George Washington Essay, Research Paper
The name of George Washington claims a topographic point in our American Masonic history. As the & # 8220 ; Father of our Country & # 8221 ; he is a beginning of pride to every American Freemason and we are honored to name him a & # 8220 ; Brother & # 8221 ; in our time-honoured Fraternity. He was & # 8220 ; raised & # 8221 ; to the empyreal grade of a Master Mason in Lodge # 4 of Fredericksburg, Virginia on August 4th, 1753. On December 20th, 1788 Brother Washington was elected the first Worshipful Master of Alexandria Lodge # 22.
It was during the Revolutionary War that the immature Marquis de Lafayette came to America from France and joined General George Washington & # 8217 ; s ground forces for the Battle of Brandywine in 1777. The fondness each adult male held for each other as Friends and Brothers was legend. The American cause had become Lafayette & # 8217 ; s cause. The bequest that developed through this fondness led to the presentation of a particular Masonic Apron at Mt. Vernon in August of 1784. It was made of white satin and hand-embroidered by Madame Lafayette.
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This apron has become a survey in symbolism. Symbols are soundless emblems holding intending merely when interpreted and given the alone character of the reading procedure, it is besides understood that no symbol has an absolute significance. For illustration, the apron boundary line colourss of ruddy, white and blue are the National Colors of both the United States and France, and the colourss of our National Flag. In Masonry the colour red is a symbol of bravery, white for artlessness, and blue for fidelity. The & # 8220 ; Lambskin & # 8221 ; or white leather apron is itself an emblem of artlessness and the badge of a Mason, more ancient than the Golden Fleece or Roman Eagle, more honest than the Star and Garter, or any other order that could be conferred upon me, at this or any future period by king, prince, dictator, or any other individual, except he be a Mason. It was hoped that I would have on it with pleasance to myself and honour to the Fraternity.
The & # 8220 ; All-Seeing Eye & # 8221 ; is a symbol of wakefulness and the oculus of the Grand Architect. It is the symbol of his Divine wakefulness and attention of the Universe. The All-Seeing Eye, whom the Sun, Moon, and Stars obey, and under whose alert attention even comets perform their colossal revolutions, pervades the inmost deferrals of the human bosom, and will honor us harmonizing to our virtues. The & # 8220 ; Rays & # 8221 ; represent & # 8220 ; Light & # 8221 ; . Masons are decidedly called & # 8220 ; The Sons of Light & # 8221 ; because they are entitled to be in ownership of the true significance and cognition of this symbol. It is in fact the first of all symbols presented to the novice, and continues to be presented to him in assorted signifiers throughout his Masonic calling. But as Light non merely came from God, it besides makes adult males manner clear before him, so it is employed to mean moral truth. The & # 8220 ; Dove & # 8221 ; in early Masonry is a symbol of Noah & # 8217 ; s courier. In ancient symbolism, the Dove represented pureness and artlessness and was frequently seen bearing an olive subdivision.
The configuration of & # 8220 ; Seven Six-pointed Stars & # 8221 ; in Masonry represents the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences: They are Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Geometry, Music and Astronomy. The Six-pointed Star symbolizes Divine Providence and is the Star of David or Shield of David. This starry-decked Eden is where all good George masons hope at last to get by assistance of that & # 8220 ; Theological Ladder & # 8221 ; which Jacob in his vision saw widening from Earth to Heaven, the chief unit of ammunitions of which are denominated Faith, Hope and Charity, which admonish us to hold Faith in God, Hope in Immortality, and Charity toward all Mankind. The greatest of these is Charity ; for our religion may be lost in sight, hope ends in fruition, but Charity extends beyond the grave, through the unbounded kingdom of infinity!
The & # 8220 ; Sun & # 8221 ; as the beginning of stuff visible radiation reminds the Mason of that rational visible radiation of which he is in changeless hunt. The Adoring Maestro who regulations and governs his Lodge is said to be the symbol of the lifting Sun in the E. The Sun, therefore is the symbol of sovereignty, the hieroglyphic of royalty ; and signifies absolute authorization. As the Sun regulations the twenty-four hours, so does the Moon govern the dark ; as the Sun regulates our old ages, so does the Moon grade the ephemeral months. These symbols in Masonry are known as the & # 8220 ; Lesser Lights & # 8221 ; .
The & # 8220 ; Three Great Lights & # 8221 ; in Masonry are the Holy Bible, Square and Compasses. The Holy Bible is dedicated to the service of God because it is the incomputable gift of God to adult male, and on it we obligate our Brethren. The & # 8220 ; Square & # 8221 ; to the Adoring Master because it is the proper Masonic emblem of his office, and the & # 8220 ; Compasses & # 8221 ; to the Craft because by a due attending to their usage we are taught to circumscribe our desires and maintain our passions within due bounds toward all world, particularly a Brother Mason.
Here are the & # 8220 ; Pillars of the Porch & # 8221 ; of King Solomon & # 8217 ; s Temple & # 8230 ; King Solomon did non merely raise them as decorations to the temple, but commemorations of God & # 8217 ; s repeated promises of support to His people of Israel. Boaz, the name of the left pillar means & # 8220 ; in strength & # 8221 ; , the right pillar Jachin means & # 8220 ; God will set up & # 8221 ; , which signifies when combined, the message & # 8220 ; In strength, God will set up His house in Israel & # 8221 ; . And therefore were the Jews, in go throughing through the porch to the temple, daily reminded of the abundant promises of God, and inspired with assurance in His protection and gratitude for His many Acts of the Apostless of kindness to His chosen people. The Earth on the left pillar represents & # 8220 ; Earth & # 8221 ; , that on the right, & # 8220 ; Heaven & # 8221 ; .
The outer pillars of the temple are called the & # 8220 ; Pillars of Enoch & # 8221 ; . Enoch, fearing that the rules of the Humanistic disciplines and Sciences might be lost, erected two pillars, the one of marble to defy fire, the other of brass to defy H2O. On each he engraved all the cognition which he feared would be lost. The Earths are symbols of integrity, peace and plentifulness. These pillars besides support the & # 8220 ; Rainbow & # 8221 ; which is sometimes associated with the Holy Royal Arch. It is besides called the & # 8220 ; Arch of Heaven & # 8221 ; , symbolic of the architectural arch.
The & # 8220 ; Mosaic Pavement & # 8221 ; is a representation of the land floor of King Solomon & # 8217 ; s Temple. The Mosaic Pavement is symbolic of human life checked with good and evil. The & # 8220 ; Blazing Star & # 8221 ; reminds us of that awe inspiring period when the Almighty delivered the two tablets on rock, incorporating the Ten Commandments, to His faithful servant Moses on Mt. Sinai ; when the beams of His Godhead glorification shone so bright that none could lay eyes on it without fright and shaking. It besides represents the sacred name of God, as a cosmopolitan spirit who enlivens our hea
rts, who purifies our ground, who increases our cognition, and who makes us wiser and better work forces.
The & # 8220 ; Ark & # 8221 ; is symbolic of the Divine Ark which carries us over this buffeted life. It is sometimes shown with the & # 8220 ; Anchor & # 8221 ; , an emblem of a reasoned hope and a well-spent life. With hope, the ground tackle holds the psyche sure and steadfast.
The & # 8220 ; Square within Bounds & # 8221 ; is a symbol formed by four stonemason & # 8217 ; s squares of equal weaponries superimposed one on the other to organize a cardinal regular hexahedron. The square and regular hexahedron are both important symbols. The square is an emblem of morality, or the rigorous public presentation of every responsibility. The square teaches us to modulate our behavior before God and adult male. The regular hexahedron is a symbol of truth, wisdom, and moral flawlessness.
The & # 8220 ; Forty-seventh Problem of Euclid & # 8217 ; s & # 8221 ; first book of Geometry contained a mathematical theorem so complex that when Pythagoras solved the job he exclaimed ; & # 8220 ; Eureka & # 8221 ; which signifies & # 8220 ; I have found it & # 8221 ; ! It has been adopted as a symbol of a Past Maestro. It teaches George masons to be general lovers of the humanistic disciplines and scientific disciplines.
The & # 8220 ; Working Tools & # 8221 ; of an Entered Apprentice Mason are the 24 inch gage and common gavel. The & # 8220 ; Twenty-four Inch Gauge & # 8221 ; is an instrument made usage of by Operative Masons to mensurate and lay-out their work, but we, as Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to utilize it for the more baronial and glorious intent of spliting our clip. It being divided into 24 equal parts, is symbolic of the 24 hours of the twenty-four hours, which we are taught to split into three equal parts, whereby are found eight hours for the service of God and a hard-pressed worthy Brother, eight for our usual careers, and eight for refreshment and slumber.
The & # 8220 ; Common Gavel & # 8221 ; is an instrument made usage of by operative George masons to interrupt off the corners of unsmooth rocks, the better to suit them for the builder & # 8217 ; s usage, but we as Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to utilize it for the more baronial and glorious intent of depriving our Black Marias and scrupless of the frailties and overpluss of life, thereby suiting our heads as life rocks for that religious edifice & # 8211 ; that house non made with custodies & # 8211 ; ageless in the celestial spheres.
The & # 8220 ; Plumb & # 8221 ; is an instrument made usage of by operative George masons to seek perpendiculars, the & # 8220 ; Square & # 8221 ; to square their work, and the & # 8220 ; Level & # 8221 ; to turn out horizontals, but we, as Free and Accepted Masons are taught to utilize them for more baronial and glorious intents. The & # 8220 ; Plumb & # 8221 ; admonishes us to walk honorably in our several Stationss before God and adult male, squaring our actions by the Square of Virtue, of all time retrieving that we are going upon the Level of Time, toward & # 8220 ; that undiscovered state from whose bourne no traveller returns. & # 8221 ;
The & # 8220 ; Trowel & # 8221 ; is an instrument made usage of by operative George masons to distribute the cement which unites the edifice into one common mass ; but we as Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to utilize it for the more baronial and glorious intent of distributing the cement of brotherlike love and fondness ; that cement which unites us into one sacred set, or society of friends and brothers, among whom no contention should of all time be, but that baronial contention, or instead emulation, of who best can work and best agree.
The & # 8220 ; Puting Maul & # 8221 ; , in operative Masonry is used for puting rocks, that is, tapping them to a steadfast place in the howitzer by pressing them sideways into topographic point. It is considered by some to be a symbol of ill-timed decease.
The & # 8220 ; Coffin & # 8221 ; incorporating the remains of a asleep friend and Brother reminds George masons that we are the keepers of a great heritage passed along to us in the narrative of the & # 8220 ; Hiramic
Legend & # 8221 ; .
The & # 8220 ; Sprig of Acacia & # 8221 ; is the symbol of the immortality of the psyche ; as the flower, which & # 8220 ; cometh Forth and is cut down & # 8221 ; , reminds us of the ephemeral nature of human life.
The & # 8220 ; Beehive & # 8221 ; is an emblem of industry. It teaches us that we came into this universe rational and intelligent existences, so should we be hardworking 1s.
The & # 8220 ; Sword Pointing to a Naked Heart & # 8221 ; demonstrates that Justice will sooner or subsequently catch us, and that although our ideas, words and actions may be hidden from the eyes of adult male, they are non hidden to the All-Seeing Eye.
The & # 8220 ; Tassel & # 8221 ; consists of a cord with tassels on the terminal. It represents the & # 8220 ; Mystic Tie & # 8221 ; ; that bond which unites work forces of diverse sentiments into one sacred set of Friends and Brothers. In shutting, the ceremonials and talks in Symbolic Masonry attractively illustrate this all-engrossing topic ; and the decision we arrive at is & # 8230 ; that young person, decently directed, leads us to honorable and virtuous adulthood, and that the life of adult male, regulated by morality, religion and justness, will be rewarded at its concluding hr by the chance of ageless cloud nine, and he who has received from his Maestro this blessing linguistic communication & # 8230 ; & # 8220 ; Well done, good and faithful retainer ;
1000 has been faithful over a few things, I will do thee swayer over many things ; come in 1000 into the joys of thy Lord & # 8221 ; .
Bibliography
& # 8220 ; Encyclopedia of Freemasonry & # 8221 ; by Albert G. Mackey, MD, 33 Degree. Revised Edition under William J. Hughan, 32 Degree and Edward L. Hawkins, MA, 30 Degree. Volumes
No. 1 & A ; 2 Published by The Masonic History Company, New York & A ; London, 1917.
& # 8220 ; The Florida Masonic Monitor & # 8221 ; , Twenty-third Edition, Prepared by the Committee on Work,
GL # 214, 1992. James W. Creecy, Chairman.
& # 8220 ; The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania Poster & # 8221 ; reprinted January 1985 by Museum Curator and Librarian Bro. Frank W. Bobb titled & # 8220 ; Bro. George Washington & # 8217 ; s Apron & # 8221 ; as presented by the Marquis de Lafayette at Mt. Vernon in August of 1784.
Recognitions
Hon. Elmer G. Coffman, Chairman, Committee on Work, Most Adoring Grand Lodge of F. & A ; A.M. of Florida.
Hon. M. W. David Eschrich, Chairman, Jurisprudence, Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of
F. & A ; A.M. of Florida.
Hon. M. W. J. Roy Crowther, Grand Treasurer & A ; Historian, Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of F. & A ; A.M. of Florida.
Hon. R. W. Hubert Maston, Chairman, History & A ; Museum Committee, Most Worshipful
Grand Lodge of F. & A ; A. M. of Florida.
Hon. Anthony E. Rhoades, Webmaster, Florida Masonic Museum, www.tntpc.com
Webmaster Electronic mail: tony @ tntpc.com
Hon. Frank W. Bobb, Jr. , Curator, Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania, One
North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19107-2520
