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 proceedings and when I get finished this
evening they will not be reticent to point out any errors which I may have made
during this 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 will record the dollars of which 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 Likewise 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 administering 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 Junior Warden in assisting 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 lodge room 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 "flaming 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 lodges) 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
processions. 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
Lyre-
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. lying 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
aspiring 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 yourself 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 lodge room. 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.
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