XIX. SPANGLED ARCH-NOCTURNAL SPLENDORS.

"When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained, what is man that thou art mindful of him?" In Palestine the stars shine with a brilliance unknown to more northern heavens.

Not stars alone, but windows unto Heaven,—
Not lights, affixed in glittering concave,
But chandeliers hung from invisible chains
Held by angelic hands beside the Throne!
O spangled roof, O feeble thought of Heaven,
How grand the night curtained so gloriously!
The watchers of Old Tyre beheld them thus,
And worshiped God; sages of Babylon

Grew old, in study of thy splendors, and

The Bard of Israel sung, from palace roof, thy blaze!

XX. SQUARE-IMPLEMENT of Proof.

The emblem of morality, in Masonry, is the implement of proof. "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good,” is an injunction cheerfully accepted by the Craft.

And who is this,-grave, reverend man, who brings
With high command THE SQUARE! whose practiced eye
Takes warily in the length and breadth and depth

Of the offered stone! how, with this implement,

He proves the angles, tests the corners each,

Sternly rejects the ashlar reprobate,
Cheerful accepts if, to his scrupulous care,

The block responds! not strange, if in the shock

Of earthquakes and the jarring elements

This wall, built up with such precision, stands !

XXI.

BROTHERLY LOVE-THE SPIRIT OF THE CRAFT.

"Bear ye one another's burdens"; "Let brotherly love continue"; "Tychicus, a beloved brother."

To suffer long, and yet be kind and true;
To bear the slight and yet retain the love;

To hope, whate'er betide, and still to hope

Through all the gloomy days that life may yield,-
This is the love of Masons,- BROTHERLY LOVE;

This binds the old fraternity with brass

And iron fetters ;- while such Love endures,

The rage of foes assaults our fort in vain ;
The bigot's hate recoils; palsied the arm
Which strikes a Brotherhood knit by such ties.

XXII. COMPASSES - BOUNDARY OF PASSION.

The limit, within which the exercise of the passions of man is allowable, is clearly marked in the use of the ancient emblem, the COMPASSES.

The grace of God directs this implement;

His gracious hand so separates its limbs

As to inclose a gracious boundary;

He gives us ample scope for every bliss

Of which our nature is susceptible;

Let us, then, Craftsmen, keep within the sphere.
His wisdom marks, nor contravene his will:
Lust and intemperance, the greed of gain,
Anger and malice, envy, villainy,-

All these outside the Compass' points are seen.

XXIII. G-SUGGESTIVENESS OF DIVINE PRESENCE.

This constant reminder to all Lodge attendants cannot fail to. work happy effects in our age, so profane that the words of the prophet Jeremiah are literally verified: “Because of swearing, the land mourneth."

As through an open window into Heaven,

Through this strange symbol, golden, bright, we look,

And muse upon celestial chamber; where

"Upon His glorious throne God sits alone,

Hath ever sat alone, and shall forever sit,

Alone, Invisible, Immortal One!"

The MASTER, o'er whose head the type impends.

Names it, awestruck and reverently, God!

Then humbly as the creature should, the Craft

In silent adoration, lowly bows.

XXIV. CLAY GROUNDS-FOUNDRIES OF THE BRAZEN PILLARS.

"In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarthan."

How once the furnace fires were heated here!
Here the soft cooing of bright Jordan's dove,
And nightingale's sweet song were silenced all
By roar of Hiram's cupolas! the scent
Of oleander buds, so exquisite,

Lost in thick smoke and soot of molten brass !
Now all is desolate; the poisonous thorn
In matted thickets, guards the gloomy place,
And Hiram's masterpieces are a myth.

XXV. MOON— NOCTURNAL RULER.

The meetings of Lodges in hilly, woody, and unfrequented places, are mostly arranged with reference to the changes of the moon.

Thy gentle face calls up the parted years,
Guide of the evening, Moon, the Mason's sun.
Led by thy light, the woodland paths were filled
With cheerful voice the stilly night was moved
With feet fraternal, thronging to the Lodge.
Sweet Moon, thou peered upon our mysteries,
But saw no motion but what God could bless ;
Bending toward the West thy silver light
Admonished of the midnight hour, and led
The happy Craftsmen to domestic joys.

XXVI. NETWORK - INTERWOVEN FRIENDSHIP.

The world observes the union of Masons, and marvels thereat. "A friend loveth at all times," observes the most shrewd observer of antiquity, "and a brother is born for adversity."

This NET so strong, of thirty centuries,
That gleams on high, in brazen imagery,

Shows an artistic knot at every joint.

Wonderful NETWORK! whose the hand that first

Taught us to tie thy fastenings intricate?

The wants, and woes, and joys, and cares of men,
So shared, so equalized,-whose work is this?

None other than the Artificer's divine!

'Tis the same Unity that reigns in Heaven,
Binding the angels to the throne of God.

XXVII. OBLONG SQUARE-TRUE TO PERFECT ANGLEs.

The form of Solomon's Temple, an oblong square, with no circular projections, suggests a whole class of symbolisms in the moral architecture of Freemasons.

Blessed the man who walks not by advice
Of the ungodly, and who standeth not
In the way of sinners, nor in scorner's seat
Doth sit; but in the law of God delights,
And meditates thereon, both day and night;
He shall be like a fruitful, spreading tree,
Planted on river's brink; his fruit shall come
In season, and his leaf shall never fade;
Such are the blessings promised in the Law,
To those who duly form the OBLONG SQUARE.

XXVIII. PALM TREE-WATER, SHADE, FRUIT, GRACEFULNESS.

This far-famed tree, from which the land of Hiram, Phenicia, was named, has many rare qualities. At its roots is water; its shaft is the image of gracefulness; its shade is inexpressibly grateful to the desert dweller; its fruit is the most nutritious grown in the Orient. Temple the palm tree was engraven.

Thou sealest up the sum of nature's gifts,

O grateful shaft, that send'st thy shade afar!
The royal sage adorned his olive gates
With thy fair image; for it told of food
Delicious to the taste; and grateful shade
Made by thy thickened foliage, while the sound—
No music in those eastern lands so sweet-

Of trickling water echoed at thy roots.

Perfect in beauty, and with bounty full,

Thou art the chief of Masons' imagery.

XXIX. ROUGH ASHLAR - UNFORMED CHARACTER.

On the walls of the

"The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep."

What changes must this quarry stone receive,
Ere the fair statue from its folds looks out!
Shapeless, unsightly- who can tell the form.
May yet delight the eye from this rude block?
So with the soul that comes beneath the edge
Of moral implements; we cannot know
What treasure's hidden in that ASHLAR ROUGH,
Until the forming, skillful stroke shall fall,
Divesting of all superfluities,

And leaving just the image God designed.

XXX. FORTITUDE-SAFETY OF ESOTERY.

The coward merits no confidence, nor should he be made a Mason. Under the influence of terror he evinces the openness of the child.

In some far oriental land, they tell

Of one, a brave old man, who fairly died
His honor to maintain; rude, violent hands
On him were laid in unexpected hour
And secret place, and he was given to choose
'Twixt vile dishonor and a cruel death.
He died; in FORTITUDE he gave his life,
Redeeming thus the pledge made long before.
His high example for three thousand years
Has formed the model of true courage here.

XXXI. FAITH APPREHENSION OF UNSEEN THINGS.

"So it was with all the mysteries of faith; God set them forth unveiled to the full gaze of man, and asked him to investigate them." Our faith in God rests alone in the promises contained in His word.

Book of all Books, thou volume most profound,

Whose very words, majestic and sublime,

Excel all others! see, we humbly lay,

And hopefully, undoubted FAITH on thee!
These good right hands we gladly rest on thee;
If thou art false, there is no truth on earth,
No God, no Heaven, no Hell, no lasting hope.
By FAITH we lightly pass beyond the grave,
O'erleap all present evils, and enjoy,

In fond anticipation, boundless good.

XXXII. WATER FORD- REMEMBRANCES OF THE EXPLOIT OF JEPHTHAH.

The swiftness of the traditional river of Freemasonry explains the catastrophe of the fords: "There fell at that time, of the Ephraimites, forty and two thousand."

So when we end this dreary tale of life,

And stand upon the river's edge, river of death,

Safe passage, needful aid, good cheer are all

Assured to him who has the needful word.

Dark stream! we shudder at thy gulf profound;

Bitter thy waters to sin's votary;

All that a man hath he will give t' escape.

But to the righteous there awaits a guide,

Strong to uphold and gentle to console,

To him who, whispering, safely yields the word.

XXXIII. ANCHOR - CLINGING TO ASSURED TRUTH.

A true Mason may veer amidst tides and storms the length of his cable, but he will never drift.

Good anchorage our MASTER hath secured,-
Strong cable to the Master's bark is fixed,—
Brave ANCHOR, rooted firmly in the rock,-
What wreck, what peril can befall us now?
The storms may break,—they enter every life;
Foes may assault,- all good men live at war;
Time may install harshest vicissitudes,
And threaten all that timid souls can fear;

Yet our good ANCHOR holds, will ever hold,
And we shall close our voyage in peace at last.