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Article THE MASON'S DREAM. ← Page 2 of 2
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The Mason's Dream.
But from the grateful tears by children shed , Who , snatch'd from want , partake the Mason ' s bread ; From honest poverty ' s warm , heartfelt prayer , Saved by the Mason from its lone despair . And shall such friends of Charity and Truth , Not reap in age the harvest of their youth ? Shall those whose hands in affluence freely gave
, In poverty and sorrow seek the grave ? Shall no home shelter the grey Mason ' s head ? Doom'd in his age to ask his daily bread ; Of all the temples to the Craft endear'd , Shall but one pile to charity be rear'd * ? Forbid it THOU , who , in the human heart Didst all life ' s gushing sympathies impart ,
Its generous tear , its pity for distress . Its impulse to relieve the fatherless ; Those perfect parts of an imperfect whole , Those mortal signs of an immortal soul . Such was the thought that e ' en in that bright hour Shadow'd my spirit with its chilling power . For I had known the good and just bereft Of life ' s bare means , no place of shelter left ;
Brothers who ne ' er the suppliant ' s prayer denied , But with free hand his pressing want supplied ; Had seen their struggles , grief , and honest shame , Too proud to ask , fearing a beggar ' s name ; Their sorrows known when but too late to save Worth and distress from an untimely grave . Transient the thought;—for , lo ! on either side ,
I saw the portals of the Lodge divide ; BENEVOLENCE appeared , —bearing a plan Of humble refuge for the aged man ; The time-worn Masons' temple—a design Of earthly skill ; but charity divine Then burst on high the loud triumphant hymn Of praise , of joy , of gratitude to HIM ,
Creator—Tutor—Architect , who gave The heart to frame , the generous hand to save . The virtues crowding round , approved , the while Mercy beheld it with a joyful smile ; A smile as pure as ere was given By soul redeem'd , just wing'd for heaven ; Her holy , heartfelt prayer in dulcet tone Rose with that hymn to th' Eternal ' s throne , A gush of rapture from an angel ' s voice , That bade the sorrowing sons of earth rejoice .
As o ' er my soul , the flood of music broke , In tears from that blest dream my spirit woke . A WANDERING BROTHER . Stnuburg , August , 18 th , 183 fi .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Mason's Dream.
But from the grateful tears by children shed , Who , snatch'd from want , partake the Mason ' s bread ; From honest poverty ' s warm , heartfelt prayer , Saved by the Mason from its lone despair . And shall such friends of Charity and Truth , Not reap in age the harvest of their youth ? Shall those whose hands in affluence freely gave
, In poverty and sorrow seek the grave ? Shall no home shelter the grey Mason ' s head ? Doom'd in his age to ask his daily bread ; Of all the temples to the Craft endear'd , Shall but one pile to charity be rear'd * ? Forbid it THOU , who , in the human heart Didst all life ' s gushing sympathies impart ,
Its generous tear , its pity for distress . Its impulse to relieve the fatherless ; Those perfect parts of an imperfect whole , Those mortal signs of an immortal soul . Such was the thought that e ' en in that bright hour Shadow'd my spirit with its chilling power . For I had known the good and just bereft Of life ' s bare means , no place of shelter left ;
Brothers who ne ' er the suppliant ' s prayer denied , But with free hand his pressing want supplied ; Had seen their struggles , grief , and honest shame , Too proud to ask , fearing a beggar ' s name ; Their sorrows known when but too late to save Worth and distress from an untimely grave . Transient the thought;—for , lo ! on either side ,
I saw the portals of the Lodge divide ; BENEVOLENCE appeared , —bearing a plan Of humble refuge for the aged man ; The time-worn Masons' temple—a design Of earthly skill ; but charity divine Then burst on high the loud triumphant hymn Of praise , of joy , of gratitude to HIM ,
Creator—Tutor—Architect , who gave The heart to frame , the generous hand to save . The virtues crowding round , approved , the while Mercy beheld it with a joyful smile ; A smile as pure as ere was given By soul redeem'd , just wing'd for heaven ; Her holy , heartfelt prayer in dulcet tone Rose with that hymn to th' Eternal ' s throne , A gush of rapture from an angel ' s voice , That bade the sorrowing sons of earth rejoice .
As o ' er my soul , the flood of music broke , In tears from that blest dream my spirit woke . A WANDERING BROTHER . Stnuburg , August , 18 th , 183 fi .