a wider status in the Order—in
much the same way as a Prince, or a King, of some small fiefdom was a long time ago—except, of course
that we change him every year. Rather than being supported by two Wardens who, in a Craft Lodge, are
definitely inferior in station, our Ruler is supported by a Counsellor and a Guide, whose relationship to
the Ruler are very close to that of equals. Instead of an Almoner, whose role is to look to the wellbeing of
his Brethren and their families, we have “Visiting Deacons” whose duties are similar but are specifically
spelled out in the catechism at the opening of the Conclave: “To seek out and visit all Brethren … who
may be in danger or distress, or may need or desire friendly [warning], fraternal sympathy, or brotherly
and disinterested advice, to minister to their necessities, and report to [the] Ruler.”

And many Conclaves have decided that the families of their Brethren are of such importance that the
Conclave should also cater for them, and so organise entertainment for them while their other halves
meet. Indeed, many senior in the Order will tell you that the least successful Conclaves are those who
have not implemented such a program.

So we have an Order that is often described as “the friendly Order”. It takes the concept of fraternity in
Freemasonry to a higher level, exemplifying it through the story of the greatest friendship in ancient
history and applies the concepts embodied in that story to the support and benefit of its members.

It doesn’t add anything to the philosophy of Freemasonry, but it crystallises fraternity into something
approaching the mystical.

Copyright © Gary Kerkin 2010