If there is such an 18th C legend and it was t made up later , it was not a legend in Utah.
My Freemasonry | Freemason Information and Discussion Forum
Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
Lambskin Apron not available at Funeral service, Solution
- Thread starter Nickel City Dude
- Start date
Nickel City Dude
Registered User
Legends are like that; they do not always appear in all areas of the country and not everyone knows all there is to Masonry. Case in point, I have 35 years in Masonry, and this is the first time I have heard about this. I cannot say that this is true because I was not there, but I would like to believe it anyway. (Your milage may vary).
Citation to the legend existing in the 1700’s?
Nickel City Dude
Registered User
Sorry Brother but I do not understand the question.
You stated : “The legend dates back to the 1700's which is well before 1872.”
Where in literature do you find this legend occurring in the 1700’s?
Nickel City Dude
Registered User
Good question, Brother. I will ask the Brothers that told me about this when I see them next month. I Googled the legend and did not get any results one way of the other.
Nickel City Dude
Registered User
Because I will not see the Brothers that gave me this information I did some research on my own. I could not find refernace to the "grave robber" seniaro I did find referance to placing the apron on the coffin in the book Our Stations and Places by Henry Meacham on page 85.
Nickel City Dude
Registered User
And I agree also, but we do not live in a perfect world and sometimes we have to make do with what we have. In a perfect world the apron is always there but this is not always the case. So we have to make things as good as possible with what we have available. A look alike apron that can be buried with our brother is better than no apron at all or one that will be taken back by the funeral home so our brother is not buried with any apron. I hope you can see my point because I see yours and wish everything would always work out.
Your points disregard the facts that the material the apron is made of is significant as outlined in our rituals. I cannot comprehend that the cost, roughly $30 per apron for an actual lambskin, would be so expensive as to cause significant hardship on your Lodge. I apologize if your Lodge is in such dire financial straits that this is the case. But Lodges that cannot even afford a replacement apron for a Brother's funeral would likely not be a functioning Lodge very soon and therefore not need to worry about aprons.
Even if your Lodge lost, Heaven forbid, a Brother every month and every single Brother misplaced the apron they were given upon raising, requiring 12 aprons a year, it would be an expenditure of about $360. You cannot convince me that an ongoing Almoners Fund, or fundraising campaign for the purpose of ensuring that a deceased Brother is properly clothed to be sent to the Eternal Lodge is so difficult as to force you to take the route of supplying a plastic apron for the event.
You mentioned you were discussing this at the next Lodge meeting. Has that happened? I am curious how your Lodge feels about it.
Nickel City Dude
Registered User
I only offered this as a solution to a re-accouring poblem, I never expected to get so beat up over this. I will no longer post here. Good buy.
Beat up? People disagreed with your solution to the problem you are having. Sorry you felt that way.
Keith C
Registered User
That is my feeling as well but, as I stated previously, we do thing differently here in PA and no one is given an Apron on Raising as it is truly impractial to think they would show up at a funeral. We provide the aprons for the Funerals our Lodge conducts and they are indeed new white lambskin aprons. In most cases our DDGM attends funerals within the district and if we provided a PVC apron there would be SERIOUS repercussions. Also if the Lodge stated that they couldn't afford to pay for proper aprons for funerals our DDGM would show up with our last financial audit forms and the Treasurer's Reports from the minutes to our last few meetings and what he would have to say would be most unpleasant.