A  
OF MASONIC LIFE.
BY ROB MORRIS,
AUTHOR OF "CODE OF MASONIC LAW," " HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY IN
,KENTUCCKY," " LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF FREEMASONRY," ETC.,
AND COMPILER OF " THE UNiVERSAL MASONIC LIBRARY."
LOUISVILLE, KY:
MOPRRIS  & MO N SAR RAT,
PUBLISH-ERS OF MASONIC LITERATURE.
1860.
TALES
I.. 
Cntered, according:,8.~oQ Congress, in the year 1860,
BY MOR'IS~& MONSARRAT,
in the Olerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the District
of Kentucky.
STEREOTYPED AT THE FRANKLIN TYPE FOUNDERY, CINCINNATI, O. 
TO HIS GRACE
THE DUKE OF ATHOL,
GRAND RASTER ~AS0O  OF SCOTLiLD,
g5is rolrume,
As a feeTlG acknowledgment of his fraternal courtesy to a dear and
valued Brother, is respectfully
t' > -t           0AR,   tf  
UT little will be demanded in the form of pref       atory remarks to a volume like this.  To de       lineate the practiece of Masonry is an end that
can scarcely fail to command the good wishes
of all who love the Craft or the cause.  To
do it in language simple and easily understood secures a wider range of readers, and, consequently, of
usefulness. To select illustrations of an every-day
character, will be most likely to awaken a spirit of
emulation in the minds of readers: and these three
ideas form the key to this little volume.
That the literature of Freemasonry is deficient in
that department that professes to teach theory by
example, may be seen at a glance at Masonic Bibliography. There are rich treasures of lore in its History. Its Philosophy has authors in abundance.
Its Poetry has not been neglected. Even its Jurisprudence lifts up its head through several works of
more or less merit. But in Tales, and Sketches, and
Practical Illustrations, of the influence of Masonic
(vii)
sr t (a re. o  
0. 
PREFACE.
sentiments upon the characters of men, there is a
lamentable deficiency. The avidity with which such
works as "The Lights and Shadows  of Freemasonry," "Life in the Triangle," and "The Two
Saint Johns," have been welcomed, is the best evidence that the Craft have felt this want, and it is an
earnest of the welcome fondly anticipated for the
present volume.
Tiii 
THE Widowed Sister's Lodge................................................
The Right Eye-The Right Hiand.........................................
The Good Man, True Man..............................
Chapter I.........................................................................18
Chapter II......................................................... 32
Chapter III................................................................... 50
Chapter IV...................................  65
The Broken Column Unbroken.............................................
The Five Orders of Architecture in Brentford Lodge...............
Brother Lemuel Fairfax, of the Tuscan Order....................88
Brother Frank Ashdod, of the Doric Order.........................96
Brother Joseph Concoran, of the Ionic Order......................105
Brother Hlenry Evans, of the Corinthian Order................... 113
Brother Bowling Fant, of the Composite Order...................122
Bob White and his Lectures.......................................... 131
The Leak in the Lodge.................................................. 139
Three Episodes in the Masonic History of Loring Ilahded....... 146
The Peace-Maker........................................165
Briother Bauer from Berlin.....................................................     175
The Badgered Witness................................................... 197
The DIuel........................................................................... 201
Staying the Hands.............................................................. 207
The Tongue too Silent....................................................... 221
C# Ateut 0.
PA4n
I
9
18
'81
88 
CONTENTS.
PAGZ
The Great Dedication Day of King Solomon's Temple............ 228
Chapter I...................................................................... 228
Chapter II...................................................................... 241
Chapter III.................................................................... 257
Chapter IV..................................................................... 272
A Night in the Lodge-Room......................................... 286
The Timely Warning........................................... 292
The Three Brothers........................................................ 296
The Conquest of a Lady................................................... 302
Charity No Humbug........................................... 314
The Haunted Lodge......................................................... 324
The easter Elect...........................................................  340 
TALES OF MASONIC LIFE.
A TALE OF WOMAN'S DEVOTION.
0
Irscribed  to  pro. John.Auguvstus  Williams,
PRESIDENT DAUGHTERS' COLLEGE, HARRODSBURG, KY.
:lHERE  is much in the nomenclature of Masonic
) Lodges worthy of record. We have gathered
up many curious statistics under this head.
Many a noble -deed is hidden under some
lodge name, that, conveying no meaning to
the uninformed, is significant, to those cognizant of the christening, of charity, fortitude, or
undying  truth.   When  the disciples  were  "first
called Christians at Antioch," the christening was
not a matter of popular interest-to the mass, indeed, the name must have fallen dead upon the ear;
but to the enlightened, to those who knew the story
of the miracles, the supper, the agony, the crucifixion, the resurrection, and the ascension, the name
Christian recalled incidents dear as the apple's eye
to the persecuted band; pregnant, more than any
(1)
v1ht Widowtd #Iotrx' xodgt., 
THIE WIDOWED SISTER'S LODGE.
other word that the language contained, with mournful, triumphant, deathless interest.
"Jacob called the name of the place PENIEL; for
I have seen God face to face," says the sacred record, "and my life is preserved."  "Therefore was
the name of it called GALEED and MISPAH; for he
said, the LORD watch between me and thee when we
are absent one from another."  "He was afraid, and
said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other
but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
And he called the name of that place BETIIEL."
"He  called that place BEERSHIEBA, because there
they sware both of them."  "Abraham called the
name  of that place JEIIOVAH-JIREII;  and as it is
said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall
be seen."  "Hle called the name of the well EZEI,
because they strove with  him."   " He  called  the
name of it REIIOBOTI; and he said, For now the
LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land."
These Scriptures, like all others, are for our instruction; and surely there is an eminent propriety
in entitling our lodges by names significant of God's
gracious dealings with us.   If we adopt those of
living or deceased benefactors of the Order, let us
use those only whose worthiness will reflect credit
upon the system we profess to cultivate. Names so
often in men's mouths should be good words.
TVidowted Sister's Lodge was worthily named, as
the reader will acknowledge, when he is advised of
the circumstances from which the cognomen was
2 
THE WIDOWED SISTER'S LODGE.
derived. Mrs. Page is the honored widow of an
honored Mason of the ancient stock.   She is of
that class of widows whom Paul credits with the
epithet, "widows indeed," and describes as "trustifig
in God, and continuing in supplications and prayers
night and day," and concerning whom Timothy was
exhorted to give special honor.   She is not overburdened with the riches of this world; yet, by
prudent foresight and management, she is enabled
to keep her little family upon their inheritancerising early and retiring late to secure this object.
Of this estimable widow it shall be said, in her
funeral  eulogy,  in  the  words  of the  wise  man:.
When the ear heard her, then it blessed her; and
when the eye saw her, then it gave witness to her
"Because she delivered the poor that cried, and
the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.
" The blessing of him  that was ready to perish
came upon her, and she caused the widow's heart to
sing for joy.
"She was eyes to the blind, and feet was she to
thie lamne.
" She was a mother to the poor."
After the hurricane of political excitement which
grew out of the disappearance of William Morgan
had in part subsided, and men began to breathe
again with fireedom the same atmosphere with Masons, the Craft in and about the village of Spafford
gathered together to inquire, Shall we revive the
lodge or not? Their temple was indeed in ruins;
the Chaldeans had'; broken down the wall of Jeru
3 
THIE WIDOWED SISTER'S LODGE,
salem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fres
and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof." Their
furniture, books, charter, everything that could identify them as a lodge, were scattered broadcast and
lost. They had forgotten the work, forgotten the
lectures, alas! in two instances, forgotten the principles of the institution which once they had solemnly
vowed to cherish.  But they retained, some of them
at least, the love of Masonry, and remembered, with
a keen relish, the emnployments and enjoyments they
had once experienced in its exercise.  And lwhen a
voice, as the voice of King Cyrus, was heard prosclaiming, "Who is there among  you of all God's.
people? the Lord his God be with him, and let hit
go up to Jerusalem;" a response, feeble but sincere,
was heard from them, "4Here I am! I   w11 go up!
But a survey of the existing obstacles chilled the
zeal of these few, and appalled the remlainder of the
brethren to whom  the project of' re-organizing the'
lodge had been broached.  The expense was greata house, a charter, jewels, furniture-it was very
great.  The trouble was  more;  to visit intelligent;
Masons abroad; to commence again the very rudiments of Masonic instruction.. But the opposition
to be encountered, tlhis was the worst of all.  Ridicule might be anticipated from a1l that generation
which had sprung up since last a Masonic procession
was seen in the streets of Spafford, Annoyances
of various sorts would, undoubtedly, be thrown in the
way.   The trash of antimasonic literature was in
every house; and, vile and mendacious as it was.
4 
THE WI)OWT:D SISTERIS LODGE.
there were many men, otherwise of good estimation,
who believed in it, and were influenced by it.  But
what matters this long array of objections which was
presented before the little meeting of the brothers
assembled in the parlor of Sister Page!  They were
sufficient to justify the conclusions to which the party
came, "that the reinstatement of Masonry at Spafford, under the present untoward circumstances, was
impracticable, and was for the present postponed."
The brothers, however, would not disperse until
they had announced their decision to the good sister
herself, and a messenger was sent to the door of
her sitting-room to announce it. She came at their
summons, leading by either hand a stout boy, stalwart lads, once the pride of the father as they were
now the hopes of the mother. She listened, with
downcast eyes to their statement of the obstacles
which had deterred them from pursuing their desire,
and answered not a word until the catalogue was
complete. But then a change came over her face;
hler eye kindled with meaning as she directed it
toward them. She arose with a dignity they had
never seen her exhibit before; and, placing her two
boys before her, thus began: "This is not what I
looked for from the companions of my deceased
husband. On his death-bed he charged me to prize,
as one of my highest privileges, nmy claims as a
JIason's- widowv.   He said that these boys would
never want a father while there was a Mason in the
land, and that a Mason's Lodge was the  widow's
home!" From this startling exordium, she went on
5 
TIlE WIDOWED  SISTER S LODGE.
to make known, what was clearly evident to  her
mind, that without the establishment of a lodge, it
was useless for men to profess themselves Masons;
that all the benefits of the Order flow out of the
lodge as the fountain; and that as her husband was
buried at the hands of the Brethren in lodge assembled, so she hoped some (lay to see her sons initiated
by the same body.  In short, she pursued to its
legitimate conclusions the argument, "that every
Brother ought to belong to a lodge," and "that
without the lodge there is no MIasonry;" and she
pressed it so earnestly home upon each of her
hearers, that he could not resist it.
Perceiving, with a woman's  tact, that she  had
convinced them as to the expediency of the effort,
she proposed to furnish a vacant chamber in her
dwelling, and to see to it that all necessary furniture and clothing were supplied for the work of the
lodge.   She offered we have a copy of her letter
before us as we write this-she offered to furnish
the lodge gratuitously with refreshments, at every
meeting, until they could do better; and that the
public might not be deceived as to the respectability
of the institution, she would march with the lodge
in its first public procession, and protect it.
Of course she triumphed-of course the petition
was prepared and signed that very night; forwarded
to the nearest lodge for recommendation that week;
sent to the Grand Master for approval that month;
and returned aeeepted ere the moon'vaned.  At the
organization of the lodge, the subject of a niame was
6 
THE WIDOWED SISTER'S LODGE.
agitated;  but all suggestions and debates ceased
when a Brother proposed "Widowed Sister's Lodge;"
it was too good to admit of a moment's hesitation.
The aprons were ready, made of white silk, furnished
from her own  old-fashioned wedding-dress!  Her
family Bible made the first Great Light-could a
better be desired? The gavels and other implements
were provided at her charge.  An ample supper was
ready at the close of the meeting, and she presided
at the head of the table, with her little boys at her
side.  Her own domestic wine made  the beverage
in which the regular toasts and her own name, the
best of all, were duly honored.
But the occasion of her public appearance as a
Mason, is the most interesting part of our tale.
Father Lawson, the oldest member of the lodge,
died suddenly, yet not so suddenly but that he had
time to request a Masonic burial.  The Brethren
hesitated.  They were not quite prepared to meet
the public eye. They referred the matter to Sister
Page. She, good soul, unhesitatingly told them they
were bound to obey a dying Mason's request-much
she knew of the matter!-and declared her determination to go with them! The procession formed at Bro.
Lawson's-the whole population of Spafford gathering together in doubting whether to laugh or applaud
-and, true to her word, the resolute woman marched
at its head! It must have been a moving spectacle
to see the dear lady, dressed in deepest mourningweeds, leading her little sons one by each hand, and
walking the whole of that weary two miles in front
7 
THlE WIDOWED  SISTER' S LODGE.
of the Tyler! Many was the proffer from the gentlemen of the village to lend her a conveyance; many
was the door opened to invite her in to pause and
rest; but she refused all entreaties; was the first as
well as the last at the grave; and joined, by permission of the Master, in casting clods of earth upon
the coffin!
That day's exercises settled the question for all
this generation as to the popularity of Masonry in
Spafford. After that, there was no room for ridicule; for the thought of that devoted woman's adherence to the institution in its hour of adversity,
incontinently banished it, or gave it a favorable turn.
Men, who knew nothing of Masonry, admitted that
it must be a good thing to deserve the support of so
estimable a lady as Mrs. Page. The first effect of
her devotedness was to bring in the adherence of
many of the demitted Masons of the vicinity, who,
from timidity probably, had stood thus far aloof;
and this gave great additional strength to the lodge.
Its second effect was to allure a few outsiders, whose
parents, long ago, had taught them the value of
Masonry as a social tie, and thus the temple was
still further enlarged. The next thing was to nerve
the Fraternity to a public procession, an address, a
public dinner, and all that sort of thing; and when
that was over, they felt strong enough, as Bro. Rakkoone somewhat lightly remarked, "to out-mouth
His Satanic Majesty himself." Was not "Widowed
Sister's Lodge" rightly named?
8 
A TALE OF FRATERNAL SACRIFICE.
Irscribed to  F. W.  Bro, Col. 8, ~, C,rr_pbelZZ
TOHONT,- CAN,-DA, WES'I'
O W  shall I describe the consternation-by
what language we Brethren know prudently
to use, can I depicture the alarm apparent in
Spondylus Lodge, Nod 19, at Peckville-you
understand, reader, the name is a fictitious
one-when the discovery was made that that
lid Mason, Bro. Lewis Shipman, by many years the
senior, in age, of the other members, and long the
MIaster of the lodge, had committed  a certain act
which cast him at once beyond the pale of Masonic
forgiveness!  No  such signs of distress were ever
.een in that lodge before. In all their trials. in all
the troubles of the antimasoni.c warfare through
which the mnembers of No. 19 had passed with clean
aprons, thiough many a token of despondency remains
upon the records of the lodge, there was nothing
comparable with this.
When a fiiendship of ordinary character is severed
by word or act, and transformed into the coldness
of ordinary acquaintance; when love, which once
seemed perfect, is lost in satiety or the craving for
(9)
Afit giout igut-zAft giolit Biang 
10     THE RIGIIT EYE - THE RIGHT HAND,
novelty; when a favorable opinion is turned to the
opposite pole of my doubt; the change, to the lover
of good fellowship and social confidence, is painful
enough; but when, as now, perfect confidence, which
has had its entrance into the innermost chambers of
the soul, unreserved  affection with what train of
blessings accompanies it, and that love that knows
no rival, are, in an instant, changed to abhorrence
and disgust, the scene becomes the most painful
that can overshadow the checkered pavement styled
human life.  These were the signs manifest in Spondylus Lodge, No. 19, at Peckville, upon the occasion
to which I have alluded.
Bro. Lewis Shipman was, in the best sense of the
word, the Pijcht Eiye, tile Riyht I-and of his lodge.
Its angles had all been drawn by his hand; the horizontals of its foundation lines and the perpendiculars
of its walls derived all their merits from his skill.
What are all the regulations of the Masonic Institution unless there is a good head to control the
lodge!  In No. 19, were all the tokens of the clear
vision and the steady muscle. Bro. Shipman had
organized the lodge; had been its Master while working under dispensation; had been its first elective
head. Save one term-a certain event precluding
his service that year-he had been an officer, by the
friendly persuasion of his brethren, ever since that
period; and not once had he been absent from the
Grand Lodge as their representative.  Among that
brotherly and dignified band, No. 19 was best known
as "Bro. Shipman's Lodge." 
TE RIGHT EYE -TH1  RIGHT HIIAND.
All which, the instruction communicated in Spondylus Lodge, through an entire generation of members, bore the stamp of this intelligent and zealous
man.  Its grips were his grips; Mis rituals were its
rituals, whereby we knew its lectures were the old
lectures known by every one Mason of'"auld lang
syne" as "the lectures of Preston and Webb."  his
peculiar views of Masonic law, history and philosophy-you may know  them  by asking the. veteran,
Salem Town, who yet lives-were a law to his brethren at Peckville and surrounding places, who desired
not to know any other system but Shipman's.  In
the dark days of Morgan and Miller, the Craft had
clustered around Thin  as their central column, wellproportioned, well-planted, and whatever he counseled, had adopted without opposition, hesitation, or
-lebate.  As in those days of gloom, so now in the
light and hopeful times that have followed, whatever
he advised was adopted, without debate, opposition,
or hesitation.   The  finances, that fruitful source
of quibbles and squabbles in affiliated societies, were
managed under his directions without a question.
The records were  net only signed, but, in truth,
drafted by him, or what is the same thing, under his
personal supervision; for his secretary was taughlt, as
a first, duty, "to observe the Worshipful Master's will
and pleasure." The by-laws and rules of the lodgewere drafted by him alone. His mind, in short, had
stamped itself indelibly upon every action of the
lodge.
Nor would we be understood to imply that tyranny,
11 
12     THE RIGHT EYE- -TIE RIGHTI HAND.
duplicity, dishonesty, or mismanagement had manifested itself the least in this one-man power of Bro.
Shipman. Not so. The Grand Lodge, through its
committee, had declared the records and the proceedings of Spondylus Lodge, its rules and by-laws, and
its current legislation, "models of excellence," and
"worthy of general imitation.'"  In all that district,
the presiding deputy "found no lodge which, in every
particular, came so nearly up to an enlarged view of
the Masonic theory as Spondylus Lodge at Peckville."
Surrounding lodges made it their pattern of work,
lectures, and discipline, and were largely gainers by
so doing.   Visiting Brethren went away delighted
with the courtesy of their reception (though following upon the strictest, the severest, the most unrelenting examination), and the beauty, grace, and
perfection of all that they saw. They carried the
fame thereof into other lands, until Spondylus Lodge
attained an enviable notoriety in these particulars.
And in all these things Bro. Shipman was the BiyAht
Eye, thle Piyht iland of his lodge.
And we must add something still more to his credit.
In all deeds of benevolence, in all interpositions of
brotherly love, in counsel, in rebuke, in fraternal
commendation, this man  Shipman,  the Master of
Spondylus Lodge, shone preeminently conspicuous.
lie sought glory, he sought fame, but he sought it
only for his lodge, even as our imperial Brother, the
poor exile of Helena, had sought these things, in his
days of fortune, for his beloved France. None could
accuse him of indolence in the performance of any 
THE RIGHT EYE - THIE RIGHT HAND.
duty appertaining to his post. Under his guidance,
Spondylus  Lodge became  a perennial fountain of
charity.   Widows remembered it in their prayers,
and  dropped  grateful tears when  it was named;
orphans revered it as a thing awfully mysterious
and divinely good. Its gavels rang sweet music in
the ears of indigent applicants; and well they might,
for rarely was its senior warden's pillar elevated, and
its Bible spread open, but various calls were made
upon its charities-calls that were not often rejectedb
And in all these Bro. Shipman, whose purse was the
first to open, whose donations were the nearest the
purpose desired, was the Right Eye, the Riyht Hand.b
Alas! had Bro. Shipman but died during this happiest, this most useful, this most honorable period
of his existence, what a memory had he left behind!
what tears had bedewed his coffin! what reminiscences had the records of Spondylus Lodge and the
hearts of its members retained of his virtue, knowledge, and zeal! how had his character shone as a
mark to those who should follow him! There is no
gift our Father gives us so directly and so permanently available to all our highest purposes as the
character of a good Mason, dead.
But in the wisdom of him "who doeth all things
well," Bro. Shipman was spared for the public exposure of his villainy, for the scandal of his lodge
and the institution, and for the heartfelt anguish of
those who had so long loved, followed and reverenced
him.   His crime, providentially detected, was  exposed in a manner which admitted of no denial or
18 
14     THE RIGHET EYE  — THE PIJHT HAND.
dispute, and three witnesses became cognizant of all
the facts of the case.
These three witnesses were all members of Spondylus Lodge, and stunned and confounded as they
were at the knowledge they had so providentially
come in possession of, they had discretion enough to
bear it only to the lodge, to the lodge called by the
senior warden as to a case of the sorest emergency,
for the purpose of taking the matter into immediate
consideration To the bosom of that lodge, opened
with prayer and solemn exhortations, this secret was
confided, and then the members present set themselves
earnestly to work to devise a plan of action suited to
the occasion.
We shall not fear to furnish a handle for accusation
to our bitterest opponents, if we confess that voices
were heard there that night, which suggested, only
suyycested, that perhaps, under the circumstances, considering Bro. Shipman's long and meritorious services,
considering that only the members of the lodge were
aware of his guilt, and the immense scandal to the
Order that would grow out of it, and the dreadful
shock Spondclylus Lodge would experience from giving
publicity to the affair-that perhaps, possibly, it might
be better to keep the vatter still.  To the credit of
Spondylus Lodge, however) thie proposition, if it
could fairly be styled a proposition, met so inhospitable a reception, that its movers, in confusion,
protested against its being considered any opinion of
theirs, and the idea was instantly dropped.
Turning from that, we give with honest pride the 
THE RIGHT EYE -THE RIGHT HAND.
sentiments which did pervade those assembled hearts,
and which, originating with Bro. Crystal, were finally
adopted by a rising, unanimous vote:
"It can not be denied, my sorrowing fellow-members, that Bro. Shliipman has been, in all respects, to
human observation at least, our Right Eye, our Bight
Hand. He has so identified himself with all our
deeds of a Masonic character, that to think of Masonry as it has operated around us is to think of Bro.
Shipman. Ihis hand has been the first to strew the
evergreen and the clods over the remains of all who
have been carried front this lodge to the grave.  His
foot has been the first to tread the threshold of want,
and his contributions the first to relieve it.  IIe has
been our Wisdom and our Strength-yea, our Beauty
likewise, for there was no comeliness we desired beside him."-A pause, emphatic with sobs from the
entire group.
"The loss to us appears quite irreparable.   So
much as we have boasted before other lodges of our
intelligent and enlightened Master, so much does his
loss now afflict us. For me, I can devise no method
by which this immense breach in our temple;wall can
be repaired. To undertake the heavy cares of the
lodge, rendered to us all the heavier by the remarkable perfection of system to which Bro. Shipman has
reduced them, and the perfect facility with which he
performed them, who is equal to it?
"'But what then, my brethren? Admitting, as all
of us do and must do, that Bro. Shipman is the Rigyh
Eye and the.tyht.land of this lodge, and that his
15 
16     THE RIGHT EYE -THE RIGHT HAND.
loss to us is irreparable, is our duty rendered any the
less plain? Nay, is not our duty the plainer and the
more perceptible? Does it not, in fact, loom upon
our vision in a gigantic figure from this very acknowledgment that it is a hard duty?   Open, Bro.
Chaplain, to that blessed Sermon on the Mount,
given, as it would appear, for the use of just such
a distressed, unhappy band as this, and read the
twenty-ninth and thirtieth verses.
"And if thy right eye offend tee, plueck it out and
east it fram thee; for it is profitable for thee that one
of thy nmem)bers shouttld perish, and not that thy whole
)ody7 should be ecest into hell.  And if thy right hand
offend thee, cut it off and east it from thee; for it is
profitable for thee that one of thy members should
}~erish, and sot th(at thy wliole body should be east
into hell.
"There, my brethren, is a succinct statement of
our duty.' Pluck it out, cut it off, and cast it from
us.'   Better that one of our members, though  the
most valued and cherished of all, should perish, than
that we should falsify every principle of the Masonic
system by retaining in our ranks one who is so egregiously unworthy of us."
And so thought they all. In due time, and by
the due course of law-for it is a tedious and an
embarrassing case thus to dispose of a Master-the
Right Hand, the Right Eye was cast away.  Amid
a flood of public scandal it was effected. It afforded
every possible facility, for awhile, to the tale-bearer
and the antimason, and Freemasonry in Spondylus 
TIlE RIGHT EYE — THIE RIG IT ITAND.
Lodge languished under it.  There was but little
work offered for a considerable period, and for a
more considerable period there was but little spirit
in the lodge to do work.
But gradually public prejudice wore off. The immense sacrifice the lodge had made upon the altar
of truth and justice won for them, in due time, the
favor of the just and true.  Itope revived in their
hearts.  They were aroused to industry by the very
necessity of their position. Every available means of
acquiring information were put into refquisition. The
immense vacancy formed by the abstraction of their
Wisdom, Strength and Beauty was filled, though
slowly and with difficulty. Each officer and member
took it upon himself to learn his part, and that, too,
a large part of Masonry. Masonic books and papers
took their proper place as teac7lers.   The visits of
authorized lecturers were encouraged, and in due
time they reaped the reward of their devotion.
I-how many lodges, beside Spondylus, have found
themselves suddenly deprived of their Right Band,
their Right Eye!  I-ow many have been suddenly
bereft by death! What then?  Shall the Temple of
Masonry fall, like that of Dagon, because some Samson is prostrate? Nay, verily. The lodge is made
up of men. No eunuchs, no women, no persons of
ill report, none of feeble intellect.  All its membership is men, mentally, morally and physically perfect.
Let such, then, in a contingency like this, bestir themselves up to repair the breach, and their present loss
shall be their future and lasting gain.
2
17 
Inscribed to _. W. fro. James S. reeves, jI.9.
OF McCONNELLSVILLE, OHIO.
CHAPTER I.
WfHERE  were various causes, in the melancholy
months and years of Antimasonry, why the
r~l   minds of the loving Brotherhood were dis     posed to a mournful  cast.  Brother of the
present generation, you will follow us through
this disclosure and read them for yourself.
Under any state of circumstances, the initiate must
lament "the casting-down of the dwelling of God's
name" to the ground; the lodge-room, once consecrated, can never, in the heart of its former denizens, be
divested of all the mystery and sanctity that once
possessed it. Its wood, its stone, its metals are ever
afterward sacred in the esteem of the faithful Craftsman. But there were special reasons to grieve over
the ruins made among the temples of Masonic devotion, when the strong arm of the enemy was unloosed
upon them, and made the words of David seem reala man was famous according as he had lifted up axes
upon the thick trees.
For example, there was the scoff of the enemy, keen
as a serpent's tooth to the mind of a Mason. Then
(18)
'0-)It t ood vtoall zGut "thau. 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
were the prophecies of the timid fulfilled, and the fears
of the coward, "for the days of the Institution are
numbered!"; and the accomplished threats of the
rejected and the expelled, two classes whose reasons
for wrath against Masonry are indisputable; and
worst of all, the sharp rebukes of conscience, that
told how these evils might htave been remedied had
the Craft but put shoulder to shoulder when first
threatened, and interlocked their shields, forming
bulwarks that no foe ever penetrated-shields, I rede
you, "of faith, and patience, and prayer," forged in
the armories of God.
Freemasonry gains nothing by concealing the truth;
our fathers, previous to the period named, had committed one serious error which brought its own penalty after it: they threw open the portals of the lodge
too widely. The loaded camel passes not the needle's
eye. What then? why either the loaded camel should
be turned away from the gate, which may God grant!
or the larger gate, a passway for the caravan be thrown
open, which may God avert!  By some infatuation,
the temple-builders, prior to 1826, had broken down
the barriers of ages, opened the larger gate and admitted the multitude.  The story we give you, reader,
shall carry nothing along with it but truth, though
sometimes possibly offensive and unpalatable.   Our
fathers opened the greater portals as well as the needle's
eye, and lo! the results will never be forgotten by
those conversant with the history of that day. The
evils remain in too many a lodge, the city gates
remain open and the loaded camel continues to enter.
19 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
In such places Masonry fails to fulfill its mission as
an exclusive, eclectic circle, surrounded by defensive
armor; it becomes rather a moral hospital, into which
men come expecting to be healed. It needs, oh! how
it needs the Divine Visitor, with scourge of small cords,
to enter the lodge as He once entered it, to cast out
them that sell and buy therein, to overthrow the tables
of the money-changers, and to remove all who make
"the Father's House" a place of merchandise!
They who, by negligence and ignorance, sowed the
wind, in the days of which we are writing, reaped the
whirlwind. At the period mentioned, there began to
be exhibited before the eye of the observer, a moral
phenomenon-observe it with me now, kind readeras difficult of satisfactory explanation with the lights
then possessed, as the phenomena of the great pestilence which followed it, six years later. It has been
well styled, The Antimasonic Warfare, and secondly,
The Sweep of Political Antimasonry.  That reckless
politicians should grasp with avidity anything that
promises them aggrandizement, is not the matter of
surprise; it is that a large portion, or even a respectable portion of the community should have sustained
them in efforts whose success could be achieved only
in the ruin of the best Institution in the land-this
it is which forms the standing wonder in American
history.  It is as if the Craftsmen at the building of
King Solomnon's Temple should have given in their
adhesion in considerable numbers to an attempt of
two or three ambitious spirits, there to build themselves
up at the cost of whatever was venerable and truthful
20 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
in the society whose affiliation they all enjoyed.
Yet the evil may have been permitted, we suggest it
in all reverence, by the Divine Master, that Masons
be taught to put more trust in God. The plague was
assuaged in Jerusalem ere the race of the faithful
perished, and so not all the strength of the Craft was
consumed ere "Ile:rose to judgment to save the
weak of the earth, Selah!"
It was during the fourth year of political Antimasonry, and the cloud had extended from the east
of New York and New England to enshroud the skies
of the more southern and western States. Those who
have heard the sound of ax, hammer, or any tool of
iron crashing against the ancient walls, can imagine
the distress of those who apprehended, in its spread,
the moral evils that had followed upon its first issuance. Brother Luther Otranto had started, one fair
morning in February, from his residence in the
vicinity of Lowbridge, to attend the Grand Lodge of
the State as the representative of his lodge.  The
saddening influences to which we have referred were
pressing upon his mind as he journeyed. His own
lodge had yielded among the earliest, to the opposition
of evil men, and one by one its members had fallen
away until there was but a constitutional handful
remaining. The blood had left the extremities to
gather around the heart,-a heart yet sound, but
beating faintly.
Not treason alone, but misfortune and cruel ingratitude had borne heavily upon the lodge. Their
evils were an iliad. Two of the world's orphans,
21 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
whom the Brethren had befriended and adopted and
in good time enlightened by the light of Masonry,
had betrayed them, joined the ranks of denunciation,
and become foremost in opposition.  Their treasurer,
a man of years, of high standing. in society, and of
good worldly substance, had followed in the same path,
had diverted the funds of the ledge from their legitimate channel, and refused to render an account for
the act. By this blow the lodge was rendered bankrupt. * Its patriarch, Judge Lowers, than whom
there was no one in the county who was abler to turn
the current of opposition, was called suddenly from
labor to refreshment, and as he went up for his
reward, his Brethren were disconsolate indeed. How
could a building stand thus assailed by storm, lightning and earthquake all together!
Bro. Otranto, the then present Master of "United
Voice Lodge," and the subject of our tale, was
scarcely the man for such stupendous opposition as
this. His zeal truly was an abounding one; his discretion was that of the wise; but his knowledge, the
link that unites zeal with discretion, and renders
them subservient to the highest interests of Freemasonry, was unequal to the magnitude of the demand.
His character was fashioned, not for the stormy age
in which he lived, but for a quiet and prosperous day.
Being one of those who value the adage of the an
* When called upon by disinterested friends to explain his
conduct, he said, " the Masons will only spend it for an evil
purpose; they shall not have the opportunity."
22 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
cients, KNOW THYSELF, he had long sought to know
his own defects, and had striven mightily to repair
them. A liberal portion of his leisure he had given
to Masonic  studies, since the day his foot first
trod the checkered pavement; but in his plan there
proved to be a radical error, which rendered much
of his labor nugatory. He studied to commit the
work and lectures simply, unmindful of the lessons
they taught, to the mind Pursuing this method
with all the zeal of an amateur and the perseverance
of a devotee, he was notoriously proficient in that
department.   The work, erected by his hands, was
well-constructed, welt-polishled; the lectures upon his
tongue were smooth, eloquent, legitimate.  United
Voice Lodge was proud of her Master, and gave
him such wages for his service as Brethren can give
and Brethren can receive. Yet, in his hands, Masonry languished; the Brethren ceased, one by one,
their connection, and remained without the door;
ihe treasurer embezzled the funds; and, with little
-id of fancy, one could have read upon the architrave
MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN, engra;,en not with
some iron tool, but with the finger of fate.
For why? Because the spirit of the whole was
wanting.  The work and lectures of Masonry  are
but its letters, its ceremonial law, which, like that
of Moses, served as a casket to inclose the jewel of
God's more precious promises.  Its spirit lies in an
exposition of its principles, its sublime tenets. Without these, Masonic teachings were dead as stones;
without these, the system were as sounding brass or
28 
THE GOOD MNAN, TRUE MAN.
a tinkling cymbal; a tree without fruit; a specious
deceit, all captivating, but sand-based and ready to
be destroyed.
This, then, was the character, rough-hewed, of
Luther Otranto, whom we find journeying, on the
last day of winter, to seek, in the communion of
the Grand Lodge, for that consolation which the
circumstances surrounding the Craft at home failed
to impart.  It is a squared privilege of those dignified bodies, yclept Grand Lodges, to give such
cheerful refreshment to worthy seekers.
The first three days of the journey passed with
little incident. Called by sunset's dimness to a halt,
it was at the first cabin by the roadside at which
the request for a night's lodging  was made,  and
most promptly  was the  call answered:  "Alight,
stranger, and come in." The fatigues of the manynumbered miles disposed the body to prompt slumber
in the rustic bed to which it was consigned; a bountiful breakfast fortified it for another day; and so
the traveler went on. About one hour past high
twelve, he paused nigh some sweet stream flowing
from nature's quarries hard by; and, unsaddling his
horse, gave to both the shade and rest; whence they
were seen' to emerge, an hour later, recruited for
the afternoon's task.
It was on the fourth day, as Brother Otranto was
passing round the head of a deep ravine, where the
road described a sharp curve, he was surprised to
hear, a little distance in advance, a voice, raised to
a loud key, singing some Masonic verses very popu
40
24 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
lar at that period, and with a gusto as if the tall
timbers around were a group of applauding hearers.
The ode referred to the merits and virtues of that
majestic column   felled, alas! by death  known
among men as George Washington. The sentiments
of the song, the correctness with which each technical word was enunciated, and the hearty manner
with which the vocal organs co-operated with the
prepared spirit in the melody, were evidences beyond
dispute that the traveler through the forests that day
was a Mason; for there is a peculiarity, an idiom,
in every language not to be disguised by those to
whom it is vernacular, nor counterfeited by those
who are alien to it. There is this idiom likewise in
the Masonic tongue, that although the cowan may
even utter the same words of proof as the Craftsman, he can not make them appear as vernacular.
Lebanon impressed its own image upon its cedars.
Thus we say the secrets of Masonry were never exposed; as easily might a rogue exhibit before a public
audience how an honest man acts.
Does the idea of a Masonic idiom, conveyed in
the above  sentence,  appear  to the unenlightened
reader incredible?  Nay, then, look at a mariner
by sea, or, nearer home, at a skillful  mechanic
planing the wood, driving the nail, hewing the beam,
shaping the iron.  See him handle his tools.  Can
you handle them in-the same way? Can you teach
a third person to handle them mechanic-wise? Then
Iraw a just comparison, and believe that a Mason
3
25
0 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
may tongue the words sacred( to his calling in a
style that none who face the tyler can possibly
imitate.
By such evidences did Brother Otranto justly conceive that the traveler, who was enjoying with such
gusto this image of "an old-time Freemason," was
himself one who had seen the light and walked
therein.  So  he  went  briskly up, and  with  true
traveler's cheer hailed him, and proposed that they
should journey together. The stranger, a stronglybuilt man of fifty and upward, dressed from head
to foot, from hat to shoes, in home-made garb, as
cheerfully assented, in the words, "With pleasure,
Brother.   I will go with  you, on floats, to Joppa,
and from thence, by land, to Jerusalem, if you ask
it."  And the acquaintance was at once formed.
A further examination proved his new friend to
be emphatically a homespun native. The bright
yellowv dye of his garments had been extracted from
the abundant sumac (Rhus glabra), and fixed by the
cheap copperas; the heavy, coarse shoes were fashioned at his own fireside; his hat was the fabric of
a neighboring artisan; his shirt spun, woven, sewed
by the hands of his daughters, as were all his garments, completed the attire which originally grew
from his own soil, and herded and tended by his
own care.  Many such are yet found in the remote
settlements, but their number lessens every day, and
the modern theory of division of labor will soon
change their habits. The expertness of the widow's
26 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
son* has few imitations and no equals in this age,
and it is deemed a token of talent and skill to be
expert in any one of those branches of which Hliram
had mastered the whole.  Rude  as the stranger's
covering was, there were marks of wisdom engraven
on his face. A knowledge of human nature was
not wanting in the comprehensive sweep vwhich his
eye took of the form of the new-comer; there was
no evidence in him of the boorish simplicity that
often accompanies the homespun coat.
In reply to a remark of Mr. Otranto, relative to
the pleasure of companionship, he said: "Why, certainly, Brother, there is something to be gained by
sociability on such a road as this, where the farms
are ten miles apart, and not much to brag of, in the
way,of farming, at that.  They give a man mighty
little to see or think of. I reckon, by the way I
was bawling out that ballad about Washington, that
I was in lack of thought! I am not sure but you
were right in that opinion."
"Whatever  I thought about it," responded Mr.
Otranto, "I was glad to hear a song that set up
such a man in the place he deserves, and reminded
me so forcibly of my present errand. I am on my
way to the seat of government, to attend Grand
Lodge."
"And I, sir," replied the stranger, " am journey
* See 2d Chron. ii: 14: " He was skillful to work in gold and
in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in
blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also, to grave any manner
of graving, and to find out every device which could be put to him."
27 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
ing to the same place, as sheriff of the adjacent
county, to render up my annual account, as required
by law."  "When  I caught your words," pursued
Brother Otranto, " so forcibly expressing the Masonic
virtues of the last generation, I could but wish there
were more grafts of the old stock now among us.
But, sir, I painfully fear that the days of Masonic
heroism are forever passed. The wooden mauls prepared for the builders' purpose seem to have worn
out, so that even when we have selected and prepared our blocks they do not fit well in the building!"
"With all deference, sir, to your judgment," was
the response, "I  must  dissent from  your  views.
Within a few years past I have become acquainted
with more instances of real heroism, more proofs of
honest, unselfish, self-sacrificing devotion to our Institution than is elsewhere on record. In the present
excitement against Masonry, you are of course aware
of it, sir, the opposition in many quarters has erected
a real standard of persecution, so that that which
began in friendly persuasion is ending in sharp constraint. Yet there are thousands in the Temple who
from its several parts declare they will continue their
affiliation, and many who have been prompted by the
very crisis, to take a more active participation in Masonic affairs than ever before, even though to do so,
demands the sacrifice of houses, and brother and
sister, and father and mother, and wife and children,
and lands. Sir, this is true patriotism. Fitted with
such principles these men are martyrs. While the
28 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
sun was glowing brightly, it was a small thing to avow
membership in our ranks; now it is the work of a
hero, in moral exactness, that many do who work in
Masonry.  I saw such a case recently, you shall hear
the particulars of it when we become better acquainted,
and to my eye it had more the appearance of an in cident like those with which the Book of Martyrs is
filled, than an every-day fact. And when this murky
cloud, being moved over our heads for divine purposes, shall have passed, and the Craft are called up
to receive their wages earned through the burden and
heat of the day, their handiwork all approved and
their reward ready,. you will see that the grafts of
the old stock of which I was singing when you overtook me, yet abound among us, and that they have
lost nothing of their hereditary worth." All this and
more of such from so homespun an individual, led
his companion to the conclusion to which the reader
doubtless has arrived, that the speaker was familiar
not alone with good Masonic work, but with the good
Masonic language, in which the acts of the Supreme
Architect of the Universe are moralized upon in
Masons' lodges.
"But do you actually anticipate with confidence the
removal of this cloud?" interrogated the earnest delegate; " and will it flit away in time to save the plants
now languishing for the light and warmth of the sun?"
Nothing was ever more prophetic than that reply.
"Sir, so sure as there is a God of truth and justice,
who presides over the work of human hands, I do
anticipate that time, and already I think the day of
29 
TIIE GOOD 3IAN, T.RUE    iA'.
our redemption is nigh. In my owin county, of which
as sheriff, I am  thie executive ofY7cei-, I see and converse with nearly every one of my fellow-citizens at
least once a year, and in that locality I can testify
to a happy change.  Eighteen mionths ago there was
a dead set made against my re-e-lection because of nay
acknowledged att achment to Mlasonry, and my majority was reduced from several hundrleds to less than
fifty votes.  In fact, the subject wfas so often and so
insultingly thrown in my teeth, that I became a jest
and by-word even with children.  Brats of ten and
twelve years of age screamed after me, as I passed,
Yonder's swearing Billy Payson,
Swears whenever he meets a Mason!
Say, why were you so foolish, Bill,
To give away your honest will?
and you can hardly imagine how muchl the doggerel
annoyed me. I can laugh now when I think of it, but
'twas neither a laughing nor a little matter then.
'Tis over now; the violence of the assault has ceased.
Naked, open attacks have changed to surly, dogged
opposition. MIy friends there, are getting good heart
again, and were there an election to come off tomorrow,- miy  late opponent  would  he grievously
worsted.  I find from  others that this change  is
already occurring elsewhere, nor need we wonder at
it.  It is only w-here politics has been indissolubly
wedded  with  -Antimasonry,  that  Antimasons are
active, and it would be contrariy  to the uniform
teachings of history for a party to stand perma
30 
TIIE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
nently upon suecl  a platform.  Sir, I am not clad in
the mantle of an Elijah, but should you and I live
to see another census taken, not a com,munity can
be pointed out in which a respectable majority of the
citizens are linked  to Antimasonry.   I stake  the
experience of twenty years of active afiliation as a
MAason upon this opinion." *
Thus  conversing  the companions  rode  onwvard.
Short were the miles, and swift-winged the hours of
the journey.   A  new and more glowing hope  had
been implanted in the breast of Air. Otranto.   In
the place of despair, or at the best, resignation, he
had imbibed a determination to assume an aggressive
attitude, and lifting up the Masonic banner, now trailing in the dust, to advance against the foe, and even
carry the war into their own country.
"For they intended evil against thee," aptly certifies the sweet Singer of Israel, "they intended evil
against thee, they imagined  a mischievous device
which they are not able to perform; therefore shalt
thou make them turn their back  when thou shalt
make ready tiline arrows upon thy strings aga-inst
thie face of them."
' These were the expressions of one Masonic Brother, conveyed,
in 1829, in a letter to another.  How well these anticipations were
fulfilled, history shows.  It was not, however, any proof of prophietic iropulse; the science of history has its rules, like those of
the mathemat ics, fixed and reliable.  By them, it may be seen, that
no combination of evil men is permanent, and that no great political party can be sustained upon a merely negative principle.
31 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
CHAPTER II.
IN this money-seeking, avaricious and bustling
age, something is needed to awaken our social feelings, and put them into exercise.   The  ordinary
topics in life fail in this. The excitements of politics and general intelligence, though they may affect
our interests, opinions, or prejudices, afford us no
sufficient grounds for this purpose; we can not permanently unite upon any one of them, and sustain
a course of meetings so as to increase our social
pleasures.
Religion would answer this purpose, were it not
for the endless variety of opinions entertained respecting its leading doctrines;  a fact which, as it
renders it.necessary for Christians to form separate
churches, is fatal to any hope of mankind uniting
upon it as a general social system or basis.
Under these circumstances, it is an exalted proof
of God's goodness that we have a system free from
all reasonable objections, perfect in all its parts, and
harmonious in all its details; a system exceedingly
ancient, exceedingly popular; in a green and flourishing state to-day; a system that has stood fiery
trials and survived them; that has endured prosperity, yet retained its original simplicity; that comprehends enough of Christianity to instruct the
Christian- enough of the religion of nature to
attract the worldling; too costly to be within the
32 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
profligate's means, yet cheap enough for the indus trious; too intricate for the mentally stupid, yet
sufficiently plain to the studious; full of ceremony
to those who are attracted with rites and forms, yet
presenting no ceremony without a direct allusion to
solid and important things; mysterious in the extreme to the uninitiated-a system that its votaries
call FREEMASONRY. We should bless God every day
of our lives that he has permitted us such a treasure
as this.
That which was wanting in other topics is found
in this.  Masonry has proved herself the best of
social systems, and the mother of them all.  However unreasonable it may appear to the cowan, however inexplicable to the initiate, even though the
Masonic philosopher himself may not understand the
full course of it, yet it is plain that Masonry does
make its children love and respect one another; and
this is the foundation of all sociability.
Independently of this native yearning for companionship, which lies deep in the heart of every
one except a hermit, there is another inducement
for becoming Masons that controls many. We allude
to the desire, highly reasonable and proper in itself,
to become acquainted with the mysteries that are in
Masonry.  It is this which attracts to our Fraternity
so many lovers of wisdom. All sources of information are undergoing a rigid investigation; their true
claims are being exposed; their false ones turned to
ridicule.
Whenever we pass through a village, and observe
33 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
some upper room with the emblematic square and
compass painted on its outer wall, it is easy to conceive a voice issuing thence, and proclaming, " Hither,
Oh ye lovers of knowledge! mysteries are here explained to the minds of the wise and good."
The Masonic character of Luther Otranto had
not exhibited the principles requisite for this latter
branch of Masonry.  With all his study and experience, he had not advanced a step beyond the position assigned him the night he was raised to the
sublime  degree.   He  had merely  memorized  the
lectures, and acquired the work with mechanical
precision. It was fortunate for him (it would be
fortunate for thousands like him, it would be the
re-modeling of all of us) that he overtook on his
long journey such a man as William Payson, who,
with all his homespun garb and manners, was the
best traveled Mason in the State, and, had he had
an education to display it, possessed talents that
ranked him with a Marshall,  a Livingston, or a
Clinton, in a due appreciation of the system.
Every sentence uttered by this deeply-meditative
man went to the heart of Mr. Otranto.  He began
to discover the defects in his own work. The light
broke in upon his mind, ray by ray, and he saw,
what many a ruler of the lodges might see, that
much of the disaster which had befallen the Order
at Lowbridge was attributable to his own ignorance.
Masonry had not been made to appear the social
thing it was. There had been no efforts made to
make  the lodge-room  an interesting spot.  There
34 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
was nothing attracting in its looks; not an engraving
on its walls; no library; no carpet upon the floor.
It was simply a poorly-warmed, poorly-ventilated
apartment in an upper story, with wooden benches,
hard as an antimason's heart, naked, cheerless walls,
dusty floors, and rude stations. In short, it was the
reverse of the great Temple, whose magnificent appearance graced the meeting-place of its warm-hearted
builders.
Such being the case, was it wonderful that the
young members should prefer the seductive lyceum,
or the thronged shelves of the library, or the decorated and social drawing-rooms of Lowbridge, to the
cold and barren lodge-room?
But still more painful intelligence broke in upon
his mind- Ile had not imparted that knowledge to
the neophytes which was promised them before their
initiation, and for which they had dispensed such a
liberal pecuniary fee. He had practiced a kind of doception upon them. In the publications of Masonry,
the manuals, the addresses, the charges, etc., the
most glowing promises are made of high mysteries
to be opened, useful instruction imparted, enduring
affiliation secured.  How had these assurances been
fulfilled in his lodge?   With what a scantiness of
mysteries, a modicum of wisdom, a slackness of
affiliation had his candidates been fed.
But Luther Otranto was a Mason in heart, and to
know his error was to cast it off. High resolutions
of future usefulness found root in the soil of his
mind. He would procure books; he would study to
35 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
apply the teachings of Masonry; he would commence
a course of lectures soon as he returned home, which
should lay the links of the Masonic chain together
into one grand fetter, from which none of the membership should escape, or desire to escape; he would
make the place of meetings a social, cheerful, desirable spot, where the heart might be enlivened
and the mind enlightened.   Without falling back
upon the errors of our Masonic fathers, "of converting the hours of refreshment into hours of intemperance and excess," he would avoid the modern
error, almost as injurious, of neglecting physical
refreshment altogether, and the moments of recess
should be made animated and mirthful with good fare
and good music.  Those who had cut themselves off
from Masonic association through fear of the popular
outcry, might go their ways in peace, but the ballotbox should forever bar their return.  Those who remained should be encouraged by this new and better
plan, to polish their Masonic links, and strengthen
the entire chain. This would render the system more
alluring to those who were without, and soon another
class would be found upon the sacred floor, whoa
should bring among them strength and beauty. Such
were the resolves of his mind ere he had been two
days in the company of the well-balanced sheriff,
master of the work, explorer of the inner lore of
Masonry.
Our state of existence is not merely a state of
incoming wisdom; there is within it an opportunity,
constantly recurring, of outgoing practice. The bond
86 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
which had united the hearts of these two travelers,
was soon to have its strength tested in an extraor dinary manner.
It has been shown, in the preceding chapter, that
Mr. Payson was wending his way to the seat of government, as the executive officer of the county of
S, to render up the annual statement of taxes.
In those days it was incumbent for the sheriff to
pay over the amount to the State treasurer in specie,
and Mr. Payson was now bearing the large amount,
principally in gold coin, which constituted the tax
money  of his county.   While preparing to leave
home, he had detailed two men to accompany him
as guards, for the roads were unsafe, peculiarly so to
a traveler freighted as he was. But by some strange
accident, fully explained in the sequel, both the men
had been taken violently ill the day before the intended departure, and at a time when it was too late
to make further arrangements.   The stout sheriff
being well-armed, and expecting to fall in with Grand
Lodge delegates upon the road, started alone, as we
have seen.
A party of desperate men had awaited this opportunity to enrich themselves with his golden burden.
The illness of the guards was the effect of stupefying
medicines administered to them by one of the gang;
and no sooner did they find that the sheriff had commenced his journey without company, than they followed him, well-mounted and prepared for the most
desperate measures. Coming a few miles behind him,
they had made a circuit by means of the country roads,
37
0 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
and concealed themselves within a dense thicket in
advance.
The circumstances of the attack were these: Mr.
Payson had taken from his saddle-bags a copy of a
monitor, just then getting into use in the West and
South, and was pointing out to his fellow-traveler the
distinction between the time-hallowed emblems which
have come down to us from the days of Solomon,
and even earlier, and those here introduced, with a
singular disregard of our Grand Master St. John's
injunctions (Revelation xxii: 18), by the author of
the book.  Like all the older Masons of his day, he
was deprecating those exposures of our arcana on
things movable, when  his horse, whose bridle-rein
had fallen loose upon his neck, suddenly started,
stopped, snorted, and threw up his head with a
violence that knocked the book far out of his master's hand, into the contiguous thicket.
This accident caused him to dismount, while Mr.
Otranto rode on some fifty yards in advance. At the
instant of his re-mounting, and while yet his body
was swayed over the saddle recovering its equilibrium,
the highwaymen, whom the horse, with his fine sense
of sight and smell, had already discovered, rushed
upon him.   They were five in number, numerous
enough to catch the horse by the head, to ward off
the powerful blows of the sheriff, to knock the pistol
from his hand ere yet he could level it at either of
them, and to strike him by a cruel blow headlong
from the saddle.
It was all the work of an instant. A moment
38 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
before, and his Mason-brother had seen him erect
upon the ground, vigorous, eloquent, cheerful; now, as
he turned to learn the cause of the alarm, Ihe beheld
the sheriff lying prostrate, a large spout of blood
streaming from his head, and coloring the soil to a
crimson hue.  It was as a dream.  Could this broken
vessel be the strong and active man from whom he
had just parted?
But his meditations were cut short by the movements of the robbers, who leveled their rifles toward
him, and demanded an instant surrender, under pain
of death. He glanced rapidly around him, and saw
that there was indeed no alternative.  Before  him
and on his right arose a steep hill, up which his horse
could hardly be urged at a trot.  On his left was the
almost impassable thicket, terminated, as he could
see through the leafless boughs, by a broad stream
of water. In his rear the enemy cut off all hopes of
retreat, and there lay his mangled Brother, helpless,
in their midst. Did not duty demand that he should
return to his relief?  A bullet that whistled through
the top of his hat decided his movement; he rode
back, dismounted, and cheerfully gave up his horse
to the robbers, asking only for good treatment.
Then there was no further delay on the part of the
attacking company; but, as if their plans had been
laid to meet every contingency, one rode to the top
of the hill in front; another to a considerable distance in the rear, to guard against new-comers; while
the rest tied with handkerchiefs the arms of the prisoners, and placed them across their horses' backs.
39 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
Within ten minutes from the close of that pleasant
conference on Masonry, all was ready to bear the
Brothers to captivity or death.   Who should say
what doom was in reserve for them at the hands of
these ferocious men?
How truly it might have been declared ofthem as
of David: "They cried, but there was none to save
them, even unto the Lord, but he answered them
not." Nevertheless, "the Lord was their helper,"
though they knew it not;  and even now his spirit
was operating upon the heart of at least one of
these highwaymen, through the influences of Masonry, to save their lives, and restore them to their
friends.
The reader will recollect that the halt made by the
sheriff, which rendered him so easy a prey, was for
the purpose of recovering the monitor, which had
been thrown from his hand into the thicket. In
drawing his pistol to defend himself, he had again
let the book fall, and it had been picked up by the
robbers as an object of curiosity.  Among the five
was one to whom the well-known language of the
book spoke in trumpet-tones of warning, of entreaty,
of reproach.
While assisting to fasten the limbs of Mr. Otranto,
these words, on which his eyes had fallen, came into
his mind, " to your neighbor, in acting upon the square,
and doing unto himn as you wish he should do unto
you." In the act of throwing the insensible body of
the sheriff upon his horse, this thought, which had
been planted in his heart years before, caused him to
40 
HIE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
handle that bleeding head more tenderly, and to dispose of those lithe members more kindly; for though
a Mason is never to shut his ear unkindly against the
complaints of any of the human race, yet when a
Brother is oppressed or suffers, he is in a more peculiar manner called to open his whole soul in love and
compassion to him, and to relieve him, without prejudice, according to his capacity. No opportunity
of communicating his sympathy was afforded at this
time; but a partial determination came over his
mind, undefined, yet promising that he  would  do
some kindness to them-he scarcely knew what.
And let it not too much astonish the unenlightened
reader tlat this man, a robber among robbers, engaged
in the most desperate act punished by our laws, should
have been in possession of Masonic light, or, at the
suggestion of a Masonic book, should have brought
his mind to such a brotherly determination.  Above
all things, let no doubt as to the veracity of this tale
enter the reader's heart, for we are telling that which
we do surely know to be true.
That there is many a bad man in the ranks of
Masonry, has always been admitted.  Why  should
we be ashamed of it?  Is there any association in
the world into which hypocrites are not affiliated?
Is there any congregation under God's eye where
they are not found? Only one, that of the glorified
saints in heaven. There the heart is read, and no
room is left for deceit. 
Masons can not read the heart, save through the
life. They have but the ordinary rule of humanity,
4~~~~~
4
41 
TIlE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
'to judge the tree by its fruits."  If the past life
has been good, the lodge feels safe in receiving the
applicant; for it has a double assurance in reference
to the candidate-his own history, and the force of
Masonic obligation and instruction. If a man who
has been uniformly temperate, brave, prudent, and
honest all his life, guided only by the ordinary rules
of morality and his early education, can not be enchained to Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth by the
powerful fetters of Masonry, there must be something
radically defective in his character, which demands
more than a mortal's eye to detect. It is no discredit to Masonry that such a man is allowed to
affiliate with this Fraternity. It is to the praise of
the Order that such material is so generally cast out
when the defect becomes evident.
The person of whom we are speaking was known
among his companions by the title of Major. What
was his real name, the name by which his mother
claimed him and the lodge enrolled him, is known
only to the Searcher of hearts. In his youth he had
been distinguished for his boldness in speaking the
truth, coupled with an extraordinary propensity for
mischief.   This singular contradiction in his character led to these results: that whatever amount of
lawlessness he may have perpetrated, he would ingenuously admit the whole on being questioned, and
patiently suffer the allotted punishment.
On comling of age, he had applied to the Masonic
lodge for initiation, and been promptly blackballed.
Waiting a twelvemonth, in accordance with the usual
42 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
and sound practice of American lodges, he had, nothing daunted, made a second effort, and succeeded in
obtaining the first degree; but he was stopped two
years on the second, and only obtained the third by
a manifest improvement in his life and habits. Although he had become a participant in lodge privileges, yet the uncontrollable spirit manifested in his
youth prevented that full confidence which Brethren
should repose in one another from being awarded
him; and when, in an accidental difficulty that occurred between him and a hired servant, he struck an
unintentional blow which resulted in death, scarcely
the usual indulgence was allowed him on trial, but he
was declared expelled without a dissentient voice.
Then he left the country, and became a wanderer.
Imbittered against all the world, outlawed for his
constitutional irritability, debarred the usual- courtesies of one under Masonic charges, he became
hardened, lost the fine sense of veracity he formerly
possessed, and turned his hand to make a living by
unlawful means. Such was the history of Major, as
he afterward communicated it to a Mlasonic ear.  In
it we see room for two species of application. The
Brethren should not have initiated one to whom the
use of the compass was so difficult; but having raised
him, in spite of the weaknesses of his character, to
their highest grade, they should have been more
lenient to the ebullitions of his spirit, and not pressed
his case to such an extremity.*
* It is not too much to say that if a lodge receives an applicant who is notoriously faulty, they are bound in common honesty
43 
THiE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
The reader has seen how Major came to be made
a Mason; and now, if he, the reader, is not a Mason,
he will wish to learn how this robber, expelled from
Masonry, living under an assumed name, at war with
society, and cut off from all association with the wise
and good, should still feel under the control of Masonic obligations.  The answer is ready.  Masonic
obligations are indissoluble. Expulsion from Masonry,
although it casts the member out of the pale of'Masonic
charity, weakens no tie in him, releases him from no
engagement into which he entered toward the Order.
This is expressly stipulated at his making. Once a
.[ason always a Mason, is the rule, and no one can
escape it. Truth to say, expelled members are not
usually anxious to escape it.  In the majority of
cases that have come under our knowledge, theire
is mote anxiety to pave the way, by kindnesses to
Masons and attentions to the proprieties of Masonry,
for a return into the Order, than there is to repudiate
the solemn pledges made upon their first admission.
Such, likewise, was the case with Major; and the
sight of that book, so opportunely presented to his
eye, called up vivid memories that were likely to lead
.to valuable results. And so let us carry on the thread
of our incidents.
A short conference among the highwaymen was
closed by an order from the leader, a small, active
individual, whose strength of arm had been displayed
in the cruel blow under which the sheriff still lay
to make allowance for the fault, and bear with it in patience.
This applies to defects of both mind and body.
44 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
insensible.   The  company  closed  around  the  two
prisoners, and continuing their sentinels a few hundred yards in advance and in the rear, they rode at
a brisk trot for a mile, on the same road the two
travelers had just passed over. At a small bridlepath they turned aside fromt the main track, and
then, in single file, pursued their way over that
hilly country, until the darkness of night concealed
the trace. A halt was then made; the horses were
hobbled, and turned out to graze; the captives fastened securely to saplings, but allowed the use of
their hands; and the unfortunate sheriff, who had
returned to his senses to find himself jolting as a
dead pack upon the back of a hard-trotting horse,
was allowed the refreshment of cold water to his
aching head, dispensed at the hands of Major. A
plentiful meal, though rude, was then produced from
the wallets of the robbers, and a fair portion bestowed upon the two companions. This being over,
a caution was given them to make no attempt at
escape, under penalty of instant death; after which
the party drew aside a short distance, and entered
into a consultation relative to the disposal of the
prisoners.
As no negative had been placed upon their conversing with each other, the opportunity was not
lost to communicate that mutual sympathy which
their situation so much demanded.
How well has the wise man expressed himself:
"Iron  sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the
45 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
face of his friend!"  There  was  no  hope  in the
mind of either; for the very necessity into which
the robbers had plunged themselves by this desperate
act demanded meurder. Yet the friendly grip of the
hand brought warmth to the hearts of both. The
glance of the eye, as seen by the log-fire before
them, was a gleam of comfort, and the words of the
stout-hearted sheriff communicated a glow of resignation to the hearer.
"An end, dear Brother, to all speculation relative
to human destiny, will soon be made known to us.
The emblems we have studied, the half-glances we
have had into the mystery of life and death, the
Masonic types relative to something beyond the
boundary of time, will soon be cleared up, and the
true light we have so long sought, and received only
in broken rays, will be given us in great abundance.
ilave patience, Brother, and endure as one whose
hope is fixed. What man is he that liveth and shall
not see death? If we have been wise, we have long
awaited the summons, and if it be now nigh at hand,
shall we not be prepared?   Our approaching fate
can only terrify us according as we have neglected
past duties, and missed the great aim of our existence. Wherein we have been faithful, we may rejoice
that our reward is so soon to come!"
"What conjectures there will be among our friends!
What opinions concerning our fate! What useless
search for our remains! Our wives will long refuse
to admit their widowhood-our children their orphan
46 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
age. Our Brethren will be slow to admit our names
upon the dead man's roll-long hesitate to give a
Masonic funeral service to our memory."
"Were such a fear worthy to find place in the
mind of a dying Christian Mason, it would add bitterness to my cup, at this hour, that my disappearance is connected with the loss to the State of so
large an amount of money. Such an opportunity
of traducing Masonry, through my disappearance,
will not be neglected by the enemies of light. But
what of that? When our Divine pattern was traduced
in all his actions as a knave and an impostor, what
matters a word here or a slander there, if only God
knows the truth! Such doubts shall not perplex
me, dear Brother; such fears shall not terrify me.
I see that the conference between yonder ruffians is
breaking up. Their conclusions as to our fate may
be easily foretold. Brother, this misfortune has befallen you for being in my company; it was not you
they sought. Forgive me, my friend, for this fate
that I have so unwillingly brought upon you."
The hand-grasp that answered this appeal indicated the spirit in which it was received. Then, as
the debate, whatever it was, which had been going
on among the highwaymnen was closing, and one of
the party was approaching the place where they sat,
bound face to face, the Master of "United Voice
Lodge" requested the pious sheriff to offer up a
closing prayer. It required but an instant for one
who, like Daniel, was accustomed to pray three times
every day, to gather up his sacrifice, and offer it
47 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
there upon the altar of the Lord.  It consisted in a
heartfelt consecration of body and soul to Him who
had given both; it was a sincere humiliation of
spirit, in view of sins of omission and commission;
it contained a request like that of the dying Stephen,
who entreated pardon for his murderers; it concluded
with a triumphant claim to heaven's glories, through
the merits of Hlim in whom all may be saved
Oh! there are occasions which justify the assertion
of the son of David: "It is better to go to the house
of mourning than to go to the house of feasting: the
heart of the wise is in the house of mourning."  For
there are times when from the house of mourning
comes out a voice so heaven-toned and heavendirected, that we are constrained to declare with
Jacob, "this is no other but the house of God, and
this the gate of heaven!"   Such occasions are indulgences to those who have wisdom to use them,
and even to the ignorantly vicious; even to such a
one as he who had detached himself from the conference, and was leaning upon a tree by their side,
while the sheriff prayed; though there was no tone
of triumph in such prayer, there was a marked tone
of warninh.  It said, where these and such as these
are found, in the spirit-world, you can have no place.
The prayer ended, the sheriff asked, in a firm
voice, "What  is your message?"   The answer was
a significant gesture to the rifle in his hand. "And
this man-this man who was only by accident in my
company-assuredly he need not die?" A second
gesture like the former settled that inquiry, while
48 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
from the group, who were still at a distance, but
within hearing, came the hoarse murmur, which has
conveyed the pirate's sentiment in all ages, "Dead
men tell no tales!"
Oh, what an error is this!  No tales?  The dead
speechless?  The grave without a voice?  Of all
the mistakes that erring mortals have labored under,
this is the most serious, that "dead men  tell no
tales." Who is it, then, that speak through the
murderer's fear by day, and his terror by night?
Who harrows up his conscience, and conjures up the
phantoms that pursue him, until he dare not look
over his own shoulder, for fear of the shadow that
is following? Who is it paints with crimson every
green leaf, and fills with a groan or a scream every
sweet concord? It is the dead, with the dismal tale
it is ever telling!  There was never a grave dug to
receive the mangled remains of the murdered, but
what, to the murderer's eye, it was as conspicuous
as "a city set upon a hill, that can not be hid."
There was never a dead body so concealed by the
ruffian's hand, but what some green thing, some
evergreen thing, would plant itself at the head, and
divulge the fatal secret. Ah! the murdered dead
rest uneasily. They will not lie alone. They move
within their narrow tenements, and extend their
sinewy arms, and slumber not in peace until the
murderer is cast out of the gate, and put to confession and to death, and laid by their side.
"But," said the hoarse murmur from the ruffianly
group, "dead men tell no tales.  Kill them both"
49 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
Then spoke up the sheriff:  "We  commend ourselves, Father of Mercies, into thy hands.   Cruel
men, we submit to our fate, but God grant that, in
the day of retribution, this sin likewise may be forgiven you!  Our only demand is, that you transmit
to our families, by some means or other, a knowledge
of our fate. Give us this assurance, and we will
die in peace."
CHAPTER III.
IT came in our way to mention, in the last chapter,
that Mr. Payson, the sheriff, whose pious resignation
signalized the termination of that part of the history,
had detailed several friends to accompany him, in the
capacity of guards, but that a sudden and inscrutable
attack of sickness had detained them. This sickness
had met them within a few hours of their contemplated departure, too late for the sheriff to secure
other help.
It was, perhaps, scarcely prudent in him to commence his journey alone; but human nature is rarely
balanced. Those who do to others as they would be
done by, look to the world with a touching confidence
for reciprocal treatment. Those who have JUSTICE
have FORTITUDE, but not always PRUDENCE. The
sheriff would not have met the requirements of a
Fouche  or a Hays in this particular, although  by
odds the best executive officer his county bad ever
elected.
50
0 
THiE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN'.
Be that as it may, it so happened-by chance
many a practical atheist would term it-that a couple
of friends called at his lhouse, on urgent business, the
evening of the day of his departure.
One of them, M-r. Legraph, was the possessor of
that one of the cardinal virtues which the sheriff
seemed defective in-we mean PRUDENCE; and he
had it in such profusion as to leave but little room
in his rather diminutive head for the others.  lIe
was altogether a man of caution. Ile spoke mainly
in whispers; looked carefully over his shoulder when
about to communicate intelligence of the most trivial
character;  and so fearful was he of divulging the
secrets of Masonry, that he learned as few of them
as possible, for fear that his better-half might somehow worm them out of his slumbers. We need not
add that his Brethren made him treasurer of his
lodge, or that he looked upon THIE KEY in its old
symbolic sense-for which see Oliver's Landmarksand governed himself accordingly.
Brother Legraph was a character, in his way, that,
did time permit, should have a larger space. Were
it not that human nature has more contradictions
than all the metaphysi,cians, from Brother Dugald
Stewart'down to Wayland, have developed, we should
say that he possessed two characters in one; and
that they were timidity ill language, and boldness in
execution. There was every token of cowardice in
his faltering tongue and restless eye, but the very
Lion of Numidia was not more earnest in carrying
out a plan. For a pabulum to his prudence, he had
51 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
collected these Scripture passages relative to that
"rascally" virtue, as General Lee called it:   "See
that ye walk circumspectly.  The wise in heart shall
be called prudent. The wisdom of the prudent is to
understand his way.  He that hath knowledge spareth
his words. A prudent man concealeth knowledge.
The heart of the righteous studieth to answer; but
the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.
The simple believeth every word; but the prudent
man  looketh well to his going.   Keep discretion.
Discretion shall preserve thee.  The discretion of a
man defereth his anger. A fool's wrath is presently
known; but a prudent man covereth shame. They
afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside
the poor in the gate from their right; therefore the
prudent shall keep silence in that time, for it is an
evil time. Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge. The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge.
The prudent are crowned with knowledge. A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but
the simple pass on, and are punished.   Consider
your ways.   Abstain from all appearance of evil."
Armed with such a stock of wisdom as this, it was
not strange that when Mr. Legraph called with his
friends at the sheriff's house, to forward the annual
lodge minutes to the Grand Lodge, that his prudence
took the alarm, when he learned that that gentleman
* In a paroxysm of rage, General Lee accused General Washington of possessing too large a share of that rascally virtue,
Prudence.
52 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
had already departed with his load of gold coin, and
no guard of protection.
Thi# in itself was somewhat alarming.   It was
more so to hear from the physician that the two
cases of sudden illness were cases of victimizing,
and that, although the patients might recover, there
could be no doubt that real, cold, earnest death had
been the intention.
Under these circumstances, what could Mr. Legraph
do but call together a dozen of the Masonic Brethren
and ask their advice? Having. offered his opinion in
his own trembling, hesitating manner, that made him
look like a slave about to receive thirty-nine stripes
for misconduct, what could be more natural than for
him to offer to pursue after the sheriff, and kill himself and his horse, if necessary, to overtake him?
And what better evidence of his queer consistency
could we offer than that, in four hours afterward, he
was mounted, with two others, and pursuing the
nearest road to the seat of government? The reader
will see that help was approaching; but how shall
we protract the murder of the two captives until
they arrive? Let us see.
The prayer being ended, and the single request
being made, which stands at the close of our last
chapter, the Brothers prepared for death.
By this time it was well-nigh midnight. There is
something about this hour that is frightful to men
who have an evil conscience. True, many a murder
is committed beneath the vault of night, but it is not
from choice that this season is thus made doubly
53 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
(lark. The blow of Cain fell while the sun looked
down, and the birds sang, over the act. Truth is, the
murderer would rather have day and daylight;ffor his
trade, though he may heap rubbish over his victim's
body, and return at night to bury it.
The group of evil men, who had adopted for their
motto "Dead men tell no tales," readily consented
to the suggestion, offered by Major, to postpone the
deed of death until daylight, and still more willingly
allowed him to act as sentinel over them until that
time.  They withdrew themselves out of sight, built
up a large fire, took out the bottles of liquor with
which such persons are usually provided, and commenced a carousal, that only ended in a general
intoxication.
The sentinel spoke not a word for an hour or two.
His resolution to save their lives had been fully
formed, but there were many difficulties in the way.
The prize for which so much had been hazarded,
was now in their grasp; but he did not so much
regret the loss of that. Thought was busy in his
mind. Through these men, it might be, that he
could be restored to society, to the society whose
fascinations were yet around his memory as a net
whose meshes might not be broken by human strength.
Possibly the records of the past could be obliterated;
he might possibly be restored to the ranks of Brotherhood, among which, spite of the half-averted eye and
the partial confidence they had given him, he had had
indescribable pleasure. Hle had repented of his first
hasty deed. Oh! readily would he have stricken off
54 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
that guilty right ear which heard the tantalizing word,
and that hand which struck the fatal blow, could such
a sacrifice have expiated the offense.
Passing to and fro, in the presence of the two captives, he at length halted, and, catching the sheriff's
eye, signaled him with one of those motions which
elude the common notice, but can not escape a
Mason.
The sheriff acknowledged that he understood it, in
the words of the Wise Man: "If thou faint in the
day of adversity, thy strength is small; if thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and
those that are ready to be slain; if thou sayest,
Behold, we knew it not, doth not he that pondereth
the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul
doth he not know it? and shall not he render to
every man  according  to his works?"   Such  expressive language aroused the mind of his fellowprisoner, who had been for awhile wrapped in some
home-reverie, sweet, but indescribably mournful.  He
raised his eyes, first to the excited countenance of
his brother captive, then following the direction of
his to that of the sentinel, who was looking directly
upon him. A second signal of the same character
as the former met his notice, and was in like manner
understood.
And now it was that Mr. Otranto realized a truth
that he had often enough advanced in his lodge lectures, as all Lodge Masters must do, but, like thousands of others, had never before truly appreciated.
Now it was that he felt a sort of familiarity with
55 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
this man, as though he had seen him before. There
was something in the sign, and in the look accompanying it, which so blended all peculiarities of the
man into one, that he saw not the sentinel, the
stranger, the rude, rough highwayman, but there
stood before him humanity moralized by Masonry!
In that sign he read a promise (it were treason to
our common humanity to doubt its truth) that, come
what would, the prisoners should not die without a
hand to defend them. He saw not the man, we repeat it, but the character which Masonry had recognized in the man, in that hour when she conferred
upon him her ancient mysteries. It was as if a
member of his own lodge was there; and not more
confidently would he have claimed the aid of his
own Senior Warden to raise up a fallen Brother,
overthrown by violence, than he now demanded:
"If so, why are we here in bondage?"
Then the sentinel, carefully assuring himself that
the other members of his company were at a safe
distance, seated himself before them, and opened all
his feelings, and told them his history. He told
them of his life; his unfortunate blow; his expulsion
from Masonry. Hie confessed to many an evil deed
since his escape from justice, but avowed a desire,
not for the first time formed, to withdraw from his
present associations, and return to the bosom of
society. I-Ie swore, by the binding ties of the Order,
that the lives of the two captives should be spared,
if they would promise to use their influence to have
him reinstated into Masonry.
56 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
"Withdraw, then, Mr. Major," said the sheriff,
"for a little way, and let us two consult together."
The consultation was a long one. The sheriff was
doubtful whether a Mason ought to make such a
promise.   The Master of "United Voice Lodge,"
thinking probably of his wife, children and liberty;
hesitated, but suggested that a probationary period
might be proposed to the robber-say two or three
years.
The sheriff would not listen to so short a term.
Ten years of good conduct, and abundant evidences
that Mr. Major had conquered his wild passions, was
a moderate probation, considering the responsibility
they were incurring.
"But suppose he rejects it?" inquired the Worshipful Master, still musing upon his home.
"Then we are no worse off than we were before.
If he has the true Masonic principle, he will see that,
in this matter, personal motives can not bias us; and
if he has not, then Masonry is freed from an incumbrance.   Ten years I will consent  to, but would
prefer twenty!"
Mr. Major was accordingly called back and informed. It was an interesting sight to witness those
two men acting upon a committee of character, as it
were, their own lives hanging upon the result of the
decision.
The sheriff said: "Sir, we have decided that we
can not depart from Masonic propriety, whatever
may be the end of it. If you return the fruits of
your ill-gotten gains, and take up an honest liveli
57 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
hood, we will befriend you, and our gratitude for the
preservation of our lives shall be your security that
the law shall not reach you for your past misconduct,
if in our power to shield you. You shall have a home
in our home, and shall share a child's portion with
ours; but to introduce you into the lodge is not for us
to promise.  There is a way-a narrow  one, it must
be admitted, and, in your case, a difficult one; but it
must be trod by yourself alone.   When  you first
entered Masonry, you had one to conduct you; in
your return, should you ever return, you must go
alone; we can not help you; but this we will pledge
ourselves to do: ten years of honest living, and a
victory over that rebellious spirit of yours, shall call
to your aid all the influence we possess to further
your views; that is all that a Mason can promise,
even to save his own life."
The robber resumed his walk, and for a considerable period seemed buried in thought. There is a
certain joy in freedom, even in lawless freedom, which
it is a sacrifice to give up. The long probation, and
the hard struggle which had been laid down as the
price of his restoration, staggered him. On the other
hand, the very restrictions proposed, and the noble
devotion of the two captives, who would rather perish
than disgrace their Order, were in themselves high
inducements to accept them.* The price of the object
* Why will not the members of lodges see that the very act of
rejecting applicants, costly and unpleasant as it may seem, is in
reality the very joy and profit of the Order? It is a Masonic
guarantee of the highest kind.
58 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
made it the more desirable. After long thought, he
returned, and cutting the cords which bound the
Brothers, declared he had accepted the conditions.
Hle assisted them to rise. It required some efforts
to restore the circulation to their limbs, and then,
without food or money, the three, thus strangely fraternized, took the course, which the stars indicated,
toward the main road!
Before noon the next day they reached it, foot-sore
and exhausted; and it was no small addition to their
satisfaction to meet Mr. Legraph and a considerable
party, who were searching for them.
It seems that this odd genius had really executed
his threat of killingy his horse while endeavoring to
overtake the sheriff. To purchase another was a
small thing to one who possessed the fortiter in re
as largely as Mr. Legraph; and, pending the bargain,
he had sent his companion through the adjacent settlements to hire a company of stout fellows, offering
them ten dollars each for a week's search.
The spot where the capture was made had been
recognized, and a plan of pursuit fairly traced out,
when the three tired fugitives came up.
A short delay to procure trusty hounds, and again
the sheriff and Mr. Otranto retraced their path, first
sending Major away to a safe place, where he would
not be detected.
The reader will, of course, understand that the
robbers were at no loss to perceive how their victims
escaped.  Nor was much time lost by those shrewd
Ishmaelies in providing for their own safety, so soon
59 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
as the fact came to light.  The large amount of coin,
which was the result of their exploit, was divided
among the party, and after arranging a convenient
rendezvous in another State, they parted in various
directions.
The search by the pursuers was long protracted,
but all in vain. The place of encampment was found,
and, as if to tantalize them, a few pieces of coin,
dropped during the hasty division; but the highwaymen, too well accustomed to rapid riding and the
deep cave, eluded their grasp.
After several weeks, the sheriff returned home,
a ruined man. The large rewards offered by the
executive, and the intense exertions of himself and
other persons interested in the affair, will long be
remembered by those conversant with the affairs of
that day. It was useless, all.
The sheriff, therefore, sold his farm and possessions, and paying one-half the large debt, begged
the lenity of the State for the remainder. lie asked
for time to pay it-nothing  but time.   ie said
nothing of his large family, whose demands for education and support must be met; he said nothing of
his gray hairs, and the probability that he would not
long be spared; he only petitioned that the legislature would give him ten years' time to liquidate the
balance of moneys due the State by the county of
S...  After much debate, it was refused.
It was refused because Sheriff Payson was a Free
mason. The truth afterward came out, that a secret
writing had been prepared by the Antimasonic Club
60 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
at the capital; sent down to the county of S, to
be signed by as many of the opponents of Masonry
as could be found unfriendly to the sheriff; and this
being circulated privately among the Antimasonic
members of the legislature, drew a majority to deny
the request. That secret paper was afterward found,*
and, as if to prove the assertion of Scripture true,
there were upon it the names of one of the sheriff's
own brothers, several of his intimate neighbors, and
the circuit judge of his district, all pretended friends
to the unfortunate man.
So the legislature refused to give the old man a
chance to redeem his fallen fortunes. In that refusal, it was plainly said by many, that they did
not believe he had been robbed at all.  Others declared it was good enough for him to suffer for the
carelessness in not taking a sufficient guard for his
protection.
Sheriff Payson went to jail as a man who had
defrauded the State revenue! In vain Mr. Otranto
labored to raise funds sufficient to meet the heavy
balance due.  His own spare means went no way
toward it, and the sheriff would not hear to his
selling his property.   The  people of his county,
staggered by the same difficulty-the immensity of
his loss-contented themselves with raising a fund
to support his family and himself during his impri
* It is still in possession of the lodge at F, and preserved
as the English preserved the thumb-screws which they took from
th Spanish Armada.
61 
THE GOOD MAN) TRUE MAN.
sonment.  MNr. Legraph took an annual trip to the
capital (always making his will and arranging his
temporal affairs first) to petition the successive legislatures for the poor man's release.
In the meantime Antimasonry raged high, reached
its summit, and when the destructive impulse from
beneath ceased, it fell as suddenly as a rocket, and
as little cared for.   Men  who  had staked their
political character on it, looked around one morning
and found themselves without a party! The leaders
had somehow absented themselves, and when next
seen, stood ranged under the banners of one of the
others of the regular parties of the nation, with faces
as brazen as ever.  None could be found who were
willing to take it up again, and from that day to this,
it has been a carcass loathed or ridiculed, according to the manner  in which it is viewed, whose
stench pervades the history of ten years of our
country.
The death of Antimasonry was the release of the
unfortunate sheriff. One of the first acts of "sober,
second thought," was a legislative bill to grant him
five years'_time to settle with the State. The Senate
amended the bill by making it twenty-five! Then
the HIouse threw the bill away, and originated another, releasing him of the entire balance due. To
carry on this handiwork of charity, the Senate
amernded that, and released the whole original claim,
which was, in effect, paying back to the sheriff the
large amount realized from the sale of his property?
and paid by him into the treasury.  This was unani
62 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
mously concurred in, and thus the State honor, though
tardily, was fairly cleared up.
'The county of S, which by this time had
purged itself of political Antimasonry (not innate
Antimasonry; that will abide in the hearts of a certain class of men while sin does), as soon as the jail
doors were opened, saw their ingratitude in permitting him to lie there so long, and they elected him,
almost unanimously,  to his old position.   Things
smiled henceforward around him.. The world, that
seemed to think they owed him some sort of redress,
paid it in confidence and kind words-sweetest of
rewards to a real Mason. Enemies crouched beneath
his feet; friends were more friendly, as they found
their friendship was likely to serve him. His Masonic Brethren, who had been at the bottom of all
the plans that had operated in his release and the
support of his family, redoubled their attentions;
and Sheriff Payson, with all his presage, and the
reaction so evident around him, might have aspired
to any popular office with a certainty of election.
Hle  was satisfied, however, with what  he  had.
There was no disposition in his mind to triumph
over the fallen party; though it must be admitted
that never party fell so far, or presented so abject
an appearance, in their day of adversity, as the
Antimasonic. With him it was not a triumph of
men, but principle; and such a triumph should be
heartfelt, but quiet.
One thing had surprised him, and occasioned his
kind heart some uneasiness; it was, that since the
63 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
day of his release from the robbers, he had no intelligence whatever of the repentant Major.
So much confidence had the last act of that singular man inspired in his breast, thatb he almost
regretted he had not held out more flattering hope
to him. Ten years had seemed but a little time;
but after his weary months in jail, he had learned
to set more value upon time, and a shorter probation
might have served as good a purpose.
It was painful. to think that Major might have
despaired, and gone back to sin.  Rejoiced as he
was to stand under the free heaven, yet the sheriff
would have remained another year within those prison
walls rather than to have driven him to such an extremity.
There was one circumstance connected with the
manner in which he received his means of support,
while in the jail, that was odd enough.   Twice  a
year, on the St. John's days, while Masons everywhere are assembled to celebrate the birth-days of
their patron saints, the loneliness of the sheriff had
been cheered by a present of oranges and other
tropical fruit, and a purse of gold, both from some
mysterious hand. The jailer could give no description of the donor.  IHe came  at night, knocked at
the jail door, handed his basket to the person who
answered, and rode with speed away.
It was very strange; but, although Mr. Payson
worked his brains with every imaginable suggestion,
he could get no clue to its solution. We suspect
the reader has traced it up at a glance.
64 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
CHAPTER IV.
IT is often asked by those who are galled with our
allusions to the political Antimasonry of the last
generation, why rake up the buried dead? Even the
friends of Masonry ask, why disturb these foul objects, even more hideous in their charnel-house than
when they walked the earth to kill and to devour?
Our reply shall be to the point.
We rake up the buried to gain a lesson from the
dead!  Why does the physician, pursuing with a zeal
the hidden processes of disease, dissect the body,
which, in its very escape from his skill, proves how
necessary it is that he should be better armed with
wisdom henceforth.
We recall the deeds of Antimasonry: 1. That the
children may learn how powerful were the blows
that were struck during the days of their fathers.
2. That they may understand how irresistibly powerful in its very inactivity, its inertia, so to speak, was
Freemasonry. 3. That we may guard more successfully against tle incomings of evil, since we have
once suffered so severely from them.
Why does the American historian dwell so thrillingly upon British oppression and Colonial fortitude?
Is it to excite new animosities between nations long
at peace? No; such is not the mission of the
teacher. It.is rather to warn us to guard well that
liberty which cost our fathers so dearly, and to avoid
6
65
0
0 
THiE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
those errors which proved so destructive to others.
Even so we apply ourselves to Masonry. We have
long ago forgiven our enemies. Even in the war of
extermination which they waged against us, we never
resisted them.   But  we  intend to remember  the
afflictions of our fathers, to the end, that we may
better guard our sanctuary from fresh assaults. Can
the most humane blame us for this?
The remarkable developments of Masonry which
led to their escape from death, turned the mind of
Mr.  Otranto into  a new  channel.   He  had been
gradually preparing himself for a higher and nobler
flight, during the several days that he journied with
the  sheriff, previous to the attack.   But when  he
saw how the contemplation of death, immediate and
horrid in its nature, failed to shake the heart of one,
fixed by Masonic as well as Christian principles, and
when he came to understand the train of thought
which influenced a desperado to resign gold and a
lawless life, his admiration swelled into intense
wonder. Hle resolved that, as Masonry had saved his
life, Masonry should have all the benefits of that life,
so far as they could be given without interfering
with his necessary avocations.
His first lesson of improvement related, of course,
to himself. He commenced a careful examination
of his own defects. Ite saw that as a Ruler in
Israel, he had depended too much upon the letter of
Masonry. He recollected how rarely he had ever
applied the obligations of the system  in practical
life. Hie could not remember a single instance in
66 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
which his lodge had been instructed in the ethics of
Masonry, although the by-laws demanded a lecture
or lectures on some branch of Masonry at every
meeting. In trials for breach of discipline, while the
printed precepts of Masonry had been brought forward and paraded against the offender, no allusions
had ever been made to those unwritten precepts
infolded in the symbols, enwrapped in the ceremonies,
couched in the allegorical language of the Order.
This reduced Masonic trials to the level of an ordinary court of justice, wherein actions are only inquired after. *   In tracing up  the causes for the
tremendous evils his Lodge at Lowbridge had suffered in secession, and a general spirit of negligence
among its members, he could discover these two as
very prominent; taking in material not altogether
sound, in the hope to cure its defects, and making
Masons of the merely curious.   Of the twain, the
latter injures Masonry the most. Those who become
Masons in hopes to improve their morals, though the
Order is wronging itself to receive them, do sometimes achieve their desire. But those who enter the
sacred courts from motives of curiosity alone, will
not only fail in finding that which they seek, but
the Order will utterly fail in gaining that reciprocity
It is clear to the author's mind, that in all Lodge trials the
question should not be, "What has the party done or said?"  so
much as "How far has  the fraternal spirit of Masonry  been
violated?" There is every difference in the world between a
judicial trial and one of this sort. Will not the Brethren look
to it.
67 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
of advantage which is always understood in affiliations.  So Mr. Otranto discovered, and he now set
himself to amendment. iHe cast out his own beam
manfully, and with honest grief confessed the error
under which he~had labored. He sought the motes
in the eyes of his Brethren with modesty, yet with
assiduity and with a determination to cast them out
also, not to be shaken.
Opposition from various quarters were not wanting.  Such a course of conduct, at first, tends not to
peace but a sword. Several applications for demits
followed in rapid succession.  By strenuous efforts,
Mr. Otranto succeeded in the passage of a by-law
forbidding demits, save in the event of removals of
change of membership.*  The uproar that followed
reached the ears of the Grand Lodge.  That venerable body was agitated for three successive days upon
the question, and then, although she did not place it
among her edicts for general adoption (would that
she had, would that every Grand Lodge would), yet
she tacitly admitted the correctness of the principle,
by  sustaining "United Voice Lodge" in her new
by-law. To test the thing still further, two of the
members seceded, or rather publicly absolved themselves from all Masonic obligations.  Mr. Otranto
gained his members over to a vote of expulsion, and
himself paid the printer's bill to have the fact announced in several newspapers.
* None can doubt the perfect propriety of this as a fundamental measure in the establishment of lodges. But it should
not be made to bear an ex post facto relation.
68 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
This caused a personal attack to be made upon
him, in which he suffered considerable injury, but it
only animated him the more.  He received courage
from a regular intercourse with the old sheriff, with
his own conscious sense of duty, and from the striking fact that several old Masons long demittedgentlemen of high character-seeing the battle that
was raging between MAlasonry pure and Masonry
mixed, gave in their petitions for membership and
held up his arms.
A new impetus was given to the study of Masonry.
Seeing the determination of their Worshipful Master to enforce Masonic duties to their farthest limit,
the Brethren began to inquire diligently among themselves as to what those duties were?  It is a striking
fact, that in every instance wherein a contest arose
upon the question of stringent application, it came
out that the engagements of Masonry are more bind-in  and its requirements more stringent than Mr.
Otranto himself had suggested!
Well has Masonry been styled by a shrewd observer, "A despotism in morals, based on the inherent
rule of God." The early use of the Shoe on the
Tracing Board, ought to convince every enlightened
Mason ou this head.
Not to weary the reader, the history of "United
Voice Lodge," was henceforward written with a
flowing pen. One or two attempts were made, it is
true, to unseat the skillful rider who was thus alternately curbing and spurring the lodge, apparently at
his mere will and pleasure, but neither of them suc
69 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
ceeded, and he was at last left in quiet to pursue his
plan of reformation.
The influence of all this, soon extended to other
lodges. It was evident, first, in changing the slow,
dull, inefficient corps of officers, who had slept while
the old vessel was dashing to pieces on the breakers,
and replacing them with active men of the reforming
school.*  The early and feeble attempt to disseminate Masonic light in the form of periodical literature
began to receive attention.   Vices which had been
suffered, not encouraged-excrescences upon the body
of the Order, such as profanity and intemperance,
(than which no vices can be more injurious to Masonry), began to receive attention, and the physician,
where he could not heal, cut off.  The lodges began
to represent themselves more abundantly in the
Grand Lodge, and this movement awoke the old
mother, who had almost lost herself in lethargy.
District officers were appointed to report upon the
condition of Masonry, and to record such suggestions
as occurred to them in view of the assumed faults
of the Brethren. The local influence which had gathered and hardened around the capitol was broken
up, and the distant country lodges claimed, and
received, their share of Grand Lodge honors.
* There are "1 fogies" in Masonry as in politics. There are
men who raise a great outcry when we labor to excite a lodge
to action.  Men who talk of innovations, when, in fact, the worst
innovation that Masonry has ever suffered, has been that very
sloth and inefficiency to which it was reduced under their administration, so different from the original and fundamental idea
of labor, labor, labor.
70 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
All this, and more, far more, grew out of the
casual meeting of Mr. Otranto with the homespun
old sheriff, on his way to the seat of government.
Why it should surprise any observer of human
events, that "great events from little causes spring,"
we can not conceive.  We have never taken the time
and trouble to investigate any important result to its
source, without renewed admiration at the minuteness
of that source. Thus atoms accumulate and form a
world.
A Masonic celebration was announced to take
place in S      county, not far from the residence of
Sheriff Payson, and an invitation quite general had
been extended to the Brethren.  Such things were
more in vogue in former days than now.   Do those
who condemn such meetings on the score of expense,
forget that sociability, in its refined sense, is one of
the great aims of Masonry? and how are Masons to
be sociable if they never meet? and how are we to
meet unless the old St. John's days are celebrated?
and what do we pay annual dues for, but to purchase
sacrifices to keep the fire burning upon our altars?
Among the visitors on the occasion alluded to, was
our wide-awake friend, Mr. Otranto, with several
of his members, who accompanied him to celebrate
the release of the old sheriff from jail. It was a
happy occasion, and all the large and general audience enjoyed it, or if there were a few jaundiced
faces visible, they belonged to those who saw, in this
act, the triumph of the cause whose downfall they
had so long predicted.
71 
THiE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
The speeches being ended, and the bountiful cheer
discussed, a meeting was held at the lodgeroom, in
which, under the sanctity of closed doors, various
matters received attention which do not come under
the title of "subjects proper to be committed to
writing;" of course we shall pass them over. But
there was one topic that it will not be unlawful for
us to speak of.
A letter was handed to the Tyler, with a request
that the Worshipful Master (Sheriff Payson was at
the time in the chair), should read it aloud. It was
substantially in these words:
"A Mason expelled for an unpremeditated act of
violence, afterward losing his property and risking
his life to save two Brother Masons, how many years'
probation must he serve before he can be restored?"
"It is my  preserver!"  shouted  the sheriff, as
forgetting all the proprieties of time and place, he
would have rushed from the lodgeroom, if he had
not been restrained, and thus a most unprecedented
act happily prevented.
"It is Mr. Major!" echoed Otranto, with the same
shameless disregard of propriety. The lodge was
immediately called to refreshment, and the visitor
invited in.
It was Major, as had been so well suggested. IHe
was dressed in the suit of a sailor, a garb which his
sunburnt face and tough hands fully justified; and
as he came in, he met the two gentlemen whose lives
he had so timely protected, with an overflow of sensibility. Then taking him by the left hand, while the
72 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
Worshipful Master of "United  Voice  Lodge"  re tained the right, the sheriff, in his own straight forward way, declared how much he was indebted to
that man. He gave the history of that dreadful
night, when the voice of the two prisoners, con demned  to die, went  up  to heaven's gate.   He
pointed out the great pecuniary sacrifice that Mr.
Major had submitted to, and explained that nothing
but a real desire of restoration to Freemasonry and
to society, had prompted him in his course. He
concluded  by  asking  the  lodge  to  extend  their
Masonic privileges, as far as they dared to do, and
if they could restore him  to the Order, to do it
without delay. To all this, Mr. Otranto added, Amen.
But the sailor spoke up, and forestalled further
action. THe gave a sketch of his life since the day
he heard that Mr. Payson would go to jail for the
loss of the money. Determined that such injustice
should not be inflicted, he had gone to the District
Attorney, and voluntarily proposed to stand trial for
his life, so that the truth might come out. That
officer was a Mason, and advised him, instead of
pursuing that plan, to go in search of the other four
robbers, and endeavor to secure them for justice, in
hopes that the spoils might be recovered. He had
done so, and followed them at the imminent hazard
of his own life, from place to place, until they took
passage for the West Indies. In hopes still to accomplish his plan, he had taken service as a common
sailor in the West-India vessels. He had risen from
7
73 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
post to post, until he now commanded a fine schooner.
Twice a year he had returned to S          county, to
inquire how matters were tending relative to the
sheriff's affairs, and had always left him a testimonial
of his visit at the jail door, but without making
himself known. The District Attorney having died
shortly after his first visit, he had resigned his intention of standing trial, and in its place conceived the
idea of accumulating money enough to pay the
sheriff's debt, and thus release him.
He  declared before God, that during the years
that had passed, in all his vicissitudes and provocations of a sailor's life, he had diligently labored to
govern his evil temper, and prepare the way for his
restoration to Masonry. He had put a seal upon his
lips. He had not been unmindful of his duty to a
higher power, but applied himself to the Heavenly
Throne for pardon and for grace.  He had found
peace. For more than a year no storm had disturbed
his mind, but amid the wildest turmoil without, all
was calmness there.
Nevertheless,  he felt a pride  now,  an honest,
humnble pride, he called it, in sustaining his ten years'
trial! He was not willing to reduce the period. lIe
had not come there now to have it reduced, but only
to put in his petition for restoration, that it might be
ready on  his return, five, ten, or twenty  years
hence!
The hearty manner in which all this was said,
made a warm impression in his favor, and when he
74 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
rose to depart, it was with many a tear, many a
fraternal wish, many a promise, and, from at least
two hearts, many a fond regret.
Time rolls along.
No truth so trite; no fact so evident.
Time rolls along.
The timid Brother Legraph, spite of all his caution,
found himself called up)on, one afternoon, very unexpectedly to die.
Time rolls along.
The silver-haired sheriff, strong in the hopes that
are blazoned forth on the pages of the first great
light of Masonry,  and symbolized on her trestleboard, was gathered to his fathers in a green old age,
and his works do follow him. Hie died in great
peace. The Worshipful Master of "United Voice
Lodge," himself coughing out his little remnant in a
late stage of consumption, leaned over him, treasured
up his last look, reverently closed the curtains of his
eyes, and departed homeward, to prepare for his own
departure.
Time rolls along.
The consumptive cough soon brought Mr. Otranto
to his death-bed, and there was a comfortable sight
(comfortable, in view of the grateful affection that
prompted it) to be witnessed in that bed-chamber.
For, standing around the couch, the outer circle of
friendship (the inner being composed of children,
and a wife, alas! too soon to be a widow), was a
committee of twelve, a committee expressly deputed
on behalf of the lodge, to witness his death, a corn
75
4 
TIlE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
mittee  that had  alternated  "eight hours  for the
service of God and a distressed Brother," for more
than a week.   That committee saw the last movements of his hands toward the children and their
mother. They understood it. By a movement of
the head they accepted it. They heard the last
words upon his trembling lips.   They  were good
words; just such words as the Recording Angel is
authorized to write in heaven's books as the expiring
words of a Christian Mason. They comforted his
mourners. They made the heart of the widow to
smile, though her face was sad. They bore his remains to an honored grave, by the side of another
grave equally honored, and there the two Brothers,
Payson and Otranto, rest side by side, for it was
their mutual wish.
Time rolls along.
The remembrance of the robbery, and of the
rescue, the imprisonment and the release, had well
nigh faded from all hearts. The old jail had been
pulled down. New roads to the seat of Government,
passing for the most part through dense settlements
of people, precluded all danger of robbery, and when
the aged spoke of thefts and murders formerly committed on certain parts of the way, it was as though
they talked of the old Revolution, or of a certain
man, who, on his way to Jericho, fell among thieves.
The lodge at the county-seat of S       county had
built for itself a new and beautiful hall. But three
of the members of Sheriff Payson's day remained.
Many had died. Many more, in the uneasiness of
76 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
our Western and Southern habits, had removed to
other States.   Some, who were formerly the most
active, were on the books now as honorary members,
physical infirmity preventing them from attending
the lodge.  Nevertheless, the old charter had been
honorably sustained, and the large, well-filled books
of the Secretary showed more than one name which
had figured conspicuously in the higher ranks of
Grand Lodge officials.
At one of the stated meetings, when a full attendance of the lodge was observed, a letter was sent in
signed by one F. M. M., to the effect that the undersigned had, many years before that, handed in a
petition for restoration to Masonry and membership,
in that lodge. That the fee for membership was
paid in advance, he had the Secretary's receipt to
show, and he referred to the records of a certain
date to prove his assertions.
It was Mr. Major, returned after a fifteen years'
absence.
The committee appointed to act upon his petition
were all dead. But in the archives was found their
report, in which they unanimously recommended his
restoration to Masonry. The lodge had acted upon
that report, as the books showed, and restored him
by the same full vote. In connection with the record
of the transaction was a copy of the Grand Master's
letter, who had been written to upon the subject, in
which he unhesitatingly recommended such a step,
as both lawful, and, in this case, peculiarly proper.
So the probationer for restoration earned and
77 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
received his reward! It was with bent knee and
quivering lip that the foreign-looking mariner addressed, in an unknown tongue, that God, whose eye
is everywhere over our Order.  He had expiated his
crimes by all that faith and good works could accomplish. Ile had wiped out the blot against his name.
He stood once more a Mason, Free and Accepted,
among Masons, and he heard them call him Brother,
and tell him he was welcome to cast anchor among
them for life.
One duty remained, to visit that double grave.
It was a sad disappointment to his generous heart,
that neither of those men, who had been instrumental
in his reformation, was  alive now to give him  a
welcome back. But he felt that his visit would not
be all in vain if he saw their grave. Ile stood above
it, as the sun went down, and lived over again the
history of twenty years. Then that man, the wild
and lawless youth, the murderer in manhood, the
expelled Mason of thirty years' standing, the sailor
who was as a rock in the storm, undaunted and foremost in duty, bowed himself upon that broad tablet,
and wept as a child. It was a short-lived emotion, for
he felt that tears were misplaced over such hopeful
dead. So he arose and went his way. There was
nothing to detain him there. The dull life of a
landsman wearied him. He took a diploma from his
Brethren, deposited a large amount of money in the
bank, payable to the order of the lodge, and, returning to sea, was never heard of by his admiring
friends again.
78 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
In recording such incidents as these, the moral
lies on the surface. In vain does the opponent of
Masonry deny that examples of attachment to
Masonry like this exist. They do exist; they are
found in every lodge. In vain do some laugh at the.
spirit of this attachment, and call it frivolous and
weak. The same strain of argument would decry all
attachments; the love of friendship, of fame, of
honor, of woman, of parents. The same spirit of
ridicule would weaken every tie that binds society
together, and make us all hermits or wolves.
The true explanation of this permanency of Masonic attachment, found in every enlightened Mason,
is, that Masonry is so wonderfully (we do not say
inexplicably), adtpted to our mental constitution.
This was admitted by one of the virulent writers of
the last generation; but he endeavored to blunt the
point of the admission, by adapting it to our corrupt
nature. We deny that. The incidents of the sketch
deny it. The circumstances of every Masonic sketch
deny it. There can not be a case mentioned in
which Masonic light pointed to a deed of lawlessness or wrong. As well say that Christianity instituted the  Inquisition  as  to assert it.  As  well
attribute every result of persecution or hypocrisy to
the practice of religion as to assert it.
Freemasonry is a circle, with the Holy Writings in
the center. Every action committed by a Mason,
contrary to the letter and spirit of Scripture, is unMasonic. With this in view, if the reader fails to
79 
THE GOOD MAN, TRUE MAN.
gather our moral, as he reads, we despair of making
it clear to him.
We lay down the pen, warm with the recollection
that many a lodge in the United States has an
Otranto for its Worshipful Master, and that the
number is rapidly increasing, as the light of the
press becomes blended with the light of Masonry.
We lay it down, animated with the thought that
many a grave over which we tread has a Payson,
whose company we shall share when this division,
soon to attempt the passage of the flood, shall join
that one which is safely over.
We look onward, with our back to the west and
south on  the right;  we  look upward,  with  the
heavenly east in view, and reflecting how many are
there, seated in the Grand Lodge, whom  we  have
loved and mourned for, we say prayerfully and
humbly, "Even so, Lord Jesus!  Come quickly!"
80 
Zttt ~roe3 n  (toumn itubroku.
A TALE OF MASONIC RESISTANCE.
Inscribed to A. W. fro. Toh7  Warren  IHunt,
OF MADI)SON, WISCONSIN.
IIE " Morgan Affair," as it was popularly
termed, or rather the Antimasonic boil, which
came to a head-a bad sore it was for all
parties-between 1826 and 1836, was  the
experimentum crucis of Freemasonry in
America. It was "the time that tried men's
(Masons') souls." The Institution of Freemasonry
had  previously  stood  all manner  of persecutions
from the ruling powers, political and religious, and
stood them well; but now it was doomed to encounter
persecution from the people. It had met argument
and defeated it; now it must meet ridicule. It had
buffeted opposition in countries where the light of
the press has never been diffused, and in countries
where the press is muzzled; now it must buffet it in
a land of free press, and its old, but not decayed,
hulk must endure the full broadsides of missiles,
large and small, from pellets to forty-two pounders,
poured upon it in the full blaze of an organized,
scientific war.  It was the experimenturn crucis, werepeat, of the system. It answered the queries often
(81) 
82-      THE BROKEN COLUMN UNBROKEN.
enough propounded: HIas Masonry a mission in this
free country? Can it withstand the indignant opposition of an outraged people?
And it is because this Antimasonic warfare of
1826 to 1836 was the experimentum crucis of the
system, that we write so much concerning it. When
by the approbation of the ancient fraternity we were
first encouraged to turn our pen to Freeinasonry, and
seek from its inexhaustible fields subjects for Essay
and Sketch, we discovered how available was this
department of the great subject to our purpose. We
saw that as the Revolution of 1776 was to the United
States, as the Exodus to the Israelites, as the Hegira
to the Moslem, so was this era to Freemasonry-a
date from which future historians will reckon, and a
treasury from which will be drawn proofs of its adamantine powers of resistance, the invincibility of its
inertia, the undying nature of its principles, the
genial character of its attachment in the soul of its
votaries, and its perfect adaptedness as well to the
citizens of a free country, in an enlightened age, as
to the subjects of despots in the days of darkness.
Among the incidents of this gloomy yet triumphant
period, we transcribe from our memorandum book the
following, furnished us by one of the actors, who yet
lives to tell it with an enjoyment that age seems
never to lessen.
In Eastern Ohio there are places where, to this
day (1854), a man can not be popular if he is a Freemason.   The circuit-rider, sent by his bishop to his
twelve months' work in that "neck of woods," must 
THE BROKEN COLUMN UNBROKEN.
say nothing of his Masonry, if peradventure, like the
rest of his enterprising company, he is a Brother
among us.* Two to one, the petition will go up to
"Annual Conference" for a preacher "who is not
connected with any of the secret societies;" and
unless they get him, they grumble.
Lest our readers may think we exaggerate, read
what "the Committee on Secret Societies" reported,
June 13, 1854 (not 1654, as a person would suppose, from the bigoted, behind-the-age tone of the recommendation), to the "Joint Evangelical Lutheran
Synod of Ohio and adjacent States," which met in
Thompson's township, Seneca county, Ohio. The
committee reported as follows: "The Synod regards
as unchurchly all societies out of the church, and
particularly secret societies, whenever they aim to
accomplish those objects which the Christian Church,
according to the Word of God, has and ever must
have in view; because they are not only rendered
unnecessary by the establishment of' the church, but
because they are calculated to produce indifference
toward the kingdom of Christ, and, in many cases,
entire estrangement from Christianity, and even gross
infidelity. In future, we will admit no one into our
connection who belongs to said societies." This report was adopted, only two members, to their honor
* We have some curious statistics on this subject, furnished
us by a bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In certain
conferences, the non-masonic preachers compare in numbers with
the Masonic as the "number of them that lapped" (Judg. vii: 6)
did to the bulk of Gideon's army.
83 
84       THE BROKEN COLUMN UNBROKEN.
be it recorded, the Revs. Henkel and II. HIeineke,
entering a protest, particularly against the last clause.
We should think the citizens of Seneca county, Ohio,
would think twice before they would invite "The
Joint Evangelical" to sit among them a second
time.
But to the story. In one of the villages of Eastern Ohio, there was a peculiarly malignant spirit of
Antimasonry manifested, and about the year 1830 it
gained its hight. It amounted to as much as its
votaries dared to do. To deface the outside of the
lodge-hall with obscene emblems (the symbology of
Antimasonry-foul as Baal-peor's, and very much
the same figures, too); to blacken the character of
Masons; to buy up Giddings' Almanacs by the-cartload, and give them away to all who would read
them; to vote against all "who had the mark of the
beast in their foreheads" (as the Rev. Mr. Slidel
elegantly expressed it, in his memorable sermon
from Rev. xix.- 20); to separate father and son,
pastor and people, husband and wife, partner senior
and.partner junior, the upper and lower millstone,
the antagonistic blades of scissors, and all other
separable things, upon this important question; these
and similar acts were the fitting works of the crew
that ruled, and the sheep that were ruled, in
county, Eastern Ohio, about the year of grace 1830.
A few years before that period, about the time
that Lafayette visited the United States, and the
Masonic Fraternity generally were roused up to extraordinary feeling by his sentiments of approval and 
THE BROKEN COLUMN UNBROKEN.
attachment to Masonry, one of the most zealous and
enlightened members of the Institution (there was
but one secret society in the United States at that
time, so that the adjective Masonic was seldom used
and never necessary) died suddenly, and under circumstances that awakened the profoundest sensations
of the Brethren, his co-members. They built a costly
monument to his memory, and selected the highest
knoll in the burial-ground as its site. It was the
broken column upon a platform of three steps; in
fact, the same figure that is given in the Monitor in
the third degree.
There the beautiful monument stood, undisturbed,
for several years, and glittered in the sunlight, or
glowed under moonbeams, to the eye of every traveler, early or late, who journeyed from the southwest toward the county-seat of            county.  It
became the center of various other Masonic graves.
Death is ever at work; and as his work thinned out
the ranks of the lodge to which the deceased had belonged, processions were seen to wind slowly thitherward with melancholy loads, and around "the weeping
Virgin" stout-hearted men were seen to weep, and
by the side of the broken column they laid other
columns, broken in like manner, until a group, silent
but suggestive, was formed of the Fraternal dead.
This elegant monument became the scene of the
incident we are describing. During the crisis of the
fever so often referred to, it was a standing eyesore,
a stench in the pure nostrils of Antimasonry.   To
tower so high, to glare so brightly, to cry out its
85 
86       THE BROKEN COLUMN UNBROKEN.
lessons so loudly, that every beholder was in a manner
compelled to hear them, and all this, too, in a time
when their honest, disinterested efforts had almost
rendered Freemasonry a broken column-the thought
was insupportable. An order of court was petitioned
for to remove it, but the presiding judicial was too
conscientious to grant that, though he had been
elected as an Antimason.   Then the parties consulted a lawyer, to know the damage of openly
tearing it down;  but that proving several figures
too high for their pecuniary ability, they decided at
last upon convening under the shadow of night for
the purpose. The plot came to the ears of a Brother
Mason through the instrumentality of an old lady,
who, though she had been in the chimney corner
too deaf for twenty years to hear much, had her
auditory nerves wonderfully keen when anything was
stirring in regard to a society to which all three of
her deceased husbands had belonged. The Brother
Mason, of course, communicated it to the rest, and
a counter-plot was devised, as ingenious as anything
in the strategy of Brother N. Bonaparte, of Corsica.
The malignant Antimasons met, to the number of
three, one wet, dark, cold night, and, with Masons'
tools, went together to the graveyard. The very
nature of their errand demanded silence, and a silent
party in a dark night is necessarily a superstitious
one.  By the time they got half-way from the graveyard gate to the doomed monument, every grave had
its ghost perched upon it, and every puff of wind
emitted its sigh. If the reader will try the plan of 
THE BROKEN COLUMN UNBROKEN.
entering a well-peopled graveyard, after midnight,
upon an unholy errand, he will exactly realize the
pleasant feelings of these three ruffians. They soon
found themselves walking so close together as actually to impede one another's steps, whereupon one
of them fell headlong, and screamed as his hand
came in contact with something cold as a dead(l man's
forehead. It was no fancy, as the result proved,
that made the other two hear a subdued chuckle,
in response, from behind a gallows-looking oak
hard by.
The party had barely arrived at the broken monument, and settled their hats upon their heads, which
had been pushed off by their electrified hair, when
blankets were thrown over them; and, in spite of
their agonizing attempts to scream, they were silenced,
thrown down, gagged, and bound, in a space of time
quite miraculous in its brevity.
Who committed the act was not known for ten
years afterward; but those three night-walkers were
found by their anxious friends, next morning, in the
court-house, with corncobs arranged horizontally in
their openi jaws; their hands and feet tied with their
own suspenders; and their bodies completely tattooed
with all the emblems of seven degrees of Masonry,
done in monochromatic-that is, in lunar caustic.
The color came out by a few weeks' vigorous rubbing, but no second attempt was ever made upon
the integrity of the monument, and the BROKEN
COLUMN stands LTNBROKEN yet.
87 
A TALE OF SPECULATIVE ARCHITECTURE.
Insoribec to E. T.   7-o. William A.  Ferris,
OF DOVER, MISSISSIPPI.
ORDER FIRST.
BROTHER LE3UEL FAIRFAX OF THE TUSCAN ORDER.
+N those handy little compends of Masonic doc  t rine, styled Masonic Manuals, Monitors, Charts,
Trestleboards, etc., there is an admirable spirit
of stevedorin * displayed, by means of which
a great mass of themes is compressed within
the smallest possible amount of space. The use
of such books is invaluable if applied in the way of
suggestion. There are texts in them for a thousand
Masonic lectures.   Every paragraph, indeed, is a
text from which an intelligent Master may draw to
feed and enlighten a willing membership. The only
use of them that we feel called upon to deprecate,
in this connection, is as lectures. The Manuals, be
it recollected, do not and were not designed to
* The business of a stevedore is to pack the various articles that
make up a ship's cargo into the confined space of the hold —
multum in parvo.- Vide WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY.
(88)
itt  tirt #detro of    r iite ture in
I~ttttford Wader. 
THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE.
supply lectures, but to suggest them. If used in
the former sense, they are the laziest and least
useful works in the world, and will as certainly
bring about a low state of Masonic intelligence in
the lodge, as would the mere occasional reading of
a few proof texts in the pulpit, without commentary
or preaching, lead to a speedy dullness of spiritual
matters in the church.
Among the subjects so briefly but comprehensively
conveyed in the Manuals, is that of "Orders in
Architecture." This theme is expounded to Fellowcraft Masons on their way to the Middle Chamber
of King  Solomon's  Temple;  and,  when  properly
worked up by the Senior Deacon, forms an elegant
lecture, and one well calculated to impress the hearer
with a sense of the scientific character of the Masonic Institution.   To assist Senior Deacons,  and
afford to the general reader some idea of what this
subject is capable, we present a series of tales, to
include respectively the Five Orders in Architecture,
the Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite.
And our first shall be "Brother Lemuel Fairfax of
the Tuscan Order."
But, to start fairly with our subject, let us inquire,
What do the Manauals suggest upon this head?  From
Webb's Freemasons' Monitor, the original of them
all, we quote: "By Order in Architecture is meant
a system of all the members, proportions, and ornaments of columns and pilasters; or it is a regular
arrangement of the projecting parts of a building,
which, united with those of a column, form a beau
8
89 
90      THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCIIITECTURE
tiful, perfect, and complete whole." This is very
well given, and proves its author, Preston, to have
been as elegant in diction as he was clear in conveyance. One other quotation seems necessary here,
something to justify our application of architectural
terms to the qualities of men.  It is the paragraph
which describes "the moral advantages of geometry;"
and, shoild we find space, we shall introduce it in
some other number of this series; if not, we refer
the reader to his own Monitor at home, where he
can readily find it.
" The TUScAN is the most simple and solid of the
Five Orders," says our standard.   "It was invented
in Tuscany, whence it derives its name.  Its column
is seven diameters high, and its capital, base, and
entablature have but few moldings. The simplicity
of the construction of this column renders it eligible
where ornament would be superfluous." This is a
monitorial sketch of the Tuscan Order in Architecture; but if he had had Brother Lemuel Fairfax,
the Junior Deacon of Brentford Lodge, in his mind
when he wrote it, and if he had seen him as often
sitting in the south-west of his lodge as we have
done, and if he had been his guest week-days and
Sundays as frequently as we have been, he could
not better have described that estimable man and
Mason, than this. It will be our agreeable duty to
make the proper application of his words.
"The simplicity of the construction of this column
[Brother Lemuel Fairfax, of course] renders it [him]
eligible where ornament would be superfluous." That's 
IN BRENTFORD LODGE.
a fact, as everybody will admit who knows him. There
is an admirable simplicity in the getting up of the
man, as well as in the way. he dresses, acts, and
speaks. His nose, for instance, is as nearly flat as
"the projecting part" of a man's face may lawfully
be. His eyes and ears are small aid unobtrusive,
and the whole contour of his body is suggestive of
a man who does not wish to impose himself unduly
upon anybody. The same idea is conveyed in his
dress, which is a kind of medium style between the
first habiliments worn by Father Adam in the garden
and the last worn by Brother Lorenzo Dow in his
ministry. To complete the picture, Brother Fairfax
delights in the yea, yea, nay, nay fashion of conversation, and believes that whatsoever is more than
these cometh of evil.
Such is the Tuscan column in Brentford Lodge.
Wherever it was invented, it is clearly one of the
oldest of the Five Orders, and contains the elements
of them all, just as every good block of stone has
the elements of the most elegant statue in it.
That Brother Fairfax is the most "solid of the
Five Orders of Architecture" in Brentford Lodge,
we can readily demonstrate. He is all Mason; he
belongs to no "secret society" save the Masonic.
Nay, though the Linkumfoodles, when they organized their lodge at Brentford, in 1849, offered himi
inducements-remission of fees, full benefits, speedy
promotion, a sure card -he declined their allurements (allurements which, for a time, deluded one
or two of Brentford's columns, as we shall see further
91 
92  THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE
on), and declared himself "solid," and a Mason
"clear through."  His Masonry keeps  him  single.
Though of a domestic turn-did you ever see a real
good Mason that wasn't? no!-he has never married, never offered to marry. Not that his homeliness prevents. There is a score of ladies around
Brentford, so rumor says, not one of whom would
consider his face for a moment if the Tuscan column
would but propound to her the four-word query,
styled "popping the question."  But Brother Fairfax is too "solid" a Mason to marry, though our
Sister, the Queen of Sheba herself, were to make
his acquaintance.  He finds, so he says, in the workings of Masonry, a safe medium for diffusing those
wages which a due adherence to the principles of
Masonry secures for him. Being a tanner by trade,
as you would naturally suppose by looking at his
shocking bad boots, and a most successful one, as
such an honest, conscientious mechanic is certain to
be, let him live anywhere between Dan and Beersheba, he coins money, and lays it up; but he lays
it up "where neither moth nor rust can corrupt,
and where thieves do not break through nor steal."
In  his treasury, this "solid"  Mason  has  safely
hoarded  the wages  of twenty-six years.   Happy
man, whose wealth secures him the largest interest
the (divine) law allows, while yet it gives him no
trouble, from year to year, either in collecting the
interest or protecting the principal!
At Brother Thirteen's academy, at Brentford, are
five orphan children, whose board, clothing and 
IN BRENTFORD LODGE.
tuition are paid in  advance.   Look  at Brother
Thirteen's ledger, page 68, and under the letter
F you will find the name of the individual who
does it. When the Tuscan column falls, there will
be none but God to act the father to those sweet
little boys and girls.
At the Widow Leach's there is a pile of wood
that will outlast the winter, late and pinching though
it may be, as it has been early and pinching. Yet
Sister Leach did not pay for it, nor pay for hauling
it, nor pay for cutting it. The wagon that bore it,
the ax that cut it, were marked with the initials
"L. F.;" and the man who did the labor gets fifteen
dollars a month for his services, from the party whose
4 column is seven diameters high, and whose capital,
base and entablature have but few moldings." Precious few moldings has Brother Lemuel Fairfax;
but if you had seen him, as we did, when the widow
thanked him for the wood, you would have thought,
as we did, that he had the face of an angel, flat as
his nose may be.
It is a singular fact that the Tuscan column never
has been able to learn the lectures. Why it is so
we can not divine.  He knows the Ten Commandments-or at least we presume he does-for he keeps
them well; and he knows the Lord's Prayer, for we
have heard him say it while- but that's telling.
But the ritual of the lectures, he says, he  can't
memorize.  He wedged in a few of them while he
was taking the degrees, just enough, of course, to
get off the checkered pavement into the middle
93 
94      THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE
chamber, and so on; and he has managed, after a
labor which, he says, is greater than taking the hair
off of three dozen flint-hides, to learn by heart the
responses of the Junior Deacon; but, verbally speaking, his education is incomplete. The jewel and the
rod of the Junior Deacon are all he will ever be
entitled to; to carry messages, and to exercise due
vigilance, the highest employments that can be committed to his trust.
But, as we observed before, "the simplicity of the
construction of this column renders it eligible where
ornament would be superfluous."   Who  wants the
Junior Deacon to be a Solomon, or the son of a
Solomon?  Brother Fairfax fills every station which
the wisdom of the Master assigns him with perfect
accuracy.  Is it a place on a committee of inquiry,
never were such examinations known as he institutes;
and if there's a hole in the applicant's moral garments as large as a hen would peck, he finds it, and
proclaims it.  Is he on a committee of discipline, he
pursues the offender, according to the Constitution
of his Grand Lodge, with impartial and unrelenting
severity. It is not until called upon with the rest
to pronounce sentence, that he knows such a word as
mercy in his Masonic vocabulary.  Is it a committee
of charity to which he is called, luckily for the lodge
he is not its Treasurer instead of Junior Deacon, for
he would never wait "the order of the Worshipful
Master with the consent of the Brethren;" but, impelled by the movements of his own noble heart,
would pour out its funds as liberally as he yields 
IN BRENTFORD LODGE.
his sympathies. Distress can not pass him unrelieved. If anything will call him out of his coffin
when we encircle him there, prior to casting the
evergreen and clod upon him, it will be our tears,
our sorrowful words, our swelling hearts. If not
too far away for return, his spirit can' hardly bear
the scene, and he will come back.
Ah, thou faithful man! as thus I sit and write of
thee, the broad waters of the Mississippi swelling
around me, the rush of steam from the escape-pipes
awakening the echoes of the hills; as thus I sit
alone this midnight hour, in the cabin to which, for
a week's journey, I am consigned, my fellow-passengers all retired to their slumbers, I hug to myself
the pleasing recollection that thou and I are one in
Masonry.   Thou in the south-west, at the widow's
cot, in the home of sickness, leading the orphan,
strengthening the feeble; thou, in the field of life,
fast-ripening for the harvest of the Lord, secure in
the reception of the long-promised wages; I, in my
long, weary, ah! weary journeyings, anticipating
what may never be fulfilled, and hoping for what
may never come to pass-thou and I, upon this
great platform of Freemasonry, are one. One in
purpose, one in labor, shall we not be one in the
reward?
Yes, faithful frere, they who worked together in
the quarries of Zarthan went up together to the
HIoly City, to assist in dedicating the Temple of the
Lord; they who pined together at Babylon, and
"by the rivers of Babylon there sat down and wept
95 
THE FIVE ORDERS iF ARCHITECTURE
when they remembered Zion," went up together,
though over a rough and rugged way to the Golden
HIill; they who walked and wearied with their Lord,
rejoined him after his resurrection; and so shall we.
We who have wrought in quarry, hill, and temple
together, who have floated together to Joppa, and
thence conveyed our burdens, in sweet companionship, to Jerusalem, will not be separated when the
day of disbursing wages shall have arrived. Together, singing, we shall go, and from our unerring
Master together shall receive "according to that
which we have done, whether it be good, or whether
it be evil!"
ORDER SECOND.
BROTHER FRANK ASHDOD OF THE DORIC ORDER.
BY Speculative Masonry, it is said, we learn to
subdue the passions, to act upon the square, keep a
tongue of good report, maintain secrecy, and practice charity. It is so far interwoven with religion,
as to lay us under obligations to pay that rational
homage to the Deity which at once constitutes our
duty and our happiness. It leads the contemplative
to view with reverence and admiration the glorious
works of creation, and inspires him with the most
exalted ideas of the perfection of his Divine Creator.
... This is admirably well said; it affords a fair compend of that whole moral and religious system so
96
0 
IN BRENTFORD LODGE.
long preserved, cherished and applied under the
name of Craft Y~asonry.
Among the leading members, the pillars as they
are fairly named, of Brentford Lodge, may be mentioned Brother Frank Ashdod. lIe is appropriately
styled its Doric column, and as such we shall describe
him. HIis name, it must be admitted, smacks a little
of the philistine, and, so far as a name can go, is
calculated to prejudice one somewhat against the
man;  but when we consider that one's name, like
his hair, is inherited, and that it is a burden he
bears without being responsible for it, we shall pay
no regard to that; for, laying the name aside, there
is no Mason in Brentford so worthy to be styled a
"Doric" as Brother Ashdod, the Junior Warden.
Let us examine the text-book for a definition of the
Doric Order:
" The Doric, which is plain and natural, is the
most ancient, and was invented by the Greeks. Its
column is eight diameters high, and has seldom any
ornaments, on base or capital, except moldings;
though the frieze is distinguished by triglyphs and
metopes, and triglyphs compose the ornament of the
frieze. The solid composition of this Order gives it
a preference in structures where strength and a noble
simplicity are chiefly required.   The Doric is the
best proportioned of all the Orders. The several
parts of which it is composed are founded on the
natural position of solid bodies. In its first invention
it was more simple than in its present state. In
after times, when it began to be adorned, it gained
9
97 
98     THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE
the name of Doric; for when it was constructed in
its primitive and solid form, the name of Tuscan
was conferred on it. Hence, the Tuscan precedes
the Doric in rank on account of its resemblance to
that pillar in its original state."
It is said that the Doric Order was formed after
the model of a strong, robust man.  This statement
is correct, as you may see by visiting Brentford
Lodge with us at its next stated meeting (third
Monday in each month). Brother Ashdod being in
the South, where he has been ever since 1850, and
will be until he dies, you will see one of the finest
specimens of humanity you ever looked at. Whether
it is the contrast presented between him and that
ridiculous-looking Brother Fairfax, the Junior Deacon, on his left, who is as homely as he is sound, or
whether it is the contrast presented between him
and that magnificent wooden pillar of the Corinthian
Order on his right, we can not say, but the fact is
indisputable that Brother Ashdod is the most stalwart
Mason in Brentford. And this may be further illustrated by making the acquaintance of his wife, who
is the smallest fairy of a creature that ever stole the
heart of a giant. How singular that our great, gross
Brethren always stumble over these little female specimens of humanity! But so it is; and we are able
by this unerring law exactly to compute the weight
and size of Sister Delilah, to whom Brother Samson
lost his heart, his hair, and finally his eyesight; but
that's immaterial.
It is somewhat fortunate, or at least it was fortu 
IN BPRENTFORD LODGE.
nate a few years ago, at the revival of Brentford
Lodge, after the Antimasonic excitement had subsided, that Brother Ashdod is a man of so much
physical ability; and for this reason-when the old
lodge went down, in 1829, the members nearly all
took to drink. What is the reason'of this remarkable fact in Masonic history, we are unable to say;
but the truth is indisputable, that the old boys, the
most of them, about 1820 to 1826, loved liquor much
too well either for their good or that of Freemasonry;
and when the "Morgan Itch" spread over the land,
many of those who did not secede took to the bottle.
Missing the old restraints of Masonic discipline, or
philosophically attempting to drown their mortification
in wine, or perhaps because they naturally loved it,
they gave a marked impetus to the liquor trade,
which it has maintained to the present day.  Now,
when the lodges'began to revive again, these Brethren, whose noses had become as red as pokeberries,
and their livers badly inflamed, were presented at
once as subjects for Masonic discipline.   This was
the case particularly in Brentford. Six old Brethren,
two'of whom had been initiated by Thomas Smith
Webb before we were born, and a third who had
been called "Brother E-d-r" by Brother George
Washington himself, in 1796, had become perfect
sots, as discreditable to their families as they were
dishonorable to the Masonic Order, of which they
daily boasted themselves to be members. Something
had to be done with them, for no person, however
much he might respect Masonry, would petition.-tie
' *..:.
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100    THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE
lodge for Masonic light, and run the risk of being
styled Brother by these filthy old boys.  At every
meeting their misconduct was reported, and a conference was held as to the course the lodge should
take with them. Their long and formerly faithful
services, their noble liberality, their love for Masonry,
for which they were willing to die (or do anything
else save live), and their repeated pledges of amendment, embarrassed the case more than the superficial
reader can imagine.
Has the reader ever reflected that King Solomon,
the great founder of our Institution, left no rule on
record whereby a block may be taken from the wall?
Directions in abundance there are for selecting the
blocks, preparing the blocks, conveying the blocks,
elevating the blocks, cementing the blocks in the
wall, but none for taking them out again. After the
cement hardens; after other blocks have been built
around and over them; in short, after they become,
to all intents and purposes, a part of the wall, then
if we are called upon to take them away, and throw
them away, hoe opus, hie labor! we have no rules
to work by. Then, if we discover flaws and defects,
the whole enterprise must stop, until, at a great destruction to the wall, and at the risk of throwing
down the whole structure, we can draw out that
which should have never been placed there, and hurl
from the sanctuary that which it was almost blasphemy to have borne there.
Well, this was the difficulty in Brentford Lodge.
Th.ee old men failing to improve themselves, and
*e 
IN BRENTFORD LODGE.
contriving to disgrace the Institution at whose portals they stood, like Gog and Magog, hideous and
disgusting, it was absolutely necessary that they
should be pulled out of the wall, and hove over
among the rubbish. And here we see the advantage
of having a strong and determined man, like Brother
Ashdod, for Junior Warden of Brentford Lodge; for
it was his duty to present the offenders to the notice
of the lodge, and prosecute them for their offenses.
It was his duty-and he did it, despite their clamors,
and the clamors of their large and respectable connection; despite the threats of their sons to use personal violence upon the Masons if their fathers were
expelled-to have the honor and purity of Masonry
vindicated at every hazard, and he did it. Through
all the regular grades of punishment-reprimands,
suspensions, brief and protracted, and finally expulsions from the Order - he pursued them.   Being
joined with Brother Lemuel Fairfax, that lion-hearted
Mason, whose praises we sung in our last, he pursued
them unrelentingly; and finally, by their own obstinacy, contumacy, and wickedness, they were, one by
one, dragged out of the Temple, and thrown over
the battlements into the valley of Jehosophat, where
they still remain. Well for them, in view of that
alarming passage in Scripture concerning drunkards,
they do not find their next remove into the neigh boring valley of Gehenna, which is Hiell.
More than once in this disagreeable, this disgust ing part of his duty, Brother Ashdod found the ad vantage of his great bodily strength. When attacked
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102    THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE
by the two sons of Brother E-d-r, and threatened
with "the d-dest flogging he ever got in his life,"
he was enabled to place one of the assailants under
his feet, the other over the fence, in a moist place
called a ditch, and there to restrain them by bodily
force until they promised to cease the quarrel.  This
was fortunate for the young men, as well as for
Ashdod, for the rebuff they met with operated so
powerfully upon their minds, as to excite an ardent
respect for the Institution thus bravely defended,
and before three years expired each of them became
a Mason!   Didn't Judah E-d-r himself tell us
the circumstance? and haven't we  met  him  in a
Masters' Lodge?
Again:  old Brother C-p-d, the day after he
was expelled-he is dead now, and there is no harm
in telling it-got extraordinarily drunk-so drunk
as to forget an important point, and every point
save the point of his sword-cane, and attacked
Brother Frank Ashdod, the Junior Warden, with
intent to take his life.  He pursued Brother Ashdod,
who would, of course, rather run than to fight an
infuriated old man, Mason as he had been for forty
years, he pursued him, we say, from one room to
another in the hotel, until he cornered him, and then
placing the point of that diabolical implement to his
left breast, proceeded deliberately to run him through.
Fortunately for both of them, Brother Ashdod was
strong enough to turn aside the point, to take away
the weapon, to throw it out of the window, and then,
leading the would-be-murderer home, to dismiss him 
IN BRENTFQiD LODGE.
uninjured at his own doorway, as his brave, good
heart prompted him.
With all his manly perfections, Brother Ashdod is
"plain and natural," as the definition of the Doric
column requires.   He has "seldom any ornaments
on base or capital, except moldings, though the
frieze is distinguished by triglyphs and metopes, and
triglyphs compose the ornaments of the frieze;"
(not that we pretend to know what triglyyhs and
metopes are-and we never saw any one who didbut they are certainly applicable to Brother Ashdod!) and we can conscientiously affirm, from our
own personal observation, that his "solid composition gives him a preference in structures where
strength and a noble simplicity are chiefly required."
We confess that we have seen him once or twice
wearing a Masonic pin-it was in the shape of a
column, a neat little thing made of eighteen carat
gold- but in general he is satisfied to exhibit the
graces of his own'person without any meretricious
ornaments. There is nothing finer than his appearance, as we remarked it one day when we presided
over Brentford Lodge at the burial of a Brother;
his portly bearing, with the Junior Warden's pillar
reaching outward on his left arm, the Hiram grasped
in his right hand, the plumb suspended upon his
broad chest, everybody remarked it as we walked in
procession to the grave. We could not help recalling
a part of the definition of the Doric Order just then,
and saying to ourselves, "the several parts of which
this man is composed are founded on the natural
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'104    THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE
position of bodies;" for so they were. And when
arrived at the grave, and taking a handful of the
loose mold, we divided it with the Wardens, as is our
wont, and beckoned to the Junior Warden to do his
part, with what simplicity and fervor he dropped the
clay upon the coffin, quite concealed as it was by
the pile of sprigs a hundred hands had tossed upon it,
and pronounced his appropriate part, "dust to dust!"
It is scarcely necessary to add, that the charges
delivered, and the duties enjoined upon him at his
installation, form a part of his very religion.  IHe
feels that the PLUMB admonishes Masons to walk
uprightly in their several stations; to hold the scale
of justice in equal poise; to observe the just medium
between intemperance  and pleasure,  and to make
their passions and prejudices coincide with the line
of their duty. I-e realizes that to him is committed
the superintendence of the Craft during the hours of
refreshment, and it is, therefore, indispensably
necessary that he should not only be temperate and
discreet in the indulgence of his own inclinations,
but carefully observe that none of the Craft be suffered to convert the purposes of refreshment into intemperance and excess. IHe is too well acquainted
with the principles of Masonry to warrant any distrust that he will be found wanting in the discharge
of his duties.  What he has seen praiseworthy in
others he carefully imitates; and what in them has
appeared defective he does in himself amend.  He is
an example of good order and regularity, feeling
that it is only by a due regard to the laws in his 
IN BRENTFORD LODGE.
own conduct that he can expect obedience to them
from others. Hle assiduously assists the Master in
the discharge of his trust, and diffuses light and imparts knowledge to all who are placed under his
care. In the absence of the two officers above him
he succeeds to higher duties, his acquirements being
such as that the Craft never suffers for want of
proper instruction.
ORDER THIRD.
BROTHER JOSEPH CONCORAN OF THE IONIC ORDER.
OUR subject, like all others within the compass of
Masonic inquiry, partakes of the raciness and ripeness of age.   From the first formation of society,
says an orthodox guide, order in architecture may
be traced. When the rigor of seasons obliged men
to  contrive  shelter  from  the  inclemency of the
weather, we learn that they first planted trees on
end, and then laid others across to support a covering. The bands which connected those trees from
top to bottom are said to have given rise to the idea
of the base and capital of pillars; and from this
simple hint, originally, proceeded the more improved
art of architecture.
But has the reader ever considered that all this
attention to "Order," in Masonry, this precision in
proportions, this scrupulous exactitude of admeasurements, was directed to the eye, and had reference to
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6 
106    THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE
the "chief support" of BEAUTY, SO well enforced in
the Entered Apprentice's Lecture? yet it was even
so. The stern old artisan of Tyre, who thought it
not hard to die for the honor of his Craft, was the
type, not of Wisdom or of Strength, but of Beauty,
and his name and works, not less than his glorious
end, are remembered, and will be remembered, even
above the others.
The Ionic Order, in Brentford Lodge, is aptly
represented by Brother Joseph Conicoran, the Senior
Warden, as all who know him will admit on perusal
of the following definition of that Order:" The IONtIc
bears a kind of mean proportion between the more
solid and delicate Orders. Its column is nine diameters high; its capital is adorned with volutes, and
its cornice has dentils. There is both delicacy and
ingenuity displayed in this pillar, the invention of
which is attributed to the Ionians, as the famous
temple of Diana at Ephesus was of this Order. It
is said to have been formed after the model of an
agreeable yoiung woman, of an elegant shape, dressed
in her hair; as a contrast to the Doric Order, which
was formed after that of a strong, robust man."
Brother Concoran is a man who has little or none
of John the Baptist about him. Dress him in camel's
hair and he would be a ridiculous spectacle. Place
him in the deserts beyond Jordan, and he would infallibly get lost. Attempt to feed him on locusts
and wild honey, and he would starve to death. In
point of fact, he was never made for things of that
sort, as you will see by observing him in his seat in 
BENTFORD LODGE.
IN BRENTFORD LODGE.
the West. How thin his figure! -it is nine diameters
high-how pale, though beautiful, his face! It is as
pale as a woman's, and almost as fair.  But give him
a fair showing with John the Evangelist, and you
will soon discover his merits. The key to his character is love, Brotherly love; this is his pabulum, his
stimulus.
Looking over his family Bible, one day, we were
struck with the dilapidated condition of the latter
portion of it.  Such  texts  as these were  nearly
rubbed out by frequent use, as we have seen at a
country hotel, a State map greasy and worn nearly
through at the spot representing the locality: "The
wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy
and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy." "Pure religion and undefiled before God and
the Father, is this:  To  visit the fatherless  and
widows in their affliction, and keep himself unspotted
from the world."   But while these portions of his
copy of the New Testament were almost illegible
from frequent use, those terrible laws thundering
wrath upon people who deserved all that they got
and more, those passages, we mean, which occupy so
much of the older Scriptures, seem to have had no
attractions for him; for we found a one dollar bill
alongside the eighteenth chapter of Genesis that
looked as if it had been there ever since Brother
Lafayette's visit, in 1825. If a man's daily reading is
any index to his character, this will give us an
insight into his. He is modeled upon that second
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[S08    THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE
of the "Lines Parallel," who died at Jerusalem, and
his motto is: "By the exercise of Brotherly Love
we are taught to regard the whole human species as
one family; the high, the low, the rich, the poor;
who, as created by one Almighty Parent, and inhabitants of the same planet, are to aid, support,
and protect each other. On this principle Masonry
unites men of every country, sect, and opinion, and
conciliates true friendship among those who might
otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance."
Good words.
With all this loving soul, and the tenderness of
nature that is its proof and crown, it is not strange
that there is a tinge of melancholy in the manner
of Brother Concoran, induced, perhaps, by much illhealth and various trials into which the vicissitudes
of life have plunged him. It is with an appropriateness then,  somewhat  unusual,  that  he  wears the
Level, which is his Jewel and badge of office, and
contemplates its lessons: "That we are descended
from the same stock, partake of the same nature,
and share the same hope; and though distinctions
among men are necessary to preserve subordination,
yet no eminence of station should make us forget
that we are Brethren. He who is placed on the
lowest spoke of-fortune's wheel may be entitled to
our regard; because a time will come, and the wisest
knows not how soon, when all distinctions but that of
goodness will cease, and death, the grand leveler of
human greatness, reduce us to the same state."
These melancholy, yet healthful thoughts, are often 
IN BRENTFORD LODGE.
expressed by him before the lodge, at such times as,
just prior to its close, the Master calls aloud to him
to pay the Craft their wages, if any be due them,
and see that none go away dissatisfied. At such
times, we say, he calls upon the Brethren to consider
the uncertainty of human life, the immutable certainty of death, and the variety of all human pursuits. He directs them to fix their eyes on the last
sad scene, and view life stripped of its ornaments and
exposed in its natural meanness, that they may be
persuaded of the utter emptiness of these delusions.
In the grave, he asserts, all fallacies are detected, all
ranks are leveled, all distinctions are done away.
But when saddened by such words, the Brethren turn
toward the door as if about to wend their way in
silence homeward, he calls them back, reminds them
affectionately that after labor comes refreshment, and
at the table raises a friendly and brotherly sound
above them all. Doubtless that is the way John the
Baptist did before him. After preaching his fraternal sentiments in language that can never die, we
are perfectly convinced that that loving Evangelist
gave at the symposium, which followed the best
toast, and most likely, the best song of the occasion.
Disprove it who can!
"There is both delicacy and ingenuity displayed
in this pillar." Brother Concoran, in other words,
has cultivated a taste for the more graceful in
science and literature. The adornments of the lodge
are all of his devising. That group of laborers at
iyrk in the quarries; those lofty cedars; the heavy
109 
110    THE FIVE ORIDERS OF ARCHITECTURE
raft, nigh shipwrecked off the coast of Joppa; the
tasteful imagery in which are so ingeniously blended
the implements of Operative, with the charges of
Speculative Masonry-all these are his. The Scriptural mottoes upon the wall, selected not at random,
but with a thoughtful sense of their application to
Masonry, are his. The furniture was modeled, piece
by piece, under his eye. The five pillars illustrating
the five Orders of Architecture, the only set we ever
saw whose proportions are accurate, are of his own
estimate. You can not look at any part of the hall
without seeing something of that delicacy and ingenuity which belong to him as the type of the Ionic
Order.
Again, you see traces of this mental elegance in
the records, the by-laws, and the reports made the
Grand Lodge by Brentford Lodge.   The  by-laws,
particularly, are clothed in the loveliest sentiments
that even Masonry affords, and the typographical
adornments in which they are presented are worthy
of them. The annual returns are prepared by
Brother Concoran's own hand-Brother Scribendi
not being a neat pensman, though an accurate oneand are models of elegance. This runs again into
the patterns of the aprons and collars, the rods and
gavels, the jewels and carpets, and in whatever else,
neatness, grace, and beauty may be made adjuncts
to utility. All this goes to illustrate that his capital
is adorned with volutes and his cornice with dentils.
King David had such men as Brother Concoran in
view, when he said: "Behold, how good and how 
IN BRENTFORD LODGE.
pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.
It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that
ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard, that
went down to the skirts of his garment: as the dew
of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the
mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded
the blessing, even life forevermore "-and it is such
pictures of fraternal happiness that every visitor to
Brentford Lodge will witness. On the occasion of
our first call there, we were an admiring witness of
the following incident, which we give in token
thereof. A feud, savage as a Corsican's and durable
as a Scotchman's, was in fervid action between the
families of the Ravels, at Brentford, and the Comyns,
at Belfast, some ten miles away; and Brother Concoran had set himself, in the spirit of love, to heal it.
It was a large, a bad, an offensive sore.   Cousins
and brothers-in-law, and chattering old maids, and
obstinate men and women generally, had become
jumbled up in the turmoil, until the skein was so
snarled that you couldn't find the end of the thread.
The good Senior Warden made several passes at the
case without success. As no two of the parties in
dispute looked at the subject in the same light, there
was, of course, no common ground upon which they
could meet to settle it.  The attempt, therefore, appeared as futile as to settle a general plug-muss in
a snake-den at the approach of spring.
It was accomplished, however, by means of Masonry, and in this way.  Old Hugh Comyn, of Belfast, was an original member of Belfast Lodge; and
ill 
112     THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHIITECTURE
would do anything that he thought Masonry required
of him, yea, even if the sacrifice had been as great
as Brother Jephthah's was.  Being, an ardent bob-asheely of Brother Concoran's, he accepted an invitation to come over and see a "raising" at Brentford.
Now the party to be raised was no other than Tom
Ravel, who, of all the Ravels, was the one most
offensive to Old Hugh; but the latter, being shortsighted to an extreme, didn't recognize him till the
work was done, and not until, in accordance with a
blessed usage in that Lodge, he went up with the
rest of them to shake hands with him.  Imagine the
scene as we saw it! Tom, seeing the old gentleman
walking smilingly up, with his fin extended horizontally before him, supposed him desirous of healing
the feud, and though much surprised at the suddenness  of the thing, being  an impulsive, generous
fellow, he sprang forward, clasped his hand nervously,
and burst into tears! Old Hugh, electrified at the
tears, astonished at the discovery of who the party
was, and troubled at soul at a few words Concoran
slipped into his ear just at the instant, ("Beloved,
if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another,") threw his left arm round Tom's neck and
cried aloud! There never was such a scene before
or since; the general excitement was so great that
the Tyler was compelled to open the windows, by
which means the thing got out, and before daylight
it was all over town that the Comyns and Ravels
had made it up by the means of Masonry! They
did so, and are now good friends, thanks to the guile 
IN BRENTFORD LODGE.
with which the loving Brother deluded them to their
lasting good.
One thing is pretty certain, and we must not forbear to tell it-the health of this good Brother, the
type of the Ionic Order, is such that he is plainly
but a little while for this world.   There will be a
scene of no common interest when Brother Concoran
dies and is buried. It will be good, we think, to be
there. Ihis last view will be from a Pisgah as high
as Nebo, and the sky will be cloudless, as he surveys
the Promised Land, to tell the solemnized group
around, the good sights of the vision. Should we
outlive him-ah! the tremendous query, shall we?
should our flickering wick burn a little longer than
his, it will be a sacred duty to go and join the hundreds who love, respect, and admire him as we do,
in the last rites of Masonry.   This much we have
promised him and ourselves.
ORDER FOURTH.
BROTHER HENRY EVANS OF THE CORINTHIAN ORDER.
IT is for this, the richest of the Five Orders, that
masterpiece of art, represented in Brentford Lodge
by that polished shaft of Masonry, Brother Henry
Evans, the Worshipful Master and Past Grand Master-it is for this we have reserved our quotations
from Brother Webb's Monitor, relative to the moral
advantages of geometry in a Masonic sense. The
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113
0 
114    THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCIiITECTURE
reader must not pass them over, even though they
may appear a little tedious; for there is nothing that
Webb, or rather Preston before him, ever wrote more
worthy a Mason's notice.  "Geometry, the first and
noblest of sciences, is the basis on which the superstructure of Freemasonry is erected. By geometry
we may curiously trace nature, through her various
windings, to her most-concealed recesses. By it we
discover the power, wisdom, and goodness of the
Grand Artificer of the Universe, and view with delight the proportions which connect this vast machine.
By it we discover how the planets move in their
respective orbits, and demonstrate their various revolutions.   By it we account for the return of the
seasons, and the variety of scenes which each season
displays to the discerning eye. Numberless worlds
are around us, all framed by the same Divine Artist,
which roll through the vast expanse, and are all conducted by the same unerring law of nature.
"A survey of nature, and the observation of her
beautiful proportions, first determined man to imitate
the Divine plan, and study symmetry and order.
This gave rise to societies, and birth to every useful
art. The architect began to design; and the plans
which he laid down, being improved by time and experience, have produced works which are the admiration of every eye.
"The lapse of time, the ruthless hand of ignorance,
and the devastations of war, have laid waste and destroyed many valuable monuminents of antiquity, on
which the utmost exertions of human genius have 
IN BRENTFORD LODGE.
been employed.   Even the Temple of Solomon, so
spacious and magnificent, and constructed by so many
celebrated artists, escaped not the unsparing ravages
of barbarous force.   Freemasonry, notwithstanding,
has still survived.   The attentive ear receives the
sound from the instructive tongue, and the mysteries
of Masonry are safely lodged in the repository of
faithful breasts. Tools and implements of architecture, and symbolic emblems most expressive, are
selected by the Fraternity to imprint on the mind
wise and serious truths; and thus, through a succession of ages, are transmitted unimpaired the most
excellent tenets of our profession."
Thus forcible and eloquent are the vital lessons presented to us through the medium of Masonry.
To show the application of all this to our type of
the Corinthian Order, Brother Hlenry Evans, it is
only necessary to give the definition:
"The Corinthian, the richest of the Five Orders,
is deemed a masterpiece of art. Its column is ten
diameters high, and its capital is adorned with two
rows of leaves and eight volutes, which sustain the
abacus.  The frieze is ornamented with curious devices; the cornice with dentils and modillions. This
Order is used in stately and superb structures.
"It was invented in Corinth, by Callimachus, who
is said to have taken the hint of the capital of this
pillar from the following remarkable circumstance:
Accidentally passing by the tomb of a young lady,
he perceived a basket of toys, covered with a tile,
placed over an acanthus root, having been left there
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116    THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE
by her nurse. As the branches grew up, they encompassed the basket, until arriving at the tile, they
met with an obstruction and bent downward. Callimachus, struck with the object, set about imitating
the figure. The vase of the capital he made to
represent the basket; the abacus the tile; and the
volutes the bending leaves."
Among the curious topics which, of late years, have
elicited debate among Masonic writers is this, whether
great talents and enlarged fame give a man any peculiar merit in the sight of Masonry?   Some  have
argued, from the radical theory promulgated in our
lectures, that all men are absolutely equal in the
sight of God, and therefore entitled to equal regard
as Masons. This argument is not borne out by facts.
So far as the Divine love and attention are concerned,
we are not called upon to decide; yet, from the diverse
circumstances under which we find humanity placed,
it would not be illogical to say that the Heavenly
Father shows his own preferences in many things
that conduce to the happiness of men. But, so far
as Masonry is concerned, it is clear to our mind that
very decided distinctions are and ought to be made
in relation to applicants - distinctions based upon
their moral, social, and religious eminence in the
world. For instance, after the revival of Masonry
about Brentford, and the proposition to re-organize
the old lodge there, Brother Henry Evans made
known his desire to become attached to the Order.
Hie was a man who had held the highest distinctions
in his native State, having been a judge, governor of 
IN BRENTFORD LODGE.
the State, and president of a college.  His great
wealth, universal popularity, and uncommon learning
were so many means of usefulness and honor as he
employed them. Now, when he announced his wish
to attain to Masonic honors, no second thought was
required. What was the use of the farce of a committee of inquiry? He had been tried in the furnace
of public opinion for twenty years, and found true
and sincere.  Therefore the Brethren unanimously
signed a petition to the Grand Master, who came
down in person and initiated, passed, and raised him
by dispensation. The Brethren of Brentford Lodge
took up the case where the Grand Master left itelected him a Warden at the first election, and Worshipful Master at the second. Then he fell into the
hands of the Grand Lodge, which, at the first bound,
indorsed public opinion by making Judge Evans Grand
Master. There being nothing higher than that, at
least on this side of Jordan, the IHonorable Brother
fell back upon Brentford Lodge, which repeated its
evidences of confidence and attachment by re-electing
him Master, nominally for a year, but actually, so it
is privately understood by the members, ad vitam,
for life.
This little sketch of the accomplished Master of
Brentford Lodge will explain somewhat of the uncommon respect we evince when we speak of him.
Brother Evans is a great man. It is good to sit in
the lodge when hlie presides. "Blessed art thou, 0
Lodge!" thought we, the last time we paid a visit
there, while contemplating the man and his ways,
117 
118    THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE
" when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes
eat in due season for strength and not for drunkenness!"  As the lily among thorns, as the apple-tree
among the trees of the wood, as the Corinthian among
the Orders of Architecture, so towers this wise and
good man among his Brethren-"beautiful as Tirseh,
comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners." Such language, fulsome and extravagant as
it may sound, does but feebly represent the veneration inspired in the heart of all his Brethren by this
distinguished officer.
The Grand Lodge having, in the regular order of
succession, committed to his care the superintendence
and government of his Brethren who compose Brentford Lodge, he is thoroughly sensible of the obligations that devolve upon him as their head, and of his
responsibility for the faithful discharge of the important duties annexed to:the office.   The honor.
reputation, and usefulness of the lodge, he feels,
materially depend upon the skill and assiduity with
which he manages its concerns, while the happiness
of its members is promoted in proportion to the zeal
and ability with which he propagates the general principles of the Institution.
For a pattern of imitation, he takes the luminary
of nature, which, rising in the east, regularly diffuses
light and luster to all within the circle.   In like
manner, it is his province to spread and communicate
light and instruction to the Brethren of his lodge,
and this is his unremitted care. Forcibly he impresses upon them the dignity and high importance 
IN BRENTFORD LODGE.
of Masonry, and often and seriously admonishes them
never to disgrace it. Out of the lodge, he charges
them to practice those duties which they are taught
in it; and requires them, by amiable, discreet, and
virtuous conduct, to convince mankind of the goodness of the Institution.  It is his theory, that, by
this course of conduct, Masonry may be so elevated,
that when a person is said to be a member of it, the
world may know that he is one to whom the burdened
heart may pour out its sorrows; to whom distress may
prefer its suit; whose hand is guided by justice, and
his heart expanded by benevolence.  These injunctions to others, being accurately drawn out from his
own life, enables him to acquit himself with honor
and reputation, and inspire a hope that he shall lay
utip a crown of rejoicing, to continue when time shall
be no more~
This Corinthian column, the pride and glory of
Brentford Lodge, attracts the admiration of every
wayfarer; and it is a small and natural change from.
admiring him to admiring the Institution he represents. Thus it happens that, according to the Grand
Lecturer's report, "no lodge in all that Masonic district is enjoying such outward and material prosperity
as this." The increase of membership, though the
door of admission is jealously narrowed and guarded,
and the rejections are numerous, is very great, from
year to year, and composed of the best material in
and about Brentford.  What wonder!  Are not those
who enjoy the daily friendship of Brother Evans out
of the lodge, the individuals most likely to desire to
119 
120    THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE
pursue his friendship within it?   Go  to.  If you
would have the better class of men among the applicants at your doors, place in the ranks of leaders
those of your members who correspond with that
class, prudently recollecting that "like begets like,"
and that the Institution is mainly judged through
those who  are its heads.  It is a small matter for
you at least to put your best foot foremost.
It were quite superfluous to say that this accomplished leader in Israel spares none of the appliances
of the Masonic trade in qualifying himself and his
lodge for the best work, while the subject of adornments, and the graces and beauties of Masonry, are
safely left with the Senior Warden, as we detailed in
our last sketch; and while the topics of discipline
and government in general are confided trustingly
to the Junior Warden, as also we have said before,
Brother Evans takes it upon himself to see that the
tools of speculative Masonry are abundantly furnished
to the mnembership, kept bright and sharp in use, and
their use from time to time explained.   We mean,
of course, that all the advantages of Masonic literature, and of that oral instruction which has its immovable basis in Masonic literature, are abundantly
furnished to the Masons of Brentford Lodge. Its
library is the best in the State. Its collection of the
current literature of the Craft, the journals, the proceedings of the greater and lesser bodies, the addresses
upon all Masonic occasions, etc., is respectable, and
is daily increasing. The Orator of the lodge gives a
half-hour oration at every meeting.   Each degree 
IN BRENTFORD LODGE.
conferred is the theme of lengthy and most interesting discourses from the Master, whose proxy the
Orator is. The festivals are always made occasions
of Masonic profit, by intelligent addresses delivered
either in or out of the lodge; and, most sensible of
all, each advancing Brother is advised and expected
to acquire a respectable amount of Masonic information from these various publications as a qualification
for higher degrees.
Our theme is an endless one, but its moral may be
condensed into this word of exhortation: "Put your
Corinthian column in the East!"  There are many
lodges that linger, fail, and die from a disregard of
this plain law of common sense; many lodges, possessing more than one Corinthian column of the kind
alluded to in the definition, "the richest of the Orders,
masterpieces of art," that, by a strange blindness,
elevate columns of the inferior orders, or of no orders
at all save bastard orders, and discover their error
only in their dying hours.   We  would  be found
warning our Brethren against so fatal a mistake.
Though every lodge may not have its Evans, yet
every lodge has some Brother in its membership of
the class of which Evans is -but a type; or, failing
in this, that lodge ought to die, and must die. The
doctrine that all Masons are equal, and equally qualified to rule and govern their Brethren, is as false
as that all men are equally wise, equally strong,
and equally beautiful.  Those who have acted upon
such a theory, have discovered the error sooner or
later. We would that those who honor our poor,
11
121 
122    THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE
efforts with a perusal, may be spared the sacrifices
which experience upon this head demands, and be
advised by those who, having suffered, are qualified
to teach.
ORDER FIFTH.
BROTHER BOWLING FANT, OF THE COMPOSITE ORDER.
HAVING come to the last number in our series of
Orders, it may be as well to observe, lest an undue
prominence be given to this modern and factitious
Order, termed the Composite, that the ancient and
original Orders of architecture revered by Masons,
are no more than three, the boric, Ionic, and
Corinthian, which were invented by the Greeks.
To these the Romans have added two, the Tuscan,
which they made plainer than the Doric, and the
Composite, which was more ornamental, if not more
beautiful than the Corinthian. The first three Orders
alone, however, show invention and particular character, and essentially differ from each other; the
two others have nothirg but what is borrowed, and
differ only accidentally; the Tuscan is the Doric in
its earliest state; and the Composite is the Corinthian enriched with the Ionic. To the Greeks, therefore, and not to the Romans, we are indebted for
what is great, judicious, and distinct in architecture.
These remarks, furnished us from Webb's Monitorial Lectures, lead us naturally to the definition 
IN BRENTFORD LODGE.
of the Composite Order, and show us its application in
Brentford Lodge to Brother Bowling Fant, the Senior
Deacon:  "The  Composite is, compounded of the
other Orders, and was contrived  by the Romans.
Its capital has the two rows of leaves of the Cor inthian and the volutes of the Ionic. Its column
has quarter-rounds, as the Tuscan and Doric Orders;
is ten diameters high, and its cornices has dentils or
simple modillions. This pillar is generally found in
buildings where strength, elegance, and beauty are
displayed."          9
In reply to this last remark, we are not prepared
to deny that there is a sort of specious beauty, an
outside elegance, about the Composite Order, when
seen with an untrained eye, or that its strength
may be as great as anything which is ten diameters
high could be expected to be,-but we do say that
no one, who loves purity in Masonry, can esteem it
in comparison with the other Orders. It is a bastard,
nay worse, a hybrid in architecture. It is not merely
an unauthorized alteration from an acknowledged
scientific type, but the hybrid progeny of two Orders,
which, by the unvarying laws of architectural physi ology might never be conjoined. It is as though a
Brother had wedded his sister, and they begat it.
This, we are sorry to be compelled to say, is
exactly the case with Brother Bowling Fant, the Senior
Deacon of Brentford Lodge, whose Masonic charac ter comes last upon the tapis. HIe is a bastard, if
not a hybrid Mason. He was first of all an Orange man in Ireland; from that he slid naturally, but not
123 
124    THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE
gracefully, into Odd-Fellowship. When the rage for
drinking cold water on the square came about, he
joined in chronological order: 1. Tile Washingtonians; 2. The Sons of Temperance; 3. The Rechabites; 4. The Templars of Temperance. Having run
through the Temperance gamut, hle was next a Red
Man, and as the Druids met in Red Man's IIall, he
became a Druid. Of course he was one of the earliest of the Know-nothings, and as he was fortunately
able to talk a modicum of Dutch, he went over from
that on the other side of the ridge and became a Sag
Nicht.  Last of all he tried Masonry!
One advantage, to be sure, the costly experience
gives him,-an advantage that the Worshipful Master,
Brother Evans, was not slow to detect,-he makes a
good Senior Deacon [ To give him his due, this Hlybrid
of a Mason makes one of the most graceful, fluent,
and impressive Senior Deacons we have ever seen;
and Brentford Lodge is justly proud of him in that
capacity. Having a happy facility of memorizing,
he can give all the monitorial lectures of the three
degrees without glancing at the book. HIaving seen
such an immense variety of applications of the Masonic emblems and lectures in the various imitative
societies to which he has belonged, he is able to
season his part well with such variations as add
grace and novelty thereto. And this makes him
popular with those with whom he has to do in an
official capacity.
But it is the peculiarity of the Composite Order,
which was compounded of the other Orders, and 
IN BRENTFORD LODGE.
contrived by the Romans, that it will not bear
minute inspection.  This putting the two rows of
leaves of the Corinthian with the volutes of the
Ionic, and adding the quarter-rounds of the Tuscan
and Doric Orders, is only calculated to attract the
eye, but can not please the mind. It is like those
hideous drawings on Chinese boards, in which the
several parts may be sufficiently graceful and pleasing,
but the whole is execrable. In studying the character of Brother Fant, the thought irresistibly intrudes:
Hilow long before he will try some other society?
There can be no confidence put in a man who only
tabernacles in a place for a few months or years,
and then pulls up stakes and is off to fresh fields
and pastures new. Compare the case of Brother
Lemuel Fairfax, that thorough Mason described in the
first paper of this series, with the one before us.
The former is all Mlacson. Ite knows nothing higher,
broader, deeper; he looks to a Masonic lip to give
him a remembrance among men after he is dead.
Like a faithful husband, who, the longer he lives
with the bride of his youth, the more firmly he
becomes attached to her, and who only hopes that,
of the twain, she may not be the first called away;
so Brother Fairfax, having early given his heart to
Masonry, looks to it to be the attachment of his
declining years. But the latter embraces Masonry
only as one of a harem of concubines. He has
toyed with the meretricious charms of the others
until they have palled upon his appetite, and his
fervor in Masonry, his last conquest, is likely to be
125 
126.  THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE
as short-lived as it is excessive. View, we say, the
contrast, and act the judge between them.
The practical weakness of Brother Fant, in a Masonic point of view, may be shown by a few examples.
He can not be restrained from arguing the wondrous
merits of Masonry in every company,.disregarding
that caution in the Ancient Charges which forbids
it; and great evils have grown out of it. He was
so accustomed to do this in the Temperance societies that it is bred in his bone. He has introduced
much confusion in the Temple, and more than once
brought himself under the Junior Warden's notice
by proselyting for applicants, contrary to the express
injunctions of the Order. The discovery was made
by the honest refusal of one or two to declare, in the
anteroom, that, "Unbiased by friends, and uninfluenced by mercenary motives, they freely and voluntarily offered themselves candidates for the mysteries
of Masonry." He was so accustomed to proselyting
among the Odd-Fellows-where he was acknowledged
to be the greatest drummer out of Philadelphia-that
he can not, he will not relinquish the practice. Its
pursuit will some day pass him ignominiously out of
the South gate.
He is excessively incautious in his use of pen and
ink in relation to the private matters of the Institution.
Having come from societies using written Rituals,
the invincible repugnance of Symbolic Masons to
anything of that sort has no counterpart in his breast.
When he dies, the parties who open his private cabinet will find some queer manuscripts, which, though 
IN BRENTFORD LODGE.
they can work no actual injury to the Masonic Order,
will leave serious imputations upon his memory.
What would you think of a man who would deliberately record and recklessly preserve the minutiae
of his nuptial night?
His tongue is unmasonically glib in relation to the
particular business of the Lodge. He not only usurps
the business of the Secretary, who, of right, should
give certain notifications to proper parties, but he
makes those notifications to parties who are not
entitled to have them, and others that should be
made to no one out of the Lodge. It was the habit
in some of the societies to which he belonged, to do
this thing. They boasted that their only secret was
a simple means of recognition, and challenged the
whole world to examine and approve all their proceedings. Is it strange that the introduction of such
a heresy into his Lodge has created an uproar? Yet
the habit is so deeply rooted in the man that it is
apparently incurable.
Finally, this unmasonic jumbling up of orders and
systems in the Composite, is seen in the looseness
of the tie that binds Brother Fant to the Masonic
Institution. The spirit with which he entered it
was of the same uncemented character. "He was
going to join the Masons," he said.  "He had been
thinking for some time that he would join the
Masons."  "iHe would try them awhile, any-how;"
and his opinion of the tie is, evidently, that it may
be dissolved at pleasure. He calls a diploma a
"4 withdrawal card," and views it as one. Whenever
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128    THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE
he gets tired of the Institution, which he can hardly
fail to do in time, he will "take out a withdrawal
card," and consider his connection with the Institution virtually at an end. Thus the shoe, in his mind,
has no force; the cable-tow no meaning; the trowel
no utility. What of wisdom, strength, or beauty,
can be expected of such a Mason? Suppose a Lodge,
officered by three such men, one in the East, one in
the West, one in the South-could there be any doubt
as to its fate? In all the strength of our great Institution, as it is developed in the United States, we
have found nothing added by the class represented
here under the appropriate type of the Composite
Order.
We close our series by an earnest recommendation
to every Brother to pursue these topics on a scale
more nearly commensurate with their merits than is
usually done. There is not a paragraph in the
lectures, exoteric or esoteric, but what contains the
germ of a valuable essay, and will reward the student
for his labors. Some of us like them in the form
of tale and pleasing sketch; it is for that class,
mainly, that this series is written.  The intelligent
mind will readily penetrate the flimsy gauze we
have thrown over important truths, and receive them
in their purity.   Others  best appreciate Masonic
knowledge in other forms-the recent awakening
of mind among our Fraternity promises a thorough
exploration of every vein, and the presentation of
truth in every form. As an illustration of the highly 
IN BRENTFORD LODGE.
symbolic language of our lectures, take the following:
"By Operative Masonry we allude to a proper application of the useful rules of architecture, whence a
structure will derive figure, strength, and beauty,
and whence will result a due proportion and a just
correspondence in all its parts. It furnishes us with
dwellings and convenient shelters from the vicissitudes
and inclemencies of seasons; and while it displays
the effects of human wisdom, as well in the choice
as in the arrangement of sundry materials of which
an edifice is composed, it demonstrates that a fund
of science and industry is implanted in man for the
best, most salutary, and beneficent purposes." In
this paragraph is the key to the series of sketches
we are just concluding, and in it is material for an
unlimited number of exhibitions in every form of the
amenities of our beloved Institution.
Brother:  Your  zeal  for  our  Institution,  the
progress you have made in our mysteries, and your
steady conformity to our useful regulations, have
pointed you out as a proper object for this peculiar
mark of our favor.
Duty and honor, now alike, bind you to be faithful
to every trust; to support the dignity of your character on all occasions; and strenuously to enforce,
by precept and example, a steady obedience to the
tenets of Freemasonry. Exemplary conduct on your
part will convince the world that merit is the just
title to our privileges, and that on you our favors
have not been undeservedly bestowed.
In this respectable character you are authorized
129 
130.  THlE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE
to correct the irregularities of your misinformed
Brethren;  to fortify their minds  with resolution
against the snares of the insidious; and to guard
them against every allurement to vicious practices.
To preserve unsullied the reputation of the Fraternity ought to be your care; and, therefore, it becomes
your province to caution the inexperienced against a
breach of fidelity. To your inferiors in rank or office
you are to recommend obedience and submission; to
your equals, courtesy and affability; to your superiors, kindness and condescension. Universal benevolence you are zealously to inculcate; and, by the
regularity of your own conduct, endeavor to remove
every aspersion against the venerable Institution.
Our ancient landmarks you are carefully to preserve,
and not suffer them on any pretence to be infringed,
or countenance a deviation from our established
customs.
Your honor and reputation are concerned in supporting with dignity the respectable character you
now bear. Let no motive, therefore, make you swerve
from your duty, violate your vows, or betray your
trust; but be true and faithful, and imitate the
example of that celebrated Artist whom  you have
this evening represented. Thus you will render
yourself deserving of the honor which we have
conferred, and worthy  of the confidence we have
reposed in you. 
age  wuitt  altd  la'Ttrtut o.
A TALE OF THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE UNDER
DIFFICULTIES.
Imseribe3 to Brother John Ransom,
OF ST. JOHNS, MICHIGAN.
,  ROTHER BOB WHITE, or as we call him
... in the lodge, Robert Ebenezer Flake  Vhite,
had got his first degree  and liked it, as
himself declared, "right smart."  In fact, to
pursue his own  phraseology.   "It rather
took his persimmon "-or, to vary the figure
with another of his happy hyperboles, "It wed his
injun path clean out."  By all which expressions we
understand his approval of Freemasonry in general,
and that portion of it learned on the ground-floor
of King Solomon's Temple in particular.
It is whispered, however, that Bob had stretched
his verity a little when he declared in his petition
"that he had long entertained a favorable opinico
of Freemasonry."  Certain it is, he had read Bernard, Morgan, and Crafts, as found in the library of
Rev. Zerubbabel Cash, the hard-shelled pastor of
Corcoe Church; and'tis very unlikely that the man
who peruses that trio with the hard-shell faith (Bob
had been himself a hard-shell of the stoniest sort),
(131) 
BOB WHITE AND HIS LECTURES.
'tis very unlikely, we say, that his opinion of Masonry
could be anything but hostile.  Be that as it may,
however, Bob petitioned, was elected, forked over,
and was initiated, as we remarked in the very first
paragraph of this sketch.
Ihis initiation (or as Bob, who is not a classical
scholar, pronounced the word, inislooashun), being
complete, Bob became free to acknowledge that the
thing wasn't what he had expected.   It was better,
a heap-more solemn, more impressive-in its moral
bearings, more like Bible teachings, which, to Bob's
credit, be it observed, he especially delighted in.
What he could gather from once hearing the lectures,
pleased him so well that he determined to get the
sensation duplicated soon as possible; and the very
next day after his inishooashun aforesaid, he started
out for that purpose. Ilis adventures in the quest
will form a slid foundation for this veritable article.
Bob's appearance as a traveler was not impressive.
Brought ilp under the severest requisitions of home
manrauctures, he thought no pantaloons so comfortable, no coat and vest so elegant, as those made of
wool clipped from sheep raised on his own landsaid wool being spun add woven by his own wife's
hands-said garment cut and sewed by the same.
Following this line of political faith, Bob's hat was
necessarily of the manufacture of Tom  Looby, of
Loobyville, close by, who (not to be guilty of slandering a Brother Mason) knows nothing of Genin or
Oakford-his boots acknowledged the workmanship of
Coney, Mrs. Smith's nigger, and the rest of his
132 
BOB WHITE AND HIS LECTURES.
wardrobe corresponded.  HIowever a man's politics
or his purse may be strengthened by it, his appearance is not improved by this style of dress, especially
where, as in Bob's case, the craftsmen, to wit: Mirs.
White, Tom Looby, and the nigger Coney, are but
dabsters at their respective arts.
Bob rode a mule. Glorying in a stomach that
knew nothing of neuralgia, and a temper placid as a
Quaker's, he could bear with the animal's infirmities
without a token of impatience. Thus mounted, thus
dressed, see him, then, on his way to get lectured.
First to Past Master  Sloane's.  Not  at home.
Nobody  is ever at home  in the country.  Either
they are in the field at work, or in the woods hunting, or out borrowing something of their neighbors.
The Past Master was engaged in the latter vocation,
and Bob followed him to Parvin's, whither he had
gone to borrow a file. Arrived there, he took Sloane
down into the spring-house, three hundred yards
from anywhere, looked cautiously around on all sides,
and  told him  his business.   Past Master  Sloane
colored up to the eyes, hesitated, blundered, prevaricated, and, finally, came out with the humiliating
confession that he wtas too rusty.  Hladn't conferred
a degree in five years.   Couldn't attend lodge regularly. Go to Brother Hamburg's.
Bob was dampened.  What!  a Past Master not
able to give the lectures! Why, they told him the
night before, that the Master of a lodge  was the
representative of King  Solomon,  and had all the
light! and here was Brother Sloane, the very man
133 
BOB WHlITE AND HIS LECTURES.
who organized the lodge only six years before, and
after whom the lodge had been named, without any
light!  Discouraging.   Bob asked him, suppose he
was going to travel, how would he pass himself? To
which the rusty Brother pettishly replied, he didn't
expect to travel any more!  Whereat Bob sawed him
off with the inquiry, how would he examine a visiting
Brother who should call on him for that purpose?
And the Past Master was prudent enough to make
no reply.
Astride his mule again, Bob took a bee-line for
Brother Hamburg's. This Brother had once been a
pillar in his lodge.  First at the hall, at every meeting, he was known to be efficient for any post in
which he was placed; the last to leave the hall, he
was the enlightened center of a circle that remained
for instruction's sake for hours after the lodge was
closed. But Brother Hamburg had become a changed
man. In a journey to another State, he had fallen
in with a green sprout from the Masonic tree, whose
fruitage was not of the old graft.  How it ever came
to pass that the sound branch was thus ingrafted, we
have in other places and often tried to tell. So it
is, the enlightened eye  can  detect  these foreign
sprouts amid tle foliage.   But Brother  Hamburg
was deluded, ate of the clandestine fruit, was gratified
with its, to us, insipid flower, and from that moment
his Masonic usefulness was gone.  He came home
professing, like Eve, "that his eyes were opened,
knowing good from evil."-(Genesis iii: 5.)  He
approached his Brethren as an innovator. He de
134 
BOB WHITE AND HIS LECTURES.
clared that Masonry was naked and needed covering;
and, to set the example, he had sewed for himself fig
leaves and tied them  around him.   To drop the
allegory, he preached "improvement in the Masonic
system-improvement in the lectures improvement
in the work-improvement  in the  grammar-improvement even in the means of Masonic recognition!" IHe became troublesome to his Brethren in
consequence, and a clique-leader.  Imagine Bob's
astonishment, then, when on approaching Brother
Hlamburg to get the standard lectures, he received,
instead, a tirade against the work, as the lodge was
practicing it, and a recommendation to Bob "to pay
no attention to it, but acquire it on the improved
plan!"  The staggered neophyte yet shrewdly inquired, how will Masons in other States know us then,
if we adopt a new way?  To which it was responded,
' Our way is so much better than theirs, they will
soon acquire it." But in the meantime? "In the
meantime we shall be engaged in a good work, that
of perfecting the glorious system of Masonry, conforming it to the improved age in which we live,
bringing it up to the standard of other affiliated
societies, supplying the vacant links in it, and furnishing to the world something that is the acme of
all that is glorious, fraternal, and pure!" Has the
Grand Lodge adopted this work? "No; but they
will." Are you not afraid the old Masons will oppose
it? "Let them do it. In a few years they will be
out of the way!"
Bob rode off to Brother llaszard, the Junior War
135 
BOB WHITE AND HIS LECTURES.
den. It was six miles distant and the day was cold,
but Bob felt not the air, nor thought a moment of the
miles. He was brooding over the words of Brother
Hamburg.  There is something so tempting in the
thought of becoming  a reformer, that the young
Mason is easily carried away with it.   More than
once, Brother Bob stopped  his mule  and almost
turned back, but better thoughts prevailed, and he
reached the gate of the Junior Warden, determined
to make another effort.
Brother Haszard was called a bright Mason, and
was glad to see Bob, and glad to lecture him; more
by token.  I-e was lying up with rheumatism and
couldn't get out.  So, after talking about everything else he could think of, and trading mules
with him, in which latter operation he got to windward, he sent his wife to a neighbor's and his children to the nigger-quarters, and commenced the lecture.
*      *      *      *      t*     *      *
But, expostulated Bob, I was told there is a
rational explanation to all this!  "Well, didn't I
give you a rational explanation?  Don't I tell you
what these emblems mean?"   Why, no-yes-you
told me what the emblems meant, but you didn't say
why they meant it. You explain the emblems, but
you don't say what the emblems  explain.   Isn't
there something  more?  " Nothing more  in your
degree.   You must go higher?"   But-but-how
does this system improve a man's morality? What
have I learned yet that has anything to do with
136 
BOB WHITE AND HIS LECTURES.
morality?  "Go higher, Bob, go higher, and you
will get the idea."
Poor Bob started home. The Junior Warden, as
you and I can see, excellent reader, was a mere
stick-in-the-mud of a Mason.  He knew  no more
of Masonry, than a man can know of the comforts
of a domestic fireside by examining a brick that came
out of the chimney thereof. Hle, lecture on Masonry!
as well a lad lecture on Rhetoric who has just learned
his alphabet by rote.
Poor Bob started home sad and disappointed. His
mule partook of his depression, and became soured
in temper and vicious.  Consequently, just as the
Entered Apprentice was going by the house of Mrs.
Harrison-old Brother Harrison's widow-you knew
Brother Harrison-the brute took advantage of a fit
of musing into which its rider had fallen, and threw
him off, kicked him as he was falling, and jumped on
his carcass after he was down.
Bob was carried into the widow's house and laid
upon the widow's bed, from which he never rose until
Spring. The long nights spent in pain from his
fractured ribs, taught him patience, resignation, and
fortitude; the visits of the Brethren who stood sentinel by him for two months, instructed him in Brotherly Love and Relief; other and still more precious
truths were inculcated through his blessed fall, and
thus Bob TVWhite got lectured.
The Junior Warden, discovering Bob's disappointment at his system of lecturing, took the hint and
looked behind the looking-glass-to wit, the  em       12
137 
BOB WHITE AND HIS LECTURES.
blems.   What he saw there, ask us not;  but it
changed the Masonic character of the whole man.
The Past Master took shame to himself for his
rust, and, applying the mental file, got bright, and,
before Bob's fifth rib knitted to his sternum, could
lecture like a Solomon.   He always declared that
to Bob's sick-bed he was indebted for the suggestion and the opportunity of improving his Masonic
character.
But  Brother Hamburg was past improving.  Ile
had tasted the forbidden fruit, and to the paths of
innocence and unsophisticated truth there was no
return for him. He became conspicuous elsewhere,
and Freemasonry lost him.. Expelled for contumacy,
his appeal to the Grand Lodge was a bitter accusation against Masons and Masonry in general, and a
particular commentary upon the dangers of innovation.
So soon as his fifth rib knitted, Bob was taken in
triumph to the lodge and passed into the Middle
Chamber like a shot. It was a joyful scene. Everybody was glad.   Even  old Aleck Gooseberry, the
Tyler, who, having prophesied that Bob would die,
didn't like to have his prediction fail-even old
Aleck smiled when Bob "tuck him by the paw-paw
and shuck it till it hurt." Widow Harrison, who had
lost thirty-one pounds weight nursing Bob these two
months, made a new Bible-cushion for the occasion
to swar him  on!  "Masons  swar, don't they?"
yelpt old Mother Harrison, and echo answered swar.
And so, as we said before, Bob White got lectured
138 
gt ta   in the   od.
A TALE OF MASONIC CAUTION.
Irbscribec  to fro. the Horn. J. L. EmedZe-,
OF HARRODSBURG, KENTUCKY.
HERE  is a leak-in Mirror Lodge, beyond an
doubt or controversy.  Bats do not commu    nicate Masonic intelligence; mice and night     flying insects are powerless to divulge its
secrets; the days of ghosts and fairies are
long past. Yet they only, with three-andtwenty Masons, heard the fact communicated that
"Brother Bendle was about to be tried for slandering Brother Sohaw's wife;" and, for all that, the fact
has become as well-known throughout the village of
Scorpio, and has excited as much speculation, as the
fact that Fillmore and Buchanan were opposing candidates for the Presidency. The only explanation to
this that we can give is, there is a leak.
Nor is this the first instance upon record of a leak
in a Masonic lodge. Far from it. We wish it was;
but our memorandum-book too truthfully reveals a
number of them, more or less unplu##able. There
is one, for instance, in Cotchecon Lodge, through
which has oozed the unpleasant fact, "that Barney
Lenter was blackballed, in May last, by seven votes." 
THE LEAK IN THE LODGE.
There is one in Doleg Lodge, at this very time, whose
dimensions are frightfully large, and out of which has
lately trickled the intelligence, "that Mrs. Soaper's
claim for charity was refused because her husband
was only a Fellow-craft when he died." There is
one also in Rusoy Lodge, at this minute, through
which regularly leaks everything curious and interesting that happens there, and a great deal still more
curious and more interesting that never happens there.
These leaks, though unpluggable, are not then altogether undiscoverable.  The one in Cotchecon Lodge,
for instance, is owing to-; but we are not justified in telling all we know; and we spare Brother
the humiliation of a public exposure.  (Only
we will say this, if our wife were to ask us as many
foolish questions, when we come home from the lodge
late at night, as Mrs., our Brother's wife, asks
him, we would use our privileges as a husband, and
command her tongue. That's poz.)
But the Leak in Mirror Lodge; it is as much
worse than these so lightly touched upon above, as
the consequences that have grown out of it are more
grievous. The fact "that the lodge is about to try
Brother Bendle for slandering Brother Shaw's wife,"
is, in reality, no fact at all. The true state of the
case is, that somebody had been handling that estimable lady's character very shamefully, and as public
opinion had fixed the charge upon Brother Bendle
(for the very conclusive reason that there is no other
Mason in the neighborhood upon whom to fix it), the
said Brother requested the lodge to investigate the
140 
THE  LEAK IN THE LODGE.
matter, with a view to bear favorably upon public
sentiment, so that his innocence may be made manifest; and this, too, against the wishes, against the
better judgment of the Junior Warden, who has to
bring the charges, and of every member of the
lodge, who is as confident of his innocence as of
their own.
Yet the consequences of the Leak are, that Brother
Bendle's church looks askant at him, because he is
under Masonic discipline; Brother Bendle's partner,
who is not a Mason, and, for physical reasons, never
can be, is talking of dissolving their mercantile
connection on account of the scandal; the Scipio
"Investigrator" (weekly, two dollars per annum, in
advance) teems with insinuations against Brother
Bendle, as a " calumniator of female innocence;"
and, worst of all, Mrs. Bendle, that estimable woman,
the daughter of old Father Cornish, can not be persuaded but that her faithless lord has committed one
of the seven mortal sins, "else why should the Masons
be trying him?"
You see now, sharp-eyed reader, what evil things
have run out of this Leak, and what the importance
of its being properly and expeditiously plugged.
"To search for a leak on ship-board, you must
stop the trip, keel the ship over to larboard or starboard till her bottom is exposed, and then examine
her with all your might for the place where the calking is defective." So, when Brother Gunther, Worshipful Master of Mirror Lodge, wrote to us, with, a
statement of the facts of the case, and craved our
141 
THE LEAK IN THE LODGE.
advice, we responded. Not understanding our allegorical but sublime way of dispensing light, however,
Brother Gunther wrote again, reminding us that his
"was a Masonic, not a commercial question," and
wanting to know what he should do.  Descending,
with as good a grace as we could command, to the
level of his comprehension, we explained: "Stop all
work of the lodge; question the Brethren individually; spot the-suspected Brother;" and this was so
plain that even Brother Gunther understood it.
The attentive Master immediately acted upon our
advice. HIe locked the charter up in his bureau at
home; refused to open the lodge for three months;
called upon each member individually, and put him
to the torture; examined witnesses, particularly Mrs.
Assyd, wife of Brother Assyd, the Tyler (suspected
of having a pivot tongue, id est, one hung in the
middle, and movable, as a jewel, at either end);
Miss Moggoly, daughter of Brother Obed Moggoly
(known to have Allyn's Ritual in her possession, and
believed to put her religious trust therein); and old
Mother Thoroughblood.  These three were particularly selected as being most likely to point out the
Leak, or the Leaker, if such a one there was. But
Gunther might as well have asked the right-hand
pillar at the entrance of King Solomon's Temple as
to have questioned these females. Nay, in fact, he
had better; for the aforesaid pillar might symbolically
have told him a great deal more than he knows, or,
it s likely, ever will know. But Mrs. Assyd simply
told him that her husband staid out too late at the
142 
THE LEAK IN THE LODGE.
lodge for her good, and if he didn't come home
earlier hereafter, the lodge might find him in lodgings, for all she cared; Miss Moggoly, instead of
enlightening him in relation to the Leak, put the
leak into him, as Sam Slick would call it, by inquiring whether the ceremony on page 79 of Allyn's
Ritual is exactly the way Past Masters are made;
and Mother Thoroughliblood told him to get out of
the house, and not be asking her any of his consulting questions!  And that's all that Gunther
gained from those three witnesses.
It has been our hap to investigate a great many
hard questions, and if we have been able to settle a
few of them, by dint of time, patience, and perseverance, no wonder, seeing we have failed in so
many. But when, by vote of Mirror Lodge (we are
an honorary member of that lodge, you know), "thle
intelligent," etc., etc., " was requested, in the abundance of his," etc., etc., "to advise his loving," etc.,
etc., "members of Mirror Lodge, how to conduct
themselves in this emergency," etc., etc., we acknowledged we were almost cornered.  The Master
had tried every nook and corner to get testimony
that would convict somebody of unmasonically publishing the proceedings of the lodge; and the nearest
he had come to it, was to prove that Brother Sore,
the carpenter, had inadvertently observed one day,
in public, that the one step to the Junior Warden's
station was an inch and a half higher than Brother
had advised.  And what could be made out of
that? After sternly rebuking Brother Sore, how
143 
THE LEAK IN THlE LODGE.
ever, in open lodge, so as to get our hand in, we set
to work.
Was there any place overhead where a cowan or
eavesdropper could conceal himself? To answer this,
Brother Sore broke open one of the planks in the
weather.boarding, and let out such a drift of bats
into the lodge-room as convinced us that no man
could hide himself in that loft.
Was there any means of reaching a window by
ladder during the meetings of the lodge? This was
satisfactorily answered in the negative.  What then?
Nobody could answer; and we all went to bed, intending to pursue the investigation next day.
That night we were put in the same room with
Franklin Harper, that gross man in the flesh, whose
weight is said to be unknown. Brother Harper eats
as though he had the dyspepsia, and digests it afterward as though he hadn't. Being good company, we
entertained him, after retiring to bed, with several
chaste and agreeable anecdotes-so agreeable, in
point of fact, that the Brother slightly shook the
building, which was of brick, laughing at them.
Our stock being exhausted, we let the obese Brother
go to sleep, which he did instantaneously, and immediately afterward opened all his nasal batteries
with the most fearful snores.
As we can not endure snoring, we lay awake, and,
for a cheerful entertainment, ran over in our mind
the demonstration to the Forty-seventh Problem of
Euclid, which we had been trying to elucidate to the
lodge that night, in connection with the Eureka
144 
THE LEAK IN THE LODGE.
Hiatus. But we had hardly got to the fourth step
in the demonstration, when, to our surprise, Brother
Harper stopped snoring, and began to talk in his
sleep! At first he spoke of the girls, as every fellow
does who somnambulizes; but then, to our admiration, he took up Masonry. He talked of the case
that had so bothered us; explained its difficulties as,
as, as-well, as we ourselves could have done it; and
insinuated, in a maudlin sort of way, that there was
an explanation, "if Brother         only could get at
it." Then he spoke of more private matters still;
and only that Brother Franklin Harper knows little
or nothing of Masonry- and probably never will, he
being so obese-the very mischief might have been
played by the sleep-talker.
Here was the Leak in Mirror Lodge with a vengeance! We hurried down to the lower story, called
up all the Masons in the house, and gratified them
with the evidence which so well accounted for their
difficulties.
It is unnecessary to detail all that followed; but,
at the next Grand Lodge, Brother Gunther informed
us, with great glee, that Brother Harper had been
put upon a cracker-and-milk diet, and had married
Miss Moggoly-the latter event allowing little or no
sleep to talk in, and the former giving him little or
nothing to talk about.
So the Leak in Mirror Lodge is plugged, after all.
13
145 
A TALE OF IMPERFECT MATERIALS.
InAscribe Z to 0ro. J.     daMS AlleS,
OF KALAMAZOO, MICH., GRAND MASTER.
EPISODE FIRST.
LORING "JOINS THE MASONS."
DA  Y  did Loring Hlahded "jyne the Masons?"
J is  an inquiry that has been often made, but
never answered.  His wife, with true Cau        dleian perseverance and tact, propounded
it; his neighbors propounded it; the mem        bers of the Fraternity who visited Tillibellover Lodge propounded it; we propounded it; and
when we ask anything, the answer is bound to come.
So we take pride in saying that we have the truth of
the matter.
But we are greatly tempted not to tell it. Why
shouldn't we keep some things to ourself?   Other
folks do. Our readers who are in possession of
golden facts like this, withhold them from us and
from the world. Old Masons, who are getting older
every day, and are reminded of their graves by every
arbor vitae bush they see, permit the reminiscences of
their Masonic youth to perish in them, and won't
gutru (fpfioodt in tttt t30#nitS Bti
tory of xoriuoa ~audtd. 
TItREE EPISODES, ETC.
communicate. Why, we cry again, should not we
be allowed the privilege of knowing something that
nobody else knows?
But the temptation vanishes, and a more liberal
spirit possesses our heart, when we reflect upon the
pleasure we shall impart to our patronizing thousands
by communicating to them what no other Masonic
writer has-what no Grand Master ever alluded to
in an opening address-what no Com. For. Cor. ever
argued, or settled, or declared, or doubted, or done
anything else to-why, in short, Loring Hahded became a member of the A. and H. F. of F. and A. M.'s.
We cry with Solomon, when the old builder was introduced to him, h-u-r-a-m-e-n, we have found'it!
Loring Hahded had an observing disposition.  He
had ridden the mail, in his youth, from Tillibellover
P.O. to Hog Haslet and back, and this had enabled
him to see the world. He had seen a steamboat; had
swapped horses eight times in one month (commencing
with a four-year-old and twelve dollars, and terminating with a twelve-year-old and four dollars); had
heard a member for Congress make a speech; and
was a subscriber to two (lottery) newspapers. All
these rare advantages Loring possessed over the
ordinary mortals, his neighbors.
This observant disposition it was that first turned
Loring's attention to Masonry.  When Tillibellover
Lodge was first organized, Loring had been one of
those who opposed it.  HIe had aided in spreading
the scandalous rjimor that it was for purposes of
gambling and intemperance that the Brothers met.
147 
THREE EPISODES IN THE
His hands had handled the brush, that spread the
paint, that painted the vulgarity, that insulted the
house that the Masons built. Two or three lies, that
nobody but an old mail-rider who had seen the world
would have thought of telling, had been traced up to
Loring Hahded-lies in which the honor of Masons
and the chastity of their wives and daughters were
involved. This seems like a queer introduction to
our story, but it is in reality the preparation. We
will presently take you in.
This observant disposition, to which we have so
admiringly alluded, had led Loring to mark various
instances in which Masonry benefited its votaries.
He had particularly stored away in his mind the five
following, to wit:
CASE FIRST.-A man with a family had driven up
one day to the Tillibellover tavern (over the blacksmith-shop-sign of the gingercake and bottle), and
called out the landlord by some very singular words.
The landlord was known to be a Mason of one degree
at least, if not more; and the way he pranced around
and waited on that family, after the utterance of those
cabalistic words, convinced all the by-standers, among
whom happened to be Loring Hahded, that there was
Masonry in it. Thinks Loring to himself, wouldn't
it be nice to belong to a society like this, so that I
could get waited upon in that way?
CASE SECOND.-Parson Lightfoot, well-known to
be a Mason (didn't he deliver the address last June,
which was three years ago published in the  
where all the Masonic addresses are published?) only
148 
MASONIC HISTORY OF LORING HAHDED.   149
preached once in a while at Tillibellover church,
while the Rev. Mr. Scrump, who was anything but
a Mason, did it weekly; yet when Lightfoot held
forth, everybody, the Masons in particular, attended,
while Scrump commanded less than a score of hearers.
Loring had observed this, and his native shrewdness
led him to the conclusion, wouldn't it be nice to
belong to a society that backs up a preacher that
way?
CASE THIIIRD.-Mrs. Pelletreau, widow of the deceased Brother Simon Bolivar Pelletreau, who was
killed at the raising of Brother Finn's barn, was very
poor. In plain truth, Brother Pelletreau had left
her nothing in creation to go upon but a gang of
little children and a mule.   Yet the widow never
lacked for anything; her crib always had corn in it;
her smnoke-house, meat; her children went cleanly to
school; her shawl was a Bay State article, that cost
ten-fifty at Blaster's.   Of course, all this was the
result of her relationship to Masonry.   True, she
divided her time, Mason-like, into three parts, giving
one to sewing for people who would pay her for it;,
one to sewing for herself and children; and the third
to light work, such as cooking, washing, etc.; yet
general rumor, an infallible guide about Tillibellover,
declared that Masonry supported her, and we don't
dispute it. Loring Ilahded had observed the pleasant
way this Mason's widow got along, and he had often
thought, wouldn't it be nice to belong to a society
that takes such good care of the wimrming?
CASE FOURTIH.-The lodge at Tillibellover meets
0 
THREE EPISODES IN THE
Saturday night, on or after the full moon. It is a
tradition of great age around Tillibellover, that whisky
is far the pleasantest in flavor in the full of the moon.
Coupling this and that together, Loring and his class
early concluded that one prime object of Masonic
meetings was imbibition, and that whisky, a fluid
that Loring keenly favored, was the tap. True, they
had never been able to prove exactly that any whisky
or other oxygenized fluid was carried in the lodge;
but, if not, why lock the door? Neither was it satisfactorily demonstrated that the Brothers were ever
any the worse for their carouses. But what of that?
Hasn't Masonry its secrets? and one of them may
be how to disguise the breath!-who knows?  With
these observations, Loring had decided, wouldn't it
be nice to belong to a society that shows you how to
drink like a gentleman, and nobody ever know it but
themselves?
CASE FIFTH.-Loring had observed, as everybody
else does, that Masons go not to law with each other
(Loring was, commercially speaking, in embarrassed
circumstances); are not known to quarrel and fight
(Loring often indulged in gymnastics of an illegal
character); are rarely heard to make slanderous
charges against each other (Loring's character was
ragged, and the truth made it worse); gave each
other good counsel gratis when demanded (Loring
paid five dollars a clip for what he got); always have
a spare quarter to loan a Brother Mason (Loring
rarely had that amount of metal in his possession);
and these facts brewing in his head, brought him
150 
MASONIC HISTORY OF LORING HIAHDED.   151
logically to the conclusion, wouldn't it be nice now
'to belong to a society that does so much for its
members?
The secret, then, of Iforing Hahded's Masonic
fraternization is, that he coveted its personal advan tages. Hie joined it-the phrase, though one that in
general we strongly disapprove, is appropriate here he joined it as the mistletoe joins the oak; as the
ivy joins the elm; as the leech joins the leg; as the
tick joins the passer-by. He reached up to it and
clomb in, but in so doing he pulled it down part of
the way to him. Philosophers, who know all about
such things, say, if you tie a rope to one of the
tmoon's horns, and draw yourself up to it, you tip
Luna, a little over. Just so with Loring Hahded;
he flung his cable-tow up to Tillibellover Lodge; the
Brethren were weak enough to seize it, instead of
letting it fall back; they tied it to a ring in the wall,
and Loring shinned up, bending the lodge over,
racking it, and cracking the roof in the act, so that
it leaked ever afterward.
But, asks Sister Maria, and Sister Charlotte, and
Sister Henrietta, and four hundred other Sisters who
read this tale, why did the lodge take such a Hahded
in?   Ah, good ladies, answer it yourselves.  Why
did you, Sister Maria, take for your first husband
that dirty dog of a Flegan? and you, Sister Char  lotte, how came you to marry the cowan who got
drunk tri-weekly? Ah, ha! now we have you.
You, whose happiness is involved in making marital
selections, you marry such flawy blocks as they are, 
THREE EPISODES IN THE
and then ask us sarcastically why we took Hahded in!
But to gratify the inquiry, which we knew you
would make, we wrote to Brother Axeltry, Master
of Tillibellover Lodge, "Why did you accept Loring
Hahded?"   He replied: "For eleven distinct reasons, which, as there were only eleven of us present
that night, was a reason apiece. The first was-we
were a pack of d       (drastic was the word he used,
being a physician) fools. The other ten I will give
you some other time." That's it. Tillibellover Lodge
was made up of d      (drastic) fools, who didn't know
when they were well off. They had nineteen excellent fellows in their membership, and they thought
they could manage one j-k-s; hence HIahded!
But we didn't set out, understand us, to excuse the
lodge.   We  commenced this episode to show why
Loring Hahded became a Mason; and you will admit
that, as far as he was concerned in the transaction,
it showed as much good sense as ever an ex-mailrider exhibited.  To this day we can but conclude,
as we did the night we visited Tillibellover Lodge,
and saw him sitting there eating pecans while the
work of the third degree was going on, that it proved
there was one sensible mind entered that drastic
membership when Loring Hahded became a Mason.
152
F' 
MASONIC HISTORY OF LORING HAHDED.   153
EPISODE SECOND.
LORING DEMITS.
TILLIBELLOVER LODGE lost Loring from its membership before the moon had fulled and waned thirteen
times.  And why did Loring Hahded demit?  hIaving
set ourselves up as a target for all manner of interrogative arrows, we find ourselves assailed on all
sides by the inquiry, Why did Loring Hahded
demit? We have taken the pen to answer it. We
turn first to our INDEX RERUM-that treasure-house
of ten thousand times ten thousand thoughts that
have flickered in this brain in all the years gone bythat coffin-full of buried hopes, which, to read, makes
us sigh and weep that we were ever young, or that
we have ever got old-we open our Index Berum,
and under the three heads: I. Inex.plicable blunders.
P. Parsimnony of the wind-shaken cedars, E. Who
should be Excluded? we see the answers. Isn't it
handy, this Index Rerum? Why, when Brother
Hieugague wrote us last year, to know what preparations he should make for his trial, (he being
under charges for striking a Master Mason,) we
found a reply put to his query under these two
heads: R. Repentance. A. 31ake Acknowledgemnents,
and he did it like a good fellow, as he is!
Loring Hahded was not overly pleased with the
ceremonies, etc., of his initiation. IHe' had rather
anticipated something diabolical; indeed, had pre 
THREE EPISODES IN THE
pared himself therefor, by spiritous applications
inwardly, of which his breath smelled outwardly, as
averred the Senior Deacon when it was all over, and
failing in his expectations, had expressed his disappointment  by refusing to listen to the  Master's
lectures explanatory to the work, thus pleasantly
biting off his own nose to spite his face. The
second degree pleased him still less, he being of the
opinion, prevalent among the hard heads generally,
that something "quick and d-v-l-sh," is the very jig
of human existence. The corn, wine, and oil of the
Fellow Craft, failed to impart to his mind either
nourishment, refreshment, or joy. With the Master's
degree, howeYer, he was considerably better gratified;
and, it must be acknowledged, to the credit of that
traditionary grade, had the other two but been as
spicy and juicy, Loring had never grumbled at
Freemasonry.   But, upon the whole, he  was  not
favorably impressed with the secrets of Ancient York
Masonry, and not having the funds (or the character), to go higher, Masonry, incontinently lost him
from her membership.
But there were various other reasons, which, as
an honest historian, we are bound to specify, for his
withdrawal from the lodge. The reader will remark,
that, although we chronicle the fact of Loring's disappointment at the non-impressiveness of the ceremonies of Masonry, we have not said he was disappointed in its availability to every-day life, or its
practicalness as a social system between man and
man. We dared not say that; for, in good truth,
154 
MASONIC HISTORY OF LORING HAHDED.   15b
Loring Hahded found Masonry even more practical,
pecuniarily and socially, than he had anticipated.
For instance, Brother Josh. Cohoes, to whom he had
long been indebted in a small bill of horse-shoeing,
promptly offered him a year's extension, without
solicitation, and that, too, the very day after he
touched the checkered pavement. Brother Bill Sloogan lent him five dollars to pay his doctor's bill, the
-veek he passed into the middle chamber; and before
the lodge closed which raised him to the Sublime
Degree, a subscription was made up, which resulted
in fifteen dollars, principally in cash, to give him a
start at his trade. Therefore, he had no reason, nor
did he ever pretend to have a reason in the conduct
of his co-members,'for demitting so soon as he did
from the ranks. His real motives we are about to
narrate:
First, Loring attended the  Masonic  burial of
Brother Ahishar Peters. It was an occasion of unusual interest.  More than fourscore Brothers were
in attendance. The Deputy Grand Master, the
Right Warden, Brother Lincumdoddie, came fifty
miles on purpose to officiate. The Rev. Levi Lawbstice made the oration, and a pathetic one it was.
After the return to the lodge, a series of obituary
resolutions, commendatory and regretful, were unanimously adopted, in which all the virtues of the human
character were made to adorn the manes of the
deceased Brother Peters, and money was appropriated to erect a suitable testimonial over his remains. Now, Loring knew that Peters had been a 
THREE EPISODES IN TiHE
demitted Mason  for well-nigh  seven  years;-had
paid no lodge dues, done no lodge duties, honored
no Masonic principles; but on the contrary, done all
that his example could do to break down the very
organization through which Masonry has its stability.
And Loring thought to himself-for he was an
observant man, as we had occasion to observe in our
opening chapter -"If a man can get all these honors
and attentions after neglecting Masonry for seven
years, why not I, too? I will save my two dollars
a year and demit." And so he did. Why shouldn't
he, sure enough? When a lodge offers such rich
premiums to its members to demit, what fool of us
wouldn't jump at the bait, and withdraw as soon as
possible? We take shame to ourselves for our
stupidity in not following Hahded's example long
ago.
Second, Loring Hahded found the duty of attending lodge at its regular meetings too onerous. The
idea of giving up one evening a month to Masonic
duties was hard enough of itself, but when the fact
of the regular meetings of the lodge occuring on the
same days with the monthly races at Tailup, is taken
into consideration, the real severity of the case is
seen. Loring experienced it in its utmost rigor. At
three successive meetings he absented himself from
Tailup, though he was one of the standing judges of
the races; his son, Solomon, bet off half his possessions, and, of course, lost it in consequence of his
father's absence, and so plainly was ruin staring him
in the face, through this untoward neglect of busi
,156 
MASONIC HISTORY OF LORING HAHDED.    157
ness, that Loring was compelled, by due respect to
the interests of himself and family, to discontinue his
attendance on the lodge. And if not an attendant
on the lodge, why retain his membership?  Why
should he pay for candles or fuel, and the Tyler's fee,
and the Secretary's fee, and this, and that, and the
other, if he couldn't be there to get the benefit of
it? And worst of all, when the lodge got to making
a monthly appropriation of twenty-five  cents, for
refreshments,  in pursuance  of sound advice,  and
Loring never got "nerry a cracker," as he pathetically declared, how could it be expected that ]tis
funds should go toward feasting and rioting for
other people's stomachs?   Therefore, Loring demitted.
Third, There was a man in Tillibellover Lodge
that Loring didn't like. He was a good man enough
in himself, but his candidate for constable wasn't
Loring's candidate,  his religious sentiments  were
opposed to Loring's, and his advice had prevented
Tom Spirty from marrying Loring's half-sister.
These facts, and others of a kindred character, had
naturally imbittered Loring against him;  and  he
hadn't been a Master Mason a week, before he had
told every one of his twenty co-members how much
he disliked old Phil  Gorer.   So  when  the other
two sound and wise reasons we have specified, had
brought his mind almost to the demitting point, this
grudge of his against Gorer turned the scale, and
determined him to withdraw. I-e reasoned in this
way: "Oughtn't Masons to be all of one mind?  Can 
THREE EPISODES IN TlHE
they be expected to keep their obligations to one
another, if they are not?  Hadn't we better separate,
when we can't gee together better than I and Gorer
kin?"  On stating his objections to the Worshipful
Master, that worthy rather fortified  his previous
resolution to demit, by the remark that he (Hahded)
was not looking at this thing in a Masonic lightwhereat Hahded declared that it was evident the
Master was a Gorer man, and the sooner he (Hahded) got his demit the better for all parties.
By the way, how curious it is, that when an.
argument occurs between a Hahded and his Brethren,
they always take sides against him. This illustrates
the general injustice with which the Masonic Craft
treat their weaker Brethren.
Fourth, A motive for demitting, of prime importante to Hahded, lay in the two dollars per annum
dues, which the by-laws of the lodge enjoined. This,
metaphorically speaking, stuck in his crop. It was
a large sum to be expended in this way. Why, the
annual fee of membership to the Tailup Jockey Club
was only five dollars, and that gave you all the
privileges of the ground, a seat in the judges' stand
for your wife, and other advantages too numerous to
mention.   Two  dollars a year!  "Thunder!"  as
Mrs. Hahded emphatically observed, "'t would buy a
new dress pattern of calliker!" Not that Loring
would have considered two dollars a year much to
receive, but it was an awful sum to pay out, especially
when demitted Masons drew more deeply and frequently from the treasury of Tillibellover Lodge
158 
MASONIC HISTORY OF LORING HAHIDED.   159
than the members thereof. Loring really felt, when
he paid his first half-yearly installmnent, that he was
taking the bread out of the mouths of his little ones,
and he said so.  But when the Secretary called on
him for a second dollar at the close of the year, the
cup of his complaint overflowed. He paid it, but
with an inward malediction. He took a receipt, with
a determination it should be the last. And before
the lodge closed that night, he was recorded on the
books, "as having applied for a demit, and all dues
being paid, and no charges against him, he, the said
Loring Hahded, shall have his demit," etc.
EPISODE THIRD.
LORING SECEDES.
THERE is a certain book, old and but little valued
by many, yet full of life and light, of which one of
the sentiments is, "Men  do not gather grapes of
thorns, or figs of thistles."   We  recommend  the
perusal of this sentiment, together with a few hundred other sentiments from the same source, to the
attention of the members of Tillibellover Lodge,
which no longer numbers among its members or its
subjects  the  distinguished  Loring  Ilahded.   For
should they take. our advice, and be influenced by
such old-fashioned axioms as the one cited, they
would spare themselves, and us, and all other good
Masons, the mortification of episodes like these we 
THREE EPISODES IN THE
are writing. The thorns and thistles in our Masonic
field-how came they there? Who introduced them?
who planted them? who watered them? and who, oh
foolish ones! looked for grapes and figs to grow
upon their branches?
Why, you, Worshipful Master of Tillibellover
Lodge, you helped in this nice piece of business;
and you, Brothers A B and C D, who recommended Hahded's petition, you brought the briarroots and the thistle-seed into the lodge; and you,
all the others who were present on the night of the
ballot, you helped to plant and set them out; and,
when the second ballot was taken, you watered them;
and so you kept on until they got a hold in the earth,
and then, oh you silly nineteen constituent members
of Tillibellover Lodge   you  all set your  empty
noodles expecting to find figs and grapes!  Didn't
you find them-in a horn! Didn't Ilahded yield
rich clusters of grapes, like the grapes of Eschol,
and drums of figs, like the figs of Smyrna, in reward for your agricultural feats in his behalf? Oh!.
yes, to be sure he did-enough of them to set up a
fruit-shop with-in a horn!
And Loring Hahded seceded. Foolish fellow, did
you say?  Nay, verily, Brother Dismukes, he was
the most sensible man among you. He was a sensible man for trying to get into the Order-more
sensible for demitting-most sensible for seceding;
and the only symptoms of weakness visible in the
affair were those exhibited by yourself and your comembers.
160 
MASONIC HIIISTORY OF LORWG HAHDED.   161
Why look at this thing a moment! Do you remember, Brother Dismukes, hdw, in episode first, we
specified the five reasons which induced Loring to
become a Mason, and each one of them sound as a
nut? There is no proof of the fellow's weakness in
them; and in our luminous exhibit of the motives
that prompted his demitting, is there a flaw in them?
No. The whole sum and substance of the matter is,
that Loring saw he could make something, first by
joining the Masons, and then by demitting from
their membership; and his love of mammon led him
on the scent, true as a greyhound's nose.   We
admire and respect such a character as Loring for
pursuing, in his little sphere, his self-interest, and
making no mistake, from alpha to omega, in the
whole matter.
Our admiratidn of his character increases still more
when we contemplate the motive of his secession.
After he demitted from Tillibellover Lodge, he joined
the church; and when we say the church, we mean
the church. Churches there are many-enough, indeed, to suit every taste, from the man who thinks
fathering a child one of the mortal sins, to the man
who feels unwilling to die before he has begotten twoscore-but it is the church which was favored in the
calling Loring, Hlahdedl brother.
Shall we describe the church? We must, for all
the Hahded connection as naturally tend to its membership as the Junior Warden tends to the South.
It is the Christian family that unchristianizes all the
other Christian families; the ecclesiastical body that
14 
THREE EPISODES IN THE
talks most about making the Bible the infallible
guide, and studies it the least; the-the-in short,
the Hardshells!
Imagine Loring a Hardshell!  Imagine the day he
joined the church! Imagine the rejoicings over him,
from the Rev. Brother who claimed the merit of converting him, down to the meekest member of his flock!
Imagine Loring giving in his experience, and telling
how deluded he had been in joining the Masons, and
how "unchurchly" he had found them, and what
little real enjoyment he had experienced in their
membership!
Don't laugh, Brother Thoughtless, but imagine
yourself there, listening and looking on, while this
farce was enacting, and say wouldn't you feel belittled at the very thought of Masonry, when such
vagabonds as Loring Hlahded could get into our
Order, and be allowed to demit in good standing,
and then, worst of all, be permitted to secede because
"he hadn't had any spiritual enjoyment in it?"
Faugh! our very nostrils are outraged, and we
almost want to secede ourselves.
Oh! Worshipful Master,' Wardens and Brethren
of Tillibellover Lodge, what a wound you have inflicted on the whole body of Masonry! Not merely
upon your own miserable lodge-would it had died,
like an untimely birth, before it ever saw the lightnot only upon that insignificant corner of the Temple
in which you are at work, but upon the whole enterprise, the whole body of builders, and the whole
amplitude of the building. Repent in sackcloth and
162 
MASONIC HISTORY OF LORING HAHDED.   163
ask,es, and promise never to repeat the grievous error.
'Tis the only restitution now.  The aforesaid Hahded,
the filthy, low-minded Loring, has got your secrets,
and he tells them, so far as he can understand themfortunately, that is not far enough to enlighten others
-whenever he thinks he can injure you by it; but
the worst harm he can do to you, is to make it known
to the world that such a man can be a Mason. Oh!
Master, Wardens and Brethren, be warned in future
and keep such men out.
Ilow many there were who were Masons in September, 1826, and who, in September, 1827, were,
like Hiahded, seceders from the ranks! And why?
Because as they became Masons for lucre, for selfinterest, through hypocrisy, and by the crimimal
negligence of the Brotherhood, so they went out
from us whenever their self-interest predominated
to turn the index outward. What mystery is there
in all that sad, sad lesson of the Antimasonic warfare? None at all.'Tis plain as light. And that
lesson will be acted over again, before this generation
passes away, unless we are spared the just punishment which Providence inflicted upon our fathers.
We deserve all that they received; and if we have
not received it, it is because we have been more
favored.
We close as we began, with the divine axiom, "Men
do not gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles."
No man of judgment ever looks for them on such
stocks. If our lodges would have the- grapes of har
I11111 
THREE EPISODES, ETC.
mony and the figs of joy, they must plant vines and
trees of the right species, nourish them  tenderly,
water them kindly, prune them seasonably, and, in
due time, rich and abundant will be the fruitage.
So mote it be.
164 
A TALE OF MASONIC CONCILIATION.
Inscribed  to I. W. Oro. AYLiram Kassett,
OF MAYSVILLE, KENTUCKY.
"Blessed are THE PEACE-MAKERS, for they shall be called the
children of God."
HE county of Barrett, State of, had
long been the scene of bickering and strife.
Viewing its lovely plains and fertile valleys,
the admiring traveler would little have im       agined that the residents of those peaceful
cottages and more aspiring halls were the
subjects of feuds, scarcely less bitter than those
which brought ravage and death to the other continent in days of old.  Yet so it was, and we will
rehearse the cause.
A  few years before our story opens, there had
been a presidential contest.   The numbers in the
opposing ranks were nearly equal, and the contest
was sustained with a virulence remarkable even in
this quadrennially agitated, though always prosperous,
republic. Though the fever of the strife was broken,
evil results remained. Like other fevers, it had left
the system in a state of chronic derangement, that
(165)
Wag tattat
2 ~ 
THE PEACE-MAKER.
threatened every hour a new and fatal outbreak. To
change the figure, the parties whose votes and voices
had been employed in the effort to build up or pull
down, had become known as acknowledged enemies
to each other, even to the bitter end.  It is rarely
the case in our political history that a presidential
election leads to such lasting consequences.
The secret of this state of affairs may be found in
that peculiarly anti-republican and demoralizing vice,
which has sprung up within a half-score years past,
known as betting upon the election.  Colonel Hoganny,
for instance, had laid a wager of his finest horse, the
roan that had borne him in safety so long, that M
would be elected, while Squire Seaver put in his, the
large black mare, pride of his soul, against it. Stimulated by this desperate issue on the part of the two
most prominent men in the county, the followers and
imitators of both backed up their judgment until
many a horse, which its owner ill could spare, and
many another piece of property, was staked upon a
question to be decided by millions of votes over half
a continent.  Settlement day came, and while one
party was elated to ridiculous pride, which offended
the losing party, and extravagance, which soon wasted
the'ill-gotten gains, the other was depressed foolishly
low by the loss, and ready, morosely, to quarrel upon
the slightest provocation with the winners. Quarrels
led to fights, which had cost one valuable life already,
and threatened more.
A year had rolled around, and the election of
sheriff reahwakened the evil spirit which could hardly
166
' I 
THE PEACE-MAKER.
be said to have slumbered, so easily was it aroused
by the slightest cause. An extraordinary amount of
electioneering, and a corresponding looseness of morality, had been practiced, and now that the day of
voting was only a week distant, it was a matter of
nice discrimination which of the two contending candidates would command the largest suffrage. Betting
had been practiced here also, and thousands of property was involved in the question. One man had
bought a cow of his neighbor, to be paid for at a
double price if Ayres should win in the race for the
sheriffalty, but at no price at all if defeated; another,
an enterprising storekeeper, had sold out a handsome
assortment of moth-eaten hats upon the same noble
principle.   Schoolmasters had bet the amount of
their school bills; blacksmiths their shop accounts;
nay, Colin Schlump, the fisherman who seined Lake
Lively three times a week, and peddled the spoils,
was peddling his spoils at fifty cents a fish if Zaney
got the biggest vote, and nothing if he didn't. This
was the state of affairs in the good county of Barrett
a week before the election. Bad enough it was.
Nor must the reader suppose there were none who
labored to change this aspect of things for the better.
There were many good men,  Christians, Christian
ministers, men of note, and philanthropy, and eloquence, who spared no pains to show up the inevitable consequences of these foolish feuds, and to point
out the sin before God the parties were committing
in pursuing their fatal quarrels. It amounted, however, to but little. If convinced, the parties only
167 
THE PEACE-MAKER.
yielded sufficiently to promise in a surly and hopeless
manner.   "If the other party would make acknowledgments, and own up," they would do so and so;
but as they very well knew the other party would do
no such thing, the pledge counted for nothing, and
was so understood.
Now, there had moved into Barrett county, the
present year, an old man, who was originally styled
Charles Barlough, but for euphony, or, as the westerners call it, for short, he had received from his
friends the agreeable appellation of Charley Barley,
by which name, not to be out of the fashion, we will
call him likewise. Charley Barley had been a landsurveyor all his life, and fortunately for the little
Barleys, of which he had a glorious crop, had early
invested a large portion of his surveying fees in lands,
which, when he quit the "stick-stuck" business, and
began to look after them a little, he found to be
valuable beyond his wildest expectations. In fact,
Charley Barley was rich geologically-that is, "by
the rise of the soil"-and he had moved his family,
as aforesaid, to take care of his lands.
Charley was a Freemason. Of course he was that,
or we never should have selected him for our hero.
But he was a genuine Freemason, such as the Callises, the Geislers, the Bertisors, the Welds, the Scribes,
and others, of whom  we  love to write.  Charley
Barley being a Freemason, was likewise a peacemaker. Whether he thought he had a mission that
way, we do not know nor care, but if he had, and
if he knew that he had, he couldn't have performed
168
a 
THE PEACE-MAKER.
the duties of the missionary office more faithfully,
unremittingly and unselfishly than he did. Just ask
about him in Madison county, where he moved from,
will you? and count if you can, the number of reference cases and compromises in which he was concerned there for twenty years. Ask Blacklock, the
leading lawyer at the county seat, and he will curse
when he speaks of the promising cases that Charley's
propensities nipped in the bud. Having said this
much of Charley Barley, we need not add that he
was a Christian. A man reared up in this Christian
land, who was educated from the Bible, and loved it,
and prayed over it, and practiced upon it, as Charley
Barley did, was bound to be a Christian, and so he
was. He may not have been very deep in his theory,
but he was very broad in his practice, so'twas well
balanced at last.
Charley Barley had suffered many a heartache in
witnessing the miserable state of things, politically
speaking, in Barrett county. Hle saw that Church
influence was a nullity; that old friendships were
severed like tow, and the moral and social interests
of the county were all going to the dogs under this
foolish political excitement. He saw and he grieved.
iNow was it to be remedied?
lie had been to both parties, the Ilogannys and
the Seavers, and plead with them for peace' sake, and
for virtue's sake, and for God's sake, to stop the
thing where it was.  Seaver only said, "he'd quit if
Hoganny would," while Iloganny merely intimated,
15
169 
TilE PEACE-MAKER.
"he'd blow off when Seaver had done blowed off"and so it went.
The week preceding the election day was actually
spent by Charley Barley perambulating the county
on his holy errand, but Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
came, and for the life of him he could not perceive
that he had made a single step toward effecting his
purpose. A happy accident at last gave him a clue,
which, like a faithful fellow as he was, he followed
out to complete success.
Squire Seaver was by birth an Irishman, by education an Irish gentleman, and no fool of a scholar
at that. In his native country, up to the year of
his majority and for ten years afterward, he had
mingled in such society as ample wealth, a high
talent, and a respectable lineage insure a man in
old Ireland. As a matter of course he was a Mason,
as all that class in the Emerald Isle are, and as a
Mason, had held such official stations as had made
him conversant with the obligations of the Order.
By a train of disasters he had lost his possessions,
consequently emigrated to America, as all distressed
Irishmen do, and to the West as all distressed Irishmen ought to, to commence life anew. Here, immersed in business, he had let the mystic tie hang
loosely about him, and made no profession at all of
his brotherhood. This fact explains why Charley
Barley, who was picking up all the items floating
about that would enable him to accomplish his great
purpose of peace-making, had never learned of his
170 
TIlE PEACE-MAKER.
being a Freemason. Judge of his surprise then, in
looking over an old Album on Squire Seaver's table
on Friday, as he made his last visit of reconciliation,
to see the following document regularly worded and
engrossed upon parchment:
"GRAND LODGE OF IRELAND:
"We, the Chiefs of the Enlightened men of the Most Ancient
and Right Worshipful Lodge of St. Johns, do hereby certify,
that Brother Carrick Seaver, of Lodge 75, has been initiated in
all the degrees of our mysteries, and has performed all his works
among us to the entire satisfaction of all the Brethren. Therefore, we desire all the Right Worshipful Lodges of the universe,
and all true Accepted ]Iasons, to recognize, and admit him as
such. In testimony, whereof, we have delivered him this present certificate, sealed by our Secretary with the seal of our
lodge, and that it may not be of any use to any one else, but
unto the said Brother Seaver, he has signed his name in the
xmargin.  Given in the Grand Lodge at Dublin," etc.
After perusing this, the mind of Brother Charley
became animated. His week's disappointment counted
for nothing, as he conceived a project for making the
discovery available.  A few questions in a quiet way
induced Seaver to admit that he had been a Freemason in Ireland, but so long out, etc.-rusty, etc.forgot everything, etc.-just as all careless Masons
say in similar circumstances.
Charley Barley posted off to Colonel HIoganny's
fast as his mule could pace, and spent the night with
him. Colonel Hioganny was a suspended Mason of
long standing, and we are ashamed to say suspended
in this old Virginia Lodge, for non-payment of dues.
In fact, he had been suspended so long as to have
171 
THE PEACE-MAKER.
lost all (Masonic) vitality, and he might safely have
been cut down as dead, and his body given over to
the (Masonic) surgeons.  Charley Barley knew of
the circumstances, and to leak the secret out, had
been corresponding with the old Virginia Lodge to
get him reinstated. But of this the Colonel as yet
knew nothing at all. To tell the truth, when the
old Virginia Lodge finally sent the certificate of
reinstatement in acknowledgement of Charley's pressing request, and inclosure of nine dollars and twentyfive cents, and presented it to Iloganny, he was as
much astonished as he ever was in his life. But not
to anticipate.
Charley Barley staid Friday night at the Colonel's
and Saturday till noon, and talked Masonry with
him. Now you never saw an old Mason, suspended
or not, but what likes to talk Masonry-no, and you
never will. Grandma can remember the days when
she went sleighriding with her beaux, yes, and she
loves to chatter on the subject, though she has forgot
everything that has happened since George Washington's time. Iloganny has seen many evil years
since the last night his heart swelled with Masonic
emotion, but when Charley Barley in his pleasant
way began to call over some of the pleasures of the
lodge, etc., it touched him to the core.
Charley was trying, he said, to get up a lodge at
the county seat of Barrett, and asked Colonel HIogan ny if he would go into it?  He never let on that he
knew the Colonel was a suspended Mason, but took
care in conversing with him not to touch upon the
172 
THE PEACE-MAKER.
arcana. Though for the matter of that, Iloganny
had been so long out of the profession, that Charley
Barley might have talked any gibberish to him, and
he wouldn't have known the difference. IIe asked
Colonel Iloganny if he wouldn't join in and help
start a lodge, and Colonel HIoganny said he would.
It was agreed, then, that as Monday was election
day, when everybody would be at the county seat,
they would have a sort of convention in the Grand
Jury rooms before the polls opened, and make the
necessary arrangements to get the thing started.
Saturday and Sunday, Charley Barley rode through
the county at tip-top speed-it was a holy errandand Monday morning by daylight he was at the
county seat with his plans all matured.
Seaver came with his party to the polls ready for
all sorts of a fight —Hoganny with ditto ready for
ditto. At nine o'clock, Charley Barley had them
both in the Grand Jury room, together with six
others, of whom, singularly enough, three were
Hloganny's, and three were Seaver's men, and all
hands were at work preparing to organize the new
lodge.   Colonel Hoganny didn't know before, that
Squire Seaver was a Mason, and Squire Seaver had
been equally as ignorant concerning Colonel Hoganny.   Billy Floogan  had  no  idea that Dempsey
Hoister was one-Saul Austin whispered to Felix
Poopy, that he would never have shot his (Poopy's)
dog had he known he was a Mason, and Poopy, who
had intended to lick Austin that very hour, good naturedly whispered back that'twas of no con
173 
THE PEACE-MAKER.
sequence, though, to tell the truth, he would rather
have lost his old woman than his dog. Iloganny
found himself on a committee of two with Seaver,
both sitting on the same bench thick as thieves, and
counting up the ways and means.
The result was, there was no fighting that dayall bets were withdrawn, feuds wyere compromised, a
Masonic lodge was started, and you will find it on
the catalogue of the Grand Lodge of, as
"Peacemaker's Lodge." Look and see.
174 
A TALE OF THE MEANS OF MASONIC RECOGNITION.
Irnscribeo  to fro.  HIerry  CTeorge  TWarren,
OF LONDON, ENGLAND, PUBLISHER OF TIlE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE.
q~IENEVOLENCE LODGE, at Papyrus, has a
difficult question before it to-night.  A great
deal of seriousness is manifested among the
thirty odd members present, and it is serious     ness, too, that is queerly intermixed with a
puzzlement, which proves that a new question
has been sprung upon them. Brother Brownlow, the
Master, who has the run of common subjects so well
that he is said to be able to-and sometimes doesdecide them in his sleep, while sitting stiffly under
the letter G, sits now as uneasily in his chair as Job
might be supposed to have done on his potsherds
when his boils were in their worst condition.  He
(Brownlow) divides his time by looking over old Nos.
of the, which lie about, whispering over his
right shoulder to the man of the keys, and over his
left to the mah of the pens, but, sooth to say, he gets
but little light from either.
Around the stove, which, of course, is in the
Northwest-around the stove, we say, stand Brothers
Juris and Prudence, those two promising young
(175)
P-rtutr W utr (tfrom'Itrin. 
BROTHER BAUER FROM BERLIN.
lawyers lately turned into Masons with the shell of
their profession still sticking to their backs.  These
young brethren, as everybody knows, are as full
of Masonic law as Hiram Abiff's trestleboard was
full of designs, and in spite of the well-known
modesty of their vocation, they are not backward to
communicate it. It is said of Brother Juris, that
while yet in darkness he argued a law point with
the Senior Deacon; and it is said of Brother
Prudence that he never got the lecture on the Third
Degree in full, because he contradicted Brother
Brownlow so much while giving it. Around the stove
stand these promising young brethren, engaged most
earnestly in violating the rule (Ancient Charges,
Chapter VI) which declares, "You are not to hold
private committees, or separate conversation, without
leave from the Master," and seeking with all their
might for a fitting thought that should throw light
on this dark question. Oh, that they might be the
first to elucidate it!-then would they triumph over
that slow coach Brownlow, over that death-on-innova'tions Brother Cocke, yes, over the renowned
itself. Then would Juris be elected W. M., and Prudence S. W., and Benevolence Lodge would be fitly
officered for once in its life, and-and-the famous
problem, relating to the cocoa-nut, be solved forever.
Old death-on-innovations Cocke, as he loves to be
styled, is in a brown study. His eyes show it-his
mouth-eke his hands.  Hiis very apron has slipped
from its orthodoxy, and hangs cross-wise over his
abdomen, as though one side of him had suffered a
176 
BROTHER BAUER FROM BERLIN.
paralytic shock, and shrunk. You may be sure it is
no common difficulty that affects Cocke. A faithful
service in Freemasonry, ever since 1817, has enabled
him to gather up rare treasures of Masonic light,
applicable to the ninety-nine cases that usually come
up before Masonic lodges.  But this is the hundredth.
The other thirty Brethren, present to-night, sit in
various stages of distress. Some exhibit a sort of
skepticism upon their faces, as though in doubt of
the ability of their W. M. to adjudicate this question.
One is making a pencil memorandum of the affairs
to send to Brother; one mentally determines
that he will pump            on the theme;  a third
resolves "to bring it up before the Grand Lodge
next G. A. C.,"-but no device nor work is found
among the thirty which goes to unravel this skein so
knotty.
The question is this: The landlord of the Ollock's
House, Brother Braham Willis, a good fellow and a
true, has reported that there is stopping with him
a Dutch gentleman-all foreigners with him are
Dutch, but not all gentlemen; no, "not by a long
chalk "-a Dutch gentleman who called there a few
days back to spend the Sabbath, was taken sick
during Sabbath hours; while at church, and "now
lies flat with the typhoid fever.  No one knows him;
his baggage only contains some clothing and a few
Dutch manuscripts, which nobody in Papyrus can
read; and, worst of all, he has n't a picayune about
him."  (This latter expression denotes, if our memory
serves us right, that the poor gentleman is entirely
177 
BROTHER BAUER FROM BERLIN.
divested of all metallic substances; a horrid condition,
as we are personally aware, to be in!   The landlord,
therefore, reports the case to the lodge, and asks
some help to pay his board bills, together with a
pretty salty account of nurses, a saltier one of doctors,
with the probable saltiest one of undertakers. Brother
Braham Willis is a poor man himself, and while he
does all he can to relieve human distress, he acknowledges to-night that he is not able to do much.
But we are mistaken; this is not the perplexity of
the case.  It is a small matter to move "that the
Committee of Charity "-composed, of course, of the
Master and Wardens-" have plenary power in the
case to appropriate the lodge funds."
Seconded-adopted unanimously.
It is a small thing for Benevolence Lodge to agree
to give even as much as fifty dollars at a time, when
necessary to serve God in that way. The real difficulty is this.
It is this: Among the manuscripts of the unfortunate foreigner, already alluded to, is one engrossed
upon parchment, which, to a man up in the third
degree, looks amazingly like a Masonic diploma. It
is sealed heavily, the wax bearing no faint impression
of Masonic symbols. It is signed by three and four,
in the usual manner of such documents, and countersigned in the margin. The collocation of words,
though the words themselves are in an unknown
tongue, accords with the plan universal among
American  Masons;-and,  best of all, around the
margin of the document  may be seen, elegantly
178 
BROTHER BAUER FROM BERLIN.
drawn by the pen, the following standard symbols
of the Masonic Craft: The Lamb; the Twenty-four
inch Gauge; Gavel; Clouded Canopy; Ladder;
Bible; Square; Compass; Mosaic Pavement; Indented Tessel; Blazing Star; two Ashlars; Trestleboard; Point in circle; Plumb; Level; Globes;
Pillars of Five Orders of Architecture; Trowel;
Pot of Incense; Bee Hiive; Book of Constitution
and Sword; Sword and Iteart; All-Seeing Eye;
Anchor and Ark; Euclid's Problem; Ihour Glass;
Scythe;  Three  Steps; these, and  various  other
emblems, more frequently seen in the symbology
of the European Craft than the American.
In addition to this reputed diploma, there is found
in the trunk of the sick gentleman an apron, apparently Masonic, cut square, bound with blue, of the
material most fitting of all for a Masonic apron;
and on the back of this apron is written, in queer
chirography, the words,  Louis Bauer,-Berlin," as
though they were designed to convey the owner's
name.
And the question is, ought the lodge, upon these
ambiguous evidences, to consider Mr. Louis Bauer a
Mason, and to treat him as such?
Looking at the matter in a Blackstone point of
view, as Brothers J. and P. do, the query stands,
can we test a man a Brother without the aid of his
tongue and hand?
'T is an interesting theme. It embraces the queries
Can a widow lady prove her claim to Masonic attentions by an exhibition of her deceased husbands
1"1 9 
BROTHER BAUER FROM BERLIN.
Masonic possessions? Can the family of a Brother
Mason prove their Masonic claims in his absence?
and others of the same class.
*        $         <        * $
The subject is opened in due time for debate, and
for three mortal hours the debate is continued. The
W. M., putting Brother Cocke in the chair, brings
forward all that he has ever seen in the           on
this topic, but acknowledges he finds nothing conclusive there.
Brother Cocke, giving up the gavel again to
Brother Brownlow, admits himself stumped, as
having never, since 1817, met with exactly such a
case. He remembered when Brother Lafayette came
over from France;-but then Lafayette could speak
our language, so the illustration is not apposite.
HIe recalls the fact of Captain James Riley, relieved
by Brother Sidi HIamet;-but then Riley was wide
awake and able to communicate with Hamet by hand
and voice, while Mr. Louis Bauer can do neither.
He refers to Brother Lorrison, shipwrecked on the
coast of France, and unable to parler a single word
of Frangais;-but then the French Brethren refused
to have anything to do with him because he had lost
his diploma in the salt water, so the cases are not
parallel. HIe concludes, as before remarked, by acknowledging himself stumped, and so sits down.
Brother Juris then rises and makes a declamatory
effort of the first water. He almost outdoes himself
and quite outdoes his audience.  He is eloquent,sublime.  He  g.vee  statistical detais of distressed
180
14" 
BROTHER BAUER FROM BERLIN.
Masons, their widows and orphans, within this Grand
Lodge jurisdiction; enumerates feelingly the various sorts of woes to which all Masons are subject;
enters into a precise calculation how far the funds
then in the lodge treasury, and those that may
safely be anticipated, will fall short of relieving so
much distress, and concludes with earnestly deprecating any expense in relation to a man who can not
even prove himself to be a Mason.
Brother Prudence follows in nearly the same track.
He inquires vociferously, how can the lodge justify
itself before the Grand Lodge for recognizing a man
under the circumstances in which Mr. Bauer is placed?
How can the lodge justify itself before the community for taking up a foreigner who may be a thief,
murderer, or anything else that is bad, and adopting
his case as its own? How can any Brother justify to
his own conscience the etc., etc., etc.? Finally, he advises, antc it is the only piece of advice the lodge has yet
received upon the subject, that they wait till the sick
man becomes able to communicate with them, and
then decide whether they will recognize him or not.
So the question is put and carried, two voting in the
affirmative, nine in the negative. The ordinary business of the lodge being then hastily transacted, the
fraters parted, but with looks that plainly expressed a
chronic state of puzzlement, aggravated by the feeling
that somehow or other, the sick man had not received
Masonic treatment in the conclusions to which the
lodge had arrived. It is an ill feeling to feel, as
every one will admit, that we have done wrong, and
181 
BROTHER BAUER FROM BERLIN.
still worse to feel that we can not give the wrong a
name. Such was the feeling of Benevolence Lodge.
Brother Brownlow hurried home to examine the
earlier files of the; Brother Cocke to look
over Preston, the only book in his collection; Brothers
Juris and Prudence to play out the rubber of chess,
and chuckle over the facility with which old death-oninnovations Cocke had been dumb-founded in tho
debate.
The Committee on Charity-to wit: the VWorshipful
Master, Senior Warden, and Junior Warden, who, in
all well-regulated lodges, fill, as everybody knows,
that benevolent bill -hurried early next morning
upon their errand of love. No dusty cobwebs of law
choked their charitable throats as they inquired of
the sleepy landlord, " Iow is Brother Bauer of Berlin
this morning?"   For though Brownlow, the Master,
has vainly searched the files of the      since May,
1853, for an elucidation of the problem before them;
and though neither of the Wardens has an idea upon
the subject as big as a beech-nut; and though Cocke
has pierced Preston through and through to find law
that will win in this conjuncture; yet the demands
of a sick, enfeebled stranger are acknowledged without a question, and the Committee on Charity will
take care of "Brother Bauer of Berlin," whether he
is a Freemason, or whether his diploma and lambskin
are tokens of membership in the "Feegle-cloob," the
"Climer-housyn," or any other- form of Dutch OddFellowship known to that ingenious nation. They
will take care of him; and see that he has all things
182 
BROTI!ER BAUER FROMI BERLIN.
needful, and bury him decently if he dies, and take
pains to apprise his foreign friends of his death, and
all that, just as any set of kind-hearted fellows will
do, whether "Feegles," "Housyns," or only Freemasons.   As  to the matter of that, if "Brother
Bauer of Berlin" had fallen under the observation
of John C. Spencer, Billy Seward, and Pliny Merrick, at the hottest point of their Mason-hunting, and
being sick and distressed, a stranger in a strange land,
had appealed to them for aid, he would have got it,
blistered Antimasons as they were; for humanity has
its Freemasonry, and poverty and sickness are its indisputable signs and tokens.
To the query, "HIow is Brother Bauer of Berlin
this morning?" the sleepy landlord, who has been up
all night, shakes his head doubtfully.  A great deal
of force in head-shaking!  No wonder the deaf and
dumb man succeeds so well in the world, considering
that he has fingers, eyes, and a movable head. There
is more than one man we know, who, for all ordinary
purposes, would be really better off, in point of the
graces, were his means of communication confined to
a loose noddle and flexible fingers. Talk of Masonry
as an artificial thing! Why, the universal language
of eyes, fingers, and nodding heads forms a Masonry
more ancient than Jubal and Jabal, and one that will
last after faith is lost in sight, and hope ends in
fruition.
Brother Braham  Willis, by his head, indicates
"worse; he can't live long," which brings a paleness over the committee's cheeks, and adds swiftness
183 
BROTHER BAUER FROM BERLIN.
to tiheir feet, as they hurry up the stairs to the poor
invalid's room. No mockery of knocking is necessary there. Retirement, solitude, decency, modestyall these are the demands of reason; but the reason
which of wont had tenanted the frame of Brother
Bauer has now fled, and his room may be entered
by any one at pleasure.
Some have entered it already.  Brother Juris is
already there, so is Brother Prudence.   It was a
point of boasting for them to get there before the
committee, and they gained it.  They have already
looked at the poor semni-corpse on the pallet; have
already heard the two or three syllables he whispers
occasionally, which sound to them like "lieber" and
"Madchen," but which might as well sound like anything else in the German dictionary, for all that Juris
and Prudence can make out of them; have already
decided in their own minds, and noisily affirmed it,
too, to the two or three other Brethren present, that
"'twill never do to recoynize this fellow as a Mason
without something more definite than they have had
yet;" have already fixed up a polemic on the subject
to throw at the head of Brother BrIownlow just as
soon as he will listen to it. And somebody else has
entered the room-no less a body than an enormous
dog, a black spaniel-who, with a tender look at his
sick master, and anon a sour look at Juris, who is
making  more noise in his argument than he  (the
spaniel) thinks proper to a sick-chamber, has taken
possession of the foot of the bed, as if by prescriptive right, which no doubt he has. Brother Bauer
184 
BROTHER BAUER FROM BERLIN.
of Berlin, once opening his eyes, and staring straight
forward, sees the tender look of the dog, and acknowledges, by an answering glance, that it does
him good, which no doubt it does.
Enter with us, benevolent reader, into the spirit
of this scene. The poor and dying man; the group
around; the faithful dog, who (we use the pronoun
with intention) looks upon his master, according to
the idea of Brother Robert Burns, as Itis god; the
friendly landlord, willing but unable; the sorrowful
wife of the landlord, Sister Willis, mighty in Dorcas
societies, and in the work of good-will, and in kitchen
and parlor, who has come in also, to smooth the bedclothes.and fix the pillow, as none but God's favorite
children, the women, can do it. Gaze upon all this,
and as you give passage to the obtrusive tear and
swelling sigh, acknowledge that there is a Masonry
in sickness and in death which makes all men
brothers.
But the difficulty, sprung in our last chapter, is
not solved. Standing there by his bedside, not one
of those Masons can say in his conscience, "This
is my BrothIer in the mystic art; living, I will love
him-dying, I will respect him." On the contrary,
the more plainly death becomes visible in his eye or
on his face, the more puzzling is the doubt. The
only means of recognition afforded the committee
thus far is the apron and diploma, and this, at the
best, whatever our foreign Brethren may think, are
no more than so many letters of introduction and
recommendation to the traveling Brother.
16 
BROTHER BAUER FROM BERLIN.
An hour passes, and then the doctor, a stern old
man, who has the merit of always telling the most
unpalatable  truths  in the  most unpalatable  way,
declares "the Dutchman is dying;" and, according
to his invariable custom in such cases, dashes off
home to let him die without hinderance.  The shocka natural shock, one can no more fail to be impressed
by such intelligence than he can fail to be affected
by a charge of electricity-is felt by all the group.
An increased tenderness is visible in the countenance
of each; voices drop to whispers; movements  are
made on tip-toe; Brother Juris, observing a disposition in Brother Prudence to raise his objections to
the last argument too loudly, catches the prevailing
tone, and cautions him to silence. The group gather
closer around to see him die-the Brothers, the weeping landlady, and the faithful dog.
It is a kind Providence that gives to many a person
a moment of reason, and a little strength in the dying
hour, to communicate his last wishes to surviving
friends. Without it, we all are so prone to postpone
needful matters, we should leave undone the things
which ought to be done even more than we do; without such a Providence as this, Brother Bauer could
never have been recognized by the AMasons of Benevolence Lodge as a genuine Brother, and this true sketch
had never been written..
In the little interval between the stupor of disease
and the stupor of death, the eyes of the sick man
were fairly opened. They fell first, as before, upon
the dog, but there was an expression of anxiety in
186
By 
BROTHER BAUER FROM BERLIN.
those eyes not removed by the sight of that wistful,
loving, honest face. It was not removed by the low,
earnest whine with which the animal acknowledged
his master's gaze. It was not removed by the womanly
face and hand of Sister Willis, who strove, by many
a womanly art, to express her sympathy for his condition, and her desire to alleviate it. It was not to
be removed by any class of friends whose types were
of such.
Brother Brownlow bethought him then of the Masonic apron, which still lay upon the table after its
exposure last night. It was no great display of inte'llect to be sure, yet to no other person in the room
had the idea occurred that these things, the apron
and the diploma, might be made a medium of communication between the living and the dying, and
effect, partially at least, the very object all the group
were desiring to attain —thle recognition of the man as
a Mcason.
Hle held the apron up in view of those anxious
eyes, and lo! a glance of meaning shot from them.
The attentive sister marked it, and with a wellinstructed prudence, and a meaning smile to the
Brothers, retired from the room. The smile implied,
"it is not dog or woman he wants-it is Freemasons."
And so it was.    *    *   *    *   *   *   *
Not a sign is known to ancient Masonry which he
did not give, as he perceived the closing group, intel ligent and responsive. The tongue obeyed, for the
instant, his command, and gave, in low but distinct
utterance, the mystic sounds. The hand, feeble to all
187 
BROTHER BAUER FROM BERLIN.
other uses, was yet nervous enough for that pressure
which demands and implies so much. And when,
after all this, the exhausted man fell backward into
the skeleton arms open to receive him, and the weeping group closed his eyes and straightened his limbs
for a long repose, it was remarked by each, as a
pleasant thing to contemplate, that no anxiety was
mingled now with that placid look which death had
lent him; but all things, in eye, mouth, and lineaments, told of the gratifying sensation- oh! how
gratifying, what tongue can tell? -experienced by
the stranger who has found friends and brothers in
this his hour of utmost need.
Benevolence Lodge at Papyrus, is quite as perplexed
as before.  It is rarely the case that death lessens
human complications; he rather increases them as an
enemy, and makes the confusion worse confounded.
Few such men there are as the Past Master of
Alexandria Lodge,  Virginia-he  whom  men  have
entered in history as the apprentice, the craft, and
the master, George TVas7tington-who, from early
habits, left all his business matters regularly entered,
balanced, and posted up to the previous Saturday.
Rather, the most of those who have joined themselves to the "Silent Lodge," whence there is none
that come away, have left their accounts unbalanced,
and their business awry.
It was so with Brother Bauer, of Berlin. Is it not
so, kind reader, with you? Had he lived, he would
have recovered; had he recovered from the present
crisis, he would have proved his right to Masonic
188 
BROTHER BAUER FROM BERLIN.
burial, while, at the same time, no Masonic burial
would have been required of the lodge.  But he was
gone, and darkness was upon the face of the historya vail thicker than the neat linen which Sister Willis,
with holy care, had spread over his poor face; a
darkness as palpable as that which filled the atmosphere, through which the poor. dog looked and whined,
wondering as a reasoning creature might have done,
and distressed at his master's silence. Who was he?
was he a Mason in reality? Had the lodge a right
to bury him? was it their duty?
Viewing the matter merely as an illustration of
human  consistency, it was pleasant to hear these
questions answered emphatically in the negative by
Brother Juris, and even more emphatically by Brother
Prudence, those saints in Masonic precept.   They
had, in fact, lashed themselves up to a virtuous
skepticism  profitable  to  contemplate.   Listen  to
Brother John Juris's arguments, as the Brethren, in
lodge assembled, listened to them the next morning:
"Taking this editor's own explications of Masonic
law" - he was alluding, dear reader, to a certain
writer on Masonic law, not unbeknown to you, whose
hopes are all at Jerusalem, ancient and sound, and
what not!-" taking it as law as quoted, it requires
three classes of proofs to establish the fact of a
man's Masonry.   The first link in the chain, is, a
solemn'  declaration, and this link is wanting.  This,
the very first proof, the most important, because the
first-the most important, because in many cases it
is necessarily the only proof; this link, which would
189
0
l li 
BIIOTIIER BAUER FROMI BERLLIN.
give an examining committee, or you, Brother Junior
Warden,  who, according  to the old monitor, are
officially the examining committee, a basis on which
to ground an examination, and an apology for a poor
examination, if need be; this link, I say, and in
duty bound, am compelled again and again to
reiterate, is wanting. Now, we have no more right
to believe, and I no more do believe that this man
Brawler was a Mason, than I believe his dog is."
All this, with great gesticulation, one-half his words
in small caps, the other half in italics, and peppered
with the exclamation points that come from both
cases.
To wvhich Brother Prudence.-" Worshipful Sir"he was altogether too independent a Brother Prudence, mind you, to say "Master"   "Worshipful
Sir, I would like to ask, and if you or the Brethren
here will permit me to do it, I will ask, at the risk,
doubtless, of exciting a sneer on the faces of somie"here a sardonic contortion that looked like contempt
for all sneers and sneerers, especially the latter" at the risk, I say, of being sneered at for my
ignorance; for I am free to admit, here and elsewhere, that I do not draw my inspiration from
Masonic newspapers or editors, do not profess to
learn Masonry  from printer's ink"- sardonic expression again, which, if the poor editor alluded to
had witnessed, he had never raised his head again" I will ask of you, my Brethren, here present "
"Address yourself to the chair, Brother Prudence,"
promptly said Worshipful Brother IBrownlow, suc
.
190 
BROTHER BAUER FROM BERLIN.
cessfully attempting to subdue his tendency to yarn"To you, then, Sir, I address this query, and I bee
it may be recorded on the minutes of this meeting,
can you reconcile it to yourselves as a lodge, and
can you justify yourselves as a lodge, before the
Grand Lodge, in giving this man Masonic burial? If
you can, I am free to say, I can not.  I am free to
say, you may take any pauper, yes, Sir, a pauper
from the County Poor House, and, because hlie has
somehow learned, probably in a clandestine way,
your grips and signs, and because he has somehow
got a Masonic apron and diploma, you may give him
Masonic burial with just as much right as this mian
Border.   Where is Masonry tending, Sir? to what
end is it hastening, when such irregularities as this
are allowed?   In my  little experience"-it was.
indeed, a little one, and daily growing no larger"in my limited experience I have been instructed to
demand due trial, etc. Now, have we had it? I
ask you, Sir, have we had it?  I ask you, Brethren"
- "Address yourself to the chair, Brother Prudence," again enjoined the attentive Master, evincing
no passions, save ennui and regret.  "I ask, have
we had it?  And suppose we go out before the world
to bury this man Borer.  Suppose we improve this
occasion, and perform the funeral rites over him
Suppose, afterward, it turns out that he never was
lawfully in receipt of our secrets, or that he had
been expelled from the Masonic body.  HIow should
we look then? how would you, Sir, look then? and
-what sort of a face could we present at the Grand
191 
BROTHER BAUER FROM BERLIN.
Lodge, when the report of this stupendous irregularity came  up?   I hope,  Sir, this lodge  will  not
desecrate itself and this glorious Institution, by
assuming, for'tis all mere assumption, that the man
was a Mason, and burying him as such.  For myself,
I tell you freely, I will not turn out in the procession, and, if I am subjected to the discipline of
Masonry for it, then I will appeal to the Grand
Master."
Now, if thie reader presumes that all this sketch,
or any other Masonic sketch that we give him, is
imaginary, let him cast the notion at once from his
mind.  The thing actually happened as it is recorded.
These speeches, silly or not, as you choose to call
them, were made-nobody is hurt now at the telling,
for Brothers  Juris  and  Prudence have given up
Masonry, and are now members of another Secret
Society, where they are burning and shining lightsand great was the perplexity caused thereby.   Masons, good Masons, are a cautious and discreet
people; a true Mason, indeed, is a child of Prudence,
but not unfrequently those qualities are in excess.
Brother Cocke arose. Cocke is a real orator.
Not in the way of words-I am bound to admit
Juris could talk the horns off of him, Prudence could
talk him into anr untimely grave-but, in the way of
stevedoring a great many thoughts into the narrow
hold of a few sentences.  I have no account of his
address on this occasion; but he said, that while he
admitted the so-called defect in the chain of evidence
alluded to, yet he believed Brother Bauer was a
192 
BROTHER BAUER FROM BERLIN.
Mason-and sternly did he rebuke the liberties with
the name which the two Brethren had taken-anid,
as such, he was in favor of burying him. He gave
it as his opinion, based upon nearly forty years'
experience, that no dying man could act the accepted
Mason  as that dead man had, unless he were one,
lawfully begotten, lawfully reared by and among
Brothers and fellows.  He  brought tears, when  he
declared, in his figurative way, that, seeing the dog
had already been sarcastically alluded to, he would
as soon believe that poor animal a hypocrite, in pretending to love the deceased foreigner, as that a,
deception had been practiced upon them by the
deceased. For his part, he should insist that the
Worshipful Master summon the lodge, for what was
all they could now do for the Brother, the funeral
service.
Old Father ITymnic followed.  IHe is a man-or
rather was, for he has since followed Brother Bauer,
of Berlin, to another sphere-he was  a man who
rarely spoke, partly because he said he could learn
more by listening, but this is somewhat doubtful, and
partly because he stammered. Now, however, in his
slow and laborious way-it is a way that makes you
listen, Jespite yourself-he plead for the dead man's
privilege of Masonic rites.  He said that he, Father
Hymnic, had himself become a Mason in his old age,
to gain loving and respectful burial.  For none, he
affirmed, know the true  use of a dead man, save
Masons. They lay them away, he said, embalmed
in balsam, incorruptible against the day they shall
17
1,93 
BROTIIER BAUER FROMI BERLIN.
be wanted. They lay them with faces looking upward and  eastward-how  eloquently he rendered
himself here!-because, from  the elevated Orient
the Master will appear to hail his sleeping Craftsmen,
and call them to their new and better work. So lihe
plead, that the Masons of Benevolence Lodge should
take that sleeping Mason yonder, and embalm him
with the mystical ceremonies older than Egypt's.
That they should bear him, in fitting procession, to
a resting-place, opened in the Masonic portion of
the cemetery. That they should place him there, in
proper position, to receive more light in Masonry,
when the Supreme Grand Master should think proper
to communicate it.  It is my obligation, said he; and
he uttered much more. And such talk as this, good
reader, though it was borrowed, unwittingly, perhaps,
from writers before him, and, though there was
nothing, perhaps nothing at all original in it, so far
as the venerable Hymnic was concerned, told with
powerful effect upon the lodge. What! would they
cheerfully vote their money to bury him, because
they believed himn a Mason, and would they refuse
to lay him, Craftsmen-like, before the Master of men,
by the side of those who had gone this way before
him!
The upshot of it was, that, the next morning at
ten o'clock, the village of Papyrus closed its doors
for a few hours, while the Masons-a most popular
and influential set among the Papyrians-bore their
dead slowly down the street to the cemetery. IHow
shall I say it of Brothers Juris and Prudence? their
194 
BROTHER BAUER FROM BERLIN.
law office alone was seen to be open, and a gossiping
old woman said afterward, that those two pillars of
society were engaged at a game of chess as the dead
went by. But the dead was not rendered unhappy
by their indifference. The poor dog, who walked
sadly under the bier, never raised his head to observe
it. Gossips soon forgot it. Do you forgive it, and
forget it, too.
Thev laid him right, poor Brother Bauer, of Berlin, as they had been  often taught  to  lay  dead
Brothers  right.   He  will rise properly  when  the
signal is given. Side by side with six others, who are
lying right by his side, he will rise, and the rank
will stand steady before the Master, all silent and!
inert though now they be. He lies right. Grovel,
and bore, and gnaw as you may, foul earth-worms;
bear him piece to piece to your holes, yet know that
you can not affect his resurrection. He lies right;
he will rise right.
And though the mystery was never solved, who,
or what, or whence this stranger, who came to Papyrus only to enter one of its graves-and though
Benevolence Lodge will probably never have an assurance upon the subject, who can say they committed an error in laying that dead man right,
against the resurrection day?
Yourself, intelligent reader, being the judge, for I
deem you to be a Mason, were they right or wrongs
By the craving for decent interment which all
men evince; by hopes having reference to a future
state, which inspiration has implanted within human
195 
BROTHER BAUER FROM BERLIN.
breasts; by the dead who have been raised by
divine power, as witnesses to the truth of the doctrine
of the resurrection; by symbolic illustrations often
repeated in our lodges; by tried and trusty blocks
in our foundation walls; by answers to prayer never
denied by a prayer-hearing, and prayer-loving, and
prayer-answering Deity, the great I AM, willing,
as he declares, to be daily importuned by mortals;
let the Masonic dead have Masonic burial  Give no
ear to those teachers who denounce this tried doctrine
of Masonic philosophy! They who leave the tenement of flesh trusting in the power of God to reunite soul and body, shall know their former homes
again!
196 
A TALE OF TESTIMONY.
Inscrbed to 1ro. George W.  Da-rtett,
OP SALEM, TNDIANA.
HE question how far a witness is compelled
to answer inquiries put to him at the bar
remains unsettled.   To judge by John Q.
Adams's theory (as expounded in his " Letters
on Masonry"), one would suppose there was
no reservation on this head. Yet it is wellknown there is: the confidence of the confessional,
state secrets generally, the communications of criminals to their attorneys, and all testimony which would
criminate the witness, are exceptions, so acknowledged
in all courts, and by none better understood than
Adams himself.
'T is true, a person is obliged to tell the whole truth
before he knows how much of the truth he will be
required or permitted to tell; but it is well understood, in judicial cases, that the party who summoned
the witness only desires that portion of his testimony
which favors his own cause, while the opposite party
watches, with hawk's eyes, for an opportunity to seal
his lips, so that the whole truth may not appear.
Between the two, did ever a witness tell the whole
J197)
E1oll
15ht gadgertd Witutoo'. 
THE BADGERED WITNESS.
truth? Is there not, more or less, mental reservation
in all witnesses as to certain parts of the testimony?
The following is in illustration:
In a trial that occurred somewhere in New York,
during the Antimasonic warfare of 1826-36, a witness had been subpenaed, who was expected to give
highly important testimony for the defendant, in
proving title to a large tract of land which was in
dispute.   The  plaintiff's counsel were, of course,
anxious to stop the mouth of evidence that couid
injure their case so much; and when they learned
that the witness, as well as the defendant, was a
Royal Arch Mason, they seized upon the fact as a
snub at the outset.
No sooner was Mr. Perry summoned to the witnessbox, than one of the circuit bullies accosted him in
his harshest manner, and the following conversation
took place,:
"What's your name, sir?"
"Perry."
"What else beside Perry?"
"Barnabas W. Perry."
"Well, Mr. Barnabas W. Perry, are you the same
Barnabas W. Perry whose name is recorded here?"
-pointing to a catalogue of the members of a neigh
boring chapter-" the same Perry, did you say?"
"I didn't say anything on that subject."
" Well, then, say something now. Are you the
same Barnabas W. Perry? Come, out with it!"
"My name is Barnabas W. Perry, as I told you;
that's as much as serves to identify me, I suppose.
198 
THE BADGERED WITNESS.
I appeal to the court for protection against this
man's insolence."
Here the judge, who had been slightly dozing, woke
up suddenly, and asked what was the matter?
"Here is a witness, sir, who refuses to testify as
to his name, please your honor," said Bully.
"Is that so?" inquired the judge, with surprise.
' I told him that my name was Barnabas W. Perry,
judge, and then I appealed to the court to protect
me from his rude and insulting questions."
Here a gray-haired attorney rose to clear the puzzled mind of the court by an explanation.
"Mr. Perry was inquired of as to whether he was
the same person whose name  appears.there in a
certain printed catalogue, please the court."
"And did you decline to reply?" asked his honor.
"I did decline, judge, both on account of the insulting tone the counsel adopted, and because the
question is not at all relevant to anything which I
have to relate concerning this suit."
"Remember  your oath, sir," interposed  Bully,
fiercely.  "I demand, on your oath, are you the
same Barnabas W. Perry?"
"My oath, sir, has reference to my subpena, and
says nothing about any Royal Arch catalogue," re sponded the badgered witness; "therefore I shall
not reply."
"You must answer the counsel's questions," ob served the judge, mildly; for Mr. Perry was an in timate friend, and a man of weight.  "Witnesses are
not allowed to be judges of relevancy. Give your
't O
199 
THE BADGERED WITNESS.
evidence, and if irrelevant to the case, the court will
order it to be ruled out.  Unless you declare on
oath that you can not answer this question without
criminating yourself, the court must insist upon your
replying."
After a moment's pause, during which bully looked
with an air of triumph toward the jury, Mr. Perry
further expostulated:
"No, judge, I am not in the least afraid of criminating myself; but I have frequently been summoned
as a juror before you, and I have always observed
that when witnesses were insulted by insnaring and
improper questions, the bench interposed. Now, the
question asked me is one that, in its connection, is
plainly designed to convey a reproach. I was summoned here to testify concerning a land title. The
first question asked me is, am I a Royal Arch Mason?
I claim your protection, judge, and decline to answer."
And not another word would the badgered individual say, though the bully foamed and the court
threatened. In the upshot, he was imprisoned for
contempt of court.
Being a gentleman of considerable distinction, he
was visited by members of the bar, who labored with
all their might to change his mind, and the judge
himself condescended to apply to him through the
jail-door. All in vain.
At last, as the suit could not progress without him,
counsel consented to waive the question, and Mr.
Perry was released to answer relevant questions.
200 
A TALE OF MASONIC INTERPOSITION.
Inscribec to X.  W.  ITarvey T. Wilson,
OF SHERBLrRN, KY., GRAND MASTER.
"When thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn
the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, his blood will
I require at thine hands."
which resulted in the capture of Monterey,
there were various outbreaks among the Amer       ican soldiers, in which they avenged themselves
upon the inhabitants, by acts of cruelty and
injustice, for the annoyances they experienced
from the guerrilla bands.
It is not to be doubted that the guerrilla warfare is
one well calculated in itself to stimulate revenge,
even to ferocity. To be waylaid at every step; to be
shot down like wild beasts, even in sight of camp; to
sleep in hourly expectation of the fatal dagger; to
drink water and eat bread at the imminent risk of
poison from the desperadoes that infested the country
-these were provocations to a furious retaliation,
especially from an unscrupulous soldiery. But vengeance is blind. It sates itself without discrimination when its unholy fires are once lighted, and the
(201)
gut putt. 
THIE DUEL.
nearest unfortunate is too often made the victim upon
its unhallowed altars. Well does the genius of Masonry deprecate the whole business of war. In the
campaign above referred to, the blood of innocent
persons often flowed; the humble roof of many a
harmless family blazed over the cruel torch.
Among other recorded acts of atrocity, a case
had occurred in which a whole Mexican family was
butchered by a lawless party from the American
camp.
By what individuals this dreadful guilt was perpetrated, or from what precise motive, was never ascertained; but suspicions pointed out certain members
of Captain Y's company of          State volunteers, and such, to this day, is the general sentiment.
Some members of that company having, a short
time afterward, met the members of Captain A's
company, from the same State, insulting charges were
made, connected with this affair. Hot recriminations
followed, and in a few minutes a general fight was in
progress among scores of men. Fortunately, none
had deadly weapons in their hands, or much blood
would have flowed.
Ah! it was wise in the great King to forbid ax,
hammer, and all metal tools in the building of the
sacred fane. Our statute that prohibits wearing concealed weapons, is founded broadly in WISDOM.
No lives, then, were lost, but several of the party
were cruelly beaten, and the tumult was at its hight,
when a couple of officers, summoned by the din, came
simultaneously upon the ground, and ordered the men
202 
THE DUEL.
to their quarters. They were both lieutenants, and,
as it happened, one from each of the companies in
dispute.   Unfortunately, these gentlemen  had not
been on friendly terms for several weeks, and some
words hastily dropped by R         were caught up b:
B, as personally insulting.  When we are at outs
with a person, we readily distort everything he says.
A hot retort followed; replication of an offensive
nature flew back and forth, and the result was  a
challenge; a duel to the death with pistols, at sunset, a gunshot from the camp!
Seconds were selected; testamentary papers signed;
letters of farewell to friends beloved.
As the sun went glowingly down beyond the Cordilleras, the opponents-both in the prime of days
and hopes-met in the little glade that had been
designated for the scene of blood. God had never
created it for such a sanguinary purpose.  It was
an opening in the musquit and prickly pear, of about
an  acre in extent.   The  thick  wire-grass of the
country made a mat below, while above them was
the blue vault of the rainless sky of that clime.
Was that blue arch to behold that verdant mat
dyed  scarlet?   The  ground  was  speedily marked
out; the parties were placed in positions; not a
tremor visible; no paleness; no desire to spare or
be spared.   Ah, no! hatred  had done  her worst
work, and usurped the spirit's throne.
The weapons were skillfully loaded and pointed,
and now only the word was wanting for Satan's
triumph. "Let there be death, and there was
208 
THE DUEL.
death," might well be inscribed on every duelist's
tomb.
Although the fact of the challenge had been carefully concealed, yet a report of such things will
struggle out despite of all precaution, and, to the
great annoyance of the parties, a considerable crowd
of spectators had collected,. and were lining the edge
of the little opening, and waiting with breathless
expectation for the result.  It was still more perplexing that others were continually arriving from
tthe camp, for the probability was imminent that
notice of the intended duel would reach the commanding officer, in which event the whole affair would
be summarily stopped.
Among others who came running into the opening,
just as the parties were placed, was Captain F
lately in command of a company in the regiment to
which the lieutenants belonged, but badly wounded
at the battle of Resaca de la Palma, and consequently absent for several months on leave. Captain
was a mutual friend of the contending parties
and, of course, shocked to hear, upon his arrival in
camp, that a deadly duel was in progress between
them. As he bore letters and kind messages to each
from absent friends, he engaged a soldier to show
him the way, and hurried, as we have seen, to' the
spot. lie was barely in time.
"Now, my dear young  friend R,"  re began,
"'my excellent friend B,  let me  say a word
before you shoot.  Hiere's a letter for you, R,
from your mother.  You  certaiiily "obn't refuso'o
204 
THE  DUEL.
read it.  B, I've a message for your particular
ear.  Come, come, boys, I'm just from home!"
Home! what a word is home! It is the symbol
for a host of lovers.  The extended pistol-hands were
dropped; the places in which their seconds had stationed them were vacated; and, forgetful of the rules
of the duello, the two who were thus lawlessly pursuing each other's life, hurried up to their mutual
friend, and each had claimed the first news.
"Nay, nay," good-humoredly responded that gentleman, "I left the letters in camp; and as for news,
I don't feel easy to tell news under these circumstances. Stay, there's a late paper from home; read
it, friend B, while I deliver a very particular
message here aside to R."  And, to the surprise
of the spectators and disgust of the seconds, who
had never heard of such a thing before, his request
was acceded to-one of the lieutenants sitting down
to read the newspaper, while the other, with colored
cheeks, heard a kind word, warm from the heart of
his betrothed.  Then Captain F       called up Bto the conference, and a long conversation ensued
between the three, but what was said by the humane
mediator, what arguments he answered, or what acknowledgments passed between the parties, can not
here be spoken of.
The two seconds, foaming and fretting, and almost
ready to fight each other in their disappointment,
were now called up, and the debate became exciting.
What had before passed in earnest whispers, was now
heard by the nearest spectators to take such a form
.205 
THE DUEL.
as this: "I offer that"-" I accept that"-"that's
true "-" I did n't mean "-" I only intended."  Then,
as a winding up to the whole, all parties turned into
a furious shaking of hands. Then went up a general
shout from the little area, for the soldiers were as
much rejoiced at the reconciliation as the good captain himself; and then the blue heavens looked down
again upon the vacant spot.
A splendid supper was given the next night, and
the best toast drank, the one that excited the loudest
cheers and drained the deepest goblets, was offered
by the colonel of the regiment: "Gentlemen, drink
with me the health of the healer and the reconciler,
whose fraternal thought spared the flow of brothers'
blood!"
By this we presume all parties to this singular
affair must have been Masons.
206 
A TALE OF PIRACY.
Inscribed to I.  W.  Iacrman G.  Ifeynotd,
OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS.
N relating a circumstance wherein Freemasonry
is exhibited in the hands of pirates, we are called
upon to explain by way of prelude-for a moral
community will demand it-how it happens that
such an abandoned class are authorized to enter
our holy precincts? The wonder does not lie
in the fact that pirates acknowledge a Masonic appeal
when it is made, but in the circumstance of their
understanding such appeals at all. Romancers like
Marryatt-in his "Peter Simple," for instance, where
he has made one of the most abandoned jail-birds in
all England the MIaster of his lodge-are not expected
to know anything more of this matter than they can
work up into their "thrilling tales" or "interesting
sketches'  Others, whose knowledge of Freemasonry
is embraced in the terms "clap-trap" (see "Mysteries of London"), or "tomfoolery" (see a late
Philadelphia weekly), may deride what they can not
understand, and the reading world will set them down
for what they are really worth. But he who undertakes to dilate on Masonry in its practical application
(207)
5tamtu# tut auds. 
STAYING THE HANDS.
to society, must expect to be catechised on this head,
and prepare himself accordingly.
That many pirates and freebooters, especially
among the Spaniards and Moors, were and are Masons, is incontrovertible. That they are, in general,
quick to answer the appeals of suffering humanity,
when offered through the medium of a Mason, is
acknowledged by every one who has had occasion to
try the experiment.  That in the matter of relief to
Brother Masons they are even more than ordinarily
benevolent, may reasonably be admitted. It remains
to-explain how they become Masons at all.
Freemasonry, though universal and unchangeable in
its forms and ceremonies, is susceptible of various applications, as it is worked up by various hands. Thus,
in some European countries, it was made, for a time
at least, a conservator of the aristocracy; in England,
& bulwark of royalty; in Mexico, a shield of patriotism. It has served as a friend of sociability and a
teacher of temperance; as a relief association; as a
stern dispenser of justice; as a trial of fortitude and a
test of prudence. This multiform character it has sustained, in general, by means of mutilation. Divested
of its equalizing, democratic character-and Masonry,
in truth, is a perfect model of democracy-it becomes
&.convenient tool to despotism, as in Prussia; divested
of its grand religious principles, it will subserve the
purposes of deism, as with Voltaire and the French
clique of the last century; worked up with modern
elegances and modern philosophy, it becomes a gewgaw to-catch the multitude, as in many of the French
208 
STAYING THE HANDS.
forms; divested of its morality, it may be applied
even to the convenience of a pirate, as in the case
we are about to relate.
It is asked, if Masonry possesses this protean character, who will guarantee its integrity and stability,
and that it will not do more evil than good? The
answer is ready. No principle is to be judged of by
its abuse, but by its use. Nothing has been more
abused than religion, the grandest principle of all;
yet none but a skeptic, and an ignorant one at that,
will attribute the evils of bigotry and misdirected
enthusiasm to religion. Masonry has been, is, and
doubtless will be, misdirected and abused in divers
ways; but it will be, as with religion, by mutilating
its members; it will be by divesting it of its grandest
principles, and leaving only the relief, the social
feature, and its universality.
Ihow shall the evil be cured? Answer, by teaching, through lecture and through print, what Masonry
is. By dispelling the thick cloud of ignorance that
enshrouds not only the enemies, but the friends of
Masonry; not only the cowan, but the affiliated; not
only the camp of the foe, but the tabernacle of the
priest.   By proving that Masonry dismembered is
not Masonry, any more than a dismembered individual can be made a Mason; but that Masonry is a
whole, and must be so taught and practiced.
Pirates can not be Masons in a high and complete
sense.  They may learn some of our signs, and may
recognize them, and recognize their duty in obeying
and answering them; they may be able to speak
18
209 
STAYING THIE HANDS.
some of our language, and be the better for what
they have learned; but a real Mason is free; prepared first in heart; restrained in all his passions;
taking unlawfully from no man; laboring in an honest
vocation; and ever sustaining the word of God between the palms of his hands. Such men are never
pirates.
But how do pirates gain admission into Masonic
lodges? Into chartered lodges they never do enter.
No person made clandestinely-that is, out of the
fold of a just and legally constituted lodge-can be
admitted even as a visitor. No person whose character, age, calling, etc., are not avouched by persons
known to the lodge, can legally be made a Mason.
But in various parts of the world, especially in the
loosely organized society of Northern Africa and
the Spanish West Indies, and in countries generally
where the Papal Church has secular power, and all
secret associations are interdicted, there are many
extraordinary, and, in a sense, illegal lodges, in which
men are made Masons for restricted purposes, and
without that thorough inquiry into their character
and qualifications which the true system of Masonry
presupposes. Among these, the freebooter and the
highwayman may sometimes even have entrance.
Nay, such a man may be the principal agent in
organizing this clandestine body, as best knowing
how advantageous the relief principle may be to him
and his in times of difficulty.
This is a fair explanation of the subject, and one
to which the most rabid opponent of Masonry ought
210 
STAYING THiE HANDS.
not to object. As -well blame chaste, wedded love
for the evils of licentiousness; as well accuse honest
commerce and economy for the sins of theft; as well
attribute to legal self-preservation the horrors of
murder, as to accuse honest, lawful Masonry of these
sins of abuse. The better the subject, the worse its
abuse.
It was about the year 1820, that the schooner
Brilliant sailed from a West Indian port to the coast
of South America, having on board such a cargo as
the tropics yield, for the use of less favored climes.
The various inlets of the islands were at that time
infested by bands of pirates, who took every opportunity to attack the unarmed traders. Their common
method was to lie on the sand-beaches, and watch
the passing vessels until a calm; then to dash out in
their armed boats, capture the defenseless craft, murder the crew, hurry the most valuable parts of the
cargo ashore, and finish the work of hell by burning
the unfortunate vessel; or else they would mark the
position of a coaster as night came on, and while the
crew was sleeping off the fatigues of the day, guarded
by a single sentinel only, they would approach wvith
muffled oars, surround the doomed object on every
side, and, at a given signal, rush in, and carry all
before them by boarding, ere half the crew could
tumble up to the defense. In every case, the piratical dogma, "Dead men tell no tales," was made absolute. Nothing but joining the buccaneers unreservedly
could save the prisoner's life, nor were the officers
permitted even this privilege.   The  females were
211 
STAYING TIHE HIANDS.
reserved for a fate worse-how much worse!-than
death. So general, indeed, was the dread of this,
that numerous instances are on record where fathers
stabbed their daughters, husbands their wives, and
brothers their sisters, rather than suffer them to pass
the horrid ordeal of banded lust.
The Brilliant spread her canvas to the breeze, and
short and profitable was her trip to the destined port.
Loaded for the return voyage, her prow was turned
northward, and the hearts of officers and men were
already bounding with the hope of a speedy and safe
conclusion to the trip. There is something in the
idea of a well-built, well-rigged, well-conditioned
craft, that excites the admiration of a seaman. iHe
sees such a uniformity of design and of plan in the
whole affair, from the laying down of the keel to the
tying of the last fastening in the running-gear, that
he feels no surprise at the intense affection for his
ship, which is the characteristic of a mariner. Ilie
experiences the same emotion at the consideration
of speculative architecture (even as our brethren felt
amid the details of their practical architecture), and
he recognizes the fraternity of sympathy.   This explains to the mind, although purblind historians can
not explain, because they can not feel it, how it happens that the Phoenicians, first of sailors, should also
have been first of builders, and renowned for the
strength of their fraternal links, the basis of the
Solomonic Masonry. On this principle, the principle
of handicraft there is a confraternity of labor everywhere.
212 
STAYING THE HANDS.
But the schooner Brilliant was destined to illustrate something more than handicraft or operative
Masonry ere she reached her port; and although
there was great peril in her way, there was also a
great triumph to be realized, as the reader shall see.
Among the officers was a gentleman whose name
shall be narrowed down to the initial B, who was
on board as acting supercargo.   This young  man,
afterward a Jewish Rabbi and a Masonic Brother,
was at that time passing through his season of experience, the results of which, in a talented mind, are
not only to implant useful thoughts, but to eradicate
educational errors.   Ilis errors of education, however, related principally to Masonry, concerning
which he had imbibed a strong distrust.   The few
instances in which he had remarked Masonic application had not been fortunate ones; and Mr. B, at
that time, might have been described as a somewhat
marked Antimason, not offensively so, but so to the
serious detriment of the Order wherever his influence
extended.
Captain V, who had charge of the schooner,
was a plain Englishman, whose highest talent consisted in his seamanship;  between  whom  and  his
supercargo as little intercourse existed as an entire
diversity of habit, taste, and experience could well
afford.
Toward the close of a certain day, the wind being
fair for port, the crew were strolling about the deck
in that listless, unoccupied manner, usual in such
cases.  Our Mr. B         was sitting in the little cabin,
213 
STAYING THE HANDS.
with a Hebrew volume before him, in which he was
mayhap considering the past glories or the promised
triumph of his now far-scattered nation; or he was
haply attuning his voice to one of those wild and
pathetic chants which form the synagogue worship,
as they once formed the temple and the tabernacle
worship, of his people, in ancient days.
In the midst of this, his attention was claimed by
the captain, who called down the gangway, "A suspicious sail to windward, MIr. B.  Looks most
remarkably like a freebooter!" This startling announcement cut short his musings, and caused him
to hurry on deck. There was the stranger vessel,
but a few miles to windward, with  all her wings
spread, and steering, straight as an eagle to his prey,
toward the little Brilliant. Such a course left few
doubts as to some evil intentions; and the doubts,
if any, soon became certainties; for the report of a
gun, and the sight of a cannon-ball skipping but a
few cables' length ahead, was too clear for dispute.
The Brilliant hove to just as the stranger wvas aiming
another messenger to speak her purpose nearer home.
Suddenly the naked gaff was furnished with a large
flag, which, unrolling, displayed the awful skull and
cross-bones, emblems of the pirate's trade. A general
paleness was instantly diffused over every countenance in the schooner.   The boldest hearts sank.
A thought of home and firiends was choked up by
the consideration of the horrors before them. The
old captain, with an impatient stamp and a muttered
curse, turned to his crew, and advised them-"No
214 
STAYING THE HANDS.
resistance, my lads, no concealment; give the ruffians
all they ask for, and possibly they may let us off the
easier." But it was evident he lacked the comfort
of his own words, and expected no mercy.   The
supercargo went below to arrange his papers, an(
returned, bringing up the manifest of the schooner's
cargo, just as the pirate captain and a score of his
crew came up the sides. A murderous band, in good
sooth, they were. Of all nations, the selected devils;
of all tongues, the foulest of speech; their malicious
eyes and ferocious words spoke of nothing but death,
the horrid symbol of their flag-staff. A heavy cutlass
flashed in every hand; a row of pistols gleamed from
every belt; the handle of a poinard protruded from
every breast; while the scars visible on many exposed
portions of their bodies and limbs, spoke of murderous
combats with lead and steel, where the weakest go to
the wall.
The first orders of the pirate chief, spoken in
Spanish, were a sufficient indication of his intentions.
While one of his subordinates went to the helm, and
a part broke open the hatchways, and commenced to
hoist out the cargo upon deck, the remainder seized
the crew of the Brilliant, bound them hand and foot,
and tied ropes round their necks, preparatory to
swinging them aloft at a given signal from the chief.
The time occupied in this manner, although short
in reality, seemed to those doomed men long as it
was painful. Standing upon tip-toe, well-nigh stran gled with the ropes, intentionally jostled, fromn time
to time, by their tormentors, as they passed to and,
215 
STAYING THE HIANDS.
fro in their employment, and expecting eveiy moment
to be their last, it was the very agony of death. The
display of the manifest in the supercargo's hand had
not saved him from the general fate.  Indeed, the
pirate captain had but glanced scornfully at the document, unable to read English, as it appeared, and
cast it upon the deck.
Among the other boxes brought out of the hold
and cabin to be opened, was a large chest. The lid
being wrenched off, there were displayed, on the top
of the clothing and other matters, a Mason's painted
apron, a diploma, and other paraphernalia of the
Order. These met the eye of the chief, who instantly
inquired, in a voice of thunder (still in Spanish),
"Whose chest is this? "  No one of the crew save
Mr. B        could speak that tongue.   He replied,
as well as his strangled condition would permit, that
the chest referred to was the captain's. A signal
from the chief caused the release of that officer and
Mr. B, both of whom were ordered down below,
where  the pirate immediately joined them.   The
ferocious eye gleamed with an unusual fire.
He threw himself into a position strange to the
young supercargo, who could only observe in the
twilight that his officer answered it in a similar way.
Then the chief, with a yell that more resembled the
howl of a beast than the voice of a human being,
threw his arms around Captain V's neck, embraced and kissed him. After a pause, he suddenly
disengaged himself, stepped a pace or two back, and
turning to Mr. B       7 commanded him, "Ask him
2i6 
STAYING THE HANDS.
why lie didn't let me know?"  This being interpreted
to Captain V, he answered, with a stammering
tongue and mortified manner, "that he forgot all about
it!"  The pirate, with his eyes flashing fire, and his
mouth churning foam and fury, stepped furiously up
to him, and with a blow on the side of his head felled
him to the floor. Then raising him up, he again
kissed him.  After this, he ordered Mr. B, with
the most furious curses, in Spanish-a language prolific in words of blasphemy and foul epithets-" Tell
the rascal that he well-nigh caused me to break my
obligations; and never, no, never, so long as he lives,
never again lead a Brother Mason so near into danger
as that;" and the fondest words and embraces were
lavished, by turns mingled with such awful imprecations and fierce threats as well-nigh caused the hearer
to lose his own senses with terror.
All this time the poor captives were standing halfchoked around the sides of the vessel; but now the
pirate went on deck and ordered them all cast loose,
and further pillage to cease. Not only that, but the
boats alongside, which had been loaded with the
specie and the choicest portions of the freight, were
hastily unloaded, and one of them which had left the
schooner's side, was recalled for the same purpose.
The men were summoned fiom below, and the hatches
replaced; chests and boxes were covered, and everything reinstated as nearly as could be done consistently with the great speed at which the pirates
labored.
And now the Mason chief approached Captain
19
217 
STAYING THlE HANDS.
V,   and taking his hand kindly, directed Mr.
B       to assure him  "that he loved him like a
brother; that it was his own fault (Captain V.'s) that
the mischief had gone so far; for, had he known his
relationship, he (the chief) would have forfeited his
own life before he would have harmed him; that now
he could go without another word, only his crew were
greatly in want of provisions, and if he would spare
him a few barrels of meat and some vegetables, he
would give him an order upon a house in Iavana for
payment; if not, let him say so, and there was an
end of it." It is needless to say that the locker was
freely opened, and the ship-stores divided with his
fraternal captor; likewise, that any thought of payment was indignantly spurned. A parting glass was
drank together in the cabin, and with one more embrace, and many a brotherly word, tile ferocious
visitor departed with his men.
But even then, so anxious was the pirate for their
welfare, that, after reaching his own cabin, he hailed
the Brilliant, and ordered her to delay her course,
while  lihe went below and wrote her a protection.
This document being sent back by the jolly-boat,
the vessels parted with mutual cheers.   The protection was long preserved by Mr. B.  It expressed, in brief terms, the fact that the schooner
Brilliant, Captain V, had been visited in such a
latitude and longitude, at such a date, by himself,
and overhauled, and that she was exempt from further
inquiry by the Free Rovers, on the score of certain
emblematical marks inserted in the margin.
218 
STAYING TIlE HANDS.
The signature was embellished with a full display
of the ornaments of which Spanish writers are so
diffuse.
No further accident, however, delayed the voyage,
nor was the pirate's protection put to that test which
it would doubtless have passed through triumphantly.
Sitting together in the cabin, at their evening meal,
the supercargo, whose curiosity had as yet received
no  stay, impatiently demanded of Captain  Vwhat it all meant, and what circumstance had thus
turned the tiger into the lamb?
"It was Freemasonry, and nothing else," answered
the captain.  " The pirate chief was a. Brother Mason,
that's all; and he felt that he dared not harm me, or
take my property."
Observing a look of distrust in the countenance of
Mr. B, he went on to show him, by the paraphernalia in the chest, and the emblems marked in
the margin of the written protection, that his statement was true. and that the preservation of the Brilliant and her crew was attributable to this circumstance, and to this alone.
We need not add that this one practical fact removed  a thousand absurd prejudices, however acquired, from the young man's mind; nor will the
reader be surprised to learn that, ere the moon had
twice more waxed and waned, he had commenced his
mystic journey toward the sanctum of the temple.
That journey was prosecuted with diligence and discretion. Each step was carefully weighed and considered; each degree was made thorough and secure
219 
STAYIN' THE HANDS.
ere the next was attempted; and thus, in due time,
being permitted the survey of the inner mysteries,
his prepared and enlarged mind could comprehend
what his delighted ears received.
No further intelligence was ever received concerning the pirate chief; but in his ferocious and demoniacal career, unmasonic and inhuman as it was, there
nevertheless existed one green spot, which must, in
his gloomy pauses, have yielded him a ray of comfort-the preservation of the schooner Brilliant and
her crew on account of his attachment to Freemasonry!
220 
315ut Wgogt  to* ittut.
A TALE OF MASONIC ADOPTION.
Inscribed to O.  W. Cro. S. EMIchArd,
OF TECUM8EH, MICHIGAN.
E  are about to relate another scene from
our personal experience.  The man who will
open his eyes and ears as he journeys with
the great caravan of humanity, needs nor
book nor mouth to tell him how exceedingly
wondrous is truth. We see far less of it in
the more serious, than in the more romantic works
of the shelf, for they who deal in it in pureness must
needs write with a ghostly pen. What authors give
us such flights of fancy as the scriptural ones? Yet
scriptural truths are pure. Who so far from the cutand-dried logic of the schools as the writers of divine
laws?-yet they write for the mass and for all time.
We will continue to deal in truths as they enter our
knowledge,-in as nearly the same garb, that is to
say, as they reach us, and the finical may turn away
with scholastic horror if he choose, and ask for statuary clothed in more fashionable array.
Come with me, to-day, to the river bank, kind
reader, and let us gather some plain truths as they
occur before our eyes. It is a chilly morning, forsooth,
(221) 
TIlE TONGUE TOO SILENT.
and in spite of our winter coats and wind-proof gloves,
the blood stagnates and the muscles stiffen in the
January blast-hardens the water wherever it may
chance to fall-reverberates the frozen clod under
our heel as we walk. In frosty clouds the vapor
g,athers from our breath and settles around us, too
heavy to mount upward.  It is the coldest morning
of the peculiarly inclement month of December, 1851,
and we are in a spot at which the blasts from the
great prairies gather and accomplish their boreal work.
Before us is a busy scene. A great steamer is
landing a portion of her enormous load at the wharfboat, her steam bellowing loudly through her escapepipes the while, as if impatient at the necessary delay.
Rapidly the debarkation of passengers and the transfer
of packages is accomplished, for time is precious and
it waits for no man.
Soon the signal is made for departure-anothera third; and with a parting groan from the pipes
and a graceful bend with the current, the monarch
passes from the shore and down the river, and is lost
to view.
There is little time for greeting among these people
thus cast so hastily ashore. Those who have become
partially acquainted through an intercourse of three
or four days, close their acquaintance with a parting
nod, or, rarely, a shake of the hand and a kind word,
and part never more to meet. Some are cheered at
landing by a friend, whose waving hand was visible
to their eager eye even before they reached the wharf.
Such are seen to hasten, arm linked in arm, to a
222 
THE TONGUE TOO SILENT. #
place where, doubtless, the fire is burning cheerfully
for them and kind welcomes await them, of which,
even now, with bended head and absorbed attention,
they gather a foretaste. But the most pass off the
wharf-boat and rp the bank without any external
show of joy or sorrrow at the change from the river
life of half a week to this in the growing town of
, with which they seem well familiar.
All this has transpired in less than the half hour
we have been writing it. Interested as we were with
a scene which, though familiar, can never lose its
interest to an observing mind, we scarcely note the
increasing pain beneath our gloves and boots until
our companion, with an ejaculation of distress, more
common by half than proper, calls our attention to
his own sufferings, and, by a natural transition, to our
own.  We prefer the glowing stove of the wharf-boat,
nigh at hand, to the more distant, though more tasty
fire-place of our hotel.
The usual group around such a center of heat
presents but little to attract our eye. Certainly, in
the language of a wharf-boat there is nothing to
attract the ear of a Freemason who reveres God's
name, for it is made up of such a skeleton of pro fanity that were that removed it could not stand
alone. One object, however, does attract the eye,
and as we gaze with wonder upon it, there does
presently reach our ear a sentence that is interesting
to us.
For there, upon a trunk, marked Matilda Dewey,
sits a young woman, already a mother, and, as the
223 
THE TONGUE TOO SILENT.
most stupid of this wharf-boat crowd has already
noticed with sneers, soon to become a mother yet
again. As we entered, two of us, she looked anxiously
to each in turn, as if to find in our faces some lineament
with which she was familiar; but, with an expression
of disappointment, turned her face away. Presently,
remarking that we were watching her, and possibly
reading our interest in our looks for we were thinking
as we gazed upon her, how hard is woman's lot in an
hour of misfortune, yet how uncomplaining she can
endure-she asked us in words so low that we were
obliged to move closer and request her to repeat them,
"Did I know Henry Dewey in this place?"
Unable to satisfy her inquiries, we inquired privately of the clerk concerning her. His reply was
so far from being satisfactory that-we blush even
now when we recall the circumstance-we turned
disappointed away and with our companion left the
boat.
A week passed and we were again in the town of
, when, in a cabin, a mere shanty, such  as
foreigners only can build around our better domiciles,
we saw, as we rode to a distant part of the town, a
face that we remembered, no other than the face of
the young woman whom we had first seen on the
wharf-boat.  She recognized us as promptly, and, as
we involuntarily drew in our reins with surprise,- she
repeated the question asked before, "Did  I know
Henry Dewey in this place? or would I aid a poor
woman to seek for her brother there?" It is among
the acts long since repented of, that, influenced by
224 
THE TONGUE TOO SILENT.
the slanderous insinuations whispered in our ear by
the clerk a week before, we replied coldly and in the
negative, androde on. HIeaven forgive us-we thought
her a base woman, though every feature in her counte.'ance spoke of suffering virtue and modest worth. So
easily are we biased by a slanderous tongue.
It was in the heat of summer and the dust thereof,
that we again saw Matilda Dewey.  She had wandered
some fifty miles into the interior, in search, as it
afterward came out, of her brother, and there her
money and her strength both becoming exhausted,
shee had found refuge in a hospitable family and
given birth to her child.  We were lecturing in the
lodge in the vicinity, and as Major F. was a member
of it, as the heads of all hospitable families in that
region are, our visit to him brought us once more
in contact with Matilda. She was greatly changed
for the worse. Her little one was dead and she was
fast following it to the grave. She had failed to
discover her brother, and had given up the search,
having business of more importance now upon her
hands.
An  hour's conversation with her revealed that,
which, if we had known it, we had rather lost an
eye than to have overlooked or slighted her so at
first. Her husband, as she could readily prove, was
a Mason. She had all his Masonic evidences, costumes,
etc., even to the By-laws of his lodge-in which his
name appeared as an officer-his Masonic engraved
medal and diploma; and, withal, she had the ordinary
evidences of Adoptive Masonry. There could be no
225 
THE TONGUE TOO SILENT.
manner of doubt that she was a f~ason's widow, and
whoever conversed with her an hour without convincing himself that she was a worthy one, must have
been a brute.
We do not propose to give the details of her history, for they are not necessary to our story.  She
has'one before a tribunal now that will judge her
lightly, and to a home where she will be a welcome
guest. Our only purpose in culling these facts from
the pages of our diary is to deduce some practical
thoughts for ourself and our readers for future benefit.
tIad that woman been instructed in her obvious
indisputable privileges as a Mason's widow-made
herself known as such-had she exhibited any little
token of a Masonic character that would barely have
caught the eye without shocking the mind with a
brazen effrontery-had she allowed herself any sign,
any movement known only to Masons and their
female relatives-the mischief had not been done.
Our ears would not have been poisoned with a
scandalous imputation, and our readiness to relieve
the distressed, which, in spite of this suspicious
exception, is a fixed principle within us, would have
been exercised in behalf of that unfortunate widow.
And 0, what grief, what anguish had been spared
to a virtuous woman!
Suppose when Boaz looked inquiringly toward the
form of Ruth in the barley-field, near Bethlehem, and
asked his overseer concerning her, that the latter had
replied with such an imputation! How would the
generous purpose of the wealthy husbandman have
226 
THE TONGUE TOO SILENT.
been stayed, and he turned away with pain, peradventure with scorn!  Such was the case with ourself
in the incident cited.
Those who possess the peculiar tender and inalienable privileges of a Mason's widow, do an injustice t(
the fraternity whose hearts are ever opened to their
wants, not to avail themselves of the offered kindness.
For it is a service of no light order to afford the
Brethren the opportunity to do these acts. One such
is of more avail in teaching the younger members
of the Order its real spirit, in awakening dormant
sympathies throughout the whole circle, and in
opening the ways of charity, than a score of the
more common incidents in the history of a lodge.
Let us instruct our wives and daughters, then, in
these privileges of theirs. Let us familiarize their
minds in the practical details of Masonic benevolence;
and when the misfortune comes-as it came to poor
Matilda Dewey- as it may come, dear reader, to your
wife or ours-they will know that it is no disgrace to
claim that which only awaits their call, and so enable
the ancient Brotherhood to realize that it is more
blessed to give than to receive.
227 
Insribed to:. W. pro. H. L. Hosmer,
OF TOLEDO, OHIO.
CHAPTER 1.
THE HALL OF RECEPTION.
44 EX CEPT  the Lord build the house, they
[ labor in vain that build it."'  "For  my
brethren and companions' sakes, I will
X   now say, Peace be within thee."  "For
'~'    in the time of trouble he shall hide me ill
his pavilion; in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a
rock."
We live again in the mighty past when we invoke
such a subject as this. We honor our own uncorrupted tastes when we reject the impure fountains so
freely opened to us; tlie romance, the wild unnatural
novel, the licentious sketch, that pander to and increase the vicious habit of modern reading; when we
reject all such as these, and address ourselves to one
pure and undefiled, offered to us in the Scripture;
to one that directs us to the fountain of life, for
'sh At 6rtat PtdiXration pay of gin#
#oWtoo'o Ztmplt. 
THE GREAT DEDICATION DAY, ETC.
sustenance and enjoyment; to one rich enough to
comprehend Revelation, Tradition, Reference, Type,
Anti-Type, Prophecy, and Fulfillment; to one that
challenges us to consider a TEMPLE, the most costly,
the most beautiful, the most perfect, the most sacred,
the most venerable, ever contemplated, executed, or
beautified by man.
To one whose shadow filled the earth, whose purpose was no less than that of fixing Jehovah, the
light and life of heaven, in a tenement of earth;
whose site so wisely chosen, refreshes our memory
with the faith of a Patriarch, the repentance of a
King, the sacrifice of a Redeemer; whose preparation
exhausted the treasures of the wealthiest and the
zeal of the mightiest; whose pattern, conceived in
the Divine mind, was traced by the finger and communicated in writing by the Spirit of God, that Spirit
which can not err; whose builders, divinely selected,
divinely inspired, were - divinely strengthened and
sustained; whose completion left nothing wanting, introduced nothing superfluous; whose dedication called
down from heaven the fire of approval and the cloud
of acceptance; whose memory is both the pride and
sting of the Hebrew as he walks his homeless, aimless way upon the earth.
It is good for the young, laying up a store of useful knowledge, to be taught concerning Messiah's
temple and Jehovah's altar.
It is good for the Christian, searching out the ways
of God with man; for the worldling, seeking the
sublime and the beautiful; for the philosopher,
229 
THE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
craving all knowledge that is high and ennobling, to
be informed upon a topic like this..
And how much does it recommend itself to the
descendants of that noble band of Gibbeonites whose
hands erected the wall, adorned the edifice, and laid
the cap-stone high in its place, amid shouting and
joy. Brother Masons! join us in contemplating the
Temple of King Solomon!
Bright rose the sun of Palestine on the eventful
day of dedication.  Gloriously his beams flew back
from the mountain-tops, and from the clear current
of Jordan, and from the marble sides and golden
roof of the stately fane, this day to be consecrated
to Jehovah, the living God.
Millions who thronged the streets and dwellings of
Jerusalem, or encamped "upon the hills round about
her," or grouped around Gilion's sweet fountain, or
crowded themselves beneath the dense foliage of the
Mount of Olives, or pitched their tents upon the
banks  of the waters of Siloah  " flowing softly,"
offered an ejaculatory prayer, as their heads left the
verdant sod or the harder material which had formed
their rude couch and pillow, and that prayer was for
a blessing upon this Dedication Day.
In the camp of the stone-squarers, there were
congratulations and gleams of gratified pride, and
swelling hearts, the re-action of long years of
anxiety and toil.
The Hebrew monarch gathered up his self-possession (never did he need it more than now) firom the
soul-wrapt prayers, the cheering visions, the profound
230 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
meditations, and the half-trembling anticipations of
a sleepless night, and came  forth from his most
retired apartment in the palace of David, on Zion, to
meet his officers and distribute his orders for the day.
Those officers, like himself, had kept unbroken
vigil the livelong night.   Like  himself, too, they
exhibited -in their solemn speech and fervid eye,
tokens of profound anxiety as to the day's great
work.
A goodly band they were; their names are recorded by  an  inspired pen;  their characters are
forever engraved upon the tablets of our hearts.
Foremost among them stood Zabuel, the son of
Nathan, principal officer, first among his equals,
honored by that appellation employed but once in
the history of Jewish royalty, "The king's friend."*
His part it was, by day and night, to draw nighest
the pious king, to share most largely in his heavendirected wisdom, to pitch his cot at the door of his
sleeping apartment, and to communicate his matured
thoughts to his fellow-officers.
In his light, things without figure became figured.
His fervency and zeal were known of all.
Upon the fringed borders of his garments was
seen the ribbon of blue, constant remembrance of
God's commandments, a visible warning against forbidden indulgences. Other symbolic representations
were upon his clothing and suspended to his neck,
that spoke of mysteries into which he had been
~ 1 Kings iv: 5.
231 
TIlE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
inducted, rewards for his devotion to his royal and
select master, the king.
And there stood Adoniram, the son of Abda, chief
of the thirty thousand; * whose arduous and thankless task of reconciling the Jews to their unprecedented labor was happily ended.t  He rejoiced
that morning that the din of axes should no longer
echo from Lebanon's side,'mid the rebellious murmurings of his men.  Upon his rugged face flitted no.
shadow of the fearful fate that awaited him long
afterward, under the foolish King Relioboam.
Ornce more he took his honored station with those
who waited in the presence of their Lord, and forgot
the snowy peaks, the forest gloom, and th% painful
anxieties of the hard service past.
Side by side with his distinguished brother Zabud,
was Azariah, principal officer, medium of communication with the large and well-born company of
officials that filled the courts of the palace. As thus
they waited, hand in hand, to greet the monarch at
his approach, none nobler than these two sons of
Nathan were in that king's realm.
And there was the eldest-born of Zadock, the
priest, the second Azariah, between whom and his
compeers no envy or jealousy was ever found, though
I  Kings xiii and xiv.
t Oliver's Landmarks, Vol. 1, Lect. 15, quotes Mich-elis's "Laws
of Moses, 1203," as follows: "Solomon attempted an innovation
which might have been very obnoxious to the Israelites in putting
them to this kind of work in which foreigners only had been
heretofore employed.":1 Kings xii and xviii.
232 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
rivals in the favor and affection of the king.  Each
felt rewarded by the approval of him to whom all
looked for instruction and reward.
Dressed in the simple robes of their professionyet more honored than their brethren, the Leviteswith the sacred rolls of the Laws reverently extended
in their hands, stood the two sons of Shisba, Elihoreph and Ahiah, the Scribes. Their charge it was
to copy from the ancient manuscripts, choice passages
to be worn in the phylactcries of the HIebrews, and
to preserve the most accurate enumeration of the
sentences, words, and even letters of the law. Very
safe in the hands of these trusty sons of Shisba, was
the heavenly trestle-board that revealed the designs
of God. Attached to their persons were the implements of their profession, the erasing stone,
sponge, ink-horn, and knife.
The recorder, Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud,  oc cupied a conspicuous place in the apartment, sur rounded by a band of subordinate officers, who bore
the ponderous tomes that contained the records of
the building craft. These records, now closed, had
occupied his undivided attention for more than seven
years. Hlis hair had grown gray and his eyesight
din, as he pored night and day over those pages,
anxiously correcting the slightest error, or tracing out
every possible excess or deficiency in the payments.
But his eyes would now find relief, and the short
remnant of. his days be spent quietly beneath the
protecting shadow of him for whom he had toiled so
faithfully.
20
233 
THE GPEAT DEDICATION DAY
Girded with the sword of might, his stern eye
gleaming meteor-like, his lofty form towering over
his comrades, was the brave son of Jehoida, Benaiah,
Captain of the HIost. What was there within the
limit of mortal strength that this strong and resolute
chieftain would not accomplish for one, before whose
royal face his haughty eye, that quailed not before
Philistine or Egyptian, fell gently as the mother's
upon her cradled babe!
All these had left their stations at daylight under
charge of their respective lieutenants, and hastened
to pay early homage to their master, and to receive
his last directions for the duties of the day.
In the rear were the twelve officers whom Solomon
had placed over all Israel, to provide victuals for the
royal household.*   This task, in itself immensely
arduous,t had been vastly increased by the necessity
for making preparation for the dedication and the
subsequent festival.  The storehouses in Jerusalem
had been filled to overflowing. t The fertility of
Mount Ephraim, between the plain of Esdraelon and
the city of the great king, had been well-nigh exhausted for the immense supply. The grapes of
Eschcol, the fat herds of Bashan, the desert dates,
the pomegranates, apricots, and peaches of Maan,
the corn, wine, and oil of every plain and hillside
from the river to the sea, had been gathered, spreading joy through the immense population of the city,
yet leaving no lack behind.  Two of these officers
* 1 Kings iv and vii.          t Ib. iv: 22, etc.        I Ib. viii: 63, etc.
234 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
were even now anticipating the royal reward that
awaited their faithful purveyorship.*
Centrally, the cynosure of other illustrious groups,
objects of general admiration and respect, were
Nathan the prophet (honored in receiving the first
communication of the royal David's intention to erect
this temple, now so happily completed by his son),
and Zadock, High Priest, since the deserved degradation of Abiathar, and the death of his ferocious advocate, Joab.
The former stood wrapt in one of the brightest
visions of his seership. The glance of the templeglories through the centuries to come, was well-nigh
too brilliant for his mind.  Hie stood and trembled,
yet blessed God.
Upon tle other glittered the costly and magnificent
robes of the Jewish High Priesthood. His robe of
expiation, a plain linen garment, girded about with a
belt, was now concealed by the Ephod, or " Garment
of gold," which announced the great day of the
nation. This was curiously wrought, with golden
wire, and with threads of blue, purple, and scarlet,
brought from the regions beyond Persia. An onyx
stone gleamed from each shoulder, and bore the
names of six tribes.
Suspended in front, by a wrought chain of gold,
was the mysterious breastplate, adorned with twelve
precious stones, and immovably fixed by its upper
corners to the Ephod.
* 1 Kings iv, xi, and xv.
235 
THiE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
Therein were seen the emerald, jasper, amethyst,
beryl, onyx, chrysolite,  ligure,  carbuncle, topaz,
sardonyx, sapphire, and agate, and thence sparkled
out the spirit when rightly addressed by the ministers
of religion. On his lofty miter were those words,
suggestive of so much that was important for man
to remember: IHIOLLNESS TO THIE LORD. Around him
waited an attendant train of priests, each worthy of
respect and obedience, but lost in the superior blaze
of their chief.
Standing by the wall, as if alien to the spirit of
this scene, was a Phoenician mariner, one deeply in
the confidence of Hiram, King of Tyre.  His garments, so unlike those around him, and the lineaments of his countenance, w,ould have bespoken him
a foreigner, even though the singular notes of his
voice, replying to a kind remark from Zabud, had
not denoted his nationality.
Such, then, was the audience  that awaited  the
monarch of Israel as he entered the hall of reception
on the morning of Dedication. Such the groups,
that with downcast eye and words subdued to softness and respect, made him welcome to that proudest
day of his life.
There was no Babel among those faithful men, no
confusion of tongues, no clashing of ambitious interests. The wisdom of their superior and the holy
work in which they had so long been employed, had
hallowed all their desires, until they had attained
to the same tongue-the tongue of peace, love, and
unity.
236 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
King Solomon came forth! Well was that man
worthy of his servants' deference and loyal respect.
In every trait of character, in every phase presented
us by history or tradition, in every attribute, mental,
moral, or physical, this young and ardent monarch
was  a paragon  of excellence.   God's promise to
David, soothing his wounded heart, and compensating
him for his own rejection as a temple-builder, pointed
out the man of Peace,* Solomon, his son, as the
person whose hands should lay the corner-stonewhose eyes should behold the cap-stone of the great
Temple.
Solomon was a man of consummate wisdom, most
wonderful for the age in which he lived, but unmatched in any age. How acquired, the tongue of
history speaketh not, but its scope was broad enough
to embrace all that man had known.
"Solomon's wisdom," says Holy Writ, "excelled
the wisdom of all the children of the east country and
all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all
men; than Ethan, the Exhahite, and Heman, and
Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of MIahal.  He spoke
three thousand proverbs, and his songs were a
thousand and five, and lie spoke of trees, from the
cedar-tree that is in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop
that springeth out of the wall; he spoke also of
beasts, and of fowls, and of creeping things, and of
fishes."t Nor were these requirements as so much
* The word Solomon signifiespeace or peaceful.
t 1 Kings iv: 30 etc.
237
i 
TIlE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
5 1
selfish wealth, hoarded up and concealed. None were
so profuse in intellectual beneficence as he.  "There
came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
from all kings of the earth which had heard of his
wisdom; "   and none went away dissatisfied.  There
was that in the composition of this philosopher's
mind, not often met with in the wisest, ant aptness to
teach, as precise as the knowledge itself was general,
and this gave him peculiar merit in an age when
knowledge was conveyed in ambiguous style, and
rarely to any save the select few.
The wealth of Israel's young monarch was not
more remarkable than his piety. At the age which
we are describing, he was verily the servant of God;
he lived but for Jehovah; he studied, wrote, toiled
only for his honor.
His knowledge of men, not a common trait in the
character of kings, was like that of the divinity.
His heart, closed and locked to all other eyes but
that of God, was revealed in the conscious look, as
the man stood under the searching gaze of Solomon.
Plots, conspiracies, disloyalties, what were they to
him? as the chaff before the gale, or the fog before
the piercing sun! Whether it was two mothers contending for the living babe; or a band of conspirators
weeping out a late confession; or a tyrannical governor giving account of his official acts; or a steward
rendering up his stewardship; the stammering tongue
confessed, even against the culprit's will, unable to
endure the fire of the royal eye.
* 1 Kings iv: 34.
238 
OF KING SOLOMON' S TEMPLE.
Ah, would that the man of Peace had died at the
close of that Dedication Day! Then had we been
spared the evil of his latter days.   Then had our
hearts never been pained with the sad story of
mental ubiquity, mental degradation, and physical
debasement!
Then had this day of triumph been his last day,
and though his sun had set at noon, yet the memory
of it had glowed forever!
King Solomon came forth! What marvel that the
admiring, almost adoring Jews, who saw in him the
nation honored and fast rising to the pinnacle of
human greatness, should have adopted Solomon as
their model of all that is wise, magnificent, and
great! What marvel that the fraternal bands whose
operative skill he had so wonderfully vitalized into a
moral system, making of "dead works" a living
faith, and giving them to see in THAT which they
ignorantly worshiped, a shadow of Jehovah, should
have substituted for their idol the source of wisdom
as it was humanized in Solomon.'
King Solomon came forth. Hiis morning devotions
had been worthy of the man and the occasion.  He
had found God very nigh to his soul in the retirement of that chamber, and though he was pale with
the very intensity of his thoughts, yet there was a
consciousness of power in his eye, that well became
the man.
Upon his tablets were freshly inscribed some of
those golden aphorisms that have gilded the aphorisms
of every subsequent age, and do make up the pure
239 
THE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
gold of every system of ethics that is acknowledged
by the wise and good. Such phrases as these were
there: " The light of the righteous rejoiceth."*
"When  it goeth well with the  righteous the  city
rejoiceth." t   "The  desire  of  the  righteous  is
only good." I "Righteousness exalteth a nation." ~
"Whoso walketh upright shall be saved."[1 "c The
wicked flee when no man pursueth, but the righteous
are bold as a lion; "   and many more that inspired
men have seized upon and the Spirit of God has
indorsed.
lie approached the foremost group with encouraging words and looks of cheer. Bowing respectfully
before the High Priest, he addressed to him at low
breath his first salutations, then dismissed him with
every mark  of attention.  Hie took the wrinkled
hand of the aged prophet, and laying them reverently
upon his own head, asked a blessing for the day.
He received it, a blessing for things temporal and
things spiritual. lIe inquired of his health, then
gave him into the tender charge of his confidant,
Zabud, that he might receive all needed assistance at
the approaching ceremonies.
To the other officers, the warriors, scribes, purveyors, and supervisors, he spoke in a clear, selfpossessed tone, and gave explicit orders relative to
their duties and stations; then sent them away.
To the noble representatives of his ally and brother,
Hiram, King of Tyre, he presented a sealed missive,
C:. Proverbs xiii: 9. 
lb. xiv: 34.
'240
t lb. xi: - 10.,
I Ib. xxyiii: 19.
t lb. xi: 28.
i lb. xy,,wii-i -, I . 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
that told kind remembrances and morning cheer to
this royal friend.
This duty was ended.   The reception hall was
cleared, save of the servants, and the king returned
to his apartment to gird.himself for the day.
CHAPTER II.
THE PROCESSION.
;LoaRD, I have loved the habitation of thy house.  But will
God indeed dwell upon the earth? Lo, the heavens and the
heaven of heavens can not contain thee!"  "We  have heard
with our ears, O, God. Our fathers have told us what work
thou didst in their day, in the times of old."
AT ten o'clock on the fortunate day of the month
Ethanimr, which is the seventh month of. the year,
corresponding with our 4004 A. L., 1004 B. C., the
procession to dedicate Jehovah's fane was formed.
The Grand Marshal was that indomitable son of
Jehoida, Benaiah, Captain of the HIost.  Assisted by
an immense corps of aids, who had been carefully
tutored for weeks past as to their respective charges,
he arranged the head of the column so that it could
file out of the palace of David, on Mount Zion, at
precisely two hours before high twelve. Such an
array of the living was never seen.  The innumnerable  dead who  will journey  together  toward  the
Throne will only equal its numbers. Our thoughts
21
241 
THE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
habituated to the consideration of lesser quantities
of tens, and hundreds, and thousands, can not easily
admit the idea of millions, yet within that long drawn
procession which wound, as an immense river, through
the streets of Jerusalem, there were not less than
five millions of human beings, besides a countless
company of animals for the national sacrifice.
For the king had summoned the elders of Israel
and all the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the
children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the
Ark of the Covenant of the Lord out of the city of
David, which is Zion.* lie had also invited his
subjects from every tribe, on either side of Jordan,
and from the distant lands into which they had
journeyed from motives of interest or curiosity, to
leave their dwellings and their pleasures, and join
him  in consecrating the sacred edifice.   "To  the
end," he said, "that our children and our children's
children may have it as their inheritance that their
fathers stood on Mounrt Moriah and witnessed  the
first sacrifice upon the brazen altar of its sanctuary."
An invitation had, in like manntier, been forwarded
to every king, prince, and potentate, upon the earth;
requesting them, either in person or by deputy, to
join the princes of Israel in honoring the universal
Lord. t
The obedience to the summons and the acceptance
*2 Chronicles v: 1.
t This fact, overlooked by many historians, assists us to aso.
count for the very general traditions relative to Solomon and his
Temple.
242 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
of the right royal invitation, were alike cheerful and
general.
Accompanied as the generous call had been, with
the assurance that all visitors, whether Jews or Gentiles, should be entertained at the king's cost while
at Jerusalem, there was nothing to hinder the poorest
Jew from mnaking the journey and tarrying at the
capital. The fame of the youthful monarch, which
had already attracted the wise and the skillful to his
feet; the rumors relative to his unequaled Temple,
which had gone abroad; and the inward sense of
worship due to IHim who had cleft sea and river,
that his people might advance to fulfill their glorious
destiny, conspired to attract a delegation from every
court.
Then came up men, women and children, from all the
parts of Judea, until the land was totally depopulated.
The angel of health had flown over their homes until
there was not one sick, not one dying. The young
placed their hands in the palms of their parents, and
with elastic steps undertook the journey.  The aged
braced themselves steadfastly upon their staff, and
leaned hopefully forward, and they commenced the
march. Israel's Hlelper was with them, and though
every road and by-way was thronged with travelers
Zionward advancing, no accident met even the
weakest.
There came up grave judges, dignified rulers, grayhaired teachers, all grades and classes of men
leveled into one, at the command of religious duty.
There came up kings with long trains of atten
243 
TIIE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
dants; embassadors and delegates; the potentates of
mighty nations; men who ruled in despotism, and
men who ruled at the choice of the governed; the
occupants of the throne of luxury robed in purple,
and they who presided over the rude congress of
semi-barbarians.
And as these strangers caused the hilly roads of
Palestine to glitter with the unaccustomed pageantry,
they listened eagerly to many a tale concerning the
chosen people, they had never heard before. They
listened concerning David, whose heart was after the
heart of God, raised from being a shepherd of sheep
to lead the armies of Israel, and to go in and out
before them as their king. And they wondered at
his dying charge: "Thou, Solomon, my son, know
thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a
perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord
searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts:  if thou seek him,  he
will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he
will cast thee off forever." *
They heard of Saul, slain by the hateful Philistines
for his hardness of heart and obstinacy; and of
Jepthah, friendless and childless, though honored of
the nation for his valiant services; and of Joshua,
captain of the millions who had come to repossess
the land of their fathers, after centuries of absence
and bondage;'and of Moses, the meek and faithful
one, who governed those millions for forty years, and
* 1 Chronicles xxviii: 9.
244 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
received at the Divine hand that code of laws which
forms the basis of all subsequent legislation; and of
his conference with God on Sinai's burning top.
With gleaming eyes, the Jews recounted these
traditions of their fathers to the illustrious strangers,
and when the catalogue was done, it was with an
honest pride that they affirmed that all the piety of
David, the courage of Jepthah, the meekness of
Moses, and a wisdom far above the sons of men, were
concentrated in the person of the present king,
Solomon, whose stupendous temple walls would soon
peer above the hills, and mark the termination of
their journey.
Thus animated and thus enlightened, the millions
of Jews and strangers had assembled at Jerusalem,
and awaited the marshaling of the grand procession,
to occupy their respective stations.
The order of the day was the offspring of Solomon's own mind.*  A-reference was made to it by
a still wiser, one thousand years afterward, in the
words: "The last shall be first and the first last."
First came an array of Janitors and Purveyors,
the former with naked blades-indicative of power men  of vigilance and discretion.  The latter con sisted of Baana, Abinadab, Ahimaaz, Baanah, Jehos haphat, Shimei, Geber, and the sons of Hur, of
Dekar, of Ilesed, of Abinadab, and of Geber, in all
twelve, with their subordinates, who had been set
* All Masonic processions, which are or ought to be modeled
upon a common plan, are essentially but copies of the one now
to be described
245 
THE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
over all Israel to provide victuals for the king and
his household: "each man his month in a year made
provision;" with these marched the multitudes of
animals provided for the sacrifices, consisting in part
of "two and twenty thousand oxen, and a hundred
and twenty thousand sheep," * for a peace-offering to
the God of Israel, as commanded through his servant
Moses.
Flanking the advance guards came the trumpeters,
several thousand in number,t who, at stated intervals, blew loud blasts, according to the signals given
them. And so, through the gates of David's palace
of cedar, marched the head of the procession.
Following them came Iluramen, the Grand Architect, a man of great age, venerable for his years and
skill, selected to complete the work which one wiser
than he had brought nigh to its consummation.
Hand in hand, following him, marched by twos the
various subordinates of the Grand Architect, who
bore the well-known Trestle-Board and the various
architectural implements, especially the plumb, square,
and level of the mason's trade. Each one of those
was a man destined to write his name deeply in some
vast project ere he died; some palace, temple, or
pyramid, that should prove him to have marked well
the lessons of his unequaled master. Foreigners
they were, men of Phoenicia, whose dress, visage,
* 1 Kings viii: 63.
t There were two hundred thousand trumpets made to be used
in the Temple service, and forty thousand other musical instruments.
246 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
and speech, pointed them out as a part of those to
whom the promises relative to the Gentiles were
applicable.
The Grand Architect and his deputies were followed closely by the Grand Secretary, Jehoshaphat,
son of Ahibud, of whom we have spokes in a former
chapter, and the Grand Treasurer, both supported
by the numerous officials attached to their respective
offices. The symbols of pen and key betokened then,
as now, the high trust reposed in these distinguished
men.
All eyes among the spectators were turned upon
the group immediately following these.
In their hands they bore what had the semblance
of columns upon a miniature scale, but there were
striking differences in the proportions and adorn ments of these objects. For while some were plain
and even rude, though strong, others were elaborately
carved, and their shafts-gracefully slender, even unto
weakness. They were models of the various orders
of architecture used in constructing the Temple.
A burning taper that appeared dim beneath the
bright sun of Palestine, was borne next in the mighty
procession.
Following this was a band led by the chief Scribes,
Elihoraph and Ahiah, who bore between them a copy
of the Holy Writings. The eyes of all this detach  ment were cast reverentially down, and their whole
demeanor gave evidence that they esteemed this as
the best gift of God to man.
Upon the golden cushion on which the sacred roll
247
liilli 
THE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
was borne, lay emblems of speculative architecture,
strikingly appropriate in connection with the day,
and the purpose which had called out the assembly.
As the casket for this richest of treasures, the
Holy Ark of the Covenant came next, borne by its
staves in thy hands of four reverend ministers of
God, what a thrill passed through the mind of every
one who looked upon that sacred chest! What a
history, rich with the incidents of four hundred and
eighty years, was connected with it. Its construction by the heaven-guided Aholiah and Bezaleel: the
source from which its precious material had been
acquired; its emblematic form, size, and adornments;
the inexplicable cherubim hovering above its mercyseat; its contents; the remembrance of the cloudy
and fiery pillar which had so long guarded it; its
memorable halt in the bed of Jordan; its sevenfold
circuit around  the doomed  walls of Jericho; its
capture by the Philistines, and its remarkable restoration to the true worshipers. The thoughts of each
well-instructed beholder ran from topic to topic
through this long chain of events, as the awe-inspiring box was borne along, and the eager eye was
rendered all the more eager, as it was understood
that this was the last time the ark would ever be
borne in a public procession.*   The  sensation  resembled that of a surviving friend taking his last
look of a beloved object.
* Various legends exist as to the final disposition of the Ark.
That it was taken from the Temple at its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar, and carefully concealed in a cave in Mount Pisgah, we
248 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
More burning tapers followed after the ark. It
was well that the first great light of life should be
accompanied with emblems of physical illumination.
The importance of this kind of practical teaching
was never overlooked by King Solomon.
A large vacancy was allowed here, and then came
the head of the Tyrian division, which preceded in
honor all the representatives of foreign powers.
The pompous court of Hiram, the merchant king,
led the way. There was no end to the display of
precious gems and metals that glittered from the
vestments of this splendid company. All that a navy
which visited every accessible coast in the world,
could collect of rarities, was brought out on this
occasion.   Two  hundred and forty years had the
strong walls of Tyre defied every invader; during
the prosperous reigns of ten monarchs, the treasury
of the kingdom had been waxing exceeding rich.
The brotherly covenant that had existed for forty
years between Hiram and David, had been fraternally
tendered to Solomon, and as freely accepted.
A generous loan of money had been made to the
latter, to strengthen his hands for the great work he
was then commencing.* One hundred and fiftythree thousand six hundred of the most skillful
artisans in all Phoenicia, were, in the same noble
believed by many. Others assert that it was drawn up niraculously into heaven. Some of the Hebrews believe it may still be
discovered.
* 1 Kings x: 14.
249 
THE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
spirit, tendered him to perform the work.*   And
most acceptable of all, the aged and experienced
Hiram, chief of builders, wisest of designers, the
pride of the nation, was sent up to Jerusalem to
crown a long life of honor by placing his name upon
the walls of Jehovah's Temple.
Now he came, that powerful and wealthy monarch,
with all his retinue, men of severe countenances, who
had steered the prows of his vessels westward to the
unnamed islands, northward to the land of tin,t
southward to the stormy cape, eastward to the
mysterious Ophir; men of might, who had led his
armies in many a battle along his extended coast;
men of architectural rank, whose names lie in
cartouch and symbol in the north-east corner of
many a grand edifice so beautiful, that time looking
upon those works erected for eternity, hesitates to
place one finger of his destructive hands upon their
walls; and last of his train the eighty thousand
artificers in marble, and metal, and wood, with their
seventy thousand assistants, all ranked in orderly
manner under the overseers.   Each of these latter
bore the implements of his degree.  Each wore his
masonic badge in a manner to designate at a glance
to the instructed, the state of his masonic advancement. But whatever the implement or however the
badge, there was a gleam of triumph in the eye of
each, that spoke of a long-expected, now realized
t Cornwall in England.
250
* 2 Chronicles ii: 17. 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
object, toward which the hopes of years  had all
gravitated, upon which the honors and rewards of
the future would all be founded.
These having passed, a place was formed for the
attendants of the great king.
And now, every eye that had shrunk from barbaric
splendor, or been dazzled by divine emblems, that
had admired the gratified builders, or trembled before
the majesty of kings, settled with a look of intense
curiosity upon the person of King Solomon.
In the prime of youth, at that boundary line
between hopeful youth and thoughtfill manhood, but
full of the unexampled honors of his name, walked
the pious son of David. The fire of his eyei was
quenched in deep devotion.  As he walked he prayed,
wrapping his face in his royal mantle, and with his
head drooping like a rose leaf in a heavy dew.
On his righit royal head rested the golden crown
worn erewhile by his father Ditvid. The thoughtful
king well understood that upon this proudest day of
his life, his subjects would be gratified to see this
token of himn, who, for nearly half a'century, had
governed them in God's fear.
And as he passed, his feet so reluctantly moving
that the eye could scarcely note his advance, the
mothers of Israel, who were grouped upon every
threshold, who crowded every casement, who swarmed
like bees upon every housetop, raised the hands of
their little ones and pointed them to his person.
Every head was uncovered before him.  Every knee
of aged or young bowed in reverential regard.  A
251 
TIlE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
muttered prayer for the Wise King arose from millions; a spontaneous offering of affection more
precious than the richest gift of kings.
In his right hand was one of those simple emblems
whose explanation is in every man's mouth. It was
the miniature representative of that architectural
implement, the earliest used in the quarries, the
latest used in the finished wall; the only implement
whose sound was permitted (and that only upon a
systematic plan and for peaceful purposes) to break
that awful silence amid which one hundred and fifty
thousand men labored for thirty-six months.* All
who saw this little implement of ivory in the royal
hand, comprehended its meaning; it was the will and
pleasure of him who wielded it to be considered as a
builder most eminent in the ranks of speculative
architecture.
Thus the king passed magnificently over the same
pavement which had felt the tread of the repentant
king of the last reign, as he fled in anguish before
his evil-hearted son, Absalom.t The same pathway
had been trodden eight hundred years before by the
feet of a father-the father of the faithful and
recipient of the promise-bound to the hill-top to
sacrifice his beloved child in accordance with the
Divine command.t Nor was either of these events
absent from the mind of those thoughtful scribes
whose part it was to record and to instruct. 
So the king passed on, and as those who remained
* 1 Kings vi: 7.   t 2Samuel xv: 23.   t: Genesis xxii: 9.
252 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
at the palace on Zion stationed themselves upon the
turrets of the building, and looked eastwardly and
northwardly, they saw that the almost interminable
procession, which three hours before had begun to
file out of the palace gate, had seven times encircled
the whole hill Moriah, as a glittering serpent, and
now stood still, the van-guard and rear-guard having
come together at the grand entrance on the south of
the Temple.
Then, from every part of the assembly burst forth
in one grand chorus, the strains of Israel. Then the
ten score thousand trumpets sounded a blast whose
welcome reached the heavens to which they were
directed, and divine embassadors charged with a
grand commission, that day looked down to see if it
were not the proper time. Then the songs of the
son of Jesse, attuned to glorious melody by his own
sweet harp, and made household words to millions,
were pealed forth as never before or since were
heard. Then sackbut and cymbal, timbrel and flute,
and every form of wind or string instrument known
to the age, shook with the enkindled zeal of the performers.
Again all was hushed.  At a given signal every
voice and instrument ceased to sound, and then it
was known that the king was about to enter the gate
of tile Temple.
Of all the labors of human wealth and power
devoted to worship, the Temple on Mount Moriah
was the most mighty. Compared with this the most
famous shrines of the great kingdoms of idolatry
253 
THE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
the fane of the Ephesian Diana, the master-piece of
Ionian splendor; the Temples of Hercules, that exhausted the skill and the wealth of Phoenicia; the
edifices of Delphi; of Minerva of the Acropolis; of
the Capitoline Jove; of Sancta Sophia in the Rome
of Constantine; of the still more splendid structure
in which the third Rome worships-compared with
this they were but dreams and shadows; they were
but insignificant before the grandeur, the dazzling
beauty, the almost unearthly glory of that Temple,
that once crowned the Mount of Vision of the City
of the Lord.
The court of the Gentiles circled the whole. There
was a fortress of the whitest marble, with its wall
rising six hundred feet from the valley, its kingly
entrance worthy the fame even of Solomon; the innumerable and stately dwellings for the priests and
officers of thIe Temple, and above them, glittering
like a succession of dia(lems, those alabaster porticoes
and colonnades in which the chiefs and sages of the
Jews were to sit, instructing the people, or to walk
to breathe the pure air, and gaze on the grandeur of
a, landlscape which swept the whole amphitheatre of
the mountains.  Rising above this stupendous boundary was the court of the Jewish women, sep,artted
by its porphyry pillars and richly-sculptuired wall;
above this the separated court of the  men; still
higher the court of the priests;  and highest, the
crowning splendor of all, the central TEMPLE, the
place of the Sanctuary and of the Holy of Ilolies,
covered with plates of gold, its roof planted with
254 
OF KING S(YLOMON'S TEMPLE.
lofty spear-heads of gold, the most precious marbles
and metals everywhere flashing back the day, till
Mount Moriah stood forth to the eye of the stranger
approaching Jerusalem, as often described in subsequent ages, "a mountain  of snow  studded  with
jewels!" *
The  south gate, through  which  the  King  now
passed (Tthe rear of the procession in which the
monarch had thus far been stationed, was becoming
the head), although not so costly as that upon the
east, was more majestic. It opened into a portico
having three aisles, the lateral ones being each fortyfive feet in height, the central passage ninety feet.
First within this lofty aisle entered the king, followed by his friendly ally of Tyre and the band of
builders. These latter spread themselves out to the
right and left, occupying with the royal visitors and
representatives of princes, the more eligible positions
of that first or outer court; for the time had come
when even those whose hands erected the Temple of
Jehovah, might not enter it any more.
Passing through, the King of Israel entered the
second court, the place of the Jewish women, and
the third, the court of the Jews. Both of these were
speedily filled to overflowing by the various tribes,
according to a preconcerted arrangement, although
the main courts were made to contain more than
three hundred thousand people.
* This vivid description of the Temple we have transferred, with
some alterations, from "Salathiel."
256 
THE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
Rising as he approached the central Temple,
resuming his equanimity as he drew nearer to the
great task allotted to him, the monarch advanced
around the third court, until he stood in the large
area fronting the mystic pillar, Jachin and Boaz,
which  guarded  the  eastern  entrance.   Hlere  he
halted, and again the bursts of music rent the skies.
Again the melodies of the warrior-king mingled and
swelled from the hearts of millions, and then all was
still again.
Solomon was about to tread the checkered pavement and to enter the sanctuary.
The re-arrangement of the procession had brought
the High Priest, the Ark of the Covenant, and the
ministers whose turn it was in course to minister
before the Lord, immediately in the rear of the
king. The Levites, with the sacrificial knives raised
over the heads of the victims, awaited the cominand from their spiritual chief to strike the fatal
blow.   Incense smoked upon the golden altar, and
sent its delicious and  penetrating fragrance into
every part of the Temple courts.  The  clear sun
streamed its crimson rays along the walls and the
roof.   Every  voice  was hushed, every heart  was
still, for it was the moment, the expected point of
time, in which the Lord should acknowledge this
great enterprise by some visible mark of his favor.
256 
OP RING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
CHAPTER III.
THE CLOUD AND THE DEDICATION PRAYER
"WITIOUT faith it is impossible to please God: for he that
cometh- to God, must believe that he is, and that he is a re
warder of them that diligently seek him."  "Behold, how good
and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity."
"I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above
all gods."
Two score lusty hands were grasping each gate
of that eastern entrance. Those massive doors, of
olive wood overlaid with gold, which the strength of
a Sampson could hardly have moved on their hinges,
stood between the monarch and the sanctuary. The
gate-keepers awaited his signal to roll them back.
But the motion was delayed. The stillness that had
gone over the multitude as deep as midnight, was
protracted. King Solomon was lost in silent prayer.
The High Priest, who stood nearest to him, saw his
form quivering beneath his royal robes. He saw the
crown of David sink until it had well-nigh fallen to
the pavement. He heard the muttered words which
conveyed to the Divinre ear all that the swellings of
that pious heart contained. Moved by a spirit of
sympathetic piety he bowed  his own  head,  and
prayed for grace for Israel's king.
Grace and strength were given him at last.  The
crown was upraised again; the quivering ceased;
and with firmness he made the signal for throwing
22
257, 
THIE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
back the mighty portals. The stout forms of the
keepers were instantly applied to the task, and, as
a mountain that slowly and reluctantly yields before
the irresistible power of an earthquake, so did these
mighty masses of wood and metal yield before their
strength.
The entrance to the sanctuary was now clear, and
King Solomon advanced.
Passing between the golden altar, the table of
the shew-bread, and the ten candlesticks of gold,*
he approached the curtain which separated the Holy
Place from the Holy of Holies.  It was looped up,
and that apartment, with all its contents, was clearly
exposed to view.  It was a room only twenty cubits
square, and twenty cubits in height. The walls and
ceiling, covered with plates of beaten gold, were
engraved with figures of palm-trees, open flowers, and
cherubim,t skillfully executed. Jewels of the largest
size and purest water were arranged in astonishing
profusion on the walls. They were set in symbolic
groups upon the ceiling; they sparkled in mysterious
forms upon the sides of the room; they gleamed
brilliantly from every corner; and wherever a ray of
light infringed upon any object, it was sent back
dispersed in prismatic colors by those well-cut gems.
In the center of the apartment was the altar, made
to be the honored recipient of the Ark of the Covenant.  Over that altar stood the two Cherubim, of
image work. The wings of these were twenty cubits
* 2 Chronicle iy 7.             t 1 Kings vi: 29.
258 
OF KING SOLOMON' S TEMPLE.
long, each wing being five cubits; they extended from
wall to wall.  They stood on their feet, and their
faces were inward.
Nothing in the whole Temple was calculated to
excite sentiments of awe, so much as these strange
images. Their position in the very center of the
Sanetum Sanctorum, as if they were its guardians;
their heads fashioned after those of human beings,
which were bent reverently inward and downward, as
though they loved to behold the mercy-seat which
they shielded; their eagle wings extended as for
flight; their strong limbs of a lion; and their feet
shaped like those of oxen-all these, gleaming with
the color of pure gold, and fixed in solemn silence,
as for a vigil of a thousand years, never failed to impress a holy fear upon the beholder.
Into this apartment, passing under the folds of the
looped-up veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and
fine linen, and wrought cherubim thereon,* which
was soon to be lowered as a shield against all prying
eyes, the king advanced to the front of the altar;
then led a circuit, the priests and the ark-bearers
following, until he had compassed the room seven
times, with the altar on his right hand.
Then the ark was placed upon the altar; the staves
by which it had been borne from the foot of Sinai,
through the desert, through Jordan, through all the
battle-fields of Canaan, were drawn out never to be
replaced. The ark was safely seated beneath the
* 2 Chronicles iii: 14.
259 
THE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
wings of the cherubim, and the staves laid aside as
useless things. So shall our limbs, which have borne
our weary bodies through all the pilgrimage of life,
be consigned to a perpetual rest, when we, as vessels
consecrated to God, shall be deposited in the divine
sanctum above.
The Holiest Place was then vacated. Beginning
with the least, the apartment was soon left alone,
save for the presence of the High Priest and King.
The former casting a glance around to see that
all things were properly disposed, then passed
out, treading backward, and lowered the curtain as
he went.
Solomon, alone and for the last time, knelt before
that altar and looked upon that ark. Henceforth,
none but the High Priest (and he but once a year)
could raise that consecrated veil to enter that awful
place. Many a fraternal meeting with the living and
the dead had he enjoyed in that apartment, but those
convocations were now ended. Many a season of
spiritual refreshment had he enjoyed in that retired
place, but those seasons would return no more. It
was a solemn reflection that to him; all the glory and
beauty of the Sanctum Sanctorum, in which had been
displayed his highest skill, his most profuse bounty,
were henceforth to be as things of the past.
One more prayer, one more glance, at altar, ark,
cherubim, golden walls, palm-trees, open flowers and
jewels, and the king resigned himself to depart. IHe
passed beneath the curtain, and saw these things
nevermore.
26.0 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
By this time the priests and( the ark-bearers stood
in groups near the outer gates of the Holy Place.
Through the open portals could be seen, standing
at the east end of the altar, the vast company of the
Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph,
of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and brethren,
being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals, and
psalteries, and harps; and in a band drawn to one
side, was a chosen party of one hundred and twenty
priests, holding golden trumpets, ready to sound.*
The moment had come when, by unanimous consent,
all waited for some Divine token of acceptance. A
solemn look of expectation was on every face. The
appearance of the king as he came among them, increased this intensity of feeling, until it became even
painful.
And then there began to gather around them the
wings  of some  awful, inexplicable darkness!   A
gloom as of midnight, a darkness as of Egypt, which
first occupying the now closed Sanctum, began to roll
from beneath the curtain as a cloud of dense smoke,
moved toward them. The person of Solomon was
first hidden from view; then the splendid garments 6f
the IHigh Priest, who stood by the table of the shewbread, was lost to their sight.
The outer folds of this strange gloom went past
them to the gates, floated out at all thie windows,
crept up the marble walls outside, and shut in the
* 2 Chronicles v: 14.
261 
THE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
whole building, until it met and settled upon the
golden roof above.
The signal was Divine!  The millions who waited
without accepted it with one accord. The one hundred and twenty golden trumpets on the south-east
corner of the grand sacrificial altar were the first to
sound. The singers of HIleman, Asaph, and Jeduthun,
took up their song of praise. Then, tribe by tribe,
thundered forth all Israel, from all the courts of the
Temple, from all the streets of Jerusalem, from the
slopes of the surrounding hills, until, " the great
stones, costly stones, and hewed stones which were
laid in the foundation of the house "* moved beneath
the mighty accord.
"It came even to pass," says the Word that can not
lie, "as the trumpeters and singers were as one to make
one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the
LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the
trumpets, and cymbals, and instruments of music, and
praised the LORD, saying, FOR HE IS GOOD; FOR IIIS
MERCY ENDURETH FOREVER: that then the house was
filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; so
that the priests could not stand to minister by reason
of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD had filled
the house of God."t
With fearful haste fled the janitors, the ark-bearers,
and the priests, and passing between the mystic
pillars, Jachin and Boaz, they joined the groups
t 2 Chronicles v: 13, 14.
262
* I Kings v: 17. 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMIPLE.
around the sacrificial altar.  More slowly, but with
faces pale with emotion, came out the High  Priest
and King Solomon, and placing themselves beside a
brazen scaffold five cubits long, and five cubits broad,
and three cubits high, which the king had caused to
be erected there,* they joined their own voices, as
drops to the mighty ocean of sound that was heaving
around them.
The view from that spot and at that moment was
sublime.  The banners of the Twelve Tribes, antique,
respected as memorials of four hundred years, flags
under vwhich they had conquered at Jericho, at Ascalon, at Jabesh-Giled, at Aroer, were tossing to and
fro as trees in  a mighty gale.  Kings  in foreign
garb stood bare-headed, their crowns ]aid reverently
in the dust before this indisputable manifestation of
Jehovah; their banners covered with every emblem
that mythology  could  claim, every animal, every
memorial connected with their history and soldiership,
gilled  serpents,  lions, women,  gods,  genii, stars,
diadems, and imperial busts, bowed down as unwortly
to stand erect in the Divine presence; their subjects
crouched in terror at this unheard-of event. S:,ges
from every land were conferring together in voices
lost in the general uproar, and storing their memories
with every particular of this event, that could eniichl
tile traditions of future ages.
Women were holding their children aloft that they
might see the cloud, that by this time entirely con
2 Chronicles vi: 13.
268 
THE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
cealed the Temple. The chiefs of the tribes extended
their almond-rods above their heads to encourage
their respective followers to a still louder strain, and
the sun of Palestine shone smilingly down over all.
King Solomon ascended the scaffold and stood in
the view of all Israel.  He spoke: "The Lord hath
said that he would dwell in the thick darkness, but I
have built an house of habitation for Thee, and a
place for Thy dwelling forever." This was said with
his face toward the cloud-enveloped sanctuary, of
which only the typical pillars were now visible.
Then he turned his face southward, and northward,
and eastward, and raising up his hands-at which
signal the immense volume of sound suddenly ceased,
and Israel became silent as the grave-he solemnly
blessed his assembled people, in the name of the most
high God. "The eternal God be thy refuge," hoe
said, "and underneath thee be the everlasting arms."
He pronounced upon  them  there, the  canonized
blessings of the city; of the field; of the fruit of
the body and the fruit of the ground; the fruit of
the cattle; the increase of kine and the flocks of
sheep; of the basket and of the store; coming in and
going out. He declared that the enemy approaching
one way should flee seven ways before them. That a
good-will from heaven should settle upon their storehouses and upon all that they attempted. That the
Lord  should make  them plenteous in  all things;
should open unto them his good treasure and the.
heavens to give them rain. That they should lend
to many nations, and borrow from none.  That they
264 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
should be head of all and above all, living in settled
peace and dying in glorious hope. *
The words, in that clear air, went plainly to the
ears and hearts of millions.
And he furthermore addressed them in these words:
'"Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who hath with
his hands fulfilled that which he spake with his
mouth to my father David, saying: Since the day
that I brought forth my people out of the land of
Egypt, I chose no city among all the tribes of Israel
to build an house in, that my name might be there;
neither close I any man to be a ruler over my people
Israel; but I have chosen Jerusalem that my name
might be there; and have chosen David to be over
my people Israel.  Now, it was in the heart of David
my father, to build an house for the name of the
LORD God of Israel. But the Lord said to David my
father, forasmuch as it was in thine heart to build
an house for my name, thou didst well in that it was
in thine heart; notwithstanding, thou shalt not build
the house; but thy son which shall come forth out of
thy loins, he shall build the house for my name.
The LORD, therefore, hath performed the word that he
bath spoken; for I am risen up in the room of David
my father, and am set on the throne of Israel as the
Lord promised, and have built the house for the
name of the LORD God of Israel; and in it I have
put the ark, wherein is the covenant of the Lord that
he made with the people of Israel."
* Deuteronomy xxviiil
23
265 
THiE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
To this honest acknowledgment that all bounties
and grace come from God, a sentiment of accordance
went through the people; for it was good to confess
this thing before the kings and philosophers of the
heathen; it was well that tradition, which was to
preserve the day's wonders, should add this act of
worship to the rest.
And now came the Dedication Prayer.
It was to this that the thoughts of many a sleepless
night had been  sanctified.   For this, the  written
history of God's dealings with his nation, with all the
nations of the earth, had been examined, and the experience of his own life rendered subservient.  All
that man, under the dispensation of the day, could
ask of God, was to be comprehended in it; while the
purposes for which the Temple was erected and the
importance of its long preservation by the chosen
people, must not be omitted.
Theiefol'e, kneeling down on his knees before all
the co,ngregation of Israel, and spre.d(ling forth his
halnd(s toward heaven, he s;lid:  " 0  Lorid God. of
Israel, there is no God like thee, in the heavens nor
in the earth; which keepest covenant and  showest
mercy unto thv servants that walk before thee with
all their hearts; thou  which  host kept  with thy
servant David(l, my fatl-her, that which thou promised
hiln, saying: There shall not fail thee a maln iu my
sight to sit upon the throne of Israel; vet so that thy
chil(dren take heed to their way to walk in my law,
as thou hast walked before me.   Now then, O LORD
266 
OF KLNG SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
God of Israel, let thy word be verified which thou
hast spoken unto thy servant David."
Magnificent caption to the sublime prayer that
followed.
I-ow must the hearts of that fraternal band have
echoed the words: " There is no  God like Thee!"
of that firaternal band, who, for more than seven years
had forsaken home and kindred to labor on this
work! By day they had been scorched with summer
heat or chilled by winter cold; by night their softest
pillow had been the ground; no relaxation of labor
had they known; * no cheerful visits to friends; early
to labor, late to rest; their grand stimulus of exertion, the hope that their eyes should not be closed
in death until they had beheld this auspicious dedication; well might they echo their Grand  Master's
words:' There ts no God like Thee, in the heavem
"or in the earth! "
But here a doubt intruded into the heart of the
royal worshiper. A question of locality arose and
raised up a skeptical thought, despite his remarkable
faith. His tongue uttered the thought, "But will
God in very deedI dwell with men  on the earth?"
The righteousness of Jehovah; the utter worthlessness of mankind; the vastness of His habitation;
the insignificance  of ours-was it remarkable that
* The fact recorded by Josephus, that during the building of
the Temple there was no rain fell in the daytime to interrupt the
labor, gives additional testimony to the severity of the toil, siie
ao rest days were known save the Sabbaths.
267 
THIE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
even SoIomon's mind staggered for an instant under
the thought: "Behold, heaven and the heaven  of
heavens can not contain thee; how much less this
house that I have built! "*
It was but a moment, however, a little moment of
unbelief. The remembrance of the promise that the
LORPD would assuredly put his name there, gave new
force to his words, and he advanced further in the
Prayer of Dedication.
"hIave respect, therefore, to the prayer of thy
servant, and to his supplication, 0 Lord my God,
to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which thy
servant prayeth before thee: that thine eyes may be
open upon this house day and night, upon the place
whereof thou hast said that thou wouldst put thy
same  there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy
servant prayeth toward this place.. Hearken, therefore, unto the supplications of thy servant, and of
thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this
place; hear them from thy dwelling-place, even from
heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive!"
The various petitions which the inspired king here
offered up, are seven in number.   The fifth is expressly applicable to the stranger, the dweller in a
foreign land. Five parts refer to misfortunes liable
to befall the people of God, and to the remedy for
those ills.  The  remaining portion relates to the
punishment for perjury, the most daring of offenses
against God.
*2 Chronicles vi: 18.
268 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
Relieved now of all mental embarrassments and
doubts, and warmed up with his high mission as the
mouth-piece  of that immense multitude, the king
proceeded:
"If a man sin against his neighbor, and an oath
be laid upon him to make him swear,, and the oath
come before thine altar in this house, then hear thou
from heaven, and do and judge thy servants by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon
his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by
giving him according to his righteousness."
Thus was the Temple made a testing-place of
truth, in which no liar could stand, before whose
altar all deceit should be revealed.
"And if thy people Israel be put to the worse
before the enemy, because they have sinned against
thee, and shall return and confess thy name, and
pray and make supplication before thee in this house;
then hear them from the heavens, and forgive the sin
of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the
land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers."
The national experience of four hundred and
eighty years had taught the king'that no expectation
of Divine help need be entertained, save by those
whose sins are covered through repentance and faith.
"When the heaven is shut up and there is no rain
because they have sinned against thee; yet if they
pray toward this place and confess thy name, and
turn from their-sin when thou dost afflict them; then
hear them from heaven and forgive the sin of thy
servants and of thy people Israel, when thou hast
269 
THILE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
taught them the good way wherein they should walk;
and send rain upon thy land which thou hast given
unto thy people for an inheritance."
" If there be dearth in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting or mildew; locusts or
caterpillars; if their enemies besiege them in the
cities of their land; whatsoever sore or whatsoever
sickness there be; then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy
people Israel; when every one shall know his own
sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his
hands in this house, then hear them from heaven, thy
dwelling-place, and forgive; and render unto every
man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou
knowest (for thou only knowest the hearts of the
children of men); that they may fear thee, to walk
in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which
thou gavest unto our fathers."
Thus far the king had made petition only for his
own people. Was there not a place in that great
soul for the whole of mankind? There was:
"Moreover, concerning the stranger which is not
of the people of Israel, but is come from a far country
for thy great name's sake, and thy mighty hand, and
thy stretched-out arm; if they come and pray in this
house, then hear them from the heavens, even thy
dwelling-place, and do according to all that the
stranger calleth to thee for; that all people of the
earth may know thy name and fear thee, as doth thy
people Israel, and may know that this house which I
have built is called by thy name."
270 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
"If thy people go out to war against their enemies
by the way that thou shalt send them, and they pray
unto thee toward this city which thou hast chosen,
and the house which I have built for thy name; then
hear thou from the heavens their prayer and their
supplication, and maintain their cause."
"If they sin against thee (for there is no man
which sinneth not), and thou be angry with them and
deliver them over before their enemies, and they
carry them away captives unto a land far off or near;
yet, if they bethink themselves in the land whither
they are carried away captive, and turn and pray
unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying: We
have sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt
wickedly; if they return to thee with all their heart,
and with all their soul, in the land of their captivity,
whither they have carried them away captives, and
pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto their
fathers, and toward the city which thou hast chosen,
and toward the house which I have built for thy
name; then hear thou from the heavens, even from
thy dwelling-place, their prayer and their supplica tions, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy
people which have sinned against thee."
Such were the petitions registered in heaven that
day, from the heart of assembled Israel.  For, at the
close of each, the voice of the multitude went up as
the mingled roar of many waters in the grand AMEN!
AMEN!! AMEN!!!
Then, in a still louder key, his face flushed with
excitement, his hands quivering as he held them
271 
THE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
upward toward Heaven's throne, the impassioned
speaker concluded:
"Now, my God, let, I beseech thee, thine eyes be
open and let thine ears be attent unto the prayer
that is made in this place. Now, therefore, arise,
0 LORD God, into thy resting-place, thou and the
ark of thy strength: let thy priests, 0 LORD God,
be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in
goodness.   0  LORD  God, turn not away the face
of thine anointed: remember the mercies of David
thy servant."
And the Dedication Prayer was done.
CHAPTER IV.
THE FIRE AND THE DEPARTURE.
< THY right hand hath holden me up."  "Surely goodness
and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will
dwell in the house of the Lord forever." "Praise ye the LORD.
Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the
LORD."'
THIE last mighty AMEN, AMEN, AMEN, reverberated
through the defiles of Judah's hills, and Solomon
arose from his praying. Every sentiment of adoration had been exhausted; every petition had been
comprehended. The sublimest form of devotion that
the Spirit of God had ever kindled up in a human
heart, had been uttered. It was recorded in the
presence of angels, by an angel's pen, that they
972 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
might know of what human piety is capable. It was
recorded by the Scribes, who were ttle historians of
Israel, to the end that it might be laid up in the
archives of the nation. It was recorded by many
"a stranger  who  had  come  out of  a far-distant
country" (sages upon whose lips hung the wisdom
of a nation), to the end that a memorial of this
day's transactions should have a place in every
record-chamber on earth; and in the fragments of
lore that have come down to this latter generation,
may be traced the pious sentiments which they bore
away in their copies of that prayer.
It was recorded by the secretaries of those fraternal companies, whose system, skill, and handiwvorkmanship had raised the edifice, which, through this
prayer, they had beheld consecrated. This explains
how thlat every lodge of speculative Freemasons in
the wide world possesses the religious sentiments
embraced in that unparalleled form of devotion, and
thus they complete the harmony in their dedication
which runs through every other portion of their
moral structure.
Thus, then, the first part of the ceremony, that of
placing the Ark of the Covenant  vithlin the HIoliest
Place, had been accomplished, and the descent of the
cloud betokened the Divine approval.
The prayer had been uttered, whose acceptance at
the heavenly throne was proven by the religious
glow upon the countenance of every Jew present.
There was yet remaining the offering up of sacri fices upon the great altar, "twenty cubits being the
273 
THE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof,
and ten cubits the hight thereof."*   This, the last
great care of that illustrious day, was now to be
undertaken.
In the vast molten sea, which held six thousand
gallons, the priests who waited in course this day, had
purified themselves for the work of national sacrifices.
This great font was "ten cubits from brim to brim,
round in compass, and five cubits the hight thereof;
and a line of thirty cubits did comnpass it round
about. And under it was the similitude of oxen
which did compass it round about, ten in a cubit,
compassing the sea round about. Two rows of oxen
were cast when it was cast. It stood upon twelve
oxen, three looking toward the north, and three
looking toward the west, and three looking toward
the south, and three looking toward the east; and
the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder
parts were inward.   And the thickness of it was an
handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the
brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies; and it received
and held three thousand baths." t
KIing Solomon descended from the scaffold and
approached  the  altar.  Around  it was now  congregated the multitude of offerings which had been
brought up by all the people to be sacrificed.
A liberality almost unbounded, had been exercised
by all for the occasion.   From  the king himself
(whose princely gift consisted of two and twenty
* 2 Chronicles iv: 1.         t 2 Chronicles iv: 2.
274 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
thousand oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand
sheep), to the desolate widow, whose poverty yielded
nothing but the turtle-doves, all had come up to
Jerusalem provided with some objects for sacrifice
and offering.
Beautifully select they were; beautiful in colors
and proportions; precious in value; the best of the
best; there was no blemish or evil-favoredness found
at all in them.*
All had had respect to the commandment connected
with the prophecy this d'y fulfilled, delivered through
Mloses so long before:  "Unto the place whlich the
Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to
put his name there, even unto his habitation, shall
ye seek, and thither thou shalt come, and thither ye
shall bring your burnt-offerings, and your sactifices,
and your tithes, and heave-offerings of your hand,
and your vows, and your freewill-offerings, and the
firstlings of your herds and of your flocks."t
The ceremony of sacrifice was symbolic in all its
parts.   It pertained alone to the sacerdotal order,
alnd during its accomplishment, the king, like the
lowliest of his subjects, stood apart.
The Hiigh Priest, the spokesman of the nation,
laid off the golden garments, and appeared in the
linen vesture,'Which were the holy garments.t  Ho
took a young bullock for a sin-offering. and a. ram
for a bturnt-offering; these were out of the portion
presented to the sons of Levi.
* Deuteronomy xvii: 1.          t lb. xii: 5, etc.       t lb. xvi: 4
2'if 5 
THE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
From the general stock he then selected two kids
of the goats for a sin-offering, and one rami for the
burnt-offering.   For an atonement for himself and
his house he first offered a bullock. The two goats
being presented before the Lord  were then made
subjects for lots, one lot being cast for the Lord, the
other lot for the scape-goat; the former was brought
forward and offered, the other sent into the wilderness (first having the hands of the High Priest laid
upon his head, and confession made of the national
iniquities), to bear away those iniquities into a land
not inhabited.
The hligh Priest then took a censor full of burning
coals fiom off the altar, and his hands full of sweet
incense beaten small, and entered that lonely place
within the veil, still dark with the overshadowing of
that awful cloud. IIe put the incense upon the fire
before the Lord; and of the blood of the bullock he
sprinkled  with  his  finger seven  times  upon  the
mercv-seat eastward. In like manner did he with
the goat upon which the death lot had fallen, offering
up, bearing its blood within the veil, and sprinkling
it therewith seven times.
Returning to the great altar, he cleansed it and
hallowed it from the uncleanness of the children of
Israel, by the same sevenfold sprinkling.
These preliminary exercises being performed, it
only remained for the Levites to complete the great
sacrifice. Then bled the veins of thousands of cattle,
and tens of thousands of feathered things. Then
flowed the blood,.: type of a blood yet to flow for the
276 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
sons of men, so precious, that one drop would outweigh the value of a world.   Then cried aloud in
their last agonies, the brute multitude doomed in
their innocence to die for the guilt of others, even
as One, the Divine model of Innocence, should yet
cry aloud in his last anguish, and protest against the
hard-heartedness of men.
The number of officiating priests being very great,
the sacrifice, vast indeed, and costly as became such
a nation, was soon accomplished.
The piles were heaped upon the altar until it could
contain no more.   Then  great heaps were made
around it, and the work being done, the ministers
washed themselves free firom the blood and pollution,
and awaited further commands. The twelve brazen
oxen which bore the immense sea upon their backs,
and looked with stolid eyes to the north and the west,
and the south and the east, were not more silent
at their stations now than the band of ministers who
bore upon their inquiring faces the words:  "What
will God work?"
By this time the Temple was partially freed fiom
its muriky  investiture.   The  golden roof gleamed
brilliantly under the rays, now turned eastwardly in
their direction.   The mystic pillars displayed their
tall fo)rms with distinctness, and proclaimed aloud the
lessons with which they were fraught to the initiated.
"These were each eighteen cubits high, and a line
of twelve cubits did compass either of them about.
Two chapiters of molten brass were set upon the tops
of the pillars, each five cubits in height; and nets of
277 
THE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
checker-work and wreaths of chain-work for the
chapiters, seven for each. There were two rows
round about the net-work of each, to cover the
chapiters upon the top with pomegranates.  And the
chapiters were of lily-work, in the porch four cubits.
And the chapiters had pomegranates also above, over
against the belly which was by the net-work; and the
pomegranates were two hundred, in rows round about
upon the other chlpiters. These pillars were set up
in the porch of the Temple; and the right pillar was
called Jachin, and the left Boaz, and upon the top of
the pillars was lily-work."*
Fiesh from their molds, "in the clay ground, in
the plain of Jordan, between Succoth and Zarthan,"-'
these wonderful columns glowed and smiled in the
bright sunbeams, as though no adverse fate, no
destructive  hammers,  no  foeman's profane  hand,
should ever come nigh them.+
The ancient olives, that even then gave their name
to the lill on the other side of the brook Kedron,
sent a g' een, cheerful hue, to match the bright golden
of the Temple.  But not a brieath of air stirred their
leaves or made music among their boughs.
Far in the south —e,lst, ily sullen and voiceless, that
Dead Sea whose face bore upon it a history of eight
huit(1red years.  Its silent dwellers, the ph.intoms,
fiends, and  imn1ges of hlorror, who  possessed no
tongue to tell the awful doom of Sodoni an(l Gomorrahli, in whose streets lay their submerged dwellings,
* 1 Kings vii: 15 to 21.   t 1 Kings  vii: 46.  t:Jeremiah lii: 17.
278 
OF KLNG SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
were not more silent this moment than the millions
who filled Jerusalem.
The silence began to be painful.   The king had
again ascended the brazen scaffold, but his subjects
and his visitors looked to him in vain for a signal
that should dispel it. He cast his look above. At
this thoughtful gesture, those who were set apart with
trumpets, and with harps, with psalteries, and with
cymbals, raised their instruments nervously, as if
prepared to sound.
" Now THIE FIRE came down from heaven, and con
sumed the burnt-offerings and the sacrifices."  "And
when all the children of Israel saw'how the fire
came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the
house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the
ground upon the pavement, and worshiped and praised
the Lord, saying: FOR IE IS GOOD; FOR HIS MERCY
ENDURETH FOREVER!' *
So the king and all the people dedicated the house
of God.
Once more the voice of the nation swelled upward,
in one unanimous outpouring of praise.
Once more the clang of metal, and the blast of
air, and the dulcet notes of strings, were made
accordant in glorifying God.
Once more the grand structure built for a thousand
ages, built for a God whose measure is in eternity,
shook from foundation-stone to apex with the earthquake of human adoration.
r~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* 2 Chronicles vii: 1.
279 
THE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
Once more banners tossed, and kingly crowns were
laid humbly before the feet of the wearers, and
heathen standards were bowed low, and philosophers
conferred together of him, the first, the last, the God
of gods!
O! on that triumphant day, when the people at
last arrived to a full consciousness of their importance
as the chosen seed, what full measure of gratitude
did Israel offer? Why was there ever a weaker song,
a less concordant strain, upraised from that holy
hill?
What evil spirit, in unlucky hour, dropped the
seeds of human pride into that young, noble heart,
that swelled with such piety that hour before
Jehovah?
The work was done.
The vast pile of sacrifices, which, a moment before
concealed all the great altar from every eye, was
now but a residuum of ashes, to be scattered at the
hands of the priests to the four winds of heaven.
The work was done.
The trumpets of the guards sounded the signal of
recall. The Captain of the HIost took his position as
before, and the long procession, which had folded
itself as a glittering serpent, seven times round the
Temple, began slowly to unwind.
The same order was preserved as at the approach,
until the king reached the gates of his own palace;
then, as a mighty enchantment, the great assembly
was dispersed. 
A feast was commenced which lasted seven days.
280 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
All the abundance of that land of milk and honey
was dispensed at the king's cost, and none were
allowed to go empty away.
Twice a day public audience was held in!he king's
palace, where the visiting princes, and the delegates
of national governments, together with all the wise
and the learned who sought to see Solomon, and to
hear of his wisdom, were freely admitted.
Seated upon a miagnificent throne, and surrounded
by the chivalry that had honored the court of his
father David, he welcomed all comers,  speaking
fluently to each in his own tongue, and inviting
those who would, to ask him questions.
Many a profound difficulty, weighty, inexplicable to
all others, yielded before the eye of his mind. Many
a problem pregnant with a thousand issues, was
solved by him so readily that the proposers shamed
themselves that they had occupied hts attention with
topics so light.
Many a question of jurisprudence was brought forward, and his answers, each one a golden maxim, are
found to this day incorporated in the laws which
have governed nations for thousands of years.
With each of his royal visitors he entered into
intimate relations, whose counterparts exist in all
nations, symbolized in figures; developed in cere monies; working glory to God in the highest; on
earth peace, good-will toward men;  and embracing
within themselves the elements of perpetuity while
there is a moral edifice to be erected, or a vice to be
stricken off the souls of men.
24
281 
THE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
From sunrise to high twelve;  from the hour of
resuming labor to the going down of the sun in the
west, the fraternal bands of builders, whose hands
were now at rest, labored mystically to reward the
good and true for labor done.   The mystic gavels
resounded; the emblematic jewels gleamed; the
watchful Tyler exercised his vigilance, and now was
perfected that GRAND MORAL SYSTEM OF FREEMASONRY
which, from the days of Adam, mankind had been
incessantly building up.
Its materials, the virtuous and the laborious; its
master builders, the Enochs, the Noahs, the Abra hams, the Moseses, the Joshuas; SOLOMON, KING OF
ISRAEL, set up the cap-stone in the last arch, arid
under God, accepted the dedication thereof.
There was not a signal connected with it which
did not point either to man's extremity, or to God's
opportunity. 
There was not a grip which did not speak of
human relations that demand human sympathies.
There was not a word that did not tell of power,
permanency, or wisdom, as the result of active,
thorough devotion.
There was not a ceremony which was not full of
instruction upon the great divisions of human knowledge; its grand aims were for the first time clearly
conveyed in the speaking terms, fraternity, devotion,
information.
And day after day the blood of victims smoked
around the great  altar,  and  the  fire, preserved
from that divinely communicated on the Dedication
282 
OF KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
Day, was kindled to consume the offerings piously
made.
"A certain rate was offered every day, offering
according to the commandment of Moses," and from
this time the sacrifices began, "on the Sabbaths, and
on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts, three
times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened
bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of
tabernacles."
So the work and the dedication were alike completed. The very great congregation "from the
entering in of HIamath unto the river of Egypt,"
was entertained in his own royal manner, for seven
days, and in the eighth day they made a solemn assembly, "for they kept the dedication of the altar seven
days, and the feast seven days. And on the threeand-twentieth day of the seventh month, he sent the
people away into their tents, glad and merry in heart
for the goodness that the Lord had showed unto
David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people." *
The assembly at the parting hour, was truly a
solemn scene, and full of that pathos which is in the
whole thought of farewell forever.
There were kind words fiom the king, messages
of princely respect, tokens of remembrance and
love.
There were tears of affection from his subjects,
prayers for his welfare, offers of devotion to his
service.
* 2 Chronicles vii: 92 etc.
283 
THE GREAT DEDICATION DAY
Again the roads of Palestine were crowded with
pedestrians, but all with their backs turned upon the
golden city.  Each traveler as he arrived at some
point which was to shut out from his view the whole
scene, paused, turned, drank in a last draught of its
matchless glories, and so departed.
Last of all came the breaking up of the system
of Builders, cemented by ties of ninety months'
entwining, which had carried through this great
work so successfully. What was said in that tyled
assembly, that model and origin of all Grand
Lodges; what was promised for the future; what
tokens of love, broken tesseras, exchanges of pledges
passed from hand to hand, from lip to lip, from
heart to heart, can not be recorded in any vernacular;
yet it is indelibly impressed upon many a loving
heart.
They parted. The ships at Joppa were loaded
with their freightage. Carmel witnessed their orderly bands winding around his base, and pursuing their
way, along the sea-shore, northward. Lebanon saw
them in groups, encamping night after night, each
camp still nigher home. Then a city came forth to
meet them, and to hail the return of their king;
then a nation extended its arms to welcome them
back, and so they reached their homes.
Years passed away.  They were scattered everywhere, but everywhere at work; everywhere transforming shapeless material into forms of exquisite
art; everywhere extending the knowledge they
had earned by so long and arduous an  -ppren
284 
OF KING SOLOMON' S TEMPLE.
ticeship; everywhere conjoining the knowledge of
moral with that of operative Masonry; everywhere
distinguished to the eye by the badge of their profession, and known to the world by the honorary
appellation  of Solomon's  Builders.   Your  hand,
Brother!  The builder is still at work!
285 
0  git in   tut t odot-goom.
A TALE OF MASONIC HUMORS.
Lovingly Inscribed to pro. oenj. Jf. Webster,
OF RICHMOND, KY.
IAVE we ever related our incident of the night at
Aluminum Lodge.  Probably not.  Rather than look
over our files to see, we will jot down the whole
circumstances just as they occurred; and here they
are.
We had met the trusty Brethren of Aluminum by
previous appointment, that night. 0, how long ago
that night seems to us, when we look back upon it
now! Not a gray hair sparkled on our head, not
a wrinkle marked our face then. Nearly every man
who faced us that stormy night at Aluminum, has
since that night faced his coffin-lid, his God, and his
final doom.
We had lectured them-we repeat, that very night.
We had expatiated on the landmarks, and very patiently did those plain, honest brothers and fellows
listen to us on the landmarks. Who couldn't lecture
to men who listen as well as they did? We had
glanced over the covenants-ah, what freedom of
speech we used to have in those days on the covenants! Who of our old pupils but that remembers
(286) 
A NIGHT IN THIE LODGE-ROOM.
our explication of S.II.O.C.S; and the tenth point;
and  the Texas "emergency;"  and the Louisiana,
Teuton, with his feeble appreciation of a Divine trust;
and all those things with which we beguiled the passing
hours, and impressed mnemonically the various points
of our subject upon the minds of our hearers.
We had told a few score chaste and delicate anecdotes, such as charmed the knights at Chicago one
evening, about the turning of the sun, not many years
since-and not until low xii. was announced on our
watch, which lay open before us, did we close up our
discourse, and prepare to retire.
After eating the half dozen cold hens, ponderous
in their fatness, that had been provided for the occasion, garnished, we must not neglect to say, with
biscuit admirable in toughness, and coffee mighty in
strength, we opened the door at the head of those
steep and narrow stairs outside the building, to
depart, when behold at impediment, an impossibility!
Some ungodly youth-they will never arrive to the
years of discretion —had pulled down those clattering
old steps (it must have been while we were telling that
"do-you-feel-anything?" yarn of ours, or some of
us would have heard the fall), and the twentyeight
of us Freemasons were prisoners in the third story
of an isolated( brick house! Worse than that, it had
been raining cats and dogs for the last twelve hours,
and the whole country-the lodge-hall stood on low
ground, where lodge-halls never ought to stand-hill
and dale, was under water! Here was a pretty state
of things! - The look of consternation that passed
287 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
around the twenty-eight of us, was pitiable to behold.
Old Jimmy Davids, who had an appointment to preach
and immerse some people the next morning, used a
scriptural phrase far out of its scriptural connection.
Jack Evans (they all called him I-vins, we remember),
murmured something about his wife, which we thought
we understood, having one ourself. Langley Feex
groaned bitterly in relation to some business of his,
which he solemnly vowed would go to "wrack and
ruin," if he wasn't at home by chicken-crowing to
attend to it. While Obed Brown, the schoolmaster,
was worst of all in his objurgations, though otherwise a moral man; for the next day was examination
with him, and he had twenty-five miles to ride.
We spoke:-Brethren of Aluminum Lodge, listen
to me. (We had knocked every one of them down
before we commenced.) I, too, sorrow for this disappointment, and were those impious juveniles who
have cast our Jacob's ladder so rudely to the earth, but
s.o much nearer heaven than they ever will get, my
hand would pummel and my foot impress itself upon
the fleshier portions of their persons, and I should feel
justified in these exhibitions of my wrath. But what
matters grieving? We are all-all here. We can't
go home till morning, till daylight doth appear.
Why not make a night of it? There is yet coffee
in the pot (it was a six-gallon vessel full, so strong
that Brother Shaggs' tuning-fork, which he accidentally dropped into it, floated), and vast wrecks of the
cold hens and seven baskets full of the fragments
of biscuit.  There is an inexhaustible fund of Ma
288 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
sonic anecdote too in this repertorium of mine
(alluding to our finely-organized cranium). You are
not half full of Masonic food yet. Let us make a
night of it?
"Agreed!" " That's right!" " Go it!" " Amen!"
"Yes, yes!"  "So mote it be!"  Such, and others,
were the friendly interjections that in a torrent of
enthusiasm followed our speech. A rush was incontinently made to the hens, whose mighty skeletons
were presently heard cracking within the dental apparatus of twenty-eight pair of jaws, until there
wasn't a pope's nose left of the half dozen. Coffee,
whose specific gravity far exceeded the scale of
Liebig, was swallowed in such inconsiderate quantities, that none of us slept quietly for a week afterward;  and then, grouping around the stove, with
vests, suspenders, and boots loosened, the twentyseven good fellows of Aluminum took a deadly stare
at us as a hint to begin. We were in for it now,
beyond all question.   Seven hours of amusement
and instruction we stood pledged to afford them.
So opening our jackknife, mounting those large
goggles we used to wear (Bro. M. Webb, you remember them?) elevating our pedal extremities on a
chair, so that the blood might easily flow back to
the heart when necessary, we gracefully waved our
jackknife at the awaiting group as if to intimate the
profoundest silence, and began a "Night  in the
Lodge-room."
Brethren:-Albeit not myself addicted to the use
of narcotics, yet I like the smell of tobacco, par         25
289 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
ticularly from  a  corn-cob pipe.   Our  celebrated
Brother, Andrew Jackson, of whom you have all
heard-(" Hurrah for Jackson!" shouted thirteen of
the twenty-seven, without reflecting upon the enormity
of the crime; and " Hip, hip, hurrah, for Jackson!"
-yelled the other fourteen before we could bring them
to order. We frowned slightly, but with a pleasant
look shook our jackknife at the whole of them, as a
token of warning not to do it again, and recommenced.)
All political allusions, in the lodge, my Brethren,
are expressly prohibited in our regulations. For
what sayeth the Ancient Law under this head?
Brother Coldstreet, you can quote it from memory;
pray do so? Upon this, Brother Alonzo Coldstreet
arose and recited the regulation, thus:  "We are of
all nations, tongues, kindreds, and languages, and are
resolved against all politics, as what never yet conduced to the welfare of the lodge, nor ever will."
(Well he might quote this from memory, for he had
made it a point ever since his initiation the preceding
year, to repeat the whole of the Ancient Charges
over his box of tin-he is a tinner by trade-twice
a day, and ever will.)
You observe, my Brethren, we resumed, what the
law is, and you will now see how improper such excllma,tions as those you just now uttered-for they
could only have proceeded from the most ardent
political feelings.  As  was once remarked by our
distinguished and veteran Brother, Ilenry Clay.
(" Hurrah for Clay!" shouted  twenty-one of the
290 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
twenty-seven, and " Huzza for Harry of the West!"
splittingly screamed the other six; whereat the whole
crowd jumped up in a high state of excitement, upsetting the stove, and ran and shook our hands till
they hurt. We frowned again, but, if possible, more
pleasantly than before, assisted in righting up the
stove, and, after some difficulty, found our jackknife,
caused silence to return, and resumed.)
I was about to say, my Brethren, that I admire
the smell of burning tobacco, particularly from cobpipes, and if any of you would wish to smoke while
I am entertaining you, pray consider yourselves entirely at liberty to do so. It is likely, however, that
only a few of you will wish to do so.
Only a few of them did; that is, only twenty-four;
the other three having already commenced. (By
the way, that little finesse of ours about cob-pipes,
we take it, was rather neatly managed, for we knew
very well by the bulge in their coat pockets, that
every Mason among them had brought a cob or two
from  home  for pipe  purposes.)   Very  soon  the
twenty-seven were peacefully at work at their calumets, and from that moment we saw no more of
them till daylight. Indeed, we have sometimes had
our doubts, reflecting upon the intensity of that fog,
whether Aluminum Lodge-room has ever been cleared
of smoke since. We recollect how, in a Tennessee
lodge one night, we were raising a candidate and
lost him in the tobacco smoke; nor have we ever
been able to affirm positively to this day, that we
291 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
ever did finish off the right man that night! But
we must take care not to digress in our story.
And now, my Brethren, that you are comfortable,
I will relate to you
Our  Sirst tiorn,
OF THE -1I]ZyELY WVefljIJG.
IT is an incident in which a plug of tobacco enabled me once to give a Brother Mason a useful
Masonic warning. (" Lord bless me!" we heard
old Jimmy Davids say in the fog.  "Who ever hearn
tell of such a mejum as that before?"  We knocked
David down, and proceeded.) It was about a year
since; I was traveling on a stern-wheeler from Cairo
to Memphis, and a slow and painful conveyance it
proved to me.  The  bill of fare  was frightfully
scanty, the bedding bug-haunted, the company profligate. Gambling was going on from sunrise to
midnight, and every hour or two, a fight settled the
game.  After which, a new  "deck of keerds," as
the gamblers uncouthly styled them, was "fotch
on," and another round began, to terminate as
before.
Among the passengers, I had observed a young
man of that gentle, amiable cast of countenance which
young men even at this day sometimes wear, who
have been raised in pious families, under the hands
of loving mothers and praying fathers. HIow such a
man got to the gambling-table, I have never ascer
292 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
tained, but rising one night awhile before twelve,
after vainly attempting to snatch sleep among the
roaches and more offensive vermin, I discovered him
there excited with liquor, furiously excited with the
gamblers' madness-worse than delirium tremens
itself-and in a rapid process of being plucked by
the experienced scoundrels around him. The sight
shocked me. I was quite unprepared for it. Through
my conversation with him the previous day, I was
confident he knew little or nothing of cards, a thing
easily enough seen by the way, in his awkward style
of handling them, and that he would not rise from
that dangerous place while he had a dime left in his
pocket. After standing by for a considerable time,
during which, dollar after dollar disappeared from
his pile to enlarge that of his opponent's, I took a
chair close by him, and leaned my elbows upon the
table in real distress.  A  square piece of tobacco
lay there, a "plug," I think, such things are called
("A hand," murmured somebody from the fog), with
a knife by it. Mechanically I took them up, and
began thoughtlessly to chip the edges of the tobacco.
While doing so, the young man reached his hands in
my direction for the pack of cards, it being his deal,
and exposed his wristbands to my view. By the
flash of the candles, I observed that they were fastened with gold studs, having Masonic emblems the square and compass-on them, a sign I never
fail to see, when within my purview.
A thought occurred to me.   This is a Mason.  I
Will warn him of his danger! So with the knife I
293
111.11 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
cut deeply in the tobacco the same emblems, the
square and compass, and laying it down with the
knife before him, as if I supposed they were his property, I arose and left the table. I could see that
his eye caught the emblem instantly, and that he
understood me.
It was a curious thing to observe him then. He
went on dealing the cards, but so listlessly and carelessly as to forfeit the deal. He laid his forehead
in his hands thoughtfully, and his hands upon the
table. Once or twice he counted his little pile of
money, now reduced to a very trifle.  He got up for
a drink of water, and walked in an uncertain manner
to and fro, sat down again, played his game out, and
by the evident co-operation of his adversaries, won
it. Got up again, drank, and took a longer walk.
Played again, and won. And then, as with a power
given him at that instant from on high, he threw
down his cards with startling vehemence, fell on his
knees, raised his hands aloft to heaven, and with a
mighty voice repeated an oath that he would "never,
NEVER, NEVER gamble again, so help me God!"
I sat by his side all that night bathing his head
with cold water, and that saved him, I think, from
a terrible attack of brain-fever; saved him for a
lovely girl to whom he was even then betrothed;
saved him to be the father of as charming a child
as ever sprung like an olive-shoot by human feet;
saved him to become one of the best officers in one
of the best Grand Lodges in the land; saved him to
become one of my best correspondents and truest
294 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
friends-a Mason, with whom I hope at the resurrection-day to rise.
Nor is this the whole of the story-(we hastened
to say this, because there were evident signs of excitement among the twenty-seven men in the fog,
and they were only waiting a pause in me to break
forth)-for one of the gamblers, to whom the knife
and tobacco really belonged, seeing the square and
compass cut on his plug (" hand," corrected somebody in the fog), sat with me all that night at my brotherly work; avowed himself too a Mason; declared,
in language more ardent than was necessary (for,
under other circumstances, I should have called it
blasphemy), that  " had he known the young gentleman was a Mason, he was essentially d- d, if he
would have played a game with him," and the next
morning, learning the exact amount that had been
won, collected it up from the others, and restored it
to him. That gambler took a step in the right
direction, consequent upon the rebukes, compliments,
and counsels, which, combined in equal doses, I ad ministered to him, and quit the river forever,
opened a drinking-saloon, opened a book-store, be came a grain dealer, a dry-goods merchant, and made
money at all these things, was elected sheriff of
the county, and still holds that position; and, to
conclude the story, I still have the plug ('hand,"
from the fog) in my possession, with the original
square and compass cut upon it!
Great and noisy were the plaudits from the fog,
drowning the thunder of the rain upon  the roof.
295 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
Everybody talked at once, and Alonzo Coldstreet
was heard indistinctly to be quoting from Webb's
Monitor, a work he was just then commencing to
memorize: "By secret and inviolable signs, carefully preserved among the fraternity throughout the
world,  Masonry  becomes  a  universal  language.
Hence, many  advantages are gained;  the distant
Chinese, the wild Arab, and the American savage
will embrace a brother Briton, Frank, or German;
and will know that beside the common ties of
humanity there is still a stronger tie of obligation
to induce him to kind and friendly offices. The
spirit of the fulminating priest will be tamed; and a
moral brother, though of a different persuasion, engage
his esteem.  Thus, through the influence of Masonry
which is reconcilable to the best policy, all those
disputes which embitter life and sour the tempers of
men are avoided; while the common good, the general
design of the craft, is zealously pursued."
ODnr,eronb!5torn,
OF cl-HE ClHFEE    O-HE.S.
SCARCELY did the company wait the end of Brother
Coldstreet's quotations, however, ere a shout of"Another story! give us some more of it!" arose.
The twenty-seven pipes which had gone out, amid
the obliviousness of the moment, were refilled and
relighted, and the smokers leaned back on their
benches, amid fearful clouds, for another set-to.
Putting our well-developed cranium for a moment
.-296 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
out of the window, professedly to see how the
weather was doing, but in point of fact to get a
breath of fresh air; we stuck the point of our jackknife into the table, as if to indicate our point of
departure, and loosened the reins of our memory in
the following style:
It was early after my own initiation, only two
years or thereabout, and I was longing, as all young
Masons are, to comprehend that most difficult and
most beautiful of Masonic subjects, the philosophy of
the third degree. I had failed thus far to get a
competent  instructor.   One  professional  lecturer
whom I employed at considerable expense to elucidate
the theme for my  private benefit, knew  no  more
about it than- Well, I won't say how little he
did know; but the most circular form of the Arabic
numerals exactly expresses the amount of his Masonic attainments, as well in the third as in the three
degrees of Masonry.   Others, old and young,  to
whom I applied to untie the various knots that had
confused my mind, could only cut them, Alexanderfashion, by denying that there was any mystery at
all in them!  So  I went on my perplexed  way,
getting a ray or two here and there (end more from
Dr. Oliver's writings than any other source), until I
had the good fortune to fall in with a master mind,
no less a person than Brother Charles Scott, just
then issuing his first work, "The Analogy of Ancient
Craft Masonry to Natural and Revealed Religion;"
and whose singular abilities in this direction had
so excited the attention of his Mississippi brethren
11I,t
29T 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
as to cause his early elevation to the Grand Mastership of that State. It was at Jackson, and in his
own lodge, that I first witnessed his manner of governing the craft and heard his master-piece of Masonic philosophy, the symbolismn of the third degree.
I can never forget the impression made that hour
upon my  mind.   What  a direction was that hour
given to my Masonic career, past and future, can
only be known in the mind of Omnipotence,
Brother Scott began by recapitulating the ceremonial itself. Interlinking its various parts with
much ingenuity, he drew the image of a great tragedy
worthy the mind and attention of a Shakspeare, in
which the incidents all led to the same proper conclusion, and of which the whole made up a drama
of great naturalness, pathos, and life. I have often
taken this view of the third degree in my subsequent
course as a professional lecturer, and always find
while passing through it, that I am indebted for my
best passages to my recollections of Brother Scott's
lecture that night. I have read the best tragedies
of Shakspeare  and other dramatists, but have not
found a subject so well adapted to be the master —
piece of human passion already intensified for the
histrionic art, as the legend of the third degree.
Following upon this, Brother Scott spiritualized
the whole. Incident after incident so naturally following each other in the action of the drama, was
shown up in equal naturalness in relation to the
moral and spirit life as a Mason. We were taughtbut why recapitulate the truths unfolded in that
298 
A- NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
splendid effort of a giant mind. You have heard me
to-night pursuing the same theme; and my model was
shaped upon his. Few, I apprehend, ever heard him
upon that subject, without acquiring a lasting respect
equally for the philosopher and his theme.
But I have a story to tell in this connection. A
year or two afterward, sojourning in another State,
I chanced upon a lodge in which were three brothers,
all of one birth, physically as well as Masonically.
They were pointed out to me by the Brethren present
not only as remarkable for the fact that they were
born the same hour and initiated at the same ceremony, but because there was a curious incident connected with their Masonic beginning.  It seems that
they were formerly members of the same denomination, a denomination whose principal enemies (the
world, the flesh, and the devil) are symbolized to
their heated minds under the name of "Masonry."
Though meek and mild in a general way, yet the
three brothers were wrathful and bitter in the extreme
in relation to all matters connected with the subject
of Masonry. Neither Masonry nor Masons had any
favor in their sight.  In their monthly meetings, when
called upon for "remarks " and " suggestions, their
burden was "this outrageous Order, and the way it
was spreading and deluding the young men of their
flock."
In fact it was playing havoc among their young
men.   Every meeting or two some degenerate son
of a hardshell sire came home late, looking thought ful, intellectual, and happy, and acknowledged i
299 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
reply to the pressing questions as to his recent
whereabouts, that "he had been to the Masons'
lodge!" Report said that the eldest born of one
of the three brothers was contemplating the same
rash, daring, and blasphemous step.
To counteract the effect that these accessions to
Masonry were having upon the church, a special
meeting was called, preachers were invited from a
distance, and the word went out that a general
demolishment of Freemasonry might be anticipated.
To prepare for the occasion various works were
ordered at the expense of the ecclesiastical treasury,
and Morgan's "Illustrations,"  Bernard's "Light,"
and Craft's "Key" were the profitable results.  These
were carefully studied, their little discrepancies
harmonized as well as possible, and the proper passages, mostly from the foot-notes, penciled for use.
But now occurred the curious incident which I
promised you, in which Brother Scott had a part.
Some brother Masonl in the neighborhood, not having
the fear of the Church before his eyes, took a copy
of Scott's Analogy that belonged to himself, tore out
the lectures upon the third degree, and sewing them
up, mailed them to the clerk of the church as a
veritable antimasonic document. Hle having hastily
perused it, laid it with the others, and so the matter
rested until the day of debate arrived.
A great audience assembled, which the large church
room scarcely held. The preachers were numerous,
ad it was difficult to say who were the most interZted-the Masons or thQ members  of the church.
300 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
Passage after passage from Morgan was read and
commented upon by the moderator, who, warming
with his theme, next took up the Analogy, supposing
it to be Bernard's work, and declared that he should
now show up "the ungodly doctrines, the diabolical
tendencies, and the unchurchly practices" of the
Freemasons in their true colors. He then read a
few pages aloud. Being a man of some intellect, and
charmed with the language and sentiment, forgetting
the occasion, he continued to read aloud until he actually finished the whole-winding up with that magnificent peroration worthy of Cicero himself. The
congregation was electrified. The profoundest silence had been maintained during the whole hour,
and when the moderator ceased and looked blankly
around, as if recalled to himself, a general murmur
of admiration went round the church; but when a
gentleman arose, who was known to all present as
the Master of the neighboring lodge, and stated that
"he could not consent for the foes of Masonry to
claim this work as their own, because it was the production of Mr. Scott, one of the most learned men
and jurists in the country, and a devoted and high
Mason," terrible was the uproar. The moderator
was interrupted, hustled, and insulted.  Several verbal combats, that nearly ended in muscular exhib)itions, occurred, and the meeting broke up in a row.
Our three gentlemen went home in deep thought.
They were men of true principle, and already saw
that some great error had been committed.  "Let us
lot fiht aginst the truth,e'  they said to one another,
301 
A NIGHT -IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
"lest peradventure we  be consumed."  They procured the entire volume, of which the fragment had
accomplished so much, and read it carefully-prayerfully. Itworked a total change of sentiment. It set
them upon further reading and further reflection.
They sought the Master of the neighboring lodge for
information, and what he told them they accepted as
the truth. Finally, they united with the Fraternity
cheerfully, suffering the expulsion from the Church
which promptly and naturally followed; and so it was
that I saw them sitting together in my visit to that
lodge. The incident was so remarkable as to work a
great reformation in that community, softening down
the tone of prejudice formerly so hard and obstinate,
and inducing more than one of the church members
to follow the example that had been set them.
The reception of this incident was equally enthusiastic with the other, and one of the twenty-seven in
the fog, recalling an anecdote he had heard us relate
some months before, asked it for the benefit of the
others. We acceded and commenced
(Dur E1)irt   torL
OF ~I —E            O oQUE,5c_ OF - Lifl Y.
IT is the manner in which Abner Lowenthal became a Mason that I am about to explain to you.
Bitother Lowenthal was a man of considerable distinction in the county of. For many years he
had held the office of County Judge, was the Commissioner of Public Schools, and occupied other posts of
802 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
distinction among his fellow-countrymen.  At almost
every session of the Legislature he was elected to
either the upper or lower HIouse (as our British
friends term it; though, for the matter of that, it is
low enough to belong to either of them nowadays);
and, had he been mean enough, he could readily have
secured the office of Congressman.  IHappily, however, he was not sufficiently reduced for that. (Murmurs of dissatisfaction from the fog. One of the
twenty-seven had run for Congress once and was
elected.  Another had a father badly beaten at the
last election. We hurried on with the story.) In
all respects he was the model of a gentleman, and
when Preamble Lodge, F. A. M., was established
U. D. in.his county, it was naturally hoped by the
zealous eight, whose names were in the petition, that
Esquire Lowenthal would be found among the applicants for Masonic light. -
And so he was, but his application was long protracted on account of his wife. Mrs. L. (formerly
Miss Sharp, of Lockport, N. Y., a schoolmlistress)
had been raised up according to the strictest principles of antimasonry.   At Lockport, whence poor
Bruce was torn for that sad incarceration (twentyeight months in the Canandaigua jail), the public
feeling was for a while intensely positive against the
Craft. At every fireside hung a devilish little engine
of an explosive character labeled "Giddins' Antimasonic Almanac."   The  newspaper reading Qf the
place was a pleasant compound of bitter partisanism,
more bitter sectarianism, and most bitter antima
303 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
sonry. The young lady had been so long fed upon
this pleasant pabulum, that it is no wonder she was
decided in her antimasonic opinions. It is only wonderful that ever a boy or girl raised in Western New
York, between 1826 and 1836, became a Mason or a
Mason's wife at all.
Mr. Lowenthal was an outspoken man in all his
ways, and freely acknowledged his desire to unite
himself with the Fraternity just then making an establishment in his county. The announcement was
met with an opposition upon his wife's part that
astonished him. She did not go into hysterics (that
is reserved for the heroines of novels), but she loosened her tongue, as female tongues are sometimes
loosened, and ran over all the elements of feminine
logic, making miraculous combinations of its rules
and principles, and ended every breath with a declaration that if "he (her husband) joined them (the Masons), she (Mrs. L.) would crave a divorce, leave the
country, and die." So decided was the little lady as
to stagger her husband, and cause many a serious
thought as he sat in his judicial post at the county
seat, or in his place at the country church.
I was written to upon the subject to suggest a plan
by which the lady could be reconciled to his initiation.  My counsel was that "he should go on and
take his three degrees quietly and trust to his wife's
'sober, second thought,' and affection for her husband
to receive him again into favor." This plan was
agreed to, and I put myself to some trouble to be
present and officiate.  It was a cold wintery night,
304 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
the room exceedingly uncomfortable, and the attendance sparse. I have rarely ever suffered so much in
person as during the three hours I passed with those
zealous brethren of Preamble U. D; but when Mr.
Lowenthal was introduced, and the ceremonies of his
initiation begun, I at once forgot all the disagreeabilities of my position. There was that in his face
which spoke the man of dignity, authority, and
thoughtful decision. He seemed born to command,
and I selected him at once as one who would, in due
season, if Masonry met his rational favor, become a
Master in Israel, and even sit upon the Grand Lodge
days, thie governor of the entire Craft. His intelligent eye spoke volumes. In the lengthy and elaborate lectures with which, according to my invariable
occasion, I closed the subject, he followed me with a
perfect understanding, and often seemed to anticipate
my words, and mentally to enlarge upon my meaning.  We parted, and I met him but once more, when
he lay in his coffin.
Ihis wife was not informed of the step he had
taken until he became a Master Mason. The news
was then broken to her, by my suggestion, in the
following manner: A party of gentlemen and ladies
met at her house, in which, as if by accident, every
man was a Mason, and every lady a Mason's wife.
After refreshments had been served, one of the
gentlemen, a preacher venerable for age and piety,
proposed to give them a little lecture on Masonry.
This was readily responded to, and by none more
greedily than Mrs. L., who had all the curiosity of
26
305 
A NIGHIIT IN TIIE LODGE-ROOM.
her sex. The reverend brother opened with some
happy remarks upon "the advantages of Freemasonry to its votaries," showing how it inclined men to
be temperate, brave, prudent, and just, and inculcated the most moral and religious sentiments at every
step. He then ingeniously, and without exciting
suspicion as to his intentions, turned his subject so
as to show that the female sex are if possible more
practically interested in the Masonic institution than
the male, and that ladies ought to be the warmest
friends that Masonry possesses. This, you know, my
B]3rethren, is not hard to do. Ladies are helpless, dependent, and needy, and require the strong arm, the
wise counsel, and the business tact of men. He
showed them that the worthy wives and daughters of
Master Masons, traveling among strangers, had an
acknowledged claim upon the sympathy, counsel, and
pecuniary aid of every Master  Mason  with whom
they came in contact, and related some most touching incidents in which their application, under such
circumstances, had led to the happiest results.
The only difficulty in this case, the old man remarked, is the want of the means of making themselves known to the Fraternity. So many impostors
of both sexes are afloat upon the great wave of
modern travel, that the mere word of the strange
lady, however honest she may appear to be, and however distressed, can not, with propriety, be taken.
The lady needs some secret token, some sign or password, something known only to herself and the Freemasons, by which'she may be easily and certainly
306 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
recognized, and, when recognized, relieved. It was
easy to see that the ladies present comprehended
the difficulty, for they looked quite downcast, and
none more so than Mrs. Lowenthal, that such great
advantages as Masonry offered to the female sex
should be forfeited for the want of those means of
mutual recognition of which he had spoken.
But now a light came over their countenances, and
sweet smiles wreathed their dear lips, as the reverend Brother informed them that there was a method,
practical, easy, general in its application, and to
which every Mason's wife, widow, sister, and daughtcr is entitled, which, under any circumstances of
distress, may be made available; that there was a
degree entitled The _Eastern Star, pure, graceful, and
religious, which has its signs, passes, and means of
recognition, which have been tried in a thousand
instances, and proved to be exactly what a lady
needs in the cases mentioned; and that if any of the
ladies present were entitled to this beautiful and important instruction, he was ready and willing to im part it.
An inquiry was forthwith made, and the surprising
truth came out that Mrs. Lowenthal was the only
woman in the company whose husband was not a
Mason! This was truly unfortunate. She evidently
wanted the dAgree, and all present were disposed to
gratify her. A private conversation with her hus band was held, and a second with the old preacher,
whereat she was heard to declare that "if he (her
husband) actually wanted to join them (the Masons),
307 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
she (Mrs. L.) would no longer object."  It was, of
course, an easy matter to grant her the privilege of
receiving the degree with the rest, and when it was
ended she was the loudest to aver that "it (the
Eastern Star Degree) was, beyond all question, the
prettiest thing that she (Mrs. L.) had ever heard."
There was no delay now in imparting the news to
her that she was a Mason's wife, for her good man
had been raised five months before, and, greatly to
the joy and relief of all present, she declared her
entire approbation of his course.
But I said I never saw Brother Lowenthal but
once after his initiation, and then he was in his
coffin. I received the intelligence of his death while
lecturing at no great distance, and hastened to pay
the last sad tribute. I arrived barely in time. I
headed the mystic procession, journeying three times
round his grave, leaving it on the right. I directed
the public grand honors, and it was like a beautiful
piece of mechanism, the movements of that funeral
group, as they joined me by three times three. I
dropped the first handful of mold upon the lid that
covered that noble face and shut in those intelligent
eyes. I supported that now fainting widow to her
coach, accompanied her to her dwelling, whispered
the first words of sympathy and encouragement in
her ear. And afterward, as my mind recurred to
the  entire  scene,  painful  yet hopeful  and even
triumphant, I noted down upon  my  solitary road
these lines, commemorative of the fact that I had
seen him but twice$
308 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
I saw him fi-st one snowy winter night  But suinmer's fire glowed in his honest breastAn humble seeker for Masonic light,
A pilgrim yearning for Masonic rest:
From the bright Orient southward to the West,
Darkly he journeyed, while our eyes inquired
If form, and heart, and garb, fullled the test?
From the ordeal he came as one inspired,
And glad among us stood, enlightened and inspired.
Once more I saw him-but his eyes were hid,
Hoodwinked by death; as with an iron hand
His limbs were fettered;'neath the coffin-lid
The strong man lay extended, and his hand
Whose grip had thrilled me, ah! how dead it spanned
His pulseless breast; yet round our Brother's head
Thrice we encircled, but with grief unmanned;
And with respectful tenderness we spread
Upon his breast green twigs, fit presents for the dead.
For he had journeyed further, learned a lore
Profounder, drank in purer light than we
And of desired treasure gathered more
Than dwells in all the mines of Masonry.
What unto us is vailed in mystery,
Was real to him, and by his Master's side,
"Knowing as he was known," the dead was free I
Therefore, we paid our homage to the dead,
And "we shall meet again, our Brother dearl" we said.
And we shall meet again; not as in quest
Of light Masonic, nor as in that time
When last I saw him pallid in his rest;
But in a lodge transcendently sublime!
Where death shall ring no funeral chime,
Nor weeping band shall compass round its dead,
But light and life inspire an endless hymn.
Ah! happy we, whose very graves do shed
Effulgent hope and joy as by their brinks we tread,
309 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
It was here, too, that I was first induced to contrast the curious fact that in all cases where music
and processions are employed in the burial of the
Masonic dead, there is a marked contrast, based
upon sound traditional reasons, between the manner
and measure of approach to, and departure from the
grave.  This thought I conceive I have worked
rather neatly into these lines:
How sad to the grave are our feet slowly tending,
The cold form of one whom we loved, on the bier I
What sighs swell our hearts while above him we're bending,
And shudder to think we must part with him here!
Ah, gloomy is life when our friend has departed!
Ah, weary the pathway to travel alone!
There's little remaineth to cheer the lone hearted,
Oppressed with the burden, "the loved one is gone!"
But glad from the grave are our feet homeward tending,
Though death's cold embraces our Brother restrain!
Hope springs fiom'he hillock above which we're bending,
And whispers "Rejoice! you shall meet him again!
Death's midnight is sad, but there cometh the morning;
The pathway is cold, but its ending is nigh."
Then patient we wait till the glorious dawning,
That's told in our emblems of life in the sky!
The sounds in the fog'at this stage of proceeding
were those of sympathy and concern. We could
distinguish the blowing of various noses on Adam's
handkerchief, and thought we detected a note or two
of blubbering. Knowing that this would never do,
for the night was not half out yet, and the rain had
taken new heart, we conceived the idea of a story
of a strictly comical nature, for which we confess we
310 
A NIGHT IN THIE LODGE-ROOM.
drew more upon fancy than recollection. It was
highly successful. The stove was again upset, this
time by Brother Whitehouse, the ex-Congressman, a
great fat man, heavier than the Duke of Sussex,
who (Brother W.) always found a difficulty when hie
had a laugh in him of more than ordinary dimensions, of getting it out without pain. In such cases
it was his habit to clutch hold right and left of whatever was at hand, and by this effort of the muscles
to brace himself up for the explosion. His pillars
of Ashdod in the present case were Brothers Rays
and Fyve, who, being themselves in a high state of
cachlinnation, were in a relaxed condition of muscle,
and could n't support a falling Brother. So over they
went, the stove at the bottom, Rays next, with his
nose in the opening where the stove-pipe properly
belonged, Fyve on him with one bootless foot in the
glowing embers, and the ex-Congressman pleasantly
acting what he called, in parliamentary language, a
44 ryder" upon the whole. It being very foggy
around them, several minutes elapsed before they
were sorted out, during which Fyve's foot and Rays'
nose became intensely charged with caloric.
It is not'our purpose to relate this anecdote.  To
tell the honest truth, we don't remember it well
enough; but the reader may do as we did, invent
one of his own and imagine the catastrophe which
followed it, The room being quiet again and a newr
set of cob-pipes dug out, the old ones being quite
burned through, the whole twenty-eight, at our suggestion, united in singing the following ode, which, if
311 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
the author ever gets his due, will-we won't say
what amount of fame and glory he will get:
ASK, and ye shall receive:
4 SEEK, ye shall surely find:
KNOCK, ye shall no resistance meet,
If come with ready mind.
For all that ASK, and ask aright,
Are welcome to our lodge to-night.
Lay down the bow and spear:
Resign the sword and shield:
Forget the arts of warfare here,
The arms of peace to wield.
For all that SEEK, and seek aright,
Are welcome to our lodge to-night.
Bring hither thoughts of peace:
Bring hither words of love:
Diffuse the pure and holy joy
That cometh from above.
For all that KNOCK, and knock aright,
Are welcome to our lodge to-night
ASK help of Him that's high:
SEEK grace of Him that's true:
KNOCK patiently, the hand is nigh,
Will open unto you.
For all that ASK, SEEK, KNOCK, aright,
Are welcome to our lodge to-night.
This warmed us all up, and naturally led to "Burns'
Farewell," which was delivered to Bonny Doon with
such a gusto that the fire-bells rung in the village as
we shouted (encoring it four times):
One last request permit me here,
When yearly ye assemble a',
ONZ,oUN9
312 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
(Good gracious, did ever poet feel as keenly or
express his feelings as naturally as Brother Robert
Burns! )
One round-I ask it with a tearTo him, the bard, that's far awa'!
The fire-bells having ceased, we were constrained
to exercise our power of enforcing silence, and having
knocked the entire twenty-seven down, again we
blessed them with
Our fottrth!Storv,
oF e-H-.t I z Y 7O _ -U'X. _.
A GOOD, but juvenile and extremely verdant little
lodge, in the State of G,  had suffered frightfully since its birth, from the depredations of itinerant
men  and women.   How this people manage  it, I
don't know, but there is some sort of secret commiunication among traveling impostors, the world over,
and where they find good cultivable soil, they flock in
numbers to the farming of it. They had discovered
by means of their U. G. Telegraph Line, that Impartation Lodge, the one in question, was  young, verdant, feeble, and generous; and they contrived to
be represented, somehow, at every meeting thereof.
At one time it was in the shape of a Brother "whose
clerk had choused him  out of his money and run
away." He was in pursuit of the rascal, and only
needed twenty dollars, which  he would  promptly
return.  He got the twenty dollars, and returned it
27
313 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
in a horn. The next month a man came along, a
Past Grand Something, who had been lying at the
point of death, he said (but anybody not greener
than May  clover would have said, "at the orifice
of a whisky-jug"), in a neighboring town, and
expended his funds, which, however, was a small
matter, for as soon as he got home, which he
could easily do upon twenty-three dollars and a
half, exact calculation, "he would draw it from the
Grand Treasurer, add six dollars and fifty cents to
the amount, as a donation  to the  charity-fund of
Impartation Lodge, and remit the whole by the
earliest mail."  Of course, he got the twenty-three
fifty, and remitted it by a mail so early that it never
reached its place of destination at all.
The third case, as one of the brethren feelingly
observed to us, was " railly too bad." Of course,
it was a woman, of course a widow, of course with
six children (widows  applying for Masonic charity
are limited to six ), and, of course, she was trying to
"get back to them."  Her husband had been a high
ITMason (it was afterward ascertained that he was
hung it Vicksburg); had given millions to the cause
of Masonry, and, she intimated her opinion (though
she would not insist upon it, as it was merely a
womati's notion), had impoverished his family by his
generosity in that direction.  " How much would do
her?"  Well, here was a little memorandum.  Ifere
was the landlord's bill, and she needed some shoes, and
the stage-fare, etc., etc. Upon the whole she thought
probably thirty dollars would take her to her children,
314 
A NIGHT IN THE LOl)GE-ROOM.
the youngest of whom, she said it with a tear, was
not a  healthy  child, and  she sometimes  doubted
whether it would live to grow up.  But the other
five would live, and she would teach them to pray
nightly for her benefactors, the dear Masons of Impartation Lodge.
The dear Masons of Impartation Lodge of course
raised the thirty dollars, borrowing it on the strength
of a joint-note, bought the shoes (sevens), paid the
hotel-keeper and the stage-fare, etc., and saw her
safely off to her little flock, whom she doubtless some
day or other reached; though they heard of her visiting seventy odd lodges right straight along, and this
must have occupied several months of her journey.
Of course they made no calculation of getting that
money back, but it was  delightful to discover, as
they did, that her whole story was a lie, and she a,
humbug, her husband a gambler, hung by a mob, and
her children yet unborn.
Other cases similar to these occurred, until the
dear Brothers of Impartation Lodge began to doubt
one another's integrity, to look upon every traveling
Mason  as  an impostor, and to suspect that the
Masonic institution itself was but a nest of unclean
birds.  Attempting to stand upon the perpendicular
of caution, they, in fact, began to lean backward. It
was at this time that a stranger, from Georgia,
knocked at the door of the lodge, as a visitor. Ile
stood a fine examination and was admitted. Asking
permission, at a proper moment, he declared that
he was on his way, on horseback, from Iowa to
315 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
Georgia, when at the last village, a few miles back,
his horse had lain down and died, leaving him on foot
with but little money to pursue his way; that learning of the vicinity of a Masonic lodge open that
night, he had hurried hither on foot, to ask a temporary loan to purchase another horse, promising to
refund the amount so soon as he arrived home.
It is needless to say he did n't get it; but one of
the members who had accidentally read the Ancient
Charges upon this subject, averred that it was the
duty of the Lodge to give him work, or tell him
where he could get it. Brother Coldstreet, please to
quote the passage in question.
" B3ehavior toward a strange Brother.
" You are cautiously to examine him in such a method as prudence shall teach you, that you may not be imposed upon by an
ignorant, false pretender, whom you are to reject with contempt
and derision, and beware of giving him any hints of knowledge.
"But if you discover him to be a true and genuine Brother,
you are to respect him accordingly; and if he is in want you
must relieve him if you can, or else direct him how he -may be
relieved. You must employ him some days, or else recommend
him to be employed. But you are not charged to do beyond your
ability; only to prefer a poor Brother that is a good mantand true,
before any other poor people in the same circumstances."
Exactly so; and that was the passage, or a part of
which, one of the members, having accidentally read,
so opportunely quoted on that occasion. Learning
that the visitor was a blacksmith, and having just
then several companies of cavalry horses to be shod
for the Mexican campaign, he offered, in the gene
316 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
rosity of his heart, to give one of them to the
Georgia Brother as a job, and to pay him at the rate
of three dollars per day for executing it. Some of
the Brethren, a little pricked in conscience, thought,
may be-perhaps-it might be better, etc., etc.; but
the result was, that he was sent for to the anteroom,
whither he hadl retired, and the proposition made
him in a semi-sheepish manner by the Master.
To the astonishment of every one present, he
accepted it, and gladly. It was remarkable, for I
hardly knew a case like it.  It is so much easier to
beg than work! However, I am stating facts as they
occurred. He did take the job, and went to work,
like another Tubal Cain, that very night, on the nails,
of which, before morning, he had a peck or two done.
He hammered away at the rate of two divisions on
his guage, every  twenty-four hours.  He  did his
work well  This his employer was bound to acknowledge, having got three severe kicks while too critically inspecting it. He scarcely took time to eat or
sleep. Withal, he continued at it so uncomplaining,
and looked so cheerful, and even happy, that the
Brethren of the lodge, neglecting their own business,
got into the way of coming to the shop to stare at
him, as though the sight of an honest Mason in
distress was a phenomenon not to be too lightly
esteemed.  Drinks, and chaws, and pleasant chats,
were offered him every hour, but all most courteously
declined "for want of time to enjoy them."
The thing couldn't last. The feelings of the Brethren got every day warmer and higher in his favor, and
31T 
A NIGtIT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
their stings of conscience more and more acute, as
they watched him. Whenever his mild blue eye fell
upon one of their faces for an instant, the party hid
himself, ashamed. The Master was compelled to call
a meeting of the lodge.
At that meeting all concurred, save one, in opinion, that a horse should be bought for the strange
Brother, and he sent home to Georgia at once.
The one exception was from the Brother who had
loaned the thirty dollars to the Mason's widow a few
months before, and who was in a condition to fight
any man who alluded to it. He suggested, rather
morosely, that the fellow was probably a bigger rascal than the rest, only more cunning and hypocritical.
For this remark, he was ordered out of the lodge,
and would have been promptly expelled without trial,
Grand Lodge or no Grand Lodge, but for his humble
submission, confession, and apology.  One  hundred
dollars was raised by subscription and deposited on
the altar, within ten minutes afterward, the morose
Brother cheerfully contributing twenty-five dollars for
his share, and a committee was sent down to the shop
to bring the Georgia Brother up. This they accomplishled after a struggle, for he was anxious to finish
another horse that afternoon, and he was introduced
with his grimy, honest, blacksmith's leathern apron
on, his face dingy with soot and dank with sweat,
his hands hard and black as the very iron he had
been shaping. The action of the lodge was then explained to him, and he was induced, but with some
difficulty, to take the money and throw up his cav
318 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
alry job. Hle started home bright and early the next
morning, and, I need not add, sent back to Impartation Lodge a glorious letter of thanks and kind
wishes, with a small parallelogram of paper in it,
which, upon one end, displayed the Roman letter C.
This story was well received. The fog gave forth
sounds expressive of the warmest approbation, and
the ex-Congressmen was heard to say, as if addressing old Jimmy Davids close by, that "there is an
anthem of fraternal feeling, whose grand and heavenly notes have been pealing since  the day the
matchless Solomon arranged the deathless harmony.
Myriads who are making their solemn march toward
the boundary of time, understand the music, and join
their voices to the accord. They seize the echo as it
rolls back to them from the myriads who have gone
beyond their straining sight into the shadows of the
unknown  world; they teach the key-note and the
pitch to those who are to follow after them, and thus
Friendship's music is never silent, its secret is never
lost. The air will never cease to vibrate with it until
time shall be no more." But it sounded very much,
to us, like a part of some speech he had previously
delivered, and we have no doubt it was. At any
rate, the effect of the story was much of that sort;
for, upon the suggestion of Brother Gabriel, the Sec  retary, the case was incidentally mentioned of the
widow Libby, whose cabin had been burned a few
nights before, and it being well known that she was
a Mason's widow, for Brother Libby had died in
worthy and full membership, it was suggested to us
319 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
then and there to lift a collection in her favor. This
was done, and we took our own hat around, thrusting
it here and there into the fog as we could see a spark
of fire indicating a pipe, and withdrawing it when ever we heard anything drop. It is none of the
reader's business how much the Widow Libby made
out of us that night, but there was a yellow piece,
evidently the gift of the ex-(Congressman, and a smaller one, whose donor shall be nameless, and enough
more to buy two hundredweight of meal at the highest retail price.  So much for the story of Impartation Lodge.  We had often enough seen the effect of
a good anecdote upon the pocket before, but this was
a case worth noting. In one instance, we heard the
Master of a lodge tell a most moving thing (we shall
always believe he manufactured it out of whole cloth)
about some object of distress he had once witnessed,
and when he got our eyeballs generally to glistening,
he suggested the case of a widow close by, who was
sick, poor, and heartbroken. The old man proposed
himself to make a small contribution in her favor,
but warned the lodge that no one must give over five
cents, and, to secure that amount, ordered the ballotbox around, beginning with himself. When his five
cents fell in, a singular phenomenon was remarked
by all of us, viz.: that that diminutive coin rattled
as if accompanied by several others, and fell to the
bottom with a weight rarely known to such little
pieces. This, of course, however, was all in our imagination. We followed his example literally, each
depositing exactly five cents, and then the box was
320 
A NIGHT IN THiE LODGE-ROOM.
brought back again to the east.  Before opening it,
however, the Master directed another old Brother
present, who tried to preach sometimes, to open the
Scriptures, then displayed at Ecclesiastes xii, at 1
Kings xvii, commencing at the tenth verse. He did
so, and our wondering ears heard the word of God,
as follows:
"Elijah arose and went to Zarephath.  And when he came to
the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering
of sticks, and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee,
a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
"And as she was going to fetch it, he called to ler, and said,
Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
"And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake,
but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse;
and behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress
it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
"And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast
said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto
me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
"For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall
not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that
the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.
"And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and
she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
"And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of
oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by
Elijah."
A dead silence followed this reading, which was
broken with startling effect by the voice of the old
Brother who sometimes tried to preach, who, at a
wink from the Master, commenced a prayer which
would scarcely have passed muster in Her Majesty's
321 
A NIGIIT IN THIE LODGE-RIOOM.
Chapel, but moved all present to tears. So far as
we can recall it now, it reviewed the case of the poor
widow, her barrel and cruse, and her miraculous supply, and besought of God, in terms calculated to
move  the Divine heart, that "a blessing, similar in
kind, if not in degree," might be vouchsafed to each
one " then in Divine presence," who had " stood in
the place of God" toward the "widow and the fatherless" that night   The ballot-box was then opened,.
and although there were but thirty-eight of us present,
all told, and at five cents each there should have been
only one dollar and ninety cents in the box, yet, by
some inexplicable circumstance, never explained, the
collection was more than twelve times that amount!
We told this anecdote, following on our Impartation story, and the thing tickled the twenty-seven
mightily. Of course, in that number, there was at
least one shallow-pated fellow, and he (it was Isham
Borneo, a man of feeble intellect) was silly enough
to suggest, talking to Billy Davids, that "he knowed
better than all that five-cent story come to -he
knowed they must have drapt more'n half a dollar a
a-piece. You couldn't fool him," etc., etc.; but he
was stopped by the ex-Congressman, who exhorted
him "not to make a natural Billy of himself," and
we took the floor again.
The ex-Congressman remarked that he had understood we were in the habit of making  memoranda
from our reading, and the conversation of men as we
meet them, and from our own reflections from hour
to hour; and asked, if it was so, would we be so urbane
322 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
as to read to the lodge from the last page of our
memorandum-book? Readily assenting, we gathered
the representatives of the three lesser lights on the
table before us, opened our well-thumbed book, and
read as follows:
"That Masons are bound to spread the mantle of charity over
the failings of their Brethren, remembering that the wisest have
erred, and that each is liable t.o fall, does not conflict with the
maxim that discipline must be dealt to the refractory. It is those
who, being often counseled, obstinately persist in error, who are
the proper subjects of discipline in the lodge; and the lodge that
neglects to reprimand, suspend, or expel (the only grades of punishment known to the institution), inflicts a fiLtal wound upon
itself.
" Steadiness of purpose overcomes difficulties; gives the strength
of a happy conscience; imparts dighity and honor to the character, and insures suiccess. Many a Master, profoundly discouraged at the outset with the weight of ignorance and obstinacy
opposing him, has found in steadiness of purpose, a victory as
glorious to himself as profitable to those upon whose minds he is
at work.... The goodness of God consists in his justice, wisdom,
truth, and mercy   How proper, then, that whenever his adorable
name is uttered in the performance of our mystic rites, we should
all-from the youngest Entered Apprentice to the Worshipful
Master-with reverence most humbly bow?....It was an ancient
practice among Masoiins, while working the lectures, to close every
section with a toast. This is still continued among many foreign
Masons. 
"More than one episode occurred on the fearful battle-field of
Buena. Vista, in which Masonry bore its wonted part.  An Amercan officer borne down in the fatal ravine by the press of foes,
made the mystic sign.  It was recognized by a Mexican officer,
who rushed obediently forward to the rescue, but in vain. Before
he could interpose his hand, the bayonet had done its work.....
The Masonic apron belonging to Washington, is now the property
of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania; a lock of his hair is in the
.3,13
16 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
possession, carefully inclosed in a golden casket, of the Grand
Lodge of Massachusetts. Much of his Masonic regalia may be
seen in the hall of the old lodge at Alexandria, Va
The ex-Congressman thanked us, and requested us
to go on with,
(Par Eiftl fitorn,
O_ F ~.Ir- E uy-_ S_,(  LO()E.
THE hour of three past Lowz xii, is a good time, my
Brethren, for tales of diablerie, witchcraft, and terror.
At this very moment every ghost that is ever permitted to circumambulate his own grave, is engaged
in that interesting work.  Satan, if allowed to walk
the earth, is walking it now, at a 2.40 pace. Murdered men, outraged and murdered women, strangled
and murdered infants, if ever permitted to fly about
the country and shriek, and scare travelers, are doing
those very things at this moment.   ("0  Lord"
from Jimmy Davids in the fog   "don't talk that
way!")  Frightful shapes, if ever allowed to hide
behind stumps, and gibber at belated Masons, are
hiding and gibbering at them now. Dying wretches
waiting for death to come and lay his bony hands
upon their throats, won't wait long at this hour. For
down by the sea-coast, were you there, you would see
't is about the turn of the tide, and the skeleton monster is passing swiftly over the earth, from bed to
bed, relaxing jaws, stopping hearts' flow, glazing eyes,
silencing tongues, doing his work heartlessly, cruelly,
324 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
murderously; and the cries, and tears, and curses
of bereft mortals, follow on his track.  (" Then, my
Brethren, let us imitate the good man in his virtuous
conduct, his unfeigned piety to his God, and his inflexible fidelity to his trust, that, like him, we may
welcome the grim tyrant Death, and receive him as
a kind messenger sent by our' Supreme Grand Master, to translate us from this imperfect, to that allperfect, glorious, and celestial lodge above," etc., etc.
Thus, and more, exhorted Brother Coldstreet from
the fog, animated thereto by the horrid reflections
our remarks had awakened within his breast. A
dead silence from the other twenty-six, and a general cessation of smoking.)
At this solemn moment then, my Brethren, how
appropriate that I should tell you a regular ghost
story.  It shall be no claptrap.  I won't  humbug
you with the story of the lodge that broke up one
night without ceremony, on account of a mysterious
noise that muttered "Death! DEATII!! DEATHI!!!"
from the roof; nor the procession which on its way
to the grave was dispersed suddenly by a fearful
shriek from the coffin; nor will I move your manly
hearts by the mysterious taps that used to be heard
on the walls of Fagin Lodge on the third Saturday
night of each month, and so annoyed the members
that they changed their meetings to the second Sat urday, when the tapper ceased.  Likewise I will spare
you the recital of that fearful incident of the Shape less Horror that broke up Caracturus Lodge by its
regular appearance at their communications, and the
325
I 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
Shrieking Voice which followed the Master of Oriental Lodge wherever he went, and finally caused his
resignation, and the Devilish Din that I heard myself
when Carbon Chapter held its first meeting; and the
Shiftin# Skull that moved across the table one night
in the sight of all of us, and terrified me in particular most horribly. These things are not all substantiated as they should be, and I prefer to leave
them out.  (" Gracious goodness,  Brother Morris,
do stop that sort of talk!" from old Billy again.
"I shan't dare to go out of iiig,hts for a month!"
Sounds of scornful laughter from young Doctor
Grigg,son in the fog, who, it is said, sleeps on skeletons, and keeps his medicines in a coffin as a fancy
cupboard.   " Hold your tongue, and let him go on,"
from the ex-Congressman.)
Sparing you anything of that sort, then, as unworthy such an intellectual group, I will describe an
incident, every item of which I can substantiate from
my personal knowledge.
There is in a neighboring State a village which I
will call for form's sake, Chestnutville. It is peculiar
in its locality and historical surroundings.   On three
sides of it flows Floyd Creek, in size almost a river.
The peninsula thus formed was the graveyard of the
aborigines for countless ages, and its very earth is
the ashes of departed mortals. In the bricks burned
from its clay, you may see human teeth, and the
marks of the fragments of human skulls.  ("Bless
my  heart;  isn't that too much?"  from the  fog
again.)  Upon the smooth face of its beech-trees are
326 
A NIGHIT IN THE LODGE-100M.
drawn all manner of horrible imaginings, tortured captives, merciless torturers, devilish contrivances for exaggerating human pain. The bed of the creek abounds
in  human  skeletons.   The  muscles  attach  themselves to bony structures; the catfish poke out their
counterfeit angle-worms from the eye-cavities of
skulls (" "Mighty horrors!'"-old Billy, once more);
the little boys fishing, fish up infants' frames, and
old men's single pieces. It is emphatically a locality
of horrors.
The literature of Chestnutville partakes of a
ghastly tone. During the Sabbath I spent there I
found  The  Pirates'  Own  Book  read in Sundayschool, while the Rev. Obadiah Sturn preached from
the text of the  Wi'th of Endor, and sang a paraphrase of Satan's appearing among the sons of the
Lord to ask permission to tempt Job. The prayermeeting that night was the most fearful exhibition of
suggested horrors possible to conceive of. Children
generally were born at Chestnutville with marked
countenances, the prevailing superstition somehow
affecting the health of their mothers and depreciating
from their personal appearance.
It was my lot to give a course of lectures at
Chestnutville, and a fearful job I had of it. I think
an extra tinge of melancholy was added by that
three days' work to my bile. I have shirked graveyards ever since, and a skull and cross-bones give
me a tremor formerly unknown to me. The first
night of my lectures I took a scare from observing
that the brethren, when they left the lodge, all went
327 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
in a body down the same road, though they lived in
different directions, and kept shoulder-to-shoulder
order as compactly as a flock of blackbirds. On
our way to the village I observed a dilapidated skeleton of a building off to the right, in an old field, and
was surprised to see that none of the Brethren would
look in that direction  I asked them what building it
was, and the Master in reply hoarsely whispered,
"For the land's sake, hush, till we get by it!"  This
was sufficiently startling, but when the company had
all passed this place, they separated with an understanding that I was not to be told what it meant till
I got to bed.
The story was that the old building had once been
the lodge-room, and that it was haunted That every
Tuesday night the raps of the gavel were distinctly
heard in it from about seven until midnight. That
an old decrepit negro, whose cabin was in a corner of
the field, said he could sometimes  hear "drefful
sounds," such as, "Why in the west, Brother? " and
such as that; and that, when the raps ceased about
midnight, there followed bursts of laughter and
reveling as if a company of jolly ghosts were having
a regular time of it. All this was whispered in my
ear after I went to bed, and the result in my own
mind was, that I covered up my head under the
blanket, left my  candle burning till it burned out,
and then gave myself up to a fit of the horrors that
lasted till daylight.
The next morning I took an early walk in the
direction of the haunted lodge, calling first on the
328 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
old negro to gather, if possible, something clearer on
the subject, before pursuing my investigation into the
building itself.  The African was a grizzly-headed
old fellow, cunning as a fox, and had, doubtless,
stolen more chickens than any hundred of that class
of canines. At first he was shy of me, but, upon the
presentation of a quarter and a plug of tobacco,
which I had brought along for the purpose, he became more communicative. Il He declared the story
was  all true; that every Tuesday night  "drefful
sounds" were heard there, and that when the wind
blew in his direction he could recognize much of what
passed. Upon my closer interrogatories, he repeated
many expressions, which, though none of them appertained to the secrets of Masonry, were such as are
peculiar to a Mason's lodge, and convinced me that
he was thus far telling the truth. Yet the old darkey
evidently did n't tell the whole story; and though he
solemnly avowed his belief that it was "all fants that
made dem orful noises," there was a cunning twinkle
in his eye that denied his words. Not wishing, however, to excite his suspicions that I disbelieved him,
I bid him good-morning, and went toward the old
building, closely watched, as I could see, by the old
negro. It was a cheerful-looking edifice. In every
corner of it, shells, formerly plowed up from the old
field, had been piled. Some of them had been stuck
in the angles of " the walls," some were garnishing
stakes set up around the building, and all of them
grinned at me in the early sun as if to convey a
fiiendly good-morning.  Huge thigh bones, dry and
28
329 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
pallid as pokestalks, lay here in confusion, and the
whole scene recalled to mind the vision of the Valley of Dry Bones introduced into one of our Manuals.
The stairs which mounted to the second story, in
which was the old lodge-room, were very much decayed and dangerous to use. Yet, by clinging carefully to the wall, I lifted myself over them, and stood
in the once consecrated room, w-here a generation
now moldering with the dead, had once worked the
delightful work of Masonry. Here was the scene of
many a circumambulation. Here many a gratified
Brother had been led between the brazen pillars, and
up the mystic stairway, and into the middle chamber.
Here many a proof of fidelity unto death had been
exemplified.  Here had hung  the  Divine Symbol.
Here had stood many a young Brother to receive
those first instructions on which to build his future
moral and Masonic edifice.
I examined carefully for signs of recent visitations,
not by ghosts, but by men. The stairway was evidently too feeble for man's step, and there was a deep
mold of fungi upon it, proving that mine was the
first foot that had trodden it for many a day. But a
hole in the floor, at the south-east corner of the room,
presented suspicious indications of having been used
as a place of entrance, the wall below it being
smoothed  as if by the knees and elbows of the
climber, and the marks of hands visible on the edge
of the rotten planks that constituted the floor.  A
rag of broadcloth, too, which had been torn from
830 
A  IGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
some man's coat was even then sticking upon the
edge of a nail.
The three stations were still standing as they had
been left years before, and a cheap square box in the
center, which had once done service as an altar.
Upon turning this over, I found, to my surprise, a
large Bible, fresh and clean, and the square and
compass of heavy silver lying in it. Looking a little
closer, I discovered, hanging upon a nail inside of
the box, a charter for a lodge, regularly signed, filled
out, and sealed, which bore date many years previous.
Upon the three stations were new and heavy gavels,
and the indentations upon the soft plank proved that
they had been used by no fleshless hand. Noting
these things carefully, I swung myself down the
aperture, and went quietly to breakfast.
The day was spent in lecturing, during which I
marked nothing peculiar in the manner of the Brethren, except their taste for the funeral service over
any other portions of my instruction. If my memory serves me, I went over that ceremony eight times
while with them. No allusion was made by any one
to the HIaunted Lodge, and I abstained from any
remarks or questioning on the subject; but I se lected, in my mind's eye, two of the Brothers, the
Junior Deacon and Tyler, and resolved that that
very night, it being Tuesday, we would settle the.
question of the haunted lodge together.
To get the time, I worked all day, at double tides,
at my lectures, and having set nearly all of them toX
sleep by nine at night, was readily excused for the)
3831 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
rest of the evening. I had hinted to my two selected friends that I wanted to see them at my
room privately that night after the lectures were over,
and when we arrived there I locked the door  and
laid open my business. I told them there was some
stupendous humbug or other existing about that
old building, described what I had seen, impressed
upon their minds the disgrace of leaving such a
curious affair unexplained, and asked them to accompany me that very hour to the place.  ("Father of
grace!"  groaned  old Billy  Davids.   "Did  you
go? ")
It was funny to mark their evident unwillingness,
struggling with the shame of being deemed cowards,
and an ardent curiosity to solve the riddle. With
much inward reservation they professed a willingness to accompany me, provided they were led into
no danger. Calling for some strong coffee, which we
drank freely, and borrowing each a pair of pistols,
but without informing the landlord of our purpose,
we slipped quietly out of the hotel and went to that
corner of the deserted field.   The raps from the
haunted house were sounding loud and long!  ("Merciful protector!" "Don't  interrupt the house,"
responded the ex-Congressman.)
- As I had anticipated, the old negro was absent
from the cabin, but a good fire was burning there; a
broadcloth overcoat hung on a chair before it, as if to
dry, and a pair of boots lay on the floor, too small
by half for the negro's feet.  These things I pointed
out to my now trembling companions, as important
332 
A NIGHT LIN THE LODGE-ROOM.
links in the chain of development soon to be made,
and encouraged them in the belief that the only
ghosts we should find in the haunted  lodge, were
such as had worn those garments. Taking a rapid
circuit to come in from the further side of the field,
toward which the wind was blowing briskly, we
swiftly approached the old building. The Masonic
expressions which had been repeated to me that
morning by the negro, could now be plainly heard,
and the gavels rang merrily between them. The
foot of some heavy person passed rapidly to and fro
over the floor of the old lodge-room, and shook it
until at times it seemed about to give way under the
weight. There was no light in any part of the
building, nor after going round it two or three times,
could we find any persons outside.
The old negro, however, was asleep on the earthfloor within. We sprung upon him, overpowered
him, tied his hands together, and gagged his mouth,
but not until in his struggles he had given warning
to the person above, who instantly ceased the work
in which he had been so mysteriously engaged.
HIaving dragged the old negro out of the building, we
hastened to place ourselves, with cocked pistols, one
at the opening in the floor, one at the foot of the
decayed stairway, and the third as a general sentinel
to circumambulate the building.  Having thus cut
off all means of escape, I called out to the person
overhead, whoever he was, to come down, assuring
him that no harm was intended him; but that if he
did not, we would summon the people of the village
333 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
and have him brought down by force. The threat
was effectual. A clear manly voice was heard in the
loft accepting the terms of surrender, and asking me
if I was a Freemason?  Upon  my  reply in the
affirmative, and giving my name, he said "he had
long expected me, and was only keeping the lodge
alive till I should come." He then handed me down
the Bible, gavels, and charter, and quietly descended,
took my hand, and walked arm-in-arm with me to the
cabin, followed by the old negro, whom we had by
this time released. Arrived there within the influence of the fire-light, I found him a man of about
sixty years of age, physically in good health and
strength, but mentally quite off the balance.   itis
thoughts ran connectedly upon no subject but Masonry; upon all others he was in the most idiotic
manner flighty and obscure. He readily answered
my interrogatories when he was made, what lodges
he had visited, and why he pursued the mystic work
in such an out-of-the-way place, time, and manner; and
having surrendered up his charter to me, admitting
my right to demand it, and avowing "that he had
only been working under it until I should come and
take charge of it," he pledged himself to do so no more.
Having got the poor maniac to sleep, we then
demanded of the old negro, in a threatening manner,
why he had allowed the neighbors to be so long humbugged by this affair when he could have set them right
at a word. Upon which the black gave us the whole
story as follows: The deranged person, whose name
we may as well call Carroll, was his former master.
334 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
Mr. Carroll had been a government officer in another
State some years before, in which capacity he had
committed a great defalcation and then absconded.
His negroes and other property had been sold for the
benefit of his securities, and the one in question,
being very decrepit and useless, had been bought by
some humane person, who had removed with him to
Chestnutville, given him his freedom and a small
annuity, and settled him there for life. Some ten
years afterward, his former master had suddenly appeared to him, from what quarter he never knew, and
asked his protection and support. This the faithful
black cheerfully gave, and he had shared with him
his little means of sustenance ever since. The negro
had soon discovered that Mr. Carroll was deranged
and it was not long until he found him strolling off
at nights to the deserted lodge-room, where he would
practice ceremonies of which the old black knew
nothing more than that they scared the neighbors
around, and gave a bad reputation to the house.
I will not dwell upon all the little circumstances
of this case, nor explain how Mr. Carroll secured the
old charter, etc.  The lodge was privately informed
of the facts so far as we could gather them from the
negro, and means were taken to aid him in his honest
and benevolent charge. A few months afterward I
learned, however, that Mr. Carroll had been taken suddenly ill and died in a few hours afterward; but to
this day there is not a man, woman, or child inl
Chestnutville, outside of the lodge, bold enough to gO:
336 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
after nightfall within trumpet-sound of the haunted
lodge.
The conclusion of this story disgusted everybody in
the fog. Old Billy Davids, whose hair had been in an
electrified condition during the first part of it, loudly
ejaculated his dissatisfaction. The ex-Congressman
called it a fizzle.  Others hoped "we would n't feed
them on any more such soft truck like that," and
we learned from that hour never to give a rational
explanation to a ghost story. The love of mystery
is inherent in every breast, and a well-prepared yarn
that selects its dramatis personae from the other world,
is a welcome gift to every one. But then no earthly
element should be substituted for the ethereal, else
there is a feeling in the minds of the auditory that
their reasonable anticipations have been disappointed.
The recital of this incident, so ridiculously terminated, had the effect to turn the attention of the company to subjects of a horrible character, in which the
young doctor was facetiously rich. His experiments
on poisons, so fatal to the brute creation, afforded
him a pure joy in the recital, which few of us, it is
to be hoped, shared. His resurrection-exploits, as he
related them, had almost depopulated the graveyard,
and, if his statements could be believed, he would
something rather have a corpse in his bed-room at
night, than a live body of either sex. We soon got
tired of this, however, and then old Billy Davids had
his turn. He had once gone through a scene calculated to turn a man's very wig gray, having in a
836 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
lonely place, and late at night, found an open coffin
strangely occupying the middle of the road he was
traversing. Others pitched in with stories more or
less unreasonable and ghostly, and then, after we got
our breath, we changed the subject to that of dreams.
We had gone to sleep one night, after reading Preston's Illustrations, and dreamed that we were in King
Solomon's presence, just at the opportune moment
when he was delivering his final charge to the craftsmen who had done such faithful service at his command. This was a fortunate occurrence for us, for
we had often exercised our ingenuity in guessing what
sort of a legacy the king gave them at parting, and
were never quite satisfied upon the subject. We
therefore listened with both ears while the Royal Philosopher descanted upon the merits of those who had
earned distinction, enlarged upon the honors and
rewards that would inure to them as temple builders,
and warned them against the errors of disobedience
and pride.
The whole was too good to be lost, and so, when
we awoke and arose next day, we took to our
"rhyming ware," and embalmed the whole as nearly
in the Egyptian style as we knew how:
KING SOLOMON TO HIS BUILDERS.
King Solomon sat in his mystic chair,
His chair on a platform high;
And his words addressed
Through the listening West,
To a band of Brothers nigh;
29
337 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
Through the West and South,
These words of truth,
To a band of Brothers nigh:
"Ye builders, go! ye have done your work,
The capestone standeth sure;
From the lowermost rock
To the loftiest block,
The fabric is secure.
From the Arches' swell,
To the Pinnacle,
The fabric is secure.
"Go, crowned with fame! old time will pans,
And many changes bring;
But the Deed you've done,
The circling sun,
Through every land will sing:
The moon and stars,
While earth endures,
Through every land will sing.
"Go, build like this! from the Quarries vast,
The precious stones reveal;
There's many a block,
In the matrice-rock,
Will honor your fabrics well:
There's many a beam,
By the mountain-stream,
Will honor your fabric well.
"Go, build like this! divest with skill
Each superfluity:
With critic eye,
Each fault espy,
Be zealous, fervent, free I
By the perfect Square,:
Your work preparei
Be zealous, fervt., oIl
838 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
" Go, build like this! to a fitting place,
Raise uip the Ashlars true;
On the Trestle-board,
Of your Master's Lord,
The GRAND INTENTION view I
In each mystic line,
Of the vast design,
The GRAND INTENTION view! I
" Go, build like this! and when exact
The Joinings scarce appear;
With the Trowel's aid,
Such cement spread,
As time can never wear!
Lay thickly round,
Such wise compound,
As time can never wear.
"Go, Brothers; thus enjoined, farewell l
Spread o'er the darkened West!
Illume each clime,
With art sublime,
The noblest truths attest I
Be MASTERS now,
And as you go,
The noblest truths attest I "
These sentiments aroused the ex-Congressman, who,
we apprehended, had been slightly dozing on his
bench. He begged leave, in his heavy, parliamentary way, to agree with us in our views as to what
King Solomon's bequest was likely to be, and slightly
tickled our approbativeness as to the smoothness of
the verse, etc. Say what you will, compliments from
a Congressman are several shades more highly valued
by us sensitive gentlemen, than those from ordinary
quarters. Yet who would be a Congressman?
339
I.
4"
1'
:., 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
A loud crow from an adjoining hen-roost called
out our inquiry as to the time of night, which we
found, upon examination, to be verging upon daybreak.  The  weather,  too, was  clearing  up.  The
rain had ceased, and there was a prospect of a fair
sky. We, therefore, took a drink of coffee all round
-at least, the writer did, and, judging from the
noises, the other twenty-seven imitated so worthy an
example-and announced that we had but one more
story to tell ere daylight would separate us. This
roused up the crowd. Free calls for tobacco implied
that the supply was running short, a last stock of
pipes was manufactured, and, when perfect stillness
was restored, we began
Our Sixth StorS.
OF I-HE JZ:SJE4 ELECT.
DURING the pleasant night now ending, I have
said little or nothing, my Brethren, of official duties,
cases of discipline, or the means of awakening and
sustaining a band of Craftsmen in the performance of
duty. These topics have formed the staple, as you
know, of many a lecture delivered you in times gone
by, whose memories, mingling with the memories of
this happy night, will alleviate many a moment of
sorrow, many a burden of toil and pain in the pilgrimage T G A 0 T U shall allot to us ere we reach
T C L A. It was not well, I thought, to propose
topics too serious or contemplative for your seven
840' 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
hours' entertainment in the 2Vight in the Lodge-Room,
just now ending.
But now, in closing, I would speak to you yet in
the same pleasant story-telling strain, of the relationship which exists, according to the oldest regulations
known to this oldest of associations, between the
Master of the lodge and the membership. In illustration of which, I will instance a circumstance that
occurred in Lux Fuit Lodge, and the occasion shall
be the annual election of its officers on the natal day
of St. John the Evangelist.
No election held in this lodge for many years had
excited so much interest, or so general an attendance, as the one in question. The old Master,
Brother Campbell, Scotch by birth, as his name indicates, and strongly Scotch in his views of government, his piety, his industry of research, and aptness
of application, after twelve years of consecutive service under the letter G of that lodge, had claimed the
exemption due to age, infirmities, and faithful labor,
to decline a re-election. The query as to who should
take his place was one calculated to interest the
members of the lodge in a peculiar manner.
In point of fact, it is about as difficult to supply
the place of such a Master as Brother Donald Campbell, without detriment to the lodge, as it is to afford
the sorrowing widow a second husband, who will
prove a proper substitute for the one she has lost.
There is so much difference in men that one can
never learn the secret of the success of his predecessor so as to follow it. Each must, to a considerable
341
Al 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
extent, work by his own views of right and wrong;
and so the loss of such a Master as Brother Campbell is well-nigh irreparable.
To illustrate this matter further, it was the practice
of the old Scotchman to read and expound a brief
passage of Scripture at every meeting of the lodge;
to offer up his own prayers at the opening; to lead
in the musical portions invariably introduced at every
turn in the Masonic ceremonial; to give an elaborate
lecture upon some historical or philosophical point in
Masonry; to read such correspondence as his busy
pen had secured from other lodges or intelligent
Masons; to confer his own degrees with accuracy
and impressiveness; to repeat catechetically the
whole of the accompanying lectures; to visit surrounding lodges in person for. the furtherance of good
feeling and mutual advantage; to represent his lodge
at every Communication of the Grand Lodge; in
brief, to do, say, and plan all that appertained to the
weal of the Craft in general, and his own lodge in
particular. Hiow could the place of such a man be
supplied?
The answer was, by Brother Benton. This man
was a pupil and protege6 of Brother Campbell's, having received initiation at his hands, and sat at his
feet metaphorically ever since the hour he was brought
to light. He was his son-in-law, and dwelt in the
same neighborhood. In all Masonic missions to surrounding lodges, and in the annual journey to
Grand Lodge, they were companions.  Brother Benton had served the lodge in every capacity, save
342 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
the posts of Tyler and Treasurer, having begun his
official career as Junior Deacon; acted as Master's
proxy, as Senior Deacon; kept the books two years
as Secretary; governed the Craft while at refreshment for a twelvemonth, and while at labor for two;
and knew, if any man did, the ways and designs of
the long-time Master. The answer, therefore, was
Brother Benton; and the general attendance of the
members that day was to secure, if possible, by
unanimous vote, his election.
The meeting was solemnized by the farewell remarks
of Brother Campbell. Few present had ever heard
anything in Masonry so affecting.  He recounted his
services, and asked if he had not earned an honorable
dismissal? He cited the members present and absent, naming each by his name, and demanded to
know if there was aught against him, in his official
character, during all the twelve years he had wielded
that emblem of authority at their request? He summoned the dead, who lay in the Masonic portion of
the graveyard, in plain view from the windows of the
lodge; he called each by his name (for the name of
each was printed on the Memorial Board in the
south-east corner of the lodge), and demanded
whether any, who had gone to his last rest, had
borne with him one remembrance of unkindness for
anything that he, his Master, had done or said to him
while living? And to every appeal, whether to the
living or dead, there was a marked and flattering
silence.
Then he said: " Never let the breath of scandal
343 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
assail me. As I sit by my fireside in my pain and
decrepitude, wearing out the few hours yet allotted to
me, let me feel assured that when the tongues of my
Brethren are in any way busying themselves concerning me, it will be in love, honor, and respect.
To my heart there will come a secret pang, sharp
and torturing, if ever thoughtless or ungrateful Masons speak lightly of my services, or my instructions,
during the long years I have presided over this
lodge; and when I go to rest (it can not be long),
I ask that every member of this lodge shall accompany me on that journey, and that, in the hearing of
my friends and neighbors, and the Brethren of surrounding lodges, and the strangers who, peradventure, may be present that day, a declaration shall be
made by the then acting Master of Lux Fuit Lodge,
that the departed Brother Campbell did honest
service to his Brethren in his day and generation,
and defies any man to gainsay it."
Then the venerable Brother took his diploma, old
and worn, and bearing the signature of one of Scotland's noblest lords, and asked that it be preserved
forever in the archives of that lodge in his memory.
He took his watch, heavy and golden, by which the
time of opening and closing the lodge had been so
long and so accurately measured, and laid it upon
the pedestal in the East, as his donation for the use
and guidance of their Masters elect, so long as the
lodge should live.  This was followed up by the presentation to the lodge of the hall and the lot of
ground on which it stood, both of which were his
9~44 
A NIGHIT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
property, and which he now presented to his Brethren
as a clear gift, for the consideration of love and respect, and then he directed that the annual election
of Lux Fuit Lodge should be proceeded with.
Brother Benton was, of course, elected, and unanimously. It was a tribute due alike to his past
services and his promising merits. For his Wardens,
two were selected who were known to entertain the
same views upon Masonic government and moral
principles as himself; for it is a poor compliment to a
young Master to checkmate his plans with Wardens
who differ from his views; and the South-east was
filled, as heretofore, by an excellent Mason of an intellectual cast. Each officer received an unanimous
vote to his respective position.
It had been understood and agreed beforehand that
the installation of officers this year should be, as
usual, public, and the next day, which was Saturday,
had been set apart for that ceremony. The neighboring lodges had acceded to an invitation to come and
assist in installing Brother Campbell's successor, and
preparations for a festival had been made upon a
large scale.   Brother Campbell announced that he
should be prepared to deliver an address, as his last
legacy to Lux Fuit Lodge, and appointed E rev erend Brother to follow it with a short discourse upon
"the religious element in Masonry,"
These arrangements being settled, and but a short
hour remaining before night, the old Master gave his
usual lecture at parting, in which he adapted the
,345 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
words of DeWitt Clinton, who had said as early as
1793, that
"A Mason is bound to consult the happiness and to promote
the interests of his Brother; to avoid everything offensive to his
feelings; to abstain from reproach, censure, and unjust suspicions; to warn him of the machinations of his enemies; to advise
him of his errors; to advance the reputation and welfare of his
family; to protect the chastity of his house; to defend his life,
his property, and, what is dearer to a man of honor, his character
against unjust attacks; to relieve his wants and his distress; to
instill into his mind proper ideas of conduct in the department
of life which he is called to fill; and let me add, to foster his
schemes of interest and promotion, if compatible with the paramount duties a man owes to the community."
Brother Campbell indorsed all this as the ancient
Scotch theory of Masonic duty, and enlarged upon
each of its inculcations. Then, with a friendly word
to each, and an exhortation to stand to and abide by
these ancient doctrines in their daily intercourse
with each other, he closed the lodge and departed.
Brother Benton, who remained a little longer, was
accompanied by a group of friends on horseback to
the ford, where, it being quite dark, he took leave
of them, waved his hand and dashed into the stream.
He was heard to shout, in a cheerful tone, Good-night,
was seen once more to wave his arm, and then the
darkness enveloped him.
Great was the gathering upon the following day.
Popular as old Mr. Campbell was, it was felt by his
neighbors-Masons and non-Masons-that a general
turn-out upon such an occasion as this, would be
346 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
esteemed by him  as a personal compliment;  and
there were but few settlers within three miles but
what mounted something in quadrupedal form and
"came to the celebration."  The neighboring lodges
appeared in full force. From each direction a long
cavalcade of Masons, well mounted, and displaying
the aprons and scarfs of their Craft, wound over the
hilly country, and met at the door of Lux Fuit
Lodge. To the gratification of all, the Grand Master
himself did honor both to his own standing and to
the occasion, and came down more than one handred
miles to unite with his Brethren in so interesting
an event. This was the crowning point of the general joy.
Eleven o'clock arrived, and Brother Campbell, the
Grand Master upon his right, opened the lodge. His
short explication of Scripture, his strongly-accented
Scotch prayer, the Masonic opening ode, were all
performed as usual, and his lecture exhibiting the
three-twist cable tow of a Mason, was even better
than usual. The preliminaries of the procession
were arranged, the Marshal of the day being one
who had served as colonel in his country's cause, in
more than one bloody fight. All was in readiness
to march, but still-and the matter began to be
whispered about as somewhat strange -Brother Benton had not arrived! A messenger was sent to the
church hard by, where the ladies were assembled, to
inquire of his wife if anything was the matter with
him, and brought back for answer, "that Mr. Benton
had not returned home the preceding night, but was
347 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
engaged, she supposed, in the lodge until it was too
late!"
And now a messenger knocked at the door, who
brought tidings from Brother Benton.  He was admitted; but his scared face and trembling limbs were
for awhile the only story he could tell. Looking
toward the East, and observing the genial, expectant
countenance of Brother Campbell, he covered his
face with his hands and wept aloud.
The messenger had been one of those who accompanied Brother Benton to the ferry the evening
before, had shaken his parting hand, had answered
his cheerful hail, had seen him disappear in the darkness.  Alas! it was the darkness of death!  His
horse, it is supposed, stumbled and threw him into
the water. Some sharp point in the rocky ford had
met his forehead, and the waters had ingulfed
himt; for the next morning his body was found lying
a mile below upon the banks, at the very gateway
of the Brother who now essayed to tell this fearful
tale!
Down, like an aged tree, fell the venerable Master
from his station in the East, and ere high twelve
was announced in the South that day, his spirit, for
years but loosely occupying the clay tenement of his
body, had flown to unite with that of his son-in-law,
in whatever regions of space the souls of good men
occupy.
The festival was postponed until the morrow, and
then it was made a funeral.  The Grand ]iaster and
the delegations refaind i  tl  viinity, tr iheld
348 
A NIGHT IN THE  LODGE-ROOM.
that night a Sorrow Lodge, which will never be forgotten by those who formed it.  On the following
day they took possession of their own, the Master
and the Master elect, and bore them to an honorable
interment in the Masonic portion of the necropolis
hard by. There the Grand Master (few could have
done it better), raised his voice until the voices
of the mighty pines overhead were hushed in silence,
and demanded, as the old Scotchman had but two
'days before requested, "if any man there, whether
living or dead, had been wronged in word or act
by this man now lying with uncovered face, prepared
for his last sleep?"  And the dead and the living
were equally silent!
Thus closed our story of "the Master elect," and
now it was broad daylight and time to depart. We
formed a circle and sung in unison a farewell ode.
Being requested to do so by the ex-Corngressman, we
repeated the lines which follow:
THE LEVEL AND THE SQUARE.
We meet upon the Level and we part upon the Square;What words of precious meaning those words Masonic are I
Come, let us contemplate them, they are worthy of a thought,
With the highest, and the lowest, and the rarest they are
fraught..
We meet upon the Level, though from every station come;
The rich man from his mansion, and the poor man from his
home;
For the one must leave his wealth, and state outside the Mason's
door,
A the l other/tn&f's true respet-upon the checkredltoor.
349 
350           A NIGHT  IN  THE  LODGE-ROOM.
We part upon the Square, for the world must have its due;
We mingle with the multitude, a cold, unfriendly crew,
But the influence of our gatherings in memory is green,
And we long upon the Level to renew the happy scene.
*      *      *       *      *      *       *      *
There's a world where all are equal-we are hurrying toward it
fast;
We shall meet upon the Level there, when the gates of death are
past;
We shall stand before the Orient, and our Master will be
there
To try the blocks we offer by his own unerring Square.
We shall meet upon the Level there, but never thence depart
There's a Mansion-'tis all ready for each trusting, faithful
heartThere's a Mansion and a welcome-and a multitude is there,
Who have met upon the Level, and been tried upon the Square.
Let us meet upon the Level then, while laboring patient
here;
Let us meet and let us labor, though the labor be severe;
Already in the Western Sky the signs bid us prepare,
To gather up our Working tools, and part upon the Square.
Hands round, ye faithful Masons, form the bright, fraternal
chain,
We part upon the Square below, to meet in heaven again.
0! what  words  of precious  meaning those words Masonic
areWe meet upon the Level and we part upon the Square!
Then we took those good fellows, one by one by
the   hand,  and   said  "good-by."    It  was  hard
to look into those kind faces-ah, shall we see them
again in the world to come?- and say it. Old Billy 
A NIGHT IN THIE LODGE-ROOM.
Davids was deeply affected, and laying his hand
upon  our head he prayed  in words divine, "The
Lord bless thee and keep thee.  The Lord make his
face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and
give thee peace!"   Brother Coldstreet, quoting from
the Ancient Charges which he knew and loved so
well, exhorted us to continue our mission for the
good of the Craft, teaching Masons "to cultivate
Brotherly love, the foundation and capestone, the
element ind glory of the ancient fraternity; to avoid
all wrangling and quarreling, all slander and backbiting; not permitting others to slander any honest
Brother, but defending his character, and doing him
all good offices as far as is consistent with their honor
and safety." The ex Congressman was eloquent in
the expression of his good wishes-and an old
Brother present who hadn't said a word the livelong
night, clapped us fearfully upon the back, and
declared that "though we moughtn't make money
or get rich in this business, yet, at the judgment
day he was sure we would bring up as many skell)s
as any of'em!"
And so that good night became of the past. By
a little help from the outside, the whole of us
descended to the earth, and each pursued his several
way.  We have never been there since.  But we have
learned from time to time how the little band prospers; how they have dropped off, one by one, accepting the friendly invitation of death; how one by one
they have added to their members of the rising
351 
A NIGHT IN THE LODGE-ROOM.
generation, until they number on the Grand Lodge
books thrice the tale of those who faced us that
night; and how all, both old and young, treasure up
in loving hearts the memory of him who spent his
"NIGHAT IN THE LODGE-ROOM! "
THE END.
352 
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With Annotations, and an Appendix,
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return to the original.
Morris's edition is a literal copy of the work as Brother
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give, and enlarged with an Appendix, which, in the space
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VOL. SECOND.-3. Symbol of Glory. 4. Spirit of Masonry.
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of Masonry.
VOLS. ELEVENTH AND TWELFTH —22. The Historical Landmarks of Masonry.
By Oliver. Vol. I, 426 pages; Vol. II, 450 pages.
VOL. THIRTEENTH.-23. Stray Leaves from a Freemason's Note-Book. 24. Apology for the Order. 25. The Masonic Schism. 26. Insignia of the Royal Arch.
27. The Secret Discipline.
VOL. FOURTEENTH.-28. Lights and Shadows of Freemasonry.
VOL. FIFTEENTH.-29. Anderson's Ancient Constitutions.  30. History of Freemasonry, up to 1829.
VOL. SIXTEENTH.-31. Masonic Sermons. 32. Three Sermons.
VOL. SEVENTEENTH. —3. Principles of Masonic Law.
VOL. EIGHTEENTH.-34. History of Masonic Persecutions. 35. Masonic In stitutes.
VOLS. NINETEENTH, TWENTIETH, TWENTY-FIRST, AND TWENTY-SECOND.-36.
History of the Knights Hospitalers, of St. John of Jerusalem. 37. Statutes of
the Knights Templar of England and Wales.
VOL. TWENTY-THIRD.-38. Use and Abuse of Freemasonry.  39. Life in the
Triangle. 40. Historical Sketch ofthe Order of Knights Templar.
VOL: TWENTY-FOURTH.-Mlanual-of Masonic Music.
VOL. TWENTY-FIFTH.-42. Masonry and Anti-Masonry.  43. An Appeal to the
Inhabitants of Vermont on the Subject of the Anti-Masonic Excitement, April,
1829. 44. An Address to the Masonic Convention at Middlebury, Vermont,
April 7, 1829.
VOLS. TWENTY-SIXTH AND TWENTY-SVEYENTH.-45. The Freemasons' Monthly
Magazine, 1855.
VOL. TWENTY-EIGHTH.-6. The Mystic Tie.  47. Narrative of the Anti-Ma sonic Excitement.  48. Oration at the Re-Interment of General Joseph Warren,
1776.
VOL. TWENTY-NINTH.-49. Philosophical Philosophy of Masonry.
VOL. THIRTIETH.-50. Speculative Masonry.  51. By-Laws of the Lodge of
Antiquity. 52. Ancient Poem on the Constitutions of Masonry, 1325. 53. The
Egyptian and Hebrew Symbols.            WM. M. ELLISON, GENERAL AGENT,
Louisville, Ky.
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