-
Articles/Ads
Article OUR CORRESPONDENTS: LIBERTY BUT NOT LICENCE, TO ALL. ← Page 2 of 2 Article A PECULIAR SYSTEM OF MORALITY. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Our Correspondents: Liberty But Not Licence, To All.
with tne former , nor would any reasonable Editor entertain the Idea ot excluding any communication which mig ht throw li ght on tho subject , provided , of course , tho space at his dispo-. id allowed of its being inserted . But there aro so Ji ' .-iTiy who inisi .-iki- -issortion for argument , so many who
merel y di *< --M : ; insi \ nnd ou whom all argument , be it novo so hiCHi : < iid nowi-riid , is utterl y thrown away . What right hiive ilu-se io (• ¦ ¦•!; ii : > i au'ainst , the editorial lint , when
they find tli .-ir ietfers iet ' l out , because he , in the exercise of his undoubted right , and iu tlio fulfilment of his most responsible duly , considers that illogical assertions are in no wise calculated to secure losrical deductions ?
There is no subject which has caused us more trouble or involved us more with our correspondents than that which concerns the true definition of Freemasonry . We are old-fashioned enough io stand fast b y tho doctrines of its earliest expositors , that Freemasonry is a morality , and that
while all religious and political discussions are properly forbidden in our Lodges , no mere morality can hope to prosper which does not . rest its foundations on that abstract religious faith , which recognises a belief in the existence of a Supreme Being as its most important cardinal principle ,
and legal obedience to the powers that be as the be-all and end-all of its political faith . We do not stay to consider whether the religious basis takes the form of Christianity , Judaism , Mohammedanism , or Buddhism , nor does it occur to us to inquire if a man's political creed inclines to
Imperialism , Monorchism , or Republicanism . If we find he recognises there is a God who rnleth all things , and by whom all things were made , and if we know him to be loyal to the government of the country in which he lives , we hold that ho is a true Freemason . We do not hold that
Masonry is a religion , because it cannot justly exist ; without a religious basis ; nor can we allow that the English brother who is loyal to his sovereign is more or less of a Freemason than his American cousin , who obeys in all things the laws and constitution of the United States . We regard the
Masonic Lodge as a place in which men of all religious and political creeds may meet and grasp the hand of good fellowship and brotherly love ; but we say emphatically , it is not the place for the man who has no sense of religion , or who refuses to be bound by any considerations of
loyaltym a political sense . It must be obvious , then , that holding as we do these doctrines , we dare not , with all the desire in the world to permit free discussion , admit such communications as , if they have any aim afc all , are intended to subvert the very foundations of Freemasonry . The editor of
a Christian paper would never dream of allowing any letter to appear in his pages , which rejected the divinity of Christ , nor would the editor of a Jewish paper allow the insertion in his of any letter which accepted such divinity . Brethren , therefore , who ask for space in which they may
be permitted to do all they can to shatter the edifice of English Freemasonry must not be surprised at our refusing them . Let them , if they will , assert that Freemasonry is only " a civil or lay institution . " We have no objection to their so thinking , but then we argue that no " civil or lay
institution" can ov should exist , which does not begin by recognising belief in the existence of God and loyalty to constitutional authority as the fundamental bases of all mundane institutions . We hold that our Grand Lodge acted wisely and well when it forbade all intercourse with those
French Masons who deny or ignore those fundamental truths . A body is not worth preserving when it has lost its vitality , and Freemasonry without the life that was breathed into it by its founders will be the stupidest as well as the veriest of all counterfeits .
There are , no doubt , many things which might appropriately be struck out of our lectures and ceremoniessome , merely because they are out of place , and others because they are both out of place and apt to excite ridicule , but of those many things belief in God is certainly
nofc one . And ns in all correspondence a line must be drawn between what is admissible and what inadmissible , it is as well wc should state as explicitly as the English language will permit , that all letters will be rejected which deny that some kind of religious belief—no matter what its colour or character may be—is an integral part of Freemasonry .
We have received a communication from Pro . Benj . L . Wells P . M . 1511 , in ref'irenco to nnv Article last wook on the Saeredness of the BaHot ; JVC rogrfifc it did not come to hand in timo for onr issue of to-day . It shall appear nest week .
A Peculiar System Of Morality.
A PECULIAR SYSTEM OF MORALITY .
WE have alt been taught that " Freemasonry is a peculiar system of morality , veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols , " but how few of us have apparently realized that this system of moralit y is such that it must render the earnest seavohev aftor move light pure in thought , truthful in word , and holy and charitable in deed . Wo maintain that our system is a vitalized embodiment of all that is to Uo ( buiul good anil upright , vmv - and holy in science and philosophy .
The Mason from the day of his initiation until tho hour of his death is only , after all , a student of our mysteries . Our master minds , and tho giant intellects of the Craft , are alike unable to fathom the hidden meaning of every quarry , and daily the workmen , amidst tho stones and rubbish , and the del vers in the mines , discover precious treasures , thafc for ages have been hidden and neglected . The science of
Freemasonry is a theo-philosophy of tho grandest and most liberal type . Before our altar kneel tho Christian , the Hindoo , the Red Man , tho Hebrew , the Unitarian , the Parseo and the Brahmin , and all can take the Brother's hand and join with him on bended knee in his prayers of praise and oblation to tho God of Truth . And it is through " onr peculiar system of morality" that each in his own mind , and by means
of the electric current that courses through his own thoughts , traces to the Fountain Head the Deity of Morality . Wo hear men talk of tho morality of tho day , and wo fairly shudder afc fcho thought . Every grade of society is impregnated with tho most gross and licentious immorality . All classes are tainted with it , and the Church makes an unsuccessful effort to resist it . Resist it !
The fact is Church and Fashion too often go hand in hand in veiling with a gauge of gossamer the tainted pollution of our cities and tho vile immorality of the country . What absurdity for preachers of God ' s Holy Word to thunder diatribes on the Sunday from the pulpit against the immorality of the age , and then , during the week , instead of going forth to " save the fallen and rescue the dying , " content
themselves with talking soft platitudes to indolent mammas , mmcmg daughters , and worldly-minded fathers , and carefully avoiding to allude , even in a whisper , to the wild oats of the yonng gentleman , the son and heir . Oh ! dear no ' . " Young men will be young men . By und bye John will settle down and marry , and then it will be all right . All young men are a leetle wild , Mr . So and So . " And Parson
Softsoap wends his way to another house to give expression to similarly stale ideas , and perhaps meeting Master John , pokes him in the ribs and says : " You are a bad boy , Master John . I have been telling mamma and papa you must settle down , & c . " This is the morality of the hour . Wink at the disgusting habits of yonng men , allow them to besot themselves with wine and alcoholic drink , and by their vile
allurements entice the innocent and virtuous from a path of happiness , and then having accomplished their purposes and gratified their lust , hurl their poor victims from them as polluted and unclean things into the very jaws of hell . Freemasonry recognizes no such morality as this a morality one-sided and unjust ; a morality based on a wrong and built np in foul-mouthed deceit and sin . Yery truly has the poet expressed himself on this point in the following lines , entitled
" STONE THE WOMAN—LET THE MAN 00 FKEE . " Yes , stone the woman—let the man go free ! Draw back yoar skirts , lest they perchance may touch Her garment as she passes ; but to him Put forth a willing hand to clasp with his Thafc led her to destruction and disgrace .
Shut up from her the sacred ways of toil , That she no more may win an honest meal ; But ope to him all honourable paths , Where he may win distinction . Give to him Fair , pressed clown measures of life ' s sweetest joya . Pass her , 0 maiden , with a pure broad face
If she puts out a poor , polluted palm ; But lay thy hand in his on bridal day , And swear to cling to him with wifely love And tender reverence . Trust him who led A sister woman to a fearful fate . Yes , stone the woman—let the man go free !
Let one soul suffer for the guilt of two—Ifc is the doctrine of a hurried world , Too out of breath for holding balances Where nice distinctions and injustices Aro calmly weighed . But , ha ! how will ifc be On that strange day of final fire and flame
When men shall wither with a mystic fear , And all shall stand before the one true Judge ? Shall sex make £ 7 ie ? i , a difference in sin ? Shall He , the searcher of tho hidden heart , In this eternal and fine decree , Condemn the woman and forgive the man ?
Tho above expresses our pecular system of morality perfectly . Freemasons are neither snivelling hypocrites nor nasal-twanged Pharisees , nor canting knaves wearing Ingnbrious countenances and lips curled down , as if God never intended man to smile , and who , in their idiotic and conceited self-complacency , imagine that because their little souls cannot enjoy the innocent pleasures of the young , or the
quieter amusements of the aged , they are God's chosen children . Tho kiss of childhood to such is desecration , the song of the lark on a Sunday morning disturbs their devotions , and it is a crime to contemplate the Deity of nature on the Lord ' s Day , " beside the babbling brook , " amidst the perfume of flowers , the green of the woods , the nhirr . of the sciuirrel and tho carol of nature ' s songsters . All these
things are immoral in the eyes of such men . What a morality ! Now our peculiar system , which allows such liberality of thought in religious matters , permits equal latitude in things pertaining to morality . Freemasonry does nofc teach man to despise and shun those that have erred ; she does nob say to her votaries , " Bro . A . is drinking , " or , " Bro . B . is cursing and swearing ; lot ' s kick them both
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Our Correspondents: Liberty But Not Licence, To All.
with tne former , nor would any reasonable Editor entertain the Idea ot excluding any communication which mig ht throw li ght on tho subject , provided , of course , tho space at his dispo-. id allowed of its being inserted . But there aro so Ji ' .-iTiy who inisi .-iki- -issortion for argument , so many who
merel y di *< --M : ; insi \ nnd ou whom all argument , be it novo so hiCHi : < iid nowi-riid , is utterl y thrown away . What right hiive ilu-se io (• ¦ ¦•!; ii : > i au'ainst , the editorial lint , when
they find tli .-ir ietfers iet ' l out , because he , in the exercise of his undoubted right , and iu tlio fulfilment of his most responsible duly , considers that illogical assertions are in no wise calculated to secure losrical deductions ?
There is no subject which has caused us more trouble or involved us more with our correspondents than that which concerns the true definition of Freemasonry . We are old-fashioned enough io stand fast b y tho doctrines of its earliest expositors , that Freemasonry is a morality , and that
while all religious and political discussions are properly forbidden in our Lodges , no mere morality can hope to prosper which does not . rest its foundations on that abstract religious faith , which recognises a belief in the existence of a Supreme Being as its most important cardinal principle ,
and legal obedience to the powers that be as the be-all and end-all of its political faith . We do not stay to consider whether the religious basis takes the form of Christianity , Judaism , Mohammedanism , or Buddhism , nor does it occur to us to inquire if a man's political creed inclines to
Imperialism , Monorchism , or Republicanism . If we find he recognises there is a God who rnleth all things , and by whom all things were made , and if we know him to be loyal to the government of the country in which he lives , we hold that ho is a true Freemason . We do not hold that
Masonry is a religion , because it cannot justly exist ; without a religious basis ; nor can we allow that the English brother who is loyal to his sovereign is more or less of a Freemason than his American cousin , who obeys in all things the laws and constitution of the United States . We regard the
Masonic Lodge as a place in which men of all religious and political creeds may meet and grasp the hand of good fellowship and brotherly love ; but we say emphatically , it is not the place for the man who has no sense of religion , or who refuses to be bound by any considerations of
loyaltym a political sense . It must be obvious , then , that holding as we do these doctrines , we dare not , with all the desire in the world to permit free discussion , admit such communications as , if they have any aim afc all , are intended to subvert the very foundations of Freemasonry . The editor of
a Christian paper would never dream of allowing any letter to appear in his pages , which rejected the divinity of Christ , nor would the editor of a Jewish paper allow the insertion in his of any letter which accepted such divinity . Brethren , therefore , who ask for space in which they may
be permitted to do all they can to shatter the edifice of English Freemasonry must not be surprised at our refusing them . Let them , if they will , assert that Freemasonry is only " a civil or lay institution . " We have no objection to their so thinking , but then we argue that no " civil or lay
institution" can ov should exist , which does not begin by recognising belief in the existence of God and loyalty to constitutional authority as the fundamental bases of all mundane institutions . We hold that our Grand Lodge acted wisely and well when it forbade all intercourse with those
French Masons who deny or ignore those fundamental truths . A body is not worth preserving when it has lost its vitality , and Freemasonry without the life that was breathed into it by its founders will be the stupidest as well as the veriest of all counterfeits .
There are , no doubt , many things which might appropriately be struck out of our lectures and ceremoniessome , merely because they are out of place , and others because they are both out of place and apt to excite ridicule , but of those many things belief in God is certainly
nofc one . And ns in all correspondence a line must be drawn between what is admissible and what inadmissible , it is as well wc should state as explicitly as the English language will permit , that all letters will be rejected which deny that some kind of religious belief—no matter what its colour or character may be—is an integral part of Freemasonry .
We have received a communication from Pro . Benj . L . Wells P . M . 1511 , in ref'irenco to nnv Article last wook on the Saeredness of the BaHot ; JVC rogrfifc it did not come to hand in timo for onr issue of to-day . It shall appear nest week .
A Peculiar System Of Morality.
A PECULIAR SYSTEM OF MORALITY .
WE have alt been taught that " Freemasonry is a peculiar system of morality , veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols , " but how few of us have apparently realized that this system of moralit y is such that it must render the earnest seavohev aftor move light pure in thought , truthful in word , and holy and charitable in deed . Wo maintain that our system is a vitalized embodiment of all that is to Uo ( buiul good anil upright , vmv - and holy in science and philosophy .
The Mason from the day of his initiation until tho hour of his death is only , after all , a student of our mysteries . Our master minds , and tho giant intellects of the Craft , are alike unable to fathom the hidden meaning of every quarry , and daily the workmen , amidst tho stones and rubbish , and the del vers in the mines , discover precious treasures , thafc for ages have been hidden and neglected . The science of
Freemasonry is a theo-philosophy of tho grandest and most liberal type . Before our altar kneel tho Christian , the Hindoo , the Red Man , tho Hebrew , the Unitarian , the Parseo and the Brahmin , and all can take the Brother's hand and join with him on bended knee in his prayers of praise and oblation to tho God of Truth . And it is through " onr peculiar system of morality" that each in his own mind , and by means
of the electric current that courses through his own thoughts , traces to the Fountain Head the Deity of Morality . Wo hear men talk of tho morality of tho day , and wo fairly shudder afc fcho thought . Every grade of society is impregnated with tho most gross and licentious immorality . All classes are tainted with it , and the Church makes an unsuccessful effort to resist it . Resist it !
The fact is Church and Fashion too often go hand in hand in veiling with a gauge of gossamer the tainted pollution of our cities and tho vile immorality of the country . What absurdity for preachers of God ' s Holy Word to thunder diatribes on the Sunday from the pulpit against the immorality of the age , and then , during the week , instead of going forth to " save the fallen and rescue the dying , " content
themselves with talking soft platitudes to indolent mammas , mmcmg daughters , and worldly-minded fathers , and carefully avoiding to allude , even in a whisper , to the wild oats of the yonng gentleman , the son and heir . Oh ! dear no ' . " Young men will be young men . By und bye John will settle down and marry , and then it will be all right . All young men are a leetle wild , Mr . So and So . " And Parson
Softsoap wends his way to another house to give expression to similarly stale ideas , and perhaps meeting Master John , pokes him in the ribs and says : " You are a bad boy , Master John . I have been telling mamma and papa you must settle down , & c . " This is the morality of the hour . Wink at the disgusting habits of yonng men , allow them to besot themselves with wine and alcoholic drink , and by their vile
allurements entice the innocent and virtuous from a path of happiness , and then having accomplished their purposes and gratified their lust , hurl their poor victims from them as polluted and unclean things into the very jaws of hell . Freemasonry recognizes no such morality as this a morality one-sided and unjust ; a morality based on a wrong and built np in foul-mouthed deceit and sin . Yery truly has the poet expressed himself on this point in the following lines , entitled
" STONE THE WOMAN—LET THE MAN 00 FKEE . " Yes , stone the woman—let the man go free ! Draw back yoar skirts , lest they perchance may touch Her garment as she passes ; but to him Put forth a willing hand to clasp with his Thafc led her to destruction and disgrace .
Shut up from her the sacred ways of toil , That she no more may win an honest meal ; But ope to him all honourable paths , Where he may win distinction . Give to him Fair , pressed clown measures of life ' s sweetest joya . Pass her , 0 maiden , with a pure broad face
If she puts out a poor , polluted palm ; But lay thy hand in his on bridal day , And swear to cling to him with wifely love And tender reverence . Trust him who led A sister woman to a fearful fate . Yes , stone the woman—let the man go free !
Let one soul suffer for the guilt of two—Ifc is the doctrine of a hurried world , Too out of breath for holding balances Where nice distinctions and injustices Aro calmly weighed . But , ha ! how will ifc be On that strange day of final fire and flame
When men shall wither with a mystic fear , And all shall stand before the one true Judge ? Shall sex make £ 7 ie ? i , a difference in sin ? Shall He , the searcher of tho hidden heart , In this eternal and fine decree , Condemn the woman and forgive the man ?
Tho above expresses our pecular system of morality perfectly . Freemasons are neither snivelling hypocrites nor nasal-twanged Pharisees , nor canting knaves wearing Ingnbrious countenances and lips curled down , as if God never intended man to smile , and who , in their idiotic and conceited self-complacency , imagine that because their little souls cannot enjoy the innocent pleasures of the young , or the
quieter amusements of the aged , they are God's chosen children . Tho kiss of childhood to such is desecration , the song of the lark on a Sunday morning disturbs their devotions , and it is a crime to contemplate the Deity of nature on the Lord ' s Day , " beside the babbling brook , " amidst the perfume of flowers , the green of the woods , the nhirr . of the sciuirrel and tho carol of nature ' s songsters . All these
things are immoral in the eyes of such men . What a morality ! Now our peculiar system , which allows such liberality of thought in religious matters , permits equal latitude in things pertaining to morality . Freemasonry does nofc teach man to despise and shun those that have erred ; she does nob say to her votaries , " Bro . A . is drinking , " or , " Bro . B . is cursing and swearing ; lot ' s kick them both