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Article CHAPTER I. ← Page 4 of 6 →
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Chapter I.
words which Muthodes had been guilty of using , ivere then fairly transcribed , each on a separate piece of paper , and being rolled up into pellets , were enclosed in the leaf of a cabbage , and he was compelled to swallow them in detail , one by one , till all were consumed . Now the cabbage being esteemed a sovereign antidote against drunkenness , it was prescribed in this case , because the man who pretends to give an opinion on a subject which he does not understandis guilty of wilful falsehood
, — and wilful falsehood is a species of moral intoxication . And , as a further precaution against a renewal of the offence , the delinquent was placed in an inverted posture , that the fumes of the indigestible verbiage might rise into tbe epigastrium , and the brain remain untouched . This was considered to be a never-failing cure for the complaint . Our opponents will perhaps be gratified to learn , how reluctant soever they may be to admit the fact , in what manner the influence of Masonry
operates ; because , they may probably think , that as its effects do not always appear on the surface , and the institution does not obtrude itself on public notice b y the use of such means as are resorted to by some other societies , to secure the applause of the multitude , its moral efficacy is questionable . I am ready to admit , that Freemasonry is of a retiring character ; that it distributes its benefits noiselessly , and does not let its left hand know what its right hand doeth . But its influence on society
is not the less certain , nor its benefits the less operative , on that account . And I shall endeavour to demonstrate this proposition by showing , that Freemasonry actually recommends all those virtues , and forbids all those vices , which tend to promote or retard the welfare of civil society ; and that the example of its members imparts a silent lesson , which , though
it may not be obvious to the sight , works secretly for the benefit of the community at large . And first it will be observed , that influence is of two kinds , direct and indirect . The first embraces precept and example , the second may be subdivided into positive and negative . These I shall consider seriatim ; and I flatter myself that I shall convince the reader—as I am myself convinced—that Freemasonry possesses considerable influence on the moral and social condition of manhowever it he overlooked bthe
, may y thoughtless , doubted by the sceptic , or denied by those who regard our proceedings with envy and ill-will . All such persons , from what cause soever their hostility may arise , in their ignorance of our practices , expose themselves in mass , by contradicting and refuting each others theory . One wittily accuses us of practising an institution which is out ofthe pale of Christianity ; another condemns us becauseas he sayswe make it a Christian institutionand
, , , endeavour to pass it off as a substitute for the gospel . How can these two adversaries reconcile the grounds of their hostility to the Order , when neither of them can tell which is right and which is wrong ? There are many other anomalies into which these critics fall and ensnare themselves , when they plunge into a stream whose depth has not been sounded . Our transgressions , according to the evidence of these worthies , are too numerous to be either overlooked or forgiven . Freemasonry is
frivolous and absurd—it is useless—it is unsocial—it is anti-monarchialit is an emanation of paganism—it imposes unlawful oaths—it is a spirit raising , gold making , fortune telling deception , exuded from the dross and filth of Rosicrucianism , & c . & c . But the exclusion of females appears to be the pons asinorum of the objectors . And he must be an adventurous knight , indeed , and clad cap-a-pie in armour of proof , who
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Chapter I.
words which Muthodes had been guilty of using , ivere then fairly transcribed , each on a separate piece of paper , and being rolled up into pellets , were enclosed in the leaf of a cabbage , and he was compelled to swallow them in detail , one by one , till all were consumed . Now the cabbage being esteemed a sovereign antidote against drunkenness , it was prescribed in this case , because the man who pretends to give an opinion on a subject which he does not understandis guilty of wilful falsehood
, — and wilful falsehood is a species of moral intoxication . And , as a further precaution against a renewal of the offence , the delinquent was placed in an inverted posture , that the fumes of the indigestible verbiage might rise into tbe epigastrium , and the brain remain untouched . This was considered to be a never-failing cure for the complaint . Our opponents will perhaps be gratified to learn , how reluctant soever they may be to admit the fact , in what manner the influence of Masonry
operates ; because , they may probably think , that as its effects do not always appear on the surface , and the institution does not obtrude itself on public notice b y the use of such means as are resorted to by some other societies , to secure the applause of the multitude , its moral efficacy is questionable . I am ready to admit , that Freemasonry is of a retiring character ; that it distributes its benefits noiselessly , and does not let its left hand know what its right hand doeth . But its influence on society
is not the less certain , nor its benefits the less operative , on that account . And I shall endeavour to demonstrate this proposition by showing , that Freemasonry actually recommends all those virtues , and forbids all those vices , which tend to promote or retard the welfare of civil society ; and that the example of its members imparts a silent lesson , which , though
it may not be obvious to the sight , works secretly for the benefit of the community at large . And first it will be observed , that influence is of two kinds , direct and indirect . The first embraces precept and example , the second may be subdivided into positive and negative . These I shall consider seriatim ; and I flatter myself that I shall convince the reader—as I am myself convinced—that Freemasonry possesses considerable influence on the moral and social condition of manhowever it he overlooked bthe
, may y thoughtless , doubted by the sceptic , or denied by those who regard our proceedings with envy and ill-will . All such persons , from what cause soever their hostility may arise , in their ignorance of our practices , expose themselves in mass , by contradicting and refuting each others theory . One wittily accuses us of practising an institution which is out ofthe pale of Christianity ; another condemns us becauseas he sayswe make it a Christian institutionand
, , , endeavour to pass it off as a substitute for the gospel . How can these two adversaries reconcile the grounds of their hostility to the Order , when neither of them can tell which is right and which is wrong ? There are many other anomalies into which these critics fall and ensnare themselves , when they plunge into a stream whose depth has not been sounded . Our transgressions , according to the evidence of these worthies , are too numerous to be either overlooked or forgiven . Freemasonry is
frivolous and absurd—it is useless—it is unsocial—it is anti-monarchialit is an emanation of paganism—it imposes unlawful oaths—it is a spirit raising , gold making , fortune telling deception , exuded from the dross and filth of Rosicrucianism , & c . & c . But the exclusion of females appears to be the pons asinorum of the objectors . And he must be an adventurous knight , indeed , and clad cap-a-pie in armour of proof , who