FAQs - Continued

'DUE EXAMINATION' OF VISITORS

Q. Rule 125 of the B. of C. requires that visitors to a Lodge must be vouched for, by one of the bretren present. But if the visitor is unaccompanied, or if no brother is able to vouch for him, the rule requires that 'he shall be well vouched for after due examination'. I cannot find a precise definition of 'due examination' and opinions on this point in our Lodge Committee vary considerably. Can you clarify the position for us?

A. The phrase 'due examination' has not been defined by Grand Lodge, and its interpretation is left to the discretion of the brethren who conduct the examination. In the majority of Lodges visitors are vouched for by their hosts and, for that reason more than any other, examinations are extremely rare. Rule 125 says that 'He shall, if required, produce his Grand Lodge Certificate and proof of good standing in his Lodge'. The words, 'if required', indicate that the request is optional, implying that production of the G.L. Certificate is not essential. This may be taken as a useful guide to procedure, but I would urge that in every case where there is the least doubt, 'due examination' must be strict.

Example: Bro. A, a Provincial mason in London on business, is staying at the Right Royal Hotel where the notice board shows that a Lodge is meeting that evening. He presents himself, but without Grand Lodge Certificate, or means of identification. The examining Officer would be fully entitled to refuse admission; but assuming that he is willing to test the visitor, I would suggest the following:-

1. Ask for the Signs, Tokens and Words of the three Degrees. The visitor may be hesitant, or not wholly correct in his answers. He may even be a non-Mason who has obtained his information from some irregular source. The examination should be extended to include one or two procedural questions relating to specific details in the ceremonies. But there is a useful additional check.

2. Ask the name and number of the visitor's Lodge, with the place and dates of Meetings. (All these can be instantly checked in the Year Book.) The examination should cover adequately all the Craft degrees that the visitor claims to hold. If the result is not wholly satisfactory, admission should be refused. Responsibility for the admission of visitors is primarily with the Junior Warden, who is to be directed at his investiture. But the ultimate responsibility rests with the W.M., who undertakes, at his installation, that no visitor shall be received 'without due examination, and producing proper Vouchers of his having been initiated in a regu'ar Lodge'. If the J.W. is on duty in the Lodge, the W.M. may delegate the D.C., or one or more P.M.s to act as 'examiners', and it is they who become, in a sense, the 'proper Vouchers', when they are satisfied.