Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
"The Freemasons Magazine" And "The Voice Of Masonry."
"THE FREEMASONS MAGAZINE" AND "THE VOICE OF MASONRY . "
XOiVDOiV . SA . TTTRDAT , JANXTAUT 2 G , 18 ( 31 .
Not having received The Voice of Masonry , edited "by Bro . Rob . Morris , for something like six months , ive ¦ were not aware , until ive were enabled to "borrow a few numbers , that onr respected Bro . Rob . had been taking ns to task on the presumed ground that we
-were jealous of the great progress Tiie Voice ivas making in this country , to the detriment of THE E : REE : MASO 2 "S MAGAZINE—as though the Kentucky Trumpeter eould injure this or any other established periodical . It is true that , from a private letter we received from Bro . Morris , we had been made acquainted with his dissatisfaction at our having published certain notices in Tim PKEEMASOIJS MAGAZINE
which he considered reflected upon himself , Tiie Voice , and his agent , Bro . Elisha D . Cooke . . Now , the only notice we published relative to Bro . Morris himself ivas a lau g hable account of the Model Masonic Editor , ivhich we extracted from the American Freemasons Monthl y Mar / asine , edited by Bro . Brennan , a former partner of Bro . Morris , Avithout being aware at the time that there had been commercial differences
between them , and from ivhich article we expunged the only passage which we thought reflected on the honour of Bro . Morris ; and in so publishing the skit , we had no intention of giving any offence to onr -worshipful brother . With regard to Bro . Cooke , it is true that ive
published more than one statement from American publications , ancl some English correspondents , to the effect that he had visited England on a Masonic commercial speculation ; and we ivould ask what is the travelling agent for a newspaper and other works—be they Masonic or otherwise—but a commercial speculator ; but certainly
he has had one advantage over most such commercial speculators or travellers , if he like the word better , — that he has travelled with letters of introduction from a Grand Master ; the editor of the various works to be sold , Bro . Rob . Morris , thus lending the strength of his
position as Gr . M . of Kentucky , to promote his own and Bro . Cooke ' s commercial speculations . Bro . Cooke has received such a reception in this country , hi Ireland , and Scotland as has never before been accorded to any visitor from the United States or elsewhere , principally on the strength of Bro . Morris ' s
letters of introduction , and on its being understood that he had been specially instructed to show us poor benighted Britishers the difference between the systems of Masonry as practised in England and America , and the superiority of the latter over the former ; but of
which , we believe , he has failed to convince any Mason knowing anything of the Order , with Avhom he has come in contact , notwithstanding that it must be acknowledged he has worked ivith great zeal and earnestness , the fault being in the system he proposed to illustrate , rather than in the illustrator ; whilst of the higher degrees he knows
absolutely nothing , they having only been communicated to him for the purpose of this mission . In truth , all that Bro . Cooke has taught us is , that our American brethren—at least , that portion of them that follow the lead of Bro . Sob . Morris—are attempting to destroy that universality of the Order which is our proud boast , and
make Masonry , ivhat it should never be , sectarian . On this point it ivill be recollected our respected Bro . Stephen Barton Wilson broke a lance ivith Bro . Cooke , at the Crystal Palace Lodge of Instruction , and hoiv the latter explained that , in the presence of a Hebrew
brother , or on the offering of a Hebrew candidate for initiation , the "W . M . had the option of modifying or altering the ceremony , ivill not be easily forgotten . And on this point ive have since received several letters from America , stating that the option does not exist . As betAveen Christians and Jews , Bro . Morris says * .
— " We have no preference or prejudice ; " yet , what can be thought ofthe liberality of the Avriter ofthe following passage , which we quote from The Voice of Nov . 1 , and which Ave give entire , lest we should be accused of
misquoting : — " We haA r e -always believed , that , if our Jewish brethren would show more frankness and liberality in their Masonic dealings—ive do not mean in . the way of giving or paying money , but in their social intercourse ivith the membersthey ivould have nothing to complain of in the conduct of the Christian brethren towards tbem . But how is . it
generally ? Are they not too prone to take offence , to form themselves into cliques and parties , and to conceii'e that the other brethren are imposing upon them ? We know there are noble exceptions to this . We ourselves could name a great many ivhose hearts are expanded to the largest measure ; but such is the frequent complaint against themand this leads to the difficulty—their exclusion—of
, which you complain . Let the amendment begin on your side , ancl we think the Masonic fraternity ivill not be slow to appreciate and reward ifc . JPor our part , we can honestly say we have no preference or prejudice in the matter . " What may be the character of the Jewish brethren in Kentucky- —Avhere they are A'irtually contemned and
spurned—we cannot profess to say ; but the description will certainly not apply to those of England , they being as liberal-minded , as frank , and as candid in their relations with the Craft as any other section of the brethren .
But , to return to the subject with which we started . In The Voice of the loth of September , under the head of "Notice to our Poreign Subscribers , "JBro . Morris says " When our zealous and intelligent associate , Bro . E . D . Cooke , commenced his labours in England , fifteen months since , it was with the kind and hearty God-speed ol the editor of THE FREEMASONS MAGAZINE and his associates .
"Had it not been for our contemporary's encouragement , we should have refused to open a list there at all . Latterly Tin * MAGAZINE , without any provocation on our part , has lent itself to undervaluing , ancl sometimes insulting remarks upon , The Voice and its representative . This is a violation of the compact ; and , although we will not retaliate , yet we shall not cease our efforts noweven though they be at
, may the expense of THE MAGAZINE . " We repeat " God speed " to the labours of all honourable and well-intended Masons ; but if the ambassadors who visit us do not quite come up to the standard of their oivn appreciation , Ave shall ever feel at liberty to
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
"The Freemasons Magazine" And "The Voice Of Masonry."
"THE FREEMASONS MAGAZINE" AND "THE VOICE OF MASONRY . "
XOiVDOiV . SA . TTTRDAT , JANXTAUT 2 G , 18 ( 31 .
Not having received The Voice of Masonry , edited "by Bro . Rob . Morris , for something like six months , ive ¦ were not aware , until ive were enabled to "borrow a few numbers , that onr respected Bro . Rob . had been taking ns to task on the presumed ground that we
-were jealous of the great progress Tiie Voice ivas making in this country , to the detriment of THE E : REE : MASO 2 "S MAGAZINE—as though the Kentucky Trumpeter eould injure this or any other established periodical . It is true that , from a private letter we received from Bro . Morris , we had been made acquainted with his dissatisfaction at our having published certain notices in Tim PKEEMASOIJS MAGAZINE
which he considered reflected upon himself , Tiie Voice , and his agent , Bro . Elisha D . Cooke . . Now , the only notice we published relative to Bro . Morris himself ivas a lau g hable account of the Model Masonic Editor , ivhich we extracted from the American Freemasons Monthl y Mar / asine , edited by Bro . Brennan , a former partner of Bro . Morris , Avithout being aware at the time that there had been commercial differences
between them , and from ivhich article we expunged the only passage which we thought reflected on the honour of Bro . Morris ; and in so publishing the skit , we had no intention of giving any offence to onr -worshipful brother . With regard to Bro . Cooke , it is true that ive
published more than one statement from American publications , ancl some English correspondents , to the effect that he had visited England on a Masonic commercial speculation ; and we ivould ask what is the travelling agent for a newspaper and other works—be they Masonic or otherwise—but a commercial speculator ; but certainly
he has had one advantage over most such commercial speculators or travellers , if he like the word better , — that he has travelled with letters of introduction from a Grand Master ; the editor of the various works to be sold , Bro . Rob . Morris , thus lending the strength of his
position as Gr . M . of Kentucky , to promote his own and Bro . Cooke ' s commercial speculations . Bro . Cooke has received such a reception in this country , hi Ireland , and Scotland as has never before been accorded to any visitor from the United States or elsewhere , principally on the strength of Bro . Morris ' s
letters of introduction , and on its being understood that he had been specially instructed to show us poor benighted Britishers the difference between the systems of Masonry as practised in England and America , and the superiority of the latter over the former ; but of
which , we believe , he has failed to convince any Mason knowing anything of the Order , with Avhom he has come in contact , notwithstanding that it must be acknowledged he has worked ivith great zeal and earnestness , the fault being in the system he proposed to illustrate , rather than in the illustrator ; whilst of the higher degrees he knows
absolutely nothing , they having only been communicated to him for the purpose of this mission . In truth , all that Bro . Cooke has taught us is , that our American brethren—at least , that portion of them that follow the lead of Bro . Sob . Morris—are attempting to destroy that universality of the Order which is our proud boast , and
make Masonry , ivhat it should never be , sectarian . On this point it ivill be recollected our respected Bro . Stephen Barton Wilson broke a lance ivith Bro . Cooke , at the Crystal Palace Lodge of Instruction , and hoiv the latter explained that , in the presence of a Hebrew
brother , or on the offering of a Hebrew candidate for initiation , the "W . M . had the option of modifying or altering the ceremony , ivill not be easily forgotten . And on this point ive have since received several letters from America , stating that the option does not exist . As betAveen Christians and Jews , Bro . Morris says * .
— " We have no preference or prejudice ; " yet , what can be thought ofthe liberality of the Avriter ofthe following passage , which we quote from The Voice of Nov . 1 , and which Ave give entire , lest we should be accused of
misquoting : — " We haA r e -always believed , that , if our Jewish brethren would show more frankness and liberality in their Masonic dealings—ive do not mean in . the way of giving or paying money , but in their social intercourse ivith the membersthey ivould have nothing to complain of in the conduct of the Christian brethren towards tbem . But how is . it
generally ? Are they not too prone to take offence , to form themselves into cliques and parties , and to conceii'e that the other brethren are imposing upon them ? We know there are noble exceptions to this . We ourselves could name a great many ivhose hearts are expanded to the largest measure ; but such is the frequent complaint against themand this leads to the difficulty—their exclusion—of
, which you complain . Let the amendment begin on your side , ancl we think the Masonic fraternity ivill not be slow to appreciate and reward ifc . JPor our part , we can honestly say we have no preference or prejudice in the matter . " What may be the character of the Jewish brethren in Kentucky- —Avhere they are A'irtually contemned and
spurned—we cannot profess to say ; but the description will certainly not apply to those of England , they being as liberal-minded , as frank , and as candid in their relations with the Craft as any other section of the brethren .
But , to return to the subject with which we started . In The Voice of the loth of September , under the head of "Notice to our Poreign Subscribers , "JBro . Morris says " When our zealous and intelligent associate , Bro . E . D . Cooke , commenced his labours in England , fifteen months since , it was with the kind and hearty God-speed ol the editor of THE FREEMASONS MAGAZINE and his associates .
"Had it not been for our contemporary's encouragement , we should have refused to open a list there at all . Latterly Tin * MAGAZINE , without any provocation on our part , has lent itself to undervaluing , ancl sometimes insulting remarks upon , The Voice and its representative . This is a violation of the compact ; and , although we will not retaliate , yet we shall not cease our efforts noweven though they be at
, may the expense of THE MAGAZINE . " We repeat " God speed " to the labours of all honourable and well-intended Masons ; but if the ambassadors who visit us do not quite come up to the standard of their oivn appreciation , Ave shall ever feel at liberty to