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Article THE VISIBLE SYMBOLISM OF FREEMASONRY , ← Page 4 of 6 →
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The Visible Symbolism Of Freemasonry ,
¦ Let /¦ us noV resume the connected series of this Temple symbolism . At the building of the Temple , the stones having been thus prepared by the workmen of the lowest degree ( the Apprentices , as we now call them , the novitiates of the ancient mysteries )—having
been properly broken down to their appropriate si ze and shape , we are informed that they were transported to the site of the edifice oh Mount IVIoriah , aM were there placed in the hands of another class of workmen , who are now technically called Fellow- Crafts , and corresponding to the Ish Kotzeb , or stone-cutters , of the Temple , and
to the Mystes , or those who had received the second degree of the ancient mysteries . "At this stage of the operative art , more extended and important labours were to be performed , and accordingly a greater amount of skill and knowledge was required of those to whom these labours were intrusted . The stones , thus prepared by the Apprentices ( for hereafter , in speaking of the workmen of the temple , I shall use the correlative appellations of the more modern
Masons ) , were now to be deposited in their destined places in the building , and the massive walls were to be erected . For these purposes implements of a higher and more complicated character than the gauge and garel were necessary . The square was required to fit the joints with sufficient regularity ; the level , to run the courses in a horizontal line ; and the plumb , to erect the whole with due regard to perfect perpendicularity .
This portion of the labour finds its symbolism in the second degree of the speculative science . But in applying this symbolism we still continue to refer to the idea of erecting a spiritual Temple in the heart . This is , as I have already said , the alphabet of symbolism . There is a higher species , a further development of the grammar of symbolic language , at which we will hereafter
arrive . The necessary preparations , then , having been made in the first degree , —the lessons having been received by which the aspirant was taught to purify his heart , —as a Fellow-Craft he begins to cultivate those virtues which give form and substance to the character , as the stones give shape and stability to the building ; and hence the
working tools of the Fellow-Craft are referred , in their symbolic application , to those virtues . In the alphabet of symbolism we find the square , the level , and the plumb appropriated to this second degree . The square is a symbol denoting morality . It teaches us to apply the unerring principles of moral science to every action ot our lives , to see that all the motives and results of our conduct shall
coincide with the dictates of divine justice , and that all our thoughts , words , and deeds shall harmoniously conspire , like the well-adjusted and duly-squared joints of an edifice , to produce a smooth , unbroken life of virtue .
The ^ plumb is a symbol of rectitude of conduct , inculcating that integrity of life , and undeviating course of moral uprightness , which can alone distinguish the good and just man . As the operative
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Visible Symbolism Of Freemasonry ,
¦ Let /¦ us noV resume the connected series of this Temple symbolism . At the building of the Temple , the stones having been thus prepared by the workmen of the lowest degree ( the Apprentices , as we now call them , the novitiates of the ancient mysteries )—having
been properly broken down to their appropriate si ze and shape , we are informed that they were transported to the site of the edifice oh Mount IVIoriah , aM were there placed in the hands of another class of workmen , who are now technically called Fellow- Crafts , and corresponding to the Ish Kotzeb , or stone-cutters , of the Temple , and
to the Mystes , or those who had received the second degree of the ancient mysteries . "At this stage of the operative art , more extended and important labours were to be performed , and accordingly a greater amount of skill and knowledge was required of those to whom these labours were intrusted . The stones , thus prepared by the Apprentices ( for hereafter , in speaking of the workmen of the temple , I shall use the correlative appellations of the more modern
Masons ) , were now to be deposited in their destined places in the building , and the massive walls were to be erected . For these purposes implements of a higher and more complicated character than the gauge and garel were necessary . The square was required to fit the joints with sufficient regularity ; the level , to run the courses in a horizontal line ; and the plumb , to erect the whole with due regard to perfect perpendicularity .
This portion of the labour finds its symbolism in the second degree of the speculative science . But in applying this symbolism we still continue to refer to the idea of erecting a spiritual Temple in the heart . This is , as I have already said , the alphabet of symbolism . There is a higher species , a further development of the grammar of symbolic language , at which we will hereafter
arrive . The necessary preparations , then , having been made in the first degree , —the lessons having been received by which the aspirant was taught to purify his heart , —as a Fellow-Craft he begins to cultivate those virtues which give form and substance to the character , as the stones give shape and stability to the building ; and hence the
working tools of the Fellow-Craft are referred , in their symbolic application , to those virtues . In the alphabet of symbolism we find the square , the level , and the plumb appropriated to this second degree . The square is a symbol denoting morality . It teaches us to apply the unerring principles of moral science to every action ot our lives , to see that all the motives and results of our conduct shall
coincide with the dictates of divine justice , and that all our thoughts , words , and deeds shall harmoniously conspire , like the well-adjusted and duly-squared joints of an edifice , to produce a smooth , unbroken life of virtue .
The ^ plumb is a symbol of rectitude of conduct , inculcating that integrity of life , and undeviating course of moral uprightness , which can alone distinguish the good and just man . As the operative