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Article MASONRY IN FRANCE. ← Page 7 of 9 →
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Masonry In France.
of the most brilliant attainments , Masonic as well as civil , was chosen Orator ; but Bro . Perier succeeded iu getting himself named Secretary-General , and derived a high authority from its functions . The Chief in the Secretary ' s Office xvas then Felix Pillot , high in the science of Masonry , xvith twenty years' working experience , and who gave the best direction to its labours . P . Pillot was devoted to the Order , and adverse to all revolutions and revolutionaries ; he held iu his hand all the movements ofthe Order , and it
xvould have been difficult under his administration to have infused into it any political bias . The confederates , therefore , at first contented themselves with placing marks for future operations . The Bros . Perier and Hubert introduced into the Order the Bros . Ciesar Bertholon , Clement Suhoelcher , Theodore Bai , Ranjat , Lavergne , Lesseps , Napoleon Galloir , Richard du Cantal , Curvier , Detours , nearly all members ofthe Montague : they hoped to gain in them protectors , ancl they otherwise had all their sympathies .
Bro . Hubert left the party for a time in 1849 , having been named councillor to the Prefecture at Bourges , and believing his advent was come : but he remained only three months in this office , and the cause of his retirement was never knoxvn . On his return to Paris he fastened himself upon Bro . Perier , over xvhom he obtained an absolute command , and the latter endeavoured to introduce him into the administration ofthe G . O ., to insure by that means its explosion : he gave him a place iu the office of Bro . Pillot . The latterill at ease for the prospects of
, the Order , seeing xvith alarm the efforts made to gain the command over it , and fearing that lie should not be able to retain his Office , sickened , and died suddenly , in February , 1851 . This loss xvas fatal to the G . O ., for it gave Bro . Perier the opportunity of fixing his ' protege . Many Brothers presented themselves as candidates for the Cheiftainship ofthe
Secretariat : one alone xvas formidable , because he had claims and an acknowledged fitness for the office ; this xvas Bro . Leblanc de Marconnay , a Mason of thirty years' standing ; having made Masonry an especial study , knowing its forms and all its rites , he alone was worthy of being brought forward for such an important office . Bro . Leblanc de Marconnay had never been mixed up xvith revolutions : he never had swerved from the principles of order and attachment to the ruling powers . Bro . Hubert hacl attached himself to Bro . Leblanc de Marconnay , xvho , tvith the liberality xx-hich distinguished hiin , xvas anxious to give him all the
instruction he stood so much in need of . The choice of a Chief of the Secretariat of the G . O . is a very delicate matter : he ought to be a Brother , intelligent , skilled , zealous , with nothing in view but the continuance of Masonry , consequently xvith a perfect freedom from every other tie , religious or political . Bro . Desanlis still remained President , or rather G . M . ( for at that time there xvas no G . M . of the G . O . ); he had seen xvith sorrow tbe endeavours of the intriguers to fasten upon Masonry a political character ; but , confiding in the
staightforwardness of Bro . Pillot , he had consented to hold the government ofthe Order . After Bro . Pillot there was onl y one Brother on xvhom Bro . Desanlis could rely , this was Bro . Leblanc de Marconnay , and this he had openly avowed . It was necessary , therefore , to triumph over Bro . Desanlis , and every means xvere essayed to gain this first step . A commission xvas nominated to examine the candidates , and a promise was made to this commission to x'ote for the candidate their majority should indicate . This commission xvas operated on , and it decided that Bro . Hubert should be presented as first candidatewhilst Bro .
, Leblanc de Marconnay xvas only placed second . Whilst the nomination was undecided , and the Masonic influence of Bro . de Marconnay xvas feared , it had been resolved that tlie Chief of the Secretariat should for the future be no longer a member of the G . 0 ., nor have a voice in its sittings . Bro . Hubert xvas not idle : he went the round of the members of the G . 0 . to solicit their votes , and had the meanness to traduce his competitor , to whom he
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonry In France.
of the most brilliant attainments , Masonic as well as civil , was chosen Orator ; but Bro . Perier succeeded iu getting himself named Secretary-General , and derived a high authority from its functions . The Chief in the Secretary ' s Office xvas then Felix Pillot , high in the science of Masonry , xvith twenty years' working experience , and who gave the best direction to its labours . P . Pillot was devoted to the Order , and adverse to all revolutions and revolutionaries ; he held iu his hand all the movements ofthe Order , and it
xvould have been difficult under his administration to have infused into it any political bias . The confederates , therefore , at first contented themselves with placing marks for future operations . The Bros . Perier and Hubert introduced into the Order the Bros . Ciesar Bertholon , Clement Suhoelcher , Theodore Bai , Ranjat , Lavergne , Lesseps , Napoleon Galloir , Richard du Cantal , Curvier , Detours , nearly all members ofthe Montague : they hoped to gain in them protectors , ancl they otherwise had all their sympathies .
Bro . Hubert left the party for a time in 1849 , having been named councillor to the Prefecture at Bourges , and believing his advent was come : but he remained only three months in this office , and the cause of his retirement was never knoxvn . On his return to Paris he fastened himself upon Bro . Perier , over xvhom he obtained an absolute command , and the latter endeavoured to introduce him into the administration ofthe G . O ., to insure by that means its explosion : he gave him a place iu the office of Bro . Pillot . The latterill at ease for the prospects of
, the Order , seeing xvith alarm the efforts made to gain the command over it , and fearing that lie should not be able to retain his Office , sickened , and died suddenly , in February , 1851 . This loss xvas fatal to the G . O ., for it gave Bro . Perier the opportunity of fixing his ' protege . Many Brothers presented themselves as candidates for the Cheiftainship ofthe
Secretariat : one alone xvas formidable , because he had claims and an acknowledged fitness for the office ; this xvas Bro . Leblanc de Marconnay , a Mason of thirty years' standing ; having made Masonry an especial study , knowing its forms and all its rites , he alone was worthy of being brought forward for such an important office . Bro . Leblanc de Marconnay had never been mixed up xvith revolutions : he never had swerved from the principles of order and attachment to the ruling powers . Bro . Hubert hacl attached himself to Bro . Leblanc de Marconnay , xvho , tvith the liberality xx-hich distinguished hiin , xvas anxious to give him all the
instruction he stood so much in need of . The choice of a Chief of the Secretariat of the G . O . is a very delicate matter : he ought to be a Brother , intelligent , skilled , zealous , with nothing in view but the continuance of Masonry , consequently xvith a perfect freedom from every other tie , religious or political . Bro . Desanlis still remained President , or rather G . M . ( for at that time there xvas no G . M . of the G . O . ); he had seen xvith sorrow tbe endeavours of the intriguers to fasten upon Masonry a political character ; but , confiding in the
staightforwardness of Bro . Pillot , he had consented to hold the government ofthe Order . After Bro . Pillot there was onl y one Brother on xvhom Bro . Desanlis could rely , this was Bro . Leblanc de Marconnay , and this he had openly avowed . It was necessary , therefore , to triumph over Bro . Desanlis , and every means xvere essayed to gain this first step . A commission xvas nominated to examine the candidates , and a promise was made to this commission to x'ote for the candidate their majority should indicate . This commission xvas operated on , and it decided that Bro . Hubert should be presented as first candidatewhilst Bro .
, Leblanc de Marconnay xvas only placed second . Whilst the nomination was undecided , and the Masonic influence of Bro . de Marconnay xvas feared , it had been resolved that tlie Chief of the Secretariat should for the future be no longer a member of the G . 0 ., nor have a voice in its sittings . Bro . Hubert xvas not idle : he went the round of the members of the G . 0 . to solicit their votes , and had the meanness to traduce his competitor , to whom he