Reply To "Tolerance."

ment ,. Ho ( my opponent ) also takes for granted , thafc anarchists as weV ' as atheists are respected among tho first circles of society , on account of their high intellectual standing ; that an anarchist may also be of a gigantio intellect , and might also be respected among tho highest class of society ; aud as an anarchist is not a fit member for a society , therefore an atheisfc is also unfit for our society .

Now , iu tho first place , a gigantic intellectual anarchist is a mere phantom of my opponent ' s imagination , thero is no snch person in existence , and we need not therefore think what we shall or shall nofc do if he applies for admission to Masonry ; but suppose there was such a person , I could seo good reason for excluding liim from any aud

every society . If our Masonic institution professed to bo a religion thero wonld be equally cogent reasons for excluding an atheist , but as " Tolerance " claims Masonry to bo a more moral institution , lie ought to havo furnished good evidence to prove that an atheist cannot possibly be a moral man before lie undertook to thunder against tho Grand Orient of Franco for admifcfcino- atheists . But ho furnished no

such proof ; on tho contrary , ho frankly admitted thafc atheists avo respected among the first circles of society , which itself implies that thoy aro neither stupid nor grossly immoral . But yet , because Dr . Anderson and King David said , atheists wore fools or libertines , he comes to the conclusion that " there can be no morality which is nofc baaed on theism . "

If my opponent persists in tho abovo opinion , against his own admitted evidence to tho contrary , it is useless to continue this discussion . My own opinion is , that morality as well as immorality are independent of belief even in Deism ; the former I have already proved ; as to tho latter , your prison chaplains will inform you that atheists have never polluted with their presence tho prison chapel

that , in general , the greatest criminals havo never doubted tho doctrines of the Church they wero trained to , and hence they aro moro orthodox than somo doctors of divinity ; and even King David , though a firm believer in the Deity , yefc it did nofc save him from lust ancl crime ; aud last , when I see our American Masonic luminaries ever ranting about Christianity , & c . and aro yet perfectly indifferent abont

lying and deceiving , I must come to the conclusion that morality or immoralit y do not depend on belief . Tho fact is , every religionist imagines that there is no morality like his morality , that his virtues are better than virtues of other religionists , that his people arc the chosen people , that his heart is better than his neighbour ' s who believes iu another ism . In short , each says , " I am holier than thou . " Tho

mission of Masonry , however , is just to disabuse our minds from these conceits . Its design is to bring together good and true men of all religious denominations , that each may see that goodness and virtues aro not monopolised by his church . Dr . Anderson indeed imagined that atheists aro necessarily void of common sense aud morality , henco ho excluded atheists from tho Masonic brotherhood . It is now however

demonstrated thafc Anderson ' s opinion was wrong ( as already shown ) , and tho French Grand Orient therefore concluded to extend the Masonic mantle of charity over that class too , aud what harm will it do ? Anderson , Payne and Desaguliers were Christian clergymen , their consenting to associate on the level with Jews , Deists , Mahommedans , & c , is certainly no proof that they entertained hostility towards

Christianity , and what proof has been adduced to show that because the Grancl Orient has decided , by a largo majority , to extend tho circle of Masonic universality , that it was prompted to do so on account of hostility to belief in God ? But hero is another phantom of our brother ' s conjuring , " what becomes of my consistency ( says he ) when , on the one hand , I swear

to obey the laws of my country , and on tho other hand am ready to vote for an atheist into my Lodge . " This refers to the law thafc an atheist cannot testify in a court of justice , but as no law of my country exists forbidding me to vote for atheists into my Lodge , I certainly cannot violate a law by so voting for ono . Besides which , laws made in the middle ages wero mostly designed to favour the governing classes and the State Church at the

expense of the people ; most of these barbarous laws havo disappeared , after severe struggles , and even bloodshed . This law against atheists is as unjust as the former laws wero against heretics and Jews , ancl every one who believes in the golden rule of "Do as you would be done by , " should use his influence to abolish every unjust law , whether the injustice cflbcts a large or a small number of citizens , and I hope and trust that Bro . Tolerance will bo benefited by the abovo hint .

With regard to tho strong fears entertained by my opponent thafc somebody wonld transcend his boundary of liberty , if I can understand him rightly about the boundary , I fully agree with him , viz .: that no one has a right to insist that his insane ideas shonld bo respected that is , if I am persuaded that certain ideas are insane or ridiculous . I do not want the believer in those ideas to bo continually boring mo

with his hobby ; aud , as religionists generally believe that all religionists outside of thoir own community , entertain some insane notions , hence all sectarian beliefs shonld be excluded from the Lodge service . As far as I can understand , there is nofc tho remotest intention of introducing atheism into French Lodges , bufc as my opponent seems to fear thafc atheism will take tho place of theism , the Grand Lodgo

Committee on the French question ought to have been authorised to visit Parisian Lodges , where thoy could learn whether his fears have any foundation , and if it should prove that theology as well as antitheology are alike excluded from French Lodges , then the wisest course for the Grand Lodge of England is , nofc to meddle with tho decision of the Grancl Orient of France ; for , in tho first place , French Masonry is certainly more consistent with our professed

universality than even English Masonry is ; and , second , as the Grind Lodge of England had decided thafc ifc would bo very indelicate to censure Berlin Masonry , which , iu fact , annihilated the very essence of Masonry , I really cannot see how it can consistently censure the French Orient for improving aud extending its beneficent influence . And , last , let us remember the old adage , "Cast out the beam oat of thine own eye , and then thou shalt seo clearly the mote thafc is ia . thy brother ' s eye . " BOSTON , 25 th January 1878 .

Quarterly Communication Of Grand Lodge.

QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION OF GRAND LODGE .

THE following is the business to bo transacted in Grancl Locige on Wednesday , Gth March 1878 : — 1 . The Regulations for tho Government of Grand Lodgo during

the timo of Public Business will be road . 2 . Tho Minutes of the Quarterly Communication of tho 5 th December 1877 will be read and put for confirmation . 3 . The M . W . Grand Master will move : —

' That this Grand Lodgo do grant tho sum of Ono Hundred Pounds to be paid out of tho Fund of General Purposes for tho assistance of tho members of the Ignaldad Lodge , No . G 53 , in tho Island of Curacoa , West Indies , who have suffered from tho Hurricane which occurred thero on the 23 rd September 1877 . "

4 . Tho Right Hon . Tho Earl of Carnarvon , Most Worshipful Pro Grand Master , will present the Report of tho Committee appointed at the Quarterly Communication of the 5 th December last , to enquire into tho circumstances relative to tho elimination of tho name of tho

Great Architect of tho Universe from its Ritual by tho Grand Orient of France , for the consideration of Grand Lodge , and will movo its adoption . f ) . Election of M . W . Grand Master .

0 . Election of a Grand Treasurer . 7 . Report of the Lodgo of Benevolence for tho last quarter , in which aro recommendations for the following grants , viz : — The Widow of a Brother of tho Old Union Locke , No . dG , London £ 50 0 0

Tho Widow of a Brother of tho Mechanics Lodge , No . 215 , Jersey 50 0 0 Tho Widow of a Brother of tho Roval Athelstan Lodge , No . 19 , London 50 0 0 A Brother of tho Strawberry Hill Lodge , No . 910 , Twickenham 100 0 0

8 . REPORT' OF THE BOARD OF GENERAL PURPOSES . [ We refer onr readers to tho agenda paper for particulars . ] To tho Report is subjoined a statement of tho Grand Lodge Accounts afc the last Meeting of the Finance Committee , hold on Friday , the 15 th clay of February 1878 , showing a balance in tho hands of the Grand Treasurer of £ 1 , 028 2 s Sd ; and in tho hands of the Grand Secretary , for Petty Cash , £ 75 ; and for Servants' Wages , £ 9 G 15 s .

9 . Report of Bro . R . P . Harding , Auditor of Grand Lodgo Accounts , of Receints and Disbursements during tho year 1877 . 10 . Adjourned Debate on so much of tho Report of the Board of General Purposes of tho 21 st August 1877 , as relates to tho Lodgo of Benevolence , viz .:

—1 . The " Lodge of Benevolence" to be in future designated the " Board of Benevolence . " 2 . Tho Board of Bonovolonco to consist of tho Grand Master , Pro Grand Master , Deputy Grand Master , the Grand Wardens , a President , and forty-five other members . The

President and fifteen of snch members to bo annually nominated by the Grancl Master afc the Quarterly Communication , in December , and the remaining thirty members to bo elected by Grand Lodgo from amongst tho actual Masters

and Past Masters of Lodges , such election to be conducted in the same manner as that of tho Board of General Purposes , bufc ifc shonld not in onr opinion bo a regulation thafc one-third or any other proportion of tho members should retire annually . 3 . Tho Board to elect ono of its Members to be Vice-President .

4 . Five Members to form a quorum . 11 . NOTICES OF MOTIONS . 1 . By Bro . Rev . William Tobbs , P . M . No . 285 , Shepton Mallet . Proposed Amendments on tho Report of the Board of General Purposes , in reference to alterations in tho constitution of tho

Lodgo of Benevolence : — ( 1 . ) Tho title ; tho mode of working ; and tho nomination and election respectively , of Officers of t \ xa Lodge of Beiiei-olencs to remain as now .

( 2 . ) The Lodgo of Benevolence from and after tho end of this present year of office to bo constituted as follows : — a . All present Grand Officers . b . Ono Representative ( W . M . or P . M . ) to bo elected by tho W . M . ' s of tho Lodges comprising each Provincial Grand

Lodge . c . As many Representatives ( W . M . ' s or P . M . ' s ) of Loudon Lodges to be elected by the W . M . ' s of such Lodges as shall be iu twice the proportion of the number of London Lodges

to tho number of Provincial Lodges . d . As many Past Grancl Officers to bo nominated by tho Most Worshipful tbe Grand Master , afc the Quarterly Communication of Grancl Lodge , in December , as shall mako up tho number of " c" to that of "b . " 2 . By Bro . Robert F . Gould , P . M . No . 92 , London . Ou tho President of the Board of General Purposes moving—