The Mississippi Lodge of Research and Education DCXL will have its next Stated Communication, Friday, December 2 at 7 pm at the Jackson York Rite Building. All Mississippi Master Masons are invited to attend and view the latest acquisition in our attempt to “get back to the old customs.” (1) During the education component of the meeting, Wardens Columns, Part 2 (The Practical) will be shared, as well as the conclusion(s) of the research project.
During the Grand Lodge of Mississippi F. & A.M. (GLofMS) Bicentennial Celebration, held July 2018, in Natchez, Mississippi, there was a celebration held and several activities were provided; spectacular nighttime fireworks display on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River, reenactment of the first Grand Lodge assembly with a cast comprised of members of the Mississippi Lodge of Research No. 640 (MLOR), and a banquet dinner. The banquet dinner included a presentation provided to illustrate and share information on several items recovered from a time capsule dated from the 1890s opened earlier in the week. More information is available on the GLofMS website. (2) See Time Capsule.
In the Bicentennial presentation were items of varying interest depicted in the photographs, including a couple of items not initially identified. A short time later, members of MLOR reviewed the photographs more closely, and it created no small amount of interest as there appeared in at least two of the photographs, items located in the Lodge being depicted that are not referenced in our GLofMS book of law, Williams Digest of Law, or our adopted GLofMS ritual.
During this same timeframe, in an entirely unrelated project, the MLOR had undertaken a review of the historical minutes of the Lodge. The purpose of the review was to determine how many bylaw additions or updates had been adopted and were they still in effect as the Lodge’s ten-year anniversary was approaching. Upon a cursory review of the Lodge’s minutes, it was noted that there was a certain bylaw change having been made, which entry in the minutes included that a short educational presentation was provided in 2010 immediately prior to the Lodge’s decision having been made. The topic of the presentation: Wardens Columns. Interestingly, the Lodge had adopted the use of Wardens Columns for use in all its assemblies, (3) MLOR Findings. A copy is available to all current members.
“…that the Lodge adopt the use of the Warden’s Columns for use in its assemblies…”
However, there had never been an MLOR practice began, even though in some part, it had been already identified, nor had a procurement for the Wardens Columns occurred for use. Until now.
In the presentation we shall attempt to recreate, as best possible, to determine the genesis of this notion of using Wardens Columns in the MS Lodge of Research. Information on obtaining the references and a bibliography is available at the end of the presentation. The question in the Lodge discussion, was what could have been written so clearly and succinctly as to move MLOR members at that time to consider the practice and adopt the usage in its assemblies. The initial decision appears to have been predicated upon information referenced in a Masonic Service Association’s Short Talk Bulletins (STB), specifically, Short Talk Bulletin 8-73. “The Wardens’ Columns.” Upon acquiring the referenced STB, it did not take long to find the pertinent information that informed the decision in some manner. We refer those to which this would be interesting and would desire more information to two sources, both available online, The Masonic Trowel (4) and the Online Masonic Research Institute (5).
First, MLOR began to gather information to do one of two things; 1) Support the Lodge’s initial decision to adopt and implement use of the Wardens Columns and more importantly, 2) Determine if there would be a research finding as to whether the initial information used to justify the Lodge bylaw change, if this Lodge bylaw remained sufficiently and logically sound to expend the time, talent, and treasure necessary to procure and implement the practical use of Wardens Columns in the Mississippi Lodge of Research DCXL and “…in its assemblies.” A research finding is defined as the information used to develop the conclusion(s). (6)
The research project and associated information gathering began first with a literature review to discover the origins and prior uses of the Warden’s Columns from a historical perspective. As stated above, there is currently no adopted ritual or reference in the current laws of the Grand Lodge of Mississippi F.& A.M. Even so, there is discussion and instruction of the topic of columns addressed in several instances, however, the Wardens Columns are not identified as such, although there are close parallels referenced in our ritual.
As background, and to start with the end of this presentation in mind, it should be noted that there are no single, simple explanation(s) for the origin, significance, or symbolism of the Wardens Columns, particularly given that there is no single adopted ritual or book of Masonic law governing usage in Freemasonry. Masonic readers can take heart in that singular fact, just as words used in Freemasonry are not always clearly used nor defined, the same principle applies in architecture, civil engineering, and building design, it being noted that there are some differences and similarities in both the nomenclature and the intended use. Most laypersons use them interchangeably, remarkably like the practices of we as Freemasons. We will explore this issue only very briefly, as currently there exist differences in the fields of both architecture and construction, as relates to pillars and columns, both being commonly used terms or jargon. (7)(8)
For clarity, simply stated, all architectural pillars may be called a column, but all columns are not pillars, if being used in an architectural sense of the words. This opens the conversation up as to how the terms are used in Freemasonry, interchangeably, and what is being represented by the two terms.
We now change the focus of our attention to the Masonic use(s) of the terms and perform a short review of Masonic literature sources and the possible and proper applications. First up, it is offered by Bro. Albert Mackey, in his 1874 Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and Its Kindred Sciences, an entry for Columns (9) which states, “A round pillar made to support as well as to adorn a building, whose construction varies in the different orders of architecture. In Freemasonry, columns have a symbolic signification as the supports of a Lodge, and are known as the Columns of Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty. The broken column is also a symbol in Freemasonry (see the titles Supports of the Lodge and Broken Column).” (10)
Additionally, in the 1916 version of Mackey’s Revised Encyclopedia, available online, there are other interesting references to the topic of columns and pillars and various associated arcana hidden in the wide-open. (11)
Even as Bro. Mackey reveals some interesting information and associated and differing uses of columns and pillars, some of which is very much supported and explained in our Mississippi ritual and practices, and some not so much. A cursory review of the use of the terms, columns or pillars, the topic being addressed in multiple instances of our adopted GLoMS ritual. Examples include, the five orders of architecture addressing the various styles. King Solomon’s temple enumerates the number and use of pillars and pilasters in its structure, as well as the two well-known ones in the porch of King Solomon’s Temple. Of note in those two famous pillars, each of which have a chapiter on the top of each, it being known as, “…the uppermost part of a column, pillar, or pilaster, serving as the head or crowning, and placed immediately over the shaft and under the entablature.” (12)
In another Masonic reference, William Preston’s Illustration of Masonry, (1772), (13)
“By order in architecture, is meant a system of all the members, proportions and ornaments of columns and pilasters [emphasis added]; or, it is a regular arrangement of the projecting parts of a building, which, united with those of a column, form a beautiful, perfect, and complete whole.“
In another Masonic literature reference citing an example of the same passage, is Jeremy Cross’ The True Masonic Chart or Hieroglyphic Monitor. 16th Edition (1851) which addressed the Fellow Craft degree and speaks of the “Orders of Architecture” using the exact same content as Preston’s Illustrations. From this same book is an illustration and an explanation of the broken column with the Weeping Virgin and Father Time, as contained in our Mississippi ritual (14), which appears to have had its origins in Cross’ book. There are alternative theories of how the broken column symbology found its way into Freemasonry, and each theory provides an interesting perspective on the development. One passage from an older Short Talk Bulletin (15) references the illustration of the broken column having been created by Amos Doolittle, in an earlier version of “’true Masonic Chart’ by Jeremy Cross, being published in 1819. Then there is illustration of the three principal officers of a Lodge, they are being emblematically identified with the attributes of Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty in the form of pillars in another section of Cross’ book in the third Section of the Master Mason Degree. (16) There is no ritual explanation provided, however, there the one contained in the Mississippi Blue Lodge Textbook .(17)
Additionally, there are any number of other Freemasonry-related myths and legends which address the use of columns as they occur in accounts from the times of Noah, Seth, and Enoch, as well as the ancient Egyptians, who also used the terms not only the term, column but included the use of obelisks. In a review the writings of Bro. Albert Pike, particularly his magnum opus, Morals and Dogma (18) contains multiple of examples of past usages of pillars or columns across a vast array of cultures and religions. Furthermore, the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, both Southern and Northern jurisdictions, follow the architectural symbology and use an associated term, baluster, or baluster, defining “a small column or pilaster,” to identify any official communication from their respective jurisdiction. (19)(20)
For added information, we reviewed the practices of a few mystery religions and philosophies for other uses. For example, “Rediscovering the Lost Pillars of Enoch” (21), and the “Temple of Karnak, The Great Hypostyle Hall.” (22) In Greek mythology, surrounding the legend of Hercules and the Pillars of Hercules, (23) is an account of a legend of where and how the legendary Pillars were formed. Also, as an interesting sidenote for those interested, there is a contrived relationship between that mythical history and how that the United States dollar sign is a classical symbol for the two sides of the Strait of Gibraltar.in an interesting book by Arthur Nussbaum, A History of the Dollar written in 1957. (24)
Then there is the use of the terms themselves, wherein they are descriptions of sights seen, such as pillars of fire and cloud, these primarily contained in the book of Exodus (Exodus 13 21-22 KJV), (25) which are also reflected in our Mississippi adopted ritual. It is of note that there are other examples of these type of interchangeable descriptions in the Holy Bible. In another very close parallel, there are additional interchangeable use of the terms, pillars, or columns, in other religious contexts. As one example, consider the naming of artist’s depictions of the sufferings of Jesus Christ. These various artist renderings are well-known as being of the same scene from of the Passion of Christ, they are variations of either Christ at the Column or as the Scouring at the Pillar. (26) There is an excellent Gallery of Art available online where one should be able to readily identify differences, not just in the terminology of what is being represented by both size and style. (27)
Thus far, one should be able to readily observe that Freemasons across time, are familiar with the historical, mythical, religious, and even theoretical concepts of the use of pillars, columns, pilasters, and balusters. However, we are focused on the use of very specific columns-the Wardens Columns in the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Mississippi F.& A. M. and the Mississippi Lodge of Research DCXL from a more practical perspective. As stated at the onset of the presentation, you may find the outcomes and conclusions in Part 2 of the Wardens Columns presentation to be delivered at the Mississippi Lodge of Research and Education DCXL Stated Communication on December 2, 2022 at 7pm.
References cited are available upon request to the Mississippi Lodge of Research and Education DCXL, Lodge Secretary. To some well-read Masonic researchers, it will be noticed that Thomas Smith Webb’s Freemasons Monitor, Or, Illustrations of Masonry: In Two Parts (1818) was not used in this presentation as most of the citations used from Preston’s Illustrations are very similar, if not exact. Brother Webb in the Preface of his Monitor stated such, “The observations upon the first three degrees are many of them taken from Preston’s ‘Illustrations of Masonry,’ with some necessary alterations.” (41)
