A Woman's Reply.

A WOMAN'S REPLY .

MOME years ago , a Eev . Mr . Blanchard , known as an opponent > 0 of Freemasonry , was challenged to meet with Mrs . M . E . De Geer , in debate , at which Mr . B . was allowed an hour , the Mrs . DeGeer an hour , then Mr . B . fifteen minutes and Mrs . DeGcer fifteen minutes for a reply . The debate was held in the Congregational Church in Chicago , 10 th December 1869 .

Ladies and Gentlemen : Mr . Blanchard's last objections to Masonry are as easily answered as his first , in this evening ' s discussion . To refute my defence , he says , firstly , " they keep the women , with tho dogs , outside the door . " Well , intelligent women won't condemn Masons more uncharitably than we condemn the churches for keeping us out of their pulpits , and the

politicians for keeping us out of the ballot-box , both of which places Mr . Blanchard agrees to keep us out of . Masonry was first confined to operative Masonry , and as there were no operative lady Masons , women were then excluded , and Masons were pledged to confine the secrets to the Craft alone , and also to never change their ancient rules ; but to-day every generous-hearted Mason

would gladly associate the female searchers of light and knowledge with them in the Lodge-room , if they could get the whole Brotherhood to consent , and they do unite us with them in deeds of Charity and Love ; they bestow on us all the benefits of Masonry , and exempt us from its labour and expense . The widow and orphan of a Master Mason takes tho place of the husband and the

father in the affections of the Lodge . You may search every poorhouse in the world , and you won't find the widow or orphan of a Mason or Odd Fellow there , no more than a Mason or Odd Fellow , but I'm sorry to say you'll find the church poor , as well as the world's poor , there , and notwitstanding my opponent's solemn assurance that no woman ever got an insight into a Mason ' s Lodge ,

or ever would , here is one who got a view of the Promised Land from the Sacred Mount , and while the last drop of blood should pass from my heart before anything that Masons hold sacred and dear shall ever be revealed to the unworthy , yet I am glad that 1 can now solemnly protest , before God and this people , against the false charges brought against Masonry to-night , one of which was that a

Master Mason is sworn to defend an unworthy Brother , murder and treason not excepted , for I do know that Master Masons are pledged to defend worthy Brothers , and there is not one word of murder and treason in the whole obligation , but everything that binds a man to good and pure life . One woman was made a Mason , too , and you will find her name and portrait with

Washington's and other celebrated Masons on most American charts , and you will find her picture framed in almost every Lodge in Europe , which proves how Masons value woman ' s faithfulness . I , myself , am a living witness of the Brotherly love and protecting care that Masonry is to woman . I owe a great deal of my success in life to the Mystic Brotherhood , under Gcd , which a book I am

now writing , called " Euth Mason ' s Gleaning from Life , " will show . Masons and Odd Fellows have been a strong undercurrent that carried me safely over the rougher billows of life ; they have been walls of jrotection upon every side , my Brethren and sisters of the Eastern Star and the Daughters of Eebecca , proving strong pillars upon which I could lean in time of sickness and sorrow .

Secondly , he denies that it is a great , glorious , loving Brotherhood , because he can find no printed annual report of their deeds of charity . No , and never will . The teachings of Masonry , accoiding to teachings of our blessed Eedeemer , teach us not to do our alms before men to be seen of them , but before God , and He whose all-seeing eye sees in secret may accept and approve our work .

In a flourishing town a short distance from Chicago , where I was lecturing on temperance last summer , an anti-Mason , like my opponent , but a noble , generous-hearted temperance worker , related a case where an accident of fire stripped three poor families , living in one building , of all their earthly goods . " You have a large , influential Lodge of Freemasons here , " said he , " but as a Lodge

they did nothing for these poor distressed people , because they did not happen to be Masons I " " How do you know ? " I asked . " Because we would have heard it—oh , yes , we would have heard itl" "Well , did your church , as an institution , do anything ?" "No , for wo have no church treasury , but we all gave liberally . " " Did you not call on tho Freemasons ? " " Yes . " " And did they not

give liberally , too ? ' " Oh yes , as citizens they did , but as a Lodge they did not . " " Well , now , friend , you know the pledge between Eahab and the spies was , ' My life for yours if you utter not this our business . ' I will pledge my life for yours that the Lodge , or body of Masons in tho Lodge , in addition to what they gave individually , gave out of tho Lodgo funds liberally ( for Masons do

not give small gifts ) , if they had money in their treasury , as you say . " " No , no , they did not ; we would have heard it if they had . They would have published it in the papers , or told it . " " There you are mistaken ; they would do neither . But I will investigate and report 1 " I said , laughing at the idea of Masons publishing or telling their deeds of charity to the world .

I did inquire , and was confidentially informed by the Master of the Lodge that the Lodge had voted seventy-five dollars of its funds to the distressed families , giving twenty-five dollars to each in such a way that the relieved could only know that God had put it into the hearts of some of His children to do a kind , generous deed . This is but one of the thousands of like deeds done every year by Masons all over the world to the poor outside of the Lodge , as well as their own poor within .

But the third cool objection is , Masons were rebels . They did not turn out as a body to meet the union soldiers on their return from war ! Finney and Benard do not give the lecture in the Entered Apprentice Degree , or Mr . Blanchard would have been better informed with regard to Masonic loyalty . If you , anti-Masons , had read a Masonic journal , expecially the " Voice of Masonry , " an advocate of " Truth and Justice , " which the sheet of Mr . "Blanchard is not , and of which he speaks so contemptuously , you

A Woman's Reply.

would have read an account of the earnest meetings held by the fraternity all over the North , during tho first year of the late war , and you who love peace better than strife , would have loved the Masons , like the good Quakers , for their heavenly sentiments . At ono of their largest conventions , when some of the red-hot

Eepublicans ( who to-day would place even the Loyal Democrats where the copperheads would keep the negroes ) would havo allowed the political animosities to break over Masonic rule , and declared that no Northern Mason should acknowledge a Southern Mason , while all dwelt with touching pathos upon the loyalty enjoined upon them by all Masons to be true to the government by

which they were protected , and while on the bloody field of battle a ball might pass from a Brother ' s hand that would take the life of another Brother , while on the same field of carnage the cold steel of the bayonet might unintentionally pierce the warm heart of a Brother , yet the Brethren should be Brethren the world over , when they knowingly met as such , their language and resolutions on that occasion , as given by a poetic Brother , was : —

The badge of the Craft is unsullied as yet—From war ' s dust and blood let us fold it ; The pages of history are sacred with light , We swear thus in honour to hold it .

Great God t from thy throne see thy people at strife I The gavel must heal the disorder ; Eestore us to peace 1 0 God , spare innocent life ; Be Thou our Saviour and Warder .

Then lift up to God—up to God the left hand ; With mine join—with mine join the other ; Though war blow tho blast , and though death strew the land , We swear we'll be true to each Brother .

Andersonville and Libby Prison afterwards bore witness , with Sebastapol , and other past cruel wars , of Masonic Brotherly lovo and loyalty blended most benignly together . * Did tho Congregationalists as a body turn out to meet tho soldiers ? Did the Methodists , the Baptists , or any other church organisation or society , more than the Masons ? Oh , no ; but

did we not all unite en masse to welcome home our poor , brave soldiers , and weep for those who camo not ? Were not the Masons with us ? Did they not give of their means as liberally as any other loyal men ? Did they not volunteer as cheerfully as others ? Were not most of our generals that led the Union army to victory Freemasons ? Yes , and thousands of our brave boys in the field as well . it

But Mr . Blanchard is opposed to Masonry because ^ confers titles such as Grand Master , & c , that we do not read of in the Bible ! We do not read of Eeverend D . D . in the Bible ; but because the venerable Eeverend is attached to his father ' s name he has no conscientious scruples about that , while we believe aa conscientiously that Grand Master becomes Brother Beynolds , of this State , as well as Eeverend does Mr . Blanchard .

Mr . Blanchard , my opponent , is rather a smart boy ! Not so smart though , as he might , had his education not been so darkly tinctured with bigotry ; but all his opposition to Masonry , like his father's , just amounts to John Smithism , and nothing more .

A man of the name of John Smith lived in Canada some years ago . He was what they called over thero " big I and little you , ' , but what you Americans call a " swelled head . " Very large in the organ of combativeness , always ready to raise * a row on the mott trifling occasion ; very large in the organ of destructiveness , ever

ready to put a row into execution , and very low in tho organs of conscientiousness and benevolence , unwilling to give others the same "privileges he would like to enjoy . He had considerable approbation , however ; and he thought if he could only get into church as a member he would have more influence and be regarded

more favourably . So ho first joined the Methodists , because they were the most influential , but he was not long with them till he raised a fuss , and they turned him out . They had a Baptist church in the town , but he was afraid to join them for fear thoy would drown him , so he made up his mind to join the Presbyterians .

Well , ho was just six weeks a member of the Presbyterian Church when they raised a row there , and they assembled to kirk him , according to the rules of the old Church of Scotland , and to discuss what it was best to do in John Smith ' s caso . An old Scotch elder looked up anxiously in the minister ' s face , and made the following suggestion : " Let's pray for John Smith . " " Very well , " said the

minister . " I'll gie the first prayer , if it please your reverence , " suggested the elder . The minister graciously assented . They knelt , and the elder offered the following prayer : " 0 Lord t tak John Smith to hall ! " " Stop ! stop ! " exclaimed tho minister ; " what kind of a prayer is that ? " " The right kind ofaainye

ken , " answered the elder , " for if he gets into Heaven he'll raise a row there , and if he gets into hall he'll brak it up in sax weeks . ' And it must be so with Mr . Blanchard . He must love strife better than peace . I know it must be so with his father , for you Congregationalists know that for a number of years back ho has been trying to raise a row with Dr . Patton , present editor of " The

Advance , "but , having failed to run him off the track , he has becomo more general in his fighting propensities , and now wages a warfare upon thc best , if not the largest , portion of all Christendom , but his guns , bombshells and cannon contain no destructive shot or ball , and only make a big noise for little things , causing thousands to take shelter inside the temples of knowledge , while they laugh at the foolishness of the squabblers outside . — " Masonic Tidings . "

Dr . Salmon , of Penllyn Court , Cowbridge , South Wales , enjoys the honour of being the oldest doctor and Freemason in the kingdom . He recently attained the age of 104 years , and cau boast a Masonic life of over eighty years , in addition to which he is the " father " of the Royal College of Surgeons .