THE MASONIC BLUE SLIPPER
Are you familiar with the Masonic blue slipper? It is a small lapel pin in
the shape of a blue slipper. Over the years it has been my habit to ask my wife
and my daughters to wear one of these slippers on a coat or dress when
travelling alone away from home. What is the meaning of this blue slipper and
why should female relatives of Masons ware one? Some 50 or 60 years ago, while I
was still living at home, a widowed lady who was a cousin of my Dad's came to
visit our home. She vacationed with us for several weeks every summer. She
always wore this type of pin-The Blue Slipper. Her doctor husband was a Mason.
The pin that she wore made a lasting impression on me.
Through my curiosity and questioning, she told me it was a Masonic pin and
served to identify her as a Masonic widow. She declared that Masonic men gave
her extra attention while travelling, especially on the railroad (conductors,
etc.). To find out the meaning of this pin, let us go back in history to Boaz'
time-the Book of Ruth. It will be remembered that Elimelech, his wife, Naomi,
and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilon, fled to the land of Moab to escape the
famine in their homeland of Bethlehem-Judah. Things went well for a while. Then
life fell apart for them. Elimelech died. The two sons married Moabite girls-Orpha
and Ruth. Again tragedy struck. Mahlon and Chilon died. This left Naomi a widow
in a foreign land with two widowed daughters-in-law from the land of Moab.
In time of trouble, people think of home and more
importantly of God. Naomi found out that the famine back home had subsided, and
there was grain and food again. So she confided with Orpha and Ruth that she
would journey back home and be among her kinsmen. Certain laws, rules, or
customs governed her thinking at this time. Of first consideration was the fact
that Naomi was too old to bear a son for her daughters-in-law to marry. Even if
she could, the daughters-in-law would not wait for the son to grow up. So the
girls should remain among their own people. The girls resisted and started to go
with Naomi. Orpha was finally convinced she should stay in Moab. But Ruth
remained steadfast and went with Naomi to her homeland.
Naomi and Ruth arrived back in Bethlehem-Judah at
harvest time. The Scripture passage on which this is based is well known. "And
Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee:
for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy
people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and
there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death
part thee and me." This passage of Scripture is unsurpassed as a declaration of
love and devotion of one person for another. It has been said that it would made
a good marriage vow. But, to me it is a different type of devotion.
Naomi also had to take into consideration another
law. When Elimelech died, his next of kin was duty bound to redeem his
possessions and take care of his widow and her family. Since Naomi was getting
old, Ruth tried to earn a livelihood. While gleaning in the fields, she was seen
by Boaz. And when he found out about her (that she was Naomi's daughter-in-law,
etc.), he arranged special treatment for her. She could work with his girls in
the field, and the young men were warned not to bother her. Since Boaz was not
married and was kin to Naomi, Naomi decided that she should somehow make Boaz
understand his duty to Elimelech's family. So Naomi advised Ruth to bathe and
anoint herself and go to the threshing floor after dark and lay at the feet of
Boaz. Boaz awoke at midnight and discovered her there. So as not to create a
scandal, he gave her some barley and asked her to leave before dawn so that
watching eyes would not recognize her.
Business among the tribe of Bethlehem-Judah took
place at the gate of the city. So Boaz sat down at the gate the next day because
he knew there was a kinsman more closely related to Elimelech than he. So when
the kinsman came by, Boaz called him aside and asked 10 men of the elders of the
city to sit with them. Boaz bargained with his kinsman. The kinsman said he
would redeem Elimelech's property. But, when he found out that he would have to
take care of Naomi and Ruth, he reneged and told Boaz he would not redeem or
protect Elimelech's interest. He would leave it to Boaz. The passage from
Scripture for these events is the following: "And the kinsman said, I cannot
redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to
thyself; for I cannot redeem it. Now this was the manner in former time in
Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things;
a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a
testimony in Israel."
So the kinsman drew off his shoe and gave it to
Boaz. Boaz held it up for all in the gate to see. He asked them to be witnesses
that he became Naomi's protector, Ruth's husband, and a redeemer of Elimelech's
property. Thus, today we have the little blue slipper as an emblem of the
protective influence of Masons for their wives, widows, and daughters.
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