Bedouins |
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| President | Leon Yost |
| Secretary | Paul Pool |
| Divan Rep | Arnold Langston |
Travelers,
On January 18 2005, The Hospital Orderly Group Bedouins, were formed as an official group within El Mina Shrine. The Bedouin by-laws state that the calling and destiny of this group is to support and promote the dignity and activities of El Mina Shrine Center, The Shriners Children’s Hospitals and our kids in the name of the world’s greatest philanthropy. For A Man Never Stood So Tall As When He Stooped To Help a Child. In Albert Pike’s Morals and Dogmas, he states “Masonry is action and not inertness. It requires its initiates to work actively and earnestly for the benefit of their brethren, their country and mankind. From first to last, Masonry is work. It venerates the Grand Architect of the Universe. It commemorates the building of the Temple. Its principle emblems are the working tools of Masons and artisans. It preserves the name of the first worker in brass and iron as one of its passwords. When the brethren meet together, they are at labor. The Master is the overseer who sets the craft to work and gives them proper instruction. Masonry is the apotheosis of work. “ Jim Tresner in Vested in Glory quotes the late Imperial Potentate, Dr. Hubert M. Poteet stated, “The world has more than enough common men. It cries for superior men, not men who hold themselves superior to others, but men who strive each day to be superior to themselves, to be better then they were before. The Shrine appeals to the strong manhood of North America for a variety of reasons. In the first place, the pageantry and the magnificence of costumes and regalia appeal to men who may be old in years, but young in spirit. Little boys play cops and robbers, Shriners play Moslems and Infidels. In the second place the Shrine provides opportunity for fun, play and mirth on a truly magnificent scale. Shriners are apostles of good cheer and happiness, as such are performing a very vital function in this tragic modern world of ours. Indeed it may be said that we have been called into the kingdom for such a time as this. A further important principle in the Shrine is toleration in the field of religious opinion. One of the most tragic phenomena of our times is the endless warfare among the people of different faiths and beliefs.” As timely as these words and concerns appear, that were said many years ago. Let each of us in our own way resolve to continue to spread good cheer and happiness as we face our own tragic times of today. Jim Tresner also quotes; Past Imperial Potentate O. Carlyle Brock, in 1965, “ I believe the Masonic fraternity and especially the Shrine of North America is a fraternity of destiny, for this is one fraternity that champions the rights, dignity and worth of the individual. The fraternity does not contribute or subscribe to mediocrity or the average status of the individual. If the western world is to survive, then I am sure that it is the leadership of the Shrine, combined with the entire Masonic fraternity, who will hold, protect and defend the free institutions of this nation.” Brock wanted all Shrine units to make every public appearance possible so that the general public might know that Shriners, Playing as Moslems and Infidels, dedicated Masons actively working to contribute to the welfare of those less fortunate In 1950, Imperial Potentate Harold Lloyd, one of the great comedians of his time, declared; “I am a Shriner because I believe in the ideals on which the Shrine was founded. We believe in the brotherhood of man and in the dignity of the individual. We oppose an ideology that seeks to degrade human beings. Masonry and Shrinedom have flourished in this soil of freedom. Shrinedom has given me a greater appreciation of what it meant to be an American. In the Shrine, I have found myself surrounded by men full of the joy of living, men of hope, optimism and understanding. They are loyal to the principles of Masonry and of the Shrine, for they are identical with the principles of brotherhood and liberty embodied in the ideals of Americanism. This, friends, is the Shrine and these are a few of the reasons why I wear the Fez.” May each and every Hospital Orderly Group Bedouin promote and strengthen our great brotherhood, may we proudly wear our Fez and may we continue to share pleasure without intemperance, hospitality without rudeness and jollity without coarseness.
Es Selamu Aleikum! Al Pool, Past President 2005 - 2007 Hospital Orderly Group Bedouins Our Blades Defend The Helpless |
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