Dear Brethren ALL:
With the approach of summer’s closing, I am reminded of the duty of the Junior Warden to ensure that the Craft return to their Labor in due season with honor, pleasure and profit thereby. Dovetailing the duties of the Junior Warden, the Senior Warden is charged with setting the Craft at work giving proper instructions for their labor. These references to our Masonic Labor are resounded at the opening and closing of every Lodge. The importance of our labor is emphasized upon our first introduction to the Craft, when the E.A. is lovingly taught the lesson of the Twenty-Four-Inch Guage, whereby the cycle of the day is separated into three equal parts, one of which is allotted for service to God, another for our usual vocations, and the last for rest and refreshment.
Assuming the labors of Freemasonry were confined to the Lodge room, and its influence did not extend beyond its confines; and if it had no actual mission to perform in this world, these ceremonial words and pronouncements would be meaningless. But that assumption is far from the truth and to better understand its meaning lets explore the term “labor”.
To begin, it is always wise and prudent to seek answers, and insight on all vital matters from the rule and guide of our lives, the Holy Bible. The Bible teaches us that work (labor) is not just a means to an end but a special calling to bring honor and praise to God. Whether we are engaged in labor through employment or profession, serving the community, serving our fraternity, or raising our families, we are called by our Maker to perform these duties with diligence, integrity, and a sense of purpose.
Let us look toward the Holy Scripture, where it says in the Book of Colossians, Chapter 3, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance…” Keeping this spiritual message in mind, our work and labor is ordained as an act of worship to our Heavenly Father. So says the Holy Bible in Proverbs, Chapter 16, “Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.” Further, being of a charitable heart with your labor the Book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 24 says “When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shall not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.”
Soon, we will observe “Labor Day”, which serves as a yearly reminder to roll up our sleeves, buckle down and put our Masonic shoulders to the wheel. Former President and Brother Theodore Roosevelt said it best with the admonishment, “No man needs sympathy because he has to work, because he has a burden to carry. Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”
The idea of establishing a holiday in honor of our labor and our workers sprouted in 1882, when a former machinist named Matthew Maguire planted the seed of setting aside a day to venerate the American worker. Matthew Maguire was at the time the secretary of the Central Labor Union of New York, which was at the forefront of labor unrest between the American Railway Union and the Pullman Palace Car Company that adversely affected the delivery of the United States Mail.
It may also interest you to know that the company town of Pullman, Illinois and its parent company, the Pullman Palace Car Company, were founded by Brother George M. Pullman, a member of Renovation Lodge No. 97, in Albion, New York.
Without going into too much detail about the events leading up to the industrial strife, as well as the labor strike and the serious skirmishes that followed, let it be sufficient to say that the entire matter was brought to a successful and peaceful conclusion under the leadership of then President Grover Cleveland with the help of the U.S. Army and an injunction invoked by U.S. Federal Court known as the Sherman Antitrust Act.
Subsequently, President Cleveland with the unanimous consent of the U.S. Congress gave the American workers a new Holiday in 1894 called Labor Day. In its founding, the national celebration of the holiday was to exhibit “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations, with the Sunday before the Holiday a Labor Sunday, dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.”
This landmark holiday celebrates the social and economic achievements earned by the American worker. While the very first Labor Day took place locally in New York City on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, it became a Federal holiday on the first Monday of September in 1894. The holiday culminated with several key benefits for the working family including the eight-hour workday, the two-day weekend rest period, a fair minimum wage, safer and sanitary working conditions, and a ban against children working in dangerous mines and factories, to name a few of the many benefits. Decades later, the movement launched the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in 1938 and the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) in 1970.
So at this juncture, let us all be thankful for the generation of our citizens who built our towns, bridges, tunnels, railroads and roadways, those who operated our factories and mines, and plowed our farmlands, and fished our waters, while challenging the status quo demanding safer workspaces, fair wages and shorter workdays.
Truly, God has blessed our Country with strong men and resilient women. May God continue to bless the American Worker. All Day – Every Day! Amen.
With kind fraternal care, I remain your brother,
Bob
M:.W:. Bro. Robert L. Hogan, Jr.
Grand Master
This article was originally published by Grand Lodge of New York. Read the full original article here.