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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Grand Chapter.
GRAND CHAPTER .
The quarterly convocation of Grand Chapter was holden „„ Wednesday evening at Freemasons' Hall , when Comp . < 5-iiiiuel Rawson presided as M . E . Z . ; Comp . Frederick Patlison as H . ; and Comp . MajorCreatonasJ . The other companions present were John Savage , as S . E . ; Percy Leith , . ' s . N . ; Robt . Gray , as P . Soj . ; Capt . Piatt , as First
lssist . ; Joshua Nunn , as Second Assist . -, J . C . Parkinson , Swd . B . ; J . Smith , Benj . Head , II . Browse , Edward S . Snell , J . Brett , W . R . Woodman , D . C ; N . Bradford , and others . The paper of business , printed in the Freemason or last week , was gone through , and the charters granted for all the chapters named therein . Grand Chapter was then closed .
Review.
Review .
" Monumental Inscriptions of the British West Indies , from the earliest date , ccc , " chiefly collected on the spot , by Captain J . II . Lawrence Archer . —London : Cliatto and Windus , 1 S 75 . Demy 4 to , half Roxburghc ; price , 42 s . This valuable historical work , by Bvo . Captain J . II . Lawrence Archer , contains the most interesting records of
members of the Craft that have succumbed to the pestilential climate of the West Indies , and is commended to all by the modesty with which a really great and enduring contribution to literature is described by thc author in his preface . The work as an example of printing and illustration is simply superb , and by doing honour to the producer reflects a credit on the Craft , and does justice to our talented and indefatic-able brother .
Obituary.
Obituary .
11110 . DAVID BRANDWOOD , -RADCLIFFE BRIDGE . The remains of this brother , a P . M . of Lodge of Faith , 344 , Radcliffe , near Manchester , were interred at St . Thomas ' s Churchyard , in that town , on Sunday afternoon . A considerable number of brethren preceded the corpse to
thc burial ground , Bro . R . Whittaker , of ramworth , 1 > . Pro G . D . C , East Lancashire , acting as G . D . C . The deceased brother was fifty-one years old , and up to about a year ago held the post of manager and secretary to the Radcliffe and Pilkington Gas Co ., failing health leading to his resignation .
Masonic Tidings.
Masonic Tidings .
An electric clock has been placed in front of Bro . Sir John Bennett ' s , in Cheapside , and it attracts almost as much notice as the celebrated automatic figures did formerly .
Bro . Francis Prott , for thirty-two years with Messrs . Brook and Son , Poultry , and latterly with Mr . "VV . Connell , Cheapside , died on Thursday , the 29 th ult ., at his residence in New-cross . The Great Eastern has been chartered to run between Liverpoool and Philadelphia during the Centennial .
A telegram dated Scilly , August 3 , 3 p . m ., states , " Divers have recovered two kegs of treasure from the wreck of the Schiller . It is estimated that over 100 , 000 persons entered the Alexandra Palace and Park on Monday last .
A full report of the Recreation Banquet of the Britannic Lod ge , No . 33 , will appear in our next issue . The Fifteen Sections will be worked in the Union Waterloo Lodge of Instruction , at the Earl of Chatham , Thomas Street , Woolwich , on Friday , the 27 th August , by Bro . David Rose . The lodge will be opened at 7 o ' clock .
Wc understand , that a marriage will shortly take place lii'tween his Imperial Highness Prince Demetrius , Grand Master Mason and Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council , 33 rd Degree , in Greece , and Honorary Member of thc Supreme Council , 33 rd Degree , for Scotland ,
* c ., and eldest son of his Imperial Highness Prince Rhodocinakis , of Rhodocanakis Castle , in the Island of Ohio , ai'd Kathleen , eldest daughter of Captain George Newcomen , R . N ., of 33 , Queen's-gate , South Kensington , and t ' eltwell Lodge , Norfolk .
. I ' . TOI ; & SONS' ' SI > ECIAI . ITF . ' SIIEIHIY . — "This wine J ? particularly wholesome one . lt has a smooth , dry flavour , and is remarkably free from the heat and acidity so usuall y found in all but the very finest Sherries . We j ^ quite confident that for a wholesome stimulant this » ncrry can hardly be surpassed . "—77 ie Chemist and " "' Wist .
* . v * i > '' 1 UWAY ' S ' ' " - ¦ * " *• '" OINTMENT . —Summer weather brings ( 1 , I * " many risks and many diseases , the blood becoming often lt ^ "K - 'nted rind tlie circulation of it increased in rapidity , renders , 7 Rll ** ecptiblc receptacle for poisonous emanations and infectious { - n c , - '' scs . Fevers are often « ctierated in this manner , and some-( jj ^ 'ic-lurking in the system in a latent form , until some ac-Hiii *"* " *"< c ' " l ! causecailslhediseaseintoactivity . I ' rcinonitory c . I'lonis such as Nausea , Headache , pains in the back , shivering , ' ' itli- ' w ' '* * * * - "'hn 0 "' ' 0 " 5 should be disregarded by none , liarly Hie ' ii- '"* " *'" ' h ' " " ¦ *• ' '" often ward oil' impending danger , and stille mti si : '" infancy . HoIIoway's remedies ailord the best ' ¦[ a "s of doing this , —ADVT ,
Poetry.
Poetry .
LINES READ BY A M . M . AT 332 , LODGE OMAGI 1 , IRELAND , ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF ST . JOHN . 1 would I had the ready Speaker ' s tongue , And then the thought , a sublime theme to suit !
Pis MASONRY—so oft well said and sung , A tree , still flourishing and bearing fruit . What time , and where 'twas planted , none need know . Enough it is , it rises , branching yet Its fadeless foliage , towering- o ' er the snow
Of wintry clime , and ' neath the summer s heat It stands , so firmly rooted nought can bend If from its purpose true—lo shelter all Who would fair Charity with Friendship blend , And living , die to hear the Master ' s call . To live so that , amid this world ' s wiles , each
Disseminates the truths locked in bis breast . The key is Love . Oh ! may its unction reach To North , to South , to East , to farthest West ; To die in perfect trust it is God's will That when this life he past new life ' s begun , If , hearkening to thc voice so small and still ,
Each earnest effort make to earn " Well Done . " Death has been busy in our ranks since last , We held high anniversary , and feast of love . How many ol our friends are ' mong the past , Called from us here to the Grand Lodge above . The ancient Geraldine , the tried and true ,
And our own Thompson , eminent ' mid men , And other brethren true of Threc-thrce-two ; And Walmsley—worthy wielder of the pen . I , too , bewail a brother of my kin As lost to sight , to memory ever dear ; A place high up , abroad , he sought to win ,
Hope at the helm , his onward course lay clear , A worthy brother , —he now rests from work His labours ended , in the East he lies , He owned the claim of all men—Jew or Turk , Who sought a Father in the great All Wise .
We trust that those departed ones have met With their reward en High , and now we turn To gratulatc ourselves that we have yet Rare reinforcements ' stead of those we mourn . With Albert in the chair ( the son of him ,
'Yclept the Good ) , our Craft and Nation ' s hope ; With Edinburgh and Connaught ' s Duke and slim Young Leopold , who'll with us care to cope ; With Abercorn , whom all justly own Erin ' s Chief in wisdom and in worth , The Craftsmen crowded lately round his throne ,
With pride beheld the Chosen of the North . Our Worshipful we gladly see , just where We wish him , with his laurels richly won At' Baldoyle brilliant' —his Turquoise was there , And shone right glorious , showing Uow to run , Another gem is added to his crown . He is the Victor still at every meet ,
We give him joy of his deserved renown , And gladly cry " The Murphy ' s can ' t be beat . " Though absent oft our Master never dies , He revels in the West , and well he may , There sets the Sun , but as it sinks to rise With promise of a brilliant coming day , So rests our Master on our Brother West .
Full well he knows him whom he leaves behind , And tells us when he goes that we are blest In miracle of manhood , memory , and mind . In duty bound , we welcome foreign friends , The members of our sister lodge we prize , We hail with joy each brother who attends , For brethren all we be—all bound by loving ties .
Whom have we got—new workers ? let me see ! There ' s Law and Physic very , very strong . Whilst Commerce and the Banking interest be Both bulwarks . Brother Treasurer , am I wrong ? Another of our bulwarks , " One of us , " And of a corps , I think they call a " crack . " At rifle drill , or rifling of a " 'bus , "
Who can compare with our good brother J ack ? 'Tis not an omnibus of which I speak , 'Tis something gained in giving back again . 'Tis rifle practice near allied to cheek , 'Tis practice ne ' er confined to riflemen .
' What ' s in a name ? ' tis said . I say there is . See , here are three of our J OIIN ' SOHS to night . Whilst all are proud of being sons of his , We must admit those sons by double right . Here ' s Agriculture , feeder of us all ,
But for the farmer we might starve almost , Whilst his works follow him ne ' er to the wall . We'll come , but plenty have to boil and roast . Oh ! bless us , but the clergy do wax strong , I crave their pardon , and I don ' t forget They come in crowds to sec we do no wrong . Wc neither " hinder " them , nor do we " let . "
Some of the genus say they'll put us down , , We cannot help their bluster and tirade But while four sons of Her who wears thc crown Be with us , brethren , bc ye not afraid , And though illiberality protest , And suasion seek to sever brotherhood , This to the zealous worker adds but zest To labour on—because the cause is good . F . S . GORDON , 332 , Concord ,
Freemasonry.
FREEMASONRY .
TRANSLATED IROM " LE NUL-VKAU MONDE" * MONTREAL . Despite the condemnation which Ihe chair of Saint Peter has hurled against this Society , many people still hesitate
to look upon it as the declared enemy of Christianity . The following facts , reported by the American correspondent of Ihe " Monde , " and which he vouches for as authentic , are of such a nature as to dissipate the illusions of those who look upon Freemasonry as merely a philanthropic society .
" In the month of August , 1862 , " writes Mr . J . E . Martin , " I made the acquaintance of an old monk of the Order of Passionists , at I loboken , opposite New York . In the course of a conversation on the subject of Freemasonry , he related the following anecdote : —
" I was called , a few days ago , to administer the last sacrament to a dying man at Brooklyn : he was a German whom 1 had happened to meet once or twice-. His only daughter , an excellent catholic , warned mc that her father was a Freemason , and that it would be necessary to make him recant .
After having heard his confession , I asked him if he did not belong to some secret society . " Yes , father : I am a Freemason ; hut you know , in America , there is no harm in being one . " " You are wrong , " I said , " Freemasonry i : ; condemned wherever it exists ; I call upon yen to retract any oaths you may have taken , ami lo give me up thc insignia of your Order . "
The dying man objected strongly ; but he was still a catholic , and so signed the recantation which I dictated to him . I then had fresh trouble to obtain from him his scarf , silver trowel and square , his kid skin apron , and his book of ritual , which were locked up in a chest near his bedside . I left the room with these 'spolia opima , ' happy at having snatched a soul from the clutches of the devil .
His daughter was waiting for me in the passage . ' Well ?' said she , ' has my father given you everything ? has he made his peace with God ? ' Yes , daughter , see here , and I showed her the articles in my possession . She took them up , one after the other , and then s .. id , in
a sorrowful tone , "No , this is not all ; my father wore these badges when he went to his lodge , and on grand occasions . It has not cost him much to give you up these . The book , which is peculiar to his degree , was of more value to him . But there is something more . " "What is it ?"
A written document , of the contents of which I am ignorant . My father has ordered me to take it , unopened , to the Master of his lodge , after his death . It must be some important secret . " I went back to the sick man , and said to him " Why have you deceived me ? You are about to appear before the tribunal of God ; do you think you will escape his
justice ? You still have something to give up to me . " He appeared astonished . I noticed the pallor of liis face , and the troubled look in his eyes ; then he said to me , with a certain amount of hesitation . " No : you have taken everything away . I have nothing more to give up to you . " " No . There is a written document , such as all Freemasons have . "
You are wrong father ; I have nothing of the kind . " I redoubled my persuasion , but all was in vain ; thc devil was on the point of triumphing . I employed every means that I thought might be of use in such a case . All was useless . The dying cither denied or remainifd silent , when his daughter opened the door , and threw herself on her knees by his bedside . " Oh , papa I for God ' s sake save
your soul ! Your daughter is wretched . You say you love me ; prove it to mc now . " The dying man was not prepared for such an attack ; thc kisses and tears of his daughter , as she lavished upon him the most affectionate caresses , moved him ; she spoke to him in the kindest manner of the heaven that he was throwing away , but he still replied , " You know I
have nothing hidden . " His daughter , in an inspired manner , exclaimed " Father , do not lie -. you have always been honest and truthful : do not let mc have to blush for your memory . Give thc holy Father thc document you have bidden me take to the Master of your Lodge . " At these words , the sick man uttered a cry , and then with an effort , said , sighing , " No , my girl , you shall not have to
blush for your father . Take this key which hangs round my neck , open that drawer , and give the Holy Father the paper you will find in it . " He then fell back , fainting . His daughter executed his orders as quick as lightning , and gave me a sealed and folded paper , exclaiming , " Victory ! my father is saved : he has thrown up the poison I" ( II a vomi le poison . )
I his scene had touched mc deeply , thc gii Is courage reminded mc of the early Christians . The sick man lived for a few hours , and his last words were ' . an expression of contrition as well as of failh and hope . I opened the scaled paper in his daughter ' s presence ; it was an oath , signed with blood ! I had heard of thes j documents as common among thc
chiefs of Freemasonry , but when I read this paper , I could not believe my eyes , it was a declaration of an endless , merciless war against the church , the papacy , anil kings , with the most fearful curses upon any one who should violate the oath , I gave the paper to the archbishop in order that he might
be enabled to appreciate thc infernal malice of Freemasonry as well as I myself . " Such was the tale of the passionist father , and it has remained engraved on my memory . It is only one of the thousand proofs that Freemasonry is the same all over the world ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Grand Chapter.
GRAND CHAPTER .
The quarterly convocation of Grand Chapter was holden „„ Wednesday evening at Freemasons' Hall , when Comp . < 5-iiiiuel Rawson presided as M . E . Z . ; Comp . Frederick Patlison as H . ; and Comp . MajorCreatonasJ . The other companions present were John Savage , as S . E . ; Percy Leith , . ' s . N . ; Robt . Gray , as P . Soj . ; Capt . Piatt , as First
lssist . ; Joshua Nunn , as Second Assist . -, J . C . Parkinson , Swd . B . ; J . Smith , Benj . Head , II . Browse , Edward S . Snell , J . Brett , W . R . Woodman , D . C ; N . Bradford , and others . The paper of business , printed in the Freemason or last week , was gone through , and the charters granted for all the chapters named therein . Grand Chapter was then closed .
Review.
Review .
" Monumental Inscriptions of the British West Indies , from the earliest date , ccc , " chiefly collected on the spot , by Captain J . II . Lawrence Archer . —London : Cliatto and Windus , 1 S 75 . Demy 4 to , half Roxburghc ; price , 42 s . This valuable historical work , by Bvo . Captain J . II . Lawrence Archer , contains the most interesting records of
members of the Craft that have succumbed to the pestilential climate of the West Indies , and is commended to all by the modesty with which a really great and enduring contribution to literature is described by thc author in his preface . The work as an example of printing and illustration is simply superb , and by doing honour to the producer reflects a credit on the Craft , and does justice to our talented and indefatic-able brother .
Obituary.
Obituary .
11110 . DAVID BRANDWOOD , -RADCLIFFE BRIDGE . The remains of this brother , a P . M . of Lodge of Faith , 344 , Radcliffe , near Manchester , were interred at St . Thomas ' s Churchyard , in that town , on Sunday afternoon . A considerable number of brethren preceded the corpse to
thc burial ground , Bro . R . Whittaker , of ramworth , 1 > . Pro G . D . C , East Lancashire , acting as G . D . C . The deceased brother was fifty-one years old , and up to about a year ago held the post of manager and secretary to the Radcliffe and Pilkington Gas Co ., failing health leading to his resignation .
Masonic Tidings.
Masonic Tidings .
An electric clock has been placed in front of Bro . Sir John Bennett ' s , in Cheapside , and it attracts almost as much notice as the celebrated automatic figures did formerly .
Bro . Francis Prott , for thirty-two years with Messrs . Brook and Son , Poultry , and latterly with Mr . "VV . Connell , Cheapside , died on Thursday , the 29 th ult ., at his residence in New-cross . The Great Eastern has been chartered to run between Liverpoool and Philadelphia during the Centennial .
A telegram dated Scilly , August 3 , 3 p . m ., states , " Divers have recovered two kegs of treasure from the wreck of the Schiller . It is estimated that over 100 , 000 persons entered the Alexandra Palace and Park on Monday last .
A full report of the Recreation Banquet of the Britannic Lod ge , No . 33 , will appear in our next issue . The Fifteen Sections will be worked in the Union Waterloo Lodge of Instruction , at the Earl of Chatham , Thomas Street , Woolwich , on Friday , the 27 th August , by Bro . David Rose . The lodge will be opened at 7 o ' clock .
Wc understand , that a marriage will shortly take place lii'tween his Imperial Highness Prince Demetrius , Grand Master Mason and Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council , 33 rd Degree , in Greece , and Honorary Member of thc Supreme Council , 33 rd Degree , for Scotland ,
* c ., and eldest son of his Imperial Highness Prince Rhodocinakis , of Rhodocanakis Castle , in the Island of Ohio , ai'd Kathleen , eldest daughter of Captain George Newcomen , R . N ., of 33 , Queen's-gate , South Kensington , and t ' eltwell Lodge , Norfolk .
. I ' . TOI ; & SONS' ' SI > ECIAI . ITF . ' SIIEIHIY . — "This wine J ? particularly wholesome one . lt has a smooth , dry flavour , and is remarkably free from the heat and acidity so usuall y found in all but the very finest Sherries . We j ^ quite confident that for a wholesome stimulant this » ncrry can hardly be surpassed . "—77 ie Chemist and " "' Wist .
* . v * i > '' 1 UWAY ' S ' ' " - ¦ * " *• '" OINTMENT . —Summer weather brings ( 1 , I * " many risks and many diseases , the blood becoming often lt ^ "K - 'nted rind tlie circulation of it increased in rapidity , renders , 7 Rll ** ecptiblc receptacle for poisonous emanations and infectious { - n c , - '' scs . Fevers are often « ctierated in this manner , and some-( jj ^ 'ic-lurking in the system in a latent form , until some ac-Hiii *"* " *"< c ' " l ! causecailslhediseaseintoactivity . I ' rcinonitory c . I'lonis such as Nausea , Headache , pains in the back , shivering , ' ' itli- ' w ' '* * * * - "'hn 0 "' ' 0 " 5 should be disregarded by none , liarly Hie ' ii- '"* " *'" ' h ' " " ¦ *• ' '" often ward oil' impending danger , and stille mti si : '" infancy . HoIIoway's remedies ailord the best ' ¦[ a "s of doing this , —ADVT ,
Poetry.
Poetry .
LINES READ BY A M . M . AT 332 , LODGE OMAGI 1 , IRELAND , ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF ST . JOHN . 1 would I had the ready Speaker ' s tongue , And then the thought , a sublime theme to suit !
Pis MASONRY—so oft well said and sung , A tree , still flourishing and bearing fruit . What time , and where 'twas planted , none need know . Enough it is , it rises , branching yet Its fadeless foliage , towering- o ' er the snow
Of wintry clime , and ' neath the summer s heat It stands , so firmly rooted nought can bend If from its purpose true—lo shelter all Who would fair Charity with Friendship blend , And living , die to hear the Master ' s call . To live so that , amid this world ' s wiles , each
Disseminates the truths locked in bis breast . The key is Love . Oh ! may its unction reach To North , to South , to East , to farthest West ; To die in perfect trust it is God's will That when this life he past new life ' s begun , If , hearkening to thc voice so small and still ,
Each earnest effort make to earn " Well Done . " Death has been busy in our ranks since last , We held high anniversary , and feast of love . How many ol our friends are ' mong the past , Called from us here to the Grand Lodge above . The ancient Geraldine , the tried and true ,
And our own Thompson , eminent ' mid men , And other brethren true of Threc-thrce-two ; And Walmsley—worthy wielder of the pen . I , too , bewail a brother of my kin As lost to sight , to memory ever dear ; A place high up , abroad , he sought to win ,
Hope at the helm , his onward course lay clear , A worthy brother , —he now rests from work His labours ended , in the East he lies , He owned the claim of all men—Jew or Turk , Who sought a Father in the great All Wise .
We trust that those departed ones have met With their reward en High , and now we turn To gratulatc ourselves that we have yet Rare reinforcements ' stead of those we mourn . With Albert in the chair ( the son of him ,
'Yclept the Good ) , our Craft and Nation ' s hope ; With Edinburgh and Connaught ' s Duke and slim Young Leopold , who'll with us care to cope ; With Abercorn , whom all justly own Erin ' s Chief in wisdom and in worth , The Craftsmen crowded lately round his throne ,
With pride beheld the Chosen of the North . Our Worshipful we gladly see , just where We wish him , with his laurels richly won At' Baldoyle brilliant' —his Turquoise was there , And shone right glorious , showing Uow to run , Another gem is added to his crown . He is the Victor still at every meet ,
We give him joy of his deserved renown , And gladly cry " The Murphy ' s can ' t be beat . " Though absent oft our Master never dies , He revels in the West , and well he may , There sets the Sun , but as it sinks to rise With promise of a brilliant coming day , So rests our Master on our Brother West .
Full well he knows him whom he leaves behind , And tells us when he goes that we are blest In miracle of manhood , memory , and mind . In duty bound , we welcome foreign friends , The members of our sister lodge we prize , We hail with joy each brother who attends , For brethren all we be—all bound by loving ties .
Whom have we got—new workers ? let me see ! There ' s Law and Physic very , very strong . Whilst Commerce and the Banking interest be Both bulwarks . Brother Treasurer , am I wrong ? Another of our bulwarks , " One of us , " And of a corps , I think they call a " crack . " At rifle drill , or rifling of a " 'bus , "
Who can compare with our good brother J ack ? 'Tis not an omnibus of which I speak , 'Tis something gained in giving back again . 'Tis rifle practice near allied to cheek , 'Tis practice ne ' er confined to riflemen .
' What ' s in a name ? ' tis said . I say there is . See , here are three of our J OIIN ' SOHS to night . Whilst all are proud of being sons of his , We must admit those sons by double right . Here ' s Agriculture , feeder of us all ,
But for the farmer we might starve almost , Whilst his works follow him ne ' er to the wall . We'll come , but plenty have to boil and roast . Oh ! bless us , but the clergy do wax strong , I crave their pardon , and I don ' t forget They come in crowds to sec we do no wrong . Wc neither " hinder " them , nor do we " let . "
Some of the genus say they'll put us down , , We cannot help their bluster and tirade But while four sons of Her who wears thc crown Be with us , brethren , bc ye not afraid , And though illiberality protest , And suasion seek to sever brotherhood , This to the zealous worker adds but zest To labour on—because the cause is good . F . S . GORDON , 332 , Concord ,
Freemasonry.
FREEMASONRY .
TRANSLATED IROM " LE NUL-VKAU MONDE" * MONTREAL . Despite the condemnation which Ihe chair of Saint Peter has hurled against this Society , many people still hesitate
to look upon it as the declared enemy of Christianity . The following facts , reported by the American correspondent of Ihe " Monde , " and which he vouches for as authentic , are of such a nature as to dissipate the illusions of those who look upon Freemasonry as merely a philanthropic society .
" In the month of August , 1862 , " writes Mr . J . E . Martin , " I made the acquaintance of an old monk of the Order of Passionists , at I loboken , opposite New York . In the course of a conversation on the subject of Freemasonry , he related the following anecdote : —
" I was called , a few days ago , to administer the last sacrament to a dying man at Brooklyn : he was a German whom 1 had happened to meet once or twice-. His only daughter , an excellent catholic , warned mc that her father was a Freemason , and that it would be necessary to make him recant .
After having heard his confession , I asked him if he did not belong to some secret society . " Yes , father : I am a Freemason ; hut you know , in America , there is no harm in being one . " " You are wrong , " I said , " Freemasonry i : ; condemned wherever it exists ; I call upon yen to retract any oaths you may have taken , ami lo give me up thc insignia of your Order . "
The dying man objected strongly ; but he was still a catholic , and so signed the recantation which I dictated to him . I then had fresh trouble to obtain from him his scarf , silver trowel and square , his kid skin apron , and his book of ritual , which were locked up in a chest near his bedside . I left the room with these 'spolia opima , ' happy at having snatched a soul from the clutches of the devil .
His daughter was waiting for me in the passage . ' Well ?' said she , ' has my father given you everything ? has he made his peace with God ? ' Yes , daughter , see here , and I showed her the articles in my possession . She took them up , one after the other , and then s .. id , in
a sorrowful tone , "No , this is not all ; my father wore these badges when he went to his lodge , and on grand occasions . It has not cost him much to give you up these . The book , which is peculiar to his degree , was of more value to him . But there is something more . " "What is it ?"
A written document , of the contents of which I am ignorant . My father has ordered me to take it , unopened , to the Master of his lodge , after his death . It must be some important secret . " I went back to the sick man , and said to him " Why have you deceived me ? You are about to appear before the tribunal of God ; do you think you will escape his
justice ? You still have something to give up to me . " He appeared astonished . I noticed the pallor of liis face , and the troubled look in his eyes ; then he said to me , with a certain amount of hesitation . " No : you have taken everything away . I have nothing more to give up to you . " " No . There is a written document , such as all Freemasons have . "
You are wrong father ; I have nothing of the kind . " I redoubled my persuasion , but all was in vain ; thc devil was on the point of triumphing . I employed every means that I thought might be of use in such a case . All was useless . The dying cither denied or remainifd silent , when his daughter opened the door , and threw herself on her knees by his bedside . " Oh , papa I for God ' s sake save
your soul ! Your daughter is wretched . You say you love me ; prove it to mc now . " The dying man was not prepared for such an attack ; thc kisses and tears of his daughter , as she lavished upon him the most affectionate caresses , moved him ; she spoke to him in the kindest manner of the heaven that he was throwing away , but he still replied , " You know I
have nothing hidden . " His daughter , in an inspired manner , exclaimed " Father , do not lie -. you have always been honest and truthful : do not let mc have to blush for your memory . Give thc holy Father thc document you have bidden me take to the Master of your Lodge . " At these words , the sick man uttered a cry , and then with an effort , said , sighing , " No , my girl , you shall not have to
blush for your father . Take this key which hangs round my neck , open that drawer , and give the Holy Father the paper you will find in it . " He then fell back , fainting . His daughter executed his orders as quick as lightning , and gave me a sealed and folded paper , exclaiming , " Victory ! my father is saved : he has thrown up the poison I" ( II a vomi le poison . )
I his scene had touched mc deeply , thc gii Is courage reminded mc of the early Christians . The sick man lived for a few hours , and his last words were ' . an expression of contrition as well as of failh and hope . I opened the scaled paper in his daughter ' s presence ; it was an oath , signed with blood ! I had heard of thes j documents as common among thc
chiefs of Freemasonry , but when I read this paper , I could not believe my eyes , it was a declaration of an endless , merciless war against the church , the papacy , anil kings , with the most fearful curses upon any one who should violate the oath , I gave the paper to the archbishop in order that he might
be enabled to appreciate thc infernal malice of Freemasonry as well as I myself . " Such was the tale of the passionist father , and it has remained engraved on my memory . It is only one of the thousand proofs that Freemasonry is the same all over the world ,