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Article A MASONIC ANECDOTE Page 1 of 1 Article THE STATUE AND THE DREAMER. Page 1 of 2 →
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A Masonic Anecdote
A MASONIC ANECDOTE
FOUNDED ON FACT , AND CONVEYING A -MOST INSTRUCTIVE MORAL . SOME five years ago a certain Lodge in a certain province received a circular from head quarters denouncing the Freemasons' Quarterly Review , and prohibiting its perusal . The mandate was religiously obeyed . That Lodge has been gradually declining , in a great measure from the want of some intellectual impetus . Two other Lodges in the immediate neighbourhood have regularly subscribed toand read the
, excommunicated and inhibited periodical organ of Masonic intelligence . Those two Lodges are in a particularly active and thriving condition . The inference may fairly be drawn in favour of a publication that visibly unites a widely scattered host by one wide channel of useful and interesting information , so peculiarly necessary to the Fraternity and so well adapted for the library of every Lodge . A PROVINCIAL GRAND OFFICER .
The Statue And The Dreamer.
THE STATUE AND THE DREAMER .
THE feast of 29 th April , 1 S 4 G , had ended—the song had ceased—the guests had departed . Revelry , even drunkenness , had yielded to sleep —all was still—the silence of night had succeeded to the misguided orgies which for the time desecrated the temple , wherein none remained but the dreamer , who unconsciously slept at the base of the statue . His breathing was short and difficult ; he thought he was in another worldwhere spirits free from " mortal coil" were sitting in conclave
, reviewing the late scene , wherein the main principles of Freemasonry had been endangered . Among the spirits the dreamer traced the figures of those whose pictures adorn the Masonic hall , and also the " statue" of the late Grand Master . At length the statue moved ! the lips parted . ' all was mute attention in the grand Lodge of Shadows . Thus the statue spoke : — "My LordsBrethren by blood and by Masonic tie—Behold this
, , dreamer ! mark his troubled breathing ! well does it tell his sorrow at what has taken place : let us use caution , but yet be frank . He has been permitted by some unseen power to penetrate our mysterious passage and visit the Grand Lodge of Shadows , it may be for some great inexplicable cause , the effect of which the same power will doubtless make evident . You have been summoned to reflect on the conduct of the misguided Brethren who have converted the rational enjoyment of
the annual holiday or feast of the Grand Lodge of England into a mockery and derision , and have shewn to the profane world that it is possible for Freemasons to be forgetful of their duty ; both as regards their allegiance to the Order and their character as members of civil society . Ii we are removed from the ills that encompass mortality , we are not the less anxious for the happiness of those with whom we have been associated , and therefore lament most deeply the present dereliction from Masonic dignity . I implore of Masonic to
you , my compeers , declare your sentiments on this 'unhappy occurrence . '" Here the dreamer became so startled as to create a fear lest he might awaken ; the attention of the Blasonic shadows was fixed upon him , but especially that of the statue , who observed—'' Fear not , I know the dreamer ; he may be trusted , although an enthusiast . Hereafter I will endeavour to bring to your recollection some by-gone days ; our busi-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Masonic Anecdote
A MASONIC ANECDOTE
FOUNDED ON FACT , AND CONVEYING A -MOST INSTRUCTIVE MORAL . SOME five years ago a certain Lodge in a certain province received a circular from head quarters denouncing the Freemasons' Quarterly Review , and prohibiting its perusal . The mandate was religiously obeyed . That Lodge has been gradually declining , in a great measure from the want of some intellectual impetus . Two other Lodges in the immediate neighbourhood have regularly subscribed toand read the
, excommunicated and inhibited periodical organ of Masonic intelligence . Those two Lodges are in a particularly active and thriving condition . The inference may fairly be drawn in favour of a publication that visibly unites a widely scattered host by one wide channel of useful and interesting information , so peculiarly necessary to the Fraternity and so well adapted for the library of every Lodge . A PROVINCIAL GRAND OFFICER .
The Statue And The Dreamer.
THE STATUE AND THE DREAMER .
THE feast of 29 th April , 1 S 4 G , had ended—the song had ceased—the guests had departed . Revelry , even drunkenness , had yielded to sleep —all was still—the silence of night had succeeded to the misguided orgies which for the time desecrated the temple , wherein none remained but the dreamer , who unconsciously slept at the base of the statue . His breathing was short and difficult ; he thought he was in another worldwhere spirits free from " mortal coil" were sitting in conclave
, reviewing the late scene , wherein the main principles of Freemasonry had been endangered . Among the spirits the dreamer traced the figures of those whose pictures adorn the Masonic hall , and also the " statue" of the late Grand Master . At length the statue moved ! the lips parted . ' all was mute attention in the grand Lodge of Shadows . Thus the statue spoke : — "My LordsBrethren by blood and by Masonic tie—Behold this
, , dreamer ! mark his troubled breathing ! well does it tell his sorrow at what has taken place : let us use caution , but yet be frank . He has been permitted by some unseen power to penetrate our mysterious passage and visit the Grand Lodge of Shadows , it may be for some great inexplicable cause , the effect of which the same power will doubtless make evident . You have been summoned to reflect on the conduct of the misguided Brethren who have converted the rational enjoyment of
the annual holiday or feast of the Grand Lodge of England into a mockery and derision , and have shewn to the profane world that it is possible for Freemasons to be forgetful of their duty ; both as regards their allegiance to the Order and their character as members of civil society . Ii we are removed from the ills that encompass mortality , we are not the less anxious for the happiness of those with whom we have been associated , and therefore lament most deeply the present dereliction from Masonic dignity . I implore of Masonic to
you , my compeers , declare your sentiments on this 'unhappy occurrence . '" Here the dreamer became so startled as to create a fear lest he might awaken ; the attention of the Blasonic shadows was fixed upon him , but especially that of the statue , who observed—'' Fear not , I know the dreamer ; he may be trusted , although an enthusiast . Hereafter I will endeavour to bring to your recollection some by-gone days ; our busi-