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Article THE FREEMASONS' QUARTERLY MAGAZINE. ← Page 4 of 4
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The Freemasons' Quarterly Magazine.
many to be in membership with Ereemasonry . Things have changed in this respect , as in many others . Now " the popular world , " having witnessed the benevolence of the Order , having seen all its Institutions , save one , * flourishing , and remarking that the Anniversary Festivals produce a large accumulation of funds , begin " to speak well of us ; " and from speaking wellthe process not being difficult whereby initiation may be had , — haste for admission is engendered , and out of this haste harm too often arises , which neither time nor circumstance may be
able to rectify . It is a fact , whicli the books of the Grand Lodge will testify , that more Masons have this year been made , up to the present time , than in the whole twelve months of any past year , —and that the desire to add to their numbers , seems to be becoming a mania , not only in London , but throughout the Provinces .
The money , which this disposition brings to the Order , cannot but be considerable ; yet money is not its chief good ; it may be accumulated much too dearl y , if it tend , as we fear it may , to a looseness of practice , and a derogation of the laws and well-defined usages of the Institution . Feeling this to be a fact , which cannot be too carefull y considered , Ave would entreat
our Brethren , in all parts of the United Kingdom , to lay these further obseiwations of our American Brother to heart , for Aidiilst they depict the clangers to Avhich Masonry is now exposed , no less in this part of the globe , than beyond the broad Atlantic , they speak Avith a voice of Avarning , that ought not to be uttered in vain , and whicli may obviate the peril which —Ave cannot hide it from ourselves—has Avithin itself all the elements for the destruction of one of the noblest ancl best
Institutions , Avhich the world has ever seen : — " A prosperity based on a culpable disregard of the conservative rides of safety , does indeed ' contain the elements of destruction , '—elements Avhich must , as an inevitable consequence , if nurtured and warmed into life , sooner or later manifest themselves in the depreciation of the character , the influence , and high social and moral position Avhich our Institution has attained and pre-eminently enjoys . Its bitterest enemies can
ask no more ample assurance of a speedy and certain realization of their worst hopes and desires , than that the ' ancient barriers , ' which , century after century , have protected it against the insidious approaches of the unworthy , and preserved its altar-fires unquenched , shall bo broken down and destroyed . If this calamity is ever to befal it , it can only happen through the reckless instrumentality of indiscreet and over-zealous friendship . While it has nothing to fear from the assaults of its enemies without , it has much to apprehend Irom the indiscretion oi its friends within . This truth is emblazoned upon every page of its history , and should be received as the voice of the past , speaking to the present . "
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Freemasons' Quarterly Magazine.
many to be in membership with Ereemasonry . Things have changed in this respect , as in many others . Now " the popular world , " having witnessed the benevolence of the Order , having seen all its Institutions , save one , * flourishing , and remarking that the Anniversary Festivals produce a large accumulation of funds , begin " to speak well of us ; " and from speaking wellthe process not being difficult whereby initiation may be had , — haste for admission is engendered , and out of this haste harm too often arises , which neither time nor circumstance may be
able to rectify . It is a fact , whicli the books of the Grand Lodge will testify , that more Masons have this year been made , up to the present time , than in the whole twelve months of any past year , —and that the desire to add to their numbers , seems to be becoming a mania , not only in London , but throughout the Provinces .
The money , which this disposition brings to the Order , cannot but be considerable ; yet money is not its chief good ; it may be accumulated much too dearl y , if it tend , as we fear it may , to a looseness of practice , and a derogation of the laws and well-defined usages of the Institution . Feeling this to be a fact , which cannot be too carefull y considered , Ave would entreat
our Brethren , in all parts of the United Kingdom , to lay these further obseiwations of our American Brother to heart , for Aidiilst they depict the clangers to Avhich Masonry is now exposed , no less in this part of the globe , than beyond the broad Atlantic , they speak Avith a voice of Avarning , that ought not to be uttered in vain , and whicli may obviate the peril which —Ave cannot hide it from ourselves—has Avithin itself all the elements for the destruction of one of the noblest ancl best
Institutions , Avhich the world has ever seen : — " A prosperity based on a culpable disregard of the conservative rides of safety , does indeed ' contain the elements of destruction , '—elements Avhich must , as an inevitable consequence , if nurtured and warmed into life , sooner or later manifest themselves in the depreciation of the character , the influence , and high social and moral position Avhich our Institution has attained and pre-eminently enjoys . Its bitterest enemies can
ask no more ample assurance of a speedy and certain realization of their worst hopes and desires , than that the ' ancient barriers , ' which , century after century , have protected it against the insidious approaches of the unworthy , and preserved its altar-fires unquenched , shall bo broken down and destroyed . If this calamity is ever to befal it , it can only happen through the reckless instrumentality of indiscreet and over-zealous friendship . While it has nothing to fear from the assaults of its enemies without , it has much to apprehend Irom the indiscretion oi its friends within . This truth is emblazoned upon every page of its history , and should be received as the voice of the past , speaking to the present . "