Fellow Craft
Educational Material for the Second Degree
The Library of Proficiency for the Degree of Fellow Craft
The Big Three
NOTE: You are required to show suitable proficiency in the BIG THREE Below.
F.C. Bible Verse: Amos 7:7-8
v7. Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand.
v8. And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then the Lord said, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:
The Working Tools of a F.C.:
The Level, the Square, & the Plumb
The plumb is an instrument used by operative masons to raise & try perpendiculars...
The level is used operative masons to prove horizontals...
The square is an instrument used by operative Masons to square their work...
But we, as Free and Accepted Masons are taught to make use of them for more noble and glorious purposes: the plumb admonishes us to walk upright, in our several stations, before God and man; squaring our actions by the square of virtue; and remembering that we are traveling, upon the level of time, to that undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveller returns.
The Obligation of an F.C.
I, [pronounce your name], of my own free-will and accord, in the presence of Almighty God, and this worshipful Lodge, erected to Him, and dedicated to the holy STS. JOHN, do hereby and hereon (Master presses candidate's hand with the gavel), most solemnly and sincerely promise and swear that I will always hail, and ever conceal, and never reveal any of the secret arts, parts, or points of the Fellow Craft Degree to any person whomsoever, except it be to a true and lawful brother of this degree, or in a regularly constituted Lodge of Fellow Crafts; nor unto him or them until, by strict trial, due examination, or lawful information, I shall find him, or them, as lawfully entitled to the same as I am myself.
I furthermore promise and swear that I will stand to, and abide by, all the laws, rules, and regulations of the Fellow Craft Degree, as far as the same shall come to my knowledge. Further, I will acknowledge and obey all due signs and summons sent to me from a Lodge of Fellow Crafts, or given me by a brother of that degree, if within the length of my cable-tow.
Further, that I will aid and assist all poor, distressed, worthy Fellow Crafts, knowing them to be such, as far as their necessities may require, and my ability permit, without any injury to myself.
Further, that I will not cheat, wrong, nor defraud a brother of this degree, knowingly, nor supplant him in any of his laudable undertakings.
All this I most solemnly promise and swear with a firm and steadfast resolution to perform the same, without any hesitation, mental reservation, or self-evasion of mind whatever, binding myself under no less penalty than of having my breast torn open plucked out, and placed on the highest pinnacle of the temple (some say, My heart and vitals taken from thence, and thrown over my left shoulder, and carried into the valley of Jehoshaphat, there to be devoured by the vultures of the air, should I ever knowingly violate the Fellow Craft obligation. So help me God, and keep me steadfast in the due performance of the same.
Other Symbolism for an F.C.
This information below is good for you to know, but is not required for suitable proficiency. However, you SHOULD learn the first half of the Part 1 Lecture down to the exchange of the due guard, sign, pass, token of the pass, grip, and word of an F.C
Two Types of Masonry
Masonry is considered under 2 denominations, namely Operative & Speculative. By operative masonry, we allude to the proper application of the useful rules or architecture, when a structure will derive figure, strength, and beauty. It furnishes us with temporary dwellings and convenient shelters from the vicissitudes and inclemencies of the seasons. And while it displays the effects of human wisdom, as well in choice as in the arrangement of sundry materials of which an edifice is composed, it demonstrates that a fund of science and industry is implanted in man for the best, most salutary and beneficent purposes.
By Speculative Masonry, we learn to subdue our passions, act upon the square, keep a tongue of good report, maintain secrecy, and practice charity. It is so far interwoven with religion as to lay us under obligation to pay that rational homage to Deity, which at once, constitutes our duty and our happiness. It leads the contemplative to view, with reverence and admiration, the glorious works of creation, and inspires him with the most exalted ideas of the perfection of his divine Creator.
The Two (2) Pillars and What They Represent
There are two large brazen pillars, one on the right and one on the left hand. The name of the one on the left hand is B--z, and signifies strength; the name of the one on the right is J---in, and denotes establishment; they, collectively, denote establishment and strength, and allude to a passage in Scripture: "In strength shall this house be established."
These are representations of the two pillars erected at the outer porch of King Solomon's Temple. They are said to have been in height thirty-five (35) cubits, 12 in circumference, and 4 in diameter; they are said to have been adorned with two large chapiters (top part of a column) of 5 cubits each, making their entire height forty (40) cubits. These chapiters were ornamented with a representation of net-work, lily-work, and pomegranates, and are said to denote Unity, Peace, and Plenty.
The network, from its connection, denotes unity; the lily-work, from its whiteness, and the retired place in which it grows, purity and peace; the pomegranates, from the exuberance of their seed, denote plenty. These chapiters have on the top of each a globe, or ball; these globes are two artificial spherical bodies; on the convex surfaces of which are represented the countries, seas, and various parts of the earth, the face of the heavens, the planetary revolutions; and are said to be thus extensive, to denote the universality of Masonry, and that a Mason's charity ought to be equally extensive.
The principal use of these globes, besides serving as maps, to distinguish the outward parts of the earth, and the situation of the fixed stars, is to illustrate and explain the phenomena arising from the annual revolution and the diurnal rotation of the earth around its own axis. They are the noblest instruments for improving the mind, and giving it the most distinct idea of any problem or proposition, as well as enabling it to solve the same.
Contemplating these bodies, we are inspired with a due reverence for the Deity and his works and are induced to encourage the studies of astronomy, geography, navigation, and the arts dependent on them, by which society has been so much benefited.
The composition of these pillars is molten or cast brass; they were cast whole, on the banks of the river Jordan, in the clay grounds between SUCCOTH and ZAREDATHA, where King Solomon ordered these and all holy vessels to be cast.
They were cast hollow, and were four inches or a hand's breadth thick. They were cast hollow the better to withstand inundation and conflagrations, and are said to have contained the archives of Masonry.
The Winding Staircase
The next thing that attracts our attention are the winding stairs which lead to the Middle Chamber of King Solomon's Temple, consisting of 3, 5, and 7 steps.
The first three allude to the three principal stages of human life, namely, youth, manhood, and old age. In youth, as Entered Apprentices, we ought industriously to occupy our minds in the attainment of useful knowledge; in manhood, as Fellow Crafts, we should apply our knowledge to the discharge of our respective duties to God, our neighbors, and ourselves; so that in old age, as Master Masons, we may enjoy the happy reflections consequent on a well-spent life, and die in the hope of a glorious immortality.
They also allude to the 3 principal supports in Masonry, namely, Wisdom, Strength. and Beauty; for it is necessary that there should be wisdom to contrive, strength to support, and beauty to adorn all great and important undertakings. They further allude to the 3 principal officers of the Lodge: Master, and Senior and Junior Wardens.
The 5 steps allude to the 5 orders of architecture and the five human senses. The 5 orders of architecture are Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite. The 5 human senses are hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling, and tasting, the first 3 of which have ever been highly es-teemed among Masons: hearing, to hear the word; seeing, to see the sign; feeling, to feel the grip, whereby one Mason may know another in the dark as well as in the light.
The 7 steps allude to the 7 Sabbatical years, 7 years of famine, 7 years in building the Temple, 7 golden candlesticks, 7 wonders of the world, 7 wise men of the east, 7 planets; but, more especially, the 7 liberal arts and sciences, which are grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. For this and many other reasons the number seven has ever been held in high estimation among Masons.
The Letter 'G'
The letter 'G" is the initial of geometry, the fifth science, it being that on which this Degree was principally founded. Geometry, the first and noblest of sciences, is the basis upon which the superstructure of Masonry is erected.
This letter has a higher signification; it alludes to the sacred name of Deity, to whom we should all, from the youngest Entered Apprentice, who stands in the northeast corner, to the Worshipful Master, who presides in the east, with reverence most humbly bow.
The Pass
What was the name of the pass?
A. S--------H.
Q. What does it denote?
A. Plenty.
Q. How is it represented?
A. By ears of corn hanging near a water-ford.
The Wages of a F.C.
What are the wages of a Fellow Craft?
A. The corn of nourishment, the wine of refreshment, and the oil of joy.
Q. What do they denote?
A. Peace, harmony, and strength.
The Jewels of a F.C.
What are the jewels of a Fellow Craft?
A. An attentive ear, an instructive tongue, and a faithful breast.
Q. How explained?
A. The attentive ear receives the sound from the instructive tongue, and the mysteries of Masonry are lodged in the repository of a faithful breast.
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Free & Accepted Masons, PHA.
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