NM Freemason
← Lodge Furniture

Chapter 21 · Study

Lodge Furniture

Print study sheet Read first, then practise.

Vocabulary · 6

Furniture of the Lodge
The published list of three: the Volume of the Sacred Law, the square, and the compasses. These are the Three Great Lights, and they are also the furniture, because no Lodge may be opened or work performed unless they are present on the altar.
Altar
The pedestal at the center of the Lodge on which the furniture is placed. American practice puts the altar in the geometric center of the room; English practice places it before the Master in the East. Either way, the altar is the focal point and every officer's address is, in some sense, directed to it.
Three pedestals
The Master in the East, the Senior Warden in the West, and the Junior Warden in the South each have a pedestal at their station. The Master's holds his gavel, the working copy of his bylaws, and (in many Lodges) the warrant of the Lodge.
Three gavels
One for each of the three principal officers, used to enforce order and to mark the cadence of business. The Master's gavel is the supreme published authority in the Lodge while it is at labor; a stroke of his gavel ends debate.
Furniture vs. ornaments vs. jewels
The published monitor draws three categories. Furniture = VSL, square, compasses (required for opening). Ornaments = mosaic pavement, indented tessel, blazing star (the floor of the Lodge). Jewels = movable (Master's square etc.) and immovable (the ashlars and trestle board).
Warrant of constitution
The published charter from the Grand Lodge that authorizes the Lodge to exist. Strictly speaking it is not furniture, but it is brought into the room with the Lodge; in many jurisdictions it must be physically present, or readable from a wall, before the Lodge may open.

Practice questions · 5

  1. What three items does the monitor name as the Furniture of the Lodge?

    • a. Altar, gavel, and warrant
    • b. Volume of the Sacred Law, square, and compasses ✓
    • c. Rough ashlar, perfect ashlar, and trestle board
    • d. Square, level, and plumb

  2. Where does American practice place the altar?

    • a. Before the Master in the East
    • b. In the geometric center of the Lodge room ✓
    • c. At the door of the preparation room
    • d. Outside the room, before opening

  3. How many gavels does the published list assign to a Lodge at labor?

    • a. One (the Master's only)
    • b. Three (Master, Senior Warden, Junior Warden) ✓
    • c. Five (one per principal officer)
    • d. Seven (one per station)

  4. Which is named among the ornaments (not the furniture) of the Lodge?

    • a. The square
    • b. The mosaic pavement ✓
    • c. The Volume of the Sacred Law
    • d. The Master's gavel

  5. What is the warrant of constitution?

    • a. A by-law adopted by the Lodge itself
    • b. The charter from the Grand Lodge that authorizes the Lodge to exist ✓
    • c. A roll of dues-paying members
    • d. A petition that has been approved but not yet read