ENTERED APPRENTICE LECTURE
WM: *
(The lecture is given by the WM or a designee of his
choosing)
The forms and ceremonies of your initiation may
have seemed to you light and frivolous, if not
absolutely unmeaning; yet, it may with truth be
said of Masonry that all its forms and ceremonies
have emblematical meaning, and those through
which you have just passed will now be explained
to you.
You were first prepared to be made a Mason in
your heart; next, in a room adjoining the body of a
just and duly constituted Lodge of Free and
Accepted Masons.
You were prepared by being divested of all metallic
substances, neither naked nor clothed, barefoot
nor shod, left knee and breast bare, hood-winked,
and with a cable-tow about your neck, in which
condition you were conducted to a door of the
Lodge and caused to give three distinct knocks,
which were answered by three within.
You were divested of all metallic substances for
two reasons; first, that you might carry nothing
offensive or defensive into the Lodge: second, at
the building of King Solomon’s Temple, there was
not heard the sound of axe, hammer, or any metal
tool. The question naturally arises, how could so
stupendous an edifice have been erected without
the sound of axe, hammer, or metal tool?
The stones were hewn, squared, and numbered
in the quarries where raised; the timbers felled
and prepared in the forests of Lebanon, conveyed
by sea in floats to Joppa, and thence by land to
Jerusalem, where they were set up by the aid of
wooden instruments prepared for that purpose;
and when the building was completed, every part
thereof fitted with such exact nicety that it
resembled more the handiwork of the Supreme
Architect of the Universe than that of human
hands.
You were neither naked nor clothed because
Masonry regards no man on account of his worldly
wealth or honors. It is the internal and not the
external qualifications that recommend a man to
Masonry.
You were neither barefoot nor shod, agreeably to
an ancient Israelitish custom adopted among
Masons. We read in the book of Ruth concerning
their manner of changing and redeeming, that, "to
confirm all things, a man plucked off his shoe and
gave it to his neighbor." That was testimony in
Israel. This therefore we do, testifying thereby in
the strongest manner possible the sincerity of our
intentions in the work in which we are engaged.
You were hood-winked and with a cable-tow about
your neck for three reasons; first, that your heart
might conceive before your eyes beheld the
beauties of Freemasonry; second, that as you
were in darkness, it was to teach you to keep the
whole world so respecting the secrets of
Freemasonry, except to such as were justly
entitled to receive the same as you were about to
become; and third, had you not conformed to the
ceremony of your initiation, thereby rendering
yourself unworthy to be taken by the hand as a
Mason, you might, by aid of the cable-tow, have
been led out of the Lodge without having beheld
even the form thereof.
You were caused to give three distinct knocks to
alarm the Lodge and inform the Worshipful Master
that a poor blind candidate craved admission.
The three knocks allude to a certain portion of the
Scriptures which reads: "Ask and it shall be given
you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall
be opened unto you."
You found your circumstances in Masonry at that
time verified by that passage as follows; you
asked the recommendation of a friend to be made
a Mason; through his recommendation you sought
initiation; you knocked, and the door of
Freemasonry was opened unto you.
You were received on the point of a sharp
instrument piercing your naked left breast, to teach
you that as it was an instrument of torture to the
flesh, so should the recollection thereof be to your
mind and conscience should you ever reveal the
secrets of Freemasonry unlawfully.
You were conducted to the center of the Lodge
and caused to kneel for the benefit of prayer, for
before entering upon any great or important
undertaking, we ought always to invoke the aid of
Deity.
You were asked in whom you put your trust,
agreeably to our ancient laws, as no atheist can
be made a Mason; it was therefore necessary
that you express a belief in Deity, otherwise no
obligation would have been regarded as binding.
You were taken by the right hand, ordered to rise,
follow your conductor and fear no danger, for as
your were in darkness and could neither foresee
nor avoid danger, it was to teach you that you
were in the hands of faithful friends, in whose
fidelity you might with safety confide.
You were conducted once regularly around the
Lodge that the Worshipful Master, Wardens and
Brethren might see that you were duly and truly
prepared.
You were caused to meet with several obstructions
on your passage around the Lodge, because this
and every regular and well governed Lodge is or
ought to be a correct representation of the ground
floor of King Solomon’s Temple, which had guards
placed at the south, west and east gates to prevent
any from passing or re-passing except such as
were duly qualified and had permission from King
Solomon; it was therefore necessary that you
meet with these several obstacles and at each of
those stations be duly examined.
You were caused to kneel on your naked left knee
and not your right or both, because the left side
has ever been deemed the weaker part of the
human body; it was therefore to teach you that
you were taking upon yourself the weaker part of
Masonry, it being that of the Entered Apprentice
only.
Your right hand and not your left or both, rested
on the Holy Bible, Square and Compasses,
because the right hand, by our ancient Brethren,
was deemed the sign of fidelity. The ancients
worshipped a deity named Fides, sometimes
represented by two right hands joined, at others
by two human figures holding each other by the
right hand. The right, therefore was used in this
great and important undertaking, testifying thereby
in the strongest manner possible the fidelity of
our purpose in the work in which we are engaged.
You were presented with a lambskin or white
leather apron, because the lamb, in all ages has
been deemed an emblem of innocence. The
lambskin is therefore to remind you of that purity
of life and rectitude of conduct which is so
essentially necessary to your gaining admission
to that Celestial Lodge above, where the Supreme
Architect of the Universe presides.
A demand was made of you for some metallic
substance, to teach you that should you ever meet
a member of the human family, especially a
Brother Mason, in a like destitute situation, it
would be your duty to contribute to his relief as
liberally as his necessities might require and your
ability permits.
You were placed in the north-east corner of the
Lodge, because in the erection of all public
buildings, especially those of Masonic form, the
first stone is, or ought to be placed in the north-east
corner; you were therefore placed in the north-east
corner of the Lodge to receive your first
instruction, whereon to build your moral and
Masonic edifice.
This brings us to the third and last section of the
degree, which explains the manner of constituting
and the proper authority for holding a Lodge. Here
also, we learn where Lodges were anciently held;
their Form, Support, Covering, Furniture,
Ornaments, Lights and Jewels; how situated, and
to whom dedicated, as well in former times as at
present.
You are taught, by the aid of impressive symbols,
to discharge with propriety the duties that devolve
upon you as a man and Mason. The word Lodge
is analogous to that of church, referring not so
much to the place of meeting as to the persons
assembled. A lodge may therefore at this time be
defined as a certain number of Free and Accepted
Masons, duly assembled, furnished with the Holy
Bible, the Square and the Compasses, together
with a Charter, or Dispensation, from some Grand
Body of competent jurisdiction empowering it to
work.
The Holy Bible, Square and Compasses have been
partially explained to you; the Charter has not.
This is the one in possession of this Lodge. The
Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of
the State of ________ was pleased to grant this
Charter to __________ Lodge No. ___. It
empowers us to confer the three degrees of
Masonry, which powers we are this evening
partially exercising. It is signed by the Grand
Officers, with the seal of the Grand Lodge
attached, and contains all the necessary
instructions for retaining the same.
Our ancient Brethren held their Lodges on high
hills or in low vales, the better to observe the
approach of cowans and eavesdroppers,
ascending or descending.
Lodge meetings at the present day are usually
held in upper chambers - probably for the security
which such places afford. This custom may have
had its origin in a practice observed by the ancient
Jews of building their temples, schools and
synagogues on high hills, a practice which seems
to have met the approbation of the Almighty, who
said unto the Prophet Ezekiel, "Upon the top of
the mountain, the whole limit thereof round about
shall be most holy."
The form of a Lodge is oblong. In length from
east to west, in breadth between north and south,
as high as heaven, and as deep as from the
surface to the centre. A Lodge is said to be thus
extensive to denote the universality of
Freemasonry, and teaches that a Mason’s charity
should be equally extensive.
A Lodge is supported by three great pillars,
denominated Wisdom, Strength and Beauty;
because there should be wisdom to contrive,
strength to support, and beauty to adorn all great
and important undertakings. They are represented
by the three principal officers of the Lodge; the
pillar Wisdom by the Worshipful Master in the
East, who is presumed to have wisdom to open
and govern the Lodge; the pillar Strength by the
Senior Warden in the West, whose duty it is to
assist the Worshipful Master in the discharge of
his arduous labors; and the pillar Beauty, by the
Junior Warden in the South, whose duty it is to
call the Craft from labor to refreshment, superintend
them during the hours thereof, carefully to observe
that the means of refreshment are not perverted
to intemperance or excess, and see that they
return to their labor in due season, that the
Worshipful Master may receive honor, and they
pleasure and profit thereby.
The covering of a Lodge is no less than the clouded
canopy, or starry decked heaven, where all good
Masons hope at last to arrive by the aid of that
ladder which Jacob in his vision saw extended
from earth to heaven, the principal rounds of which
are denominated Faith, Hope and Charity, which
admonish us to have Faith in God, Hope in
Immortality, and Charity to all mankind. The
greatest of these is Charity; for our Faith may be
lost in sight, Hope ends in fruition, but Charity
extends beyond the grave, through the boundless
realms of eternity.
Every regular and well governed Lodge is furnished
with the Holy Bible, the Square, and the
Compasses, together with a Charter or
Dispensation. The Holy Bible is dedicated to the
service of God, because it is the inestimable gift
of God to man, and on it we obligate our newly
made Brethren. The Square to the Master,
because it is the proper Masonic emblem of his
office, and the Compasses to the Craft, because,
by a due attention to their use, they are taught to
circumscribe their desires and keep their passions
in due bounds with all mankind, especially the
Brethren. The Ornaments of a Lodge are the
Mosaic Pavement, the Indented Tessel, and the
Blazing Star. The Mosaic Pavement is a
representation of the ground floor of King
Solomon’s Temple; the Indented Tessel, of that
beautiful tessellated border or skirting which
surrounded it. The Mosaic Pavement is
emblematical of human life, checkered with good
and evil; the Indented Tessel, or tessellated border,
of the manifold blessings and comforts which
constantly surround us, and which we hope to
enjoy by a firm reliance on Divine Providence,
which is hieroglyphically represented by the
Blazing Star in the centre.
A Lodge has Three Symbolic Lights, situated
East, West and South. There is none in the North,
because King Solomon’s Temple was situated so
far north of the ecliptic that the sun, even at
meridian, did not dart its rays into the
northernmost parts thereof. The North, therefore,
we Masonically term a place of darkness.
A Lodge has six Jewels - three movable and three
immovable. The Immovable Jewels are the Square,
the Level and the Plumb. They are so termed
because they are appropriated to particular parts
of the Lodge, where alone they should be found -the
Square to the East, the Level to the West and
the Plumb to the South. Although the Brethren
occupying those stations may from time to time
be changed, still the Jewels will always be found
in their respective stations in the Lodge.
The Movable Jewels are the Rough Ashlar, the
Perfect Ashlar, and the Trestle-board. The Rough
Ashlar is a stone in its rude and natural state, as
taken from the quarry; the Perfect Ashlar, one
prepared by the workmen, to be adjusted by the
working tools of a Fellow Craft; and the Trestle-board
is for the master workman to draw his
designs upon.
By the Rough Ashlar we are reminded of our rude
and imperfect state by nature; by the Perfect
Ashlar, of that state of perfection at which we hope
to arrive by aid of a virtuous education, our own
endeavors and the blessing of Deity; and as the
operative workman erects his temporal building
in accordance with the designs laid down upon
the Trestle-board by the master workman, so
should we, both operative and speculative,
endeavor to erect our spiritual building in
accordance with the designs laid down by the
Supreme Architect of the Universe in the Great
Book of Nature and Revelation, which is our
spiritual, moral and Masonic Trestle-board.
Lodges are situated due east and west, because
King Solomon’s Temple was so situated. Moses,
by divine command, after having conducted the
Children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, from
the house of bondage, through the Red Sea and
into the wilderness, erected a Tabernacle to God,
which he situated due east and west, to
commemorate that miraculous east wind which
wrought their mighty deliverance. King Solomon’s
Temple is said to have been a representation of
that Tabernacle.
Lodges were anciently dedicated to King Solomon,
as he is said to have been our first Most Excellent
Grand Master; but modern Masons dedicate their
Lodges to St. John the Baptist and St. John the
Evangelist, and since their time there is
represented in every regular and well governed
Lodge a certain point within a circle, the point
representing the individual Brother, the circle
representing the boundary line of his duty to God
and man, beyond which he is never to suffer his
passions, prejudices or interests to betray him
on any occasion. This circle is embordered by
two perpendicular parallel lines, representing St.
John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, and
upon the vertex rests the book of Holy Scriptures,
which points out the whole duty of man.
In going around this circle we necessarily touch
upon these lines as well as upon the Holy
Scriptures, and while a Mason keeps himself thus
circumscribed, it is impossible that he should
materially err.
The principal tenets of our profession are three-fold,
including the inculcation and practice of those
truly commendable virtues, Brotherly Love, Relief
and Truth.
By the exercise of Brotherly Love we are taught
to regard the whole human race as one family -the
high, the low, the rich, the poor - who, being
created by one Almighty Parent, and inhabitants
of the same planet, ought to aid, support and
protect each other. On this principle Masonry
unites men of every country, sect and opinion,
and conciliates true friendship among those who
might otherwise have remained at a perpetual
distance.
To relieve the distressed is a duty incumbent on
all men, but particularly on Masons, who are linked
together by an indissoluble chain of sincere
affection. To soothe the unhappy, to sympathize
with them in their misfortunes, to compassionate
their miseries, and to restore peace to their
troubled minds is the great aim we have in view.
On this basis we form our friendships and establish
our connections.
Truth is a divine attribute and the foundation of
every virtue. To be good men and true is the first
lesson we are taught in Freemasonry. On this
theme we contemplate, and by its dictates
endeavor to regulate our conduct. Hence, while
influenced by this principle, hypocrisy and deceit
are unknown among us, sincerity and plain-dealing
distinguish us, and the heart and the tongue join
in promoting each others welfare and rejoicing in
each others prosperity. My Brother, in order that
you may better understand what is to follow, I will
ask the Senior Deacon a question.
WM: Brother Senior Deacon.
SD: Worshipful Master (or else, if the lecture is not
being delivered by the WM, the name or title of
the actual lecturer.)
WM: How may I know you to be a Mason?
SD: By certain signs, a token, a word, and the perfect
points of my entrance.
(Lecturer resumes):
My Brother, signs, grips, and words have been
particularly explained to you, but the perfect
points of your entrance have not. They are four,
the Pectoral, Manual, Guttural and Pedal. They
represent the four cardinal virtues, Fortitude,
Prudence, Temperance and Justice.
Fortitude is the noble and steady purpose of the
mind whereby we are enabled to undergo any pain,
peril or danger, when prudently deemed expedient.
This virtue is equally distant from rashness and
cowardice, and should be deeply impressed upon
your mind as a safeguard or security against any
attempt that may be made, by force or otherwise,
to extort from you any of those valuable secrets
with which you have been so solemnly entrusted,
and which was emblematically represented upon
your first admission into the Lodge, when you were
received on the point of a sharp instrument piercing
your naked left breast. This, my Brother, is the
first perfect point of your entrance, the Pectoral.
Prudence teaches us to regulate our lives and
actions agreeably to the dictates of Reason, and
is the habit by which we wisely judge and
prudently determine on all things relative to our
present as well as our future happiness. This
virtue should be your peculiar characteristic, not
only for the government of your conduct while in
the Lodge, but also when abroad in the world.
You should be particularly cautious in all strange
or mixed companies, never to let fall the least
sign, token or word whereby the secrets of
Freemasonry might be obtained ever bearing in
mind that solemn moment while kneeling at the
Altar of Freemasonry, your left supporting, your
right resting on the Holy Bible, Square and
Compasses, you solemnly promised to conceal
and never reveal the secrets of Freemasonry. This
is the second perfect point of your entrance, the
Manual.
Temperance is that due restraint upon our
affections and passions which renders the body
tame and governable, and frees the mind of the
allurements of vice. This virtue should be your
constant practice, as you are thereby taught to
avoid excess or the contracting of any licentious
or vicious habits, the indulgence of which might
lead you to disclose some of those valuable
secrets which you have promised to conceal and
never reveal, and which would consequently
subject you to the contempt and detestation of
all good Masons, if not to the penalty of your
Obligation, that of having your throat cut across,
you tongue torn out and with your body buried in
the sands of the sea, at low-water mark, where
the tide ebbs and flows twice in twenty-four hours.
This is the third perfect point of your entrance,
the Guttural.
Justice is that standard or boundary of right which
enables us to render to every man his just due
without distinction. This virtue is not only
consistent with divine and human laws, but is the
very cement and support of civil society; and as
justice in a great measure constitutes the really
good man, so should it be your invariable practice
never to deviate from the minutest principles
thereof; ever remembering that while standing in
the north-east corner of the Lodge before the
Worshipful Master, you were informed that you
there stood an upright man and Mason, and it
was given you strictly in charge ever to walk and
act as such before God and man. This is the
fourth perfect point of your entrance, the Pedal.
Entered Apprentices should serve their masters
with freedom, fervency and zeal, which are
represented by Chalk, Charcoal, and Clay.
There is nothing freer than Chalk, the slightest
touch of which leaves a trace; there is nothing
more fervent than Charcoal, for to it, when properly
ignited, the most obdurate metals will yield; there
is nothing more zealous than Clay, our mother
Earth, for it alone of all the elements has never
proved unfriendly to man. Bodies of water deluge
him with rain, oppress him with hail and drown
him with inundation; the air rushes in storms and
prepares the tempest; the fire lights up the volcano;
but the Earth, ever kind and indulgent, is found
subservient to his wishes. Though constantly
harassed, more to furnish the luxuries than the
necessaries of life, she never refuses her
accustomed yield, spreading his pathway with
flowers and his table with plenty. Though she
produces poison, still she supplies the antidote,
and returns with interest every good committed
to her care; and when at last we are called upon
to pass through the "dark valley of the shadow of
death", she once more receives us, and piously
covers our remains within her bosom, thus
admonishing us that as from it we came, so to it
we must shortly return.
WM: This, my Brother, concludes the ceremony of your
initiation, and if you will rise I will repeat to you
the Charge. (Or, if the Charge is not being delivered
by the WM, the name or title of the person doing
so)
