Independent Order Sons of Benjamin
Ritual
Opening of the Lodge
1899
President calls the Lodge to order.
President: Officers, you will please take your respective
stations.
Inside Guardian, close the door, and observe this as a part of your duty.
Bro. Ex-Pres., you will please examine the brethren in the Lodge.
The Ex-President then reports.
President: Bro. Inside Guardian, you will please let the O.G.
enter, and meanwhile take his place.
Inside Guardian retires and Outside Guardian enters.
President: Outside Guardian, what is your duty to the Lodge?
Outside Guard: It is my duty to keep the outside door locked and
to refuse permission to enter to those not entitled thereto, also to see that
the property of the Lodge is properly taken care of and preserved.
President: Please return to your station, arid let the Inside
Guardian enter.
After Inside Guardian has entered.
President: Bro. I.G., what is your duty to the Lodge?
Ins. Guard: To demand the password from each Brother before
entering the Lodge, and to refuse admission to any Brother who is not in
possession of the same without the permission of the President or
Vice-President.
President: Bro. Ex-President, what is your duty to the Lodge?
Ex-President: To examine the brethren and determine if they are in
possession of the proper password at the opening of the Lodge, and to open and
close the Lodge with prayers, and lead it the initiation of candidates for
membership.
President: Bro. Conductor, what is your duty to the Lodge?
Conductor: To prepare candidates for initiation, and obey your
commands.
President: Bro. Recording Secretary, what is your duty to the
Lodge?
Recording Secretary: To keep correct minutes of the proceedings of
the Lodge, and conduct the correspondence.
President: Bro. Financial Secretary, what is your duty?
Financial Secretary: To keep a correct account between the
brethren and the Lodge, receive all moneys, deliver the same to the Treasurer,
and take a receipt thereof.
President: Bro. Treasurer, what is your duty to the Lodge?
Treasurer: To receive all moneys from the Financial Secretary,
give a receipt for the same, and pay out all duly attested orders or vouchers.
President: Bro. Vice-President, what is your duty to the Lodge?
Vice-President: To assist you in keeping order, to see that the
brethren give the proper signs, and in your absence to act as the presiding
officer of the Lodge.
President: Officers and Brethren, I trust that every Officer will
perform his duty faithfully, and that every Brother will conduct himself
respectfully, and give due attention to all transactions of the meeting. It is
my duty to decide all questions impartially. I feel confident that we will work
with Fidelity, Love and Progress attending us, for on these principles depend
our whole success and happiness. We should ever strive to retain the noble
sentiments of our Order constantly in our mind, through which we hail each other
as brothers, for a strict adherence to these principles will tend to make us
honorable and useful members of society.
Brother Ex-President, you will please open the Lodge with prayer.
President calls upon the Lodge to rise. * * *.
Prayer
Ex-President: Almighty God; we pray Thee to give us Thy aid. We
are here assembled to complete the structure which Thou hast given to all
mankind to fulfill,to assist the distressed, nourish the sick, bury the dead,
and educate the orphans. Therefore give us Thy blessing, that we may fulfill our
mission. Amen.
President: I now declare the Lodge open for the transaction of
such business that may lawfully come before it.
President gives * and the members take seats.
Initiation of Candidates
The Candidate if present, having been conducted to the preparation room
adjoining the Lodge. the Secretary then goes in the ante-room and asks the
candidate the questions as prescribed, and enters his answers in the took
designated for that purpose, to which the Candidate shall affix his signature
The Secretary then returns to the Lodge-room and reports.
President: Bro. Conductor, please retire and prepare the Candidate
for Initiation.
Conductor retires and thereafter approaches with Candidate at the inner door
and gives the alarm.
Inside Guardian, repeating the alarm: Worthy Vice-President alarm
on the Porte.
Vice-President: Attend to the alarm.
Inside Guardian: What causes the alarm?
Conductor: I, the Conductor of
Lodge with a Candidate
requesting admission.
Inside Guardian: Is he capable and well recommended?
Conductor: He is.
The Conductor opens the door slowly, while the Inside Guardian repeats the
following:
Inside Guardian: Then enter, and may the moment be blessed when we
receive an assistant in the admirable work of Fidelity, Love and Progress, and
may the God of our ancestors bless us in this holy hour; may FIDELITY ever be
our guide, LOVE our protection, and PROGRESS our glorious principle.
The Conductor enters with the Candidate, and conducts him to the seat of the
Ex-President. The President gives * * * the Brethren rise, and the Ex-President
says, as follows:
Ex-President: Almighty and Heavenly Father, grant Thy help and aid
to the Brethren present; and grant to our newly initiated friend strength to
fulfill the obligation which he is about to assume.
We humbly bow ourselves before Thee, that Thou mayest give us wisdom to
unfold the beauties of our great principles Fidelity, Love and Progress, and may
it be Thy merciful will, that we may further perform among us our duty of
visiting the sick, burying the dead, and assisting the widows and orphans. Amen.
The President gives * to take seats.
Ex-President: My friend, it now becomes my duty to administer to
you a solemn obligation.
Are you willing to take this obligation?
The Candidate answers" Yes."
Ex-President: Then place yourself in this
attitude and repeat
after me.
President calls upon the Lodge to rise. * * *.
Formula of Oath
I,
, in the presence of the brethren of the Order here assembled, do
solemnly swear that I will never reveal the secrets of this degree to any one
who is not legally entitled to receive them; and that I will always remember our
great motto, Fidelity, Love and Progress, and that I will never neglect, as long
as it is in my power, to carry out the laws of this Lodge and the Constitution
of the Most Worthy Grand Lodge of the Independent Order Sons of Benjamin. That I
will comply with and obey the Constitution of the Order and the By-Laws of the
Lodge and at all times aid and assist the Grand Lodge or its Executive Committee
to uphold and enforce the same.
This I promise to fulfill in the belief that a higher being is ever watching
over our conduct. Amen.
President gives * and members take seats.
Ex-President: Worthy Conductor, proceed with our friend to our
Worthy President for further instruction.
The Conductor leads the Candidate to the President.
Conductor: Worthy President, by command of our Worthy
Ex-President, I present to you the Candidate for further instruction.
President: My friend, I welcome you among the fraternity of the
Sons of Benjamin; meanwhile it becomes my duty to instruct you in the great
principles of the same.
The first principle of our beloved Order is Fidelity.
Whenever a hard feeling against a brother should arise in your heart, subdue
it at once; and remember that you have given us your pledge by your solemn
obligation to show fidelity to all your brethren until you shall be called to
give an account of your actions before our highest Judge.
The second principle is Love.
So kindly and brotherly as we have received you this evening as a beloved
brother after we found you worthy of belonging to us, so we expect of your love
to all your brethren; let it sink deep in to your heart, so that you may never
forget it.
The Third principle is Progress.
Progress, the grand principle of our age and therefore included in our motto,
tends to shorten our meetings, and keep away idle ceremonies from the same; and
now always remember the grand motto of our beloved Order, Fidelity, Love and
Progress, so that we may never regret that we have accepted you in our midst.
It becomes now my duty to instruct you in the way of working yourself into
any Lodge of the Order.
The President then explains the mode and manner of gaining admission into a
Lodge room. Entrance and manner of salutation.
How to retire from a Lodge-room. The way the voting sign is given. The use of
the gavel, and such other information as may be deemed necessary.
President: Without these signs you cannot gain admittance into
this or any other Lodge of the Independent Order Sons of Benjamin; be observant,
therefore, that you will keep them in your memory.
Remember also that you have given us your pledge of honor not to reveal the
secrets, a pledge which is more binding upon you than any you have ever given.
We feel confident that you will keep it inviolate.
Remember also our brotherly duties,to visit the sick, relieve the
distressed, bury the dead and educate the orphan, and your mission will be
fulfilled.
I now greet you as a brother of
Lodge, No.
of the Independent Order
Sons of Benjamin.
Closing Ceremony
President: Bro. Vice-President, what is your duty before closing
the Lodge?
Vice-President: To thank the Brethren for their kind attention to
the business of this meeting and to express the hope that we may see many more
at our next meeting.
President: Officers and Brethren, you will please rise while the
Worthy Ex-President closes the Lodge with the usual prayer.
President calls upon the Lodge to rise. * * *.
Prayer
Ex-President: Father in Heaven! For this meeting our work is
finished, but our duty not yet completed. We have assembled together in peace
and in harmony, and are now willing and ready to disperse again into the outer
world. Be Thou our guide and leader, so that our harmony may never be disturbed,
and may you bring us together again in joy and gladness at our next meeting. Amen.
President: Bro. Inside Guardian, what is your duty in closing the
Lodge?
Inside Guardian: To open the door and let the brethren depart in
peace.
President: I now declare the Lodge closed.