Then And Now And Then.

past , and almost altogether forgotten ; when , too , the little ones will cluster round our knee , and ¦ we wish an exuberance of joy , as great if not as loud as theirs , wiU welcome in the birthday of our infant king ; for 'if the vision be not already realized , we shall not have long to wait e ' er we

join that child-like throng in that blest place of His , where sin nor sorrow mar our pleasures more ; for there will be for ever peace , and then shall we taste the reality of His goodwill to men of which we sing at each recurring Christmastide .

Christmas, 1876.

CHRISTMAS , 1876 .

So Christmas comes once more to-day , With all its tender grace , Revealing in its loving way ,

Its joyous , pleasant face ; Yes , once again -we greet thee , Old Christmas , fair and bland , Yes , once again ws meet thee , With many a joyous band 1

For in this weary world of ours , Amid its toils and strife , Through sadden'd thoughts and jaded powers , In the solitude of life , Kind Christmas comes to lighten , The pathway of our feet , Its glad words seem to brighten Full mart and crowded street .

For all of us a message , Each Christmas fain would bring , A sign , a sacred presage , Ot Trust ' s perennial spring ; Since in it songs of mystic glee , In its carols of " dear peace , " It tells of loyal hearts and free , Bright hopes that never cease .

Not merely of this earthly earth , Not of this world alone , Arc the great truths which then had birth , When thc Star of Promise shone ; But nations different and far , Like those solemn Seers and Kings , Can still rejoice mid war and jar , In that Peace which Christmas brings .

And so when round the bnlliant tree , You pleasant gathering ' s mustering , When in all of tender unity , Youth full of grace is clustering , When mid that genial "horde" and . fair , We look on no vacant place , When mid the gay " tribe " gathered there , Wc miss no radiant face ;

When all is joy , and peace , and love , When no one now is sad , When all around , beneath , above , Is bright , and pure , and glad j When youth in its golden glories , When maturity serene , And old age , with its stories , Adorn the transient scene ;

*) h then remember , loving hearts , Seek to recall fair youth , What Christmas still in love imparts , To all in its solemn truth ; How it tells mid its hearty greeting , And amidst the hurrying years , Of purer joys and a truer meeting , Of the end of human tears .

Yes Christmas bids us all rejoice . Rejoice from our inmost heart , To the living it has still a voice , As years on years depart ; It seems to welcome with open door , Its tale is a tale of love , It whispers of some suffering poor , It points to a Heaven above .

So then as glad you gather now , Arouml each Christmas tree , As with loving hope and tender vow , You keep festivity ; Remember some who sorely pining , Are suffering everywhere , And may the Light of Heaven shining , Bless your gathering so fair .

To all kind faces , gentle eyes , To heroes short and tall , To the old birds so grave and wise , To Christmasscrs one and all ; I wish them a hearty greeting , Not forgetting- the " far away , " A very pleasant Christmas meeting , Avery happy Christmas day .

Multum In Parbo; Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

Multum in Parbo ; or Masonic Notes and Queries .

WILLIAM J AMES HUGHAN . DR . RAWLINSON ' MSS .

The editor of the Freemason , and other brethren , have often alluded to the MSS . in the Bodleian , which were once the property of Bro . Rawlinson , LL . D ., and apparently collected from about 1720 to 1740 . Some of the early numbers

of the Freemasons' Magazine contained many choice selections from the learned Doctor ' s scrap book , and yet far from exhausted the collection . The following " charge" is doubtless the original of the one so well known and respected in our Entered Apprentice Lodge , and cannot be less than a century and a half of antiquity .

" A Short Charge to be given to new admitted Brethren . " You are now admitted by ye unanimous Consent of our Lodge , a Fellow of our most Ancient and Honourable SOCIETY , Antient , as having subsisted from times immemorial : and

Honourable , as tending in every particular to render a Man so that will be but conformable to its glorious Precepts . The greatest Monarchs in all Ages , as well of Asia and Africa as of Europe , have been Encouragers of the Royal Art ; and many of them have presided as Grand

Masters over the Masons in their respective territories , not thinking it any lessening to their Imperial Dignities to Level themselves with their Brethren in MASONRY , and to act as they did . "THE World's great Architect is our Supreme Master , and the unerring Rule he has given us ,

is that by which we work . " RELIGIOUS disputes are never suffered in the Lodges ; which Principle Cements and Unites men of tho most different principles in one universal Band , and brings together those who were ye most distant from one another . "There are three general Heads of Duty ,

which MASONS ought always to inculcate , viz . to God , our Neighbour , and our-seives . " To Gon , in never mentioning his Name but with that Reverential Awe which becomes a Creature to bear his Creator , and to Icok upon him always as the SUMUM-BONUM- | - which we came into the world to enjoy , and according to that view to regulate all our

Pursuits . "To our Neighbours , by acting upon the Square , or doing as we would be done by . " To ourselves , in avoiding all Intemperance , whereby we may be rendered incapable of following our Work , or led into Behaviour unbecoming our laudable Profession , and in always

keeping within due Bounds , and free from all Excesses . "IN the State , a MASON is to behave as a peaceable and dutiful Subject , conforming cheerfully to the Government under which he lives . " He is to pay a due Deference to his Supsriors , and from his Inferiors , he is rather to receive HONOUR with some Reluctance , than to

extort it . " HB is to be a man of Benevolence and Charity , not sitting down contented while his Fellow Creatures , but much more his Brethren

are in Want ; when it is in his Power , ( without prejudicing himself or Family ) , to relieve them . " In the Lodge , he is to behave with all due Di-coraiD , lest the Beauty or Harmony thereof should be disturbed or broke .

" He is to be obedient to the Master , Presiding Officers , and to apply himself closely lo the business of MASONRY , that he may sooner become a Proficient therein , both for his own Credit and that of the Lodge .

" He is not to neglect his own necessary Avocations for the sake of MASONRY , nor to involve himself in Quarrels with those who through Ignorance may speak evil of , or ridicule it . " He is to be a Lover ofthe Arts and Sciences , and to take all Opportunities of improving

himself therein . " If he recommends a Friend to be made a MASON , he must vouch him to be such as he really believes will conform to the aforesaid Duties , lest by his Misconduct at any time the Lodge should pass under seaae evil Imputations .

Multum In Parbo; Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

Nothing can prove more shocking to all faithful MASONS , than to see any of their Brethren profane or break though the Rules of their Order , and such as can do it they wish had never been admitted , " A curious letter is inserted under the heading

of " Masonic Antiquities ' in the Magazine referred to , which is a portion of the collection , and is taken from the " Grand Mystery , " & c , of 172 . 5 . It was the and edition of that curious work , the first of which ( reprinted 1867 by

" The Masonic Archaeological Society of Cincinnati , Ohio ) contains no such reference . When read in connection with the Dedication to "Long Livers" of 172 a ( reprinted in the Masonic Magazine ) it forms a curious study for the Masonic antiquary .

"A L ETTER TO A F RIEND C ONCERNING THE S OCIETY OF F REEMASONS . " SIR , —The Command , you have been pleased to lay upon me , is not to be discharged in a few

Words : You require of me , lo give you an account of the Fraternity ( as you are pleas'd to term it ) which call themselves FREEMASONS ; together with my opinion about them , and their Tenets .

" This , SIR , will cause some little Time to be spent ; first , in Enquiry after their Tenets ; and then in maturely judging and reasoning upon ' em : for rash and unpremeditated Determinations in such Matters , will only expose their Authors ; and give Strength and Reputation to

the opposite Parties . "As for their Tenets , they seem to be all Riddle and Mystery , to every Body but themselves ; and I make a Doubt , whether or no , they be able to give any fair and satisfactory Account of ' em . By what I can learn they are

nnder an Oath or some solemn obligatory Tie . not to make known or divulge their Arcana to any , except to members of their own Society . This I presume , is because they are either so nonsensically ludicrous , and foolish , or else so horribly lewd , and blasphemous , that they will not endure a Publick Censure .

"lhey set a huge Value upon themselves , in regard of being Free-Masons : entertaining strange , awkward Notions of the word Masons ; such as it never had belonging to it in Hebrew , G .-eek , Latin , English , or , I believe in any language under Heaven . They seem to be listed

under the Patronage of Hiram , the King of Tyre , who was doubtless an Heathen , unless converted to Judaism after his acquaintance with Solomon : They tell strange foppish Stories of a Tree , which grew out of Hiram ' s Tomb , with wonderful Leaves , and Fruit of a monstrous Quality

although at the same Time , they know neither where , nor when he dy'd ; nor anything more of his Tomb , than they do of Pompey ' s . But to stop the Mouths of their ignorant , crack brain'd Disciples , ( such as Ale-house keepers , Butchers , Corn-cutters , & c . ) some of their principal

Thattmatergoi lugg em by the Ears with a bombast Gypsie-like jargon , whichthey call Arabick ; although 1 am morally certain , that not one of the Society knows any more ofthe Arabick Language that I do of the CHINESE . "Upon the account SIR of this stupendous

Bocardo , they assume to themselves the August Title of Kabalists ; or rather , as I submissively conjecture , Cabalists * . i . e . A knot of whimsical delirious Wretches , who are caballing together , to extirpate all manner of Science , Reason , and Religion out of the World .

" To explain the senseless and irrational Mod' * of their Proceedings , I shall ask you or them , Or all the world ; whether ' twas ever known , that Men of common Sense and Discretion , did profess themselves to be of an Imployment orOccupation , which they knew nothing at all of ? As for

instance , SIR , would you not take that man to be qualified for Bedlam , that should call himself a Goldsmith , when his Business is to mend Shoes ? and would it not make you laugh , to hear a Fellow call himself a Lapidary , when he

gets his Living by sweeping of Chimneys ? Yet this is exactly the Case of Free-Masons ; Every Member forsooth is a Free-Mason ; although theie be some Divines , some Pettifoggers , some Thread-makers , Taylors and Weavers , and an huge Bead-roll beside * , of Men calling them-