District
Representative’s Toolbox
Table of Contents
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Entered
Apprentice Circumambulation
Entered
Apprentice Circumambulation
Taken and paraphrased from the August 1999 Masonic Services Association Short
Talk Bulletin.
This short program utilizes two narrators at separate locations within
the Lodge and far enough apart so that they have to speak loudly for each
other to hear, thus allowing everyone in the Lodge to hear.
Choose narrators who speak loudly and read well.
Obviously, this program can be done by you and one other if you desire,
but often the more people involved, the more interesting for the Brethren.
This program is provided in three copies.
One is for you, and the two others for individual narrators.
The program is designed to be a reading of the Biblical passage,
followed by an interpreted meaning.
District
Rep: All of us have sat and
listened to the circumambulation ritual of the EA degree without thinking
about the message it communicates. The
following is an explanation of that ritual.
This circumambulation, as in the other degrees, is a Bible passage.
This one is Psalm 133, written by King David
This
lesson was probably chosen because of its emphasis on the importance of unity
among Masons. The unity
we enjoy adds to the pleasure of belonging to a fraternity of
like-minded fraternal brothers interested in the same moral and ethical
principles.
Narrator
1: Behold how good and how
pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell together in unity:
Narrator
2: This message begins by telling us to observe, take note, be sure that we
understand, and examine closely the joy and pleasure that results from unity
and harmony among Brethren.
Narrator
1: It is like the precious ointment upon the head,
Narrator
2: This Psalm continues by describing how important and precious that unity
is. The ointment discussed is a
very precious oil that was used to consecrate Aaron as a high priest.
Aaron was Moses’ older brother and spokesman.
Narrator
1: that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard, that went down to the
skirts of his garment:
Narrator
2: The overpowering beauty of Brethren joining together in unity is compared
to a large quantity of this precious oil that was used so abundantly on Aaron
that it ran down from the top of his head to the hem of his robe.
Narrator
1: As the dew of Hermon,
Narrator
2: The
second example of the beauty of Brethren joining together is comparing it with
the dew of Hermon. This area of
the Middle East will sometimes go for months without any rain to water the
crops. The only moisture is that
dew that occurs as a result of the climatic conditions in that area.
Mount Hermon is one of the more beautiful mountains in Israel, and the
dew that was evident upon the mountain as the sun cast its first rays of the
morning causes it to glisten like a beautiful jewel, as well as providing life
sustaining moisture for the crops.
Narrator
1: And as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion, for there the
Lord commanded the blessing, even life forevermore.
Narrator
2: Mount Zion is mentioned because that is the location of the Holy city of
Jerusalem where the Israelites went to make their sacrifices and hold
religious feasts. This was also the location where the Lord God made that
promise of everlasting life.
District Representative: This
completes the explanation of the EA Circumambulation.
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Entered Apprentice
Degree Checklist
This short program will give the
Lodge Officers a guideline for planning work in the Entered Apprentice Degree.
You may present the overview and guidelines
as the program with the checklist used as a handout
ENTERED APPRENTICE CHECKLIST
OVERVIEW
Working a degree can be a lot of fun and a great experience for you and
your officers as well as the Candidate. However,
a good time and experience is not a guarantee by simply saying we are going to
do it. You need to follow some
simple steps to make sure the night goes forward with out a hitch.
As Master, your time will be much more enjoyable if you know your part
well. This will be passed on to
your officers and the candidate as they see you talk smoothly with out
stopping often for prompts or sounding unsure of yourself.
The first step is to prepare yourself.
Sit down with your Cipher and Maine Masonic text Book and study your
part. If you have trouble with
words don’t guess or make up something that sounds good, contact a good
reliable source from your lodge, your District Ritual Instructor or one of the
Lecturers. (If you learn a word wrong it is very hard to learn it right
later!) Once you can read through
the cipher well, try it a few times with out the book.
The best way to make sure you have it down is to practice out loud.
If you only practice inside your head your own voice can throw you off
when you go to say it out loud on the big night.
Practice often, you can never have it down too well!
The following pages are guidelines for the Entered Apprentice degree.
These are things that need to be remembered if you want
a smooth flowing degree. Attached
to each of these guidelines are checklists
you can photocopy for each time you work that particular degree.
By having a separate copy for each night you can literally check off
the items as you do them.
Entered
Apprentice CHECKLIST GUIDELINES
There are things that must be taken care off now in addition to your
speaking part. As Master the
entire night is your responsibility. A
week or so before the degree, you will want to do the following:
Notify the Candidate
- Tell him the Date of the degree
- Tell him the Time of the degree
- Let him know if there is a Meal or not and that he is invited
Has someone been designated to:
- Talk with Candidate before degree (Accepted Candidate)?
- Prompt?
- Take every Station for the Degree?
- Do the Lectures?
- Do the Charge?
- Work with the Candidate after the Degree?
- Pick up the Candidate and take him home?
- Do you feel a Rehearsal needed?
Are you opening in the EA degree?
- Do Officers know this?
- Do Officers know their parts?
On the night of the degree there are a few things that need to be taken
care of.
- Make sure everyone who is supposed to be there is there
- Are Proper Clothes for Candidate in Anteroom?
- Hoodwink?
- Cable Tow?
- Slipper?
- Are the following at Master’s Station?
- Working Tools (24 Inch Gauge and Common Gavel)
- White Apron for Candidate
- Are Candles and Candle Sticks in place?
- Red = Senior Warden White
= Master Blue = Junior
Warden
- Are they lit?
-
Is the Sharp Instrument handy at the Anteroom door?
- Has
someone been designated to:
- Work lodge room lights?
- Run slides, if used?
- Greet the Candidate?
Checklist
This checklist can be used as a
reference when planning a Entered Apprentice Degree.
1.
Officers (and backups, if possible, for the principles)
-
Master
-
S.Warden
-
J. Warden
-
S. Deacon
-
J. Deacon
-
Secretary
-
S. Steward
-
J. Steward Chaplain
-
Tyler
-
Chaplain
-
Prompter
2.
Candles
3.
Working tools (have ready for the Master)
-
24
Inch Gauge
-
Common
Gavel
4.
S. Deacon’s tool
5.
Candidates clothing (all clean and in good condition)
-
Pants
-
Shirt
-
Slipper
-
Cabletow
-
Hoodwink
6.
Lectures (have someone ready and a backup)
7.
Handouts
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EXCERPT FROM THE CONNECTICUT
RITUAL
FOR THE MASTER MASON DEGREE
This program comes from the Connecticut
Ritual, second section of the Master Mason Degree. It requires six Brothers
taking parts as: Narrator, Sr. Deacon, Jubela, Jubelo, Jubelum and Sea
Captain. The District Representative usually plays the part of Narrator. This
program may be done strictly as a reading by the six players or as a play with
the players acting the parts. If performed as a play, the setting should be in
the Lodge Room with the Narrator in a part of the Lodge such as the northeast
near the Treasurers desk, with the other officers in their respective places
according to the floor work of our own second section. The addition of a
Brother to take the non-speaking part of a candidate is required for the play.
NARRATOR: In Connecticut the ritual is written out in full except for the
obligations, which remain in code. Masons familiar with Maine Ritual will note
both similarities and differences. The five readers will present the assault
scene in the Master Mason Degree according to the Connecticut ritual, all of
which is written out. The five readers are, the Senior Deacon, three ruffians
and the Sea Captain. I will read the floor work notes.
SENIOR
DEACON: My Brother, heretofore you have represented a candidate in search of
Masonic light; now you will represent another character, no less a person
than Grand Master Hiram Abif, who was grand architect at the building of
King Solomon’s Temple. It was the custom of that great and good man, at
high twelve, when the craft were called from labor to refreshment, to enter
into the sanctum sanctorum or holy of holies, to offer up his adorations to
Deity and draw designs upon his trestle board. This you have done. He the
passed out of the south gate to the workmen, as you will now do.
NARRATOR: The Senior Deacon then takes the brother by the left hand, conducts
him around the altar only to the south, where he is accosted by a brother
representing Jubela.
JUBELA:
Grand Master Hiram, I am glad to meet you thus alone.
I have long sought this opportunity. You promised us that when the
temple was completed, we should receive the secrets of a Master Mason,
whereby we could travel in foreign countries, work and receive wages as
such. Behold! The temple is nearly completed, and we have not received what
we served for. At first, I did not doubt your veracity, but now I do. I
therefore demand of you the secrets of a Master Mason.
SENIOR
DEACON: Craftsman, this is neither a
proper time nor place. Wait until the Temple is completed, and then, if you
are found worthy, you shall receive them, otherwise, you can not.
JUBELA:
Talk not to me of time nor place. Now is the time, and here is the
place; none other will satisfy me. I therefore demand of you the secrets of
a Master Mason.
SENIOR
DEACON: Craftsman, I can not give
them.
JUBELA:
Grand Master Hiram, for the third and last time I demand of you the
secrets of a Master Mason.
SENIOR
DEACON: Craftsman, I can not, and I
will not, give them.
NARR:
Jubela then strikes the brother a blow with the twenty four inch gauge
across the throat. The brother is the hurried away by the Senior Deacon to
the West, where he is accosted by a brother representing Jubelo.
JUBELO:
Grand Master Hiram, most of the craft are waiting, and many are
exceedingly anxious to receive the secrets of a Master Mason; and we can see
no good reason why we are put off so long. And some of us have determined
that we will wait no longer. I therefore demand of you the secrets of a
Master Mason.
SENIOR
DEACON: Craftsman, why this violence?
I can not give them, nor can they be given except in the presence of Solomon
King of Israel, Hiram King of Tyre and myself.
JUBELO:
Grand Master Hiram, your life is in danger! The avenues of the temple
are securely guarded, and escape is impossible. I therefore demand of you
the secrets of a Master Mason.
SENIOR
DEACON: Craftsman, I can not give
them. Wait with patience for the proper time.
JUBELO:
Grand Master Hiram, I again, and for the last time, demand of you the
secrets of a Master Mason, or your life.
SENIOR
DEACON: My life you can have, my
integrity never!
NARRATOR:
Jubelo then strikes the brother with the square across the breast. He
is then hurried away by the Senior Deacon to the east, where he is accosted
by a brother representing Jubelum.
JUBELUM:
Grand Master Hiram, I have heard you caviling with Jubela and Jubelo.
From them you have escaped, but form me, never! My name is Jubelum. What I
purpose, that I perform. I hold in my hand an instrument of death! If you
refuse me now, you do it at your peril! I say, give me the secrets of a
Master Mason, or I will take your life!
SENIOR DEADON: Craftsman, I have often
refused you and shall always refuse when attacked in this manner. Your
demands are in vain!
JUBELUM:
Grand Master Hiram, I for the second time demand of you the secrets
of a Master Mason.
SENIOR
DEACON: Craftsman, your demands are
vain! I shall not give them! Wait until the temple is complete, and then I
will do my best to serve you.
JUBELUM:
Grand Master Hiram, I for the third and last time demand of you the
secrets of a Master Mason.
SENIOR
DEACON: And I for the third time
refuse.
JUBELUM:
Then die!
NARRATOR:
Jubelum the strikes the brother a blow with something representing
the setting maul on the forehead. The brother is at the same moment forced
back, so as to throw him prostrate to the floor, but is carefully caught,
and protected from injury.
JUBELA:
What have we done?
JUBELO:
We have slain our Grand Master Hiram Abif! What shall we do with the
body?
JUBELUM:
Let us carry it to a retired corner, and bury it in the rubbish of
the temple.
NARRATOR:
The three retire to the west, and silence prevails. Then the stroke
of twelve is made upon a bell, and the three return, stepping lightly.
JUBELA:
This is the hour.
JUBELO:
This is the place.
JUBELUM:
And there is the body. Assist me to carry it a due westerly course
from the temple, to the brow of a hill where I have dug a grave six feet due
east and west, and six feet perpendicular, in which we will bury it.
NARRATOR:
They remove the brother to the west of the altar, and slowly lower
him to the floor with his feet to the east. They then remove the hoodwink
from the eyes of the brother.
JUBELUM:
I will set this sprig of acacia at the head of the grave, that the
place may be known should occasion ever require it. Now
let us make our escape out of the country, by way of Joppa.
NARRATOR:
In attempting to escape they travel to a place representing the
coast, where they meet a Sea Captain.
JUBELUM:
Is that your ship yonder?
SEA
CAPTAIN: It is.
JUBELO:
Where are you bound?
SEA
CAPTAIN: To Ethiopia.
JUBELA:
When do you sail?
SEA
CAPTAIN: Immediately.
JUBELUM:
Do you take passengers?
SEA
CAPTAIN: I do.
JUBELO:
Will you take us?
SEA
CAPTAIN: I will if you have King
Solomon’s pass to leave the country. Produce your pass.
JUBELA:
We will pay your demands, but we have no pass.
SEA
CAPTAIN: Then you can not go, for I am
strictly forbidden to take any of the workmen from the temple out of the
country without King Solomon’s express permission
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FellowCraft Degree
This short program will give the Lodge Officers a
guideline for planning work in the Fellowcraft Degree. You may present the
overview and guidelines as the program with the checklist used as a handout.
FELLOWCRAFT CHECKLIST OVERVIEW
Working a degree can be a lot of fun and a great
experience for you and your officers as well as the Candidate. However, a good
time and experience is not a guarantee by simply saying we are going to do it.
As Master, your time will be much more enjoyable if you know your part
well. This will be passed on to
your officers and the candidate as they see you talk smoothly with out
stopping often for prompts or sounding unsure of yourself.
The first step is to prepare yourself.
Sit down with your Cipher and Maine Masonic text Book and study your
part. If you have trouble with
words don’t guess or make up something that sounds good, contact a good
reliable source from your lodge, your District Ritual Instructor or one of the
Lecturers. (If you learn a word wrong it is very hard to learn it right
later!) Once you can read through
the cipher well, try it a few times with out the book.
The best way to make sure you have it down is to practice out loud.
If you only practice inside your head your own voice can throw you off
when you go to say it out loud on the big night.
Practice often, you can never have it down too well!
The following pages guidelines for the Fellow Craft
degree. These are things that
need to be remembered if you want a smooth flowing degree.
Attached to each of these guidelines are checklists you can photocopy
for each time you work that particular degree.
By having a separate copy for each night you can literally check off
the items as you do them.
FELLOWCRAFT CHECKLIST GUIDELINES
There are things that must be taken care off now in addition to just
your speaking part. As Master the
entire night is your responsibility.
A
week or so before the degree, you will want to do the following:
- Notify the Candidate
- Tell him the Date of the degree
- Tell him the Time of the degree
- Let him know if there is a Meal or not and that he is invited
- Has someone been designated to:
- Talk with Candidate before degree (Entered Apprentice)?
- Prompt?
- Take every Station for the Degree?
- Do the Charge?
- Work with the Candidate after the Degree?
- Pick up the Candidate and take him home?
- Give the Candidate his Lesson?
- Do you feel a Rehearsal needed?
- Are you opening in the FC degree?
- Do Officers know this?
- Do Officers know their parts?
- SD giving the Staircase Lecture?
- Are you giving the Letter G lecture?
On the night of the degree there are a few things that need to be taken
care of.
- Make sure everyone who is supposed to be there is there
- Are Proper Clothes for Candidate in Anteroom?
- Hoodwink?
- Cable Tow?
- Apron?
- Slipper?
- Are the following at Master’s Station?
- Working Tools (Plumb, Square and Level)
- Is the Square handy at the Anteroom door?
- Has someone been designated to:
- Work lodge room lights?
- Run slides, if used?
- Greet the Candidate?
Checklist
This checklist can be used as a
reference when planning a the Fellow Craft Degree.
1. Officers
(and backups, if possible, for the principles)
- Master
- S.Warden
- J. Warden
- S. Deacon
- J. Deacon
- Secretary
-
S. Steward
- J. Steward
- Chaplain
- Tyler
- Prompter
2.
Working tools (have ready for the Master)
3.
S. Deacon’s tool
4.
Candidates clothing (all clean and in good condition)
-
Pants
-
Shirt
-
Slipper
-
Cabletow
-
Apron
-
Hoodwink
5.
Lectures (have someone ready and a backup)
6.
Handouts
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FELLOWCRAFT QUIZ
A
Refresher Quiz
This quiz can be used by
the District Educational Representative (or any member of the Lodge Education
Committee) for presentation in open lodge to all FC masons and above at a
stated meeting when there is no work. You
should have made contact to the Master prior to the meeting to request 10-15
minutes for this educational session. Work
with the lodge Educational Coordinator. Ensure
that what you planned hasn't already been given recently.
No materials need be distributed.
You may stand anywhere you feel comfortable and can audibly reach
everyone
Why
were you required to 'learn' the EA lesson?
Ans.
To demonstrate proficiency at the first level before taking on new
responsibilities.
1.
How many times:
1.
How many times:
a. were you asked, "Who comes here?" at each station?
b. did you circumambulate (circle the Altar)?
Ans.
Two
2.
What officer received you into a FC lodge?
Ans. Senior Deacon
3.
Which officer prepared you to receive the obligation?
Ans. Senior Warden
4.
What position did you assume at the altar to receive the FC
obligation?
Ans. Kn on my na ri kn, my le le
fo a sq, my bo er, my ri ha re on th HB, S an C,
my le ar fo a sq.
5.
Which officer gave you the obligation?
Ans. The Master
Was it of your own free will and accord that you took the
obligation?
Ans. Yes
6.
To
what symbolic penalty did you swear for revealing the se of a FC?
Ans. To ha my le br to op, my he
ta fr th, an gi to the be of th fi an fo of th ai as a pr
7.
In what position did you find the 3 Gr Lt after receiving
light?
Ans. 1 po of th co el ab th sq,
th ot be hi, de th as ye I ha re li, bu pa
8.
Which
officer explained to you the grip of a FC?
Ans. WM
Which officer assisted him?
Ans.
SD
What is the name of that grip?
Ans.
Ja
What does it represent?
Ans.
The ri ha pi of th po of KST
9.
Explain the due guard and sign of a FC.
Ans. DG: Yo fe fo an
an of an ob sq; ri ha re on HB, S an C; le ar fo a sq;
Sign: diag. sl ac br from le to
ri; al to th pe of th ob
10.
Who explained to
you how wear your apron as a FC?
Ans. Senior Warden
How should it be worn?
Ans. With flap
turned up and corner tucked up
11.
What are the three working tools of a FC?
Ans. Plumb, square, and level
What do they teach?
Ans. The plumb
teaches us to walk uprightly in all our transactions with mankind; to square
our actions by the square of virtue, and remembering that we are all traveling
on that level of time from whose borne no traveler returns.
12.
After
being reinvested, you returned to the lodge room and received the
"carpet" lecture. Which
officer generally gives this lecture?
Ans. Senior
Deacon
13.
What does this lecture represent?
Ans. A regular
advance of a flight of winding stairs consisting of 3, 5, and 7 steps to a
place representing the middle chamber of King Solomon's Temple.
14.
To what does the number 3 allude?
Ans. The first three degrees in
masonry; the three principal officers of a lodge who are representatives of our
three ancient grand masters, Solomon, King of Israel, Hiram, King of Tyre, and
Hiram Abiff.
15.
To what does the number 5 allude?
Ans. The 5 orders in
architecture; Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Composite
Of these what are the three ancient and original orders of
architecture?
Ans. Doric,
Ionic, and Corinthian, which were invented by the Greeks.
What
nation was responsible for the other two?
Ans. Rome
16.
To what does the number 5 also allude?
Ans. The five senses of human
nature: hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling and tasting.
Which of these are most revered by masons?
Ans. The first
three because by the sense of hearing, we hear the Word; by the sense of
seeing, we perceive the sign; and by the sense of feeling we receive the grip
whereby one mason may know another as well in the night as in the day.
17.
To
what does the number 7 allude?
Ans. Seven liberal arts and
sciences: grammar, rhetoric,
logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy.
Of these which is most esteemed by masons?
Ans.
Geometry
18.
Which officer was symbolically guarding the outer door of the
middle chamber of KST?
Ans. Junior Warden
What story was told you at the outer door by the Senior Deacon?
Ans.
Battle between the Ephemites and Jeptha's men of Gilead, and adoption
of the pass.
19.
What
is the name of that pass?
Ans. Sh
Why was it adopted by the fraternity to enter a FC lodge?
Ans.
It identified enemies in the battle because of their inability to
pronounce it right.
20.
Which officer was symbolically guarding the inner door to the
middle chamber of KST?
Ans. Senior Warden
21.
Which officer symbolically presided in the middle chamber?
Ans. The Master
22.
The Master gave you a short talk about the letter G.
To what does that allude?
Ans. The science of geometry and
God
23.
Whom did the Master direct to record you as a Fellowcraft?
Ans. Secretary
24.
A charge was given to you, usually by an experienced master
mason. What was it?
Ans. A short recap of the degree,
some Masonic history, and an outline of your responsibilities as a Fellowcraft
mason.
25.
Upon entering and retiring from a opened lodge of FC, what
should you do?
Ans. Fa the ea fr be th al; gi th
dg twd the WM
NOTES
ON THE FELLOWCRAFT REFRESHER QUIZ
1.
It is meant to be presented as an oral quiz by the District Educational
Representative to lodge members evoking an answer by voluntary response from
the floor. Some questions are
obvious and ridiculously easy; others require some thought and recall.
None are meant to embarrass anyone.
Keep the pace lively and make it a "fun" session.
2.
Allow enough time to elaborate or expand on the answer provided, as you
feel proficient. You may want to
refer to the Maine Masonic Textbook and /or cipher to clear up a point, but
that should not be necessary.
3.
This quiz may be shortened, lengthened, or modified in any way to
ensure interest is maintained, fit in with your own expertise, or abide by
lodge time constraints. In its
present form it has taken two sessions of about 10 minutes each to cover the
quiz, (of course, depending on how deeply the discussions proceed).
4.
You will probably find many brethren who are far more knowledgeable
than you in this degree. This is
to be expected. Don't let it
bother you; move on to the next question.
Try not to let "ritualists" dominate discussion, but try to
involve everyone.
5.
You will have had a successful session if you have held members'
interest and quiz was educational and enjoyable.
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Meaning
of the Master Mason Degree Circumambulation Ritual
Taken from the August,
1999 MSA Short Talk Bulletin, and the Masonic Bible published by Heirloom Bible
Publishers
This
short program utilizes two narrators at separate locations within the Lodge
and far enough apart so that they have to speak loudly for each other to hear,
thus allowing everyone in the Lodge to hear.
Choose narrators who speak loudly and read well.
Obviously, this program can be done by you and one other if you desire,
but often the more people involved, the more interesting for the Brethren.
This program is provided in three copies.
One is for you, and the two others for individual narrators.
The program is designed to be a reading of the Biblical passage,
followed by an interpreted meaning.
District
Rep or Narrator 1: We have all listened to the circumambulation ritual during
the Master Mason degree, but most Masons do not stop to think about the
symbolic meaning or significance of this Biblical passage which is the Book of
Ecclesiastes 12:1-7. This is also
the page of the Bible that is open during a Master Mason’s Lodge.
This
passage is a description of man’s passage from living through physical
decline to the final stages of his death. There are other interpretations of
this passage, but this one appears frequently in contemporary writings
Narrator
1: REMEMBER now thy Creator:
Narrator
2: We
should reverence, honor, glorify, and worship God
Narrator
1: In the Days of Thy Youth:
Narrator
2: We should honor God throughout all the days of our life
Narrator
1: While the Evil Days come not:
Narrator
2: We have not yet reached that
point in time where the rigors of old age have arrived.
Narrator
1: Nor the YEARS DRAW NIGH:
Narrator
2: The time of death has not yet arrived
Narrator
1: When thou shall say,” I HAVE NO PLEASURE IN THEM”:
Narrator
2: This refers to the sadness of old age as we near that time in our life.
Narrator
1: While the sun, or the light , or the moon or the stars BE NOT DARKENED, nor
the CLOUDS RETURN after the rain:
Narrator
2: This refers to the storm clouds of
old age which are just arriving in this parable.
Narrator
1: In the days when the KEEPERS OF THE HOUSE shall tremble:
Narrator
2: The keepers of the house are the hands and arms.
The house represents the body. Our hands and arms are shaking due to
old age.
Narrator
1: And the STRONG MEN shall bow themselves:
Narrator
2:
Our legs are becoming crooked or bowed. We are becoming bow-legged.
Narrator
1: And the GRINDERS cease because they are few:
Narrator 2: The grinders are
our teeth. This refers to missing
teeth caused by old age.
Narrator
1. And those that look out of the WINDOWS be darkened:
Narrator
2: Refers to our eyes becoming
weak with old age.
Narrator
1: And the DOORS shall be shut in the streets:
Narrator2:
Our hearing is failing.
Narrator
1: When the SOUND OF GRINDING is low:
Narrator
2: Our teeth are nearly gone. This
pertains to toothless chewing
Narrator
1: And he shall RISE UP at the voice of a bird:
Narrator
2: We are having trouble sleeping. We get up early when the birds begin to
sing at first light.
Narrator
1: And all the DAUGHTERS OF MUSIC shall be brought low:
Narrator
2: Our voice is failing and we can no longer sing.
Narrator
1: Also when they shall be AFRAID of that which is HIGH:
Narrator
2: We now have a fear of heights and fear of falling due to our advancing
years that we didn’t have when we were young.
Narrator
1: And FEARS shall be in the Way:
Narrator
2: We have reached the point in our lives that we fear many things due to not
being able to defend ourselves.
Narrator
1: And the ALMOND TREE shall flourish:
Narrator
2: Our hair has turned white with age. The
almond tree is all white when in full bloom is as is the hair on an old
man’s head.
Narrator
1: And the GRASSHOPPER shall be a burden:
Narrator
2: We have become so weak, that even the weight of a grasshopper is difficult
for us to bear.
Narrator
1: And Desire shall fail:
Narrator
2: We have reached that point in our declining years where we just doesn’t
care about anything anymore.
Narrator
1: Because man goeth to his LONG HOME:
Narrator
2: This is the point in this
parable where we go to our grave and heaven..
Narrator
1: And the MOURNERS go about the Streets:
Narrator
2: This refers to the funeral procession that is held after we die.
Narrator
1: Or ever the SILVER CORD be loosed or the GOLDEN BOWL be broken:
Narrator
2: The silver cord is the spinal marrow; being loosed is the cessation of
nerve function from the Golden Bowl
(the brain) due to the death of the old man.
Narrator
1: Or the Pitcher be broken at the FOUNTAIN or the WHEEL broken at the
CISTERN:
Narrator
2: The pitcher is the great vein, which carries blood to the right ventricle
of the heart, which is called the FOUNTAIN.
The Wheel represents the great artery, which carries the blood from the
left ventricle of the heart, which is called the CISTERN.
Narrator
1: Then shall the DUST return to the earth as it was:
Narrator
2: Refers
to that from which God created man. As
from dust we came, so unto it we must all return.
Narrator
1: And the Spirit shall return unto God who gave it:
Narrator 2: Genesis 2:7
tells us that God formed man from the dust of the earth and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul.
At the time of death, man ceases to exist on earth and his spirit
returns to God, who gave it to him in the first place.
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Master
Mason Degree
Checklist
This short program will give the Lodge Officers a guideline for
planning work in the Master Mason Degree. The overview and guidelines may be
presented as the program with the checklist used as a handout to the Master
MASTER
MASON CHECKLIST OVERVIEW
Working a degree can be a lot of fun and a great experience for you and
your officers as well as the Candidate. However,
a good time and experience is not a guarantee by simply saying we are going to
do it. You need to follow some
simple steps to make sure the night goes forward with out a hitch
As Master, your time will be much more enjoyable if you know your part
well. This will be passed on to
your officers and the candidate as they see you talk smoothly with out
stopping often for prompts or sounding unsure of yourself.
The first step is to prepare yourself.
Sit down with your Cipher and Maine Masonic text Book and study your
part. If you have trouble with
words don’t guess or make up something that sounds good, contact a good
reliable source from your lodge, your District Ritual Instructor or one of the
Lecturers. (If you learn a word wrong it is very hard to learn it right
later!) Once you can read through
the cipher well, try it a few times with out the book.
The best way to make sure you have it down is to practice out loud.
If you only practice inside your head your own voice can throw you off
when you go to say it out loud on the big night.
Practice often, you can never have it down too well!
The following pages are written out guidelines for the Master Mason
degree. These are the things that
need to be thought of if you want to have a smooth flowing degree.
Attached to each of these guidelines are checklists that you can
photocopy for each time you work that particular degree.
By having a separate copy for each night you can literally check off
the items as you do them.
MASTER MASON CHECKLIST GUIDELINES
There are things that must be taken care off now besides just your
speaking part. As Master the
entire night is your responsibility. Several
days to a week or more before the degree, you will want to do the following:
- Notify the Candidate
- Tell him the Date of the degree
- Tell him the Time of the degree
- Let him know if there is a Meal or not and that he is invited
- Has someone been designated to:
- Talk with Candidate before degree (Fellow Craft)?
- Prompt?
- Take every Station for the Degree?
- Be Speaking Fellow Craft?
- Two Non-Speaking Fellow Craft?
- The Three Ruffians?
- Wayfaring Man?
- Do the Lectures?
- Do the Charge?
- Work with the Candidate after the Degree?
- Pick up the Candidate and take him home?
- Give the Candidate his Lesson?
- Do you feel a Rehearsal needed?
- Make sure everyone who is supposed to be there is there
- Are Proper Clothes for Candidate in Anteroom?
- Hoodwink?
- Cable Tow?
- Apron?
- Are the following at Master’s Station?
- Working
Tools (All the implements of Masonry inc Trowel, Setting Maul)
- Is the Compasses handy at the Anteroom door?
- Are the three ruffian’s tools at the proper station?
- 24 inch square at South Gate?
- Square at the West Gate?
- Setting Maul and Canvas at the East Gate?
- Has someone been designated to:
- Work lodge room lights?
- Run slides, if used?
- Greet the Candidate?
Checklist
This
checklist can be used as a reference when planning on running the Master Mason
Degree.
1.
Officers (and backups, if possible, for the principles)
-
Master
-
S.Warden
-
J. Warden
-
S. Deacon
-
J. Deacon
-
Secretary
-
S. Steward
-
J. Steward
-
Chaplain
-
Tyler
-
Prompter
2.
Working tools (have ready for the Master)
-
24 Inch Gauge
-
Common Gavel
-
Square
-
Level
-
Plumb
-
Trowel
3.
S. Deacon’s tool
4.
Candidates clothing (all clean and in good condition)
-
Pants
-
Shirt
-
Cabletow
-
Hoodwink
-
Apron
5.
Second Section
6.
Lectures (have someone ready and a backup)
Scripture during circumambulation
7.
Handout
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A MASONIC QUIZ
From the MSA digest….”At the Sound of the Gavel”
This
program is a quiz, consisting of 15 questions of a Masonic nature and trivia
given in a multiple answer format. Correct answers are given following each
question. You may use all these questions or any part, depending on the time
you have available and the length of discussion the questions generate. Be
careful not to take too much time on any one question.
1.
George Washington was Master of:
a.
Alexandria Lodge No. 22
b.
Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 39
c.
Fredricksburg Lodge No. 4
d.
American Union Lodge No. 1
Answer.
George
Washington was Master of “Alexandria Lodge #22.”
He was not the Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge for the sufficient
reason that his own name was not added to Alexandria Lodge’s name until five
years after his death. The Lodge
was No. 39 under Charter of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.
In 1778, the lodge was re-chartered by the Grand Lodge of Virginia as
Alexandria Lodge No. 22. In this
new Charter, “George Washington, Late Commander in Chief of the forces of
the United States” was named as the first, or Charter, Worshipful Master.
2.
George Washington was raised a Master Mason in:
a.
Alexandria Lodge No. 39
b.
The Lodge in Fredricksburg
c. Fredricksburg
Lodge No. 4
d.
American Union Lodge
Answer.
George
Washington was raised a Master Mason in “The Lodge at Fredricksburg.”
Fredricksburg Lodge No. 4 is not correct, as Fredricksburg Lodge received its
number from the Grand Lodge of Virginia. The Grand Lodge came into being in
1787. Washington was raised in
1753. Fredricksburg Lodge at that
time had no charter from any Grand Body.
It was one of those unique Colonial Lodges, which met “by immemorial
custom” – merely a few brethren getting together and saying “ we are a
Lodge.” Five years after Washington was raised, Fredricksburg Lodge received
its first charter from the Grand Lodge of Scotland.
Washington lived and died a member of two Lodges; he never separated
from his Mother Lodge, even when becoming Charter Worshipful Master of
Alexandria Lodge No. 22. Dual – in this case, plural – membership has
always been permitted in Virginia.
3.
George Washington was Grand Master of:
a. Virginia
b. Pennsylvania
c. New
Jersey
d. Was
not a Grand Master
Answer.
George
Washington was not a Grand Master.
He was proposed as Grand Master of Virginia in 1777, but declined on
the dual grounds that he was too busy with affairs of national importance to
accept private responsibility, and, as he had never been Master of a Lodge, he
was not eligible. Washington was
thrice proposed as General Grand Master of a General Grand Lodge of the United
States, once by American Union (Army) Lodge in New jersey, (1779) and twice by
the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, (1779 & 1780,) but declined the honor.
4.
The first known Lodge in America was in:
a. Boston
b. Philadelphia
c. Savannah
d. New
York
Answer.
The
first known Lodge in America was in Philadelphia.
The first “regularly constituted Lodge” was “The First Lodge in
Boston” (now St. John’s). Other
Lodges met under “immemorial custom” at earlier dates.
No one knows exactly when the first of all colonial lodges met, only
that it was some date earlier in the eighteenth century.
5.
The two oldest Grand Lodges in the United States are:
a. Massachusetts
and Pennsylvania
b. New
Hampshire and Rhode Island
c. Virginia
and Maryland
d.
Georgia and New Jersey
Answer.
The
two oldest Grand Lodges in the United States are Massachusetts and
Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania in 1931 celebrated its two hundredth anniversary of
Freemasonry; in 1933, Massachusetts celebrated its two hundredth anniversary.
6.
The Boston Tea Party was staged by members of:
a. St.
John’s Lodge
b. St.
Andrews Lodge
c. American
Union Lodge
d. King
Solomon’s Lodge
Answer.
Members
of St. Andrews Lodge of Boston staged the immemorial “Boston Tea Party.” The
disguise as Indians and the raid on the ship was NOT arranged in Lodge, but
supposedly, after the lodge at the Green Dragon Tavern. It is not known that
all the participants on the “Tea Party” were members of the famous old
Lodge, but that many of them were, and the patriotism of the Masons was
responsible for this overt act of resistance to taxation tyranny, is
undoubted.
7.
The Book of Constitutions was first published in:
a. 1717
b. 1723
c. 1738
d. 1751
Answer.
The
Book of Constitutions was first published in 1723.
“Anderson’s Constitutions of 1723” of the Mother Grand Lodge of
England were put into print under date of 1722, Old Style, or 1723, New Style
Calendar. The title page bears
the date “1723.” Unfortunately,
Anderson’s text is not the original as adopted by the Mother Grand Lodge
shortly after its formation 1717. But
as it is the first and only version we have of whatever was actually adopted
by the first Grand Lodge, it has become the foundation law of all Grand
Lodges. A number of Grand
Lodges consider the Ancient Landmarks to be those principals set forth in the
“Old Charges” which form a part of Anderson’s Constitutions.
8.
Grand Lodges assist in laying cornerstones:
a. When
asked by civil authority
b. When
requesting the privilege from Mayors or Governors
c. When
members vote to do so
d. Never
Answer.
A
Grand Lodge never assists in laying a cornerstone.
A Grand Lodge lays a cornerstone or has nothing to do with the
ceremony. Not infrequently,
non-Masons request a Grand Lodge to “assist” some other organization.
Particular lodges may lay a cornerstone at the request of the Grand
Master, and thus assist the Grand Body in its work, but the Grand Lodge never
“assists.”
9.
The length of a cable tow is:
a. ten
feet
b. a
hundred miles
c. three
miles
d. a
brothers reasonable ability
Answer.
The
length of a cable tow is “reasonable ability.”
The phrase was adopted at the Baltimore Masonic Convention of 1843, to
define how far a cable tow stretched. In
older days a cabletow was as long as an hour’s journey; roughly three miles.
Today a brother must answer a summons if within “the scope of his
reasonable ability.” In modern
words, a cable tow is such length as to satisfy the individual brother’s
conscience.
10.
A cowan is:
a. an
eavesdropper
b. a
coward
c. a
traitor
d.
an uninstructed Mason
Answer.
A
cowan is an uninstructed Mason or a Mason without the word or a partially
instructed Mason.
A cowan is distinct from an eavesdropper, literally, one who listens at the
eaves of a house. The
eavesdropper tries to learn secrets to which he has no right.
The cowan may be partly a Mason. In
operative days a man who erected walls without mortar, or of unsquared stones,
unskillful, was a cowan, or uninstructed Mason.
A cowan may well be taught to be a Mason; an eavesdropper would never
be taught. Today’s cowans are
Masons dropped for N.P.D. or Entered Apprentices or Fellowcrafts who have been
stopped from further advancement.
11.
A Hecatomb is:
a. a
form of tomb
b. a
sacrifice of 100 head of cattle
c. a
hive of honey
d. a
bag of gold
Answer.
A
hecatomb is the sacrifice of a hundred head of cattle.
Pythagoras was supposed to have sacrificed a hundred head of cattle to
his gods, in delight of having erected the Forty-seventh problem of Euclid.
The statement in the ritual however can hardly be found in fact.
Pythagoras, eminent teacher and mathematician, born 586 BC, may,
indeed, have discovered the mathematical wonder, which Euclid embodied in his
geometry as the Forty-seventh problem; we know the Pythagoras was a
vegetarian, reverenced animal life, and was poor.
He could hardly have possessed a hundred head of cattle – riches in
those days - and even if he owned them, he would not have been so cruel as to
kill them to mark his pleasure.
12.
Lodges are numbered in every United States Grand Lodge, except in:
a. District
of Columbia
b. Massachusetts
c. Nebraska
d. Wisconsin
Answer.
Lodges
are not numbered in Massachusetts; they are numbered in all other United
States Grand Lodges.
In Pennsylvania are twelve Lodges that have numbers but no names.
Any man presenting a dues card from an alleged Massachusetts lodge,
which bears a number, is self-confessedly spurious and clandestine.
Massachusetts lodges have no numbers because of a happy compromise in
early days when there was a dispute as to which lodges should have certain
number; the result was no numbers for any lodge.
13.
The Grand Lodge whose members can not belong to Eastern Star is:
a. New
York
b. Pennsylvania
c. District
of Columbia
d. Colorado
Answer.
The
Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania forbids its members to belong to the Eastern Star.
A Grand Master of the Grand Jurisdiction issued an edict-forbidding
members of Pennsylvania Lodges from joining, or remaining members of Eastern
Star Chapters. The cause of the
edict was explained as being improper activities of members of the Star in
Masonic matters, notably Lodge elections.
It was supposed that inasmuch as a Patron, who must be a Master Mason,
is indispensable in an Eastern Star Chapter, the edict meant the death of the
Order in the Keystone State. The
reverse has proven true, since Chapters of the Order in Pennsylvania enlist
the services of sojourning Masons as Patrons. Pennsylvania brethren report
that the Eastern Star is flourishing in their jurisdiction, but the activities
complained of have ceased.
14.
The title of the first of the Old Charges is:
a.
“Of Masters, Wardens, Fellows and Apprentices”
b. “Of
Lodges”
c. “Concerning
God and Religion”
d. “Of
Civil Magistrates, supreme and subordinate”
Answer.
The
name of the first of the Old Charges is “Concerning God and Religion.”
The first of the six Old Charges is vitally important as a fundamental
law of the Ancient Craft, as it sets forth the non-doctrinal, non-sectarian
character of Freemasonry, and states that the “natural religion in which all
men agree” is important to Freemasons, leaving a man’s particular option
as to his God and his religion to himself.
This is the underlying law which makes Freemasonry universal; society
in which Gentile and Jew, Parsee and Mohammedan, Christian and Buddhist may
unite, provided all believe – as all do believe – in a Great Architect of
the Universe.
15.
The presidents who were Grand Masters were:
a. McKinley
and Harding
b. Washington
and Madison
c. Jackson
and Truman
d.
Buchanan and Garfield
Answer.
The
Presidents that were Grand Masters are Andrew Jackson and Harry Truman.
Jackson was Grand Master in Tennessee before he was President.
Apparently, he was elected from the floor of his Grand Lodge, as there
is no record of his having been Master of his Lodge.
He was an honorary member of the Grand Lodge of Florida, of Federal
Lodge No. 1, of the District of Columbia, and of Jackson Lodge No. 1, of
Tallahassee, Florida. Truman is
Past Grand Master of Missouri.
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Masonic
Protocol Program
Reception of First Time Visitors, What Happens When a Brother
Arrives Late as
adapted from the Screen Play.
Written
by Wor. David M. Blossom
This
short program deals briefly with First Time Visitors and What To Do If You
Arrive Late To Lodge. It requires
six Brothers taking parts as: Elder Brother (EB), New Mason (NM), Sr. Deacon,
Wor. Master and two Brothers to be introduced as visitors. The EB, usually the
District Representative, should read all parts pertaining to floor work. The
setting should be in the Lodge Room with the EB and NM in a part of the Lodge
such as the northeast near the Treasurers desk, with the other officers in
their respective stations.
(The Sign of Fidelity can be substituted for the
Due-Guards, Signs and any other secret work if performed outside a tyled
Lodge.)
NM:
What will happen when I visit a Lodge for the first time, after I’ve
been examined or avouched.
EB:
In a good Lodge you will be introduced.
Scene: Lodge Room, Lodge is opened.
WM:
Brother Senior Deacon, I will thank you to conduct our first-time
visitors to the Altar.
SD:
(Salutes with due guard then conducts two visitors to rear of Altar, where
they salute) Worshipful
Master, I have the pleasure of introducing to you Brother Charles Boynton,
hailing from Sincerity Lodge, and Brothers Stanley Rozenkrantz and Robert
Guildenstern, both of Magnanimous Lodge.
WM:
*** My brothers, it gives me pleasure to introduce you to the members of
Veracity Lodge and their visitors, and to welcome you to a seat among us.
Brethren let us greet our visiting Brothers with a hearty welcome.
(SD
conducts visitors to seats. *)
EB:
No Brother should be allowed to visit a lodge for the first time
without an introduction. If the
visitor is a Past Master, he should be invited to a seat in the East and if he
is an Officer of any Grand Lodge or Permanent Member of our own Grand Lodge,
or a Past grand Master, he should be received with the grand honors at the
time of his introduction.
NM:
What happens when someone comes late, when we’ve started to open?
EB:
A lot depends on the Tyler. If
he knows the Brother and can avouch for him, he can cause an alarm at the
tyled door. ***
Return to Scene of open Lodge
WM:
* Brother Senior Deacon, you will ascertain the cause of that alarm.
(SD
rises with rod, raps door, speaks to Tyler and closes door.)
SD:
Worshipful Master, there are two brothers without, properly clothed and
avouched for who desire admission.
WM:
Let them enter.
(Brethren
enter, go to rear of altar and salute with due guard.)
EB:
The Tyler should keep aware of the work and not allow any disturbance
during degree work. He should be
aware of how the entering brethren should be clothed and how they should
salute. If the brother were a
stranger to him the Tyler would wait for the proper opportunity as before, and
inform the Junior Deacon that a visitor was in need of examination.
In the case of emergency messages, the Tyler must use his discretion as
to the urgency of the situation. If
he feels that he should not wait until a break in the work, a message should
be given to the brother nearest to the preparation room door.
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MASONIC
PROTOCOL PROGRAM
Lodge Room Behavior Balloting as adapted from the Screen Play
Written
by Wor. David M. Blossom
This
short program deals briefly with Lodge Room Behavior and Balloting. It
requires five Brothers taking parts as: Elder Brother (EB), New Mason (NM),
Wor Master, Sr. Warden and Jr. Warden. The EB, usually the District
Representative, should read all parts pertaining to floor work. The setting
should be in the Lodge Room with the EB and NM in a part of the Lodge such as
the northeast near the Treasurers desk, with the other officers in their
respective stations. (The Sign of Fidelity can be substituted for the
Due-Guards, Signs and any other secret work if performed outside a tyled
Lodge.)
NM:
I’m a little confused about Lodge room behavior. For example, why do they
tell us not to walk between the Worshipful Master and the altar and then march
us right through in front of him?
EB:
The Worshipful Master relies on the Holy Bible for the wisdom to rule
and govern his Lodge, and no one should obscure his view of it, except the
officers who conduct candidates in a clock-wise direction during degree work.
NM:
And what’s this business about being “at ease” and “at refreshment”?
I think that I understand “at labor”, but after that I get confused.
EB:
When the Lodge is “at labor”: no one goes in or out, no one talks,
no one moves around. When
the Lodge is “at ease”, you may talk quietly, but no one moves.
When the Lodge is “at refreshment”, it is in recess. You may talk
and move, in, out and around, but never between the East and the altar, even
though the Worshipful Master gives the direction of the Lodge and the Brethren
to the Junior Warden while the Lodge is at refreshment.
NM:
How should I act if speaking to the Master in open Lodge?
EB:
If speaking to the Master is ALWAYS necessary to stand.
If he calls on you, you should first give the due guard of the degree
you are opened to, then respond. If
you wish to speak you need to rise and if the Master recognizes you, then give
the due guard and speak, but it is his prerogative as to whether you or anyone
else speak in Lodge.
NM:
Now, will you tell me about balloting?
EB:
Better sit down, this is going to take a while.
Do you remember when you applied for the degrees?
Your petition was read and then it had to lay over for four weeks while
the Committee of Inquiry did its work. Once
it had been read, it had to go to a ballot, no matter what you or the
committee decided. In fact, the
ballot had to go on even if someone had filed an objection.
NM:
What’s that?
EB:
If somebody went to the Worshipful Master or before the Lodge, and
objected to you, it would count as a black ball, even if the objector wasn’t
present for the ballot.
NM:
Even if he isn’t there?
EB:
Yes, and an objection is fatal to a petition, even after the ballot is
held. It counts as a black ball,
right up to the Initiation. After
that it takes a two-thirds vote of the lodge to stop a candidate.
Once the Worshipful Master called for the petition, no one can enter or
leave the Lodge room. The Senior
Deacon prepares the ballot box, and gives it to the Worshipful Master for
inspection. The Worshipful Master
checks to see that there are enough white balls for the members present, and
that there are at least six black cubes.
He reads the petition and instructs the brethren
WM:
Remember, my brothers: the balls,
which are white, elect. The
cubes, which are black, reject. Be
careful, and make no mistake.
EB:
It is not true Masonry to reject an applicant because he has not paid
you the homage which you think is due you, or because he is a friend or
relation of someone whom you dislike or disrespect.
If you judge an applicant by these standards, all of our teachings have
gone for naught. If however you
have sincere reservations regarding the fitness of the applicant to be taken
by the hand as a brother, do not hesitate to give the lodge the benefits of
those doubts. Judge not on the
basis of absolute perfection, rather, judge him as you would wish to be
judged, remembering that, at times you may hold in your hands the
applicant’s very future in the community.
At all times, let your hand be guided by your heart, and by your love
for our Fraternity.
The Senior Deacon may pass around the Lodge, stopping at each officer’s
station and at every member on the sidelines, or he may place the ballot box on
a table behind the altar, but never on the altar.
He should never pass between the Master and the altar. Every member
present must cast a ballot, although the Worshipful Master may excuse the Tyler.
WM:
All present having balloted, I declare the ballot closed.
EB:
The Worshipful Master may direct the Senior Deacon to present the
ballot box to the Senior and Junior Wardens, but, unless specified by the
by-laws of the individual lodge, it is his prerogative.
The Master then inspects and destroys the ballot.
If there were two or more black cubes cast, the petition is rejected;
if only one black cube is found, the Master immediately orders another ballot,
without comment. A single black
cube on the second ballot is considered as a rejection, but it is the
Master’s prerogative to order a third ballot, if he feels that there is some
possibility of a mistake. When
the result of a ballot is announced, it is binding upon the Lodge.
WM:
* Brother Junior Warden, how found you the ballot in the South?
JW:
The ballot is clear in the South, Worshipful.
WM:
Brother Senior Warden, how found you the ballot in the West?
SW:
The ballot is clear in the West, Worshipful.
WM:
And clear in the East, and by your ballot, Brethren you have elected Vasco da
Grumble to receive the degrees in Veracity Lodge.
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