The Mountain Of Vision.

Earth's features were all altered To my gaze both clear and strong , And my faith it sometimes faltered , As I did that vision prolong ; For all appeared so little From that higher spot to me , That I felt at once IIOAV brittle Each earthly chain must be .

And yet there came to me at last A loving sense of Truth , A brighter vieiv of the great old past , And the hopes and the trust of youth ; Aud I said to myself : " how dear , how glad Is that Faith so good and rare That along the dull plain of this earth so sad , God ' s Truth is evervAvhere . "

And so I look d up with awe and love If perhaps -with -bated breath , AVhen I thought of a brighter Land of Love Midst this mystery of Death , And my vision it took a long , long range Far from this nether clime , To a clondless Land without doubt or change , Beyond those realms of time .

One day , indeed , m a purer air AVe shall reach the Mount of Vision at last , Where bloom for ever , those flowerets fair , AA'hich on all SAveet odours cast ; And then at last , we shall surely see That whatever was , was best , AVhen all shall at last unveiled be In that everlasting rest .

There the follies of earth are known no more , There amid those blessed bowers , And on that golden sanded shore , And amid those rapturous hours , AA e have found the Truth and reach'd the Light , A \ e see as Ave are seen , And ours is a A ision bright ,

A sight all sure and keen ! For the mists of earth haA-e vanished . At last , in their dim array , And the Truth of God has banished Cruel Error's , treacherous day , And ve see and know in heavenly joy All that can bless us then ; For ours is knowledge Avithout alloy ,

A pure and a peaceful ken . Oh ! blissful end of this world for man , When all shall disappear , AA'hich often marred the wond'rous Plan Of Love and AVisdom here ; And Avhen at last , in truth ani trust , AVe greet that Heavenly Train , Who welcome our erring buried Dust , Kestor'd to Life again . A \ .

HOPE is the ruddy morning ray of joy recollection is its golden tinge ; but the latter is Avont to sink amid the deAvs and dusky shades of tAvilight ; and the bright blue clay , Avhich the former promises , breaks indeed , but in another Avorld and beneath the golden rays of another sun . —Macltei / s National Freemason .

The Knife & Fork Degree.

THE KNIFE & FORK DEGREE .

Most of us are aAvare that , as AA'e have often heard , there are " several degrees " in Freemasony , but , I am someAvhat inclined to think " pace " my excellent brethren , that , despite our predilection for this or that portion of our Masonic

Ritual , that ancient and eminent degree Avhich gives the title to this little essay , is at any rate the most Avidely appreciated after all by our genial and " gentle Craft . " "We may be all of us from long habit admirers of some special degree

in Freemasonry ; but Avhether Ave confine our sympathies to blue Masonry , or laud tlie Royal Arch , or become peripatetic pilgrims amongst the Hi gh Grades , whereA r er Ave are , wherever Ave go , and whatever we do , our old familiar

friend the K . and E . degree is ever most deeply valued and assiduously cultivated by us all alike . NOAA ' , do not let any one hastily or rashly suppose for for one moment , that , I am one of those ill-conditioned people Avho object to a good dinner . " A good dinner , " said a

great man of the olden time , " is a very good thing . " Who shall venture to dissent from this Avise utterance of a departed sage ? Indeed dinners , whether corporate or fraternal , seem to be a portion of the inheritance Ave have received

from those AA'ho preceded us in the more stormy times of the "Temporis acti . " Landmarks at any rate they are of longstanding , and of universal acceptance alike in our social or in our Masonic system . He Avouldthereforebe a Aveak

, , man , a foolish imiOA'ator , an unwise legislator , AVIIO departed irreverently and unreasonably from a due regard to the " mores patrfnn nostrorum . " Lord StoAvell ' s great authority is often quoted , and rightly so , in favour of our

system of Charity dinners , and therefore our Masonic body in thus duly following old established precedent and carefully upholding the timehonoured customs of their forefathers , ought neither to be hastily blamed , or too severly censured . Eor not only may they plead quite fairly and properly