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Article THE KEY STONE. ← Page 2 of 3 →
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The Key Stone.
Vainly Honestas proved by practical demonstration the sustaining power of the Arch . Vainly the Craftsmen offered to increase its strength , by their voluntary labour , till the doubts of Solomon should be satisfied . When reason and justice failed , he called in prerogative to his aid : and the work of Honestas was rejected with scorn , amid the triumphant sneers of the envious and the ignorant ; but to the openly avowed regret of the honest and sincere .
It was at the sunset hour , on the day in question , that Solomon quitted the recesses of his palace and walked forth to enjoy the evening air ; dissatisfied with himself , his steps led him to the banks of the hoarse brook of Kedron . The tombs of the Kings of Isreal were in the distance , their white forms gracefully rising from the dark wood of cypress and cedar by which they were surrounded . While with uneven steps he paced the bank , listening to the loud murmurs of the
gushing stream , or lost in the bitterness of those reflections which ever are the accompaniment of ill , Solomon encountered an aged Brother , whose voice had for many years been a stranger to his ears , but whose words even his Royal Father had listened to with fear and trembling , and whose occasional interference in the Craft had produced the happiest results . He was named Rebuke . Of a severe presence , and majestic port , he approached the Royal wanderer , and unmoved by the frown upon his brow , or the impatience of his air , thus proceeded to address
him"Can ' sl thou , with the tombs of thy predecessors before thee , still resolve to commit this injustice ? Does not the worm which tells thee thou art of earth arraign thee ? For , remember , that in the Lodge above , the royalty of Solomon and the humility of Honestas will be equal , and the Great Architect of all decide between you . Behold , " continued Rebuke , pointing to a solitary pelican , who with patient assiduity stood perched upon a fragment of rock , watching in the running
stream for the approach of its prey . For a few moments the bird remained motionless , as a statue ; suddenly its long neck was plunged into the waters , and it arose with its prize between its beak , directing its heavy flight towards the adjacent wood , where its impatient young expected their food . Scarcely had the laden bird risen from the waters when an eagle , that from the clouds had been watching the patient fisher , pounced
upon it ; with a scream the terrified pelican let fall its prey , wliich the regal tyrant of the air caught ere it reached the waters , and majestically sailed away with it to its distant eyrie ; while the disappointed and plundered bird returned again to its former station , again to watch and again , perhaps , to be deprived of the fruit of its labour . " Does not that incident convince thee , " exclaimed Rebuke , sternly gazing on the countenance of the troubled Solomon , " that the laws of right and of power
are at variance , and that man , when invested with the latter , never uses it to the prevention of justice , till , like the eagle , he follows only the animal instincts of his nature , and is deaf to the voice of reason and of truth . " " He who hath given to the eagle strength over the birds ofthe air , hath given to the Kings of the earth dominion over man . " _ " True , O King , " answered the Sage , " but the dominion of the one diff ' ereth from the dominion of the other ; inasmuch as the bird followeth the brute instinct of its nature , while man has reason for his guide . " " When the bird shall restore its prey , then , " exclaimed the irritated
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Key Stone.
Vainly Honestas proved by practical demonstration the sustaining power of the Arch . Vainly the Craftsmen offered to increase its strength , by their voluntary labour , till the doubts of Solomon should be satisfied . When reason and justice failed , he called in prerogative to his aid : and the work of Honestas was rejected with scorn , amid the triumphant sneers of the envious and the ignorant ; but to the openly avowed regret of the honest and sincere .
It was at the sunset hour , on the day in question , that Solomon quitted the recesses of his palace and walked forth to enjoy the evening air ; dissatisfied with himself , his steps led him to the banks of the hoarse brook of Kedron . The tombs of the Kings of Isreal were in the distance , their white forms gracefully rising from the dark wood of cypress and cedar by which they were surrounded . While with uneven steps he paced the bank , listening to the loud murmurs of the
gushing stream , or lost in the bitterness of those reflections which ever are the accompaniment of ill , Solomon encountered an aged Brother , whose voice had for many years been a stranger to his ears , but whose words even his Royal Father had listened to with fear and trembling , and whose occasional interference in the Craft had produced the happiest results . He was named Rebuke . Of a severe presence , and majestic port , he approached the Royal wanderer , and unmoved by the frown upon his brow , or the impatience of his air , thus proceeded to address
him"Can ' sl thou , with the tombs of thy predecessors before thee , still resolve to commit this injustice ? Does not the worm which tells thee thou art of earth arraign thee ? For , remember , that in the Lodge above , the royalty of Solomon and the humility of Honestas will be equal , and the Great Architect of all decide between you . Behold , " continued Rebuke , pointing to a solitary pelican , who with patient assiduity stood perched upon a fragment of rock , watching in the running
stream for the approach of its prey . For a few moments the bird remained motionless , as a statue ; suddenly its long neck was plunged into the waters , and it arose with its prize between its beak , directing its heavy flight towards the adjacent wood , where its impatient young expected their food . Scarcely had the laden bird risen from the waters when an eagle , that from the clouds had been watching the patient fisher , pounced
upon it ; with a scream the terrified pelican let fall its prey , wliich the regal tyrant of the air caught ere it reached the waters , and majestically sailed away with it to its distant eyrie ; while the disappointed and plundered bird returned again to its former station , again to watch and again , perhaps , to be deprived of the fruit of its labour . " Does not that incident convince thee , " exclaimed Rebuke , sternly gazing on the countenance of the troubled Solomon , " that the laws of right and of power
are at variance , and that man , when invested with the latter , never uses it to the prevention of justice , till , like the eagle , he follows only the animal instincts of his nature , and is deaf to the voice of reason and of truth . " " He who hath given to the eagle strength over the birds ofthe air , hath given to the Kings of the earth dominion over man . " _ " True , O King , " answered the Sage , " but the dominion of the one diff ' ereth from the dominion of the other ; inasmuch as the bird followeth the brute instinct of its nature , while man has reason for his guide . " " When the bird shall restore its prey , then , " exclaimed the irritated