The Poor Mason's Jewels.

THE POOR MASON'S JEWELS .

My home , it is a poor one , To all who pass it by ; They cannot see its beauty , .. And neither , faith , can I ; That is , in paint or timber , In doorway or in roof ,

But that it has its beauties I'll quickly give ye proof . Come hither , young ones , hither , Your father ' s steps are near—That ' s Bet with hair so yellow , That ' s Sue with eyes so clear ;

That ' s Will with Tawny trousers Tucked in his stocking leg ; And yonder two wee darlings Are beauties Jean and Meg .

A cluster of fair jewels , Five in the rugged set ; If any man has brighter , I have to learn it yet ; And Tom , when I am swinging These arms with weary strain , Their blessed faces cheer me ,

And make me strong again . I sometimes sit and wonder " What will their future be , " If they must delve and patter A treadmill round like me , And scarcely at the year ' s end , Have half a groat to spare—And see bad men put over them'Twill be too hard to bear .

But then , I think , as nations Rise in the scale of might , God puts the poor man forward , And gives him power and light ; And learning , Tom , will do it , And Christian truth will show

That heaven makes no distinction Between the high and low . So , though my home ' s a poor one To all who pass it by , And none can see its beauty

Save mother , God and I ; The future may be grander For some great glory won—Some gem set in the ages By e ' en a poor Mason's son . —Brooklyn Review .

A Masonic Curtain Lecture.

A MASONIC CURTAIN LECTURE .

We have most of us heard of Mrs . Caudle ' s Curtain Lectures , and "we shall remember her opinion of Masonry , hut we have , perhaps , hardly as yet realised—the sterner fact of Masonic Curtain Lectures . Indeed those fair sisters of orus , -whom we have known

so well , and greeted so often in the days of past Masonic sociality , always were , at least they so seemed to us , the meekest and the cheeriest of feminine emanations , the last persons in the world to interfere -with the early lodge meetingsor late returning

, husbands . And yet here we have before us frorna most orthodox and respectable contemporary , the "Philadelphia Keystone , " the following indubitable record of a-Masonic Curtain Lecture , which we give in " extenso " for the benefit of any peccant

brethren of ours , whose consciences may quake when they call to mind the excuses they have sometimes made to some sweet " aniniD 3 dimidium suce" for " enforced absences , " and "unavoidable engagements . " Hear then all ye wandering and offending household heads , be ye who ye may , of whatever calibre , whether ye be thick , or thin ,

heavy , or light , and mark , learn , and inwardly digest , this remarkable utterance of a weary , a lone , and a benighted woman ! And with that chivalry peculiar to our order , vow that , never again that angelic being , who calls you her " adored Thomas

Henry" shall ever have occasion to complain of late hoius , of such woeful backsliding into the ways of bachelorhood , of such a callous desertion of your " cares andpenates , " while your "household gods are lying shivered on the hearth" & c & c .

, , Listen , I say , and tremble at this overtrue description of those who so often keep then- wives awake at ni ghts and alone , " not wisely , but too well . " " Every night ! Here it is half-past one o ' clock ! It ' s a wonder you come home at

all ! What—do—you—think—a woman is made for 1 I do believe if a robber was to come and carry me off you would not caxe one cent . What is it you say 1 ' City Council business must be attended to ?' How do I know you go to the CitCouncil ?

y Does the Cit y Council meet e-v-e-r-y nig ht ? They don't meet but once in—New York . But I suppose Bowling Green is a more important place . Oh , yes—out e-v-e-r-y night . Twelve o ' clock . One o ' clock—two o ' clock .