There is nothing that shows less pride in a Lodge than a room full of men wearing sagging, wrinkled, soiled, cloth loaner aprons.
From that, there is no better way for a Mason to communicate that he is not proud of his Masonic involvement than to regularly wear one of these decrepit old loaner aprons.
I’ll never understand how our Ancient and Honorable Craft here in the United States ever came to the conclusion that this drastic cheapening and debasement of the Badge of a Mason was an OK thing to do. It happened, I suppose, long before any of us were alive, but we should be the last generation of Masons to tolerate it.
At Esoterika Lodge
It certainly seems proper for a Lodge to have a loaner apron or two, for the Mason who forgot his at home. But having loaners serve as the default dress of all except Officers and Past Masters is absurd.
One of our Seattle Lodges has a solution to this. To my knowledge, they have been doing it for a very long time. And it is an easy solution.
As each of their Masons proves Proficiency of the Master Mason Degree, the Lodge purchases them an extremely high quality lambskin apron, with their name and Degree details embroidered under the flap.
All members of the Lodge wear these aprons, and it looks super sharp.
But it is more than just looks. It communicates pride. The pride the Lodge feels in itself, and the pride each individual Mason feels for his personal Masonic involvement.
This Lodge truly is clothed in a fitting Badge of a Mason. And it makes a difference, a distinction.
Now of course, this comes with a cost. Extremely high quality lambskin aprons are not cheap, nor is fine embroidery.
But it is not a cost that must be borne by the Lodge. Lodges charge fees for Degrees. We simply need to increase the fees for the Degrees high enough to include the purchase of an apron like this. It is self balancing between income and expense.
And we need not worry about increasing the fees for the Degrees. No man who would be a solid long term benefit to our Lodge would object to paying some more so that we could ensure that he had a truly wonderful Apron to wear.
Indeed, I visited this particular Lodge once again last night, carpooling on the long drive with a new Master Mason from my area. At some point during that drive he mentioned to me that prior to becoming a Mason, he had just assumed that Lodge dues would be more per month than what he discovered he is asked to pay per year. There is absolutely no reason for us to cheapen Freemasonry. Especially since we can remit the dues of any Mason who truly finds paying to be a hardship.
But let’s discuss it.
Do you think it would be a good idea for your Lodge to emulate this particular Lodge?
To purchase for all of your new Master Masons, a very high quality lambskin Apron with his name and details embroidered under the flap?
Do you think it would be OK to increase the fees for the degrees enough to do so?1
Finally, do you think it is time that your Lodge haul that big stack of old loaner aprons to the garbage dump?
Here in Arkansas we also use the “lodge aprons” extensively. Depending on the lodge you go to the quality varies greatly. Each one of our MMs is given a White apron but most keep it in the container at home so as to keep it clean.
A couple of years ago after we had a lodge merge with us we had the “great apron purge” and got rid of any that were stained, had short or uneven ties etc. So it’s odd for me to go from my “country lodge” to a a “city lodge” and find we have better aprons.
Craddock, from The Craftsman’s Apron, has a very interesting presentation on aprons and their history.
“Each one of our MMs is given a White apron but most keep it in the container at home so as to keep it clean.”
This is what I was told when I joined back in 1996, and as such, the Apron was put away, and now I can’t find it, although I know it’s in my house somewhere. Likely in one of my closets.
And therein lies the next problem. If I passed away tomorrow, nobody in my family would be able to find my Apron before I was interred, since they wouldn’t know where to look, and then my Apron, once found, would wind up in our Jurisdiction’s Apron Memorial. This happens more often than it should.
I am uncertain where the “tradition” of stashing your White Apron in its tube until you pass, so your family can put it with your remains, started, but I like the idea of wearing it so it looks worn by the time you do pass is a much better idea. I think it’d be neat to see a 50-year award presentation to a Brother who’s been active for 50 years, wearing his Apron that appears well-taken care of, but is indeed showing signs of wear. Much better than an Apron that still smells new and has a permanent upwards curl from being in its tube for many years, kind of like a Masonic Dilbert.
That’s how the tradition of storing away your white leather apron came about and wearing those natty stained wrinkled cloth aprons instead.
When I was raised to the sublime degree of a master mason, I went and purchased a master mason apron that I used while traveling until I got my PM apron. The apron looks similar to our officer aprons, but has the square and compasses in the middle instead of an officers jewel. It wasn’t too expensive, and looks nice. I’d love to get a custom designed leather apron, but they are not cheap.
I know I’m preaching to the Choir on this one, but a “Pure and Spotless Surface” on a garment that never sees daylight for decades doesn’t show good symbolism; it’s symbolic of a life that might appear perfect and flawless because the person didn’t do anything in his life. No risk. No growth. No accomplishments. Just the same place in life that the person was at when they became an adult, even though they might now be in their 70’s. That’s not something we want to portray to our members.
This conversation is giving me incentive to renew my search for my Apron, which probably smells exactly the same as the brand new ones I bring to my Lodges for the new members.
Well, I suppose the good news is that moths aren’t really into chewing vinyl…
Interesting. I, of course am not a Freemason but a saying comes to mind which I paraphrase now. It goes something like this…the way we treat material thing is a direct reflection of our relationship to God.
One of my many disappointments in my lodge experience. Mine didnt even give me a vinyl one. They used a vinyl one for the ceremony but I had to give it back. I strongly believe the initiation and degree fees should cover the cost not just of a quality lambskin apron, but also the working tools of the degree. Gauge, gavel, level, Plumb, square, compass, and trowel.
I also think nice clean masonic pajamas should be part of initiation fees. A Masonic tunic and trousers is virtually identical to a Tai chi uniform and suppliers of such things can put embroidery or screen printing on them of the lodge.
Cheap masonry is zombie masonry. It's dead weight that doesn't know it is already dead. Young men worth having want a life changing transformative experience. It shouldn't only be able to be found in major metropolitan areas. Grand lodge needs to set standards.
I keep my original apron in my Past Master case and I wear it at funerals. It’s kept flat and it gets used. I prefer it over cloth aprons for the exact same reason as this article. I earned it. It’s leather and it looks beautiful. Plus it’s in public. I always want to look good as a Mason in public. Everyone sees me. They see us! Appearance matters. I make sure I’m wearing a proper outfit for the occasion and that I wear my apron at my waist. I can’t stand to see an apron worn below a big belly. It’s meant to be worn at your natural waist and tied on the left side so as not to look like you’ve got the tassels as your manhood. If the strings are too short, get longer ones or lose some weight. And never cover your apron with a jacket or below it. It looks slovenly. I do know that some Grand Lodge’s allow jackets to be worn over an apron, but it looks weird to me. I hope I haven’t offended anyone, but it’s my considered opinion after 41 years in Masonry.
I think it is a brilliant idea to wear the actual apron you were raised in. Pis not the issue because as you said the initiate pays the cost and he can surely afford it.
I visited a lodge in Tennessee and donned my PM apron and I was the only one wearing one. All of the members of the lodge except sitting officers wore the lodge's aprons.
I can understand how grand jurisdictions abandoned the decorative aprons, with their ways of tying them and ornaments to signify rank. In NC I found a article written about it. I'll see if I can find it again. The thought behind the codification of plain white aprons was to ensure that everyone was perceived as equal, on the level, no classes of masons.
Now that said, I cannot find what year in NC that they codified the aprons. it appears to have existed in the early 1800s from what I can tell.
This said, A clean and up to date lodge room, clean men, wearing their aprons, also clean shows a pride in our craft. This attitude by transitive property should bleed into our masonry. A fraternity already suffering from lackadaisical attitudes and apathy is one that forgets itself. One can see how this has pervaded our society by simply walking in public to see people wearing pajamas, and crocs while shopping, going to school, or church. Showing a complete absence of care for appearances seems to be a growing trend, or I'm getting older and grumpier. While I can't say the 2 are related, it sure feels this way. Lackadaisicalness and apathy are killing our beautiful craft, lets act as if we are building a temple to our creator and do our best and be our best.
I don't think that you are getting grumpier as you are getting older. As kids the thought of ever wearing pajamas to school would have never even crossed our minds. And, frankly, if we did, our peers would have quite likely made certain, through unmerciful reaction, that we never did it a second time.
Yet I see kids and teenagers doing just that today.
I actually mentioned this to a Brother who works in the schools recently. He said that it is against the rules, but when challenged the kids claim that the pajamas are some kind of work out clothes, so the school does nothing.
But yeah, ultimately, clean clothing, clean Aprons, and clean Temples communicate pride in Freemasonry. Anything less communicates something much different.
Here in Arkansas we also use the “lodge aprons” extensively. Depending on the lodge you go to the quality varies greatly. Each one of our MMs is given a White apron but most keep it in the container at home so as to keep it clean.
A couple of years ago after we had a lodge merge with us we had the “great apron purge” and got rid of any that were stained, had short or uneven ties etc. So it’s odd for me to go from my “country lodge” to a a “city lodge” and find we have better aprons.
Craddock, from The Craftsman’s Apron, has a very interesting presentation on aprons and their history.
“Each one of our MMs is given a White apron but most keep it in the container at home so as to keep it clean.”
This is what I was told when I joined back in 1996, and as such, the Apron was put away, and now I can’t find it, although I know it’s in my house somewhere. Likely in one of my closets.
And therein lies the next problem. If I passed away tomorrow, nobody in my family would be able to find my Apron before I was interred, since they wouldn’t know where to look, and then my Apron, once found, would wind up in our Jurisdiction’s Apron Memorial. This happens more often than it should.
I am uncertain where the “tradition” of stashing your White Apron in its tube until you pass, so your family can put it with your remains, started, but I like the idea of wearing it so it looks worn by the time you do pass is a much better idea. I think it’d be neat to see a 50-year award presentation to a Brother who’s been active for 50 years, wearing his Apron that appears well-taken care of, but is indeed showing signs of wear. Much better than an Apron that still smells new and has a permanent upwards curl from being in its tube for many years, kind of like a Masonic Dilbert.
May its pure and spotless surface….
That’s how the tradition of storing away your white leather apron came about and wearing those natty stained wrinkled cloth aprons instead.
When I was raised to the sublime degree of a master mason, I went and purchased a master mason apron that I used while traveling until I got my PM apron. The apron looks similar to our officer aprons, but has the square and compasses in the middle instead of an officers jewel. It wasn’t too expensive, and looks nice. I’d love to get a custom designed leather apron, but they are not cheap.
https://www.craftsmansapron.com
I know I’m preaching to the Choir on this one, but a “Pure and Spotless Surface” on a garment that never sees daylight for decades doesn’t show good symbolism; it’s symbolic of a life that might appear perfect and flawless because the person didn’t do anything in his life. No risk. No growth. No accomplishments. Just the same place in life that the person was at when they became an adult, even though they might now be in their 70’s. That’s not something we want to portray to our members.
This conversation is giving me incentive to renew my search for my Apron, which probably smells exactly the same as the brand new ones I bring to my Lodges for the new members.
Well, I suppose the good news is that moths aren’t really into chewing vinyl…
I was surprised when my initiation *described* a fine apron but *actually* gave me vinyl. Unfortunately that turned out to be an accurate indicator.
Interesting. I, of course am not a Freemason but a saying comes to mind which I paraphrase now. It goes something like this…the way we treat material thing is a direct reflection of our relationship to God.
One of my many disappointments in my lodge experience. Mine didnt even give me a vinyl one. They used a vinyl one for the ceremony but I had to give it back. I strongly believe the initiation and degree fees should cover the cost not just of a quality lambskin apron, but also the working tools of the degree. Gauge, gavel, level, Plumb, square, compass, and trowel.
I also think nice clean masonic pajamas should be part of initiation fees. A Masonic tunic and trousers is virtually identical to a Tai chi uniform and suppliers of such things can put embroidery or screen printing on them of the lodge.
Cheap masonry is zombie masonry. It's dead weight that doesn't know it is already dead. Young men worth having want a life changing transformative experience. It shouldn't only be able to be found in major metropolitan areas. Grand lodge needs to set standards.
I keep my original apron in my Past Master case and I wear it at funerals. It’s kept flat and it gets used. I prefer it over cloth aprons for the exact same reason as this article. I earned it. It’s leather and it looks beautiful. Plus it’s in public. I always want to look good as a Mason in public. Everyone sees me. They see us! Appearance matters. I make sure I’m wearing a proper outfit for the occasion and that I wear my apron at my waist. I can’t stand to see an apron worn below a big belly. It’s meant to be worn at your natural waist and tied on the left side so as not to look like you’ve got the tassels as your manhood. If the strings are too short, get longer ones or lose some weight. And never cover your apron with a jacket or below it. It looks slovenly. I do know that some Grand Lodge’s allow jackets to be worn over an apron, but it looks weird to me. I hope I haven’t offended anyone, but it’s my considered opinion after 41 years in Masonry.
I think it is a brilliant idea to wear the actual apron you were raised in. Pis not the issue because as you said the initiate pays the cost and he can surely afford it.
I visited a lodge in Tennessee and donned my PM apron and I was the only one wearing one. All of the members of the lodge except sitting officers wore the lodge's aprons.
I can understand how grand jurisdictions abandoned the decorative aprons, with their ways of tying them and ornaments to signify rank. In NC I found a article written about it. I'll see if I can find it again. The thought behind the codification of plain white aprons was to ensure that everyone was perceived as equal, on the level, no classes of masons.
Now that said, I cannot find what year in NC that they codified the aprons. it appears to have existed in the early 1800s from what I can tell.
This said, A clean and up to date lodge room, clean men, wearing their aprons, also clean shows a pride in our craft. This attitude by transitive property should bleed into our masonry. A fraternity already suffering from lackadaisical attitudes and apathy is one that forgets itself. One can see how this has pervaded our society by simply walking in public to see people wearing pajamas, and crocs while shopping, going to school, or church. Showing a complete absence of care for appearances seems to be a growing trend, or I'm getting older and grumpier. While I can't say the 2 are related, it sure feels this way. Lackadaisicalness and apathy are killing our beautiful craft, lets act as if we are building a temple to our creator and do our best and be our best.
I don't think that you are getting grumpier as you are getting older. As kids the thought of ever wearing pajamas to school would have never even crossed our minds. And, frankly, if we did, our peers would have quite likely made certain, through unmerciful reaction, that we never did it a second time.
Yet I see kids and teenagers doing just that today.
I actually mentioned this to a Brother who works in the schools recently. He said that it is against the rules, but when challenged the kids claim that the pajamas are some kind of work out clothes, so the school does nothing.
But yeah, ultimately, clean clothing, clean Aprons, and clean Temples communicate pride in Freemasonry. Anything less communicates something much different.