Free Masonry - The Masonic Trowel

128 ORIGIN OF FREE MASONRY.
who with muscular arm wielded the setting mall, handled
the trowel, and wore their sheep-skin aprons with unaffected
grace. And to operative Masons, who know the use of
plumb lines and squares, shovels and common gavels, rough
ashler, perfect ashler, and trestle board, the ceremonies
of Masonry may in some parts be delightful and profitable.
Such will enjoy the lines placed at the head of this
chapter.
True Masons know the meaning of the lines, and relish
them. But pretended Masons, ignorant of the art, would
understand, u True your joints break," in a literal sense ;
and so pretend broken limbs. " Take care that you follow
your leaders," they would separate from all connexion with
operative Masonry, and apply it as a rule to obey the grand
officers.
" Work, rake, back, and tueth ;"
that would be to them the secret: a mystery inexplicable.
" And be sure that you fill up your headers,"
would be understood in a convivial sense.
A thousand times worse perverted is Free Masonry.
Having come into the hands of lords and gentlemen and
tailors, most of whom have not the smallest idea of the pedestal,
column and entablature; the plinth, the die and the
surbase; and finding the terms of Masonry either vulgar, as
brick and mortar, or obscure, as " ledgers and putlocks,"
they think the very brick and mortar has some hidden meaning,
known only to the gifted Mason; and " the ledgers and
putlocks," (pudlogs. Walker,) are terms of the universal
language, which has come down to Masons uncorrupted
from the plains of Shinar; and which they, poor fellows,
have not had opportunity to learn yet; and so it is that the
plain noun Masonry, which every child knows to mean the
art of building with brick, and stone, and mortar, is made to
come from thetGreek, Mi#vg«M»; SUM in medio Coelf;
AnglicS, lam in the midst of heaven. (Hutchinson's Sp.