Freemasonry.

FREEMASONRY .

By Archibald T . Dunn , F . R . H . S ., in the " Catholic Times . " 4 . ENGLISH MASONS AND FOREIGN REVOLUTIONISTS .

ENGLISH Freemasons will tell us first that the English Lodges some time ago severed all connection with the French and Italian Lodges , for the reason that the . latter had ' expunged the name of God from their whole ritual . Seeondlv , that the Craft in England is simply a benevolent

institution , and that it is quite foreign to religious or political questions . Thirdly , that the code of morality taught in the Lodges is of the highest character , and therefore " that a good Mason must be a good man . " This latter is a peculiarly Masonic phrase , and is constantly repeated when Masons are challenged as to the character or usefulness of the Order .

Let us examine these statements seriatim . First , the official note issued by the Grand Lodge of England , when announcing their separation from the Grand Lodges of Italy and France , stated as their reason for taking the step that they considered the action of the Continental Lodges " inopportune " 1 But there was no indignant protest raised against the step ,

as would seem to be inevitable in a society of Christian men . Indeed , it does not appear from the published utterances of even the chaplains and other , reverend members of the Craft that they make any claim to " dogmatic faith . " This was expressly stated in a letter to the " Ohurch Times" recently , written by the Rev . W . Horsley , and confirmed the following week by another clerical Brother . Certainly it would be very

strange if they did , for it is admitted , apparently with much complacency , that " they count among their number many Musselmans , Jews , Parsees , Brahmins , Buddhists , Pagans , and Freethinkers . " The fact that at the Congress recently held at Trent , the Grand Lodge of England was expressly quoted as justifying the " worship of Nature" is a sufficient proof for Catholics that English Freemasonry is , to put is mildly , not in sympathy with the Christian Religion , which is nothing if not dogmatic .

Secondly , the claim made by Freemasons that the Craft is a benevolent society is at least a prevarication . Its " benevolence " in this country has been shown solely in the establishment of a few orphanages , schools , etc ., but for the benefit of the children of Masons exclusively . This is assuredly

a very narrow form of benevolence . During the whole history of Freemasonry there is no record of anything having been done by the body to do good to the human race . No-great hospital has been founded by them , no encouragement has been given by them to science or research , or even to architecture , which it might be imagined Freemasons would be disposed

to foster . Thirdly , it cannot be pretended that Masonry provides any extra aids to the morality of the human race . If it does , why does it not disclose them for the benefit of the public ? In the absence of any evidence , we must conclude that this also is one of the mysterious " secrets " of the Craft . But Christianity has never made any secret of what it has always done for the good of the poor and the afflicted .

The " excommunication " of French and Italian Lodges in 1877 by the Grand Lodge of England was not serious—it was simply a theatrical demonstration to throw dust in the eyes of orthodox Englishmen whoso interest , political and otherwise , would not be served by their being shown to be associated with atheists . French and Italian Masons simply laughed

and shrugged their shoulders , but they did not bear any malice , nor do they now . The writer has been assured on very reliable authority in Paris that English Masons belonging to the Rose Croix and Scottish Degrees frequently attend the Chapters of the Order while in France , and are received as Brothers . So that the " " excommunication " referred to seems to apply solely

to the threo lower Degrees . But in any case , the fact of having broken off with foreign Masonry twenty years ago does not in any way affect the question of the tendencies of English Freemasonry and its anti-Chistian character , which it has possessed from the first . Mr . John Robison , who has been quoted before , wrote in 1797 :

" I have found that the covert of a Mason Lodge had been employed in every country for venting and propagating sentiments in religion and politics t hat could not have been circulated in public without exposing the author to much danger . I found that impunity had gradually encouraged men of licentious principles to become more bold , and to teach doctrines subversive

of all our confidence in the moral government of the universe , and of all our hopes of improvement in a future state of existence I have been able to trace these attempts made through a course of fifty years , under the specious pretext of enlightening the world by a torch of philosophy . I have observed the doctrines gradually diffusing and mixing with all the different

systems of Freemasonry , till at last an association has been formed for the express purpose of rooting out all the religious establishments , and over , turning all the existing governments of Europe . I have seen this association exerting itself zealously and systematically , till it has become almost irresistible . And I have seen that the most active leaders in the French

Revolution were members of this association , and conducted their first movements according to its principles , and by means of its instructions and assistance , formally requested and obtained . And lastly , I have seen that this association still exists and works in secret , and that it has Lodges in Britain corresponding with the Mother Lodge at Munich ever since " 1784 . . . . "

Freemasonry.

Elsewhere he says : " The secret of Masonry consists in the project to destroy the reign of Jesus Christ upon the earth , and also of all religion . " Thus wrote a man who had attained the highest Degree in the Craft in Scotland , who had lived on the Continent and attended the Lodge meetings for fifty years . He had watched the opening scenes of the great French

Revolution , and had known the leaders of it to be dignitaries of his own Craft . His testimony , therefore , is worthy of the utmost respect . No wonder that the tough and honest old Scotsman should have wished at the close of his life to make the only atonement in his power for his participation in the deliberations of so vile a society .

But the spirit of destruction depicted by Robison in 1797 has never died out , either in the Lodges of England or the Continent . All- the revolutions which have broken out in Europe during the present century can be clearly traced to the initiation and direction of the Masonic Lodges . Louis Philippe , himself a Mason , was aided by the Craft to overthrow Charles X ., the rightful King of France . This was only a preparatory step , clearing the way

for the projected Republic . He was a mere tool of the Lodges , and , unlike his predecessors the Kings of France , he reigned but did not govern . He was surrounded by " responsible Ministers , " all Freemasons , who arranged matters in such a way that , when 1848 came , the Second Republic was proclaimed , and the poor royal dupe fled ignominiously in disguise as " Mr . Smith . "

The signal was given , and Republics were declared in nearly every , country in Europe , headed invariably by Freemasons . Mazzini in Italy , Louis Blanc and Ledru Rollin in France , Kossuth in Hungary . But Mazzini was the Grand Master of universal Freemasonry , and directed the

operations of the various revolutionists either from Italy or London . And he was loyally supported by his Masonic Brothers in the English Cabinet and House of Commons . Palmerston and Russell were most useful colleagues and they were united with him not ' only by holding the highest Degrees in the Craft , but also in their thorough hatred of the Catholic Church .

In France the corruption of the heads of the Second Republic soon led to its fall , and Louis Napoleon , who had been elected President through the ' nfluence of the Freemasons , by their help arranged the " plebiscite" and the " coup d'Etat , " and proclaimed himself Emperor . As the Craft had made him , they determined to use him as their tool , and Mazzini stipulated ;

the price of his support and that of his friends . The Emperor , while in Italy , had become a member of the Carbonari , one of the numerous branches of Freemasonry . In this secret society he had sworn to render unquestioning obedience to the orders of the Supreme Council of Freemasonry , presided over by Mazzini as Grand Orient of Italy . He had sold his liberty and his

free will for power , and he attained the height of his ambition . But the price was high and hard to pay . He was compelled to carry out the design of Mazzini , which was to destroy by degrees all the -monarchies in Italy , to ' be replaced later on by a Masonic Republic . First Austria was driven out of Italy , then Tuscany , Parma , and Modena were added to Victor

Emmanuel ' s dominions . Then Garibaldi , the South American filibuster , was brought on the scene , and , protected by the English fleet , conquered Sicily and Naples . For the Prime Minister , Lord Palmerston , and several of the Cabinet Ministers were Freemasons , and felt themselves bound to aid as far as possible the Grand Orient of Italy Brother Mazzini , the Deputy

Grand Master Brother Garibaldi , Brother Victor Emmanuel , Brother Cavour , and Brother Crispi . The States of the Church were invaded , but Napoleon III . had a superstitious horror of allowing Rome to be touched , and the Italian armies halted before its gates until the disasters of France ' offered the opportunity to the Italian bandits to seize it also .

And how , it may be asked , did all these events concern the English Freemasons ?

It must be borne in mind that up to this time the Grand Lodge of ' England was in intimate connection with those of the Told world , and was looked up to by them as the Mother of all Lodges . There is no doubt—there exists documentary evidence of the fact—that Mazzini , Garibaldi , and th other conspirators were helped and encouraged by the advice of Ministers and the money of English Freemasons .

When Garibaldi arrived in London after one of his freebooting expeditions he was received with almost royal honours and feted by all the prominent Freemasons of England . For he was their hero , their representative , and he had done the work of the Craft successfully by inflicting the greatest injury upon the Church of Christ in Rome .

It is very evident , therefore , that up to the last twenty years English Freemasonry was identical in its " ritual , " its doctrine , and its practices with those of foreign countries . The only difference at the present day is that the foreign Lodges have proceeded more quickly and more locally than

the English . We know what the principles of English Masons were a hundred years ago , from the writings of eminent Masons , and we have no evidence that the English Lodges of the present day have ever abandoned those principles .

We see by Masonic papers that Chapters of " Rosicrucians , " the " Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite , " with its 33 Degrees , are still held in the Temple of Freemasons' Hall , London ; that their meetings are held in secret , and , as far as an outsider can judge , are conducted in the same manner as those on the Continent .

A recent writer says : " To enter the Craft is to devote oneself to some unknown object and to become a soldier of impiety and destruction . Every revolution in Europe has been prepared , conducted , and carried on by Freemasons . The heads of the Craft have owned this a hundred times with pride . Their end is a universal social republic , the abolition of all creeds , and the reign of simple reason . "