Freemasons And The Italian Senate

FREEMASONS AND THE ITALIAN SENATE

THERE is said to be an interesting sequel to the recent « , " Revolt of the Senate . " The majority of the Senators are admitted to have acted in good faith , but the little nucleus of determined opponents of the Ministry are declared to have been animated by a spirit very different from that of

anxiety about the use of public money . Readers of the '' Morning Post" know how acute is the struggle in Italy between the J esuits and the Freemasons . If anything goes wrong in the Clerical camp it is immediately attributed to the Freemasons . If a mishap occurs on the " White " side it is at

once put down to the Jesuits . In the present Ministry there are said to be four Freemasons—Signor JFinocchiaro-Aprile , Minister , of Justice ; Signer Fortis , Minister of Agriculture ; Signer Nasi , Minister of Posts and Telegraphs ; and Signor Carcano , Minister of . Finance . If there is any element in

Italy which detests the Freemasons more cordially than they are detested by the Vatican it is the old Conservative element , which has many representatives in the Senate . These anti-Masonic Senators had heard that Signor Finocchiaro-Aprile , Minister of Justice , was drawing up a Bill to regulate the

relations between Church and State , and , fearing . that it would be too Masonic for their taste , decided to upset the obnoxious Minister . So they gave battle on a comparatively unimportant feature of his Budget , in order to mask their real aim . Signor Finocchiaro-Aprile was not upset , and the

Senate approved of his Budget by a very large majority during the public division . In Italy , however , every Budget , after being voted publicly , has to be voted a second time by a secret ballot , and during this second test a number of Members often vote secretly against the Ministry , though

they might not have had the courage to vote openly on the previous occasion . This is what has happened to Signor Finocchiaro-Aprile . No fewer than 50 Senators out of a total of 121 black-balled his Budget , as much as to say : "We would overturn you if we could . "— "Morning Post . "

One of the faults of the now closing century , remarked a Brother at a recent installation meeting , was stated to be the power of wealth . Large cheques were omnipotent , and could open the doors of even the most select of London clubs . That could not be said of Freemasonry . A man must possess other qualifications than money to win the position occupied by the W . M . that night .

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

we do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Correspondents . All Letters must bear the name and address ofthe writers , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications .

DIVIDING THE TOASTS .

To the Editor of the FBEEMASON ' CHBONICLB . DEAB SIB AND BBOTHEB , —I was delighted to read your most sensible article on the above important subject , and would almost be inclined to go a step further and say , the lone and tedious a-neerhma tmm « . w M ni ™ v . —

, unfortunately neither the gift of oratory or humour , has the effect of keeping the Brethren away from the Lodge , as they would naturally rather have a quiet evening at home than go out to a dinner where they are subjected to the awful ordeal of listening to one man endeavouring to make ten or eleven speeches , when he is incompetent to make even one good one .

?" j **? * motl : ler Lodge the system which you so ably advocate has been adopted by successive occupants of the chair for several years past , and with the most gratifying and satisfactory results—the W . M . proposing two or three toasts himself , and distributing the others among other members of the . bodge ,

I should like to draw the particular attention of those long-winded Brethren to the fact that members of a Ledge in England only meet four or live tunes a year , and after dinner they like to talk to their friends whom more often than not , they seldom have opportunities of meeting except at their Lodge ; but general conversation is stopped because one selfish Brother ( taking a mean advantage of his position ) wants to do all the talking himself and insists on everyone else having to listen to him . '

In conclusion , I would like to add that my experience invariably is that the worse a W . M . works the ceremonies in his Lodge , the longer and more uninteresting are his so called " speeches" after dinner .

I am , yours faithfully and fraternally , HENBX TIMES . Oriental Club , Hanover Square , W ., 31 st January 1899 .

Masons' First Care And Duty.

MASONS' FIRST CARE AND DUTY .

A St . John the Baptist Day Address . E BLENDS , Fellow Sojourners , and Brethren : We have this day assembled as Free and Accepted Masons , with purpose to celebrate an anniversary of our Fraternity and to acknowledge the claims and pay due homage to one distinguished in sacred

history by the appellation of St . John the Baptist—whose character is , I trust , familiar to you all . He -was distinguished through life for exemplary conduct and a refinement and purity of piety that will admirably compare , when contrasted , with any other individual known to us as having appeared on the little

globe assigned for our residence , with the single and pious exception of the blessed Saviour of fallen man , who was , as we learn from sacred records , Deity in human form , with a susceptibility , while with us , to all the sufferings incident to frail humanity .

Although this patron was and still is one of the idols of our Fraternity , it is not our purpose , nor is it at all necessary , to bring him into contrast with his contemporary , the blessed Saviour of the Universe . St . John , though his senior in age , as temporal beings , was His inferior in gifts ; and , as spiritual agents , this supremacy of gifts and power was , by the faithful and inspired saint , openly , frankly , and piously acknowledged .

When , my Brethren , we recollect that St . John was one of us—a Free and Accepted Mason—who practiced and taught all the virtues by which the Christian character is elevated arid adorned , previous to the appearance of the Saviour on the earth ; when we also recollect he practiced and taught all that was

necessary to temporal as well as eternal happiness , the conclusion is irresistible that the light by . which he was guided must have been shed from the fountain of all light , was the gift of the All-High , tbe great , the living Jehovah , whose name , as Free and Accepted Masons , we reverence and adore , and whose attributes we most devoutly and piously acknowledge .

Masonry * therefore , seems to have existed and flourished anterior to the Christian era , and was a boon extended by a divine and benign Providence to benighted man ; yes , a beacon light , the gift of high heaven , shining through time in all its pristine

brightness , four thousand years before the appearance of our Saviour—a light penetrating with its bright and resistless rays the depths of moral darkness into which this under world was plunged by the fall of the first-born .

If sacred history did not clearly sustain our claim to divine origin , we have abundant evidence of the fact derivable immediately from _ the principles taught and practiced from time immemorial , by this ancient and honourable association known as

Free and Accepted Masons . I have before remarked that Masonry inculcated all the Christian virtues and practiced all the Christian duties revealed by the Saviour of the world when he deigned to appear in human form among the creatures of the earth .

The first and most important of these duties is reverence and devotion to the All-High , the great God of creation , the Author of life , the Giver of light , and the Dispenser of all good . Without the moral and intellectual light dispensed to man from on high , it would have been infinitely better for us frail beings

that chaos had never been called into order ; better that the earth , in volcanic agony , yielded up her bowels , the sun resign his lustre , and heaven , with its bright galaxy of luminaries form one general chaos , rather than man , for whom these things were intended as blessings , should be deprived of the celestial light ; for under such

deprivation , the earth , his resting place , would be odious to his touch , the light of the sun offensive bo his view , and heaven ' s multiplied and brilliant spheres oppressive to his soul , as by their alternate and relative motions he would be entitled to count the days , the weeks , months , and years of his degradation , fall and suffering . This celestial light has been know to us as shining in

all its effulgence , in every Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons , for a period of nearly five thouand nine hundred years . It is the true light—the light by which we , as Masons , have been and are still guided . Piety , then , is our first care , our paramount duty . To do justice , to love mercy , to walk humbly in the presence of the Supreme Buler and Architect of the Universe , recollecting that He is always present , are the principles of our action .

Among the other Christian virtues for which , as a body , we are distinguished , may be mentioned Brotherly love , forbearance , fidelity and charity . The Masonic Order can boldly challenge comparison with any other human association for the faithful observance of these virtues . Humility and submission to the political and civilinstitutions under which we have been organised

is a distinguishing Masonic characteristic . Bespect and esteem for those who worship the same God and bow before the same altar , without regard to the forms of their worship , is proof conclusive of our charity . To every order and denomination of Christian believers have our portals been open . Many have entered , and none are dissatisfied with the process of our labours , or offended with the work we executed . Then it is apparent