The twenty-four inch gauge is a working tool of the Entered Apprentice, adopted from operative masonry where it is used to take the dimensions of stone 1. In speculative Freemasonry, its twenty-four divisions represent the hours of the day, serving as a symbol of time well employed 1.
Masonic teaching applies this symbol by dividing the day into three equal parts of eight hours each 1. Eight hours are to be devoted to the service of God and a worthy distressed brother, eight hours to a brother's usual vocation, and eight hours to refreshment and sleep 1. Mackey notes that the essence of this symbolic lesson is ability, preparedness, and readiness, teaching the mason to measure his time effectively 1.
The supplied sources present no disagreement among Masonic writers regarding this interpretation. Mackey treats the symbol's meaning as a settled, standard lesson within the Craft 1. He also distinguishes the twenty-four inch gauge from the rule, noting that while the gauge must feature its twenty-four divisions marked on its surface for the Entered Apprentice, the ungraduated rule serves a distinct purpose as a working tool of a Past Master for laying designs upon the trestle-board 1.
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