Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Poetry.
This earth is very fair , Whereon with careless thankless hearts we stand : A sphere of marvels is this coiling air , Girdling the fertile land ; There the cloud-islands lie—There the great tempests do arise ancl die—The rain is cradled there ,
Palls on tbe round world , makes it green ancl fan * . Unfelt , unseen , unheard , The rain comes sudden from the concave sky : Even so tbe human spirit oft is stirred Most imperceptibly : Rustle as if of rain Heard in the chambers of our heart ' s lone
faen—Breath as of freshened flowers Whose odour perished in the sultry hours . A mystery lurks within Our hearts ; we live a false , factitious life . Earth trembles with inexpiable sin : Wherefore its outer Hfe Falls gross upon our ears ,
Deadening the delicate music of the spheres—Seems unto us the best So that we know not love , we know not rest . Only sometimes we lie Where Autumn sunshine streams like purple wine Through dusky branches , gazing on the sky , And shadowy dreams divine ,
Our troubled hearts invest With the faint fantasy of utter rest—Ancl for one moment ive Hear the long wave-roll of the Infinite Sea .
THE MAIDEN'S LOVE . "Woo me not with sighs and tears , W oo me not with vows , " she said , " Tell me not of doubts and fears ;
Deeds , not glowing ivords , I wed . " Passion-pale I see thee stand , Let Love speak , but not in sighs j Passion but unnerves the hand—Drains the heart to wet the eyes . " Who would win me must have won
Rule right royal o ' er his heart ; Wholly true , from sun to sun , So he'll love me not in part . " Who would win me must have found , For his deep and manly love , Other vent than empty sound—Vows protest but do not prove .
" Nobly , as old legends tell , Rode the knight from laud to land . Sin and wrong before him fell , Conquered by his stalwart hand . " Glorious legends , were they true ! Make them true if me you'd win ;
Win for me and thee a new Triumph over death and sin . " If thou languish at my side , I shall mock thee in my scorn ; Up , be doing—so thy bride , On I pass till Death's dark morn . " If around th irit gather
y sp Rust of sloth and lustful ease , Though I love thee , I would rather Thou wert dying on my knees . " Swift he turned—that flashing face Woke a new-born love to life ; Then he knew her , all her grace : Won her nobly for his wife .
Correspondence.
CORRESPONDENCE .
The Editor is not responsible for tlie opinions expressed by Correspondents . CONSECRATION OF THE ST . MARK'S LODGE . ( Kb . 1159 . ) TO THE EEPORTEK OJ THE EKEEMASOIfS JIAGAZIXE AND ItASOJfIC ITIRHOR . MY DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I am quite sure that you would not wilfully misrepresent anything thafc mig ht take
place at a meeting on which you were expected to make a report ; hut on reading your account of the above-mentioned occurrence in THE FREEMASONS MASAZINE AND M ASONIC MIRROR of the 30 th ult ., it seems fco me that I must have been misunderstood in my reply to the observations made by the 'Worshi pful Master , Bro . Thomas , on the subject of our ceremonies and lectures , when proposing my health afc
the banquet . In order to make the subject clear it will be necessary for me to recapitulate the Chairman ' s remarks : — The W . M . was pleased fco say "thafc although I might make some few differences , and was afc times crotchetty , that I had a peculiar mode of my own , and no brother was more conversant wifch the working ; thafc I was a great authority , and had been so for upwards of thirty yearsand was always
, ready to teach others , ancl thafc , crotchetty as I mig ht be , my mode of working was genuine and right ; fchafc he had watched me for some time , and the more he saw of my work , the more he was pleased , in despite of there being somedeviations from the strict system of Peter G-ilkes ; but the deviations were improvements , and reflected great credit on myself , and he thought there were many more improvements
that could be made ; but , thafc the working should be uni form throughout the Craffc . He would nofc say ivhich system was right , but thafc Bro . S . B . Wilson ' s was the best . " Judging from your report , my reply seems to have been misunderstood ; this may possibly have been my fault , as I may not have made myself quite intelligible . What I did say , or intended to say , was this : — " I hardly know in what way
to take the observations made by the W . M ., whether as a compliment or rebuke . He has alluded to some alterations and deviations made by me from Bro . Peter G-ilkes ; I beg , however , to say that I have made no alteration whatever in
the rituals , and but four in the lectures ; these alterations are , two in the seventh section of the first lecture ; one in the third section of the second lecture , which , also embraces the tracing board ; and one being the Rise of the Five-Orders of Architecture , ivhich occurs in the fourth section of the second lecture . " The differences in tbe first , second , and fourth instances I fully explained ; the difference in the
third section of the second lecture I could nofc explain , on account of there being an entered apprentice present . " The two first of these differences are of a practical nature , and any one conversant with the subject must admit that I am right . The other two are matters of history , and can be easily disproved if I am incorrect ; my version of the latter , viz ., ' The Rise of the Five Orders of Architecture' may
be seen by a reference to THE FREEMASONS M AGAZINE for 1849 . " * I further said that I perfectly agreed in all that the W . M . had said about the advisibilifcy of there being but one standard of working ; that at the time of the Union it was resolved that there should be but one method throughout the whole of our constitution , and that the M . W . G . M ., in order to carry out this resolution , appointed Bro . Dr .
Hemming to collect the scattered elements , and bring them , into a regular system ; but , although he commenced theundertaking , lie never finished it , for after a long delay his mind failed . Bro . Williams , the then Prov . G . M . for Dorsetshire , was next appointed , and he concocted the system disseminated by the late Bro . ; Gilkes , better known as the Gilkes' working , and from whom I received fche whole
of my Craffc Masonry , and which I have strictly adhered to with the exceptions above mentioned . It seems , however , according to Bro . Thomas ' s statement , thafc I am considered crotchetty . If a desire that every obscure passage should be made intelligible , and properly and clearly explained , a regard to purity of language ( which unfortunately is to be met with in few Lodges of Instruction ) , and an utter abhorrence of hearing the vowels aspirated ( as is the habit of some even when they may occur in the middle of a
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Poetry.
This earth is very fair , Whereon with careless thankless hearts we stand : A sphere of marvels is this coiling air , Girdling the fertile land ; There the cloud-islands lie—There the great tempests do arise ancl die—The rain is cradled there ,
Palls on tbe round world , makes it green ancl fan * . Unfelt , unseen , unheard , The rain comes sudden from the concave sky : Even so tbe human spirit oft is stirred Most imperceptibly : Rustle as if of rain Heard in the chambers of our heart ' s lone
faen—Breath as of freshened flowers Whose odour perished in the sultry hours . A mystery lurks within Our hearts ; we live a false , factitious life . Earth trembles with inexpiable sin : Wherefore its outer Hfe Falls gross upon our ears ,
Deadening the delicate music of the spheres—Seems unto us the best So that we know not love , we know not rest . Only sometimes we lie Where Autumn sunshine streams like purple wine Through dusky branches , gazing on the sky , And shadowy dreams divine ,
Our troubled hearts invest With the faint fantasy of utter rest—Ancl for one moment ive Hear the long wave-roll of the Infinite Sea .
THE MAIDEN'S LOVE . "Woo me not with sighs and tears , W oo me not with vows , " she said , " Tell me not of doubts and fears ;
Deeds , not glowing ivords , I wed . " Passion-pale I see thee stand , Let Love speak , but not in sighs j Passion but unnerves the hand—Drains the heart to wet the eyes . " Who would win me must have won
Rule right royal o ' er his heart ; Wholly true , from sun to sun , So he'll love me not in part . " Who would win me must have found , For his deep and manly love , Other vent than empty sound—Vows protest but do not prove .
" Nobly , as old legends tell , Rode the knight from laud to land . Sin and wrong before him fell , Conquered by his stalwart hand . " Glorious legends , were they true ! Make them true if me you'd win ;
Win for me and thee a new Triumph over death and sin . " If thou languish at my side , I shall mock thee in my scorn ; Up , be doing—so thy bride , On I pass till Death's dark morn . " If around th irit gather
y sp Rust of sloth and lustful ease , Though I love thee , I would rather Thou wert dying on my knees . " Swift he turned—that flashing face Woke a new-born love to life ; Then he knew her , all her grace : Won her nobly for his wife .
Correspondence.
CORRESPONDENCE .
The Editor is not responsible for tlie opinions expressed by Correspondents . CONSECRATION OF THE ST . MARK'S LODGE . ( Kb . 1159 . ) TO THE EEPORTEK OJ THE EKEEMASOIfS JIAGAZIXE AND ItASOJfIC ITIRHOR . MY DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I am quite sure that you would not wilfully misrepresent anything thafc mig ht take
place at a meeting on which you were expected to make a report ; hut on reading your account of the above-mentioned occurrence in THE FREEMASONS MASAZINE AND M ASONIC MIRROR of the 30 th ult ., it seems fco me that I must have been misunderstood in my reply to the observations made by the 'Worshi pful Master , Bro . Thomas , on the subject of our ceremonies and lectures , when proposing my health afc
the banquet . In order to make the subject clear it will be necessary for me to recapitulate the Chairman ' s remarks : — The W . M . was pleased fco say "thafc although I might make some few differences , and was afc times crotchetty , that I had a peculiar mode of my own , and no brother was more conversant wifch the working ; thafc I was a great authority , and had been so for upwards of thirty yearsand was always
, ready to teach others , ancl thafc , crotchetty as I mig ht be , my mode of working was genuine and right ; fchafc he had watched me for some time , and the more he saw of my work , the more he was pleased , in despite of there being somedeviations from the strict system of Peter G-ilkes ; but the deviations were improvements , and reflected great credit on myself , and he thought there were many more improvements
that could be made ; but , thafc the working should be uni form throughout the Craffc . He would nofc say ivhich system was right , but thafc Bro . S . B . Wilson ' s was the best . " Judging from your report , my reply seems to have been misunderstood ; this may possibly have been my fault , as I may not have made myself quite intelligible . What I did say , or intended to say , was this : — " I hardly know in what way
to take the observations made by the W . M ., whether as a compliment or rebuke . He has alluded to some alterations and deviations made by me from Bro . Peter G-ilkes ; I beg , however , to say that I have made no alteration whatever in
the rituals , and but four in the lectures ; these alterations are , two in the seventh section of the first lecture ; one in the third section of the second lecture , which , also embraces the tracing board ; and one being the Rise of the Five-Orders of Architecture , ivhich occurs in the fourth section of the second lecture . " The differences in tbe first , second , and fourth instances I fully explained ; the difference in the
third section of the second lecture I could nofc explain , on account of there being an entered apprentice present . " The two first of these differences are of a practical nature , and any one conversant with the subject must admit that I am right . The other two are matters of history , and can be easily disproved if I am incorrect ; my version of the latter , viz ., ' The Rise of the Five Orders of Architecture' may
be seen by a reference to THE FREEMASONS M AGAZINE for 1849 . " * I further said that I perfectly agreed in all that the W . M . had said about the advisibilifcy of there being but one standard of working ; that at the time of the Union it was resolved that there should be but one method throughout the whole of our constitution , and that the M . W . G . M ., in order to carry out this resolution , appointed Bro . Dr .
Hemming to collect the scattered elements , and bring them , into a regular system ; but , although he commenced theundertaking , lie never finished it , for after a long delay his mind failed . Bro . Williams , the then Prov . G . M . for Dorsetshire , was next appointed , and he concocted the system disseminated by the late Bro . ; Gilkes , better known as the Gilkes' working , and from whom I received fche whole
of my Craffc Masonry , and which I have strictly adhered to with the exceptions above mentioned . It seems , however , according to Bro . Thomas ' s statement , thafc I am considered crotchetty . If a desire that every obscure passage should be made intelligible , and properly and clearly explained , a regard to purity of language ( which unfortunately is to be met with in few Lodges of Instruction ) , and an utter abhorrence of hearing the vowels aspirated ( as is the habit of some even when they may occur in the middle of a