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Article Answers to Correspondents. Page 1 of 1 Article Untitled Page 1 of 1 Article Untitled Page 1 of 1 Article POLITICAL MASONRY. Page 1 of 1 Article POLITICAL MASONRY. Page 1 of 1 Article POLITICAL MASONRY. Page 1 of 1 Article Reviews. Page 1 of 2 →
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Answers To Correspondents.
Answers to Correspondents .
—?—All communications for THK FREEMASON should be written legibly on one side of the paper only , and , if intended for insertion in the current number , must be received not later than io o'clock a . m . on Thursdays , unless in very special cases . The name and address of every writer must be sent to us in confidence .
We have received several letters respecting the " Ark ' and other degrees , and will give due attention to them in our next . Reports of the following Masonic meetings have been received , and shall appear next week : Pythagorean Lodge ( 79 ) , Temple ( 101 ) , Zetland ( 511 ) , Finsbury ( S 6 i ) , Furness ( 995 ) , Pembroke ( 1299 ) , Furness R . A . Chapter , Star in the East Mark Lodge , and Roman Eagle Red Cross Conclave .
Ar00601
TheFreemason, SATURDAY , NOVEMBER 5 , 1870 .
Ar00606
THE FREEMASON is published on Saturday Mornings in time for the early trains . The price of THE FREEMASON is Twopence per week ; annual subscription , ios . ( payable in advance ) . All communications , letters , & c , to be addressed to the EDITOR , « , 3 , and 4 , Little Britain , E . C . The Editor will pay careful attention to all MSS . entrusted to himbut cannot undertake to return them unless accompanied by postage stamps .
Political Masonry.
POLITICAL MASONRY .
WERE it not for the stupendous issues involved in the present war , and the terrible bloodshed and misery which are its immediate results , we who are neutrals in thestrife
mightalmost feel tempted tosmileatthevapid declamation and unmitigated gasconade indulged in by some of the present leaders of unfortunate France . But in view of the
havoc and ruin which are rapidly converting their fairest provinces into foodless deserts , we cannot Avithhold our sympathy from the French people , and this sympathy
prompts us not to dwell too harshly upon the mistaken policy , of arousing national passions when there is scarcely a reasonable hope of being able to control and direct th ? m for good .
There is , however , one aspect of the question which deserves to be studied carefully by the Masonic Fraternity , and our readers Avill do us the justice to
acknowledge that AVC invited attention to the subject long before the war in Europe commenced . We allude to the persistent attempts made by—let us hope but a few
—Continental Masons to identify Freemasonry Avith political factions , and to use its organisation for the prosecution of political schemes . In France and in Italy
this foolish and suicidal spirit has chiefly manifested itself . Papal bulls have been met by . lodge manifestoes , revolutions have been greeted with frantic ptcans by Masonic
sympathisers , the peaceful landmarks of an eminently pacific brotherhood have been rudely overthrown by their unhallowed hands , until at length we can scarcely
recognise any traces of the original Masonic Institution in some of the lodges abroad , which have degenerated into an undisguised propaganda of mingled communism and infidelity .
A notable instance of this unwarrantable interference Avith political questions has just been given by certain so-called Freemasons in Italy and Spain , who have
appealed to the brethren in Germany to use their influence for the purpose of averting from France the shame and humiliation of ceding Alsace and Lorraine to the conqueror . Now , we may fairly enquire , what
Political Masonry.
business have these men to interpose in a matter which has not the remotest connection with the Craft ? As individuals , they have a right to express their opinions in any
way they may think proper , but they have no right to speak on behalf of the Masonic body . We do not deprecate their vigorous protests against war as a brutal blunder in
a civilised age ; on the contrary , English Masons share with them to the fullest extent those sentiments of detestation for so deplorable a crime against humanityand the same sentiments actuate all lovers
of peace throughout the world ; but we must protest against the power and prestige of the Masonic Order being made available for the promotion of objects of a political nature .
As Lodges of Freemasons , we meet to expatiate upon the mysteries of the Craft , and to secure the happiness of our fellows by obedience to its principles and precepts ;
not to uphold monarchies or republics , not to undermine dynasties or systems , but to pursue the plain path of moral rectitude by cultivating the blessings of social order . A
Mason is none the less a patriot because he refrains from endeavouring to make his lodge an arbiter of questions which pertain to the sphere of the statesman or politician . As a
citizen or a soldier , he can serve his country just as cheerfully and as faithfully as other members of the community , in the thorough conviction that the obligations of
Freemasonry do not conflict with the duties he owes to the flag under which he was born . Therefore , the impotent Avrath which has recently incited some ten lodges in Paris to
excommunicate the King of Prussia and the Crown Prince from the fellowship of Freemasonry , is as illogical as it is foolish , and as foolish as it is unjust . It is not on
record that Washington was thrust out of " the pale " by the Grand Lodge of England , because he fought against the mother
country during the War of Independence , although in his case there might have been a plausible excuse for expulsion on the ground that he and other American brethren were
deemed rebels and traitors to their King . The German Masons engaged in the present war are not , therefore , to be condemned for participation in the strife , nor sentenced to
ostracism from the Masonic body for simply doing their duty to their Fatherland ; and we trust that the childish petulance exhibited by those ten Parisian lodges is
not to be considered as an evidence of the Masonic sentiments of our French brethren generally , but rather of the fierce unreason which prevails throughout France at the
present moment—a moral blindness which will , AVC fear , be only the precursor of even greater horrors and miseries than thoscwhich now afflict her gallant but misguided sons .
Freemasonry does not call upon her adherents to betray the cause of their country because they happen to be arrayed in battle
against men Avho have entered into the same bond of brotherhood , and who have knelt at the same altar of Masonic light ; but our great Institution appeals to the hearts of
Political Masonry.
all her votaries never to forget the reality , sanctity , and vital force of their obligations , even in the midst of the deadliest strife She preaches mercy in the hour of triumph
and firmness in the day of peril ; she arrests the arm uplifted to slay a brother , and she ministers to those Avho need aid and consolation in their captivity . Already the
present war has given us many and brilliant proofs that this truly blessed spirit exists —its influence as potent , its achievements as glorious , as those which shed immortal
lustre upon the name of Freemasonry in the historic past . Not only have the temples of the Craft been respected by the invading foe , but lives have been saved
and sufferings alleviated by the mystic power of Masonic symbols when discreetly and judiciously used . Now , all these happy results would never have been accomplished
if Freemasonry had been regarded as a focus of political intrigue , or as a centre of visionary demagogues . It behoves us , therefore , to guard jealously the landmarks
of our Order , and not to stray beyond the boundaries of benevolence on the one hand , or the limits of philosophical progress on the other . Let no religious or party
discussions be heard Avithin the tyled precincts of the lodge , and let us , above all , beware from seeking to further our own peculiar religious or political opinions through the
medium or under the guise of Freemasonry , The Craft , as a " system of morality , veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols , " will survive the ephemeral fortunes of states
and empires ; but if it be once degraded by intermixture Avith the dross of human passions and prejudices , it ceases to be
Freemasonry , and "is doomed to share the chances , and experience the vicissitudes , of worldly events . We trust our Continental brethren Avill in future take the lesson to
heart , and look upon thc great Fraternity to which they belong in a nobler light than as the mouthpiece of faction or the abettor of revolution .
Reviews.
Reviews .
? City and Suburb ; by the author of "George Geith , " & c . F . Enos Arnold , 49 , Essexstreet , Strand . When AVC reviewed " My Last Love , "
by this gifted author , there was so much nervous vigour displayed in the development of the story , that we somewhat naturally concluded it proceeded from the pen of a masculine " person , " to use the
legal phrase , but we have since been agreeably surprised to find that thc brilliant series of novels and novellc-ttes , written by the " Author of George Geith , " are in reality the literary triumphs of a lady . In the
work now before us , the same depth of thought is displayed , combined with the recital of those fears and hopes , passions and prejudices , that make up the daily life of denizens in those great hives of industry and toil , yclept cities .
In "City and Suburb , " Mrs . Riddell introduces us to a cold , proud , self-contained man , whose every word and act are so many protests against the sympathy of his fellow-men in his struggles to attain wealth and power . Thc incidents of his career are
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Answers To Correspondents.
Answers to Correspondents .
—?—All communications for THK FREEMASON should be written legibly on one side of the paper only , and , if intended for insertion in the current number , must be received not later than io o'clock a . m . on Thursdays , unless in very special cases . The name and address of every writer must be sent to us in confidence .
We have received several letters respecting the " Ark ' and other degrees , and will give due attention to them in our next . Reports of the following Masonic meetings have been received , and shall appear next week : Pythagorean Lodge ( 79 ) , Temple ( 101 ) , Zetland ( 511 ) , Finsbury ( S 6 i ) , Furness ( 995 ) , Pembroke ( 1299 ) , Furness R . A . Chapter , Star in the East Mark Lodge , and Roman Eagle Red Cross Conclave .
Ar00601
TheFreemason, SATURDAY , NOVEMBER 5 , 1870 .
Ar00606
THE FREEMASON is published on Saturday Mornings in time for the early trains . The price of THE FREEMASON is Twopence per week ; annual subscription , ios . ( payable in advance ) . All communications , letters , & c , to be addressed to the EDITOR , « , 3 , and 4 , Little Britain , E . C . The Editor will pay careful attention to all MSS . entrusted to himbut cannot undertake to return them unless accompanied by postage stamps .
Political Masonry.
POLITICAL MASONRY .
WERE it not for the stupendous issues involved in the present war , and the terrible bloodshed and misery which are its immediate results , we who are neutrals in thestrife
mightalmost feel tempted tosmileatthevapid declamation and unmitigated gasconade indulged in by some of the present leaders of unfortunate France . But in view of the
havoc and ruin which are rapidly converting their fairest provinces into foodless deserts , we cannot Avithhold our sympathy from the French people , and this sympathy
prompts us not to dwell too harshly upon the mistaken policy , of arousing national passions when there is scarcely a reasonable hope of being able to control and direct th ? m for good .
There is , however , one aspect of the question which deserves to be studied carefully by the Masonic Fraternity , and our readers Avill do us the justice to
acknowledge that AVC invited attention to the subject long before the war in Europe commenced . We allude to the persistent attempts made by—let us hope but a few
—Continental Masons to identify Freemasonry Avith political factions , and to use its organisation for the prosecution of political schemes . In France and in Italy
this foolish and suicidal spirit has chiefly manifested itself . Papal bulls have been met by . lodge manifestoes , revolutions have been greeted with frantic ptcans by Masonic
sympathisers , the peaceful landmarks of an eminently pacific brotherhood have been rudely overthrown by their unhallowed hands , until at length we can scarcely
recognise any traces of the original Masonic Institution in some of the lodges abroad , which have degenerated into an undisguised propaganda of mingled communism and infidelity .
A notable instance of this unwarrantable interference Avith political questions has just been given by certain so-called Freemasons in Italy and Spain , who have
appealed to the brethren in Germany to use their influence for the purpose of averting from France the shame and humiliation of ceding Alsace and Lorraine to the conqueror . Now , we may fairly enquire , what
Political Masonry.
business have these men to interpose in a matter which has not the remotest connection with the Craft ? As individuals , they have a right to express their opinions in any
way they may think proper , but they have no right to speak on behalf of the Masonic body . We do not deprecate their vigorous protests against war as a brutal blunder in
a civilised age ; on the contrary , English Masons share with them to the fullest extent those sentiments of detestation for so deplorable a crime against humanityand the same sentiments actuate all lovers
of peace throughout the world ; but we must protest against the power and prestige of the Masonic Order being made available for the promotion of objects of a political nature .
As Lodges of Freemasons , we meet to expatiate upon the mysteries of the Craft , and to secure the happiness of our fellows by obedience to its principles and precepts ;
not to uphold monarchies or republics , not to undermine dynasties or systems , but to pursue the plain path of moral rectitude by cultivating the blessings of social order . A
Mason is none the less a patriot because he refrains from endeavouring to make his lodge an arbiter of questions which pertain to the sphere of the statesman or politician . As a
citizen or a soldier , he can serve his country just as cheerfully and as faithfully as other members of the community , in the thorough conviction that the obligations of
Freemasonry do not conflict with the duties he owes to the flag under which he was born . Therefore , the impotent Avrath which has recently incited some ten lodges in Paris to
excommunicate the King of Prussia and the Crown Prince from the fellowship of Freemasonry , is as illogical as it is foolish , and as foolish as it is unjust . It is not on
record that Washington was thrust out of " the pale " by the Grand Lodge of England , because he fought against the mother
country during the War of Independence , although in his case there might have been a plausible excuse for expulsion on the ground that he and other American brethren were
deemed rebels and traitors to their King . The German Masons engaged in the present war are not , therefore , to be condemned for participation in the strife , nor sentenced to
ostracism from the Masonic body for simply doing their duty to their Fatherland ; and we trust that the childish petulance exhibited by those ten Parisian lodges is
not to be considered as an evidence of the Masonic sentiments of our French brethren generally , but rather of the fierce unreason which prevails throughout France at the
present moment—a moral blindness which will , AVC fear , be only the precursor of even greater horrors and miseries than thoscwhich now afflict her gallant but misguided sons .
Freemasonry does not call upon her adherents to betray the cause of their country because they happen to be arrayed in battle
against men Avho have entered into the same bond of brotherhood , and who have knelt at the same altar of Masonic light ; but our great Institution appeals to the hearts of
Political Masonry.
all her votaries never to forget the reality , sanctity , and vital force of their obligations , even in the midst of the deadliest strife She preaches mercy in the hour of triumph
and firmness in the day of peril ; she arrests the arm uplifted to slay a brother , and she ministers to those Avho need aid and consolation in their captivity . Already the
present war has given us many and brilliant proofs that this truly blessed spirit exists —its influence as potent , its achievements as glorious , as those which shed immortal
lustre upon the name of Freemasonry in the historic past . Not only have the temples of the Craft been respected by the invading foe , but lives have been saved
and sufferings alleviated by the mystic power of Masonic symbols when discreetly and judiciously used . Now , all these happy results would never have been accomplished
if Freemasonry had been regarded as a focus of political intrigue , or as a centre of visionary demagogues . It behoves us , therefore , to guard jealously the landmarks
of our Order , and not to stray beyond the boundaries of benevolence on the one hand , or the limits of philosophical progress on the other . Let no religious or party
discussions be heard Avithin the tyled precincts of the lodge , and let us , above all , beware from seeking to further our own peculiar religious or political opinions through the
medium or under the guise of Freemasonry , The Craft , as a " system of morality , veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols , " will survive the ephemeral fortunes of states
and empires ; but if it be once degraded by intermixture Avith the dross of human passions and prejudices , it ceases to be
Freemasonry , and "is doomed to share the chances , and experience the vicissitudes , of worldly events . We trust our Continental brethren Avill in future take the lesson to
heart , and look upon thc great Fraternity to which they belong in a nobler light than as the mouthpiece of faction or the abettor of revolution .
Reviews.
Reviews .
? City and Suburb ; by the author of "George Geith , " & c . F . Enos Arnold , 49 , Essexstreet , Strand . When AVC reviewed " My Last Love , "
by this gifted author , there was so much nervous vigour displayed in the development of the story , that we somewhat naturally concluded it proceeded from the pen of a masculine " person , " to use the
legal phrase , but we have since been agreeably surprised to find that thc brilliant series of novels and novellc-ttes , written by the " Author of George Geith , " are in reality the literary triumphs of a lady . In the
work now before us , the same depth of thought is displayed , combined with the recital of those fears and hopes , passions and prejudices , that make up the daily life of denizens in those great hives of industry and toil , yclept cities .
In "City and Suburb , " Mrs . Riddell introduces us to a cold , proud , self-contained man , whose every word and act are so many protests against the sympathy of his fellow-men in his struggles to attain wealth and power . Thc incidents of his career are