Greetings Brethren

Tyler

The Tyler of a Masonic Lodge is an appointed officer of the Lodge and is sometimes known as the "Outer Guard". He sits outside the closed door of the lodge room, armed with a sword. The Tiler's duties and principle role is to ensure that only those who are duly qualified are allowed to enter the Lodge Room. He guards against cowans and eavesdroppers. During the Middle Ages, a cowan was a man who built stone walls of poor quality. He was an uninitiated or non-apprenticed stonemason...a "jackleg", if you will. While the Tiler is sometimes called upon to assist in the preparation of candidates, his chief duty is to (symbolically) keep unskilled workmen from overhearing the conversation within the Lodge Room.

Tyler

Howard Merriman P.M.