Poetry.

Poetry .

GERALDINE . MOST stately Avas the splendid Geraldine , A picture perfect as she lay asleep ; A brow where glorious intellect was seen , AVhere artist might neiv thoughts of beauty reap . Arms white as marble and so siveetly round , Bare on the silken coverlet were laid ;

Like image of SUOAV Avreaths iu lakelet drowned , Ancl hushed in dreams her lips like rose lein-es played . The faintest pink chvelt on each rounded cheek , Ancl to the pillow gave a rosy hue Like morning ' s blush on lilies ; eyes might seek Its sign in crimson tulip tipped , ivith dew ! A band of blushing velvet bound each arm , With diamonds sprinkled raining sparks of light ; Each violet coloured vein ran like a charm , Till all were lost ' mong curls dark as the night .

Her bosom wave like ever rose and fell , — The coverlet revealed its ample mould ; The moon ne ' er looked so white seen from a dell , Nor image fairer could these eyes behold . And when the morning through her chamber blushed , It seemed to borrow beauty as it strayed To Avhere she lay in silver visions hushed , Still as a goddess in a robe arrayed .

And when she rose she laved her beauteous form , Then in the Avater plunged while ripples prest In hurried crowds to dally and to warm , To clasp and lie about her heaving breast ! She rises from the bath ; in silken dress Made loose aud lustrous soou her form appears ; Then in a sable mass each glossy tress , Holds in its fragrant coil pearls pale as tears .

AVith peerless majesty she walks the floor , In hurried accents warbles some sweet strain By olden poet , rich in golden lore , With lucent fancies lit like drops of rain ! A full midnight of . splendour gleams her eye , AA hore the attracted sunlight swarms and wades ; And ei-ery zephyr , ere it flutters by , Her silken bodice lovingly invades .

Then to her bower she walks ivith gilded book , Whose le .-iA-cs arc perfumed , and Ai-hose thoughts are rare : E ' en there stray sunbeams through the vine leaves look , ^ As though thoy strove to find an angel there , More wealth of beauty never graced the earth , Such languaged eyes before ivere never seen ; No eloquence could ever paint the worth Of the affluent hearted Geraldine . QC . AI . LOX .

WHAT MASOHBY r . EQuui ] -, .. —The M . W . John Frizzell , Grand Master of Tenessee , at the last annual communication of the Grand Lodge , in October , closes his annual address with the following beautiful passages : — " Masonry requires from its very tenure that its subjects bo not only obedient to the moral laiv , but also sincere believers in the existence of the true and living Clod . No true Mason can be a " stupid atheistor an irreliious libertine" The silver chain of brotherllove

, g . y binds the Avhole Craft— -a chain Avhose links should not become worn or broken by time , but which every ivavc of adversity should but strengthen . A Mason ' s heart should never lie permitted to become careless or indifferent to the Avants of suffering humanity ; but far down within its inmost recesses there should spring a fountain , pure and bright , plenteous and free , for every brother afflicted by adversity ' s cruel fires . A Mason should be ever clad in the bright armour of truth . Hypocrisy and deceit

. Masonry rejects from its fold . Sincerity and plain dealing guard well the threshold . His body should be kept free from all intemperance , in order that his mind be clear to comprehend its beautiful truths , and that he may more perfectly understand his duty . Masonry requires of its votaries not only that they blow , but that they clo their duty . Drones should not be . permitted to disturb tho workers m the hive . A Mason should bear upon his escutcheon , bright and untarnished , the motto of

justice—rendering to every mail his just due , whatever lie his position . _ Fortitude should encompass him all around , enabling him to endure ivith patience every affliction with which he may be visited . Seeing , then , my brethren , that these things are required of each of ns , let us examine well our hearts , and ascertain whether-we have all tbe armour on . Let us look closel y and see whether we are rough stonescemented ivith unteiiipeied inoi-tar—iiusteadv and shaken hy every pass , nig breezeand of in the '

, no use . great templebut to deface—or whether we are as the bright and polished marble , not onlv beautifying and adorning the structure , Ult strengthening her fortress . " and boldly combating with misfortunes , cruel frowns , or threatening blasts , " '

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

v [ THE EDITOE does not hold himself responsible for any opinions entertained by Corresjnmdents . ' ] THE LODGE OE INDUSTRY .

poses , AA'I IO would have investigated the matter , and given a decision upon it . You , Mr . Editor , have no authority whatever , I consider , in the ivay you have clone to lay down the law on questions of either Masonic etiquette or jurisprudence — the sanction , as I understand , of the Most AVorshipful Grand Master as to your Magazine only extends to that part of it as contains the report of the Grand Lodge proceedings , and that even that must

before publication by you be submitted , and the report approved by the Grand Registrar . If I were to go into it , I could point out errors in your laying down of Masouic law beyond those in your last number ; and having bad some five and thirty years of Masonic experience , with much intercourse with Masons and Lodges of all classes : having been for a great number of years till lately a member of

the Board of General Purposes ; having paid much attention to it , and having i-isited upwards of a hundred Lodges in England , I may venture to say that , in my opinion , 3 'ou are decidedly Avrong in the opinion you have given in answer to both the letters . In . my opinion a Grand Officer of tbe Grand Lodge of England has a right to he placed according to his Masonic rank , 011 the immediate right of the Master of the Lodgeeither in Lodge or at the

ban-, quet , Avithout the intervention of any body ; and a Grand Officer , you must he aware , even displaces the Senior Deacon of a Lodge . . 1 have , in Lodges ivhich I have visited seen , on many occasions , thc noviciate placed below the Grand Officers at thc banquet , and on occasion of the recent celebration of the Centenary of the London Lodge , that was done . Upon that occasion the Lodge

TO TIII 3 EDITOR OF THE FREEJ 1 A . SONS MAGAZLXE AMD MASOXIC MtRROK . SIR , —I have seen the brother alluded in the letters in your last Saturday ' s Magazine , signed "Suaviter" ( obviously a misnomer ) , and "One ofthe Board of Installed Masters . " The brother there referred to considers that both letters have been written with such an acrimonious and unmasonic feeling , ancl that the statements therein are so grossluntruethat he ivill nothe sayscondescend

y , , , to reply ; and I for one , who have known him for upwards of a quarter of a century , believe him to be utterly incapable of what he is there charged with , or of attempting to mar what is said " ivould otherwise have been a most delightful evening . " If the statements contained in those letters were true , the writers ought I think to have laid the case before the Board of General

Purwas favoured with a visit from the present Grand Registrar , both the present Grand Deacons , two past Grand Deacons , ( one being thc President of thc Board of General Purposes ) , the present Grand Superintendent of Works , ancl the present Assistant Grand Secretary ; and in addition to thc above Grand Officers , there was present the Deputy Provincial Grand Master for the Isle of "Wi ght , the Assistant Grand Director of the Ceremonies for East

Lancashire , and a Past Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies for Essex , all active men in Masonry ; but not one of them said a word , or even hinted that the newly initiated was wrongly placed , which would surely hai-c been done hacl it heen so , and they were all fully aware of the initiation , for all I think ivere in the Lodge during thc ceremony—the arrangement of thc guests ( it being a special occasion ) was under my directionand I may be allowed

, to say that I have had some experience in Masonic matters . I received my Craft knowledge direct from Peter Gilkes , AVIIO took much pains in giving 111 c knowledge , and having been the AVorshipful Master of six London Lodges , and at the request of niany Hertfordshirc brethren , took upon myself the first Mastership of one in Hertfordshire on its constitution , and I have also been AV . M . of an old Lodge in Kent .

I have been thus full in my observations on the subject , you having so broadly laid down that tbe Past Junior Grand Deacon in question had no rig ht to what he claimed , and having accompanied your opinion ivith such discourteous and very unmasonic observations . —Yours , A PAST GIIAXD Oi-nci-m .

[ Hacl the brother sending the above not favoured us with his name , we should have declined publishing it : but knowing the worth of the writer , after the attack he lias chosen ( most unwarrantably ) as wc think , to make upon our laiv and our impartiality , we have thought it best to lay it before our readers verbatimnot being answerable for il . .-nrioug offences committed against