“ Our Lodges are supported by three great pillars. They are called, Wisdom, Strength & Beauty.
Wisdom to contrive, Strength to support and Beauty to adorn.
Wisdom to conduct us in all our undertakings. Strength to support us in all our difficulties & Beauty to adorn the inward man. The universe is the Temple of the deity whom we serve;
Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty are about his throne as pillars of his works, for his Wisdom is infinite, His Strength omnipotent, and Beauty shines through the whole of the creation in symmetry and order”
In commencing this paper, I believe it is reasonable to assume that as Freemasons we already know that these THREE pillars referred to are the TWO which stand at the entrance to the Temple and the THIRD being the Worshipful Master of his Lodge.
For those who are curious and would appreciate a full description, of not only these TWO great pillars, but of the entire Temple itself, I refer you to in 1 Kings Chapters 6 & 7. Considering the fact that the majority of our ritual surrounds the building of this magnificent structure, I highly recommend this reading and sincerely believe it will add to your appreciation of WHY it was chosen as a model for our emulation.
Our studies teach us that WISDOM is represented by a Ionic Column (Pillar), which is the most complex in design of the three, therefore requiring the most knowledge and skill to create.
Thus it seems perfectly reasonable that this Pillar should be representative of the Master of the Lodge.
The second pillar, which stands to the South Side of the Temple, and represents STRENGTH,
Is a Doric Column and being of the strongest design is said to represent the Senior Warden of the Lodge.
The third and. last pillar, which stands to the North Side of the Lodge, and represents BEAUTY, is a Corinthian Column and being the most ornate of the three is said to represent the Junior Warden of the Lodge.
With this information before us, we can now readily see how our leaders are often referred to as PILLARS OF THE LODGE AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE. What a nice compliment!!!!!!!