STB-FE90
WALKABOUT
This Short Talk has been printed with permission from "The
Grand Masters Eye Opener" a publication of the Grand Lodge of
Canada in The Province of Ontario. It is actually a talk given
to the Candidates at the conclusion of the Entered Apprentice
Degree. This talk was prepared by R W. Bro. Edward Peters a
Past District Deputy Grand Master in Ontario.
The officers stations and jewels will not be the same in every
jurisdiction but the talk can certainly be changed to conform to
the custom and practices of your own jurisdiction.
It is not ritual, but merely an informal presentation of some
very valuable and useful information to the candidate.
Editor
When I first became a Mason, it was a good number of months
before I understood the function of each officer and the various
furnishings about the lodge. So, tonight, we are going to show
you around, so to speak, in the hope that when you come to the
lodge next month, you will feel comfortable and more at home
amongst your brethren.
This area of the lodge is known as the "East" and it will come
as no surprise to you that our Master sits in the east, since all
learning emanated from the east. Our Master is elected by the
brethren of the lodge for a period of one year. He is the "boss",
and the well ruling of the lodge is in his hands. You will notice
that the Master's jewel is the square and, as you have already
learned, the square and the compasses represent the whole craft.
To his right is the Immediate Past Master; he was the Master last
year. He has an important function in that, since he made all the
usual mistakes that a Master can make during his year in office, he
is now in the position of being able to correct the Master, give
him his opinions and advice and prompt him as necessary. The IPM's
jewel is the square from which is suspended a geometrical design of
historical significance to the Mason. To the Master's left is a
chair which is reserved for any dignitary who might visit, or
anyone else within the lodge of Master's rank or higher, whom the
Master might invite to sit beside him.
The area to the right of the Master is reserved for Past Masters
or visiting Masters from other lodges, while the area to his left
is reserved for Grand Lodge Officers.
Masonry, like any business, has a Head Office and a President. Our
Head Office is in (use location of your own Grand Lodge office),
and our President is the Grand Master _______________ The brethren
who are responsible for Masonry in each Jurisdiction across the
country, are what we refer to as Grand Lodge Officers and they are
either elected or appointed to Grand Lodge. You Will notice that
they wear very colorful regalia and they are the wise men of
Masonry. They keep a close eye on proceedmgs and when I get
finished this evening they wlll not be reticent to point out any
errors whlch I may have made during thls presentation.
Here we have the Secretary and no business or organization could
get along without a secretary and, it is certainly no different in
Masonry. The lodge secretary performs a myriad of duties and is
critical to the success and the well-running of the lodge. His
jewel is the crossed goose quills, which, in early times, were used
to transcribe the proceedings. It is one of his duties to keep a
written record of all meetings. As a matter of fact, the first
meeting ever held in my lodge in (insert date) was duly recorded by
the secretary of that day and is available in the archives. In like
manner, the events of this evening are being recorded together
with your name, and will go down in the minutes as part of our
lodge history Next to the Secretary is the Treasurer. It is his
responsibility to look after the accounts of the lodge and to
record all receipts and expenditures For example he wlll record the
dollars of whlch you were relieved this evening. His Jewel is the
crossed keys which have reference to the coffers or strong box in
which the resources of the lodge were kept in years gone by.
Here we have the Junior Warden. The Junior Warden and the Senior
Warden (point to him), along with the Master, are the principal
officers of the lodge and they will normally progress from one
chair to the next. In this way then, the Junior Warden, if he
behaves himself and keeps his nose clean, will probably be elected
Senior Warden next year and the Senior Warden will Iikewise be
elected to the Master's chair. The Junior Warden's jewel is the
plumb, which is the emblem of uprightness.
On each side of the Junior Warden sit the Stewards. Their Jewel is
the cornucopia or "Horn of Plenty" It is the emblem assigned to the
Stewards because of their function in administer ing to the
brethren at the hours of refreshment The Junior Stewards chair is
the first chair in the Lodge as one proceeds upward to the Master's
Here we have the Senior Warden, whom I have already referred to.
He has a similar function to the Jumor Warden in assistmg the
Master in the well-ruling of the Lodge. His jewel is the Level, the
emblem of equality. You are already well acquainted with the Junior
Deacon, as he was the Mason who guided you around the lodgeroom
tonight during your degree. We have both a Junior Deacon and Senior
Deacon (point to him), and they both have similar functions in the
various degrees as they assist the Wardens and the Master in the
actual duties of the lodge. Their jewels depict a dove and alludes
to the dove which was released by Noah and returned to the ark with
an olive branch.
You also know something about the Outer Guard (Tiler in many
lodges) and the Inner Guard, since they were the first people you
met when you were about to enter the lodge. The Outer Guard is
responsible to see that none but Masons get into the lodge room and
the Inner Guard has a similar function. The Inner Guard's Jewel is
the crossed swords and the Outer Guard's Jewel sports a single
sword. They recall the "flammg sword" placed, after Adam's fall,
at the entrance to the Garden of Eden to keep all intruders away
from the "tree of life".
The Director of Ceremonies (Marshal in many Iodges) is responsible
to see that the ceremonies and degrees are well rehearsed and that
the brethren know their work to the credit of the lodge. You will
often see him with a furrowed brow and sweaty palm as he watches
the degree work and probably sees things which you wouldn't notice
but which, in his desire to achieve perfection keeps his
worry-level high. His emblem or jewel is the crossed rods,
depicting the marshal's baton originally the officer in charge of
the king's horses but which has come to have certain ceremonial
duties in respect to the marshalling of prcessions. The Director
of ceremonies also attends to any ceremony in which the lodge might
be involved.
The Organist is responsible for the music of the lodge and his
jewel is the Iyre-
The Chaplain looks after the spiritual side of our meetings and
his jewel is the volume of the Sacred Law mounted on a triangle-
This is the altar which you will find in every Masonic lodge It is
the center of the building On the altar lies the V.O.S.L. This book
can be different depending upon where the lodge IS situated in the
world, and will always allude to the beliefs of the brethren in
that particular area. It is not uncommon for more than one book to
be on the altar, depending on where we are. For example, if you
were to go to lodge in Jerusalem you would find four books upon the
altar, alluding to the various beliefs in that city. It is
important to know that everything which we do in Masonry emanates
from the V.O.S.L. Iying here on the altar, and it is the focal
point of Masonry.
Here we have what we refer to as the rough and the perfect
ashlars. (point to them) Now, as you begin your Masonic journey,
you have been likened to the rough ashlar, which, you will notice,
has some form, but is still very rough. This alludes to the fact
that you have been investigated and your brethren have
determined that you are a fit and proper person to become a Mason.
Now begins the work--using our Masonic tools, of chipping away all
that you do not need to be a Mason among men. Eventually, this
rough ashlar will become more like the one we see across the lodge
room, and which we refer to as the perfect ashlar. Masonry does
not add anything to you as a man, but rather takes away anything
that you do not need. Masonry then, is a journey which you have
begun tonight. A journey, if you like, that takes you from the
"rough ashlar" to the "perfect ashlar . Masonry is not something
that you arrive at, but rather Masonry is something that is
ongoing and in which you will spend the rest of your life aspir-
ing to perfection. However, if you look closely at the "perfect
ashlar", you will see that it is not "perfect", because nothing in
this mortal world is perfect. We spend our lifetime as Masons, as
I have said, aspiring to perfection until, eventually we leave
this world and go to the Grand Lodger Above.
You will get out of your Masonic journey in relationship to what
you are prepared to give of yourself and your talent. It is my
hope, and the hope of the brethren here assembled tonight, that you
will continue your Masonic journey, that you will take your
obligations seriously and that you with the help of your brethren
will make a place for yorself in Masonic circles.
Congratulations and best wishes to you, brother.
NOTE: The "Walkabout" is given immediately following the EA degree
and is intended to be a general explanation of the "chairs" and
the lodgeroom. Take the candidate by the left arm and commence an
informal walk around the lodge.
When referring to the Officer's jewels, have the appropriate jewel
held up in order that the new brother may see what is being
explained.
Keep the entire procedure in a "light" vein and introduce some
humor where possible.
R.W. Bro. Edward Peters, D.D.G.M. London West District 1988/89
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