Entered Apprentice Degree With Its Groups of Three
By Bro. CHARLES E. BOYDEN, Grand Lecturer, A.F. & A.M., North Dakota

THE BUILDER, JANUARY 1924

Now let our minds be clear and free 
To dwell a while on Masonry,
	Its basic principles forsooth,
	That we may grasp the Precious Truth 
Concealed in "Mystic Groups of Three" 
As visioned in the First Degree.


THE left was said by ancient Masonic writers to be the weaker part of man and by analogy the Entered Apprentice Degree was pronounced the "weakest" part of Masonry; but the consensus of opinion among modern Masonic investigators lays more stress on the Entered Apprentice Degree as being basic and fundamental; the cornerstone of a moral and Masonic edifice. Upon this cubical stone of "Faith in God' the candidate for Masonic Light, at his entrance, places his trust and commences to build the temple of character.

Let us consider in detail these "Groups of Three" which in this degree are quite marked.  Masonry is defined by many Masonic writers as being a system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols, and the symbolism of the Entered Apprentice Degree is mainly calculated to impress upon the mind a high regard for the moral lessons to be derived from a study of the "groups of three" as presented in the lectures.

The "Three Knocks," alluding to a certain text in scripture, "Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you," was applied as follows: the candidate asked the recommendation of a friend to be made a Mason, through his recommendation sought initiation, knocked at the door of the lodge and it was opened unto him.  How true this allusion is to life.  What we ask for and seek for in truth and set our affections upon, we naturally obtain.  It is the law of the natural and spiritual world.

The Three Great Lights are the Holy Bible, Square, and Compasses.  The Holy Bible is to rule and guide our faith, the Square to square our actions, and the Compasses to circumscribe and keep us in due bounds with all mankind.  The Holy Bible is dedicated to God, it being the inestimable gift of God to man; the Square to the Master, for it is the proper Masonic emblem of his office; and the Compasses to the Craft, for by a due attention to its uses they are taught to circumscribe their desires and keep their passions in due bounds.

The Three Lesser Lights are the Sun, Moon and Master of the Lodge symbolical of the Divine Mastery over Nature, and the Mastery of Man over himself and the Animal Kingdom.

In the Three Divisions of the twenty-four inch gauge we find eight hours for the service of God and the relief of a distressed worthy brother, eight for our usual avocation and eight for refreshment and sleep.  In this material age we are apt to emphasize the latter two divisions of our time and neglect the former, "service to God and our fellow men." If Masons could only be impressed with this fair division of time, what happiness would follow!

The Three Symbolic Supports of a lodge are Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty.  The universe is the Temple of the Deity whom we serve; wisdom, strength and beauty are about His throne as pillars of His work, for His wisdom is infinite, His strength omnipotent, and his beauty shines forth through all His creations in symmetry and order.  These pillars represent the three principal officers of the lodge.  The Worshipful Master is supposed to have wisdom to open and govern his lodge; the Senior Warden to assist him in his arduous duties, and the Junior Warden, who in ancient times observed the sun at meridian height, which is the beauty and glory of the day, presides at the refreshment hour and sees that none convert the means of refreshment into intemperance or excess.

Faith, Hope and Charity are the principal rounds of the mysterious ladder which Jacob in his vision saw extending from earth to heaven; the greatest of these is Charity, for our Faith may be lost in sight, Hope ends in fruition, but Charity or Love extends beyond the grave throughout the boundless realms of eternity.

The Three ornaments of the lodge are the Mosaic Pavement, the Indented Tessel, and the Blazing Star.  The Mosaic Pavement is a representation of the ground floor of King Solomon's Temple; the Indented Tessel, of that beautiful tessellated border or skirting which surrounded it.  The Mosaic Pavement is emblematic of human life, checkered with good and evil; the Beautiful Border which surrounds it of those blessings and comforts which surround us, and which we hope to obtain by a faithful reliance upon Divine Providence, which is hieroglyphically represented by the Blazing Star.

The Three Symbolic lights are to be found in the East, West, and South, while Darkness (the absence of light) is to be found in the North.  Let us always be seekers after more light and avoid the abysmal Darkness, which is the state of a Soul on its journey through life without light to guide.

The Three Immovable Jewels are the Square, Level and Plumb.  The Square teaches morality, the Level equality, and the Plumb rectitude of life.

The Three Movable Jewels are the Rough Ashlar, the Perfect Ashlar, and the Trestle Board.  These jewels mark the line of culture and progress.  The Rough Ashlar is a stone taken from the quarry in its rude and natural state.  The Perfect Ashlar is a stone made ready by the hands of the workman to be adjusted by the working tools of the Fellowcraft.  The Trestle Board is for the master workman to draw his designs upon.  The rude stones have by work and discipline been transformed into beautiful and polished ones; so it is with our lives in Masonry; from rudeness to culture, from darkness to light, from slavery of bodily appetites to the mastery of our own minds and spirits, the very discipline necessary for progress.

The Three Tenets of our profession are Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth.  By the exercise of brotherly love we are taught to regard the whole human species as one family - the high and low, the rich and poor.  On this principle Masonry unites men of every country, sect and opinion.  To relieve the distressed is a duty incumbent on all men but more particularly on Masons who are linked together by an indissoluble chain of sincere affection.  Truth is a Divine attribute and the foundation of every virtue.  To be good and true is the first lesson we are taught in Masonry. On this theme we contemplate, and by its dictates endeavour to regulate our conduct.

Freedom, Fervency and Zeal were the characteristics of the Entered Apprentices in ancient times represented in the lodge by Chalk, Charcoal and Clay.  There is nothing freer than Chalk, the slightest touch of which leaves a trace behind; there is nothing more fervent than Charcoal, to which, when well ignited, the most obdurate metals will yield; nothing more zealous than Clay, or our Mother Earth, which is Continually imparting for man's necessities, and constantly reminding us that as, from it we came so to it we must all sooner or later return.

The Groups of Three set forth in the beautiful lectures and ceremonies of the Entered Apprentice Degree must become a part of the spiritual temple we are endeavouring to erect in our lives if we are to build characters that shall resist the temptations of our animal nature and permit us to continue our Masonic career unto the end of our material existence, that end which we hope will usher in the perfect day.

In this article we have not attempted to consider the beautiful lessons to be derived in the presentation of the "Lambskin," or the request for a "Memento," nor have we alluded to the "Situation and Dedication" of Masonic Lodges, or even the "Four Cardinal Virtues." Each of these would demand separate articles, but we confined ourselves to the Groups of Three as set forth in this degree.  The reader will find some Iteration of Phrases found in the Monitor, but we cannot too often be reminded of the valuable character of the lessons sought to be inculcated in these Groupings of Three.
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