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Post by parisfred on Jan 3, 2006 22:44:23 GMT
Just above, the is an advertisement for JP Luther Company: I found this item www.jpluther.com/swhat.inq?sdrop=APSO&sprimary=AP&ssecondary=SOMEMBERS PAPER APRONS No. 1947- Plain Paper Apron for Special Occasions -Paper that looks & feels like cloth -Use for Lodge Anniversaries, Past Master's Night, Open Air Meetings, Grand Lodge Communications, Corner Stone Laying, Any Special Lodge Meeting -Strong & sturdy enough to be worn several times - Price per 100What is this for, is this really for mass conferral ?
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Post by calvin on Jan 4, 2006 18:29:30 GMT
Many (if not most?) US Brethren don't bring their own aprons to meetings. The apron they were given at their Raising is not intended to be worn, for reasons explained at the time. As a result many (if not most?) US lodges loan aprons to their members and visitors on meeting nights. These paper aprons are for those occasions when the lodge's regular supply might be insufficient.
Cal
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Post by penfold on Jan 4, 2006 20:25:18 GMT
Really? They give them an apron and tell them not to wear it?
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Post by calvin on Jan 4, 2006 23:24:07 GMT
Really? They give them an apron and tell them not to wear it? Correct. The apron they're given is to be buried with them. Cal
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Post by Jumile on Jan 5, 2006 15:21:22 GMT
Masonic burials have always intrigued me, especially after reading about a US brother's interest in Freemasonry being borne of brothers attending his father's funeral without knowing him.
It's a pity it's not allowed in UGLE - it's specifically mentioned in the "Information and Guidance..." booklet given out at one's Raising.
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Post by windtimber on Jan 5, 2006 19:21:32 GMT
Well...at least in my experience there's no directive in my jurisdiction, and several others I'm familiar with, not to wear your apron. Yes, it is to be buried with you - but there is no prohibition or instruction not to wear it. Nonetheless, every lodge I've been in has a supply of "loaners" since hardly anyone brings their own apron. They are cloth and periodically require cleaning, starch, and ironing. I suspect the paper aprons are precisely for what was indicated - special occasions when a large gathering is expected, an outdoor activity, or other special lodge where by virtue of numbers or circumstances use of the regular "loaners" won't work well.
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Post by windtimber on Jan 5, 2006 19:33:13 GMT
Regarding Masonic burials/funerals - they are, in my humble opinion anyway, genuinely moving and a true tribute to a brother at the end of his life. Most importantly, again to me anyway, Masonic funeral rites are a welcoming, non-sectarian celebration of the immortality of the human soul; and a true reflection of the esteem in which every Freemason holds his brothers. After participating in Masonic funerals I have, on several occasions, been advised non-Masonic relatives and friends of a departed brother that the message of tolerance, peace, hope, and reunification expressed in the service was as comforting and meaningful as the traditional religious services which either followed or preceeded the Masonic rites. It is certainly not a substitute or replacement for appropriate religious ceremonies, is not intended to be, nor should be. But Masonic rites do offer universal comfort to the Mason, the family, and those who are "churched" or not.
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Post by calvin on Jan 5, 2006 19:58:16 GMT
Well...at least in my experience there's no directive in my jurisdiction, and several others I'm familiar with, not to wear your apron. Yes, it is to be buried with you - but there is no prohibition or instruction not to wear it. Nonetheless, every lodge I've been in has a supply of "loaners" since hardly anyone brings their own apron. Thanks for the clarification, Bro windtimber. Cal
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Post by taylorsman on Jan 6, 2006 8:13:39 GMT
It is a pity that we don't have such a Form of Service here in England. I understand that our Scots and Irish Brethren have them .
I have however attended a couple of Funerals of Brethren which were de facto Masonic Funerals. One was of a very dear Masonic Friend in Brighton when the chapel at Woodvale Crematorium was packed with Freemasons to pay their respects to Departed Merit. As his coffin was brought in the Opening Ode was played on the organ and the Freemasons present sang the words. His Apron , Collar, and Gloves were on the top of his coffin. A eulogy was given by one Brother which mentioned the Departed's life both Masonic and otherwise . At the end of the Service the Closing Ode was sung. It was a most moving experience and my eyes, including my own, were wet.
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Post by Jumile on Jan 6, 2006 14:19:35 GMT
Yes, it is to be buried with you - but there is no prohibition or instruction not to wear it. There's no mention of not being allowing to be buried with any of your regalia, but it specifically speaks against a Masonic funeral service. I doubt UGLE would object to one's brethren attending, saying a few words after the eulogy, etc - providing it wasn't the theme or purpose of the service. Besides... there's always the wake in which his brethren could celebrate his ultimate Raising without fear of transgressing UGLE edicts.
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Michael
Member
... as you have passed through the ceremony of your initiation...
Posts: 326
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Post by Michael on Jan 23, 2006 13:23:21 GMT
Along with the copy of "Freemasonry for Dummies" I received this Christmas from Santa "Freemasonry and its Etiquette" By William Preston Campbell-Everden. This book has some six pages on 'The Masonic Funeral' and the words to be used following the service appropriate to that persons beliefs. I thought at first that it was a purely American ritual as this book came from the USA, however the previous chapter refers to 'Laying Stone' (Foundation Stone) and ends with '...Long may Queen Elizabeth reign...' and the national anthem. When I get round to reading it fully I will post on the book revue. Freemasonry and its Etiquette By William Preston Campbell-Everden. ISBN 0-571-25914-1 Gramercy Books - www.randomhouse.com
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Post by leonardo on Jan 23, 2006 13:43:23 GMT
I will certainly be checking out these books. Thanks Mick.
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staffs
Administrator
Staffs
Posts: 3,295
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Post by staffs on Jan 23, 2006 18:46:01 GMT
Really? They give them an apron and tell them not to wear it? I believe theres a special paper one made for you Kieran . All the markings have been done with a highlighter pen. ;D ;D
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Post by yw on Jan 25, 2006 13:26:36 GMT
Really? They give them an apron and tell them not to wear it? Most of the 51 mainstream Grand Lodges in the United States use rituals based on the one produced by Thomas Webb. No where in the Web-form ritual the initiates are directed not to wear the aprons they receive. There are two versions of the apron lecture - a full-length version and a short version. The full-length version has the following passage or its variations: "It is yours; yours to wear through an honorable life, and at your death to be placed upon the coffin which shall inclose your lifeless remains, and with them laid beneath the clods of the valley." But the short version I'm familiar with does not have this passage. Anyway most lodges in most jurisdictions in America provide plain white cloth aprons, sometimes with blue trimming, for its members and visitors. So most brethren present at their meetings use such aprons with the exception of Lodge Officers, some PMs may wear their own PM aprons, though. (We can tell which rank [E.A., F.C. or M.M.] the wearer belongs to by the manner in which he wears the apron.) Therefore, the initiate is usually told after the ceremony that he can borrow one of those cloth aprons supplied by his lodge so he can keep his own white leather apron clean and free of wear and tear. Y.W.
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Post by yw on Jan 25, 2006 13:34:04 GMT
Masonic burials have always intrigued me, especially after reading about a US brother's interest in Freemasonry being borne of brothers attending his father's funeral without knowing him. Here's a case in point: "Some time later - just how long is not clear - a hush fell over our home. Father was very ill. Once, slyly, I got a glimpse of him - his head turning to and fro in agony. The next time I saw him he was white and still and untroubled; he was among the silent people we call the dead. On a snowy day when a keen wind was blowing - a "norther," we called it - my father was buried; a wood fire was burning nearby. Clinging to the hand of my little mother, I looked for the first time into an open grave - to a sensitive child a strange, terrifying experience. The old country minister adjusted his glasses and read the words of Jesus, "I am the resurrection and the life - Let not your hearts be troubled." Never shall I forget the power of those words. It was as if a great, gentle Hand, stronger than the hand of man and more tender than the hand of any woman, had been put forth from the Unseen to caress and heal my spirit - from that day to this I have loved Jesus beyond the power of words to tell! The Masonic Lodge, of which Father had been Master, read, or recited, their simple ritual; the Master in his high hat, the men standing in a square, wearing white aprons; each dropping a sprig of evergreen into the grave - a symbol, as I was to learn later, of their faith in the immortal life. Again and again, in afterdays, men from that Lodge came to ask Mother if they could help her in any way" (River of Years - An Autobiography, by Joseph Fort Newton). Joseph Fort Newton (1880-1950) was the author of The Builders which was published in 1914. A copy of this book was originally presented to all new members who joined lodges under the Grand Lodge of Iowa. Later it was translated into several languages and was read on a global basis. It is said to be the most widely read masonic book in the United States and possibly in the world. He also says in River of Years, "This [The Builders] was the first of eight other books written at various times, later, for the instruction of Masons in Masonry, its history and its art. It was not an easy book to write; Masonry had not been studied, by the craft in general, in a strict historical manner. One had to go behind legends to find fact, behind fiction to discover truth - it was bewildering, but at last one found the key. In particular, I found that a group of scholars had done what I was trying to do, Gould, Hughan, Speth, Crawley, Thorp, to name no others, filing their findings in the Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No. 2076, in London; twenty-four volumes and more. Of course, hundreds of other books were read and digested, as the notes to my book show, but the reports of the Research Lodges of England made it possible for me to do my work in a shorter time. Naturally this fact suggested to me the idea of having a Research Lodge in Iowa to make a better use of the great library and to set our findings in a more popular form for all Masons to read. My suggestion was received with enthusiasm, but it was wisely modified and enlarged, and the result was the National Masonic Research Society, with headquarters in Iowa. Also it was proposed to publish a journal, monthly, to be called The Builder, which I had the honor to edit until I left America. This was delightful work; it brought me in touch with Masonic students all over the land, as well as in Canada, and, of course, in England and Scotland. The contacts formed, the friendships made, became a source of inspiration and joy. My book The Builders appeared in December, 1914; the Research Society journal began the following year, as I remember it." Y.W.
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