Classic Poem

ANONYMOUS .

To stretch the liberal hand,
And pour the stream of gladness
O'er misery's withered strand, —
To cheer the hearth of sadness, —
To dry the orphan's tear,
And soothe the heart nigh broken, —
To breathe in sorrow's ear
Kind words in kindness spoken, —
This is the Mason's part,
The Mason's bounden duty,
This rears the Mason's heart
In wisdom, strength and beauty.

To practice virtue's laws
With fervency and freedom,
And in her noble cause
Advance where'er she lead 'em, —
To curb the headlong course
Of passion's fiery pinion,
And bend its stubborn force
To reason's mild dominion, —
This is the Mason's part,
The Mason's bounden duty, —
This rears the Mason's heart
In wisdom, strength and beauty.

To shield a brother's fame
From envy and detraction,
And prove that truth's our aim
In spirit, life and action, —
To trust in God, through all
The danger and temptation,
Which to his lot may fall,
In trial and probation, —
This is the Mason's part,
The Mason's bounden duty,
This rears the Mason's heart
In wisdom, strength and beauty.