| The Spinning Wheel |
| Among the nations of ancient times, recorded history leads us to believe, spinning was distinctively a woman's occupation. The tools used were primitive, but most early spinners were highly skilled craftsmen. Woolen and linen cloth was made for wool and flax. Camel hair and goat's hair were spun for sack cloth. Wheelspinning was unknown. The fibers were drawn from the distaff and twisted into thread by means of the spindle. (Exodus 35:25,26 and Proverbs 31:19) The story of spinning is interwoven with the history of man. Wherever traces of early man were found, there also has been evidence of spun thread or spinning implements. The first attempt of the spinning process consisted of twisting animal fibers with suitable plant materials. Many of the earliest methods and tools are still in use to this day, especially the various drop spindles and such types as the India and Navajo spindles. This consisted of a stick from nine to fifteen inches long. It had a notch at one end for catching the thread, and a stone or baked clay bowl called a whorl, to help make the spindle spin like a top. The Ancient Egyptians used such spindles to make thread for fine cloth. They spun cotton from combed rolls. Wool or flax fibers were wound around a stick called a distaff, which was used to hold the flax or wool. The spinning wheel used in Europe as far back as the 1200's, was the first device to give the spindle a spinning movement. The principle was the same as the hand spindle. A band or small belt connected to a large wheel passed over a groove in the spindle and turned it. A foot pedal turned the wheel. A distaff carried the material to be spun. The material was drawn off the distaff by hand. The Fineness of the thread depended on the speed with which the twisting thread was drawn. For very fine thread, two spinnings were necessary. In the early days of setting up our Order and of choosing sacred tenets, great care and Divine guidance was executed so that Adoptive Masonry would contain some of the most sublime sentiments known to humanity. A system that would appeal to the highest and noblest aim of life, yet bearing a precaution of relief from the monotony of the endless repetition of the degrees. The story of spinning interwoven with the history of man, the connection of spinning and the purpose for the use of the flax drying on the roof of Rahab, as stated in the 2nd Chapter of the Book of Joshua, gives us a reassuring understanding of why the spinning wheel was chosen as the identifying emblem of The Heroines of Jericho. We have been told that Rahab was a harlot. The flax drying on the roof leads us to believe that she was also an industrious woman also. It is written in Proverbs 31:19, "She puts her hand to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle". Proverbs 31:10-31, has been called, "A Tribute to a Virtuous Woman". The name Rahab means proud. There is some question as to whether she was a prostitute or just an inn-keeper. She may have been both. Or, it may have been that she was just a strong independent woman trying to take care of her family and in being a business woman it was assumed that she was a prostitute. In early times, (this was about the 14th century, B.C.), persons who ran inns were not always the most moral persons. Sometimes they were called harlots. What Rahab was does not matter so much as to what she became. She became a woman of such faith that she could say to the enemy, "The Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath", Joshua 2:11. Rahab hid the spies from Joshua on her roof, covering them with flax. When a report was told to the King concerning the spies, Rahab answered, "There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were", Joshua 2:4. She helped the men to escape by a scarlet cord from her window. It was this cord by which during the battle her house would be known and protected. When the walls of Jericho fell, Rahab and her kinsmen were spared. After awhile, they were finally received into Israel, apparently by marriage. Other qualities of Rahab character are evident from Scriptures. She was an industrious woman, had a deep devotion to her family and friends, clever and most of all, courageous. Rahab is an outstanding example of one who, though not an Israelite by birth, she proved by her works her complete faith in God by becoming a true worshipper of Him. The Book of Hebrews list Rahab among the faithful along with Sarah. She is commended because by faith she "perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace", Hebrews 11:31. |
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