Why I treat Mitch with Kid Gloves

A few months ago, I was preparing for our Scottish Rite Book Club discussion on Morals & Dogma and the Degrees when I had a rather embarrassing epiphany.

We were talking about the 15th Degree, “Knight of the East,” and I was reviewing the myriad symbols and accoutrements associated with it. That degree is lousy with accoutrements... I mean, at some point it’s just a hat on a hat. But I digress.

Let me back up and quickly recap a few key points of the degree.

Regalia of the 15th Degree

The 15th Degree covers many themes, but the central aim—like so many others—is the rebuilding of the Temple, in this case after its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar. Most people, when they think of this degree, focus on the idea that rebuilding the Temple requires one to carry “a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other.” The sword, of course, is not offensive, but defensive—meant to ward off ignorance, apathy, and indifference. Others may focus on the role of Cyrus and the famous dialogue with Zerubbabel, who must reject worldly temptations to win Cyrus’s support for the restoration. Dramatically speaking, it’s one of the longer degrees, rich with parts, symbolism, and stagecraft.

Which brings me back to the point of this little essay.

One of the lesser-discussed symbols of this degree is a pair of green kid gloves, and for whatever reason, that detail kept rattling around in my head as I prepared for Book Club. Maybe you’re like me and have heard or even used the phrase “treat them with kid gloves” before. I had! And for my entire life, I completely misunderstood it.

I genuinely thought it meant “treat them like a child,” and in my head, I imagined something like roughhousing while wearing soft, padded gloves so no one got hurt. I don’t mind sharing this with Brothers, because when I finally said it out loud at Book Club, I found I wasn’t the only one with that interpretation.

It turns out, of course, that “kid gloves” refers to gloves made from the soft leather of baby goats—kid leather. The phrase goes back to the 18th century, when people used actual silver utensils, and kid gloves were worn to avoid leaving smudges on them. It meant to handle something delicately—because it was valuable.

That shift in understanding led me back to the degree itself. You might be picturing 12 Fellowcrafts and their white gloves, but in this case the gloves are green—a color shift from innocence to immortality. The immortality here is not personal; it’s the immortality of the work—the enduring legacy of those who rebuilt the Temple after exile. And as we labor today to keep that dream alive, to uphold our highest ideals, we are reminded that they too must still be... handled with kid gloves. And so, we come back to Mitch.

Ill. Mitch Hensley, 33°

In all the work he does for Scottish Rite—often behind the scenes, always thoughtful—he’s not just doing admin, planning, or logistics. He’s preserving something sacred. He’s building a structure that will last beyond any of us.

He’s helping to ensure the Craft—and the efforts of every Brother—endure beyond our time.

And that, Brothers, is why I treat Mitch with kid gloves.