Published By: Daniel Genchi

By history, custom, tradition and ritualistic requirements, the Craft holds dear the days of St. John the Baptist on June 24, and St. John the Evangelist on December 27. A lodge which forgets either forfeits a precious link with the past and loses an opportunity for the renewal of allegiance to everything in Freemasonry symbolized by these Patron Saints. No satisfactory explanation has as yet been advanced to explain why operative Masons adopted two Christian saints, when St. Thomas, the patron of architecture and building, was available.Most Freemasons are agreed that the choice of our ancient brethren was wise. No two great teachers, preachers, wise men, saints, could have been found who better showed in their lives and works the doctrine and teachings of Freemasonry. St. John the Evangelist apparently came into our fraternal system somewhere towards the close of the sixteenth century; at least, we find the earliest authentic lodge minute reference to St. John the evangelist in Edinborough in 1599, although earlier mentions are made in connection with that may be called relatives, if not ancestors, of our Craft. For instance “The Fraternity of St. John” existed in Cologne in 1430.  “St. John’s Masonry” is a distinctive term for Scotch Lodges, many of the older of which took the name of the saint. Thus, in its early records, the Lodge of Scoon and Perth is often called the Lodge of St. John, and the Lodge possesses a beautiful mural painting of the-saint, on the east wall of the lodge room.Other Lodges denominated “St. John’s Lodges” were some of those unaffiliated with either the “Moderns” or the “Ancients” in the period between establishment of the Ancients (1751) and the Reconciliation (1813).In many old histories of the Craft is a quaint legend that St. John the Evangelist became a “Grand Master” at the age of ninety. It seems to have its origin in a book printed in 1789, in which one Richard Linnecar of Wakefield wrote certain “Strictures on Freemasonry,” although his paper is really an eulogy. Whether this writer really continued a tradition, or invented the tale which was seized upon by Oliver and kept alive as a legend, impossible though it is, no man may say.One Grand Lodge has ruled that Sts. John’ Days are Landmarks! Of course any Grand Lodge may make it’s own laws, but it is beyond the power of any Grand Lodge either to make a Landmark by pronouncement, or to unmake a Landmark by denying it. Inasmuch as Landmarks are universally admitted to be handed down to us from “time immemorial”, and Sts. Johns’ Days as Masonic festivals, are neither extremely old nor universal among the Craft (England using Wednesday after St. George’s day; Scotland St. Andrew’s Day; and Ireland St. Patrick’s), we must consider only that Grand Lodge’s intent to honor our patron saints, and not the validity of her results. Historians believe that only after 1717, when the Mother Grand Lodge was formed, did Freemasons generally hold festival meetings on either or both June 24 and December 27.Here are two addresses, either of which is appropriate to either June 24 or December 27, and a Masonic story, which, if well read by some brother with some elocutionary training, is also appropriate and informative: ST. JOHNS’ DAYS The real explanation of Freemasonry’s connection with the Sts. John is not to be found in the history of the Craft, but in the history of religions. For the festival days of the two Sts. John are as old as the ancient systems of worship of fire and sun. Travel backwards in imagination to an unknown date when the world of men was young; when knowledge did not exist and the primal urges of all humanity were divided between the satisfaction of bodily needs -hunger, thirst, warmth, light and the instincts of self-preservation, mating, and the love of children. The men of that far-off age found everything in nature a wonder. They understood not why the wind blew, what made the rain, from whence came lightning, thunder, cold and warmth; why the sun climbed the heavens in the morning and disappeared at night, or what the stars might be.All primitive people tried to explain mysteries in terms of their daily lives. When angry their emotions resulted in loud shouts and a desire to kill. What more natural than to think thunder and lightning the anger of the Unknown who held their lives and well-being in His hands? Ancient man bundled the enemy he conquered out of his cave into the open, where he froze or starved or was eaten by beasts. What more natural than to think the wind, the rain, the cold, a manifestation of an angered Unseen Presence? The greatest manifestation of nature known to our ancient ancestors was the sun. It was always present during the day, and its near kin, fire, warmed and comforted them at night. Under its gentle rays crops grew and rivers rose. The sun kept away the wild beasts by its light. The sun made their lives possible. Sun worship and fire worship were as natural for men just struggling into understanding as the breath they drew. Early recognized facts must have been the sun’s slow travel from north to south and back again as the seasons waxed and waned. And so mid summers day, the longest, became a festival; it was the harbinger Or harvest, the birthday of new life, as the winter solstice was significant of the end of the slow decline of the sun, the beginning of a new time of warmth and crop and happiness. Through countless years, in a thousand religious, cults, mysteries, in a hundred climes and lands, priests and people celebrated the solstices. We know it not only from history and the records of ancient peoples, often cut upon stone, but from myths and legends; the story of Ceres and her search for her daughter Proserpine the allegory of Isis, Osiris and Horus.Ancient custom is taken from a people with difficulty. Even today we retain customs the origin of which is lost to most of us. We speak glibly of Yuletide at Christmas, without thinking of an ancient Scandinavian god, Juul. The small boy avers truth “By Golly!” not knowing that he offers his hand (gol) if he speaks not the truth. Those who think it “bad luck” to break a mirror only continue a savage belief that a stone thrown in water which mirrors the face of an enemy will break his heart even as the reflection is broken. If such ideas persist to this day, imagine how strenuously a people would resist giving up a holiday celebration which their fathers’ and their fathers’ fathers before them had kept for untold ages. So it was when Christianity came to the world. Old feasts and festival days were not lightly to be given up, even by those who put their faith upon a Cross. Hence clever men in the early days of Christianity turned the pagan festivals to Christian usage, and the old celebrations of summer and winter solstice became the Sts. Johns’ Days of the Middle Ages. As the slow years passed, those who celebrated thought less and less of what the days really commemorated, and became more and more convinced of their new character. Today, hardly a Freemason gives a thought to the origin of St. John’s Day in Winter, or knows his celebration of St. John’s Day in midsummer preserves a touch with cavemen ancestors. It was a common custom in the middle Ages for craftsmen to place themselves under the protection of some saint of the church. All the London trades appear to have ranged themselves under the banner of some saint and if possible they chose one who bore fancied relation to their trades.  Thus the fishmongers adopted St. Peter; the drapers chose the Virgin Mary, mother of the ‘Holy Lamb’ or ‘Fleece’ as an emblem of that trade. The goldsmiths’ patron was St. Dunstan, represented to have been a brother artisan. The merchant tailors, another branch of the draping business, marked their connection with it by selecting St. John the Baptist, who was the harbinger of the Holy Lamb’ so adopted by the drapers. Eleven or more of the guilds had John the Baptist as To say with certainty why Freemasons adopted the two Sts. John, and continue to celebrate days as principal feasts which were once of a far different significance, is not in the power of any historian as yet. But the fitness of these two is obvious in our system if we consider the spiritual suggestion of their lives. St. John the Baptist was a stern and just man; intolerant of sham, of pretense, of weakness; a man of strength and fire, uncompromising with evil or expediency, and yet withal courageous, humble, sincere, magnanimous. A character at once heroic and of rugged nobility, of him the Greatest of Teachers said: “Among them that are born of woman, there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist.”  Of St. John the Evangelist, the disciple whom Jesus loved, a thousand books have been written, and student has vied with minister, teacher with historian, to find words fitly to describe the character of the gentle writer of the Fourth Gospel. No attempt at rivalry will here be made; suffice it that St. John the Evangelist is recognized the world over as the apostle of love and light, the bringer of comfort to the grief-stricken, of courage to the weak, of help to the helpless, of strength to the falling. Freemasonry is wise in a gentle wisdom which passeth that in books when she takes for her on both the saint who foretold the coming and the saint who taught the law of the Son of Man who walked by Galilee. The question “From whence come you?” and the answer “From the Lodge of the Holy Sts. John at Jerusalem’, has puzzled many. None have phrased the simple, explanation of the inner meaning of this with more beauty and clarity than Brother Joseph Fort Newton, he of the golden pen and the voice of music: “There is no historical evidence that either of the two Saints of the church were ever members of the Craft. But they were adopted as its patron Saints, after the manner of former times a good manner it is, too- and they have remained so in Christian lands. Lodges are dedicated to them, instead of to King Solomon, as formerly. “So, naturally, there came the idea, or ideal, of a sacred lodge in the Holy City presided over by the Saints John. No such lodge ever existed in fact, and yet it is not a fiction -it is an ideal, and without such ideals our life would be dim and drab. The thought back of the question and answer, then, is that we come from an ideal or Dream Lodge into this actual work-a-day world, where our ideals are to be tested”. We do not know just when, or just how, Freemasonry adopted the Sts. John. Their days are the Christian adaption of pagan festivals of a time when man, knowing no better, worshipped the sun as the supreme God. So when we celebrate our festival days on June 24 and December 27, we walk step by step with ancient ancestors, worshipping as they worshipped, giving thanks as they did; they to the only god they knew for the glory of summer, the beginning of the period when days lengthened- we to the G.A.O.T.U., that our gentle Craft took for its own the austere but loving characters of two among the greatest of the saintly men who have taught of the Father of all mankind. -ooo- Here is the second address: POINT WITHIN A CIRCLE “Lodges were anciently dedicated to King Solomon, as he is said to have been our first most Excellent Grand Master; but speculative Masons dedicate theirs to the memory of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist. Since their time, there is represented in every regular and well-governed lodge, a certain POINT WITHIN A CIRCLE, the point representing the individual brother; the circle, the boundary line of his conduct to God and man, beyond which he is never to suffer his passions, prejudices, or interests to betray him on any occasion. This circle is bordered by two perpendicular parallel lines representing these saints, and upon tho top rest the Holy Scriptures. In going around this circle we necessarily touch upon these two lines, as well as upon the Holy Scriptures, and while a Mason keeps himself thus circumscribed, it is impossible that he should materially err.” Familiar to every Mason, this ancient symbol is too often considered merely as one of many, instead of what it really is, among the most illuminating of the Entered Apprentice’s degree. No man may say when, where, or how the symbol began. From the earliest dawn of history a simple closed figure has been man’s symbol for Deity – the circle for some peoples, the triangle for others, and a circle or a triangle with a central point, for still others. The closed figure represents the conception of Him who has neither beginning or ending; the triangle adds to this the reading of a triune nature. The Lesser Lights form a triangle placed in our lodges in that orientation which expresses Wisdom, Strength and Beauty. In some Jurisdictions a lodge closes with brethren forming a circle about the Altar, which thus becomes the point, or focus, of the Supreme Blessing upon the brethren. A symbol may have many meanings, all of them right, so long as they are not self-contradictory. The point within a circle has had many different meanings to many Masons. We find it connected with sun-Worship, the most ancient of religions; ruins of ancient temples devoted both to sun and to fire worship are circular in form, with a central altar, or “point” which was the Holy of Holies. The symbol is found in India, in which land of mystery and mysticism its antiquity is beyond calculation. Another ancient meaning of the symbol is that the point represents the sun and the circle the universe. A dot in a small circle is the astronomical symbol for the sun, and the derivation of this astronomical symbol marks its Masonic connection. The Indian interpretation makes the point the male principle, the circle the female; the point became the sun and the circle the solar system which ancient peoples thought was the universe because the sun is the vivifying, the life-giving principle, for all that lives. The two parallel lines, which modern Masonry states represent the two holy Sts. John, are as ancient as the rest of the symbol, and originally had nothing to do with the “two eminent Christian patrons of Masonry.” It is a pretty conception, but without foundation. The holy Sts. John lived and taught many hundreds of years before any Masonry existed which can justly be called by that name. If this is distasteful to those brethren who believe that King Solomon was Grand Master of a Grand Lodge, devised the system and perhaps wrote the ritual, one must refute them with their own chronology, for both the Holy Sts John lived long after the wise king wrought his “famous fabric.” The two lines against the circle with the point date back before Solomon. On early Egyptian monuments may be found the Alpha and Omega, or symbol of God, in the center of circle embordered by two upright, perpendicular parallel Serpents, representing the Power and the Wisdom of the Creator. The derivation of the symbol which satisfies the mind as to logic and appropriateness, students find in the operative craft. To understand just how the point within a circle came into Speculative Masonry by way of Operative craftsmanship, it is necessary to have some mental picture of the times in which the Craftsmen of the early middle ages lived and wrought. The vast majority had little education. They could neither read nor write-unimportant matters to most, because there were no books to read and there was nothing which they needed to write. Skilled craftsmen they were, through long apprenticeship and careful teaching in the art of cutting and setting stone, but except for manual skill and a cunning artifice founded on generations of experience, they were without learning. This was not true of the leaders or, as we would call them, The Masters. The great cathedrals of Europe were not planned and overseen by ignorance. There, knowledge was power and the architects, the overseers, the practical builders, those who laid out the designs and planned the cutting and the placing of the stones these were learned in all that pertained to their craft. Doubtless many of them had knowledge of practical mathematics. Certain parts of this knowledge became diffused from the Master Builders through the several grades of superintendents, architects, overseers, foremen in charge of any section of the work. With hundreds if not thousands of men working on a great structure, some organization must have been essential. Equally essential would be the overseeing of the tools. The tools used by the Cathedral builders were gavel and mallet and setting maul and hammer; they had chisel and trowel and plumb and square and level and twenty-four-inch gauge to “measure and lay out their work.” The square, the level and the plumb were made of wood- wood, cord and weight for plumb and level; wood alone for square. Wood wears when used against stone. Wood warps when exposed to water or damp air. The metal used to fasten the two arms of the square together would rust and perhaps bend or break. Naturally, the squares would not indefinitely stay square. Squares had constantly to be checked up for their right-angledness. Some standard had to be adopted by which a square could be compared, so that, when Operative Masons’ squares were tried by it they would not “materially err.” The importance of the perfect right angle in the square by which the stones were shaped cannot be over-estimated. Operative Masonry in the Cathedral building days was largely a matter of cut and try, of individual workmen, of careful craftsmanship. Quantity production, micrometer measurement, in-terchangeable parts were ideas which had not been invented. All the more necessary, then, that the foundation on which all the work was done should be as perfect as the Masters knew how to make it. Cathedral builders erected their temples for all time because they knew how to check and try their squares! Today any school boy knows the simple “secret of the square” which was then the closely guarded wisdom of the Masters alone; today any school boy can explain the steam engine which was a wonder two hundred years ago, and make and use a wireless which was a miracle scarce twenty-five years gone by. Let us not wonder that our ancient Operative brethren thought their secret of a square so valuable! Lay out a circle any size on a piece of paper. With a straight edge draw a line across through its center. Put a dot on the circle, anywhere. Connect that dot with the line at both points where it crosses the circle. Result, is a perfect right angle. Draw the circle of what size you will; place the dot on the circumference where you will, if the lines from the dot meet the horizontal line crossing the circle through its center, they will form a right angle. This was the Operative Masters great secret- knowing how to “try the square”. It was by this means that he tested the working tools of the Fellows of the Craft so it was impossible either for their tools or their work “to materially err.” From this, also, comes the ritual used in the lodges of our English brethren, where they “open on the center.” Alas, we have dropped the quaint old words they use, and American Lodges know the “center” only as the point within a circle. The original line across the center has been shifted to the side and become the “two perpendicular parallel lines” of Egypt and India and our admonitions are no longer what they must once have been….”while a Mason circumscribes his square within these point~, it is impossible that it should materially err.” Today we only have our Speculative meaning; we circumscribe our desires and our passions within the circle and the lines touching on the Holy Scriptures. For speculative Masons who use squares only in the symbolic sense, such an admonition is of far greater use than would be the secret of the square as known to our ancient brethren. Pass it not lightly. Regard it with the reverence it deserves, for surely it is one of the greatest teachings of Masonry, concealed within a symbol which is plain for any man to read, so be it he has Masonry in his heart. OoO- The following short story may be read in place of an address. Select a brother with some skill at elocution, who can read it as fiction and make it sound real. It will add materially to the effectiveness of the story if the story-teller is Provided with a small blackboard, and an assistant who draws the simple diagrams herewith Presented to demonstrate, as the story told, the simple “secret of the square” which only the King’s Master Workman knew.

Published By: Daniel Genchi

Triads are groups of three ideas or objects. Triads appear in nature, politics, and religion. To early man, the cosmos consisted of the sun, the moon, and the stars. He called the natural elements earth, wind, and fire. He could see triads in the three-leaf clover. He knew he lived in a three-dimensional world. In politics, the US Constitution established three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. And in religion, most faiths teach fealty to God, your neighbor, and yourself. All are arranged in intriguing triads of ideas. Let us endeavor to understand some of the power in triads both historically and for us as Masons.Before we become aware of triads, we think in opposites or dual concepts. Developmental learning theorists easily prove that infants learn through simple stimulus and response events. Touch a newborn baby’s cheek; her instinctive reflex will be to turn her head in that direction. She quickly learns to identify her Mother’s voice from all others. As language is acquired, knowledge can be gathered by asking, “why?” After a child asks a question she is rewarded with an answer. The pattern engages a pair of concepts or dyads. Even as we advance in learning, we make decisions using dyads by giving reasons for and against an action. A straightforward method for determining a course of action involves drawing a vertical line on paper and arranging the pro and con arguments on either side.Furthermore, Socratic teaching methods train students by asking questions. The students must provide the answer or else the teacher must supply it. Catechisms are similarly simple teaching devices for youth. The first question in the Westminster Confession asks, “What is the chief end of man?” The student replies, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” The question is neat; the answer is clean. This is an uncomplicated style of learning for the young.But as men, we become more complex. Answers tend to include modifiers such as on the one hand this, but on the other hand that. Dualistic thinking is insufficient for more advanced analysis. Socratic methods tend to give way to Hegelian philosophy that was based on threes: thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. Inspired by Christian insights and grounded in his mastery of a fund of knowledge, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel attempted to answer all questions–natural, human, and divine–using dialectical reasoning that swung from thesis to antithesis and back again to a richer synthesis. Two opposing forces resolve into a creature wholly different, like the cross-fertilization of two different rose bushes producing a more perfect hybrid.Higher learning tended to use triads. Among the seven liberal arts and sciences are grammar and rhetoric. Grammar uses subject, verb, and object − three things. Adjectives are inflected into good, better, and best − also triads. Grammatical tenses are conjugated into run, ran, and have run.Rhetoric is similarly infused with triads. “A rhetorical comment,” is a phrase meaning tangential or unnecessary words. Yet expert rhetoricians reveal much about the persuasive power of words and ideas in orderly lists. In Latin, word order doesn’t matter. In English, “man bites dog,” demonstrates that word order matters. We remember the three things that abide which are faith, hope, and charity. The order matters. The Bible did not say charity, faith, and hope. We remember from the French Revolution: equality, liberty, and fraternity − a triad. Providing citizens with equality and liberty produces the ideal of fraternity. Rhetoricians argue that the ear wants to hear the most complex at the end of the list as it finishes or completes the first two thoughts.Triads appear in many ancient systems of thought. In numerology, triads are seen as the combination of odd (1) and even (2) that sums to three. Three becomes a symbol of perfection in many ancient cultures and mystic philosophies. Threes also appear very early in geography and in geometry. We can find any location on a plane by reference to three points. Even anthropological artifacts reflect triads. From the union of marriage comes a child. The complication of three elements is needed to provide sufficient complexity to achieve an idealized perfection.Triads are also prominently employed in Lodges and Masonic writings. Why triads dominate over dyads or quartets of ideas may not conclusively be known, but speculative Masonry permits us ample opportunity to reflect on the reasons.Threes appear prominently in the lecture of the winding stairs as we are shown the first three steps. They remind Fellowcrafts of the three degrees of Masonry and the three principal officers of the Worshipful Master, Senior, and Junior Wardens. We learn that a Lodge is not singular. A Lodge is not dual. It is plural with a minimum of three.Similarly, displaying of the three Greater Lights and the three lesser lights are central rituals for the opening and closing of the Lodge. As the furniture of the Lodge, they separately are symbols with meanings and lessons, but the fact that they are grouped into threes is not accidental.The three lesser lights are named wisdom, strength, and beauty. They are said to help make Masons better men. Naturally, we could have added other virtues to the list: patience, fortitude, or peace making, but the fact that there is but three draws your attention.The three Greater Lights parallel the three lesser lights. First displayed on the altar is the Holy Bible or scriptures from other religions. The Holy Bible is a collection of writings, histories, and moral teachings that provide guidance in our actions. They are sometimes known as wisdom literature; indeed, one of the books in the Apocrypha during the inter-testamental period is the Book of Wisdom. King Solomon is recalled as a wise king whose wisdom was demonstrated by the story of two women claimants for a baby. Furthermore that wisdom is symbolized atop the Worshipful Master by his hat, the crown of the ruler who is wise.The square is the second Great Light. A right angle is key to forming a strong wall or a proper column–a wall that will withstand the vicissitudes of weather and seasons. Being on the square is commended to all Master Masons. We are charged to follow the rules and regulations of the Craft and of the country in which we live. We see the square as a symbol of right living in our own lives as well as order in society. The Senior Warden represents strength: he is the strong supporter of the Worshipful Master. Yet it is intriguing that the symbol of strength, the square, is worn as the jewel of the Worshipful Master.The third symbol placed on the altar is the compasses. We use a compass to draw an arc or a perfect circle. There is beauty and perfection in structures built with arches and celestial windows. Cathedrals featured rose windows over the altar, which were circular stained-glass windows beautifully adorned for the contemplation of the glory of God. We are further taught a message hidden in the compasses to keep our actions within due bounds. Beauty is orderly, balanced, and under control. So too, the Junior Warden talks of the arc of the sun as it rises to Meridian height as being the beauty and glory of the day.Hence we repeat patterns of wisdom, strength, and beauty in the three officers as well as the Greater and Lesser Lights. The rhetoric of listing wisdom, strength, and beauty in this order places importance on beauty. Beauty is an odd ideal for a fraternity. Yet beauty is seen as the resolution of a life that is brimming with wisdom and strength. Men who exhibit wisdom and strength create harmony. Harmony is itself a characteristic of beauty in social settings as it its in aesthetics. In the Aurora Lodge (a German-speaking lodge in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin), the German word for beauty is Schönheit, which involves balance and symmetry, as in the beauty of a well-built structure. Perhaps we can visualize that a Lodge of filled with wise and strong men will produce better men in a manly sense of symmetry, strength, and beauty.The three degrees emphasize three stages of life. Our youth and adolescence are emphasized in our training as Entered Apprentices; our manhood and useful work are keys to the Fellowcraft degree; and contemplating our own mortality is vividly illustrated in the Hiramic story for Master Masons.The posting monitors used by all three degrees today begin with three grand principles of brotherly love, relief and truth. Meetings in Lodge are designed to reinforce these three principles as we practice fraternity, charity, and virtue − three moral guides. Triads are used by Lodges to train our minds. As we grow in understanding we will tend to use more and richer triads. Intelligence, force, and harmony provide elegant synonyms uses today for wisdom, strength, and beauty. Likewise, religion, law, and morals are pillars of Masonic teaching. By religious study and contemplation we search out wisdom. By the force and rule of law, we establish a strong and orderly society. And by inculcation of personal morality, we strive for beauty in our private and public lives. The lesson for us is that the triads used in our rituals and in our lectures are purposeful and helpful to us. Let us strive for perfection by becoming better men in wisdom, strength, and beauty.

Article by H. Jordan Rosoce 32 degree

Posted by: Daniel Genchi

THE Fellow-Craft is introduced to the wonders of his world of art and science through portals flanked by two massive pillars. Detailed description of these pillars in the Books of Kings indicates a style of design common to Egyptian architecture, where a pillar terminates in a capital representing a conventionalized lotus blossom, or the seed pod of that sacred lily. Such twin pillars are frequently found among Egyptian and Sumerian archaeological remains.

The pillars of King Solomon’s Temple, and in fact that entire group of structures, were the work of Phoenician artists, according to the Biblical account. From other sources we gather that these same designers and craftsmen, initiated Dionysiac architects, were responsible for the magnificent palaces and temples at Byblos, the cultural and esthetic center of ancient Phoenicia. The Phoenician realm occupied an area roughly the same as that of modern Syria and Lebanon, and in Biblical accounts is usually cal led Tyre, from the name of its then capital city. Byblos, also known as Gub’l or Gebal, the present-day village of Jebeil, was particularly famous for architects and sculptors.

The twin pillars symbolize the dual nature of life and death, positive and negative or rather active (establishment) and passive (endurance), male and female, light and dark, good and evil, uniting in a central point of equilibrium, the apex of an equilateral triangle; a circle between two parallel uprights. Isis represented standing between two pillars of opposing polarity, the Ark of the Covenant between two Cherubim, Christ crucified between two thieves, are all symbols of the same trinity, the complete ness and perfection of Deity.

That the twin pillars resemble the conventional symbol for Gemini, third sign of the Zodiac, is no accident, but rather due to the common ancestry of the two apparently unrelated symbols.

In some lectures the pillars are said to be 35 cubits high, the height given in II Chronicles, King James Version. Another version of the same source gives the height as 120 cubits. Since the height of the first or outer chamber was probably no more than 30 cubits, the measurement given in I Kings: 18 cubits, seems more likely to be correct. The addition of map globes atop the pillars is a modern invention, with little Biblical or other authority and serving little purpose but to permit the lecturer to h arp upon the advantages of studying astronomy, geography, etc., worthy pursuits but wholely unrelated to the symbolism of the pillars.

Whether the three chambers of the Temple were connected by stairs is debatable. The best-informed scholars believe the Temple roof was flat, in which case the successively decreasing heights of the chambers, plus the somewhat sloping configuration of the site, would require approach and connection by means of either stairways or of some sort of ladder and trapdoor arrangement. Certainly the fantastically elaborate many-storied versions of the Temple depicted by some well-intentioned but ill-informed Bible illustrators and Masonic artists are so illogical and at variance with the few known facts and testimony of both the Bible and history as to seem the figments of a disordered imagination. Josephus stated that the Temple was of Grecian style which implies entablature and consequently a flat roof, although he had the cart before the horse, since Greek architecture was derived from Phoenician, not the reverse.

In any case, the stairway of our lectures is purely symbolic, consisting as it does of the significant numbers 3, 5, and 7. In such a series, 3 symbolizes such qualities as peace, friendship, justice, piety, temperance, and virtue. 5 represents light, health, and vitality- 7 is a symbol of control, judgment, government, and religion.

Published By: Daniel Genchi

“And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he

lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because

the sun was set; and took of the stones of that place, and put them

for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he

dreamed, and beheld a ladder set upon the earth, and the top of it

reached to heaven; and beheld the angels of God ascending and

descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I

am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac.”

These words (Genesis XXVIII, 10-13 inclusive)v are the foundation of

that beautiful symbol of the Entered Apprentice’s Degree in which the

initiate first hears”. . . the greatest of these is charity, for our

faith may be lost in sight, hope ends in fruition, but charity

extends beyond the grave, through the boundless realms of eternity.”

At least two prophets besides the describer of Jacob’s vision have

spoken aptly reinforcing words Job said (XXXIII, 14-16):

“For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a

dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in

slumberings upon the bed: Then he openeth the ears of men, and

sealeth their instructions.”

And St. John (I,51):

“And he said unto him, Verily, verily I say unto you, Hereafter ye

shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending

upon the Son of Man.”

Since the dawn of thought the ladder has been a symbol of progress,

of ascent, of reaching upward, in many mysteries, faiths and

religions. Sometimes the ladder becomes steps, sometimes a stairway,

sometimes a succession of gates or, more modernly, of degrees; but he

idea of ascent from darkness to light, from ignorance to knowledge

and from materially to spiritually is the same whatever the form of

the symbol.

In the Persian Mysteries of Mithras, the candidate ascended a ladder

of seven rounds, and also passed through seven caverns, symbolized by

seven metals, and by the sun, moon and five planets. The early

religion of Brahma had also a seven stepped ladder. In the

Scandinavian Mysteries the initiate climbed a tree; the Cabalists

made progress upward by ten steps. In the Scottish Rite the initiate

encounters the Ladder of Kadosh, also of seven steps, and most of the

early tracing boards of the Craft Degrees show a ladder of seven

rounds, representing the four cardinal and three theological virtues.

At one time, apparently, the Masonic ladder had but three steps. The

Prestonian lecture, which Mackey thought was an elaboration of

Dunkerly’s system, rests the end of the ladder on the Holy Bible; it

reads:

“By the doctrines contained in the Holy Bible, we are taught to

believe in the Divine dispensation of Providence, which belief

strengthens our “Faith,” and enables us to ascend the first step.

That Faith naturally creates in a “Hope” of becoming partakers of

some of the blessed promises therein recorded, which “Hope” enables

us to ascend the second step. But the third and last being “Charity”

comprehends the whole, and he who is possessed of this virtue in its

ample sense, is said to have arrived at the summit of his profession,

or more metaphorically, into an etherial mansion veiled from mortal

eye by the starry firmament.”

The theological ladder is not very old in Masonic symbolism, as far

as evidence shows. Some historians have credited it to Matin Clare,

in 1732, but on very slender evidence. It seems to appear first is a

tracing board approximately dated 1776, and has there but three

rounds. As the tracing board is small, the contraction from seven to

three may have been a matter of convenience. If it is true that

Dunkerly introduced Jacob’s ladder into the degrees, he my have

reduced the steps from seven to three merely to emphasize the number

three, so important Masonically; possibly it was to achieve a certain

measure of simplicity. Preston, however, restored the idea of seven

steps, emphasizing the theological virtues by denominating them

“principal rounds.

The similarity of Jacob’s Ladder of seven steps to the Winding

Stairs, with three, five and seven steps has caused many to believe

each but a different form of the same symbol; Haywood says (“The

Builder, Vol.5, No.11):

“Other scholars have opined that the steps were originally the same

as the Theological Ladder, and had the same historical origin.

Inasmuch as this Theo-logical Ladder symbolized progress, just as

does the Winding Stair, some argue that the latter symbol must have

come from the same sources as the former. This interpretation of the

matter my be plausible enough, and it may help towards an

interpretation of both symbols, but it suffers from an almost utter

lack of tangible evidence.”

Three steps or seven, symbol similar to the Winding Stairs or

different in meaning and implications, the theological virtues are

intimately interwoven in the Masonic system. Our many rituals alter

the phraseology here and there, but the sense is the same and the

concepts identical.

According to the dictionary (Standard) Faith is “a firm conviction of

the truth of what is declared by another . . .without other

evidence: The assent of the mind or understanding to the truth of

what God has revealed.”

The whole concept of civilization rests upon that form of faith

covered in the first definition. Without faith in promises, credit

and the written word society as we know it could not exist. Nor

could Freemasonry have been born, much less lived through many

centuries without secular, as distinguished from religious, faith;

faith in the integrity of those who declared that Freemasonry had

value to give to those who sought; faith in its genuineness and

reality; faith in its principles and practices.

Yet our ritual declares that the third, not the first, round of the

ladder is “the greatest of these” because “faith may be lost in

sight.” Faith is not needed where evidence is presented, and in the

far day when the human soul may see for itself the truths we now

except without demonstrations, faith may disappear without any con-

sciousness of loss. But on earth faith in the divine revelation is

of the utmost importance to all, especially from the Masonic

standpoint. No atheist can be made a Mason. Any man who misstates

his belief in Deity in order to become a Mason will have a very

unhappy experience in taking the degrees. Young wrote:

“Faith builds a bridge across the gulf of death To break the

shock blind nature cannot shun And lands though smoothly on the

further shore.”

The candidate that has no “bridge across the gulf” will find in the

degrees only words which mean nothing. To the soul on its journey

after death, the third round may indeed be of more import than the

first; to Masons in their doctrine and their Lodges, the first round

is a foundation; lacking it no brother may climb the heights.

Hope is intimately tied to faith: “Faith is the substance of things

hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

The dictionary declares hope to be “desire with expectations of

obtaining: to trust confidently that good will come.” But the

dictionary definition fails to express the mental and spiritual

importance of hope. Philosophers and poets have done much better.

“Where there is no hope, there can be no endeavor,” says Samuel

Johnson, phrasing a truism everyone feels though few express. All

ambitions, all human actions, all labors are founded on hope. It may

be crystallized into a firm faith, but in a world in which nothing is

certain, the future inevitably is hidden. We live, love, labor,

pray, marry and become Masons. bury our dead with hope in breasts of

something beyond. Pope wrote:

“Hope spring eternal in the human breast; Many never is, but always

to be, blest,” blending a cynicism with the truth.

Shakespeare came closer to everyday humanity when he said:

“True hope is swift, and flies with swallow’s wings; Kings it makes

gods, and meaner creatures, kings.”

Dante could find no more cruel words to write above the entrance to

hell than:

“Abandon all hope, all ye who enter here.”

Nor can we be argued out of hope; doctors say of a loved one, “she

must die,” but we hope; atheists attempt to prove there is no God -

we hope. Facts demonstrate that our dearest ambition can never be

realized – yet we hope. To quote Young again, we are all:

“Confiding, though confounded; hope coming on, Untaught by trial,

unconvinced by proof, And ever looking for the never seen.”

And yet, vital though hope is to man, to Masons, and thrice vital to

faith. our ritual says that charity is greater than either faith or

hope.

To those whom charity means only handing a quarter to a beggar,

paying a subscription to the community chest, or sending old clothes

to the Salvation army, the declaration that charity is greater than

faith or hope is difficult to accept. Only when the word “charity”

is read to mean “love,” as many scholars say it should be translated

in Paul’s magnificent passage in Corinthians, does our ritual become

logically intelligible. Charity of alms can hardly “extend through

the boundless realms of eternity.” To give money to the poor is a

beautiful act, but hardly as important, either to the giver or the

recipient, as faith or hope. But to give love, unstinted, without

hope of or faith in reward – that, indeed, may well extend to the

very foot of the Great White Throne.

It is worth while to read St. Paul with this meaning of the word in

mind; here is the quotation from the King James version, but with the

word “love” substituted for the word “charity:”

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not

love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though

I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all

knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove

mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all

my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,

and have not love, it profiteth me nothing. Love suffereth long, and

is kind; Love enveith not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed

up. Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not

easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but

rejoiceth in the truth.”

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth

all things. Love never faileth; but whether there be prophecies, they

shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there

be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we

prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that

which is in part shall be done away.”

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I

thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish

things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to

face; now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am

known. And now abideth faith, hope, love; these three; but the

greatest of these is love.”

It is of such charity that a Mason’s faith is made. He is, indeed,

taught the beauty of giving that which is material; the Rite of

Destitution shows forth the tender lesson in the first degree;

Masonic Homes, Schools, Foundation, Orphanages and Hospitals are the

living exponents of the charity which means to give from a plenty to

those who have but a paucity.

The first of the principal tenets of our profession and the third

round of Jacob’s Ladder are really one; brotherly love is “the

greatest of these” and only when a Mason takes to his heart the

reading of charity to be more than alms, does he see the glory of

that moral structure the door to which Freemasonry so gently, but so

widely, opens.

Charity of thought for an erring brother; charity which lays a

brotherly hand on a troubled shoulder in comfort; charity which

exults with the happy and finds joy in his success; charity which

sorrows with the grieving and drops a tear in sympathy; charity which

opens the heart as well as the pocket book; charity which stretches

forth a hand of hope to the hopeless, which aids the helpless, which

brings new faith to the crushed . . .aye, these, indeed, may “extend

through the boundless realms of eternity.”

Man is never so close to the divine as when he loves; it is because

of that fact that charity, (meaning love,) rather than faith or hope,

is truly, “the greatest of these.”

Originally published by Bro. William Steve Burkle KT, 32° Scioto Lodge No. 6, Chillicothe, Ohio.  (www.freemasons-freemasonry.com)

The 47^th Proposition of Euclid and the Masonic symbol of “The Point Within A Circle” are important in the Craft as symbols of philosophical premise, and are fundamental in that capacity to an understanding of Freemasonry. The Craft is rich in such symbolism, and yet we often fail to recognize that beyond the allegory there often resides greater light in the form of Geometry. The purpose of this paper is not to detract from the metaphoric value of our symbols, but rather to expand the understanding that these symbols, which are in large part based upon regular geometric shapes and which may be constructed using the working tools of the craft. It is the view of the author that many of Freemasonry’s symbols may be used much like intermeshing gears, to arrive at implicit truths and illumination on a level of understanding which cannot be communicated using spoken or written language alone (much like music). Indeed, this feature may be by design a mechanism by which future generations may achieve understanding of Masonic principles in spite of changes in the context of language or inevitable changes in ritual. I therefore present an exploration of how four such symbols, the 47^thProposition of Euclid, “The Point Within A Circle”, The Vesica Pisces, and The Divine Proportion are intricately related from the standpoint of Geometry.

Divine Proportion

The Divine Proportion has recently received a great deal of attention by virtue of its inclusion in a popular novel penned by Dan Brown.  Novels aside, the Divine Proportion, also referred to variously as the Golden Proportion, the Golden Mean, or simply as Phi (f) is an interesting Geometric concept, and the fact that it occurs in nature with astounding regularity makes it even more intriguing. History is somewhat fuzzy concerning man’s discovery of the Divine Proportion and his comprehension of its significance. One interesting version of history attributes its discovery to Theano[i], the wife of Pythagoras who inherited the role held by her husband as leader of the Pythagorean mystery school following his death. Other versions insist that the Divine Proportion was understood by man and incorporated into his architectural works many centuries before this.

I will not belabor the many instances in which the Divine Proportion manifests itself in creation[ii]^,[iii] but will instead discuss its basic concept and its mathematical derivation as a prelude to my discussions of the Vesica Pisces, which is closely associated with the Geometric construction of Phi.

The Divine Proportion refers to a certain proportional relationship between the length of two lines which results when that line is divided into its mean and extreme ratio (i.e. when the ratio of the short part to the long part is the same as the long part to the whole[iv]). The actual value of the Divine Proportion (f) is a certain instance of an incommensurate number, said to be irrational[v]. The exact numerical value of irrational numbers such as the square root of three, Pi, and Phi cannot be determined because their calculation creates an infinite series of non – repetitive digits. They are, in effect, numbers of infinite dimension, which none-the-less manifest themselves in reality.

The closest approximation for the value of Phi is nominally 1.618, or more exactly expressed is
A derivation of the value of Phi follows:

In the above line AC, assume that line segment AB = f, and that line segment BC = 1

If AB/BC=AC/AB, then B is said to divide AC in the extreme and mean ratio and is equal to Phi ( f); and it follows that:

I will provide an argument for the significance of the Divine Proportion in Freemasonry in later portions of this paper.

The Point Within A Circle

The point within a circle has largely been regarded strictly as a metaphor within Freemasonry, and these metaphoric interpretations of the symbol are both powerful and poignant. There are also a number of cases in which the approach to understanding the symbol has been based purely upon its geometric[vi]^,[vii] properties. This article intends to add to this body of work by proposing that “The Point Within A Circle” as a geometric construction provides the pathway for greater understanding of the Craft, and that it is an intricate part of the Craft symbolism which works in concert with other symbolism to advance understanding and provide more light. I will not provide great detail concerning the appearance or construction of “The Point Within A Circle” as knowledge of this is inherent in both Masonic Ritual and Masonic Literature.

Euclid’s 47^th Proposition

The 47^th Proposition of Euclid, as with “The Point Within A Circle” should require little introduction to the reader. Of all of the Masonic symbols, this one tends to be that which has the fewest symbolic interpretations[viii]. Although the utility of the 47^th Proposition is undeniable, we seem to often be at a loss for explaining its allegorical or metaphoric relationship within the context of Freemasonry. In Anderson’s “Constitutions” published in 1723, it mentions[ix] that the 47th Proposition of Euclid’s first Book, which, if duly observed, is the Foundation of all Masonry, sacred, civil, and military…”. In our ritual the 47^th Proposition is presented as a concept which teaches Masons to be general lovers of the arts and sciences; however unlike the other symbols to which we are introduced, no attempt at metaphor is made. I suspect that the somewhat cold and hard technical nature of the 47^th Proposition makes it very difficult to consider it to be anything other than an obvious utility. However, I believe that the 47^th Proposition does indeed have metaphoric content as a symbol and tool by which other greater truths may be divined. It is in this context that I present the 47^th Proposition here.

The Vesica Pisces

The history of the Vesica Pisces is lost in the mists of time. Doubtless this symbol existed during the time period ascribed to the life of Jesus Christ, as this symbol was used as a covert means of identification for Christians. The Vesica Pisces was used extensively during the middle ages, as may be evidenced by its incorporation in the Gothic architecture of Cathedrals of that era[x].  Many readers will recognize that the Geometry of the Vesica Pisces and its derivation, the Golden Rectangle play a prominent role in the layout of the lodge room. I will not expound upon the symbolic or metaphoric meanings attributed to the Vesica Pisces, which have been exhaustively covered in the Literature. I will however deal with the Geometric properties inherent in the construction of the symbol, and will use the Vesica Pisces in conjunction with the other symbols of Freemasonry already described to illustrate the close inter-relationship which they enjoy.

The Vesica Pisces may be constructed by overlapping two circles such that the center of each circle lies upon the circumference of the other. In Figure 1 I have produced the Vesica Pisces by overlapping two separate constructions of “The Point Within A Circle” (less the often included VSL or the images of the two Saints John). The lozenge which forms the Vesica Pisces is highlighted for clarity in blue cross-hatch. Both the horizontal (“A-B” and “C-D”) and vertical (“E-F”) lines in the figure place the circle centers at Points “G” and “O” respectively.

The Vesica Pisces itself has an unusual mathematical property, namely that the ratio of the width to the height of the figure when measured, closely approximates the value of the square root of three (265 divided by 153). Figure 2 illustrates this feature. Figure 2 also illustrates that the Vesica may be used to construct two perfect equilateral triangles “ABD” and “BDE”. If the side of one of the triangles is equal to unity (1) then the altitude of that triangle will equal the square root of three. Note also that the side of either triangle (i.e. “A-B”) may be extended through its point of intersection with the short axis (i.e. Point “B”) to form a right triangle (“BCE”). This construction is based upon Thales Theorem, and it produces five identical right triangles and a trapezoid which contains them. This construction may be used as a proof figure for Euclid’s 47^th Proposition.

The Vesica Pisces may also be used as a basis for the derivation of the square root of 2 and the square root of 5 (See Figure 3). As discussed previously the value of the Divine Proportion is very closely associated with the square root of five.

Derivation of the Divine Proportion

Using the Vesica Pisces as a foundation, it is possible to derive the Divine Proportion using the basic techniques of Geometry. To illustrate this (Figure 4) we begin with a Vesica Pisces upon which a right triangle has been constructed. You will note by comparing Figures 4 and 5 that side “I-J” of  triangle “IJK” has a value equal to the square root of five. Mathematically this may be derived by the use of Euclid’s 47^th Proposition since side “J-K” has dimension of one, and side “K-I” has a dimension of two (one squared plus two squared equals five, therefore side “J-I” equals the square root of five).

Figure 5 further illustrates this case, and has been labeled to include the dimensional relationships found in this construction. Of special interest in this figure are the dimensions obtained by the division of triangle “IJK” by the vertical centerline “E-F” to obtain triangle “IHG”.  Note that this triangle has a hypotenuse equal to the square root of five divided by two, and that “G-O” equals one, the altitude of the triangle (“G-H”) has a value equal to one-half.

Through a simple maneuver (Figure 6) we may increase the length of the hypotenuse of triangle “IHG” by exactly one-half by swinging an arc having a radius of “G-H” from point “G” to a point at which the arc intersects the hypotenuse of triangle “IJK”  (Point “L” on Line “I-J”). This is essentially a form of geometric addition in which we have increased the length of line segment “I-G” (which is the square root of five divided by two) by exactly one-half. This of course creates line segment “I-L” which has a length equal to Phi, the Divine Proportion.

The Vesica Pisces as illustrated here for the construction of the Divine Proportion is merely the beginning of a wide number of applications for which geometric figures and constructions involving the Vesica Pisces may be explored[xi]. Figure 7 is an example of this, in which an additional circle has been added to our construction such that its circumference intersects the center of the original Vesica Pisces. The result is the creation of two new Vesicas identical to the first. The arrangement of three Vesica Pisces as shown in Figure 7 is called the Triquetera, and is itself an ancient symbol of significance.

The question of the significance of the Divine proportion and the Vesica Pisces naturally arises from the preceding discussion. One published work[xii] describes the implicit relationship of the Divine Proportion and Plato’s Second Principle, known as the Indefinite Dyad, sometimes called the Greater and the Lesser. This work emphasizes that Philosophers have pondered the concept of Divine Proportion, perhaps long before it was known by this name. What they may have learned, and what I believe the underlying significance of the Divine Proportion and Vesica Pisces may be, is that there is an order in the universe which surpasses man’s ability to quantify, and that this order is the source of beauty.

In reviewing Plato’s Second Principle, I could not help but be struck by the similarities between Plato’s understanding of reality and our emerging understanding of Quantum mechanics. Man’s ability to glimpse the mind of the GATU may be finite; however evidence of the infinite in creation improves our understanding of his design.

Abraham Lincoln & Freemasonry

Abraham Lincoln

On this day in 1865, John Wilkes Booth, an actor and Confederate sympathizer, fatally shoots President Abraham Lincoln at a play at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C.  The attack came only five days after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his massive army at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, effectively ending the American Civil War. What did Abraham Lincoln think of Freemasonry and why did he never become a member of our fraternity? In 1860 the Grand Lodge of Illinois recessed their meeting being held during the presidential campaign to call on Mr. Lincoln. During that meeting Lincoln is reported to have told the calling committee “Gentleman, I have always entertained a profound respect for the Masonic fraternity and have long cherished a desire to become a member.” When a Mason told Lincoln during that campaign that all of the other candidates were Freemasons, especially noting that Stephen A. Douglas was a member of the Masonic lodge in Springfield, Illinois (Lincoln’s hometown), Lincoln replied, “I am not a Freemason, Dr. Morris, though I have great respect for the institution.”The primary qualification to become a Mason is the belief in the existence of a Supreme Being. Lincoln had a fervent belief in God. He was an avid student of the Bible and included many Biblical references in his writings and speeches, the most famous being his second Inaugural address and he regarded the subject of religion as a matter of individual conscience. One of fundamental tenants of Masonry is that it seeks to make “good men, better men”. This belief would have appealed to Abraham Lincoln who desired to see the best in people in people and to see that each individual could advance in life as much as possible. The Masonic support of the ideas of equality and the brotherhood of all people were also fundamental beliefs to Lincoln.One of Lincolns’ closest friends was Bowling Green a Freemason, Master of his local Masonic lodge, and a member of the original Grand Lodge of Illinois. When Green died in February of 1842, Springfield Lodge No. 4 invited Lincoln to give remarks during the Masonic services for Bro. Green.Lincolns’ idol in politics was Senator Henry Clay from Kentucky. Clay served as Grand Master of Kentucky. During the height of the Anti-Masonic partyin the United States (the early 1830s) and during the time that Clay was running for President of the United States, Clay refused to denounce the Masonic fraternity, even though it would have helped him politically.Why did Lincoln never become a Freemason? Lincoln told the Grand Lodge committee that visited him during the 1860 campaign: “I have never petitioned because I have felt my own unworthiness to do so. I might be overcoming my hesitance and be petitioning at the present time but I am a candidate for political office and by some such action might be misconstrued. For this reason, I must for the present time refrain.”After his death, a friend of his who was a prominent Mason said Lincoln once told him “I (Lincoln) feared I was too lazy to do all my duty as I should wish to were I a member, and I have kept postponing my application”.In May of 1837 Lincoln took on one of his first legal cases, representing the widow and son of Joseph Anderson in their effort to take possession of 10 acres of land presumed to have been owned by Joseph Anderson at the time of his death. However, James Adams, Anderson’s former attorney and an officer of the Springfield Masonic Lodge was found to be in possession of the land basing his claim on a deed executed by Joseph Anderson. Lincoln felt the conveyance of the land was spurious. Lincoln and Adams had a bitter and public feud. Adams charged that Lincoln was a deist. Lincoln probably did not want to join a lodge where Adams was a member and quite possibly would not have attained the necessary unanimous support of the voting brethren.A few years later Lincoln had trouble with another Mason, James Shields who was an Irish immigrant. Shields was a Democrat and became state auditor in 1841. Lincoln and the Whig partyprotested his policies and there were letters published in the newspapers questioning Shields honesty. Shields accused Lincoln of writing these letters and challenged Lincoln to a duel. On September 22, 1842 Lincoln, Shields, and their respective parties crossed the Mississippi River to Missouri for the duel (at that time dueling was still legal in Missouri). Fortunately friends intervened and got Shields to accept Lincoln’s explanation and the duel was called off.The list of prominent people connected to the Civil War that were Freemasons is very long, including Winfield Scott, George B. McClellan, Lewis Cass, David Farragut, Sam Houston, Andrew Johnson, Edwin M. Stanton, Gideon Welles, P.G.T. Beauregard, Albert Pick. It is possible that Lincoln saw some of the spirit of brotherly friendship among these Masons and their practice of Masonic ideals had some affect on him.Lincoln was never a Mason, but it is likely that Masonry had some influence on him him and he on Freemasonry. His political philosophy was affected by Masonic ideals that were expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. His spirit of charity during the Civil War was probably affected to some extent by hearing how Masons in the war helped each other while maintaining their ideals. Lincoln was helped in his life by Freemasons from his days at New Salem through his days in the White House.Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865)(The information for this blog entry was derived from an article by Bro. Paul M. Bessel that was presented to the A. Douglas Smith Jr. Lodge of Research #1949 on 7/29/95).

Written by: Mill Valley Lodge #356, Mill Valley, California, USA

Posted by: Daniel Genchi

In the world of professional stage magic, few names resonate with such acclaim as Harry Keller, Howard Thurston, Harry Houdini, Charles Carter, and Harry Blackstone, Sr. In addition to being brothers in the fraternity of American magicians, each was also an active Freemason. Nearly amazing as the magic acts these great illusionists are famous for is the fact that all of the great magicians made time in their busy lives for Freemasonry: Despite the extensive travel entailed in their careers and all the allurements to the vices of the world, each recognized the value of the Masonic brotherhood.

Masonic Bro. Harry Keller (1849-1922) was the founder of what has been described as the Royal Dynasty of American Magicians. Keller began the tradition of passing the mantle of “Greatest American Magician” to a successor, his Masonic Brother, Howard Thuston. The lineage of the Keller dynasty has over the years passed from Bro. Thurston to Masonic Bro. Dante (Harry Jansen, 1883-1955), to Lee Grable (1919 – present, especially famous for floating and revolving his wife in mid-air as she plays the piano – a variation of Levitation made famous by Bro. Keller), and to the current successor, Lance Burton. However, much of what we know of Keller is learned from his friend Bro. Harry Houdini who was a frequent guest at Keller’s Los Angeles estate and interviewed the great magician to document the history of their craft: Long after Kellar had retired and just a few years before his death, Houdini cajoled his friend on stage for a mammoth show to benefit the families of the men who died when the troop transport Antilles was sunk by a German U-boat. Houdini arranged for Kellar to be carried off in triumph after his final public performance, as six thousand spectators sang Bro. Robert Burns poem “Auld Lang Syne.”

An amusing anecdote related to Bro. Keller’s Masonic membership was when he was shipwrecked in the Bay of Biscay and his Blue Lodge diploma went to the bottom of the sea. It was later recovered by divers who brought up baggage from the sunken steamer. Bro. Keller later remarked it had been viewed by Grand Master Neptune and returned.

Bro. Howard Thurston (1869-1936) was initiated in Manitou Lodge No. 106, New York City, on July 22, 1907. He received the 32° in New York City on July 10, 1910, and later became a Noble of New York’s Mecca Shrine Temple (Mecca is the first and oldest Shrine Temple, having been established in 1871 by actor Bro. William J. “Billy” Florence, Bro. Dr. Walter M. Fleming, and others). During Thurston’s stage show, he was known to say, “pronounce the magic word ‘Hiram Abif’ and the rooster and the duck will change places.” Through this patter, he prepared his audience to be amazed and, also let his Masonic Brothers know that a fellow Freemason was on the stage.

Bro. Thurston said of Freemasonry: “I sometimes think that the traveling Masons have more opportunities of being both proud and glad of the social distinction designated by the Square and Compasses than those who remain home most of the time. This is certainly true of a public entertainer, and especially of a magician…. What a wonderful thing for a stranger to be able to meet the best men of the community as a brother and a friend!”

Bro. Keller and Thurston’s contemporary, Bro. Harry Houdini (born Erich Weiss, 1874-1926) passed his own secrets only to his biological brother Theodore Weiss who performed under the name, Hardeen. The brothers began their magic act playing lodge banquets, beer halls, dime museums and any other bookings they could obtain. By 1919, Bro. Houdini’s fame as an escape artist had spread world wide. One illusion he never attempted was the bullet catch, of which his friend, Bro. Harry Keller warned Houdini that there were too many things that could go wrong and requested that he not do the stunt: Houdini had announced that would try the stunt after well known headlining magician Chung Ling Soo (also a Bro. Mason whose real name was William Ellsworth Robinson) had been killed performing it, but assented to Bro. Keller’s sage advice.

Harry Houdini was initiated in St. Cecile Lodge No. 568, N.Y., July 17, 1923, Passed July 31, and Raised August 21. In 1924 he entered the Consistory. Houdini gave back to the Masonic fraternity of which he was so proud, including giving a benefit performance for the Valley of New York which filled the 4,000 seat Scottish Rite Cathedral and raised thousands of dollars. In October 1926, just weeks prior to his untimely death on that Halloween, he became a Shriner in Mecca Temple.

Last rites for Bro. Houdini were held November 4, 1926 at the Elks Clubhouse in New York. Services were conducted by Rabbi Tintner who joined in the Elks “Hour of Remembrance,” a tribute was delivered by Rabbi Bernard Drachman and eulogies by Loney Haskell of the Jewish Theatrical Guild and Henry Chesterfield of the National Vaudeville Artists, followed by a service by the Society of American Magicians, and concluded, as by tradition of the fraternity, with Masonic Rites.

Another contemporary was illusionist Charles Carter (1874-1936), who hailed from San Francisco: He started his career as a magic journalist and prominent lawyer. Because of stiff competition in America, he chose to concentrate his magic career abroad, where he achieved great fame. His magnificent home in San Francisco is presently used as a foreign embassy headquarters.

Famed magician and Bro. Mason, Maurice Raymond, himself an escape artist, had a long running professional fued with Bro. Houdini. The Great Raymond proved his devotion to the Masonic fraternity when, on retirement, he toured the United States lecturing at Masonic Temples about his life in Magic: A favorite anecdote was performing in Ecuador, where he used two authentic shrunken heads as props.

Other great Masonic Magicians included: John Henry Anderson (1814-1874, who like Bro. Chung Ling Soo was famous for the bullet catch), Alexander Herrmann (1844-1896), Frederick Eugene Powell (1856-1938), Chung Ling Soo (born, William Ellsworth Robinson, 1861-1918), Dante (August Harry Jansen, 1883-1955, who appeared with his Masonic Bro. Oliver Hardy in Laurel and Hardy’s films A-Haunting We Will Go and Bunco Squad), and Okito (born Theo Bamberg, 1875-1963).

The tradition of Mason Magicians represented by these great vaudeville era illusionists has been perpetuated by the “Invisible Lodge” founded in 1953 by Bro. Brewerton H. Clarke who performed under the stage name Sir Felix Korim (1905-1986). The “Invisible Lodge” was not actually a Lodge, but rather a club for Masonic Magicians which convenes its sessions at major Magic Conventions. The club follows its own ritual, which encompasses elements from both Masonry and the world of illusion: The preferred time for the Invisible Lodge’s sessions has been midnight. Members of the Invisible Lodge have included, Blackstone (born Henri Bouton, 1885-1965), Okito (born Theo Bamberg, 1875-1963), Ballantine (born Meyer Kessler who, as an actor played Lester Gruber on McHale’s Navy with his  fellow Mason, Bro. Ernest Borgnine), and Jack Gwynne (1895-1969).

The brethren of Mill Valley Lodge No. 356 have supported this tradition in 2000 when Masonic Magician David Lowenstein (stage name of Bro. Michael Tomofeev of Sotoyome Curtis Lodge No. 123, Healdsburg, CA) entertained the Lodge and guests at the Lodge’s Pillars of the Community dinner in honor of Marin’s new Eagle Scouts. As a further homage to our brethren of yesteryear, the green room of the Lodge’s vaudeville era stage has been decorated with the lithographs appearing on this page, celebrating the careers of these great Masonic conjurors.

harry houdini illusions, houdini the magician, harry houdini mason, the great houdini, ehrich weiss harry houdini, houdini secrets, Magicians and Freemasons

Posted by: Daniel Genchi

INTRODUCTION

I first gave a variation of this particular talk in May, 1996. I have given it a number of times since. Every time I’ve given the talk the analysis, although not the facts or the substance, changes slightly. As I have now had time to once again reconsider this and am now obligated to present the talk in written form, I also feel somewhat obligated to explain not so much my research, as meandering as it might have been, but rather the various pieces of Masonic history that are linked to Tracing Boards. The history of Tracing Boards actually is fairly easy to describe, but how it fits into the larger context of Masonry and why it is that we are now required, in the Canadian work, to actually use Tracing Boards is quite a complex story. I must assume that the majority of readers of this paper will be in the same state of darkness that I was when I approached this topic however, for those of you who already know much or most of what I am about to describe, I hope you do not mind a refresher course, and to those to whom some or all of this is new, I trust you will find it as intriguing as I have.

When I refer to the Canadian Ritual that is used in this Province the reference is to the British Columbia Canadian Work as authorized by Grand Lodge on June 23, 1955 and amended to 1983. When I refer to the Antient Ritual it will be to British Columbia Antient Work, approved by Grand Lodge June 2, 1962. When I refer to the transactions of the Quator Coronati, I will use the abbreviation AQC. I’m going to present some conclusions right now, so you can better understand where the topic is going:

1. Much of what needs to be known about Tracing Boards is known. The people who made them and the Lodges that use them are all fairly well documented. This part of Masonic history does not fall into “from time immemorial.”

2. The time frame when the Tracing Boards came into being is roughly at the very end of the Eighteenth Century and the first decades or so of the Nineteenth Century. The contents of them reflects the reality of Masonry at the time, just prior to and through the process of and after the Lodge of Reconciliation.

3. While we think of the rise of the two rival Grand Lodges in the Eighteenth Century as a time of conflict, in actual fact it was a time of the greatest Masonic growth where the Brethren in the Lodges were experimenting with different methods of communicating the Masonic message to each other and perfecting new rituals.

4. The Tracing Boards are teaching aids. They have taken on a life of their own, which has had some startling repercussions in Ritual work.

5. To understand where Tracing Boards came from, you have to understand where Floor Cloths came from, but that does not necessarily mean that Tracing Boards are an evolution from Floor Cloths. Many Lodges that use Tracing Boards still use Floor Cloths, and some Lodges that use Floor Cloths do not use Tracing Boards, &c. While I am discussing primarily the Tracing Boards that are used in our jurisdiction in the Canadian, Emulation, and Australian Lodges, I do not mean to overlook the Degree charts and Floor Cloths used in the Antient Lodges.

6. The Tracing Boards that we use ought not to be called Tracing Boards, and this has been recognized by commentators for the last 80 years, but the chance of renaming them even 80 years ago was zero and is certainly less than that now.

7. The Tracing Boards were originally designed to lie flat on the floor of the Lodge, and the Tracing Boards that we use now have used the same artistic perspective as did the original Tracing Boards.

8. While the Tracing Boards as a teaching aid can also be an adornment of the Lodge, it is generally agreed by the writers on this topic that the ones that are most commonly in use, particularly in British Columbia, are the least artistically interesting.

9. There appears to be no rule in terms of Ritual that requires the Tracing Boards for the Degrees that are not being worked to be hidden–i.e., if you are in Third Degree, First Degree and Second Degree Boards must not be shown, or conversely, that the Third Degree Board must not be shown while you are in the First Degree.

To understand specifically why these issues were of importance to me, you have to understand why I did the research in the first place. Two years prior to giving the talk on Tracing Boards, I had given a talk at my Lodge on art and imagery in Masonry. While I was doing research on that, specifically reviewing the wonderful colour reproductions in Freemasonry A Journey Through Ritual and Symbol by W. Kirk McNulty,¹ two groups of questions arose in my mind..

The first question group was, why the Third Degree Board is almost always on display, and why the First Degree Board, which to me is the most interesting, is only seen briefly during a typical meeting when we are going into the First Degree. Because we are in British Columbia we are obliged to do our business in the Third Degree, but that is really not much of an answer.

The real question is why that Board needs to be tucked away when we were not in the First Degree. The obvious answer, of course, is that in a functional basis there is no place to display all three Boards at the same time. There does not appear to be any particular ritual requirement for the lack of display of one Tracing Board or another. The only requirement is for a Tracing Board of the particular degree to be displayed specifically when the degree is being worked.

In the Canadian Ritual the Senior Deacon displays a Tracing Board and the working tools of each degree separately. First Degree, (pages 6 & 17); Second Degree (pages 15 & 16) and Third Degree (page 13). There is no requirement for the placing of the Tracing Board for the First Degree Tracing Board Lecture, rather the Candidate is taken to the Junior Warden Station and the Junior Warden delivers the lecture on the Tracing Board (page 38). Similarly, in the Second Degree, the Candidate is taken to the West, where the Senior Warden delivers the Tracing Board Lecture (page 70). In the Third Degree the Deacons conduct the Candidate to the Master Mason’s Tracing Board and the Worshipful Master points out its features, which are limited to the ornaments of a Master Mason’s Lodge i.e. the porch, the dormer and the square pavement (page 100).

I will be touching on certain issues regarding ritual, but this talk is not about Tracing Boards and the ritual; that is a somewhat separate topic which has been dealt with by VW Bro. Jim Bennie in a talk he delivered to the Vancouver Lodge of Education and Research about two years ago. I did not include a copy of his paper because it did not necessarily deal with some of the issues that I have raised, nor should I expect anyone else to deal with my singular concerns.

The second question group deals with something on the typical First Degree Tracing Board, that is on the “Jacob’s Ladder,” the images for the three cardinal virtues–that is, Faith, Hope and Charity–typically had a cross for faith. As I looked into the pictures of the early Tracing Boards, I realized that none of them had a cross for Faith; in fact, the cross did not appear in the Tracing Boards until the 1860s.

The question then raised was, if Freemasonry is inclusive not exclusive–that is, if it is designed to include all religions and not exclude any religion–why was the symbol of Faith a cross?

I must admit I pondered this for a long time because I knew that if I had gone to my Brethren and raised this issue the matter would have been resolved very quickly, as it was in fact when I did raise the issue, by simply pasting a large F over the cross. In some of the earliest Tracing Boards, Faith, Hope and Charity were represented with the capital letters “F”, “H” and “C”. But there was an intellectual, not just a religious, problem here, and that was figuring out why it was that Freemasonry was nondenominational, save and except the belief in a Supreme Being.

The Jacob’s Ladder with the symbols being a cross for Faith, an anchor for Hope and a heart for Charity, has taken on a life of its own apart from its Tracing Board significance. It is one of the few pieces of Masonic symbolism, aside from the square and compasses (with or without the G) that is known worldwide. I’ve seen it in publications as far afield as an Argentinian Masonic magazine.

With that in mind when I first gave this talk, a great portion of it dealt with why religious topics were precluded from the Lodge hall, including any sign of one religion being better than another. I must touch on this briefly now, because the issue of the Lodge of Reconciliation and the Rituals that came from it is an important part of this talk. When the Lodge of Reconciliation was concluded, a number of compromises had been reached between the two Grand Lodges. For example, Deacons were to be admitted; there were to be yearly installations; there were to be no more painted aprons; the Craft Ritual was limited to three degrees; and in those three degrees there was to be no reference to any Christian religion.

The Royal Arch,.which was a separate degree, could have reference to Christian religion, but the first three degrees were to have no external references to Christianity, and the reference to the Volume of the Sacred Law would be limited to the Old Testament.² This issue of “de-Christianizing” Masonry has not gone away. It crops up from time to time in articles in the AQC and it is really not my business to go into the arguments, save and except to say that by talking about “de-Christianizing” the authors are mis-describing the issue.

The issue is that what the Duke of Sussex did was quite extraordinary not just in terms of Masonic history but more importantly in terms of English history at that time. By insisting that Masonry be completely inclusive, he was out of step with the body politic in England. It is understandable why there were revolts against the Duke of Sussex over this issue of “de-Christianizing” because those who were opposing the Duke were reflecting their society at large, in the specific context of Masonry. We take for granted that the ideals of Freemasonry were accepted by everyone; this is not correct. We assume because so much of the American Declaration of Independence and so many other parts of early American history (the New Secular Order) are related to Masonic ideals, that these ideas were current in England. This is not correct. I don’t wish to give a full-blown course on 19th Century English politics but for those who are interested I’ll give one recent reference, Poisoning The Minds Of The Lower Orders by Don Herzog, Princeton University Press, 1998. Also, it took three separate Reform Acts of 1832, 1867 and 1884 to allow every man in England to have the vote.

Up until 1854, unless you were an Anglican, it was almost impossible to attend either Cambridge or Oxford and it wasn’t until 1871 that legislation was passed making all offices, and professorships at Cambridge, Oxford, and Durham (except for certain clerical and theological positions) open to anyone who was not an Anglican. We forget that religious tensions in England and the social tensions and the class tensions were not as we would perceive it now being as between Christians and Jews and Muslims, but rather between Anglicans, Non-Conformists, Methodists, and everyone else including Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Jews, Muslims, &c. I am spending some time on this point because secularizing the message of Masonry and focusing on universal and fundamental beliefs of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth didn’t make the Craftsman any less Christian. To do so would have been to have them change their skins. No one wanted to do that, in fact, our opening Ode is taken right from the Anglican Hymnal. There is no concern as to where the Hymn came from, after all it was well known to the Craftsmen and the message is perfectly Masonic. It is no wonder that when the Chaplain is installed he is charged with the obligation of promoting tolerance.

Something else that came out of the Lodge of Reconciliation, and I am getting ahead of myself but this is as good a time as any to bring it up, is the clear fact that there was never an authorized ritual. In fact, the first query that came up to the Grand Lodge after the Lodge of Reconciliation had finished its work was whether or not the Emulation ritual was the correct work as compared to the Stability work, and the Duke of Sussex as the Grand Master was not even interested in entertaining the question. In England, as long as the Ritual includes all the landmarks agreed upon and worked at the Lodge of Reconciliation, whatever Ritual that is used is acceptable. Emulation became one of the best known rituals because it was the first one which had an unauthorized version of its Ritual published.

As for the history of Tracing Boards, there are a number of strands of Masonic history and Ritual all tied together, and I’ll deal with them in turn. This analysis I am giving follows the example of the two articles in AQC, the first being “The Evolution and Development of the Lodge or Tracing Board” by E.H. Dring in AQC 29 (1916), and the second being “Tracing Boards–Their Development and Their Designers” by T.O. Haunch in AQC 75 (1962). The Dring article is absolutely marvelous and covers a tremendous amount of territory as he set out to recapture what was, even in 1916, being lost. He tried to photograph every Tracing Board he could find still in existence, and to explain where they came from and how they fit into the history of Masonic Ritual. I certainly could never hope to duplicate the quality of his research or of his insights. The second article by Haunch was meant to be a short talk to be given in Lodges, and it is a first rate overview of the topic. Where my analysis may differ is that there are certain points I believe both English authors took for granted that we cannot take for granted and must analyze. Of course, whatever I write is completely my responsibility.

The issues that are tied into the history of Tracing Boards involve many of the major Masonic research problems, such as confusion over language, change over language over a length of time, the history of Lodge halls, the history of Masonic Rituals, and the history of Masonic symbolism. All of this has to be touched on, otherwise the history of Tracing Boards is taken so far out of context that it doesn’t lead to any worthwhile discussion.

The best example I can give of this is the following quote from the First Degree lecture given while the candidate is looking at, or being directed to look at, the First Degree Tracing Board in the Canadian work: “The immovable jewels are the Tracing Board, the Rough Ashlar, and the Perfect Ashlar. The Tracing Board is for the Worshipful Master to lay lines and draw designs on.” Interestingly enough, the Tracing Board being referred to in that quote is not the Tracing Board that the Entered Apprentice is looking at–it is in fact a blank slate, or a blank piece of paper, that the Worshipful Master will draw on to show some architectural or geometrical model which is the basis of the moral lesson.

A clear example of this confusion is found on page 28, of the last Dominion Regalia catalogue which outlines two items for sale: first, something called degree charts (which we would typically call Tracing Boards), and second, something called the Master’s Tracing Board. (see fig. 1.) The Dominion Regalia has the correct description of a Master’s Tracing Board, specifically when it says that no regulation design is required. In fact, there is no regulation design for any of these items, specifically the degree charts or what we would call the Tracing Boards. For that reason I point out the absolute incorrectness of the statement below the pictures of the Degree Charts: “The only correct charts for Canadian or English work.” There is no authority for that statement; there is no Body in either England or Canada, to the best of my knowledge, that has ever authorized the designs of any Tracing Boards to be used. Whether the Grand Lodge should require the use of Tracing Boards (as they do in this jurisdiction) is a different question.

The easiest way into the topic is to discuss the premises in which Masonic meetings took place. You will notice I didn’t use the word “lodge,” because that word has a variety of different meanings–even now, we interchangeably use the word to mean the place where we hold Masonic meetings and the unit of Freemasonry that we belong to. These are recent developments for the word, because the word has gone through a number of changes.

When talking about the Lodge,the best starting place is a very thorough history such as The Lodge, An Essay in Method by R.J. Meekren. AQC ,Vol. 61 (1948). This gives a lot of history about the original “lodges” but to make it brief, and to be specific, our concerns deal with the 18th century and onward. We know that Freemasons met in rooms that were not designated solely for the purposes of Freemasonry–that is, they met in back rooms of pubs, or hotels or private residences. The room, therefore, had to not only be made to look different during the meeting but also everything about the room had to go back to normal, or at least non-Masonic. It was not a problem to move chairs and candlesticks around, but those pieces of furniture did not make a room into a lodge–that is, something that related to the original “form of the Lodge.”

Typically what was done was to draw on the floor (and this was the Tyler’s job) either an oblong or a slight variation of an oblong that represented the form of the Lodge or the original enclosure of the original outdoor Lodge meetings. This original shape was typically called an oblong square. It got renamed in the18th century to a word that has bedeviled us ever since: “parallelepipedon.” There’s a remnant of earlier language used in the Senior Warden’s lecture in the First Degree; I quote from Page 45 of the Ancient Ritual: “Our ancient Brn. usually met on a high hill or in a low dale, the better to detect the approach of cowans or eavesdroppers either ascending or descending. The form of a L. is an oblong, its length from E. to W., its breadth from N. to S., its height from the earth to the heavens, its depth from the earth’s surface to its center. It is of such vast dimensions to show the universality of Fmy and that M. charity should be equally extensive.”

Just to complete the cycle, the first reference to Hiram’s grave is from the 1727 Wilkinson manuscript, where it is described, in a catechism, as an oblong square. Sometimes the form of the Lodge would simply be this oblong square, and sometimes the form of the Lodge would also include a variety of Masonic symbols. We know this from prints in the early Masonic Exposures such as The Three Distinct Knocks of 1760. (see fig. 2.)

This process of drawing the Lodge, and mopping up afterwards, is described in The Three Distinct Knocks and in Jachin and Boaz and Mahhabone. The process of cleaning up survives in our present ritual when at the end of the meeting, as per the Antient Ritual (Page 167), the following is said: “Nothing further remains to be done, according to ancient custom, except to disarrange our emblems.” I believe that this reference to disarranging emblems refers to the cleaning up of the floor to leave no trace of the form of the Lodge or the contents drawn thereon.

Gradually, and there really is no set time frame here, Lodges came up with the idea of having Floor Cloths–that is, something that would be painted on and could be used over and over. The first references to these Lodge floorings that are painted occurs in French Exposures in the early 1740s. There are diagrams and examples of these Floor Coverings and also a reference to the fact that while some Lodges were using Lodge floorings, other Lodges refused to and would only use the form of the Lodge that was drawn on the floor rather than this newfangled invention. In fact there is a record of a Lodge Cloth being made in 1812, after many Tracing Boards were already in use..³

There is a famous quote from 1759 in the Scottish Grand Lodge to the effect that the Lodge St. Andrews had been ordered from ever using again a painted flooring because “a painted cloth containing the flooring of a Master’s Lodge was hanging publicly exposed in a painter’s shop,” and the Grand Lodge considered that some “pernicious consequences to Masonry” would occur if this event occurred again. This is not a particularly accurate expression of Freemasonry in Scotland at the time; there are a great number of records of Scottish Lodges that were using these floorings for each of the degrees, and in fact there are even records of some of these Floor Cloths, because of their expense, being framed to be hung on the wall when the Lodge was in session.

While the Scots may have been quite thrifty or at least very careful regarding the Lodge’s assets, by taking the form of the Lodge from the flooring and putting onto the wall, they inadvertently changed the nature of Masonic symbolism. You would no longer be standing around the Lodge itself or be part of the Lodge itself but rather looking at the Lodge and all of the emblems emblazoned thereon. This I think is one of the significant leaps away from operative Masonry.

I have to get back to the language issue at this point, because the words are starting to change meanings. While the Lodge, that is those groups of men who were Masons, decided to paint a Lodge cloth or Lodge floorings, what they were doing is representing the Lodge and when they were standing around it or in a room where the Lodge flooring was, then they were in the Lodge or at the Lodge as compared to being members of the Lodge. In any event, the earliest floor cloth that I can find a picture of is from 1764; that of the Lurgan Lodge No. 394 of the Grand Lodge of Ireland. (see fig. 3.)

There really was no centralized authority or convergence of information regarding any of this, and all of these matters seemed to have sprung up either spontaneously or contemporaneously in different parts of Europe. I won’t go into European or Irish Floor Cloths because that would make this just too complicated. But the next step is the gradual change from Floor Cloths on the floor to cloths that were designed specifically to be on raised boards.

In other words, rather than standing around or standing on a Floor Cloth the Lodge would be formed when the cloth was on a board, which was usually suspended by two trestles, therefore the phrase the trestleboard, or alternately the phrase Lodge Board which also causes some ambiguity. What was put on the trestle board were often at least the working tools in the degree that was to be worked. The frontispiece of the 1784 Book of Constitutions shows a trestle board. (see fig. 4) You will notice the two globes, the working tools, the Lewis, the Volume of the Sacred Law, &c.

I understand that there’s a Lodge in Bristol that still uses a table with a Lodge cloth on it.

Before I get to Tracing Boards there are a number of issues about drawing the Lodge and the Lodge Floor Cloths and the Lodge Boards that need to be addressed.

EXPOSURES

After Freemasonry was established in France in the early 1730s, there were a number of books printed that outlined the workings of a Lodge. These were called Exposures because in theory they were meant to expose the workings to the general public, but this is probably an inaccurate description. These books were reprinted, some of them were translated and printed in English, (clearly the market for the information was not limited just to people interested in what Masons did but rather to Masons themselves) to find out how other Masons did Ritual. Much of the early information we have is from these French and English Exposures. For the longest time they were looked down on by scholars as being inaccurate but, starting, at least, from Dring’s paper on Tracing Boards onwards, this has subtly changed where they are now seen as being the only accurate representations of what Masonic Ritual was.

The first pictorial representation of Floor Cloths were found in the French exposures dating back to 1742. We have some of these in the original form in our Grand Lodge Library, unfortunately the diagrams I wish to use were not complete and also unfortunately the Harry Carr book on early French exposures was unavailable when I was collecting the diagrams for this lecture. In any event, we know that Floor Cloths, in and of themselves were used as early as 1742, specifically for the Third Degree.

FLOOR CLOTHS AND RELATED MATTERS

Floor cloths and floor coverings are in fact a separate topic but I need to go through them in some detail to tie up some loose ends. In many of our Lodge Halls, for example, 8th & Granville, Marpole, and Kamloops, there is nothing on the flooring that indicates the requirements of the First Degree Lodge, i.e. Masonic pavement and indented skirting that surrounds the pavement. This can be found in the First Degree lecture on page 42 of the Canadian work and similar wording can be found in the Senior Warden’s First Degree lecture on page 47 of the Ancient Work. Why the flooring of these Lodge Halls is missing the Mosaic pavement or the indented skirting is not for me to speculate. I know in my Lodge hall in Richmond both these two items are there and in the Langford Lodge hall on Vancouver Island there is an actual Mosaic pavement, and in the newly refurbished Kerrisdale Lodge there is a wonderful carpet with Mosaic pavement and also the four tassels. I raise this because the questions of symbolism and use of Masonic symbols goes to the root of the history of where Tracing Boards come from. If we rely on the Tracing Boards themselves for our sole source of Masonic symbolism we may not only be taking too much for granted but also diminishing the Masonic experience available to our Brethren. I can explain this by talking about Lodges that meet in locations that are not permanent Masonic Lodge halls. Typically, these are church halls or otherwise which the Masons use for their meeting and have to make each hall to be a Masonic Lodge. Usually, the Lodge will have some form of Masonic flooring. I refer you to photographs of the AQC Vol.107 (1994) on pages 201 and 205 showing temporary tassels in the four corners and a temporary Mosaic floor cloth of Lamont Lodge No. 94 of the Grand Lodge of Alberta, and also the picture on page 157 of the AQC Vol.110 (1997).

I contacted some of the Lodges in our jurisdiction that don’t have permanent Masonic homes, and I can report that in Kitimat Lodge No. 169, which is Canadian, they have a carpet that’s about six feet by ten feet which on one side has mosaic pavement and tassels, on the other side there’s a coffin for the Third Degree work. In McKenzie Lodge No. 168,which is an Antient Lodge, they have a black and white mosaic pavement about six feet by six feet with tassels; and in Queen Charlotte Lodge No.189, which is Antient, they have a Second Degree Floor Cloth about two and a half feet by seven feet. In Light of the Rockies Lodge No. 190, which is Emulation, they have a three foot by six foot painted canvas Floor Cloth which is a mosaic pavement with tassels. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list. I also do not want people to believe that only Lodges that do not have a permanent home would use Floor Cloths. For example, Prince of Wales Lodge No.100 (which meets at the Kerrisdale hall) has a black and white Masonic pavement Floor Cloth which it uses; and Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary’s Chapel) No. 1, which just celebrated the four hundredth anniversary of its earliest extant minute dating back to July 1559, also uses a Floor Cloth in what is clearly a permanent Lodge hall. I refer any of you interested, to the Grand Lodge of Scotland website to see a lovely picture of this.

This is as good as a place as any, to make some simple comparisons between Antient and Canadian work. In Canadian work we typically only use the Floor Cloth in the Third Degree. In Antient work there are no Tracing Boards as such but there is usually a chart which is used by the Senior Warden in the First Degree Lecture. In the Second Degree many Antient Lodges have wonderful Floor Cloths, such as Vancouver Lodge No. 68. Richmond Lodge No. 142 lays out the steps on separate pieces of wood marked with the appropriate names for the three, five and seven steps. There are some Lodges in England that have constructed winding staircases that the Candidate is actually guided up. In the Third Degree, there is no specific reference to floor cloths in the Antient work except in a wonderful lecture which is listed as Appendix “H”–Alternate Lecture in MM Degree. The instructions in the Ritual are that this lecture is to be delivered with slides or master’s carpet. I wish to thank the Grand Secretary for informing me of this piece of Antient ritual.

MASONIC SYMBOLISM

If you were to only have read that Grand Lodge of Scotland reference about the Floor Cloth, you might assume that Masons were opposed to decoration. Far from it. In the Eighteenth Century Masons decorated not just Lodge regalia but everything that could possibly be decorated. The Masonic museums are full of drinking cups and glasses and plates and serving utensils covered in Masonic emblems. Masons used to paint their aprons–in fact, that was one of the compromises I mentioned earlier at the Lodge of Reconciliation that, in English Masonry at least, there were to be no more hand-painted aprons, though this certainly continued in Scotland. I’ve enclosed a copy of a hand-painted English apron circa 1800 because it shows three women portraying Faith Hope and Charity. This was a common portrayal and it shows up on a number of Tracing Boards, specifically those by Bowring. (see fig. 5) I have also enclosed the reverse side of a miniature portrait of Frances Cornelia, the wife of James Ames, Master of Lodge Innocence and Morality in 1776. The vast majority of information on all three Tracing Boards, save and except the Second Degree stairway, is on the back of this miniature. I also point out that there were no Tracing Boards in existence at the time this miniature was made, in other words it is important to realize that the imagery used in the Tracing Boards was imagery already known and accepted by Masons. (see fig. 6.)

RITUAL

The next step in understanding this story is the evolution of the Ritual. During the Eighteenth Century there was a tremendous growth in Ritual. How Masonry was practiced (at least, as far as we know) from the beginning of the Grand Lodge in 1717 to the end of the 18th century is so fundamentally different that it is almost impossible to understand. For example, the first published Book of Constitutions was written by Anderson and published in 1723. The title page of that book states that the Constitution, that is the history of the laws, the charges, the orders, the regulations and the usages were to be read at the admission of new Brethren. This goes on for about another 48 pages, but on page 49 there’s a second section to the book, which is known as the Charges of a Free Mason. The contents of this, which goes on for 30 pages, is to be read at the making of new Brethren or when the Master shall order it. It may be that the early 18th Century people were prepared to read and listen to long, long lectures. They certainly weren’t by the end of the 18th Century.

In fact, the first unauthorized Masonic text to be printed in England after the formation of Grand Lodge was Pritchard’s Masonry Dissected of 1730, based almost completely on catechism for its ritual work. This at least involved the participation of the Masons, but whether it included the message that Anderson wanted to get across is up in the air. I won’t spend much time on this as it’s such a totally different topic and there’s been so much written on it..⁴ Preston is a good place to recommence this analysis because his book, Illustrations of Masonry, published in 1772 was a very popular re-do of the catechism. It wasn’t however, why Preston was so famous.

After the success of his 1772 publication Preston developed his own lectures for the Three Degrees and taught each of them separately. These degrees, which became the basis of the Canadian Ritual that we use in this jurisdiction, were never actually published by Preston. He taught them and worked them and in so doing he was part of a somewhat larger crowd of late 18th Century Masonic scholars or philosophers, or possibly even entrepreneurs, who wrote their own versions of the Lectures, such as Finch, Cole and Browne. It is from the latter two that we can get the first specific use of Tracing Boards. Both Cole and Browne devised Tracing Boards as teaching methods for the First, Second and Third Degree lectures. There were some earlier versions than the Cole and Browne version which I have not included here, but they haven’t been attributed and, frankly, I have to use the best reproductions, which come from the Haunch article, not the Dring article. There were some round Boards that were clearly for the First and Second Degrees, and there were also some Floor Cloths about the same time that were for the lectures in the First, Second and Third Degrees. Somewhere along the line, the Degree work got relatively finalized and Lodges got used to seeing not just Floor Cloths for the Lodge itself but also for the First, Second and Third Degree Lodges.

It wasn’t much of a leap to either attach these Floor Cloths to pieces of wood making them Trestle Boards or painting directly onto Tracing Boards. The Boards were not all of uniform size or shape, some were very large (six feet by three feet) and some were painted such that there was the First Degree on one side and the Second Degree on the other side, with a smaller handheld version of the Third Degree Board. Other Boards were painted such that there was a hinge in the middle, therefore allowing on one outside surface the First Degree, and on the other outside surface the Second Degree and, when opened up, the Third Degree in all its glory. These Tracing Boards were to be stood around and looked down on when the lectures were given. The history of Tracing Boards is fairly short, mainly because the cost of having Boards specially made for each Lodge was quite high and they gradually became commercially produced. As far as I know, the only hand-painted Tracing Boards in this Jurisdiction are used by Burrard Lodge No. 50 and Duke of Connaught Lodge No. 64.

While its clear that there was a tremendous growth of Ritual work towards the end of the 18th Century and certainly after the union, or Lodge of Reconciliation, it’s wrong to assume that the Rituals that were used in England at that time (I’mcompletely excluding Scotland and Ireland) changed overnight. By chance I ran across a reference that in North Wales Province the delivery of the explanations of the Tracing Boards was first given on March 21, 1872..⁵ What I propose to do now is go through the Tracing Board artists in chronological order, and use the notes that Haunch uses on the pages that I have reproduced.

The first of the artists is John Cole, who published Illustrations of Freemasonry in 1801. There are three well known Tracing Boards, I’m informed, of engravings from that publication. We have some copies of that first edition in the Grand Lodge Library but none has or appears to have had any such engravings. So don’t go looking for the original engravings in our Library. (see figs. 7, 8, 9.)

The second artist is John Browne, who wrote Browne’s Masonic Master Key Through the Third Degrees in 1802. The pictures reproduced here are not necessarily by Browne, but are attributed to his designs. John Browne, is of interest for a few reasons. First of all, he was a teacher and the way that he molded the lectures shows his interest in being able to communicate information; .⁶ Browne is also known because his book is in cypher. In fact, many Masonic books and charts were in cypher, specifically the Ritual books; this was to make sure that non-Masons didn’t understand the Ritual but, of course, Masons had to buy books that had the key for the cypher, otherwise they couldn’t understand it. In Browne’s Master Key, the cypher was as follows: Substitute the vowels a e i o u y with the letters of Browne’s name; precede most words by meaningless capital letters, and then substitute letters including c for e, and then substitute the words Brethren or Masons with exclamation marks and then run the words together indiscriminately and do not use punctuation. (see figs. 10, 11, 12.)

The third artist is Jacob, who is only known to us by his last name. (see figs. 13, 14, 15)

The fourth artist is Josiah Bowring. He’s generally acknowledged to be the best of all as an artist and the pictures I have included come from a different source than the Haunch article because I think they make better copies.(see figs. 16, 17 18)

What you will notice in the First Degree, hanging from the Jacob’s Ladder right beside Hope–that is, the middle woman on the ladder–is a key. You will also notice a key hanging in the First Degree Tracing Boards of Jacob and Cole. This refers to a catechism which I have chosen to quote from AQC Vol.84 (l971) page 327 because it is so interesting; it also indicates some of the material that was lost, or has gone out of usage, with this reliance on Tracing Board lectures:

Extract from Lectures of the Three Degrees, 1st Lecture, 1st Section:-

Q. How do they [the Masons] reveal them?
A. By Signs, tokens and particular words.
Q. As Masons, how do we hope to get at them?
A. By the assistance of a key.
Q. Does that key hang or lie?
A. It hangs.
Q. Why is the preference given to hanging?
A. It should always hang in a Brother’s defense, and never lie to his prejudice…

CHARGE

“That excellent key, a Freemason’s tongue, which should speak well of a Brother absent or present, but when unfortunately that cannot be done with honour and propriety, should adopt the excellent virtue of the Craft, which is silence.”

CURRENT TRACING BOARD USAGE

Finally, I am enclosing probably the most famous of the Tracing Boards, done by Harris for the Emulation Lodge of Improvement dated 1845. It is these and other ones that he did that have been copied and adulterated which we now we use as our Tracing Boards. (see figs. 19, 20, 21.)

There’s another artist, Thissleton, who I have not included because the quality of the reproduction wouldn’t have been very good and there was nothing particularly interesting about his artwork. There are some other unnamed artists that I also cannot reproduce. I have, as much as possible, avoiding dealing with wall hangings and other Masonic wall charts and Royal Arch Tracing Boards &c., &c. Those are subsidiary topics to what I’m dealing with and this is complicated enough.

I’ve also left out references to other similar Tracing Boards (the Harris designs) because frankly they haven’t been reproduced by either Haunch or Dring. Both of them decided not reproduce them for particular reasons which I believe are worth sharing. First from Dring and then from Haunch as follows:

“I have tried to put before you as concisely as possible the Evolution and Development of the Lodge Board, and I have purposely refrained from entering into the later developments made by Harris and the designers of the Victorian era. They form a distinct chapter which would entail little labour for any brother to write, but I must say the subject does not interest me. Erroneous ideas, mistaken conceptions, meticulous details, in fact, all the bad qualities of the Victorian age permeate them, and, to my idea, the sooner we return to the pure realistic designs of Bowring or some of his contemporaries the better.”

“In their basic design, Harris’ boards owe much to those of his predecessors, particularly Bowring, although they lack the purity of style and balance of the latter’s work. The later examples exhibit the florid exuberance of ornament beloved of Victorian taste, especially the Second Degree Board, whose architecture is often a strange amalgam of Egyptian, Assyrian, Moorish and other styles.”

I do not want to spend too much time on the “iconography” of the Tracing Boards, because the use of two hundred years ago is a separate topic completely, especially because some of the symbols have not been used in English Masonry since the Lodge of Reconciliation although they are still being used in other parts of the world. I cannot however leave this without discussing at least one point of interest in each of the three Tracing Boards. In regard to the First Degree Tracing Board, I refer to Browne Jacob and Harris , because each of them has a Tracing Board for the Master to write lines on and in fact, both Browne and Jacob show the 47th proposition.

In regards to the Second Degree Board, you will notice, if you look carefully, that some of the stairs wind to the right and some of the stairs wind to the left. This has sparked some debate as to which is the more accurate description of the stairs–I haven’t even mentioned these references because it is not a topic that I find particularly worthwhile to investigate. There is, however, the issue as to what each Lodge felt was the proper direction for the stairways to go, and if you look at all the Second Degree Tracing Boards, except the first one by Cole, there are no compass points on them; this would allow the Lodge to have the Tracing Boards turned such that the stairs went whichever way the Lodge determined they should be going.

As for the Third Degree Board, what initially strikes one is the coffin. Hiram Abiff would have been buried only in a shroud not a coffin but the visual representation of the coffin has been kept consistent by and large. There was another confusing issue that I must deal with here and that is the lettering on the Third Degree Board itself. On some of the boards there is a little bit of Hebrew lettering but on most of the boards that are used in this jurisdiction, the lettering that is on the coffin or around the coffin is not Hebrew at all but a cypher which typically includes the Masonic year. As for the Masonic year, if you are interested in tracing this, the best article I could find was “The Dating of the Masonic Records,” by Alan Bernheim, AQC Vol.99 (1986). As for the cypher, I enclose a copy of part of the Haunch article in which he explains how to read the cypher. (see fig. 22.)

Having said all of that I now enclose a Harris Third Degree Board that does not conform to much of what I just said. First of all it shows an open grave with a body in it, not a coffin, secondly, there is a fair amount of Hebrew on the tombstone (another uncommon feature). In fact, the only cypher on there are the six lines directly below the 47th proposition on the left hand side of the tombstone. The three Hebrew letters that are placed adjacent to North, South and East are identical and each has a numerical value of 5. It is typical to see three 5s on these boards in relationship to the Hiramic Legend. (see fig. 23.)

I believe this covers off the majority of the knowable history of Tracing Boards, and I now deal with the final questions as to why it is that we have Tracing Boards in our Canadian Work and how it is that we use them.

To some extent this can be traced back and through some work done by the Special Committee on Rituals between 1950 and 1954. I quote from the 1950 Grand Lodge Proceedings (page 131):

In 1949 Grand Lodge adopted the following resolution on recommendations of the Committee on Education and Research:”That the Grand Master be requested to appoint a Special Committee to investigate the matter of ritual and forms of work now in use in this Grand Jurisdiction and to submit a report thereon to Grand Lodge.”

We decided first to ascertain three things:-

1. What were the leading facts regarding the rituals being followed in the Lodges of the Jurisdiction;

2. How other Jurisdictions, more particularly in Canada, were dealing with the situation;

3. What Grand Lodge had done in the matter of Rituals to be observed by the Lodges.”

And from the 1951 Grand Lodge Proceedings (page 142):

“And study finally reveals that in British Columbia the spirit of innovation has been abroad in the land. Some Lodges never open or close in due form in the Second Degree. Some never hear of the All-seeing Eye. A bewildering complexity has arisen. “

I further quote from page 147 of 1951:

“The Canadian system dates from 1859; it has many resemblances to the English, but leans somewhat towards American, Scottish, and Irish practices. The differences are sufficiently pronounced to warrant its consideration as a separate system.”

In 1952, the Committee reported on the different workings in the Province regarding the lectures’ explanations of the Tracing Boards. In 1953, the Committee reported the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Canada in 1859. In 1954, the Committee, on page 150 of the Grand Lodge Report of that year, presented its draft revised form of Canadian work and presented it to Grand Lodge on the following terms:

“We propose, in accordance with our 1953 Report, to distribute a copy of this Ritual to each Lodge in British Columbia and Yukon now doing Canadian work, for its comment. We are not asking Grand Lodge at this Communication to pass any resolution confirming this Ritual. The coming year may bring out points which should be dealt with. Our idea is that this Ritual, after approval by Grand Lodge, should be considered as a model and guide for the Canadian work. We believe that no existing Lodge should be required to adhere to it in every respect, but should adopt it, in whole or in part, as and when the Lodge itself sees fit. But because of the prospect of such adoption, perhaps some years hence, it is well to let every Lodge concerned have the opportunity to look over this Ritual in its present form. No considerable alteration has been made in the Ontario plan, but there have been some changes, chiefly of wording.”

This is consistent with all the Reports prior, where there was a real antipathy in the Committee to having one standardized required Ritual. They felt their job was to clean up the confusion, and to make the draft available and let the Lodges agree to a written form of the Ritual as each Lodge saw fit.

That is not quite the way it turned out, because a resolution that was presented in the 1955 Grand Lodge Proceedings was to the effect that any Lodge working prior to June 1, 1954, would voluntarily adopt this Ritual but that any Lodge formed after June 1, 1954, practicing Canadian work had to use this agreed-upon Ritual.

This issue of required Rituals is far too complex for this paper, and it is obvious that people wanted to have some regularity rather than uncertainty. But the consequence, of course, is that it freezes everything in time such that, for example, in my Lodge, we are contemplating using candlesticks as compared to electric lights. There is general agreement that we can do this, and even come up with a piece of floor work that lights the candles in a certain order, but there is some question as to whether we can have any language used for this piece of floor work because it may not be found in the 1954 Ritual.

Seeing as how I’m talking about Ritual, it’s best to describe what actually happens in the Tracing Boards lectures in Canadian work. Typically, the Candidate is brought in after he’s been through the Ritual Work and has sat down in front of the Tracing Board. Usually in the First Degree this is somewhere between the Junior Warden Station and the Jr. Deacon’s position. The Junior Warden then gives the lecture by pointing out all the elements of the Tracing Board. The other lodge members are on the side-lines watching this performance. This is a static and not particularly stimulating or participatory event. I know the Junior Wardens wouldn’t describe it that way because of the amount of memory work involved. There are two different ways to deal with this. The first, if the Tracing Board is big enough, is to lay it flat on the ground and have all the Lodge Brethren stand around the Candidate while the lecture is being given. This is done in some English Lodges but it would be impractical for a number of reasons to do it in our Lodges. What has happened in a number of Canadian Lodges, including my own, is that when the lecture is given the Candidate is perambulated around the Lodge hall because almost every element of the First Degree Tracing Board is present in the hall itself. So rather than use the Figurative Lodge of the Tracing Board we indicate that the room that we’re in represents most of the elements as outlined in that Board.

Similarly, in the Second Degree Lecture, the Candidate has already gone through the winding stairs and every other element of that lecture, by and large, is also in the Lodge hall. Pointing out the pillars that are usually situated somewhere near the west of the Lodge and all the material on the pillars, rather than referring to the Tracing Board involves the Candidate and shows not just the message of the Second Degree Lecture but also the fact that it is incorporated into the furniture of the Lodge.

As for the Third Degree, the Tracing Board Lecture is really only three lines long, but there’s so much that has gone on that night that it’s enough for the Candidate to absorb. I also recommend, speaking of Third Degree Lectures, the alternate Antient Lecture to be used for an educational night because it just contains so much worthwhile information and it is possible to re-create a Lodge Board or a Trestle Board and do a lecture that way.

This gets us finally to the issue as to whether or not we have to hide the Tracing Boards for the Degrees in which they are not being worked. There is nothing in our Ritual that requires any such thing. The usual reasons given for not having the Boards on display are reasons that occur because we don’t have them on display as compared to reasons that would keep them from not being on display. For example, sometimes one hears that you need to keep the right Board out so that a member coming late to the Lodge knows what we are working in. Not a bad argument, except by that logic no one entering an Antient Lodge (where they don’t use Tracing Boards) would have any idea of what they are doing. It is actually the Tyler’s job to tell the Brethren, and certain old English Lodges have affixed to the outer door a square and compasses, and it is the Tyler’s job to move the points of the compasses depending on what Degree you are in–this is a very sensible arrangement.

The other argument is that, by having the Second or Third Degree Tracing Board exposed to view when there is a Mason who has not yet attained that Degree, we are somehow imparting secrets. I think this has the secrecy argument placed on its head. We have the working tools out at all times, regardless of what Degree we are in and, we have both Pillars on display at all times and we don’t take the tassels down after the First Degree. When I visited Kamloops Lodge No. 10 a few weeks ago, I noticed that all of their three Tracing Boards are attached to the wall so that as soon as you walk into the Lodge you see them all. I figure if it is good enough for at least one Past Grand Master and the present Deputy Grand Master, it is good enough for me. On that point, I’ll leave this topic. I trust that this exposition has been of worth and interest.

ILLUSTRATIONS

Figure 1

The Master’s Tracing Board. Reproduced from page 28, Dominion Regalia Catalogue. 1999.

Figure 2

Floor diagram reproduced from The Three Distinct Knocks. London: 1760.

Figure 3

Floor Cloth. Dated 1764 of the Lurgan Lodge then No. 394 (Grand Lodge of Ireland).

Figure 4

Frontispiece. Constitutions. Anderson. London:1782.

Frontispiece. Constitutions of the Antient Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons containing their History, Charges, Regulations, &. by James Anderson. A new edition by John Noorthouk. J. Rouza, London: 1784. [plate drawn by G.B. Cipriani and P. Sandby, engraved by F. Bartolozzi and J. Fittler.]

Explanation of the Frontispiece
The architectural part represents the inside of Freemasons’ Hall.The uppermost figure is Truth, holding a mirror, which reflects its rays on divers ornaments of the Hall, and also on the Globes and other Masonic Furniture and Implements of the Lodge. Truth is attended by the three Theological Virtues, Faith, Hope and Charity: under these, the Genius of Masonry, commissioned by Truth and her Attendants, is descending into the Hall, bearing a lighted Torch; she is decorated with some of the Masonic Emblems, and on her arm hangs a ribbon with a Medal pendant, with which she is to invest the Grand Master, in token of the Divine approbation of a Building sacred to Charity and Benevolence. [reprinted from an unnumbered page inserted after Abstract of the Laws and before Sanction.]

Compare the architecture to that found in the Tours of Dr. Syntax by William Coombe.

Figure 5

Satin apron, English, c. 1800 [p. 57,MacNulty]

Figure 6

Reverse, miniature portrait of Francis Cornelia, wife of W. Bro. James Ames, Lodge Innocence and Morality: 1776.[p. 69, MacNulty]

Figure 7

First Degree Tracing Board, engraved by F. Curtis, printed by John Cole: 1801. [p.89, MacNulty]

Figure 8

Second Degree Tracing Board, engraved by F. Curtis, printed by John Cole: 1801. [p.78, MacNulty]

Figure 9

Third Degree Tracing Board, engraved by F. Curtis, printed, John Cole: 1801. [p.280, AQC Vol. XXIX, 1916]

Figure 10

First Degree Tracing Board. John Browne’s designs. c. 1800. [p.192, AQC Vol. LXXV, 1962]
-labelling of pillars (as Cole, but cf. present ascriptions to Doric and Ionic); master’s tracing board.

Figure 11

Second Degree Tracing Board. John Browne’s designs. c. 1800. [p.192, AQC Vol. LXXV, 1962]
-super-arch to entrance; winding staircase springing from south.

Figure 12

Third Degree Tracing Board. John Brownes’s designs. c. 1800. [p.192, AQC Vol. LXXV, 1962]
-objects like strings of beads, possibly representing three lodges of five F.C.s each, topmost “lodge” completed by craftsman shown catching hold of shrub.

Figure 13

First Degree Tracing Board. Jacobs’s designs. c. 1800. [p.192, AQC Vol. LXXV, 1962]
- three sacrifice scenes of Abraham, Moses, Elijah (above setting sun, bottom right); female figures of virtues on Ladders.

Figure 14

Second Degree Tracing Board. Jacobs’s designs. c. 1800. [p.192, AQC Vol. LXXV, 1962]
- figures of three G.M.s on domed roof of Middle Chamber; landscape with waterfall, bridge, stream, &c.

Figure 15

Third Degree Tracing Board. Jacobs’s designs. c. 1800. [p.192, AQC Vol. LXXV, 1962]
- pentalpha with all-seeing eye; open coffin; speculative working tools and operative implements; date 3000 on inscription scroll.

Figure 16

First Degree Tracing Board. Hand-painted on wood. Josiah Bowring: 1819. [p. 48, MacNulty]

Figure 17

Second Degree Tracing Board. Hand-painted on wood. Josiah Bowring: 1819. [pp. 48-49, MacNulty]

Figure 18

Third Degree Tracing Board. Hand-painted on wood. Josiah Bowring: 1819. [p. 49, MacNulty]

Figure 19

First Degree. Emulation Ritual. A. Lewis (Masonic Publishers) Ltd. Middlesex: 1976.

Figure 20

Second Degree. Emulation Ritual. A. Lewis (Masonic Publishers) Ltd. Middlesex: 1976.

Figure 21

Third Degree. Emulation Ritual. A. Lewis (Masonic Publishers) Ltd. Middlesex: 1976.

Figure 22

Cypher Inscriptions on Harris-type Third Degree Boards. [p.202, AQC Vol. LXXV, 1962]

Figure 23

A Fine Board by J. Harris. 1850.

ENDNOTES

1. Freemasonry, A Journey through Ritual and Symbol. W. Kirk MacNulty. Thames and Hudson Ltd, London: 1991. ISBN 0-500-81037-0^

2. It is not in the power of any man. T. O. Haunch. Ars Quatuor Coronatorum 85 (1972).Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076: London.^

3. Ars Quatuor Coronatorum Vol. 64 (1953) p. 79. Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076: London.^

4. The Lectures of English Grand Freemasonry. P.R. James. AQC Vol. 79 . London:1966. The First Lecture of Freemasonry by William Preston. P.R. James AQC Vol. 82. London: 1969. ^

5. Ars Quatuor Coronatorum Vol.92. London:1979. page 52.^

6. The Third Man, The Study of Browne’s Master Keys. Douglas Vieler, AQC Vol. 105. London:1992.^

masonic tracing boards, masonic rituals, masonic tracing board, masonic tracing boards explained

Original Post: http://www.themasonictrowel.com/articles/degrees/tracing_boards/some_thoughts_on_the_history_of_.htm#top

Excerpt from: www.masonic-lodge-of-education.com

Cutting stone to uniform shapes and sizes requires the skill and experience of a true craftsman with many years of experience.

This is why, historically, only large edifices (buildings) were made of ashlars (rather than brick or wood), due to the necessity (and difficulty) of assembling the many skilled craftsman needed to complete the many subsets of knowledge such as how to build a stone archway, how to lay foundation stone, and how to lay stone, one atop another to great heights…not to mention the artisans who sculpted the stones into ornamental shapes.

In days of old, apprentice masons cut and raised the Rough Ashlars from the stone quarry under the supervision of more experienced craftsman, called Fellowcrafts.

The work was accomplished under the watchful eye of the Master masons of the craft…those who had proved their ability to make their Master’s piece to the satisfaction of their superiors.

In Freemasonry, there are 2 forms of ashlars.

Rough Ashlar

In operative Freemasonry, the rough ashlar represents a rough, unprepared or undressed stone.  In speculative Freemasonry, a rough ashlar is an allegory to the uninitiated Freemason prior to his discovering enlightenment.

Perfect Ashlar

Operatively, the Perfect ashlar represents the dressed stone (after it has been made uniform and smoothed) by use of the working tools, the common gavel, (mallet) and chisel.  (The chisel may be found in English Freemasonry, but is not used in the United States as a Freemason symbol.)

Only after the stone has been dressed by an experienced stonemason, can it be suitable to be placed into the architectural structure or building.

Speculatively, a Perfect Ashlar is an allegory to a Freemason who, through Masonic education, works to achieve an upstanding life and diligently strives to obtain enlightenment.

Rough and Perfect Ashlars

In the Fellowcraft Degree, we see the use of the Rough and Perfect Ashlars.  The lesson to be learned is that by means of education and the acquirement of knowledge, a man improves the state of his spiritual and moral being.

Like man, each Rough Ashlar begins as an imperfect stone.  With education, cultivation and brotherly love, man is shaped into a being which has been tried by the square of virtue and encircled by the compasses of his boundaries, given to us by our Creator.

Rough and Perfect Ashlar: Fitted For The Builder’s Use

In ancient times, quarried stone which could be easily shaped into desired configurations, was called “freestone”.  Typical freestones are limestone and sandstone.

Then, as now, only after refining and smoothing these rough stones into their desired shape, were the stonemasons able to “fit them for the builder’s use”.

In the Fellowcraft degree, the Rough Ashlar represents a man’s unrefined state and his need for improvement.  He learns that the goal of being a better man includes spirituality of thought and striving for perfection of conduct.  Via duties, expectations and obligations, he is charged to work toward these goals of self improvement.

As the Freemason “smoothes” his rough edges, internally and externally; he becomes a better man and, therefore, a better Freemason.

Once a man has perfected his ashlar to the best of his ability,… as Brothers to all mankind, it is his duty to help others become better men and better Freemasons.

Rough and Perfect Ashlar – The Potential For Change

All rough ashlars must have within them the potential to be made into a perfect ashlar.

The stone must be made of sound material and have a minimum of character flaws which may cause it to weaken the edifice (building).  It must be capable of being worked into a perfect stone.  This is why candidates for the degrees are asked many questions as to their qualifications and character about why they wish to become Freemasons.

The candidate must have the potential to both serve and support the Fraternity.  He must be carefully inspected, just as each Rough Ashlar is inspected for quality in order to be able to “fit” him into Freemasonry’s tenets and goals, which are compatible to God’s laws.

An imperfect stone may be made perfect, however major flaws are difficult to overcome and when assembled into a structure, the entire structure can be weakened from its improper use. This is as true of men as it is of stones.

Rough and Perfect Ashlar – States of Metamorphose

Freemasonry has a glorious history.  Flawed ashlars can bring negative feelings and reproach upon the Fraternity from non-Freemasons in the outside world and therefore, can have no place within its walls.

…That said,…let us not forget that perfect ashlars are not found lying about the stone quarry without benefit of their having been hammered, chiseled and polished into such a state of being.

It also holds true that “perfect” men are also such an anomaly without the benefit of brotherly love, guidance and light.  There are very few Freemasons who have not been in both the rough and perfect ashlar state-of-being at some point in their lives.

Freemason Duties For the Future of the Craft

1.  Freemasons must give serious consideration to our personal responsibility to educate other Brothers toward their self improvement.

Like the Good Samaritan in the Holy Books; it is in the giving and assistance to others in which you will find the true “jewels” of enlightenment.  True Master Masons not only exemplify the tenets of the craft, but they teach what they learn.

2.  Lodges should carefully judge the potential of each candidate, weighing both their character and their potential for change.  For more information as to how to properly perform this duty, see my page Masonic Investigation Committee.

3.  Each Freemason is charged to extend the hand of brotherly love and affection to help new Freemasons become better men and strive to live on the square, stand upright with the plumb and take their true place as a man who would make his Creator (the Almighty), proud of him.

The lesson of the Rough and Perfect Ashlar applies to all men who are worthy,…who have a heartfelt wish to go from ignorance to knowledge,…from darkness to light…and from death to life.

The following poem, written by Mary Brooks Picken, entitled, “Thimblefuls of Friendliness” was written in 1924, and, perhaps says it, best.

“Stepping Stones”

“Isn’t it strange that Princes and Kings
And clowns that caper in sawdust rings,
And just plain folks like you and me,
Are builders for Eternity?

To each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass and a book of rules,
And each must make ere life is flown,
A stumbling block, or a stepping stone.”

So,…it’s up to you.  What will YOU decide to build with YOUR working tools?

It can be said that it is within human nature to protect and conserve things we consider to be of value to us.  Freemasonry not with standing has remained at the forefront of the world’s view. Freemasonry has long been considered to be what those outside the craft would refer to as a “Secret Society”, and when you ask a Brother Mason he will tell you that a better description of the Fraternity would be “A Society of men with Secrets”.  It is important when diving into this question that we necessarily ask ourselves why it is that Freemasonry would feel the need to secure itself behind the veil of symbolism and allegorical teachings, and why would these teachings need to be kept secret?

At the onset of the development of what is today called Speculative Masonry, the times and ideas of the time were not often well received.  It was often necessary for men of an inquisitive mind, to meet in secrecy so as not to catalyze an antagonistic relationship with the governmental or religious institutions of the time.  Ideas and free thinking were often squashed by those in power in attempt to maintain it. It was often under the penalty of persecution or even death that those who discussed such topics as philosophy, politics, religion, geometry (the study of the earth and its precepts) and nature would meet.

It is for these reasons that the craft of Speculative Masonry used symbols and stories to communicate ideas with others.  In order to transport the information in a time before computers and the technological advancements of today, the people of the time developed such methods as encryption, and code as well as ciphers.  It was a practical and effective way to communicate with others in a time when these ideas were overtly oppressed. One of the most common methods of encryption and ciphering is known as The Pigpen Cipher.

The exact origin of the Pigpen Cipher is uncertain,^[5] but records of this system have been found which go back to at least the 18th century. Variations of this cipher were used by both the Rosicrucian brotherhood ^[5] and the Freemasons, though the latter used it so often that the system is frequently called the Freemason’s cipher. They began using it in the early 18th century to keep their records of history and rites private, and for correspondence between lodge leaders.^[3][6][7] Tombstones of Freemasons can also be found, which use the system as part of the engravings. One of the earliest stones in Trinity Church Cemetery in New York City, which opened in 1697, contains a cipher of this type which deciphers to “Remember death”. George Washington‘s army had documentation about the system, with a much more randomized form of the alphabet. And during the American Civil War, the system was used by Union prisoners in Confederate prisons.^[5]

Understanding the Cipher

The pigpen cipher (sometimes referred to as the masonic cipher, Freemason’s cipher, or Rosicrucian cipher)^[2][3] is a geometric simple substitution cipher which exchanges letters for symbols which are fragments of a grid. The example key shows one way the letters can be assigned to the grid.

Symbols used in pigpen are created by drawing a grid like the one in Figure 2.

A sentence like “FREE WORLD” can be encrypted to be:

The core elements of this system are the grid and dots. Some systems use the X’s, but even these can be rearranged. One commonly used method orders the symbols as shown in the above image, ##XX. Another commonly used system orders the symbols as #X#X. Another is ###, with each cell having a letter of the alphabet, and the last one having an “&” character. Letters from the first “#” have no dot, letters from the second each have one dot, and letters from the third each have two dots. Another variation of this last one is called the Newark Cipher, which instead of dots uses one to three short lines which may be projecting in any length or orientation. This gives the illusion of a larger number of different characters than actually exist.^[8]

Another system, used by the Rosicrucians, used a single “#” grid of nine cells, and 1 to 3 dots in each cell or “pen”. So ABC would be in the top left pen, followed by DEF and GHI on the first line, then groups of JKL MNO PQR on the second, and STU VWX YZ on the third.^[2][5] When enciphered, the location of the dot in each symbol (left, center, or right), would indicate which letter in that pen was represented.^[1][5] More difficult systems use a non-standard form of the alphabet, such as writing it backwards in the grid, up and down in the columns,^[4] or a completely randomized set of letters.

Figure 3: Masonic Cipher & Symbols

Masonic Cipher & Symbols^© contains the Masonic “poundex” substitution cipher characters in upper and lower case, as well as the numerals and a complete set of common punctuation marks (not shown). The symbol set includes the jewels of the officer line and all the symbolic emblems explicated in the three Degrees of Blue Lodge Masonry (F&AM of California), except the very most esoteric.

There are two related versions of the Masonic cipher. The version used here is that explained informally to Blue Lodge members, and is  not an official part of any authentic Masonic teachings in the Grand Lodge of California. The other is sometimes taught in Royal Arch Masonry, and differs in that the first half of the alphabet (A-M) is assigned to the plain outlines, while the second half (N-Z) are the dotted characters. It should be noted that as simple “substitution ciphers” neither provides more than a superficial cryptographic security.

The security afforded by this cipher is enhanced somewhat by combining it with a simple, separately communicated keyword, as follows:

Let us choose a key such as “PEACE” and put it into the grid, Figure 4:

Figure 4

I excluded the last “E” in “PEACE” because no letter should be written twice. Now let’s fill in the rest of the letters and have our personalized grid.

Figure 5

Although we can change the grid every time we use a different keyword, this encryption scheme is not as secure as it used to be in its time, because the use of symbols is no impediment to modern cryptanalysis techniques. However, the use of ciphers can still hold practical use for someone today. Ciphers are the basis for all of the code and encryption that has become today’s technology. While this particular code may have come to the end of its use, code an encryption is as much a part of our lives today as it was for the men who used this cipher in their day.

POPULAR CULTURE:

The Pigpen cipher has been used in several works of popular culture including Dan Brown‘s 2009 novel The Lost Symbol, both in the book itself, and also to provide a puzzle in the artwork of the U.S. version of the bookjacket. The Trap, a 2009 nominee for Lancashire Children’s Book of the Year, uses a variation of the Pigpen cipher.^[9]

In the computer game Assassin’s Creed II, the cipher is used in the hidden glyph puzzle number 10, titled “Apollo”. Here the cipher is one of many hidden messages tucked away in paintings and photos of historic events or people. Though not essential to the play of the game, the encrypted messages, some of which also use Morse Code and binary code, provide clues to the game’s back-story.

The cipher is also the key to solving the third secret message found on the fictional website of Sherlock Holmes entitled “The Science of Deduction”, created to accompany the BBC series Sherlock. It is presumably meant to have been left by Moriarty.

It is evident that this cipher became a frequent tool to be used by Masons in much of the hidden works of the craft. While its standard use in today’s world has changed and adapted to the technology of our time, we cannot help but stop and appreciate the evolution of a concept that has so profoundly impacted our lives.

Notes

1. ^ ^ab Wrixon, pp. 182–183
2. ^ ^ab Barker, p. 40
3. ^ ^ab Wrixon, p. 27
4. ^ ^ab Gardner
5. ^ ^abcde Pratt, pp. 142–143
6. ^ Kahn, 1967, p.~772
7. ^ Newton, 1998, p. 113
8. ^Glossary of Cryptography
9. ^ Wray, Sarah (2008). Trap. Faber & Faber. pp. 130–131. ISBN9780571239214.

References

• Barker, Wayne G., ed (1978). The History of Codes and Ciphers in the United States Prior to World War I. Aegean Park Press. ISBN 0894120263.
• Gardner, Martin (1972). Codes, ciphers and secret writing. ISBN0-486-24763-9.
• Kahn, David (1967). The Codebreakers. The Story of Secret Writing. Macmillan.
• Kahn, David (1996). The Codebreakers. The Story of Secret Writing. Scribner. ISBN0684831309.
• Newton, David E. (1998). “Freemason’s Cipher”. Encyclopedia of Cryptology. ISBN0-87436-772-7.
• Pratt, Fletcher (1939). Secret and Urgent: The story of codes and ciphers. Aegean Park Press. ISBN0894122614.
• Shulman, David; Weintraub, Joseph (1961). A glossary of cryptography. Crypto Press. pp. 44.
• Wrixon, Fred B. (1998). Codes, Ciphers, and other Cryptic & Clandestine Communication. Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc.. ISBN1579120407.

• [1] http://www.forgotten-ny.com/forgottentour17/tour17.html
• [2] David Kahn, “The Codebreakers. The Story of Secret Writing.” Macmillan, 1967.
• [3] David E. Newton, “Freemason’s Cipher” in Encyclopedia of Cryptology, 1998.
• [4] FAM-Code© http://www.odr.org/anonymous/fam-code.htm
• http://www.themasonictrowel.com/articles/general/other_files/masonic_cyphers_and_symbols/masonic_cyphers_and_symbols.htm
• http://blog.creativeitp.com/posts-and-articles/cryptography/the-pigpen-cipher-aka-masonic-cipher/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigpen_cipher

External links

• The Elian Script is a similar grid-based cipher, used as art.
• Online Pigpen cipher tool for enciphering small messages.
• FF Text Converter converts text in pigpen cipher and more.

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