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NOTICE . The Subscription lo TUB FREEMASON is now ios . per annum , post-free , payable m advance . Vol . I ., bound in clot !) 4 s . 6 ( 1 . Vol . II ., ditto 7 s . 61 I . Vol . s III ., IV ., and V . ... each 15 s . od . Reading Cases to liold 52 numbers ... 2 s . Od . Ditto ditto 4 do . ... is . Cd .

United States of America . THE FREEMASON is delivered fice in any part of tlie United States for 12 s . per annum , payable in advance . The KrcL'innson is published on Saturday Mornings in lime for Ihe early ( rains . The price ot" the Freemason is Twopence per week ; annual Bubscriplion , ios . ( payable in advance . ) Alt communications , letters , & c , to be addressed to tile Editor , J ^ S , fleet-street , l'CC . The lidilorwill pay careful attention to all MSS . entrusted tohim , liutcannot undertake ( o return them unless accompanied hypostatic stamps .

Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

, f . BAIIKER , MirficJd . —Uro . , J . Meggy , of 11 , Old Jcwrj Cluimbers , London , is the Secretary ot the Mark LJciicvolent Association .

IlliUJTTANCliS JiliClilYED . Secretary Mount Gambler Loilijc , South Australia , P . O . Older , 38 s . . J . Bushell , Zarndalha , New South Wales , P . O . O . 21 s . lidvvd . Anchor , thev mouth , New Zealand , l ' . O . O . 12 s . SI . S . Bahthcijecs , Kunaehee , East Indies , draft , X'l 14 s . Sd .

li . ' 1 ' . Leith , I 3 i > mbay , l' . O . O ., ft 14 s . 8 d . It is \ cry necessary fur our blends I > advise 11 s of all money outers they icmit , more especially those fiom tlie United States of Americr , otherwise we cannot tell wlicie to credit them . Seveial remain unere . iitcd nt ' . lhe present time owiner tono advice ha \ in ; ' been received . The following - stand over : — licpntts of Lodges l . i / J , 240 , . 1 , 39 , 681 , 2 <) Ci .

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MASONIC MEETINGS AND LARGE AND SMALL DINNERS , AT The Freemasons' Tavern , CJieut Queen-street , W . C . Apply t . ) C . li . IiiANCATIil . LI .

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THE HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY , J'ltOM ITS OUIGIN TO Tllli I'JeliSL'NT DAY . Drawn from Ihe best sources and the won recent imeftiyations . BY J . G . FINDEL , Second liditiou , Uc \ iscd , and IVface wiitlcn by Bro . D . MURRAY LYON . One vol ., 800 payes Svc , with an Index . Cloth gilt . l * iice , ios . fid . "This volume is the Listoiy of Masonry par e . xeelU nee Jieery inteicstcd person may regard il , therefore , a * the present text-hook on the subject . "—Muneln ^ lec ( iinirdiun " 'file author seems to have fail Iy exhausted tlie subject . "— 77 M' Allienneum . "Of its value to I ' lccmasons , as a detailed histiry of their Urol'ieil'ood , it is net possible lo speak too liiyhly . " — J ' nllie Ojiiniun . Bro . GEORGE KENNING , /<>' , ' , I'l . liK . T STIililiT , LONDON ' , Ji . CC

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Second IClitiun , Now Heady , j / ft . A MASONIC MUSICAL SERVICE . In the key of C . for A ., 'J ' ., T ., 15 . Opening anil Closing O les . Ciaft Ceremonies . Itnyal Aieh Ceiemony . Consecration Ceiein mv . G'acc Letuie aud atu-i Meat . CO . Ml'OSliD UY J )!! . J . C . HA , ' -till , NO . 241 . Nliox . — Geo . KcaiiCiL ; , n /> , Flcct-Miett ; and 2 ,,,, and 4 , Little Ji . it . tin . ,, It . Spencer , 20 , Great Hueen-street . Livi' . ni ' . > oi ..--Gco . ki 1111111 ; . ; , 2 , . Mor . uuiciit-pl . icc . MANCIII . SI 1 : 11 .. — h . Ileiuy > . Y Co ., -n ,, Dciuisi ; ate . Dum . IN . —C . Ueil ^ eloni ; , jb , Giatioii-st . ecl Gi . Asuow . —Geo . kciiniiij . ' , 145 , Aivrj le-slreet . liuiMii'iMHi . —Geo . Keimiiier br , I lanei'T-slrcct .

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1 ' iice , q / -, post-free t ; i . THE KED CROSS SONG , Words hy HID . H . W . | . iii ] c . Music bv H 10 . 11 . I ' aikcr . OJCl-JCIi : —I ' IJK , l- 'l >; iCT , STMilCT .

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MADAME TiJSSAUD'S EXHIBITION IIAKKJ ! STJlliliT . Now aided , J'OliTliAIT MODIOI . S of tbe SlIAIIof l'LUSIA , Maisbal MacMahon , AI . Thiers , and thc late Chailes Dickens . Tlie nii ^ iual auto ^' iaph and testimonial , iviillen and picscntcd by the Shall ' to Messrs . Tussauel , July 3 , 18 7 . 15 , is exhibited . Alinissdun is . Children under ten , Gil . li . xtia Jtooms , Od . Open from Un a . m . till ten p . m .

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NOTICE . All Communications , Advertisements , i 3 ' c , intended for insertion in the Numler of the following Saturday , must reach the Office not later than 6 o ' clock on [ Pednesdail evening .

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TheFreemason, SATURDAY , DECEMBER 20 , 1875 .

The Late Papal Rescript.

THE LATE PAPAL RESCRIPT .

In a recent Papal Encyclical Letter by which Bishop Reinckens is excommunicated , his Holiness nil tides also to secret societies , and mentions the Freemasons in terms of rebuke and condemnation .

It was to be expected , that , such an outpouring of " sxvx ¦ indignalionis , " would be improved upon by the Westminster Gazelle . The Encylical letter is dated from France , November 21 st , and the Westminster Gaxetle at once offers us , most kindly and sympathetically ,

this commentary upon it , "In the late encyclical letter thc Sovereign Pontiff has not only pronounced the judgments o ( the Church on apostate priests , and on persecuting princes , but has exposed with a luminous

brevity the history of the vast conspiracy against the Church of Christ , existing in most countries •-. r of Europe , and extending even to some States 01 America . This evil is tracked to its source . and the Sovereign Pontiff once more condemns

those secret societies which , whether they be called Masonic , or pass under any other name , have no lesser object in view than the extinction of the Church . It is notorious that the worst of the secret societies now no longer work in the

dark , but , as if assured of victory , openly proclaim the end they have in view . Tlie International is an open conspiracy against the rights and liberties of the Church , as well as against established order in Europe . The leaders of the

secret societies , Masonic or international , are 111 many countries at the head of affairs , and the strange ; spectacle is afforded to Europe of witnessing established Governments doing the destructive work eif the secret societies . It is in

these societies , the " Synagogue of Satan , " as the Sovereign Pontiff describes tlic-tn , that the conspiracy against the Church was hatched ; and now , armed with all the powerlliat civil authority confers upon them , they avow their intention to

reduce the Church to tlie worst of slaveries , to remove the foundations on which it rests , and to alter its cliriiic character . Princes and their servants , States and their Parliaments , are now compelled to minster to the secret societies , anel to

register the decrees . How just was the counsel of the Pope to the German Emperor in warning him that putting his trust in the secret societies and adopting their destructive policy , he was

unilermining his own throne . How long will thrones stand when altars are overthrown ? To day the war is directed against religion ; to morrow it will be wageel against monarchy , against established onler , ami against properly .

Ihe principal object of attack in this article , is the " Internationale" with which wc hove nothing to do . Hut then the writer , changing nt once , so to say , his " venue , " proceeels to associate our society

with that of the '' Internationale" with which it it has nothing whatever in coiEnwa . ' -The leaders of the secret societies , Masonic or International , " he boldly says , are in many countries at the head of affairs , ccc . " And again , a little

before , as he had declared , " the Sovereign Pontifl once more condemns those secret societies , which whether they be called Alasonic , or pass under any other name , have no other object in w ' ew than the extinction of the Church , so a

The Late Papal Rescript.

little lower clown , he informs us that by the choice expression , the "synagogue of Satan , " it is these secret societies Masonic or otherwise , which are so denominated .

As we object on principle to " Billingsgate at all times , we do not think it needful or becoming to continue the discussion on such terms . All we can do is , to assure the highly

agitated man who pens this fluent article , that the Freemasons in England have nothing to do with the Roman Catholic body , and are in no

way mixed up 111 any proceedings of a political character , or of a religious persecution . In some countries abroad , mutual antagonism exists between the Ecclesiastical and

Masonic bodies , and while we do not profess to defend either the words or acts of all Continental Masonic Grand Lodges , wc feel bound to say .

that , if the Church of Rome were wise in her generation , which she apparently is not , she would go on her own way , and leave interdicts and anathemas alone .

The sword of St . Dominic has been proved to be a very fatal weapon for a spiritual body to wield , and we surely have outlived the days and times ofthe Inquisition .

With the Church of Rome we have nothing to do , and if she will only leave Freemasons alone , and not perpetually insult them by allowing her representatives at one time to couple them with

" Fenians , " and at another time with the" Internationale , " she may be as perfectly certain that we shall never in any way allude to the Church of Rome .

But thc truth is , as we hear from all sides , the Church of Rome is now raising an organised attack on Freemasonry in several portions of the civilised world , and in many towns , without

success . In Brazil , Bishop after Bishop has "charged" his clergy against these dreadful Freemasons , but all in vain , and such we feel certain will be the fate , everywhere , of

unwarranted attacks and unfounded charges against our peaceful and philanthrophic Order . We are only speaking , to-day , of and for English Freemasonry , and we protest once for all

against the old " ruse " of seeking to do injury to our Masonic body in public opinion by asserting of Freemasons that they have a secret political association . We emphatically deny the

assertion and repudiate the charge , on behalf of English , and we believe we may say , American Freemasonry . If anywhere Freemasons are using the secrecy of our ancient Craft for the purpose

of political movement against Church or State , we deeply deploie it , but such arc not the genuine principles of Freemasonry . Oucc more we wish

we could hope that the Church of Rome , taught by experience would give up her old habit of denunciation and anathema .

In seeking thus to " put down " Masonry or silence those who arc opposed to her , she is in fact , like the famous old lady Mrs . Partington , immortalised by Sydney Smith , who sought

to mop up thc waves of the Atlantic beating on the sandy shore . Since writiti'i the above we have read

Archbishop Manning ' s letter to the Times , of elate December 10 th . We deeply regret to find , that that undoubtedly able person endorses the mistaken view of the Roman Church , that Frce-