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Article THE ADMISSION OF HINDOOS AS FREEMASONS. Page 1 of 2 Article THE ADMISSION OF HINDOOS AS FREEMASONS. Page 1 of 2 →
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The Admission Of Hindoos As Freemasons.
THE ADMISSION OF HINDOOS AS FREEMASONS .
LONDON , SATURDAY , MAV . CBZ 18 , 1865 .
We have been requested to publish the following correspondence ( which has been in our hands for some time past ) , and to express our opinion with regard to it . We are happily relieved from the necessity of giving an opinion , inasmuch as we understand that the M . W . Grand Master has
decided that there was nothing to prevent Mr . Dufct and other of our Indian fellow subjects being initiated into the Order , although some delay occurred in consequence of the opinion held by the Provincial Grand Master , which necessitated some
correspondence on the subject , which was also referred to the Colonial Board , the report of which we published about three months since . TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIKEOK . SIR , —I shall thank you for your publishing the accompanying Masonic correspondence into your valuable
MAGAZINE , and at the same time passing your high opinion on the subject . Yon will thereby greatly oblige , Yours faithfully , A BENGALLEE . Calcutta , Dec . 2 , 1864
To the Rigid Hon . the Earl of Zetland , Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England . My Lord , —It is with great diffidence I venture on so bold a step as to address your lordship direct , but trust my extreme anxiety to place before you , with as little delay as possible , a matter of deep interest and importance to of countrymenwill lead a
sufvery many my , p ficient excuse for my presumption in neglecting the ordinary official channel of communication , and appealing immediately to your lordship . The subject which I thus venture to beg your lordship ' s kind consideration of is the recent decision of the Provincial Grand Master of Bengal , unjustly , as I humbly conceive , excluding Hindoos from Freemasonry , and more
particularly my own peculiar case . My application for admission to the Fraternity , accompanied by testimonials as to character from gentlemen of the highest respectability , was submitted by the Master of Lodge Courage with Humanity ( who had some doubt on the subject ) to the Provincial Grand Master , who , at the . quarterly meeting of the District Grand Lodge , expressed himself opposed to , and decided against , the admission of Hindoos , and I am consequently shut out .
The peculiar hardship ol my caso is this , previously to the above meeting in July last , another Hindoo of my own rank hi society was proposed and initiated into the Order , upon making a declaration which I also am quite ready to make , namely , " I am not a Pantheist or a Polytheist . I do not identify my Creator with any one of His creatures . I believe in the existence of our Great
Architect of the Universe , whose will is law , whose laws are impressed on the heart of every right-thinking individual , and whoso never-failing justices shall reach the transgressor of His laws on the great day of judgment to come . " And yet , by this arbitrary decision of the Provincial Grand Master , I am excluded , whilst the Hindoo above mentioned enjoys all the privileges of Freemasonry . This I consider unfair and unjust in the extreme ; and I humbly trust that your lordship may take a similar
The Admission Of Hindoos As Freemasons.
view , and revoke a decree that debars so many of the human race from an Order which professes to be open to all , and to exclude no man on account of his religion . In common with a large number of rny countrymen , I am , from social reasons , obliged to conform to certain caste rules ; but I am not now , nor ever was , an idolator . "While Mussulman , Parsees , Jews , & c , are admitted , I
complain that my exclusion is most unjust ; but many of the highest Masons , and a moiety of the brethren , are in favour of our admission , and it does not seem to me altogether right that the decision of a question of so much , moment should depend upon the peculiar views or prejudices of a single individual . The objection that we cannot be properly obligated is
so weak a one as hardly to deserve notice . Surely tbe oath on which our evidence is taken in courts of justice on matters of the gravest importance , and upon whion life or death often depend , must be sufficient . With a view that your lordship should know directly from ourselves how deeply we feel this injustice , I have taken the liberty of intruding on valuable time .
your Again asking pardon for my boldness , and trusting a favom'able heai-ing from your lordship , I beg to subscribe myself , Your lordship's humble and devoted servant , ( Signed ) PJROSONNO COOMAR DUTT . Colootolah , Calcutta , Nov . 9 , 1863 .
To W . Gray Clarice , Esq ., Grand Secretary to the Grand Lodge of England . Sir , —I beg to wait upon you with a copy of my petition , addressed to the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England on the 9 th of November , 1863 , with , a hops of having my grievances , therein mentioned , redressed ; butto my utter misfortuneno replhasup to this date
, , y , , come off , and there is little room for cherishing further expectation of receiving any under such circumstances . Sir , I am led to apprehend that my humble representation is either misled , or that , if received , no notice has been taken of it , owing to my having neglected the proper channels through which such representations ought to have been made ; otherwise his lordshiwould
p not have a turned a deaf ear to a subject in which a whole sect or community is concerned . Now , Sir , as the matter referred to is of the greatest importance to my countrymen in general , and myself in particular , no stone will be left unturned to gain our object . I beg respectfully to represent the case through , you , with a fervent hope of having my prayer taken into
due consideration . In conclusion , I beg leave to request that , if circumstances of an official character delay the dispatch of the result of this , my representation , I shall feel ever obliged by your kindly communicating to me the receipt of this in a letter addressed to me , postage to pay . I have the honour to be , Sir ,
Your most obedient servant , ( Signed ) P . C . Duir . Coloofcolab , Calcutta , April 8 , 1864 To Prosonno Coomar Dutt , Esq ., Colootolah , Calcutta . Freemasons' Hall , London , W . C , May 13 , 1864
Sir , —I have this morning received your letter of the 8 fch ultimo , enclosing a copy of a letter dated November 9 th , 1863 , addressed to the Earl of ' Zetland , Grand Lodge of England . The subject of your letter has long been under tbe serious consideration of his lordship ; and the only reason , of your not being informed that it was so was the
impossibility of deciphering your signature , which has compelled me to have recourse to tracing paper . The Grand Master would on no consideration allow any informality in addressing him—but as regards your letter there was none—to interfere with his giving tbe
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Admission Of Hindoos As Freemasons.
THE ADMISSION OF HINDOOS AS FREEMASONS .
LONDON , SATURDAY , MAV . CBZ 18 , 1865 .
We have been requested to publish the following correspondence ( which has been in our hands for some time past ) , and to express our opinion with regard to it . We are happily relieved from the necessity of giving an opinion , inasmuch as we understand that the M . W . Grand Master has
decided that there was nothing to prevent Mr . Dufct and other of our Indian fellow subjects being initiated into the Order , although some delay occurred in consequence of the opinion held by the Provincial Grand Master , which necessitated some
correspondence on the subject , which was also referred to the Colonial Board , the report of which we published about three months since . TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIKEOK . SIR , —I shall thank you for your publishing the accompanying Masonic correspondence into your valuable
MAGAZINE , and at the same time passing your high opinion on the subject . Yon will thereby greatly oblige , Yours faithfully , A BENGALLEE . Calcutta , Dec . 2 , 1864
To the Rigid Hon . the Earl of Zetland , Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England . My Lord , —It is with great diffidence I venture on so bold a step as to address your lordship direct , but trust my extreme anxiety to place before you , with as little delay as possible , a matter of deep interest and importance to of countrymenwill lead a
sufvery many my , p ficient excuse for my presumption in neglecting the ordinary official channel of communication , and appealing immediately to your lordship . The subject which I thus venture to beg your lordship ' s kind consideration of is the recent decision of the Provincial Grand Master of Bengal , unjustly , as I humbly conceive , excluding Hindoos from Freemasonry , and more
particularly my own peculiar case . My application for admission to the Fraternity , accompanied by testimonials as to character from gentlemen of the highest respectability , was submitted by the Master of Lodge Courage with Humanity ( who had some doubt on the subject ) to the Provincial Grand Master , who , at the . quarterly meeting of the District Grand Lodge , expressed himself opposed to , and decided against , the admission of Hindoos , and I am consequently shut out .
The peculiar hardship ol my caso is this , previously to the above meeting in July last , another Hindoo of my own rank hi society was proposed and initiated into the Order , upon making a declaration which I also am quite ready to make , namely , " I am not a Pantheist or a Polytheist . I do not identify my Creator with any one of His creatures . I believe in the existence of our Great
Architect of the Universe , whose will is law , whose laws are impressed on the heart of every right-thinking individual , and whoso never-failing justices shall reach the transgressor of His laws on the great day of judgment to come . " And yet , by this arbitrary decision of the Provincial Grand Master , I am excluded , whilst the Hindoo above mentioned enjoys all the privileges of Freemasonry . This I consider unfair and unjust in the extreme ; and I humbly trust that your lordship may take a similar
The Admission Of Hindoos As Freemasons.
view , and revoke a decree that debars so many of the human race from an Order which professes to be open to all , and to exclude no man on account of his religion . In common with a large number of rny countrymen , I am , from social reasons , obliged to conform to certain caste rules ; but I am not now , nor ever was , an idolator . "While Mussulman , Parsees , Jews , & c , are admitted , I
complain that my exclusion is most unjust ; but many of the highest Masons , and a moiety of the brethren , are in favour of our admission , and it does not seem to me altogether right that the decision of a question of so much , moment should depend upon the peculiar views or prejudices of a single individual . The objection that we cannot be properly obligated is
so weak a one as hardly to deserve notice . Surely tbe oath on which our evidence is taken in courts of justice on matters of the gravest importance , and upon whion life or death often depend , must be sufficient . With a view that your lordship should know directly from ourselves how deeply we feel this injustice , I have taken the liberty of intruding on valuable time .
your Again asking pardon for my boldness , and trusting a favom'able heai-ing from your lordship , I beg to subscribe myself , Your lordship's humble and devoted servant , ( Signed ) PJROSONNO COOMAR DUTT . Colootolah , Calcutta , Nov . 9 , 1863 .
To W . Gray Clarice , Esq ., Grand Secretary to the Grand Lodge of England . Sir , —I beg to wait upon you with a copy of my petition , addressed to the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England on the 9 th of November , 1863 , with , a hops of having my grievances , therein mentioned , redressed ; butto my utter misfortuneno replhasup to this date
, , y , , come off , and there is little room for cherishing further expectation of receiving any under such circumstances . Sir , I am led to apprehend that my humble representation is either misled , or that , if received , no notice has been taken of it , owing to my having neglected the proper channels through which such representations ought to have been made ; otherwise his lordshiwould
p not have a turned a deaf ear to a subject in which a whole sect or community is concerned . Now , Sir , as the matter referred to is of the greatest importance to my countrymen in general , and myself in particular , no stone will be left unturned to gain our object . I beg respectfully to represent the case through , you , with a fervent hope of having my prayer taken into
due consideration . In conclusion , I beg leave to request that , if circumstances of an official character delay the dispatch of the result of this , my representation , I shall feel ever obliged by your kindly communicating to me the receipt of this in a letter addressed to me , postage to pay . I have the honour to be , Sir ,
Your most obedient servant , ( Signed ) P . C . Duir . Coloofcolab , Calcutta , April 8 , 1864 To Prosonno Coomar Dutt , Esq ., Colootolah , Calcutta . Freemasons' Hall , London , W . C , May 13 , 1864
Sir , —I have this morning received your letter of the 8 fch ultimo , enclosing a copy of a letter dated November 9 th , 1863 , addressed to the Earl of ' Zetland , Grand Lodge of England . The subject of your letter has long been under tbe serious consideration of his lordship ; and the only reason , of your not being informed that it was so was the
impossibility of deciphering your signature , which has compelled me to have recourse to tracing paper . The Grand Master would on no consideration allow any informality in addressing him—but as regards your letter there was none—to interfere with his giving tbe