Transcription
Good evening and welcome to another episode of the Prince Hall Think Tank, a monthly conversation amongst Prince Hall Freemasons where we discuss topics relative to Craft Masonry. My name is Brother Antonio Caffey, and I'm a very proud Past Master of Saint Mark's Lodge Number Seven, located in Columbus, Ohio, where Worshipful Brother Royston Snowden serves as our Worshipful Master. Our lodge was chartered in 1852 by the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge for Ohio. We're currently Honorable Jerry Ellis serves as Most Worshipful Grand Master.
Before I let the other brothers introduce themselves, I would like to state that the views and opinions that are expressed by us tonight in no way reflect the views and opinions of the Grand Lodges and lodges in which we hold membership. Also, if you have any questions, please feel free to use the chat option on our YouTube page, and if we have time at the end of our conversation, we'll do our best to answer some of them. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube page so that you can stay up to date with all things Think Tank. Lastly, we'd like to dedicate tonight's show to the memory of our dear Brother Ralph McNeill. That brother touched a lot of lives within the craft, and we are all indebted to his research and mentorship. The Prince Hall Think Tank definitely stands on his shoulders, and at this time, would like to observe a moment of silence for our good brother. Thank you.
At this time, I'll let the other brothers introduce themselves, starting with Brother Morgan.
Uh, good evening and happy New Year, everybody. Uh, my name is James R. Morgan III, and I'm a proud Past Master of Corinthian Lodge Number 18, where Worshipful Brother Davian Gregory serves as our Worshipful Master. My lodge operates under the auspices of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, where the newly elected Most Worshipful Grand Master, the Honorable Anthony B. Corbett, is now presiding. And, uh, while we're still battling this COVID, we're battling a lot of things around these parts these, uh, as 2022 rolls in. One thing that we are not battling is our love and affection for each and every one of you. I hope that, uh, 2022 is, uh, greeting you all in a better condition than 2021 did. And, uh, we're to keep on rocking here. So, I'm just thrilled to be here, and I'm going to pass it off to my good brother down in North Kakalaki.
Good evening, all. Um, happy New Year to, uh, each and every one of you. Um, Brother Damian Jack, proud Past Master, Paul D. Drayton Lodge Number Seven, here in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Worshipful Brother Sean Moy serves as our Worshipful Master. Our lodge is a constituent lodge under the auspices of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of North Carolina, where the Honorable Daniel L. D. T. Thompson serves as our 24th Most Worshipful Grand Master. Uh, it is an honor and a pleasure to be here with you, uh, as we kick off, uh, the first show for the new year. And I will say that, uh, although, uh, he is not on, um, you know, this is a new year, but the same Knicks. So, you know, we want to, uh, uh, start this year off with a bang. And Brother Caffey had to, I had to start it off that way. We usually end the show that way, but we got to start it off that way. New year, same Knicks. Hope you enjoyed. You're it for the killing. If you're watching somewhere, just remember that Brother Jack started it this year, not me. Yeah. We, we all said our tribe in the mercies to, to our good brothers. He's, uh, playing an airport game, you know, trying to get back home from a work assignment. So, please send your thoughts and prayers out to him to hopefully get back home soon and for a better outing of his Knicks this year. So, all we all keep those in his thoughts.
So tonight's, we are, um, we're taking a look at, um, we're going to talk about Masonic aprons. You know, those of us who are within the craft should remember that night that we were first presented our, our aprons. You know, the lecture that went along with it instructed us on the importance of it. And the, the apron is such an important component, if you think about it, such a component, an important component of Freemasonry that even doing the Masonic funeral services, we inform the general public of its significance. So tonight, we're just going to go, you know, as we always do, take a little deeper look into our Masonic apron. So, let's start out with Brother Morgan.
Thank you, Brother Caffey. Um, for me, you know, obviously, like a lot of you all, you all can kind of see my little wall back there. You know, I have a lot of physical objects that have come into my possession over the years, uh, after, after I've joined the Masonic order, whether it be a piece of jewelry like this Past Master's necklace I like to wear, or a ring, or certificates, or whatever you get, books, you know, uh, I'm sure many of us have, have pretty large book collections and other lapel pins and everything, every type of thing imaginable, including your Prince Hall Think Tank, uh, sweatshirt, which you can see Brother Caffey, uh, probably wearing. Make sure you get yours today. You know, shameless plug, shameless plug. Um, so, so we all can come up with a lot of different things like that that we have that we attain over the years. But as Masons, uh, we're taught that the most, if not one of the most, uh, sacred objects that we are granted after joining the Masonic order is indeed our apron. The apron, as we are taught, uh, is, is supposed to be our badge. It's a badge of information. So, what does that mean? It means that throughout time, throughout space, wherever you go, throughout the world, the Mason's apron is a kind of a universal symbol that identifies a man with the fraternity, okay? And if you're in a place, if you practice code, makes me female mainstream, you won't get in that right now, but, or, or a woman in that context, okay?
Now, with that being said, um, for me, just like Brother Caffey said, that was one of the proudest moments of my life. Um, I still have my plain white apron, as I'm sure many of you all do. But over the years, I've come to obtain other ones, right? Uh, I think the next one I probably got was, I mean, I got a Royal Arch apron, and I have a Grand Lodge apron. You know, I went to the Scottish Rite, I guess, for a while, I wore an apron there, and, and the list goes on and on and on. Um, but I wanted to talk to you all a little bit tonight about the importance of aprons, uh, throughout history, um, in different contexts, okay, as well as a little, just a little bit of some of the symbolism regarding it. I'm going to let you all know one of my favorite Masonic books, one of the first ones that I read, uh, when I first was coming into the organization was actually this one right here. If you're not familiar with this, this is The Newly Made Mason, okay, by, uh, by H. L. Haywood, and it is a phenomenal book for anybody who's new to the order. Um, I just want to read you just a snippet of what Haywood, uh, talks about with respect to the importance of the Masonic apron. So, just bear with me one second as I go right here to the page. Here we go. So, Brother, Brother Haywood points out, there we go. I had the page now. There we go. So, Brother Haywood points out, he says, quote, "When the apron, which stands for the whole of Masonic clothing, is presented to the candidate, he is told at the beginning that it is more ancient honorable than the star and garter, or it is more ancient, or it is, uh, more honorable than the golden fleece or Roman eagle. He is told that it is the badge of a Mason, and he is admonished to wear it with the due sense of the honor which it confers upon him, and that if ever he became, he becomes ashamed of it, he will be unqualified to remain in Masonic membership." It may be, as we are told, that they are, that these particular phrases were first included in the ritual in the 18th century, but that fact is of no importance. If they had not been included until, if that had not been included until 1950, they would still be as true as the oldest phrases in the ritual, because that which they state is one of the oldest truths in Freemasonry, and is a truth which would have been in Freemasonry even if it had never been stated there. There's even a sense, if the words are taken in their full meaning and in their complete historical sense, that the phrases are almost the whole truth about Freemasonry, because they come as close to stating where Freemasonry is as any one sentence could do."
That's a lot. That's a lot to unpack there. So, let's unpack it for, for a second. As you can see here, the, the gentleman on top, on this book, is actually wearing his apron. Why do we wear aprons as Masons? Why do we continue to wear them today? There's a period of Masonic history that I'm personally very fascinated with, which is the transition that we take, that we make from an operative Masonic stone guild to being a more speculative, philosophical fraternity. And there are many ways that we have, uh, diverged from and kind of gone into a whole other direction. Sometimes, I think we often forget that as Freemasons, or speculative Masons, that our Masonic craft is rooted in the stonemasons, uh, uh, craft. We, a lot of times, I think we forget that. We get off into a lot of symbolism, a lot of ritual, we get off into a lot of different things. And I'm not saying that we shouldn't go in those directions, but the apron, in my mind, anchors us to our very, very concrete, and I'm using that word, you know, you know, pun intended, to our very concrete, um, roots in the stonemason's craft. Okay? Um, when you go out and you look at, in, in history, uh, the apron has changed in its shape, um, over time. You know, we've added and kind of made aprons into works of literal art, okay? But they still represent to us the fact that we are at labor. They represent to us the fact that our lives are the work that we are, you know, building up over time, right? Um, and so when we wear them, and I take this very seriously, and anybody in my lodge can tell you this, you know, when I put my apron on and I'm at work in the lodge, we think about, we say, "Where I work," we say, "We're at labor." Right? The apron is supposed to remind us of that, okay? The various colors that, you know, that aprons can come in, representing various Masonic bodies, but we all understand as Masons that the color white is very, very important for a particular reason, which I'll go into a little bit right now, just a little bit. Um, but when we think about the color white, the, the plainness of it, it's supposed to be a reminder to a Mason of the humility with which we're supposed to live our lives because regardless of any worldly wonders that we may obtain, in death, all, none, we can't take any of it with you. And so the apron is supposed to be, again, a constant, constant, constant reminder of some of these facts, okay?
Now, I have a, I have a question, uh, for you, Brother Caffey, or, uh, Brother, or Brother Jack. Do you all know what lodge Prince Hall and the original African-American Freemasons that we call, we say we're Prince Hall Masons, what was the name of the lodge that they, that they came from, where they started? Anybody? You mean, uh, Traveling Military Lodge, 441? Well, the lodge they got a charter from, with a charter for, excuse me, remember, I remember the Worshipful Master was, uh, William Moody. Well, well, let me, let me ask you this one. Let me ask you this one. What lodge was Prince Hall Master? That's your question. African Lodge Number Four. There we go. Boom. Now, how many of us, I don't know if you, I don't know if you brothers have been, but have you brothers, uh, either one of y'all been to the jurisdiction of Massachusetts? I haven't. That's still on my bucket list. Well, for those who have not, or for those who have not seen our previous episode where we, uh, talked with our good friend and brother up in Massachusetts, Brother Steve Baptista. Brother Baptista wrote a, a wonderful book, which I happen to have written the forward for, entitled Artifacts of the Old African Lodge. And in there, he actually explains that there is documented, um, history that shows us that the jurisdiction of Massachusetts has been and remains in possession of the original apron belonging to Prince Hall. And for those who have been to the jurisdiction of, uh, Massachusetts, to their actual Grand Lodge, uh, you may have seen it. Okay? So, but for those who haven't, you know, James Morgan, you know, Brother Morgan, I don't do everything right, but things that I can do right, I try to do. And so, without further ado, I just wanted to give you all, for those who have never seen it, this is actually an image. If you go to the Grand Jurisdiction of Massachusetts, they have a little museum display room where you can actually see original aprons going back to the earliest years of African Lodge 459 and of the jurisdiction of Massachusetts. Okay? Um, and here in the center is an apron, the apron that Prince Hall would wear as Master of African Lodge. And I will, um, show you all a, oops, let me see. Am I still sharing? Never. So, sure. Okay. And I will show you all a, um, uh, a closer image of that momentarily. But I wanted to just highlight for you all the importance of this, uh, find because again, taking it back to our roots, when I kind of thought about what I wanted to talk about this evening, you know, I wanted to talk about how the apron connects us to our operative roots, but I also want us to think about how, as, uh, as Masons, as American Masons, as, as Prince Hall Masons, etc., I want us to think about how the continued usage of the apron, the gavel, you know, the working tools, all these different things that we, we talk about as Masons. And this is a closer image of the apron, and you've noticed a very unique design to it as well, which we can talk about. Um, the apron, the continued wearing of it, is, is a tradition that links us through, through time, through space, through generations, okay? Um, as somebody who has, you know, a person, I've traveled to, to what, to Africa, haven't been all the continents just yet, but to know that just by carrying or wearing an apron to identify oneself with the Masonic order, um, it endears us to a certain level of friendship, of camaraderie with total strangers. And it's just a simple piece of cloth, or leather, or lambskin, or whatever yours happens to be made of, right? But the reason why is because it shows to the outside world, as well as to those who have been initiated, passed, and raised, that you have gone through the same rites and rituals that, that they have gone through, and endears us as brothers today. And so, I want to encourage you all to continue to wear your aprons proudly. I encourage you all to wear them with the due respect and honor that we are treated to do in our ritual. And, um, above all, I encourage us to continue, as one of my favorite, uh, African-American poets, Nas, uh, Nasir Jones, once said, I encourage you all to carry on tradition. And the apron is indeed a very important part of our Masonic tradition, and happens to be one of my favorites. So, thank you all for your time and for your attention.
Thank you, Brother Morgan. Excellent, excellent. Brother Jack.
Yes, sir. All right. Can you all see my screen? No. Now we can. All right. So, this evening, everyone, of course, um, as we're going to continue to go into the program, we are talking about, uh, the Masonic apron, what we know to be as, uh, the emblem, uh, and the badge. And, uh, Brother Caffey talked about it, uh, earlier in the beginning of the program about the presentation of the apron. And I wanted to go, uh, into this, uh, particular route. You know, we, as, as Masons, of course, we knew, you know, again, um, that night, the first time that, you know, the apron, uh, was presented to us, and what it, what it means to us, and the, the significance it is to, uh, wear that apron. But if you are, you know, not, uh, a member of the order, even if you have, um, grown up with family members, uh, who are, uh, who are Masons, or, or you knew of, uh, you know, friends, or, uh, or other relatives who, who may be Masons, there are those who are not members of the order who truly don't understand how important and how significant the apron is to us until, uh, a brother is called from labor to refreshment. When, again, the, the apron is, is presented, um, and when it's presented, as you know, is presented in front of the family, depending on, uh, your jurisdiction, it is either, uh, you know, deposited in the grave, or it's presented to, um, you know, the closest family member, maybe a wife, you know, a mother, or so on and so forth. So, um, you know, when you, when you think about that, here, you know, here you are, you see your, your family member, they're going out to the meetings, or, you know, if they participate in, in a public activity, you, you see them and, and you know, in their apron, and you never really understand how important that apron is to them until, you know, they have been called from, from labor to refreshment. Which is one of the reasons why I wanted to bring it up. And even, you know, when it is explained, what, you know, what the, what the apron is, you may not have it, you know, an understanding of it. So, you know, when, when it is, uh, you know, presented, uh, you hear the following, that, you know, the apron is, uh, uh, this lambskin, or a white leather apron, envelope of innocence, and a badge of a Mason, more ancient than the golden fleece or Roman eagle, more honorable than the star and garter. When worthily worn. And then you say, this, we either deposit to the grave, or present to the family. By it, we are reminded of the universal dominion of death. The arm of friendship cannot interpose his coming. The wealth of the world cannot purchase, uh, his release. So, what we want to do, what I want to do this evening, is to discuss and give an understanding of how important the apron is. So, when you, when you hear that, you know, whether it has been during your initiation, or during, um, the, the last sad rites, you see that the apron, the apron has four distinct characteristics. It is an emblem, it is a badge, it is ancient, and then it's honorable. So, we want to go and, and break down just a little bit of these as we go along.
So, when we talk about the, uh, the emblem, uh, in a badge, it is, it's an emblem of innocence. Well, the emblem is defined as a thing serving as a symbolic representation of a particular, uh, quality or concept. We learn that it is an emblem of innocence, innocence meaning, uh, free from moral wrong or not corrupted. And the synonyms to innocence are virtuous, moral, and righteous, righteousness. So, we find that, you know, the, you know, the apron is a representation of morality, a representation of virtue, and representation of righteousness. As a badge, a badge has two distinct meanings. First, it is a distinctive emblem worn as a mark of office, membership, or achievement. It is also a feature or a sign that reveals a particular quality or condition. In a 1927 edition, volume five, for the Short Talk Bulletin, it was stated in, in a particular, that particular lecture, that, um, the, the apron had, uh, five distinct characteristics as a badge. It was a badge of service. It was a badge of sacrifice, as tied into the lambskin. It was a badge of purity, as, uh, Brother Morgan explained, dealing with the color white. It was a badge of antiquity, and it was a badge of honor. So, overall, we learn that, that with the apron being an emblem and a badge, that it is a representation of righteousness and a distinctive emblem of membership that reveals a particular quality. So, the next time when you, you know, when you wear your apron and say you're, you know, you're out in a parade, and you're out in public, and people see you with that apron on, of course, they're going to, to look at you in a different light because when they see you with, with that badge on, they see, "Oh, that person is different. That person is, you know, as a Mason." And that carries on an important meaning.
So, what does it mean to, you know, to be ancient? It says, "More ancient than the golden fleece or Roman eagle." Okay? It had, you know, an ancient, uh, is defined as having had an existence of many years. But what is the golden fleece? And why is it more, uh, ancient than, than the golden fleece? Well, the golden fleece comes from a, uh, ram of Greek mythology, and it goes into a, a story of two children, Phrixus and Helle, who were the children of, um, Athamas, who was a king, and, uh, Nephele, who was a cloud nymph. Now, these two worked together for a time, and they had these two, these two children. But King Athamas, uh, ended up, you know, breaking up the, uh, relationship with, uh, Nephele, and ended up having another relationship with a, another woman named Ino. Now, Ino was jealous of both of the children, and she conspired to have one of the children killed. What she did was, basically, kind of like the movie, uh, 300, where the, uh, the oracle or the prophet was, uh, basically a bribe to say a certain thing. In this instance, the oracle, there was a, a drought in the land that they was living in, and the oracle was bribed to say that in order for this drought to end, Phrixus had had to be killed. And Ino actually, uh, convinced and manipulated, uh, his father to believing that in order for him, uh, in order for this drought to end, he, he had to kill his son, which he was getting ready to execute. Now, you know, their mother, finding this out, you know, even though she was away from them, she still cared for them very much. And so, what she did was, she called, uh, she called forth a, a golden ram to help, uh, them escape. Now, of course, this, this ram had a few powers. One of the, uh, special powers it had was this ability to fly. So, they, uh, they made their, uh, made their escape to a land called Colchis, which was on the furthest coast of the Black Sea. Now, uh, Phrixus's sister did not have the strength to hold on to the ram, uh, as he, as he did, and during flight, she slipped and fell into, uh, the Black Sea, and she ended up not making it.
Once they ended up to, um, Colchis, uh, the ram actually was also had the ability to speak and gave Phrixus, uh, clear instructions to actually, uh, kill the ram so that it can be as a sacrifice, uh, and a gift to the god Poseidon. So, he did what he was told. Uh, he killed the ram, and because of the ram's sacrifice, uh, you know, Poseidon was, uh, pleased with this and actually transformed, uh, the ram into the constellation Aries. So, for everybody who's listening, who is, um, who's sign is Aries, now you understand, at least within Greek mythology, where, uh, your sign comes from. There are two different mythologies and two different, uh, two other stories where, uh, Aries comes from, but this is the one in, in Greek mythology. Now, um, once, um, once Phrixus was in, uh, Colchis, he, um, he went to the king. He told the king what, uh, what was taking place, and he was still left with this golden fleece. And so, the king honored the, the fleece by placing it on, um, an oak tree in the sacred grove of Ares. Further on, this is where this golden fleece is where the story of Jason and the Argonauts, uh, come in, and that's a, uh, different story where Jason basically was in, in search for the golden fleece and makes his, um, makes his way to Colchis to find the golden fleece. And so, this is where we have, um, the, the golden fleece. Now, from that, you had an order, which was called the, the Order of the Golden Fleece. Now, the Order of the Golden Fleece was established in January 10, 1430, by Philip III, who was also called Philip the Good. He was the Duke of Burgundy, and he, um, established this order to, uh, commemorate his wedding to, uh, Isabella of Portugal. Now, there are two, uh, branches of the order. At first, it was one, but, uh, because there was conflict between, uh, Spain and, and Austria, they broke off and into two different, uh, branches of the order. The Spanish branch of the order is referred to as the most prestigious and historic order of chivalry, um, in the world. It has restricted membership. When it started, it started at, uh, being 24, then rose to 30, and is now at 51, to include the head of the order, uh, which is the sovereign. The Order of the Golden Fleece has its duties, including, uh, defending the Roman Catholic faith, settled disputes, uh, between his knights, uphold the customs of chivalry, and increase the perceived, uh, of the Dukes of Burgundy. And as you can see on the right, you have the, uh, the jewel of the Order of the Golden Fleece, which shows, uh, the, uh, golden fleece, um, hanging, as it did, in the oak tree in this, in the story.
And also, it said it's more ancient than, than the, uh, Roman eagle. The Roman eagle, um, comes from what was, what is known as, uh, Aquila, and it was, it signifies, uh, magnanimity, or nobility, and courage. Now, this was, um, this was one of the standards that was used, um, within the Roman army. Now, for those who are, uh, not, uh, in the military, and I know that my, my Sir Knights who are on here, and, uh, my Sublime Princes and General Inspectors General, understand what the standard is, but a standard is a flag, or emblematic figure, or, uh, other object raised on a pole to indicate the rallying point of an army or fleet. Now, um, in the beginning, the, uh, Roman army used various, various animals as a part of their standard. They used, uh, an eagle, they used a wolf, they used a horse, they used the boar, and they used the human-headed ox. However, after, uh, experiencing a, a humiliating, humiliating defeat in 104 BC, Gaius Marius decided to do a major, major overhaul of the Roman army. One of those overhauls that he did was removing four of the symbols from the standard, only leaving, um, the eagle, um, as being the standard. And this, uh, is actually that symbol, and this is where you have the Roman eagle.
Now, it says that, you know, the apron also being, um, honorable, more honorable. Honorable meaning, uh, deserving of respect or high regard. He said, "More honorable than, uh, than the star and garter." What is the, the star and garter? Well, actually, the star and, and the star and garter, there were actually two different orders, the Order of the Star and the Order of the Garter. But actually, what came first was the Order of the Garter. Now, the Order of the Garter was founded by, um, Edward III of England in 1348. Um, there are theories about, um, how the, the order came into existence. They're not actually necessarily concrete because many of, um, this is historical, uh, archives had been burned by a fire. But it is said that Edward III had a, a deep, deep love and admiration for King Arthur's Round Table, and he wanted to start, you know, uh, have the order in that, uh, type of fashion. Now, the motto of, um, the motto of the Order of the Garter, I'm not, I'm not going to, uh, not going to say it, but what it means in English is, uh, "Evil to him who thinks evil of it," or "Shame to him who thinks evil of it." Now, what this comes from is, um, and there are theories of this as well, that says that, um, uh, during a ball, there was a Countess of Salisbury who had lost her garter, uh, while she was dancing, and, um, when she had lost her garter, it fell from her leg, and there were those who, uh, were, you know, were laughing and snickering at the fact that this garter fell. And Edward III went to retrieve it, and while he did so, he rebuked those who had mocked and embarrassed her with the words, "Shame on him who thinks evil of it," or "Evil to him, uh, who thinks evil of it." But it's also said that the motto of the order refers to the king's claim to the French throne, a claim which the Knights of the Garter were created to help prosecute. And as to the emblem, which we'll discuss in a minute, it may perhaps less interestingly derived from, uh, the straps to fasten, uh, the plates of honor.
Now, within the Order of the Garter, you, you have mainly one rank, which is, uh, the Knight Companion. It's insignia is, uh, the garter, which you see, uh, circling around with the, uh, with the motto, uh, going around it, and it's also, uh, the star, with the cross of, uh, Saint George. Now, Saint George, he was thought to have been born into a noble Christian family in the late third century, in what is now modern-day Turkey. He was a soldier and an officer in the, in the Roman army, and he refused to denounce his faith, and he was, uh, or persecute fellow Christians, which led to, um, his, uh, led to him being martyred in 303 AD. Now, uh, King Edward III actually made Saint George the country's official saint, uh, shortly after ascending to the throne in 1327. Uh, it is said by Ian Mortimer, who was a historian, that a patron saint did not have to be from the country they were born in. They needed to just embody the characteristics that the kingdom wanted to project to the outside world. And it is said that Saint George stands for the courage to face adversity in order to defend the innocent, the triumph of good over evil, through courage. And the king adopted him, might almost be forgotten today, but for centuries, Saint George represented the idea of courage, lead, courageous leadership, and with it, the unifying popular will to be governed and protected. So, this is where you have the, um, the Order of the Garter.
Now, later, in 1351, by John II of, uh, France, the Order of the Star, uh, was founded, and it had claimed to be an imitation of the Order of the Garter. Now, the, the badge of the Order of the Star, uh, which is not seen, but I'll explain, was a collar with a white star on it and a red enamel, uh, device. It was proposed to being the stars show the way to the kings, and it was to refer to the kings who were led by the Star of Bethlehem. And there was an existing manuscript depicting the founding meaning of the order, and if it was accurate, the order's guard consisted of red robes lined with vair, bearing eight-pointed black stars, set with various gemstones, worn on the upper left side of the mantle. So, here you have the, um, where you have it being more honorable than the star and garter.
But of all that is said during the presentation, whether, you know, you've heard it when it was presented to you, or during the last sad rites, the three most important words, um, to me, throughout all of it, is "when worthily worn." What does it mean, "when worthily worn"? Well, to be worthy, um, has three definitions that, that means, uh, something to me, and it should mean something to those. The first definition is, "having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in a specified way." The second is, "deserving effort, attention, or respect." And being good enough, or suitable. So, when you put all three of those, uh, definitions together, worthy is showing the qualities or abilities that are suitable and deserving of merit and respect. So, when it says, you know, "when this is worthily worn," when that badge of Mason is worthily worn, you are showing others that you have the qualities and the, that that are suitable and deserve the merit of respect of you being called a Mason. So, whenever you put that, whenever you put that badge on, that badge shouldn't have, uh, a significance not just for when you put it on, but what you represent, not just to yourself, but to the, the outside world as well. So, I conclude by, uh, giving a statement that was found on the Grand Lodge of Ohio's website. It says, "The Mason's apron reminds us of an important lesson that derives from the simple apron of the craftsman: the dignity and worth of labor, the honor that comes with being a workman, and the glory attached to life and living for one's purpose. Masons understand the real value of the apron when they acknowledge it as a badge signifying the honor behind doing constructive work. Similarly, the apron of the worker has come to represent service as well. The apron of the labor reminds its fraternal wearers to labor for the good of others, especially his brethren." So, hopefully, through this, and of course, these are some of the sources where I have my information from, and hopefully, through this, you have a, a deeper, um, understanding of why the apron is, is significant to us, why the apron will always, uh, be important whenever we put it on, and what it means, not just to us, but hopefully now to you, uh, to, to your family members who, who put it on, and into the outside world as well.
Excellent presentation, Brother Jack. As always, um, you definitely came at it from an angle that I think really helped us, um, understand again the significance of it, and just the, and also the, just the different key parts of that lecture, um, as, as well. And I often tell people, and, and not just for the, the, um, the apron lecture, but, but everything, like, we bombard candidates with so much, especially that first night coming in, that it's very important to go back and reread all those things to get a better understanding. And, and to the point where I even, you know, again, just in my opinion, the whole Masonic, uh, education program for candidates should be structured around not just a proficiency, but going back and doing a deep dig and studying some of those lectures, symbolisms, and charges, so that they definitely can, you know, get a get a better understanding of that as they're coming into the craft, and not afterwards. So, um, that, that definitely, uh, can, can add on. You know, I, I agree. And for me, one of the most, um, sacred things that we do as Masons, particularly those of us who have been elected to serve as, uh, I mean, you can do it as Senior Warden or Junior Warden, but I'm really talking to the Worshipful Masters and Past Masters, is when you do that, that Masonic funeral, which I've done several myself, fortunately and unfortunately. Um, but to me, that, that, you know, thinking about, you know, what I mean, I, there's a lot of objects that we own in life, right? But as Masons, if we follow that tradition, the only thing we're taking with us is that apron. You know, the only thing. And really, even that is only symbolically done for those who are left behind. It really don't really don't go with you anywhere. But put it in the grave. What is, what does it represent? And again, you know, thinking about like what the cat, like Brother, um, Jack was just saying, you know, thinking about the, the emblem, the badge, that's supposed to represent to, uh, to those who witness it, and the esteem that's held in, um, I think it's a very, very important ceremony. And that's something that always will hold sacred is that, is that Masonic funeral service, and, and just the placing of the apron. I think it's just profound.
Yeah, definitely. I mean, it shouldn't really, I should not have to see it. I'm sorry. Yeah, no, it should definitely, it's a definite constant reminder, um, again, so simple of an object, should should constantly remind us of how we should live our lives. And then, like you said earlier, James, like, and, and when you see another brother wearing it, you know, that that intimate connection that, that you two have, you know, it's just that, again, something so simple, yet it's, it's so profound that, um, you know, we really need to put some, um, some thought into it. One thing that I've always appreciated in, in my lodge, and I think a lot of lodges, uh, do this as well, is under the, um, you know, under the flap of of the apron, and how it's signed, you know, you know, you have your name on it, the lodge secretary, and the Worshipful Master signs it. And in my lodge, it's where, because, you know, again, like a lot of other lodges, we have our, our secretary and treasurer, you know, usually a Past Master, usually you get a good one, you hold on to him as long as they're willing to serve in that position. And I know in my lodge, we literally have a generation of brothers that span decades with different Worshipful Masters' names on the apron. But Brother Will Simpson, who was a secretary of the lodge when I came in, may he rest in peace, um, that name is on a lot of brothers' uh, aprons. So, it's, it's those small stories as well that, you know, you get your apron, and different things that tells a story, you know, that that connects brothers, um, you know, as well. And we can even go back, and I'm sure some of us have either seen it or heard the stories about, you know, again, a man comes into the lodge, especially a lot of our rural lodges, and, you know, they, they have to make their own apron. And they go home, and their wife makes their apron for them. And it's just, just, you know, uh, it is, it's a proud family moment for the family when, when that wife is making that, that, um, the new member's apron so that he can wear it to, to the lodge meetings. Again, and that gets passed down, it can get passed down from generation to generation, you know, so a lot goes into it, you know, when we talk about our Masonic aprons, and something that we definitely should be proud of.
And it's funny you mentioned that, not, I would, I should have thought of it sooner, but I actually have, um, in my possessions, actually behind me on the shelf there, um, my great-uncle, uh, Joe, Brother Joe Henry, uh, who was a member of Prince Hall Lodge 14 here in DC. Uh, I actually have his apron in my possession right now, and I'm hoping that one of his, uh, male descendants from his side of the family will join the Masonic order at some point so that I can actually, uh, give it to them. Um, but the only person that joined was his son, my cousin Russell, who was a member of my lodge, who actually passed on right before I got my first degree. Um, so, so I ended up inheriting it. But again, you know, like you said, that, that's a heck of a tradition. Do you think about the, uh, craftsmanship that goes into it, especially when you talk about that tradition of having female relatives to, to create them and, and whatnot? Um, I think that that's a, um, that's really, that's a really, really important thing. I mean, I mean, it's the simplest thing, right? An apron, but what it represents is so, so much more than what it appears to be. True indeed.
Let's go to some questions from from the audience. Any questions tonight? Yeah, absolutely. Um, I saw one from, uh, let me see here. Um, oh, Patrick Reiner. Uh, Patrick Reiner asks us, he says, "Over the centuries, has the shape of the apron changed? Some older blue lodge aprons are rounded at the bottom, but today almost all are square/rectangular." Does anybody take that?
I can, I can answer that, uh, Brother Reiner. Yes, the answer is yes. The apron shape has changed over the years, and that largely has to do with the, um, dawning of the industrial era, when you get these bigger Masonic supply companies come into existence with factories and things who have to produce these things in mass. Um, what you find is that it's much easier when you're dealing with machines and unskilled laborers to, to deal with a square triangle than to deal with curves. Machines can deal with, can deal with those simple shapes. And so, over time, once you get into the industrial era, on the late 19th century, beginning of the 20th century, then you start seeing the more straight-edge design that we have today. But way back when, as Brother Caffey was talking about, when you had more people, uh, uh, crafting, hand, you know, handmade aprons, then it was more common to see, uh, aprons that were, uh, that curves, of curved flaps and curved bottoms as well. So, that's an excellent question to ask.
Yeah, let's see. Uh, I don't see too many questions in here tonight, y'all. I'm, I'm looking for, looking for some, some questions here. One, "Black Chain Revolution." Okay, I didn't see that one. I'm seeing, okay, I see here, let's see. This is Brothers Me, "We compare and contrast Masonic apron with the Shindid warning ancient Kemet." Uh, does anybody want to take that? I'm not familiar with.
Okay, yeah, I'm not familiar with that either. Okay. Blockchain Revolution, Bridging Multiple Divides. It's a long, long name. You might, you might have us having to go do, do a little bit of homework. I think I know a little bit about what you're talking about, uh, but not prepared to speak on it at this particular moment, per se. But, um, but you might, you might have us having to go just do some homework. Let's see.
Okay, I do. I'm sorry. I mean, I, not to necessarily answer that question, but I think you hit it on it, um, during your presentation, in regards to how the apron had been used, um, throughout time in different cultures, um, for, for various meanings. So, the, the apron isn't just, you know, I guess, a copyrighted emblem of Freemasonry or tool or Freemasonry, you know, it's, it's, it's used, um, in other cultures as well. But that's definitely something that we can research on and come back with. Absolutely.
And speaking of which, uh, my good friend John Jari Honoré down in, uh, in the boot, Louisiana. He asks, um, he says, "Other fraternal orders such as the Elks and Odd Fellows adopted aprons over the years. Does the symbolism of the apron extend to their work as well, or is it limited to quote working Masons?" So, that, so, I'm, if I'm getting this question right, Johnny, forgive me, um, I believe he's basically saying that other organizations have used the apron, uh, in their ritual. Is that some, but do they take the meaning of it to be the same as we do within Freemasonry? Um, I don't know if anyone can answer that. I'm not, I'm not an Elk or an Odd Fellow, so it would be kind of, uh, difficult to to answer that question. But I think, you know, hopefully, you know, we have, we have, um, seen that there are, uh, various, you know, connections within, um, you know, within within our organizations, um, and, you know, they correspond with each other in, in various ways. So, you know, I'm, I'm pretty sure that, um, within the Elks and the Odd Fellows, the apron, you know, bears, uh, uh, a significance, as, as it does to us. Is it, is it similar? You know, it would be, unless I was a member, it would be hard to say right now. Now, you know, if the, um, the Elks, is there any Elks or Odd Fellows out there, you know, if they, maybe they have an Elk or Odd Fellow Think Tank?
I'm going to copyright that. Um, if they, if they, uh, uh, are out there, maybe, maybe they want to come on at some point in time and, and educate us on, on what they, what they got going on over there, seeing as they did kind of take the apron from, you know. But we'll leave that alone. We'll leave that alone.
Now, speaking of aprons, you know, I remember that night when I got my apron. I kept hearing somebody say that I had that I didn't have something, but somebody else had it for me. Um, I think this is the good brother Ryan Robinson, if I'm not mistaken, uh, from out in California, who says that the shin, I hope I'm pronouncing, uh, pronouncing this correctly, uh, the shin chin, I hope I'm pronouncing that correctly, was a type of loincloth similar to a skirt. It was a kilt-like garment worn in ancient Egypt, and he goes on to say that it was made of cloth and was worn around the waist, typically extending to above the knee. Shindits are depicted on pharaohs, deities, and commoners in a variety of situations in Egyptian artwork. Um, so, so he's giving us at least some, some something like regards to the earlier question, uh, concerning that particular object. And, you know, and again, you know, I, I, I knew this was what the brother was talking about. Um, I'm assuming, to brother, um, but, you know, as far as comparing it from a symbolic perspective, uh, you know, I'm not sure. But thank you, Brother Robinson, for giving us a little bit more of, uh, information on that. Thank you. We don't want anyone to go away from empty-handed.
Um, uh, and Patrick Reiner has come back. He says that as, as an elk. Okay, so here we go. We got, so we got milk stepped up. All right. The apron is also considered a badge, but the deep symbolism makes me puts on it isn't quite as profound. In October. Okay. Well, shout out. Look, with Brother Ryan, you get, you, you get us a special shout out tonight for stepping up to the plate. I put the challenge out there. Brother Ryan said, "Wait, wait, hold up. I got this." Trundy, appreciate that. Absolutely appreciate that. Once again, thank you for all the, the great questions, um, that, that you all had tonight regarding the fabulous presentations from Brother Morgan and Brother Jack. This time, we'll go to closing comments. Uh, we'll start with Brother Morgan.
Well, um, I would just say to you all, um, this has been an interesting time, uh, you know, for me, uh, uh, personally, you know, uh, as y'all know, I'm enrolled at the illustrious, uh, National Treasure, as I'm told to call it, Morgan State University, working on my next, uh, degree. Not an assigned degree. I actually really helped me get a job, but I'm working on a degree. And, um, and I'm also teaching students up there now in the African American department. So that's going pretty well. You know, I think, I'm not sure if I told you our last show or not, but I pulled the 4.0 out of the last semester. So that, um, but I do want you all to continue to pray, uh, for, for yourselves and for me and for each other. Uh, some losses. Um, I've had some struggles with my family recently, which I won't dive too deep into, but, um, I'll just put it like this, you know, I took some losses. And then last week, I got a call about the passing of, uh, of Past Master and Brother Ralph McNeil. Um, and for those who don't know, uh, although he was, you know, a lot older than me, uh, Brother McNeil and I, not only both New Jersey, we actually both from the same neighborhood. And so he and I always had, anybody who knows two of us, you know, Brother Rob and I used to call him, okay, I won't karate, and I would go back and forth, um, quite a bit. Um, but we always have a day where we like wouldn't talk, and then we would talk it out and stuff. And the last time that I spoke to him, um, which was not, which was a few days before his, his untimely passing, um, you know, he was in really good spirits and everything like that. And, um, you know, he told me he was proud of me. He told me to keep, to keep getting my hustle on. So those were actually his last words to me. So, so I'm going to keep getting my hustle on for, for him and for you all. Um, I just would close out, um, with saying, um, you know, that as, uh, as I think he would have us to say, um, and it's really saying we didn't get a chance to have him here on, on the program before he passed, but, um, if Brother McNeil were here right now, the thing I think he would say is that there's an old issue still out there. This issue still prevails in five Masonic jurisdictions that contain about 50% of PHA Masons in the United States of America. Those five Grand Lodges still have an issue with descendants of African-American slaves practicing Freemason. Um, for those who don't know, if you ever got an email from, uh, from Ralph McNeil, there was always, or if you want blue light, you saw that at least 20 times a day. And he always, every time that a new Prince Hall Grand Lodge, you know, established recognition with its, uh, counterpart jurisdiction, he would always do a little tick, you know, ticking down. And I've never actually told you anybody this, but I've always wondered what, what was he gonna say when it, when it got down to Europe? And, uh, I don't think we'll ever know on this side of the veil. But it's my hope that we can put a close on that chapter. Um, and I know that brothers like him, Brother Walks, and a number of others, um, that they'll be, um, dancing and celebrating, um, in that celestial lodge above. So, uh, you know, to Brother Ralph, wherever you are, hit my hat. And I look forward to seeing you all next month. True indeed. Thank you, good brother.
Brother Jack, um, as always, um, it is a, a pleasure, um, and a blessing to, uh, be before you this evening. I pray that all who are watching, um, has enjoyed the show and enjoyed, um, the light that we had to share with you this evening. Um, I continue to say to, uh, each and every one of you to, uh, to please be safe. Uh, please take care of yourselves. Um, be safe, not just for yourself, but for, for those around you. Um, as we know, uh, in this, in this climate, um, that we have been dealing with, uh, for, you know, the last two years, um, you know, it's not going anywhere, uh, anytime soon. So, you know, please do the best that you can, uh, to, uh, take care of yourself, um, and take care of your family. Um, most importantly, take care of your peace. Um, you know, peace is a, as a fundamental requirement, uh, and, and whatever you can do, uh, to take care of your peace, uh, please do that. Because, um, if you don't take care of you, who's gonna be able to? So, um, as always, it is, uh, uh, thank you for giving us the most valuable treasure, um, that you have, and that is your time, because that is something that you cannot get back. Thank you for, uh, allowing us to be a part of your time, um, in your space, uh, to, to bring this show to you. And, uh, if it's in the will of the Grand Architectural Universe, we will see you again next month. Thank you, Brother Jack. Once again, Brother Morgan, for once again, your great presentations. Um, and thank you all for joining us this evening. I mean, we hope you've gained something. And, um, you know, beyond what we talked about in regards to the primary subject, um, which was the Masonic apron this evening, um, just hitting on something at the end with the closing comments from Brother Morgan and Brother Jack. As you know, take care of yourselves. Take care of those around you. Take care of those that, um, you love. Um, just take care of yourself and be kind to yourself. Be kind to others. We're living in some troubled times right now, but I truly believe love can conquer those things. So, you know, we need to take care of those, those, um, that are around us. And, and, and most importantly, taking care of ourselves, because you can't take care of someone else if you're not taking care of yourself. So, just urge all of you to do that. Thanks for joining us tonight. We hope you gained a little insight. And, um, we hope you have a good evening. And as always, remember, let's teach Masonry in our lodges. Have a good night.