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that , with tl ^ e exception of a hol d upon strangers for aid ( which they may never require ) , their only apparent advancement in knowledge , by becoming Masons , has been the acquisition of the science of gastronomy , to the gratification of the appetite and the insurance of indigestion , become disgusted ; ignore the process of Masonic instruction by which they might ascertain the real moral excellence of the science ;
see in its symbols—to themselves but partially developed—only a conglomeration of fanciful allegory and useless record , and propagate amongst the exoteric world the contempt and disgust they experience themselves . There is no opponent to any system so pernicious as a disappointed aspirant , especially where semi-ignorance combines with disaffection ; and it is to this oblivion of our true business as Masons ,
viz ., to corroborate every desire for the attainment of knowledge in the young who join us , and to take the lead rather than the rear of progress , that much opposition and contempt are engendered towards the Order . To this evil , also , we may annex the system of accepting candidates of immature years . We are convinced that at Oxford , recently , many sat down at the banquet who were far below the age
of twenty-one , and yet with no parental affinity to the Craft . If , therefore , the ceremonial be in any way conducted without dignityif any lapse or inefficiency appear in the presiding Officers—what wonder that it excites laughter in the minds of mere boys , to affect whom with esteem for us , at their first entrance into our Order , is of consummate consequence ; without which being engendered , the evil spreads , levity issues in disrespect , and an acquaintance begun in folly and indifference surely terminates in lasting contempt . "We
hope the consideration of these remarks will prevent the pernicious practice , at present but too prevalent , of " touting ' for candidates . When the members of a society solicit members , its decay is not far off . We should copy the Eules of our Constitution in this respect as closely as the Prench do , whose strict inquiries relative to every candidate , before his admission , tend to uphold the dignity of the Craft , and to ensure the respectability- — of which high birth is the most insignificant element—of every joining member .
2 . An evil also is growing fast upon us , incident to the present diseased state of English society , from a spirit of " toadyism / 5 a truckling to wealth and power , we need hardly say wholly abnormal from true Masonic equality . It is not the system of the Order " to speak evil of dignities ; " but with the reference to our birth ; the frail tenure by which we hold the tenancy of our present lodging—the body—so frequently out of repair!—and with the sure , it may be swift
approach , of our triumphant conqueror—the worm , to feed upon our frame , and crawl upon our coronets?—constantly kept before us in our lectures , the inconsistency seems strange between the precept of indifference to all but virtue , and the practice of gold-seeking sycophancy . The fulsome flattery growing up in our lodges here and there , wherein the brain is intoxicated by an atmosphere of compliments , so that we thank the incompetent Jupiter Tonans , bespattered by praise , when he rises to reply , of course breaks down , and brings
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Untitled Article
that , with tl ^ e exception of a hol d upon strangers for aid ( which they may never require ) , their only apparent advancement in knowledge , by becoming Masons , has been the acquisition of the science of gastronomy , to the gratification of the appetite and the insurance of indigestion , become disgusted ; ignore the process of Masonic instruction by which they might ascertain the real moral excellence of the science ;
see in its symbols—to themselves but partially developed—only a conglomeration of fanciful allegory and useless record , and propagate amongst the exoteric world the contempt and disgust they experience themselves . There is no opponent to any system so pernicious as a disappointed aspirant , especially where semi-ignorance combines with disaffection ; and it is to this oblivion of our true business as Masons ,
viz ., to corroborate every desire for the attainment of knowledge in the young who join us , and to take the lead rather than the rear of progress , that much opposition and contempt are engendered towards the Order . To this evil , also , we may annex the system of accepting candidates of immature years . We are convinced that at Oxford , recently , many sat down at the banquet who were far below the age
of twenty-one , and yet with no parental affinity to the Craft . If , therefore , the ceremonial be in any way conducted without dignityif any lapse or inefficiency appear in the presiding Officers—what wonder that it excites laughter in the minds of mere boys , to affect whom with esteem for us , at their first entrance into our Order , is of consummate consequence ; without which being engendered , the evil spreads , levity issues in disrespect , and an acquaintance begun in folly and indifference surely terminates in lasting contempt . "We
hope the consideration of these remarks will prevent the pernicious practice , at present but too prevalent , of " touting ' for candidates . When the members of a society solicit members , its decay is not far off . We should copy the Eules of our Constitution in this respect as closely as the Prench do , whose strict inquiries relative to every candidate , before his admission , tend to uphold the dignity of the Craft , and to ensure the respectability- — of which high birth is the most insignificant element—of every joining member .
2 . An evil also is growing fast upon us , incident to the present diseased state of English society , from a spirit of " toadyism / 5 a truckling to wealth and power , we need hardly say wholly abnormal from true Masonic equality . It is not the system of the Order " to speak evil of dignities ; " but with the reference to our birth ; the frail tenure by which we hold the tenancy of our present lodging—the body—so frequently out of repair!—and with the sure , it may be swift
approach , of our triumphant conqueror—the worm , to feed upon our frame , and crawl upon our coronets?—constantly kept before us in our lectures , the inconsistency seems strange between the precept of indifference to all but virtue , and the practice of gold-seeking sycophancy . The fulsome flattery growing up in our lodges here and there , wherein the brain is intoxicated by an atmosphere of compliments , so that we thank the incompetent Jupiter Tonans , bespattered by praise , when he rises to reply , of course breaks down , and brings