hanzosbm
Premium Member
We all know the lessons taught of why Masons wear their aprons in the fashion appropriate to their degree. However, I stumbled upon something recently that I found interesting and thought I might share.
As we know, originally, there were only 2 degrees, so likely, there were only 2 ways to wear the apron. If we assume the EA and MM methods (the FC has always seemed a bit contrived to me) then we are expected to believe that one does a better job of protecting clothing and for some reason the other doesn't need as much protection. Looking at the apron, this explanation, while plausible, seems a bit lacking. Does that small piece of fabric really protect that much? And if you're not using it, why wear it at all?
Switching gears a bit, I recently got into the hobby of blacksmithing; a discipline that requires an operative apron. Working in front of a forge is not only messy business, but also very hot. The apron is far from comfortable, but one wears it out of necessity. Most aprons are relatively simple; a loop goes over your neck and strings are tied at your waist. However, as time has passed and I have gotten more involved, I decided to upgrade my apron a bit. As I stated, it gets very hot, and I found at times that after I finished my project, I would move around to help others; acting in a somewhat supervisory capacity. While doing this, I didn't want to completely remove my apron because I might need to jump in to show a young craftsman how to do something. So, I simply reworked my apron so that it could be easily undone from my neck which allowed my upper body to breathe. I never really thought much of it till I caught a glimpse of my reflection.
As we know, originally, there were only 2 degrees, so likely, there were only 2 ways to wear the apron. If we assume the EA and MM methods (the FC has always seemed a bit contrived to me) then we are expected to believe that one does a better job of protecting clothing and for some reason the other doesn't need as much protection. Looking at the apron, this explanation, while plausible, seems a bit lacking. Does that small piece of fabric really protect that much? And if you're not using it, why wear it at all?
Switching gears a bit, I recently got into the hobby of blacksmithing; a discipline that requires an operative apron. Working in front of a forge is not only messy business, but also very hot. The apron is far from comfortable, but one wears it out of necessity. Most aprons are relatively simple; a loop goes over your neck and strings are tied at your waist. However, as time has passed and I have gotten more involved, I decided to upgrade my apron a bit. As I stated, it gets very hot, and I found at times that after I finished my project, I would move around to help others; acting in a somewhat supervisory capacity. While doing this, I didn't want to completely remove my apron because I might need to jump in to show a young craftsman how to do something. So, I simply reworked my apron so that it could be easily undone from my neck which allowed my upper body to breathe. I never really thought much of it till I caught a glimpse of my reflection.