History of Conception
There were two interesting peculiarities of Conception Lodge in the formative years; a) the working of the Lodge being conducted at floor level, the dais was not then used as it is today and b) the dress attire tended to be "tropicalised", the brethren were permitted to clothe themselves in a formal shirt jack suit shirt.
While innovative, the lack of uniformity somehow distracted from the solemnity of degre work in particular, and with the passage of time the practice was discontinued. As to why the Lodge initially worked at floor level and reverted to the dias is unclear.
The Apron
The apron appears to have been, in ancient times, an honorary badge of distinction. In the Jewish economy, none but the superior orders of the priesthood were permitted to adorn themselves with ornamented girdles, which were made of blue, purple or crimpson, decorated with gold upon a ground of fine linen: while the inferion priests wore only plain white.
The indians, the Persians, the Jewish and the Ethiopians and the Egyptian aprons though equally superb, all bore a character distinct from each other.
Some were plain white, others stripped with blue, purple or crimson. Some were of wroght gold, others adorned and decorated with superb tassels and fringes.