A Brother Builded A Temple.
A Builder builded a Temple,
He wrought it with grace and skill,
Pillars and columns and arches,
All fashioned to suit his will.

Men said when they saw its beauty,
It shall never know decay.
Great is thy fame, O Builder,
Thy name shall endure for aye.

A Freemason builded a Temple
With trustful and infinite care,
Planning each arch with patience,
Laying each stone with a prayer.

None praised his unceasing efforts,
None knew of the wondrous plan
For the Temple the Freemason builded
Was unseen by the eyes of man.

The nameless Builders Temple
Has crumbled into dust.
Low lies each stately pillar,
Food for consuming rust.

But the Temple the Freemason builded
Will live while the ages roll,
For that beautiful unseen Temple,
Was his own Immortal Soul.

I Sat In Lodge With You.
There is a saying filled with cheer,
Which calls a man to fellowship.
It means as much for him to hear
As lies within the brother-grip.
Nay, more! It opens wide the way
To friendliness sincere and true:
There are no strangers when you say
To me: "I sat in lodge with you."

When that is said, then I am known;
There is no questioning or doubt;
I need not walk my path alone
Nor from my fellows be shut out.
These words hold all of brotherhood
And help me face the world anew
There's something deep and rich and good
In this: "I sat in lodge with you."

Though in far lands one needs must roam,
By sea and shore and hill and plain,
Those words bring him a touch of home
And lighten tasks that seem in vain.
Men's faces are no longer strange,
But seem as those he always knew
When some one brings the joyous change
With his: "I sat in lodge with you."

So you, my brother, now and then
Have often put me in your debt
By showing forth to other men
That you your friends do not forget.
When all the world seems gray and cold
And I am weary, worn and blue,
Then comes this golden thought I hold-
You said: "I sat in lodge with you."

When to the last great Lodge you fare
My prayer is that I may be
One of your friends who wait you there,
Intent your smiling face to see.
We, with the warder at the gate,
Will have a pleasant task to do;
We'll call, though you come soon or late:
"Come in! We sat in lodge with you."

....................................Wilbur D. Nesbit.

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Are you an active member,
The kind that would be missed?
Or are you just contented
That your name is on the list?

Do you attend the meetings
And mingle with the flock?
Or do you just stay away
And criticise and knock?

Do you ever go and visit
A member who is sick
Or leave the work to just a few
And talk about the clique?

Come to the meeting often
And help with hand and heart,
Don't just be a member,
But take an active part.

Think this one over, Brother,
Do you know right from wrong?
Are you an active member
Or do you just belong?

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 !
Come, let us contemplate them ! they are worthy of a thought;
In the very walls of Masonry the sentiment is wrought.

We meet upon the Level, though from every station come,
The rich man from his palace and the poor man from his home;
For the rich must leave his wealth and state outside the Mason's door.
And the poor man finds his best respect upon the Checkered Floor.

We act upon the Plumb- 'tis the orders of our Guide-
We walk upright in virtue's way and lean to neither side;
The All-Seeing Eye that reads our hearts doth bear us witness true,
That we still try to honour God and give each man his due.

We pan upon the Square, for the world must have its due;
We mingle with the multitude, a faithful band and true;
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 towards it fast,
We shall meet upon the Level there, when the gates of Death are passed;
We shall stand before the Orient, and our Master will be there,
To try the blocks we offer with 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 heart-
There'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 labouring patient here;
Let us meet and let us labour, though the labour 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 Brotherhood, the bright fraternal chain,
We part upon the Square below, to meet in heaven again !
What words of precious meaning those words Masonic are-
We meet upon the Level and we part upon the Square.

      .................................................. ROB MORRIS

THE BRIDGE BUILDER

• An old man, going a lone highway,
  Came at the evening, cold and grey,
  To a chasm, vast, deep and wide,
  Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
  The old man crossed in the twilight dim -
  That sullen stream had no fears for him;
  But he turned when he reached the other side,
  And built a bridge to span the tide.
  
  "Old man," said a fellow pilgrim near,
  "You are wasting your strength in building here,
  Your journey will end with the ending day;
  You never again must pass this way,
  You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
  Why build you the bridge at the eventide?"
  
  The builder lifted his old grey head,
  "Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
  "There followeth after me today
  A youth whose feet must pass this way.
  This chasm that has been naught to me
  To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
  He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
  Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."
  
  .......................................... WILL ALLEN DROMGOOLE.