Grand Lodge Monthly Education Series — June 2005
LESSONS FROM THE SECOND DEGREE
The three degrees of Symbolic Masonry—Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason—takes us from a speculative new birth through “childhood” to youth, then manhood and old age, and ends with immortality. Too many of us do not see the beauty, the antiquity, and the philosophy in the Fellowcraft degree.
Without the lessons taught in this degree there could be no Freemasonry. The degree is an important part of a whole. We cannot jump from birth to old age and the end of life in one leap. There must be a middle stage, called childhood and manhood.
The symbolism of the Fellowcraft Degree teaches a man to think, work, study and earn his wages. He is taught to develop his own mind, to have his own thoughts, and to seek wisdom.
Our ritual lists the five senses of human nature: hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling and tasting. Only God knows how these senses function. Researchers have learned more about them in recent years, but we still do not have all the answers. We do certain things but it is only our brain that interprets the senses.
The Liberal Arts and Sciences discussed in our ritual were all that were known in the days of our ancient brethren. A man who knew them was indeed intelligent. Just to mention them even today makes us realize how little we know and how much there is to learn. The Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences are the symbols of education, learning and knowledge.
The pillars in the Lodge are symbols of the pillars that stood before the Temple constructed by King Solomon. When a Fellowcraft passes between them, it is to signify that he is not to observe one at the expense of the other. He has both control and power laid before, symbolized by the pillars, both of which are necessary for the completion of a successful life.
The globes on top of the pillars represent universality. The terrestrial globe represents the earth and all things therein contained, while the celestial globe represents nature and the universe of which our world is but a tiny part. The ritual’s description of the globes teach us lessons of hope, of wisdom, of love, and of universality.
The working tools of a Fellowcraft—the plumb, square and level—have a significance that goes much further than the ritual.
The great 20th century Masonic author Carl Claudy wrote:
“In a lodge all brethren meet on a level of exact equality, which is not
concerned with brains, or education, or wealth or position; men are equal in a
lodge in manhood and in Masonic right and Masonic character. ‘We
meet on the level’ means just what it says. Masons trust each
other, believe in each other, and help each because they are, Masonically,
level with each other.
“…Masons are to judge their fellow, if at all, by their fellow’s plumb
lines, not their own. One brother must not condemn another by personal
standards; only when a brother is false to his own standards can he judge him.
“To ‘part upon the square’ signifies that while a
square points in different directions, and men “part” to go each his own way,
it is a known way, not a devious way, a wrong way, a bad way, but a ‘square’
way…It is the fundamental tool of the Speculative Mason; without square
thoughts and actions, no spiritual building can stand.”
The wages of corn, wine and oil was remuneration of great worth at the time of building the Temple. For a man to receive all three he had to be an exceptional workman. An apprentice would receive his corn [food] but not his wine, and especially his oil, until he had proved his worth. How significant it is that as a Mason he does not receive “wages” when he is still an Entered Apprentice. He will receive “wages” only after he reaches the Middle Chamber to become a Brother Fellowcraft.
Remember that we reach the Middle Chamber by climbing a flight of winding stairs. Early in Masonry we are taught to have confidence in the fidelity of a Brother Mason. In the Fellowcraft Degree the winding stairs emphasize that confidence again because a straight staircase could easily have served the purpose. It takes no courage or imagination to travel straight ahead as we can see what lies before us. But a winding route does not disclose that which we must face in our journey. It takes a man to face the unknown with trust, faith, and confidence.
At the end of the Fellowcraft Degree we are truthfully told that “light” has been only partially received. There is much more to follow. The light that follows in the Master Mason degree would be greatly dimmed without the lessons taught in the Second Degree.
In the Fellowcraft Degree we have the beginning of manhood, the middle stage of our lives between childhood and old age. The Fellowcraft is encouraged to read, discuss, and think about matters not connected with his daily routine. He becomes a more well-rounded individual and thus better able to act in the world.
During this middle stage of life we are our most productive: earning our wages, raising and educating our families, participating in our communities as active citizens, and learning more about who we are as individuals through our life experiences.
In this Middle Chamber of life, we as Freemasons are encouraged to make the world a better place than we found it. How do we accomplish this? By putting into practice the writing, speaking and analytical skills we have learned in the study of the arts of grammar, rhetoric and logic. Utilizing these skills, we apply the tools of science to understand the universe, from the atoms to the stars. What we learn by scientific study we can then transform into inventions and technology for improving the daily life of mankind. Automobiles, airplanes, television and radio, heart pacemakers, hearing aids, Teflon cooking utensils, modern miracles of medicine, vaccines, and the Internet are all the products of the minds of men and women.
We have been entertained and our lives enriched by Freemasons such as John Phillip Souza, George M. Cohan and Mozart—all of whom studied the science of music. And Walt Disney, a Senior DeMolay, combined the arts and sciences to create great films and fabulous amusement parks.
Charles Albert Adams PGM once said that “…there is no higher duty devolving upon us as Masons than the duty we owe the State as citizens.” One of highest duties of American citizens and Freemasons is that we are required to concern ourselves with and take part in politics. By “politics” Brother Adams meant that we should be concerned and involved in making sure that good candidates are elected to office, and just laws and regulations govern California and the United States.
The study of grammar, rhetoric and logic teaches men to communicate better with each other, and to think clearly about the great issues facing us as individuals and citizens. There can be no better tools in politics than the attentive ear, the instructive tongue, and the faithful breast. Talk with your friends, become involved in your communities, and bring the influence of the plumb, square and level to play in your towns and communities.