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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence,
CORRESPONDENCE ,
W * do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Correspondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications . All Letters must hear the name and address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , lut as a guarantee of good faith .
THE GRAND ORIENT OF FRANCE AND THE ENGLISH FREEMASONS .
To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR , —Tho resolution adopted by the G . O . of France , at its General Assembly , in September last , is certainly an act which , not being universally understood , could by no means receive the approval of the Craft in every country ; and this is much to be regretted by all lovers of the Order . Unity of pnrpose , community of ideas , of
tenets and creeds , ought to be characteristic of the Fraternity . But , alas ! this is not universally the case with ns , and we confess there is no hcpe of its ever being so . First , there is the difference of country , of government , and of principles , religious and political ; then we have the difference of Constitutions ; of rites and ceremonies ; that is to say , of formularies or Ritual , which is a very strong bar to anything like
universal uniformity . Thus , under these circumstances , we find among the Craft Universal , aa we travel over our terrestrial globe , just as many differences between its members aa there are to be found in the faith , dogmas , and creeds of the great Christian family , and just the same tendency to change , innovation , or improvement , though a large majority of Christians acknowledge but one Supreme Head .
Freemasonry has never enjoyed , and is not expected ever to boast of any such thing . But , as Masonry is not a religion , the comparison must only be taken for what it is worth . Among the criticisms written in England against the abrogation by Grand Orient of the second paragraph of its Constitutions there are many that may be considered fair , well-meant , and even judicious remarks ; but there are also some that
have been written in an uncharitable and haughty spirit , altogether alien to true Masonry . However , it must be observed that most of them proceed from erroneous notions of the facts in general , and a misconception of their sequences in particular . Some of the writers of these criticisms seem to have pictured to them , selves French Masons as the very adepts of materialistic
atheism , and Freemasonry itself as a kind of dogmatic school —a sort of old English University , wherein , to gain admittance , religious or sectarian tests are indispensably required . The Grand Orient repudiates the accusations made against it , and shows that in its Masonic government no alteration save the simple amendment of the 1 st Article of its Constitutions has taken
place ; that its ritual and formularies remain the same as before ; and that no other change is likely to be made in any way whatever . Noteworthy and concise , no doubt , is the report made by Bro . the Eev . Pasteur Desmons . It seems , however , to have been lost sight of , or purposely set aside by some critics , though therein only are
to be found the reasons and motives by which the act of Grand Orient can be judged . He says : — " We ask the suppression of the 2 nd paragraph of the 1 st Article of the Constitutions because it appears to us full of contradiction with the article that follows it ; because it is a cause of embarrassment to most W . Masters of our
Lodges , who , under certain circumstances , at the admission of can . didates , are compelled either to evade or violate the law ; ( and is not Masonry bound to always set the example by a strict observation of the law P ) We ask the suppression of that paragraph , because it is altogether unnecessary to the true end and pursuits of Masonry . When a society of learned , or other men , gather together to study
some scientific or social question , is there any need or obligation for it to place as the basis of its statutes or ordinances any theological formula whatever ? Certainly not . They devote themselves to their object quite independently of all dogmatic or religious ideas . Why shonld it not be the same with Masonry ? Is not its field wide enough , its sphere extended enough , not to be obliged to set foot on
grounds that do not belong to it P We leave to theologians and casuists the care and trouble of discussing dogmas , and to authoritative churches that of issuing a syllabus . But we let Masonry be what it is , what it should always be , viz .: —an institution open to all progress , to all moral and elevating ideas , and to all sound aspi . rations . Let it never come down into the burning arena of
theological discussions , which have ever engendered trouble and per . secution . Let it refrain from ever claiming to be a church , a council , or a synod ; for churches , councils , and synods have been frequently violent persecutors , and that , too , by taking for their basis of action Home dogmatic points which , by their very nature , were essentially intolerant . Let Freemasonry stand above all these church and
sectarian questions ; let it prevail from its elevated sphere , and dominate by its discussions ; let it be a safe refuge , always open to the victims of intolerance and despotism , to all those liberal minds that , with conscientious disinterestedness , search after truth !" Now , to fully understand the words above quoted , one must bear in mind they wero addressed to a General Assembly of Grand
Orient of France , whose tenets and principles , according to old formularies and ritual bear , more clearly than any other , the imprint of broad philosophical tendency . And it must not be overlooked that the practice of French Masonry is to have candidates examined as to their duty to God , thoir neighbour , and to themselves ( a practice which some say is unknown in England ); this necessarily leads to all
sorts of inquiries respecting belief or unbelief ; and candidates answer according to their conscience . Thus , in erasing from its Constitution that part of the first article the Grand Orient has removed from the power of the Lodge the right of inquiring into the religious persuasion or unbelief of the candidate . That they wonld have done better had thoy done away with the moral trials , and simply
Correspondence,
accepted the English form of admission , is probably a question that leaves no doubt to those who aro not particularly acquainted with French Masonry . But it has been proved recently , in a letter from Bro . Thevenot , tho acting Grand Sec , that though tho Constitution of Grand Orient has been , from its origin , revised many times , it was only in the year 1849 that a declaration of faith found its way into
the first article of tho said Constitution ; and that , says this worthy brother , " under peculiar circumstances . " Now , tho struggles that Masonry from its foundation has had to make to eschew politics and government interference in Franco , aro perhaps without parallel in any other country ; how it was hindered , watched , and persecuted , under almost all successive governments , is something
surprising . So much so , that at one time one of onr Grand Masters , who was then rather imposed upon it by tho ruler of the country , thought it advisable to propose that tho society should bo acknowledged by the State and declared to bo assimilated to an " institution d ' utilite publique ; " a step which would have put tho Fraternity nnder tho immediate action and direct control
of the Government , without tho least advantage to tho Grand Orient , to which tho name only would have remained as a Masonic body . Grand Orient has , however , removed from its Constitution , the declaration of faith inserted in 1849 , after having had every reason to believe that nothing short of such a course could have smoothed the difficulties created daily by the double construction
that could be put upon the law , as read in the first and second articles . Proclaiming absolute liberty of conscience , it felt bound to accede to a reform demanded by a majority of the Lodges under its jurisdiction , which reform , after a profound study of the question , was unani . moHsly , at last , voted by tho General Assembly of Convent , and which , being thus voted , is positively declared to be a simple return
to their own " starting point , altogether in harmony , not only with modern exigencies , but also true Masonic principles , according to their own notions of them . We cannot forbear to state , as is well known , that the French , above all , like well-defined principles , precise formulae , well-written laws , without ambiguity , in order , perhaps , to find it more trying to prick holes in them . And they who
speak with so much admiration of the British Constitution , would probably find it impossible to live under it ; for they would bo constantly asking , with Jeremy Bentham , " Where is it ? What are tho words of that constitution ? What interpretation can be made of its letter ? How interpret its spirit ? " It is contended now that by having so acted Grand Orient has " everted the old landmarks of the
Society , and that its action affects the well-being of the Craft Uni . versal . Nay , we have it upon the authority of the Pro G . M . of England , that a declaration of faith , belief in God , and the immortality of the soul was " part and parcel of the initial principles of Free , masonry , " and that such belief enters into all our ceremonies and symbols , which would without it be not only a meaningless , but also
an offensive mockery . Hence the qnestion arises , is Freemasonry essentially theist in principles , and was a profession of faith at all times required to be made by a Freemason ? If so , what were in early times , or are still , the lines to bo drawn between sectarian and unsectarian belief in admitting candidates , not in this or that country , but under all the rites and Masonic powers that divide between them
the government of tho Fraternity at large . In answer to the question who are fit and proper persons to bo made Masons the English Eitual makes allusion to an affirmation of dogma—Upright mon , of sound judgment , strict morals , and good report . Such are the qualifications required ere candidates are considered worthy of admission into the Society . And , once admitted , every true Mason understands the
importance of the rule laid down by Anderson , not to bo " a stupid atheist and irreligious libertine . " Vainly , also , we look into the first pages of tho Book of Constitutions for an affirmation of doctrine or declaration of faith , comprising the belief in God and the immortality of the soul , as initial principles of Freemasonry . True it is that we find something of the kind in the Charges of the three degrees . But
these Charges , however beantiful they really are , might , perhaps , be compared with the written sermon that is unconcernedly read to an inattentive congregation , and might also bo taken by some candidates as metaphorical as the allusion to the " exchange of the sceptre for the trowel . " The difference between the ceremony of initiation here and there would make it easy to admit a Jew , a Mahomedan , or even
a freethinker in England , for there none would ever think of interrupting the W . M . in his delivery of the Charges to protest against the expressions contained therein ; whilst it wonld have been difficult in France to evade affirming or rejecting , by word of month , by proper answers made solemnly " upon the word of honour , " what truth tho candidate , in his conscientious belief , may or may not see in the
words of those Charges . Thus , distinguished candidates , great thinkers , scientific men , as for example Professor Tyndall , or even Bishop Colenso , would object to a Charge being read to them wherein the Bible is held as the " unerring standard of truth and justice , " by which they should regulate their actions , while , if they were charged upon their oath , they might declare that they disagreed ,
upon chronological and scientific grounds , with the import of such a statement . The same Charges aro however read to the Israelite initiate ; in England he takes the obligation upon the volume of tho Sacred Law , which , it must bo known , does not exist in French Masonry , either as an ornament or as ono of the necessary fittings of the Lodge . It is curious to observe that the words represented by
G . A . O . T . U ., which G . O . of Franco virtually stands accused of having erased from its temples , are still heading tho letters which have been written in their official capacity by both the President and Secretary of the " Conseil de 1 'Ordre , " and of which a translation was recently published iu your columns . Masonry cannot be sectarian or simply Christian in Germany any more than in England or
in America . French Masonry proclaims liberty of conscience , as the neutral platform upon which alone universal Fraternity can be established , and it declares it to be the old and impregnable position to which it must return if the Fraternity is to remain united , before its enemies , and to fight with success the battle of progress and civilisation . With remarkable moderation and prudence Grand Lodge of
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence,
CORRESPONDENCE ,
W * do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Correspondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications . All Letters must hear the name and address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , lut as a guarantee of good faith .
THE GRAND ORIENT OF FRANCE AND THE ENGLISH FREEMASONS .
To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR , —Tho resolution adopted by the G . O . of France , at its General Assembly , in September last , is certainly an act which , not being universally understood , could by no means receive the approval of the Craft in every country ; and this is much to be regretted by all lovers of the Order . Unity of pnrpose , community of ideas , of
tenets and creeds , ought to be characteristic of the Fraternity . But , alas ! this is not universally the case with ns , and we confess there is no hcpe of its ever being so . First , there is the difference of country , of government , and of principles , religious and political ; then we have the difference of Constitutions ; of rites and ceremonies ; that is to say , of formularies or Ritual , which is a very strong bar to anything like
universal uniformity . Thus , under these circumstances , we find among the Craft Universal , aa we travel over our terrestrial globe , just as many differences between its members aa there are to be found in the faith , dogmas , and creeds of the great Christian family , and just the same tendency to change , innovation , or improvement , though a large majority of Christians acknowledge but one Supreme Head .
Freemasonry has never enjoyed , and is not expected ever to boast of any such thing . But , as Masonry is not a religion , the comparison must only be taken for what it is worth . Among the criticisms written in England against the abrogation by Grand Orient of the second paragraph of its Constitutions there are many that may be considered fair , well-meant , and even judicious remarks ; but there are also some that
have been written in an uncharitable and haughty spirit , altogether alien to true Masonry . However , it must be observed that most of them proceed from erroneous notions of the facts in general , and a misconception of their sequences in particular . Some of the writers of these criticisms seem to have pictured to them , selves French Masons as the very adepts of materialistic
atheism , and Freemasonry itself as a kind of dogmatic school —a sort of old English University , wherein , to gain admittance , religious or sectarian tests are indispensably required . The Grand Orient repudiates the accusations made against it , and shows that in its Masonic government no alteration save the simple amendment of the 1 st Article of its Constitutions has taken
place ; that its ritual and formularies remain the same as before ; and that no other change is likely to be made in any way whatever . Noteworthy and concise , no doubt , is the report made by Bro . the Eev . Pasteur Desmons . It seems , however , to have been lost sight of , or purposely set aside by some critics , though therein only are
to be found the reasons and motives by which the act of Grand Orient can be judged . He says : — " We ask the suppression of the 2 nd paragraph of the 1 st Article of the Constitutions because it appears to us full of contradiction with the article that follows it ; because it is a cause of embarrassment to most W . Masters of our
Lodges , who , under certain circumstances , at the admission of can . didates , are compelled either to evade or violate the law ; ( and is not Masonry bound to always set the example by a strict observation of the law P ) We ask the suppression of that paragraph , because it is altogether unnecessary to the true end and pursuits of Masonry . When a society of learned , or other men , gather together to study
some scientific or social question , is there any need or obligation for it to place as the basis of its statutes or ordinances any theological formula whatever ? Certainly not . They devote themselves to their object quite independently of all dogmatic or religious ideas . Why shonld it not be the same with Masonry ? Is not its field wide enough , its sphere extended enough , not to be obliged to set foot on
grounds that do not belong to it P We leave to theologians and casuists the care and trouble of discussing dogmas , and to authoritative churches that of issuing a syllabus . But we let Masonry be what it is , what it should always be , viz .: —an institution open to all progress , to all moral and elevating ideas , and to all sound aspi . rations . Let it never come down into the burning arena of
theological discussions , which have ever engendered trouble and per . secution . Let it refrain from ever claiming to be a church , a council , or a synod ; for churches , councils , and synods have been frequently violent persecutors , and that , too , by taking for their basis of action Home dogmatic points which , by their very nature , were essentially intolerant . Let Freemasonry stand above all these church and
sectarian questions ; let it prevail from its elevated sphere , and dominate by its discussions ; let it be a safe refuge , always open to the victims of intolerance and despotism , to all those liberal minds that , with conscientious disinterestedness , search after truth !" Now , to fully understand the words above quoted , one must bear in mind they wero addressed to a General Assembly of Grand
Orient of France , whose tenets and principles , according to old formularies and ritual bear , more clearly than any other , the imprint of broad philosophical tendency . And it must not be overlooked that the practice of French Masonry is to have candidates examined as to their duty to God , thoir neighbour , and to themselves ( a practice which some say is unknown in England ); this necessarily leads to all
sorts of inquiries respecting belief or unbelief ; and candidates answer according to their conscience . Thus , in erasing from its Constitution that part of the first article the Grand Orient has removed from the power of the Lodge the right of inquiring into the religious persuasion or unbelief of the candidate . That they wonld have done better had thoy done away with the moral trials , and simply
Correspondence,
accepted the English form of admission , is probably a question that leaves no doubt to those who aro not particularly acquainted with French Masonry . But it has been proved recently , in a letter from Bro . Thevenot , tho acting Grand Sec , that though tho Constitution of Grand Orient has been , from its origin , revised many times , it was only in the year 1849 that a declaration of faith found its way into
the first article of tho said Constitution ; and that , says this worthy brother , " under peculiar circumstances . " Now , tho struggles that Masonry from its foundation has had to make to eschew politics and government interference in Franco , aro perhaps without parallel in any other country ; how it was hindered , watched , and persecuted , under almost all successive governments , is something
surprising . So much so , that at one time one of onr Grand Masters , who was then rather imposed upon it by tho ruler of the country , thought it advisable to propose that tho society should bo acknowledged by the State and declared to bo assimilated to an " institution d ' utilite publique ; " a step which would have put tho Fraternity nnder tho immediate action and direct control
of the Government , without tho least advantage to tho Grand Orient , to which tho name only would have remained as a Masonic body . Grand Orient has , however , removed from its Constitution , the declaration of faith inserted in 1849 , after having had every reason to believe that nothing short of such a course could have smoothed the difficulties created daily by the double construction
that could be put upon the law , as read in the first and second articles . Proclaiming absolute liberty of conscience , it felt bound to accede to a reform demanded by a majority of the Lodges under its jurisdiction , which reform , after a profound study of the question , was unani . moHsly , at last , voted by tho General Assembly of Convent , and which , being thus voted , is positively declared to be a simple return
to their own " starting point , altogether in harmony , not only with modern exigencies , but also true Masonic principles , according to their own notions of them . We cannot forbear to state , as is well known , that the French , above all , like well-defined principles , precise formulae , well-written laws , without ambiguity , in order , perhaps , to find it more trying to prick holes in them . And they who
speak with so much admiration of the British Constitution , would probably find it impossible to live under it ; for they would bo constantly asking , with Jeremy Bentham , " Where is it ? What are tho words of that constitution ? What interpretation can be made of its letter ? How interpret its spirit ? " It is contended now that by having so acted Grand Orient has " everted the old landmarks of the
Society , and that its action affects the well-being of the Craft Uni . versal . Nay , we have it upon the authority of the Pro G . M . of England , that a declaration of faith , belief in God , and the immortality of the soul was " part and parcel of the initial principles of Free , masonry , " and that such belief enters into all our ceremonies and symbols , which would without it be not only a meaningless , but also
an offensive mockery . Hence the qnestion arises , is Freemasonry essentially theist in principles , and was a profession of faith at all times required to be made by a Freemason ? If so , what were in early times , or are still , the lines to bo drawn between sectarian and unsectarian belief in admitting candidates , not in this or that country , but under all the rites and Masonic powers that divide between them
the government of tho Fraternity at large . In answer to the question who are fit and proper persons to bo made Masons the English Eitual makes allusion to an affirmation of dogma—Upright mon , of sound judgment , strict morals , and good report . Such are the qualifications required ere candidates are considered worthy of admission into the Society . And , once admitted , every true Mason understands the
importance of the rule laid down by Anderson , not to bo " a stupid atheist and irreligious libertine . " Vainly , also , we look into the first pages of tho Book of Constitutions for an affirmation of doctrine or declaration of faith , comprising the belief in God and the immortality of the soul , as initial principles of Freemasonry . True it is that we find something of the kind in the Charges of the three degrees . But
these Charges , however beantiful they really are , might , perhaps , be compared with the written sermon that is unconcernedly read to an inattentive congregation , and might also bo taken by some candidates as metaphorical as the allusion to the " exchange of the sceptre for the trowel . " The difference between the ceremony of initiation here and there would make it easy to admit a Jew , a Mahomedan , or even
a freethinker in England , for there none would ever think of interrupting the W . M . in his delivery of the Charges to protest against the expressions contained therein ; whilst it wonld have been difficult in France to evade affirming or rejecting , by word of month , by proper answers made solemnly " upon the word of honour , " what truth tho candidate , in his conscientious belief , may or may not see in the
words of those Charges . Thus , distinguished candidates , great thinkers , scientific men , as for example Professor Tyndall , or even Bishop Colenso , would object to a Charge being read to them wherein the Bible is held as the " unerring standard of truth and justice , " by which they should regulate their actions , while , if they were charged upon their oath , they might declare that they disagreed ,
upon chronological and scientific grounds , with the import of such a statement . The same Charges aro however read to the Israelite initiate ; in England he takes the obligation upon the volume of tho Sacred Law , which , it must bo known , does not exist in French Masonry , either as an ornament or as ono of the necessary fittings of the Lodge . It is curious to observe that the words represented by
G . A . O . T . U ., which G . O . of Franco virtually stands accused of having erased from its temples , are still heading tho letters which have been written in their official capacity by both the President and Secretary of the " Conseil de 1 'Ordre , " and of which a translation was recently published iu your columns . Masonry cannot be sectarian or simply Christian in Germany any more than in England or
in America . French Masonry proclaims liberty of conscience , as the neutral platform upon which alone universal Fraternity can be established , and it declares it to be the old and impregnable position to which it must return if the Fraternity is to remain united , before its enemies , and to fight with success the battle of progress and civilisation . With remarkable moderation and prudence Grand Lodge of