A young man passed a pawnbroker's shop. The money lender was
standing in front of his shop, and the young man noted that he was
wearing a large and beautiful Masonic emblem. After going on a whole
block, apparently lost in thought, the young man turned back, stepped
up to the pawnbroker, and addressed him: "I see you're wearing a
Masonic emblem. I'm a Freemason too. It happens that I'm desperately in
need of $25 just now. I shall be able to repay it within ten days. You
don't know me; but I wonder whether the fact that you are a Freemason
and that I am a Freemason is sufficient to induce you to lend me the
money on my personal note."
The pawnbroker mentally appraised the young man, who was
clean-cut, neat and well-dressed. After a moments thought, he agreed
to make the loan on the strength of the young man being a Freemason.
Within a few days the young man repaid the loan as agreed and that
ended the transaction.
About four months later the young man was in a Lodge receiving
the Entered Apprentice Degree; he had not really been a Mason when he
borrowed the $25. After he had been admitted for the second section of
the degree, the young man looked across the Lodge room and saw the
pawnbroker from whom he had borrowed the $25. His face turned crimson
and he became nervous and jittery. He wondered whether he had been
recognized by the pawnbroker. Apparently not, so he planned at the
first opportunity to leave the Lodge room and avoid his benefactor. As
soon as the Lodge was closed he moved quickly for the door, but the
pawnbroker had recognized the young man, headed him off and, to the
young man's astonishment, approached him and greeted him with a smile
and outstretched hand.
"Well, I see you weren't a Freemason after all when you
borrowed that $25," the pawnbroker commented.
The blood rushed to the young man's face as he stammered, "No,
I wasn't, but I wish you'd let me explain. I had always heard that
Freemasons were charitable and ready to aid a Brother in distress. When
I passed your shop that day I didn't need that $25. I had plenty of
money in my wallet, but when I saw the Masonic emblem you were wearing,
I decided to find out whether the things I'd heard about Freemasonry
were true. You let me have the money on the strength of my being a
Freemason, so I concluded that what I had heard about Masons was true,
that they are charitable, that they do aid Brethren in distress. That
made such a deep impression on me that I presented my petition to this
Lodge and here I am. I trust that with this explanation you will
forgive me for having lied to you."
The pawnbroker responded, "Don't let that worry you too much. I
wasn't a Freemason when I let you have the money. I had no business
wearing the Masonic emblem you saw. Another man had just borrowed some
money on it, and it was so pretty that I put it on my lapel for a few
minutes. I took it off the moment you left. I didn't want anyone else
borrowing money on the strength of my being a Freemason. When you asked
for that $25, I remembered what I had heard about Masons, that they
were honest, upright, and cared for their obligations promptly. It
seemed to me that $25 wouldn't be too much to lose to learn if what I'd
heard was really true, so I lent you the money and you repaid it
exactly as you said you would. That convinced me that what I'd heard
about Masons was true so I presented my petition to this Lodge. I was
the candidate just ahead of you."