Page 18 - MFM Jan Feb 2024

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