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Article ORATION ON MASONRY, ← Page 4 of 7 →
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Oration On Masonry,
But o-ive M ASONRY once to exert her heaven-descended talents , even 111 ° realms like those;—let her rear the dwelling , and teach the lofty temple to emulate the clouds ;—see what a tram of Arts immediately enter , and join , in ample suite , to give their p " atron Architecture comp letion and glory !—Lo ! at their head , Sculpture with his animating chissel bids the forming marble breathe !—See Naturefairest tintswhile the
Paintino- with his vivid pencil steal ' s , o-lowiii * - canvas starts beneath his touch into beauty and life !—See the Ion ? labours of the loom ; the storied tapestry , and the rich wrouo-ht silk , emp loyed to decorate the habitation which every art and every exertion of the manufacturer and mechanic are busied to complete ! ,,, , ,, r- ¦ 1 J But not t \\ manual arts done attendhark!—through the finished
e : dome divine Music pours her soul-commanding sounds ; with her artful hand and finely-varied tones sweetly enforcing the lofty and instructive lessons of heaven-born Poesy . ' —which , whilst it wraps the delig hted mind in deep contemplation , g ives birth and being to those sage , those civil , those legislative and moral plans ; or , in one word , to all that round of speculative Masonry , which secures , adorns , and dignifies society ; and represents in strong contrast the savage , and the civilized man ! . .
Thus comprehensive is the noble Art we boast ; and such are the triumphs of Architecture alone , in whose ample grasp are contained such numberless benefits to human nature , and which may justly be deemed"tlre peculiar and favourite child of civilization , as well as the unerring mark and criterion of that civilization , and of the progress of the ° fine arts in every state . —Were I to proceed—or had I all science
assumed for my proof that wonderful , -informing on which Masonry is built ; nay , and which—proud Mistress of Arts ' . — issues forth her commanding laws , not only to those arts , but even to nature— even to nature ' s amplest round—the solar system itself : —had Geometry been my theme—the time would have failed me to have recounted even a part of that comprehensive extent and reach and know
of instruction;—that inexhaustedfund of information - ledge , of improvement and advantage , which it imparts to it ' s studious votaries . Happy votaries—adepts in true Masonry—ever the zealous and most ardent admirers of natural and moral beauty ! for they are especially sensible of the beauties of that world , which , amongst the intelligent Greeks , knew no other name . And well indeed mig ht be styled Koo- ^ o ? , essential " BEAUTY ;' , '—for it excels , at once , in all the regularity of order , the exactness of proportion , the ° -low of colouring , the force of expression , and the strength of
design . . 4 . But future and more extensive discussions of this high and entertaining theme may , perhaps , through your honourable sanction engage my pen * . For the present—after what hath been already
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Oration On Masonry,
But o-ive M ASONRY once to exert her heaven-descended talents , even 111 ° realms like those;—let her rear the dwelling , and teach the lofty temple to emulate the clouds ;—see what a tram of Arts immediately enter , and join , in ample suite , to give their p " atron Architecture comp letion and glory !—Lo ! at their head , Sculpture with his animating chissel bids the forming marble breathe !—See Naturefairest tintswhile the
Paintino- with his vivid pencil steal ' s , o-lowiii * - canvas starts beneath his touch into beauty and life !—See the Ion ? labours of the loom ; the storied tapestry , and the rich wrouo-ht silk , emp loyed to decorate the habitation which every art and every exertion of the manufacturer and mechanic are busied to complete ! ,,, , ,, r- ¦ 1 J But not t \\ manual arts done attendhark!—through the finished
e : dome divine Music pours her soul-commanding sounds ; with her artful hand and finely-varied tones sweetly enforcing the lofty and instructive lessons of heaven-born Poesy . ' —which , whilst it wraps the delig hted mind in deep contemplation , g ives birth and being to those sage , those civil , those legislative and moral plans ; or , in one word , to all that round of speculative Masonry , which secures , adorns , and dignifies society ; and represents in strong contrast the savage , and the civilized man ! . .
Thus comprehensive is the noble Art we boast ; and such are the triumphs of Architecture alone , in whose ample grasp are contained such numberless benefits to human nature , and which may justly be deemed"tlre peculiar and favourite child of civilization , as well as the unerring mark and criterion of that civilization , and of the progress of the ° fine arts in every state . —Were I to proceed—or had I all science
assumed for my proof that wonderful , -informing on which Masonry is built ; nay , and which—proud Mistress of Arts ' . — issues forth her commanding laws , not only to those arts , but even to nature— even to nature ' s amplest round—the solar system itself : —had Geometry been my theme—the time would have failed me to have recounted even a part of that comprehensive extent and reach and know
of instruction;—that inexhaustedfund of information - ledge , of improvement and advantage , which it imparts to it ' s studious votaries . Happy votaries—adepts in true Masonry—ever the zealous and most ardent admirers of natural and moral beauty ! for they are especially sensible of the beauties of that world , which , amongst the intelligent Greeks , knew no other name . And well indeed mig ht be styled Koo- ^ o ? , essential " BEAUTY ;' , '—for it excels , at once , in all the regularity of order , the exactness of proportion , the ° -low of colouring , the force of expression , and the strength of
design . . 4 . But future and more extensive discussions of this high and entertaining theme may , perhaps , through your honourable sanction engage my pen * . For the present—after what hath been already