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Article THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE GRAND ORIENT OF FRANCE. Page 1 of 1 Article THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE GRAND ORIENT OF FRANCE. Page 1 of 1 Article FREEMASONRY AND RELIGION. Page 1 of 2 →
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The General Assembly Of The Grand Orient Of France.
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE GRAND ORIENT OF FRANCE .
" \\ T I ' learn , from le Hfoi / dr Jfnroii . niqyr for September and TT October , that this body hold its meeting on the loth —18 th tilt ., both days inclusive . The first session took place at 9 a . m . on Monday , the 13 th , Bro . do Saint Jean , President of the Council of the Order , in the Chair , there being present some two hundred Venerables and Delegates .
After the usual preliminary formalities , the President referred , with considerable emotion , to the death of Bro . Massol , lately a Vice-President of the Council , a reference which the Assembly received with the customary salute . The Assembly then distributed itself into its several
committees for the purpose of electing a President and Secretary for each . The second session was held at 2 . 30 p . m ., in the afternoon , when Bro . de Saint Jean , by 142 out of 185 votes , was chosen President of the Assembly for the meeting of 1875 . On Tuesday the names of those appointed
by the Council to assist the President in the labours of the session having been announced , the Assembly proceeded to business . The first two propositions were unavoidably adjourned ; consequently the third order of the day , having for object the discontinuance of the half-yearly meetings
of the Council , was at once proceeded with . Eight of the nine bureaux having pronounced themselves in favour of the proposal , and only one for the maintenance of the existing law , the motion was forthwith carried . An amendment to article 122 , proposed by a Lodge in
Guadaloupe , les Mus d'Occident , was then discussed . By the article in question metropolitan Lodges cannot initiate a profane till they have first submitted his name to the Grand Orient , which keeps a register of all profanes who have been refused admission , and which , consequently ,
can oftentimes furnish valuable information respecting candidates proposed for initiation , but Lodges beyond sea are subject to no such rule . The amendment proposed was to the effect that Lodges beyond sea , and in other countries , should furnish to neighbouring Lodges the
names of rejected candidates , and , if necessary , the motives for rejection . Six bureaux reported in favour of the proposition , two were ready to accept it in an altered form , while one only was opposed . It was therefore adopted . The next motion was that the election of delegates to the
Assembly should be governed by the same prescriptions as the election of Venerables . After a long discussion the Assembly adopted , by a considerable majority , amotion to the effect that delegates should always be chosen from active members of the Lodge of at least two years' standing as Master , and of
one year ' s active membership of the Lodge . On Wednesday the names of those who retired from the Council , but who were eligible for re-election , were announced . These were thirteen in number , including Bro . Massol deceased . After further business a modification of Article 28 of the
Constitutions to the effect that Presidents of Lodges provisionally suspended should be tried b y the Council of the Order , and so also the Orator who may have been suspended for neglect in causing the Constitutions to be respected . This proposition was rejected , and one adopted to the effect
that every President or Orator , so suspended , should have the right to be tried by the Chamber of Appeal as organised under Article 2 of the Judicial Regulations , such appeal to be made within eight days , or the suspension to be
sustained . In consequence of the adoption of this latter proposal , Bro . de Saint Jean quitted the chair , and tendered his resignation ; but at the pressing instance of all present , the resignation was withdrawn , and Bro . de Saint Jean resumed his presidency .
On Thursday , a proposal to establish courses of English , Spanish , Italian , Geography , & c , & c , as well as German was referred to the Council . Other business of importance having been decided , the session closed , and on Friday the election of thirteen members of
Council was proceeded with , several of the retiring members being re-elected . On Saturday , after the accounts for 1874 had been approved , and various financial propositions accepted , Bro . Penchinat delivered a most eloquent address , and the session was brought to a close .
The Council then met and elected its officers for the year , the following being the members , on whom the choice fell . Bro . de Saint Jean , President ; Bros . Cousin and Arm and , Vice-Presidents ; and Bros . Caubet and Poulle , Secretaries . At the banquet , which closed the proceedings , and was served at 7 p . m ., about two-hundred and fifty brethren sat
The General Assembly Of The Grand Orient Of France.
down . In the course of the evening , the patriotic conduct 't' the Lodges of Alsace and Lorraine , which , when summoned to break off their relations with the Grand Orient of Fiance , preferred to break up the-- Temples , was referred to by the President , and m : i 1 applause followed his remarks .
Freemasonry And Religion.
FREEMASONRY AND RELIGION .
WE have , on more than one occasion , remarked upon the relations existing between Freemasonry and Religion . We have represented the Mason as a devout man , as a sincere man , as a man who thinks liberally , and loves to bestow with a generous hand . Truth and charity are his watchwords , whilst his highest honour
and worship are rendered to the Great Supreme , the Divine Architect of the Universe . As in the present , so has he ever been in the past . The earliest traces of Freemasonry extant are invariably associated in some way with religion , and generally with a religion of a higher and
nobler type than that prevailing at the time . Whether we seek the source of Masonic fellowship amongst the builders of Solomon ' s temple , or with the initiated in the ancient Cabirian mysteries , we find that religion lay at the veryroot of the system , and that , in fact , the very bond itself
partook of a sacred and mystic character . The Dionysiacs , again , held principles of religion which show a considerable advance upon the crude and imperfect notions current in their day . They acknowledged a One Supreme Being , from whom all power proceeded , and to whom all honour
should be rendered ; and many of the doctrines and mysteries which' they are asserted to have taught , bear a striking resemblance to the doctrines of Christianity . Coming down to comparativel y recent times , we find the Masons taking the lead in , and indeed monopolising for a time the study of ,
religious Architecture . Then arose those vast and stupendous Cathedrals , which seem to have been wrought by Titans , imbued with a sense of art and religious grandeur above the ken of man . In almost every capital of Europe these monuments of Masonic devotion may be found , but ,
alas , too often only the beautiful remnants of their pristine glory and magnificence . Occasionally these artists were encaged on secular work , and the Palace of Louvain andother kindred buildings are still extantfcodemonstrate the greatness of their success . But as a rule they appear to have reserved
the best of their work for ecclesiastical structures . The first fruits of their toil they laid at the feet of their Creator . In the Dome at Cologne , in the little church of St . Ouen at Rouen , in the Convents , Abbeys , and Episcopal palaces
which the diligent traveller so frequently discovers throughout Saxon and Celtic Europe , in these and such like works we find the choicest specimens of Gothic art scattered with a lavish hand .
We have said that m the past Masonry has very often been associated with religion of a purer and higher type than that generally obtaining at the time . And the reason of this is obvious . The Freemasons as a body have always enjoyed a certain degree of distinction . During the
practical period of the Craft in the age of Cathedrals and Churches they were much sought after by the nobility and clergy for their knowledge and skill in architecture , and they were consequently great travellers . They thus , from contact with men of various shades of belief , and different degrees
of rank , acquired a breadth and liberality of thought unusual in that age . There is , moreover , ample evidence to be found in their works that they were men of refined culture , and excellent and even sublime conception . Like other sects , a little in advance of their age , too , the
Freemasons have frequently been the object of religious intolerance and persecution . The Romish Church , even at the present clay , looks upon Masonry as a confederation of wicked men for evil ends . But its animosity , as will be gathered from another article in to-day ' s issue , is now
confined within the limits of vituperation and misrepresentation . In former times , when the Church had more power , it evinced its hatred in a more unmistakable fashion . We hope on an early occasion to give a sketch in these columns
of the persecutions to which the Craft has from time to time been subjected . The fact itself reflects credit on the Order . What Socrates suffered , what the early Christians suffered , what 'the Lollards , the Lutherans , the Scotch Covenanters suffered , it is surely no disgrace , but rather
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The General Assembly Of The Grand Orient Of France.
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE GRAND ORIENT OF FRANCE .
" \\ T I ' learn , from le Hfoi / dr Jfnroii . niqyr for September and TT October , that this body hold its meeting on the loth —18 th tilt ., both days inclusive . The first session took place at 9 a . m . on Monday , the 13 th , Bro . do Saint Jean , President of the Council of the Order , in the Chair , there being present some two hundred Venerables and Delegates .
After the usual preliminary formalities , the President referred , with considerable emotion , to the death of Bro . Massol , lately a Vice-President of the Council , a reference which the Assembly received with the customary salute . The Assembly then distributed itself into its several
committees for the purpose of electing a President and Secretary for each . The second session was held at 2 . 30 p . m ., in the afternoon , when Bro . de Saint Jean , by 142 out of 185 votes , was chosen President of the Assembly for the meeting of 1875 . On Tuesday the names of those appointed
by the Council to assist the President in the labours of the session having been announced , the Assembly proceeded to business . The first two propositions were unavoidably adjourned ; consequently the third order of the day , having for object the discontinuance of the half-yearly meetings
of the Council , was at once proceeded with . Eight of the nine bureaux having pronounced themselves in favour of the proposal , and only one for the maintenance of the existing law , the motion was forthwith carried . An amendment to article 122 , proposed by a Lodge in
Guadaloupe , les Mus d'Occident , was then discussed . By the article in question metropolitan Lodges cannot initiate a profane till they have first submitted his name to the Grand Orient , which keeps a register of all profanes who have been refused admission , and which , consequently ,
can oftentimes furnish valuable information respecting candidates proposed for initiation , but Lodges beyond sea are subject to no such rule . The amendment proposed was to the effect that Lodges beyond sea , and in other countries , should furnish to neighbouring Lodges the
names of rejected candidates , and , if necessary , the motives for rejection . Six bureaux reported in favour of the proposition , two were ready to accept it in an altered form , while one only was opposed . It was therefore adopted . The next motion was that the election of delegates to the
Assembly should be governed by the same prescriptions as the election of Venerables . After a long discussion the Assembly adopted , by a considerable majority , amotion to the effect that delegates should always be chosen from active members of the Lodge of at least two years' standing as Master , and of
one year ' s active membership of the Lodge . On Wednesday the names of those who retired from the Council , but who were eligible for re-election , were announced . These were thirteen in number , including Bro . Massol deceased . After further business a modification of Article 28 of the
Constitutions to the effect that Presidents of Lodges provisionally suspended should be tried b y the Council of the Order , and so also the Orator who may have been suspended for neglect in causing the Constitutions to be respected . This proposition was rejected , and one adopted to the effect
that every President or Orator , so suspended , should have the right to be tried by the Chamber of Appeal as organised under Article 2 of the Judicial Regulations , such appeal to be made within eight days , or the suspension to be
sustained . In consequence of the adoption of this latter proposal , Bro . de Saint Jean quitted the chair , and tendered his resignation ; but at the pressing instance of all present , the resignation was withdrawn , and Bro . de Saint Jean resumed his presidency .
On Thursday , a proposal to establish courses of English , Spanish , Italian , Geography , & c , & c , as well as German was referred to the Council . Other business of importance having been decided , the session closed , and on Friday the election of thirteen members of
Council was proceeded with , several of the retiring members being re-elected . On Saturday , after the accounts for 1874 had been approved , and various financial propositions accepted , Bro . Penchinat delivered a most eloquent address , and the session was brought to a close .
The Council then met and elected its officers for the year , the following being the members , on whom the choice fell . Bro . de Saint Jean , President ; Bros . Cousin and Arm and , Vice-Presidents ; and Bros . Caubet and Poulle , Secretaries . At the banquet , which closed the proceedings , and was served at 7 p . m ., about two-hundred and fifty brethren sat
The General Assembly Of The Grand Orient Of France.
down . In the course of the evening , the patriotic conduct 't' the Lodges of Alsace and Lorraine , which , when summoned to break off their relations with the Grand Orient of Fiance , preferred to break up the-- Temples , was referred to by the President , and m : i 1 applause followed his remarks .
Freemasonry And Religion.
FREEMASONRY AND RELIGION .
WE have , on more than one occasion , remarked upon the relations existing between Freemasonry and Religion . We have represented the Mason as a devout man , as a sincere man , as a man who thinks liberally , and loves to bestow with a generous hand . Truth and charity are his watchwords , whilst his highest honour
and worship are rendered to the Great Supreme , the Divine Architect of the Universe . As in the present , so has he ever been in the past . The earliest traces of Freemasonry extant are invariably associated in some way with religion , and generally with a religion of a higher and
nobler type than that prevailing at the time . Whether we seek the source of Masonic fellowship amongst the builders of Solomon ' s temple , or with the initiated in the ancient Cabirian mysteries , we find that religion lay at the veryroot of the system , and that , in fact , the very bond itself
partook of a sacred and mystic character . The Dionysiacs , again , held principles of religion which show a considerable advance upon the crude and imperfect notions current in their day . They acknowledged a One Supreme Being , from whom all power proceeded , and to whom all honour
should be rendered ; and many of the doctrines and mysteries which' they are asserted to have taught , bear a striking resemblance to the doctrines of Christianity . Coming down to comparativel y recent times , we find the Masons taking the lead in , and indeed monopolising for a time the study of ,
religious Architecture . Then arose those vast and stupendous Cathedrals , which seem to have been wrought by Titans , imbued with a sense of art and religious grandeur above the ken of man . In almost every capital of Europe these monuments of Masonic devotion may be found , but ,
alas , too often only the beautiful remnants of their pristine glory and magnificence . Occasionally these artists were encaged on secular work , and the Palace of Louvain andother kindred buildings are still extantfcodemonstrate the greatness of their success . But as a rule they appear to have reserved
the best of their work for ecclesiastical structures . The first fruits of their toil they laid at the feet of their Creator . In the Dome at Cologne , in the little church of St . Ouen at Rouen , in the Convents , Abbeys , and Episcopal palaces
which the diligent traveller so frequently discovers throughout Saxon and Celtic Europe , in these and such like works we find the choicest specimens of Gothic art scattered with a lavish hand .
We have said that m the past Masonry has very often been associated with religion of a purer and higher type than that generally obtaining at the time . And the reason of this is obvious . The Freemasons as a body have always enjoyed a certain degree of distinction . During the
practical period of the Craft in the age of Cathedrals and Churches they were much sought after by the nobility and clergy for their knowledge and skill in architecture , and they were consequently great travellers . They thus , from contact with men of various shades of belief , and different degrees
of rank , acquired a breadth and liberality of thought unusual in that age . There is , moreover , ample evidence to be found in their works that they were men of refined culture , and excellent and even sublime conception . Like other sects , a little in advance of their age , too , the
Freemasons have frequently been the object of religious intolerance and persecution . The Romish Church , even at the present clay , looks upon Masonry as a confederation of wicked men for evil ends . But its animosity , as will be gathered from another article in to-day ' s issue , is now
confined within the limits of vituperation and misrepresentation . In former times , when the Church had more power , it evinced its hatred in a more unmistakable fashion . We hope on an early occasion to give a sketch in these columns
of the persecutions to which the Craft has from time to time been subjected . The fact itself reflects credit on the Order . What Socrates suffered , what the early Christians suffered , what 'the Lollards , the Lutherans , the Scotch Covenanters suffered , it is surely no disgrace , but rather