Free Mason Box? Need Your Help.

ok guys below is a few pics i took tonight of a box. This box belong to a guy who said when his dad passed away recently he left this to him. He said his dad was a free mason but he does not know why this box was left to him or what it is used for or stands for?

if you guys could help me find out what it is for i would be great, it also has a hole in the middle of the box he said it is four your finger or something

Cool its an old ballot box! Cool find.

so its nothing special, it has a hole for one finger in it on one side and other side is a empty box, and how does this tie into free mason

Its used to vote in a new brother in the lodge. The brothers each vote by putting in a whit or black stone.

ok cool thanks tut for the help and the info,

are these still used?

Oh yeah, they are used regularly in lodge. They get pulled out whenever a pesron petitions for the degrees.

Also, they are used for other items when a secret ballot is called for by the Worshipful Master.

To the OP:

The ballot box is generally placed on the Altar in the Lodge room. The Secretary calls the name of each brother present; when his name is called, the brother will go to the ballot box and drop in either a white or black ball. After everyone has voted, the contents are emptied, and votes are tallied by the Secretary and two witnesses.

reply to post by Masonic Light

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They're not just used by Masons. Numerous fraternal groups use similar boxes, which continue to be produced by fraternal supply companies. Here's an early version with some explanation as to how they are used.

www.phoenixmasonry.org...

Here's an example of a brand new one. (A tad bit expensive but they last virtually forever)

www.masonicexchange.com...

The ballot box and the black/white balls that are used for voting coined the term 'blackballed', which basically means someone is banned from something.

Whenever somebody petitions to join the lodge and it's time for a vote, all the members line up and go to the box one at a time. There are a bunch of white and black balls (they look like marbles) in the open half and each person comes up and picks one to put in the little hole. It is almost exactly like 'tribal council' on Survivor.

When the voting is done the box is opened and the votes are counted. A white ball means 'yes' and a black ball means 'no'.

If any member casts a black ball, the person is not admitted, thus the term 'blackballing'.

It's really a nice anonymous way to vote on things. In more recent years they have added cubes or dice-shaped black 'balls' so that sight-impaired members can make sure they are casting a black vote by touch.

"The white ball elects; the black cube rejects."

reply to post by Masonic Light

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Interesting, our SD walks around the lodge, right up to each individual brother and the brother casts his ballot.. less moving around. Not sure if that is a North/South difference or if varrying lodges do it in varying ways.

reply to post by Rockpuck

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Mackey's Jurisprudence suggests the ballot box being placed on the altar and the Secretary calling roll, for each brother to advance and cast his ballot. My lodge differs by having first the bros. seated in the north column, followed by those seated in the south column approach in a single file line, stopping at the SD while the man in front of them approaches the altar to cast his vote. And though not required, by tradition we state our full names as we salute the east and cast our ballot. This helps everyone get the opportunity to learn the names of brothers they may only see once a month. (Suppose the roll call could have similar benefit, if we did it that way...)

Little more history. Before the white and black balls were used(ancient times) the same procedure was done with stones. This was the ancient form of first step initiation.

Refer to Revelations. And to him that overcomes a white stone with a new name. Welcome to the truth of the Bible and the Christos.


Refer also to ancient Greece. And again there to the shards of pottery. This is a secret symbolism of Democracy and equality of those present. A form of democratic respect to be more accurate.

Depending on the group some were required to put the hand past a curtain to drop the vote and then put the other hand into a jar of clay, so no one could count the who or how many before the official count.

Not a mason so I don't know how their boxes/balls work. Still a symbol of the utmost respect for democracy.

[edit on 2-3-2008 by Illahee]

Looks like a ballot box, too bad the cubes and balls are gone. Good find though!

Nice find! I know for fact that my fraternity uses the box to vote on certain items. We use balls black and white for votes

[edit on 17-3-2008 by sanctum]