Oddfellowship Lines Read At Concert, 1883.

        We look in vain for our Past Grands,
        Now scattered over many lands,
        Now some o'er the wide world do rove,
        And some have joined Grand Lodge above,
        But ever since Father Adams' fall
        We are dependent creatures all,
        Though man is weak yet he may join
        With others strength for to combine.

        The illustration it is grand,
        Five Oddfellows in one hand,
        And yet they all united stand,
        Each finger hath a different length,
        Each finger varies in its strength,
        Each one is weak, but a firm fist,
        You can scarcely break or twist,
        'Tis same with members of a lodge,
        United them you cannot budge.

        Then let us linked with pleasant chain,
        Friendship, love and truth maintain,
        And aid our brothers in distress,
        The widows and the orphans bless,
        Then let each lodge strive all it can,
        Both Oxford and Samaritan
        To aid distressed brother man,
        Extending influence for good,
        And universal brotherhood.

James McIntyre

James McIntyre was a Canadian poet, most notable for his poetry concerning cheese, cheese-making, dairying, and dairy products. Often referred to as 'The Cheese Poet,' McIntyre's work is celebrated for its earnestness and unintentional humor, making him both a beloved and an infamous figure in literary circles. He emigrated from Scotland to Canada in 1851 and settled in Ingersoll, Ontario, where he became a successful businessman and community leader.

James McIntyre

United States.

James McIntyre, Simple Poetry

Will Carleton.

James McIntyre, Simple Poetry

Lines On A Lawn Party.

James McIntyre, Simple Poetry

Byron.

James McIntyre, Simple Poetry

English

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The Master's Song.

Written for the freemasons of St. John's Lodge No. 1, New York.




Members of an order
    Ancient as the earth;
All within our border
    Realize its worth.
Genial is the greeting
    That awaits us there,
On the level meeting,
    Parting on the square.
Like the workmen olden,
    Who our craft designed,
We the precept golden
    Ever bear in mind.

Masons never falter,
    We each other know,
As around the altar
    Hand in hand we go;
Loud hosannas singing
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And heart-offerings bringing
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Like the workmen olden,
    Who our craft designed,
We the precept golden
    Ever bear in mind.

There's a mystic beauty
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Our Poor Brethren.

"Our poor and penniless brethren, dispersed over land and sea."
--Masonic Sentiment



They met in the festive hall,
    Lamps in their brightness shone,
And merry music and mirth,
    Aided the feast of St. John.
Men pledged the health of their Queen
    And of all the Royal band,
The flags of a thousand years,
    The swords of their motherland.

Then mid the revelry came
    The sound of a mournful strain,
Like a minor chord in music,
    A sweet but sad refrain;
It rose on the heated air,
    Like a mourner's earnest plea,
"Our poor and penniless brethren
    Dispersed over land and sea."

Poor and penniless brethren
    Scattered over the world,
Want and misfortune and woe
    Round them fierce darts have ...

Harriet Annie Wilkins

The Mother-Lodge

There was Rundle, Station Master,
An' Beazeley of the Rail,
An' 'Ackman, Commissariat,
An' Donkin' o' the Jail;
An' Blake, Conductor-Sargent,
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 Landmark...

Rudyard

On The Five Senses

All of us in one you'll find,
Brethren of a wondrous kind;
Yet among us all no brother
Knows one tittle of the other;
We in frequent councils are,
And our marks of things declare,
Where, to us unknown, a clerk
Sits, and takes them in the dark.
He's the register of all
In our ken, both great and small;
By us forms his laws and rules,
He's our master, we his tools;
Yet we can with greatest ease
Turn and wind him where we please.
    One of us alone can sleep,
Yet no watch the rest will keep,
But the moment that he closes,
Every brother else reposes.
If wine's brought or victuals drest,
One enjoys them for the rest.
    Pierce us all with wounding steel,
One for all of us will feel.
    Though ten thousand cannons roar,
Add to t...

Jonathan Swift

Banquet Night

"Once in so often," King Solomon said,
Watching his quarrymen drill the stone,
"We will club our garlic and wine and bread
And banquet together beneath my Throne,
And all the Brethren shall come to that mess
As Fellow Craftsmen no more and no less."

"Send a swift shallop to Hiram of Tyre,
Felling and floating our beautiful trees,
Say that the Brethren and I desire
Talk with our Brethren who use the seas.
And we shall be happy to meet them at mess
As Fellow Craftsmen no more and no less."

"Carry this message to Hiram Abif,
Excellent master of forge and mine:
I and the Brethren would like it if
He and the Brethren will come to dine
(Garments from Bozrah or morning-dress)
As Fellow Craftsmen-no more and no less."

"God gave the Hyssop a...

Rudyard

All Men Are Brothers.

        We are in ancient stories told,
        All were brothers in days of old,
        But these with facts they do not chime
        For all mankind do love the dime,
        And worship the mighty dollar,
        And admire the golden collar,
        The rich man's washed with whitest lime,
        The poor man's cover'd o'er with slime,
        But we should try to love each other
        And treat each man as our brother.

James McIntyre