Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Misconceptions Of The True Character Of Freemasonry.
MISCONCEPTIONS OF THE TRUE CHARACTER OF FREEMASONRY .
"TTTHAT is Freemasonry ? is a question which is con-M stantly being asked , and the answers that are given —especially by tbe uninitiated—are as various as tbey are ludicrous . Some people will persist in asserting that it is nothing else than a political secret society , whose foremost
object is the destruction of all orderly government . Others affirm that it is an anti-religious fraternity , whose members are never contented but when they are engaged in combating the beneficent influences of religion . There are yet others who entertain the idea that it is a body of men
associated together for the destruction of morality , while the least severe of our outside critics regard us as a society of good livers , whose highest aspirations are directed towards the greatest enjoyment that is possible of what are commonly designated the good things of this life . We might , of course ,
go on enumerating other different views enunciated by even reasonable beings as to the true scope and character of _ Freemasonry , but though in the first few sentences we might amuse our readers , we certainly should not succeed
in edifying them , and we should as certainly incur the serious possibility of annoying them . Yet this conflict of ideas outside the pale of the Craft cannot , after all , be so very singular when we find that Freemasons themselves
are divided in opinion as to its aims ancl objects . It is true they are told , at the very moment of their reception into the Order , that it is a system of morality , and they are expected , or at all events , presumed to accept this definition without mental reservation of any kind ; but many so accept it
disingenuously , and have barely had time to be raised to Master Masons ere they set busily to work to show how little they appreciate its solemn teachings . Many look upon it as a kind of mutual Life Assurance- Company ; others maintain that it is a kind of Benefit Society , while
a numerous section of the Craft , regarding it from a knifeand-fork point of view , consider the three degrees of Masonry—with or without the Royal Arch—as being neither more nor less than so many preliminary steps towards a capital feed . These singular ideas would be very
laughable , were it not for the influence they appear to be exercising , and tbe ridicule tbey are calculated to bring upon our Society . Let us then , at the risk of being a little tedious , give a moment ' s attention to what are not the true obiects of our beloved Craft .
Were the impartial critic called upon to express his opinion as to the true character of Freemasonry , and , assuming that his judgment was on a level with his impartiality , he would come to the conclusion that in some of the countries of Europe it bad a sort of political influence , while in otbers
it was , if not exactly an anti-religious , yet certainly a nonreli gious , society . Passing on to Freemasonry in America , he would probably suggest that , in the land of the Stars and Stripes , it was a compound of sentimentality and outward show with—doubtless for the sake of old associations
—the occasional consecration and erection of gaudy temples , and the heavy indebtedness which is the necessary consequence of indul ging in a bobby without adequate means of defraying its cost . He would find , in various
of the States , Institutions for the promotion of Masonic charity , and a genial hospitality , with the ever-readincss of all Americans to assist the unfortunate wayfarer , in all of them . In England he would note the existemce of three grandl y-organised Institutions having severally for object
Misconceptions Of The True Character Of Freemasonry.
the relief of aged , indigent Masons and the widows of Masons , and the maintenance and education for a certain term of years of the sons and daughters of deceased or poverty-stricken brethren . He would learn , with a pleasure he would neither care nor seek to conceal , that the good
these Charities did was owing to the munificent contributions of tbe Craft , nor would be , witb this experience before him , be in the least degree surprised to hear that similar societies , but on a far smaller scale , were organised in many of our Provinces . Should he prosecute his researches
further , and visit a considerable number of our Lodges , he would find in eacb an assemblage of very good fellows who , having despatched what , for the sake of appearances , is called business , as quickly as possible , at once sat down to enjoy themselves over a good dinner , with the customary
Loyal and Masonic toast-giving to follow . In our Lodges of Instrnction he would be edified by hearing , now a discon . , solate Preceptor meekly propounding a series of questions and receiving an equal number of oftentimes crooked answers ; now the rehearsal of an important ceremony ,
more or less ably performed . Yet for all the many things that would delight him , he would still be at a loss to reconcile tbe Masonry of practice with the doctrines of Masonry as laid down by our Constitutions . He would , probably , be in the first instance more than a little disconcerted on hearing
from the lips of many worthy brethren that , for all its wide-spread beneficence and philosophic tendencies , they regarded it as a safe investment for themselves and their families against a rainy day . They knew well enough
it was a morality , but they had been at the pains of ascertaining further that the morality was illustrated by three Asylums , one . for decayed Masons and their widows , and the other two for the education and maintenance of the
children of deceased or indigent brethren . Thus , having joined the Fraternity , they at once qualified as Governors to one or all of the Institutions , not only because by so doing they felt they would be doing some service to others ; but also with one eye open to the future on their own account ,
so that if , in the vicissitudes of fortune to which all are liable , they should ever find themselves in the category of decayed Masons , and their families , therefore , be reduced from affluence to comparative poverty , they would at once have at command some source from which tbey
mig ht ask and obtain assistance . There is no doubt a good deal of common sense about this ^ point of view , but it does not exactly accord with our generally , received ideas about Freemasonry . It is quite a mistaken idea to suppose that Freemasonry is a kind of
Friendly Society , the members of which combine together for the purpose of assisting each other in sickness or distress , or in pensioning or helping to support tbe families of deceased members . Let , those who regard Freemasonry in this light avoid it , or if they will persist in trying to
force an entrance into our ranks , let it be resolutely denied them . The other clay , at the Quarterly Court of the Boys ' School , one brother had the candour to avow that he had qualified as a Vice-Patron or Vice-President—it is immaterial which—because , in the event of his death , it would
afford a "justification for his widow ancl children applying to the Masonic Institutions for help , even though he might leave them in possession of a fair quantum of means . Others openly supported the candidature of the
lad Collingwood on the ground that the Boys' School , and by inference , its sister Institution , the Girls' School , were not intended to benefit paupers . That such ideas as these are gaining strength must be evident to all who take the
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Misconceptions Of The True Character Of Freemasonry.
MISCONCEPTIONS OF THE TRUE CHARACTER OF FREEMASONRY .
"TTTHAT is Freemasonry ? is a question which is con-M stantly being asked , and the answers that are given —especially by tbe uninitiated—are as various as tbey are ludicrous . Some people will persist in asserting that it is nothing else than a political secret society , whose foremost
object is the destruction of all orderly government . Others affirm that it is an anti-religious fraternity , whose members are never contented but when they are engaged in combating the beneficent influences of religion . There are yet others who entertain the idea that it is a body of men
associated together for the destruction of morality , while the least severe of our outside critics regard us as a society of good livers , whose highest aspirations are directed towards the greatest enjoyment that is possible of what are commonly designated the good things of this life . We might , of course ,
go on enumerating other different views enunciated by even reasonable beings as to the true scope and character of _ Freemasonry , but though in the first few sentences we might amuse our readers , we certainly should not succeed
in edifying them , and we should as certainly incur the serious possibility of annoying them . Yet this conflict of ideas outside the pale of the Craft cannot , after all , be so very singular when we find that Freemasons themselves
are divided in opinion as to its aims ancl objects . It is true they are told , at the very moment of their reception into the Order , that it is a system of morality , and they are expected , or at all events , presumed to accept this definition without mental reservation of any kind ; but many so accept it
disingenuously , and have barely had time to be raised to Master Masons ere they set busily to work to show how little they appreciate its solemn teachings . Many look upon it as a kind of mutual Life Assurance- Company ; others maintain that it is a kind of Benefit Society , while
a numerous section of the Craft , regarding it from a knifeand-fork point of view , consider the three degrees of Masonry—with or without the Royal Arch—as being neither more nor less than so many preliminary steps towards a capital feed . These singular ideas would be very
laughable , were it not for the influence they appear to be exercising , and tbe ridicule tbey are calculated to bring upon our Society . Let us then , at the risk of being a little tedious , give a moment ' s attention to what are not the true obiects of our beloved Craft .
Were the impartial critic called upon to express his opinion as to the true character of Freemasonry , and , assuming that his judgment was on a level with his impartiality , he would come to the conclusion that in some of the countries of Europe it bad a sort of political influence , while in otbers
it was , if not exactly an anti-religious , yet certainly a nonreli gious , society . Passing on to Freemasonry in America , he would probably suggest that , in the land of the Stars and Stripes , it was a compound of sentimentality and outward show with—doubtless for the sake of old associations
—the occasional consecration and erection of gaudy temples , and the heavy indebtedness which is the necessary consequence of indul ging in a bobby without adequate means of defraying its cost . He would find , in various
of the States , Institutions for the promotion of Masonic charity , and a genial hospitality , with the ever-readincss of all Americans to assist the unfortunate wayfarer , in all of them . In England he would note the existemce of three grandl y-organised Institutions having severally for object
Misconceptions Of The True Character Of Freemasonry.
the relief of aged , indigent Masons and the widows of Masons , and the maintenance and education for a certain term of years of the sons and daughters of deceased or poverty-stricken brethren . He would learn , with a pleasure he would neither care nor seek to conceal , that the good
these Charities did was owing to the munificent contributions of tbe Craft , nor would be , witb this experience before him , be in the least degree surprised to hear that similar societies , but on a far smaller scale , were organised in many of our Provinces . Should he prosecute his researches
further , and visit a considerable number of our Lodges , he would find in eacb an assemblage of very good fellows who , having despatched what , for the sake of appearances , is called business , as quickly as possible , at once sat down to enjoy themselves over a good dinner , with the customary
Loyal and Masonic toast-giving to follow . In our Lodges of Instrnction he would be edified by hearing , now a discon . , solate Preceptor meekly propounding a series of questions and receiving an equal number of oftentimes crooked answers ; now the rehearsal of an important ceremony ,
more or less ably performed . Yet for all the many things that would delight him , he would still be at a loss to reconcile tbe Masonry of practice with the doctrines of Masonry as laid down by our Constitutions . He would , probably , be in the first instance more than a little disconcerted on hearing
from the lips of many worthy brethren that , for all its wide-spread beneficence and philosophic tendencies , they regarded it as a safe investment for themselves and their families against a rainy day . They knew well enough
it was a morality , but they had been at the pains of ascertaining further that the morality was illustrated by three Asylums , one . for decayed Masons and their widows , and the other two for the education and maintenance of the
children of deceased or indigent brethren . Thus , having joined the Fraternity , they at once qualified as Governors to one or all of the Institutions , not only because by so doing they felt they would be doing some service to others ; but also with one eye open to the future on their own account ,
so that if , in the vicissitudes of fortune to which all are liable , they should ever find themselves in the category of decayed Masons , and their families , therefore , be reduced from affluence to comparative poverty , they would at once have at command some source from which tbey
mig ht ask and obtain assistance . There is no doubt a good deal of common sense about this ^ point of view , but it does not exactly accord with our generally , received ideas about Freemasonry . It is quite a mistaken idea to suppose that Freemasonry is a kind of
Friendly Society , the members of which combine together for the purpose of assisting each other in sickness or distress , or in pensioning or helping to support tbe families of deceased members . Let , those who regard Freemasonry in this light avoid it , or if they will persist in trying to
force an entrance into our ranks , let it be resolutely denied them . The other clay , at the Quarterly Court of the Boys ' School , one brother had the candour to avow that he had qualified as a Vice-Patron or Vice-President—it is immaterial which—because , in the event of his death , it would
afford a "justification for his widow ancl children applying to the Masonic Institutions for help , even though he might leave them in possession of a fair quantum of means . Others openly supported the candidature of the
lad Collingwood on the ground that the Boys' School , and by inference , its sister Institution , the Girls' School , were not intended to benefit paupers . That such ideas as these are gaining strength must be evident to all who take the