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Article THE FREEMASONS' LEXICON. Page 1 of 7 →
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The Freemasons' Lexicon.
THE FREEMASONS' LEXICON .
( Continued from p . 282 . . J Profane . The word signifies Uninitiated . —All those who do not belong to the Order are frequently so called . Before a Lodge is held , care must be taken that none but initiated are present , and that the Lodge is carefully tiled . In the Lodge lists , which are frequently open to the public , there are given the addresses to which all letters for the Lodge must he sentand these are called profane addresses . It would be much
, more proper to call them " town addresses , " for many of the uninitiated translate the word profane as unmannerly or impious . Proponiren . —Proposing a candidate is a thing which requires the greatest care and attention . Through an improper subject , a whole Lodge—nay , even the whole society—may receive a deep wound . It is customary to allow the W . Masters the privilege of making the propositions , as it is admitted that they must be better acquainted with the
necessary qualifications of a candidate than an Apprentice or a Fellow Craft can be . No one dare propose a person with whom he is not intimately acquainted , and whose conduct he has not had an opportunity of observing under different circumstances . A good report is something , but it is not sufficient in large cities . The candidate must be a Christian , a true servant or subject of the state , and , if he be a husband and a father , he must be those in the fullest sense of the words . A certain degree of
refinement of manners is also necessary , for without this the mechanic would not feel comfortable in our society , and would not be satisfied with Freemasonry . In small towns , the duty of proposing a candidate is much easier than in large ones . There , almost every inhabitant knows the
others intimately , is acquainted with his domestic habits , his opinions , and his actions : if a person here enjoys a good character , it is very valuable . In large cities , on the contrary , many men are only acquainted with each other by occasionally meeting in society , and the greatest private sinner may here have a good character . But it requires still more care and circumspection in proposing a traveller , and many Lodges have made it a rule to initiate no one from a place in which a Lodge is held .
The person who is about to make a proposition , must have carefully inquired whether the candidate is influenced by the desire of gain or selfinterest ; i ' or they must not look to the Order as a means of making money , but rather as a means of expendingit in charitable objects . Proscription . The severest punishment in the Order . —The Freemason who is found guilty of a crime against the regulations of the Order , or the laws of the land , is solemnly proscribed from the Order ,
and notice of his proscription is sent to all Lodges , so that he never can gain admission again . After the , for Prussia , so unfortunate period of 1806 , there was a W . M . of a Prussian Lodge , a celebrated general , proscribed , because , as commandant of a fortress , he had not done his duty conscientiously to the State . Protector und Protectorium . Patron and Patronage . —Many Lodges honour the head of the government as their Patron without his being
a Freemason , and receive from him a publiclegal decree , or Protectorium , by which they are not only permitted to hold their Lodges , but they are also legally protected . It is likewise frequently the case that the Patron is a member of the Order . In Germany , Frederick the Great was the first monarch who was Patron of the Order in his dominions , at the same time that , as a Brother , he placed himself at the head of it .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Freemasons' Lexicon.
THE FREEMASONS' LEXICON .
( Continued from p . 282 . . J Profane . The word signifies Uninitiated . —All those who do not belong to the Order are frequently so called . Before a Lodge is held , care must be taken that none but initiated are present , and that the Lodge is carefully tiled . In the Lodge lists , which are frequently open to the public , there are given the addresses to which all letters for the Lodge must he sentand these are called profane addresses . It would be much
, more proper to call them " town addresses , " for many of the uninitiated translate the word profane as unmannerly or impious . Proponiren . —Proposing a candidate is a thing which requires the greatest care and attention . Through an improper subject , a whole Lodge—nay , even the whole society—may receive a deep wound . It is customary to allow the W . Masters the privilege of making the propositions , as it is admitted that they must be better acquainted with the
necessary qualifications of a candidate than an Apprentice or a Fellow Craft can be . No one dare propose a person with whom he is not intimately acquainted , and whose conduct he has not had an opportunity of observing under different circumstances . A good report is something , but it is not sufficient in large cities . The candidate must be a Christian , a true servant or subject of the state , and , if he be a husband and a father , he must be those in the fullest sense of the words . A certain degree of
refinement of manners is also necessary , for without this the mechanic would not feel comfortable in our society , and would not be satisfied with Freemasonry . In small towns , the duty of proposing a candidate is much easier than in large ones . There , almost every inhabitant knows the
others intimately , is acquainted with his domestic habits , his opinions , and his actions : if a person here enjoys a good character , it is very valuable . In large cities , on the contrary , many men are only acquainted with each other by occasionally meeting in society , and the greatest private sinner may here have a good character . But it requires still more care and circumspection in proposing a traveller , and many Lodges have made it a rule to initiate no one from a place in which a Lodge is held .
The person who is about to make a proposition , must have carefully inquired whether the candidate is influenced by the desire of gain or selfinterest ; i ' or they must not look to the Order as a means of making money , but rather as a means of expendingit in charitable objects . Proscription . The severest punishment in the Order . —The Freemason who is found guilty of a crime against the regulations of the Order , or the laws of the land , is solemnly proscribed from the Order ,
and notice of his proscription is sent to all Lodges , so that he never can gain admission again . After the , for Prussia , so unfortunate period of 1806 , there was a W . M . of a Prussian Lodge , a celebrated general , proscribed , because , as commandant of a fortress , he had not done his duty conscientiously to the State . Protector und Protectorium . Patron and Patronage . —Many Lodges honour the head of the government as their Patron without his being
a Freemason , and receive from him a publiclegal decree , or Protectorium , by which they are not only permitted to hold their Lodges , but they are also legally protected . It is likewise frequently the case that the Patron is a member of the Order . In Germany , Frederick the Great was the first monarch who was Patron of the Order in his dominions , at the same time that , as a Brother , he placed himself at the head of it .