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Reviews.
show , but an orthodox clergyman , very latitudinarian in his practice , according to the loose manners of the age in Avhich he lived—while Anderson was the calvinist , for he was the Presbyterian pastor of a Scotch church , Avhich is still standing , in SAvallow Street , Piccadilly . So much for Bro . Findel ' s knowledge of the religious politics of the time . Wo are told that " amongst all men of generous minds , capable of practising " self-denial , and wishing to promote the general good of all mankind , there is
" a secret affinity ; they resist all exclusiveness , and Avish to enter into a bond " of love Avith any one having the like inclination . " Of co \ irse such a Avish is not at all exclusive ! Oh ! no ! it is a species of self-denial , says Brother Findel , but with every respect to his authority , AVC beg to consider it as a most decided practice of selfish indulgence . In this AVO are not casting any imputation on Freemasonry , but merely showing IIOAV untrustworthy is the reasoning Avhich the great man would have us accept .
Bro . Kloss again ! A note ( p . 151 ) tolls us that Bro . Kloss did not know Avhat the Templars brought to Freemasonry during the years 1716-23 , and AVC perfectly believe him . The opportunity of a fling at that which Bro . Findel is incapable of comprehending Avas too tempting to resist , and so he brings his mentor to grief by making him display his non-acquaintance Avith the subject he Avas treating in his History of Freemasonry in England . Bro . Findel in alluding to the Committee of Charity—or what Ave now know as the Board of Benevolence—says ( p . 157 ) " It has done an immense deal of " good , " and he supplements this statement by a note thus : —¦ " Several thousand
" pounds are distributed annually , and yet the funds have , especially Avithin the " last feAV years , considerably increased , through the annual contributions of the " brethren . For a more complete account of this institution , see Preston Illus" tr ., p . 194 , and Kloss ' s History of Freem . in England , p . 58 . " Now , Avould not any one suppose , on reading the above , that of late years the brethren had made largo contributions to the Board of Benevolence ? And yet AVC all know it is supported by the annual tax , and not by voluntary contributions , such as
any one reading the passage Avould naturall y infer . Really Bro . Findel is so " reliable" that he quotes Preston for what has boon done " Avithin the last few " years , " and then clinches his quotation by calling in , as a second sponsor , tho ever-to-bo-remembered and never-to-bo-forgotten—Kloss . Both god-parents , he it remembered , having quitted this world anterior to the indefinite era of " within " the last few years . " The poor man must experience a continuity of night-mare for ( at p . 161 ) , when
he is discoursing—or rather telling us what tho eternal Kloss said—about the Gormagons in Avhich he , or his authority , its hard to knoAV which , confuses a burlesque Avith the Jesuits and then—his night-mare having become troublesome ho tries to shake it off Avith the assertion— " Most likely the notorious Ramsay , " the inventor of the so-called hi gher degrees , and an adherent of the Stuarts " had something to do Avith tho matter . " " Reliable" Bro . Findel writes history Avith a " most likely . " Why not dash off the mask at once , entitle the book " Freemasonry made easy , " and commence Avith the traditional era , " ONCE upon a " time . "
Of the section devoted to " The Lodge of York , "—a CURIOUS mode of indicating tho Grand Lodge of ALL England — the least said the soonr ^ ' - mended , as Bro . Findel knoAvs nothing about it , and garbles certain documents to throAv dust in the eyes of his readers . Such a Avilful perversion of facts could onl y have arisen from the desire to please some one or other interested in making ducks and drakes of all historical papers that come under their hands . ToAvards the end of the first portion of this section Ave have a note which introduces
the undj'ing Kloss in a new character . " Kloss , History of England . Treatise " on the Ancient Masons , page 321 . " Shades of Hume , Smollet , Macaulay , & c , & c ., preserve us , Kloss has AAiutten a History of England ! May our bookshelves never be encumbered with its reproduction by Bro . Findel , because , as the present work under notice is only Kloss Findeliscd , so we should be led to expect a " ditto to Mr . Burke "—if the reference prove " reliable . "
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Reviews.
show , but an orthodox clergyman , very latitudinarian in his practice , according to the loose manners of the age in Avhich he lived—while Anderson was the calvinist , for he was the Presbyterian pastor of a Scotch church , Avhich is still standing , in SAvallow Street , Piccadilly . So much for Bro . Findel ' s knowledge of the religious politics of the time . Wo are told that " amongst all men of generous minds , capable of practising " self-denial , and wishing to promote the general good of all mankind , there is
" a secret affinity ; they resist all exclusiveness , and Avish to enter into a bond " of love Avith any one having the like inclination . " Of co \ irse such a Avish is not at all exclusive ! Oh ! no ! it is a species of self-denial , says Brother Findel , but with every respect to his authority , AVC beg to consider it as a most decided practice of selfish indulgence . In this AVO are not casting any imputation on Freemasonry , but merely showing IIOAV untrustworthy is the reasoning Avhich the great man would have us accept .
Bro . Kloss again ! A note ( p . 151 ) tolls us that Bro . Kloss did not know Avhat the Templars brought to Freemasonry during the years 1716-23 , and AVC perfectly believe him . The opportunity of a fling at that which Bro . Findel is incapable of comprehending Avas too tempting to resist , and so he brings his mentor to grief by making him display his non-acquaintance Avith the subject he Avas treating in his History of Freemasonry in England . Bro . Findel in alluding to the Committee of Charity—or what Ave now know as the Board of Benevolence—says ( p . 157 ) " It has done an immense deal of " good , " and he supplements this statement by a note thus : —¦ " Several thousand
" pounds are distributed annually , and yet the funds have , especially Avithin the " last feAV years , considerably increased , through the annual contributions of the " brethren . For a more complete account of this institution , see Preston Illus" tr ., p . 194 , and Kloss ' s History of Freem . in England , p . 58 . " Now , Avould not any one suppose , on reading the above , that of late years the brethren had made largo contributions to the Board of Benevolence ? And yet AVC all know it is supported by the annual tax , and not by voluntary contributions , such as
any one reading the passage Avould naturall y infer . Really Bro . Findel is so " reliable" that he quotes Preston for what has boon done " Avithin the last few " years , " and then clinches his quotation by calling in , as a second sponsor , tho ever-to-bo-remembered and never-to-bo-forgotten—Kloss . Both god-parents , he it remembered , having quitted this world anterior to the indefinite era of " within " the last few years . " The poor man must experience a continuity of night-mare for ( at p . 161 ) , when
he is discoursing—or rather telling us what tho eternal Kloss said—about the Gormagons in Avhich he , or his authority , its hard to knoAV which , confuses a burlesque Avith the Jesuits and then—his night-mare having become troublesome ho tries to shake it off Avith the assertion— " Most likely the notorious Ramsay , " the inventor of the so-called hi gher degrees , and an adherent of the Stuarts " had something to do Avith tho matter . " " Reliable" Bro . Findel writes history Avith a " most likely . " Why not dash off the mask at once , entitle the book " Freemasonry made easy , " and commence Avith the traditional era , " ONCE upon a " time . "
Of the section devoted to " The Lodge of York , "—a CURIOUS mode of indicating tho Grand Lodge of ALL England — the least said the soonr ^ ' - mended , as Bro . Findel knoAvs nothing about it , and garbles certain documents to throAv dust in the eyes of his readers . Such a Avilful perversion of facts could onl y have arisen from the desire to please some one or other interested in making ducks and drakes of all historical papers that come under their hands . ToAvards the end of the first portion of this section Ave have a note which introduces
the undj'ing Kloss in a new character . " Kloss , History of England . Treatise " on the Ancient Masons , page 321 . " Shades of Hume , Smollet , Macaulay , & c , & c ., preserve us , Kloss has AAiutten a History of England ! May our bookshelves never be encumbered with its reproduction by Bro . Findel , because , as the present work under notice is only Kloss Findeliscd , so we should be led to expect a " ditto to Mr . Burke "—if the reference prove " reliable . "