A Roman Catholic's Notion Of Freemasonry.

of the Pope not being the laAV ofthe Church unless confirmed by a General Council , then * decrees , beyond the Pope ' s OAvn diocese , are not to be considered' as binding on Roman Catholics , or taken as the great voice of the Christian Church legislating for the whole Christian world .

The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts had been established in England in 1698 , and , at tho revival of the Grand Lodge in 1716 , was actively at work on the continent-of Europe . Many foreign Masons came to England about 1720 to 1750 ; and , as the Holy Bible was

always the great light in Freemasonry , so on thenreturn to their homes they introduced the Sacred "Volume to their countrymen , and , as new lodges were founded , the Holy Volume was more prominently brought into notice abroad . As Rome , under the Papacy , has for several

centuries been the slowest to acknowledge and act upon the changes in the world , so , Avith its cumbrous machinery , the Court of Rome allowed the revival _ of Preemasonry , and its foundation upon the Holy Scriptures , to proceed unchallenged until 1738 when it awoke to the clanger

, of a society which interfered with its pet children , the Jesuits , and stepped forward in its puerile attempt to extinguish a band of brotherhood founded centuries before Rome itself was in

existence . The Order of the Jesuits , through whom and hy whom all the irreligion , treason , villany , and revolution that disgraced the European continent , toAvards the close of the last century was concocted , had found in Fremasonry and its higher

grades , more particularly , a strong * antagonism , and , Avith the most devilish skill and cunning , members of that rule sought for and gained admission to Freemasonry and to its higher grades . They then commenced then * endeavours to ruin it in the eyes of the world binstituting sham

May sonic societies , such as the Illuminati , and made the real lodges the cover for their dark iniquities . But Freemasonry stands on a firmer basis than Jesuitry . It has the highest antiquity on its side , the purest morality ,. and , in its superior grades .

the most sublime Clu * istianity . Contrasted Avith Jesuitism , it is pure and holy , Avhilst the latter is foul and irreligious . It is loyal and true , in opposition to all that is scheming , disloyal , and false . It requires its disciples to seek for initiation , and , when admitted , to be true

to each other •but the Romish secret society of the Order of Jesus !—a mockery of the Blessed Saviour to link His name with , such an abhorred , clique—proselytises everywhere , teaching all men to be spies on each other , and setting fathers and children at variance—for the good of the Order .

_ Such demons are the natural enemies of the high-grade Freemasons . ' Dr . Murray ' s Appendix is but a record of Avhat the Popes have done against Freemasonry , urged on by the subtle confraternity o the Jesuits •and

A Roman Catholic's Notion Of Freemasonry.

as every one of the charges have been met by our Order over and over again ad nauseum , Ave shall not enter into any refutation of them , but must say Ave are thankful to possess such a catena of falsehood compiled for us , and ready to our hands whenever required .

In conclusion , Ave would heg to inform Mr . Robertson and Dr . Murray that high-grade Freemasons are not " heretics , deists , atheists , disloyal subjects , unsound in religion , or immoral , " as they both inform us , but , on the contrary , Ave belong * to the great Holy Catholic Church ,

acknowledging * the Blessed Trinity-in Unity , the mediatorial sacrifice of the Son of God , a true patriotism to our Sovereign , country , and its laws , as much morality as it falls to the lot of poor human nature to evince , and to krve our neighboms as ourselves , taking for our motto the sacred text inculcated in one of the higher grades , " Love the brotherhood , fear God , honour the King .

Death Of The Son Of Burns's "Souter Johnny."

DEATH OF THE SON OF BURNS'S "SOUTER JOHNNY . "

( Prom our own Correspondent ^ Not many weeks have elapsed since Ave chronicled the death of the " wee Curlie John , " of the dedication addressed by Burns to his early benefactor , Bro . Gavin Hamilton , of Mauchline . "We are UOAV called upon to record tlie removal of another " old-time Freemason , " himself a contemporary of Burns , and the son of one of the principal characters depicted in that inimitable " Tale" in Avhich the poet has immortalised " Kirk Alloway" and other places passeel hy

" . . . . honest Tam o' Shanter , As he frae Ayr ae nicht did canter . " Bro . John Lauchlan , who died at Ayr on the evening of the 16 th inst ., had many titles to the respect of the community , and , as a Mason , Avas held in the highest esteem by his brethren . As we have set out bintroducing our departed brother in his

relationy ship to Souter Johnny , we cannot do better than to follow up the allusion to his father by giving an extract from an unpublished glossary of the songs and poems of Robert Burns , in which the identity of the immortal Souter is thus advocated : — "Souter Johnny Avas the late John Lauchlanshoemaker in A .

, yr He and the poet were born in the parish of Alloway , and there brought up in boyhood together . The future Souter removed AA'ith his parents from Alloway to Ayr , Avhere he Avas bound as an apprentice to a shoemaker . His intercourse Avith the Poet

was thus somewhat interrupted ; but tneu * regard for one ' another Avas not lessened , for the Poet was scarcely ever in Ayr , but the Souter ( for so he AA as designated hy the Poet before the celebrated poem had being ) Avas sent for to Luckie Shearer's , a favourite howf in the ToAvnhead of Ayr ( UOAV the Tam o' Shanter Inn ) to have a tankard and a chat

, over the { reminiscences of their early days . The So liter's son had quite good recollection of their meetings , and at more than one of these there can be little doubt they were joined by the redoubted Tan o' Shanter , for the howf was a famed Hostelry , at A \ r hich he and many of the Garrick farmers put up ,