Proving a Brother

In our ritual there are several references to the need for a Brother to "Prove" that he is a member of the Order.

Under the South Australian Constitution, during the presentation of the Grand Lodge Certificate the Brother is informed "that your certificate, alone, would not enable you to enter a Lodge in which you were not personally known, without due examination" or as it is often expressed, without “Proving” yourself.

Every brother should be familiar with the method of Proving as he may be called upon either to Prove himself or to Prove some other brother not known to members of a particular Lodge.

The method of Proving a brother under the South Australian Constitution is very briefly mentioned in the Ritual Book in the section at the beginning of that book dealing with ‘Visitors’. It states:
“No visitor shall be admitted unless he is personally known to or vouched for by one of the brethren present, or until after due examination and production of his Grand Lodge certificate and other positive evidence to show that he is in good standing.”

The Lodge Manual goes into more detail. It recommends that, in addition to sighting the brother’s Grand Lodge certificate and comparing the signature with that in the attendance book, the brother should be examined progressively in the questions leading to the Degree to which the Lodge is to be raised that night.

The method of “Proving” a brother is as follows:
If the Lodge is to be opened only in the First Degree, having examined the brother’s Grand Lodge certificate and satisfied himself that the brother is in good standing with his Lodge, the Proving Brother should give the brother the grip of an Entered Apprentice Freemason and ask “what is this?” He would then proceed through the examination carried out during the explanation to the candidate of the Secrets in the First Degree. If not completely satisfied, he should continue by examining the brother on the questions leading from the First to the Second Degree.

If the Lodge is to be raised to the Second Degree, the examination should be continued by the Proving Brother testing the brother in the ritual relating to the pass grip, and pass word leading from the First to the Second Degree as exchanged between the Senior Warden and the candidate prior to the candidate advancing to the East. He might also give the Second Degree grip and go through the examination carried out during the explanation to the candidate of the Secrets in the Second Degree. If not satisfied, he should ask the brother the questions leading from the Second to the Third Degree.

Finally, if the Lodge is to be raised to the Third Degree during the evening, the Proving brother should examine the brother in the ritual of the pass grip and pass word leading from the Second to the Third Degree as exchanged between the Senior Warden and the candidate prior to the candidate advancing to the East in that Degree. The proving brother should then, give the Third Degree grip, and ask: “what is this?” — the answer — the first of the FPOF. The proving brother would then seek the remaining POF and their various explanations including the words of the Degree.

If a brother is to visit Lodges in which he is not known or your Lodge has such visitors, it is very important that every brother is thoroughly proficient in the ritual of all the questions and answers, the pass grips and the pass words that lead from one degree to another, and that each brother is able to give and explain the FPOF.

Some latitude may need to be given to a brother from another Constitution as their ritual explanations may vary to some degree from that of our own. For example, in the Irish Constitution, the Third Degree Grip is not the first of the FPOF but the second.

If at any time the Proving Brother believes that the person being examined is an impostor, he should discretely seek the assistance of another competent brother to confirm or disaffirm his suspicions. If his suspicions are confirmed, he should ask the impostor to leave the premises.

David Porteous PG Std Br South Australian and Northern Territory Constitution
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