Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Bro. B. Penchinat's Address At The Close Of The General Assembly Of The G.O. Of France.
Ah ! my Brethren , have Ave not a sufficiently wide field for our studies , our researches , and our labours ? Are you unmindful that the care of humanity should be our constant preoccupation ; that so long as the voice of the cannon thunders forth its commands throughout the world ,
and Avar cuts off human beings by thousands , so long Avill there be sufferings to administer to , ignorant to instruct , vices to eradicate ; so long as the moral and intellectual level of mankind is not as high as AVC Avish it to be , so long shall we have to labour unceasingly ? Is it not enough ,
then , that you have before you this overAvhelming task , to Avhich generations of men have devoted themselves , which Avill last out your lifetime without attaining its completion , and which our descendants in future ages will still carry on ? Let us not , then , I beseech you . quit our proper
sphere of action ; and if Ave have to combat for our colours , for our principles of liberty , and the enfranchisement of human reason , let it be without passion as without weakness , let it he the performance of a Duty impressed upon our conscience , nothing less , yet nothing more .
I speak of combat . Is it not strange that Ave should be forced to pronounce this hated Avord , Ave Avho profess for all mankind the deepest love ? Ah ! forsooth , this combat , Ave have not sought it , Ave have given no provocation to our implacable and eternal foes . It is they , the enemies of
liberty and of freedom ; it is they , the partisans of slavery , as their aim , and of ignorance as the means , who have entered into the contest Avith such unheard of violence . Summoned by our principles to defend that liberty of conscience Avhich our forefathers have conquered from
clerical despotism , can AVC , I ask you , lay doAvn our arms and quit the field of battle ? Further , have Ave not been directly accused ? Do you not bear in mind that burning philippic Avhich recently emanated from a man of eminence in that party Avhich ardently Avishes for our death ?
Defence then is legitimate , and we Avill defend ourselves by all possible means , at the same time keeping Avithin the limits Avhich the laws of the State and Masonry impose upon us . We shall enter into no religious controversy—Article 2 of our constitutions forbids it ; but Ave shall set
forth the principles of our philosophy , of our morality : and the country , and , may I not say , the whole world shall decide Avhich are they AVIIO , be it among them or us , enjoy a greater community of ideas , and are more completely
m harmony Avith those who of old , on the shores of the Lake of Tiberias or Genesareth , substituted for the law of hatred Avhich ruled the ancient Avorld this laAV of love and of freedom .
These provocations to the struggle have afflicted , but not surprised me . Our adversaries find before them , in the accomplishment of their unholy mission , an invincible obstacle , and one before Avhich they -will utterly break doAvn if they succeed not in crushing it . This is Human
Reason , Avhich the philosophers of last century emancipated by instructing and elevating it , and by instilling into it its rights and its duties . It is this they proscribe and insult , and Avhich they Avould annihilate . But Ave Avho lay it doAvn that without this Reason there is nothing but error ,
deceit , or fanaticism ; Ave who hold that , from the day it is annihilated , there -will be an end once and for all to the dignity of manhood , this Reason that is thus cursed , Ave defend it , and Avill defend while there is a breath of life left in us .
There , my brethren , is the true cause of those accusations Avhich are launched against us . In order to give their charges a semblance of justice , they pretend that Freemasonry means atheism ; they represent us as the sworn enemies of all religious faiths . It is in vain Ave have
pointed out to them that , Avere this the case , Ave should be , as they are , SAVorn to intolerance ; that , on the contrary , Ave respect the opinions , faith , and religious convictions of all our brethren , in the name of that liberty of conscience Avhich forms the motto of our Order ; that in order
to avoid clashing Avith each other , and never to disturb that harmony Avhich should exist among us , all discussions of this character are rigorously forbidden in our Lodges , and scrupulously respected ; that if Freemasonry professed any religion it Avould be its duty to give it full effect , and that
thus it would violate our grand principle of liberty ; that it should be lay , but not atheist , and that the confusion bctAveen these terms , so essentially different from each other ,
is a defect of logic and of good faith . Vainly have we ansAvered all these things ; they will not listen , and it is to be feared they never will consent to listen to this language of common sense and of reason .
Bro. B. Penchinat's Address At The Close Of The General Assembly Of The G.O. Of France.
Our conscience , sole judge of all our actions , imposes on us the obligation in these grave circumstances of rising to the height of our duty . Indeed , I am not very far from the conviction that this warfare , this persecution may , perhaps , in the end , be of service to our Order . Danger not
uncommonly reawakens the listless , excites devotion , arouses in the mind a greater activity , and in the soul , a greater enthusiasm . We no longer live , thank God , in days when thousands upon thousands of men pay Avith dear life for the crime of heresy , that is to say , for the revolt of reason
against the despotism of a religious sect . Resistance in those days is less dangerous , but Avere it dangerous , is it for us to hesitate ? Already I see men Avho have attained eminence by their character , their talents , and the services they have rendered to science and their country , coming to
us , and seeking admission into our temples . This is a feature that must certainly strike you , and cause you to indulge in the firm hope of approaching triumph . When allies of such Avorth come and ask of their OAVU free will , and actuated by an impulse , of Avhich they may well be proud ,
to fight under the banner of Masonry , Ave have the right to say boldly , and with head erect , that our cause is that of right , of truth , of eternal justice , since it is embraced by those Avho have made justice and truth the constant aim of all their efforts and labours .
A modern philosopher , Herbert Spencer , in . the course of his remarkable Avork , Introduction to Social Science , makes use of a comparison , the justice of Avhich has struck me , and which I will make knoAvn to you , because it tells its OAVU tale , and is applicable to our present
situation . When a man undertakes to ascend a lofty mountain , in order that , as an artist , he may feast his eyes on the grand and majestic beauties of nature , at first he sets out , alert and joyous , satchel on his back , stick in hand . But the hours pass ; his pace slackens , the ascent becomes more
difficult ; by degrees his strength is exhausted , his enthusiam evaporates , and he sits on a rock fatigued , ready to abandon his project , discouraged by the incessant difficulties and numberless obstacles Avhich , at each instant , beset his path . All of a sudden he pulls himself together , he marks
the distance he has accomplished , he sees that he has traversed more than half the route , and that the summit is not as distant as he had at first supposed ; hope returns to him , he finds fresh strength to put himself once again on the road , and , thinking of the ideal pleasure which
awaits him , he makes a final effort and attains the summit . We also , my brethren , have our mountain to scale , at the summit of which is found the realisation of our wishes and the limit of our labours . It is long since Ave undertook this trying journey , and from all appearances , it will last
yet a long time . But is it the right moment to abandon the struggle , Avheu the dangers are more formidable and more pressing , when there is greater need of calmness and presence of mind , of daring and energy , Avhen Ave should exert to the utmost all the strength Ave possess ? Is
this the moment for us to give iu ? Certainl y not . Let us turn a glance behind us , let us measure the distance that has been traversed , the difficulties that have been surmounted , and let us bear in mind that each step brings us nearer to our goal . Let us take heart , then ; let us gird our loins , and fonvard !
My dear Veuerables and Delegates , you are about to return to your respective Lodges . Hide not from our brethren the gravity of the present circumstances , reaAvaken their zeal , do battle Avith indifference , appeal to their feelings as Masons ,
if they be so m reality and in their hearts . It behoves us to marshal our ranks in order to meet the enemy which menaces modern civilization , and , as a consequence , our French Freemasonry , on the standard of Avhich are inscribed the Avatch-words of humanity and progress .
Liberty , equality , fraternity , sacred triad , magic formula , which hast freed our fathers from the oppression of the despot , be ever present to our minds , direct our actions and
our thoughts , enlighten our hearts , grant us the needful strength , and may Ave , by thy help , in a not distant future , prove victorious over our enemies , less for our OAVU glory than for the happiness of mankind .
Cctrn HOUSE PLAYIKG CIBBS . —Mogul Quality , picked Is 3 d per pack , 14 a per dozen packs . Do . seconds is per pack , lis per dozen packs . If by post 1-Jcl per pack extra . Cards for Piquet , B & ique , Ecarte ' , & c , Mogul Quality lOd per pack , 9 s per dozen packs . —London i W . W . Mirgan , 67 Barbican , li . C .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Bro. B. Penchinat's Address At The Close Of The General Assembly Of The G.O. Of France.
Ah ! my Brethren , have Ave not a sufficiently wide field for our studies , our researches , and our labours ? Are you unmindful that the care of humanity should be our constant preoccupation ; that so long as the voice of the cannon thunders forth its commands throughout the world ,
and Avar cuts off human beings by thousands , so long Avill there be sufferings to administer to , ignorant to instruct , vices to eradicate ; so long as the moral and intellectual level of mankind is not as high as AVC Avish it to be , so long shall we have to labour unceasingly ? Is it not enough ,
then , that you have before you this overAvhelming task , to Avhich generations of men have devoted themselves , which Avill last out your lifetime without attaining its completion , and which our descendants in future ages will still carry on ? Let us not , then , I beseech you . quit our proper
sphere of action ; and if Ave have to combat for our colours , for our principles of liberty , and the enfranchisement of human reason , let it be without passion as without weakness , let it he the performance of a Duty impressed upon our conscience , nothing less , yet nothing more .
I speak of combat . Is it not strange that Ave should be forced to pronounce this hated Avord , Ave Avho profess for all mankind the deepest love ? Ah ! forsooth , this combat , Ave have not sought it , Ave have given no provocation to our implacable and eternal foes . It is they , the enemies of
liberty and of freedom ; it is they , the partisans of slavery , as their aim , and of ignorance as the means , who have entered into the contest Avith such unheard of violence . Summoned by our principles to defend that liberty of conscience Avhich our forefathers have conquered from
clerical despotism , can AVC , I ask you , lay doAvn our arms and quit the field of battle ? Further , have Ave not been directly accused ? Do you not bear in mind that burning philippic Avhich recently emanated from a man of eminence in that party Avhich ardently Avishes for our death ?
Defence then is legitimate , and we Avill defend ourselves by all possible means , at the same time keeping Avithin the limits Avhich the laws of the State and Masonry impose upon us . We shall enter into no religious controversy—Article 2 of our constitutions forbids it ; but Ave shall set
forth the principles of our philosophy , of our morality : and the country , and , may I not say , the whole world shall decide Avhich are they AVIIO , be it among them or us , enjoy a greater community of ideas , and are more completely
m harmony Avith those who of old , on the shores of the Lake of Tiberias or Genesareth , substituted for the law of hatred Avhich ruled the ancient Avorld this laAV of love and of freedom .
These provocations to the struggle have afflicted , but not surprised me . Our adversaries find before them , in the accomplishment of their unholy mission , an invincible obstacle , and one before Avhich they -will utterly break doAvn if they succeed not in crushing it . This is Human
Reason , Avhich the philosophers of last century emancipated by instructing and elevating it , and by instilling into it its rights and its duties . It is this they proscribe and insult , and Avhich they Avould annihilate . But Ave Avho lay it doAvn that without this Reason there is nothing but error ,
deceit , or fanaticism ; Ave who hold that , from the day it is annihilated , there -will be an end once and for all to the dignity of manhood , this Reason that is thus cursed , Ave defend it , and Avill defend while there is a breath of life left in us .
There , my brethren , is the true cause of those accusations Avhich are launched against us . In order to give their charges a semblance of justice , they pretend that Freemasonry means atheism ; they represent us as the sworn enemies of all religious faiths . It is in vain Ave have
pointed out to them that , Avere this the case , Ave should be , as they are , SAVorn to intolerance ; that , on the contrary , Ave respect the opinions , faith , and religious convictions of all our brethren , in the name of that liberty of conscience Avhich forms the motto of our Order ; that in order
to avoid clashing Avith each other , and never to disturb that harmony Avhich should exist among us , all discussions of this character are rigorously forbidden in our Lodges , and scrupulously respected ; that if Freemasonry professed any religion it Avould be its duty to give it full effect , and that
thus it would violate our grand principle of liberty ; that it should be lay , but not atheist , and that the confusion bctAveen these terms , so essentially different from each other ,
is a defect of logic and of good faith . Vainly have we ansAvered all these things ; they will not listen , and it is to be feared they never will consent to listen to this language of common sense and of reason .
Bro. B. Penchinat's Address At The Close Of The General Assembly Of The G.O. Of France.
Our conscience , sole judge of all our actions , imposes on us the obligation in these grave circumstances of rising to the height of our duty . Indeed , I am not very far from the conviction that this warfare , this persecution may , perhaps , in the end , be of service to our Order . Danger not
uncommonly reawakens the listless , excites devotion , arouses in the mind a greater activity , and in the soul , a greater enthusiasm . We no longer live , thank God , in days when thousands upon thousands of men pay Avith dear life for the crime of heresy , that is to say , for the revolt of reason
against the despotism of a religious sect . Resistance in those days is less dangerous , but Avere it dangerous , is it for us to hesitate ? Already I see men Avho have attained eminence by their character , their talents , and the services they have rendered to science and their country , coming to
us , and seeking admission into our temples . This is a feature that must certainly strike you , and cause you to indulge in the firm hope of approaching triumph . When allies of such Avorth come and ask of their OAVU free will , and actuated by an impulse , of Avhich they may well be proud ,
to fight under the banner of Masonry , Ave have the right to say boldly , and with head erect , that our cause is that of right , of truth , of eternal justice , since it is embraced by those Avho have made justice and truth the constant aim of all their efforts and labours .
A modern philosopher , Herbert Spencer , in . the course of his remarkable Avork , Introduction to Social Science , makes use of a comparison , the justice of Avhich has struck me , and which I will make knoAvn to you , because it tells its OAVU tale , and is applicable to our present
situation . When a man undertakes to ascend a lofty mountain , in order that , as an artist , he may feast his eyes on the grand and majestic beauties of nature , at first he sets out , alert and joyous , satchel on his back , stick in hand . But the hours pass ; his pace slackens , the ascent becomes more
difficult ; by degrees his strength is exhausted , his enthusiam evaporates , and he sits on a rock fatigued , ready to abandon his project , discouraged by the incessant difficulties and numberless obstacles Avhich , at each instant , beset his path . All of a sudden he pulls himself together , he marks
the distance he has accomplished , he sees that he has traversed more than half the route , and that the summit is not as distant as he had at first supposed ; hope returns to him , he finds fresh strength to put himself once again on the road , and , thinking of the ideal pleasure which
awaits him , he makes a final effort and attains the summit . We also , my brethren , have our mountain to scale , at the summit of which is found the realisation of our wishes and the limit of our labours . It is long since Ave undertook this trying journey , and from all appearances , it will last
yet a long time . But is it the right moment to abandon the struggle , Avheu the dangers are more formidable and more pressing , when there is greater need of calmness and presence of mind , of daring and energy , Avhen Ave should exert to the utmost all the strength Ave possess ? Is
this the moment for us to give iu ? Certainl y not . Let us turn a glance behind us , let us measure the distance that has been traversed , the difficulties that have been surmounted , and let us bear in mind that each step brings us nearer to our goal . Let us take heart , then ; let us gird our loins , and fonvard !
My dear Veuerables and Delegates , you are about to return to your respective Lodges . Hide not from our brethren the gravity of the present circumstances , reaAvaken their zeal , do battle Avith indifference , appeal to their feelings as Masons ,
if they be so m reality and in their hearts . It behoves us to marshal our ranks in order to meet the enemy which menaces modern civilization , and , as a consequence , our French Freemasonry , on the standard of Avhich are inscribed the Avatch-words of humanity and progress .
Liberty , equality , fraternity , sacred triad , magic formula , which hast freed our fathers from the oppression of the despot , be ever present to our minds , direct our actions and
our thoughts , enlighten our hearts , grant us the needful strength , and may Ave , by thy help , in a not distant future , prove victorious over our enemies , less for our OAVU glory than for the happiness of mankind .
Cctrn HOUSE PLAYIKG CIBBS . —Mogul Quality , picked Is 3 d per pack , 14 a per dozen packs . Do . seconds is per pack , lis per dozen packs . If by post 1-Jcl per pack extra . Cards for Piquet , B & ique , Ecarte ' , & c , Mogul Quality lOd per pack , 9 s per dozen packs . —London i W . W . Mirgan , 67 Barbican , li . C .