If your father was a Freemason, you were almost certainly brought up according to Masonic principles, although you probably do not realise it - principles such as those of tolerance, trust and compassion. These principles are of course not specifically or exclusively Masonic, but they are principles which Freemasonry promotes and strengthens in its members.

It is common knowledge that Freemasonry teaches its lessons using the symbolism of stonemasons' tools and materials and we choose the "stones" we work with very carefully from the "quarry" of the outside world. You, however, having been brought up by these principles, are partly prepared already; this is why we have a special term for the son of a Mason. We call him a "Lewis."

A Lewis is a wedge-shaped cramp, which is inserted into an undercut hole in the top of a heavy block of stone, in order to lift it. It is made of three pieces of metal - each of the two outer ones being half of the wedge shape and the middle one being a spacer that pushes the two outer pieces apart, into the sides of the undercut hole.



It may be that you never talked to your father about Freemasonry and he may not have talked much about it to you; for many years Freemasons were unnecessarily secretive about the values of the Craft. It may be that he is no longer with us so that you cannot speak to him about this or indeed about anything else. But have you ever wondered what it was that he found in Freemasonry? What he valued so highly? Why not join us and find out? Discover a part of your father that you may not realise even existed.