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Article ATTACK ON THE CRAFT. Page 1 of 1 Article "A SPRIG OF ACACIA." Page 1 of 1 Article CATHOLICS AND FREEMASONRY. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Attack On The Craft.
ATTACK ON THE CRAFT .
A SHORT time since , at St . Patrick ' s Cathedral , Wyndham Street , Auckland ( N . Z . ) , the Rev . Father Dawson preached a sermon in reply to the speech made by Bro . C . C . McMillan D . G . M . ( E . G . ) , representative of the Masonic Lodges at the recent opening of the new Costley wards at the Auckland Hospital .
Father Dawson said Mr . McMillan stated that the chief of the Order was His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales , that the bluest blood of the British aristocracy filled important positions in the Grand and Provincial Lodges—statesmen , warriors , lawyers , bankers , merchants , traders—and
that all classes and conditions of men owed allegiance to the Order ; yet , said the preacher , with all this "blue blood , " their contributions to charitable institutions amounted to not more than £ " 65 , 000 in one year . The Catholic Church in New Zealand , the poorest of
her order , devoted that amount annually to education . " At death the rites of Christian burial were denied to a Roman Catholic Freemason , and he was allowed to be buried like a dog , " said Mr . McMillan . There could be , Father Dawson said , no such thing as a Catholic Mason . The moment a
man became a Mason he ceased to be a Catholic . If the Masonic burial was only fit for a dog—well—he left that for Mr . McMillan to consider . From the Church ' s point of view Freemasonry demoralised social life . It was anti-Christian , and tended to the destruction of home life . It was also a
standing menace to civilised States . They had just seen the conclusion of a disastrous war between America and Spain . The Masons of Spain had lost her the last of her colonies . The Grand Master of the Spanish Masons ( having destroyed his country and obliterated her commerce ) , when he heard
that the Spanish forces had been defeated , fighting against every odds , gave a sardonic laugh and remarked , "Spain is a decaying country . " So much for the patriotism of Masons . Don Carlos , of Portugal , lost his throne through the treachery of the Masonic Lodges . The Emperor of Brazil , a highly educated man , and the most enlightened ruler that the world
had seen in this age , would not appoint Freemasons to political positions , nor to Catholic bishoprics , saying that he had enough sins to answer for , but he would never answer to God for appointing Masons to such positions . The Brazilian revolution was purely a Masonic revolution .
Masonry was inimical to good order and government , arid was opposed to every kind of law in the Church , and to Church education . There was no degradation that they had not striven to inflict upon the Church . The temple to infidelity being erected in France had cost millions of Catholic
money , and the French Masons were going to convert it into a Masonic temple . Did they wonder that the Masons were anti-Christians ? But they ( the Masons ) were almost more , for they aimed at the destruction of Christianity—it was publicly proclaimed on the Continent of Europe . The
policy , drift , and the whole heart of English Masonry was the same as Continental Masonry . This point , when Bradlaugh challenged the Prince of Wales to deny it , was admitted , it being stated that the English body was not sufficientl y advanced for that fact to be generally known .
The Catholic Church condemned Masonry , but not Masons . She had done so for many good reasons . Masonry was powerful enough to destroy commerce and the education of the youth . It poisoned the wells of justice , by influencing judge and jury . The Church opposed the Order on religious .
social , and political grounds . In concluding , Father Dawson said , perhaps there were a few Masons in Auckland cognisant with all the tricks of the Order , but he had sought not to level a word against any individual . The Church solely condemned Masons for the well-being of society , and the s tability of the throne . "— " New Zealand Herald . "
"A Sprig Of Acacia."
"A SPRIG OF ACACIA . "
THE death is announced of Brother Robert Davies , formerly head master and proprietor of the Chorlton-cum-Hardy High School , which took place at Southport , at the age of 56 . He was a P . M . of Chorlton Lodge , No . 1387 , and also a P . P . G . Std . B . of West Lancashire .
A DISTINCTLY mournful function was the funeral of Bro . John Jordrell P . M . of the Callender Lodge , No . 10 5 , which took place recently at Withington . He had served the various offices , and was highly respected by all the Brethren . The Rev . D . T . Reece Chaplain of the Lodge officiated , and many members of the Craft were present .
Catholics And Freemasonry.
CATHOLICS AND FREEMASONRY .
r IlHE following additional letterson this subject areextracted JL from the " Catholic Times " : SIR , —For a Catholic , one would have supposed that the Pope's Encyclical condemning Freemasonry would have settled the question about the " craft " onoe and for all . Let Father Wyndham's anti-Masonic Catechism be studied by those who would write on the subject .
Your correspondent " G . F . R . " misses the point at issue . Freemasonry is condemned by the Catholic Church because Freemasonry is a " religion . " It is therefore rightly termed a sect by Frenchman and Italians . Now if a religion it must have a foundation , and " other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid , which is Jesus Christ . " Is Freemasonry based on Christ ? If not , tbe words of Christ condemn it aud show its anti-Christianity : " He that is not with Me is against Me . "
Even were Freemasonry moral and law-supporting , it must come under the ban of the Church as much as Ritualism does for " other foundations , " etc . Yours , etc ., GILBERT HIGGINS .
SIB , —Will any Freemason give your readers the " verse and chapter , " as it were , for establishing that Freemasonry existed , as an institution—if at all —before the sixteenth century , say before Lselius Socinus , its founder ; or existed , in England , before the year 1640 ?
My argument against tbe antiquity (!) of Freemasonry , against the absurd allegation that it has any connection with the Knights Templar , or with the Temple of Solomon , or the Tower of Babel , or with Noah's Ark , if not with the Garden of Eden itself , but that it is of much more recent growth is , in my mind , vory simple .
It is this ; that I do not see of any Pope before Clement All . ( who denounced " the contagion "" of the Society of "liberi muratori , '' or Freemasons , " wbo bind themselves , by a rigorous oath upon the Bible , and under the most terrible penalties , to keep concealed the secret practices of their association " ) denouncing such a sooiety . Considering that the Popes are placed as " watchmen on the top of towers , never holding their peace " —and
precious little , you may depend , escapes their attention , in this world , from those heights I—some Pope , long before the last named , would , surely , on detection , and upon the first appearance of such a society , have sounded the clarion note of alarm , in his time , like vigilant chanticleer at the approach of the bird of prey . But I hear of none throughout the centuries ; unless , forsooth , the Popes themselves happened to be all Freemasons !
This , in my opinion , is about the best , or , at any rate , a good proof of the non-existence of Freemasonry before the sixteenth century . On the other hand , one of your correspondents says that Freemasonry is not the same in England as on the Continent , inferring that it is of a milder type , more gentle , bucolic and contemplative , I suppose . But let us talk
common sense . Is the oath tho English Mason takes of a milder type than that of his Continental Brothers ? Is there in the English oath nothing binding , equally with the Continental one , under the most terrible penalties , " to keep concealed the secret practices of this association ? " If the terrific oath be the same here , in order to guard exactly the same secrets , where is the difference between English and Continental Freemasonry ?
Of course , I am merely groping for light ; should some Freemason , or your correspondent , kindly answer preceding two points in my communication satisfactorily I shall freely acknowledge that I shall know then a thing or two more than I knew hitherto . Yours , etc ., GBOPER .
SIR , —Your correspondent " G . F . R ., " also " London Catholic " and other Catholics who may desire to know the reasons why Catholics are forbidden to be Freemasons , will find such reasons amply given in a book published by Blessrs . M . H . Gill and Sons , 50 Upper Sackville Street , Dublin ,
1876 , entitled "Irish and English Freemasons and Their Foreign Brothers Their System , Oaths , Ceremonies , Secrets , Grips , Signs , and Passwords . " By Michael Di Gargano . With coloured illustrations . Yours , etc ., AN IBISH PARISH PHIEST .
SIB , —Father Wyndham ( Bayswater ) published a catechism on Freemasonry lately . It can be had at most Catholic booksellers , price ld Freemasonry has been frequently condemned by the Holy See . The last was the Bull " Humanum Genus , " by Leo XIII . No Catholic worth the name can advocate that universal secret society , the real object of which is the same all over the world , whatever certain persons may assert to the contrary . Yours , etc .,
SIB , —If "London Catholic " be not content with your editorial reply , but wishes to study Freemasonry for himself , I would refer him to Beeves and Turner , Strand , and Kenning , Great Queen Street , London , both publishers of many works on Masonry . For works written from a Catholic standpoint I would refer him to "Eobertson ' s Lectures , " "Secret War / are , " "Freemasonry , by Dupanloup , " all published by Burns and Gates . Also " English Freemasonry , " by Fouquet , Cadieux , and Derome , Montreal ( 1898 ) , Father Wyndham's pamphlet ( Washbourne ) .
Your correspondent " G . F . R ., " of 14 th April , belongs to tbe Radical school : by one stroke of his pen he would repeal the deliberate condemnation of five Popes . " Assured " by Masons , it is " clear " to him that English Masonry is beyond reproach . Is he aware that Masons of a higher degree are bound not only not to reveal their secrets to the uninitiated , but not even to Masons of an inferior order ? He is mistaken when he thinks that modern
Masonry does not differ from tho Catholic guilds of a few centuries ago . If he study the history of Freemasonry he will find that these guilds at first concerned themselves solely with architecture ; afterwards , to acquire influence and patronage , they received as associates persons who knew nothing about the craft , and in the course of time they became purely social and political societies , and as such were suppressed in Holland , Bavaria ,
Switzerland , Italy , Spain , Portugal , and Russia , in the eighteenth century . " G . F . R . " is " assured " that Masonry contains nothing detrimental to any form oi religion . Let him but read any Masonic ritual and he will find it filled with blood-curdling oaths . " Freemasonry should be condemned , " says O'Connell , "for its irreligious use of holy things , and for its frequent and blasphemous oaths . "
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Attack On The Craft.
ATTACK ON THE CRAFT .
A SHORT time since , at St . Patrick ' s Cathedral , Wyndham Street , Auckland ( N . Z . ) , the Rev . Father Dawson preached a sermon in reply to the speech made by Bro . C . C . McMillan D . G . M . ( E . G . ) , representative of the Masonic Lodges at the recent opening of the new Costley wards at the Auckland Hospital .
Father Dawson said Mr . McMillan stated that the chief of the Order was His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales , that the bluest blood of the British aristocracy filled important positions in the Grand and Provincial Lodges—statesmen , warriors , lawyers , bankers , merchants , traders—and
that all classes and conditions of men owed allegiance to the Order ; yet , said the preacher , with all this "blue blood , " their contributions to charitable institutions amounted to not more than £ " 65 , 000 in one year . The Catholic Church in New Zealand , the poorest of
her order , devoted that amount annually to education . " At death the rites of Christian burial were denied to a Roman Catholic Freemason , and he was allowed to be buried like a dog , " said Mr . McMillan . There could be , Father Dawson said , no such thing as a Catholic Mason . The moment a
man became a Mason he ceased to be a Catholic . If the Masonic burial was only fit for a dog—well—he left that for Mr . McMillan to consider . From the Church ' s point of view Freemasonry demoralised social life . It was anti-Christian , and tended to the destruction of home life . It was also a
standing menace to civilised States . They had just seen the conclusion of a disastrous war between America and Spain . The Masons of Spain had lost her the last of her colonies . The Grand Master of the Spanish Masons ( having destroyed his country and obliterated her commerce ) , when he heard
that the Spanish forces had been defeated , fighting against every odds , gave a sardonic laugh and remarked , "Spain is a decaying country . " So much for the patriotism of Masons . Don Carlos , of Portugal , lost his throne through the treachery of the Masonic Lodges . The Emperor of Brazil , a highly educated man , and the most enlightened ruler that the world
had seen in this age , would not appoint Freemasons to political positions , nor to Catholic bishoprics , saying that he had enough sins to answer for , but he would never answer to God for appointing Masons to such positions . The Brazilian revolution was purely a Masonic revolution .
Masonry was inimical to good order and government , arid was opposed to every kind of law in the Church , and to Church education . There was no degradation that they had not striven to inflict upon the Church . The temple to infidelity being erected in France had cost millions of Catholic
money , and the French Masons were going to convert it into a Masonic temple . Did they wonder that the Masons were anti-Christians ? But they ( the Masons ) were almost more , for they aimed at the destruction of Christianity—it was publicly proclaimed on the Continent of Europe . The
policy , drift , and the whole heart of English Masonry was the same as Continental Masonry . This point , when Bradlaugh challenged the Prince of Wales to deny it , was admitted , it being stated that the English body was not sufficientl y advanced for that fact to be generally known .
The Catholic Church condemned Masonry , but not Masons . She had done so for many good reasons . Masonry was powerful enough to destroy commerce and the education of the youth . It poisoned the wells of justice , by influencing judge and jury . The Church opposed the Order on religious .
social , and political grounds . In concluding , Father Dawson said , perhaps there were a few Masons in Auckland cognisant with all the tricks of the Order , but he had sought not to level a word against any individual . The Church solely condemned Masons for the well-being of society , and the s tability of the throne . "— " New Zealand Herald . "
"A Sprig Of Acacia."
"A SPRIG OF ACACIA . "
THE death is announced of Brother Robert Davies , formerly head master and proprietor of the Chorlton-cum-Hardy High School , which took place at Southport , at the age of 56 . He was a P . M . of Chorlton Lodge , No . 1387 , and also a P . P . G . Std . B . of West Lancashire .
A DISTINCTLY mournful function was the funeral of Bro . John Jordrell P . M . of the Callender Lodge , No . 10 5 , which took place recently at Withington . He had served the various offices , and was highly respected by all the Brethren . The Rev . D . T . Reece Chaplain of the Lodge officiated , and many members of the Craft were present .
Catholics And Freemasonry.
CATHOLICS AND FREEMASONRY .
r IlHE following additional letterson this subject areextracted JL from the " Catholic Times " : SIR , —For a Catholic , one would have supposed that the Pope's Encyclical condemning Freemasonry would have settled the question about the " craft " onoe and for all . Let Father Wyndham's anti-Masonic Catechism be studied by those who would write on the subject .
Your correspondent " G . F . R . " misses the point at issue . Freemasonry is condemned by the Catholic Church because Freemasonry is a " religion . " It is therefore rightly termed a sect by Frenchman and Italians . Now if a religion it must have a foundation , and " other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid , which is Jesus Christ . " Is Freemasonry based on Christ ? If not , tbe words of Christ condemn it aud show its anti-Christianity : " He that is not with Me is against Me . "
Even were Freemasonry moral and law-supporting , it must come under the ban of the Church as much as Ritualism does for " other foundations , " etc . Yours , etc ., GILBERT HIGGINS .
SIB , —Will any Freemason give your readers the " verse and chapter , " as it were , for establishing that Freemasonry existed , as an institution—if at all —before the sixteenth century , say before Lselius Socinus , its founder ; or existed , in England , before the year 1640 ?
My argument against tbe antiquity (!) of Freemasonry , against the absurd allegation that it has any connection with the Knights Templar , or with the Temple of Solomon , or the Tower of Babel , or with Noah's Ark , if not with the Garden of Eden itself , but that it is of much more recent growth is , in my mind , vory simple .
It is this ; that I do not see of any Pope before Clement All . ( who denounced " the contagion "" of the Society of "liberi muratori , '' or Freemasons , " wbo bind themselves , by a rigorous oath upon the Bible , and under the most terrible penalties , to keep concealed the secret practices of their association " ) denouncing such a sooiety . Considering that the Popes are placed as " watchmen on the top of towers , never holding their peace " —and
precious little , you may depend , escapes their attention , in this world , from those heights I—some Pope , long before the last named , would , surely , on detection , and upon the first appearance of such a society , have sounded the clarion note of alarm , in his time , like vigilant chanticleer at the approach of the bird of prey . But I hear of none throughout the centuries ; unless , forsooth , the Popes themselves happened to be all Freemasons !
This , in my opinion , is about the best , or , at any rate , a good proof of the non-existence of Freemasonry before the sixteenth century . On the other hand , one of your correspondents says that Freemasonry is not the same in England as on the Continent , inferring that it is of a milder type , more gentle , bucolic and contemplative , I suppose . But let us talk
common sense . Is the oath tho English Mason takes of a milder type than that of his Continental Brothers ? Is there in the English oath nothing binding , equally with the Continental one , under the most terrible penalties , " to keep concealed the secret practices of this association ? " If the terrific oath be the same here , in order to guard exactly the same secrets , where is the difference between English and Continental Freemasonry ?
Of course , I am merely groping for light ; should some Freemason , or your correspondent , kindly answer preceding two points in my communication satisfactorily I shall freely acknowledge that I shall know then a thing or two more than I knew hitherto . Yours , etc ., GBOPER .
SIR , —Your correspondent " G . F . R ., " also " London Catholic " and other Catholics who may desire to know the reasons why Catholics are forbidden to be Freemasons , will find such reasons amply given in a book published by Blessrs . M . H . Gill and Sons , 50 Upper Sackville Street , Dublin ,
1876 , entitled "Irish and English Freemasons and Their Foreign Brothers Their System , Oaths , Ceremonies , Secrets , Grips , Signs , and Passwords . " By Michael Di Gargano . With coloured illustrations . Yours , etc ., AN IBISH PARISH PHIEST .
SIB , —Father Wyndham ( Bayswater ) published a catechism on Freemasonry lately . It can be had at most Catholic booksellers , price ld Freemasonry has been frequently condemned by the Holy See . The last was the Bull " Humanum Genus , " by Leo XIII . No Catholic worth the name can advocate that universal secret society , the real object of which is the same all over the world , whatever certain persons may assert to the contrary . Yours , etc .,
SIB , —If "London Catholic " be not content with your editorial reply , but wishes to study Freemasonry for himself , I would refer him to Beeves and Turner , Strand , and Kenning , Great Queen Street , London , both publishers of many works on Masonry . For works written from a Catholic standpoint I would refer him to "Eobertson ' s Lectures , " "Secret War / are , " "Freemasonry , by Dupanloup , " all published by Burns and Gates . Also " English Freemasonry , " by Fouquet , Cadieux , and Derome , Montreal ( 1898 ) , Father Wyndham's pamphlet ( Washbourne ) .
Your correspondent " G . F . R ., " of 14 th April , belongs to tbe Radical school : by one stroke of his pen he would repeal the deliberate condemnation of five Popes . " Assured " by Masons , it is " clear " to him that English Masonry is beyond reproach . Is he aware that Masons of a higher degree are bound not only not to reveal their secrets to the uninitiated , but not even to Masons of an inferior order ? He is mistaken when he thinks that modern
Masonry does not differ from tho Catholic guilds of a few centuries ago . If he study the history of Freemasonry he will find that these guilds at first concerned themselves solely with architecture ; afterwards , to acquire influence and patronage , they received as associates persons who knew nothing about the craft , and in the course of time they became purely social and political societies , and as such were suppressed in Holland , Bavaria ,
Switzerland , Italy , Spain , Portugal , and Russia , in the eighteenth century . " G . F . R . " is " assured " that Masonry contains nothing detrimental to any form oi religion . Let him but read any Masonic ritual and he will find it filled with blood-curdling oaths . " Freemasonry should be condemned , " says O'Connell , "for its irreligious use of holy things , and for its frequent and blasphemous oaths . "