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Article FOREIGN FREEMASONRY. ← Page 2 of 2 Article FOREIGN FREEMASONRY. Page 2 of 2
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Foreign Freemasonry.
persuasion and good example ; its fruit is virtue , fellowship , and progress ; its aim , the perfection and happiness of humanity , which it tends to unite under one flag ; its centre is wherever tho human race exists . " ' '' So far also the Italian , Frapolli , who distinguishes the tendency of Masonry to absorb human society , informing tho social body with its own
idea . 13 With whom the German Seydel , in his reply to Bishop Kettler , is in accord . So , too , Jouast in his History of the Grand Orient of France , — " Freemasonry is a philosophic and philanthropic Institution which has either openly or covertly penetrated , with tho spirit of progress and liberty of the 18 th century , into every country of tho world ancl is firmly established there . "
Lest it be felt those aro individual opinions , though wo have seen there is , in Masonry , no strictly individual written opinion , we will take up tho Fundamental Statutes of French Masonry as adopted in 1865 after several years' revision . By Article 1 , it is declared that Freemasonry is an Institution essentially
philanthropic and progressive , has for object the discovery of Truth , the study of universal morality , sciences , arts , and the exorcise of benevolence . Its principles are the existence of God , the immortality of the soul , and the solidarity of humanity . It considers Liberty of Conscience a right inherent in every being , and it excludes no one on account of his beliefs . Its motto is Liberty , Equality , and Fraternity .
Article 2 . —In the high sphere in which it is , it respects the religious faith and political opinion of its members , but it forbids all kinds of discussions in religious and political matter , be it controversy as to different religion , or criticism of the acts of civil authority , or the various forms of government .
Article 4 . —Freemasonry desires to bind all the members of humanity in the brotherly bonds which unite Freemasons over tho whole world , and for this cause the Masonic propaganda , by word of mouth , by writings , and by good example , is recommended to all Masons . Tbe statutes of Italian Masonry , declared in 1861 , contain :
Article 2 . —Italian Masonry professes as tho essential condition of philanthropy the following principles : Independence and unity of every different nation , and the Fraternity of these same nations . Tolerance of every religion whatever , and absolute equality of all worships ; moral and material progress of the masses .
Article 4 . —To tho old motto of Universal Freemasonry , Liberty , Equality , and Fraternity , Italian Masonry adds : Independence , Unity , ancl Fraternity of Nations .
And in 1867 , the Constituent Assemblies of Naples there formulated the final aim of Masonry : To unite all free men in one great family , destined little by little to succeed all sects based on Faith and theocratic authority ; all superstitions , intolerant , and hostile cult , so as to constitute the ono true Church of Humanity .
The statutes of German Masonry may be summed up as aiming at the progress , perfectioning , and universal felicity of human kind on the same lines as the French and Italian . Except a slight impress of the cloven foot in the Neapolitan formula , there is here a collection of ideas vivifying and far reaching , of hopes
largehearted and noble , of sentiments at once elevating and penetrative . Yet , this is the organisation which the Inspired Heads of Christendom , with their mysterious insight into tho thoughts of men , have persisted in condemning . Such the Society upon whose threshold Roman Pontiffs have turned in Dante's
line" All hope abandon , ye who enter in . " Is it possible , on tho surface , to comprehend such antagonism , to appreciate the justice of an anathema stigmatising this body ? Is it possible to suspect the active principle of their tireless opposition to lie rather in the Popes being Italian Princes than Christian Vicars ?
The solution of this difficulty will depend on how far below the surface wo can reach . Wo are dealing with an association working in secrecy , whose surface therefore can be no true indicator of its motives .
We have in hand a politico-religious society , democratic in policy , of a rationalistic naturalism in religion , embodying a philosophy of humanity . On the tempting subject of its political life—with the ominous dates of 1789 , 1793 , 1830 , 1848—they are a Masonic selection—I do . not propose to touch .
To lift the lurid clouds that surround it demands more than a partial study . The socialistic development of its democratic polity I shall also pass by , as a subject too important for treatment as a side issue . We will confine ourselves to its religious aspect and the philosophy it offers humanity , to its ideas rather than its activities .
Mr . Morley , in his book " On Compromise , " says that " at the bottom of all the great discussions of modern society lie thc two momentous questions : whether there is a God ; and , whether the soul is immortal . " What philosophy has Masonry to offer humanity on fundamentals which Kant affirmed were the necessary postulates of Ethics ?
" The basis of Masonic doctrine , says Ragon , " is the love of God . " " The God of thc Masons , " cries tho Freemason Proudhon in his book of " Justice in Revolutions , and in the Church , " a work dedicated , iu 1858 , to the Cardinal Archbishop of Besanoon , " is neither Substance , Cause , Soul , Creator , Father , Word , Love , Paraclete , Redeemer , or Devil No
altar , no image , no sacrifice , no prayer , no sacrament , no forgiveness , no mysteries , no priesthood , no profession of faith , no Creed . Freemasonry is not a Church , it rests neither on dogma nor worship ; it affirms nothing Reason cannot clearly comprehend ; and it only respects Humanity . The Theology of the Lodges , in a word , is the antithesis of theology . "
* - " Rituel de l'Apprente Maoon , Avant-propos . " 13 " La Franc Magonerie reformee , " 2 ed . Turin , 1864 . 11 " Lc Catholicisme etla Franc-M ., " Leipsig . "•"•Chap , i ., Paris , 1 SG 5 . 1 , 5 1806—1820—1839—1854—1805 .
Foreign Freemasonry.
And Proudhon ? He made his entry into Paris with some articles in the Catholic Encyclop-edia of Desbarres ; ono of which , strangely enough , was on Apostasy ; and in 1840 a defence of tho observance of Sunday , addressed to the Academy ol Besangon , his birth-place , and a hot bed of Masonry . But succumbing to tho influence of environment a change came over the spirit of
his dreams , and in 1850 appeared his famous memotre , " What is Property ? " his laconic reply sounding , I fear , less infamous to-day than it did then , so far have we travelled since . Massol , an ardent St . Simonian , a writer in
" La Reforme " under Lamenais , an aggressive towncner of Moral Independence , tutor to Proudhon ' s children and a " Venerable " of the Masonic Order , sketches his friend in a letter to Ortolan , professor of Constitutional Law at the Soi-bonne .
" Proudhon , '' ho writes , " summed up all the popular indignation against social iniquity . He was the type of the proletarian , or rather of the worker of the future ; he was the first of the new world or of tho world transformed by thejidea of right and justice . His impassioned ardour for right and justice created around him a healthy atmosphere . Whoever approached hi m was permeated with it , and went awav a better man . "
And this of one who wrote " God is an evil ; property theft ; and Govern - ment , Capital and Catholicism , tho threo instruments of Anarchy ; " of whom the Mason Garrison , in a Congress of Students at Liege exclaimed : " And was not Proudhon , one of the grandest minds of this century , a Mason although
he was an Atheist ! " Atheist , indeed , for his idea was : " Man sovereign in his cottage home , independent of God and man I "—another form of hi Brother-Mason , Blanqui's , cry : " Neither God nor Master ! " worthy words for a Revolutionist and hideous traitor to his friends .
. But it is incontestable that all the statutes , and tho most solemn acts issued by thi Lodges , bear initials representing , " To the Glory of the Great Architect of the world , " as their front' . spiece . Has its meaning any value ? On tho death of King Leopold tho Lodge of the Grand Orient of Belgium was draped in mourning and displayed tho device : " The soul emanating
from God is immortal . " Remembering that Liberty of Conscience was ono of the precious rights inherent in all Masons , and heedful of its own title , the Lodge Steadfast of Louvain , complained bitterly of this violation of the said Liberty of Conscience by this profession of two dogmas—the existence of God , and the immortality of the soul . The affair threatened to gather into
storm when the following official announcement stilled tho troubled waters : That since the preceding year the Grand Orient , in a circular addressed to every Lodge in its obedience , had professed the principle of Liberty of Conscience without limit , and that consequently it did not belong to it to establish in point of religion or philosophy a body of doctrine to which our
Brothers are compelled to adhere If the principle of the immortality of the soul appears in the Ritual or tho Formularies ; if the idea of God be there produced under the style of the Great Architect of the universe , it is because they are the traditions of the order ; but never has the Grand
Orient imposed or proclaimed a dogma on either of these points . In our days it would be childish to insist under pretext of a formula which has no meaning and holds no conscience upon mooting questions which do not admit of any solution . ( To be continued . )
17 A more gifted man , an active writer on Legal History , and warm democratic Publicist . 18 Ibid . June 1867 , p . 81 . Reference is to an article in the " Revue Retrospective , " March 1848 , containing extracts of a paper found among those of the ex-King , giving detailed revelations concerning his old companions , and traced to Blanqui . 19 " Neut . La Franc-Mag . soumise au grand jour de la publicite , " ed . 1866 , T . i ., pp . 204—237—407—413 , T . ii ., p . 196 .
The meeting of the St . John ' s Lodge , No . 80 , reported elsewhere in this issue , must have been very interesting , as evidence of the cosmopolitan character of Freemasonry , it being recorded
that Visitors from forty-one other Lodges , in nearly all quarters of the globe , were present , a large number of them being members of the Channel Squadron .
In answering the question , " What is the magnet that fills the ranks of the Masonic Brotherhood with so many willing , faithful Companions ? " Rev . Bro . Donald M . Spence , D . D ., Dean of Gloucester , said : " It is something , believe me , nobler ,
grander far than mere enjoyment ; something more far-reaching than " good fellowship . It is , I think , the initiation into that Divine sympathy which is the secret of our Order , which so wonderfully , so happily , finds an echo in so many hearts , and draws us so many and such varied recruits . "
I have not see the revisions in the Rules of Grand Lodge , but from what I hear the improvements which we had hoped for are hard to find . The result will be a lot of work for Grand Committee and Grand Lodge itself . The evils of emergency
meetings , we are led to believe , were practically doomed , but tho Revision Committee have made the rule even a greater stumbling block than it has been in the past . An extraordinary proposal .
too , is introduced , regarding the conferring of the Mark degree , a proposal which is in distinct opposition to the agreement entered into in 1871 with Supreme Chapter of Scotland and Mark Grand Lodge of England . — " Mallet , " in ¦« Glasgow Evening News . "
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Foreign Freemasonry.
persuasion and good example ; its fruit is virtue , fellowship , and progress ; its aim , the perfection and happiness of humanity , which it tends to unite under one flag ; its centre is wherever tho human race exists . " ' '' So far also the Italian , Frapolli , who distinguishes the tendency of Masonry to absorb human society , informing tho social body with its own
idea . 13 With whom the German Seydel , in his reply to Bishop Kettler , is in accord . So , too , Jouast in his History of the Grand Orient of France , — " Freemasonry is a philosophic and philanthropic Institution which has either openly or covertly penetrated , with tho spirit of progress and liberty of the 18 th century , into every country of tho world ancl is firmly established there . "
Lest it be felt those aro individual opinions , though wo have seen there is , in Masonry , no strictly individual written opinion , we will take up tho Fundamental Statutes of French Masonry as adopted in 1865 after several years' revision . By Article 1 , it is declared that Freemasonry is an Institution essentially
philanthropic and progressive , has for object the discovery of Truth , the study of universal morality , sciences , arts , and the exorcise of benevolence . Its principles are the existence of God , the immortality of the soul , and the solidarity of humanity . It considers Liberty of Conscience a right inherent in every being , and it excludes no one on account of his beliefs . Its motto is Liberty , Equality , and Fraternity .
Article 2 . —In the high sphere in which it is , it respects the religious faith and political opinion of its members , but it forbids all kinds of discussions in religious and political matter , be it controversy as to different religion , or criticism of the acts of civil authority , or the various forms of government .
Article 4 . —Freemasonry desires to bind all the members of humanity in the brotherly bonds which unite Freemasons over tho whole world , and for this cause the Masonic propaganda , by word of mouth , by writings , and by good example , is recommended to all Masons . Tbe statutes of Italian Masonry , declared in 1861 , contain :
Article 2 . —Italian Masonry professes as tho essential condition of philanthropy the following principles : Independence and unity of every different nation , and the Fraternity of these same nations . Tolerance of every religion whatever , and absolute equality of all worships ; moral and material progress of the masses .
Article 4 . —To tho old motto of Universal Freemasonry , Liberty , Equality , and Fraternity , Italian Masonry adds : Independence , Unity , ancl Fraternity of Nations .
And in 1867 , the Constituent Assemblies of Naples there formulated the final aim of Masonry : To unite all free men in one great family , destined little by little to succeed all sects based on Faith and theocratic authority ; all superstitions , intolerant , and hostile cult , so as to constitute the ono true Church of Humanity .
The statutes of German Masonry may be summed up as aiming at the progress , perfectioning , and universal felicity of human kind on the same lines as the French and Italian . Except a slight impress of the cloven foot in the Neapolitan formula , there is here a collection of ideas vivifying and far reaching , of hopes
largehearted and noble , of sentiments at once elevating and penetrative . Yet , this is the organisation which the Inspired Heads of Christendom , with their mysterious insight into tho thoughts of men , have persisted in condemning . Such the Society upon whose threshold Roman Pontiffs have turned in Dante's
line" All hope abandon , ye who enter in . " Is it possible , on tho surface , to comprehend such antagonism , to appreciate the justice of an anathema stigmatising this body ? Is it possible to suspect the active principle of their tireless opposition to lie rather in the Popes being Italian Princes than Christian Vicars ?
The solution of this difficulty will depend on how far below the surface wo can reach . Wo are dealing with an association working in secrecy , whose surface therefore can be no true indicator of its motives .
We have in hand a politico-religious society , democratic in policy , of a rationalistic naturalism in religion , embodying a philosophy of humanity . On the tempting subject of its political life—with the ominous dates of 1789 , 1793 , 1830 , 1848—they are a Masonic selection—I do . not propose to touch .
To lift the lurid clouds that surround it demands more than a partial study . The socialistic development of its democratic polity I shall also pass by , as a subject too important for treatment as a side issue . We will confine ourselves to its religious aspect and the philosophy it offers humanity , to its ideas rather than its activities .
Mr . Morley , in his book " On Compromise , " says that " at the bottom of all the great discussions of modern society lie thc two momentous questions : whether there is a God ; and , whether the soul is immortal . " What philosophy has Masonry to offer humanity on fundamentals which Kant affirmed were the necessary postulates of Ethics ?
" The basis of Masonic doctrine , says Ragon , " is the love of God . " " The God of thc Masons , " cries tho Freemason Proudhon in his book of " Justice in Revolutions , and in the Church , " a work dedicated , iu 1858 , to the Cardinal Archbishop of Besanoon , " is neither Substance , Cause , Soul , Creator , Father , Word , Love , Paraclete , Redeemer , or Devil No
altar , no image , no sacrifice , no prayer , no sacrament , no forgiveness , no mysteries , no priesthood , no profession of faith , no Creed . Freemasonry is not a Church , it rests neither on dogma nor worship ; it affirms nothing Reason cannot clearly comprehend ; and it only respects Humanity . The Theology of the Lodges , in a word , is the antithesis of theology . "
* - " Rituel de l'Apprente Maoon , Avant-propos . " 13 " La Franc Magonerie reformee , " 2 ed . Turin , 1864 . 11 " Lc Catholicisme etla Franc-M ., " Leipsig . "•"•Chap , i ., Paris , 1 SG 5 . 1 , 5 1806—1820—1839—1854—1805 .
Foreign Freemasonry.
And Proudhon ? He made his entry into Paris with some articles in the Catholic Encyclop-edia of Desbarres ; ono of which , strangely enough , was on Apostasy ; and in 1840 a defence of tho observance of Sunday , addressed to the Academy ol Besangon , his birth-place , and a hot bed of Masonry . But succumbing to tho influence of environment a change came over the spirit of
his dreams , and in 1850 appeared his famous memotre , " What is Property ? " his laconic reply sounding , I fear , less infamous to-day than it did then , so far have we travelled since . Massol , an ardent St . Simonian , a writer in
" La Reforme " under Lamenais , an aggressive towncner of Moral Independence , tutor to Proudhon ' s children and a " Venerable " of the Masonic Order , sketches his friend in a letter to Ortolan , professor of Constitutional Law at the Soi-bonne .
" Proudhon , '' ho writes , " summed up all the popular indignation against social iniquity . He was the type of the proletarian , or rather of the worker of the future ; he was the first of the new world or of tho world transformed by thejidea of right and justice . His impassioned ardour for right and justice created around him a healthy atmosphere . Whoever approached hi m was permeated with it , and went awav a better man . "
And this of one who wrote " God is an evil ; property theft ; and Govern - ment , Capital and Catholicism , tho threo instruments of Anarchy ; " of whom the Mason Garrison , in a Congress of Students at Liege exclaimed : " And was not Proudhon , one of the grandest minds of this century , a Mason although
he was an Atheist ! " Atheist , indeed , for his idea was : " Man sovereign in his cottage home , independent of God and man I "—another form of hi Brother-Mason , Blanqui's , cry : " Neither God nor Master ! " worthy words for a Revolutionist and hideous traitor to his friends .
. But it is incontestable that all the statutes , and tho most solemn acts issued by thi Lodges , bear initials representing , " To the Glory of the Great Architect of the world , " as their front' . spiece . Has its meaning any value ? On tho death of King Leopold tho Lodge of the Grand Orient of Belgium was draped in mourning and displayed tho device : " The soul emanating
from God is immortal . " Remembering that Liberty of Conscience was ono of the precious rights inherent in all Masons , and heedful of its own title , the Lodge Steadfast of Louvain , complained bitterly of this violation of the said Liberty of Conscience by this profession of two dogmas—the existence of God , and the immortality of the soul . The affair threatened to gather into
storm when the following official announcement stilled tho troubled waters : That since the preceding year the Grand Orient , in a circular addressed to every Lodge in its obedience , had professed the principle of Liberty of Conscience without limit , and that consequently it did not belong to it to establish in point of religion or philosophy a body of doctrine to which our
Brothers are compelled to adhere If the principle of the immortality of the soul appears in the Ritual or tho Formularies ; if the idea of God be there produced under the style of the Great Architect of the universe , it is because they are the traditions of the order ; but never has the Grand
Orient imposed or proclaimed a dogma on either of these points . In our days it would be childish to insist under pretext of a formula which has no meaning and holds no conscience upon mooting questions which do not admit of any solution . ( To be continued . )
17 A more gifted man , an active writer on Legal History , and warm democratic Publicist . 18 Ibid . June 1867 , p . 81 . Reference is to an article in the " Revue Retrospective , " March 1848 , containing extracts of a paper found among those of the ex-King , giving detailed revelations concerning his old companions , and traced to Blanqui . 19 " Neut . La Franc-Mag . soumise au grand jour de la publicite , " ed . 1866 , T . i ., pp . 204—237—407—413 , T . ii ., p . 196 .
The meeting of the St . John ' s Lodge , No . 80 , reported elsewhere in this issue , must have been very interesting , as evidence of the cosmopolitan character of Freemasonry , it being recorded
that Visitors from forty-one other Lodges , in nearly all quarters of the globe , were present , a large number of them being members of the Channel Squadron .
In answering the question , " What is the magnet that fills the ranks of the Masonic Brotherhood with so many willing , faithful Companions ? " Rev . Bro . Donald M . Spence , D . D ., Dean of Gloucester , said : " It is something , believe me , nobler ,
grander far than mere enjoyment ; something more far-reaching than " good fellowship . It is , I think , the initiation into that Divine sympathy which is the secret of our Order , which so wonderfully , so happily , finds an echo in so many hearts , and draws us so many and such varied recruits . "
I have not see the revisions in the Rules of Grand Lodge , but from what I hear the improvements which we had hoped for are hard to find . The result will be a lot of work for Grand Committee and Grand Lodge itself . The evils of emergency
meetings , we are led to believe , were practically doomed , but tho Revision Committee have made the rule even a greater stumbling block than it has been in the past . An extraordinary proposal .
too , is introduced , regarding the conferring of the Mark degree , a proposal which is in distinct opposition to the agreement entered into in 1871 with Supreme Chapter of Scotland and Mark Grand Lodge of England . — " Mallet , " in ¦« Glasgow Evening News . "