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Article THE KEY STONE. Page 1 of 3 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Key Stone.
THE KEY STONE .
A FABLE . ' - Med ' eine disguisM in various forms we find : Fables are nied ' cines meant to heal the mind , On prowl and stubborn hearts their points may fail ; llut wisdom draws a moral from the talc . ' '
IT was the hour of High Twelve in Jerusalem , and the Craft had retired from their labour during the meridian heat . Descending from the sacred mountain the banded workmen might be seen hastening to refreshment . Here the Chaldean Sage , whose life had been passed in pursuing wisdom through Nature ' s most secret recesses , or Science ' s intricate arcana , walked calmly on , his high reflective brow wrinkled by study o ' er the midnight lamp . Anon , a number of the Princes or Chief their
Rulers of the Royal Art , raised by the friendship of their or own merits to that distinguished rank , swept stately by , returning with grave courtesy the respectful salutations of the humbler Craftsmen , who , grouped in various parties on the mount , were either discussing questions of deep interest , or absorbed in admiration of the majestic edifice which gracefully rose before them . The Temple , the proudest effort of human genius , for whose
construction earth had been rifled of her treasures , science , exhausted of her secrets , approached its long wished for completion . The Arch , whose sacred recess was to contain the Holy of Holies , required but the Key Stone to render it perfect ; and the day was already named on which the Royal Solomon , as Grand Master of the Sons of Lux , should fix the perfect Ashler amid the assembled tribes of rejoicing Isreal . That very day had the will of the Monarch been proclaimed , to the disaffection of the Craft , who beheld in the act an injustice to Honestas , one of the most skilful of their overseers , who had prepared with great labour a perfect key for the closing of the Arch , of peculiar excellence ,
originality , and beauty ; but whose work had been rejected by Solomon for reasons so weak that they rendered his real motives apparent—envy of its perfectness , and jealousy of the approbation it had excited . That very day the Grand Lodge had been assembled , and the work of Honestas displayed to the assembled Brethren . By the Workmen , experienced Masters , and a few of the independent Rulers of the Craft , it was received with acclamation ; for the design was a cube of perfect charitysquared by the chisel of good intentionsaccording to the scale
, , of strict integrity . Solomon viewed it coldly , for envy had entered into his heart , and its bitterness flowed from his tongue . After vainl y endeavouring to detect a fault , in the perfect work , he commenced by questioning its fitness , doubting whether it would assimilate with the other ornaments of the Arch ; fortunately models of them were at hand ; they consisted of two marble designs representing male and female helplessness , pure in their design and almost perfect in their execution .
The work of Honestas was placed between them , and many shouted with joy at the harmonious effect : for on the cube was engraved in relief , the form of an Aged Builder , bowed down by labour and infirmity , receiving support from the healthy and strong of his Order . " True it is , " exclaimed the Royal Master , gazing upon them with a disdainful eye , " that the intention is good . I can but approve of the design , although I regret its impracticability . The Arch is incapable of the weight of the work proposed , and instead of proving a Key Stone to cement the whole , it would cause its ultimate destruction . " vor _ . vnr . F
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Key Stone.
THE KEY STONE .
A FABLE . ' - Med ' eine disguisM in various forms we find : Fables are nied ' cines meant to heal the mind , On prowl and stubborn hearts their points may fail ; llut wisdom draws a moral from the talc . ' '
IT was the hour of High Twelve in Jerusalem , and the Craft had retired from their labour during the meridian heat . Descending from the sacred mountain the banded workmen might be seen hastening to refreshment . Here the Chaldean Sage , whose life had been passed in pursuing wisdom through Nature ' s most secret recesses , or Science ' s intricate arcana , walked calmly on , his high reflective brow wrinkled by study o ' er the midnight lamp . Anon , a number of the Princes or Chief their
Rulers of the Royal Art , raised by the friendship of their or own merits to that distinguished rank , swept stately by , returning with grave courtesy the respectful salutations of the humbler Craftsmen , who , grouped in various parties on the mount , were either discussing questions of deep interest , or absorbed in admiration of the majestic edifice which gracefully rose before them . The Temple , the proudest effort of human genius , for whose
construction earth had been rifled of her treasures , science , exhausted of her secrets , approached its long wished for completion . The Arch , whose sacred recess was to contain the Holy of Holies , required but the Key Stone to render it perfect ; and the day was already named on which the Royal Solomon , as Grand Master of the Sons of Lux , should fix the perfect Ashler amid the assembled tribes of rejoicing Isreal . That very day had the will of the Monarch been proclaimed , to the disaffection of the Craft , who beheld in the act an injustice to Honestas , one of the most skilful of their overseers , who had prepared with great labour a perfect key for the closing of the Arch , of peculiar excellence ,
originality , and beauty ; but whose work had been rejected by Solomon for reasons so weak that they rendered his real motives apparent—envy of its perfectness , and jealousy of the approbation it had excited . That very day the Grand Lodge had been assembled , and the work of Honestas displayed to the assembled Brethren . By the Workmen , experienced Masters , and a few of the independent Rulers of the Craft , it was received with acclamation ; for the design was a cube of perfect charitysquared by the chisel of good intentionsaccording to the scale
, , of strict integrity . Solomon viewed it coldly , for envy had entered into his heart , and its bitterness flowed from his tongue . After vainl y endeavouring to detect a fault , in the perfect work , he commenced by questioning its fitness , doubting whether it would assimilate with the other ornaments of the Arch ; fortunately models of them were at hand ; they consisted of two marble designs representing male and female helplessness , pure in their design and almost perfect in their execution .
The work of Honestas was placed between them , and many shouted with joy at the harmonious effect : for on the cube was engraved in relief , the form of an Aged Builder , bowed down by labour and infirmity , receiving support from the healthy and strong of his Order . " True it is , " exclaimed the Royal Master , gazing upon them with a disdainful eye , " that the intention is good . I can but approve of the design , although I regret its impracticability . The Arch is incapable of the weight of the work proposed , and instead of proving a Key Stone to cement the whole , it would cause its ultimate destruction . " vor _ . vnr . F