Wonders Of Operative Masonry.

'Tis the soft chanted choral song , Whose tones the echoing aisles prolong . The boatmen on Nith ' s gentle stream , That glistens in the pale moonbeam , Suspend their dashing oars to hear The holy anthem loud ancl clear ;

Each worldly thought a while forbear , Ancl mutter forth a half formed prayer . But as I gaze , the vision fails , Like frostwork touched by southern gales . The altar sinks , the tapers fade , Ancl all the splendid scene ' s decayed

In window fair the painted pane No longer glows with holy stain , But through the broken glass the gale 'Blows chilly from the misty vale ; The bird of eve flits sullen by , Her home these aisles ancl arches hi gh !

The choral hymn that erst so clear Broke softly sweet on Fancy ' s ear , Is drowned amid the mournful scream That breaks the magic of my dream ! Roused by the sound I start and see The ruined sad reality !

On Father Foy's Notes.

ON FATHER FOY'S NOTES .

BY THE EDITOR . As we remarked in our last number , in our editorial comments , we have published Father Foy ' s Notes , though , to our mind , they proved nothing ; and we think it well

for several ' reasons to recur to the subject to-day . We find that Ave have made a mistake as to Von Knigge , ( it is always better to acknowledge our errors manfully ) , as there is no evidence that ho changed his religionand it is generally said b

, y English writers that ho died at Bremen , in 1796 . Von Hund changed his religion , and is buried before the hi gh altar in Melrichstadt . As regards Weishaupt , though some say that he was adverse to the Jesuitsothers believe that he began as a

, Jesuit , and founded Ilhiniinatisin on tho Jesuit model . The only good thing about him that we know is that he died peaceably at Gotha , under the protection of the reigning Grand Duke . And now what we want to ask Father

Foy is , what has he proved , even " after the manner of the schools , " by this plethora of invective and incrimination ? His lectures were delivered at Hastings , to English mon and English women . Does he wish to contend that such views or

practices exists in Freemasonry in Great Britain , or Canada , or America—or any portion of Continental Freemasonry , now 1 If not , what does it all prove 1 He can hardly venture to say that they door even insinuate that such doctrines

, and discreditable acts ]) revail at present anywhere—because ho knows as well as we do that such a statement would he a direct and deliberate falsehood .

Then why revert to the perverted proceedings of some semi-maniacs in a former generation whose proceedings have always been disavowed by all true Freemasons ? That at Paris some " osprits forts " may , about the time of the French Revolution ,

have taken up " Ilhiniinatisin , " and used it for the base purposes of a deplorable and detestable teaching , wo do not deny—but they had nothing to do with Freemasonry , and Freemasonry had nothing to do with them . As for"Egalito Orleans" be was

, practically expelled in degradation from tho Grand Orient of France , and no name is held more in contempt and loathing among honest Freemasons than his ! Mirabeau may have been an " Illumine , " though we do not believe that he was a

Freemason , ( for Freemasonry is not Illuminatism ) , but , whatever ho was , his proceedings will be disavowed by all loyal Freemasons .

We are among those who regret very much the position that many Continental Freemasons often take up , as against religion and the Roman Catholic Church , though we feel bound to say , that Rome has no one to thank but herself for the

bitterness she has called forth , and tho antagonism which she has brought about . No one can paint in too strong colours the intolerance , the irreligious anathemata , tho illegal violence of Allocutions and Interdicts which since the Bull of Clement , have distinguished the Romish Curia and the

Roman Catholic authorities . We are also among those who deploreespecially in France ancl Belgium—the proceedings of the " libres penseurs , " and openly disavow all sympathy either with