Oh, Ladies, when you bend above
The cradled offspring of your love,
And bless the child whom you would see
A man of truth and constancy,—
Believe there is in Mason's lore,
A fund of wisdom, beauty, power,
Enriching every soul of man
Who comprehends the mystic plan.
Then train your boy in Mason's truth;
Lay deep the cornerstone in youth;
Teach him to walk by virtue's line,
To square his acts by SQUARE Divine;
The cement of true love to spread,
And paths of Scripture truth to tread;
Then will the youth to manhood grow
To honor us and honor you.
Bid them come in — the loving, the beloved ·
They whose fidelity we've fondly proved;
Throw wide the doors, ye sentinels alert
Admit them, they're the Tylers of the heart!
Conduct them through our imagery, and tell
The lessons that those emblems teach so well.
Open yon Book-it is divinely good,
For in it are best types of womanhood;
Heroic Adah- golden Ruth are there --
Truest in sorrow, noblest in despair —
And Esther, Queen and Martha crowned in faith
And brave Electa, glorious in death;
It is our First Great Light, whose rays inspire
The soul of woman with celestial fire.
Show them the Orient, whose Sacred Name
Bespeaks God's presence unto us and them;
The ripened Sheaf, the fruitful South above,
Yields its best nourishment for those we love;
Display the Square,- of all beneath the sky
Woman can best resolve its mystery;
The Level,- on our passage to the tomb,
No voice like hers dispels the thickening gloom;
The Plumb - her walk is virtue's ways sublime,
And the best model of the passing time;
The Trowel-she delights to calm and please,
Smooth our asperities and teach us peace;
Show them these ancient mystic monitors,
They testify the jewels that she wears.
Now point the Imagery that graces high
The Brazen Pillars in their majesty;
The ripe Pomegranate's shell, the Lily's leaf,
The Net whose meshes such fond counsels weave;
Her delicate taste will best combine the thought,
Of Plenty, Peace and Unity inwrought;
Thus the whole Lodge, from furthest West to East,
Will yield its treasures to our gentle guest.
Now lead them forth unto the abode
Where Masons labor in the works of God;
Go to the desolate home, the darkened door,
The scanty table of God's sorrowing poor;
Behold the sick, groaning on beds of pain;
List to the orphans, lonely they complain;
See the pinched face of poverty; go in
Where haunt the fiends intemperance and sin;
Observe the midnight candle, by whose light
The widow toils for bread through half the night;
See, rioting in sinful ways, the youth,
Lost to all discipline and lost to truth;
See the unburied dead, who wait to gain
The last sad rites that man bestows on man;
See the whole earth in crime and sorrow hid,
And drop the pitying tear as Jesus did.
Now let them learn what Masons teach and do,
The spirit and the limit of our vow;
To soothe the sorrowing, dry up the tear,
Visit the sick, attend the sable bier,
Rear up the desolate in virtue's way,
Check the intemperate who go astray;
Make God's name honored through his Volume bright, And guide men out of darkness into light.
So all our purposes they'll understand,
And give us loving voice, and heart, and hand.
As we glide down the soft-flowing wave,
And the stars in the sky all aglow,
Let us prize every joy that we have,
And be glad in the sweet now-and-now.
O ye hearts that despair can forget,-
O ye souls that can drown every woe,
There's a bright-shining hope for us yet,
And a bliss in the sweet now-and-now.
When the dear ones around us are gone, And the cypress above them we strow, 'Twill be time for the dirges forlorn,Let us sing in the sweet now-and-now.
In the sweet now-and-now
Oh, to drive every care far away;
In the sweet now-and-now
Let's rejoice, let's rejoice while we may!
It is in our heart, dear Sisters,
While the Mason chain is bright,
To give our warmest welcome
To the best beloved, to-night; To the wife, so fondly cherished, To the daughter, sister, true, To the faithful, tender-hearted,Shall I say the word?-to you.
We acknowledge countless blessings
From the Bounteous Hand above;
Our bond was first cemented
By Divine assent and love;
We are grateful, truly grateful,
For all gifts He doth bestow,
But our warmest thanks are given,—
Shall I say the word?-for you.
The woes of life are many,
Thronging dark on every side,
In tears, and sighs, and broken hearts,
And sorrows far and wide;
The Mason's hand is generous,
But most freely we bestow
When the appeal is made us,—
Shall I say the word?—by you.
Our Brotherhood is countless,
From the East unto the West;
In every land, and clime, and tongue,
They rank among the best;
And every man a hundred miles
On frosty sod will go,
To give you help, or win a smile,-
Shall I say the word?-from you.
Then hail! Adoptive Masonry,
That brings us here together;
May manly arms 'round lovely forms
Protect from stormy weather;
And when, adown the hill of life,
Our tottering feet shall go,
May our weary steps be comforted,-
Shall I say the word?—by you.
Land far away,- home of the blest,
Mansion Celestial, O, give her sweet rest!
With her beloved, crowned with His crown,
Bathed in His glory, whose Cross she has borne; No failing tongue,- no fading eye,
No worldly scorn, or heart-rending sigh,
Found with the saved, she who was lost,
Raised in His likeness to dwell with His host;
Clothed all in white, spotless as snow,
Henceforth with Jesus the MASTER to go.
Ah, who would stay on this cold shore,
When she has gone to joys evermore?
Land far away, etc.
Light from the East, 'tis gilded with hope;
STAR OF OUR FAITH, thy glory is up!
Darkness apace, and watchfulness flee;
Earth, lend thy joys to nature and me.
See, Brothers, see yon dark shadows flee;
Join in His praise, whose glories we be!
Now, let these Emblems ages have given,
Speak to the world, blest SAVIOUR, of Thee.
Lo, we have seen, uplifted on high,
STAR IN THE EAST, thy rays from the sky!
Lo, we have heard, what joy to our ear-
Come, ye redeemed, and welcome Him here!
Light to the blind, they've wandered too long —
Feet to the lame, the weak are made strong —
Hope to the joyless, freely 'tis given -
Life to the dead, and music to Heaven!
Praise to the Lord, keep silence no more!
Ransomed, rejoice from mountain to shore!
Streams in the desert, sing as ye stray!
Sorrow and sadness, vanish away!
The funniest thing I ever heard,
The funniest thing that ever occurred,
Is the story of Mrs. Mehitable Byrde,
Who wanted to be a Mason!
Her husband, Tom Byrde, is a Mason true,
As good a Mason as any of you;
He is Tyler of Lodge Cerulean Blue,
And tyles and delivers the summons due,
And she wanted to be a Mason too.
This ridiculous Mrs. Byrde!
She followed round, this ridiculous wife,
And nabbed him and teased him half out of his life;
So to terminate this unhallowed strife,
He consented at last to admit her.
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