California's Sincerity Lodge No. 132 Celebrates 150 Years

The Plumas County News reports on the 150th anniversary of Sincerity Lodge No. 132 from over the weekend. Sincerity Lodge truly started in the Old West. The lodge was started by a group of men who had built a tavern in the Gold Rush town of Rich Bar. Their wives had been less than enthused, and quickly burned the place to the ground.

The Masons chose "Sincerity" as their name to let their women and state dignitaries know that they were sincere in their desire to better themselves in the virtues still taught in lodges today: temperance, fortitude, prudence and justice.

California Grand Master Larry Adamson had an outstanding message that is well worth repeating here. From the article:

“Masons have given many things to mankind,” he said. “Masons helped pave the way not only for freedom of speech, but for human rights and man’s intellectual emancipation.”

Masons strive to strengthen core virtues within themselves, including those of brotherly love, relief and truth.

“These are virtues that ennoble common man and make them better husbands, fathers and sons,” Adams(on) said.

[snip]

“This is a great time to be a Mason in California,” he said.

While there was a 30-year decline in membership, 2009 marks the ninth consecutive year that membership numbers have risen to those of the early 1980s.

The average age of those now applying for membership are men of 35, and the fastest-growing segment of population are young men of 18–27, whose numbers have more than doubled in the last year.

“So young men do find relevance in Masonry,” he said to the surprised murmurs from his fellows.

They are smart, he said of the young men, and they will challenge older members with their knowledge of what Masonry is.

They are not looking for the lodge to be the center of their social circle, like men of the past, Adams(on) said. Rather, they look toward their brothers to keep the promise of Masonry to make men better with lessons, which in turn will make their communities a better place to live.

“Whether 83 or 18, when Freemasons apply their lessons to communities, men are attracted to Masonry,” Adams(on) said.

Preach it, Brother Adamson. I just wish the paper had spelled your name correctly. And congratulations to the brethren of Sincerity Lodge.