LAST NIGHT I KNELT WHERE HIRAM KNELT"


Last night I knelt where Hiram knelt
And took an obligation,
Today I'm closer to my God,
And I'm a Master Mason,
Tho heretofore my fellow men
Seemed each one like the other,
Today I search each one apart;
I'm looking for "my brother."
And, as I feel his friendly grip,
It fills my heart with pride;
I know that while I'm on the square
That he is on my side.
His footsteps on my errand go
If I should such require;
His prayers will plead in my behalf
If I should so desire.
My words are safe within his breast
As though within my own;
His hand forever at my back
To help me safely Home
Good counsel whispers in my ear
And warns of any danger;
By square and compass, Brother now!
Who would once call me stranger.
I might have lived a moral life
And risen to distinction,
Without my Brother's helping hand
And fellowship of Masons
But God, who knows how hard it is
To resist life's temptations,
Knows why I knelt where Hiram knelt
and took that obligation.
-Author Unknown
A friend from my lodge gave me this poem.  He has carried it in his wallet for a long time.  To me it makes a very accurate statement about my experience of becoming a Master Mason.
David White
Pewee Valley Lodge 829
Crestwood, KY