Masonic Hymns And Odes.

than we intended , by quoting the first and last stanzas of Bro . Pike ' s " Masons' Hol y House " : —

" We have a holy House to build , A temple splendid and divine , To be with glorious memories filled ; Of rights and truths to be the shrine . How shall we build it strong and fair , This holy house of praise and prayer , Firm-set and solid , grandly great ?

How shall we all its rooms prepare For use , for ornament , for state ? " Build squarely up the stately walls , The two symbolic columns raise , And let the lofty courts and halls , With all their lories blaze

g , There in the Kadosh-Kadoshim , Between the broad-winged Cherubim , Where the Shekinah One abode , The heart shall raise its daily hymn , Of gratitude and love for God . "

[ The above is reprinted from our contemporary the Freemasons' Repository . —En . MM . "]

Some Conversation With An Ancient Druid.

SOME CONVERSATION WITH AN ANCIENT DRUID .

" In yonder grave a Druid sleeps . "—Gollins .

I WAS a bachelor , and just thirty-three years old ( ah ! that was a long , long time ago !) , and had seen a little bit of life in my time . My father left me independent when I was only eighteen , ancl since then I had spent most of my time in study and travel . I had a strong constitution , and could combine the two without injury to my health . Antiquarian subjects delighted me mostand I generally managed to suit my excursions to this taste . In this

, pursuit , and the study of the beauties of nature , I had traversed every part of interest in good old-fashioned Yorkshire , which is my native county . I had rambled in the beautiful sublimity of the lake district , and investigated every nook and corner of its loveliness . Ah ! with what poetic thoughts it fired my youthful brain ! But that is all' past . I next went to rugged Wales , and made myself acquainted with its romantic scenery . I had a regular craze for

travelling ; nothing could stop me . Cornwall ancl Devon next attracted my attention , and there I found much food for speculation . In islands I had visited—the salubrious Isle of Wight , and Jersey , Guernsey , Alderney , and Sark—and knew all their distinctive traits . I had also visited the ancient island of Anglesea ( the Druids' refuge ) ancl the curious Isle of Man , and liked the latter far the best . I could not hear of the famous lakes of Killarney without

going to see them ; and soon after that visit I was climbing the stupendous landscapes of Scotland . In fact , I had seen most of the beauties of the British Isles , including the Orkney and Shetland Islands , ancl the Scilly Isles . ' So I then determined to go abroad , and compare foreign scenery to our own .