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Article MASONIC REMINISCENCES. ← Page 4 of 8 →
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Masonic Reminiscences.
instance just occurs to me , of an eminent medical friend" * in a nei ghbouring city , who happened to be on board a ship seized by pirates , when the Jii'es of the whole crew and passengers were saved , and the red hand of the murderous pirate ivas arrested in Ms work of carnage and plunder , on beholding a Masonic emblem . . « -. ' "Yes , that ruthless man of blood became humanised ; . the . hell-fire
ivhich evil passions had lighted up in his eyes , became dimmed with an unaccustomed tear on seeing that symbol of peace and love from a shrine at which he knelt in his earlier and happier days , and where he imbibed those lessons of moral beauty ancl truth that long years of sin and crime were not able wholly to obliterate . In the field of deadly conflict , men in adverse ranks have been known to turn aside the sword on receiving
that SIGN by which brother recognizes brother . "Hope never can desert the breast of the true Mason : on the trackless deep , in the wildest solitude , the star of Masonry cheers him on—even there in Ms hour of peril and desolation , when despair seizes all around , for him the spring in the desert may well up , and in the reckless pirate or the wild wandering Arab , he may find a brother and a friend . " A burst of applause greeted the good man on his conclusion , and even
the cynic reluctantly admitted that Ms defence of Masonry was powerful and enthusiastic , ancl did him honour as a Man , a Mason , and a Clergyman . Mid scenes and discussions like these were our early notions of Masonry nurtured ; ancl it will not surprise , if the impressions made on our youthful mind should " grow with our growth , and strengthen with
our strength , " and produce in us aspirations to seek admission into an Order of which we had heard such favourable report—an honour ivhich in due time we sought , and won with higher and better feeligs , ive trust , than mere curiosity . And if our readers will deign to accompany us through the pains and pleasures of our Masonic recollections , though we cannot promise even
our fair friends admission behind the scenes , or an accurate knowledge of that grand secret which we are supposed to possess , yet shall they be made acquainted wiih some of the sayings and doings of one of the oldest and most interesting societies in the world ; and we hope so to place before them those Masonic and other incidents , grave or gay , as they emerge from the past and float along the tide of our memory , as shall , mayhap , amuse if not instruct , and enable the uninitiated curious to arrive at a fair judgment on the merits of our ancient Order .
CHAPTER II . —A FATAL DUEL—OUR INITIATION . THOUGH years of eventful interest in our life ' s history have rolled by since we first saw the glorious light of Masonry in one of the crack Lodges of the Sister Isle , still are the startling minutiffi of that ( to us ) awful night as bright and vivid in our memory as the scenes of yesterday .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Reminiscences.
instance just occurs to me , of an eminent medical friend" * in a nei ghbouring city , who happened to be on board a ship seized by pirates , when the Jii'es of the whole crew and passengers were saved , and the red hand of the murderous pirate ivas arrested in Ms work of carnage and plunder , on beholding a Masonic emblem . . « -. ' "Yes , that ruthless man of blood became humanised ; . the . hell-fire
ivhich evil passions had lighted up in his eyes , became dimmed with an unaccustomed tear on seeing that symbol of peace and love from a shrine at which he knelt in his earlier and happier days , and where he imbibed those lessons of moral beauty ancl truth that long years of sin and crime were not able wholly to obliterate . In the field of deadly conflict , men in adverse ranks have been known to turn aside the sword on receiving
that SIGN by which brother recognizes brother . "Hope never can desert the breast of the true Mason : on the trackless deep , in the wildest solitude , the star of Masonry cheers him on—even there in Ms hour of peril and desolation , when despair seizes all around , for him the spring in the desert may well up , and in the reckless pirate or the wild wandering Arab , he may find a brother and a friend . " A burst of applause greeted the good man on his conclusion , and even
the cynic reluctantly admitted that Ms defence of Masonry was powerful and enthusiastic , ancl did him honour as a Man , a Mason , and a Clergyman . Mid scenes and discussions like these were our early notions of Masonry nurtured ; ancl it will not surprise , if the impressions made on our youthful mind should " grow with our growth , and strengthen with
our strength , " and produce in us aspirations to seek admission into an Order of which we had heard such favourable report—an honour ivhich in due time we sought , and won with higher and better feeligs , ive trust , than mere curiosity . And if our readers will deign to accompany us through the pains and pleasures of our Masonic recollections , though we cannot promise even
our fair friends admission behind the scenes , or an accurate knowledge of that grand secret which we are supposed to possess , yet shall they be made acquainted wiih some of the sayings and doings of one of the oldest and most interesting societies in the world ; and we hope so to place before them those Masonic and other incidents , grave or gay , as they emerge from the past and float along the tide of our memory , as shall , mayhap , amuse if not instruct , and enable the uninitiated curious to arrive at a fair judgment on the merits of our ancient Order .
CHAPTER II . —A FATAL DUEL—OUR INITIATION . THOUGH years of eventful interest in our life ' s history have rolled by since we first saw the glorious light of Masonry in one of the crack Lodges of the Sister Isle , still are the startling minutiffi of that ( to us ) awful night as bright and vivid in our memory as the scenes of yesterday .