Hope you don'y mind but I just love this peice, by a great Mason. You have to hear this done in a cracked East End, London accent. With the sounds of a Steam Train and crowded Station in Lahor, India. British Raj. era.


THERE was Rundle, Station Master,
An' Beazeley of the Rail,
An' 'Ackman, Commissariat,
An' Donkin' o' the Jail;
An' Blake, Conductor-Sergeant,
Our Master twice was 'e,
With im that kept the Europe-shop,
Old Framjee Eduljee.

Outside - " Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!
Inside - 'Brother," an' it doesn't do no 'arm.
We met upon the Level an' we parted on the Square,

An' I was junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there!
We'd Bola Nath, Accountant,
An' Saul the Aden Jew,
An' Din Mohammed, draughtsman
Of the Survey Office too;
There was Babu Chuckerbutty,
An' Amir Singh the Sikh,
An' Castro from the fittin'-sheds,
The Roman Catholick!

We 'adn't good regalia,
An' our Lodge was old an' bare,
But we knew the Ancient Landmarks,
An' we kep' 'em to a hair;
An' lookin' on it backwards
It often strikes me thus,
There ain't such things as infidels,
Excep', per'aps, it's us.

For monthly, after Labour,
We'd all sit down and smoke
(We dursn't give no banquits,
Lest a Brother's caste were broke),
An' man on man got talkin'
Religion an' the rest,
An' every man comparin'
Of the God 'e knew the best.

So man on man got talkin',
An' not a Brother stirred
Till mornin' waked the parrots
An' that dam' brain-fever-bird.
We'd say 'twas 'ighly curious,
An' we'd all ride 'ome to bed,
With Mo'ammed, God, an' Shiva
Changin' pickets in our 'ead.

Full oft on Guv'ment service
This rovin' foot 'ath pressed,
An' bore fraternal greetin's
To the Lodges east an' west,
Accordin' as commanded.
From Kohat to Singapore,
But I wish that I might see them
In my Mother-Lodge once more!

I wish that I might see them,
My Brethren black an' brown,
With the trichies smellin' pleasant
An' the hog-darn passin' down;
An' the old khansamah snorin'
On the bottle-khana floor,
Like a Master in good standing
With my Mother-Lodge once more.

Outside - Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!'
Inside- Brother," an' it doesn't do no 'arm.
We met upon the Level an' we parted on the Square,
An' I was Junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there!

by Rudyard Kipling

So mote it be...

We meet upon the level and part upon the square...
more honorable men I have never met any other where...
Than those I sit in lodge with, every lodge night here.

thank you Bill.

Theron: you're very welcome!

Bill: I love that! You've even got the accent down!

As a note, that Lodge where I got the story from (well, the Lodge's website) is in Belleville, Ontario. Not too long a drive from where I live, Mississauga. I look forward to visiting it in the near future.

So, how does all this "ain't we good boys" stuff fit into ATS purposes?

Enlighten me

-masonism 101 recruiting now-



*edit spelun, sigh

[edit on 16/9/2004 by PublicGadfly]

I just thought I'd post something a bit more lighthearted this time, something nice for the Masons. I found that story quite moving, and I just wanted to share. That's all, really.

Firstly to say hi to all brethern out there and secondly this passage is great. I think I'll read it out when I sit my 3rd Degree at the end of the night.

From Carl Claudy's Old Tiler Talks.

This one is dedicated to: All of the brethren, from continent to continent.

"Many men, banded together
Standing where Hiram stood;
Hand to back of the falling,
Helping in brotherhood.
Wise man, doctor, lawyer,
Poor man, man of the hod,
Many call it Masonry
And others call it God."

[edit on 21-11-2004 by nosam]

hey i want to know what mason do those rituals for i just heard they do some stuff but what do they try to get.

Was that a question? First let me say that I am not a Mason (yet-- I am petitioning in January), so my statements should be taken as such. As for "What are they trying to get?" Well, I think that Masons are men with morals and responsiblities who are trying to get the company of like men who share in the same ideals. I am a member of a Fraternity (Kappa Sigma), and I'm reminded of two quotes that I learned as a Pledge. First- "From the outside looking in, you could never understand it. From the inside looking out, you could never explain it..." The second is by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow-
"No one could tell me where my soul might be,
I searched for God, but he eluded me;
I sought my Brother and found all three."

Hope this helps...

You already have an excellent grasp on the fraternal philosophy that binds the Craft together through the centuries.
As with all things in life, the true source of the light we seek and the darkness we dread is in man, himself.
Freemasonry seeks to cultivate the light within man through an obligation towards morality,charity and brotherly love.
Freemasonry is not a secret society, it is a society with secrets. All of those secrets involve our methods of recognition.
Yes, it is an exclusive society. Yes, a person is actually investigated by members of the Lodge before his petition is allowed to go forward.
Is Freemasonry somehow involved in some worldwide conspiracy? Well, I've been a Mason for a long time. And I know, as every mason knows, many masons that hold very high degrees in the Craft. 30-33(hon.).
If those men are the ones supposedly running or even involved in that dark conspiracy stuff? Then the world has absolutely nothing to fear. They are a great bunch of guys, but world class conspirators they certainly are not. No offense intended. Just my 2 cents


Bro. John Bamburg, Westgate #738, Charlotte, NC, USA