English

Lily — Removing THE S TAINED

A wail of sorrowing hearts pervades the Lodge,
And flows and bears a volume of sad sounds;
O purity defiled! oh, soiled and smirched,
Who wert so fair! upon our Pillars twain
We hung thine emblem, gathered from the mead,
A modest flower, the L ILY , virgin white,
White like the Apron, modest like the soul
That hides the left hand when the right hand gives,
Tear the smirched L ILY from its place defiled,
And cast it out, alas, with bitter tears!

Charity — The G REATEST OF THE T HREE .

The soul serene, impenetrably just,
Is first in C HARITY ; we love to muse
On such a model; knit in strictest bonds
Of amity with spirits like disposed;
Aiming at truth for her own sake, this man
Passes beyond the golden line of Faith,
Passes beyond the precious line of Hope,
And sets his foot unmoved on C HARITY .
" A soul so softly radiant and so white,
The track it leaves seems less of fire than light. "

Gavel — Obedience .

As midst the incoherent clash and void
Of the new world, the voice of God rung out,
" Let there be L IGHT , and there was light! " so falls
This gentle monitor, and all is peace!
The clangor of debate, the heated breath,
The vow forgotten, and the sharp retort,
Yield sweetly to the G AVEL'S strong " Be still! "
Reason returns with quiet, and she brings
That fine reaction which the generous heart
Moves to confess and heals the rankling wound.

Ark — Safety UNDER D IVINE S HELTER .

Type of serenity, we think of thee
When lightnings flout our unprotected heads;
So, when life's storms whip our unhappy souls,
And wild temptation rages in our hearts,
We turn, oh, Masons' Lodge, we yearn for thee,
Another A RK of refuge, tried and sure,
And in thy halls serene regain our strength;
In vain the storm at thy close portals beats;
Life's discords lag without; the voice within
Is music; doors secure, and keepers strong.

Cable tow — Bondage OF D UTY .

A gentle bond, soft as the filmy thread
That strings the dew drops on the sunny morn,
Or gossamer that floats upon, the air;
A mighty bond stronger than anchor chain,
Or brazen fetters to the honest soul;
A chain of length , reaching as high as Heaven,
As deep as to the very mountains roots;
A chain of strength that holds the wayward heart
From drift and danger; admirable bond,
Who would not be constrained with such as this

Checkered pavement — Human V ICISSITUDES .

From purest white to deepest black; —
Despair and rapture, fear and joy, —
Misfortune's gloomy discipline,
The happy troop of good success,
Stern hue of death, sweet hue of life,
Coldness of winter, summer's heat,
Oh, who can walk from West to East,
Along this mystic floor, nor feel
His deep dependence on the Hand
Invisible that guides his steps?

All-seeing eye — Sovereign INSPECTION .

Watch me, oh, Master, at my work,
And note my diligence of zeal!
Through the long day my handstrokes fall,
For thou shalt have my utmost strength;
So in the midnight horror; so
In the worst terrors of the storm;
And midst the assassin's thrust, and in
The hour and article of death,
Thy vigilant E YE will surely note,
Thy H AND avert Thy L OVE abate!

Book of the law — The M IND OF God .

And can we know the mind of God?
A window to the will Supreme!
And is His purpose all exposed
To human eye, so faint and dim?
Look! open upward broadly lies
The W ORD of God , — the unerring L AW ,
Threatening and promising by turns,
As Masons yield to fear or love.
Oh, be it ours to walk therein,
And at the end have sure reward!

Hour glass — Flight ON T IME .

Voice of the ages, wisdom ever new,
Speaking to Masons, in simplicity,
Soon thy last sand must leave the glass of time;
For while we contemplate them, they grow less,
And even now still less as yet we muse;
The Hour Glass bids us gauge the unfinished work
That meets the eye, and sum the amount, and so
With double assiduity to toil;
Each grain recorded in celestial scroll,
Demands of all a corresponding deed.

Life's sands are dropping, dropping, —

Beehiva — INDUSTRIOUS A PPLICATION .

None idle here! look where you will, they all
Are active, all engaged in meet pursuit;
Not happy else. No, for the M ASTER'S voice
That called them first, is ringing in their ears;
Go build! go build! a brief six days of toil
I have allotted, arduous toil, but brief;
The burden and the heat ye must endure
All uncomplainingly, — such is my will,
In darksome quarry, and on toilsome mount,
And heated wall; — go build! not happy else;