Truth, No. III

Truth, No. III. [No. 7]

Whene’er the webs of Falsehood meet thy sight,
Brush them to earth, and underneath thy feet
Trample the bloated spider; for it is meet
To clear away all that obstructs the Light.
Tissues of error never should remain 5
In any Mason’s mind; it must be Free
Form Ignorance and Superstition. We
Have holy work to do, if we would gain
Admission to that Lodge where the Most High
Wields high behests as happiness for aye, 10
And truest liberty. He is ever nigh
To guide us to all Truth, if we but trust
In him, the Merciful and Wise and Just.

by George Markham Tweddell  1st published 1887

Candidates for Masonry, No. 1

Candidates for Masonry, No. 1. [No. 8]

Let every Mason pause ere he propose
A candidate for Ancient Masonry,
Till fully satisfied that such as he
Will not disgrace the Craft. Has it not rose
To world-wide fame? And now on us depends 5
Its present and its Future. Let us not,
By our misconduct, ever cast a blot
On its unsullied purity. True friends
Will seek to hand their goodly heritage
Down to remotest time, as they received 10
It from the trusty Masons who believed
It capable of blessing every age.
Keep out all men whose hearts have not become
Of Love and Truth and Charity the home.

by George Markham Tweddell  1st publsihed 1887

Candidates for Masonry, No. II

Candidates for Masonry, No. II. [No. 9]

The man who dearly loves all humankind,
And fain would see them dwell in amity,
Spreading all knowledge broadcast—purity
Ennobling all their actions – heart and mind
Cultured in each and all; who loves his race, 5
Wherever they around the globe may dwell;
Is fit for Masonry, and none can quell
Its spirit in his bosom. His right place
In a Masons’ Lodge. He comes prepared
Right to the Tyler’s hands. Little there need 10
Be done for his reception. He indeed
Is half a Mason ere he once has shared
Our Secrets. The portal open: welcome him within,
For the true Mason is to all good akin.

by George Markham Tweddell  1st published 1887

Candidates for Masonry, No. III

Candidates for Masonry, No. III. [No. 10]

Some ask, If we so far can elevate
Men by our holy precepts, why do we
Restrict the Brotherhood of Masonry
Unto the few?—Why open not the gate
To all who choose to rush into the fold? 5
If all were fit, we gladly would embrace,
With arms fraternal, all the human race.
We know that “All that glistens is not gold.”
All men have not true manhood. Some there be
Whom no wise man would trust, mere worldly knaves, 10
Brutes in the form of men—the abject slaves
Of Mammon, whom no charter can make Free.
Yet I am one who entertains the faith
All Good will live for aye, all Evil died its death.

by George Markham Tweddell  1st published 1887

Free-born, No. I.

Free-born, No. I. [No. 11]

In those benighted days when it was held
That man could own as goods his fellow-men,
And only few were Free: in ages when
The Bond-born could be claim’d as Serfs; propell’d
By Interest, the Guilds did all enact, 5
That none should be admitted who were not
Born Free: for then all scorn’d to cast their lot
With Slaves in mind or limb. We still exact
Freedom (not of mere Birth—an accident!)
From all who seek admittance to the Craft, 10
For fear they slavish notions might engraft
On the Masonic tree. It ne’er was meant
That flunkey souls should e’er Accepted be
In that dear Craft which boasts itself the Free.

by George Markham Tweddell  1st published 1887

Free-born, No. II

Free-born, No. II. [No. 12]

Who are the favour’d mortals truly Free?
Not him who seeks to wrong his fellow-men;
Nor he who ever fear’d with tongue or pen
To plead the cause of Right. Freemasonry
Disdains the Tyrant and the willing Slave. 5
The vilest Serfdom is that of mind
Which ne’er by Truth and Virtue was refined,—
Oppressive when it can, always a knave.
A man might be unfortunately born
Of some poor Captive sold to Slavery; 10
And now in mind and body purely Free
Might seek admission. I would not him scorn
For his misfortune: and the man who would
Forgets God made all nations of one blood.
[Also quoted in William Andrew’s Modern Yorkshire
Poets (1888), p.54]
102

by George Markham Tweddell  1st published 1887

Free-born, No. III

Free-born, No. III. [No. 13]

He is not Free who is the slave of Sin,
Whatever his parentage; he can’t be Free
Whose soul is manacled in slavery
To odious Superstition. If in
His heart there be no love of God or Man 5
Call him not Free by Birth, or privilege
Of Manumission. He can give no pledge
That he is fit for Freedom: never can
The Cap of Liberty fit his vile brow.
Rome freed her Slaves who proved themselves to be 10
Worthy, and gave them civil rights; and we
Can ne’er in Justice unto Pagans bow.
With us, all worthy men are deem’d Born Free
Whose eyes can bear the Light of pure Freemasonry.

by George Markham Tweddell  1st published 1887