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Article THREE CHRISTMAS EVES. ← Page 3 of 8 →
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Three Christmas Eves.
however , before Brother Chapman had informed us that that Brother was very ill , that ho had come over in the Ethel , that he was staying in the house , and that he had told Brother Goodwin , the host , that he was a member of our Lodge , all of those who were members with him were dead save one , of friends in the outside world he was few words of and
utterly bereaved , and that it was his earnest wish to say a greeting encouragement to those who had succeeded his departed friends of this his Mother Lodge . We noticed Brother Blunderbore start uneasily at this recital , but as he was an eccentric , although , as we believed , thoroughly good-hearted old man , we only put it down to senile fidgetiness , and paid no further heed to it . "' Let him be admitted' said our Worshiful Masterand the door being flung wide
, p , open , there was borne in on a chair by Brother . Goodwin and the Tyler , and set down at the western end of the Lodge , a hoary-headed man , bowed apparently with age , : down whose breast flowed a white beard , which imparted to him such a venerable : aspect , that instinctively many a man in Lodge had flashed through his mind the ' ¦ ¦ thought that surely our Master Hiram must be there in person .
" Slowly the old man rose , and standing for a moment , supported by the Senior i Warden and his Deacon , upon whose shoulders he leaned on either side , he gravely saluted the Master and greeted the Lodge with hearty good wishes for Christmas-tide , ' apologizing for thus temporarily stopping the proceedings ; and saying that before we ; parted , he had a few words to say ,- he fell back into , rather than resumed , his seat ; after i which he was borne to the place of honour in the East . ¦
" The proceedings then went on until , at the proper time , the Master , looking across to our visitor , bade him as the oldest Past Master present to give the Charge to our . newly raised Brother . " Again rising slowly from his seat , and leaning upon his Brethren on either side , he i impressively rendered those words of solemn counsel and obligation . Beginning weakly ' at firstthe old man's voice rose and strengthened as he proceededuntil the weighty
, , sentences poured out in a powerful and musical cadence . The Charge being finished , he toned to the Master and said , — " ' Worshipful Master , my heart longs to say a few words on this my second reunion ! with my Mother Lodge ; whilst my failing strength admonishes me that I may not long I delay , I'crave your indulgence and that of my Brethren here assembled , whilst I pour ; forth what may be my last utterances before I enter
\ "' The undiscovered country , from whose bourn No traveller returns . ' - " 'Years ago—so many that I can scarce call to remembrance the number—on such a night as this : —on Christmas Eve—a young man full of life and vigour , full of health ancl promise , I was made a Mason in this very room . I thought but little at that time of our noblfe Craft , and attended its meetings but now ancl then , just for the companionshiof those I knew and respectedThings went well with meandafter a year ' s
p . , , courtship , I took to me to my wife , my darling Mary ' "Here the poor old man's tears fell thickly , and he shook as if he would have fallen . Collecting himself , however , by an enormous effort of will , he went on , — " 'One darling girl , the image of my Mary , was given to bless our union , and on her all the wealth of our united love was lavished . When she was three years old , we one day received a letter from a port on the Spanish coast to say that Mary ' s uncle , who had
[ been a second father to her , was lying there at the point of death , and that he was wishful to see her before he died . We knew not what to do ; go , we felt , we must ; but ^ yhat about our little one ? It was winter , and stormy weather , too , and we dared not Wsk her precious life , whatever we might feel bound to do with regard to our own . At last a worthy brother , ' —here the speaker ' s eye , wandering round the Lodge , lighted -or a moment Brother Blunderborewho again the start that I
on , gave same nervous aad seen before . The old man , however , did not seem to notice it , but proceeded , — took charge of her , promising that he would guard her as his own ; and we started . " 'Before we went—what made me do it I cannotted—doubtless the Great Architect § aided me- —I took from my chain a small Masonic charm—the seal of our Royal Grand
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Three Christmas Eves.
however , before Brother Chapman had informed us that that Brother was very ill , that ho had come over in the Ethel , that he was staying in the house , and that he had told Brother Goodwin , the host , that he was a member of our Lodge , all of those who were members with him were dead save one , of friends in the outside world he was few words of and
utterly bereaved , and that it was his earnest wish to say a greeting encouragement to those who had succeeded his departed friends of this his Mother Lodge . We noticed Brother Blunderbore start uneasily at this recital , but as he was an eccentric , although , as we believed , thoroughly good-hearted old man , we only put it down to senile fidgetiness , and paid no further heed to it . "' Let him be admitted' said our Worshiful Masterand the door being flung wide
, p , open , there was borne in on a chair by Brother . Goodwin and the Tyler , and set down at the western end of the Lodge , a hoary-headed man , bowed apparently with age , : down whose breast flowed a white beard , which imparted to him such a venerable : aspect , that instinctively many a man in Lodge had flashed through his mind the ' ¦ ¦ thought that surely our Master Hiram must be there in person .
" Slowly the old man rose , and standing for a moment , supported by the Senior i Warden and his Deacon , upon whose shoulders he leaned on either side , he gravely saluted the Master and greeted the Lodge with hearty good wishes for Christmas-tide , ' apologizing for thus temporarily stopping the proceedings ; and saying that before we ; parted , he had a few words to say ,- he fell back into , rather than resumed , his seat ; after i which he was borne to the place of honour in the East . ¦
" The proceedings then went on until , at the proper time , the Master , looking across to our visitor , bade him as the oldest Past Master present to give the Charge to our . newly raised Brother . " Again rising slowly from his seat , and leaning upon his Brethren on either side , he i impressively rendered those words of solemn counsel and obligation . Beginning weakly ' at firstthe old man's voice rose and strengthened as he proceededuntil the weighty
, , sentences poured out in a powerful and musical cadence . The Charge being finished , he toned to the Master and said , — " ' Worshipful Master , my heart longs to say a few words on this my second reunion ! with my Mother Lodge ; whilst my failing strength admonishes me that I may not long I delay , I'crave your indulgence and that of my Brethren here assembled , whilst I pour ; forth what may be my last utterances before I enter
\ "' The undiscovered country , from whose bourn No traveller returns . ' - " 'Years ago—so many that I can scarce call to remembrance the number—on such a night as this : —on Christmas Eve—a young man full of life and vigour , full of health ancl promise , I was made a Mason in this very room . I thought but little at that time of our noblfe Craft , and attended its meetings but now ancl then , just for the companionshiof those I knew and respectedThings went well with meandafter a year ' s
p . , , courtship , I took to me to my wife , my darling Mary ' "Here the poor old man's tears fell thickly , and he shook as if he would have fallen . Collecting himself , however , by an enormous effort of will , he went on , — " 'One darling girl , the image of my Mary , was given to bless our union , and on her all the wealth of our united love was lavished . When she was three years old , we one day received a letter from a port on the Spanish coast to say that Mary ' s uncle , who had
[ been a second father to her , was lying there at the point of death , and that he was wishful to see her before he died . We knew not what to do ; go , we felt , we must ; but ^ yhat about our little one ? It was winter , and stormy weather , too , and we dared not Wsk her precious life , whatever we might feel bound to do with regard to our own . At last a worthy brother , ' —here the speaker ' s eye , wandering round the Lodge , lighted -or a moment Brother Blunderborewho again the start that I
on , gave same nervous aad seen before . The old man , however , did not seem to notice it , but proceeded , — took charge of her , promising that he would guard her as his own ; and we started . " 'Before we went—what made me do it I cannotted—doubtless the Great Architect § aided me- —I took from my chain a small Masonic charm—the seal of our Royal Grand