Fellowcraft Education
Introduction You are now a Fellowcraft Mason. This means that you passed through its ceremonies, assumed its obligations, are registered as such in the books of the Lodge, and can sit in either a Lodge of Entered Apprentices or of Fellowcraft, but not in a Lodge of Master Masons. Doubtless you recognized in the Fellowcraft Degree a call for learning, an urge to study. Truly, here is a great Degree -- one to muse upon and to study; one to see many, many times and still not come to the end of its stirring teachings. There are two great ideas embodied in the Fellowcraft Degree. They are not the only two ideas in it, to be sure; but if you understand these, they will lead you into an understanding of the others. But before we turn to these two main ideas, exactly what is a Fellowcraft? |
"Fellowcraft"
Fellowcraft is
one of a large number of terms which have a technical meaning peculiar to
Freemasonry and is seldom or never found elsewhere. In the dictionary sense
it is not difficult to define. A "craft" was an organization of the skilled
workmen in some trade or calling, for example, masons, carpenters, painters,
sculptors, barbers, etc. A "fellow" meant one who held full membership in
such a craft, was obligated to the same duties, and allowed the same
privileges. Since the skilled crafts are no longer organized as they once
were, the term is no longer in use with its original sense.
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In its operative period, Freemasons were skilled workmen engaged in some
branch of the building trade, or art of architecture; as such, like all
other skilled workmen, they had an organized craft of their own. The general
form in which this craft was organized was called a "guild." A Lodge was a
local, and usually temporary organization within the guild. This guild had
officers, laws, rules, regulations, and customs of its own, rigorously
binding on all members equally. It divided its membership into two grades,
the lower of which was composed of apprentices. The Operative Freemasons
recruited their membership from qualified lads of twelve to fifteen years of
age. When such a boy proved acceptable to the members, he was required to
swear to be obedient, upon which he was bound over to some Master Mason;
after a time, if he proved worthy, his name was formally entered in the
books of the Lodge, thereby giving him his title of Entered Apprentice. For
about seven years this boy lived with his master, gave his master implicit
obedience in all things, and toiled much but received no pay except his
board, lodging, and clothing. In the Lodge life, he held a place equally
subordinate because he could not attend a Lodge of Master Masons, had no
voice or vote, and could not hold office. All this means that during his
long apprenticeship, he was really a bond servant with many duties, few
rights, and very little freedom. |
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