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Article THE MASON. ← Page 4 of 23 →
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The Mason.
" Brothers" coolly answered the old soldier : "it has done so in the present instance . " " Faith , " said the count , laughing , "he has you therethe major is too old a campaigner to be caught by youngsters ; but , teU me , since you think so highly of Masonry , what are its peculiar claims to the consideration
of mankind ? " It is universal , " replied the young soldier : " travel where you will , there Masonry has spread its branches , diffusing in its progress a knowledge ofthe useful arts ; it is equally cultivated in the tents of the wandering Arab ,
and the palaces ofthe more enlig htened European . Even here , " he continued , " in this cold and inhospitable region , despite the jealous prohibition of a despotic government , the Craft still flourishes . " " Does it ? " exclaimed the major : " it must be a sturdy
plant , then ; for this infernal frost would destroy vitality in anything less hardy than a bear : —we only have escaped , I suspect , from having robbed him of his skin . " " You are in error , major , " replied Lauriston , shrugging his shoulders in contempt— " you forget the natives—they
surely live here . " Exist , you mean , count , " grumbled the old soldier ; " besides , they are too nearly allied to the species to require a distinct classification . Look at your Don Cossack , now—he is your bear on horseback ; ancl in truth a most determined
savao-e , who scorns all civilised modes of warfare , and fights after the manner of a wild Indian , appearing when you least expect him , ancl like the whirlwind , sweeping all before him . It was only in our last affair old General Bellont , that prince of tactitians , was completely baffled : he had formed his regiment in fine order ; his position was unimpeachable , his right being protected by a heavy battery , which , ac-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Mason.
" Brothers" coolly answered the old soldier : "it has done so in the present instance . " " Faith , " said the count , laughing , "he has you therethe major is too old a campaigner to be caught by youngsters ; but , teU me , since you think so highly of Masonry , what are its peculiar claims to the consideration
of mankind ? " It is universal , " replied the young soldier : " travel where you will , there Masonry has spread its branches , diffusing in its progress a knowledge ofthe useful arts ; it is equally cultivated in the tents of the wandering Arab ,
and the palaces ofthe more enlig htened European . Even here , " he continued , " in this cold and inhospitable region , despite the jealous prohibition of a despotic government , the Craft still flourishes . " " Does it ? " exclaimed the major : " it must be a sturdy
plant , then ; for this infernal frost would destroy vitality in anything less hardy than a bear : —we only have escaped , I suspect , from having robbed him of his skin . " " You are in error , major , " replied Lauriston , shrugging his shoulders in contempt— " you forget the natives—they
surely live here . " Exist , you mean , count , " grumbled the old soldier ; " besides , they are too nearly allied to the species to require a distinct classification . Look at your Don Cossack , now—he is your bear on horseback ; ancl in truth a most determined
savao-e , who scorns all civilised modes of warfare , and fights after the manner of a wild Indian , appearing when you least expect him , ancl like the whirlwind , sweeping all before him . It was only in our last affair old General Bellont , that prince of tactitians , was completely baffled : he had formed his regiment in fine order ; his position was unimpeachable , his right being protected by a heavy battery , which , ac-