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Firing Glasses
Answer : Answer : I can well understand that the members of your lodge are not agreed on the method of using firing glasses because quite frankly there is no one correct way and 1 find that practices vary. What is quite a common method is not to use them for drinking but solely for firing and to hold them by the rim for the « Point, Left, Right ; Point, Left, Right ; Point, Left, Right ; One Two » and then the glass is banged on the table and left there on « Three » and the normal claps follow. Another method I have known is to have the glasses filled with wine and on the command from the Worshipful Master ail the brethren stand, leaving their glasses on the table. The following drill is then gone through, the commands being given by the Master :
1 . « Hand to Arm ». The glass, remaining on the table is held in the right hand.
2. « Take Aim ». The glass is then raised and held with the right arm stretched out vertically.
3. « Tire One ». A sip of wine is taken.
4. « Tire Two ». Another sip is taken.
5. « Tire All ». The glass is drained.
6. Without any word of command, the glasses are banged three times on the table, on each occasion with a shout of « Vivat »...
The only suggestion I can make is that you discuss the procedure to be adopted on some suitable lodge occasion and select that favoured by the majority of your brethren.
* * * * *
Additionnal
note by Christian Guigue : The french usage and
military terms are differents. They come from military lodges and 18th
century uses. The glass is not a glass, it’s a cannon. The table is not a table,
it’s a platform. We take the cannon in
hand at order : « Present ! ». The
commands are : 1.
"Aux armes
(to
arms)" -
2. "Grand
feu (great
fire) ou
Plein
feu" - 3.
"Grand et
parfait feu
(great
and all fire)".
Only the lodges working to the french or modern rite shout " Vivat " the first and second
time, and we find so " Vivat, vivat, semper vivat " the third time. The
french lodges of Rectified Scotish rite (french knight
templar system in 6 degrees), Ancient and accepted Scotish rite do not
shout « Vivat »
