These preliminary remarks about our "white lambskin apron" are found in our Washington Monitor and Freemason's Guide. They are followed by the following admonition:

From these words we can grasp the essence of the symbolism of the "white lambskin apron," but have you ever wondered just what was the "Golden Fleece," the "Roman Eagle," or the Order of the "Star and Garter"? Out of general curiosity, I have.

(My search has not ended, but in the meantime it has led me to discover more about our Fraternity. Perhaps there is a single reference source to find definitive answers to my questions, but I thought I'd share my own findings anyway.)

The "Golden Fleece," in Greek Mythology, was the wool coat of a golden ram that was endowed with abilities of reason and speech. The ram was sent by the god Hermes (Mercury) to rescue Phrixus, whose life was being threatened by his vindictive stepmother. The winged ram carried him away on its back, where he arrived safely in a country ruled by King Aeetes.

To thank the gods for saving his life, Phrixus sacrificed the ram to the god Zeus and then gave the Golden Fleece to the King, who had it guarded by a dragon. Later, in a perilous adventure, the Argonauts, led by Greek Hero Jason, captured the Golden Fleece.

The "Roman Eagle" was the imperial symbol of the Roman Empire, a political system established by Rome that lasted for nearly five centuries. Historians usually date the beginning of the Roman Empire from 27 BC when the Roman Senate gave Gains Octavius the name Augustus who became the undisputed emperor after years of bitter civil war.

Dating back to the 1340's, the "Order of the Garter" is almost certainly the oldest regularly constituted British Order of Knighthood. Although other orders were founded as early as the 11th century, the oldest for which the rules of admission and a formal constitution survive is this one. (Another, the British "Order of the Star" of India dates back to 1861. However, I do not believe this is the referenced Order.)

Knighthood was essential in the strictly hierarchical feudal system of the Dark Ages. With the king at the top, followed by a number of barons, they in turn were followed by the knight. The knights were pledged to render military service in time of war, in return for which they were accorded certain rights over lower ranks, such as the serfs.)

(Of particular interest, in my research I came upon the Noble Order of the Golden Fleece. Founded in 1430 in Burgandy originally as a religious order, and to uphold the usages of chivalry, it was to be above all other orders, including that of the "Garter." Surviving today mostly in Spain and Austria, its membership size is no longer clear.)

Prophetically, the admonition on the wearing of the "white lambskin apron" is accompanied with the following concluding remarks in our Washington Monitor and Freemason's Guide: