What is a "lewis"?

Hi  Stanzola !


Pietre-Stones Review of Freemasonry offers an informative description
and a diagram of the Lewis.

Excerpt:

?The Lewis is a device that enables an operative freemason to raise
large stones to the required heights and set them in place with safety
and precision.?

?This device that has been used by stonemasons and erectors for many
centuries.  It provides an anchorage in a stone, which enables lifting
tackle to be attached to assist in the raising and lowering of stones
that are too heavy or too awkward to e man-handled into position
during transportation and erection.?

You will find a detailed description of the Lewis, its history, the
origin of the name and its symbolism here:
http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/falclewis.html


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The Lewis in Freemasonry 

?As a technical term in Operative Masonry, the lewis is an iron cramp,
or clamp, which is inserted into a cavity prepared for that purpose in
any large stone, so as to give attachment to a pulley and hook whereby
the stone may be conveniently raised to any height and deposited in
the proper position. The interlocking pieces use the mass of the stone
the tighten their grip while permitting ease of insertion and removal.
The contrivance was known to, and used by, the Romans.?

?Under the English Constitution the lewis appears on the Tracing Board
of the Entered Apprentice where it is used as a symbol of strength.?

?Under the Constitution of the Grand Lodge of Antient Free, and
Accepted Masons of Scotland the Lewis has a further interpretation:
the son of a Freemason, who is entitled to make application for
initiation into the Scottish Craft at the age of eighteen, rather than
the more usual twenty-one.?

Fidelity Masonic Supplies
http://www.fidelity-masonic.co.uk/2004/10/lewis-in-freemasonry.html


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What s a Lewis?

?A Lewis is an instrument in operative masonry. It is a cramp iron
which is inserted into a cavity prepared for that purpose in any large
stone, so as to give attachment to a pulley and hook whereby the stone
may be conveniently raised to any height and deposited in its proper
position. The contrivance was known to the Romans, and several taken
from old ruins are now in the Vatican. In addition, in the ruins of
Whitby Abbey in England, which was founded by Oswy, King of
Northumberland, in 685, large stones were discovered with the
necessary excavation for the insertion of a lewis. The word is likely
derived from the old French levis, any tool for lifting. The modern
French call the instrument a louve.

In the English system of Masonry, the lewis is found on the tracing
board of the Entered Apprentice, where it is used as a symbol of
strength, because, by its assistance, the operative mason is enabled
to lift the heaviest stones with a comparatively trifling exertion of
physical power. It has not been adopted as a symbol by American
Freemasons, except in Pennsylvania, where it receives the English
interpretation.?

The Scottish Rite Journal: March 99
http://www.srmason-sj.org/council/journal/mar99/lewis.html


Search terms used: 
?the Lewis is?  FREEMASONRY
://www.google.com/search?hl=es&rls=GGLD%2CGGLD%3A2005-18%2CGGLD%3Aen&q=%E2%80%9Cthe+Lewis+is%E2%80%9D++FREEMASONRY&btnG=B%C3%BAsqueda&lr=


I hope this is helpful. 


Best Regards,
Bobbie7

bobbie7-ga really hit it on the head, providing the operative,
speculative (symbolic) meanings, a great link with diagrams, and even
the note that in the USA, only Pennsylvania Masons continue to use the
term. As a Past Mast of a Lodge under The Pennsylvania GL
jurisdiction, I found this particularly helpful. Our definition simply
reads: What is a Lewis? The son of a Mason who becomes a member of the
Craft before he reaches lawful age. In England the term "Lewis" is a
symbol of strength, a man's strength being represented in his son.

All the secrets of freemasonry are now freely avialable on the net. It
used to be a secret society. The only really secret descendents of the
freemasons are the Mormons. But then, even the secrets of the Mormon
endowments are available on the net too (the endowments, right down to
the aprons, greatly resemble 1840s-era Masonic ceremonies).

Does bobbie7-ga know the origin of the Anti-Masons/Know-Nothings of
the era leading up to the election of Mr. Lincoln as president? My
answer is that Masonry was a subversive movement back then.

Then there is the crack Sidonia.

Thank you for the five star rating and generous tip!
--Bobbie7