The Ultramontanes And Freemasonry.

he has no scriptural warrant , and he ignores the fact that the Craft was once recognised and fostered b y his Church . The proud hoast of semper idem , which was formerly

paraded before tho world has , we admit , been abandoned by the new school of Catholics , who welcome any change which will make the spiritual despot at Rome the lord and master of the minds of millions . But before we

welcome the new face , which the Church , with Janus-like inconsistency , has turned upon the astonished world , we demand the authority upon which her spiritual advisers

have acted . By what right does she attempt to close the portals of salvation against her Masonic sons ? By what right does she now assume the power to curse the Order she once blessed and fostered ? What warrant has she for

the assumption that Masonry is hostile to her dogmas ? Until these questions are answered , we shall assume that her policy , with regard to the Order , has been the result of

the fanatic zeal of a sect , which , already in the pursuit of its wild theories , has placed the Church in a position of serious peril , the like of which can scarcely be matched in tho whole of her long and eventful history .

The Mason: A Discreet Man.

THE MASON : A DISCREET MAN .

IN former articles we have endeavoured to show that a good Mason should be a gentleman , and a sincere man . It is not our intention to claim for him the possession of all the cardinal virtues . An overdrawn picture invariably has something grotesque in its appearance ,

which makes it laughable in the sight of men , and involves that of which it is meant to be the portrait in endless ridicule . We shall not , however , orr in excess of colouring if we assign to him the not unimportant attribute of discretion . Scarcely a day passes but every member of

the Craft must find himself called upon to exercise this virtue , and the higher his rank , the greater the estimation in which he is held by his brethren , the more imperative is it that he should be discreet . We may even go so far as to

affirm , that though a Mason may be a gentleman and a sincere man—though he possess all the excellences which may reasonably be claimed for him—yet will he prove a poor exemplar for others to follow if he lack discretion .

We will not inflict on our readers a lengthy dissertation on the qualities of discretion , nor a dry analysis of the properties it possesses . It is not , perhaps , a very popular virtue ; at least , it is not a very showy one , and does not excite a very great amount of enthusiasm . Thus , a few

people may admire the discretion which Falstaff described as " the better part of valour , " but the many deride it , and think it differs , in a slight degree only , from cowardice . Yet in no career is discretion more needed than in the military . To take a few cases that occur to us at the

moment . MacMahon at Woerth , doggedly contestin g every inch of ground , till sheer weight of numbers drove him from the field , is a picture that excites our admiration ; but MacMahon warily retreating before superior forces , to the passes of the Vosges , readout pour micu . r , semter , would

have been still more admirable from a military point of view . Who knows , had he done so , but the tide of battle might have rolled towards Berlin , instead of , as it happened , towards Paris , and Napoleon III . died in the purple at the Tuileries insteadof in exile at Chislehnrst ? Again , the charge

of the Six Hundred at Balaclava always stirs the blood of Englishmen , yet , as was remarked at the time , " C'ctait magnifiquc , mais ce n'ilaitpas la guerre . " Our own Wellington was among the most discreet of modern generals . He could be bold even to audacity , as at the passage of the

Douro , at Cindad Rodrigo , at Badajoz ; or discreet and wary , as in the retreat on Torres Vedras . On one occasion , we believe , with only a slender force of 15 , 000 men , he confronted the whole army of Marmont , not conrtino , yet not seeming to decline , the combat . In boldness lay

discretion , and Marmont never knew till it was too late how narrowl y he had missed the chance of crushino- his formidable adversary . Tho fame of one old Roman general rests almost entirely on his discretion—we mean Fabius surnamed Cunctator , of whom Ennius sang :

" Unns homo nobis ennetando restituit rem . " Again , the driver of the express train who , seeing an obstacle on the line a short distance ahead of him , crashed through it at full speed—he , undoubtedly , was a discreet man , and bold withal . The safety of the charge entrusted

The Mason: A Discreet Man.

to his skill lay in a fearful speed , and he applied it . There was no hesitation , for there was no time to hesitate . Tho danger and the escape were almost simultaneous . These are a few of the instances that might be adduced in order to prove the value of discretion in times or cases of

difficulty and danger . Happily Masons are a peaceful , not a militant body . Such examples may serve as a guide to the individual brother who follows the profession of arms , or the more peaceful but hardly less dangerous career of a civil engineer . The majority are men of peace , and the

teachings of Masonry are essentially peaceful . What , then , is discretion from a Masonic point of view ? The modest answer will raise a laugh perhaps , many even exclaiming , " Parturiunt monies , nascetur rhliculus mus . " We have nothing better to offer in the way of definition than this :

Discretion is the faculty of always doing or saying the right thing at the right time in the right place . Very simple , yet very necessary and somewhat trying . Be it remembered that it is not always the grand occasions , when a man ' s nerves are probably well-strung , and hia mind well

prepared for what may happen , that try a man . It is not the occasional spurt which tests an athlete , but his powers of endurance and his skill in making his effort at the right moment . Now a Mason ' s faculty of discerning is always , so to speak , on trial . He is , as it were , a sentinel , always

on guard over the obligations reposed in him . He must be always discreet , so as never , by word or sign , to betray the mysteries of his Order . In all his acts and deeds he should command the respect , not only of his brethren but of the outside world . For as a man , so will Masonry ,

which is an aggregate of men , be judged by its conduct , not by its professions . The proposal of new candidates for admission into the Order , without due inquiry whether they are worthy and respectable men , is a grave act of indiscretion , which a too confiding , too good-natured

Brother should especially guard against . Again , the Fraternity prides itself , with good cause , on its charity , but indiscriminate charity is hurtful . To give without knowing whom you give to , and whether he is worthy to receive , is an abuse of charity . But still more incumbent

is it on office holders to govern themselves discreetly . A W . M . may be learned , just and good , but he must also be discreet , or his Lodge will be chaos . The visitor must be tried and proven , not formally , and merely because it is "inthe bond , " but fully and truly , to the end that no

uninitiate pei'son gain entrance to a Lodge . All officers , in short , should be studious of their duties , or Masonry must suffer . Nor , again , should men seek office who are unequal to or unfitted for its responsibilities . An illeducated , unrefined officer , however estimable in his character , were a reproach to the Brotherhood .

But not to weary our readers further on this subject , we cannot do better , perhaps , than conclude our article with a short extract from a work by an eminent Mason , a work to which we have already found and may again find it expedient to refer to—Dr . Oliver ' s Bevelatious of a Square .

It bears directly on the matter of discretion , and especially on one of the points we have referred to , the too careless admission of visitors into a Lodge . We give it in outline , but in the words oi the narrator , for no story , however carefully translated , reads half so well as in its original form .

" We had once a rich scene in our Lodge , during Bro . Dunckerley ' s mastership , which carries with it a useful lesson , and ought not to be disregarded , " proceeded my gossiping companion . ... "A stranger presented himself as a visitor , was examined and admitted . He proved to be

of a respectable standing in society , although on the present occasion he lent himself to the perpetration of a very disreputable affair , and the R . W . M ., with all his tact and discrimination , was very nearly outwitted . An ancient law of Masonry provided that no visitor , however skilled

in the art , shall be admitted into a Lodge unless he is personally known to , or well vouched and recommended , by some of the brethren then present . Many occasions arose in which it had been deemed expedient to remit the

strict observance of the rule , and such had been the case in the present instance . The intruder , however , had not occupied his precarious position more than five minutes , before a venerable brother called aloud , ' IT RAINS !'

" Bro . Dunckerley ' s presence of mind did not forsake him in this emergency , and he gravely demanded of the visitor , ' Where were you made a Mason ? ' ' The answer was at hand . ' In a Lodge , at the King ' s Head , Gravesend . '