The Ritual of the Second Degree of Freemasonry
FellowCraft Degree of Freemasonry
as practiced in the State of Nevada
circa 1986
The following abbreviations are used throughout this ritual.
Active Participants
WM
.
.Worshipful Master
SW
.
.Senior Warden
JW
.
.Junior Warden
Tr.
.
.Treasurer
Sec
.Secretary
SD
.
.Senior Deacon
JD
.
.Junior Deacon
SS.
.Senior Steward
JS
.
.Junior Steward
Tyl
.
.Tyler
Ch
.
.Chaplain
Cand
.Candidate
(*; * *; or * * *, normally signifies the number of raps from
a gavel. In the case of the Senior Deacon, his staff,
pounding on the floor; when it is done at either the outer
or inner door, it signifies a knock on the door.
(S) signifies the due-guard and sign being given as a
salutation to the Worshipful Master.)
The following exposure has been translated from a Masonic cypher.
Commercially printed exposures of Masonic ritual are
readily available. LESTERS LOOK TO THE EAST and DUNCANS
RITUAL are two of the better known editions in the United
States. They are available at many book stores.
Masonic Cyphers are commonly used as a memory
aid for those who are learning ritual. Such cyphers
contain one to several letters which represent each and
every word in the ritual. Masonic ritual is not placed
entirely in print by the lodge, for obvious reasons.
However, Grand Lodges do publish small books which
are given to men who are raised to Master Mason. These
Masonic Monitors contain statements as to the Grand
Lodges authoritative interpretation of the meaning of the
ritual.
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3
FELLOW CRAFTS OPENING:
WM: *. Officers, take your respective stations and
places; Brethren be clothed.
WM: *. Brother Senior Warden.
SW: Worshipful Master.
WM: Are all present Fellow Crafts?
SW: I will ascertain through the proper officer and
report.
SW: Brother Junior Deacon.
JD: Brother Senior Warden.
SW: Are all present Fellow Crafts?
JD: Brother Senior Warden, all present are Fellow
Crafts.
SW: Worshipful Master.
WM: Brother Senior Warden.
SW: All present are Fellow Crafts.
WM: As further evidence that all present are Fellow
Crafts, receive the pass-word from the Senior
and Junior Deacons, who will obtain it from the
Brethren on the right and left, and communicate
it in the East.
SW: *. Deacons, attend the West.
SW: Give me the pass-word of a Fellow Craft. Now
obtain it from the Brethren on the right and left
and communicate it to the Worshipful Master in
the East.
WM: Brother Senior Warden.
SW: Worshipful Master.
WM: The pass-word is right and duly received in the
East.
WM: *. Brother Junior Deacon.
JD: Worshipful Master.
WM: The first great care of Masons when convened.
JD: To see that they are duly tyled.
WM: Attend to that duty and inform the Tyler that I am
about to open a Lodge of Fellow Crafts, and direct
him to tyle accordingly.
JD: Brother Tyler, I am directed to inform you that
the Worshipful Master is about to open a Lodge
of Fellow Crafts. Take due notice thereof and
govern yourself accordingly.
JD: * * *.
Tyl: * * *.
JD: (S) Worshipful Master, we are duly tyled.
WM: How are we tyled?
JD: By a Brother of this degree without, armed with
the proper implement of his office.
WM: His duty there?
JD: To observe the approach of cowans and
eavesdroppers, and suffer none to pass or repass
except such as are duly qualified and have
permission from the Worshipful Master.
WM: *. Brother Senior Warden.
SW: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Are you a Fellow Craft?
SW: I am, try me.
WM: By what will you be tried?
SW: By the square.
WM: Why by the Square?
SW: Because it is an emblem of morality and one of
the working tools of a Fellow Craft.
WM: What is a Square?
SW: An angle of ninety degrees, or the fourth part of
a circle.
WM: What makes you a Fellow Craft?
SW: My Obligation.
WM: Where were you made a Fellow Craft?
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4
SW: Within the body of a just and duly constituted
Lodge of Fellow Crafts, assembled in a place
representing the Middle Chamber of King
Solomons Temple.
WM: How many compose a Fellow Crafts Lodge?
SW: Five or more.
WM: When composed of five, of whom does it consist?
SW: The Worshipful Master, Senior and Junior
Wardens, Senior and Junior Deacons.
WM: Brother Senior Warden, the Junior Deacons
place in the Lodge?
SW: At my right.
WM: * *. Brother Junior Deacon.
JD: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Your duty?
JD: To carry messages from the Senior Warden in
the West to the Junior Warden in the South, and
elsewhere about the Lodge as he may direct;
attend to alarms at the outer door and report the
same to the Worshipful Master; also to see that
we are duly tyled.
WM: The Senior Deacons place?
JD: At the right of the Worshipful Master in the East.
WM: Brother Senior Deacon.
SD: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Your duty?
SD: To carry orders from the Worshipful Master in
the East to the Senior Warden in the West, and
elsewhere about the Lodge as he may direct;
welcome and clothe visiting Brethren, attend to
alarms at the inner door; also to receive and
conduct candidates.
WM: The Junior Wardens station?
SD: In the South.
WM: Brother Junior Warden.
JW: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Your duty in the South?
JW: To observe the sun at meridian, which is the glory
and beauty of the day; call the Craft from labor
to refreshment, superintend them during the
hours thereof, carefully to observe that their
means of refreshment are not perverted to
intemperance or excess, and see that they return
in due season that the Worshipful Master may
receive honor, and they pleasure and profit
thereby.
WM: The Senior Wardens station?
JW: In the West.
WM: Brother Senior Warden.
SW: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Why in the West?
SW: As the sun is in the West at close of day, so
stands the Senior Warden in the West, to assist
the Worshipful Master in opening and closing
the Lodge; paying the Craft their wages, if any
be due, that none may go away dissatisfied;
harmony being the support of all institutions,
especially this of ours.
WM: The Masters station?
SW: In the East.
WM: Why in the East?
SW: As the sun rises in the East to open and govern
the day, (WM: * * *) so rises the Worshipful Master
in the East to open and govern the Lodge; setting
the Craft at work, giving them proper instruction
for their labor.
WM: Brother Senior Warden, it is my order that ____
____ Lodge No. ___ be now opened on the
Second Degree of Freemasonry for work and
instruction. This communicate to the Junior
Warden in the South, and he to the Brethren
present, that having due notice thereof, they may
govern themselves accordingly.
SW: Brother Junior Warden.
JW: Brother Senior Warden.
SW: It is the order of the Worshipful Master that ____
____ Lodge No. ___ be now opened on the
Second Degree of Freemasonry for work and
instruction. This communicate to the Brethren
present, that having due notice thereof, they may
govern themselves accordingly.
JW: Brethren, it is the order of the Worshipful Master,
communicated to me through the Senior Warden
in the West, that ____ ____ Lodge No. ___ be
now opened on the Second Degree of
Freemasonry for work and instruction. I
communicate the same to you, that having due
notice thereof, you may govern yourselves
accordingly.
WM: Brethren; attend to giving the signs; observe the
East.
WM: *.
SW: *.
JW: *.
WM: *.
SW: *.
JW: *.
WM: Brethren, give your attention to the Chaplain.
Chap: Most Holy and Glorious Lord God, the Great
Architect of the Universe, the Giver of all good
gifts and graces! Thou hast promised that
Where two or three are gathered together in
Thy name, Thou wilt be in their midst and bless
them. In Thy name we have assembled, and in
Thy name we desire to proceed in all our doings.
Grant that the sublime principles of Freemasonry
may so subdue every discordant passion within
us - so harmonize and enrich our hearts with
Thine own love and goodness - that the Lodge at
this time may humbly reflect that order and beauty
which reign forever before Thy throne. AMEN.
(ALL) So mote it be.
WM: Brother Senior Deacon.
SD: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Attend at the Altar and display the Three Great
Lights in Masonry.
WM: Behold how good and how pleasant it is for
Brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the
precious ointment upon the head, that ran down
upon the beard, even Aarons beard: that went
down to the skirts of his garments; as the dew of
Hermon, and as the dew the descended upon
the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord
commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
In the name of God and the Holy Saints John, I
now declare ____ ____ Lodge No. ___ duly
opened and in order for business; at the same
time strictly forbidding any un-Masonic conduct
whereby the harmony of the same might be
disturbed.
WM: Brother Junior Deacon.
JD: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Inform the Tyler.
JD: * * *. Brother Tyler, I am directed to inform you
that the Lodge is now open on the Fellow Craft
Degree. Take due notice thereof and tyle
accordingly.
JD: * * *.
Tyl: * * *.
WM: Brother Senior Deacon.
SD: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Present the Flag of our Country at the Altar.
WM: Brethren; you will join me in the Pledge of
Allegiance to the Flag of our Country.
(ALL) (Recite the Pledge of Allegiance)
WM: If there are present any Present or Past Grand
Officers, Present or Past Masters, they are
cordially and fraternally invited to a seat in the
East.
FELLOW CRAFT DEGREE:
WM: *. Brethren; Brother _____ is in waiting for the
Second Degree of Freemasonry, he having made
suitable proficiency in the preceding degree. If
there is no objection, I shall confer this degree
upon him. (Pause) Brethren, there being none,
I will proceed.
WM: *. Brother Stewards.
SS: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: How should a Brother be prepared for the Second
Degree of Freemasonry?
SS: By being divested of all metallic substances,
neither naked nor clothed, barefoot nor shod,
right knee and breast bare, hood-winked, and
with a cable-tow twice around his right arm,
clothed as an Entered Apprentice.
WM: Repair to the preparation room where Brother
____ is in waiting. When thus prepared, cause
him to make the usual alarm at the inner door.
(At this time, any Present or Past Grand Lodge Officers,
or Masters, who had been invited to a seat in the East,
retire to the sidelines for the degree work.)
Cand: * * *
SD: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Brother Senior Deacon.
SD: There is an alarm at the inner door.
WM: Attend to the alarm and ascertain the cause.
SD: * * *. Who comes here?
SS: Brother ____, who has been duly initiated an
Entered Apprentice, and now wishes more Light
in Masonry by being passed to the Degree of
Fellow Craft.
SD: Brother ____, is this an act of your own free will
and accord?
Cand: It is.
SD: Brother Stewards, is he worthy and well qualified?
SS: He is.
SD: Duly and truly prepared?
SS: He is.
SD: Has he made suitable proficiency in the preceding
degree?
SS: He has.
SD: By what further right or benefit does he expect to
obtain this important privilege?
SS: By the benefit of the pass-word.
SD: Has he the pass-word?
SS: He has not, I have it for him.
SD: Advance and give it.
SS: Shibboleth.
SD: The pass-word is right. Since the Brother is in
possession of all these necessary qualifications,
let him wait until the Worshipful Master can be
informed of his request, and his answer returned.
SD: * * *. Worshipful Master.
WM: Brother Senior Deacon.
SD: There is without, Brother ____, who has been
duly initiated an Entered Apprentice, and now
wishes more Light in Masonry by being passed
to the Degree of Fellow Craft.
WM: Is this an act of his own free will and accord?
SD: It is.
WM: Is he worthy and well qualified?
SD: He is.
WM: Duly and truly prepared?
SD: He is.
WM: Has he made suitable proficiency in the preceding
degree?
SD: He has.
WM: By what further right or benefit does he expect to
obtain this important privilege?
SD: By the benefit of the pass-word.
WM: Has he the pass-word?
SD: He has not, I have it for him.
WM: Give it for the benefit of the Craft.
SD: Shibboleth.
WM: The pass-word is right. Since the Brother is in
possession of all these necessary qualifications,
let him enter this Worshipful Lodge of Fellow
Crafts, and be received in due and ancient form.
SD: * * *. Let him enter this Worshipful Lodge of Fellow
Crafts, and be received in due and ancient form.
SD: Brother ____, when first you entered a Lodge of
Free and Accepted Masons, you were received
on the point of a sharp instrument piercing your
naked left breast, the moral of which was at that
time explained to you. I am now commanded to
receive you on the angle of a square applied to
your naked right breast, which is to teach you
that the Square of Virtue should be a rule and
guide for your practice through life.
JW: *.
SW: *.
WM: *.
JW: * *.
Chap: Thus he shewed me; and behold the Lord stood
upon a wall made by a plumb-line, with a plumbline
in His hand.
SW: * *.
Chap: And the Lord said unto me: Amos, what seest
thou? And I said, A plumb-line. Then said the
Lord: Behold, I will set a plumb-line in the midst
of my people Israel.
WM: * *.
Chap: I will not again pass by them any more.
SD: * * *.
JW: *. Who comes here?
SD: Brother ____, who has been duly initiated an
Entered Apprentice, and now wishes more Light
in Masonry by being passed to the Degree of
Fellow Craft.
JW: Brother ____, is this an act of your own free will
and accord?
Cand: It is.
JW: Brother Senior Deacon, is he worthy and well
qualified?
SD: He is.
JW: Duly and truly prepared?
SD: He is.
JW: Has he made suitable proficiency in the preceding
degree?
SD: He has.
JW: By what further right or benefit does he expect to
obtain this important privilege?
SD: By the benefit of the pass-word.
JW: Has he the pass-word?
SD: He has not. I have it for him.
JW: Advance and give it.
SD: Shibboleth.
JW: The pass-word is right. Since the Brother is in
possession of all these necessary qualifications,
conduct him to the Senior Warden in the West
for his examination.
SD: * * *.
SW: *. Who comes here?
SD: Brother ____, who has been duly initiated an
Entered Apprentice, and now wishes more Light
in Masonry by being passed to the Degree of
Fellow Craft.
SW: Brother ____, is this an act of your own free will
and accord?
Cand: It is.
SW: Brother Senior Deacon, is he worthy and well
qualified?
SD: He is.
SW: Duly and truly prepared?
SD: He is.
SW: Has he made suitable proficiency in the preceding
degree?
SD: He has.
SW: By what further right or benefit does he expect to
obtain this important privilege?
SD: By the benefit of the pass-word.
SW: Has he the pass-word?
SD: He has not. I have it for him.
SW: Advance and give it.
SD: Shibboleth.
SW: The pass-word is right. Since the Brother is in
possession of all these necessary qualifications,
conduct him to the Worshipful Master in the East
for his examination.
SD: * * *.
WM: *. Who comes here?
SD: Brother ____, who has been duly initiated an
Entered Apprentice, and now wishes more Light
in Masonry by being passed to the Degree of
Fellow Craft.
WM: Brother ____, is this an act of your own free will
and accord?
Cand: It is.
WM: Brother Senior Deacon, is he worthy and well
qualified?
SD: He is.
WM: Duly and truly prepared?
SD: He is.
WM: Has he made suitable proficiency in the preceding
degree?
SD: He has.
WM: By what further right or benefit does he expect to
obtain this important privilege?
SD: By the benefit of the pass-word.
WM: Has he the pass-word?
SD: He has not. I have it for him.
WM: Advance and give it.
SD: Shibboleth. (Each of the three times it is given
during this examination, the pass-word is
whispered by the Senior Deacon into the ear of
the examiner, so that the candidate will not
overhear it.)
WM: The pass-word is right. Whence came you and
whither are you traveling?
SD: From the West, traveling East.
WM: Why did you leave the West and travel East?
SD: In search of more Light in Masonry.
WM: Since the Brother is in possession of all these
necessary qualifications, and in search of more
Light in Masonry, re-conduct him to the Senior
Warden in the West, who will teach him how to
approach the East in due and ancient form.
SD: Brother Senior Warden.
SW: Brother Senior Deacon.
SD: It is the order of the Worshipful Master that you
teach this Brother how to approach the East in
due and ancient form.
SW: Cause the Brother to face the East.
SW: Brother ____, advance on your left foot as an
Entered Apprentice. Take an additional step on
your right foot, bringing the heel of your left into
the hollow of your right, thereby forming the angle
of a square.
SW: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Brother Senior Warden.
SW: The Brother is in order.
WM: Brother ____, before you can proceed further in
Freemasonry, it will be necessary for you to take
an Obligation appertaining to this degree. It
becomes my duty, as well as pleasure, to inform
you, that there is nothing contained in the
Obligation that conflicts with the duties you owe
to God, your country, your neighbor, your family,
or yourself. With this assurance on my part, are
you willing to take the Obligation?
Cand: (Answers in the affirmative)
WM: Than advance to the Sacred Altar of
Freemasonry. There kneel on your naked right
knee, your left forming the angle of a square,
your right hand resting on the Holy Bible, Square
and Compasses, your left in a vertical position,
your arm forming a square.
SD: (S) Worshipful Master, the Brother is in due form.
WM: * * *.
WM: Brother ____, if you are still willing to take the
Obligation, say I, pronounce your name in full,
and repeat after me.
Cand: I, ____ ____, of my own free will and accord, in
the presence of Almighty God and this Worshipful
Lodge of Fellow Crafts, erected to Him, and
dedicated to the memory of the Holy Saints John,
do hereby and hereon, solemnly and sincerely
promise and swear, that I will keep and conceal
and never reveal any of the secrets belonging to
the Degree of Fellow Craft, which I have received,
am about to receive, or may be hereafter
instructed in, to any person unless it shall be to a
worthy Brother Fellow Craft, or within the body
of a just and duly constituted Lodge of such; and
not unto him or them until by due trial, strict
examination, or lawful Masonic information, I shall
have found him or them justly entitled to receive
the same.
Furthermore, I do promise and swear that I will
answer and obey all due signs and regular
summons, sent me from the body of a just and
duly constituted Lodge of Fellow Crafts, or handed
me by a worthy Brother of this degree, if within
the length of my cable-tow, and the square and
angle of my work.
Furthermore, I do promise and swear that I will
help, aid and assist all poor and distressed Fellow
Crafts, they applying to me as such, I finding
them worthy, and can do so without material injury
to myself.
Furthermore, I do promise and swear that I will
not wrong, cheat, nor defraud a Fellow Crafts
Lodge, or a worthy Brother of this degree, to the
value of anything, knowingly, nor suffer it to be
done by another if in my power to prevent.
To all of which I do solemnly and sincerely
promise and swear, without any hesitation, mental
reservation, or secret evasion of mind in me
whatsoever, binding myself under no less a
penalty than that of having my left breast torn
open, my heart and vitals taken thence, and with
my body given as a prey to the vultures of the
air, should I ever knowingly, or willfully, violate
this, my solemn Obligation of a Fellow Craft. So
help me God and make me steadfast to keep and
perform the same.
WM: In token of your sincerity, kiss the Holy Bible on
which you hand rests.
WM: Brother Senior Deacon, remove the cable-tow.
WM: Brother ____, in your present situation, what do
you most desire?
Cand: (prompted by SD) More Light in Masonry.
WM: Let the Brother be brought to Light.
WM: My Brother, on being brought to Light in this
degree, you behold the Three Great Lights in
Masonry, as in the preceding degree, with this
difference: One point of the Compasses is above
the Square, which is to teach you that you have
received, and are entitled to receive, more Light
in Masonry. But as one point is still hidden from
your view, it is also to teach you that you are as
yet one material point in darkness respecting
Freemasonry.
WM: *.
WM: You now behold me as Worshipful Master of this
Lodge, approaching you from the East, upon the
step, under the due-guard and sign of an Entered
Apprentice; upon the step, under the due-guard
and sign of a Fellow Craft. My Brother, a Fellow
Craft advances on his right foot, bringing the heel
of his left into the hollow of his right, thereby
forming the angle of a square. This is the
dueguard, and alludes to the position of your
hands while taking the Obligation; this is the sign,
and alludes to the penalty of the Obligation. This
due-guard and sign are always to be given as a
salutation to the Worshipful Master, also on
entering or retiring from a Fellow Crafts Lodge.
WM: My Brother, before rising from this Sacred Altar
where you have taken the solemn Obligation of a
Fellow Craft, I wish to direct your attention to
one of its ties. You have sworn that you would
answer and obey all due signs and regular
summons sent you from the body of a just and
duly constituted Lodge of Fellow Crafts, or handed
you by a worthy Brother of this degree, if within
the length of your cable-tow and the square and
angle of your work. The length of your cabletow
alludes to your ability to obey a summons,
and the square and angle of your work to the
propriety of answering such. Should you receive
a summons from this or any other Lodge, health
and business permitting, it would be your duty to
obey it; health and business not permitting, it
would not be within the length of your cable-tow.
Should you see a Masonic sign given at what you
deemed an improper time, or an improper place,
you are not bound to answer it; it would not be
within the square and angle of your work. My
Brother, your own good judgment must tell you
when and where to answer Masonic signs.
I now present my right hand in token of the
continuance of friendship and brotherly love, and
will invest you with the pass-grip, pass-word, real
grip and word of a Fellow Craft. As you are
uninstructed, he who has hitherto answered for
you, will do so at this time. Give me the grip of
an Entered Apprentice.
WM: Brother Senior Deacon.
SD: Worshipful Master.
WM: Will you be off or from?
SD: From.
WM: From what and to what?
SD: From the grip of an Entered Apprentice to the
pass-grip of a Fellow Craft.
WM: Pass. What is that?
SD: The pass-grip of a Fellow Craft.
WM: Has it a name?
SD: It has.
WM: Will you give it to me?
SD: I did not so receive it; neither will I so impart it.
WM: How will you dispose of it?
SD: Letter or syllable it.
WM: Syllable it and begin.
SD: You begin.
WM: Begin you.
SD: Shib.
WM: bo.
SD: leth.
WM: Shibboleth, my Brother, is the name of this grip.
You should always remember it, for should you
be present at the opening or a Fellow Crafts
Lodge, this pass-word will be demanded of you
by one of the Deacons, and should you be unable
to give it, it would cause confusion in the Craft.
WM: Will you be off or from?
SD: From.
WM: From what and to what?
SD: From the pass-grip of a Fellow Craft, to the real
grip of the same.
WM: Pass. What is that?
SD: The real grip of a Fellow Craft.
WM: Has it a name?
SD: It has.
WM: Will you give it to me?
SD: I did not so receive it; neither will I so impart it.
WM: How will you dispose of it?
SD: Letter or halve it.
WM: Letter it and begin.
SD: You begin.
WM: Begin you.
SD: A.
WM: J.
SD: C.
WM: H.
SD: I.
WM: N.
WM: Jachin, my Brother, is the name of this grip, and
should always be given in this manner, by lettering
or halving it. When lettering, always commence
with the letter A. Rise, salute the Junior and
Senior Wardens and satisfy them that you are in
possession of the step, due-guard, sign, passgrip,
pass-word, real grip and word of a Fellow
Craft.
SD: * * *.
JW: *. Who comes here?
SD: A worthy Brother Fellow Craft.
JW: How may I know him to be such?
SD: By certain signs and tokens.
JW: What are signs?
SD: Right angles, horizontals, and perpendiculars
JW: Advance a sign. Has that an allusion?
SD: It has; to the position of my hands while taking
the Obligation.
JW: Have you a further sign?
SD: I have.
JW: Has that an allusion?
SD: It has, to the penalty of the Obligation.
JW: What are tokens?
SD: Certain friendly or brotherly grips whereby one
Mason may know another in the dark as in the
light.
JW: Advance and give me a token. What is that?
SD: The pass-grip of a Fellow Craft.
JW: Has it a name?
SD: It has.
JW: Will you give it to me?
SD: I did not so receive it; neither will I so impart it.
JW: How will you dispose of it?
SD: Letter or syllable it.
JW: Syllable it and begin.
SD: You begin.
JW: Begin you.
Cand: Shib. (prompted if necessary)
JW: bo.
Cand: leth.
Cand: Shibboleth.
JW: Will you be off or from?
SD: From.
JW: From what and to what?
SD: From the pass-grip of a Fellow Craft to the real
grip of the same.
JW: Pass. What is that?
SD: The real grip of a Fellow Craft.
JW: Has it a name?
SD: It has.
JW: Will you give it to me?
SD: I did not so receive it; neither will I so impart it.
JW: How will you dispose of it?
SD: Letter or halve it.
JW: Letter it and begin.
SD: You begin.
JW: Begin you.
Cand: A. (prompted as necessary)
JW: J.
Cand: C.
JW: H.
Cand: I.
JW: N.
SD: Jachin.
JW: The word is right. I am satisfied.
SD: * * *.
SW: *. Who comes here?
SD: A worthy Brother Fellow Craft.
SW: How may I know him to be such?
SD: By certain signs and tokens.
SW: What are signs?
SD: Right angles, horizontals, and perpendiculars.
SW: Advance a sign. Has that an allusion?
SD: It has; to the position of my hands while taking
the Obligation.
SW: Have you a further sign?
SD: I have.
SW: Has that an allusion?
SD: It has; to the penalty of the Obligation.
SW: What are tokens?
SD: Certain friendly or brotherly grips whereby one
Mason may know another in the dark as in the light.
SW: Advance and give me a token. What is that?
SD: The pass-grip of a Fellow Craft.
SW: Has it a name?
SD: It has.
SW: Will you give it to me?
SD: I did not so receive it; neither will I so impart it.
SW: How will you dispose of it?
SD: Letter or syllable it.
SW: Syllable it and begin.
SD: You begin.
SW: Begin you.
Cand: Shib. (prompted)
SW: bo.
Cand: leth.
Cand: Shibboleth.
SW: Will you be off or from?
SD: From.
SW: From what and to what?
SD: From the pass-grip of a Fellow Craft to the real
grip of the same.
SW: Pass. What is that?
SD: The real grip of a Fellow Craft.
SW: Has it a name?
SD: It has.
SW: Will you give it to me?
SD: I did not so receive it; neither will I so impart it.
SW: How will you dispose of it?
SD: Letter or syllable it.
SW: Syllable it and begin.
SD: You begin.
SW: Begin you.
Cand: A;
SW: J;
Cand: C;
SW: H;
Cand: I;
SW: N.
Cand: Jachin.
SW: The word is right, I am satisfied. Conduct the
Brother to the Worshipful Master in the East.
WM: *. Brother Senior Deacon, re-conduct the Brother
to the Senior Warden in the West, who will teach
him how to wear his apron as a Fellow Craft.
SD: Brother Senior Warden.
SW: Brother Senior Deacon.
SD: It is the order of the Worshipful Master that you
teach this Brother how to wear his apron as a
Fellow Craft.
SW: Cause the Brother to face the East. My Brother,
you have already been informed that at the
building of King Solomons Temple, the different
bands of workmen were distinguished by the
manner in which they wore their aprons. Fellow
Crafts wore theirs with the flap turned down at
the lower left corner, tucked up in the form of a
triangle, to serve as a receptacle for their working
tools. As a Fellow Craft you will therefore wear
yours in this manner, that the three sides of the
triangle thus formed may symbolize the fidelity,
industry, and skill which should characterize your
work as a Fellow Craft.
SD: Worshipful Master, your orders have been obeyed.
WM: My Brother, as you are now clothed as a Fellow
Craft, I present you emblematically, the working
tools, which are the Plumb, Square, and Level,
and are thus explained: The Plumb is an
instrument used by operative masons to try
perpendiculars, the Square to square their work,
and the Level to prove horizontals; but we, as
Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to use
them for more noble and glorious purposes. The
Plumb admonishes us to walk uprightly in our
several stations before God and man, squaring
our actions by the Square of Virtue, ever
remembering that we are traveling upon the Level
of Time to that undiscovered country from whose
bourne no traveler returns.
WM: I now present you the Three Precious Jewels;
the Attentive Ear, the Instructive Tongue, and the
Faithful Breast. They teach us this important
lesson. The Attentive Ear receives the sound
from the Instructive Tongue, and the mysteries
of Freemasonry are safely lodged in the
repository of Faithful Breasts.
WM: Brother Senior Deacon, reconduct the Brother
to the place whence he came, invest him with
that of which he has been divested, and return
him to a place representing the Middle Chamber
of King Solomons Temple.
WM: My Brother, salute as you have been instructed.
WM: *. Brother Junior Warden.
JW: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Call the Craft from labor to refreshment, to resume
labor at the sound of the gavel in the East.
JW: * * *. Brethren, it is the order of the Worshipful
Master that you be now called from labor to
refreshment, to resume labor at the sound of the
gavel in the East.
*. (Craft is called from labor to refreshment.)
WM: *. (Craft resumes labor.)
SS: * * *. (from outside the inner door)
SD: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Brother Senior Deacon.
SD: There is an alarm at the inner door.
WM: Attend to the alarm and ascertain the cause.
SD: * * *. Who comes here?
SS: Worthy Brother Fellow Crafts desire admission.
SD: Worshipful Master, worthy Brother Fellow Crafts
desire admission.
WM: You will admit them and conduct them
emblematically through a porch, up a flight of
winding stairs consisting of three, five, and seven
steps, through an outer and inner door, into a
place representing the Middle Chamber of King
Solomons Temple.
SD: It is the order of the Worshipful Master that you
be admitted and conducted emblematically
through a porch, up a flight of winding stairs
consisting of three, five, and seven steps, through
an outer and inner door, into a place representing
the Middle Chamber of King Solomons Temple.
MIDDLE CHAMBER LECTURE:
My Brother, the second section of this degree is
principally devoted to the explanation of physical
science, and by the studies attached thereto, the
mind is improved and elevated to a communion
with its Maker. Circumstances of importance to
the Craft, and of peculiar interest to the Mason
who delights in the study of the mystic beauties
of his profession, are here developed and
explained.
The second section of this degree also has
reference to the origin of the institution, and views
Masonry under two denominations, operative and
Speculative.
By operative masonry, we allude to the proper
application of the useful rules of architecture,
whence a structure will derive figure, strength
and beauty, and whence will result a due
proportion and just correspondence in all its parts.
It furnishes us with dwellings and convenient
shelter from the vicissitudes and inclemencies of
seasons; and while it displays the effects of human
wisdom, as well in the choice as in the
arrangement of the sundry materials of which an
edifice is composed, it demonstrates that a fund
of science and industry is implanted in man for
the best most salutary and beneficent purposes.
By Speculative, or Free, Masonry, we learn to
subdue the passions, act upon the Square, keep
a tongue of good report, maintain secrecy, and
practice charity. It is so far interwoven with
religion as to lay us under obligation to pay that
rational homage to the Deity which at once
constitutes our duty and our happiness. It leads
the contemplative to view with reverence and
admiration the glorious works of creation, and
inspires him with the most exalted ideas of the
perfection of his Divine Creator.
The second section of this degree also refers to
the origin of the Jewish Sabbath, as well as to
the manner in which it was kept by our ancient
Brethren.
In six days God created the heaven and the earth,
and rested on the seventh day; the seventh,
therefore, our ancient Brethren consecrated as
a day of rest from their labor, thereby enjoying
frequent opportunities to contemplate the glorious
works of Creation, and to adore their Great
Creator.
At the building of King Solomons Temple there
were eighty thousand Fellow Crafts employed.
These were all under the immediate direction of
our ancient Operative Grand Master Hiram Abif.
On the evening of the sixth day their work was
inspected, and all who had proved themselves
worthy, by strict fidelity to their duties, were
invested with certain mystic signs, grips, and
words, to enable them to gain admission into the
Middle Chamber of King Solomons Temple. On
the same day and hour, King Solomon,
accompanied by his confidential officers,
consisting of his Secretary, Senior and Junior
Wardens, repaired to the Middle Chamber to meet
them.
His Secretary he placed near his person, the
Senior Warden at the inner and the Junior Warden
at the outer door, giving them strict instructions
to suffer none to enter except such as were in
possession of certain mystic signs, grips, and
words, previously established, so that when any
did enter, he, knowing that they must have been
faithful workmen or they could not have gained
admission, had nothing to do but order their names
recorded as such, and pay them their wages,
which they received in corn, wine and oil,
emblematical of nourishment, refreshment and joy,
and after solemnly admonishing them of the
reverence due the great and sacred name of Deity,
suffered them to depart in peace until the time
should arrive to commence the following weeks
work.
This, you will perceive, was all accomplished on
the evening of the sixth day, that there might be
no unnecessary labor performed on the seventh,
that being a day set apart for rest and meditation.
We, my Brother, are in possession of the same
mystic signs, grips and words as were our ancient
Brethren, and are about to endeavor to work our
way into a place representing the Middle Chamber
of King Solomons Temple, and should we
succeed, I have no doubt we shall be alike
received and rewarded.
In doing this it will be necessary for us to make
an advance, emblematically, through a porch, up
a flight of winding stairs consisting of three, five,
and seven steps, through an outer and inner door.
In making this advance we necessarily pass
between two pillars or columns, representing
those pillars erected at the entrance to the porch
of King Solomons Temple; one on the right hand,
the other on the left. The name of the one on the
left hand was Boaz, denoting strength; the name
of the one on the right, Jachin, denoting
establishment, collectively alluding to several
promises of God to David, one of which reads:
And thine house and thy kingdom shall be
established forever before thee.
Also he made before the house two pillars of
thirty and five cubits high, and the chapiter that
was on the top of each of them was five cubits.
Their composition was of molten or cast brass,
the better to withstand inundation or conflagration,
that they might not be removed by flood or
destroyed by fire. They were cast in the clay
grounds on the banks of the River Jordan,
between Succoth and Zeredatha, where King
Solomon ordered these and all the sacred vessels
of the Temple to be cast. They were cast hollow
for the purpose of containing the rolls and records
which composed the archives of our ancient
Brethren.
The chapiters were adorned with leaves of lilywork,
network and chains of pomegranates, denoting
Peace, Unite, and Plenty. The Lily, from its
extreme whiteness, as well as the retired situation
in which it grows, denotes Peace; the Network,
from the intimate connection of all its parts, Unity;
and the Pomegranate, from the exuberance of its
seed, Plenty.
These pillars are surmounted by two artificial
spherical bodies, on the convex surfaces of which
are represented the countries, seas, and various
parts of the earth; the face of the heavens, the
planetary revolutions, and other important
particulars.
Contemplating these bodies, we are inspired with
a due reverence for the Deity and His works,
and are induced to encourage the studies of
astronomy, geography, navigation, and the arts
dependent on them, by which society has been
so much benefited.
Passing between these columns, the next object
to which our attention is particularly drawn is a
representation of a flight of winding stairs,
consisting of three, five, and seven steps, each
of which has certain Masonic significance.
The three steps allude to the Three Great Lights
in Masonry, the Holy Bible, Square and
Compasses; also to the three principal officers
of the Lodge, the Worshipful Master, Senior and
Junior Wardens, who represent the three great
supports of Masonry: Wisdom, Strength and
Beauty, it being necessary that there should be
wisdom to contrive, strength to support, and
beauty to adorn all great and important
undertakings.
The three steps also allude to the great luminary
of creation as he appears to us at the three
principal points of observation: he rises in the
east to open the day with a mild and gentle
influence, and all Nature rejoices at the
appearance of his beams; he gains his meridian
in the south, invigorating all things with the
perfection of his ripening qualities; with declining
strength he sets in the west to close the day,
leaving mankind to rest from their labor.
This is the type of the three principal stages in
the life of man; infancy, manhood, and age.
The first of these is characterized by the blush of
innocence as pure as the tints that gild the eastern
portals of the day; and the heart rejoices in the
unsuspecting integrity of its own unblemished
virtue, nor fears deceit, because it knows no guile.
Manhood succeeds; the ripening intellect attains
the meridian of its powers. At the approach of old
age, strength decays - his sun is setting in the
west. Enfeebled by sickness and bodily
infirmities, he lingers on until death finally closes
his eventful day, and happy is he if the setting
splendors of a virtuous life gild his departing
moments with the gentle tints of Hope, and close
his short career in peace, harmony, and brotherly
love.
Ponder well, my Brother, upon the wisdom taught
by these emblems, and be admonished:
That when thy summons comes to join
The innumerable caravan, which moves
To that mysterious realm, where each shall take
His chamber in the silent halls of death,
Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night,
Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and
soothed
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave
Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.
We will make a further advance and ascend the
five steps. The five steps allude to the five orders
of architecture, and the five human senses.
By order in architecture is meant a system of all
the members, proportions and ornaments of
columns and pilasters; or it is the regular
arrangement of the projecting parts of a building,
which, united with those of a column, form a
beautiful, perfect and complete whole.
From the first formation of society, order in
architecture may be traced. When the rigors of
seasons obliged men to contrive shelter from the
inclemency of the weather, we learn that they
first planted trees on end, and then laid others
across to support a covering.
The bands which connected those trees at top
and bottom are said to have given rise to the
idea of the base and capital of pillars, and from
this simple hint originally proceeded the more
improved art of architecture.
The five orders are thus classed: the Tuscan,
Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite.
The ancient and original orders of architecture
revered by Masons are no more than three - the
Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian, which were invented
by the Greeks. To these the Romans have added
two - the Tuscan, which they made plainer than
the Doric, and the Composite, which was more
ornamental, if not more beautiful than the
Corinthian. The first three orders alone, however,
show invention and particular character, and
essentially differ from each other; the two others
have nothing but what is borrowed, and differ
only accidentally. The Tuscan is the Doric in its
earliest state, and the Composite is the Corinthian
enriched with the Ionic. To the Greeks, therefore,
and not to the Romans, we are indebted for that
which is great, judicious and distinct in
architecture.
The five human senses are Hearing, Seeing,
Feeling, Smelling and Tasting, the first three of
which have ever been deemed prerequisite to
being made a Mason, for by Hearing we hear
the word, Shibboleth; by Seeing, we see the sign;
and by Feeling, we feel that friendly and brotherly
grip whereby one Mason may know another in
the dark as in the light.
We will now make a still further advance and
ascend the seven steps. The seven steps allude
to the seven liberal arts and sciences, which are:
Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Geometry,
Music, and Astronomy.
Grammar is the science which teaches us how
to express our ideas in appropriate words, which
we afterward beautify and adorn with Rhetoric;
while Logic instructs us how to think and reason
with propriety, and to make language subordinate
to thought.
Arithmetic, which is the science of computing by
numbers, is absolutely essential, not only to a
thorough knowledge of all mathematical science,
but also to a proper pursuit of our daily vocations.
Geometry treats of the powers and properties of
magnitudes in general, where length, breadth and
thickness are considered - from a point to a line,
from a line to a superficies, and from a superficies
to a solid.
A point is the beginning of all geometrical matter.
A line is the continuation of the same.
A superficies has length and breadth without a
given thickness.
A solid has length and breadth with a given
thickness, which forms a cube and comprehends
the whole.
By this science the architect is enabled to
construct his plans and execute his designs; the
general to arrange his soldiers; the engineer to
mark out grounds for encampments; the
geographer to give the dimensions of the world
and all things therein contained - to delineate the
extent of the seas, and specify the divisions of
empires, kingdoms and provinces. By it also,
the astronomer is enabled to make his
observations, and to fix the duration of times and
seasons, years and cycles. In fine, Geometry is
the foundation of architecture and the root of
mathematics.
To be without a perception of the charms of Music
is to be without the finer traits of humanity. It is
the medium which gives the natural world
communication with the spiritual, and few are they
who have not felt its power and acknowledged its
expressions to be intelligible to the heart. It is a
language of delightful sensations, far more
eloquent than words. It breathes to the ear the
clearest intimations; it touches and gently agitates
the agreeable and sublime passions; it wraps us
in melancholy and elevates us to joy; it dissolves
and inflames; it melts us in tenderness and excites
us to war.
It has a voice for every age and a capacity for
every degree of taste and intelligence. Its lullaby
soothes the infant in its mothers arms; its joyous
notes wing the tripping feet of the dancers on the
green; its martial tones inspire the spirit of
patriotism, nerve the warriors arm, and fire his
heart. The stirring strains of national airs, heard
on the rough edge of battle, have ever thrilled the
soldier, causing him to burn with an emulous
desire to lead the perilous advance, and animating
him to deeds of heroic valor and the most sublime
devotion. Amid the roar of cannon, the din of
musketry and the carnage of battle, he is stricken
to the dust.
Raising himself to take one last long look on life,
he hears in the distance that plaintive strain,
Home, Sweet Home.
It was our mothers evening hymn, and has often
lulled us to sleep in infancy. The mellowing tides
of old cathedral airs, vibrating through aisles and
arches, have stilled the ruffled spirit, and
sweeping aside the discordant passions of men,
have bourne them along its resistless current,
until their united voices have joined in sounding
aloud the chorus of the heaven-born anthem:
Peace on earth, good will toward men.
But music never sounds with such seraphic
harmony as when employed in singing hymns of
gratitude to the Creator of the Universe:
Be Thou, O God, exalted high,
And as Thy glory fills the sky,
So let it be on earth displayed,
Till Thou art here, as there, obeyed.
Astronomy is that sublime science which inspires
the contemplative mind to soar aloft and read the
wisdom, strength and beauty of the Great Creator
in the heavens. How nobly eloquent of the Deity
is the celestial hemisphere - spangled with the
most magnificent heralds of His infinite glory!
They speak to the whole universe; for there is no
people so barbarous as to fail to understand their
language; no nation so distant that their voices
are not heard among them.
My Brother, we are now approaching a place
representing the outer door to the Middle
Chamber of King Solomons Temple, which we
will find partly open but closely tyled by the Junior
Warden, who will doubtless demand of us the
pass-word of a Fellow Craft. Let us advance
and make a regular alarm.
SD: * * *.
JW: Who comes here?
SD: Fellow Crafts endeavoring to work their way into
a place representing the Middle Chamber of King
Solomons Temple.
JW: How do you expect to gain admission?
SD: By the pass-word of a Fellow Craft.
JW: Give it.
SD: Shibboleth.
JW: What does it denote?
SD: Plenty.
JW: How represented?
SD: By a sheaf of corn, suspended near a waterfall,
which teaches us that while we have bread to eat
and pure refreshing water to drink, we have all
that necessity requires.
JW: By whom instituted?
SD: By Jephthah, a Judge of Israel, in a war with the
Ephraimites. The Ephraimites had long been a
stubborn and rebellious people, whom Jephthah
had striven to subdue by mild and lenient
measures, but without effect. They were highly
incensed at Jephthah for not being called to fight
and share in the rich spoils of the Ammonitish
war, and gathered together a mighty army,
crossed the River Jordan, and prepared to give
Jephthah battle; but, being apprised of their
approach, he called together the men of Israel,
went forth, gave them battle, and put them to flight;
and to make his victory more complete he
stationed guards at the different passes along
the banks of the River Jordan and said unto them,
If ye see any strangers pass this way, say unto
them, Now say ye, Shibboleth, but the
Ephraimites, being of a different tribe, could not
frame to pronounce the word and said Sibboleth.
This trifling defect proved them to be enemies
and cost them their lives, and there fell that day
on the field of battle and at the different passes
along the banks of the River Jordan, forty and
two thousand, after which Jephthah ruled quietly
in Israel until the time of his death, in all about six
years.
This was what affected us to distinguish a friend
from a foe, and has since been adopted as the
pass-word to be given before entering any regular
and well governed Lodge of Fellow Crafts.
JW: I am satisfied; pass on.
SD: My Brother, we are now approaching a place
representing the inner door to the Middle
Chamber of King Solomons Temple, which we
will find partly open but closely tyled by the Senior
Warden, who will doubtless demand of us the
real grip and word of a Fellow Craft. Let us
advance and make a regular alarm.
SD: * * *.
SW: *. Who comes here?
SD: Fellow Crafts endeavoring to work their way into
a place representing the Middle Chamber of King
Solomons Temple.
SW: How do you expect to gain admission?
SD: By the real grip and word of a Fellow Craft.
SW: Advance and give it. What is that?
SD: The real grip of a Fellow Craft.
SW: Has it a name?
SD: It has.
SW: Will you give it to me?
SD: I did not so receive it; neither will I so impart it.
SW: How will you dispose of it?
SD: Letter or halve it.
SW: Letter it and begin.
SD: You begin.
SW: Begin you.
SD: A;
SW: J;
SD: C;
SW: H;
SD: I;
SW: N.
SD: Jachin.
SW: I am satisfied; pass on and in.
SD: My Brother, we are now in a place representing
the Middle Chamber of King Solomons Temple.
Behold the letter G, suspended in the East! It is
the initial of Geometry, the first and noblest of
sciences, and the basis on which the
superstructure of Freemasonry is erected. By
Geometry we may curiously trace Nature through
her various windings to her most concealed
recesses; by it we discover the power, wisdom
and goodness of the Grand Artificer of the
Universe, and view with delight the proportions
which compose this vast machine; by it we
discover how the planets move in their respective
orbits, and demonstrate their various revolutions;
by it we count for the return of the seasons, and
the variety of scenes which each season displays
to the discerning eye. Numberless worlds are
around us, all framed by the same Divine Artist,
which roll through the vast expanse, and are all
conducted by the same unerring law of Nature.
A survey of Nature, and the observations of her
beautiful proportions, first determined man to
imitate the Divine Plan and study symmetry and
order. This gave rise to societies and birth to
every useful art. The architect began to design,
and the plans which he laid down, being improved
by time and experience, have produced works
which are the admiration of every age.
The lapse of time, the ruthless hand of ignorance,
and the devastations of war have laid waste and
destroyed many valuable monuments of antiquity,
on which the utmost exertions of human genius
have been employed. Even the Temple of
Solomon, so spacious and magnificent, and
constructed by so many celebrated artists,
escaped not the unsparing ravages of barbarous
force. Freemasonry, notwithstanding, still
survives. The attentive ear receives the sound
from the instructive tongue, and the mysteries of
Freemasonry are safely lodged in the repository
of faithful breasts.
Ages ago, upon the Eastern plains, was our
institution set up, founded upon principles more
durable than the metal wrought into the statues
of ancient kings. Age after age rolled by; storm
and tempest hurled their thunders at its head;
wave after wave of bright insidious sands curled
about its feet and heaped their sliding grains
against its sides; men came and went in fleeting
generations; seasons fled like hours through the
whirling wheel of time; but through the attrition of
the waves and sands of life - through evil report
as well as good, Freemasonry has maintained
its beneficent influence, spreading wider and
wider over the earth.
Tools and implements of architecture and
symbolic emblems most expressive have been
selected by the Fraternity to imprint on the mind
wise and serious truths, and thus through the
succession of ages have been transmitted,
unimpaired, the most excellent tenets or our
institution.
Every Brother admitted within the walls of this
Middle Chamber should heed the lessons here
inculcated, and consider that as a Freemason
he is a builder, not of a material edifice, but of a
temple more glorious than that of Solomon - a
temple of honor, of justice, of purity, of knowledge,
and of truth - and that these tools of the operative
masons art indicate the labors he is to perform,
the dangers he is to encounter, and the
preparations he is to make in the uprearing of
that spiritual temple wherein his soul will find rest
forever and forevermore; then, indeed will the
attentive ear have received the sound from the
instructive tongue, and the mysteries of
Freemasonry shall be safely lodged in the
repository of faithful breasts.
SD: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Brother Senior Deacon.
SD: I have the pleasure of presenting Brother ____,
who has made an advance, emblematically,
through a porch, up a flight of winding stairs,
consisting of three, five, and even steps, through
an outer and inner door, into a place representing
the Middle Chamber of King Solomons Temple,
and now awaits your pleasure.
WM: My Brother, I congratulate you on arriving at a
place representing the Middle Chamber of King
Solomons Temple.
It was there our ancient brethren had their names
recorded as faithful workmen; it is here that you
are entitled to have yours recorded as such.
Brother Secretary, please make the proper
record.
Secy: Worshipful Master, the record will be made.
WM: It was there also our ancient Brethren received
their wages, consisting of Corn, Wine, and Oil,
emblematical of nourishment, refreshment, and
joy, which was to signify that our ancient Brethren,
when passed to this degree, were entitled to
wages sufficient to procure not only the
necessaries and comforts of life, but many of its
superfluities; and may your industrious habits and
strict application to business procure for you a
plenty of the Corn of nourishment, the Wine of
refreshment, and the Oil of joy.
WM: * * *.
WM: The letter G, to which your attention was directed
on your passage hither, has a still greater and
more significant meaning. It is the initial of the
grand and sacred name of God, before whom all
Masons, from the youngest Entered Apprentice
who stands in the Northeast corner of the Lodge,
to the Worshipful Master who presides in the East,
should most humbly, reverently, and devoutly bow.
WM: *. My Brother, this concludes the ceremonies of
this degree, and if you will remain standing, I will
repeat to you the charge.
CHARGE AT PASSING:
My Brother, being passed to the Second Degree
of Freemasonry, we congratulate you on your
preferment. The internal, and not the external,
qualifications of a man are what Masonry regards.
As you increase in knowledge you will improve
in social intercourse.
It is unnecessary to recapitulate the duties which
as a Fellow Craft you are bound to discharge, or
to enlarge on the necessity of a strict adherence
to them, as your own experience must have
established their value. Our laws and regulations
you are strenuously to support, and be always
ready to assist in seeing them duly executed.
You are not to palliate or aggravate the offenses
of your Brethren, but in the decision of every
trespass against our rules you are to judge with
candor, admonish with friendship and reprehend
with justice.
Be just and fear not. Never speak ill of anyone
unless you are sure that what you say be true.
Avoid suspicion; for, like the fabled upas, it blights
all healthy life and makes a desert round it.
Nothing so fair, nothing so pure can live, but by
suspicion may be marred and blasted; no path
so straight but to suspicions eye looks tortuous
and bent from its true end.
The study of the liberal arts, that valuable branch
of education which tends so effectually to polish
and adorn the mind, is earnestly recommended
to your consideration, especially the science of
Geometry, which is established as the basis of
our art. Geometry, or Masonry, originally
synonymous terms, being of a divine and moral
nature, is enriched with the most useful
knowledge; while it proves the wonderful
properties of nature, it demonstrates the more
important truths of morality.
Your past behavior and regular deportment have
merited the honor we have conferred, and in your
new character it is expected that you will conform
to the principles of the Order by steadily
persevering in the practice of every commendable
virtue.
Such is the nature of your engagement as a
Fellow Craft, and to these duties you are bound
by the most sacred ties.
WM: My Brother, there is a lecture in connection with
this degree that it will be necessary for you to
commit to memory and on which you must pass
a suitable examination in open Lodge, or as
provided by our Nevada Code, before you can
be Raised to the Sublime Degree of Master
Mason. I have no doubt that the Brother who
has instructed you thus far will be pleased to
continue.
FELLOW CRAFTS CLOSING:
WM: *. Brother Senior Warden.
SW: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Have you anything to bring before the Lodge
before I proceed to close?
SW: Nothing in the West.
WM: Anything in the South, Brother Junior Warden?
JW: (S) Nothing in the South.
WM: Has any Brother anything to bring before the
Lodge before I proceed to close?
WM: *. Brother Junior Deacon.
JD: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: The last as well as the first great care of Masons
when convened?
JD: To see that they are duly tyled.
WM: Attend to that duty and inform the Tyler that I am
about to close this Lodge of Fellow Crafts, and
direct him to tyle accordingly.
JD: * * *. Brother Tyler, I am directed to inform you
that the Worshipful Master is about to close this
Lodge of Fellow Crafts. Take due notice thereof
and govern yourself accordingly.
JD: * * *. Tyl: * * *.
JD: (S) Worshipful Master, we are duly tyled.
WM: How are we tyled?
JD: By a Brother of this degree, armed with the proper
implement of his office.
WM: His duty there?
JD: To observe the approach of cowans and
eavesdroppers, and suffer none to pass or repass
except such as are duly qualified and have
permission from the Worshipful Mater.
WM: *. Brother Senior Warden.
SW: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Are you a Fellow Craft?
SW: I am, try me.
WM: By what will you be tried?
SW: By the square.
WM: Why by the Square?
SW: Because It is an emblem of morality and one of
the working tools of a Fellow Craft.
WM: What is a Square?
SW: An angle of ninety degrees, or the fourth part of
a circle.
WM: What makes you a Fellow Craft?
SW: My Obligation.
WM: Where were you made a Fellow Craft?
SW: Within the body of a just and duly constituted
Lodge of Fellow Crafts, assembled in a place
representing the Middle Chamber of King
Solomons Temple.
WM: How many compose a Fellow Crafts Lodge?
SW: Five or more.
WM: When composed of five, of whom does it consist?
SW: The Worshipful Master, Senior and Junior
Wardens, Senior and Junior Deacons.
WM: Brother Senior Warden, the Junior Deacons
place in the Lodge?
SW: At my right.
WM: * *. Brother Junior Deacon.
JD: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Your duty?
JD: To carry messages from the Senior Warden in
the West to the Junior Warden in the South, and
elsewhere about the Lodge as he may direct;
attend the alarms at the outer door and report
the same to the Worshipful Master; also to see
that we are duly tyled.
WM: The Senior Deacons place?
JD: At the right of the Worshipful Master in the East.
WM: Brother Senior Deacon.
SD: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Your duty?
SD: To carry orders from the Worshipful Master in
the East to the Senior Warden in the West, and
elsewhere about the Lodge as he may direct;
welcome and clothe visiting Brethren, attend the
alarms at the inner door; also to receive and
conduct candidates.
WM: The Junior Wardens station?
SD: In the South.
WM: Brother Junior Warden.
JW: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Your duty in the South?
JW: To observe the sun at meridian, which is the glory
and beauty of the day; call the Craft from labor
to refreshments, superintend them during the
hours thereof, carefully to observe that their
means of refreshments are not perverted to
intemperance or excess, and see that they return
to their labors in due season, that the Worshipful
Master may receive honor, and they pleasure
and profit thereby.
WM: The Senior Wardens station?
JW: In the West.
WM: Brother Senior Warden.
SW: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Why in the West?
SW: As the sun is in the West at close of day, so
stands the Senior Warden in the West to assist
the Worshipful Master in opening and closing
the Lodge; paying the Craft their wages, if any
be due, that none may go away dissatisfied;
harmony being the support of all institutions,
especially this of ours.
WM: The Masters station?
SW: In the East.
WM: Why in the East?
SW: As the sun rises in the East to rule and govern
the day (WM: * * *.), so rises the Worshipful Master
in the East to open and govern the Lodge; setting
the Craft at work, giving them proper instruction
for their labor.
WM: Brother Senior Warden, it is my order that ____
____ Lodge No. ___ be now closed on the
Second Degree of Freemasonry, and stand
closed until opened by proper authority, of which
due and timely notice will be given. This
communicate to the Junior Warden in the South,
and he to the Brethren present, that having due
notice thereof, they may govern themselves
accordingly.
SW: Brother Junior Warden.
JW: Brother Senior Warden.
SW: It is the order of the Worshipful Master that ____
____ Lodge No. ___ be now closed on the
Second Degree of Freemasonry, and stand
closed until opened by proper authority, of which
due and timely notice will be given. This
communicate to the Brethren present, that having
due notice thereof, they may govern themselves
accordingly.
JW: Brethren; it is the order of the Worshipful Master,
communicated to me through the Senior Warden
in the West, that ____ ____ Lodge No. ___ be
now closed on the Second Degree of
Freemasonry, and stand closed until opened by
proper authority, of which due and timely notice
will be given. I communicate the same to you,
that having due notice thereof, you may govern
yourselves accordingly.
WM: Brethren; attend to giving the signs; observe the
East.
WM: *.
SW: *.
JW: *.
WM: *.
SW: *.
JW: *.
WM: Brethren, give your attention to the Chaplain.
Chap: And now, Almighty Father, we ask Thy blessing
upon the proceedings of this communication, and
as we are about to separate, we ask Thee to
keep us under Thy protecting care until again
we are called together. Teach us, O God, to
realize the beauties of the principles of our timehonored
institution, not only while in the Lodge,
but when abroad in the world. Subdue every
discordant passion within us. May we love one
another in the bonds of union and friendship.
AMEN
(ALL) So mote it be.
WM: Brother Senior Warden.
SW: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: How should Masons meet?
SW: On the Level.
WM: And how act, Brother Junior Warden?
JW: By the Plumb.
WM: And part upon the Square. So should we, my
Brethren, ever meet, act, and part. May the
blessing of Heaven rest upon us and all regular
Masons. May brotherly love prevail, and every
moral and social virtue cement us. AMEN.
(ALL) So mote it be.
WM: Brother Senior Deacon.
SD: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Attend at the Altar and close the Three Great
Lights in Masonry.
WM: I now declare ____ ____ Lodge No. ___ duly
closed.
WM: Brother Junior Deacon.
JD: (S) Worshipful Master.
WM: Inform the Tyler.
WM: *.
FELLOW CRAFT EXAMINATION:
Q. Are you a Fellow Craft?
A. I am, try me.
Q. By what will you be tried?
A. By the Square.
Q. Why by the Square?
A. Because it is an emblem of morality and one of
the working tools of a Fellow Craft.
Q. What is a Square?
A. An angle of ninety degrees, or the fourth part of
a circle.
Q. What makes you a Fellow Craft?
A. My Obligation.
Q. Where were you made a Fellow Craft?
A. Within the body of a just and duly constituted
Lodge of Fellow Crafts, assembled in a place
representing the Middle Chamber of King
Solomons Temple.
Q. How may I know you to be a Fellow Craft?
A. By certain signs and tokens.
Q. What are signs?
A. Right angles, horizontals, and perpendiculars.
Q. Advance a sign. Has that an allusion?
A. It has; to the position of my hands while taking
the Obligation.
Q. Have you a further sign?
A. I have.
Q. Has that an allusion?
A. It has; to the penalty of the Obligation.
Q. What are tokens?
A. Certain friendly or brotherly grips, whereby one
Mason may know another in the dark as in the
light.
Q. Advance and give me a token. What is that?
A. The pass-grip of a Fellow Craft.
Q. Has it a name?
A. It has.
Q. Will you give it to me?
A. I did not so receive it, neither will I so impart it.
Q. How will you dispose of it?
A. Letter or syllable it.
Q. Syllable it and begin.
A. You begin.
Q. Begin you.
A. Shib;
Q. bo;
A. leth.
A. Shibboleth.
Q. Will you be off or from?
A. From.
Q. From what, and to what?
A. From the pass-grip of a Fellow Craft to the real
grip of the same.
Q. Pass. What is that?
A. The real grip of a Fellow Craft.
Q. Has it a name?
A. It has.
Q. Will you give it to me?
A. I did not so receive it, neither will I so impart it.
Q. How will you dispose of it?
A. Letter or halve it.
Q. Letter it and begin.
A. You begin.
Q. Begin you.
A. A;
Q. J;
A. C;
Q. H;
A. I;
Q. N.
A. Jachin.
Q. Where were you prepared to be made a Fellow
Craft?
A. In a room adjoining the body of a just and duly
constituted Lodge of Fellow Crafts.
Q. How were you prepared?
A. By being divested of all metallic substances,
neither naked nor clothed, barefoot nor shod,
right knee and breast bared, hood-winked, and
with a cable-tow twice around my right arm,
clothed as an Entered Apprentice, in which
condition I was conducted to a door of the Lodge
and caused to give three distinct knocks, which
were answered by three within.
Q. Why was the cable-tow twice around your right
arm?
A. To teach me that as a Fellow Craft I was under a
double tie to the Fraternity.
Q. To what do the three knocks allude?
A. To the Three Precious Jewels.
Q. What was said to you from within?
A. Who comes here?
Q. Your answer?
A. A worthy Brother, who has been duly initiated an
Entered Apprentice, and now wishes more Light
in Masonry by being passed to the Degree of
Fellow Craft.
Q. What were you then asked?
A. If this was an act of my own free will and accord,
if I was worthy and well-qualified, duly and truly
prepared, if I had made suitable proficiency in
the preceding degree, all of which being
answered in the affirmative, I was then asked by
what further right or benefit I expected to obtain
this important privilege.
Q. Your answer?
A. By the benefit of the pass-word.
Q. Had you the pass-word?
A. I had not. My conductor had, and gave it for me.
Q. What were you then told?
A. Since I was in possession of all these necessary
qualifications, I should wait until the Worshipful
Master could be informed of my request and his
answer returned.
Q. What was his answer when returned?
A. Let him enter this Worshipful Lodge of Fellow
Crafts and be received in due and ancient form?
Q. How were you received?
A. On the angle of a Square applied to my naked
right breast, which was to teach me that the
Square of Virtue should be a rule and guide for
my practice through life.
Q. How were you then disposed of?
A. Conducted twice regularly around the Lodge and
to the Junior Warden in the South, where the
same questions were asked and answers returned
as at the door.
Q. How did the Junior Warden dispose of you?
A. Directed my conducted to the Senior Warden in
the West, where the same questions were asked
and answers returned as before.
Q. How did the Senior Warden dispose of you?
A. Directed me conducted to the Worshipful Master
in the East, where the same questions were asked
and answers returned as before, who also
demanded of me whence I came and whither
traveling.
Q. Your answer?
A. From the West, traveling East.
Q. Why did you leave the West and travel East.
A. In search of more Light in Masonry.
Q. How did the Worshipful Master dispose of you?
A. Ordered me re-conducted to the Senior Warden
in the West, who taught me how to approach the
East in due and ancient form.
Q. What is that due and ancient form?
A. Advancing on my right foot, bringing the heel of
my left into the hollow of my right, thereby forming
the angle of a square, body erect, facing East.
Q. What did the Worshipful Master then do with you?
A. Made me a Fellow Craft.
Q. How?
A. In due form.
Q. What is that due form?
A. Kneeling on my naked right knee, my left forming
the angle of a square, my right hand resting on
the Holy Bible, Square and Compasses, my left
in a vertical position, my arm forming a square,
in which due form I took the solemn Obligation of
a Fellow Craft.
Q. Have you that Obligation?
A. I have.
Q. Repeat it.
A. I, _____ ______, of my own free will and accord,
in the presence of Almighty God and this
Worshipful Lodge of Fellow Crafts, erected to
Him and dedicated to the memory of the Holy
Saints John, do hereby and heron, solemnly and
sincerely promise and swear, that I will keep and
conceal and never reveal any of the secrets
belonging to the Degree of Fellow Craft, which I
have received, am about to receive, or may be
hereafter instructed in, to any person unless it
shall be to a worthy Brother Fellow Craft, or within
the body of a just and duly constituted Lodge of
such; and not unto him or them until by due trial,
strict examination, or lawful Masonic information,
I shall have found him or them justly entitled to
receive the same.
Furthermore: I do promise and swear that I will
answer and obey all due signs and regular
summons, sent me from the body of a just and
duly constituted Lodge of Fellow Crafts, or handed
me by a worthy Brother of this degree, if within
the length of my cabletow, and the square and
angle of my work.
Furthermore: I do promise and swear that I will
help, aid, and assist all poor and distressed Fellow
Crafts, they applying to me as such, I finding
them worthy, and can do so without material injury
to myself.
Furthermore: I do promise and swear that I will
not wrong, cheat, nor defraud a Fellow Crafts
Lodge, or a worthy Brother of this degree, to the
value of anything, knowingly, nor suffer it to be
done by another, if in my power to prevent.
To all of which I do solemnly and sincerely
promise and swear,without any hesitation, mental
reservation, or secret evasion of mind in me
whatsoever; binding myself under no less a
penalty than that of having me left breast torn
open, my heart and vitals taken thence, and with
my body given as a prey to the vultures of the
air, should I ever knowingly or willfully violate this,
my solemn Obligation of a Fellow Craft. So help
me God and make me steadfast to keep and
perform the same.
Q. After the Obligation what were you asked?
A. What I most desired.
Q. Your answer.
A. More Light in Masonry.
Q. Did you receive it?
A. I did, by order of the Worshipful Master.
Q. On being brought to Light in this degree, what
did you first behold?
A. The Three Great Lights in Masonry, as in the
preceding degree, with this difference; one point
of the Compasses was above the Square, which
was to teach me that I had received, and was
entitled to receive, more Light in Masonry, but as
one point was still hidden from my view, it was
also to teach me that I was as yet one material
point in darkness respecting Freemasonry.
Q. What did you next behold?
A. The Worshipful Master approaching me from the
East, upon the step, under the due-guard and
sign of an Entered Apprentice; upon the step,
under the due-guard and sign of a Fellow Craft,
who presented his right hand in token of the
continuance of friendship and brotherly love, and
invested me with the pass-grip, pass-word, real
grip and word, ordered me to rise, salute the
Junior and Senior Wardens and satisfy them that
I was in possession of the step, due-guard, sign,
pass-grip, pass-word, real grip and word of a
Fellow Craft.
Q. How were you then disposed of?
A. Re-conducted to the Senior Warden in the West,
who taught me how to wear my apron as a Fellow
Craft.
Q. How should a Fellow Craft wear his apron?
A. With the lower left corner tucked up.
Q. With what were you then presented?
A. The working tools of a Fellow Craft.
Q. What are they?
A. The Plumb, Square, and Level.
Q. How are they explained?
A. The Plumb is an instrument used by operative
masons to try perpendiculars, the Square to
square their work, and the Level to prove
horizontals; but we, as Free and Accepted
Masons, are taught to use them for more noble
and glorious purposes. The Plumb admonishes
us to walk uprightly in our several stations before
God and man, squaring our actions by the Square
of Virtue, ever remembering we are traveling upon
the Level of Time to that undiscovered country
from whose bourne no traveler returns.
Q. With what were you then presented?
A. The Three Precious Jewels; the Attentive Ear,
the Instructive Tongue, and the Faithful Breast.
They teach us this important lesson. The Attentive
Ear receives the sound from the Instructive
Tongue, and the mysteries of Freemasonry are
safely lodged in the repository of Faithful Breasts.
Q. How were you then disposed of?
A. Re-conducted to the place whence I came,
invested with that of which I had been divested,
and returned to a place representing the Middle
Chamber of King Solomons Temple.
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