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18. FIVE-POINTED STAR
represents the five points of fellowship. Within the star is the letter
"G," a well-known symbol of Freemasonry representing both God and geometry.
19. MOSAIC PAVEMENT, a representation
of the ground floor of King Solomon's Temple. The Masonic Pavement is
emblematical of human life, checked with good and evil.
20. STEPS are usually three in number.
The six steps are said to represent degrees Washington received.
21. HOLY BIBLE, the great light of
Freemasonry.
22. COFFIN has always symbolized
death. It is found on tracing boards of the 18th century and, in that time,
constituted a part of the esoteric symbolism.
23. SKULL AND CROSS-BONES are symbols
of mortality and death and are so used in French degrees.
24. SPRIG OF ACACIA. The acacia tree
is supposedly the shittah wood of the Old Testament. The name is sometimes
spelled Cassia. It has long been used as a symbol of immortality.
25. SQUARE is the proper Masonic Jewel
of the Master of the Lodge. It is one of the Great Lights in Freemasonry.
It is the stonemason's square of two equal arms.
26. COMPASSES, the proper Masonic
emblem of the Craft, and one of the Great Lights in Freemasonry.
27. BRICK WALL appears to represent the
place in the Lodge occupied by the Altar. The Holy Bible, Square, and
Compasses rest upon it, as do the three Lesser Lights. It composes nine
rows of bricks, one upon the other. To give the symbolic meaning of the
wall would be mere speculation.
28. ARK is emblematical of that Divine
Ark which safely carries us over this tempest-tossed life. It is often
shown with the Anchor.
29. SETTING MAUL, in operative Masonry,
is used for setting stones, that is, tapping them to a firm seat in the
mortar or urging them sidewise into place. It is considered by some to be a
symbol of untimely death.
30. (See No.16)
31. (See No.16)
32. TREASURER of the lodge wearing the
Apron of his office and holding the emblem of his office, Crossed Keys.
33. TWENTY-FOUR INCH GAUGE symbolizes
the twenty-four hours of day divided into three equal parts devoted to God,
usual vocations, and rest.
34. SWORD POINTING TO A NAKED HEART
demonstrated that justice will sooner or later overtake us; and that
although our thoughts, words and actions may be hidden from the eyes of man,
they are not hidden from the All-Seeing Eye.
35. TASSEL consists of a cord with
tassels on the ends. It alludes to the Care of Providence which surrounds
and deeps us within its protection while we govern our lives by the four
cardinal virtues: temperance, fortitude, prudence and justice. The tassel
may also represent the Mystic Tie, that sacred bond which unites men of
diverse opinions into one band of Brother.
36. LEVEL, the proper Masonic Jewel of
the Senior Warden, symbolizes equality and reminds us that we are traveling
upon the level of time. It is one of the working tools of an operative
mason.
37. (See No 8)
38. (See No 9)
39. SUN, one of the Lesser Lights. As
a source of light, it reminds the Mason of that intellectual light of which
he is in constant search.
40. SEVEN SIX-POINTED STARS. The
number SEVEN represents the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences: Grammar,
Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Geometry, Music and Astronomy. The SIX-POINTED
STAR symbolizes Divine Providence, the star of David or Shield of David. It
comprises tow interlaced triangles, which have a number of Masonic
interpretations.
41. LETTERS used symbolically in the
Mark Master Mason's degree, Chapter of Royal Arch Masons.
42. BEEHIVE is the emblem of industry.
It teaches us that as we came into this world rational and intelligent
beings, so we should ever be industrious ones.
43. APRON. The Masonic Apron, which
derives from the working apron of the stonemason, is in itself a symbol. It
is an emblem of innocence, and the badge of a Freemason. |