Louie Blake Saile Sarmiento, author

The square and compasses has been used as a symbol by several organizations. The oldest organization to use the symbol is probably the  Worshipful Company of Carpenters , founded in London more than 700 years ago. The first written reference mentions of a " Master Carpenter " in the City of London’s records dated year 1271. It was originally a medieval trade guild, set up to look after the welfare and interests of carpenters living and working in London. The Carpenters received its first Royal Charter in 1477, and in 1515 was ranked 26 in order of precedence out of the 48 City Livery Companies then existing. The Carpenter's motto is " Honour God ".  Founded in 1724, the  Carpenters' Company of the City and County of Philadelphia  was modeled after the Worshipful Company of Carpenters. Both associations have close ties with each other. During the 18 th  and early 19 th  centuries, the Worshipful Company of Carpenter...

By Louie Blake Saile Sarmiento Author; Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology; Juris Doctor AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT Religious and political intolerance and bigotry were very common in England until the end of the 18 th  century. When the monarchy and the churches still held absolute power and influence, any group or person who possessed a new way of thinking was at once branded as blasphemous, heretic, a cult follower, a witch, or even a devil-worshiper. In fact there was a time when churches condemned their followers from intermingling with those professing other religious beliefs. [i]  There was a time when a Catholic was prohibited from marrying a Protestant or a Muslim, vice-versa. Those who were found guilty of going against their commands were subjected to torture or were persecuted to death and, in many cases, burned at the stake.  Thousands of people across Europe, mainly women, were charged with witchcraft   and were burned fo...