Section 13

And into the Master Mason's Lodge — this holy of
holies of the Masonic temple, where the solemn truths
of death and immortality are inculcated — the aspirant,
on entering, should purify his heart from every con-

Rite of Discalceation 129

tamination, and remember, with a due sense of their
symbolic application, those words that once broke upon
the astonished ears of the old patriarch, *Tut off thy
shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou
standest is holy ground."

CHAPTER TWENTY
Rite of Investiture

ANOTHER ritualistic symbolism, of still more
importance and interest, is the rite of investiture.
The rite of investiture, called, in the colloquially
technical language of the Order, the ceremony of cloth-
inQj brings us at once to the consideration of that
well-known symbol of Freemasonry, the Lamb-skin
Apron.

This rite of investiture, or the placing upon the aspi-
rant of some garment as an indication of his appropri-
ate preparation for the ceremonies in which he was
about to engage, prevailed in all the ancient initiations.
A few of them only it will be requisite to consider.

Thus in the Levitical economy of the Israelites the
priests always wore the abnet, or linen apron, or girdle,
as a part of the investiture of the priesthood. This,
with the other garments, was to be worn, as the text ex-
presses it, ''for glory and for beauty," or, as it has
been explained by a learned commentator, "as emblem-
atical of that holiness and purity which ever character-
ize the divine nature, and the worship which is worthy
of Him."

In the Persian Mysteries of Mithras, the candidate,
having first received light, was invested with a girdle, a
crown or mitre, a purple tunic, and, lastly, a white apron.

130

Rite of Investiture 131

In the initiations practised in Hindostan, in the cere-
mony of investiture was substituted the sash, or sacred
zennaar, consisting of a cord, composed of nine threads
twisted into a knot at the end, and hanging from the
left shoulder to the right hip. This was, perhaps,
the type of the Masonic scarf which is, or ought to
be, always worn in the same position.

The Jewish sect of the Essenes, who approached
nearer than any other secret institution of antiquity to
Freemasonry in their organization, always invested
their novices with a white robe.

Lastly, in the Scandinavian rites, where the military
genius of the people had introduced a warlike species
of initiation, instead of the apron we find the candidate
receiving a white shield, which was, however, always
presented with the accompaniment of some symbolic
instruction, not very dissimilar to that which is con-
nected with the Masonic apron.

In all these modes of investiture, no matter what was
the material or the form, the symbolic signification
intended to be conveyed was that of purity.

Hence, in Freemasonry, the same symbolism is com-
municated by the apron, which, because it is the first
gift which the aspirant receives, — the first symbol in
which he is instructed, — has been called the ''badge of
a Mason.'' And most appropriately has it been so
called; for, whatever may be the future advancement
of the candidate in the ''Royal Art," into whatever
deeper arcana his devotion to the mystic institution or
his thirst for knowledge may carry him, with the apron
— his first investiture — he never parts. Changing,
perhaps, its form and its decorations, and conveying at
each step some new and beautiful allusion, its substance
is still there, and it continues to claim the honorable

132 Symbolism of Freemasonry

title by which it was first made known to him on the
night of his initiation.

The apron derives its significance, as the symbol of
purity, from two sources — from its color and from its
material. In each of these points of view it is, then, to
be considered, before its symbolism can be properly
appreciated.

And, first, the color of the apron must be an un-
spotted white. This color has, in all ages, been esteemed
an emblem of innocence and purity. It was with refer-
ence to this symbolism that a portion of the vestments
of the Jewish priesthood was directed to be made white.
Therefore, Aaron was commanded when he entered
into the holy of holies to make an expiation for the sins
of the people, to appear clothed in white linen, with
his linen apron, or girdle, about his loins.

We deem it worthy of remark that the Hebrew word
Laban, which signifies to make whiter denotes also to
'purify; and hence we find, throughout the Scriptures,
many allusions to that color as an emblem of purity.
''Though thy sins be as scarlet," says Isaiah, *'they
shall be white as snow;" and Jeremiah, in describing the
once innocent condition of Zion, says, ''Her Nazarites
were purer than snow; they were whiter than milk."

In the Apocalypse a white stone was the reward
promised by the Spirit to those who overcame; and in
the same mystical book the apostle is instructed to say
that fine linen, clean and white, is the righteousness of
the saints.

In the early ages of the Christian church a white
garment was always placed upon the catechumen who
had been recently baptized, to denote that he had been
cleansed from his former sins, and was thenceforth to
lead a life of innocence and purity. Hence it was

Kite of Investiture 133

presented to him with this appropriate charge: "Re-
ceive the white and undefiled garment, and produce it
unspotted before the tribunal of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that you may obtain immortal life."

The white alb still constitutes a part of the vestments
of the Roman Church, and its color is said by Bishop
England ''to excite to piety by teaching us the purity
of heart and body which we should possess in being
present at the holy mysteries."

The heathens paid the same attention to the symbolic
signification of this color. The Egyptians, for instance,
decorated the head of their principal deity, Osiris, with
a white tiara, and the priests wore robes of the whitest
linen.

In the school of Pythagoras, the sacred hymns were
chanted by the disciples clothed in garments of white.

The Druids gave white vestments to those of their
initiates who had arrived at the ultimate degree, or
that of perfection. And this was intended, according
to their ritual, to teach the aspirant that none were
admitted to that honor but such as were cleansed from
all impurities, both of body and mind.

In all the Mysteries and religious rites of the other
nations of antiquity the same use of white garments
was observed.

Portal, in his Treatise on Symbolic Colors, says that
"white, the symbol of the divinity and of the priest-
hood, represents divine wisdom; applied to a young girl,
it denotes virginity; to an accused person, innocence;
to a judge, justice;" and he adds — what in reference to
its use in Freemasonry will be peculiarly appropriate —
that, "as a characteristic sign of purity, it exhibits a
promise of hope after death." We see, therefore, the
propriety of adopting this color in the Masonic system

134 Symbolism of Freemasonry

as a symbol of purity. This symbolism pervades the
whole of the ritual, from the lowest to the highest de-
gree, wherever white vestments or white decorations
are used.

As to the material of the apron, this is imperatively
required to be of lamb-skin. No other substance, such
as linen, silk, or satin, could be substituted without
entirely destroying the symbolism of the vestment.
Now, the lamb has, as the ritual expresses it, ''been, in
all ages, deemed an emblem of innocence;" but more
particularly in the Jewish and Christian churches has
this symbolism been observed. Instances of this need
hardly be cited. They abound throughout the Old
Testament, where we learn that a lamb was selected by
the Israelites for their sin and burnt offerings, and in
the New, where the word lamb is almost constantly
employed as synonymous with innocence.

"The paschal lamb," says Didron, ''which was eaten
by the Israelites on the night preceding their departure,
is the type of that other divine Lamb, of whom Chris-
tians are to partake at Easter, in order thereby to free
themselves from the bondage in which they are held by
vice." The paschal lamb, a lamb bearing a cross, was,
therefore, from an early period, depicted by the Chris-
tians as referring to Christ crucified, "that spotless
Lamb of God who was slain from the foundation of the
world."

The material, then, of the apron unites with its color
to give to the investiture of a Freemason the symbolic
signification of purity. This, then, together with the
fact which we have already shown, that the ceremony
of investiture was common to all the ancient religious
rites, will form another proof of the identity of origin
between these and the Masonic institution.

Rite of Investiture 135

This symbolism also indicates the sacred and religious
character which its founders sought to impose upon
Freemasonry, and to which both the moral and physical
qualifications of our candidates undoubtedly have a
reference, since it is with the Masonic Lodge as it was
with the Jewish Church, where it was declared that "no
man that had a blemish should come nigh unto the
altar.''

Thus was it also with the heathen priesthood, among
whom we are told that it was thought to be a dishonor
to the gods to be served by any one that was maimed,
lame, or in any other way imperfect.

With both Jewish Church and heathen priests there
was the requirement that no one should approach the
sacred things who was not pure and uncorrupt.

The pure, unspotted lamb-skin apron is, then, in
Freemasonry, symbolic of that perfection of body and
purity of mind which are essential qualifications in all
who would participate in its sacred mysteries.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Symbolism of the Gloves

THE investiture with the gloves is very closely
connected with the investiture with the apron,
and the consideration of the symbolism of the
one naturally follows the examination of the symbolism
of the other.

In the continental rites of Freemasonry, as practised
in France, in Germany, and in other countries of Europe,
it is an invariable custom to present the newly-initiated
candidate not only, as we do, with a white leathern
apron, but also with two pairs of white kid gloves, one
a man^s pair for himself, and the other a woman's. The
latter pair of gloves are to be presented by him in turn
to his wife or his betrothed, according to the custom
of the German Freemasons, or, according to the French,
to the female whom he most esteems, which, indeed,
amounts, or should amount, to the same thing.

There is in this, of course, as there is in everything
else which pertains to Freemasonry, a symbolism. The
gloves given to the candidate for himself are intended
to teach him that the acts of a Freemason should be as
pure and spotless as the gloves then given to him. In
the German Lodges, the word used for acts is of course
handlungen, or handlings, "the works of his hands,''
which makes the symbolic idea more impressive.

136

Symbolism of the Gloves 137

Dr. Robert Plot — no friend of Freemasonry, but still
a historian of much research — says in his Natural
History of Staffordshire, that the Society of Freemasons,
in his time (and he wrote in 1660), presented their
candidates with gloves for themselves and their wives.
This shows that the custom still preserved on the con-
tinent of Europe was formerly practised in England,
although there as well as in America, it is discontinued,
which is, perhaps, to be regretted.

But although the presentation of the gloves to the
candidate is no longer practised as a ceremony in Eng-
land or America, yet the use of them as a part of the
proper professional clothing of a Freemason in the
duties of the Lodge, or in processions, is still retained,
and in many well-regulated Lodges the members are
almost as regularly clothed in their white gloves as in
their white aprons.

The symbolism of the gloves, it will be admitted, is
in fact but a modification of that of the apron. They
both signify the same thing; both are allusive to a
purification of life. ^'Who shall ascend, '^ says the
Psalmist, "into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand
in his holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure
heart.''

The apron may be said to refer to the ''pure heart,"
the gloves to the ''clean hands.'' Both are significant
of purification — of that purification which was always
symbolized by the ablution which preceded the ancient
initiations into the sacred Mysteries. But while our
American and English Freemasons have adhered only
to the apron, and rejected the gloves as a Masonic
symbol, the latter appear to be far more important in
symbolic science, because the allusions to pure or clean
hands are abundant in all the ancient writers.

138 Symbolism of Freemasonry

"Hands," says Wemyss, in his Clavis Symbolica, "are
the symbols of human actions; pure hands are pure
actions; unjust hands are deeds of injustice.'^ There
are numerous references in sacred and profane writers
to this symbolism. The washing of the hands has the
outward sign of an internal purification. Hence the
Psalmist says, "I will wash my hands in innocence, and
I will encompass thine altar, Jehovah."

In the ancient Mysteries the washing of the hands
was always an introductory ceremony to the initiation,
and, of course, it was used symbolically to indicate the
necessity of purity from crime as a qualification of those
who sought admission into the sacred rites. Hence on
a temple in the Island of Crete this inscription was
placed: "Cleanse your feet, wash your hands, and then
enter."

Indeed, the washing of hands, as symbolic of purity,
was among the ancients a peculiarly religious rite. No
one dared to pray to the gods until he had cleansed his
hands. Thus Homer makes Hector say:

Xepai 5' iLvliTTounv Ait XeL^etv atOoira olvov
"Agonal. — Iliad, vi. 266.
I dread with unwashed hands to bring
My incensed wine to Jove an offering.

In a similar spirit of religion, ^neas, when leaving
burning Troy, refuses to enter the temple of Ceres until
his hands, polluted by recent strife, had been washed in
the living stream.

Me hello e tanto digressum et caede recenti,
Attrectare nefas, donee me flumine vivo
Abluero. — Mneid, ii. 718.

In me, now fresh from war and recent strife,
'Tis impious the sacred things to touch
Till in the living stream myself I bathe.

Symbolism of the Gloves 139

The same practice prevailed among the Jews. A
striking instance of the symbolism is exhibited in that
well-known action of Pilate, who when the Jews clam-
ored for Jesus that they might crucify Him, appeared
before the people, and having taken water, washed his
hands, saying at the same time, **I am innocent of the
blood of this just man. See ye to it."

In the Christian Church of the middle ages, gloves
were always worn by bishops or priests when in the
performance of ecclesiastical functions. They were
made of linen, and were white. Durandus, a celebrated
ritualist, says that "by the white gloves were denoted
chastity and purity, because the hands were thus kept
clean and free from all impurity."

There is no necessity to extend our examples any
further. There is no doubt that the use of the gloves in
Freemasonry is a symbolic idea borrowed from the
ancient and universal language of symbolism, and was
intended, like the apron, to denote the necessity of
purity of life.

We have thus traced the gloves and the apron to the
same symbolic source. Let us see if we cannot also
derive them from the same historic origin.

The apron evidently owes its adoption in Free-
masonry to the use of that necessary garment by the
operative workmen of the middle ages. It is one of the
most positive evidences — indeed we may say, absolutely,
the most tangible evidence — of the derivation of our
speculative science from an operative art.

The builders associated in companies, who traversed
Europe, and were engaged in the construction of palaces
and cathedrals, have left to us, as their descendants,
their name, their technical language, and that distinctive
piece of clothing by which they protected their garments

140 Symbolism of Freemasonry

from the pollutions of their laborious employment.
Did they also bequeath to us their gloves?

Didron, in his Annales Archeologiques, presents us
with an engraving, copied from the painted glass of a
window in the cathedral of Chartres, in France. The
painting was executed in the thirteenth century, and
represents a number of operative builders at work.
Three of them are adorned with laurel crowns. May not
these be intended to represent the three officers of a
Lodge? All of the Craftsmen wear gloves. Didron
remarks that in the old documents which he has ex-
amined, mention is often made of gloves which are
intended to be presented to builders and stonecutters.
In a subsequent number of the Annales, he gives the
following three examples of this fact:

In the year 1331, the Chatelan of Villaines, in Due-
mois, bought a considerable quantity of gloves, to be
given to the workmen, in order, as it is said, *'to shield
their hands from the stone and lime."

In October, 1383, as he learns from a document of
that period, three dozen pairs of gloves were bought and
distributed to the masons when they commenced the
buildings at the Chartreuse of Dijon.

Lastly, in 1486 or 1487, twenty-two pairs of gloves
were given to the masons and stonecutters at Amiens.

Thus it is evident that the builders — the operative
workmen — of the middle ages wore gloves to protect
their hands from the effects of their work. It is equally
evident that the Speculative Freemasons have received
from their operative predecessors the gloves as well as
the apron, both of which being used by the latter work-
men for practical uses, have been in the spirit of sym-
bolism appropriated by the former Craftsmen to "si
more noble and glorious purpose."