E-Square LLC - Masonic Public Relations

Having trouble advertising the Bean Feed coming up next month? Can't decide how to promote a worthy charity? Aghast at unflattering media attention in the local paper? E-Square LLC, can help. In a news release yesterday, the Washington, DC public relations firm made its national debut offering public relations services for Freemasons.

According to Garrison Courtney, one of the partners in the firm, E-Square, LLC can provide a full spectrum of PR related services, from web development and hosting, media relations, to promotional marketing for Masonic organizations large and small. And when you're done going over the web hosting protocols, you can even sit in lodge with them because the E-Square folks are all Freemasons.

The Masonic connection is important, said Bro. Courtney, a member of William R. Singleton-Hope-Lebanon Lodge No. 7 in Washington D.C., when considering public relations because of the traditional taciturnity of the Craft.

"We use the technology and we use words that promote the goal of Freemasonry without overtly advertising Freemasonry," Bro. Courtney said by telephone to AVT this morning. "For instance if your Blue lodge is trying to promote that you gave a scholarship to an area student, there is a way to work that which shows your lodge’s charitable work, but also to promote your lodge and Freemasonry as well. It helps educate the public about what it is we do. The second thing is that individual that read this might be thinking about Freemasonry and you might get individuals of a very high caliber that might come to your lodge and want to be a part of it. You are essentially targeting individuals who have the same interests that your lodge has. It starts to elevate the fraternity. The idea that we were never a public society is very untrue. If you do any research at all you will see that we were very public [in the past]. In the 1940-50s you couldn’t go a day without seeing a story about Freemasons and what they were doing. On the other side it helps to quash the propaganda online and let people see what we really do. It gives us an ability to let people see both sides."

E-Square's website offers web design and web hosting services too, in the unlikely event that any lodges out there aren't operating with the latest, post-1987 websites. According to Bro. Courtney, E-Square offers basic web page design, including one year of maintenance, training, graphics and "24/7 customer support for one year" for between $2,000 - 2,500, a fee he considers quite reasonable by industry standards.

In a fraternity distinguished by no small amount of differing opinions, it is very likely that the concept of a Masonic PR firm will generate some waves. Some commentators will find the idea of Masonic PR to be an oxymoron; Masonry was and should be, they will say, a secret society and our prospects must come to us. Others will embrace this new approach as they embrace every prospect for change under the theory that most, if not all, change is good for Masonry.

Somewhere between those points of view is the idea that Masonry and public relations do not necessarily conflict, provided that the Craft does not market itself as just another social club, NBA franchise, or Mc-Whatever. The fraternalism craze of by-gone days is over and many young men have no idea of Freemasonry - what it is, or what it stands for. To that end, we can, and perhaps should, make our own image - tactfully, with a mind towards the ancient landmarks - but if we don't do it, the Masonophobes will do it for us.

And we don't want that.