The Catechisms of the Craft and the conventional Lecture on the Tracing Board of
the Second Degree, all of which speak with that authority which belongs to age,
tell us that the Wages of an Entered Apprentice are Corn, Wine, and Oil.
Sometimes it is added that he received Corn for food, Wine for nourishment, and
Oil for comfort. The broad difference that was sought to be set up between the
Apprentice and the Fellowcraft apparently was that the Fellowcraft was paid in
coin while the Apprentice was paid in kind. I fear it would be very difficult to
produce any authority for this, and probably the distinction between the Masons
of the two degrees is the invention of some imaginative brother who ma have got
the hint from a practice that was not uncommon among early operatives. Two or
three centuries ago the conditions of labour were laid down as firmly as they
are to-day by our powerful Trades Unions. A master could not employ more than a
certain very limited number of apprentices-often the number was restricted to
one-and these apprentices were taken bound to serve their masters for a period
of seven years. Not unfrequently, alike in mason and other trades, the
apprentice went into residence with his master, and during the early years of
his apprenticeship received no remuneration except board and lodging. Only when
he became a journeyman, or Fellow-craft, and was free from the master who had
taught him his business, was he entitled to wages in the form of cash. If, as is
possible, some elaborator of Freemasonry, got the hint here as to the
remuneration of an apprentice, one can easily understand that commonplace
language such as " board and lodging " would not appeal to him and
that he would seek to ornament the matter with just such a combination of words
as " Corn, Wine, and Oil.
One of the traditions of the Craft, dearly beloved by uncritical Freemasons,
says that the whole number of workmen engaged on the Temple at Jerusalem
amounted to 217,281 persons, and that of these, 80,000 were Fellowcrafts, and
30,000 were Entered Apprentices-the latter of whom were arranged into one
hundred lodges with three hundred members in each. This immense multitude was
paid weekly on the sixth day of the week; and one tradition solemnly asserts
that the 80,000 Fellowcrafts toiled up the Winding Stair to the Inner Chamber to
receive their wages. Mackey tells us in his " Lexicon " that the
Fellowcrafts " were paid in corn, wine, and oil," and the authors of
" The Reflected Rays of Light upon Freemasonry," adopting the same
view say, " What could be more absurd than to believe that eighty thousand
craftsmen had to ascend such a stair, to the narrow precincts of the Middle
Chamber to receive their wages in corn, wine and oil?" It is very evident
that Mackey and the authors of " Reflected Rays " have misread the
Lecture on the Second Tracing Board. It was the Entered Apprentice who received
the corn, wine, and oil, and wherever he got it, he did not receive it in the
Inner Chamber. To gain access to that apartment a workman required the pass-grip
and password of a Fellowcraft, and it is obvious that no Entered Apprentice
could have possessed these.
One may pause here for a moment to remark that, according to another tradition
all the workers of every degree were paid in current coin. The total wages bill
is alleged to have amounted to about 140,000,000 Pounds Sterling, and it was
distributed among the craftsmen on a progressive scale which was quite obviously
adjusted on the principle of the more honour the more pay. At the one end of the
industrial line stood the humble Entered Apprentice who received one shekel, or
about 2s 3d of English money per day, while, at the other end, was the
Super-Excellent Mason who received 81 shekels per day, equal to about 9- 2s 3d
sterling. One Masonic author very generously describes this as " only a
fanciful speculation of some of our ancient brethren," and we may return,
therefore, to our Corn, Wine, and Oil.
If I am right in my theory that the Wages of an Entered Apprentice in
Speculative Freemasonry were suggested by the board and lodging which were the
reward of the Operative youth while learning his trade, I think it is clear that
the person who fixed the Wages of the Speculative Apprentice found his material
in the Volume of the Sacred Law. We read in the Second Chapter of the Second
Book of the Chronicles that, when Solomon appealed to the King of Tyre for
assistance in building the Temple, he said, " Behold, I will give to thy
servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat,
and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and
twenty thousand baths of oil." The offer of Solomon was accepted by the
King of Tyre, who replied, " Now, therefore, the wheat, and the barley, the
oil, and the wine, which my lord hath spoken of, let him send unto his servants:
and we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need." The
account preserved in the fifth chapter of the First Book of the Kings, indicates
that the gifts were made annually to Hiram's work people, but there is a
discrepancy as to the amount. In lst Kings the Wine is omitted, and the Oil is
set down at " twenty measures " equal to about 1640 gallons, whereas
the 20,000 baths of 2nd Chronicles were more than ten times as much, being the
equivalent of about 165,000 gallons.
It is clear that these gifts of Corn Wine, and Oil were made to the hewers of
wood in the forests of Lebanon, none of whom were Entered Apprentice Masons, but
it would be unprofitable and useless to linger upon a discussion of the matter,
as the Wages of the First, Degree in Speculative Freemasonry are merely symbols
upon which to meditate, and from which to draw inspiration for everyday duties.
Corn, Wine, and Oil were the three staple crops of the Holy Land, and each of
them entered into the fibre of the national life, furnishing figures of speech
for the Hebrew poets, and points for the proverbs of the people.
CORN was always regarded as an element of national wealth. It formed part of the
tribute brought to Hezekiah on the restoration of the priesthood. Bread was one
of the signs of welcome and goodwill to Abraham.
WINE, in a metaphorical sense, represents the essence of goodness. Jerusalem,
Israel, the Messiah, the righteous - all are compared to wine. The wicked are
likened unto vinegar, and the good man who turns to wickedness is compared to
sour wine. An :abundance of wine was regarded as an indication of prosperity.
Jacob blessed Judah that " he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes
in the blood of grapes." We read in the ninth chapter of judges that, when
the trees went forth to anoint a King, they said unto the vine, " Come
thou, and reign over us;" whereupon " the vine said unto them, Should
I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the e
trees ? A writer in the "Jewish Encyclopedia" says that as wine "cheereth
God" no religious ceremony should be performed with other beverages.
OIL was one of the most important and perhaps the most characteristic of the
products of Palestine. It is mentioned no fewer than two hundred times in the
Bible and, with one exception, the references are to "olive oil," as
it is expressly termed in Exodus and Leviticus, according to the more correct
rendering of the Revised Version of the Scriptures. Oil was largely used in the
preparation of different kinds of food, and it was spread upon bread very much
in the same way as we use butter; it was employed in the lighting of houses and
places of worship-that used in the Temple being no doubt of the finest quality
like the "beaten oil" for the Tabernacle - and it occupied a very
prominent place in the ceremonial of anointing kings and priests- The
metaphorical uses of the word " oil " are many. Part of the blessing
of Asher was that he should "dip his foot in oil," that is, that he
should have a large measure of worldly prosperity by finding abundance of oil
within his territory. In the book of the Proverbs we find the foolish use of oil
quoted as a token of extravagance and a source of poverty, while the husbanding
of it is a certain proof of wisdom. Words of deceit are said to be smoother and
softer than oil; and cursing is said to permeate the life of the wicked even as
oil soaks into bone. The power and use of oil are illustrated in many ways in
sacred writings. The scholars of Palestine were often referred to as "sons
of oil." One injunction has a singularly poetic fancy about it: "Ye
shall take olive oil to light the Temple as an atonement for your souls which
are like to lamps" The yoke of Sennacherib was said to have broken "
because of the oil which Hezekiah lighted in the schools;" and we have a
singular parallel to this in the saying of one of the early English reformers
who, when Ridley was burned at the stake, exclaimed: " Thou hast lighted
such a fire in England to-day, Master Ridley, as shall not be put out." One
common and significant use of Oil in Palestine was that of anointing the heads
of guests entertained at a festive meal, and from this daily custom oil came to
be regarded as a symbol of joy and gladness.
The Wages of an Entered Apprentice constitute the Masonic elements of
consecration. Corn, Wine, and Oil figure very prominently in the elaborate
ceremonial by which buildings are solemnly set apart and dedicated to the
purpose of Freemasonry. After appropriate exercises of prayer and praise, the
junior Warden, handing the Cornucopia to the consecrating Master, says: "In
the dedication of Masonic Halls, it has been of immemorial custom to pour corn
upon the Lodge in token of the divine goodness exhibited in the liberal
provision made for all our wants, spiritual and temporal. I, therefore. Present
to you this vessel of corn, to be employed by you according to use and
wont.," The Master thereupon accepts the vase and, sprinkling some corn
upon the floor,- says: " In the name of the great Jehovah, to Whom be all
glory, I do solemnly dedicate this Hall to Freemasonry."
Thereafter the Senior Warden presents the Vase with Wine, saying: " Right
Worshipful Master, Wine, the symbol of strength and gladness, having according
to ancient custom been used by our brethren in the dedication and consecration
of their Lodges, I present to you this vessel of Wine, to be used on the present
occasion according to established Masonic form." And the Master, sprinkling
some of the wine upon the floor, says: " In the name of the Holy Saint
John, I do solemnly -dedicate this Lodge to Virtue.
Finally, the Substitute Master approaches with the vase containing Oil and says:
" Right Worshipful Master, I present to you, to be used according to
ancient custom, this vessel of oil, an emblem of that joy and peace which should
animate every bosom on the completion of every important undertaking." And
the master, sprinkling some oil upon the floor, says: " In the name of the
whole Fraternity, I do solemnly dedicate this Lodge to Universal
Benevolence."
In ancient days Corn, Wine, and Oil constituted the wealth of the people, and
were esteemed as the main supports of life. The Psalmist counts them among the
greatest blessings mankind enjoys, and you may recall that he brings them
together in the 104th Psalm where he speaks of them as "Wine that maketh
glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which
strengtheneth man's heart." It is sometimes said that modern Freemasonry is
but ancient sun-worship disguised. We believe in a beneficent Creator; the sun
worshipper paid his adorations to the glorious luminary of the day to whose
genial agency the fruits of the earth -corn, wine, and oil-were due. To that
extent we have a community of thought, and Freemason and sun-worshipper alike
look from Nature up to Nature's God.
Moralising upon the Wages of the Entered Apprentice as symbols instinct with
meaning to the Mason who would be true to the altruistic spirit of the Craft,
the Rev. Thaddeus Harris says: "Wherefore my brethren do you carry Corn
Wine, and Oil, in your processions, but to remind you, that in the pilgrimage of
human life you are to impart a portion of your bread to feed the hungry, to send
a cup of your wine to cheer the sorrowful, and to pour the healing oil of your
consolation into the wounds which sickness hath made in the bodies, or
affliction rent in the hearts of your fellow-travellers."
And surely brethren, that is the sum and substance of the matter. As Entered
Apprentices we receive these Wages in spirit, not to expend upon ourselves but
as a constant source of aid to our less fortunate Craftsmen. As Corn is an
emblem of Plenty, let us be abundant in the measure of our brotherly love, ever
ready to use what means God hath given us to assist a brother who may claim our
help. As Wine is an emblem of Cheerfulness, let us foster the spirit of joy and
gladness so that, when sorrows throw their shadows upon life, we may be enabled
to look forward to the brighter day when the trials of our earthly pilgrimage
shall be forgotten, and sadness shall be unknown. And as Oil is an emblem of
Peace may it be ours to extend the boundaries of her Empire, so that strife and
discord may be banished for ever from the mind of man. " Nothing,"
says Emerson in one of his Essays, " nothing can bring you peace but
yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles." And
this personal note is emphasized in a striking passage in one of Ruskin's
"Lectures." "People," he says, "are always expecting to
get peace in heaven: , but you know whatever peace they get there will be ready
made. Whatever making of peace they can be blest for, must be on the earth
here." The whole teaching of the Craft is the promotion of peace on earth,
goodwill to men, and it is the personal duty of everyone of us to advance the
cause. of the universal brotherhood of man.
Brethren, I do not know that any one could leave a sweeter memory behind him
than just this that he had faithfully used the Wages of an Entered Apprentice.
The day will come when the walls of our Lodge shall know us no more, and we
shall live in the recollection of our fellows for but a little while - a month,
a year, at the most a generation. But that recollection will be a sacred one if
those with whom we have laboured recall our names from time to time, and tell
those who did not know us that, faithful to our trust, we were ever ready to
relieve distress, aid the weak, and comfort the mourner. Thus shall we have
proved our right to the Wages of an Entered Apprentice, and thus may we hope for
the recognition that awaits all faithful Craftsmen at the hands of the Great
Architect of the Universe.
William
Harvey. J.P. F.S.A. Scot.,