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Article OOEEESPONDEICE ← Page 3 of 7 →
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Ooeeespondeice
Freemasonry . I shall therefore content myself with requesting the readers of your publication to arm themselves with the lihuriel spear of common sense , by the aid of which the tangled web of sophistry and misrepresentation so ingeniously woven , wall be easily destroyed , and a clearer
perception gained of the respective merits of the parties now at issue U . Some few points however there are which demand particular notice . A Country Mason " defines the very large portion of the members of Grand Lodge of 1 st Sept ., who observed stem silence on the occasion , as the three who did not vote on the motion of Sir L . Curtis . " I hesitate in stigmatising this
as a wilful perversion of fact , but surely it must have been apparent to any unprejudiced person that at least one third—I think I may say nearly one half—of those present abstained from any participation in that most irregular proceeding . So much for the accuracy of those who are just now industriously employed in branding their opponents as men not remarkable for veracit-y Again— -the members of the so-called Observer party are charged
with making unscrupulous and libellous attacks on the executive Grand officers . Giving this accusation a simple denial—always e xcepting the one regretted error which has been severely condemned and . handsomely acknowledged—but assuming for argument ' s sake that there is some foundation for so foul a charge , —ought not the self-constituted plaintiffs in this suit to come into court with clean hands ? Do they so ? We will see . The independent
members of Grand Lodge are charged with seeking the advancement of their private interests , not the good of Masonry ; they are distinguished by a factious opposition to constituted authorities ; they use every effort to impair the power and usefulness of the Grand Master and his executive ; and they are denounced as u scandalous , " impertinent , " " wicked . " In fact our language , rich as it is , has been industriously ransacked , and the choicest expletives culled therefrom for the purpose of describing the conduct , actions , and motives of this body of simple-minded , honest , earnest Brethren , Avhose
labours have resulted in imparting something like efficiency to the executive , in providing provincial Masons with increased facilities for a consideration of the . questions to be submitted to Grand Lodge ; in the introduction of the printed agenda paper ; in the establishment of the Colonial Board ** , and whose influence is generally felt , acknowledged , and—I have fi right to conclude from the efforts made to crush them—feared !
Sir , I admit that the time has come when it behoves every good Mason to speak plainly , and I will add that I .. for one shall not hesitate to do so . Much improvement has been effected—there is room lor more . In continuing their efforts , the members of Grand Lodge who arc so constantly and so unsparingly held up to odium have counted the cost , and are quite content to submit to any amount of censure from those who either do not or will not understand their intentions , or from those who , conscious of their power and
flushed with temporary success , are heedless of the future , unmindful of the past , and find the best occupation for the present in vilifying Brethren who , equally at least with themselves , have manifested their attachment to the Order by supporting its charities and advocating its excellencies , and whose sole end and aim is to render it in every respect thoroughly adapted for carrying out the . great and important objects it is so well calculated , under proper management , to effect . I feel myself compelled to allude , lor a moment , to the sickly sycophancy
which so pre-eminently distinguished the Ipswich meeting , and to question the consistency of such laboured orations in defence of an estimable and illustrious nobleman , for whom we were told the other day no defence is needed . In the warmth of his zeal , I observe that flic Magnus Apollo of the dais in denouncing the party before alluded to u piled Telion on Ossa "
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ooeeespondeice
Freemasonry . I shall therefore content myself with requesting the readers of your publication to arm themselves with the lihuriel spear of common sense , by the aid of which the tangled web of sophistry and misrepresentation so ingeniously woven , wall be easily destroyed , and a clearer
perception gained of the respective merits of the parties now at issue U . Some few points however there are which demand particular notice . A Country Mason " defines the very large portion of the members of Grand Lodge of 1 st Sept ., who observed stem silence on the occasion , as the three who did not vote on the motion of Sir L . Curtis . " I hesitate in stigmatising this
as a wilful perversion of fact , but surely it must have been apparent to any unprejudiced person that at least one third—I think I may say nearly one half—of those present abstained from any participation in that most irregular proceeding . So much for the accuracy of those who are just now industriously employed in branding their opponents as men not remarkable for veracit-y Again— -the members of the so-called Observer party are charged
with making unscrupulous and libellous attacks on the executive Grand officers . Giving this accusation a simple denial—always e xcepting the one regretted error which has been severely condemned and . handsomely acknowledged—but assuming for argument ' s sake that there is some foundation for so foul a charge , —ought not the self-constituted plaintiffs in this suit to come into court with clean hands ? Do they so ? We will see . The independent
members of Grand Lodge are charged with seeking the advancement of their private interests , not the good of Masonry ; they are distinguished by a factious opposition to constituted authorities ; they use every effort to impair the power and usefulness of the Grand Master and his executive ; and they are denounced as u scandalous , " impertinent , " " wicked . " In fact our language , rich as it is , has been industriously ransacked , and the choicest expletives culled therefrom for the purpose of describing the conduct , actions , and motives of this body of simple-minded , honest , earnest Brethren , Avhose
labours have resulted in imparting something like efficiency to the executive , in providing provincial Masons with increased facilities for a consideration of the . questions to be submitted to Grand Lodge ; in the introduction of the printed agenda paper ; in the establishment of the Colonial Board ** , and whose influence is generally felt , acknowledged , and—I have fi right to conclude from the efforts made to crush them—feared !
Sir , I admit that the time has come when it behoves every good Mason to speak plainly , and I will add that I .. for one shall not hesitate to do so . Much improvement has been effected—there is room lor more . In continuing their efforts , the members of Grand Lodge who arc so constantly and so unsparingly held up to odium have counted the cost , and are quite content to submit to any amount of censure from those who either do not or will not understand their intentions , or from those who , conscious of their power and
flushed with temporary success , are heedless of the future , unmindful of the past , and find the best occupation for the present in vilifying Brethren who , equally at least with themselves , have manifested their attachment to the Order by supporting its charities and advocating its excellencies , and whose sole end and aim is to render it in every respect thoroughly adapted for carrying out the . great and important objects it is so well calculated , under proper management , to effect . I feel myself compelled to allude , lor a moment , to the sickly sycophancy
which so pre-eminently distinguished the Ipswich meeting , and to question the consistency of such laboured orations in defence of an estimable and illustrious nobleman , for whom we were told the other day no defence is needed . In the warmth of his zeal , I observe that flic Magnus Apollo of the dais in denouncing the party before alluded to u piled Telion on Ossa "