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Article THE SONGS OF MASONRY. ← Page 9 of 13 →
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The Songs Of Masonry.
O , yes , and this fountain , so crystalline bright , To preserve is each Mason ' s endeavour , And now for a toast , and a toast of delight , Here ' s Masons , Freemasons for ever—huzza ! The Lodge of Freemasons for ever—huzza ! And now for a toast , and a toast of delight , Here ' s Masons , Freemasons for ever .
" From the north to the south , from tbe east to the west , ( Hit- order is known to appear ; And the plume that so gracefully blazons its crest , To justice and mercy is dear ! Like the air that we breathe in , it bears no control , So potent it waves for our good : While Faith , Hope , and Charity ' s names we enrol In a cause that we'll seal with our blood .
O , yes , and this order , so brilliant and bright , No malice nor demon can sever : And now for a toast , and a toast of delight , Here ' s Masons , Freemasons for ever—huzza ! The Lodge of Freemasons , & c . " Like man bound to man in true brotherl y love , Our Lodge rears its eaglewinged head ;
And , under an Allseeing Eye from above . By white-robed benevolence led . Blest Charity ! where doth th y stream purer flow , Than there where our schools are endowed ? Like the hymn-charm of angels , it vanquishes wo , And Freemasons sing it aloud . O yes , and this stream , too , so noble ancl bright ,
No envy nor hatred can sever ; And now for a toast , and a toast of delight , Here ' s Masons , Freemasons for ever—huzza ! The Lodge of Freemasons , & c . "
Although the poetry of this song is not of a very high character , it is far from being contemptible ; and considered as a drinking song , has much of a redeeming character to mollify the critic , even of this age of temperance and tee-totalism . In admitting that the Freemason of the eighteenth century was a bon vivant , I do not mean to infer that fcienee was neglected , or that the routine business of the Lodge was sacrificed at the shrine of
sensuality . On the contrary , the minute books of the Lodges are pregnant with evidence that sheds a different light on their pursuits . The Lectures were regularl y delivered—Bye-laws and Ancient Charges readscientific conversation followed ; and then—arrd not before—the office of the Junior Warden came into requisition . Nor were the songs used in this stage of the proceedings always of a bacchanalian character ; but those of a more chaste ancl sacred tendency were frequently prefer-rcl .
Odes and anthems were occasionally performed , of which I subjoin a specimen ; and the Lodges re-echoed with the sacred harmony . " Almighty Sire ! our heavenly king , Before whose sacred name we bench Accept the praises which we sing , And to our humble prayer attend !
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Songs Of Masonry.
O , yes , and this fountain , so crystalline bright , To preserve is each Mason ' s endeavour , And now for a toast , and a toast of delight , Here ' s Masons , Freemasons for ever—huzza ! The Lodge of Freemasons for ever—huzza ! And now for a toast , and a toast of delight , Here ' s Masons , Freemasons for ever .
" From the north to the south , from tbe east to the west , ( Hit- order is known to appear ; And the plume that so gracefully blazons its crest , To justice and mercy is dear ! Like the air that we breathe in , it bears no control , So potent it waves for our good : While Faith , Hope , and Charity ' s names we enrol In a cause that we'll seal with our blood .
O , yes , and this order , so brilliant and bright , No malice nor demon can sever : And now for a toast , and a toast of delight , Here ' s Masons , Freemasons for ever—huzza ! The Lodge of Freemasons , & c . " Like man bound to man in true brotherl y love , Our Lodge rears its eaglewinged head ;
And , under an Allseeing Eye from above . By white-robed benevolence led . Blest Charity ! where doth th y stream purer flow , Than there where our schools are endowed ? Like the hymn-charm of angels , it vanquishes wo , And Freemasons sing it aloud . O yes , and this stream , too , so noble ancl bright ,
No envy nor hatred can sever ; And now for a toast , and a toast of delight , Here ' s Masons , Freemasons for ever—huzza ! The Lodge of Freemasons , & c . "
Although the poetry of this song is not of a very high character , it is far from being contemptible ; and considered as a drinking song , has much of a redeeming character to mollify the critic , even of this age of temperance and tee-totalism . In admitting that the Freemason of the eighteenth century was a bon vivant , I do not mean to infer that fcienee was neglected , or that the routine business of the Lodge was sacrificed at the shrine of
sensuality . On the contrary , the minute books of the Lodges are pregnant with evidence that sheds a different light on their pursuits . The Lectures were regularl y delivered—Bye-laws and Ancient Charges readscientific conversation followed ; and then—arrd not before—the office of the Junior Warden came into requisition . Nor were the songs used in this stage of the proceedings always of a bacchanalian character ; but those of a more chaste ancl sacred tendency were frequently prefer-rcl .
Odes and anthems were occasionally performed , of which I subjoin a specimen ; and the Lodges re-echoed with the sacred harmony . " Almighty Sire ! our heavenly king , Before whose sacred name we bench Accept the praises which we sing , And to our humble prayer attend !