THE MASONIC 24-INCH GAUGE IN POETRY AND HISTORY

by C. Lincoln | Fraternity Lodge 541

There are many tools in operative Masonry. There are many tools in speculative Masonry. The 24-inch gauge is one of the Entered Apprentice's working tools and is used in operative masonry to measure and layout work. However, in speculative masonry, the 24-inch gauge is used to divide our time for a more noble purpose – that of managing our time. The 24-inch gauge, which is divided into twenty-four equal parts, is emblematical of the twenty-four hours of the day.

We speculative masons are urged to divide our day into three parts. We instruct the newly initiated mason to give eight hours to labor, eight hours to the service of God and a worthy, distressed brother, and eight to refreshment and sleep. This time gauge teaches the mason to prioritize and use their time constructively. One can perhaps flippantly wish for a 25-inch gauge for the 25th hour of the day.

While it may seem like a challenge to divide the day into exactly equivalent three parts, the intention is to remind us that we only have 24 hours in a day. We have 24 hours given to us by the architect of the world to complete what we need to do, and that is all we have to build our moral metaphorical edifice. The gauge is a lesson in scheduling and priority, and it reminds us that we should use our time constructively.

Granted, the 24-inch gauge can be divided even further. Doctors, lawyers, and accountants frequently divide their days into one-tenth of an hour increments counting every 6 minutes.2

The last third of the day, which we are instructed to give to refreshment and sleep, could also mean doing whatever makes us rejuvenated. However, we also need to work at least eight hours a day to generate income, and we need eight hours of sleep. Thus, the question remains of how to spend the remaining eight hours of service as outlined in the EA degree.

In Brother Albert Mackey’s Encyclopedia of Freemasonry published 1875, Brother Mackey provides a definition of the 24-inch gauge in the following way as a sort of inspiration of what we can achieve if we use our time wisely, for a worthy purpose, and organize it accordingly:

1 Firstly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude towards Worshipful Master Andrew Uhlman for extending an invitation to me to speak at Singleton Lodge on April 6, 2023. It was an absolute honor and pleasure to be a part of the event and share my thoughts on the topic. His valuable feedback and encouragement have been instrumental in making this event a success, and I am grateful for his support.

Furthermore, I would also like to extend my appreciation to the following Brothers for their feedback and insightful comments. Their contributions have added depth and meaning to my presentation, and I am grateful for their support: Zach Rubenfeld, Andrei Antonescu, Nicky Sampogna, Chris Tessone, and Mark Wright. Their constructive feedback and helpful comments have not only strengthened my presentation but also provided me with a valuable learning experience. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to engage with such knowledgeable and supportive individuals.

Once again, I express my heartfelt gratitude to Worshipful Master Andrew Uhlman and the Brothers of Singleton Lodge for their warm hospitality and support. It was a memorable experience that I will cherish.

“In the twenty-four-inch gage is a symbol of time well employed following as best we can the example of the lines told to us by Longfellow in the Psalm of Life,

Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And departing leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time.” worthy, distressed brother, and eight to refreshment and sleep. William of Malmsbury tells us, that this method of dividing the day is the same that was adopted by King Alfred.3

One could be skeptical of this reference to King Alfred. Upon further investigation, it turns out Brother Mackey was right on point. Granted William of Malmsbury wrote several hundred years after King Alfred in the 1200s. William of Malmsbury in his description of King Alfred's life wrote:

But, in short, I may thus briefly elucidate his whole life: he so divided the twenty-four hours of the day and night as to employ eight of them in writing, in reading, and in prayer, eight in the refreshment of his body, and eight in dispatching the business of the realm. There was in his chapel a candle consisting of twentyfour divisions, and an attendant, whose peculiar province it was to admonish the king of his several duties by its consumption.4

This shows that King Alfred had a type of “talisman” - the candle and the attendant - to help remind him, and we as Masons could use the 24-inch gauge in the same way.

Source and description from: Wikipedia: “Alfred depicted in a stained-glass window of c. 1905 in Bristol Cathedral.”

Wikipedia: “Bristol Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. Founded in 1140 and consecrated in 1148, it was originally St Augustine's Abbey but after the Dissolution of the Monasteries it became in 1542 the seat of the newly created Bishop of Bristol and the cathedral of the new Diocese of Bristol. It is a Grade I listed building.”

In Brother Albert Mackey’s 1869 publication, A Lexicon on Freemasonry, the entry for the 24-inch-gauge provides:

An instrument made use of in operative masonry, for the purpose of measuring and laying out work, and which, in speculative masonry, constitutes one of the working tools of the Entered Apprentice. The twenty-four inches which are marked upon its surface, are emblematical of the twenty-four hours of the day, which, being divided into three parts, instruct the mason to give eight hours to labour, eight hours to the service of God and a

When thinking about a talisman, consider the definition in the Oxford English Dictionary (“OED”) that provides:

“A stone, ring, or other object engraven (sic) with figures or characters, to which are attributed the occult powers of the planetary influences and celestial configurations under which it was made; usually worn as an amulet to avert evil from or bring fortune to the wearer; also medicinally used to impart healing virtue; hence, any object held to be endowed with magic virtue; a charm.”5

5 "talisman, n.2." The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed., vol. 19, Oxford University Press, 1989.

The OED continues on the entry for the term “talisman” that, “[i]n quot. 1638 applied to the telesms or consecrated statues set up in Egypt, and later in Greece, to protect the city or community: see telesm n.” Moreover, the OED continues, “[a]mong Muslim nations, the potent principle is held to be contained in verses from the Qur'an engraved on the charm.” The etymology perhaps is enlightening: “17th cent. French talisman, Spanish talisman, Portuguese talismã, Italian talismano, ultimately representing Arabic ṭilsam, in same sense, < Greek τέλεσμα telesm n. The final -an is not accounted for.” This suggests that the origin is Greek but is a combination of thought from Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French prior to entering English.” Regarding the history of the term, the OED states, “An Arabic plural ṭilsamān, alleged by Diez s.v., and thence in various recent dictionaries, is an error: no such form exists in Arabic, Persian, or Turkish. The only Arabic form at all similar would be a relative adjective *ṭilsimānī (one) dealing with talismans, if this were in use. The identity of talisman with τέλεσμα was first pointed out by Salmasius, Hist. Augusta 1620.” The etymology and history of a word can often bring about its ideas of how it’s done.

Brother Mackey wrote in his 1875 Encyclopedia:“The Masonic essence of the lesson is ability, preparedness and readiness, recalling the suggestion of William Shakespeare to the workman in Julius Caesar (act I, scene I, line 5), Where is thy leather apron and thy rule? What dost thou with thy best apparel on?”

Shakespeare in this line has an astonishing prescience to Masonry.6 It is worthwhile noting that James VI (of Scotland) and I of the United Kingdom of England and Scotland was a patron of Shakespeare – and a Fellow Craft. It seems likely that Shakespeare would have known about Freemasonry existing whether by interacting with the King or others in the King’s court who were involved in Freemasonry. Indeed, King James himself was a Fellowcraft Freemason (Lodge Scoon and Perth No. 3 in Perth) (1601-1625) - Initiated: April 15, 1601. It should be noted that the Master Mason degree was invented in 1725.7 Thus, King James did reach the ultimate degree available at the time in 1601.w

The 24-inch gauge reminds us to manage our time wisely and to use it to achieve our goals. It is not only a lesson of schedule but a lesson of priority. We must remember that time is a precious commodity and use it constructively to build our moral metaphorical edifice.

In “Advice to a Young Tradesman", an essay by Benjamin Franklin that appeared in George Fisher’s 1748 book, The American Instructor: or Young Man’s Best Companion, in which Franklin wrote, "Remember that time is money.”8 In the full quote, Franklin wrote:

"Remember that time is money. He that can earn ten shillings a day by his labour, and goes abroad, or sits idle one half of that day, though he spends but sixpence during his diversion or idleness, it ought not to be reckoned the only expence; he hath really spent or thrown away five shillings besides.”9

Exactly 100 years prior to Ben Franklin’s 1748 publication, a poem was written in English in 1648 by an English poet named Robert Herrick:

“Gather ye Rose-buds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying: And this same flower that smiles to day, To morrow will be dying.”10

In short, what Franklin and the poet are suggesting is: carpe diem, seize the day.

Leaving this article, consider meditating on the eight hours a day where you have the most leeway.

Perhaps it is the power of saying no and giving an affirmative “no” answer to obligations that don’t fit into your schedule. Based on my experience: to answer a flippant question at the beginning of how to get a 25-inch gauge – the answer is saying, no.

So far this article has explored how the concept of time and time management is discussed in historic, poetic, and Masonic contexts. But what is the unifying element to them all? Why is it so important to be reminded of these things? w

Perhaps the main reason is that we are mortal and food for worms, and each one of us at some point – hopefully many years from now – will be reunited with the Great Creator. Because we are mortal, we owe a duty to each other and we have a commitment to the world.

For the EAs and the FCs, make sure to consider and think about this and the other Masonic tools as you progress through our subsequent degrees. 