Part 2
Its form is * * * Its dimension, from east to west, embracing every clime between north and south. Its universal chain of friendship encircles every portion of the human family and beams wherever civilization extends.
A Lodge is said to be thus extensive to denote the universality of Freemasonry, and teaches that a Mason's charity should be equally extensive.
The Supports of a Lodge.
A Lodge is supported by three great pillars, denominated Wisdom, Strength and Beauty; because there should be wisdom to contrive, strength to support, and beauty to adorn all great and important undertakings. They are represented by the three principal officers of the Lodge: The pillar Wisdom, by the W. M. in the East, who is presumed to have wisdom to open and govern the Lodge; the pillar Strength, by the Senior Warden in the West, whose duty it is to assist the W. M. in the discharge of his arduous labors; and the pillar Beauty, by the Junior Warden in the South, whose duty it is to call the craft from labor to refreshment, superintend them during the hours thereof, carefully to observe that the means of refreshment are not perverted to intemperance or excess, and see that they return to their labor in due season.
Its covering is no less than the clouded canopy or starry-decked heaven, where all good Masons hope at last to arrive, by the aid of that theological ladder which Jacob, in his vision, saw extending from earth to heaven; the three principal rounds of which are denominated Faith, Hope and Charity; which admonish us to have faith in God, hope of immortality and charity to all mankind. The greatest of these is Charity; for Faith may be lost in sight, Hope ends in fruition, but Charity extends beyond the grave through the boundless realms of eternity.
Furniture.
The furniture of a lodge consists of the Holy Bible, Square and Compasses.
The Holy Bible is dedicated to God; because it is the inestimable gift of God to man. The Square to the Master, because it is the proper Masonic emblem of his office; and the Compasses to the craft, because, by a due attention to their use, they are taught to circumscribe their desires, and keep their passions within due bounds.
Ornaments.
The Ornaments of a Lodge are the Mosaic Pavement, the Indented Tessel and the Blazing Star.
The Mosaic Pavement is a representation of the ground floor of King Solomon's Temple; the Indented Tessel, of that beautiful tessellated border or skirting which surrounded it. The Mosaic Pavement is emblematical of human life, checkered with good and evil; the Indented Tessel, or tessellated border, of the manifold blessings and comforts which constantly surround us, and which we hope to enjoy by a firm reliance on Divine Providence, which is hieroglyphically represented by the Blazing Star in the centre.
Lights.
A Lodge has three symbolic lights; one in the East, one in the West and one in the South, represented by the W. M., S. W. and J. W. There is no light in the north, because King Solomon's Temple, of which every lodge is a representation, was so far north of the elliptic that the sun could dart no rays into the northern part thereof. The north, therefore, we Masonically call a place of darkness.
Jewels.
A Lodge has six jewels; three of these are immovable and three movable.
The Immovable Jewels are the Square, Level and Plumb. The Square inculcates morality; the Level, equality, and the Plumb, rectitude of conduct. They are called immovable jewels, because they are always to be found in the East, West and South parts of the Lodge, being worn by the officers in their respective stations.
The Movable Jewels are the Rough Ashlar, the Perfect Ashlar and the Trestle-Board.
The Rough Ashlar is a stone, as taken from the quarry, in its rude and natural state. By it we are reminded of our rude and imperfect state by nature.
The Perfect Ashlar is a stone made ready by the hands of the workmen, to be adjusted by the working tools of the fellow craft; and reminds us of that state of perfection at which we hope to arrive by a virtuous education, our own endeavors and the blessing of God.
The Trestle-Board is for the master workman to draw his designs upon. By it we are reminded that, as the operative workman erects his temporal building agreeably to the rules and designs laid down by the master on his trestle-board, so should we, both operative and speculative, endeavor to erect our spiritual building agreeably to the rules and designs laid down by the Supreme Architect of the Universe, in the great books of nature and revelation, which are our spiritual, moral and Masonic trestle-boards.
How Situated.
A Lodge is situated due east and west, because King Solomon's Temple was so situated; and also because, when Moses crossed the Red Sea, being pursued by Pharaoh and his hosts, he erected a Tabernacle by Divine command, and placed it due east and west to receive the first rays of the rising sun, and to commemorate that mighty east wind by which the miraculous deliverance of Israel was effected.
Dedication of Lodges.
Our ancient brethren dedicated their lodges to King Solomon because he was our first most excellent Grand Master, but Masons of the present day, professing Christianity, dedicate theirs to St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, who were two eminent patrons of Masonry; and since their time there is represented in every regular and well govern lodge a certain point within a circle embordered by two perpendicular parallel lines, representing St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist; and upon the top rests the Holy Scriptures. The point represents the individual brother; the circle, the boundary-line of his duty beyond which he is never to suffer his passions, interests or prejudices to betray him. In going around this circle we necessarily touch on the two parallel lines, as well as the Holy Scriptures, and while a Mason keeps himself circumscribed within these due bounds, it is impossible that he should materially err.
Tenets.
The three great tenets of a Mason's profession inculcate the practice of those commendable virtues, Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth.
Brotherly Love.--By the exercise of brotherly love we are taught to regard the whole human species as one family--the high and low, the rich and poor--who, created by one Almighty Parent and inhabitants of the same planet, are to aid and protect each other. On this principle Masonry unites men of every country, sect and opinion, and conciliates true friendship among those who might otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance.
Relief.--To relieve the distressed is a duty incumbent on all men, but particularly on Masons who profess to be linked together by an indissoluble chain of sincere affection. To soothe the unhappy, to sympathize with their misfortunes, to compassionate their miseries and to restore peace to their troubled minds, is the great aim we have in view. On this basis we form our friendships and establish our connections.
Truth is a divine attribute, and the foundation of every virtue. To be good and true is the first lesson we are taught in Masonry. On this theme we contemplate, and by its dictates endeavor to regulate our conduct; hence, while influenced by this principle, hypocrisy and deceit are unknown among us; sincerity and plain-dealing distinguish us, and the heart and tongue join in promoting each other's welfare and rejoicing in each other's prosperity.
P. P. E.
Every Mason has four (p. p. e.) which are illustrated by the four cardinal virtues: Fortitude, Prudence, Temperance and Justice.
Fortitude is that noble and steady purpose of the mind whereby we are enabled to undergo any pain or peril, when prudentially deemed expedient. This virtue is equally distant from rashness and cowardice, and should be deeply impressed upon the mind of every Mason. It is a safeguard or security against the success of any attempt, by force or otherwise, to extort from him any of those valuable secrets with which he has been solemnly intrusted, and which were emblematically impressed upon him on his first admission into the lodge, when he was received on * * * which refers to * * *
Prudence teaches us to regulate our lives and actions agreeably to the dictates of reason, and is that habit by which we wisely judge and prudentially determine on all things relative to our present as well as to our future happiness. This virtue should be the peculiar characteristic of every Mason, not only for the government of his conduct while in the lodge, but also when abroad in the world. It should be his constant care, when in any strange or mixed companies never to let fall the least sign, token or word whereby the secrets of Masonry might be unlawfully obtained; ever bearing in mind that important occasion when on his left * * * which alludes to * * *
Temperance is that due restraint upon our affections and passions which renders the body tame and governable, and frees the mind from the allurements of vice. This virtue should be the constant practice of every Mason; as he is thereby taught to avoid excess, or contracting any licentious or vicious habit, the indulgence of which would subject him to the contempt and detestation of all good Masons; and might lead him to disclose some of those valuable secrets which he has promised to conceal and never reveal. It will remind you of the p. and alludes to the * * *
Justice is that standard, or boundary of right, which enables us to render to every man his just due, without distinction. This virtue is not only consistent with human and Divine laws, but is the very cement and support of civil society. As justice in a great measure constitutes the really good man, so should it be the invariable practice of every Mason never to deviate from the minutest principles thereof; ever remembering the time when placed in * * * which alludes to the * * *
Chalk, Charcoal and Clay.
Entered Apprentices should serve their masters with freedom, fervency and zeal, which are represented by Chalk, Charcoal and Clay.
There is nothing freer than Chalk, the slightest touch of which leaves a trace; there is nothing more fervent than Charcoal, for to it, when properly ignited, the most obdurate metals will yield; there is nothing more zealous than Clay.
Our Mother Earth alone of all the elements has never proved unfriendly to man. Bodies of Water deluge him with rain, oppress him with hail and drown him with inundation; the Air rushes in storms and prepares the tempest; and Fire lights up the volcano; but the Earth, ever kind and indulgent, is found subservient to his wishes. Though constantly harassed, more to furnish the luxuries than the necessaries of life, she never refuses her accustomed yield, spreading his pathway with flowers and his table with plenty. Though she produces poison, still she supplies the antidote, and returns with interest every good committed to her care; and when at last we are called upon to pass through the "dark valley of the shadow of death" she once more receives us, and piously covers our remains within her bosom, thus admonishing us that as from it we came, so to it we must shortly return.
Symbolism of the Degree.
The First, or Entered Apprentice, degree of Masonry is intended, symbolically, to represent the entrance of man into the world in which he is afterwards to become a living and thinking actor. Coming from the ignorance and darkness of the outer world, his first craving is for light--not that physical light which springs from the great orb of day as its fountain, but that moral and intellectual light which emanates from the primal Source of all things--from the Grand Architect of the Universe--the Creator of the sun and of all that it illuminates. Hence the great, the primary object of the first degree is to symbolize the birth of intellectual light in the mind; and the Entered Apprentice is the type of the unregenerate man, groping in moral and mental darkness, and seeking for the light which is to guide his steps and point him to the path which leads to duty and to Him who gives to duty its reward.
Charge at Initiation.
Brother: As you are now introduced to the first principles of Freemasonry, I congratulate you on being accepted into this ancient and honorable Fraternity. Ancient, as having existed from time immemorial; and honorable, as tending in every particular so to render all men who will be comformable to its precepts. No institution was ever raised on a better principle or more solid foundation; nor were ever more excellent rules and useful maxims laid down than are contained in the several Masonic lectures. The wisest and best of men in all ages have been encouragers and promoters of our Art, and have never deemed it derogatory to their dignity to level themselves with the Fraternity, to extend its privileges, and to patronize its assemblies.
There are three great duties which as a Mason you are charged to inculcate: To God, to your neighbor and to yourself. To God, in never mentioning His name save with that reverential awe which is due from the creature to his Creator, to implore His aid in all your laudable undertakings, and to esteem Him as the chief good. To your neighbor, in acting upon the square and doing unto him as you would that he should do unto you. And to yourself, in avoiding all irregularities and intemperance, which may impair your faculties or debase the dignity of your profession.
A zealous attachment to these duties will insure public and private esteem.
In the State you are to be a quiet and peaceable citizen, true to your government and just to your country. You are not to countenance disloyalty or rebellion, but patiently submit to legal authority and conform with cheerfulness to the government of the country in which you live, yielding obedience to the laws which afford you protection.
In your outward demeanor be particularly careful to avoid censure or reproach. Let not interest, favor, or prejudice, bias your integrity, or influence you to be guilty of a dishonorable action.
Although your frequent appearance at our regular meetings is earnestly solicited, yet it is not meant that Freemasonry should interfere with your necessary vocations, for these are on no account to be neglected; neither are you to suffer your zeal for the institution to lead you into argument with those who, through ignorance, may ridicule it.
At your leisure hours, that you may improve in Masonic knowledge, you are to converse with well-informed brethren, who will always be as ready to give as you will be to receive instruction.
Finally, my brother, keep sacred and inviolate the mysteries of the Order, as these are to distinguish you from the rest of the community and mark your consequence among Masons.
If in the circle of your acquaintance you find a person desirous of being initiated into the Fraternity, be particularly careful not to recommend him unless you are convinced that he will conform to our rules, that the honor, glory and reputation of the institution may be firmly established, and the world at large be convinced of its good effects.
Charge to a Soldier.
Brother: Our institution breathes a spirit of general philanthropy. Its benefits, in a social point of view, are extensive. In the most endearing ties, it unites all mankind. In every nation, wherever civilization extends--and not unfrequently among wild savages of the forest--it opens an asylum to a brother in distress, and grants hospitality to the necessitous and unfortunate. The sublime principles of universal goodness and love to all mankind, which are essential to it, cannot be lost in national distinctions, prejudices and animosities. The rage of contest and the sanguinary conflict have, by its recognized principles, been abated, and the milder emotions of humanity substituted. It has often performed the part of the Angel of Goodness, in ministering to the wants of the sick, the wounded, and the unfortunate prisoner of war. It has even taught the pride of victory to give way to the dictates of an honorable connection.
In whatever country you travel, when you meet a true Mason, you will find a brother and a friend, who will do all in his power to serve you; and who will relieve you, should you be poor or in distress, to the utmost of his ability, and with a ready cheerfulness.
Pure patriotism will always animate you to every call of your country. And this institution demands that you shall be true to your government. But should you, while engaged in the service of your country, be made captive, you may find affectionate brethren, where others would only find enemies. And should you be the captor of one who belongs to this noble fraternity, remember that he is your brother.
FELLOW CRAFT.
First Section--Reception.
* * *
Thus he shewed me: and behold the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumb-line, with a plumb-line in His hand.
And the Lord said unto me: Amos, what seest thou? and I said, A plumb-line. Then said the Lord: Behold, I will set a plumb-line in the midst of my people Israel;
I will not again pass by them any more. Amos, vii. 7, 8.
The Working Tools.
The Working Tools of Fellow Craft are the Plumb, the Square and the Level, and are thus explained:
The Plumb is an instrument used by Operative Masons to try perpendiculars, the Square to square their work, and the Level to prove horizontals; but we, as Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to use them for more noble and glorious purposes. The Plumb admonishes us to walk uprightly in our several stations before God and man, squaring our actions by the Square of Virtue, ever remembering that we are traveling upon the Level of Time to that "undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns."
SECOND SECTION.
You now represent a young F. C. on his way to the M. C. of K. S. T., to have his name enrolled among the workmen, and to be taught the wages of a F. C. Masonry is divided into two classes, operative and speculative. We have wrought in speculative Masonry, but our ancient brethren wrought both in operative and speculative. They wrought at the building of K. S. T., and many other Masonic edifices. They wrought but six days in a week, and rested upon the seventh. The seventh, therefore, our ancient brethren consecrated as a day of rest, the better to enable them to contemplate the glorious works of creation and to adore their great Creator.
On our way to the M. C. the first things that attract our attention are the representatives of two brazen pillars, one upon the left, the other upon the right of the porch. The one upon the left, denominated * * * denoted strength; the one upon the right, denominated * * * denoted establishment, having reference to a passage of Scripture wherein God said to David, "And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee."
Those pillars were eighteen cubits high, twelve in circumference and four in diameter. They were prepared of molten brass, the better to withstand conflagration or inundation. They were cast in the clay grounds of the river Jordan, between Succoth and Zaradatha, where K. S. ordered all the holy vessels to be cast. They were hollow, four inches, or a hand's breadth, in thickness, and served as the archives of Masonry in which the Rolls, Records and Proceedings were kept. They were adorned with two chapiters, five cubits each. Those chapiters were ornamented with net-work, lily-work and pomegranate, denoting union, peace and plenty. The net-work, from its intimate connection, denotes union. The lily, from its whiteness, denotes peace. The pomegranate, from the exuberance of its seeds, denotes plenty. Mounted upon the chapiters were two globes, representing the terrestrial and celestial bodies, on the convex surface of which were delineated the countries, seas and other portions of the earth, the planetary revolutions and other important particulars. They represented the universality of Freemasonry--that from east to west and between north and south Freemasonry extends, and in every clime are Masons to be found, and teach that a Mason's charity should be co-extensive.
Masonic tradition informs us that those pillars were placed at the porch of K. S.'s T. as a memento to the children of Israel of their happy deliverance from the land of bondage, and represented the pillar of cloud that over-shadowed them by day and the pillar of fire that illumined them by night.
The next thing that attracts our attention is a flight of winding stairs, composed of three, five and seven steps. The three steps allude to the three principal officers of the lodge, three principal supports in Masonry, and the three principal stages in human life. The three principal officers are the W. M., S. W. and J. W. The three principal supports are Wisdom, Strength and Beauty, because it is necessary to have wisdom to contrive, strength to support and beauty to adorn all well governed institutions. The three principal stages of human life are Youth, Manhood and Age--Youth as an E. A., Manhood as a F. C., and Age as a M. M.
The five steps allude to the five orders of architecture, and the five human senses. The five orders of architecture are the Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian and Composite, three of which, from their antiquity, have ever been held in high repute among Masons--the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. The five human senses are hearing, seeing, feeling, tasting and smelling, the first three of which have ever been held in high repute among Masons, because by hearing we hear the * * *; by seeing we see the * * *, and by feeling we feel the * * *, whereby one Mason may know another in the dark as well as in the light.
The seven steps allude to many sevens--the seven sabbatical years, seven years of plenty, seven years of famine, seven years during which K. S.'s T. was in course of erection, seven golden candlesticks, but more particularly the seven liberal arts and sciences, which are Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Geometry, Astronomy and Music.
(Note:--A fine effect can be had, if an organ is played, by using the following. The organist should begin to play softly when the speaker begins on "Music:")
Music is that elevated science which affects the passions by sound. There are few who have not felt its charms, and acknowledged its expressions to be intelligible to the heart. It is a language of delightful sensations, far more eloquent than words; it breathes to the ear the clearest intimations; it touches and gently agitates the agreeable and sublime passions; it wraps us in melancholy, elevates us in joy and melts us in tenderness. Again the pathetic dies away and martial strains are heard, reminding us of the battlefield and its attendant glory.
(As the word "glory" is pronounced the organist at once strikes the chords of some war-music like "Dixie," "Marseilles Hymn," etc. After a few bars are played with full organ, the organist lets the music die away to a soft and gentle tremolo, and the Deacon resumes):
The glorious notes of the battle-hymn float over the red field of carnage. Brave men hear the inspiring music; the ranks close up; the bayonets are fixed; and, with a cheer which strikes terror to the heart of the foe, they rush forward in one glorious charge, across the plain slippery with the blood of patriots, up the opposing hillside, even to the mouth of cannon belching forth fire and death.--But stop! Look yonder! The dying soldier raises his head. His breast is already crimson with his heart's-blood. His eye even now is dimming and glazing. The old home comes back to him in memory. He puts his hand to his ear as if listening. What does he hear?