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Article "TAUGHT TO BE CAUTIOUS." ← Page 2 of 2 Article THE TIMES ON FREEMASONRY. Page 1 of 2 Article THE TIMES ON FREEMASONRY. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
"Taught To Be Cautious."
old story of the fly and the treacle over again . Men become dazzled by descriptions of the degrees beyond which they have not yefc passed ; and , lured on by roseate anticipations , they often find themselves saddled with responsibilities that are unexpectedly heavy , and
which they are unable to carry comfortably , if at all . Then they discover thafc they cannot have both the sweet clog and the free flight , and so they relapse into a condition of
involuntary backsliding , from which they never recover . A little wisdom and foresight enjoined on young aspirants would check this system , and older Masons should be the very first to take the advice .
The Times On Freemasonry.
THE TIMES ON FREEMASONRY .
THURSDAY , 26 th JUNE 1879 . PRINCE Leopold ' s installation last night , at the Freemasons' Hall , as Master of the Lodge of Antiquity , is an event of greater public
interest than the majority of Masonic proceedings . The office which Prince Leopold now fills waa worthily filled by his great-nncle , the Duke of Sussex , for thirty-four years . This association with a Eoyal personage is nofc , however , the only or the greatest distinction of the Lodge of Antiquity . William III . wns initiated into Masonry in this Lodge , which then bore tho name of St . Paul's , and in which Sir
Christopher Wren officiated as Master for eighteen years . Ifc received from him what is both a treasure and a curiosity—that is , the mallet or gavel used by Charles II . to lay fche foundation stone of St . Paul ' s Cathedral , and formed out of a piece of wood of tho original structure . He also gave ifc a fragment of the stone of fche Roman temple which stood on the site of the present cathedral , and which was dug np when
the foundations were laid . Some of the Lodge furniture was designed and presented by the great architect , so that the members can boasfc of possessing many things of almost national value . Ifc is appropriate thafc a body such as this should have at its head one whose literary and artistic tastes are so much in sympathy with its history , and who is well qualified to perpetuate tho traditions of those Masters who
havo adorned the position to which be has been elected . Even the general public , to whom Masonry may not be a subject of particular concern , cannot but feel gratified that a body so venerable as the Lodgo of Antiquity should continue to deserve and maintain its ex . ceptional place among Masonic societies . The pretensions of enthusiasts about the great ago of Masonry may not unreasonably
excite tho scorn of unimaginative critics . The stories which tell how St . Alban introduced tho Order into Britain aro in keeping with other fables in tho legendary annals of this country . Extravagant claims naturally excite scepticism , and almost justify the rejection of any story as pure fiction . While no person competent to form a decision can soberly uphold tho statements concerning the ancient , if not
prehistoric , character of Freemasonry , yet it is qnite as rash to argno , as is frequently done , that the whole system is'bnt a thing of yesterday , and was tho invention of somo clever men in tho eighteenth century . That Freemasonry , substantially tho samo in kind as that which now exists , was practised in this country as far back as the time of Henry VI . is by no means improbable . In has been surmised that the
King himself was a member of the Order , though nothing more is proved in support of this than he left behind him a manuscript con . taining certain parts of Masonic ritual . In his reign the operative Masons were very unpopnlar , and an Act was passed forbidding them to hold thoir " chapiters and congregations . " It is possible that , about this timo , the change may have begun which eventually transformed
tho operative into speculative Masonry , substituting for the forms and rules under which buildings were actually constructed the mere theoretic Masonry of the present day , in which a peculiar system of morality is veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols . The several steps of the process have never been clearly traced . There is no
doubt that , however the result may have been achieved , it is a note , worthy one . The existence of such a Lodge as that of Antiquity , working under an immemorial constitution , and over which Sir Christopher Wren presided as Master , carries back the Order in this country to a period sufficiently remote to satisfy any reasonable person , and even to endow it with an archaeological status .
However well-founded the doubts may be as to the right of Freemasons to claim an ancient origin for their Order , it is indisputable that the Order itself is widely diffused over the earth and wields an extended power . Not long ago we published some statistics on this snbject , and these figures could nofc fail to produce a strongimpression . There is no civilized country in which many Masonic Lodges cannot
be found , and the more civilized the country , the greater the number of theso Lodges . Russia is tbe only nation concerning which no Masonic statistics are forthcoming , the reason being that in Russia Freemasons have long shared with Jews the antipathy and condemnation of those in authority . Nowhere do Freemasons abound more than in the United States , and nowhere are they now held in higher
honour , yet there was a time when they were the opprobrium of citizens of the North American Republic . When Miss Martinean visited the United States and wrote her "Society in America , " she found the Masonic Order the object of general denunciation and antipathy . Commenting on what she heard , she wrote thafc " a bad institution is overthrown . " It is obvious that the Order nrast subserve
some practical end , otherwise it would not have survived the overthrow of forty years since . Across the Alantic it can make no pretensions to a long traditionary past ; its introdnction on North American soil dates from the middle of the eighteenth century . Washington and Franklin are numbered amongst the earliest as well as the most notable American Freemasons . Indeed , when Washington
The Times On Freemasonry.
died at Mount Vernon his funeral was conducted by his Masonic brethren in tho Virginian Lodge , of which he had long been a member . Ifc is no unnsual thing in the United States to see an important personage take part in a Masouic demonstration ; President Johnson , for instance , walked in the procession at the opening of the Temple in Boston , and , simply becanse he was a Freemason , waa heartily
welcomed by thousands who detested his politics . In the great cities of the Union , such as Boston , New York , and Philadelphia , the Masonio temples aro the most striking architectural structures . Perhaps the love of parade which predominates in the breasts of citizens of the United States causes those of them who are Freemasons to indulge in more public display than is consonant with the principles of a society
which professes to have the exclusive custody of important secrets and which conducts its business in strict privacy . But Freemasonry , like many other institutions , has its ranks , its degrees , and also its offshoots , and those parts of it which are least useful are the most demonstrative . One addition to the ordinary degrees is that of tho Knight Templars , being an attempt to carry on the tradition of the old foes of the
Saracens and conquerors of the Holy Land . This degree is a favourite one in the United States , partly becanse the clothing is very showy , and partly because all its members cease to bo plain Jones , Brown , and Robinson , and become , for the time being , Sir Thomas Jones , Sir John Brown , and Sir Joseph Robinson . Ifc is their custom to have an annual gathering in some city , where they parade
in public and march about with a mock military air . When the International Exhibition took place in Philidelphia in 1876 , the Knight Templars assembled there to the number of eight thousand , Mid proved themselves to be the most extraordinary sight which had been provided for the astonishment of the foreign visitors . In this country and in other European countries Freemasons are seldom seen
in public , and are not often the subjects of comment , except in » Papal Bull . Yefc in Europe , as in America , they are neither few in number nor wanting in influence . A curious and interesting list might be compiled of the distin . gnished persons who have been Freemasons . Many men of note have been active members of the Order . The supposition thafc Cardinal Wolsey presided over a Lodge may be classed among nnauthenticated
stories . There is evidence in favour of Bacon being a Freemason , which every understanding reader can gather from a perusal of his " New Atlantis . " An ingenious attempt has been made to prove that Shakespeare belonged to the Craft ; but , then , what is there thafc Shakespeare has not been credited with having done ? Most of onr countrymen of note during the last and the present century aro known to have been Freemasons . In Prussia the Great Frederick
was not only a Freemason , but was the head of the Order ; both the present German Emperor and the Crown Prince have followed tho example set them by the illustrious consolidator of the Prnssian realm . Germany numbers such men as Lessing , Herder , Fichte , and Goethe in the Masonic ranks . The latter , like his brother poet Burns , employed his poetical talents in celebrating tho merits of tho Order .
Lato in lifo Voltaire became a Freemason , and the majority of noteworthy Frenchmen since his day have also beeu members of the fraternity . It is supposed , not without reason , thafc the Masonio Lodges were instrumental in fostering the First Revolution in France . Nofc long ago tho Grand Lodges in this country and the United States severed their connexion with that of France on the ground that
tho latter had expunged from the formula of initiation the expression of belief in a Deity . Indeed , the French have always been disposed to practise Freemasonry after a fashion of their own . They even turn the Lodge meeting to a very practical purpose—that of promoting great engineering enterprises . M . Littre , being recently mentioned among those persons who deserved credit for setting on foot a scheme
for piercing the Isthmns of Panama , declared in explanation that the project had really been conceived in the Lodge of Clemente-Amitie , of which he became a member in 1875 . Should Freemasons' Lodges add the furtherance of engineering to the practice of charity and good-fellowship , they will assuredly become more important bodies than even their advocates have deemed possible . In dealing with
the pretensions of Masonry it is necessary , indeed , to pass judgment in the dark . •The general public cannot repose full confidence in a secret society , whether , like thafc of the Freemasons , its objects are the practise of charity and the recognition of the personal equality and mutual dependence of mankind , or whether , like that of the Jesuits , its aims are the advancement of the Church of Rome .
Perhaps , if the Freemasons and the Jesuits disclosed their secrets , they wonld lose little that was worth keeping , and the world would acquire little that was worth having . So far as has been shown , the five or six million Freemasons who inhabit the earth have never deserved the denunciations which the head of the Roman Catholic Chnrch has often levelled against them . Notwithstanding the condemnation of
successive Popes , the Order flourishes in such purely Roman Catholic countries as France , Spain , Portugal , Italy , Belgium , Mexico , and Brazil . In France there are 287 Lodges ; in Spain , 300 ; in Portugal , 22 ; in Italy , 110 ; in Belgium , 15 ; in Mexico , 13 ; and in Brazil , 256 . In the United Kingdom there are nearly two thousand Lodges , while in the United States the number nearly reaches ten thousand . During
the worst days in our history , when Parliament in a frenzy of terror passed laws against secret societies , the society of Freemasonry was specially excepted . The Act of 1799 exempts the Lodges of Freemasons from the pains and penalties inflicted upon United Englishmen , Scotsmen , Britons , and Irishmen , doing so on the ground thafc Masonic meetings are in a great measure directed to charitable
purposes . Tho Act of 1817 , which was designed to carry onfc fche intent of that of 1799 more effectually , specifically exempts Freemasons and Quakers from its operation . Indeed , those persons who havo seen the palatial establishments for the education of the sons and daughters of Freemasons and tho asylums for tho old and destitute
which are maintained by English Freemasons cannot doubt that the Order amply justifies its existence in this country . When our Royal Princes associate themselves with Freemasonry , they not only follow an excellent family example , but they perform duties which cannot bnt heighten their popularity . In undertaking to discharge tbe
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
"Taught To Be Cautious."
old story of the fly and the treacle over again . Men become dazzled by descriptions of the degrees beyond which they have not yefc passed ; and , lured on by roseate anticipations , they often find themselves saddled with responsibilities that are unexpectedly heavy , and
which they are unable to carry comfortably , if at all . Then they discover thafc they cannot have both the sweet clog and the free flight , and so they relapse into a condition of
involuntary backsliding , from which they never recover . A little wisdom and foresight enjoined on young aspirants would check this system , and older Masons should be the very first to take the advice .
The Times On Freemasonry.
THE TIMES ON FREEMASONRY .
THURSDAY , 26 th JUNE 1879 . PRINCE Leopold ' s installation last night , at the Freemasons' Hall , as Master of the Lodge of Antiquity , is an event of greater public
interest than the majority of Masonic proceedings . The office which Prince Leopold now fills waa worthily filled by his great-nncle , the Duke of Sussex , for thirty-four years . This association with a Eoyal personage is nofc , however , the only or the greatest distinction of the Lodge of Antiquity . William III . wns initiated into Masonry in this Lodge , which then bore tho name of St . Paul's , and in which Sir
Christopher Wren officiated as Master for eighteen years . Ifc received from him what is both a treasure and a curiosity—that is , the mallet or gavel used by Charles II . to lay fche foundation stone of St . Paul ' s Cathedral , and formed out of a piece of wood of tho original structure . He also gave ifc a fragment of the stone of fche Roman temple which stood on the site of the present cathedral , and which was dug np when
the foundations were laid . Some of the Lodge furniture was designed and presented by the great architect , so that the members can boasfc of possessing many things of almost national value . Ifc is appropriate thafc a body such as this should have at its head one whose literary and artistic tastes are so much in sympathy with its history , and who is well qualified to perpetuate tho traditions of those Masters who
havo adorned the position to which be has been elected . Even the general public , to whom Masonry may not be a subject of particular concern , cannot but feel gratified that a body so venerable as the Lodgo of Antiquity should continue to deserve and maintain its ex . ceptional place among Masonic societies . The pretensions of enthusiasts about the great ago of Masonry may not unreasonably
excite tho scorn of unimaginative critics . The stories which tell how St . Alban introduced tho Order into Britain aro in keeping with other fables in tho legendary annals of this country . Extravagant claims naturally excite scepticism , and almost justify the rejection of any story as pure fiction . While no person competent to form a decision can soberly uphold tho statements concerning the ancient , if not
prehistoric , character of Freemasonry , yet it is qnite as rash to argno , as is frequently done , that the whole system is'bnt a thing of yesterday , and was tho invention of somo clever men in tho eighteenth century . That Freemasonry , substantially tho samo in kind as that which now exists , was practised in this country as far back as the time of Henry VI . is by no means improbable . In has been surmised that the
King himself was a member of the Order , though nothing more is proved in support of this than he left behind him a manuscript con . taining certain parts of Masonic ritual . In his reign the operative Masons were very unpopnlar , and an Act was passed forbidding them to hold thoir " chapiters and congregations . " It is possible that , about this timo , the change may have begun which eventually transformed
tho operative into speculative Masonry , substituting for the forms and rules under which buildings were actually constructed the mere theoretic Masonry of the present day , in which a peculiar system of morality is veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols . The several steps of the process have never been clearly traced . There is no
doubt that , however the result may have been achieved , it is a note , worthy one . The existence of such a Lodge as that of Antiquity , working under an immemorial constitution , and over which Sir Christopher Wren presided as Master , carries back the Order in this country to a period sufficiently remote to satisfy any reasonable person , and even to endow it with an archaeological status .
However well-founded the doubts may be as to the right of Freemasons to claim an ancient origin for their Order , it is indisputable that the Order itself is widely diffused over the earth and wields an extended power . Not long ago we published some statistics on this snbject , and these figures could nofc fail to produce a strongimpression . There is no civilized country in which many Masonic Lodges cannot
be found , and the more civilized the country , the greater the number of theso Lodges . Russia is tbe only nation concerning which no Masonic statistics are forthcoming , the reason being that in Russia Freemasons have long shared with Jews the antipathy and condemnation of those in authority . Nowhere do Freemasons abound more than in the United States , and nowhere are they now held in higher
honour , yet there was a time when they were the opprobrium of citizens of the North American Republic . When Miss Martinean visited the United States and wrote her "Society in America , " she found the Masonic Order the object of general denunciation and antipathy . Commenting on what she heard , she wrote thafc " a bad institution is overthrown . " It is obvious that the Order nrast subserve
some practical end , otherwise it would not have survived the overthrow of forty years since . Across the Alantic it can make no pretensions to a long traditionary past ; its introdnction on North American soil dates from the middle of the eighteenth century . Washington and Franklin are numbered amongst the earliest as well as the most notable American Freemasons . Indeed , when Washington
The Times On Freemasonry.
died at Mount Vernon his funeral was conducted by his Masonic brethren in tho Virginian Lodge , of which he had long been a member . Ifc is no unnsual thing in the United States to see an important personage take part in a Masouic demonstration ; President Johnson , for instance , walked in the procession at the opening of the Temple in Boston , and , simply becanse he was a Freemason , waa heartily
welcomed by thousands who detested his politics . In the great cities of the Union , such as Boston , New York , and Philadelphia , the Masonio temples aro the most striking architectural structures . Perhaps the love of parade which predominates in the breasts of citizens of the United States causes those of them who are Freemasons to indulge in more public display than is consonant with the principles of a society
which professes to have the exclusive custody of important secrets and which conducts its business in strict privacy . But Freemasonry , like many other institutions , has its ranks , its degrees , and also its offshoots , and those parts of it which are least useful are the most demonstrative . One addition to the ordinary degrees is that of tho Knight Templars , being an attempt to carry on the tradition of the old foes of the
Saracens and conquerors of the Holy Land . This degree is a favourite one in the United States , partly becanse the clothing is very showy , and partly because all its members cease to bo plain Jones , Brown , and Robinson , and become , for the time being , Sir Thomas Jones , Sir John Brown , and Sir Joseph Robinson . Ifc is their custom to have an annual gathering in some city , where they parade
in public and march about with a mock military air . When the International Exhibition took place in Philidelphia in 1876 , the Knight Templars assembled there to the number of eight thousand , Mid proved themselves to be the most extraordinary sight which had been provided for the astonishment of the foreign visitors . In this country and in other European countries Freemasons are seldom seen
in public , and are not often the subjects of comment , except in » Papal Bull . Yefc in Europe , as in America , they are neither few in number nor wanting in influence . A curious and interesting list might be compiled of the distin . gnished persons who have been Freemasons . Many men of note have been active members of the Order . The supposition thafc Cardinal Wolsey presided over a Lodge may be classed among nnauthenticated
stories . There is evidence in favour of Bacon being a Freemason , which every understanding reader can gather from a perusal of his " New Atlantis . " An ingenious attempt has been made to prove that Shakespeare belonged to the Craft ; but , then , what is there thafc Shakespeare has not been credited with having done ? Most of onr countrymen of note during the last and the present century aro known to have been Freemasons . In Prussia the Great Frederick
was not only a Freemason , but was the head of the Order ; both the present German Emperor and the Crown Prince have followed tho example set them by the illustrious consolidator of the Prnssian realm . Germany numbers such men as Lessing , Herder , Fichte , and Goethe in the Masonic ranks . The latter , like his brother poet Burns , employed his poetical talents in celebrating tho merits of tho Order .
Lato in lifo Voltaire became a Freemason , and the majority of noteworthy Frenchmen since his day have also beeu members of the fraternity . It is supposed , not without reason , thafc the Masonio Lodges were instrumental in fostering the First Revolution in France . Nofc long ago tho Grand Lodges in this country and the United States severed their connexion with that of France on the ground that
tho latter had expunged from the formula of initiation the expression of belief in a Deity . Indeed , the French have always been disposed to practise Freemasonry after a fashion of their own . They even turn the Lodge meeting to a very practical purpose—that of promoting great engineering enterprises . M . Littre , being recently mentioned among those persons who deserved credit for setting on foot a scheme
for piercing the Isthmns of Panama , declared in explanation that the project had really been conceived in the Lodge of Clemente-Amitie , of which he became a member in 1875 . Should Freemasons' Lodges add the furtherance of engineering to the practice of charity and good-fellowship , they will assuredly become more important bodies than even their advocates have deemed possible . In dealing with
the pretensions of Masonry it is necessary , indeed , to pass judgment in the dark . •The general public cannot repose full confidence in a secret society , whether , like thafc of the Freemasons , its objects are the practise of charity and the recognition of the personal equality and mutual dependence of mankind , or whether , like that of the Jesuits , its aims are the advancement of the Church of Rome .
Perhaps , if the Freemasons and the Jesuits disclosed their secrets , they wonld lose little that was worth keeping , and the world would acquire little that was worth having . So far as has been shown , the five or six million Freemasons who inhabit the earth have never deserved the denunciations which the head of the Roman Catholic Chnrch has often levelled against them . Notwithstanding the condemnation of
successive Popes , the Order flourishes in such purely Roman Catholic countries as France , Spain , Portugal , Italy , Belgium , Mexico , and Brazil . In France there are 287 Lodges ; in Spain , 300 ; in Portugal , 22 ; in Italy , 110 ; in Belgium , 15 ; in Mexico , 13 ; and in Brazil , 256 . In the United Kingdom there are nearly two thousand Lodges , while in the United States the number nearly reaches ten thousand . During
the worst days in our history , when Parliament in a frenzy of terror passed laws against secret societies , the society of Freemasonry was specially excepted . The Act of 1799 exempts the Lodges of Freemasons from the pains and penalties inflicted upon United Englishmen , Scotsmen , Britons , and Irishmen , doing so on the ground thafc Masonic meetings are in a great measure directed to charitable
purposes . Tho Act of 1817 , which was designed to carry onfc fche intent of that of 1799 more effectually , specifically exempts Freemasons and Quakers from its operation . Indeed , those persons who havo seen the palatial establishments for the education of the sons and daughters of Freemasons and tho asylums for tho old and destitute
which are maintained by English Freemasons cannot doubt that the Order amply justifies its existence in this country . When our Royal Princes associate themselves with Freemasonry , they not only follow an excellent family example , but they perform duties which cannot bnt heighten their popularity . In undertaking to discharge tbe