He told him that he should try to do nothing to stain the whiteness of that apron, which symbolized strength and purity; then of the unexplained trowel, he told him to toil with it to cleanse his own heart from vice, and indulgently to smooth with it the heart of his neighbor.

As to the first pair of gloves, a man's, he said that Pierre could not know their meaning but must keep them.

The second pair of man's gloves he was to wear at the meetings, and finally of the third, a pair of women's gloves, he said: "Dear brother, these woman's gloves are intended for you too.

Give them to the woman whom you shall honor most of all.

This gift will be a pledge of your purity of heart to her whom you select to be your worthy helpmeet in Masonry.