Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Supreme Grand Council Of France And Marshal Magnan.
Grand Orient would not have taken the trouble to open negotiations with them . These attempts at union came to nothing but were fruitful iu cementing the good feeling of both parties ; and , in consequence , on the 6 th of November , 184 . 1 , the Grand Orientalthough regretting that the plan
, of union had not been carried out between the two rites , yet declared " that the Masons who owed their allegiance to it remained free to visit the lodges ofthe Supreme Grand Council , and to receive Ecossais Masons into their own lodges . " This fraternal interchange continued to animate
both rites , ancl though Masonic unity was no nearer , yet its principles were , in effect , being daily carried out . Prince Murat solicited the Duke Decazes to appoint an interview- between them , and owing to the serious illness ofthe latter , Bro . Ariennet was appointed
his Lieutenant-General and successor , and was also requested to meet the Prince , which lie did , ancl was sensibly affected by the affability ancl good wishes of his Royal Hi g hness , but gave the latter to understand that all attempts at union only tended towards the destruction of the Supreme Grand Councilto which
, Prince Murat agreed , but good naturedly lamented that the negotiation was broken off . Thus , after ninety years' living in tbe fraternal interchange of good wishes , the crisis arrived , owing to the differences between the Royal Princes at the late
election tor Grand Master , which troubles alarmed the authorities of the state , ancl Masonrj 1- was included in the measures which resulted in the suppression of the Societe de St . Vincent-de-Paul , and other charitable Institutions . The Supreme Grand Council had nothing to do with the discord in the Grand Orient , but followed their own course in peace "and in a shade so
thick that their existence was not even suspected , " but they could not refrain from showing their surprise and alarm , although well convinced that the rite Ecossais was not mixed up with the unfortunate affair , but at the same time it was difficult to except them from being p laced in the number of those who were
included in the general measure . The lodges under the Supreme Grand Council eagerl y sought permission , from the prefects , to assemble as usual , and Bro . A iennet addressed himself to the Minister of the Interior , in order to conform to his circular of the 16 th of October . On the arrival of
St . John ' s Day , in December , the lodges under the Supreme Grand Council prepared to celebrate the same , and , as he had done the year before , Bro . A iennet apprised the prefect of Police of the meeting . In reply , he was informed that " The Government had decided to let the Rite Ecossais go on as long as he
was of this world , but after liis decease the state Avould consider the matter , and the prefect authorised them to proceed with their festivities , laying no further condition on them than that of not receiving any members of the Grancl Orient . "
This condition was easy to Bro . Viennet , as it was the invariable custom of the Supreme Grand Council , not , on that occasion , to admit the brethren of the Grand Orient . But he argued if he was deceased , " which he promised should be as remote as possible , " the sixty lodges under the Supreme Grancl Council would suffer , and that the prefects might imagine they ought only to tolerate those under tlie Grand Orient .
The Supreme Grand Council Of France And Marshal Magnan.
To this remark the Prefect of Police characteristicallyreplied " that was his business ; " upon which Bro . A iennet retired . The orator then proceeded to speak of the celebration of St . John ' s day in December , and gave some extracts from Bro . A'iennet ' s address on the prospects
of the Order , delivered on that occasion , which we do not quote here . On the 11 th of January in the present year , the Emperor issued a decree in which lie appointed Marshal Maguan Grand Master of the Grancl Orient of France . The Supreme Grand Council were not
mentioned , nevertheless the Rite Ecossais being called into notice by Pro . A ^ ienuet's proceedings and the fete of St . John , the silence of the decree , as far as it regarded them , increased their confidence , but on the loth Bro . A iennet , who shall now speak for himself , tells us , " I met Marshal Magnan at the house of a
mutual friend . AVe ivere on the best- of terms . Our relations were most friendly . He reminded me that we had served together in the Corps Royal d'Etat-Major , and said , smiling , that he did not know as much as the word of the first degree , and that , for more than a month , he had resisted the wishes of the Emperor , hut that , on the same morning ,. he had ^ received the entire series of the thirty-three degrees , and the same evening he was to be installed Grand
Master . " I answered him , laughing " that lie resembled Cardinal Dubois , who had received , on the same day , all the honours of the hierarchy . " He took the joke very well , ancl was then retiring , but stopped suddenly at the door of the room and said to me , " Are you prepared to recognise me in your
turn ? I am the Grand Master of all Masonry , and I shall not suffer a petite eylise . " I answered , " we shall see ; this is not done yet , read the Emperor ' s decree again . " On the following day Bro . Ariennet learned from reports , on good authority , that the menace was more serious than he had supposed , and on the 1 st of February a summons ivas addressed to the Supreme Grand Council in the following terms : —
" My very dear and very Illustrious Brother . —The Emperor , by the decree of the 11 th of -January last , has made me Grand Master of cell tlie Masons in France . By this direct nomination the Emperor recognises the society of Freemasons which , until this day . has onl y been tolerated . Besides His Majesty has declared himself
the protector of the Order as his uncle , the Emperor Napoleon I ., of glorious memory was .. My nomination , without in any way changing the laws , the independence ancl tbe liberty of the Masonic Order , or of each individual Mason , has imposed on me duties which I am compelled to fulfil .
" The first , and the most important of these duties , is to unite in one all the Masonic elements ancl to arrive at unity in the Masonic order in France . It is this unity which will be our strength and ivhich is subjoined for the consideration of tlie order . Too many intestine ' dissensions have had place in our body ,
especially in tliese later times . My duty is to collect and bring together , into one bond , the various spirits and to give fraternal direction to all the lodges .- It is with this object that I have the honour to invite you to ask the lodges , obedient to you , to unite themselves with the lodges of the Grand Orient iu order to work in the lodges of the Rue Cadet , and to dissolve
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Supreme Grand Council Of France And Marshal Magnan.
Grand Orient would not have taken the trouble to open negotiations with them . These attempts at union came to nothing but were fruitful iu cementing the good feeling of both parties ; and , in consequence , on the 6 th of November , 184 . 1 , the Grand Orientalthough regretting that the plan
, of union had not been carried out between the two rites , yet declared " that the Masons who owed their allegiance to it remained free to visit the lodges ofthe Supreme Grand Council , and to receive Ecossais Masons into their own lodges . " This fraternal interchange continued to animate
both rites , ancl though Masonic unity was no nearer , yet its principles were , in effect , being daily carried out . Prince Murat solicited the Duke Decazes to appoint an interview- between them , and owing to the serious illness ofthe latter , Bro . Ariennet was appointed
his Lieutenant-General and successor , and was also requested to meet the Prince , which lie did , ancl was sensibly affected by the affability ancl good wishes of his Royal Hi g hness , but gave the latter to understand that all attempts at union only tended towards the destruction of the Supreme Grand Councilto which
, Prince Murat agreed , but good naturedly lamented that the negotiation was broken off . Thus , after ninety years' living in tbe fraternal interchange of good wishes , the crisis arrived , owing to the differences between the Royal Princes at the late
election tor Grand Master , which troubles alarmed the authorities of the state , ancl Masonrj 1- was included in the measures which resulted in the suppression of the Societe de St . Vincent-de-Paul , and other charitable Institutions . The Supreme Grand Council had nothing to do with the discord in the Grand Orient , but followed their own course in peace "and in a shade so
thick that their existence was not even suspected , " but they could not refrain from showing their surprise and alarm , although well convinced that the rite Ecossais was not mixed up with the unfortunate affair , but at the same time it was difficult to except them from being p laced in the number of those who were
included in the general measure . The lodges under the Supreme Grand Council eagerl y sought permission , from the prefects , to assemble as usual , and Bro . A iennet addressed himself to the Minister of the Interior , in order to conform to his circular of the 16 th of October . On the arrival of
St . John ' s Day , in December , the lodges under the Supreme Grand Council prepared to celebrate the same , and , as he had done the year before , Bro . A iennet apprised the prefect of Police of the meeting . In reply , he was informed that " The Government had decided to let the Rite Ecossais go on as long as he
was of this world , but after liis decease the state Avould consider the matter , and the prefect authorised them to proceed with their festivities , laying no further condition on them than that of not receiving any members of the Grancl Orient . "
This condition was easy to Bro . Viennet , as it was the invariable custom of the Supreme Grand Council , not , on that occasion , to admit the brethren of the Grand Orient . But he argued if he was deceased , " which he promised should be as remote as possible , " the sixty lodges under the Supreme Grancl Council would suffer , and that the prefects might imagine they ought only to tolerate those under tlie Grand Orient .
The Supreme Grand Council Of France And Marshal Magnan.
To this remark the Prefect of Police characteristicallyreplied " that was his business ; " upon which Bro . A iennet retired . The orator then proceeded to speak of the celebration of St . John ' s day in December , and gave some extracts from Bro . A'iennet ' s address on the prospects
of the Order , delivered on that occasion , which we do not quote here . On the 11 th of January in the present year , the Emperor issued a decree in which lie appointed Marshal Maguan Grand Master of the Grancl Orient of France . The Supreme Grand Council were not
mentioned , nevertheless the Rite Ecossais being called into notice by Pro . A ^ ienuet's proceedings and the fete of St . John , the silence of the decree , as far as it regarded them , increased their confidence , but on the loth Bro . A iennet , who shall now speak for himself , tells us , " I met Marshal Magnan at the house of a
mutual friend . AVe ivere on the best- of terms . Our relations were most friendly . He reminded me that we had served together in the Corps Royal d'Etat-Major , and said , smiling , that he did not know as much as the word of the first degree , and that , for more than a month , he had resisted the wishes of the Emperor , hut that , on the same morning ,. he had ^ received the entire series of the thirty-three degrees , and the same evening he was to be installed Grand
Master . " I answered him , laughing " that lie resembled Cardinal Dubois , who had received , on the same day , all the honours of the hierarchy . " He took the joke very well , ancl was then retiring , but stopped suddenly at the door of the room and said to me , " Are you prepared to recognise me in your
turn ? I am the Grand Master of all Masonry , and I shall not suffer a petite eylise . " I answered , " we shall see ; this is not done yet , read the Emperor ' s decree again . " On the following day Bro . Ariennet learned from reports , on good authority , that the menace was more serious than he had supposed , and on the 1 st of February a summons ivas addressed to the Supreme Grand Council in the following terms : —
" My very dear and very Illustrious Brother . —The Emperor , by the decree of the 11 th of -January last , has made me Grand Master of cell tlie Masons in France . By this direct nomination the Emperor recognises the society of Freemasons which , until this day . has onl y been tolerated . Besides His Majesty has declared himself
the protector of the Order as his uncle , the Emperor Napoleon I ., of glorious memory was .. My nomination , without in any way changing the laws , the independence ancl tbe liberty of the Masonic Order , or of each individual Mason , has imposed on me duties which I am compelled to fulfil .
" The first , and the most important of these duties , is to unite in one all the Masonic elements ancl to arrive at unity in the Masonic order in France . It is this unity which will be our strength and ivhich is subjoined for the consideration of tlie order . Too many intestine ' dissensions have had place in our body ,
especially in tliese later times . My duty is to collect and bring together , into one bond , the various spirits and to give fraternal direction to all the lodges .- It is with this object that I have the honour to invite you to ask the lodges , obedient to you , to unite themselves with the lodges of the Grand Orient iu order to work in the lodges of the Rue Cadet , and to dissolve