A Few Hints How To Manufacture A Masonic Song.

poetic feeling . It is not for us to say whether or not these early games induced in us any greater sense of the poetical than what , if there were any , may have been innate , but we commend the game to the notice of those who may contemplate the making of Masonic verses . We have noticed ,

and no donbfc our readers have noticed likewise , that Masonic poets are very indifferent about there being any sense in their songs and ballads . In practising this game of " capping verses , " therefore , the nonsense of a stanza will be an additional feature , and one that will increase

greatly the charm of this kind of versification . Let ns illustrate our meaning . We will suppose five brethren , whom we will distinguish severally as A , B , C , D , and B , are playing . After a supreme effort the following is the result :

Bro . A : In eighteen hundred and fifty three , „ B : Hubbledy Gee ! Hubbledy Gee ! ,, C : Brother Stiles

„ D : Ban forty miles ; „ E : NonBense ! Fiddledee !

The rhyming is admirable , the nonsense clear , the ejaculations being both ancient and modern , and displaying therefore a rigid impartiality between the two sections of Craftsmen—those who accept the "time immemorial "

theory , and those who incline to the seventeenth century origin of our order . Add to this that the idea is unique , and the language simplicity itself , and we flatter ourselves the effort is a very moral of successful poesy . How much better it reads than : —

One hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred Employed for the Temple , wo find they were number'd , "With Crafts many thousands and bearers of loads ,

And Masters six hundred , say Scripture records . Here is another specimen , the manipulators being four in number , namely , Bros . Menticent All , Won Der Ment , Fancy Bread , and Cynnic Call .

Bro . Menticent All : I know a bank whereon the wild thyme grows . „ Won Der Ment ; You don't say so ! ,, Fancy Bread : I dreamt that I dwelt in marble halls .

„ Cynnic Call : More fool you !

Or again , a la Christy ' s Minstrelsy : Up and down de ribber , O-hi-O , Him took him pretty coz , Susannah , Tor a charmin' row !

The Ohio being , as the Americans say , a " big " thing in rivers is very properly assigned a whole line to itself . We might go on multiplying our illustrations ad infinitum , but

we are too pressed for space to write a volume of Masonic songs . We hope the few we have given will find places of honour in every new song-book that may be published . They are right worthy of such distinction .

We have then two suggestions to offer , one that intending poets should cultivate the art of rhyming . As we have already noticed , a lack of rhyming power is one of the chief weaknesses which the Masonic poets of by gone-days have developed . It is not necessary to be particular about the

-words selected for practice , the only points worth attending to being rhyme and accent . For instance , a gushing brother meeting a friend will blurt out all at once the greeting , "How d ' y' do ? " with the first word well accentuated . This rhymes with " Hullaballoo . " Another , who is of a phonetic

turn of mind , and writes his words as he pronounces them , will exclaim , " And How d ' yer do ? " With this rhymes perdu as pronounced in pure Anglo-French . A flippant brother , or one in a grievous hurry will salute with " How do ? " this fits with " cow , too , " or " row , too , " the " too , "

in each case being thrown in without any particular meaning , but merely for euphony' Bake . •Then , there is the peculiar man , whose salute is " How do ? " with the accent throw well on the " do ' , " which is pronounced long , and

in a high falsetto key . A verbal representation of one kind of sneeze " A-tchish-shdo " fits capitally with this , the " shoo" being long , and uttered in a high squeak . We need not continue . The cases we have furnished are

a few among many thousands , and will suffice as examples for the ingenious brother who has any rhyme or reason in his composition to imitate . Our concluding suggestion is this : — Some may ask , what class of poetry is the

best for a sprouting Masonic poet to study ? Our answer is , " Nursery Rhymes . " The story of " Old Mother Hubbard , " "Hey-diddle-diddle , " "Jack and Gill , " and the like are very beautiful . Masonic minstrelsy , with a

A Few Hints How To Manufacture A Masonic Song.

few exceptions , contains nothing to equal them in the way of sense , rhythmic beauty , or thrilling interest . If the outcome of these remarks of ours is no more than a simple song or ballad , "we shall feel that our labour has not been in vain , and that our duty as a friendly critic has been successfully discharged .

A Masonic Dinner.

A MASONIC DINNER .

WE dined the other day with an old friend and brother , Tobias Smollett ; no relation whatever either of Hume and Smollett the historians , or Smollett the illustrious author of Roderick Random . It was the funniest thing in the way of dinners we remember to have participated in . As owing to a rather heavy traffic our cab was

somewhat delayed , we were the very last to enter the drawing room , where the host and his guests were assembled , and were struck with no little astonishment on hearingthe former put the question , " Whither directing your course ? " and still more astonished at the answer , " To the dinner table ,

assoon as Bro . Toddlekins arrives . " Webeingthe Toddlekins in question , a move was accordingly made to the dining room , and in a very brief space of time the company were assembled around the gay and festive board of our respected W . M ., host we should have written , who

occupied the oriental chair , while his friends , S . W . and J . W . Jenkins , were located in the west and south respectively . The courses may be conveniently classified under the three several heads of fish , fowl and flesh , of the first of "which there were seven different sections or kinds , the

second having five , and the third three . There were also two capital soups a la Tracing Board , and a goodly array of game , which last may be looked upon as representing

the high degrees . The vegetables were most convenientl y arranged in squares and circles , and the different wines occupied favourable positions at intervals along the tesselated table .

We were very comfortably placed in close proximity to the wife of P . M . Snail on the one hand , and the wife of our own I . G . Thomas ; the highly respected Prov . Grand Secretary , Bro . Steelpen , being almost our immediate vis-avis . It was very quaint to hear every now and then our

excellent host pressing on the guests , in his own neighbourhood , if they would take a slice of Section HI . a la Charles XIII ., or a cut from Section V . a la loge d ' adoption , while the brother in the direct west was equally impressive in bringing Sections II . and IV . Cod a la Grand Orient , and a

mayonnaise of Salmon a la Porch under the notice of his fellow guests . In the direction of the Southern aspect was Bro . Loudvoice , who distinguished himself highly in conducting the distribution of the other items named on the \ Carte , consisting of Sections I ., VI ., and VII ., severally

represented by Turbot a la Triangle , Red Mullet a la Twentyfour inch Gauge , and Fricassee of Soles a , la Gavel . It was casually remarked by a very hilarious Brother , in reference to the last of these dishes , that its presence was possibly in some way connected with a certain custom peculiar to the

County of Kent , to wit , the custom of Gavelkind , and he was about enlarging on this point when he was interrupted by our W . M . asking his respected Bro . S . W . Jenkins , "What is our next duty in Freemasonry , " to which the latter replied , with all that promptitude he has shown he possesses ,

"lo order m a fresh supply of hock and sherry . " This ended the first course and Lecture , and after a brief respite for the sake of digestion , discussion , and the re-ordering of our palates , with a view to further operations , we passed on to the fowl , or second course , and instituted a vigorous

attack on a compot de pigeon , Section VIII ., varied with occasional references to Sections IX . and X ., in which were represented all that is excellent in the way of Turkey a la Royal Arch , and Ducks a , la Ancient and Accepted Rite . By way of interlude there came Sections XI . and XII ., of

which the first was made up entirely of Coxcombs a , la Chine , while the latter was a very simple , but delicious , dish of larks , a la Level , and Sparrows a la Plumb Rule . So successful had we been thus far that nothing was needed to raise our hopes as we passed to the third course , or

Lecture , of Meats , the veritable pieces de resistance of the most Masonic banquet we ever took part in . The first item on the Menu was Section XIII , in the shape of a sirloin of beef a , la Misraim , fillet of veal a , la Rite of Memphis , haunch of Venison , -with a sauce piquante . fla-