What are the responsibilities of the wardens in a lodge?

The Senior Warden assists the Master in governing the lodge and is responsible for the conduct of the Craft while at labor 12. He presides over the lodge during labor, appoints the Senior Deacon, and succeeds to the duties of the Master in his absence or in the event of a vacancy 1. Symbolically, his column of authority stands erect while the lodge is at labor and is laid prostrate during refreshment 2. Wilmshurst reads the Senior Warden in the West as personifying the soul or natural human intelligence, which has no inherent light of its own and reflects the light of the Spiritual Principle from the East as the moon reflects the sun 3.

The Junior Warden presides over the Craft while at refreshment, observing the time and calling the lodge between labor and refreshment at the Master's order 12. He is charged with ensuring that refreshment is not converted into intemperance and excess, and it falls to him to prefer charges against brethren suspected of Masonic misconduct when ordered to do so 2. He appoints the Stewards, and historically conducted the examination of visiting brethren, though this duty later passed to stewards or special committees 1. In the event that both the Master and Senior Warden are absent or deceased, the Junior Warden assumes the governance of the lodge 1. His column of authority lies prostrate during labor and is erected during refreshment to signal the status of the lodge 2. Symbolically, Wilmshurst takes the Junior Warden in the South to represent illuminated human understanding, standing at the balance-point between natural reason and spiritual intuition 3.