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Article THE FREEMASONS' QUARTERLY REVIEW. ← Page 2 of 8 →
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The Freemasons' Quarterly Review.
Berlin , to the request of the Right Hon . the Earl of Zetland , is so absurd that we will end the subject by one or two remarks upon that letter . * They admit that they received the warrant and subsequent recognition from England , and that the Book of Constitutions , as used in England , was their guide ; yet now state that " forty years ago , they made an alteration , " affecting the first principle of Freemasonry . They had no reason for doing soexcept as a matter of courtesy to another Grand Lodge in
, Berlin , " and it remained so until 1836 , thirty years , without any stir being made upon the subject , " as if any one could make a complaint of what was not known—as if thirty years of injustice constituted a right . As soon as it became known , remonstrances were made , and the Royal York Grand Lodge RESCINDED THE LAW . Here was , at once , an admission of their having done what was highly improper aud contrary to the law of the Fraternity ; but they were not sincere , they trifled and
deceived—postponed and promised ; and , in 1845 , said , " that the Prince of Prussia would not allow it ; " but , in 1806 , they had no Prince of Prussia as their patron—even in 1837 the Prince was not patron ; wherefore , then , such idle excuses—why , as the M . W . G . M . stated , send such " apologetic letters ?"—why pretend that the Prince said , "he would continue Freemasonry as he received it ? " —How did he receive it ? In 1840 he became the protector , but , in 1837 , the obnoxious law was altered ; consequently , he became the head of the Order after it had become publicly known that an anti-Masonic law had crept in—had been found to exist , and had been abolished by a majority , 3 rd
September 1837 . What sophistry to put into his mouth!—we are surprised that they should attempt such flimsy deception . But how great was our surprise to find them writing " EVERY LODGE IN GERMANY , EXCEPT THE PRUSSIAN , HAS DECIDED UPON ADMITTING JEWS . " What are we to understand from their extraordinary letter ; the whole appears to us to be a contradiction , and an attempt to conceal , under mis-statements , a something that will not bear publicity , and the fear of publicity prevents them admitting authorized Freemasons ! The letter itself
, occupying four pages , is not worth recording , and we have no wish to promulgate so unmasonic a document ; nor do we wish to place upon record that which we know the Prussian Freemasons are ashamed of , and which we hope they will , by returning to their " ancient charges , " soon make worthless and unnecessary . Thenceforth we shall devote our time and space to more Masonic subjects than the exclusive society
which has taken the warrant and name of Freemasonry , yet , regardless of all moral obligations and common honesty , turns them to some hidden object which we can neither participate in nor countenance . We certainly cannot altogether compliment the Grand Lodge of England on the position they have placed themselves in—within two years to be entrapped into voting a congratulatory address to the head of a society , the only result of which has been , to be compelled to withdraw the representative they formerly had at that society ' s meetings , and to be obliged to request the representative here to withdraw likewise ; in fact , to undo much more publicly what had been almost privately carried , and stultify its own precedents by much more impor-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Freemasons' Quarterly Review.
Berlin , to the request of the Right Hon . the Earl of Zetland , is so absurd that we will end the subject by one or two remarks upon that letter . * They admit that they received the warrant and subsequent recognition from England , and that the Book of Constitutions , as used in England , was their guide ; yet now state that " forty years ago , they made an alteration , " affecting the first principle of Freemasonry . They had no reason for doing soexcept as a matter of courtesy to another Grand Lodge in
, Berlin , " and it remained so until 1836 , thirty years , without any stir being made upon the subject , " as if any one could make a complaint of what was not known—as if thirty years of injustice constituted a right . As soon as it became known , remonstrances were made , and the Royal York Grand Lodge RESCINDED THE LAW . Here was , at once , an admission of their having done what was highly improper aud contrary to the law of the Fraternity ; but they were not sincere , they trifled and
deceived—postponed and promised ; and , in 1845 , said , " that the Prince of Prussia would not allow it ; " but , in 1806 , they had no Prince of Prussia as their patron—even in 1837 the Prince was not patron ; wherefore , then , such idle excuses—why , as the M . W . G . M . stated , send such " apologetic letters ?"—why pretend that the Prince said , "he would continue Freemasonry as he received it ? " —How did he receive it ? In 1840 he became the protector , but , in 1837 , the obnoxious law was altered ; consequently , he became the head of the Order after it had become publicly known that an anti-Masonic law had crept in—had been found to exist , and had been abolished by a majority , 3 rd
September 1837 . What sophistry to put into his mouth!—we are surprised that they should attempt such flimsy deception . But how great was our surprise to find them writing " EVERY LODGE IN GERMANY , EXCEPT THE PRUSSIAN , HAS DECIDED UPON ADMITTING JEWS . " What are we to understand from their extraordinary letter ; the whole appears to us to be a contradiction , and an attempt to conceal , under mis-statements , a something that will not bear publicity , and the fear of publicity prevents them admitting authorized Freemasons ! The letter itself
, occupying four pages , is not worth recording , and we have no wish to promulgate so unmasonic a document ; nor do we wish to place upon record that which we know the Prussian Freemasons are ashamed of , and which we hope they will , by returning to their " ancient charges , " soon make worthless and unnecessary . Thenceforth we shall devote our time and space to more Masonic subjects than the exclusive society
which has taken the warrant and name of Freemasonry , yet , regardless of all moral obligations and common honesty , turns them to some hidden object which we can neither participate in nor countenance . We certainly cannot altogether compliment the Grand Lodge of England on the position they have placed themselves in—within two years to be entrapped into voting a congratulatory address to the head of a society , the only result of which has been , to be compelled to withdraw the representative they formerly had at that society ' s meetings , and to be obliged to request the representative here to withdraw likewise ; in fact , to undo much more publicly what had been almost privately carried , and stultify its own precedents by much more impor-