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Article MASONRY AND THE OUTER WORLD. ← Page 2 of 2 Article MASONRY AND THE OUTER WORLD. Page 2 of 2 Article THE "NEW ATLANTIS." Page 1 of 3 →
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Masonry And The Outer World.
pression appears to prevail that Masons are primarily a dining body—that they meet to dine and toast each other in bumpers , and that the charity of which the Order boasts is a secondary object with the great mass of the Fraternity . Mr . Heckethorn , in his work on secret societies , has the
impudence to pay that Freemasons are a vain and frivolous body , much addicted to dining out , and utterly deficient in mental endowments . This charge would be laughable if it were not advanced seriously by an author who affects to have studied the Order with some attention . We do not know whether Mr . Heckethorn has ever been initiated . We
are inclined to think that he is one of the outside world ; and if he is , his judgment , merely based , as it is , upon what he lias read in the public press , is as false as it is silly . We have referred , recently , at length in these columns to the great charitable and educational work which
the Order is doing in this country , and we need not now repeat ourselves for the purpose of refuting this trenchant critic . We are perfectly well assured that practical Masonry is in no need of defenders ; but when we are charged with vanity , and with a general deficiency in
mental culture , we scarcely know whether such sweeping and groundless assertions are worthy of a serious reply . If Masons were in the habit of parading the insignia of the Order in public , they might , with some show of reason , be charged with vanity and frivolity , but the trappings
of State are strictly confined to the seclusion of the Lodge , and if we are indeed vain , the gratification of our vanity is confined to a narrow circle . The Lodge is the only field for tbe display of ribbons and medals , and a high functionary , or , as the Saturday sneeringly puts it , " a
Grand something or other , ' if he has no rank in society , is plain Mr . Jones or Smith , as the case may be , as soon as he returns to the outer world . We might have supposed the fact that Masonry comprises a large number of members who are remarkable for their mental endowments would
have been known to Mr . Heckethorn , and that his native modesty , if he has any , would have restrained him from making a charge which betrays his own emptiness of mind .
"he man who ventures to call any large section of his fellow creatures fools , must cither be a gloomy cynic and misanthrope , or a very silly person ; we are inclined to think he is the latter .
But writers nearer home have taken the trouble to make vaguechargesagainst the brotherhood , which , in consequence of their vagueness , do not admit of any detailed reply . A portion of the press seems to be of opinion that it is a safe and proper thing to indulge in sneers , or to assume a
patronising tone whenever the subject of Masonry turns up . The Times , for example , is a conspicuous offender in this respect , and its remarks upon the Installation ceremony drew from ns a few words of criticism , which we fancy very accurately characterised its general tone and policy
with reference to the Fraternity . It cannot afford to ignore us altogether . The Order is too important to be passed by in silence , but it can patronise us , and tho patronage of tho Times is somewhat irritating . If it has any specific charges to bring against Masonry , we shall be glad to hear
them . If it is of opinion that wc fail in onr duties as private citizens , or if , in spite of its protestations to the contrary , it is secretly of opinion that the Order on the Continent is generally used as a political machine , Ave shall be glad to meet the great thunderer on its own ground . Indeed , we
shall be very glad to encounter those of our critics who indulge in occasional sneers at the Craft , if they will be good enough to tell us what serious objections they have to advance . We do not intend to permit any grave imputation to be passed over in silence ; but the misfortune is
that our critics will not condecend to be serious . They attempt to conceal their ignorance under a cloud of words , and appear to imagine that surmise or mild abuse will pass for argument . Laughter at what appears to be the grotesque side of Masonry is no doubt harmless enough , and no
Englishman who is worthy of the name was ever yet turned aside from a serious purpose by so weak a weapon as ridicule . We are a sturdy people , and do not mind a little banter , and . with regard to Masons , we may say , as we have said before , that they are by no means thin skinned . It
takes a great deal to put them out . They have never yet expressed the slightest inkling of annoyance at the flattering but grotesque imitations of the ceremonial of the
Orderin which some of the more important of the friendly societies indulge . If the Oddfellows or Foresters think that the practical work for which they are banded together can be best conducted in secret assemblies , and with an
Masonry And The Outer World.
array of signs and passwords , Masons are the last persons in the world who would feel inclined to throw stones at them . Fair play is the watchword of Englishmen , and we , who profess to be gentlemen , should be the last to imitate the snobbish cynicism of the Saturday Review . We
do not attack any section of the outer world , and if we complain of misrepresentation , our complaints are primarily grounded on the fact that our critics will not step into the arena of fair discussion . If Masonry is too strong for serious argument , it certainl y is not vulnerable to the shafts of ridicule .
But we occasionally meet in society with persons who are anxious enough to know all that we can tell them of the scope and aims of the Order , and who profess to be willing enough to submit themselves as candidates for initiation , if we can prove to their satisfaction that
their worldly interests will be advanced thereby . We need not say that these persons are not of the class who make useful and zealous Masons . The moment a man , apparently anxious for information , talks of his personal interests , we have done with him . Masonry has little or nothing to do
with personal interests . It may , indeed , happen that a man of business , who has become a Mason from the purest motives , finds that from a merely selfish point of view he has acted wisely . The principles of brotherhood which are cherished by us , teach us all to help one another . But no
Mason , we take it , would care to give the fraternal grip to a man who thought only of selfish interests . We demand some show of disinterested generosity on the part of those who are ambitious to join our ranks . In an age of frivolity Masonry is one of the few institutions which is guided by
great moral principles . Our theological critics would perhaps do well to remember this when writing their diatribes against the Order . Mgr . Dnpanloup , the celebrated Bishop of Orleans , has recentl y written a pamphlet , in which he declares that Freemasonry is not only the radical negation
of Christianity , but of all kinds of religion , as well as of social order , political liberty and universal peace . This is trenchant criticism indeed , and , like most reckless statements , it is at once answered by conspicuous facts which arc known to all the world . Marshal MacMahon , for
example , to say nothing * of numbers of illustrious Frenchmen wliose names we might mention , is a Mason . The Bishop therefore has virtually asserted that the President of the French Republic is an enemy of religion and social order . Our quick witted neighbours will not be
slow to characterise an absurdity so gross as this , and the bishop ' s ill-advised pamphlet will possibly do infinitely more damage to the cause he has at heart than it can ever inflict upon tho Craft . A reckless statement of this kind never emanates from a secular opponent . The Church ,
however , must be permitted tho privilege of selecting its own weapons ; and if its champions choose to indulge in palpable misstatements , which refute themselves , it is scarcely our business to attempt the conversion of enemies who , for the purposes of controversy , can evolve an ideal Fraternity out of the depths of their own inner consciousness .
The "New Atlantis."
THE " NEW ATLANTIS . "
THERE are those who think the great Lord Bacon may have had in his mind the Society of Freemasons when he wrote his New Atlantis ; that , in fact , the Society or Order of Solomon ' s House or the College of Six Days ' Work , therein described , is meant to be typical of our
Order . Much , of course , is added in the description of this College or Society which belongeth not to Masonry , yet is there enough to justify , or , at all events , to excuse the idea . We bear in mind , of course , the view that the
present era of speculative Masonry dates from 1717 only , while Lord Bacon died in 1626 , or nearly a century before . But it is reasonable to suppose that speculative Masonry did not spring into being suddenly , as , in the Greek
Mythology , did Minerva form the brain of Zeus . It is quite within the limits of probability that an era of speculative and operative Masonry combined , preceded that of speculative Masonry pure and simple . The learned philosopher
John Locke , in a letter to Thomas Earl of Pembroke , under date 6 th May 1696 , on the subject of an old Masonic manuscript remarks , " I know not what effect the sight of this old paper may have upon your Lordship : but for my own part , I cannot deny that it has so much raised my curiosity ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonry And The Outer World.
pression appears to prevail that Masons are primarily a dining body—that they meet to dine and toast each other in bumpers , and that the charity of which the Order boasts is a secondary object with the great mass of the Fraternity . Mr . Heckethorn , in his work on secret societies , has the
impudence to pay that Freemasons are a vain and frivolous body , much addicted to dining out , and utterly deficient in mental endowments . This charge would be laughable if it were not advanced seriously by an author who affects to have studied the Order with some attention . We do not know whether Mr . Heckethorn has ever been initiated . We
are inclined to think that he is one of the outside world ; and if he is , his judgment , merely based , as it is , upon what he lias read in the public press , is as false as it is silly . We have referred , recently , at length in these columns to the great charitable and educational work which
the Order is doing in this country , and we need not now repeat ourselves for the purpose of refuting this trenchant critic . We are perfectly well assured that practical Masonry is in no need of defenders ; but when we are charged with vanity , and with a general deficiency in
mental culture , we scarcely know whether such sweeping and groundless assertions are worthy of a serious reply . If Masons were in the habit of parading the insignia of the Order in public , they might , with some show of reason , be charged with vanity and frivolity , but the trappings
of State are strictly confined to the seclusion of the Lodge , and if we are indeed vain , the gratification of our vanity is confined to a narrow circle . The Lodge is the only field for tbe display of ribbons and medals , and a high functionary , or , as the Saturday sneeringly puts it , " a
Grand something or other , ' if he has no rank in society , is plain Mr . Jones or Smith , as the case may be , as soon as he returns to the outer world . We might have supposed the fact that Masonry comprises a large number of members who are remarkable for their mental endowments would
have been known to Mr . Heckethorn , and that his native modesty , if he has any , would have restrained him from making a charge which betrays his own emptiness of mind .
"he man who ventures to call any large section of his fellow creatures fools , must cither be a gloomy cynic and misanthrope , or a very silly person ; we are inclined to think he is the latter .
But writers nearer home have taken the trouble to make vaguechargesagainst the brotherhood , which , in consequence of their vagueness , do not admit of any detailed reply . A portion of the press seems to be of opinion that it is a safe and proper thing to indulge in sneers , or to assume a
patronising tone whenever the subject of Masonry turns up . The Times , for example , is a conspicuous offender in this respect , and its remarks upon the Installation ceremony drew from ns a few words of criticism , which we fancy very accurately characterised its general tone and policy
with reference to the Fraternity . It cannot afford to ignore us altogether . The Order is too important to be passed by in silence , but it can patronise us , and tho patronage of tho Times is somewhat irritating . If it has any specific charges to bring against Masonry , we shall be glad to hear
them . If it is of opinion that wc fail in onr duties as private citizens , or if , in spite of its protestations to the contrary , it is secretly of opinion that the Order on the Continent is generally used as a political machine , Ave shall be glad to meet the great thunderer on its own ground . Indeed , we
shall be very glad to encounter those of our critics who indulge in occasional sneers at the Craft , if they will be good enough to tell us what serious objections they have to advance . We do not intend to permit any grave imputation to be passed over in silence ; but the misfortune is
that our critics will not condecend to be serious . They attempt to conceal their ignorance under a cloud of words , and appear to imagine that surmise or mild abuse will pass for argument . Laughter at what appears to be the grotesque side of Masonry is no doubt harmless enough , and no
Englishman who is worthy of the name was ever yet turned aside from a serious purpose by so weak a weapon as ridicule . We are a sturdy people , and do not mind a little banter , and . with regard to Masons , we may say , as we have said before , that they are by no means thin skinned . It
takes a great deal to put them out . They have never yet expressed the slightest inkling of annoyance at the flattering but grotesque imitations of the ceremonial of the
Orderin which some of the more important of the friendly societies indulge . If the Oddfellows or Foresters think that the practical work for which they are banded together can be best conducted in secret assemblies , and with an
Masonry And The Outer World.
array of signs and passwords , Masons are the last persons in the world who would feel inclined to throw stones at them . Fair play is the watchword of Englishmen , and we , who profess to be gentlemen , should be the last to imitate the snobbish cynicism of the Saturday Review . We
do not attack any section of the outer world , and if we complain of misrepresentation , our complaints are primarily grounded on the fact that our critics will not step into the arena of fair discussion . If Masonry is too strong for serious argument , it certainl y is not vulnerable to the shafts of ridicule .
But we occasionally meet in society with persons who are anxious enough to know all that we can tell them of the scope and aims of the Order , and who profess to be willing enough to submit themselves as candidates for initiation , if we can prove to their satisfaction that
their worldly interests will be advanced thereby . We need not say that these persons are not of the class who make useful and zealous Masons . The moment a man , apparently anxious for information , talks of his personal interests , we have done with him . Masonry has little or nothing to do
with personal interests . It may , indeed , happen that a man of business , who has become a Mason from the purest motives , finds that from a merely selfish point of view he has acted wisely . The principles of brotherhood which are cherished by us , teach us all to help one another . But no
Mason , we take it , would care to give the fraternal grip to a man who thought only of selfish interests . We demand some show of disinterested generosity on the part of those who are ambitious to join our ranks . In an age of frivolity Masonry is one of the few institutions which is guided by
great moral principles . Our theological critics would perhaps do well to remember this when writing their diatribes against the Order . Mgr . Dnpanloup , the celebrated Bishop of Orleans , has recentl y written a pamphlet , in which he declares that Freemasonry is not only the radical negation
of Christianity , but of all kinds of religion , as well as of social order , political liberty and universal peace . This is trenchant criticism indeed , and , like most reckless statements , it is at once answered by conspicuous facts which arc known to all the world . Marshal MacMahon , for
example , to say nothing * of numbers of illustrious Frenchmen wliose names we might mention , is a Mason . The Bishop therefore has virtually asserted that the President of the French Republic is an enemy of religion and social order . Our quick witted neighbours will not be
slow to characterise an absurdity so gross as this , and the bishop ' s ill-advised pamphlet will possibly do infinitely more damage to the cause he has at heart than it can ever inflict upon tho Craft . A reckless statement of this kind never emanates from a secular opponent . The Church ,
however , must be permitted tho privilege of selecting its own weapons ; and if its champions choose to indulge in palpable misstatements , which refute themselves , it is scarcely our business to attempt the conversion of enemies who , for the purposes of controversy , can evolve an ideal Fraternity out of the depths of their own inner consciousness .
The "New Atlantis."
THE " NEW ATLANTIS . "
THERE are those who think the great Lord Bacon may have had in his mind the Society of Freemasons when he wrote his New Atlantis ; that , in fact , the Society or Order of Solomon ' s House or the College of Six Days ' Work , therein described , is meant to be typical of our
Order . Much , of course , is added in the description of this College or Society which belongeth not to Masonry , yet is there enough to justify , or , at all events , to excuse the idea . We bear in mind , of course , the view that the
present era of speculative Masonry dates from 1717 only , while Lord Bacon died in 1626 , or nearly a century before . But it is reasonable to suppose that speculative Masonry did not spring into being suddenly , as , in the Greek
Mythology , did Minerva form the brain of Zeus . It is quite within the limits of probability that an era of speculative and operative Masonry combined , preceded that of speculative Masonry pure and simple . The learned philosopher
John Locke , in a letter to Thomas Earl of Pembroke , under date 6 th May 1696 , on the subject of an old Masonic manuscript remarks , " I know not what effect the sight of this old paper may have upon your Lordship : but for my own part , I cannot deny that it has so much raised my curiosity ,