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About The Mason Poet.
ABOUT THE MASON POET .
A LETTER FROM THE LAND OF BURNS , BY BRO . CORNELIUS MOORE . REPRINTED FROM THB VOICE OP MASONRY .
MY DEAR C : —" You will tell me all about Burns , and bring me some little mementoes of him from his birth or burial place , will yon not ? " —was a request you made of me just before I left home for a brief summer tour in Europe . I have not forgotten it , nor will I be unmindful of it , for ifc comes up fresh in memory this morning while wandering about the good old Town of Ayr , made classic by the foot-prints and songs—the birth-place and genius of
the great bard of Scotland . How often , in your own hospitable home , or while admiring the grandeur and loveliness of Nature along the banks of your beautiful river , or gazing npon its quiet valleys from the picturesque and pine-clad hills that adorn its sbores , have we talked over tho history of Eobert Burns , the struggles of his earlier , and the waywardness of his later years , or read the sweet heart-songs
that he warbled , and expressed our regrets over the tempations and follies of his chequered life . Somehow or other , none can become familiar with the history and writings of Burns without feeling a warm personal interest , not only in him , but with all connected with him . The little cabin in which he was born , the fields he ploughed ,
the " Bonnie Doon , " along whose banks he wandered and warbled , the gay companions of his after years , and the charmingly bewitching Mary , " Highland Mary , " one feels as though these were all familiar ; and tho inspiration which gave birth to his songs seems yet to linger around everything with which his name and fame are linked .
It is difficnlt to decide from which source Scotland has derived her richest revenue of fame—from her heroes or her poets 5 one thing is quite certain , the name of Burns is heard , and his songs are yet read and sung by those in far-off lands who know little else of Scotland save that it was his native land ! His name is a household
word nmong the learned and the illiterate in the fashionable salons of the city and around the cheerful fire-sides of rural homes . His name seems to belong to the Anglo-Saxon family , and his rhymes are repeated alike by infancy and age wherever the English language is spoken . He is as dear to American as to Scottish hearts , for his songs have secured him a home wherever they have been heard ; and
you know that his memory is cherished among us as fondly as is that of onr own sweet singers . " Tell yon of Burns ? " Yes , all I can learn of him that you would be pleased to hear . " Bring you a memento of him from his birth or burial place ? " Certainly , if I can beg , buy or—borrow one . I will weave a bouquet of flowers gathered from the garden attached to the
little " Clay Biggin " in which he was born , and add some ivy from his honoured grave in the Kirkyard at Dumfries ; perhaps it may be fragrant still when I reach again our own dear native land , fragrant of that genius which has made the name of the poor ploughman immortal .
No , no : I have not forgotten yonr request , nor will I forget or neglect ifc , for it comes fresh in memory this morning while the birds are singing in every bush , and the fields and meadows are fragrant with the aroma of growing grain ; forget reminders of Burns , the prince of Scottish poets , the zealous Freemason , the central figure on the tablet of Scotland ' s
memories—That great strong man with woman s soul , And heart of a little child ! The homes and loves and songs of Burns were familiar to ns when we were at school . We learned to read his " Cotter ' s Saturday Night , " his " Man was made to mourn , " "To Mary in Heaven , " his " Adieu , a heart warm fond adien , " " Oh , were I in the cold blast , " and a hundred others that have deepened in their imprint npon the soul from boyhood to manhood , and will ever remain there .
" Forget him ! Yes we may forget , when stars cease giving light ; When all the scenes the poet loved are wrapped in endless night ; When Bonnie Doon rolls backwards , and Ayr ' s two brigs shall float , And daisies deck the fields no more , then Burns may be forgot . " Bnt here is the Doon , the bright , sparkling , laughing Doon , rolling over its pebbly bed ; the Bonnie Doon , immortalized by the pen of
tho Mason-Poet of old Scotia . And there are the Twa Brigs which had snch a controversy ancl quarrel about their respective merits . And just ; over there is Ayr , tho venerable town of Ayrshire ; and there is the old inn whero Burns and Sonter Johnny so often held high revelry , and told stories , and sang their songs , and drank their ale . One of the mugs used on such occasions still remains as an
heirloom of tho owner , and is rented with the house as a kind of franchise . It will hold abont a pint , and is made with staves like a barrel , with bright brass hoops about it to hold it together . It was from this house , late at night , after drinking too much ale , that Burns started on his old mare to ride home , when tho witches gave him such a hard chase .
But I must not linger here , however attractive the venerable town may be , and whatever memories may cling to it . About two miles on the road , and on the way to scenes the theatre of still more stirring events , stands the little white-washed cabin in which the author of Bonnie Doon was born . I have a kindly welcome from an elderly and motherly looking lady , and lifting my hat and bending low , I enter with reverence . Bidding me be seated , we began a conversation
about the poet . There are but two rooms in the one-story building , in one of which there is a recess just large enough for a bed , and there Robert Burns first saw the light . And now , my dear C , I will not forget your request for something to remind you of the poet . There is a little garden attached to the " Clay Biggin , " and it is full of flowers and beautiful plants and shrubs . With permission firsfc obtained , I enter and pluck some
About The Mason Poet.
mementoes to carry across the Atlantic , and will divide them with you on my return . A little farther on towards the Doon is "Alloway ' s auld haunted kirk , " a picture of age , neglect and ruin . It is built of stone , and nothing but the walls remain—roof , windows , doors , all gone . It must have presented a weird and ghostly appearance thafc night to
the excited poet as he rode np and made some offensive remark which raised the ive of the vengeful witches . The midnight carousal waa instantly stopped as the semi-spiritual carousers immediately sallied forth to resent the insult and punish the presuming poet . According to the old superstitious legends of Scotland , if the retreat , ing offender conld cross a stream before the offended and wrathful
witch overtook him , he was safe . There is an old bridge across the Doon near at hand , and for this he directed his " auld mare , " but the pursuing witch overtook him when within a few feet of the centre of the stream , and , seizing the animal by the caudel appendage , she stripped it of its covering as they reached the centre of the brid ge , bnt the vengeful spirit could go no further and the poet escaped ,
while the pursuer retired with her trophy . Such was the finale of Burns' adventure with the witches . It is to be hoped that the poet kept better hours in his next visit with Sonter Johnny , or did not in . dulge in so much ale ! On the banks of the Doon , just above the bridge alluded to , within sight of his birth-place and " Alloway ' s auld haunted kirk , " as well ,
there is a cenotaph erected to tbe memory of the poet . It is a neafc enclosure , covered by a dome . Within it is a glass case , in which is deposited the Bible whioh Burns presented to Highland Mary at their last meeting . It is open at the fly-leaf , on whioh is the poet ' s signature , and beneath it his " Mason Mark . " But you must excuse me for not going more infco detail in this
brief letter , so I will away to other interesting spots , and to scenes in which the poet became identified with the Freemasons . Some six or eight miles from Ayr , beyond the Doon , is a small town by the name of Tarbolton . About the year 1773 , St . David ' s Lodge was organised in this town , while Burns was living on a rented farm , Mossgiel , abont three or four miles from Tarbolton . Burns was
initiated in this St . David s Lodge , on the 4 th of July , and passed and raised on the 1 st of October 1781 . In 1782 this Lodge was merged in an older one , St . James ' s , Tarbolton , and for the rest of his life , until near the time he removed to Dumfries , he was identified with St . James ' s Lodge . On arriving at Tarbolton , I found an old brother who was a mem .
ber of St . James ' s Lodge , who kindly consented to show me what waa interesting in the place , and especially in connection with the poet . The building in which the Lodge was held at the time of Burns ' initiation , and for years after , was still standing . It was a low onestory building , with two rooms , one on each side of a central hall
The one on the left as yon enter was the Lodge-room in which tho illustrious poet witnessed what " none but Craftsmen ever saw . " The Lodge now meets in another building , and in the second story I was taken to the Lodge-room , and desired to look over the minntes of its transactions at the time of Burns . Bufc here was a dilemma .
The records , jewels , and regalia of the Lodge were all deposited m a large oaken chest , bound around with heavy iron hoops , and looked as though it might stand a siege by half a dozen burglars . Besides , it was secured by three separate locks , the keys to whioh were in the possession of the Master and Wardens respectively ; while the chest conld only be opened in the presence of the three officers , and they all
agreed . I told them I was an American , and crossed the ocean to see and learn all I could of the great Mason-poet , and must see the contents of that chest ; whereupon two or three started ont and soon returned with the officers and the all-important keys ; the mysterious chest was soon opened , and its venerable treasures submitted for my in .
spection . An examination of the records showed thafc Burns had presided over the Lodge for a number of years as " Depute Master , " an office peculiar to some or all of the Scotch Lodges of thafc day . His name was dnly signed to the minutes of each meeting , similar to the practice of the present time in the United States and Canada .
I put on tho jewel , and felt prond to wear the same insignia the poet had worn three quarters of a century before . Among the papers in the chest I found an original letter from Burns . Ifc was addressed to the Lodge while the poefc was in Edinburgh , perhaps in the early part of 1785 , when he was revising and superintending the publication of the second edition of his poems . The last stanza reads :
" Within your dear mansion may wayward contention Or withered envy ne ' er enter ; May secrecy round be the mystical bound , And brotherly love bo the centre . " Bnt I must out again in tho town , for I have bnfc one day to give to Tarbolton . While I am in the line of facts concerning the poet ' s Masonic progress , I may remark that he was afterwards made a
Royal Arch Mason in Weymouth m 1787 , receiving the degrees in St . Abb's Lodge , for the Lodges at that early day , and even in our own country as late as the early part of the present century , had the right to confer the Royal Arch . In wandering about the town the old brother took me to the scene where the supposed meeting took place , and the argument ensued ,
between " Death and Dr . Hornbook . " The latter waa a medical quack , who , by his efforts to appear learned , made himself obnoxious to men of sense ; the poem , therefore , was a bit of sarcasm , and the pretender felt it keenly . The presuming doctor was a man by the name of Wilson , and , though a member , of the same Lodge with Burns , contrived to mako himself disagreeable to all of the members .
It was to quiet this pretender that the poem was written , and " Dr . Hornbook " was never heard of afterwards . The " auld kirk hammer" which " strack the bell" on that eventful night was in the possession of my friend , who secured it when the " auld kirk " was torn down many years ago , and a new one erected on its seat . By dint of hard coaxing , and the bestowment of half a crown , I procured
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
About The Mason Poet.
ABOUT THE MASON POET .
A LETTER FROM THE LAND OF BURNS , BY BRO . CORNELIUS MOORE . REPRINTED FROM THB VOICE OP MASONRY .
MY DEAR C : —" You will tell me all about Burns , and bring me some little mementoes of him from his birth or burial place , will yon not ? " —was a request you made of me just before I left home for a brief summer tour in Europe . I have not forgotten it , nor will I be unmindful of it , for ifc comes up fresh in memory this morning while wandering about the good old Town of Ayr , made classic by the foot-prints and songs—the birth-place and genius of
the great bard of Scotland . How often , in your own hospitable home , or while admiring the grandeur and loveliness of Nature along the banks of your beautiful river , or gazing npon its quiet valleys from the picturesque and pine-clad hills that adorn its sbores , have we talked over tho history of Eobert Burns , the struggles of his earlier , and the waywardness of his later years , or read the sweet heart-songs
that he warbled , and expressed our regrets over the tempations and follies of his chequered life . Somehow or other , none can become familiar with the history and writings of Burns without feeling a warm personal interest , not only in him , but with all connected with him . The little cabin in which he was born , the fields he ploughed ,
the " Bonnie Doon , " along whose banks he wandered and warbled , the gay companions of his after years , and the charmingly bewitching Mary , " Highland Mary , " one feels as though these were all familiar ; and tho inspiration which gave birth to his songs seems yet to linger around everything with which his name and fame are linked .
It is difficnlt to decide from which source Scotland has derived her richest revenue of fame—from her heroes or her poets 5 one thing is quite certain , the name of Burns is heard , and his songs are yet read and sung by those in far-off lands who know little else of Scotland save that it was his native land ! His name is a household
word nmong the learned and the illiterate in the fashionable salons of the city and around the cheerful fire-sides of rural homes . His name seems to belong to the Anglo-Saxon family , and his rhymes are repeated alike by infancy and age wherever the English language is spoken . He is as dear to American as to Scottish hearts , for his songs have secured him a home wherever they have been heard ; and
you know that his memory is cherished among us as fondly as is that of onr own sweet singers . " Tell yon of Burns ? " Yes , all I can learn of him that you would be pleased to hear . " Bring you a memento of him from his birth or burial place ? " Certainly , if I can beg , buy or—borrow one . I will weave a bouquet of flowers gathered from the garden attached to the
little " Clay Biggin " in which he was born , and add some ivy from his honoured grave in the Kirkyard at Dumfries ; perhaps it may be fragrant still when I reach again our own dear native land , fragrant of that genius which has made the name of the poor ploughman immortal .
No , no : I have not forgotten yonr request , nor will I forget or neglect ifc , for it comes fresh in memory this morning while the birds are singing in every bush , and the fields and meadows are fragrant with the aroma of growing grain ; forget reminders of Burns , the prince of Scottish poets , the zealous Freemason , the central figure on the tablet of Scotland ' s
memories—That great strong man with woman s soul , And heart of a little child ! The homes and loves and songs of Burns were familiar to ns when we were at school . We learned to read his " Cotter ' s Saturday Night , " his " Man was made to mourn , " "To Mary in Heaven , " his " Adieu , a heart warm fond adien , " " Oh , were I in the cold blast , " and a hundred others that have deepened in their imprint npon the soul from boyhood to manhood , and will ever remain there .
" Forget him ! Yes we may forget , when stars cease giving light ; When all the scenes the poet loved are wrapped in endless night ; When Bonnie Doon rolls backwards , and Ayr ' s two brigs shall float , And daisies deck the fields no more , then Burns may be forgot . " Bnt here is the Doon , the bright , sparkling , laughing Doon , rolling over its pebbly bed ; the Bonnie Doon , immortalized by the pen of
tho Mason-Poet of old Scotia . And there are the Twa Brigs which had snch a controversy ancl quarrel about their respective merits . And just ; over there is Ayr , tho venerable town of Ayrshire ; and there is the old inn whero Burns and Sonter Johnny so often held high revelry , and told stories , and sang their songs , and drank their ale . One of the mugs used on such occasions still remains as an
heirloom of tho owner , and is rented with the house as a kind of franchise . It will hold abont a pint , and is made with staves like a barrel , with bright brass hoops about it to hold it together . It was from this house , late at night , after drinking too much ale , that Burns started on his old mare to ride home , when tho witches gave him such a hard chase .
But I must not linger here , however attractive the venerable town may be , and whatever memories may cling to it . About two miles on the road , and on the way to scenes the theatre of still more stirring events , stands the little white-washed cabin in which the author of Bonnie Doon was born . I have a kindly welcome from an elderly and motherly looking lady , and lifting my hat and bending low , I enter with reverence . Bidding me be seated , we began a conversation
about the poet . There are but two rooms in the one-story building , in one of which there is a recess just large enough for a bed , and there Robert Burns first saw the light . And now , my dear C , I will not forget your request for something to remind you of the poet . There is a little garden attached to the " Clay Biggin , " and it is full of flowers and beautiful plants and shrubs . With permission firsfc obtained , I enter and pluck some
About The Mason Poet.
mementoes to carry across the Atlantic , and will divide them with you on my return . A little farther on towards the Doon is "Alloway ' s auld haunted kirk , " a picture of age , neglect and ruin . It is built of stone , and nothing but the walls remain—roof , windows , doors , all gone . It must have presented a weird and ghostly appearance thafc night to
the excited poet as he rode np and made some offensive remark which raised the ive of the vengeful witches . The midnight carousal waa instantly stopped as the semi-spiritual carousers immediately sallied forth to resent the insult and punish the presuming poet . According to the old superstitious legends of Scotland , if the retreat , ing offender conld cross a stream before the offended and wrathful
witch overtook him , he was safe . There is an old bridge across the Doon near at hand , and for this he directed his " auld mare , " but the pursuing witch overtook him when within a few feet of the centre of the stream , and , seizing the animal by the caudel appendage , she stripped it of its covering as they reached the centre of the brid ge , bnt the vengeful spirit could go no further and the poet escaped ,
while the pursuer retired with her trophy . Such was the finale of Burns' adventure with the witches . It is to be hoped that the poet kept better hours in his next visit with Sonter Johnny , or did not in . dulge in so much ale ! On the banks of the Doon , just above the bridge alluded to , within sight of his birth-place and " Alloway ' s auld haunted kirk , " as well ,
there is a cenotaph erected to tbe memory of the poet . It is a neafc enclosure , covered by a dome . Within it is a glass case , in which is deposited the Bible whioh Burns presented to Highland Mary at their last meeting . It is open at the fly-leaf , on whioh is the poet ' s signature , and beneath it his " Mason Mark . " But you must excuse me for not going more infco detail in this
brief letter , so I will away to other interesting spots , and to scenes in which the poet became identified with the Freemasons . Some six or eight miles from Ayr , beyond the Doon , is a small town by the name of Tarbolton . About the year 1773 , St . David ' s Lodge was organised in this town , while Burns was living on a rented farm , Mossgiel , abont three or four miles from Tarbolton . Burns was
initiated in this St . David s Lodge , on the 4 th of July , and passed and raised on the 1 st of October 1781 . In 1782 this Lodge was merged in an older one , St . James ' s , Tarbolton , and for the rest of his life , until near the time he removed to Dumfries , he was identified with St . James ' s Lodge . On arriving at Tarbolton , I found an old brother who was a mem .
ber of St . James ' s Lodge , who kindly consented to show me what waa interesting in the place , and especially in connection with the poet . The building in which the Lodge was held at the time of Burns ' initiation , and for years after , was still standing . It was a low onestory building , with two rooms , one on each side of a central hall
The one on the left as yon enter was the Lodge-room in which tho illustrious poet witnessed what " none but Craftsmen ever saw . " The Lodge now meets in another building , and in the second story I was taken to the Lodge-room , and desired to look over the minntes of its transactions at the time of Burns . Bufc here was a dilemma .
The records , jewels , and regalia of the Lodge were all deposited m a large oaken chest , bound around with heavy iron hoops , and looked as though it might stand a siege by half a dozen burglars . Besides , it was secured by three separate locks , the keys to whioh were in the possession of the Master and Wardens respectively ; while the chest conld only be opened in the presence of the three officers , and they all
agreed . I told them I was an American , and crossed the ocean to see and learn all I could of the great Mason-poet , and must see the contents of that chest ; whereupon two or three started ont and soon returned with the officers and the all-important keys ; the mysterious chest was soon opened , and its venerable treasures submitted for my in .
spection . An examination of the records showed thafc Burns had presided over the Lodge for a number of years as " Depute Master , " an office peculiar to some or all of the Scotch Lodges of thafc day . His name was dnly signed to the minutes of each meeting , similar to the practice of the present time in the United States and Canada .
I put on tho jewel , and felt prond to wear the same insignia the poet had worn three quarters of a century before . Among the papers in the chest I found an original letter from Burns . Ifc was addressed to the Lodge while the poefc was in Edinburgh , perhaps in the early part of 1785 , when he was revising and superintending the publication of the second edition of his poems . The last stanza reads :
" Within your dear mansion may wayward contention Or withered envy ne ' er enter ; May secrecy round be the mystical bound , And brotherly love bo the centre . " Bnt I must out again in tho town , for I have bnfc one day to give to Tarbolton . While I am in the line of facts concerning the poet ' s Masonic progress , I may remark that he was afterwards made a
Royal Arch Mason in Weymouth m 1787 , receiving the degrees in St . Abb's Lodge , for the Lodges at that early day , and even in our own country as late as the early part of the present century , had the right to confer the Royal Arch . In wandering about the town the old brother took me to the scene where the supposed meeting took place , and the argument ensued ,
between " Death and Dr . Hornbook . " The latter waa a medical quack , who , by his efforts to appear learned , made himself obnoxious to men of sense ; the poem , therefore , was a bit of sarcasm , and the pretender felt it keenly . The presuming doctor was a man by the name of Wilson , and , though a member , of the same Lodge with Burns , contrived to mako himself disagreeable to all of the members .
It was to quiet this pretender that the poem was written , and " Dr . Hornbook " was never heard of afterwards . The " auld kirk hammer" which " strack the bell" on that eventful night was in the possession of my friend , who secured it when the " auld kirk " was torn down many years ago , and a new one erected on its seat . By dint of hard coaxing , and the bestowment of half a crown , I procured