Lodge Meetings Next Week.

LODGE MEETINGS NEXT WEEK .

Fuller particulars as to place of meeting of the undermentioned Lodges are given in the Freemasons' Calendar and Pocket Book ( published by Grand Lodge for the benefit of the Charity Fund ) .

Monday . 720 Panmure , Balham 901 City of London , Guildhall Tav . 2060 La France , Cafe Boyal 37 Anchor and Hope , Bolton 77 Freedom , Gravesend 148 Lights , Warrington 236 York , York 248 True Love & Unity , Brixham 312 Lion . Whitby

353 Boyal Sussex , Winshill 359 Peace & Harmony , South ' pton 377 Hope & Charity , Kidderminster 382 Boyal Union , Uxbridge 424 Borough , Gateshead 455 Perseverance , Ketering 466 Merit , Stamford Baron 840 Scientific , Wolverton 872 Lewis , Whitehaven 925 Bedford , Birmingham 949 Williamson , Monkwearmouth 986 Hesketh , Oroston 1030 Egerton , Heaton Norris

1141 Mid-Sussex , Horsham 1146 De Moulham , Swanage 1199 Arieulture , Yatton 1208 Corinthian , Dover 1255 Dundas , Plymouth 1337 Anchor , Northallerton 1443 Salem , Dawlish 1502 Israel , Liverpool 1631 St . Andrew , Gorleston 1674 Carodoo , Bhyl 1814 Worsley , Worsley 1909 Carnarvon , Nottingham 2069 Prudence , Leeds

2074 St . Clare , Landport 2081 Golden Fleece , Leicester 2114 Prudence , Liverpool 2208 Horsa , Bournemouth 2289 Blundellsands , Great Crosby 2295 Scarisbrick , Southport 2327 St . Oswin , North Shields 2349 West Lane . Century , Blackpool 2425 Ecclesburne , Duffield 2482 Duchess of York , Manchester 2557 Temperance , Newcastle-on-T .

Tuesday . Board of General Purposes , Freemasons' Hall , at 5 . 704 Camden , Anderton ' s 857 St . Mark , Camberwell 1805 Bromley S * . Leonard , Bromley 2045 Whartcn , Willesden 2191 Anglo-American , Criterion 213 Perseverance , Norwich 223 Charity , Plymouth 384 St . David , Bangor 418 Menturia . Hanley

452 Frederick of Unity , Croydon 476 St . Peter , Carmarthen 551 Yarborough , Ventnor 560 Vernon , Stourport 667 Alliance , Li . ypool 681 Scarsdale , Cuesterfield 830 Endeavour , Dukinfield 958 St . Aubin , Jersey 1006 Tregullow , St . Day 1089 De Sum-land , Sheerness 1225 Hindnool . Barrow-in-Furness

1276 Warren , Seacombe 1424 Brownrigg of Unity , Old B ' pton 142 ? Percy , Newcastle-on-Tyne 1551 Charity , Birmingham 1570 Prince Arthur , Liverpool 1764 Eleanor Cross , Northampton 1787 Grenville , Buckingham 1893 Lumlev , Skegness 1903 Pr . Ed ' . Saxe Weimar , P'tsm'th . 1941 St . Augustine , B-ugeley 2146 Surbiton , Surbiton 2155 Makerfield , Newton-le-Willows 2316 Princes , Liverpool 2360 Victoria , Southport

2407 Hicks-Beach , Stroud 2572 Tyldesley , Tyldesley Wednesday . Board of Benevolence , at 5 . 753 Prince Fred . Wjll ' m ., Frascati 754 High Cross , Tottenham 1017 Montefiore . Cafe Boyal 1056 Victoria , Guildhall Tavern 1360 Itoyfll Arthur , Wimbledon 2332 Borough of GVwich , E . G'wich

2562 Papyrus , Criterion 32 St . Geo . Harmony , Liverpool 82 Foundation , Cheltenham 117 Salopian of Charity , Shrewsbury 220 Harmony , Garston 257 Phoenix , Portsmouth 724 Derby , Liverpool 1039 St . John , Lichfield 1343 Saint John , Grays 1633 Avon , Manchester 1723 St . George , Bolton 1756 Kirkdale . Liveroool

1760 Leopold , Scarborough 1809 Fidelis , Guernsey 1967 Beacon Court , New Brompton 2019 Crook , Crook 2149 Gordon , Hanley 2216 Egerton , Swinton 2320 St . Martin , Castleton 2357 Barry , Cadoxton 2385 Godson , Oldbury 2444 Noel , Kingston-on-Thames 2448 Bradstow , Broadstairs Thursday .

House Committee , Girls School , 4 . 30 65 Prosperity , Guildhall Tavern 507 United Pilgrims , Southwark 766 William Preston , Cannon-st . H . 1421 Langthorne , Hford 1563 City of Westminster , Cafe Boyal 1658 Skelmersdale , Camberwell 1816 Victoria Park , London Tavern 2432 Sir W . Raleigh , Inns of C'rt Ho 78 Imperial George , Middleton 202 Friendship , Devonport 346 United Brethren , Blackburn 348 St . John , Bolton 410 Grove , Ewell

594 Downshire , Liverpool 787 Beaureper , Belper 935 Harmony , Salford 1163 Emulation , Birmingham 1345 Victoria , Eccles 1392 Egerton , Bury 1404 Saint Vincent , Bristol 1418 Fraternity , Stockton-on-Tees 1437 Liberty of Havering , Romford 1505 Emulation , Liverpool 1626 Hotspur , Newcastle-on-Tyne 1705 Prince of Wales , Gosport 1817 St . Andrew , Shoeburyness 1971 Ald ' shot , Army & Navy , A'shot .

2131 Brownlow , Ellesmere 2184 Boyal Vict . Jubilee , Bainham 2214 Josiah Wedgewood , Etruria 2215 Anfield , Anfield 2263 Sfc . Leonards , Sheffield 2535 Cycling and Athletic , Liverpool 2375 Bilbre , Hoylake 2387 Manchester Dramatic , M ' chester 2462 Clarence , West Hartlepool 2463 Bootle-Wilbraham , Knotty Ash 2474 Hatherton , Walsall

Friday . Council , Boys School , F . M . H . 4 . 602 North York , Middlesbrough 810 Craven , Skipton 1295 Gooch , New Swindon 1303 Pelham , Lewes 1385 Gladsmuir , Barnet 1391 Commercial , Leicester 1435 Annesley , Nottingham . 1712 St . John , Newcastle-on-Tyne 1822 St . Quintin , Cowbridge 2415 Tristram , Shildon 2431 Kingsley , Northampton

Saturday . 1679 Henry Muggeridge , Anderton's 2472 Walthamstow , Walthamstow 1462 Wharncliffe , Penistone 1531 Chislehurst , Chislehurst 1579 St . James , Enfield 1851 Ewell , Kingston 1965 Eastes , Bromley 1982 Greenwood , Sutton 2048 Henry Levander , Harrow S't'n .

2381 Bushey Park , Hampton Court 2421 Carrington , Aniersham 2460 Ascot , Ascot 2087 Electric , Hampton Court 2309 Christopher , Eton 2353 Broxbourne , New Barnet

Anti-Masonry.

ANTI-MASONRY .

THE following review of a recently published work appeared in our Catholic contemporary , the " Tablet" : " Die Freimaurerei Osterreich-Ungarns . " Zwolf Vortrage am 30 u . 31 Marz u . 1 April 1897 , zu Wien gehalten . Vienna : Herder . THB volume before us is the outcome , indirectly at least , of the Anti-Masonic Congress held at Trent , in September 1896 . The Congress

had expressed a wish that a historical sketch of the riso and progress of Freemasonry , especially in Austria , should be compiled from reliable sources . Accordingly a series of papers was drawn up and read at a scries of special meetings held at Vienna on March 30 and 31 , and April 1 , of the present year , and these are now given to the public . Of t ' ie twelve papers which the

volume contains , the most interesting to the English reader will probably be those of Dr . 3 . M . Baich , Dean of Mainz , on the Principles and Organization of Freemasonry , of Dr . Victor von Fuchs ( Member of the Beichsrath ) , on Freemasonry under Joseph IL , and that of Dr . Wilhelm von Berger , on Freemasonry and the French Bevolution .

Dr . Baich begins by setting aside as mythical all those various legends which would trace the origin of Freemasonry to an earlier date than the second decade of the 18 th century . There is , of course , a sense in which an earlier origin may be postulated , inasmuch as modern Freemasonry has borrowed much of the terminology , organization , and ceremonial , of the mediseval guilds of Masons . But this is a purely extraneous relation , and in

no wise one of genuine continuity . Speculative Masonry was founded by Theophile Desaguliers , George Payne , and James Anderson , who after having established four " Lodges" in London , held a meeting on 24 th June 1717 , at which these four were united into one " Grand Lodge , " which was the source whence all subsequent developments of Freemasonry have directly or indirectly flowed .

From the outset Freemasonry declared its real character , which has been pithily described by saying that , discarding faith and hope , it retained and made much of a kind of charity which was certainly not the Christian virtue described by St . Paul . The days of the foundation of Freemasonry were the days in which the English Deists Toland , Anthony Collins , Matthew Tindal , Thomas Chubb , Thomas Woolston , and Lord Bolingbroke were

propagating their ideas in England , and the spirit of Freemasonry from the outset was the spirit of undogmatic and anti-supernatural Deism . The Constitutions , printed in 1723 , consisted of three parts , viz . —I ., A mythical history of the origin of the Craft , which thus early laid its foundations in falsehood ; II ., a treatise on the ancient duties of a free and accepted Mason ; III ., various ordinances for the present and future guidance and

organization of the brethren . The " duties " of a Mason were restricted , practically , to the observance of the moral law '; as for dogma it was his duty to profess " that religion wherein all men agree , and to regard particular religious beliefs as the private concern of the individual . " A Mason is described as a " Noachite , " and the Masonic chronology is dated from the supposed era of thc creation of the world , the Christian era being ignored .

For the rest Dr . Baich is not merely expressing his own personal opinion in connecting the origin of Freemasonry with the spread of Deistic principles in England . Findel , himself a Mason , in his classical history of Freemasonry , and Erdmann , in his history of Deism in England , insist on the close relationship between Deism and the Masonic Order . And Dr . Baich is doubtless right when he lavs it down that the principle of indifference in matters of religion is the true " mystery " of Freemasonry . A mystery it was

at the outset in the sense that , as Stichling has remarked , such a principle could not , in tho earlier days of the Craft , have been openly set forth with any hopes of attracting so large a number of adherents as the Order actuall y succeeded in gaining . All the other so-callpd " mysteries " of Freemasonry are , says Dr . Baich , nothing but a medley of fantastic ceremonial , mystic jargon , and artfully concocted legend , designed to impose on the weakminded and the credulous .

We need not follow Dr . Baich in his sketch of the spread of Freemasonry in England and on the Continent , of the addition of the higher " Scottish " degrees to the original three grades of the Masons of St . John , and of the various developments of the Templar , Bosicrucian , and Egyptian Masonry . Coming down to our own times , this writer justly protests against the false notion of an absolute centralization whereby the Masons of all lands are secretly guided and directed by unknown leaders to some well-defined end .

The personal character , the religious and political convictions or views , the ordinary interests of individual Freemasons are too widely diverse , and too sharply opposed one to another , to allow of our imagining all these men to be banded together for some one object , the pursuit of which should override all other considerations .

Nevertheless , Freemasonry is fraught with a very real danger to human society . Its origin among men who were avowedly hostile if not to the doctrines at least to the exclusive claims of the Christian reli gion as they understood it , its fundamental principle of indifferentism , its free use—when occasion has served —of mythical stories and symbolical rites calculated to impose upon the imagination of the unwary , and above all its secret oaths , binding men to an allegiance which has no lawful sanction , and committing

them to a co-operative responsibility for they know not what ulterior aims , these things alone are enough to condemn the system as unlawful . And the widely ramifying and elaborate organization of the Craft renders ifc an instrument which , more especially in times of religious or civil disturbance , may be turned by designing men to tho worst ends . And accordingly from , the very outset Freemasonry has drawn upon itself the condemnation of the Sovereign Pontiffs in a series of Bulls and other Papal documents commencing with the well-known " In Eminent ! " of Clement XII ( 1738 ) .

Nor are these dangers existent merely in the apprehension of men who , while rightly condemning what is theoretically unlawful , might conceivably bave miscalculated the nature and the extent of tho forces at work under that veil of secrecy which is the standing reproach of the Masonic system . To mention only the two instances already referred to , Dr . Victor von Fuchs and Dr . Berger have shown , by the irrefragable testimony of men who were

themselves Masons , how important a part Freemasonry played in bringing about the anti-clerical legislation of Joseph IL , and in preparing the way for , if not in actually carrying out , the horrors of the French Bevolution . These two chapters of history would alone be sufficient , even if more modern instances were wanting , to brand the Masonic system as hostile—at least in the long run—to the religious , civil , and social well-being of a nation ,