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Short Talk Bulletin Vol 05 No 11
SHORT TALK BULLETIN - Vol.V November, 1927 No.11
THE LAMBSKIN APRON
by: Unknown
In Masonic symbolism the Lambskin Apron holds precedence. It is the
initial gift of Freemasonry to a candidate, and at the end of life's
pilgrimage it is reverently placed on his mortal remains and buried
with his body in the grave.
Above all other symbols, the Lambskin Apron is the distinguishing
badge of a Mason. It is celebrated in poetry and prose and has been
the subject of much fanciful speculation. Some Masonic writers have
contended that initiation is analogous to birth, or our advent from
prenatal darkness into the light of human fellowship, moral truth and
spiritual faith. Much ancient lore has been adduced in an effort to
show that the Lambskin Apron typifies regeneration, or a new life,
and this thought of resurrection may be the cause of its internment
with the body of a deceased brother. At least it will serve until a
better reason is advanced for this peculiar custom in the Masonic
burial service. The association of the lamb with redemption and being
born again is expressed by John, the Apocalyptic Seer, who had a
vision on the Isle of Patmos, and beheld the purified and redeemed
"Of All Nations, Kindreds, People and Tongues." Of them it was said,
"These are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed
their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
By many it has been regarded as a great religious symbol. In our
present conception there are three parts of man; body, soul and
spirit; what the body is to the soul, the soul to the spirit; namely,
a house or habitation, but in oriental thought there are seven parts
of man; four earthly and three heavenly; four physical and three
spiritual. The four sides of the square symbolize the four physical
and the three sides of the flap, or triangle, symbolize the three
spiritual parts of man. The apex of the triangle, or point of the
flap, stood for the Atma, and which means the eternal spark, the
Divine Flame, the indestructible spirit of the living God in every
human being. In this aspect it means that:
God is not a looker on At the Life of anyone;
God is under every man, God is part of every man.
A badge is either good or bad by reason of that for which it stands.
Aside from mysticism, I believe there are five distinct things of
which the Lambskin Apron is a badge.
Firstly, in its use, it is a badge of service. In his recent book on
"Symbolical Masonry," Brother H.L. Haywood has an interesting chapter
on "The Apron wherein the Builder Builds," and says it "was so
conspicuous a portion of the costume of an operative Mason that it
became associated with him in the public mind and thus gradually
evolved into his badge." By it Speculative Freemasonry seeks to
distinguish the builder and place upon the brow of labor the laurel
wreath of dignity and honor.
Secondly, made of lambskin, it is in its fabric a badge of sacrifice.
The lamb in all ages has been not only an emblem of innocence, but
also a symbol of sacrifice, and he who wears this Apron with
understanding must be prepared for the time when hard things are to
be done, when trials are to be endured, and fortitude glorified.
Thirdly, in its color it is a badge of purity. White is the clean
color that reflects most light.
In Masonry there are three great religious rites. One is
discalceation, that is, entering a holy place or standing in the
presence of God barefooted as a symbol of humility. It comes from a
time whereof the memory of man runneth not to the contrary. When God
appeared to Moses in the burning bush, he said, "Put off thy shoes
from thy feet for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground."
Another is the rite of circumambulation, that it, going around an
Altar from east to west by way of the south. Dr. Joseph Fort Newton
said: "When man emerged from the night of barbarism his religion was
a worship of light; to him light was life and love, darkness was evil
and death; to him light was the mother of beauty, the unveiler of
color, the radiant, illusive mystery of the world; his Temple was
hung with stars, his Altar a glowing flame, his ritual a woven hymn
of night and day." To him the sun was the greatest of God's
creations, it inspired his adoration and in all his religious
ceremonies he followed its apparent course through the heavens, as
though he were walking in the footsteps of the Most High. Through
this rite, memories of that religion of the dawn linger with us in
Masonry today.
The third is the rite of investure or purification; that is, the
presentation of the Apron. In a qualified way it bears the
relationship to the Lodge that baptism does to some Churches, it is
the external symbol of an inner purification. The Psalmist asked:
"Who shall ascend into the Hill of The Lord?" and answering his own
question said, "He that hath clean hands and a pure heart." The
Apron when correctly understood is the pledge of a clean life, the
testimony that a candidate means to live pure, speak true, right
wrong and reverence conscience as king.
When we turn to the Ritual for its interpretation, we find the Apron
to be an inheritance from the past, it is a badge of antiquity, "more
ancient than the Golden Fleece and Roman Eagle." A ministerial
Brother once said that the Masonic Ritual was couched in stilted
phrases and extravagant language, and, as an illustration referred to
the ritualistic speech used in the presentation of the Apron. Let us
see if he was right. The most specific way of conveying thought and
expressing truth is by comparison, It is difficult to comprehend an
idea unless we can correlate or compare it with something already
known. The Order of the Golden Fleece here referred to was founded
in the year 1429, by Phillip, Duke of Burgandy; the Roman Eagle
became Rome's Ensign of Imperial Power about one century before the
Christian era, while the Apron had come down to us from the very
sunrise of time. "Herbrew Prophets often wore Aprons," they were
used in the ancient mysteries of India and Egypt, they were used by
early Chinese secret societies, by the Jewish religious sect called
Essenes, they were employed as emblems by the Incas of Peru, the
Aztecs of Mexico, and the prehistoric races of the American
continent.
As a badge of antiquity, it emphasizes the value of the past.
Blackstone, in his commentaries on the English Law, said that in the
making of a new law three things must be considered; namely, the old
law, the mischief and the remedy. No man can apply an intelligent
remedy to a existing mischief without regard to the antecedent
conditions out of which it grew. Present progress must be based on
the accumulated experience and wisdom of the ages. Albert Pike said,
"It is the dead who govern, the living only obey." "Every ship that
comes to America got its chart from Columbus, every novel is debtor
to Homer, every carpenter who shaves with a foreplane borrows the
genius of some forgotten inventor."
As a badge of antiquity the Apron exalts the greatness and glory of
the past in its present contribution to human good and happiness.
In the fifth place, the Apron is a badge of honor. It is declared to
be "More honorable than the Star and Garter." Here we have another
comparison. The Order of the Star and Garter was created by John II
of France at the beginning of his reign in the middle of the 14th
century. It was a Royal plaything and at the time of its formation
its founder was engaged in acts of despotism and destruction.
The Order of the Garter was formed by Edward III of England in 1349.
It was composed of the King and Twenty-five knights, and originated
in the false pride and fantastic pomp of medieval manners. Edward A.
Freeman, an English historian says: "The spirit of knighthood is
above all things a class spirit. The good knight is bound to endless
courtesies toward men and women of a certain rank; and he may treat
all below that rank with any degree of scorn and cruelty." "Chivalry
is in morals what feudalism is in law. Each substitutes personal
obligations devised in the interest of an exclusive class, for the
more homey duties of an honest man and a good citizen."
Freemasonry is in striking contrast to such conceptions. It stands
for the dissipation of discord and dissension, for the promotion of
peace, the pursuit of knowledge and the practice of brotherhood, for
untrammeled conscience, equality of opportunity and the Divine right
of liberty in man, for devotion to duty, the building of character
and rectitude of life and conduct. Its symbolical supports are
wisdom, strength and beauty; the principal rounds of its theological
ladder are faith, hope and charity. Its primary tenets are brotherly
love, relief and truth; its cardinal virtues are fortitude, prudence
and justice. Its Temple is erected to the Master Builder, its Great
Light is the Word of Revelation and at its center is an Altar of high
and Holy purpose. Like the shadow of a rock in a weary land, like a
shining light in a window of a home, like a mother's kiss on a
trouble brow and the breath of her prayer in the hour of despair, is
the spirit of Freemasonry, calling men from the circumference of life
to find God at the center of the individual soul.
When we consider the messages delivered by these Orders and the
Lambskin Apron - one speaking the language of class distinction,
special privilege and the Divine right of Kings; the other telling
the story of exact justice, equality of opportunity, and the
brotherhood of man - it is not a stilted phrase and an exaggeration
of speech, to say that the badge of a Mason is more honorable than
the Star and Garter.
As a badge of honor, the Lambskin Apron spells out integrity, honesty
of purpose, probity of character, and soundness of moral principle.
"SO MOTE IT BE"
