CHAPTER XVI

“A LODGE AND ITS FURNITURE
Ir may not be unprofitable for us to con- sider in some detail the Lodge and its Ornaments, Furniture, and Jewels.
The jewels and furniture of every Lodge belong to, and are the property of, the Master and Wardens for the time being, in trust for the members of the Lodge.
With regard to the Furniture, we shall discuss it, not only in the technical and re- stricted sense of the word, as it is described in the Explanation of the Tracing Board, and in the Lectures (that is, as consisting of the Volume of the Sacred Law, the Compasses, and the Square), but also in the more general acceptation of the term, including every- thing that is necessary for the decorous performance of the Ceremonies, and for the reasonable comfort and convenience of the Officers and the Brethren.
When ‘ the good man of the house’ calls
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together ‘his friends and his neighbours,’ he makes all necessary arrangements for their reception, in order that they may derive the fullest enjoyment from his hos- pitality. This is the etiquette of private life. It should be with us also a matter of etiquette. that our Lodge should be fitly arranged; that nothing be wanting; that all the means and appliances should be good of © their kind; not mean or sordid, and, so far, unworthy of our Order; and especially that we should fulfil the conditions of the old adage, ‘ A place for everything, and every- thing in its place’; because, without a proper arrangement of everything that may be _used, or to which attention may be directed, in the course of the several Ceremonies, the solemnity and the impressiveness of those Ceremonies may be considerably lessened, or altogether destroyed.
Unless the established order be strictly observed in the arrangement of the Lodge, and its Ornaments, Furniture, and Jewels, the Lodge cannot be said to be properly prepared; or to be ‘just, perfect, and regular,’ in the ordinary acceptation of the term; and the ‘ etiquette of Freemasonry ’ cannot be strictly maintained.
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We will discuss these subjects consecu- tively, in the order in which they stand in the Explanation of the Tracing Board of the First Degree and in the First Lecture.
The form of the Lodge is said to bea paral-
lelopipedon; and its situation is described as _
being ‘due east and west.’ For the latter proposition full and sufficient reasons are given in the Explanation.
It is highly desirable that these two con- ditions should be literally fulfilled when- ever and wherever it may be possible. Too often, however, from circumstances which are beyond the control of the members of a Lodge, a literal fulfilment of the prescribed form and situation is impossible.
Very many Lodges are compelled to hold their meetings in hotels or public rooms, the shape or the position, and often both, of which do not agree with the model or ideal Lodge. Frequently there is no alter- native room in the locality, and nothing can be done but to make the best of existing circumstances, and to hold, in practice, that the Master’s chair denotes the East, and the Senior Warden’s the West, of the Lodge.
It is very desirable, indeed necessary, that the door of entrance should be in the
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west, or quasi-west, and on the left of the Senior Warden’s chair. In this position there are several advantages. The Junior Deacon on the one side of the Senior Warden and the Innér Guard on the other, balance each other, as it were. The Junior Warden and the Inner Guard are within clear view of each other; and members of the Lodge and visitors are, immediately on their entrance into the Lodge, brought under the direct notice of the Junior Warden. This is highly necessary, because he is responsible for all who enter, notwithstanding that all announcements of the names of both mem- bers and visitors are made by the Inner Guard to the Worshipful Master, who directs their admission. If the Candidate be ad- mitted on the left of the Senior Warden, he is at once in the proper position for all that is to follow; from that starting-point he is enabled to make the complete perambu- lation of the Lodge, and on his return to the
same place he is presented. On the other hand, if he must enter on the right he must pass behind the Senior Warden’s chair.
In cases where the door is on the right hand of the Senior Warden, and no change
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is possible, the tact of the Deacons and of the Director of Ceremonies must be exer- cised in order to minimize the awkwardness of the position.
The Ornaments of the Lodge are the Mosaic Pavement, the Indented or Tessel- lated Border, and the Blazing Star or Glory in the centre. One sometimes sees in a Lodge a carpet of some conventional pattern upon the floor; this is highly objectionable, and forms a direct contradiction to the description given in the Explanation of the Tracing Board previously quoted. It is happily becoming more and more rare in practice.
A carpet woven in the pattern of the Mosaic Pavement in black and white, or printed on felted drugget, is easily pro- curable—the latter at a small cost. A carpet the full size of the room, with a wide border, both of the prescribed pattern and colours, is highly desirable. In any case, ‘the Blazing Star or Glory in the centre’ should not be omitted.
‘The furniture of the Lodge’ comprises ‘the Volume of the Sacred Law, the Compasses, and Square.’ It is sad to find in some Lodges (probably few in number)
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that these indispensable furnishings of the Lodge are more or less mean and sordid in character—the Bible small, old, and dilapi- ‘dated, and the Compasses and Square an ill-assorted couple: the Square of some common wood, the Compasses of brass, cheap and objectionable.
These things should not be. They show, first, a want of proper and becoming respect ‘to the Volume of the Sacred Law, ‘ which as given as the rule and guide of our faith’; ‘secondly, to the Compasses, the distinguish- ing Jewel of the Grand Master of our Order; and thirdly, to the Square, the time-honoured emblem and cognizance of the Craft, which teaches us to regulate our lives and actions.
A handsomely-bound Bible of moderate Size, and the Square and Compasses 77 silver, will scarcely be beyond the means of any Lodge. They are often presented by zealous and liberal Brethren to their respective Lodges, and in such cases the gifts are almost invariably worthy of the givers and of the recipients.
The Jewels comprise ‘ three movable and three immovable.’ “The movable jewels are the Square, Level, and Plumb-rule.’ _*They are called movable jewels, because 147
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they are worn by the Master, and his Wardens’ (during the period of their tenure of their several offices), ‘and are trans- ferable to their successors on nights of in- stallation.’ The collars bearing these several . jewels should be placed upon the chairs, re- spectively, of the Master and his Wardens, previously to the opening of the Lodge.
The Jewels of the Officers of private Lodges are prescribed as follow:
Masters : The square.
Pasi Masters: The square and the dia- gram of the 47th prop. First Book of Euclid engraven on a silver plate, pendent within it.
Senior Warden: The level.
Jumor Warden : The plumb rule.
Chaplain: A book within a triangle sur- mounting a glory.
Treasurer: A key
Secretary : Two pens in saltire, tied by a ribbon.
Deacons : Dove and olive branch (p. 364).
Director of Ceremonies ;: Two rods in sal- tire, tied by. a ribbon.
Assistant Director of Ceremonies. Two rods in saltire, tied by a ribbon, surmounted by a bar, bearing the word ‘ Assistant.’
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Almoner: A Scrip Purse, upon which is a heart.
Organist : A lyre.
Assistant Secretary : Two pens in saltire, _ tied by a ribbon, surmounted by a bar bear- _ing the word ‘ Assistant.’
Inner Guard : Two swords in saltire.
Stewards : A cornucopia between the legs
of a pair of compasses extended.
Tyler : A sword.
_ The above jewels to be in silver, except
those of the Officers of the Lodge of Anti- quity, No. 2, and of the British Lodge, No. 8, which are golden or gilt.
“The immovable jewels are the Tracing Board, and the Rough and Perfect Ashlars.’ ‘ They are called immovable jewels because they lie open and immovable in the Lodge, for the Brethren to moralize on.’
Tracing Boards are doubiless derived from the Operative Free Masons’ Trestle Boards which are placed in each stoneyard (or degree), and upon which the actual tools and other requisites are placed.
With regard to the position of the Tracing Boards, there is much difference in practice ‘in different Lodges. In some old Lodges they are simply the canvases not framed;
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this is objectionable chiefly in consequence of the difficulty experienced by the Junior Deacon in handling them rapidly, and the: consequent damage and defacement likely to ensue, as he lays and relays them upon the floor according to the Degree 1a which. the Lodge is working.
In other Lodges the three Tracing Boards are framed and are hung upon the walls of the Lodge room. By this arrangement they are better secured from damage; but it is objectionable because it not infrequently happens that the whole of the three are left upon the walls, irrespective of the Ceremony which is being performed. Clearly, during an Initiation the Tracing Boards of the Second and Third Degrees should not be exposed to view, and similarly during the Ceremony of Passing the Tracing Boards of the First and Third Degree should be kept concealed.
Probably the best plan is to have the Tracing Boards painted on wooden panels and laid, according to the degree in which the Lodge is open, either upon the floor of the Lodge or against the Junior Warden’s Pedestal, so that all may be reminded (and © especially incoming Brethren) of the degree
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in which the Lodge is at that moment work- ing. Itis the duty of the Junior Deacon to attend to these changes.
As regards Biblical, and even traditional, accuracy, the present Tracing Boards leave much to be desired, especially the Second and the Third. A criticism of their incon- sistencies and anachronisms will be found in the Appendix.
The proper place for the Rough Ashlar is on the Junior Warden’s pedestal; it is there in full view. The stone should not be quite ‘“rough-hewn, as taken from the quarry’ by the Quarrymen, Rough. Masons, or Cowans. This is intended ‘for the Entered Apprentice to work, mark, and indent on.’ It should show evidence of having been so worked, marked, and indented; it should be as though a succession of E. As. had tried their ‘’’prentice hand’ upon it; had indeed vough-dressed it with the Gavel, and had knocked off some at least of the ‘ superfluous knobs and excrescences.’
Indications might also be shown of some rudimentary work with the Chisel, this working tool being presented to the Entered Apprentice in order that he may with it ‘further smooth and prepare the stone and
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render it fit for the hands of the more expert Workman.’
After the stone has been ‘ rough-dressed’ by First Degree men, and made one-sixteenth of an inch larger than the required size in each direction, it is passed on to the second stoneyard, where the Fellows of the Craft bring it to the exact size required, and polish itifso ordered. It is then a Perfect Ashlar.
The Perfect Ashlar is ‘a stone of a true die or square.’ The severest test to which the skill of an operative Mason can be sub- mitted is the production of a perfect cube. It has even been asserted that a perfect cube has never yet been produced.
Its position should be on the Senior War- den’s pedestal, properly suspended, with the Lewis inserted in the centre. The explanation of the Lewis, as it is given in the ‘Explanation of the First Tracing Board,’ runs thus: ‘ It is depicted by certain pieces of metal, dovetailed into a stone forming a cramp; and when in combination with some of the mechanical powers, such as a system of pulleys, it enables the Opera- tive Mason to raise great weights to certain heights with little encumbrance, and toa fix them on their proper bases.’ ?
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This may be seen in operation during the erection of any edifice which is being built wholly or partially of stone, and notably in the case of the laying of a foundation or chief corner-stone, at which some Masonic or other ceremony of a public character is observed.
It will readily be seen that a chain or rope passed round the stone, and especially the keystone of an arch, would prevent its being properly bedded inits place. Nothing could answer the purpose more effectually than the Lewis, which, with slight—if, indeed, any— modification in its form, has been for many centuries an indispensable implement in Operative Masonry; while in Speculative Masonry it has from time immemorial been one of the most interesting and expressive
of the Symbols of our Order.
In some old Lodges one may sometimes see a curious and complicated structure, consisting of a crane with a windlass, on a platform (a cumbrous affair, generally broken or otherwise out of order), for the purpose of suspending the Perfect Ashlar. It may be ‘interesting from its age, but it takes up too much room, and is altogether inconvenient wherever it may be placed in the Lodge. 153
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A very simple plan of construction is to have three quasi-scaffold-poles, with their bases fixed to a flat triangle, and with a “tackle and fall,” and a ‘cleet’ to which the end of the cord is made fast; the poles are tapered, and, of course, are brought to- gether at the top. This plan is neat. in- expensive, and efficient, and at the same time it has the merit of being a model, in minia- ture, of that which is in constant use in Operative Masonry in laying foundation- stones, etc.
The three great Pillars which support a Freemasons’ Lodge are called Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty, and find expression in the Ionic, Doric, and Corinthian Columns which are respectively attributed to Solo- mon, King of Israel; Hiram, King of Tyre; and Hiram Abiph, and are now assigned to the Worshipful Master and the Senior and Junior Wardens.
The Columns of the Senior and Junior Wardens are symbolically brought into service in the ceremonies of opening and closing the Lodge. The Master’s Column is always stationary.
The three lesser Lights, which represent the Sun, Moon, and Master of the Lodge,
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are placed in candlesticks, which correspond, as regards Orders of Architecture, with the respective columns above mentioned.
The pedestals of the Worshipful Master, and of the Senior and Junior Warden, should be of sufficient size, to accord with the rank of those Officers. Each should bear on the front the Working Tool by which each. Officer is specially distinguished—namely, the Square for the Master, the Level for the Senior Warden, and the Plumb-rule for the Junior Warden. These may be really work- ing tools, of the size and make of those in use in the Second Degree, securely fixed in: the centre of the front of the pedestal. The effect of this is bolder and better than when the emblem is merely painted or gilt on the pedestal.
The top of each pedestal and the plinth should be in the usual form—a rectangular oblong.
The three chairs should be large and grandiose in character, made each in strict accordance with the Order in Architecture assigned to each of the three principal Officers. They should be spacious, well proportioned, and very handsome. The pedestals should also correspond to the three
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Orders—that is, they should have each two columns, the bases, the shafts, and the capitals of each pair of columns being per- fectly true to each of the three Orders.
Each of the Wardens’ chairs should stand upon a platform (7 to 8 inches high). All the three pedestals should stand upon the floor; consequently, they should be of sufficient height to allow for the elevation of the platform, and in the case of the Master’s pedestal for the platform and the dais combined. It is by no means un- common in ouilying districts to see tall pedestals and the Wardens’ chairs standing on the floor—that is, without a platform— the result being that those officers partially disappear when they sit down.
Of the Working Tools of the Entered Apprentice Degree little mention need be made of the 24-inch Gauge or the Chisel. The most important is the Gavel. This is presented to the Worshipful Master when he is installed into the Chair, as the Gavel is an emblem of power; yet one sees occa- sionally in the Lodge the Master and the Wardens each with, not a Gavel, but a light Mall (a miniature copy of the heavy Mall of the Third Degree)—that is, a small mallet
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with a turned head—whereas the Gavel has: a slightly elongated head, with one end flat- jaced like a hammer, the other end having a blunt axe-edge.
This shape is admirably adapted to the: work which it is represented as being designed to perform—namely, ‘ to knock off all super- fluous knobs and excrescences.’ An actual working tool of the operative masonof the present day is really a Gavel, with the head longer than that which we use. It is called a ‘ Walling Hammer.’
It is highly desirable that the regulation Gavels should be used in every Lodge. They are supplied in sets of three, bearing respectively the emblem of the Master, and of the Senior and the Junior Warden. They can be procured at a small cost from those who supply Lodge furniture.
Incidentally, it may be mentioned that some provision should be made for the pro- tection of the tops of the Pedestals from the result of the strokes of the Gavel, and the Wardens should understand that heavy gavellint is unnecessary, and painful to» nerves.
In the First Degree there are other and indispensable requisites, among which may
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be mentioned in their proper sequence the Bfd. and C.T. required by the T. before the admission of the Candidate; the Pd. required by the Inner Guard on the entrance of the Candidate; the K.S. in the W. for his use immediately after his entrance; the K.S. at the Master’s Pedestal for use during the ‘Obs s.the (Cs adurins the Ob, winners during the Address; the Lambskin for the investiture of the Candidate by the Senior ‘Warden; the Almsdish, or Charity Box, which should be the real thing and suitable, not a part of the Ballot Box; the Charter or Warrant, for the inspection of the Can- didate; a Book of Constitutions, and a copy of the By-laws of the Lodge, both of which latter should be presented to the Can- didate, to remain in his own possession for his future serious perusal. This is an essen- tial custom. The newly-admitted Brother naturally is desirous to gain all the knowledge that is possible to him of the nature and the Constitution of the Fraternity of which he has becomeamember. UHecan take them to his home, and at his ease he can read them with the attention and carefulness which have been recommended to him by the Worshipful Master; and the zeal, born of 158 Z
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his recent Initiation, will lead him to follow literally, and with profit to himself, the way of ‘ Masonic knowledge,’ in which, in the Charge, he is told that he is to make ‘ daily advancement.’ The desirability of every member of the Craft possessing a copy of the Book of Constitutions led to its being produced at the present low price (one shilling and sixpence), and the Constitutions require (Section 163) that every member of a Lodge shall be supplied with a printed copy of its By-laws, as his acceptance thereof is deemed to be a declaration of his submission to them,
In addition to the Working Tools of the Second Degree, two additional Ss. will be required; one by the Inner Guard on the entrance of the Candidate, and one by the Junior Deacon at the Master’s Pedestal.
The P.R. is to try and adjust uprights while fixing them upon their proper bases.
In erecting stone great care must be taken that each stone must be placed upon its ‘proper basis’; that is, upon its ‘natural bed,’ and to prevent error every ashlar stone must be marked with the ‘ proper basis ’ or * ped-mark.’
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In addition to the Working Tools of the Third Degree, an extra pair of Cs. will be needed by the Inner Guard on the entrance of the Candidate.
Among the requisites indispensable in the furnishing of a Lodge in the Third Degree are the heavy M., the Sheet, and the Em- blems of Mortality.
All sorts of devices are resorted to, to represent that over which the Candidate has to pass, in advancing from West to East. In one Lodge, the Tyler was brought in, and was made to take the necessary position, and was covered up. In a very great number of Lodges at the present time, a canvas painted to represent a C. of the modern shape is used. This utterly fails to represent the thing signified, which is an O. G.; besides being at variance with the custom of the East.
A Tracing Board for the Third Degree giving a representation of anO. G., with something, dim and indistinct, lying in it, would be the beau-ideal of a Third Tracing Board; an accurate presentment of the event commemorated, as distinguished from the picture, which does duty for a Tracing Board in the vast majority of Lodges--
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a travesty of the scene which is the central object of the Third Degree.
Inexpensive substitutes may easily be found; the least costly, perhaps, is a piece of black cloth or linen (a parallelogram, of course, aS a G. would be) about six feet by two; a white or light-grey border round it, in order to define its limits, is desirable, ‘considering the state of the Lodge at the time.
The Working Tools of the various Degrees are nowadays, with rare exceptions, gener- ally appropriate, and in order. In newly- formed Lodges it may be said that they are invariably so, ‘having been generally purchased in sets complete; but in some old Lodges we find notable exceptions, such as a nondescript Level or Compasses, and far too often a common lead pencil instead of the port-crayon.
A criticism of the Third Tracing Board will be found in the Appendix.
* * * *
An organ or harmonium is happily now considered to be an indispensable item in the surniture of a Lodge.
* Be tag ts %
See Masonic Mourning, p. 290.
161. mM