Abuse Of Freemasonry.

argument—slowly , it is true . Tot is it a comfort to know that wo are advancing , and , accordingly , we pause for a moment to sum up the case as it now stands . Belfast trade is in a bad way . It may be better if foreign competition will cease to be a thorn iu its side . Foreign iincn is

worthless , but it finds a market in Belfast , because tho Belfast manufacturers arc Protestants and Freemasons . The mill employes are Protestant Freemason Orangemen , who play billiards , chaff barmaids , get drunk , «& c , & c , to the

exclusion of study and often also of work . Though members of the Royal Arch Confraternity , they are worse than incurable drunkards . Thus it is that Freemasonry is ruining the Belfast linen trade . We ought to be getting a littlo nervous at finding' ourselves below the level of incurable

drunkards , but , strange to say , we feel quite lively . The damnation —( N . B . We are not swearing)—of Freemasonry by this " talented and respected " correspondent is producing quite an exhilarating effect . And thus animated , we plunge incontinently into his fifth letter . Happily , our

summary of it need be but brief . The writer begins b y lamenting the hard fate of Belfast Catholics , who aro excluded from all employment in mills , and have enly the arts , the professions , the Civil Service , to fall back npon . For this , by some wonderful hanky-panky wo do not pretend

to understand , Framtsonry is made responsible . "God knows the strugglo for existence with many Catholic families is often sore , hard , trying ; when to that is added the penalties and disabilities which Freemasonry imposes on them it becomes almost intolerable , almost unendurable . "

Intolerable and unendurable have much the same meanino-, but when a man is writing for effect tho multi p lication of adjectives often stands in good stead . Then follows a p icture of the striking contrast between the flax trade as it was * in the good old days and as it is under the

domination of Freemasonry . Before the Americal civil war the Catholic flax trade flourished . When that strujwle becran it gave a great impetus to the linen trade , and tho

Protestant Freemason Orangemen started new mills , and we presume we are to infer they havo continued ever since to work with such a will that now , it seems , they have the whole linen trade in their hands . Then came the riots of

18 G 4 , which " was another ot the break-necks of tho Catholic employes . " Since then the P . F . O . brotherhood have gone from bad to worse , and have ended b y usurping the despotic regulation of the trade in general . And then

the writer asks , "And what has this weakly-strong , strongly-weak despotism done for tho trade ? It has led it from blunder to blunder , from disaster to disaster . And what has it done for tho mills it directs ? The share list

will tell that . It has filled every post in its gift with incompetency like itself . " Then follows a sentence which we are sorry to say we do not understand . This may bo owing to a certain native dulness on our part , or to the obscurity of the writer ' s language . Whatever the cause ,

we simply quote it ; our readers must interpret for themselves ,. " Being incompetent ,, it knows not what is competent , and if what was competent came across it , it would clash with its incompetency , aud to differ from the despot means decapitation—otherwise discharge . If these men

had any moral sense they would go and commit ' happy despatch . ' " We frankly admit this sentence is worth y in every respect of the "talented and respected correspondent " whose fifth letter appears in The Ulster Observer and Northern Star .

It is a great pity this " talented and respected , " this " valued aud honourable" correspondent of the Belfast journals should have written so much to so little purpose . The gist of his so-called argument appears to be—Before the American war the flax trade was in the hands of the

Catholics , and Belfast flourished . Since then Protestantism has established a despotism over the trade of Belfast , and everything has gone or is going to the bad . Protestants are Freemasons , and thus it is that Freemasonry is the root of the whole evil . We need hardly trouble ourselves to

analyze this miserable abortion of an argument . There arc other places in the world besides Belfast where Freemasonry largely prevails , and trade flourishes . If it is to bo permitted to this correspondent to associate the depression of trade in Belfast with the baneful influence of Freemasonry ,

we may fairly connect the prosperity of trade in other places with the benign influence of our Order . In the United States there are over half a million of Masons , aud we have yet to learn that the United States arc unprosperous . Masonry is powerful both in England and Scotland , in Germany and in France , but we never yet heard it as-

Abuse Of Freemasonry.

sociated with the fluctuations of trade . It is true that trade exercises a certain influence for good or for evil over Freemasonry , iu this respect at least—if trade is prosperous , the large body of tradesmen who are Freemasons get their share of the prosperity ; if trade is depressed , tho

Freemason tradesmen suffer in proportion . But tho principles of Freemasonry have nothing in common with trade . Freemasonry is a kind of universal religion , and whoso

believes in it and acts up to its principles will make an upright man and a good citizen . This our correspondent , if he be a Mason , must know ; if ho is not a Mason , this long-winded tirade of his is worthless .

As wo said in our previous article , why has not this valued and honourable correspondent the manliness to como forward and say boldly—I am a Roman Catholic ; the Romish priesthood tell me to hate Freemasonry , and I hate

it accordingly . This would not be a logical hatred , or consistent with the true principles of Christianity , which is tho religion of love , but the world would understand all about it . That this is the real motive for his attack on our Order

is evident enough . He may say that he is tolerant to a fault , that he is charitable , that he knows no distinction of sect or party . Bnt thoso who read between tho lines will see that it is the deadl y hatred of Roman Catholicism for Freemasonry which is at the bottom of this furious

onslaught . If the writer is wise , as well as talented and respected , he will pull up sharp and write no more nonsense . The more he writes tho more ridiculous ho makes himself . For ourselves , wo may fairly pray , " Oh that mine enemy would write a book ! " Tho more wo have of these letters

the higher shall wo rise in the estimation of the public . Therefore , if the five that havo already appeared become fifty , or even five hundred , so much the better will it be for Freemasonry . Whether the readers of these two Belfast journals will rejoice in this rigmarole if it bo continued much longer is a matter that concerns us not .

Masonic Portraits (No. 22). Bayard.

MASONIC PORTRAITS ( No . 22 ) . BAYARD .

" Good morrow to thoo ; welcome : Tlion look ' st like him that kuows a warliko chargo : To business that we lovo wo rise betime , And go to 't with delight . "

THE Grand Lodge of Ireland differs from our own , inasmuch as what aro known as the " High Grades " there form a regnlar hierarch y abovo the Craft . The degree of Mark Master is , in the sister isle , a necessary preliminary to that of the Royal Arch , after which , in turn , follow the degrees of Kni ght of the Sword , Kni ght of

the East and West , Knight Templar , and Knight of Malta . Higher still is the grade of Prince Rose Croix , and the whole Order is administered by Councils of the 30 ° , 31 ° , 32 ° and 33 ° , at the head of the last being the Grand Master . The hi gher the degree , the more select it is and

difficult of access . Very few Irish Masons can attain the rank of Prince Rose Croix , and only on showing proofs of special qualifications . This aristocratic government , if we may so st yle it , has in no way prejudiced the cause of Masonry on the other side of St . George ' s Channel , indeed

the Order is very popular with the protestant minority , and very large numbers of the lower as well as the upper middle class are enrolled in it . In England it is rare to find a person in humble circumstances a member of the

fraternity , but m Ireland , at all events in the north , many members of tho working classes are brothers , and the Craft Lodges , if they lack splendour , are not wanting either in enthusiasm or Masonic lore .

The subject of our sketch , who first filled tho Master ' s chair under this aristocratic constitution , is , we need scarcel y say , a soldier , who has seen hard and active service . He was one of that gallant band of heroes who suffered , bled and conquered in the Crimea . It was not his fate ,

however , to follow his regiment through all the dangers and trials of that memorable campaign . At the battle of the Alma he was struck down by a Russian bullet , and his wound was so severe that he was invalided home . During

the weary period of convalescence he was attracted b y Freemasonry , which has ever had a peculiar charm for men of intellectual and speculative bent . He was raised in the St . George ' s Lodge , at Liverpool , in 1855 , and on joining