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Article GRAND ORIENT OF FRANCE. ← Page 3 of 4 →
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Grand Orient Of France.
"Masonry , " said Prince Murat to us , "did not offer ten years ago any allurement to personal ambition . Since then it has yearly increased . " Whose fault if it has excited envy and cupidity ? Masonry , ten years ago , knew nothing of high salaries ; its functions , purely honorary , could awake emulation ,
satisfy some vain persons ; but , at least , does not excite base appetites . Who , then , has introduced into it the allurement of large salaries ; or on whom falls the responsibility of new vices , which follow as a matter of course ? It has grown great do they add ? All that has grown great is the expenditure
, the offices , embarrassments of every kind ; but what has not grown great is the number of Masons . The calendar of the Grand Orient shows that the number of lodges has diminished . In 1852 the Order possessed 325 lodges ; this year there are only 269 , according to the returns of 1861 . Thusthe purely
, gratuitous affirmations are totally contradicted when figures are brought to bear upon them . There our task is easy . But what shall we say to our Grand Master when he re-echoes anonymous imputations based on such statements as these ? What shall we say to him if it is he only who injures
us ? What is more sad than to see the chief of our Order innocently repeat perfidious accusations , and to give to base denunciations the support of his name and character . We do not know whether Masons wish to form a new dogma . In any case we should not see much
evil in it . It is the right of every man to do what he believes right , and it is not within the province of the Masonic brotherhood , in this age of religious tolerance , that they ought to take upon themselves to
contest this right , recognised by a positive law in every civilised country . But what we affirm is that never has any Mason , owing obedience to the Grand Orient , striven to " attach Masonry to any of those secret societies which the Revolution has spread over the surface of the globe . " We declare it to be an unworthy falsehoodand we have been very much
, grieved and surprised to find it in a letter signed with the name of Prince Murat . Such denunciations against Masons would not be of any importance coming from the enemies of Masonry ; they write according to their wishes . But , set forth by those whom Masons have chosen to represent themthey
, acquire a singular importance . Thus , at the same time that we protest against these accusations in the name of all those who side with the present memoire , we summon Prince Murat to depart from those generalities which , by the vagueness of their expression , include every one , and call upon him to
positively designate by name—to Masonry first , to the civil authorities afterwards , if he thinks proper —the persons of whom lie intended to speak . So far we leave with him the moral responsibility of an act which , out of respect for his name and quality of Grand Master , we should abstain from qualifying , in
order that public conscience would appreciateit . Perhaps we may be excused from bringing to lightagain other errors , less serious without doubt , but very much to be regretted , nevertheless , in a letter signed with a name and title . Why say that they Excite bad passions ? Who are tliey ? and why ? and for what reason ? Do they believe that respectable men abandoned their own affairs , sacrificed their time and money , and exposed themselves to all kinds of
unpleasant consequences m order to excite bad passions ; and against whom , in the name of Grod ? Besides the serious differences which separate us from his Administration—differences which we have sufficiently made known—there exists between the Grand Master of Erench Masonry and those who have refused him their votesa misunderstanding that
, it grieves us to make public . The most illustrious Grand Master resembles here the Emperor of China , who , cheated by the reports of his mandarins , faithfully believed they had exterminated the barbarians of the West , when their army was already under the walls of Pekin . The G-rand
Master tells us he will consent " to be indulgent to every brother who asks his pardon , recognising the wrong he has done in infringing the Constitution which he had sworn to observe . " If the Grand Master were aware of what has passed , if he had read other things than the reports
of his mandarins , he would know that it is they who have used his name , and who have violated treaties ; that we wish to maintain the constitution ; and that it is he himself who has been beaten , very quietly thank God , and without the least disorder , on the days of the 22 nd and 23 rd of May , by all Erench
Masonry , united in Masonic convention or electoral Assembly . We believe , besides , we are faithful interpreters of Erench Masonry in affirming that , conquerors or
conquered , we have done our duty in freely expressing our regrets and excuses , if we think we have given a single example of the . violation of Masonic law . But the misunderstanding exists here , since the-Grand Master thinks that we have disobeyed the Constitution , and we affirm that it is his Administration which has violated it .
This is why we can well , having seen the solidity which unites all the brethren , consent to humiliate ourselves , and to put on ashes and sack-cloth for Masonry , the faults of the Scribes and Pharisees of but we cannot ask forgiveness offered to us . Not being guilty of any fault , we cannot accept it .
And yet , that our readers may pardon us these explanations , we will express our regret at having given perhaps too much time to personal questions . "Doubtless , as Pascall well says , it is troublesome to stoop to trifles , but there are times for trifling . " And we promise never more to return to it . They have done
us at least this justice , that it is not we who have caused Masonry to descend from the heights of philosophy that it loves to inhabit , to train it in the arena of brutal passions and doubtful speculations . But we are too much impressed with the importance of our mission not to desire that it may soonpurified from
, every stain , resume the rank which it held , and so recommence , with new force , its hol y work of pacific progress , of brotherly benevolence , and of universal conciliation .
SECOND POSTSCRIPT . ' *' " We have not spoken of a pamphlet honoured by the patronage of the Grand Master , and published without the author ' s name , under the title : Vne sedition au sein de la Magonnerie . We have only mentioned it that may be placed on record as a portion of our Masonic literature . The author of this pamphlet , whose incognito we wish to respect , is not a common mind , and mi ght have been a distinguished philosopher . Unfortunately , his character
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Grand Orient Of France.
"Masonry , " said Prince Murat to us , "did not offer ten years ago any allurement to personal ambition . Since then it has yearly increased . " Whose fault if it has excited envy and cupidity ? Masonry , ten years ago , knew nothing of high salaries ; its functions , purely honorary , could awake emulation ,
satisfy some vain persons ; but , at least , does not excite base appetites . Who , then , has introduced into it the allurement of large salaries ; or on whom falls the responsibility of new vices , which follow as a matter of course ? It has grown great do they add ? All that has grown great is the expenditure
, the offices , embarrassments of every kind ; but what has not grown great is the number of Masons . The calendar of the Grand Orient shows that the number of lodges has diminished . In 1852 the Order possessed 325 lodges ; this year there are only 269 , according to the returns of 1861 . Thusthe purely
, gratuitous affirmations are totally contradicted when figures are brought to bear upon them . There our task is easy . But what shall we say to our Grand Master when he re-echoes anonymous imputations based on such statements as these ? What shall we say to him if it is he only who injures
us ? What is more sad than to see the chief of our Order innocently repeat perfidious accusations , and to give to base denunciations the support of his name and character . We do not know whether Masons wish to form a new dogma . In any case we should not see much
evil in it . It is the right of every man to do what he believes right , and it is not within the province of the Masonic brotherhood , in this age of religious tolerance , that they ought to take upon themselves to
contest this right , recognised by a positive law in every civilised country . But what we affirm is that never has any Mason , owing obedience to the Grand Orient , striven to " attach Masonry to any of those secret societies which the Revolution has spread over the surface of the globe . " We declare it to be an unworthy falsehoodand we have been very much
, grieved and surprised to find it in a letter signed with the name of Prince Murat . Such denunciations against Masons would not be of any importance coming from the enemies of Masonry ; they write according to their wishes . But , set forth by those whom Masons have chosen to represent themthey
, acquire a singular importance . Thus , at the same time that we protest against these accusations in the name of all those who side with the present memoire , we summon Prince Murat to depart from those generalities which , by the vagueness of their expression , include every one , and call upon him to
positively designate by name—to Masonry first , to the civil authorities afterwards , if he thinks proper —the persons of whom lie intended to speak . So far we leave with him the moral responsibility of an act which , out of respect for his name and quality of Grand Master , we should abstain from qualifying , in
order that public conscience would appreciateit . Perhaps we may be excused from bringing to lightagain other errors , less serious without doubt , but very much to be regretted , nevertheless , in a letter signed with a name and title . Why say that they Excite bad passions ? Who are tliey ? and why ? and for what reason ? Do they believe that respectable men abandoned their own affairs , sacrificed their time and money , and exposed themselves to all kinds of
unpleasant consequences m order to excite bad passions ; and against whom , in the name of Grod ? Besides the serious differences which separate us from his Administration—differences which we have sufficiently made known—there exists between the Grand Master of Erench Masonry and those who have refused him their votesa misunderstanding that
, it grieves us to make public . The most illustrious Grand Master resembles here the Emperor of China , who , cheated by the reports of his mandarins , faithfully believed they had exterminated the barbarians of the West , when their army was already under the walls of Pekin . The G-rand
Master tells us he will consent " to be indulgent to every brother who asks his pardon , recognising the wrong he has done in infringing the Constitution which he had sworn to observe . " If the Grand Master were aware of what has passed , if he had read other things than the reports
of his mandarins , he would know that it is they who have used his name , and who have violated treaties ; that we wish to maintain the constitution ; and that it is he himself who has been beaten , very quietly thank God , and without the least disorder , on the days of the 22 nd and 23 rd of May , by all Erench
Masonry , united in Masonic convention or electoral Assembly . We believe , besides , we are faithful interpreters of Erench Masonry in affirming that , conquerors or
conquered , we have done our duty in freely expressing our regrets and excuses , if we think we have given a single example of the . violation of Masonic law . But the misunderstanding exists here , since the-Grand Master thinks that we have disobeyed the Constitution , and we affirm that it is his Administration which has violated it .
This is why we can well , having seen the solidity which unites all the brethren , consent to humiliate ourselves , and to put on ashes and sack-cloth for Masonry , the faults of the Scribes and Pharisees of but we cannot ask forgiveness offered to us . Not being guilty of any fault , we cannot accept it .
And yet , that our readers may pardon us these explanations , we will express our regret at having given perhaps too much time to personal questions . "Doubtless , as Pascall well says , it is troublesome to stoop to trifles , but there are times for trifling . " And we promise never more to return to it . They have done
us at least this justice , that it is not we who have caused Masonry to descend from the heights of philosophy that it loves to inhabit , to train it in the arena of brutal passions and doubtful speculations . But we are too much impressed with the importance of our mission not to desire that it may soonpurified from
, every stain , resume the rank which it held , and so recommence , with new force , its hol y work of pacific progress , of brotherly benevolence , and of universal conciliation .
SECOND POSTSCRIPT . ' *' " We have not spoken of a pamphlet honoured by the patronage of the Grand Master , and published without the author ' s name , under the title : Vne sedition au sein de la Magonnerie . We have only mentioned it that may be placed on record as a portion of our Masonic literature . The author of this pamphlet , whose incognito we wish to respect , is not a common mind , and mi ght have been a distinguished philosopher . Unfortunately , his character