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Courtesy In Argument
COURTESY IN ARGUMENT
IT is impossible not to he struck with the contentious spirit which animates many Masonic disputants . Let any one glance regularly at the correspondence columns of this journal and he will find something more than mere warmth of argument displayed . We cannot , of
course , object to a brother who supports the cause he is advocating , not only with all the logical power he possesses but likewise with a zeal which it is found difficult to repress , that he is far too urgent in his advocacy . We take but little interest in those half-hearted partisans ,
who for the assistance they render might just as well be against us as on our side . There are , unfortunately , far too many people who imagine that when they become Masons they sink their rights to all individuality . They belong to a Fraternity which is actuated by one spirit , and
consequently they imagine they have lost all right to have any opinion of their own , that is , of course , on Masonic matters . If tho Master of their Lodge propounds some amazingly childish theory about the origin , antiquity , or distribution of Fre ( emasonry , they are fully prepared to accept it ,
though had such a theoiy been broached in common life they would have lost no time in exposing it to the most severe ridicule . If a brother commits himself at the banquet by some glaring " atrocity , " suck as would justly close the door of every respectable house against him , the
atrocity is allowed to pass unrebuked ; it is considered to be charitable to overlook in a brother what would be seriousl y and worthily condemned in a mere profane . Others , again , there are who presume upon this milk-and-wateriness of the milder and softer brother , and overbear all decency
because they know well enough that no notice will be taken of their gross misbehaviour . In short , what between the class of brethren who think they have no right to an
opinion of their own , and those who are bent on forcing their opinions on every one , it frequently happens that a Lodge which ought to be a perfect temple of peace and harmony is little else than a bear garden .
Perhaps the greatest nuisance of all is the Masonic humbug , who pretends to be advocating and supporting the interests of Freemasonry , when , in truth , he is all the time subserving his own ; who is ever careful to draw attention
to the purity and disinterestedness of all he says and does , yet never says or does anything unless he sees his way to gain for himself somo profit . This is done in a manner so patent to the simplest understanding that there cannot be a shadow of a doubt as to the purpose the humbug has
in view . In the outer world , he would be chaffed unmercifully , and he would find it impossible to palm off his selfishness as the purest and most conspicuous disinterestedness ever exhibited by mortal man . But he is spared the jeers of his fellow-Masons , not because Masonry enjoins on
its disciples that they should wink at humbug , but because so many brethren lack the courage to speak out the honest truth . So far we have spoken of two classes of brethren ; of the mild , milk-and-watery fellows who never have a word to say for themselves , who acquiesce in every
propotion that is made ; and of those who , presuming upon this well-known feature among a very numerous class of Craftsmen , conduct themselves , whenever it suits them , in
an offensive and overbearing manner . There is yet a third class of brethren , to whom it is our intention specially to devote the greater part of this article . These are they who find it impossible to express an opinion without violence ;
"who cannot differ without allowing some unpleasant per
Courtesy In Argument
sonality to escape them ; who cannot discuss an argument without attributing some selfish or improper motive for its adoption . Wo cannot see why any brother should ever forget what is due to himself or others , simply because he finds those others are not of the same way of thinking with
himself . It is in the course of things that different minds should be moved by different impulses ; but it b y no means follows that such impulses should have anything improper about them . As we said at the outset , we like to see thorough-going advocacy ; we believe in it , nay , wo
almost feel inclined to worship it . There is in it a very strong leaven of justice and generosity , and we infinitely prefer the out-and-out supporter to the faineant . Bnt we know there is a point beyond which it were indecent for
the most strenuous advocate to go . It is his duty to employ all the arts he is capable of in demonstrating the folly of his opponent ' s case . Let him by all means discharge at it whole batteries of ridicule . Let him describe it as unten
able , illogical , as lacking common sense ; let him do all this , and what more he can , but let him studiously avoid attacking his opponent personally . It is not necessary to lose one ' s temper and use strong language , and denounce the motives of one ' s adversary as impure and unworthy of
a Mason , m order to uphold and demonstrate to the world the correctness of one ' s opinion . If there is reason on our side , it will fare well with us in the long run . Some people are slow to be convinced they are in error , bat we shall not induce earlier conviction in their minds by abusing them
for thinking as they do . On the contrary , we are likely to create the feeling that there is a weak point in our case which will not bear too close an inspection , and it will be thought we indulge in these abusive personalities in order to hide this weakness as much as possible . Be this as it may , the
advice we tender to those about to argue is—Don't , if you can help it ; but if differences cannot be settled except by argument , employ every weapon which may legitimately be used in a war of words , but lot there be no personalities , no abusive reflections about your opponent ' s motives , no
imputation of improper motives . These things are commonl y enough done by men who are not Masons , and who do not think it necessary to bind themselves in any particular way to their fellows . But we who are Masons are presumed to be influenced by certain feelings towards one another , and
not the least powerful of these feelings is Charity . Now Charity , as we all know , includes every other virtue . It is the pure spirit of Charity which impels people to do unto others as they would have others do unto them ; yet we do not imagine that any Mason would care to receive abuse
at the hands of others , or to be told that he was guilty of all kinds of contemptible conduct . If brethren would but bear this in mind , if they would but recognise , as was pointed out last week , that , after all , the great secret of Freemasonry is Charity , there would be a good deal more
in this world of pure practical Masonry . We should be spared the pain of believing that half of what now goes by that valued name is neither more nor less than a sorry make-believe . How , indeed , can we regard it in any other light , when we find brethren , who have attained a greater
or less degree of eminence , publicly questioning the sincerity of one another ' s motives , deliberately befouling one another ' s reputation ; and , in short , doing and saying
what might reasonably be expected of a low pettifogging attorney , but of no other class of men , certainly not of those who profess to be charitable towards each other , and to the whole world besides . We have occasion to differ with a
great many people . Sometimes we have found it necessary to defend ourselves aud the policy we profess Yfitb , such
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Courtesy In Argument
COURTESY IN ARGUMENT
IT is impossible not to he struck with the contentious spirit which animates many Masonic disputants . Let any one glance regularly at the correspondence columns of this journal and he will find something more than mere warmth of argument displayed . We cannot , of
course , object to a brother who supports the cause he is advocating , not only with all the logical power he possesses but likewise with a zeal which it is found difficult to repress , that he is far too urgent in his advocacy . We take but little interest in those half-hearted partisans ,
who for the assistance they render might just as well be against us as on our side . There are , unfortunately , far too many people who imagine that when they become Masons they sink their rights to all individuality . They belong to a Fraternity which is actuated by one spirit , and
consequently they imagine they have lost all right to have any opinion of their own , that is , of course , on Masonic matters . If tho Master of their Lodge propounds some amazingly childish theory about the origin , antiquity , or distribution of Fre ( emasonry , they are fully prepared to accept it ,
though had such a theoiy been broached in common life they would have lost no time in exposing it to the most severe ridicule . If a brother commits himself at the banquet by some glaring " atrocity , " suck as would justly close the door of every respectable house against him , the
atrocity is allowed to pass unrebuked ; it is considered to be charitable to overlook in a brother what would be seriousl y and worthily condemned in a mere profane . Others , again , there are who presume upon this milk-and-wateriness of the milder and softer brother , and overbear all decency
because they know well enough that no notice will be taken of their gross misbehaviour . In short , what between the class of brethren who think they have no right to an
opinion of their own , and those who are bent on forcing their opinions on every one , it frequently happens that a Lodge which ought to be a perfect temple of peace and harmony is little else than a bear garden .
Perhaps the greatest nuisance of all is the Masonic humbug , who pretends to be advocating and supporting the interests of Freemasonry , when , in truth , he is all the time subserving his own ; who is ever careful to draw attention
to the purity and disinterestedness of all he says and does , yet never says or does anything unless he sees his way to gain for himself somo profit . This is done in a manner so patent to the simplest understanding that there cannot be a shadow of a doubt as to the purpose the humbug has
in view . In the outer world , he would be chaffed unmercifully , and he would find it impossible to palm off his selfishness as the purest and most conspicuous disinterestedness ever exhibited by mortal man . But he is spared the jeers of his fellow-Masons , not because Masonry enjoins on
its disciples that they should wink at humbug , but because so many brethren lack the courage to speak out the honest truth . So far we have spoken of two classes of brethren ; of the mild , milk-and-watery fellows who never have a word to say for themselves , who acquiesce in every
propotion that is made ; and of those who , presuming upon this well-known feature among a very numerous class of Craftsmen , conduct themselves , whenever it suits them , in
an offensive and overbearing manner . There is yet a third class of brethren , to whom it is our intention specially to devote the greater part of this article . These are they who find it impossible to express an opinion without violence ;
"who cannot differ without allowing some unpleasant per
Courtesy In Argument
sonality to escape them ; who cannot discuss an argument without attributing some selfish or improper motive for its adoption . Wo cannot see why any brother should ever forget what is due to himself or others , simply because he finds those others are not of the same way of thinking with
himself . It is in the course of things that different minds should be moved by different impulses ; but it b y no means follows that such impulses should have anything improper about them . As we said at the outset , we like to see thorough-going advocacy ; we believe in it , nay , wo
almost feel inclined to worship it . There is in it a very strong leaven of justice and generosity , and we infinitely prefer the out-and-out supporter to the faineant . Bnt we know there is a point beyond which it were indecent for
the most strenuous advocate to go . It is his duty to employ all the arts he is capable of in demonstrating the folly of his opponent ' s case . Let him by all means discharge at it whole batteries of ridicule . Let him describe it as unten
able , illogical , as lacking common sense ; let him do all this , and what more he can , but let him studiously avoid attacking his opponent personally . It is not necessary to lose one ' s temper and use strong language , and denounce the motives of one ' s adversary as impure and unworthy of
a Mason , m order to uphold and demonstrate to the world the correctness of one ' s opinion . If there is reason on our side , it will fare well with us in the long run . Some people are slow to be convinced they are in error , bat we shall not induce earlier conviction in their minds by abusing them
for thinking as they do . On the contrary , we are likely to create the feeling that there is a weak point in our case which will not bear too close an inspection , and it will be thought we indulge in these abusive personalities in order to hide this weakness as much as possible . Be this as it may , the
advice we tender to those about to argue is—Don't , if you can help it ; but if differences cannot be settled except by argument , employ every weapon which may legitimately be used in a war of words , but lot there be no personalities , no abusive reflections about your opponent ' s motives , no
imputation of improper motives . These things are commonl y enough done by men who are not Masons , and who do not think it necessary to bind themselves in any particular way to their fellows . But we who are Masons are presumed to be influenced by certain feelings towards one another , and
not the least powerful of these feelings is Charity . Now Charity , as we all know , includes every other virtue . It is the pure spirit of Charity which impels people to do unto others as they would have others do unto them ; yet we do not imagine that any Mason would care to receive abuse
at the hands of others , or to be told that he was guilty of all kinds of contemptible conduct . If brethren would but bear this in mind , if they would but recognise , as was pointed out last week , that , after all , the great secret of Freemasonry is Charity , there would be a good deal more
in this world of pure practical Masonry . We should be spared the pain of believing that half of what now goes by that valued name is neither more nor less than a sorry make-believe . How , indeed , can we regard it in any other light , when we find brethren , who have attained a greater
or less degree of eminence , publicly questioning the sincerity of one another ' s motives , deliberately befouling one another ' s reputation ; and , in short , doing and saying
what might reasonably be expected of a low pettifogging attorney , but of no other class of men , certainly not of those who profess to be charitable towards each other , and to the whole world besides . We have occasion to differ with a
great many people . Sometimes we have found it necessary to defend ourselves aud the policy we profess Yfitb , such