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Article PROVINCIAL. ← Page 2 of 25 →
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Provincial.
symbolical of the universality of Masonry ; the Union Jack of Old England being conspicuously placed on either side of the room : the space above the lights was effectivel y decorated , and relieved by laurels and various other evergreens . The band was placed on a platform , raised at the lower end of the hall . The dinner , of which about seventy Brethren partook , was in every respect worthy of the occasion . The cloth having been removedthe R . W . P . G . M . " The
, gave Queen : may she long live to reign over a free and happy people . " " The Duke of Cornwall ; " in prefacing this toast , he expressed a hope that at some future day his Royal Highness might become one of their Craft , and be , not only their feudal lord , hut the Grand Master of this province . " Prince Albert and the Royal Family " was the next toast proposed ; after which the R . W . M . lemarked that having drunk the usual toasts of our Sovereign and the several branches of the royal familit next
y , became their duty , as it was their pleasure , to drink " The Ruler of the Craft , the Earl of Zetland , the Grand Master of England . " After this toast the Director of Ceremonies and the Stewards introduced a great number of ladies , and after as many as could be , were seated , the R . W . M . rose , and said—Ladies , I have now the pleasing task of proposing your healths as the toast we most cordially accept ; and of offering you our warmest thanks for the honour have done us in
you coming here . It is gratifying to us in every way to find ourselves in your company , and I am sure that there is not a man amongst us who does not feel honoured by your presence . But I confess that I attach more consequence to your visit than the mere pleasure which it is calculated to afford , for it exhibits Masonry in a light favourable to our social
character . It has pleased certain persons to say that Masonry is a thing apart from the world , and that in proportion as a man becomes a zealous Mason , in the same degree he becomes insensible to those relations of life which you represent and help to form . There are others again , whose greatest delight it is to raise a cry of irreligion against their neighbours ; and one of these has lately published a book to shew that Masonry is antichristian , and tinged with German mysticism . In answer
to these two imputations , let me call your attention to the only two occasions in which we , as Masons , appear in public in the discharge of our duties to the Craft . One of these is the religious service , in which I have no doubt that many of you have this day partaken . It might be considered enough to point to this scene of devotion ; but it is hardly worth while to dwell on any fact or number of facts , when we have testimony which cannot be discredited to convince the most assiduous
caviller , that Freemasonry is not dangerous to religion . Are your husbands and brothers men without faith ? Are our excellent Chaplain , or our Reverend Brethren , who have taken part in the services to-day , men to countenance an irreligious engagement ? Was the late Archbishop of Canterbury so devoid of sincerity that he would have remained within the pale of Freemasonry , if he had thought that its tenets were unchristian ? The idea is too absurd to be entertained one moment
; but its absurdity has been entirely overlooked , when the cry of irreligion is to be raised , and public indignation is to be excited against German mysticism . Let us see upon what ground this charge of mysticism rests ; and how the argument is constructed . It is assumed that Freemasonry pretends to be universal . Therefore , what is found in one place , must exist in all others ; and as there is mysticism in Germany m connection with certain Lodges of Freemasons , therefore there must bt-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Provincial.
symbolical of the universality of Masonry ; the Union Jack of Old England being conspicuously placed on either side of the room : the space above the lights was effectivel y decorated , and relieved by laurels and various other evergreens . The band was placed on a platform , raised at the lower end of the hall . The dinner , of which about seventy Brethren partook , was in every respect worthy of the occasion . The cloth having been removedthe R . W . P . G . M . " The
, gave Queen : may she long live to reign over a free and happy people . " " The Duke of Cornwall ; " in prefacing this toast , he expressed a hope that at some future day his Royal Highness might become one of their Craft , and be , not only their feudal lord , hut the Grand Master of this province . " Prince Albert and the Royal Family " was the next toast proposed ; after which the R . W . M . lemarked that having drunk the usual toasts of our Sovereign and the several branches of the royal familit next
y , became their duty , as it was their pleasure , to drink " The Ruler of the Craft , the Earl of Zetland , the Grand Master of England . " After this toast the Director of Ceremonies and the Stewards introduced a great number of ladies , and after as many as could be , were seated , the R . W . M . rose , and said—Ladies , I have now the pleasing task of proposing your healths as the toast we most cordially accept ; and of offering you our warmest thanks for the honour have done us in
you coming here . It is gratifying to us in every way to find ourselves in your company , and I am sure that there is not a man amongst us who does not feel honoured by your presence . But I confess that I attach more consequence to your visit than the mere pleasure which it is calculated to afford , for it exhibits Masonry in a light favourable to our social
character . It has pleased certain persons to say that Masonry is a thing apart from the world , and that in proportion as a man becomes a zealous Mason , in the same degree he becomes insensible to those relations of life which you represent and help to form . There are others again , whose greatest delight it is to raise a cry of irreligion against their neighbours ; and one of these has lately published a book to shew that Masonry is antichristian , and tinged with German mysticism . In answer
to these two imputations , let me call your attention to the only two occasions in which we , as Masons , appear in public in the discharge of our duties to the Craft . One of these is the religious service , in which I have no doubt that many of you have this day partaken . It might be considered enough to point to this scene of devotion ; but it is hardly worth while to dwell on any fact or number of facts , when we have testimony which cannot be discredited to convince the most assiduous
caviller , that Freemasonry is not dangerous to religion . Are your husbands and brothers men without faith ? Are our excellent Chaplain , or our Reverend Brethren , who have taken part in the services to-day , men to countenance an irreligious engagement ? Was the late Archbishop of Canterbury so devoid of sincerity that he would have remained within the pale of Freemasonry , if he had thought that its tenets were unchristian ? The idea is too absurd to be entertained one moment
; but its absurdity has been entirely overlooked , when the cry of irreligion is to be raised , and public indignation is to be excited against German mysticism . Let us see upon what ground this charge of mysticism rests ; and how the argument is constructed . It is assumed that Freemasonry pretends to be universal . Therefore , what is found in one place , must exist in all others ; and as there is mysticism in Germany m connection with certain Lodges of Freemasons , therefore there must bt-