“Will you give it to me?”

Ans. “I did not so receive it, neither can I so impart it.”

“What will you do with it?”

Ans. “I’ll letter it or halve it.”

“Halve it and you begin.”

Ans. “No, begin you.”

“You begin.”

Ans. “J A.”

“CHIN.”

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Ans. “JACHIN.”

“Right, brother, Jachin, I greet you.”

As the signs, due-guards, grips, words, pass-words, and their several names comprise pretty much all the secrets of Masonry, and all the information necessary to pass us as Masons, I intend to appropriate a few passages in the latter part of this work to the exclusive purpose of explaining them; I shall not, therefore, spend much time in examining them as I progress. After the Master gives the candidate the pass-grip and grip, and their names, he says, “Brother, you ill rise and salute the Junior and Senior Wardens, as such, and convince them that you have been regularly passed to the degree of a Fellow Craft Mason, and have got the sign and pass-grip, real grip and their names.” [I do not here express it as expressed in lodges generally; the Master generally says, “You will arise and salute the Wardens, &c, and convince them, &c., that you have got the sign, pass-grip, and word.” It is obviously wrong, because the first thing he gives is the sign, then due-guard, then the pass-grip, real grip, and their names.] While the Wardens are examining the candidate, the Master gets an apron, and returns to the candidate, and says, “Brother, I now have the honor of presenting you with a lambskin or white apron as before, which I hope you will continue to wear with honor to yourself and satisfaction to the brethren; you will please carry it to the Senior Warden in the west, who will teach you how to wear it as a Fellow Craft Mason.” The Senior Warden ties on his apron and turns up one corner of the lower end of the apron and tucks it under the apron string. The Senior Deacon then conducts his pupil to the Master, who has by this time resumed his seat in the east, where he has, or ought to have, the floor carpet to assist him in his explanations. Master to the candidate, “Brother, as you are dressed, it is necessary you should have tools to work with. I will therefore present you with the tools of a Fellow Craft Mason. They are the plumb, square, and level. The plumb is an instrument made use of by operative Masons to raise perpendiculars, the square to square their work, and the level to lay horizontals, but we, as Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to use them for a more noble and glorious purpose; the plumb teaches us to walk uprightly in our several stations

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before God and man, squaring our actions by the square of virtue, and remembering that we are traveling on the level of time to that undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler has returned. I further present you with three precious jewels; their names are Faith, Hope, and Charity; they teach us to have faith in God, hope in immortality, and charity to all mankind.” The Master to the Senior Deacon, “You will now conduct the candidate out of the lodge and invest him of what he has been divested.” After he is clothed and the necessary arrangements made for his reception, such as placing the columns and floor carpet, if they have any, and the candidate is reconducted back to the lodge; as he enters the door the Senior Deacon observes, “We are now about to return to the middle chamber of King Solomon’s temple.” When within the door the Senior Deacon proceeds, “Brother, we have worked in speculative Masonry, but our forefathers wrought both in speculative and operative Masonry; they worked at the building of King Solomon’s temple, and many other Masonic edifices; they wrought six days; they did not work on the seventh, because in six days God created the heavens and earth and rested on the seventh day; the seventh, therefore, our ancient brethren consecrated as a day of rest, thereby enjoying more frequent opportunities to contemplate the glorious works of creation and to adore their great Creator.” Moving a step or two, the Senior Deacon proceeds, “Brother, the first thing that attracts our attention are two large columns, or pillars, one on the left hand and the other on the right; the name of the one on the left hand is Boaz, and denotes strength; the name of the one on the right hand is Jachin, and denotes establishment; they collectively allude to a passage in Scripture wherein God has declared in his word, ‘In strength shall this House be established.'”

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