THE STONEMASONS OF GERMANY.
I50
to call there every
was deputed
either a journeynicau or a master,
day at noon, in order to
to attend to theix bodily
welcome, and provide work for, new arrivals, or if such was not possible,
The supper and bed were furnished at
witli them of a stoup of liquor.
comfort by partaking
the expense of the fraternity, to whose treasury, however, the masters also contributed. The
new comer, unless work were found for him, usually received a small sum of money to carry
him
This was called the Geschcnk
forward.
—the
donation or present.
We
thus see that
a journeyman could travel from one end of Germany to the other, without exercising forein any way subsisting on
thought as to his expenses, and yet without feeling that he was
was required that he should be a
in order to avail himself of this privilege, it
But
charity.
the fraternity, which he therefore joined at the place of his apprenticeship;
member
and in the body of this fraternity he found that ceremonious greeting which, as we have
of
already seen, the stonemaso