"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