Ronaynes Handbook Of Freemasonry 32

Ronaynes Handbook Of Freemasonry 32

HAND BOOK OF FREEMASONRY.

 

 

 

and Astronomy, comprising the so-called seven liberal

arts and sciences, a knowledge of which Freemasonry

among its numerous other bombastic claims professes

to impart to its hoodwinked members.

 

Everything in the Lodge being thus properly ar-

ranged, and the candidate having finished his toilet, the

Master calls the Lodge to order and the Senior Deacon

taking his rod places the candidate immediately inside

the door of the preparation-room between the pillars,

Boaz and Jachin, and commences the second section

or "middle chamber work" of the Fellow Craft de-

gree, as follows :*

 

, ■ SECOND SECTION.

 

Senior Deacon (standing by the side of candidate

inside the door) : "My brother, Masonry is consid-

ered under two denominations — Operative and Spec-

ulative.

 

"By Operative Masonry we allude to a proper ap-

plication of the useful rules of architecture whence a

structure will derive figure, strength and beauty, and

whence will result a due proportion and a just cor-

respondence in all its parts. It furnishes us with

dwellings and convenient shelter from the vicissitudes

and inclemencies of the seasons, and while it displays

the effects of human wisdom as well in the choice as

in the arrangement of the sundry materials of which

an edifice is composed, it demonstrates that a fund of

science and industry is implanted in man for the best,

most salutary and beneficent purposes.

 

"By Speculative Masonry we learn to subdue the

passions, act upon the square, keep a tongue of good

report, maintain secrecy, and practice charity. It is so

far interwoven with religion as to lay us under obliga-

 

 

 

\

 

WORK ON SECOND DEGREE. 1 33

 

tions to pay that rational homage to the Deity which

at once constitutes our duty and our happiness. It

leads the contemplative to view with reverence and

admiration the glorious works of creation and inspires

him with the most exalted ideas of the perfections of

his Divine Creator.*

 

"Our ancient brethren wrought in operative and

speculative, but we work in speculative only. They

wrought six days before receiving their wages, but

' did not work on the seventh, because 'In six days God

created the heavens and the earth and rested upon the

seventh day/ The seventh, therefore, our ancient

brethren consecrated as a day of rest from their labors,

thereby enjoying more frequent opportunities to con-

template the glorious works of the creation and to

adore their great Creator.*

 

"The first object to which I will call your atten-

tion on your passing to the 'middle chamber' is a rep-

resentation of two brazen pillars (Senior Deacon

points to the pillars), one on your left hand and the

other on your right. The one on your left hand

(pointing to it) is called Boaz and denotes strength;

thej one on the right is called Jachin and denotes estab-

lishment. Taken together they allude to a promise of

God to David that he would establish his kingdoms

in strength. They were cast on the plains of Jordan

in the clay ground, between Succoth and Zaredatha

(where all the brazen vessels of King Solomon's tem-

ple were cast) by one Hiram Amon, or Abi, a widow's

son of the tribe of Naphtali. They were cast hollow

to serve as repository for the archives of Masonry

and to guard against accident by inundation or con-

flagration.

 

• "Standard Monitor," Cook, 1903, p. 31.

 

• See Monitor.

 

• App. note I, p. 267.

 

 

 

134 HAND BOOK OF . FREEMASONRY.

 

 

 

"They were thirty-five (35) cubits in height,

twelve in circumference and about four (4) in diam-

eter. They were adorned by chapiters of five (5)

cubits each, making in all forty (40) cubits high.

 

"These chapiters were ornamented with lily-work,

net work and pomegranates, denoting peace, unity and

plenty. The lily-work from its purity and the retired

situation in which it grows denotes peace; the net-

work from the intimate connection of its parts denotes

unity, and the promegranate from the exuberance of

its seed denotes plenty.

 

"These pillars were further adorned by pommels

on three tops, representing globes, denoting the uni-

versality of Masonry. Let us pass on.

 

Senior Deacon (to candidate) : "Let us pass on."

 

They pass out between the two pillars and pro-

ceeding a few paces arrive at the first piece of oil-

cloth, which is supposed to be the foot of the wind-

ing stairs, and stop.

 

Senior Deacon (to candidate) : "The next object

to which I will call your attention is a representation

I of a flight of winding stairs consisting of three (3),*

five (5), and seven (7) steps. The number three al-

ludes to the three degrees which every Master Mason

Lodge confers. Also to the three principal officers of

the Lodge, viz. : the Worshipful Master, Senior War-

den and Junior Warden."

 

They move on a few paces more, the candidate

being made to walk over the supposed "three steps/'

and having arrived at the second piece of oil-cloth

they again halt and the Senior Deacon proceeds :

 

Senior Deacon: "We next arrive at a representa-

tion of the 'five steps/ Let us pass on." The number

five alludes to the five orders in architecture and the

five human senses.

 

 

 

* Appendix note L. page 268.

 

 

 

WORK ON SECOND DEGREE.

 

 

 

135

 

 

 

"By order in architecture is meant a system of

all the members, proportions and ornaments of col-

ums and pilasters, or it is a regular arrangement of

the projecting parts of a building which, united with

those of a column, form a beautiful, perfect and com-

plete whole.

 

"From the first formation of society order in arch-

itecture may be traced. When the rigor of seasons

obliged men to contrive shelter from the inclemency of

the weather, we learn that they first planted trees on

end and then laid others across to support a covering.

The bands which connected those trees at top and bot-

tom are said to have given rise to the idea of the

base anci capital of pillars, and from this simple hint

originally proceeded the more improved art of archi-

tecture.* v

 

"The five orders in architecture are thus classed:

namely, the Tuscan, the Doric, the Ionic, the Corin-

thian and the Composite/'

 

In some lodges, and especially in cases where the

Senior Deacon is desirous of exhibiting his superior

attainments in Masonic knowledge, he here gives a

lengthy description of the different orders, all of which,

however, he has memorized from the Monitor, and is,

therefore, termed monitorial work. In country lodges

this is scarcely ever done, and indeed in the best of city

lodges it is never more than tiresome and meaningless to the candidate and a bore to the members generally. The following, therefore, is all that is usually repeated and indeed all that the lodge wants to listen to: