Working Tools of a Festive Board

I now present to you the Working Tools of a Festive Board, which are the Fork, the Knife and the Glass. The Fork is an important instrument of refreshment with which the most inexperienced Mason may, by reaching across, secure the most delicate and delicious morsels which adorn our Festive Board. It is further used to convey the various portions to that aperture which has been provided by nature to receive them and which reduces all nutriment to a common level. More especially it should be used when partaking of peas for, if conveyed by the Knife, these spherical vegetables may become rather elusive. The Knife, when properly ground and sharpened, can be used to dissect the toughest piece of chicken, divide and prepare the same into proper portions, to ensure that the aforementioned aperture does not become filled to excess thus impeding the frequent flow of eloquence which is characteristic of a true Festive Board Freemason. With the Glass the expert craftsman can, according to the two or three finger rule, ascertain and determine, with accuracy and precision, that portion of liquor which is conducive to the preservation of joviality. But, as we are not met here as speculative but rather as operative Festive Board Freemasons, it is the moral conveyed by these emblems to which our attention is directed. In this sense the Fork points out to us that we should not at all times sit on our backsides waiting for that which we most desire, but should reach out, secure, and retain it, profiting by our opportunities, and assimilating the knowledge gained by our experience. It also teaches us to take care of the small things,lest they slip from our grasp and be lost for ever. The Knife teaches us the value of assiduity, for as it is required to be sharp and in good order to cope with some of the problems which confront it, so are we taught to take care of our physical and mental faculties so that we may not be left behind in the battle of life. The Knife also teaches us not to cut off more than we can comfortably chew. The Glass inculcates the necessity for moderation in all things, for as it has no graduated scale by which to measure its varied contents, the user must exercise judgment as to the quantity poured therein and ensure that it is not beyond the limit of his internal economy, for as the Glass will only hold a certain quantity without detriment to its surroundings, The Festive Board Freemason should also take care to ensure that he does not overflow with untimely hilarity. Thus, the Working Tools of a Festive Board Freemason teach us to bear in mind, and act in accordance with, the cardinal virtues of prudence and temperance, so that when we are summoned to drink The Tyler's Toast, we may safely arise and depart homeward with the gratifying testimony of a contented mind, a steady poise and a clear brain.