The Universal Language of Freemasonry - ArchiMeD - Johannes ...

Chapter 6 - Peculiarities of Masonic Language 383
6.18.1 "Two Ball Cane"
This wordplay has even found entry into the Internationales
Freimaurerlexikon, being described as "ein amerikanisches freimaurerisches
Wortspiel, das an Tubalkain [...] anspielt. Daher tragen amerikanische
Freimaurer mitunter als Abzeichen, Krawattennadel usw. eine kleine
Nachbildung eines Spazierstockes (cane) mit zwei Bällen (two balls). Außerhalb
Amerikas nicht üblich und auch nicht verstanden." 1235
Strangely, it is not mentioned in any of the consulted American dictionaries.
It was not hard, however, to prove that the wordplay is still in use, and that there
is yet a wide demand for the above-mentioned articles. The hand-carved wooden
walking stick on the following illustration, for example, was sent to the author by
the artist from Missouri in January 2001, the blue auto emblem (also showing the
mystic cord) was obtained from Ohio in 2000, and the pin from Virginia the
same year.
According to Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia, the character of Tubal Cain came
into Masonry through the Gothic Legends, where it was cited how the four
children of Lamech had founded the sciences. The smith's craft was founded by
Tubal Cain 1236 . This legend was based on the account in Genesis, where Tubal
Cain is called the "instructor" of every artificer in brass and iron, although the
Hebrew text originally talks about "sharpener." 1237 After the Union of 1813, the
obscure notion has come into the ritual by Dr. Hemming that this character was
symbolic of worldly possessions. 1238
two ball cane walking stick, two ball cane auto emblem, two ball cane pin
1234 GHCDF, p. 404.
1235 IFL, p. 1608.
1236 Cf. CME, p. 660.
1237 Ibid.