The Romish Church And Freemasonry.

SIR , —I have read with care the report of the Bev . Father Chew ' s sermon on Freemasonry , and the leading article on it in last Friday ' s issue of the " Guardian . " This latter is , of course , intended as an indignant refutation of Father Chew ' s utterances . I should , however , be glad to learn what statement it has positively refuted .

It is easy to , say that Father Chew has given the history of Freemasonry incorrectly , but that assertion , unsupported by substantial proof , cannot possibly carry weight with any reflecting mind . Facts must be met by facts , and not by mere words . This article goes on to say that Father Chew , " in order to show the immorality of the system , selects certain portions of the society who at times have abused its tenets . "

Now , I should like to observe that one of the dangers of Freemasonry lies in the solidarity of its members . The English Masonic Lodge is , to all appearance , a benevolent and law-abiding institution , but so long as it continues united to those numerous foreign Lodges which are professedly irreligious , it must of necessity share in the censure attached to the society in general , and cannot reasonably resent it .

The English Lodge , I believe , prides itself on holding a unique position in Masonry ; let it then boldly separate itself from those whose opinions it condemns ; then , and then alone , can Freemasonry in England be judged on its own merits . Though , even then , the fact of the secret oath renders it

more than probable that the Catholic Church would be obliged to condemn a system which contained an element so dangerous in its nature . There is a wide difference between an oath of secrecy and a secret oath ; the former is frequently both lawful and expedient , and is of common occurrence , as for instance in banks , whereas the latter is contrary to the natural laws of

reason . Believe me , yours , & c , SlNCERITAS . Bournemouth , 10 th February 1896 . SIR , —Father Chew must be singularly ill-informed as to the nature of the Masonic oath to . say that it is " a rash oath , " and that the initiate takes

" a'leap in the dark . " As a one who has had plenty of opportunities of judging , I can safely aver that the oath is certainly not open to either of these objections . There is no such possibility , as the Bev . Father assumes , that a Mason may be called upon to act against his conscience or to violate his oath . Such a , contingency is expressly provided for . But the question naturally

arises , what does Father Chew know about it , and how does he become possessed of his knowledge , if he really has any ? I am old-fashioned enough to remember the day when it was believed that " he who would steal a secret would steal a purse . " I have a great respect for the Boman Catholic priests . I have known several , and have found them to be estimable men , but they all go wild about Masonry , liko most of the general public .

It is singular that on no point , not even as to the origin of Freemasonry , does Father Chew touch the truth . I have not yet met with an outsider who did . The uninitiated are , however , quite convinced that they know a great deal ; and so long as they are in this state of mind , so long , at least , will the secrets of Masonry be preserved ; for they thus close their minds against a reception of the real truth :

The charge anent " veiled errors in religion " must also be thrown overboard , for neither religion nor politics find a place amongst Masons , as such ; and ' Father Chew must readily see this , because Freemasonry could not be universal if it were not so , embracing Jews , Mahomedans , and the hundred and one divisions which are found in the human race , aye even to members of his own church . Both religion and politics are expressly excluded and

forbidden , and therefore some outsider must have pronounced the opinions , unauthorised , the sum of which the Bev . Father says is decidedly on the side of license and irreligion . As a Bomish priest the preacher ought to be careful in making such a statement , in the face of the representations made by outsiders as to his own Church . Masonry neither tolerates nor condemns all " forms of religion . " Much less does it supply the place of religion . It

has nothing to do with it . This sermon is but one more instance of the utter uselessness of outsiders to endeavour to understand what those within the camp •have i such-a difficulty in grasping . Father Chew relates that in the Duke i of Sussex ' s Grand Mastership there were not six Masons in England who understood what Masonry was , and yet he ( the Bev . Father ) denounces it ,, doing precisely to Masonry what some Protestants do to Boman Catholicism , ' condemning that whioh they know nothing about .

Yours , & c , MASON . SIR , —I have read with some interest and curiosity your report of Father Chew ' s sermon on the . above subject , in which he appears to be willing to wound but afraid to strike , as after condemning Masonry in general he so far

weakens his position by stating that in England the principal fault to be found with Masons is " an excess of conviviality and a frequent use of the latch key ; " Now , I cannot speak from experience as to the Masons of Bournemouth , but when I lived in Italy I can assure the Bev . Father Chew that I could have easily found half-a-dozen clerics who could floor any Masonic Lodge in this country , and then be able

With stately tread to walk away , With a sly twinkle in the other eye . Father Chew casts some doubt as to the usually received tradition of the connection of Masonic signs and the building of Solomon ' s Temple , and states that " historical facts trace it ( Masonry ) to the guilds of stonemasons of the middle ages . " Now I wish to point out that it is a strange proceeding

for a member of the Boman Catholic Church to belittle tradition , for without tradition what would become of the Church itself ; but if the Bev . Father is correct , what a disgrace he-must feel it to be to his own Church , that at a time when there were nothing but Catholics in Western Europe , the very men who as Architects , Masons and Craftsmen , i . e ., the very pick

of the community , occupied in the erection of bur beautiful churches and magnificent cathedrals , should have banded themselves to form an anti-Christian and irreligious secret society ? Will not this question occur to everyone who reads his sermon : what must have been the state of the Church at that time to cause such a revolt by the most intellectual minds of the period ?

Let us hope , for the sake of the Boman Catholic Church , that Father Chew ' s historical facts are mere fictions , and I feel sure that on reflection he will perceive , by the very allusions he makes to " The Architect of the Universe , " that the origin of Masonry is evidently Jewish . Now , after a little faint praise to the English Masons , the Bev . Father falls foul of foreign

The Romish Church And Freemasonry.

Masons , but more especially of the Scotch rite , whioh is principally practised in France , where it was introduced during the last century . It is a curious idea to go out of one ' s way to attack a society which is practically unknown , except to a very few Freemasons , in this country . I have not met with one in England , though there may be a few in London , and some of the large towns . Although an Englishman , I happen to be a French Mason of over forty years standing of this so-called abominable Scotch rite , and I beg to

assure your readers that Father Chew ' s denunciation on this particular rite , and his observations on Freemasonry in general , are quite erroneous and misleading . He knows , or ought to know , that Freemasonry does not teach any religious dogma , and that Freemasons are perfectly free to believe any religion which their conscious approves . Neither is it a political society , for

in this matter , as in the religious question , a good Mason may be a Badical or Tory ; a Monarchist or Bepublican ., It may even be true that some Masons or even Lodges have gone astray from the wholesome and kindly traditions of the Craft , but that is what all institutions , whether political , ' social or religious , axe liable to ; but no sane man would condemn goodj principles because some weak-knee'd Brethren caused good men to grieve .

Thanking you in anticipation , JAMES MORLEY . 8 Hamilton Eoad , Boscombe .

Society Mad.

SOCIETY MAD .

IjIBOM a New York paper we excerpt the following : "The people who know Mr . David S . Skinner in Brooklyn—that is the folks who are intimate enough with him to presume on such a familiarity - —say that he is the champion •" jiner" of the country , because he is a member of thirty-one secret societies , and next week he will be a member of ,

thirty-two , because , after much persuasion , he has been induced to join the Masonic Veterans' Association , which , as its name describes , is composed of veterans in the Masonic Order . Dr . Skinner has taken his thirty-second degree , and has been a Freemason for twenty-five years or more , which qualifies him for admission . "

This statement has started our-thinking-apparatus into a line of cogitation , which strenously insists upon publicity . There was an ancient king who once made the remark to one who had evidently talked the said king off his intellectual base : " Too much learning hath made thee mad . " The same idea is conveyed : in the spectacle presented in the above excerpt ,

and too much society hath driven this class of " jiners " mad . Association of man with man in social relation , is a good thing and should be' cultivated . In this America of ours , fraternal association has become one of the fine arts . We not only supplied - ourselves with all descriptions of cabalistic organisations , but have exported to the whole civilised world the ritual and

pass of each . In fact , the manufacture of " secret societies " inthis country is one of our national industries , and the out-put from year to year is simply amazing . " The woods are full of them , " and to find a man of twenty-one years of age who is not in one or more , is to find a white blackbird . Even the tenderlings of the household are early educated to be " jiners "—with

which no special fault can be . found , so long as the purpose is in the line of good works and instruction in the primary principles of morality . But what we object to in the way of secret societies is—not that there are too many , but that one man can be so bitten with the spirit of curiosity to know , that he can assume the obligations of many or all , simply to feed a secretive

disposition , that morbidly gives its pin to see the " poppy show . " True , many of these societies have the golden bait of co-operation , by which provision is made for relatives , provided the member dies soon enough , and we freely concede the value of such a system of making provision for the widow and the fatherless . But we do object to a man , in slang parlance ,

" biting off more than he can chew . " No man can be a good servant that strives to serve a dozen of masters , and to understand this thing fully , , it is a simple fact , than in becoming a member of any secret society , the man or woman is made an obligated servant , to come when called and do whatever told . Less than this would make it no society whatever . Hence , the man

who has the sign , word and grip of a lot of these organisations , and boasts the fact of his membership . in so many , is neither ornamental nor useful . He cannot be a good member in any , because this is one of the activities of life in which the mind will not bear division , nor will it concentrate its efforts on any one , with the full intent and purpose of its capabilities .

Curiosity is an ingredient in our national character . " I want to know " is not only a . query in our vocabulary , but we use it as an exclamation . It has formed the basis for the rapid growth of this nation . ' " I want to know " has stimulated the inventor , the mechanic , the navigator , the student , or the present day philosopher . The cry of the native American mind is : "I

want to know , and it will not rest satisfied until it does know . This seeking , searching , investigating , experimenting , insatiable curiosity , has served to bring to the surface the hidden mysteries of nature and given to the light of the noon day sun what once would be looked upon as an exhibition of " black art . " " If there is anything worth knowing we want it , "

is the demand of the true Yankee seeker after the profound , mysterious or obscure . Hence the growth of secret societies , and he pays his money to see what is concealed . We mean the man who has the reputation of a " jiner " and not the earnest worker , who , wedded to one fraternity , finds all the occupation he can make use of . We advise less multiplicity in the number

of organisations and more activity m one . We have no special organisation in view in this writing , but do advise the concentration of effort . Select the one you will feel most at home in and give it all the time you can spare . Do not rob yovn family circle of your presence becanse you . belong to societies enough to consume twelve nights every week . Do not become secret society mad . — " American Tyler . "