Ronaynes Handbook Of Freemasonry 37

Ronaynes Handbook Of Freemasonry 37

Q. "After being taught how to wear your apron,

how were you then disposed of?"

 

A. "I was reconducted to the Worshipful Mus-

ter in the East, who presented me with the working

tools of a Fellow Craft and taught me their uses."

 

Q. "What are the working tools of a Fellow

Craft?"

 

A. "The plumb, square and level."

 

Q. "What are their Masonic uses?"

 

A. "The plumb is an instrument made use of 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

make use of them for more noble and glorious pur-

poses. The plumb admonishes us to walk uprightly

in our several stations before God and man, squaring

our actions by the square of virtue, and ever remem-

bering that we are traveling upon the level of time to

that undiscovered country, from whose bourne no

traveler returns."

 

Q. "How were you then disposed of?"

 

A. "I was reconducted to the place whence I

came, invested with what I had been divested of, and

returned to the lodge, where in accordance with an an-

cient custom adopted in every regular and well gov-

erned lodge I made a regular advance through a porch,

by a flight of winding stairs, consisting of three, five

and seven steps, to a place representing the middle

chamber of King Solomon's temple, where I received

instructions relative to the wages and jewels of a Fel-

low Craft."

 

Q. "What are the wages of a Fellow Craft? "

A. "Corn, wine and oil, emblematical of the corn

Df nourishment, the wine of refreshment and the oil

 

 

 

LECTURE ON SECOND DEGREE.

 

 

 

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of joy."

 

Q. "What do they denote?"

 

A. "Plenty, health and peace."

 

Q. "What are the jewels of a Fellow Craft?"

 

A. "The attentive, ear, the instructive tongue

and the faithful breasts."

 

The examining brother then, whoever he may be,

examines the candidate or visitor in the step and grips,

as explained in pages 120-127, and which, of course,

it is quite unnecessary to go through with here, after

which the candidate is requested to repair to the ante-

room, there to await the action of the lodge or "the

will and pleasure of the Worshipful Master."

 

It must not be forgotten that on all occasions when

a brother, whether an Apprentice, a Craftsman or a

Master Mason, is entering or retiring from the lodge

he must make the due-guard and sign of the degree on

which the lodge is then open ; and should he fail to do

this, whether through ignorance or neglect, his atten-

tion is invariably called to it, either by the Master or

some one of the Wardens.

 

As Freemasonry claims to be "a conservator as

well as a depository of religion, science and art," and

"includes within its circle almost every branch of polite

learning" (see Past Grand Master Pierson's "Tradi-

tions of Freemasonry" page 14, and Sickel's "General

Ahiman Reson," page 116), it may not be amiss to

state that the second or Fellow Craft degree contains

all the "science" and "art" to be found in the institu-

tion ; and as the whole of the second degree is given

word foreword, in the preceding pages, the reader is

respectfully referred to them for a knowledge of the

"sciences" and "arts" which Freemasonry boastfully

pretends to impart to its deluded votaries.

 

 

 

/

 

 

 

CHAPTER VII.

 

 

 

THIRD OR SUBLIME DEGREE OE MASTER

MASON.

 

The ground-work of the third or "sublime" degree

of Master Mason is based upon the pretended assassi-

nation of one Hiram Abiff, a mechanic of considerable

celebrity who resided in the ancient city of Tyre, and

whom Hiram, King of Tyre, sent to King Solomon to

assist in the construction of the once famous temple at

Jerusalem. The story of his mythical death is termed

in the lodge, "the legend of the Tyrian artist." We

are informed by what is called "Masonic tradition''

that Solomon, King of Israel, Hiram, King of Tyre,

and Hiram Abiff, entered into a solemn compact never

to communicate the so-called Master's word until the

temple was completed, and then only in the presence

of the three, and that in consequence of his fidelity to

his trust when attacked immediately before the com-

pletion of the temple by the three Eellow Craft ruf-

fians, Jubela, Jubelo and Jubelum, to extort from him

these so-called secrets, Hiram Abiff was slain, and

hence the Master's word was lost and the real secrets

of Freemasonry lay buried in oblivion, and were un-

known to any portion of the human family for a

period of four hundred and fifty years, or until the

building of the second temple after the Babylonish

captivity. The pretended secrets of Ereemasonry, the

word which is supposed to have been lost, is, accord-

ing to Masonic teaching, the true name of God.; and

hence if Masonic tradition is to be relied upon, neither

 

 

 

154

 

 

 

WORK ON THIRD DEGREE.

 

 

 

the people of God assembled at the temple dedication,

nor the high priest who ministered in the Holy of

Holies, nor Elijah, nor Elisha, nor Isaiah, nor any

other of God's prophets or people, ever knew, or

have now, any knowledge of the Almighty's real name,

except those who go cable-towed and hood-winked

into a Masonic lodge, seeking for "further light," and

which is to be imparted to them (very often by an

infidel or rum-seller) at the rate of from fifty to one

hundred dollars a piece. But this entire story of the

assassination of Hiram is, a falsehood, a base fabri-

cation ; and the foundation being a lie, surely the

super-structure cannot possibly be that upon which any

man can rely for salvation, or to which a. Christian

minister can consistently unite himself by extra-judi-

cial oaths and sanguinary death penalties. In i Kings

vii. 40, we read: "And Hiram made the lavers and

the shovels and the basins. So Hiram made an end

of doing all the zvork that he made King Solomon for

the house of the Lord." Again, in 2 Chron. iv. 11;

"And Hiram made the pots and the shovels and the

basins. And Hiram finished the zvork that he was to

make for King Solomon for the house of the Lord J'

Now, if Hiram Abiff finished all the work that he was

to make, how is it possible that he could have been

assassinated before the temple was completed?

 

This degree, notwithstanding its glaring inconsist-

encies and the innumerable evidences of its undoubted

pagan origin, is, nevertheless, considered as the most

important, as it is in reality the very summit of "An-

cient Craft Masonry." It is from brethren of this

degree that the rulers of the craft are selected, because

(according to Masonic authority) "it is only from

those who are capable of giving instruction that we can reasonably expect to receive it"