Roman Catholicism And Freemasonry.—The Chatham Outrage.

sonic body , iu a speech in the House of Lords , on the 7 th of June , I 860 , are worthy of being quoted in this connection . "I am not a member of the body , but I believe a more loyal , peaceable , charitable , and benevolent body

does not exist . " And such being the verdict in favour of Freemasonry of the Parliament of Great Britain , pronounced after long and full experience of the manner in which it has been carried onwhich nothing during the

, greater part of a century now elapsed lias led the parliament even to think of changing , and which has recently been confirmed by the voice of one of the most distinguished and most respected of British Statesmenis it to be

toler-, ated that the liberty of Britons is to be abridged at the mere pleasure of a foreign priest ? And are we to stand calmly by and see this clone to any portion of our countrymen , and actually

to give salaries to men who are engaged in enforcing the papal prohibition of Freemasonry , by means which are inconsistent with the veiy semblance ol christian charity , and repugnant to the common feelings of humanity ? The

case is made all the worse by " the fact that Romanism , although boasting so much of its unchangeableiiess , has not been consistent with itself iu this respect , but whilst sometimes assuming an attitude of hostility to Frecmasomy

, lias at other times been perfectly tolerant of if , has opposed it in one country and bus refrained from all opposition in another . Most of the Freemasons of France are Roman Catholics , but the church does not refuse to

acknowledge them as its , members , nor to perform its ordinary services over their graves . In Ireland also , and even in England , many Roman Catholics are Freemasons , as well in America and elsewhere . Not , a lew Roman Catholic

priests are members of the Masonic bod . )' , and Pope Pius IX , himself , was in bis comparatively early life initiated into the order , taking the oaths usually taken by its members , however he may since—without publicly intimating the

fact—have granted to himself a dispensation from them . We trust the lodge of which the late Sergeant Johnstone was a member , the Buckley "Lodge , Chatham , will promptly take up the subject of Mr .

Cuffe ' s conduct , and bring it under the consideration of the Grand Lodge of England , that the influence of the Grand Lodge , and thus of the Freemasons of England generally , may be exerted for the vindication of the cause

of liberty and charity . What Mr . Cuffe has done may be regarded as a mere attempt to excite the alarm of Roman Catholics , but if his conduct receives no speedy and salutary check , his example may perhaps speedily be followed by some of his brethren . The Prince of

Wales is Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England , and various members of the Royal Family have been in former days . Is he to be told that the order to which lie belongs is proscribed to any portion of his Royal Mother ' s

subjects ? Other members of the Royal Family have , at various times during the last hundred years , been Grand Masters of the Grand Lodge of England . Is every Roman Catholic priest to be allowed to step forward and say to

the members of his flock , this which the law of the country fully allows and stamps with its approbation , " I forbid to you under the authority of the Pope ? " AVhat law , then , is to be supreme in Britain , —that of Britain , or that of Koine ? But if Koman Catholic

priests arc to assert such power , and so to take away the liberty of the members of their church , are they to be paid for doing so by the British nation ? The subject is well worthy of the attention of the government and the

parliament , nor do we suppose that , except on the part of the most extreme Ultrainontanes , a single voice will be lifted up in justification of the conduct of the salaried priest at Chatham , or to save him from such penalty as may be deemed his due . His deprivation of office would have a most salutary effect on othersl ike-minded witli himself