The Lost Key: An Explanation of Masonic Symbols

Chapter VI. 67merely to fog the mind, they must mean that the teachings ofMasonry are Progressive, that is, they grow continually more andmore advanced. They are also systematic, that is, they dependupon one another and the various lessons are arranged into onehomogeneous whole.202. Let us now apply this knowledge. The candidate is beingtaught how to work upon his ashlar and the ashlar is his character.The first thing which he must do is to find out how large a block,fit for building, he can make out of his ashlar. A building blockmust be square cornered. The sides must be at right angles to eachother, hence the various projecting corners must be knocked off oran excessive amount of cement would be required to hold theblock in place in the wall. As the Cement symbolizes that love andaffection which binds the brethren together it is manifest that theprojecting knobs on the ashlar which symbolize the disagreeabletraits of character make an undue and unnecessary demand uponthe store of Cement. It requires much more effort to like the manwho is essentialIy disagreeable than it does the man who tries to bepleasant. Therefore the man with the unpleasant traits should tryto recognize them and remove them even though the removalrequires some heavy blows of the Gavel.203. So the Entered Apprentice takes his twenty four inch Gaugeand measures his rough block to determine just how large a perfectblock can be cut from it. The Gauge, then, symbolizes that first,rough estimate of our possibilities by means of which we direct thegeneral trend of our activities. The Entered Apprentice measureshis rough ashlar and determines what size of finished ashlar it willmake—that is, he determines his general purpose in life, basedupon his knowledge of his own powers and capacities, what he canmake of the character with which Nature has provided him.204. Then he takes the Gavel and begins to knock off the roughcorners. Rough corners of WHAT? Why, of his character. Use