Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Common Sense Not Yet Extinct Among American Masons.
was the practice of the Grand Lodge between 1730 and 1738 , we may assume that the same fashion prevailed in the Lodges at the said period . ID a ritual of 1730 , however , the Bible , Square , and Compasses were called the "
fnraiture of the Lodge , " aud some twenty or thirty years later the furniture of the Lodge of 1730 was changed into the " three great lights . " Masons ( as a rule ) never trouble themselves about searching for origins of phrases in the
ritual , hence it was generally supposed for a long time that the Bible in the Lodge was an " ancient landmark . " The subsequent introduction of Templarism as a higher degree in Masonry served further to foster the delusion that belief
in the inspiration of the Bible was essential to Masonry ; hence in Sweden and in Germany Masonry was deemed a purely Christian Institution , where Jewish Masons were not allowed even to visit a Lodge .
In America , where Masonry is of a mongrel kind , it is called Cosmopolitan or universal Masonry , but nevertheless the Worshipful Master must pretend to venerate " the Lion
of the tribe of Judah " and the Saints John , and it is not uncommon to have in our Lodge rooms a cross , placed conspicuously to denote the religion of our Masonry ; and evea a Massachusetts Mason ' s certificate is embellished with
a female figure holding up a cross as an emblem of a Mason ' s faith . In Ohio , in Texas , and in other jurisdictions too , if a Mason denies the inspiration or authenticity of the Bible , he is expelled from Masonry ; and only about
two years ago a Mason was expelled in Montana and in Canada for having said or published something about the Bible . Recently , however , a similar case occurred in
Illinois , and the following address of the Grand Master and the remarks of the Grand Lodge Committee , will show a " new departure " there taken upon the sectarian question .
The Grand Master said : — " 5 th June . I received a communication from a member of Vienna Lodge , No . 150 , inquiring whether charges could be sustained against a Mason who disbelieves the Bible , and who does not believe in the God of the same . I assured him that charges could be sustained , and he be promptly expelled .
" I subsequently learned that a number of members of Vienna Lodge belonged to a society which disbelieved the
Bible , and denied the existence of the God of the same . The president of the society , Bro . John S . Crum , sometime previous published an address which had been delivered on the subject of the Bible and the God of the Bible , but which bore for a title the startling words ' Believe , or be Damned . ' In this he takes great delight in making light of the Book of Books , as well as of the God of our fathers .
" I need onlv auote one sentence from his address : ' I " I need only quote one sentence from his address : I therefore pronounce the first sentenca in the old Jewish book a falsehood . ' The sentence to which reference is made , as will be remembered , is part of our ritual , from the' Great
Lighfcin Masonry , ' and has reference to our Supreme Grand Master . This is a sample of the address . The doctrine of this atheistic society has crept into the Lodge , and unless speedily checked must affect the welfare and reputation of the Fraternity very seriously in the community where it is
located . " Bro . Cram was placed on trial , at which the R . W . Bro
James A . Rose presided , and although found guilty of one specification , the Lodge refused to fix a penalty . This being reported to me , I immediately suspended the functions of the Lodge .
"Pending the trial Bro . Crura preferred charges against W . Bro . L . Arnold , Master of the Lodge , for permitting a sectarian question to be presented to the Lodge for consideration . These were at once dismissed , with the
assurance to Bro . Crum that , in my opinion , any Mason holding such views as his ought never to see the insight of a Masonic Lodge . In reply to this he requested me to
submit the case fairly to the Grand Lodge . This I have done , and urgently request that it receive that attention its merit demands . "
The question was referred to a Committee consisting of five brethren , and here is their response . " The subject brought up by the trial of a member of Vienna Lodge , No . 150 , on charges growing out of his
alleged theological opinions , and the bringing counter charges by the accused against the Master of the Lodge for permitting sectarian matter to be presented to the
Lodge for consideration , imposes upon your Committee a delicate duty , not only because the subject is one which always lies very near the prejudices and passions of men , but bouauso of thc difficulty of discussing it without
Common Sense Not Yet Extinct Among American Masons.
overstepping here the law-making body itself , the bounds of which the law made here in consonance with the fundamental law of Masonry , sets up for the constituent Lodges and forbids them to pass . For these reasons it seems to
your Committee that the law in a general way may be profitably considered before passing to the case which has arisen under it , or in spite of it ; and because the time allotted to the Committee is too brief for preparation of a
fresh presentation of the subject . It quotes hero from the Proceedings of the Grand * Lodge , in a former yeir , a presentation which then received the approval of the Grand
Lodge , and which now reflects the opinions of your Committee relative to tho law and the line of Masonic duty touching the very basis of Masonic union . " The Committee then quote , as follows : —
" In entering upon this inquiry our manifest duty is to consult first the Ancient Law—the landmarks—by whose prescription every Masonic body aud every individual Mason is alike bound to square their Masonic action . The first
of the Old Charges ' concerning God and religion' says : — ' But though in ancient times Masons were charged in every country to be of the religion of that country or nation , whatever it was , yet it is now thought more
expedient only to oblige them to that religion in which all men agree , leaving their particular opinions to themselves ; that is , to be good men and true , or men of honour and honesty , by whatever denomination or persuasion they
may be distinguished , whereby Masonry becomes the centre of union and the means of conciliating true friendship among those who must have remained at a perpetual distance . "
"Under the same charge , atheists are excluded from Masonry , the warrant for such exclusion being found in the following :- — " A Mason is obliged by his tenure to obey the moral law , and if he rightly understands the art , he will never be a stupid atheist , nor an irreligious libertine . " "Atheists being excluded , what is then 'that religion in which all agree . ' Manifestly it is the belief in a
Supreme Being-, the initial point , and one great inclusive idea of all religions—the only one common to all . " From this one common point of theological agreement diverge the paths which lead to countless divisions and
subdivisions , ethnic and denominational , of the religions of the world . As the only possible centre of union , the only possible means of conciliating true friendship among those who must otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance . The landmark utterly refrains from indicating which ,
if any , of these diverging paths leads backward to the Supreme .
" Professedly a universal brotherhood , it is the comprehensive nature of its one religious requirement , the fact that it includes that and that only which is common to all religions , that gives Masonry its universality . How much
its votaries as individuals may add to this one cardinal idea of the Supreme Being , Masonry neither prescribes nor inquires ; but in the same Fraternity no man or body of men may add or take from it . Holding in common to the
great fact of the existence of God , all Masons must stand upon the level of a perfect equality whenever and wherever assembled as such . As a man Masonry leaves each one
free to his own theological interpretation ; for this freedom confers no licence to enforce or engraft his interpretations upon the institution .
" The moment a brother assumes that the Supreme can
be approached only through some one name—be that name Brahma , Jesus , Buddah , or Allah—that moment he enters upon theological definition and interpretation , the very root of sectarianism , which with its twin evil , political partizanship , Masonry seeks above all others to exclude .
" Our Grand Lodge , mindful of its obligation to the landmark , has by statute prohibited the introduction of either upon any Masonic occasion , and no one who will pause to reflect upon the essential nature of a brotherhood claiming : to be universal can doubt the wisdom of its
action . <; In the case before us a strongly sectarian address , published in pamphlet form by the accused , was made the basis of a charge against him of committing a Masonic
offence , and also constituted the sole evidence put in upon his trial to substantiate the charge . One of the specifications involved the charge of atheism , a disbelief in God ;
aud the others , throe or lour in number , were various ways of stating , in substance , that he was guilty of denying the diviuu authenticity of the Bible , of ridiculing that book , of
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Common Sense Not Yet Extinct Among American Masons.
was the practice of the Grand Lodge between 1730 and 1738 , we may assume that the same fashion prevailed in the Lodges at the said period . ID a ritual of 1730 , however , the Bible , Square , and Compasses were called the "
fnraiture of the Lodge , " aud some twenty or thirty years later the furniture of the Lodge of 1730 was changed into the " three great lights . " Masons ( as a rule ) never trouble themselves about searching for origins of phrases in the
ritual , hence it was generally supposed for a long time that the Bible in the Lodge was an " ancient landmark . " The subsequent introduction of Templarism as a higher degree in Masonry served further to foster the delusion that belief
in the inspiration of the Bible was essential to Masonry ; hence in Sweden and in Germany Masonry was deemed a purely Christian Institution , where Jewish Masons were not allowed even to visit a Lodge .
In America , where Masonry is of a mongrel kind , it is called Cosmopolitan or universal Masonry , but nevertheless the Worshipful Master must pretend to venerate " the Lion
of the tribe of Judah " and the Saints John , and it is not uncommon to have in our Lodge rooms a cross , placed conspicuously to denote the religion of our Masonry ; and evea a Massachusetts Mason ' s certificate is embellished with
a female figure holding up a cross as an emblem of a Mason ' s faith . In Ohio , in Texas , and in other jurisdictions too , if a Mason denies the inspiration or authenticity of the Bible , he is expelled from Masonry ; and only about
two years ago a Mason was expelled in Montana and in Canada for having said or published something about the Bible . Recently , however , a similar case occurred in
Illinois , and the following address of the Grand Master and the remarks of the Grand Lodge Committee , will show a " new departure " there taken upon the sectarian question .
The Grand Master said : — " 5 th June . I received a communication from a member of Vienna Lodge , No . 150 , inquiring whether charges could be sustained against a Mason who disbelieves the Bible , and who does not believe in the God of the same . I assured him that charges could be sustained , and he be promptly expelled .
" I subsequently learned that a number of members of Vienna Lodge belonged to a society which disbelieved the
Bible , and denied the existence of the God of the same . The president of the society , Bro . John S . Crum , sometime previous published an address which had been delivered on the subject of the Bible and the God of the Bible , but which bore for a title the startling words ' Believe , or be Damned . ' In this he takes great delight in making light of the Book of Books , as well as of the God of our fathers .
" I need onlv auote one sentence from his address : ' I " I need only quote one sentence from his address : I therefore pronounce the first sentenca in the old Jewish book a falsehood . ' The sentence to which reference is made , as will be remembered , is part of our ritual , from the' Great
Lighfcin Masonry , ' and has reference to our Supreme Grand Master . This is a sample of the address . The doctrine of this atheistic society has crept into the Lodge , and unless speedily checked must affect the welfare and reputation of the Fraternity very seriously in the community where it is
located . " Bro . Cram was placed on trial , at which the R . W . Bro
James A . Rose presided , and although found guilty of one specification , the Lodge refused to fix a penalty . This being reported to me , I immediately suspended the functions of the Lodge .
"Pending the trial Bro . Crura preferred charges against W . Bro . L . Arnold , Master of the Lodge , for permitting a sectarian question to be presented to the Lodge for consideration . These were at once dismissed , with the
assurance to Bro . Crum that , in my opinion , any Mason holding such views as his ought never to see the insight of a Masonic Lodge . In reply to this he requested me to
submit the case fairly to the Grand Lodge . This I have done , and urgently request that it receive that attention its merit demands . "
The question was referred to a Committee consisting of five brethren , and here is their response . " The subject brought up by the trial of a member of Vienna Lodge , No . 150 , on charges growing out of his
alleged theological opinions , and the bringing counter charges by the accused against the Master of the Lodge for permitting sectarian matter to be presented to the
Lodge for consideration , imposes upon your Committee a delicate duty , not only because the subject is one which always lies very near the prejudices and passions of men , but bouauso of thc difficulty of discussing it without
Common Sense Not Yet Extinct Among American Masons.
overstepping here the law-making body itself , the bounds of which the law made here in consonance with the fundamental law of Masonry , sets up for the constituent Lodges and forbids them to pass . For these reasons it seems to
your Committee that the law in a general way may be profitably considered before passing to the case which has arisen under it , or in spite of it ; and because the time allotted to the Committee is too brief for preparation of a
fresh presentation of the subject . It quotes hero from the Proceedings of the Grand * Lodge , in a former yeir , a presentation which then received the approval of the Grand
Lodge , and which now reflects the opinions of your Committee relative to tho law and the line of Masonic duty touching the very basis of Masonic union . " The Committee then quote , as follows : —
" In entering upon this inquiry our manifest duty is to consult first the Ancient Law—the landmarks—by whose prescription every Masonic body aud every individual Mason is alike bound to square their Masonic action . The first
of the Old Charges ' concerning God and religion' says : — ' But though in ancient times Masons were charged in every country to be of the religion of that country or nation , whatever it was , yet it is now thought more
expedient only to oblige them to that religion in which all men agree , leaving their particular opinions to themselves ; that is , to be good men and true , or men of honour and honesty , by whatever denomination or persuasion they
may be distinguished , whereby Masonry becomes the centre of union and the means of conciliating true friendship among those who must have remained at a perpetual distance . "
"Under the same charge , atheists are excluded from Masonry , the warrant for such exclusion being found in the following :- — " A Mason is obliged by his tenure to obey the moral law , and if he rightly understands the art , he will never be a stupid atheist , nor an irreligious libertine . " "Atheists being excluded , what is then 'that religion in which all agree . ' Manifestly it is the belief in a
Supreme Being-, the initial point , and one great inclusive idea of all religions—the only one common to all . " From this one common point of theological agreement diverge the paths which lead to countless divisions and
subdivisions , ethnic and denominational , of the religions of the world . As the only possible centre of union , the only possible means of conciliating true friendship among those who must otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance . The landmark utterly refrains from indicating which ,
if any , of these diverging paths leads backward to the Supreme .
" Professedly a universal brotherhood , it is the comprehensive nature of its one religious requirement , the fact that it includes that and that only which is common to all religions , that gives Masonry its universality . How much
its votaries as individuals may add to this one cardinal idea of the Supreme Being , Masonry neither prescribes nor inquires ; but in the same Fraternity no man or body of men may add or take from it . Holding in common to the
great fact of the existence of God , all Masons must stand upon the level of a perfect equality whenever and wherever assembled as such . As a man Masonry leaves each one
free to his own theological interpretation ; for this freedom confers no licence to enforce or engraft his interpretations upon the institution .
" The moment a brother assumes that the Supreme can
be approached only through some one name—be that name Brahma , Jesus , Buddah , or Allah—that moment he enters upon theological definition and interpretation , the very root of sectarianism , which with its twin evil , political partizanship , Masonry seeks above all others to exclude .
" Our Grand Lodge , mindful of its obligation to the landmark , has by statute prohibited the introduction of either upon any Masonic occasion , and no one who will pause to reflect upon the essential nature of a brotherhood claiming : to be universal can doubt the wisdom of its
action . <; In the case before us a strongly sectarian address , published in pamphlet form by the accused , was made the basis of a charge against him of committing a Masonic
offence , and also constituted the sole evidence put in upon his trial to substantiate the charge . One of the specifications involved the charge of atheism , a disbelief in God ;
aud the others , throe or lour in number , were various ways of stating , in substance , that he was guilty of denying the diviuu authenticity of the Bible , of ridiculing that book , of