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Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

All Communications , Advertisements , & c , intended for insertion in the Number of the following Saturday , must reach the Office not later than 6 o'clock on Wednesday evening . All Communications should be sent to 198 , Fleet Street .

A fu'l report of the I lumber Lodge ( Xo . 57 ) Installation Meeting will appear next week . The following communications stand over : —Lodge 1 , 381 , Kennington ; 418 , Halifax ; 374 , Xewbury ; 55 6 , Clydesdale . Letter from Bro . Wi-rginton , and " Pedigree Wheat . "

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The Freemason , SATURDAY , J ANUARY 9 , 1875 .

Is The Pope A Freemason?

IS THE POPE A FREEMASON ?

This question , which has attracted from various causes' lately , much attention , is , we venture to think , completely answered by the Philadelphia Keystone of November 21 st . This article will be published in the " Masonic Magazine " in

February , and we recommend all our readers carefully to peruse it . The able editor of that paper , Bro . Clifford P . McCnlla , distinctly says that no such lodge as " Figli de Hiram " ever existed in Philadelphia , uiul . 'i * any American Grand Lodge . If there was such a lodge , it was

a surreptitious one , unknown and unrecognised . Consequently , the story of the Pope being initiated there while a Nuncio , is clearly unreliable . Bio . McCalla does not believe in the Havannah initiation referring to the Pope , neither do we , and whoever those two Ferrettis may be , they

are not , we believe , either P 10 Nono or his brother . There is no other evidence of the Pope ' s Masonic affiliation that can stand any sifting that we are aware of , and therefore , as English Freemasons , honest and impartial , true and tolerant , lovers of right , and haters of falsehood ,

we feel bound to say , that m oar opinion the allegations of the Italian Freemasons are so far utterly unproved . If there be the slightest truth in the story of Pio Nono ' s admission into Freemasonry , it probably has originated in the fact that in his youth the

Sovereign Pontift showed considerable liberal proclivities , and we believe was well acquainted with Mazzini . If so , it is just possible that he may have joined one or other of those Italian secret societies , which based their organization on Freemasonry . Beyond this , pace our good Bro . A .

Gallico , we know of no reliable evidence of the Pope ' s Masonic admission , and as we said before , we do not believe it . We regret that the Italian Freemasons should have put forth this renewed statement on the same testimony which was produced some fourteen years ago ,

and was then enquired into carefully , and found to be untrustworthy . It is a great mistake on the part of the Italian Freemasons to gave our Ultramontane adversaries , always active , vigilant , and implacable , any advantage by ill-founded

accusations and unverified assertions . We wonder that our many able brethren in Ital y do not see at once the utter absurdity , remembering the traditions and teachings of the Roman Catholic " Curia , " of a statement which rests the Pope ' s membershi p on his admission and

Is The Pope A Freemason?

visits to lodges while acting as a Papal Nuncio . It is simply , as „ it appears to us , hopeless and impossible to suppose or to contend , that , while acting as a Nuncio , either at Philadelphia or Madrid , Pio Nono was " made a Mason , " or was a " visiting brother . " Neither

can we lay any store by the photogram . We have heard of two copies , and many others , we are told , abound , and they are all clearly factitious—that is to say , they are not original photogramsofthe Pope in Masonic clothing ; but the Masonic scarf is painted on a photographic

card , and from this " prepared negative " the copies are struck , one of which Bro . Laurie sent ns from Constantinople , and another of which is mentioned by Bro . Hodges in our impression of December 20 " . We therefore repeat that , looking at the matter merely as a question of

evidence , we feel bound to say that , in our humble opinion , the Italian statements are not substantiated . We always think it a great pity , in our Masonic discussions , if we are ever tempted , for any cause , to depart from the straight and narrow path of historical evidential truth . The

end never does justify the means , we are not to do evil that good may come ; and not only do we not see the importance of the statement in itself , but we are not very anxious either to prove or even disprove the fact . From our point of view it is a matter of entire

indifference to us as Freemasons . If it be so , it would only convict the Infallible Pontiff of another inconsistency , alike in his teachings and dogmas . If it be not so , it is not creditable to Freemasons anywhere to state as a fact , what , after , all is a fiction , or to pass a ridiculous

sentence of expulsion on a non-Mason , an act which can only tend to render Fieemasonry ridiculous in Italy , and to bring discredit on our Older generally . We have every sympathy for all our Italian brethren , who seek to carry out truly the intent and principles of Freemasonry . But we do deprecate greatly that apparent alliance with

political coteries , and that intermingling in questions outside Freemasonry , which hinder , in our opinion , the active development of true Freemasonry in that interesting land , and which will be , as long as they are persisted in by the Italian Freemasons , to them , whether in their Grand Lodges or private lodges , " a mockery , a delusion , and a snare . "

Bro. Binckes's Letter.

BRO . BINCKES'S LETTER .

We published the week before last a letter from Bro . Binckes , in reply to some remarks of ours relative to the Pro Grand Master ' s wise suggestion to him at the last Quarterl y Communication . We are truly concerned if our observations have , in any way , disturbed our good

brother ' s wonted equanimity , though we fear that we have done so , by the tone and temper of his recent communication . But we wish , in all friendl y Masonic feeling , to point out to Bro . Binckes that he has entirely failed to discern the real gist of our " deliverance , " and that , up

to the present time , he is apparently still unable or unwilling to realize the " point " of our argument . Our good brother doubts our logic ; we forgive him the doubt , as we feel perfectly satislied ourselves alike with the soundness of our premise and the propriety of our conclusion .

For what is the point we are contending for ? It is simply this : That , in such a discussion , the brethren and the Grand Lodge are perfectly competent to decide such an important question on an independent report like that of Bro . Clabon ' s . We con f ess that we think Bro . Binckes '

appearance on the scene inopportune and questionable alike in tact and taste , just as we should have deprecated Bro . Little ' s appeal to Grand Lodge on the same subject . Bro . Binckes says , and says quite truly , that the Secretaries of the Institutions are , of all persons the best qualified to give information and express an opinion on

such a subject . So , of course , " virtute officii " they are , and in any matter of fact or detail we should always , in the first place , consult them . But here is a question appealing alike to the common experience of all Masons who interest themselves either in the Craft or the charities , and yet one in which , necessarily , it is most important not to introduce " sentiment" in the

Bro. Binckes's Letter.

discussion , but to appeal simply to the " reason of things , " and ' the hard reality of figures . There is no difficulty , as far as we are aware , in estimating pretty correctly what are the present needs of our great Institutions , or what are likely to be their future requirements . No doubt , in

one sense , the Secretaries have certain statistical details as to applications and applicants which come to them in their official capacity , and which are very valuable for consideration and information . But we deny that there is any reason why the " Secretariat" should be supposed to know

more about the matter , or to be able to come to a sounder conclusion , than the many intelligent rulers of our Order who constitute Grand Lodge . We ourselves are always glad and ready to listen to and acknowledge any information which our good brethren , the Secretaries of

our metropolitan Institutions , will favour us with ; but , afler a fair experience , we think , as we have said before , that it is just on this one point that the Craft may feel that " silence , " for once , is not " golden . " For , as a rule , \ VB do not , in our humble opinion , receive sufficient

information as to the proceedings and details and wants of the charities . But , to return . We fancy that in what we said originally , and which has drawn forth Bro . Binckes' letter , we expressed the feeling of a very large number of brethren , alike metropolitan and provincial , who

werequite prepared to discuss the wholcsubject on general and independent grounds . But Bro . Binckes fails , apparently , to see that our objection was not to Bro . Binckes , qua Bro . Binckes , but asBro . "Secretary" Binckes , appealingtothe Grand Lodge on a subject which required no appeal , no

eloquence , no argument '' ad misericordiam , but demanded calm consideration , and serious reflection . It may be that the time has come when Grand Lodge may vote an annual grant to the Girls' and Boys' School , but , if it is voted , it must be done after a good deal of debate and

deliberation . For two points press upon us ! 1 . Can the Fund of Benevolence afford it ? 2 . Will it be in the interests of the Charities to accept a grant from Grand Lodge ? It is a little remarkable that the surplus of 18 73 is considerably less than the -urplus of 1872 ; as if , despite our great

prosperity , we had greater demands upon our benevolence . And we fear that though ours are increasing numbers admittedly , yet that , those very numbers almost naturally bring upon us additional claims . If these claims increase , the disposable surplus of the Fund of Benevolence will

become very small indeed . Would it be wise , without clear and sufficient data , to mortgage futurity ? We think not . Again , would such a course benefit the Boys' and Girls' Schools ? We equally venture to say , in our opinion , no . These two charities have lived , so to say , on the

spontaneous liberality of the Order , and in their admitted worth , their increasing need to the Masonic body , we feel convinced they will still be cheered on from year to year by liberal hands and willing hearts . Indeed , we think , that if ever there could be a distinct manifestation of the

value of the adage " quieta non movere , " it is as regards our great educational institutions . It is impossible , we apprehend , to estimate what effect an increased grant from the Lodge of Benevolence annually might have on the freewill offerings of the Craft to those two excellent schools , which

are a blessing to their inmates , and a credit to the brotherhood . We hope Bro . Binckes will perceive , from what we have said , that we had some little reason for putting forward our views , thinking as we do , and that he will kindly admit , that while our words were dictated by a

sense of duty , as we deemed , to the Order , and to the institutions themselves , they were not meant to bear , as they do not bear , the slightest colouring of personal criticism . Bro . Binckes does not apparently see , though we think we do , the difference between his speech in Grand Lodge and a letter in our columns . Clearly there is an

intense distinction , Bro . Binckes has an undoubted claim , which we are amongst the first to recognize , to lay his views before the Order , in fair and open discussion , but we still adhere to our opinion , that while not denying Bro . Binckes ' s abstract right to speak in Grand Lodge , we think that such a discussion should proceed on its merits alone , and that the institutions themselves , through their officers , should