Govern Yourself Accordingly

When the pressures of recession
Make us concentrate on greed,
Take heed, a worthy Mason
Cares about another's needs;

Don't let pressures of the moment
Make your obligation sway,
Stop and help a fallen brother
Or another by the way;

What you give is like a bubble
Whenever you assist,
What it costs in time and trouble
Is, soon after, never missed;

Brother, bear that obligation
You accepted on your knee,
It's in direct relation
To your own security;

Never hesitate, my brother
Square your actions now and say,
"I'll remember I'm a Mason,
"And behave like that today;"

"With regard to human kindness
And the 'Golden Rule', I pray,
I'll remember I'm a Mason...
And behave like that today."

MASONIC MEMBERSHIP CARD

MASONIC MEMBERSHIP CARD- Author Unknown
I hold in my hand a little scrap of paper
2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches in size.

It is of no intrinsic worth,
not a bond, not a check or receipt for valuables,
yet it is my most priceless possession.

It is my membership card in a Masonic Lodge.

It tells me that I have entered
into a spiritual kinship with my fellow Masons
to practice charity in word and deed;
to forgive and forget the faults of my brethren;
to hush the tongues of scandal and innuendo;
to care for the crippled, the hungry and the sick,
and to be fair and just to all mankind.

It tells me that no matter where
I may travel in the world,
I am welcome to visit a place where good fellowship prevails
among brothers and friends.
It tells me that my loved ones, my home,
and my household are under the protection
of every member of this great Fraternity,
who have sworn to defend and protect mine
as I have sworn to defend and protect theirs.

It tells me that should I ever be overtaken
by adversity or misfortune
through no fault of my own,
the hands of every Mason on the face of the earth
will be stretched forth to assist me in my necessities.

And finally, it tells me
that when my final exit from the stage of life has been made,
there will be gathered around my lifeless body,
friends and brothers who will recall to mind my virtues,
though they be but few,
and will forget my faults,
though they may be many.

It tells me that, and a great deal more,
this little card,
and makes me proud yet humble,
that I can possess this passport
into a society of friends and brothers
that are numbered in the millions.

SO MOTE IT BE !!

I SEE YOU'VE TRAVELED SOME

I SEE YOU'VE TRAVELED SOME

- Author unknown

Wherever you may chance to be

Wherever you may roam,

Far away in foreign lands;

Or just at Home Sweet Home;

It always gives you pleasure,

it makes your heart strings hum

Just to hear the words of cheer,

"I see you've traveled some."

When you get a brother's greeting,

And he takes you by the hand,

It thrills you with a feeling

that you cannot understand,

You feel that bond of brotherhood
that tie that's sure to come

When you hear him say in a friendly way

"I see you've traveled some."

And if you are a stranger,

In strange lands all alone

If fate has left you stranded

Dead broke and far from home,

It thrills you--makes you numb,

When he says with a grip of fellowship,

"I see you've traveled some."

And when your final summons comes,

To take a last long trip,

Adorned with Lambskins Apron White

and gems of fellowship

The tiler at the Golden Gate,

With square and rule and plumb

Will size up your pin and say "Walk In",

"I see you've traveled some."