Mystic masonry, or, The symbols of freemasonry and the greater ...

242 Mystic Masonry.
the Square and Compass, found in every Lodge, and
worn as a badge of fraternal recognition. We are
told in tihe Lodge that the Square is an instrument
with which the practical Mason measures and lays
out his work, but we as free and accepted Masons
are taught to make use of it for the more noble and
glorious purpose of squaring our conduct with the
golden rule, with principles of right and justice, etc.
So also with the Compass ; the practical use is made
symbolical of the higher moral obligation, to circumscribe
our desires and keep our passions within
due bounds. But Masonry is "a system of Morals
illustrated by Symbols," and something more; and
there is hence a science and a philosophy concealed
in the symbolism of the square and compass. This
may be outHned as follows: The Square with its
one right angle and its scale of measurements applies
to surfaces and solids, and deals with the apparently
fixed states of matter. It represents solidarity,
symmetry and proportion; and this involves
the sciences of arithmetic and geometry. The Compass
with movable angle set in the Lodge at an
angle of 60°, applies to the circle and the sphere;
to movements and revolutions. In a general sense,
the square is a symbol of matter, and the earth ; the
Compass, of Spirit and the heavens. In the Lodge