A GOLDMINE
OF MASONIC THOUGHT
Poems and Writings relating to the Craft
Wherever possible the source of the articles is shown,
but where this is not acknowledged it is hoped that the authors will
allow their material to be used here to promote the interests of the Fraternity.
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The Plan of Masonry
We marvel at the wisdom of those who designed The Plan of Masonry , a system of Morality
which has influenced man, and all free societies, throughout the ages. Other organisations have
come into being with great promise, but have lost their effectiveness as they adopted innovations
which destroyed the vitalizing force of their original objectives and purposes. Why then,
has Masonry stood the test of time? What is the force that has moved it through the
centuries? Why can it point to the greatest and best men of all the ages as encourages
and promoters of the Art?
The basic reason is that Masonry is built upon the strong foundation of a belief by the
individual Mason in Deity, and upon his acceptance of the Great Light of Masonry as an
unerring guide. But there is also another significant reason. Masonry places
the responsibility for one's mental and moral growth directly upon it individual. In every
declaration made by the candidate there is expressed his personal responsibility. Masonry
recognises the truth that character is not available in wholesale quantities. It must be
the result of personal efforts. The Institution of Freemasonry does not make obscure the
individual. The institution is illuminated by the individual who strives to live by its tenets and teachings.
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Isn't it strange
That princes and kings,
And clowns that caper
In sawdust rings,
And common people
Like you and me
Are builders for eternity?
Each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass,
A book of rules;
And each must make --
Ere life has flown --
A stumbling block
Or a stepping stone.
-------------------------------R.L.Sharpe
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It matters not what're your lot, or what your task may be,
One duty there remains for you, one duty stands for me,
Be you a doctor skilled and wise or do you work for wage,
A laborer upon the street, an actor on the stage,
One glory still awaits for you, one honour that is fair,
To have men say as you pass by, That fellows on the Square .
Ah, here's a phrase that stands for much, tis good old English too,
It means that men have confidence in everything you do,
It means that what you have you've earned,
and that you've done your best,
And when you go to sleep at night untroubled you may rest,
It means that conscience is your guide and honour is your care,
There is no greater praise than this, That fellows on the Square .
And when I die, I would not wish a lengthy epitaph,
I do not want a headstone large, carved with fulsome chaff,
Pick out no single deed of mine, if such a deed there be,
To carve upon my monument for those who come to see,
Just this one phrase of all I choose, to show my life was fair,
Here sleepeth now a fellow who was always on the Square .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Author Unknown.
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ONLY A BUILDING
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You may delve down to rock for your foundation piers,
You may go with your steel to the sky;
You may purchase the best of the thought of the years
And the finest of workmanship buy;
You may line with the rarest of marble each wall,
And with gold you may tint it, but then
It is only a building, if it, after all,
Isn't filled with the spirit of men.
You may put up a structure of brick and stone,
Such as never was put up before;
Place there in the costliest woods that are grown
And carve every pillar and door;
You may fill it with splendors of quarry and mine,
With the glories of brush and of pen,
But its only a building though ever so fine,
If it hasn't the spirit of men.
You may build such a structure that lighting can't harm,
Or one that an earthquake can't raze;
You may build it of granite and boast that its charm
Shall last to the end of all days.
But you might as well never have builded at all
Never cleared of the bog and the fen,
If after it's finished its sheltering wall
Doesn't stand for the spirit of men.
For it isn't the marble, nor is it the stone,
Nor is it the columns of steel,
By which is the worth of an edifice known,
But by something that's living and real.
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Don't expect perfection in a man just because he
is a Mason. If you do you will be disappointed. Masonry makes men better, but no human agency makes them perfect.
If he is a Mason, you will have a right to presume he is a good man, but do not condemn Masonry even if a few Masons turn out bad. Even the
great Teacher Himself had a Judas.
The aim and purpose of Masonry is to receive none but good men, keep them good, and make them better.
Judge the Institution, not by a few failures, but by the average of its successes. That average is high and it consequently gives standing
to its members, but it cannot be an infallible guide.
The fraternity may decide to do something which you, as an individual member, may oppose. But do not feel that you must condemn the
action on that account. Even you are not infallible, and may feel assured that its average performance will be good.
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When you get what you want in your struggle for self,
And the world makes you King for a day,
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that man has to say.
For it isn't your Father or Mother or Wife,
Whose judgment upon you must pass,
The fellow who's verdict counts most in your life,
Is the one staring back from the glass.
He's the fellow to please, never mind all the rest,
For he's with you right up till the end,
And you've passed your most difficult test,
If the man in the glass is your friend.
You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be the heartaches and tears,
If you've cheated the man in the glass.
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Sometime, when you're feeling important,
Sometime, when your ego's in bloom,
Sometime when you take it for granted
You're the best qualified in the room.
Sometime when you feel that your going,
Would leave an unfillable hole,
Just follow this simple instruction
And see how it humbles your soul.
You may splash all you please when you enter,
You can stir up the water galore,
But stop, and you will find in a minute,
That it looks quite the same as before.
Take a bucket and fill it with water,
Put your hand in it up to the wrist,
Pull it out, and the hole that's remaining,
Is the measure of how you'll be missed.
The moral in this quaint example,
Is to do just the best that you can,
Be proud of yourself, but remember,
There is no indispensable man.
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The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power,
To tell just when the hands will stop,
At late or early hour.
Now is the only time you own,
Live, love, toil with a will,
Place no faith in tomorrow,
The clock may then be still.
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The gauge divides the lives of men
Until their lifetimes tales are o'er;
Receive the Gauge, Apprentice then,
Consider well its hallowed lore.
A time for toil, a time for sleep,
A time to serve such men as need,
The Craftsman thus his faith shall keep.
As on the restless seasons speed.
For Work, whereby the peoples live,
Much needs command its portion fair,
And labor shall the Craftsman give
One-third his days, one-third his care.
And, weary when his tasks are done,
The Craftsman lays him down to rest,
That he may greet the morrow's sun
With fresher, slumber strengthened zest.
And work and rest himself shall raise
Unto a higher, richer state,
To turn anew toward God, His praise,
And succour the unfortunate.
A life well-lived is fashioned here,
A life with joy and profit fraught:
Its round, through each successive year,
Is by this simple emblem taught.
R.J.McLauchlin.
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Just a quiet little lodge-room,
But a mighty force for good;
With its loyal band of members
Learning more of brotherhood;
Striving, stumbling, but progressing
Down a pathway towards the right;
Just a humble bunch of plain folks,
Reaching, seeking for the light.
Just a quiet little lodge-room,
How it stirs the heart and soul
With a thrill of great endeavor
Toward a high and common goal;
With each pledge of faith and courage
To maintain the forward fight,
On the road that leads them onward
Even onward to the light.
George B. Staff.
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