Joseph W. Barclay, 32°
P.O. Box 4019
Sedona, Arizona 86340–4019

A letter to a Masonic widow explains the
significance of the Masonic apron.

Dear Mary,
It was good to have you as a guest at our Valley dinner last week and to see that you are getting out and around again. During the evening, you referred to Bill’s Masonic apron in his dresser drawer at home and remarked that you had often wondered what it was all about and why it was so important to him. Maybe if I tell you what I know and feel about my apron, it will answer some of your questions.

From ancient times to the present, the apron has been important to Masons. In olden days, stonemasons wore leather aprons, often made of lambskin, to protect themselves while handling rough stones. These ancient workmen are referred to as “operative” Masons. They actually worked, “operated,” with stones, and the best of them, Master Masons, were “free” to move from building site to building site because their expert services were so in demand for the building of medieval cathedrals, castles, and fortifications. Stonemasons still in training, like the peasants who worked the soil, were bound to the area where they worked and were not free to travel from place to place without special permission.

Today’s Masons are called “speculative” Masons because they deal with ideas and moral concepts; they “speculate” about philosophical ideals. No longer engaged in the actual construction of buildings, the modern Freemason is concerned with freedom of ideas, the building of character, and the principles needed for an upright, moral life dedicated to blessing and benefiting humanity. The type of apron he wears at Masonic functions is usually an indication of his Masonic experience and/or activity. For example, when your husband Bill was Chaplain of our Lodge, his apron had an embroidered representation of the Bible on it. The Secretary of the Lodge has crossed quill pens on his apron, the Treasurer has crossed keys, the Steward who prepares refreshments for the Brothers has a cornucopia on his apron.

To indicate he is an officer of the Lodge, Bill’s apron has a blue border representative of the fact that he was an officer. This color recalls the fact that a Mason belongs to a “Blue Lodge,” the cornerstone of all Freemasonry. But why “blue”? Originally, operative masons were members of a labor guild and met in the open, under the blue sky in the sight of Deity. Later, they met in the shacks or “lodges” built on the construction site where they worked. The lodge was a place to refresh themselves, draw new designs, and safely keep their working tools—their squares, plumbs, levels, and the like. These tools took on symbolic significance to the speculative Mason who “acts on the level,” is honest, and “parts on the square,” deals as an equal with all persons.

When a man is initiated as a Mason, the new Brother is presented with a white lambskin apron, which he usually keeps at home in a special box or a dresser drawer, just as Bill did. In all ages, the color white has been associated with purity and the lamb with innocence. This symbolism is universal, and the Christian Mason notes that the Bible speaks of a person’s sins as being “washed white as snow” and refers to the Master of Nazareth as the “Lamb of God.” In Masonic Lodges today, Masons who are not officers wear undecorated aprons of white cloth or white lambskin.

It is suggested that a Brother’s Masonic apron, such as Bill’s, should be buried with him or burned, if the service is a cremation. His name is on it, so it would be of no use to anyone else except, perhaps, to a family member who is a Mason. Alternatively, you may wish to give Bill’s apron to his Lodge, where his Brothers will archive it in honor of your husband’s longtime service to Freemasonry.

As long as a Mason lives, his spotless Masonic apron is a constant reminder of living a pure, unblemished life of right conduct. His apron is an unfailing inspiration for nobler deeds, higher thoughts, and greater achievements. I hope that I have given you some idea of why Bill’s Masonic apron was one of his most treasured possessions.
Don’t forget, if you need anything at any hour of the day or night, be sure to call me or any Mason, and one of us will be at your doorstep.