Page 18 - MFM Jan Feb 2024
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THE MASONIC 24-INCH GAUGE



                   IN POETRY AND HISTORY


                                                                                   C. Lincoln, Fraternity Lodge No.54¹
                                                                                   Grand Lodge of District of Columbia



    There are many tools in operative Masonry. There  our moral metaphorical edifice. The gauge is a
    are many tools in speculative Masonry. The 24- lesson in scheduling and priority, and it reminds
    inch  gauge  is  one  of  the  Entered  Apprentice’s  us that we should use our time constructively.
    working       tools     and
    is used in operative                                                                  Granted, the 24-inch
    masonry to measure                                                                    gauge  can  be  divided
    and      layout      work.                                                            even further. Doctors,
    However, in speculative                                                               lawyers, and accountants
    masonry the 20-inch                                                                   frequently divide their
    gauge is used to divide                                                               days into one-tenth of an
    our time for a more                                                                   hour increments counting
    noble purpose - that                                                                  every 6 minutes.   2
    of managing our time.
    The 24-inch gauge,                                                                    The last third of the day,
    which is divided into                                                                 which we are instructed to
    twenty-four equal parts                                                               give to  refreshment and
    is emblematical of the                                                                sleep, could also mean
    twenty-four hours of                                                                  doing whatever makes
    the day.                                                                              us rejuvenated. However,
                                                                                          we also need to work at
    We speculative masons                                                                 least eight hours a day
    are urged to divide our                                                               to generate income, and
    day into three parts.                                                                 we need eight hours of
    We instruct the newly                                                                 sleep.  Thus, the question
    initiated     mason      to                                                           remains of how to spend
    give eight hours to                                                                   the remaining eight hours
    labor, eight hours to                                                                 of service as outlined in
    the service of God and                                                                the EA degree.
    a worthy, distressed
    brother, and eight to                                                                 In Bro. Albert Mackey’s
    refreshment and sleep.                                                                Encyclopedia of Free-
    This time teaches the                                                                 masonry, published in
    mason to prioritize and                    Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Memorial        1875, Brother Mackey
    use their time constructively. One                 Source: Wikipedia       provides  a  definition  of  the  24-
    can perhaps flippantly wish for a 25-inch gauge  inch gauge in the following way as a sort of
    for the 25th hour of the day.                               inspiration of what we can achieve if we use our
                                                                time wisely for a worthy purpose, and organize
    While it may seem like a challenge to divide  it accordingly:
    the day into exactly equivalent three parts, the
    intention is to remind us that we only have 24                “In  the  twenty-four-inch  gage  is  a  symbol
    hours in a day. We have 24 hours given to us                  of time well employed following as best
    by the architect of the world to complete what                we can the example of the lines told us by
    we need to do, and that is all we have to build               Longfellow in the Psalm of Life,


           Montana Freemason                                                    Page 18                                        Jan/Feb 2024   Volume 100 No.1
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