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VOL. 1.
[Contiaiiocl from ithe Keyfctone.
Tubal-Cain.
In a recent article we gaye a relati-on
of the achievements and prominent fea
tures in the character of Tubal-Cain, the
■aHcient and honored Craftsman. The
subject was one to which we could not do
justice in a single paper, and we there
fore return to it now. As Freemasons
we are taught specially to revere Tubal-
Cain, since, tradition informs us that he
invented the Plumb, the Level, and the
tocjuare, and it is, therefore, fitting we
should know all of the interesting facts
-H his life which tradition and legend
have handed down to us.
The reader will recall thefactthat Tu
bal Cain was called by the Romans, Vul
can, and by the Greeks, Hephaistos. Ho
mer, in the Iliad, thus relates how he was
thrust out of Olympus by Juno, his moth
er, and fell into the sea, where he dwelt
in a cave for nine years, the ocean ever
gurgling HI his ears while he was employ
ed in making chains and bracelets;
'VVlien my proud mother hurled me from the
sky,
My awkward form, it seems, di.'ipleased her
eye,)
The ocean-goddess all my griefs redressed.
And soft received lae on lier silver breast
E’en then tliesc arts employed my infant
tliouglit ;
-hains, bracelets, pendants—all their toy.s I
wrought.
•Xine years, kept secret in the dark abode.
Secure I lay concealed from man and god ;
Jieep in a cavern’d rock my days were leu,
I'he rushing ocean nuii mui'ing o’er my he.ad.”
Some of Lis most wonderful works,
wrought for the deities of heaven, we did
not mention in our former article. For
example : He constructed twenty thrones
for the members of the Olympian court,
to use in their assemblies, and these
thrones were apparently gifted with life,
moving from place to place at the bid
ding of the gods who occupied them:
Homer tells the story thus ;
'■There the lame arcliitect the goddess found,
flb.'icure in smoke, his forges flaming round,
\VliiIe bathed in sweat from Are to fire he flew,
And, pufling loud, the roaring bellows blew,
that day no common task bis labor claimed :
i''ull twenty tripods for his hall he framed,
Tliat, placed on living wheels of massy gold,
iVV'ondrous to tell!)instinct with spiiit rolled
I'Tom place to place around the blest abodes,
Self moved, obedient to the beck of gods.”
Thus did the lame architect, the father |
■of the tires, the artist-god, fashion the [
majestic seats upon which the Di majores '
isat in Olympus, And not o-ily was be j
the artificer of glorious works of art, but I
also of the palaces of the gods. He made
a bower for Here, enclo.sed by a door !
fastened with a lock which neither man I
nor god could open, Homer thus pic- i
tiires this achievement:
''Swift to her bright apartments she repairs,
■Sacred to dress, and beauty’s pleasing cares :
Witli skill divine had Vulcan formed bet
bower,
Safe from acce.^s of each intruding power.
I'ouehed with lier secret key the doors unfold—
•''clf-closed behind her shut the valvesof gold.”
The three principal supports of Ma
GREENSRORO, N. FRIDAY, APRIL 28,1876
sonry are Wisdom, Strength and Beauty,
represented by the Corinthian, Doric,
and Ionic columns. In all the architect
ural works of the Craft Wisdom draws
the plans. Strength is embodied in their
stable foundations and walls, and Beauty
covers all with loveliness. But never
was Beauty married to Strength more
conspicuously than in the case of Vul
can, for Homer speaks of “Charis, his
spouse, a grace divinely fair,” At first
thought, how strange it seems that so
lovely a creature shou d wed so deformed
and sooty a smith. But there is a pro
found truth underlying this wedlock—it
is the marriage of the beautiful to the
useful, grace with strength—both of
which are required to be combined in ev
ery perfect work of art We may take ;
this marriage, if we are prone to allegor
ize, to forecast the splendid and solid
works of Masonry in all times—Vulcan
or Tubai-Cain, as an ancient traditional
artificer and architect, being one of the
primitive founders of the Craft. In the
Odyssey, Homer says that Vulcan was
the first to confer upon mortals the skill
to work in metals. We quote from the
poet Bryant's recent translation :
“As when some skillful workman trained and
taught
By Vulcan and llinenw in his art.
Binds the bright silver with a verge of gold,
And graceful is his handiwork, such grace
Did Pallas shed upon the hero’s brow.”
Our modern poets, too, have chanted
the praises of Tubal-Cain. One stirring
lyric, from the pen of Charles Mackay,
we cannot forbear giving in part. It
sings itself. True it pictures the “father
of the fires” mainly as a fashioner of the
sword and the ploughshare, but withal it
gives a. vivid view of his character;
“Old Tubal Cain was a man of might.
In tlie daj's when Earth was young;
By tlie fierce red light of his furnace bright
The stroke-s of his hammer rung;
And lie lifted high his bra'ivny hand
On the iron glowing clear.
Till the sparks rushed out in scarlet showers.
As he fashioned the sword and spear.
And lie sung, TIurrali for my handiwork !
Ilurrali for the spear and sword!
Hurrati for the hand that stiall wield them well
Tor lie shall be king and lord.’ ”
While it is to be regretted that we
have so little historic evidence of the
works wrought by Tubal-Cain, it should
be remembered that the uniform testimo
ny of tradition and legend, and its con
sistency with the brief indisputable ac
count in Geuesis, leave us no reason to
doubt that he was a wonderful crafts
man. But he left no successors. In
Damascus, once famous for its blades of
steel, its inhabitants now cannot make a
good common hatchet. Civilization,
which was born in the East, now dwells
in the West, and has left the land of its
birth in comparative darkness. As one
writer quaintly puts it, the implements
now used in the oriental lands are prob
ably rough copies of the expired patents
of Tubal Cain. But even we have not
been able to match his automaton ser
vants and thrones, but we still put to the
best uses the Piumb, the Level and the
Square, and shall continue so to do as
long as the ancient Craft of Freemasonry
exists. Others may value more the shield
of Achilles, the armor of Agamemnon, the
baldric of Hercules, and the golden clasp
of the mantle of Odyssey, but we prize
the working tools of a Fellow-Craft Ma
son above all, and shall always revere
Tubal Cain as their inventor.
Doing Nothing.
Mr. Berryer, who was one of the great
est French statesmen of the present cen
tury, in his youth was very lazy. His
masters had great trouble in making him
submit to school discipline ; the under
masters quite despaired of him, and went
one day to tell the head master that this
boy would never do anything, and that
they could not make anything out of him.
He sent for him into his study, and said
to him:
“My boy, work is disagreeable to you,
and you think that happiness consists in
doing nothing. Well, come into mv stu
dy ; you can look at me ■\vhile I am at
work ; that won't fatigue you, and you
will do nothing. But let us well under
stand each other—nothing of an'' kind,
remember.”
The boy was delighted. The first hour
passed away to the great pleasure of the
scholar. He congratulated himself on
neither having to open his dictionary, nor
learn his rudiments by heart. At the end
of an hour and a half he had enjoyed the
delights of fancy. He put out his arm to
take a book. The master stopped him at
once.
“You forget your agreement; you are
to do nothing. To read is to do some
thing. Enjoy the permission I have giv
en you ; do nothing ”
The boy began to discover that the
pleasure of doing nothing soon becomes
monotonous. He hazarded some ques
tions ; the master did not reply. Then,
n’ben he had come to the end of the page
he was writing, be said—
“My boy, each has his taste; you have
that of doing nothing, I have that of
working. I do not trouble you. so do not
disturb me.”
Young Berryer could scarcely help
saying that it would be difficult for him
to find happiness much longer in such
patience. At the end of three hours the
master got up, and went to take a walk
under the shade of the trees in the park.
As soon as he came into the garden he
wished to leave his m,aster and go with
the school-fellows, who were having a
merry game. The master held him by
the arm.
“You are not thinking of our agree
ment. Playing is doing something. Re
main by my side ; we will walk up and
down the avenue, or you can sit down, if
you like it better.”
But the boy had enough of doing noth
ing. He was very willing to promise to
learn his lessons, in order to escape to
his playmates.
NO
Kindly Said.
Read the prospectus of the Masonic
Journal, and subscribe for it. It is a
household companion of which eve'ry Ma
son u the oountrv may feel proud. Sub
scription $2,00 a year,—RdJiville Uirhes.
Tne Masonic Journal is one of the only
two weekly masonic publications pub
lished in the United States, and the 11,-
000 masons in North Carolina owe it a
liberal support.—froZefeisro Messenger.
The Masonic Journal, published .at
Greensboro, N. C., is a weekly papeh for
the fraternity to subscribe for. It h.ah
eight pages and thirty two broad columns
Its Masonic news is well prepaied, while
the literary department is excellent. The
editor and publisher is Brother 'E. A.
Wilson, Greensboro, N. C. The price
only $2 per year.—N. T. Square.
It is one of onr favorite exchanges, 'and ’
we. trust that it may be favored with a
host of subscriptions from this seotiob of
country. It is nicely printed, edited with
marked ability, and lieserves a I'ibenvl
and substantial support from the craft,
wherever dispersed.—Dalton (Gai) En
terprise.
The Masonic Journal, published at
Greensboro. N. C., by E, A. Wilsoh, i.s
an ably edited, eight page weekly. It
keeps its readers fully informed in all
matters pertaining to the Fraternity. Tt,
is the only Masonic weekly, but one pub
lished in the U. S., and deserves the psi--
ronage of members of the Order every
where. See card,—Alno Regime.
This excellent representative of the
Order, published at Greensboro, N. C,-,
by Rev. E. A. Wilson, should be in the
hands of every good mason ; besides it i?
among the best family journals. Let our
friends and the public generally give Mr.
Wilson's paper atrial. It is well worthv
of their patronage,—Danville News,
The Masonic Journal p'ublished
Greensboro by E, A. Wii.?on, is the ortly
weekly paper of the character published
in the South so far as we know. It is
certainly worthy of the liberal support
of the craft and we trust may receive il.
Besides it is a good family and newspa-
per. See card of the editor in anothof
column.—Graham Gleaner.
This valuable weekly', containing t''ie
best of Ma.sonic and miscellaneous litera
ture should find a place in the home of
every member of the order. In addition
to the Masonic information on all sub
jects allowable in print, its pages .are
freighted with the latest general an'-'’
State news.—Hickory Press,
The Masonic Jouhnal.-Bv reference
to another column will be found an ad
vertisement of the above named paper.
We have never seen a copy of it, but
learn from those who have that it conr-
mends itself especially to the craft. The
enterprise is worthy the support of tli.e
fraternity generally, and we hope will
receive the support it justly merits. TV-’
would welcome it to our ekchaiige list.—'•
Mt. Airy Waiihinan-.
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