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THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY
BY
ROB MORRIS, LL.D.
MASONIC POET-LAUREATE
THE
POETRY OF FREEMASONRY
BY
ROB MORRIS, LL.D.
WRITER AND LECTURER ON FREEMASONRY
FOR FORTY YEARS, AND BY UNIVERSAL
CONSENT
MASONIC POET-LAUREATE.
WITH PORTRAIT AND AN AUTHENTIC
BIOGRAPHY WRITTEN BY
HIS SON ROB MORRIS.
Famque opus excgi, quod non Tovis
ira nec ignis,
Nec poterot ferrum, nec edax obolere
vetustas - OVID.
THE WERNER COMPANY.
1895.
COPYRIGHT,
BY ROBERT MORRIS, LL.D.
1884.
COPYRIGHT,
1895.
BY THE WERNER COMPANY,
R.W. WILLIAM JAMES HUGHAN,
OF
AUTHOR OF VARIOUS WORKS ILLUSTRATING
THE EARLY HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY IN
UNITED GRAND LODGE OF
WITH PROFOUND ADMIRATION FOR YOUR
TALENT, INDUSTRY, AND AMIABLE
QUALITIES, AND THE MOST ARDENT
GRATITUDE FOR YOUR PERSONAL KINDNESS, I DEDICATE TO YOU THIS
LAUREATE EDITION.
INDUCTION.
INDEBTED as I am to a rare circle of intelligent friends for
my title and my title page, and many of the prose thoughts interspersed through
these pages, it is nevertheless thought best that I should write my own Preface
and subscribe it with my own name. This counsel I the more readily accept, as
it enables me to speak as if personally to the large number of Brethren, at
whose request many of these pieces were composed. In former editions their
names were attached respectively to the various odes and poems, but for good
reasons they are omitted in this.
When in 1871, the disastrous fire in
But the importunities of friends and the gentle yearnings of
authorship were, after all, too much for me; and in 1875 I made a collection of
some four hundred of my poetical productions, long and short, and gave them to
the winds. They have been well received by the reading world, ten editions
having been taken up, and an increasing demand appears now to exist. So I am
induced to make one more contribution to Masonic literature (my last), in this
large and tasty edition, and courteously commend the efforts of forty years to
the patronage of the Masonic Craft.
Those who have honored my poems by perusal are aware that
they were composed, for the most part, upon the wing. On horseback, on foot, in
coach and in car, at wayside inns and on the sea, the genius of song has found
me and inspired me in the modest way that appears in these pages.
Emphatically, my contributions to the poetry of Masonry are
fugitive pieces. What I might have done could I have had leisure,—could I have
found kind friends to give me the means of leisure for half a year,—will never
be known. Years, verging upon threescore and ten, blunting eye and ear and
dulling the sense deeper than both, warn me to be content that "what is
writ is writ."
Twenty years since, before a brilliant assembly of Masons
and their lady guests at
vii.
INDUCTION.
If Masonic literature may justly be divided, like other
branches of human knowledge, into departments, then we may style one of those
divisions Poetry. The biographical, historical and ritualistic divisions, added
to that which is termed belles-lettres, in which fiction is introduced by way
of parable, make up the ordinary understanding of Masonic literature, to which
I would add Poem' as the complement.
It is not too much to say that this branch of Masonic
learning has been over-looked and neglected by Masonic writers. The Order has
had among its votaries Walter Scott, Lamartine, Thomas Moore, William Cowper,
James Hogg, Robert Burns, George D. Prentice, George P. Morris, Charles Mackay,
James P. Percival, and many others of poetic fame,— men whose effusions will
survive while sweet sentiments, wedded to melodious diction, have any value;
but the united efforts of all these poets applied to Masonic themes scarcely
fill a dozen pages. Burns wrote one Masonic ode, and rested. It is his
"Adieu, a heart-warm, fond adieu" a piece so exquisitely affecting,
so filled with Masonic imagery that we cannot read it without sensations of
regret that he wrote no more. Scott, Hogg Moore, Mackay, none of them, so far
as I know, ever contributed so much as a line to the poetry of Masonic
literature.
George P. Morris composed at least one ode, "Man dieth
and wasteth away," which is worthy the man and the theme. Giles F. Yates
contributed a paraphrase of the 133d Psalm, which has gone into large use in
our lodges, "Behold, how pleasant and how good." Thomas Smith Webb
left one upon record, "All hail to the morning," abounding with
poetic fire and Masonic imagery. David Vinton gave us "Solemn strikes the
funeral chime," which has found extra-ordinary favor as a funeral hymn.
With this our stock of Masonic poetry is exhausted. Not but that there is much
jingle, mixed with stanzas of merit scattered through the pages of our books
and periodicals, but they are not such as will be selected by future writers to
exemplify this Masonic age.
And why is this? Does not the subject of Freemasonry suggest
to the poetic mind a flight skyward? If religion, and especially that derived
from the contemplation of the Holy Scriptures, constitutes so favorable a theme
for poets because of its extraordinary array of imagery,— types, symbols,
emblems and what not,—does not Freemasonry abound even more in such things? In
fact, Freemasonry is composed of allegory, types, imagery, etc.; it is in
itself a true "chamber of imagery." The very nature and purpose of
the Order is to teach one thing by means of another,—to suggest an inward truth
by an outward emblem. Yet the great writers whose names are given above seem
never to have recognized this.
Robert Burns found in the murmur of a brook and the warbling
of a bird the
viii.
INDUCTION.
voice of
his mistress. Walter Scott saw through the outlines of a rusty lance-head or
broken pair of spurs the imagery of a well foughten field. Thomas Moore drew
from the twang of a ricketty lute wails of lamentation for the decadence of his
green old
As compared with any other theme, I would give the
preference to Symbolical Masonry as the richest in poetic thought, and I can
only hope that the clay is not distant when a great poet will arise who will be
to Freemasonry what Scott was to chivalry, Moore to patriotism, Burns to rustic
love.
My attention was early turned, as a Masonic student, to the
department of poetry, and whatever grade of merit may be attached to my own
effusions, I may justly claim to have searched with assiduity the gems of
poetic thought buried in the mines of Masonic literature, and brought them to
the public eye.
For convenience of use I have arranged the pieces into
divisions, as Templary, Symbolical Masonry, etc.; but the distinctions are not
particularly obvious, for the aims and teachings of the Masonic Order are the
same, whether enforced by the Gavel, the Scepter, or the Sword; whether
embodied in emblems of Christ, Zerubbabel or Solomon. In the present edition I
have omitted all my odes and poems not Masonic, and supplied their places with
a number of productions, notably "The Utterances of the Sword,"
composed since the edition of 1878 was published.
As to the spirit in which these pieces were composed, I
quote from a communication sent ten years since to Hon. James M. Howry
(deceased 1884), who was my Masonic instructor forty years since: "I
became early fascinated with the wonderful machinery of Freemasonry, and what I
felt I spoke and wrote. I could no more check my thoughts than the tempest can
silence the sounds it makes. Freemasonry appeared to me such a field for the
reformer. Here was a body of selected men, united by indissoluble covenants,
working out a few grand, simple principles of architecture, and having
celestial wages in view! Was not this a perfect theory? I wrote because my heart
burned within me, and silence seemed impossible. I found that the effect of
Masonry properly appreciated was to render men lovely to their fellows,
pleasing to their God. In my poems I said as much, and said it in the most
forcible, the most tuneful words at my command. I have visited more than one
lodge where learning, religion, the useful
ix.
INDUCTION.
and
liberal arts, law, polished manners, all that marks and embellishes the best
society, and man as a constituent in the best society, is found, and of such I
endeavored to be the reporter, that by their life I might aid in vitalizing
other lodges that `Lie in dead oblivion, losing half The fleeting moments of
too short a life.'" But my preface is becoming verbose, and I will close.
To the present generation I pray to commend the thoughts which pleased their
fathers.
ROB
MORRIS.
LA GRANGE,
x.
THE LEVEL AND THE SQUARE.
WE MEET UPON THE LEVEL, AND WE PART UPON THE SQUARE,—
What words of precious meaning those words Masonic are!
Come, let us contemplate them; they are worthy of a
thought,—
With the highest and the lowest and the rarest they are
fraught.
We meet upon the level, though from every station come—
The King from out his palace and the poor man from his home;
For the one must leave his diadem without the Mason's door,
And the other finds his true respect upon the checkered
floor.
We part upon the square, for the world must have its due;
We mingle with its multitude, a cold, unfriendly crew;
But the influence of our gatherings in memory is green,
And we long, upon the level, to renew the happy scene.
There's a world where all are equal,— we are hurrying toward
it fast,—
We shall meet upon the level there when the gates of death
are past;
We shall stand before the Orient, and our Master will be
there,
To try the blocks we offer by His own unerring square.
We shall meet upon the level there, but never thence depart;
There's a Mansion,—'tis all ready for each zealous, faithful
heart;
There's a Mansion and a welcome, and a multitude is there,
Who have met upon the level and been tried upon the square.
Let us meet upon the level, then, while laboring patient
here,—
Let us meet and let us labor, tho' the labor seem severe.
Already in the western sky the signs bid us prepare
To gather up our working tools and part upon the
square!
Hands round, ye faithful Ghiblimites, the bright, fraternal
chain;
We part upon the square below to meet in Heaven again.
O what words of precious meaning those words Masonic are,—
WE MEET UPON THE LEVEL, AND WE PART UPON THE SQUARE.
The above is the original form in which the poem, "We
Meet upon the Level," etc., was written. Its history, as often told, is
simple enough, and has none of the elements of romance. In August, 1894, as the
author was walking home from a neighbor's, through the sultry afternoon, he sat
upon a fallen tree, and upon the back of a letter dashed off, under a momentary
impulse and in stenographic character, the lines upon this page.
Eighteen years since, Brother George Oliver, D.D., eminent
above all others in English Masonry, and the Masonic historian for all time,
said of the poem: "Brother Morris has composed many fervent, eloquent and
highly poetic compositions, songs that will not die, but in The Level and the
Square' he has breathed out a depth of feeling, fervency and pathos, with
brilliancy and vigor of language, and expressed due faith in the immortal life
beyond the grave."
xi.
THE LEVEL, PLUMB AND SQUARE.
We meet
upon the LEVEL, and we part upon the SQUARE:
What
words sublimely beautiful those words Masonic are!
They
fall like strains of melody upon the listening ears,
As
they've sounded hallelujahs to the world, three thousand years.
We meet
upon the LEVEL, though from every station brought,
The
Monarch from his palace and the Laborer from his cot;
For the
lizrrg must drop his dignity when knocking at our door
And the
Laborer is his equal as he walks the checkered floor.
We act
upon the PLUMB,—'tis our MASTER'S great command,
We stand
upright in virtue's way and lean to neither hand;
The
ALL-SEEING EYE that reads the heart will bear us witness true,
That we
do always honor God and give each man his due.
We part
upon the SQUARE,—for the world must have its due,
We
mingle in the ranks of men, but keep The Secret true,
And the
influence of our gatherings in memory is green,
And we
long, upon the LEVEL, to renew the happy scene.
There's
a world where all are equal,—we are hurrying toward it fast,
We shall
meet upon the LEVEL there when the gates of death are past;
We shall
stand before the Orient and our Master will be there,
Our
works to try, our lives to prove by His unerring SQUARE-
We shall
meet upon the LEVEL there, but never thence depart.
There's
a mansion bright and glorious, set for the pure in heart;
And an
everlasting welcome from the Host rejoicing there,
Who in
this world of sloth and sin, did part upon the SQUARE.
Let us
meet upon the LEVEL, then, while laboring patient here,
Let us
meet and let us labor, tho' the labor be severe;
Already
in the Western Sky the signs bid us prepare,
To
gather up our Working Tools and part upon the SQUARE.
Hands
round, ye royal craftsmen in the bright, fraternal chain!
We part
upon the SQUARE below to meet in Heaven again;
Each tie
that has been broken here shall be cemented there,
And none
be lost around the Throne who parted on the SQUARE.
This poem has been subjected to so many alterations in its
thirty years of active use that it is deemed proper to give it here with the
last emendations. It is likely that older readers will prefer it in its first
draft. (1885)
xii.
BIOGRAPHY OF ROB MORRIS, LL.D.
MASONIC POET LAUREATE.
[From official data furnished by his
son, Robert Morris, Jr., of
"THE MASONIC DICKENS OF
DR. ROB MORRIS was born
Through the means of the great amount of labor done by him,
and the excellence, and, it might be called, genius of that work, or a great
portion of it, Dr. Morris' name became more familiar throughout the Masonic
fraternity through distant parts of this country, and the world, than it was to
those outside of that order who lived within five miles of his home. His publications,
numbering seventy-three works, his contributions to and in connection with the
Masonic, the religious, the sectarian and the scientific press, which extended
through half a century; his unparalleled industry as a lecturer upon many
themes, all unite in surrounding his name with a halo of public respect.
He was a very large contributor to many Masonic periodicals,
and various news-papers and magazines. Throughout all the world the name of the
Poet Laureate of Masonry is known and loved next to the ancient order itself.
Dr. Morris' chief fame came to him through his poems. They
are of a very high order, and are recognized as being the productions of a
healthy brain, an erudite conception, a grand appreciation of the good, and a
beauteous imagination. It was a circumstance commented upon in one of Dr.
Morris' lectures that while there was
XIII
XIV BIOGRAPHY
OF ROB MORRIS, LL.D.
I an abundance of poets who belonged to the Masonic ranks,
notably Thomas Moore, Sir Walter Scott, James Hogg, Ferguson, George P. Morris,
Percival, Robert Burns, Duganne, Shilliber, Lamartine, Cowper and others, yet
altogether they have scarcely written a score of Masonic poems. Percival and
George P. Morris wrote two or three each, Robert Burns one, the greatest of
them all, except Rob Morris' poems, while all the others named wrote none.
Robert Burns, over one hundred years ago, was crowned with
the laurel wreath, which signified his elevation to the station of Poet
Laureate of Freemasonry. This was for one poem he wrote, and he was the first
to be so crowned. Upon his death no one was ever deemed fit to assume the high
station until Rob Morris was so selected through the expressed wish of over
500,000 Masons throughout all the world.
The coronation took place in
It was the prediction of the venerable and learned Salem
Town, LL.D., himself a Mason of great prominence, and an expounder of its
grandest themes, that "Brother Morris' fame as a poet will outlast his
memory as a writer in prose." Out of more than three hundred pieces that
make up his poetical collections, there are many of rarest delicacy and beauty.
His poetical labors extended over every class of thought proper to the theme.
Very many were written to be accompanied by music, and so have entered into
Festival, Funeral and Work meetings; some to be recited with emblematic
accompaniments. The greater portion were composed "upon the wing" in
stage coach, railway carriage, on steamboats, on horseback, and at Low XII
hours after lodge-meetings.
It would seem that no man could perform the amount of labor
accomplished by Rob Morris, unless he preserved all his faculties intact and
attained nearly the number of years of life allotted to Methuselah. Yet that
work was all done, unassisted, by Rob Morris, and the spring of inspiration
which promoted it lay in the one source, "ambition." When this
ambition was gratified with his coronation as Poet Laureate he ceased his
labors and dwelt nearly four years in the quiet lull before death came to claim
him for its own. In speaking of him a number of Masons, among the most eminent
in the land, said that he was not only the greatest Masonic poet and
prose-writer, but he was the greatest Mason that had ever lived.
In fact, there have been few men who ever lived who have
done more work with the pen for publication than Rob Morris. There has
certainly been no writer of Masonic literature at any time in the world's
history who has written half as much as he either of poetry or prose. The work
he has done would seem too stupendous for any one man to perform in a lifetime,
yet he has done it, and well. He has not only written all these works, songs,
hymns, poems, addresses and essays, but furthermore he has done such other
minor literary work as would require a couple of columns additional merely to
enumerate.
BIOGRAPHY OF ROB MORRIS, LL.D. XV
It is of course chiefly as a writer that Dr. Morris is known
to the Masonic world. He was not only the universally accepted Poet Laureate of
Masonry, but in addition to this his prose works are of the first rank in
Masonic literature. He wrote extensively on the subject of Masonic
jurisprudence, produced several rituals and hand-books, many fugitive pieces,
edited some Masonic journals, and published an important book of travel and
research, "Free Masonry in the Holy Land," which appeared in 1872,
The Masons of this country raised between $9,000 and $10,000 as a fund to
enable Dr. Morris to make his journey to the original seat of Masonry. He went
to the Orient in 1868, and traveled very extensively there and in
He set out
This oriental lodge has maintained a distinct and honorable
existence, and has become the mother of a group of lodges in
XVI BIOGRAPHY
OF ROB MORRIS, LL.D.
then to
follow him to
Dr. Morris was "brought to Masonic light," as the
phrase is, in
He was exalted to the degree of Royal Arch in
The Order of Past Grand Master was given him at his
installation as Grand Master of Kentucky, in 1858, the I-Ion. Henry Wingate,
Past Grand Master, pre-siding. Among his honorary degrees and complimentary
memberships, which were nearly one hundred and fifty in number, that of Past
Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada was chiefly prized.
Dr. Morris was a member of Fortitude Lodge, No. 47, at
He was the originator of a large number of special features,
among them the most superior degrees of "Ladies' Masonry." The most
popular of these with the order are "The Eastern Star," composed and
communicated by him in 185o. This degree is divided into five sections, named
from as many historical characters, namely: "Jephthan's Daughter,"
"Ruth," "Esther," "Martha" and "Electa."
So popular has this degree become that there are now hundreds of organizations
styled "Chapters of the Eastern Star." These societies extend
throughout the entire world. In addition to this degree Dr. Morris also added
"The Queen of the South," "The Cross and Crown," etc.
Of Masonic rituals and hand-books, the following is a list
of his works: " Free Masons' Monitor," twelve degrees;
"Miniature Monitor," three degrees; "Eastern Star Manual,"
"Rosary of Eastern Star," "Guide to High Priesthood,"
"Special Help for Worshipful Master," same for Senior Deacon, same
for the Secretary, "Funeral Book of Freemasons," "Prudence Book
of Freemasons," " Masonic Ladder," "Dictionary of
Freemasonry," "Guide to the Consecration of Masonic Cemeteries,"
" Discipline of Masonic Offenders." He was the first writer,
according to very high authority, in Masonic belles-lettres, his "Lights
and Shadows of Freemasonry" being the pioneer work in that line.
BIOGRAPHY OF ROB MORRIS, LL.D. XVII
Of all these and others, it may truthfully be said, as
Lyttleton, in his eulogy of Cowper:
"Not one immoral, one corrupted thought,
One line which, dying, he would wish to blot."
His rule of life, from the commencement of labor as a
Masonic journalist, was borrowed from
Rob Morris gave us altogether, as from a perennial fountain,
more than three hundred effusions in form of odes and poems; but none wear so
well with old admirers, none secure so speedily the favor of the
newly-initiate, as his conception of August, 1854, which has "gone out
through all; the earth" under the name of "The Level and the
Square." It is the Masonic song of the age, tending to the' immortal.
Brother George Oliver, D.D., eminent above all others in English Masonry, and
the Masonic writer for all time, said of this piece: "Brother Morris has
composed many fervent, eloquent and highly-poetic compositions—songs that will
not die,—but in 'The Level and the Square' he has breathed out his depths of
feeling, fervency and pathos with brilliancy and vigor of language, and
expressed his faith in the immortal life beyond the grave." Periodically
published in Masonic journals, quoted in a thousand orations, seen in fragments
in innumerable epitaphs, musically wedded to sixteen airs, declaimed by
traveling performers, and embodied in many " Gems of Reading," this
effusion deserves best of all to live in his memory as one of his grandest
efforts.
Of Masonic belles-lettres, he wrote "Life in the
Triangle," 1853; "The Two St. Johns," 1854; "Tales of
Masonic Life," 1860; "Lodge at Mystic," 1863; and "Masonic
Poems," 1864 and 1876. In Masonic history and biography he wrote
"Freemasons' Almanacs," 1860–'61–'62–'63–'64; "Masonic
Reminiscenses," 1857; "History of Freemasonry in
XVIII BIOGRAPHY OF ROB MORRIS, LL.D.
"American
Freemason," 1853—'58; "Voice of Masonry," 1859—'67; "Light
in Masonry," 1873, and "
In addition to these he has given to the Sunday-school
literature of the world scores of odes, sketches, addresses and songs. In 1884
he published a new edition of his poems entitled the "Poetry of
Freemasonry," which was a compilation of his best poetry. He also wrote a
series of sketches for the "Courier-Journal," entitled "Jesters
with Whom I have Jested," published in 1886. One of his most famous songs
was called "Blind Bartemus."
The beginning of official work of this zealous veteran was
that of Grand Lecturer, first in the state of
"Brother M.'s marked trait was industry. He made little
pretension to genius or talent of high order, but he always made the best use
of his time. I never saw him idle for a moment. In the lodge or out of it he
was ever seeking or communicating Masonic light. He visited sick brethren, if
there were any, at their houses, and imparted comfort. He inquired for
destitute brethren and tendered them aid. He looked up the graves of departed
Masons and suggested better care of them. He set the secretary to making a list
of the widows and orphans of the craft, that if any were needy they might not
be overlooked by the brotherhood in future. His appearance in those days was
very peculiar. Lank as a rattlesnake, and as swift at a witty stroke; nervous
to the last degree; frightfully dyspeptic; extremely fond of nature, and an
idefatigable collector of shells, arrow-heads and eccentric stones; a glutton
for reading books; fluent as the river and generous as the sea; speaking in all
things from the heart; amiable and generous."
In Dr. Morris' lodge lectures a beauty, grandeur and
significance were apparent that impressed even the doltish mind. At that period
American lodges were at a low ebb of information. The ceremonials were often
wretchedly burlesqued by ignorant pretenders, and Rob Morris came among them as
a reformer. Instead of an unmeaning tragedy the craft acquired a sublime
symbol, and if the neophyte had a soul at all able to appreciate a grand
thought, he received a permanent impression. On Sabbath days Dr. Morris
addressed communities, wherever he might be, in their churches and
school-houses, upon Freemasonry as identified with Bible truth. Once, at least,
in every village, he invited a union of the ladies with their husbands, fathers
and brothers in the lodge-room, and to the united assembly gave his beautiful
system entitled The Eastern Star. Though the country was wild with political
and sectarian strife (the mutterings of civil war) he talked of nothing but
Freemasonry, and for all this service he accepted a compensation so meagre that
the poorest lawyer or physician that sat in any of his audiences would have
spurned it.
The system of itinerant lecturing upon Freemasonry, begun by
Dr. Morris, has been continued to the present. The venerable Mentor of Masonry
raised his voice in defense of the order and its covenants in the lodges of
BIOGRAPHY OF ROB MORRIS, LL.D. XIX
The growth of skepticism among American Masons has been too
marked to escape the notice of any. Leading men among the craft have at one
time and another publicly attacked the old principle of "faith in an
inspired word as a fundamental belief in Masonry." To counteract this, the
most dangerous foe that Masonry can have, Dr. Morris early made himself the
champion of Biblical faith. To unsettle the minds of the craft as to the object
their fathers venerated has been the first aim of the Masonic skeptic, and we
see that while casting the Holy Scriptures out of the lodge-room was the first
step of the French infidel, ignoring faith in God was the second and an easier
step. Dr. Morris said in an oration in 1853: "I repeat, with the great
moralist Johnson, that there is no crime so great that a man can commit as
poisoning the sources of eternal (Masonic) truth. Faith in God tends, in the
only high and noble sense, to make Freemasons one."
So many of Dr. Morris' diplomas and official jewels were
destroyed in the burning of his house, "The Three Cedars," at
LaGrange, Ky., November, 1861, and in the terrible conflagration of Chicago,
October, 1871, that no accurate list can now be given of them. It is within
bounds, however, to assert that the number of honorary degrees and
complimentary memberships with which his signal services were recognized in
"I have been around, under and through the
XX BIOGRAPHY
OF ROB MORRIS, LL.D.
DEPARTED
LORD was laid. In all my career as a Mason I have ever held that excellence is
granted to man only in return for labor, and that nothing is worth having that
is not difficult to acquire. My life has been, thus far, a contest with
obstacles; but no man would be what he is, had he tamely suffered the
difficulties of life to overcome him." It has been claimed that Dr. Morris
was the first to ever write a book upon the subject of Masonic Jurisprudence.
The work upon that subject was published in 1855 and was entitled the
"Code of Masonic Law." Doubtless there has been too much legislation
among American Grand Lodges, too much of the whimsical, special and ephemeral,
yet he conceived that there is a basis of legal principles to which all
questions may be referred, and this is what he undertook to point out in his
"Code of Masonic Law." All thoughtful Masons admit that
"Law should speak
Seldom, and never but as wisdom prompts,
And equity."
The spirit of his writings upon jurisprudence is suggested
by Hooker:
"It is easier a great deal for men to be taught by laws
what they ought to do, than intrusted to judge as they should, of law: for the
wisest are ready to acknowledge that soundly to judge of law is the weightiest
thing a man can take upon him."
In his contributions to the periodical literature of Masonry
since 185o will be found replies to questions upon Masonic law and usage, and
dissertations upon special subjects of this class. His studies in this branch
gave him the facility seen in the various Constitutions drafted for Grand
Bodies, Standard Forms of By-Laws, and in the Handbooks issued in great numbers
for use in the workings of Masonry.
The custom of giving honors to our Masonic dead has become
so intimately incorporated into our American Masonry that many continue their
attachment to the order "even down to old age," that so they may not
forfeit the funeral honors due the faithful departed. On the other hand, it is
an attraction to a certain class of minds to unite themselves with a fraternity
which follows its members lovingly to the grave's brink and lays them gently
back upon the bosom of mother earth. In honoring this custom the practice of
Dr. Morris was supplemented by his writings. His "Funeral Book of the
Freemasons," a work of widespread celebrity, contains, in addition to
copious and easy instructions, a long catalogue of epitaphs and forms of
obituary notices, also of funeral songs suitable to such occasions; while no
one was so often called upon to attend in person and preside over such
ceremonials.
This passage was first published by Dr. Morris in 1852, and
expresses his views upon the subject with much vigor:
"In all ages the bodies of the Masonic dead have been
laid in graves dug due east and west, with their faces looking toward the east.
This practice has been borrowed from us, and adopted by others, until it has
become nearly universal. It implies that when the great day shall come, and He
who is death's conqueror shall give the signal, His ineffable light shall first
be seen in the east; that from the east He
BIOGRAPHY OF ROB MORRIS, LL.D. XXI
will
make His glorious approach; will stand at the eastern margin of these graves,
and with His mighty power—that grasp irresistibly strong which shall
prevail—will raise the bodies which are slumbering therein. We shall have been
long buried, long decayed. Friends, relatives, yea, our nearest and dearest,
will cease to remember where they have laid us. The broad earth will have
undergone wondrous changes, mountains levelled, valleys filled. The seasons
will have chased each other in many a fruitful round. Oceans lashed into fury
by the gales of to-day will to-morrow have sunk like a spoiled child to their
slumber. Broad trees with broader roots will have interlocked them, hard and
knobbed as they are, above our ashes, as if to conceal the very fact of our
having lived; and then, after centuries of life, they, too, will have followed
our example of mortality, and, long struggling with decay, at last will have
toppled down to join their remains with ours, thus obliterating the last poor
testimony that man has ever lain here. So shall we be lost to human sight. But
the eye of God, nevertheless, will mark the spot, green with the everlasting
verdure of faith; and when the trumpet's blast shall shake the hills to their
very bases, our astonished bodies will raise, impelled upward by an irresistible
impulse, and we shall stand face to face with our Redeemer."
Dr. Rob Morris closed his earthly career at
The surviving children were: John A. Morris; Charlotte F.,
married to Hon. H. J. Goodrich; Dr. Alfred W. Morris, Robert Morris, Jr., Sarah
M., married to Latimer Hitt; and Ruth E., married to John Mount.
The Grand Master of Kentucky, upon receipt of the
intelligence of the death of Dr. Morris, at once caused the issuance of the
following circular letter:
GRAND LODGE OF
To the Free and Accepted Masons of
It
becomes my painful duty to announce to you the death of our venerable and
learned brother, P\G\M\Rob Morris, which occurred at his home in La Grange, on the
31st day of July, 1888, after an illness of short duration, following years of
ill health.
The fame of our eminent brother was not confined to our continent—he
was a citizen of two hemispheres; for his learning and zeal made him known to
Masons everywhere as a chieftain among the clans, a master builder among the
workmen. His mark is upon the most beautiful stones of our Masonic edifice, and
his designs remain upon our trestle board, for he both conceived and executed.
It is my order that this announcement be read in every lodge
at its next regular meeting, that proper respect may be shown to the memory of
our deceased brother until the Grand Lodge of Kentucky can, in ample form,
testify its appreciation of his many excellencies.
J. SOULE SMITH,
Grand Master.
H. B.
GRANT,
Grand Secretary.
XXII BIOGRAPHY
OF ROB MORRIS, LL.D.
The funeral ceremonies took place at
A special train carried the brethren of
The Knight Templars were under command of E\Sirs F. H, Johnson and John A.
Stratton. The procession was in charge of Col. John B. Castleman, K. T.,
assisted by Capt. John H. Leathers, Grand Treasurer; Bro. W. H. Shaw.
The
following officers officiated: P\G\M\Hiram Bassett, as Master, representing also the Grand
Master.
Bro. J.
R. Adams, Master of Fortitude Lodge, assisted Bro. Bassett as Deputy; Bro. L.
M. LaRue, Senior Warden; Bro. H. R. Coleman (Grand Chaplain) as Chap-lain; D.
T. Carson, Junior Warden; William Manby, Secretary; J. W. Russell, Treasurer;
R. D. Cassiday, Senior Deacon; Henry Egert, Junior Deacon, and J. T. Davidson
(Grand Tyler) as Tyler. Bro. M. Cary Peter, Grand Junior Deacon, was present,
but his jewel was worn by Bro. Kinkead, W. M. of Lodge 376.
At the residence a number of Pilgrim Knights (of the Palm
and Shell—organized by Bro. Morris) performed the mystic ceremonies of that
order about the remains. These were Bros. H. R. Coleman, Hiram Bassett, H. B.
Grant, J. H. Leathers, Chas. Sauer, J. M. Hall, J. W. Hopper, W. H. Shaw, W. E.
Woodruff, Wm. Moses and Alex. Evans.
A Guard of Honor, consisting of Past Commanders, viz.: E\Sir Knights C. E. Dunn, C. L.
Martin, C. C. W. Alfriend and Thos. H. Sherley (P. G. C.), of Louisville
Commandery, No. 1; A. H. Gardner, Chas. C. Vogt, H. R. Mitchell and John
Finzer, of DeMolay, conveyed the casket to the church, where a male choir, led
by Bro. Smythe, assisted by a number of brethren, with Bro. Wm. T. Boden at the
organ, rendered most solemn and beautiful music.
Rev. H. Calvin Smith delivered the discourse from the text:
Psalms lxviii, 13—"Though ye have lain among the pots, yet shall ye be as
the wings of a dove covered with silver and her feathers with yellow
gold." Rev. Bro. H. R. Coleman followed with a few remarks and P\G\M\Eginton
read a tribute prepared for Fortitude Lodge.
P\G\M\James W. Hopper also read an original "song of
lamentation." Bro. H. B. Grant, Grand Secretary, being called upon, said:
"About four years ago I received from Bro. Rob Morris a paper containing
these words, afterwards making verbal request that they be read at the first
Masonic gathering after his death:
To my dear friend, H. B. Grant:
A MESSAGE FROM THE GRAVE,
I have composed this poem as under the shadow of impending
death. I have made a few copies, and sent them to particular friends only,
asking that they should not be published, or any public use made of them, until
I am gone.
BIOGRAPHY OF ROB MORRIS, LL.D. XXIII
Brothers in June or in December,
Honoring the memory of the dear
Then let some kind participant remember
The name of him who wrote this, but is gone;
Let some kind brother rise, while all are silent,
And with deep pathos and fond friendship
say:
He was a Mason, gentle, true, not violent,
And loved old things that do not
pass away.
He loved his friends; in them his heart found anchor,
Bound in affection as with hooks of
steel;
As for his foes, he gave few signs of rancor,
But bore their slanders patiently
and well.
He loved to make in simple verse that rhyming
Where ancient signs and emblems
smoothly lie,
Where deeds of brother - love and truth are chiming,
And Masonry is wed to poetry.
He loved the word of God; its hopes eternal
Grew sweeter as the end of life drew
nigh;
A sinful man, but saved by Grace supernal,
Trusting in Christ, he dreaded not
to die.
At times a cloud the promises disguising,
And deep humility obscured the
scene,
But the bright Son of Righteousness uprising
Dispelled the gloom and warmed his
soul again.
He gave the widows and the orphans duly
A portion of his hard-earned scanty
store,
And though the amount might seem but trifling truly,
He gave so cheerfully it seemed the
more.
His heart was in his work, to Build the Temple,
In fervency, he toiled through many
years,
To " build the temple " spiritual and mental,
He triumphs now—is freed from toils
and tears.
He's gone; the problem that so long he studied,
That mystery of " the world to
come " profound
Is solved; his tree of life which only budded,
Bears now full harvest in Celestial
Ground.
In the Great Presence, with the weaned resting
He has his wages and is well
content.
Brothers, in silence stand: your love attesting—
This is the word, your dying brother
sent!
The Knights Templars commenced their beautiful service,
which was concluded at the grave, E\Sir
Frank H. Johnson, Commander, and E\Sir
John Frank Lewis, Prelate, officiating.
The procession filed out of the church and, led by the band
from
Bro. Bassett then took up the solemn Masonic services, which
being concluded,
XXIV BIOGRAPHY
OF ROB MORRIS, LL.D.
Bros, J.
H. Leathers and H, B. Grant placed upon the grave a floral design, representing
a Masonic level, about three feet across the base, and a square, referring to
the popular poem by Bro. Morris,
"We meet upon the
Level and we part upon the Square."
This was surrounded by a laurel wreath, suggesting that the
deceased had been crowned "Poet Laureate of Freemasonry." Another
floral tribute, by the Cornmandery, was a very large Roman cross. Other very
pretty designs were laid upon the grave.
The attendance was very large, and represented the brain and
zeal of Kentucky Masonry.
PART FIRST.
POEMS:
EMBODYING THOUGHTS OF THE BIRTH,
LIFE, DEATH, RESURRECTION
AND ASCENSION OF
JESUS, THE CHRIST.
The first is a coin of John Zimisces
I, Emperor of the Byzantine Dominions, A.D. 969 to 975. Upon the obverse is
the portrait of CHRIST in the style
of the Middle Ages, with the inscription in Greek, EMMANUEL. The
reverse presents a Passion Cross
bent to the left, with Greek letters and words cantoned in the spaces.
These are read "Jesus Christ,
the King of Kings." This fine specimen was procured by Dr.
Morris at Gebal, on the Phienician
coast. The coin is copper. The Seal is that of
the Militia Templi, founded at
chevaliers upon one horse signify
the extreme poverty of the Order.
The inscription, in Mediaeval
characters, is Paperes Commili-
tones Christi etTempli Salomonis.
"The Poor Fellow-
soldiers of Christ and of the
mon." Procured at
13
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
THE MASTER OF THE TEMPLARY ORDERS.
ONE is your Master, CHRIST, the Lord,
And we are Brethren, true and strong,
Sincere in heart, exact in word,
Abhorring vice and wrong.
Sir Knights, flash out the Cross-hilt Sword!
ONE is your Master, CHRIST, the Lord.
ONE word inspires the valiant Knight,—
It is the cruel
ONE star leads on with steady light,
The bright, the Orient star.
Sir Knights, flash out the Cross-hilt Sword
ONE is your Master, CHRIST, the Lord.
Where lines of Knightly legends flow,
From
There do our warrior-longings go,
There is our Master yet.
Sir Knights, flash out the Cross-hilt Sword!
ONE is your Master, CHRIST, the Lord.
And when is won this earthly strife,
Laid by the SPEAR, assumed the CROWN,
We trust to share that peaceful life
Which our GREAT CAPTAIN won.
Sir Knights, flash out the Cross-hilt Sword!
ONE is your Master, CHRIST, the Lord.
The term Master, which occurs so often in this volume, is of
good lineage. Here are some inspired uses of this word: "Meet for the
Master's use"; "Your Master is in Heaven"; "Ye call Master
and say well, for so I am"; "Master, we know that thou art
true"; "One is your Master, even Christ." In the symbolical Lodge,
with the respectful adjunct "Worshipful," the term Master denotes the
ruler and law dispenser of the Lodge. "Sovereign Master" is a synonymous
use of the word in the Commandery. This piece has been set to music.
15
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
THE KNIGHTS OF JESUS.
We meet upon the naked blade, we cross the glittering steel,
Opposing foot to foot we stand, our Knightly vows to seal;
Erect as men, with watchword high, of truth and victory,
The Templar Knight brings forth his blade to conquer or to
die.
We are the Knights of Jesus,
Our word—EMMANUEL.
We meet before the Sepulcher, and sheathe the blood-stained
sword;
In awe-struck silence gaze we on the Rising of the Lord!
No earthly victory this, and yet the greatest battle's won,—
The FATHER triumphs over death through Jesus Christ, the
Sow!
We are the Knights of Jesus,
Our watchword—
We meet around the tri form, Sir Knights, can we forget
The hour, the place, the scene? ah, no, they haunt our
memory yet;
And while one spark of honor kindles in the Knightly heart,
We vow that in eternal scorn we'll hold the traitor's part.
We are the Knights of Jesus,
Our line of labor—Truth
The widow and the orphan hail the flashing of our steel;
The maid forlorn and innocent cloth Knightly aid appeal;
Pilgrims, who seek
And this is Christian work for which the Templar Masons
meet.
We are the Knights of Jesus,
Our word — BENEVOLENCE.
And when the bitter cup is quaffed, which flesh and sense
abhor,
And banner cased and good swords sheathed, and words of
parting o'er,
Then, by the Throne, beside the LAMP, whose service is so
sweet,
We hope, Sir Knights, in endless rest, in endless bliss to
meet,
We are the Knights of Jesus,
Our word — Celestial Life.
_______________
THE CROWN OF THORN.
O Crown of Thorn, by Jesus worn,
Bedewed with heavenly gore;
If mine the pain be mine the gain
To wear as Jesus wore.
16
THE MASONRY OF CHRISTIAN KNIGHTHOOD.
O Crown of thorn, by Jesus worn,
The badge divine, 'tis given;
And may it prove by Jesus' love
A Crown of life in Heaven.
O Crown of thorn, His flesh was torn,
His blood suffused for me;
The sin was mine, the grace divine,
For oh, it sets me free.
O Crown of thorn, when breaks the morn
That Christ shall come again,
Above the host that love him most
This token will be seen.
O Crown of thorn, imposed in scorn
And cruel mock and jeer,
Upon my brow I lay it now,
And while I live, will wear.
_______________
A FIXED AND
FRAGRANT MEMORY.
To the far-distant shore, the utter past,
He was our link; he brought us all the good
There is in old-time things, and made them good
By his example. Now our bark has slipped
Its moorings, and we try the unknown sea,
Assured that when the Haven of Peace is found,
Where'er it be, we shall regain our lost!
O uest man, one in a thousand men!
O Generous heart! O trusty, faithful heart!
How in our hearts indelibly is drawn
The record of thy virtues, many and pure,
Twin record with the register in Heaven,
Whose penman is, O joy, the Omniscient God
He made our Brother, made him of the clay,
So sacred hence to virtue and to us!
This token of "a fixed and fragrant memory" is to
the honor of
17
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
DIRGE OF THE
TEMPLARS.
PREClous in the sight of Heaven
Is the place where Christians die;
Souls with every sin forgiven,
To the courts of glory fly;
Every sorrow, every burden,
Every CROSS they lay it down;
Jesus gives them richest guerdon
In His own immortal CnowN.
Here, above our BROTHER weeping,
Through our tears we seize the
hope,—
lie in Jesus sweetly sleeping,
Shall awake in glory up;
He has borne his CROSS in sorrow,
Weary pilgrim, all forlorn—
With the new light of to-morrow,
He will have the sparkling CROWN.
Knights of Christ, your ranks are broken;
Close your front, the foe is nigh;
Shield to Shield, behold the TOKEN
As he saw it in the sky!
By THAT SIGN, so bright, so glorious,
You SHALL CONQUER, if you strive,
And like him, though dead, victorious,
In the courts of JESUS live!
Composed in 1857 to accompany the beautiful Ritual of
Templars' Burial, by E John L. Lewis, of
THE GRAVE OF SIR OSSIAN E. DODGE.
Departed friend, by thy lone grave I stand,
Like thee, a pilgrim in this alien land;
And with a tribute tear, all mournfully,
I meditate, dear friend, in thoughts of thee.
I call the parted years,— they come no more
In fancy only can I tread that shore
Where mirth, and joy, and charming melody
Made up, dear friend, my intercourse with thee.
18
THE MASONRY OF CHRISTIAN KNIGHTHOOD.
Thy home no more to
know its master's tread;
Our genial comrades scattered, haply dead;
Youth, hopes all buoyant, genius bright and free,—
Gone, gone, forever gone, dear friend, with thee.
Midst
No mortal care can now distract thy breast;
But in a bright hereafter may I see
All earthly loss repaired, dear friend, with thee.
This sweet musician and genial brother, the author of the
music commonly sung to "The Level and the Square," died in
SORROWING, YET NOT WITHOUT HOPE.
Composed
and inscribed to the fragrant memory of Thomas J. Corson, by special request of
M.E.
No! though the grave hath claimed our best,
No! though the green sprigs mark his rest,
Weeping we cry with chastened faith,
Trust in the Lord, and conquer death.
No! though a seat is vacant here,
No! though his voice no more may cheer,
Upward we cast the eye of love,
Lost to the earth, but safe above.
How through long years of wasting pain
Bright burned his soul and fired his brain;
In this dear place he loved to be
Here keep his name eternally.
Brethren, be strong, for life's demand
Boldly endure and bravely stand;
From his bright life example take —
From his blest grave let hopes awake.
19
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
THE COMING OF THE MASTER.
A METRICAL COMPOSITION, ARRANGED FOR
A RECI TTION OF FIVE TEMPLARS, AS
IN VARIOUS GRAND AND CONSTITUENT
COAIMANDERIES IN THE
UNITED STATES AND
Why is his chariot so
long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariot?... A holy one coming down
from Heaven.... Who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when
he appeareth?... They shall see the SON OF MAN coming in his kingdom.... The
coming of the Just' ONE.... The coming of the LORD draweth nigh.... The Master
of the house cometh.
This metrical composition first given to the world in
Philadelphia, Pa., at a convention of the four city commanderies, 1873, is a
paraphrase of St. John xi, 28, which contains the words of Martha addressed to
her sister Mary, “The MASTER is come and calleth for thee." The Templars'
MASTER, as suggested on page 12, is JESUS CHRIST, King of Kings and Lord of
Lords. "When HE had led his disciples out as far as to
When that illustrious day shall rise, and the GREAT CAPTAIN
of our SALVATION demands of each of us, "What hast thou done, Sir Knight,
for me?" the intelligent Frater will have ready his response. In the
following poem I have suggested four different forms of reply. While one may
humbly submit to the divine INQUIRER that he has cared for the widow and
orphan, another may claim that his sword has been drawn in defense of injured
innocence and vet another that he has pointed the contrite and broken-hearted
sinner to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world. These three
classes of Christian performances, almsgiving, courageous all and religious
instruction occupy the field of our duty as applied to others. What, then, is
left to the fourth? Why, that he has performed the duty to himself; by giving
himself to JESUS CHRIST to work in HIM, to will and to do of HIS good pleasure.
Such is the line of thought that pervades this poem.
Delivered by a group of five Templars, the first speaker recites the two
opening stanzas, and makes the solemn demand,
Servant of Jesus, bold and free,
What hast thou done, Sir Knight, for me?
The second Knight in his response declares that he has
labored zealously in the field of Christian Benevolence.
Then the demand is repeated by the first speaker, and
addressed in turn to the respondants. Successive replies come from the third,
fourth and fifth Sir Knights, as will appear in the stanzas severally
apportioned to him. The poem then concludes by the first speaker reciting the
last four stanzas.
The effect of this dramatic composition has been most enc.
uraging. It has entered into the repertoire of those Knights who prepare
themselves to give interest to banquetry occasions, both in the red and black.
It has been quoted in orations and addresses, and it may be supposel that but
few who see these pages are not in some degree familiar with it.
20
THE MASONRY OF CHRISTIAN KNIGHTHOOD.
The following lines, whose authorship is to us unknown,
afford a proper colophon to this preface:
The lance is rusting on the wall,
No laurel crowns are wove:
And every Knightly strain is hushed
In castle, camp and grove.
No manly breast now fronts the spear,
No strong arm waves the brand,
To vindicate the rightful cause,
Or stay oppression's hand.
The minstrel pilgrimage has ceased;
Chivalric days are o'er,
And fiery steeds bear noble men
To
Rejoice in beauty more than gain;
Guard well the dreams of youth,
And with devoted firmness true
Crusaders for the truth!
THE EXORDIUM.
Oh gallant Knights, in fitting garb arrayed,
With crested helm and Cross and trenchant blade,
Brave Warriors in a warfare not to cease,
Till wearied hearts shall find eternal peace.
While in this broad Asylum meet,
Where wisdom, beauty, strength rejoice,
Let's gather at the MASTER'S feet,
And listen to the MASTER'S voice:
The MASTER, Prince Emmanuel,
The voice His Word we love so well.
If to this Conclave our dear Lord would come,
If here and now, Jesus would grace this room,
If face to face, we uri;ht behold that head,
Once scarred with thorns, once humbled with the dead,
If in our hands those hands were laid, once torn
With spikes, alas! on cruel Cross tree borne,
What startling question, gallant Templars, might
The GRAND COMM ANDER make to us to-night.
THE FIRST DEMAND AND REPLY.
"Servant of Jesus, bold and free,
What hast thou done, Sir Knight, for Me?
21
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
I saw the Widow's tears, I heard the cry,
Her little ones in rags and misery,
Her household lamp gone out, her firelight sped,
In utter loneliness and lack of bread;
Then MASTER, in Thy place I stood! my hand
Was opened wide to that unhappy band.
I fed them, clothed them, and the Widow's prayer
Named my poor name who saved her from despair.
This, oh LORD, I did for THEE,
Thou hadst done so much for me.
THE SECOND DEMAND AND REPLY.
"Servant of Jesus, bold and free,
What has thou done, Sir Knight, for Me?"
I found a good man compassed round with foes,
On every side reproaches, threats and blows.
In innocence he bravely strove, and well
And many a foeman to his good sword fell;
But, nature fainting, soon his arm were numb
Had not my cross-hilt sword, relieving, come.
Then, MASTER, in THY place I stood! my blade
Flew swiftly from its scabbard to his aid! I shielded him;
I smote till close of day,
And drove them all, discomfited, away.
This, O LORD, I did for THEE!
Thou hadst done so much for me.
THE THIRD DEMAND AND REPLY.
“Servant of Jesus, bold and free,
What hast thou done, Sir Knight, for Me?"
I saw a stricken Knight—his youth had fled;
Friends of his manhood, age, were with the dead;—
Leaning upon a monumental stone,
A mourner, broken-hearted and alone;
Then, MASTER, in THY place I stood! I showed,
In all THY life divine, the love of God;
Pointed THEE out upon Thy radiant throne,
And lo, he made THY promises his own!
This, O LORD, I did for THEE!
Thou hadst done so much for me.
22
THE MASONRY OF CHRISTIAN KNIGHTHOOD.
THE FOURTH DEMAND AND REPLY.
"Servant of Jesus, bold and free,
What hast thou done, Sir Knight, for Me? "
MASTER DIVINE, in all life's weary round
Naught so unhappy as myself I found;
Blind, naked, sin-polluted, wholly lost,
A wreck upon the ocean, tempest-tost;
Naught could I do to win THY gracious smile,
For all env doings, like myself, were vile;
Then, MASTER, to THYSELF I flew! I plead
That righteousness that triumphed o'er the dead;
Placed my eternal trust within Thy hand,
And evermore will bow at THY command.
This, O LORD, I did for THEE!
Thou hadst done so much for me.
THE LAUDATION.
Sir Knights, well done! the high award is given.
Yon open book assures you of His praise!
It is not far from grateful heart to Heaven,
Almost we see Him by faith's earnest gaze;
Sir Knights, well done! in golden letters see,
"Ye did it unto them and unto ME!"
It is but little any man can do,
So insignificant is human power,
But as on earthly pilgrimage we go,
There are occasions, every day and hour,
When sorrow's voice is heard. and be our care
To do as JESUS would were JESUS there!
The Widow's tears are His, for JESUS wept;
The imperiled Knight is His,—leap forth, ye blade!
The broken heart is His,— while others slept
How, in
Sir Knights, HE left this sin-struck world to us,
To teach its comfort and remove its curse.
Leap forth, good Swords! stand, Templars, on your feet!
In serried ranks bear one another up!
By THIS SIGN CONQUER,— it is full, complete, —
You need no other faith, no other hope;
And when from dying hands the sword shall fall,
Fear not, the MASTER will redeem us all!
23
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
The following is sung in full chorus at the conclusion of
the Recitation:
HOSANNA.
Now Hosanna, Son of David,
Blessed be Thy name to-day!
Shout Hosanna in the highest,
Born to everlasting sway!
Lift your head, ye golden gate,
Jesus comes in royal state;
Shout Hosanna, shout and sing,
Jesus Christ, the Lord is King!
Blessed be the King of Judah,
Peace and glory in the sky!
In the name of God he cometh,
Here to rule eternally.
Mighty doors, your bolts unbrace,
Let the Lord of Glory pass;
Shout Hosanna, shout and sing,
Jesus Christ, the Lord is King!
Glory to the Conquering Hero;
Not with strength of warrior swords,
His the might of earth and Heaven,
KING of KINGS and Lord of Lords.
Hearts of stone your hinges move,
Open to the Lord of love;
Shout Hosanna, shout and sing,
Jesus Christ, the Lord is King!
Praise to God, the Glorious Father,
Praise to God, the Gracious Son,
Praise to God, the Loving Spirit,
God Eternal, three in one
Powers of sin no more restrain,
God is come on earth to reign;
Shout Hosanna, shout and sing,
Jesus Christ, the Lord is King!
And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and
as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying
ALLELUIA! for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. — Revelation xix, 6.
24
THE MASONRY OF CHRISTIAN KNIGHTHOOD.
THE TEMPLARS OF
In your own bright
Is set by bounteous
The giant trees, the
placid sea, the pure and virgin snow,
And golden fruits unrivaled that in your gardens grow.
Yes, this is like the alestim upon whose soil I've trod,
Where man first learned his brother-man, first learned his
father-God;
The same bright fruits, the seasons, and the same pacific
sea,
Bring back from
Your mountains call from history that grand, heroic time
When David's son, the Mason king, reared up a wall sublime;
When gold in countless measure by the willing hand was
spent,
And Ophir to
Your sea recalls that "utmost sea" of which the
Prophet wrote,
That bore upon its billows such a cedar-laden flote,
And Pariah stone and porphyry that by the skillful hand,
Assumed exquisite symmetry to answer God's command.
But most of all, most admirable, most memorable to me,
These cross-hilt swords and banners high of Knightly imagery;
The soldiers of EMMANUEL, the Templars strong and rare,
Yes, these recall the holiest thoughts that stirred my
spirit there.
Sir Knights, I've stood within the cave where first HE saw
the light
Whose NAME inspires, in Heaven and earth, the gallant
Templar Knight;
I've bowed with head uncovered, bowed with bent and willing
knee,
Beside the spot that
drank His blood, the hateful
I've followed Jesus, step by step, all through the
And here, said I, HE healed the sick, and here the withered
hand,
Here brought the clamorous blind to sight, here cursed the
barren tree,
Here fed the starving multitude along the stormy sea.
I've sat where the great Preacher sat when breathing words
of love,
And read, in solemn silence, what HE said of things above.
Never in all my life, Sir Knights, stood Jesus Christ so
nigh,
As in that land where Hiram taught Freemasons how to die.
Therefore, though in this withered arm is spent the manly
force,
Nor spear nor falchion can I wield, nor guide the fiery
horse,
Yet with an unchanged soul I gaze upon this Blazonry,
And lend a gladsome voice to yours, and join your battle
cry.
25
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
Beauseant, Beauseant,
'twas uttered on that dark, ensanguined field
Of Hattin, where the Knights went down with shivered spear
and shield;"
God wills it," Dieu le z'eut, and this, Sir Knights,
shall be our cry
When in His own good time it is appointed us to die.
Then hail, dear Templar Knights, all hail! your warfare is
of God,
And naught but what's celestial has the service of your
sword;
If Charity, and Gentleness, and Chastity inspire
The warfare of the Templar Knight,—this is the Christian
fire.
And when you sheathe the cross-hilt sword, and lay the helmet
down,
May the COMMANDER wreathe your brows with the immortal crown,
In the Asylum where HE waits, may each the MASTER view,
And in eternal peace enjoy the wages that are due!
This poem was composed and read at a Lecture delivered by
the writer before California Cornmandery, No. 1, at
THE KNIGHT TEMPLAR AT REST.
Resting in calm repose,
The fiercest blast that blows
And bows yon sturdy oaks on
Can yield no influence here;
For many and many a year
Hath "slept in Jesus" this our stalwart Knight.
While rust corrodes his great cross-hilted sword,
The toil-spent Templar rests before the Lord.
He heard an inward call, —
"Leave home, leave country, all
That love you or are loved,—leave wealth and fame,
And with this ruddy Cross,
Count other things but dross,
To go and battle in your Master's name!
There, where I walked in early clays with men,
Go, I will meet you, striving there, again!"
Meekly he rose and went;
His hard-earned fortune spent
In the high cause for which he took the sword
He chose the lowliest place;
For nothing can abase
The servant when he imitates his Lord.
26
THE MASONRY OF CHRISTIAN KNIGHTHOOD.
Yet where the strokes fell thickest midst the din
He listened, yearning for that voice again.
And here the Templar fell; Battling full long and well;
He fell beneath the point of Paynim spear;
But to his dying eye The Master's form drew nigh,
The Master's whisper blest his dying ear; —
"Well done, true Knight, inherit thy reward!
The servant is not greater than his Lord!"
In a cave near
AT LAST.
At last—all things come round at last;
Long years and strange events have past,
And some are dead we hoped to greet,
Since first these friends proposed to meet.
Blow, stormy winds, your utmost blast,
For here kind Fraters meet, at last.'
Tyled closely from the world without,—
Inspired by faith unmixed with doubt,—
We bare our hearts to friendship's eye,
And every mortal care defy.
Drop, murky clouds, the sky o'ercast,
For here good Fraters meet, at last!
With glowing precepts old and dear;—
With songs to move fraternal tear,—
And story quaint, and witty flow,
Our night shall sweetly, swiftly go:
Roar, angry stream, thou volume vast,
For here brave Templars meet, at last!
And when the parting prayer is given,
Which scales the inner walls of Heaven,—
When silent hand-grasps speak the grace
No language ever can express,
We'll hope, though happy night be past,
Within the veil to meet, at last!
27
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
THE PASTORAL IMAGE.
O Lamb of God, O, Lamb that once wast slain,
We walk among the pastures of Thy land,
Thy meads and founts spread out on every hand,
And long to see Thee feeding here again.
Thou art our Shepherd—Thou the expert, the bold—
Thy mighty rod defends the gentle flock;
The erring Thou restrainest with Thy crook;
At eventide Thou leadest them to the fold.
At
Sultry the blazing sun may heat the hills;
In quiet meadows, by the singing rills,
We lie refreshed, while our sweet Shepherd sings.
And 0, beloved Pastor, lest the harms
Of the rude rocks should wound their tender feet,
Thou, strong to save, and in Thy mercies sweet,
Dost take our little Lambs within Thine arms.
Thou art the door, the entrance to the fold;
Through Thee we joyful pass: we know Thy voice;
Yet call us, Lord! O, how we will rejoice!
There is no hunger there, no pinching cold.
Where Thou art, all is safety, all is rest;
Harmless the ravening wolf may seek his prey;
The robber vainly haunts the
While we repose in safety on Thy breast.
O, tender One! and did our Shepherd bleed -
Bleed for our sorrows? when, midst galling storm,
And blows, and sweat, and scourge, and poisonous thorn,
Thou, Jesus, died—was it for us, indeed?
Yes, yes, for us: then let us follow on;
No more to lag, unwilling, on the way;
No more from thy dear person, Lord, to stray;
But close and loving, till life's day is done.
The image of the Lamb, as a suggestion of Jesus, is common
on the coins of the Knights of Malta, successors of the Templars. The Paschal
lamb, or lamb of sacrifice, is a type of the sufferings and death, the
expiation and atonement taught in the Easter Services of the Templar
Commanderies of the present day. This was in the writer's mind when he penned
the above, amidst pastoral scenes of
28
THE MASONRY OF CHRISTIAN KNIGHTHOOD.
THE
EARNEST PLEA.
Lord, why can I not follow now?
Where'er Thou goest let me go;
Of Thy dark cup, oh, grant a share,
And of Thy burdens let me bear;
Only do Thou acknowledge me,
Then, with full heart, I'll follow Thee!
Death—no, I do not fear his name;
Cross—yes, I covet all its shame;
Friends go and leave disconsolate;
Foes crush me down with cruel hate;
Only do Thou acknowledge me,
Then, with full heart, I'll follow Thee!
Jesus, I've found in Thine employ,
Still some new source of holy joy;
Pilgrim, and sad, when shall I come
Glad unto Thine eternal home!
Only do Thou acknowledge me,
Then with full heart, I'll follow Thee!
FAITHFUL UNTO
DEATH.
PALM LEAVES to strew o'er our dead,
Trump notes to grace his last way.
Gems to bedeck the fair head,
Crowned for death's glory to-day;
Weep not midst triumphs like these,
Give him with joy to the tomb;
Wages of promise are his,
Soon shall he rise from its gloom.
Green live the deeds of our friend;
Sweet is his virtue's perfume;
Prayers from his soul did ascend,
Pure as the dewy-washed bloom;
Open his heart as the day,
Prompt to yield Heaven its due;
Strong to give virtue the sway,
Heart-warm his pity, and true
Used, as set to music by various composers, at the Templar
demonstrations associated with sequies of Sir James A. Garfield, President of
the
29
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
THE BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR.
THE GLEAMING OF THE ORIENT.
The ORIENT gleams with starry beams, the STAR of CHRIST is
up;
It guides us on our pilgrimage, it points the NATION'S HOPE;
It points the flowery way of life, there's joy in every
beam,
And we shall surely find at last the BABE OF BETHLEHEM.
The generations of the dead have gone this way before;
The STAR to them, as unto us, immortal tidings bore;
They bade farewell to earthly things, they counted all
things dross,
And found immortal glory in the burden of the CROSS.
And we have seen the EASTERN STAR break through the shadows
dim;
And, led by this, have hastened here to serve and worship
HIM,—
The LAMB OF GOD, th' ETERNAL WORD, the LILY and the SUN,
And the strong LION, that shall raise the dead when all is done.
We follow fast, we follow far, we follow while we live,
We never cease, through weariness, the WORSHIP that we give.
We only crave to find at last, beyond the shadows dim,
Our Rest and our Salvation in the BABE OF
Then gleam, O STAR, forever,
And lead us on to God!
THE GRAND ADVENT OF THE TEMPLARS.
Hark to the din of drums!
List to the bugles' blare!
And lo, the cross-hilt column comes, —
Was ever sight so fair?
See on the arched sky,
Hear in the murmuring wave,
How nature joins us joyously
To meet the Templar brave!
The NORTH sends forth her legion long,
The EAST her tide compact and strong,
The WEST her best of warrior throng,
The SOUTH her Templars rare;
Was ever sight so fair?
CHRIST rules the earth to-day, —
Light of the CROSS illumes.
His Beauseant on high display,
And stir the rolling drums!
30
THE MASONRY OF CHRISTIAN KNIGHTHOOD.
Host of the martyred LORD, Knights of the Orient Star,
O spread His name, His praise abroad,—
Was ever sight so fair?
The NORTH sends forth her legion long,
The EAST her tide compact and strong,
The WEST her best of warrior throng,
The SOUTH her Templars rare;
Was ever sight so fair?
The coming of the Commanderies to
FOR JESUS' SAKE.
For Jesus' sake,—for O, a weary road
O'er hill and valley Jesus trod for me;
My gentle Shepherd, with the love of God,
In mercy sought and found and set me free.
I was a prisoner in the thrall of sin,
I was a wanderer on the mountain bleak,
And since my Saviour now hath brought me in,
I'll guide and pity such for Jesus' sake.
For Jesus' sake,—for O, He died for me!
It was nay sin that drove him to the tomb;
In ghastly horror, on the accursed tree
He bore them all while Heaven was "draped with gloom;
I cannot keep my tears—they fall like rain
While thinking how that loving heart did break;
And since he has removed sin's galling chain
I'll consecrate my life for Jesus' sake.
For Jesus' sake,—for O, in whisperings low
His Holy Spirit tells me—I am His!
My spirit bounds to meet Him, and we go
In sweet communion to the
Come weal, come woe—it matters not to me;
Fast speeds the hour when angel wings I'll take.
One with the saints in glory I shall be
Lift high your gates, ye Heavens, for Jesus' sake.
31
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES.
O early search the Scriptures; 'tis the dew
On tender leaves; 'tis the young rose's bloom;
'Tis the bright tinge of morning; 'tis the hue
That cloth on cheek of conscious virtue come;
'Tis all that gratifies the sight.
To see this precious Book aright.
O fondly search the Scriptures; 'tis the voice
Of loved ones gone forever; 'tis the song
That calls to memory childhood's perished joys;
'Tis the blest accents of the angelic throng;
'Tis all that gratifies the ear,
This holy Book aright to hear.
O deeply search the Scriptures; 'tis the mine
Of purest gold, and gems of richest sort;
'Tis life's full sustenance of corn and wine;
'Tis raiment, clean and white, from Heaven brought;
'Tis wealth beyond all we can crave,
This Heavenly Book aright to have.
For here, O here, the fond departed,
The MAN OF SORROWS, slain for us,
Speaks to the worn and broken-hearted,
And tells us, "I have borne the curse!
Redeemed thee from the power of death,
And sanctified thy parting breath!"
That in bright lands depictured here,
Are many mansions, ample room,
Where parted ones, of all most dear,
Will bid us welcome from the tomb;
Where many a friend we counted lost
Is singing with the heavenly host.
This is the one appointed way
Through which the Holy Ghost cloth speak;
O search the Scriptures through life's day,
And treasures of salvation seek;
Assured there is no other ford
Through
32
THE MASONRY OF CHRISTIAN
KNIGHTI-IOOD.
THE CHOICE OF DUKE GODFREY
"Not where the Saviour bore
Thorns on His brow;
Not where my King upon
Cross tree did bow;
Not where the Prince of Life
Sorrowed and groaned,
Godfrey shall ever be
Homaged and crowned.
"Mine be the humbler name,
Fitter by far,
`Warder of Tomb Divine,
Christ's Sepulcher';
Mine at its portal
In armor to lie!
Mine in death's ministry
When I shall die."
Knight of Christ's Sepulcher,
Christ's Chevalier,
Good Sword of Jesus,
Oh, live grandly here!
Ashes of Godfrey, there's
No place like this,
Crowned in Christ's glory
And reigning in bliss!
This redoubtable hero, Godfrey de Bouillon, when crowned as
the first King of Jerusalem, August, 1099, refused to wear the emblem of gold
and jewels, averring that "King Jesus had worn a crown of thorns."
The writer visiting the site of his tomb in 1868, laid upon it a wreath of the
spina-christi from the
RISE UP: HE CALLETH THEE.
HE calleth us to words and deeds of love,
As spring calls forth from wintry crust the
Cowers; He breathes within us spirit from above
As zephyrs breathe within the sunny bowers;
He saith, Arise, shake off the dust, and go
Where duty calls, where sorrow bath its sway;
He points our feet the proper path, and lo,
He promiseth to be with us alway!
33
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
THE SERVICE OF THE TEMPLAR.
I SERVE, and my wages are ample,
I watch by the gate of my Lord;
The innermost joy of his
Not yet does the MASTER afford.
But I SERVE at His will
And all patiently still,
At the Mystery gate I wait, I wait.
I SERVE, and my service is holy,
Though raiment be scanty and torn;
The crumbs of the feast to the lowly,
The rags to the watcher forlorn.
I SERVE, and if sometimes o'er weary,
Impatient at moments so slow,
My Master sends messages cheery,
"Be vigilant, gallant and true!"
I SERVE, but the long watch is ending,
The waning stars hint of the morn,
My Lord from His palace is bending,
Oh, joy to the watcher forlorn!
For I SERVE at His will
And all patiently still,
At the Mystery gate I wait, I wait.
The motto for the Prince of Wales, Ich Dien ("I serve"),
is peculiarly applicable to the relations borne by the Templar Knight to his
Heavenly Master. As expressed in the Templar's Rituals and shadowed in the
armorials of the Order, the position of a Templar is that of a servant, the
servant of Christ. His time of service is marked out in the mind of his Master,
and his wages are "laid up in store for him," to be paid over at the
proper time.
Inscribed, under brotherly memories of many years, to Sir
Theodore S. Parvin, Grand Recorder of the Grand Encampment of the
INVITATIONS TO PILGRIMAGE.
Come then, dear followers of Christ, your hand;
Together, Pilgrims, to the
Climb nimbly now, along the sacred hills;
Drink joyously the cool, refreshing rills;
Tread the same pathway in this later age
That Jesus trod in early pilgrimage.
34
THE MASONRY OF CHRISTIAN KNIGHTHOOD.
All well known things are there; from flowers that bloom
And trees that soar, down to His empty tomb;
And all things speak in nature's chorus true,
Of Him who lived, and loved, and died for you.
Come, and when Holier Land, where Christ hath gone,
Preaks on your sight,—when breaks the expectant
Morn O'er heavenly hills, and faith and hope shall die,
The deepest secrets of the upper sky
Shall be revealed; the humblest emblem here
Shall have its antitype celestial there,
And earth, with all its imagery be given
A school to fit us for the perfect Heaven.
_____________________
NEVER FORGET.
Never forget, dear Comrade, while you live,
The ties of which the Templar's vow is wound;
Never forget a Templar to forgive,
If in his breast a kindred heart is found;
Never forget, though rust and sin may soil,
And lewd desires your bosom's tablet stain,
There is full pardon after life's turmoil,
If we but trust in Hint "who rose again."
Never forget the sad, sad story told
This hour, of treason in
Never forget the good Cyrenian bold
Who bore the SUFFERER'S cross so manfully;
Never forget the taper quenched in night,
The darkened room, the silent group around;
Never forget the jubilant delight
When in his place a worthier was found.
Never forget to live the Templar's life,
Though hard it may be, rough, and fraught with care;
Our work, we told you, is a constant strife,—
We promised you but coarse and scanty fare;
Not long the weary arm, the moldy crust,
See on Celestial plains our camps are set!
Strike and press on, brave Comrade, as you must,
"By this sign conquer!" do thou ne'er forget.'
This piece is extensively used in the American Commanderics
as an exhortation to the newly created, immediately following the accolade. For
this use it admits of esoteric changes and interpolations ad libitum. It has
been set to music.
35
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
THINKING OF JESUS.
REFLECTIONS UPON THE LIFE AND WORK
OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, WHILE EXPLORING THE
That
which we have seen with our eves, and our hands have handled.... declare we
unto you.— 1 JOHN i, 1-3.
I.
I thought of JESUS on the Hill
Of
The Shepherds watching through the night,
The angelic songsters clothed in light,
The promised CHILD so humbly born
For pilgrimage of toil and scorn;
Then, as I mused on them,
This voice from
The Hill Is Holy to our new-born Lord!
The city
of
—so
humbly born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.— LUKE ii, 7. For pilgrimage of
toil and scorn. I gave my hack to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that
plucked off the hair, hid not my face from shame and spitting.—ISAIAH i, 6.
"He went about doing good."
II.
I thought of Jesus in the Vale
Of
His name is murmured in its Fount, —
His praises sweep along its Mount,—
His youthful feet have trodden there,—
His earliest thoughts distilled in prayer;
Then, as I bowed in faith,
This voice from
The Vale is Holy to our youthful Lord!
36
THE MASONRY OF CHRISTIAN KNIGHTHOOD.
His name is murmured in its Fount, The fountain which
supplies the people of
III.
I thought of Jesus in the rush
Of
How cheering was that noontide draught!
Never such healthful cup I'd quaffed;
So CHRiSr, whose presence blest its wave,
Health and refreshing coolness gave;
Then, as well cheered I stood,
This voice from
The Stream is Holy to our baptized Lord!
Of ordan's waters, cool and good. The water of this
swift-flowing river is much cooler than the atmosphere in the hot valley
through which it flows, and being pure and wholesome, it is extremely grateful
to man and beast. All the wild beasts and birds of the
IV.
I thought of Jesus by the Sea
Of
His sermon blessed its peaceful shore,
He stilled its tempest by His power,
His mightiest deeds He wrought and drew
From fishermen there His chosen few;
Then, as I bowed the knee,
This voice from
The Sea is Holy to our laboring Lord!
37
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
— Blue
V.
I thought of JESUS, in that Grove
Of agony,
Its hoary leaves around me sighed,
Its dewdrops wept; my spirit vied
With nature's grief, till I forgot
All time, all space, in that sad spot;
Then, as my thoughts came free,
This, from
The Grove is Holy to our sorrowing lord!
—that Grove of agony, Gethsemane.— The present
inclosure of
VI.
I thought of JESUS, as I walked
A pilgrim through
What memories does its history trace!
His living lone; His dying grace;
The bread; the wine; the coming doom;
The Scourge; the Crown; the Cross; the Tomb;
Then, in the Paschal hymn,
This, from
City most Holy to our dying- Lord!
— I walked a pilgrim through Jerusalem.—
38
THE MASONRY OF CHRISTIAN
KNIGIITIIOOD.
medans
visit
VII. OLIVET: THE MOUNT OF HIS ASCENSION.
I thought of JESUS, on the Mount
Of OLIVET, gray OLIVET;
'Twas there He led His weeping band,
Within their group they saw Him stand,
His parting promises were given,
He blest them, rose and went to Heaven;
Then, as I turned my feet,
This VOICE from OLIvET I heard, —
The Mount is Holy to our ascended Lord!
—gray Olivet.—The character of the stone which composes the
country around
VIII. THE FIRST SUMMARY OF CHRISTIAN TESTIMONIES.
Thus
Tells of the ONE, the CRUCIFIED!
Its Hill tops sacred witness bear,
That HE, the homeless, slumbered there;
Its Plains His footsteps still imprint,
Who o'er their thirsty pathways went;
39
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
Its Waters Ms blest image trace
That once reflected JEsus' face;
Its Stars on Heaven's broad pages write
That JEsus prayed beneath their light;
Its Flowers in grace and perfume tell
That their CREATOR loved them well;
And e'en its Thorn tree bears His Name
Whose platted Crown was woven of them.
That He, the homeless, slumbered there.— Jesus said, Foxes
have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not
where to lay his head.— LuKE ix, 58. Who o'er their thirsty pathways went.—
Jesus, wearied with his journey, sat on the well and said, Give me to drink.
—JOHN iv, 6, 7. The
"How looked the Saviour? Oh to see
His face divine! was it in grief
At human pain, and misery,
And want, and sin, and unbelief?"
How Jesus prayed beneath their light.— He went up into a
mountain to pray.— MATTHEW xiv, 23; MARK vi, 46. He continued all night in
prayer to God.— LUKE vi, 12. That their Creator loved then well.—Consider the
lilies of the field.—MATTHEW vi, 28. And e'en its Thorn tree bears His Name
whose platted Crown was woven of them.— The Spiny tree, from which the twigs
were taken that formed "the platted Crown," were unquestionably those
of the Nubk (Zey hus spina-Christi), or "Thorn of Christ." It grows
in the valleys around
II IX. THE FINAL SUMMARY OF TESTIMONIES
Its Breezes sigh; its Tempests roar:
Its wild Laves break along the shore:
Its Fruitage ripens in the Sun:
Its Son, Birds tell the day begun:
Its Hills in snowy grandeur rise:
Its Storm Clouds vex the peaceful skies:
In every sight the Christian's eye
Something of JEsus will espy!
In every sound the Christian's ear,
Something of JESUS CHRIST will hear!
One testimony all afford, —
THE LAND IS HOLY UNTO JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD!
Its breezes
sigh, — The morning and evening breezes in the hill country are regular, and in
the sultry season peculiarly grateful and wholesome. As they come surging up
the mountain slopes they seem to sigh of the waves they have just left. — its
tempests roar.—The writer encountering a terrible storm of hail and rain in
40
THE MASONRY OF CHRISTIAN KNIGHTHOOD.
strife.
Its wild waves break along the shore.— The coast line of
EAT AND BE FILLED.
A RECITATION FOR A RED CROSS
BANQUET.
Eat and be filled, no scarceness here;
Welcome, brave Knights, to ample cheer!
The hand divine hath blessed our bread,
Freely partake—for you 'tis spread!
Eat and be filled, come thickly now,
"The more the merrier," we vow!
This night to us is blest and bright—
Praise God for such a goodly sight!
Eat and be filled, let merry jest
Betray the joy of every guest;
Let mirth abound, and lightsome song
Our glad festivities prolong.
Eat and be filled, may HE who fed
Ten thousand with His fish and bread
Enlarge our Knightly store to feed
Earth's starving millions in their need.
"And they did all eat and were filled."— MARK vi,
42.
41
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
FAITHFUL UNTO
DEATH.
Faithful to the trust imposed,
Holding in an honest heart,
Secrets to the true disclosed,
Laws from which we ne'er depart—
Be thou faithful unto death,
And thou shalt have a Crown of Life.
Active as the Master was
In all deeds of charity;
Sowing as the farmer sows,
Freely o'er the fruitful lea—
Be thou faithful unto death,
And thou shalt have a Crown of Life.
Chaste and pure in virtue's way,
Spotless as the lambskin worn
By the mystical array,
Pure as dewdrops of the morn —
Be thou faithful unto death,
And thou shalt have a Crown of Life.
Honest with a neighbor's store;
Wronging none, o'erreaching none;
Timely warning him before
Danger falls and hope is goue—
Be thou faithful unto death,
And thou shalt have a Crown of Life.
Bearing up an earthly Cross,
Patient, humble, meek and true;
Taking cheerfully the loss,
Gratefully the wages due—
Be thou faithful unto death,
And thou shalt have a Crown of Life.
Soon the Sabbath will appear,
End of sorrow, pain and wrong;
Only six days' labor here;
Can ye not endure so long?
Be thou faithful unto death,
And thou shalt have a Crown of Life.
42
THE MASONRY OF CIIRISTIAN
KNIGHTHOOD.
SHAME NOT THE CROSS.
Shame not the Cross, dear Templars! word and deed
Be holy while you bear the mystic sign!
The Master's wounds, alas! too freshly bleed
Whene'er His votaries unto sin incline.
The All-seeing Eye is ever bent to catch
Each deviation from the Templar's vow,
In constant vigil, therefore, wait and watch,
Nor shame the Cross which marks the Templar now.
Shame not the Cross— Shame not the Cross.
Shame not the Cross! a host of witnesses
Eager to slander, waiting to decry,
Is gathered round, and shall we pleasure these
To be their byword and a mockery?
Ah, no; be true, brave Templars! By the sword
Which speaks of
Resolve to honor JESUS as the LORD,
Nor foul His emblem with a stain of guilt.
Shame not the Cross — Shame not the Cross.
For if we sin willfully after that we have received the
knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.— Hebrews x,
26.
THE LAND THAT IS VERY FAR OFF.
To that far land, far beyond storm and cloud,
To that bright land, where sun cloth never set,—
To that life land which has nor tomb nor shroud,
And Brothers meet again who oft have met,
Joyful we go! why should we not be glad?
Joys that had Iost their joy await us there,
And nobler mansions than our Craft have made,
And all is permanent, and all is fair.
There we shall see the MASTER; here, indeed,
Sometimes we see Him, dimly, doubtfully,
But O, His lineaments we scarcely heed,
So clouded is the soul, so weak the eye!
But there, in Heaven's Orient displayed,
His faithful all around Him we shall meet,
Shall hear, shall see, shall evermore be glad.
Thronging and singing at the MASTER'S feet.
Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty; they shall
behold the land that is very far off.—ISAIAH xxxiii, 17.
43
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
THE TEMPLARS' LINKS
OF LOVE.
Flaunting our Banners on the breeze,
Flashing the mystic steel above,
The Knights of GOLGOTHA are these,
And linked in holy links of love.
Stained with the dust of many a clime,
Weary and travel-worn we are,
But see how gleams the Cross sublime!
In CHRIST we make the Holy War.
Ah, who can speak our warrior bliss,
Bound in a blood-cemented chain!
Our life has had no scene like this,
And few will see the like again.
Hands, in a mighty union grasp,
Voice, take the courteous Knightly tone,—
Let hearts in love of CHRIST enclasp,
For soon this happy time is gone!
THOU, who on cruel cross tree died,
THOU, who from rocky tomb arose,
0 be in life the Templar's GUISE,
In death his crown and sweet REPOSE!
The links of love, the links of love,
The Knights of GOLGOTHA are these,
Linked in the holy links of love.
The music to this was composed by Brother H. S. Perkins. The
song is inscribed to Sir Theodore T.
Gurney, of
THE WORD WE GIVE YOU.
Off gauntlets, Boys! show naked palms!
Left foot in front! come nearer still!
The Order takes you to her arms
And holds you with a will.
Off gauntlets! hand in hand combine!
Left foot in front! you know the sign!
Low breath.—no cowan must divine,
The word we give you!
44
THE MASON RV OF CHRISTIAN
KNIGHTHOOT).
MASONIC
BALLADS OF THE CIVIL WAR.
The writer begs to include in the military department of the
volume a few pieces suggested by the awful scenes of the civil war of 1861-5.
Among the dead upon every battle field were men whose feet had hastened upon
the loving errand, whose knees had knelt in the availing prayer, whose breasts
had pressed kindred breasts in the interchange of holy secrets, whose hands had
sustained the falling brother, whose instructive tongues had whispered the
generous counsel to attentive ears. Out of his own band of Masonic acquaintance
the dead were reckoned by hundreds, perhaps thousands, and it is not strange
that, without venturing to intrude any political views upon the reader, he
should ask to insert a few of the poetic suggestions of that darksome period,
when death reigned supreme over the land.
WE SWEAR TO BE
TRUE TO A BROTHER.
Dear Friends of the Square, let us cherish the faith,
Though broken and torn every other!
REMEMBER THE vow;—we swore unto death
We would cling, hand and heart, to a Brother!
Then raise up to God, up to God the left hand!
With mine join, with mine join the other!
Though war blow the blast, and with death strew the land,
WE SWEAR TO BE TRUE TO A BROTHER!
The EAST lends its light, though the world is at war;
The SOUTH shines in glory and beauty;
The WEST gently smiles o'er fields drenched in gore, —
They teach to the Mason his duty!
The Badge of the Craft is unsullied as yet —
From war's dust and blood let us fold it!
The Page of our History, brilliant with light;
Let's swear thus in honor to hold it!
GREAT GOD! from Thy Throne view the nation at strife!
THY GAVEL, must heal this disorder!
Send Peace o'er the land! give Refuge and Life!
Be Thou, LORD, our Saviour and Warder!
Through all the strife which deluged our land in blood,
while other bonds and covenants were nullified, the BOND OF FREEMASONRY
remained intact. Composed at the opening of the war and set to the music of
Bradbury, this song was scattered by tens of thousands through the knapsacks
both of the gray and the blue, and sung in every variety of voice. May we not
believe that the animosities of war were in some degree softened by the
influence of these sentiments?
45
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
WORDS OF PEACE
AND LOVE.
Now, while the thunder peal of battle is heard,
Earth with the tramping of legions is stirred,
Turn from the battle, Brothers, take from above,
WORDS OF PEACE AND LOVE!
Hearts of consolation, bide ye the vow!
Hands, never weary in charity now!
Tongues rich in sympathy, oh, take from above
WORDS OF PEACE AND LOVE!
Blood like a river flowing, smokes o'er the plain;
Tears, bitter weeping,— oh, who can refrain!
Stay, stay the slaughter, Brothers, stay this distress,
Speak the WORDS OF PEACE!
Thus speaks the TROWEL, Brothers, thus speaks the LINE,
Thus speaks the COMPASS and the SYMBOL DIVINE;
Each bears its message on the white wings of Peace,
Bids all warring cease.
Composed at an early period of the war, when hopes (alas,
how illusory!) were entertained that compromises might be effected and the
strife closed.
NEVER SLIGHT A HAILING BROTHER.
Never slight a hailing brother—
Be it Blue or Gray he wear;
Never ask his creed or country,
So he's faithful to the Square;
Only know he's true and faithful
To the solemn vow he swore,
And then a generous hand extend him
As in peaceful days of yore.
Sad the strife, and fearful, Brother,
Almost hopeless seems the end;
Some have felt its utmost horror,
In the loss of home and friend;
Yet the fire and shot have left us
Even stronger than we were
And oh! this day Freemasons conquer,
Faithful, faithful to the Square.
46
THE MASONRY OF CHRISTIAN KNIGHTHOOD.
When sweet peace shall bless us, Brother,
And the fire and shot have ceased,
Then we'll strive not to remember
All the cruel things that passed;
But there's one thing we'll forget not,
While a memory we bear;
It is the sacred tie so cherished
By the Brothers of the Square.
Composed and sung at an assembly of Masons held at
THE WASTINGS OF WAR.
How many a strong right hand that grappled ours
In truest faith;
How many a generous heart, with mercy filled,
Lies low in death!
How many a beaming eye, that caught the light
From the better shore;
How many a tongue that thrilled our inmost chords
Will speak no more!
How many a seat where sat the good and true
Is vacant now!
How many a foot in mercy's quest that flew
No more shall go!
How many a knee that bent with ours in prayer,
Or prayed alone,
Has vanished from our mystic brotherhood,
And gone—and gone
To the Celestial Lodge, the
And Light, and Song,
Where war and bloodshed have no entering,
Nor vice, nor wrong!
Where the Supreme GRAND MASTER wise presides,
No blight, nor curse,
And keeps, in holy welcome, crowned and blest,
A place for us!
The will of God is done—
Their mortal race is run —
Beneath the circling sun
47
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
They're seen no more;
Their bright and genial word
Can never more be heard
On earthly shore.
Remains there naught of them except the dust
Wherewith is mingled Masons' dearest trust.
Oh, brave and true, farewell!
Though south winds make your knell,
And sprigs of cypress fell
Upon your grave In memory shall abide
The gallant ones who died
Our land to save;
No better place to die beneath the sun,
No better time than where our duty's done.
In reply to a copy of this sent to President Lincoln, a most
complimentary letter was received.
COMING HOME TO
DIE.
The war-worn soldier leaves
The camp where comrades lie;
Alas, his cheeks, how deathly pale!
Alas, his limbs, they bend and fail!
He's coming home to die!
The last tattoo yet lingers on his ear,
The last command the dying brave shall hear.
The heavy, mournful look,
The melancholy eye;
He's thinking of his comrades now
Who went with him a year ago,
Who went with him to die.
Their joyful shouts yet linger on his ear,
Their songs and revelings he seems to hear.
Meet him with cheering words
Hands full of sympathy;
Throw wide your doors in welcoming;
Let woman's love her graces fling
Around him ere he die.
He dies for woman's love and woman's faith;
Her honor lives in that brave patriot's death.
48
THE MASONRY OF CHRISTIAN KNIGHTHOOD.
Now go with trumpets forth,
Let drum and fife reply;
Join, oh, ye patriots, round the grave
Of him, the generous and the brave,
Who homeward came to die.
The last tattoo has beat upon his ear,
The last command the fallen brave shall hear.
Set to music, and largely used in the funeral services of
the heroes whose returned bodies were made occasions of public honors.
HYMN OF THE MASON SOLDIERS.
Brothers, met from many a nation
Far away from home,
Men of every rank and station,
Round this altar come.
Bring your hearts, so full of feeling;
Join your hands, so true;
Swear, ye sons of truth and honor,
Naught shall sever you.
War's dark cloud will vanish,—
Joy to EAST and WEST,
Oh, Brothers! Though the land is full of weeping,
Masons, Masons still are blest.
Come, forgetting every sorrow,
LEVEL bring, and SQUARE;
Leave all trouble to to-morrow;
Each the COMPASS bear;
Pass a TROWEL o'er the discord;
Wear the LAMBSKIN white;
Brothers, one more happy meeting
In our Lodge to-night.
In the circle here extended,
Shadowy forms appear;
With our loving spirits blended,
Dead ones, ah, how dear!
49
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
Dead on many a field of battle
Lost to friends and home,
Yet in Mason's love surviving,
Round this altar come.
When to distant homes returning,
We shall say farewell,
And shall cease the tender yearning,
Now our bosoms feel.
Prattling lips and sweet caresses,
All the joys of home,
Will bring back the loving circle,
Round this altar come.
In camp, hospital, and on the march, the "Friends of
the Square " in both armies, were wont during their campaigns, to enliven
the sad hours by singing this " Hymn of the Mason Soldiers” as arranged to Brother Henry Tucker's melody,
"When this Cruel War is Over."
THE SHORTENING CHAIN.
War's hand has sorely tried our Brotherhood;
They sleep on every hard-fought battle plain,
They who around our Altars loving stood,
Shall never stand at Mason's side again.
The sinewy grip's relaxed, the tongue is mute,
Death's heavy fetters clog the willing foot.
The Chain is shortening, where they once were found;
Close in, close up! the Gavel calls in vain;
The song has lost, ah, many a well known sound —
Brothers, the louder sing the mystic strain!
Though we and all our works shall pass away,
Freemasonry must never know decay!
Thank God, and yet again thank God, a few
Of the old love-warmed Brotherhood abide!
A few whose charitable hands will do
Whate'er their hearts may prompt of generous deed.
For such as I have found on life's hard road,
I humbly, and yet gratefully, thank God!
Written in 1863.
50
THE MASONRY OF CHRISTIAN KNIGHTHOOD.
THE COLOR GUARD.
Hurrah, the noble color guard,
How grandly they are led!
Though many fall by steel and ball,
Right gallantly they tread!
Hurrah, the eagle points the way,
And never be it said,
That living soldier fought to-day,
Less bravely than the dead.
Hurrah, through storms of shot and shell
The colors proudly fly,
The patriot marks their progress well,
And follows, though he die;
The dead behind, the foe before.
Above, the pitying sky,
And hark, o'er all the cannon's roar,
Hurrah,—'tis victory!
The colors that so proudly flew
Are blackened now, and torn;
The color guard, alas, how few
Of all who hailed the morn!
But yet, hurrah, the foemen fly,
The bloody day is won,
And other gallant forms supply
Their place whose deeds are done!
MASONIC REFLECTIONS IN A MILITARY
PRISON.
Pining in the prison cell,
Those we cherished long and well;
Brothers of the mystic light
In the dungeon's gloom to-night;
Brothers of the perfect square,
On the damp ground, cold and bare,
Far from home and hope removed,
Brothers fondly, truly loved.
Prisoners, as they sadly muse,
Do they ever think of us?
Do the memories of the tie
Woven strong by Masonry,
51
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
Enter in the dungeon's gloom
Bearing thoughts of Masons' home,
Masons' song, and Masons' light?
Is it so with them to-night?
We can almost hear the sigh
And the groan of the reply;
Listen to the dungeon's voice:
"Memories of mystic joys,
Sweet illusions of my cell,
Emblems prized and pondered well,
Words of sweetest, sunniest cheer,
Signs expressing truth so dear!"
While we pray, then be our prayer
Fervent for the prisoner;
While we sing, let every note
Name the absent, not forgot;
While refreshment hours we join,
To their memory drink the wine;
And the toast of all the best
Be, "Our captives, soon released!"
This effusion was a marked favorite of Brother General
Stephen A. Hurlburt, of
52
THE UTTERANCES OF THE SWORD.
A DRAMATIC POEM,
EMBODYING, IN NINETEEN
DEMONSTRATIONS, THE AUTHORIZED MOVEMENTS
OF THE SWORD EXERCISE OF KNIGHTS
TEMPLAR.
And the king said, Bring me a sword.—I KINGS iii, 24. Nation
shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any
more.—ISAIAH ii, 4. Take the sword of the Spirit which is the word of
God.—EPHESIANS vi. is. Galeatum sero duelli pœnitet.—JUVENAL.
F The Tactical works authorizing
these movements are those most in favor among American Knights Templar, such as
the Manuals of Grant. Meyer, Welch, Loder, Ruckels,
GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR USE.
1. It is
well to have some officer (the Eminent Commander, for instance) to give the
word of command, but if it is not convenient the Demonstrator himself may do
so.
2. The
word "Sword" (not "Swords") is used in the words of
command.
3. The
time necessary for the full recital of the poem is from twelve to fifteen
minutes.
4. A
slight delay is necessary after the word of command, to give proper effect to
the lines.
5. In
several instances two or three movements described in the Tactics are embodied
here in
one
motion, that greater effect may be given to the words.
53
THE POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
THE UTTERANCES OF THE SWORD.
The favor with which my poem THE MASTER COMETH (1873) was
received, awakened in me the ambition to do something better. I longed to
produce a work worthier the FELLOWSHIP OF THE SWORD, whose white tents are
dotting the Masonic arena in every jurisdiction of our country. I thought to
compose something nearer the exalted theory of "The Freemasonry of Christ
the Lord,"—a poem, to be elaborately wrought, and demonstrated in nineteen
parts by those picturesque movements of the Sword which are the chief
attractions of the Templar's Exercise. Leisure was afforded me in the summer of
1882, and here is the result.
My concept will appear upon perusal of the composition.
Before me I set an image of a healthy, sober, soldierly figure, standing
squarely before an audience of Templar Knights, and so expanding the lessons of
the cross-hilt Sword, so intimating, by tone and gesture, the esotery of the
Templar rituals, that the initiate will gain more light and the uninitiate more
desire for light in the magnanimous branch of Freemasonry. The test has been
applied in the delivery of the piece in
The finest historical figure of a Sword is that of Arthur's
EXCALIBUR, and I cannot more worthily close this page than to copy Mr.
Tennyson's lines describing it. The passage is from "The Idyls of the
King," "The Passing of Arthur," where the dying warrior directs
Sir Bedivere to restore the noble weapon to the waters whence it came:
. . . .
"Take my brand Excalibur,
Which was my pride.... take Excalibur
And fling him far into the middle mere;
Watch what thou seest, and lightly bring me word."
Then quickly rose Sir Bedivere, and ran,
And leaping down the ridges lightly, plunged
Among the bulrush beds, and clutched the Sword,
And strongly wheeled and threw it. The great brand
Made lightnings in the splendor of the moon,
And flashing round and round, and whirl'd in an arch,
Shot like a streamer of the northern morn,
Seen where the moving isles of winter shock
By night, with noises of the northern sea;
So flashed and fell the brand Excalibur.
But ere he dipt the surface, rose an arm
Clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful,
And caught him by the hilt and brandished him
Three times, and drew him under in the mere.
The sword exercise of itself is an
elegant and manly accomplishment, developing gracefulness and activity, while
it imparts suppleness to the limbs, strength to the muscles and quickness to
the eye; and it is a source of surprise to many, as well to Masons as
non-Masons, that while the marches and evolutions of the Templar Commanderies
are so thoroughly taught that no further improvement seems possible, the use of
the sword is comparatively little regarded. In earlier days the manner of a
skillful swordsman was grave, graceful and decorous. The most undaunted and
energetic courage was marked by the greatest modesty, and never until the
moment of trial arrived was the full man made manifest.
54
THE MASONRY OF CHRISTIAN KNIGHTHOOD.
THE FIRST DEMONSTRATION (IN EIGHT
MOTIONS).
DRAW
SWORD.
Come
out,1 come out,2 thou glittering brand!3
Obey a
Christian Knight's command! 4
Inspire
a Templar's hand!
Celestial
signs, thou sword, reveal5
In cut6
and flash7 of sacred steel,
As in
the ancient Band! 8
As when,
before the SAVIOUR'S shrine,
Each
Templar breathed his countersign!
FIG. 1. FIG. 2.
EXPLANATORY
NOTES.— 1. With the left hand seize the scabbard near the top, and press it
against the thigh; with the right grasp the hilt and bring it a little forward.
Draw the sword until the right forearm is horizontal, as in Figure 1. (In some Manuals
it is directed to begin with the HAND SALUTE, which is made by extending the
right hand its full length, palm upward, finger forward, and then grasping the
hilt as above; a graceful performance.)
2.
Complete the sword drawing with a quick motion, raising the right arm to its
full extent, at an angle of forty-five degrees, with the body ever square to
the front.
3. Turn
the sword and bring it to the PRESENT, as in Figure 3, explained in DEMONSTRATION
II.
4. Come
to the CARRY, as in Figure 2, the sword being vertical against the right
shoulder, edge in front the grip inclosed with thumb and forefinger the left
side of the grip and the thumb against the thigh; left arm nearly extended; the
other fingers extended and joined in rear of the grip, the elbow near the body.
This is the most natural and manly of all military positions. (The English
method of drawing the foil, which is much like the Templar's Sword, is to
advance the right foot slightly to the front, take the scabbard with the left
hand, raise the right elbow as high as the shoulder, seize the hilt with right
hand, nails turned inward, and having drawn the foil, pass it with vivacity
over the head in a semicircle, and bring it down to the guard.)
5. Raise
the sword vertically above the head, executing the movement with spirit.
6.
Flourish the sword to the left.
7.
Flourish the sword to the right.
8.
Return to the CARRY as in Figure 2.
THE
SECOND DEMONSTRATION (IN THREE MOTIONS).
Oh,
Prince Emmanuel, Son of God, 1
From
this far-off and humble sod,
Once by
thy gentle footsteps trod,
Thee,
JESUS, we salute! 2
Omniscient
KING, behold our Band
As with
this emblematic brand,
Our work
we execute!
Each
movement of the Knightly Sword
Shall
tell of THEE, thou Templar's LORD! 3
PRESENT SWORD.
FIG. 3.
FIG. 4.
L
55
THE
POETRY OF FREEMASONRY.
EXPLANATORY
NOTES.—1. Come from the CARRY to the PRESENT, as in Figure 3. This brings the
sword to the front, the hand so high that the cross hilt is opposite the chin
and six inches in front of it; the back of the hand to front; right forearm
resting along the side and breast; elbow against the body; end of hilt nearly
against the breast; thumb on the back of the grip to the right; the blade
inclined to the front at an angle of twenty-five or thirty degrees from the
perpendicular.
2. Make
the OFFICER's SALUTE as Figure 4, by dropping the point of the sword near the
ground (not touching it), and on a line with the right foot, the arm extended
so that the right hand is near the right thigh with the back to the rear; arm
extended; flat of the sword to the front; body plumb and square to front.
3. Come
to the CARRY. DEMONSTRATION II should be made with a subdued and reverential
voice and manner. If any Christian Knight objects, upon Unitarian principles, to
the expressions "Son of God" and "Omniscient Christ," he is
at liberty to substitute others more in harmony with his views.
THE THIRD DEMONSTRATION (IN THREE
MOTIONS).
SUPPORT SWORD.
Embattled
hosts are pressing
Along
the serried line,
Their
venomed darts distressing
The
Guardians of the SHRINE.
Support,
brave Knights, 1 with dauntless mind!2
What
though the foemen's banner flaunt!
Little
we reck, upon the wind,
Blasphemous
word and taunt! 3
FIG. 5.
EXPLANATORY
Notes.— 1. First motion from the CARRY: Bring the sword vertically to the front
of the center of the body, the cross six inches from the breast.
2.
Second motion: Bear the sword to the left side, the cross opposite the hollow
of the elbow; with the left hand grasp the right elbow, the thumb over and
resting on the forearm of the right; the blade perpendicular (Figure 5). (Some
Monitors give PORT SWORD, as in Figure 6, for the SUPPORT.)
3. Seize
the blade without deranging its position, with the thumb and forefinger of the
left hand, the left elbow remaining close to the body as a pivot. Carry the
sword vertically, with both hands, to its place at a CARRY, fingers extended,
pressing the sword gently against the hollow of the shoulder, hand at the
height of the shoulder, its back to the front, elbow near the body. Then drop
the left hand to the side.
Guardians
of the.Shrine. The Templars were appropriately styled Guardians of the Shrine,
for they sentineled the highways that led to it, they stood as watchmen at
every gate opening to it and day and night kept guard upon the Sepulcher of
their Lord.
Upon the
wind. The word wind in the seventh line, is made, by poetic license, to rhyme
with mind.
As
remarked before, the exercise of the sword is an elegant and manly
accomplishment, developing gracefulness and activity, while it imparts
suppleness to the limbs, strength to the muscles, and quickness to the eye.
There are few sights in Disciplina, ancient or modern, more attractive than a
line of Knights upon the position indicated in Figure 5. They seem to be
waiting in the calmness and strength of Christian faith, whatever fate has
marked out for them. In the early allusions to the Order of
56
THE MASONRY OF CHRISTIAN KNIGIITHOOD.