ugle - beginner_it makes me think first degree

7/29/2019 UGLE - Beginner_It Makes Me Think First Degree

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UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND

APPROVED ORATION

IT MAKES ME THINK FIRST DEGREE

ORATION NUMBER: OR08032

LEVEL: BEGINNER

First Degree

This document is protected by copyright and it may not be copied, used, or distributed in any form or mannerwithout the expressed permission of the United Grand Lodge of England.


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IT MAKES ME THINK FIRST DEGREE

If a number of Masons were to be asked what each considered to be the most

important thing they had learned from the First Degree, one might expect as many

answers, presented with some uncertainty. One thing we probably all recollect is

being given a little card from which we were told to learn the answers, amongst which

was the answer to the question:

Q: What is Freemasonry?

A: A peculiar system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols.

This told us, among other things, that our rituals were phrased in fairly old English

and that what it would have us learn from it is veiled - that is hidden to some extent -

and it is for each of us work out or, perhaps to discover for ourselves, the underlying

nature of this system which is peculiar to Freemasonry. What we may conclude is

thus personal, perhaps in response to need.

Q: How do you demonstrate the proof of your being a Mason to others?

A: By signs, tokens and the perfect points of my entrance.

In practice, we are not often asked to demonstrate the proof of our being a Mason

because when we visit a lodge where we are not a member, it is almost invariably as

the guest of a brother who can vouch for us. There is no need to embarrass you by

asking who knows what the perfect points of entrance are, because the rituals to

which we are accustomed make no further reference to them. The answer is to be

found in a little book entitled Emulation Lectures of the Three Degrees, though for

those not using the Emulation working, the most popular of our rituals, there is a

version for Taylors, for Universal and probably for others too. If you look at these

lectures you will find that those relating to the first degree are in seven parts, those to

the second degree in five parts, and those to the third, in three parts. At one time,

lodges regularly worked these lectures - one part at a time though today they are

seldom worked, which is a pity. But to return to the perfect points, you will see the

question:


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Q: What are the perfect points of your entrance?

A: Of, At and On

Q: Of, At and On what?

A: Of my own free will and accord; At the door of the lodge; and On the point of a

sharp instrument.

You may agree that this is hardly an earth-shattering piece of information but not one

to be discarded as being without merit - none of us would have been admitted unless

we had been able to profess that we sought admission entirely of our own free will

and accord, we were initially put to the test at the door before being admitted and

symbolically warned by the point of something sharp (a poignard) that it might be a

good idea not to barge in. We were only told later that the purpose of the noose

around the neck was to discourage us from running away!

There was another essential precondition of our initial entry into the lodge room, and

thus into Freemasonry, but we will return to this important subject later. You can

learn about the way in which our temple, or lodge room, is constructed and furnished

with ornaments and jewels from our little book of lectures, but much is to be found as

an explanation of the First Degree Tracing Board which is based on some of the

lectures and which you may have read, being found as an appendix in our book of

ritual. In it are many descriptions but one that has stimulated my thinking is biblical;

that of Jacobs Ladder, which connecting heaven and earth, is composed of many

staves or rounds which point out as many moral virtues.

The three principle virtues are Faith, Hope and Charity - Faith in the Great Architect

of the Universe; Hope in Salvation and to be in Charity with all men. We are told that

the ladder rests on the Volume of the Sacred Law and that having attained possession

of the virtue of charity, in its fullest sense the Freemason has attained the summit of

his profession. Thinking on, this is about as high as most of us can hope to climb but

that attainment of an Ethereal Mansion may demand rather more, if not in this life,

then perhaps in the Grand Lodge Above.


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The three virtues Faith, Hope and Charity brings to mind the island of Malta which, at

the beginning of the Second World War, had an air force of three Gloster Gladiators

- often called old stringbags because they were biplanes, made mostly of wood and

canvas and had wings which were laced together with piano wire to stiffen them up.

This fearsome trio were named Faith, Hope and Charity and it takes very little

imagination to picture the courage of the pilots who took them into battle against an

enemy with its very much more numerous and sophisticated aircraft. These brave men

certainly needed faith and hope, though they may not have felt much charity towards

their attackers.

Let us now turn briefly to the instructions we mentioned earlier about taking a short

pace with the left foot. Just before the Worshipful Master gives that instruction, you

had been told to stand with your feet in the form of a square - that is at right angles,

and although not stated explicitly, it follows that although the right foot is

subsequently brought into the hollow the instep of the left foot, it is logical to

assume that the angle of 90 degrees is maintained and that the feet then make the sign

of a Tau cross - the sign of which there are three on the aprons of the Worshipful

Master and the Past Masters, signifying that the wearers have fully completed the

three degrees. If, brethren, you take a discreet look around the lodge whilst the

brethren are standing to order in the first degree, you may see that many seem to have

forgotten how that first regular step is to be taken, or, perhaps, that they have never

been able to attend a Lodge of Instruction.

The precondition to our entry into Freemasonry is the subject which must stand

supreme in our thoughts. We must have absolute conviction that there is a Supreme

Being, Creator of the Universe, to whom we must give an account of all our actions.

In this degree, that Supreme Being is referred to as The Great Architect which is the

term our ancient brethren who built the great cathedrals might well have used. We

have a strict rule concerning the discussion of religion in our lodges: this however is

to ensure that we studiously avoid the risk of difference between religious faiths

causing division between members but we are not forbidden to mention our Great

Architect. Indeed, a glorious example was set by a very eminent freemason, one who

was, when his elder brother abdicated, about to be installed Grand Master of the


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United Grand Lodge of England. These were the words with which he ended his 1939

Christmas Message and inspired his people:

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year

Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.

And he replied:

Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.

That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.

You may have heard a recording of the King speaking these words, a recording that

brings a lump to the throat of many, and seen an image of the King from the

newsreels of the time, wearing a drab raincoat and walking, with his Queen, through

the terrible damage caused by the blitz, bringing what comfort he could to his people

in the East End of London by his and his queens example of courage, if only by

being there.

ugle - beginner_it makes me think first degree

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