Masonic Lines Read at a Banquet, 1884

Craft of King Hiram and St. John,
They figurative work on stone,
King Hiram he is the old sire
And he was famous King of Tyre.

But great as King upon a throne
Is the good, kind, true St. John,
Cathedrals did craftsmen raise,
Fills all our minds now with amaze.

No modern chisel has the power
To trace such leaf, and bud, and flower,
But though our structures now are rude
Let us all make the mortar good.

And this injunction never spare,
To have the work both plumb and square,
And it must have no crack nor flaw,
So masters will lay down the law.

Of all our work this is the chief,
To give the needy ones relief,
And with truth and brotherly love
We sublime structure raise above.

The greatest honor has been won
By that great builder Solomon,
And craftsmen o'er the world do sing
The praises of that mighty King.