John Belton, a member of my province, suggests it would be better if masonic ritual were read and not recited from memory. Masonic ritual is essentially a dramatic allegory. If you attended a theatre and the actors walked around with script in hand, you would think you had been shortchanged. The same can be said of the masonic candidate. If one is able to recite from memory a charge, and make eye contact with the candidate, a greater impression is made.
