Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Song
SONG
COMPOSED FOR THE OCCASION BY BROTHER II . IV . T ., AND SUNG BY HIMSELF , AT SIMLAH , JUNE 24 , 1839 . Iii the hills of the far East , ' mid tempest and snow , I wander'd in darkness , no kindly ray near me , Unfriended and wearilysadly and slow ;
, No Craftsman to teach , and no Brother to cheer me . When lo ! on my sight broke a mansion of light , So fair was the structure , its lustre so bright , That I cried on tlie instant , " a Mason alone Could have raised the high pillar , and levell'd the stone . "
Yes ; here in the desert a temple arose , By Wisdom constructed , in strength and in beauty ; Wide open her portals—for these never close On the searcher for truth , who would learn man ' s first duty 'Mid forest and wild , as the edifice smiled , My heart was elated , my care was beguiled , For I said , " ' twas the hand of a Mason alone , Who could raise the fair structure , and level the stone . "
All hail to thee , Masonry ! fairest and best ! Thou spirit that set'st man ' s best feeling in motion ! Thou truest of bonds , that stand ' st firm to the test , Through the perils of war , and the dangers of ocean On far Africa ' s sand , thy pedestals stand , In the snow of the Andes , on Zembla ' s bleak strand ! And now , tall Himala , thy presence has known , Where thou ' st set up thy pillar , and levell'd the stone
And who was the Master , whose provident care Call'd the Brotherhood round him , and taught them their duty ? Who trimm'd the rough ashler , with plum-line and square , Till his Lodge rose around him in grandeur and beauty ?—Macdonald ! 'twas you , thou good Mason and true . — Come , give we thee honour , where honour is due ; His skill and his patience , combining alone , Could have raised the high pillar , and polish'd the stone .
And , now ' tis erected , let Brethren combine , To deck by their labour the building around them—Let fair Charity ' s blossoms its pillars entwine , And the flowers of true friendship , full blooming , surround them . Who works on the square , must be honest and fair ; Who keeps ivithin compass , no error can share ; And such , the true Mason , whose Crafts-skill alone . Makes him even his life , as he evens the stone .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Song
SONG
COMPOSED FOR THE OCCASION BY BROTHER II . IV . T ., AND SUNG BY HIMSELF , AT SIMLAH , JUNE 24 , 1839 . Iii the hills of the far East , ' mid tempest and snow , I wander'd in darkness , no kindly ray near me , Unfriended and wearilysadly and slow ;
, No Craftsman to teach , and no Brother to cheer me . When lo ! on my sight broke a mansion of light , So fair was the structure , its lustre so bright , That I cried on tlie instant , " a Mason alone Could have raised the high pillar , and levell'd the stone . "
Yes ; here in the desert a temple arose , By Wisdom constructed , in strength and in beauty ; Wide open her portals—for these never close On the searcher for truth , who would learn man ' s first duty 'Mid forest and wild , as the edifice smiled , My heart was elated , my care was beguiled , For I said , " ' twas the hand of a Mason alone , Who could raise the fair structure , and level the stone . "
All hail to thee , Masonry ! fairest and best ! Thou spirit that set'st man ' s best feeling in motion ! Thou truest of bonds , that stand ' st firm to the test , Through the perils of war , and the dangers of ocean On far Africa ' s sand , thy pedestals stand , In the snow of the Andes , on Zembla ' s bleak strand ! And now , tall Himala , thy presence has known , Where thou ' st set up thy pillar , and levell'd the stone
And who was the Master , whose provident care Call'd the Brotherhood round him , and taught them their duty ? Who trimm'd the rough ashler , with plum-line and square , Till his Lodge rose around him in grandeur and beauty ?—Macdonald ! 'twas you , thou good Mason and true . — Come , give we thee honour , where honour is due ; His skill and his patience , combining alone , Could have raised the high pillar , and polish'd the stone .
And , now ' tis erected , let Brethren combine , To deck by their labour the building around them—Let fair Charity ' s blossoms its pillars entwine , And the flowers of true friendship , full blooming , surround them . Who works on the square , must be honest and fair ; Who keeps ivithin compass , no error can share ; And such , the true Mason , whose Crafts-skill alone . Makes him even his life , as he evens the stone .