Skip to main content
Museum of Freemasonry

Masonic Periodicals Online

  • Explore
  • Advanced Search
  • Home
  • Explore
  • The Freemason
  • Feb. 11, 1871
  • Page 6
  • Ar00600
Current:

The Freemason, Feb. 11, 1871: Page 6

  • Back to The Freemason, Feb. 11, 1871
  • Print image
  • Articles/Ads
    Ad Untitled Page 1 of 1
    Article Untitled Page 1 of 1
    Article Untitled Page 1 of 1
    Article Untitled Page 1 of 1
    Article Untitled Page 1 of 1
    Article A MODEL GRUMBLER. Page 1 of 2
    Article A MODEL GRUMBLER. Page 1 of 2
    Article A MODEL GRUMBLER. Page 1 of 2 →
Page 6

Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Ad00605

To ADVERTISERS . THE Circulation of T HE FREEMASON being now at the rate of nearly Ilalf-a-milliotiyex oxamm , it offers peculiar facilities to all who advertise . It is well known that the Fraternity of Freemasons is a large and constantly increasing body , mainly composed of the influential and educated classes of society ; and as The Freemason is now the accepted organ of the Brotherhood in the United Kingdom , and also enjoys an extensive sale in the colonies and foreign parts , its advantages as an advertising medium can scarcely be overrated . For tenns apply to GEORGE KENNING , 2 , 3 , & 4 , LITTLE BRITAIN , LONDON , E . C .

Ar00600

NOTICE , The Subscription to THE FREEMASON is noiv los . per annum , post-free , payable in advance . Vol . I ., bound in cloth 4 s . 6 d . Vol . II ., ditto 7 s . 6 d . Vol . III ., ditto 15 s . od . Reading Cases to hold 52 numbers ... 2 s . 6 d .

Ar00601

l > iistocrs iff € orrcsuonb . citfs . «» All communications for THE FREEMASON should be written tcgibly n one side of the paper only , and , if intended for insertion in the current number , must be received not later than 10 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 .

F . J . —Many thanks for second instalment of Amerian Tour ; it is in lype . BRO . DELFRAISSE . —Your letter will appear next week . M . J . M . —The W . M . should nominate a Brother lo act as S . W . pro tern . H . B . —Certainly . There are many thousand professors of ihe Catholic faith enrolled within the ranks of the Fraternity , notwithstanding the opposition of bigoted minds .

Ar00602

BOORS RECEIVED . Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Missouri for 1 S 70 The Personal Expenses of Charles II . in the City of Worcester , 1651 . By Bro . R . Woof , F . S . A ., F . R . S . L ., Sec , & c Several reviews stand over till next week .

Ar00603

The Freemason , S ATURDAY , F EBRUARY n , 1 S 7 L THE FREEMASON is published on Saturday Mornings in time for the early trains . The price of Tim FREEMASON is Twopence per week ; annual subscription , 10 s . ( payable in advance ) . All comnunications , letters , & c , to be addressed to the EDITOR , a , 3 , and 4 , Little tiritain , E . C The Editor will pay careful attention to all MSS . entrusted to him ut cannot undertake to return them unless accompanied by postage tamps . *

A Model Grumbler.

A MODEL GRUMBLER .

OUR attention has been called to an eccentric magazine , whose advent into the literary world is but of recent date , and whose pages appear to be devoted to diatribes against

everything in general and Freemasonry in particular . This pretentious publication , which is facetiously called a " Review , " is

in reality an apotheosis of Diogenes—we mean the extinct comic paper , not the famous cynical philosopher who dwelt in a tub . In one number we find horrible details

respecting incremation , or the art of burning one ' s dead relations in an off-hand and satisfactory manner ; the ghastly process

being gravely commended as a sure and certain means of averting possible plagues amongst the living . In another article the Mosaic account of the Creation is quietl y

A Model Grumbler.

demolished ; but as it is with the Masonic iconoclast ' s efforts that our readers are most concerned , we shall not , we hope , be doing them an ill turn if we present them

with a few choice specimens of the epithets which our " Reviewer ' s " redundant vocabulary of abuse enables him to scatter for the edification of all who choose to listen .

We may premise by stating that in a former number of this new-fledged Juvenal , THE FREEMASON , its proprietor , its contributors , its subscribers , are tarred with the same brush and share the same horrid doom of

excommunication—the only wonder being that we have all not only survived the withering effects of our critic ' s wrath , but absolutely appear to thrive upon it , like the

big navvy who , when his Lilliputian wife thrashed him , good humouredly explained , " You see it pleases Iter , and doan ' t hurt

mc . However , be this as it may , we cannot resist the temptation of reproducing a few tit-bits —rare vwrccaux— from the

intellectual banquet so prodigally provided for the benefit of the Craft . Entre nous , we wonder how many Freemasons read the said " Review ? " In the first place , our

Solomon redivivits being afflicted with a new disease—which we will take the liberty of calling , without consulting the faculty , "Grand Master on the Brain "—

discusses in querulous tone and moody spirit a fearful wrong which he has experienced at the hands of the Earl de Grey and Ripon . Awful to relate , the editor of

this " Quadrangular Review '—for such is an approach to the euphonious appellation of the new periodical—has applied for a new lodge , and has been refused . Was

there ever such unheard-of despotism on the part of the powers that be ? Does not the Grand Master , and the Grand Master ' s " Devil "—whoever he may be—deserve to

be immolated at once on the altar of Masonic vengeance for so cruelly depriving our modern Solon of the hoped - for opportunity of airing his Masonic opinions in a select Masonic coterie of his own ? Of

course , after the expressive epithet "Devil , the term " old women , " applied to the committees of the Craft , is weak and

inconsequential . To be consistent , our " Quadrangular " friend ought to have made them all , without exception , imps—allotting at least one tail and two horns to each

member . Further on we find the same diabolical imagery again in the ascendantonly this time the " Devil" is designated the Grand Master ' s " Mcphistophelian

prompter . ' " What s in a name ? says Shakespeare ; but the line must be drawn somewhere . Inconceivable as it may seem , we have met men who object to be called

by their Christian names " Rogue or " Villain , " although the said cognomen was fully confirmed by their countenances . In like manner , this mys t erious S ^ tan who sits at

the Grand Master s right hand , and moves the figures on the Masonic chess-board , may , if he have an existence , rise up and protest against the opprobious , if high-sounding , language in which his proceedings are

A Model Grumbler.

noticed . In ancient times , every wizard had his familiar , who generally assumed the ~ canine form and played up the tricks of " Old Harry" with all a juvenile dog ' s

love of mischief . Does our reviewer mean to insinuate that a similar official prevails in Freemasonry , and that the boasted " light " of the Craft is but the reflection

of a second Lucifer ? But this is not all ; the " Quadrangular" next concentrates his gaze upon a " self-elected and ignorant set of Masonic swash-bucklers , " and with

one stroke of the pen consigns to dust and ashes the Supreme Grand Council of the 33 ° . This Masonic body was , he avers , " imported from America by a low quack

doctor , Crucefix , alias Goss and Co ., the successor of the notorious Dr . Eady of Newman-street , whose name was chalked on every wall within twenty miles of

London . " This " quack , " he continues , " soon bagged a whole tribe of Masonic duffers or dummies , " gave them very grand titles , such as " Sovereign Grand

Commanders , and did a rare trade in the distribution of magnificent decorations . Our Triton among the minnows then attacks

the present officers of the Ancient and , Accepted Rite , affirming that the " Sovereign"isan unknown nonentity , and thatthe " Treasurer-General" is the real controller

of affairs , especially combining the receipt of cash with the equally agreeable task of snubbing his " Illustrious " inferiors . What a fearful tale is this . " my masters ! " We

are further told that an " unworthy prince , ' who recently " snapped his fingers at the Council , " has been tried by a jury of " thirty-one idiots" and sentenced to

" Masonic death , " and that the said delinquentmeans to expose the whole body in the " Court of Queen ' s Bench . " The reception of a " Prince Rhododendron " at a "

highfalutin" meeting of "Grand Elected Knights K h " is next alluded to in not very complimentary terms , and after a second onslaught upon Craft Masonry , an

illustrative anecdote of a wooden ass—possibly an ancestor of the reviewer—winds up this charming model of good taste and Masonic courtesy . Stay : we had almost

forgotten to add that a veritable illustration of the " Procession to Manchester " is annexed to this extraordinary literary production . It represents " The Sovereign

Tribunal led by the Devil ( our friend cannot get on , it seems , without a " devil" ) , carrying the banner of the 33 rd , and accompanied by Grand Inquisitors , proceeding to

Manchester , to pass SENTENCE on a Sovereign Prince Rose Croix for the crime of lese majestc . A celebrated Tiler volunteers his services as executioner . " A demon

of the accepted type , three donkeys in various attitudes , personifying stolidity , bewilderment and triumph , three longrobed familiars , and a tom-cat carrying the

sword of state are the principal figures in this astounding work of art . Now , if all this had appeared in an anti-Masonic publication , no one would have felt either surprised or annoyed , but when it comes

“The Freemason: 1871-02-11, Page 6” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 9 May 2025, django:8000/periodicals/fvl/issues/fvl_11021871/page/6/.
  • List
  • Grid
Title Category Page
TABLE OF CONTENTS. Article 1
FREEMASONRY in ENGLAND Article 1
FREEMASONRY in IRELAND. Article 1
MASONIC ORDER OF MIZRAIM. Article 2
ANCIENT AND PRIMITIVE RITE OF MISRAIM. Article 2
The ANCIENT & ACCEPTED RITE. Article 2
RED CROSS OF ROME AND CONSTANTINE. Article 2
THE FREEMASONS' LIFE BOAT. Article 3
GALLANT LIFEBOAT SERVICES. Article 3
MASONIC FESTIVITIES. Article 3
Untitled Article 3
METROPOLITAN LODGE OF INSTRUCTION. Article 3
Reports of Masonic Meetings. Article 4
ROYAL ARCH. Article 5
Untitled Ad 6
Untitled Article 6
Untitled Article 6
Untitled Article 6
Untitled Article 6
A MODEL GRUMBLER. Article 6
Multum in Parbo, or Masonic Notes Queries. Article 7
Original Correspondence. Article 8
SCOTLAND. Article 8
Masonic Miscellanea. Article 8
ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION. Article 9
FESTIVAL of the ROYAL MASONIC BENENOLENT INSTITUTION. Article 9
Untitled Article 11
ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOYS. Article 11
METROPOLITAN MASONIC MEETINGS Article 11
Untitled Article 12
Untitled Ad 12
Untitled Ad 12
Untitled Ad 12
Page 1

Page 1

4 Articles
Page 2

Page 2

6 Articles
Page 3

Page 3

7 Articles
Page 4

Page 4

4 Articles
Page 5

Page 5

4 Articles
Page 6

Page 6

8 Articles
Page 7

Page 7

4 Articles
Page 8

Page 8

5 Articles
Page 9

Page 9

4 Articles
Page 10

Page 10

3 Articles
Page 11

Page 11

5 Articles
Page 12

Page 12

6 Articles
Page 6

Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Ad00605

To ADVERTISERS . THE Circulation of T HE FREEMASON being now at the rate of nearly Ilalf-a-milliotiyex oxamm , it offers peculiar facilities to all who advertise . It is well known that the Fraternity of Freemasons is a large and constantly increasing body , mainly composed of the influential and educated classes of society ; and as The Freemason is now the accepted organ of the Brotherhood in the United Kingdom , and also enjoys an extensive sale in the colonies and foreign parts , its advantages as an advertising medium can scarcely be overrated . For tenns apply to GEORGE KENNING , 2 , 3 , & 4 , LITTLE BRITAIN , LONDON , E . C .

Ar00600

NOTICE , The Subscription to THE FREEMASON is noiv los . per annum , post-free , payable in advance . Vol . I ., bound in cloth 4 s . 6 d . Vol . II ., ditto 7 s . 6 d . Vol . III ., ditto 15 s . od . Reading Cases to hold 52 numbers ... 2 s . 6 d .

Ar00601

l > iistocrs iff € orrcsuonb . citfs . «» All communications for THE FREEMASON should be written tcgibly n one side of the paper only , and , if intended for insertion in the current number , must be received not later than 10 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 .

F . J . —Many thanks for second instalment of Amerian Tour ; it is in lype . BRO . DELFRAISSE . —Your letter will appear next week . M . J . M . —The W . M . should nominate a Brother lo act as S . W . pro tern . H . B . —Certainly . There are many thousand professors of ihe Catholic faith enrolled within the ranks of the Fraternity , notwithstanding the opposition of bigoted minds .

Ar00602

BOORS RECEIVED . Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Missouri for 1 S 70 The Personal Expenses of Charles II . in the City of Worcester , 1651 . By Bro . R . Woof , F . S . A ., F . R . S . L ., Sec , & c Several reviews stand over till next week .

Ar00603

The Freemason , S ATURDAY , F EBRUARY n , 1 S 7 L THE FREEMASON is published on Saturday Mornings in time for the early trains . The price of Tim FREEMASON is Twopence per week ; annual subscription , 10 s . ( payable in advance ) . All comnunications , letters , & c , to be addressed to the EDITOR , a , 3 , and 4 , Little tiritain , E . C The Editor will pay careful attention to all MSS . entrusted to him ut cannot undertake to return them unless accompanied by postage tamps . *

A Model Grumbler.

A MODEL GRUMBLER .

OUR attention has been called to an eccentric magazine , whose advent into the literary world is but of recent date , and whose pages appear to be devoted to diatribes against

everything in general and Freemasonry in particular . This pretentious publication , which is facetiously called a " Review , " is

in reality an apotheosis of Diogenes—we mean the extinct comic paper , not the famous cynical philosopher who dwelt in a tub . In one number we find horrible details

respecting incremation , or the art of burning one ' s dead relations in an off-hand and satisfactory manner ; the ghastly process

being gravely commended as a sure and certain means of averting possible plagues amongst the living . In another article the Mosaic account of the Creation is quietl y

A Model Grumbler.

demolished ; but as it is with the Masonic iconoclast ' s efforts that our readers are most concerned , we shall not , we hope , be doing them an ill turn if we present them

with a few choice specimens of the epithets which our " Reviewer ' s " redundant vocabulary of abuse enables him to scatter for the edification of all who choose to listen .

We may premise by stating that in a former number of this new-fledged Juvenal , THE FREEMASON , its proprietor , its contributors , its subscribers , are tarred with the same brush and share the same horrid doom of

excommunication—the only wonder being that we have all not only survived the withering effects of our critic ' s wrath , but absolutely appear to thrive upon it , like the

big navvy who , when his Lilliputian wife thrashed him , good humouredly explained , " You see it pleases Iter , and doan ' t hurt

mc . However , be this as it may , we cannot resist the temptation of reproducing a few tit-bits —rare vwrccaux— from the

intellectual banquet so prodigally provided for the benefit of the Craft . Entre nous , we wonder how many Freemasons read the said " Review ? " In the first place , our

Solomon redivivits being afflicted with a new disease—which we will take the liberty of calling , without consulting the faculty , "Grand Master on the Brain "—

discusses in querulous tone and moody spirit a fearful wrong which he has experienced at the hands of the Earl de Grey and Ripon . Awful to relate , the editor of

this " Quadrangular Review '—for such is an approach to the euphonious appellation of the new periodical—has applied for a new lodge , and has been refused . Was

there ever such unheard-of despotism on the part of the powers that be ? Does not the Grand Master , and the Grand Master ' s " Devil "—whoever he may be—deserve to

be immolated at once on the altar of Masonic vengeance for so cruelly depriving our modern Solon of the hoped - for opportunity of airing his Masonic opinions in a select Masonic coterie of his own ? Of

course , after the expressive epithet "Devil , the term " old women , " applied to the committees of the Craft , is weak and

inconsequential . To be consistent , our " Quadrangular " friend ought to have made them all , without exception , imps—allotting at least one tail and two horns to each

member . Further on we find the same diabolical imagery again in the ascendantonly this time the " Devil" is designated the Grand Master ' s " Mcphistophelian

prompter . ' " What s in a name ? says Shakespeare ; but the line must be drawn somewhere . Inconceivable as it may seem , we have met men who object to be called

by their Christian names " Rogue or " Villain , " although the said cognomen was fully confirmed by their countenances . In like manner , this mys t erious S ^ tan who sits at

the Grand Master s right hand , and moves the figures on the Masonic chess-board , may , if he have an existence , rise up and protest against the opprobious , if high-sounding , language in which his proceedings are

A Model Grumbler.

noticed . In ancient times , every wizard had his familiar , who generally assumed the ~ canine form and played up the tricks of " Old Harry" with all a juvenile dog ' s

love of mischief . Does our reviewer mean to insinuate that a similar official prevails in Freemasonry , and that the boasted " light " of the Craft is but the reflection

of a second Lucifer ? But this is not all ; the " Quadrangular" next concentrates his gaze upon a " self-elected and ignorant set of Masonic swash-bucklers , " and with

one stroke of the pen consigns to dust and ashes the Supreme Grand Council of the 33 ° . This Masonic body was , he avers , " imported from America by a low quack

doctor , Crucefix , alias Goss and Co ., the successor of the notorious Dr . Eady of Newman-street , whose name was chalked on every wall within twenty miles of

London . " This " quack , " he continues , " soon bagged a whole tribe of Masonic duffers or dummies , " gave them very grand titles , such as " Sovereign Grand

Commanders , and did a rare trade in the distribution of magnificent decorations . Our Triton among the minnows then attacks

the present officers of the Ancient and , Accepted Rite , affirming that the " Sovereign"isan unknown nonentity , and thatthe " Treasurer-General" is the real controller

of affairs , especially combining the receipt of cash with the equally agreeable task of snubbing his " Illustrious " inferiors . What a fearful tale is this . " my masters ! " We

are further told that an " unworthy prince , ' who recently " snapped his fingers at the Council , " has been tried by a jury of " thirty-one idiots" and sentenced to

" Masonic death , " and that the said delinquentmeans to expose the whole body in the " Court of Queen ' s Bench . " The reception of a " Prince Rhododendron " at a "

highfalutin" meeting of "Grand Elected Knights K h " is next alluded to in not very complimentary terms , and after a second onslaught upon Craft Masonry , an

illustrative anecdote of a wooden ass—possibly an ancestor of the reviewer—winds up this charming model of good taste and Masonic courtesy . Stay : we had almost

forgotten to add that a veritable illustration of the " Procession to Manchester " is annexed to this extraordinary literary production . It represents " The Sovereign

Tribunal led by the Devil ( our friend cannot get on , it seems , without a " devil" ) , carrying the banner of the 33 rd , and accompanied by Grand Inquisitors , proceeding to

Manchester , to pass SENTENCE on a Sovereign Prince Rose Croix for the crime of lese majestc . A celebrated Tiler volunteers his services as executioner . " A demon

of the accepted type , three donkeys in various attitudes , personifying stolidity , bewilderment and triumph , three longrobed familiars , and a tom-cat carrying the

sword of state are the principal figures in this astounding work of art . Now , if all this had appeared in an anti-Masonic publication , no one would have felt either surprised or annoyed , but when it comes

  • Prev page
  • 1
  • 5
  • You're on page6
  • 7
  • 12
  • Next page
  • Accredited Museum Designated Outstanding Collection
  • LIBRARY AND MUSEUM CHARITABLE TRUST OF THE UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1058497 / ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2025

  • Accessibility statement

  • Designed, developed, and maintained by King's Digital Lab

We use cookies to track usage and preferences.

Privacy & cookie policy