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Properly clothed
By Bro Steve Grant

Freemasons are said to be properly clothed when they are wearing the white Apron of a Freemason, and in some jurisdictions he should also be wearing white gloves. (The white gloves are symbolic of clean hands, the white aprons of purity, so the two combined could be held as symbolic of a pure heart and harmless hands.)

I said a Mason is properly clothed when he is wearing his apron. Sometimes when I am present at degree work I will hear the words Clad and Clothed used in the wrong place as a description of what a Mason is wearing. Clothe is to cover with, as with clothing; to dress, attire, or to invest; in other words to provide with clothing.

Clad is a preteriti and past participle of Clothe. So when some Masons are said to be clad in white gloves and aprons it means that they were clothed that way, and to say that a Mason ought to be clothed as an Entered Apprentice, for instance, it means that he should be wearing the Masonic Apron in the manner an Entered Apprentice is to wear it.

We as Masons know that the Masonic Apron, or Lambskin, is an emblem of innocence and the true badge of a Mason. The Operative Mason wore his apron to protect his clothing, but Speculative Masons wear the apron to remind themselves that they should protect themselves from the sins of the world.

When the new Entered Apprentice receives his Apron, is taught how to wear it, and learns some of the history and symbolism of it, he then has a symbol of Freemasonry that is a symbol that can give him many hours of study and learning. The Apron is composed of a square and a triangle; the square of the apron, (the shape of it,) is an oblong square, (being wider than it is long,) which is representative of the lodge room. The square also symbolizes the physical, the material nature of man which is the personality. The square is four sided and represents the lower-self, which is man's fourfold lower nature; the physical, psychic, emotional and lower mental natures. The triangle of the apron symbolizes the threefold spirit;iii love, the higher-self, and the spiritual.

The apron is white to symbolize purity. Purity is different from innocence, because it includes the meaning of knowledge. A child can be rightly called innocent and pure, but the purity of a child is the purity of ignorance and inexperience, not the purity of knowledge and conscious choice,iv which the Mason is to strive toward. Freemasons, being adult men, have been tried by temptation in their lives and by resisting, overcoming, and learning from these experiences he has developed personal strength to be able to do a better job of resisting and overcoming in the future. That purity of life and conduct, which is represented by the white apron of the freemason, and which is essentially necessary to gain admission into the celestial Lodge is the purity that has the added meaning of knowledge, and of the resistance to wrong.

The white leather apron "symbolizes the purity which has experienced all temptations and adverse conditions and consciously prefers righteousness to unrighteousness." The Lamb has always been considered a most innocent animal, but the significance and symbolism of the Lamb also includes another quality, which is of Masonic importance, and that is harmlessness.v The white color of the apron, regardless of whether it is constructed out of linen or of Lamb skin, represents and symbolizes innocence, purity, and harmlessness; the refusal to give offence or to harm another.

When the Masonic apron is looked at as a square and a triangle, (the square representing the lower part of human nature, and the triangle symbolizing the higher part,) when the triangle is folded up it symbolizes that the spirit, has not yet descended into the material world of the wearer, or his human nature, where it, (the spirit,) will begin the task of the redemption of the lower-self and the purification of the lower nature. The folding down over the square symbolizes the descent of the Spirit of the higher-self into the lower-self.

The square of the apron, as has been mentioned already, is not quite square and thus it symbolizes the imperfection of our lower nature, but the square of the apron also symbolizes the proper development of human nature and shows the attainment and the means we must use to reach the development of ourselves.

When we look at the diagram of the Square of the apron, the bottom edge of the Apron symbolizes the lowest and basest of human nature; selfishness. From the bottom of the apron rising along the two sides are lines which symbolize progress of development from the lower nature of selfishness to the higher unselfishness. The two lines symbolize that our progress toward the goal of spiritual enlightenment must progress by two different lines which lead both to the heart and the head, (the emotional and the intellectual,) both lines are constructive and both supplement each other.

Masonry is a progressive science, and both of these lines need to be followed to avoid becoming one-sided, and to become balanced in order to have our personal apron properly formed. When both lines are followed intelligently and when the top line of the lower part of the apron is reached, and we have developed the quality of unselfishness, we are ready to progress still further.

Finally we will arrive at the triangle of the apron which represents the spiritual-self the higher-self which represents the great quality of love. Love is symbolized by the bottom line of the triangle. This is the pure spiritual love which we learn about in the first degree when we are told of the Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope and Charity. Charity means love of ones fellow-men; good will to others; leniency in judging others or their actions. Charity is the pure spiritual Love emphasized in Matthew 22:37-40
The turning up of the right-hand corner of the square of the apron symbolizes the work of the triangle in raising up the lower-self, the turning up denotes a partial success of our higher-self over our lower natures, but it is quickly returned to the to fellow-craft form when we remember the square of the apron represents the personality.ix The material part of man and the triangle represents our spirit or our higher-self which has come down into the material nature to battle against the lusts and passions of our lower natures which we are attempting to subdue so that we may improve in Masonry.

While we all, most likely, have our own personal white leather apron we many times will use a linen apron furnished by our lodge at our stated and special communications. This does not interfere with any of the symbolism of the apron; a linen apron actually has the further symbolism of righteousness. In the book of Revelation, speaking about 'The Marriage supper of the Lamb' in Chapter 19 verse 8 it says: "It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is [representative of] the righteous acts of the Saints." NASBx

"No perfumes, but very fine linen, plenty of it, and country washing." Beau Brummell [1778-1840]