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Article TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE. ← Page 7 of 8 →
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To The Editor Of The Freemasons' Magazine.
- With respect also to the obligation J . M . mentions , of " laying aside all marks of distinction , such as stars , garters , ribbands , crosses , & c . " before a Brother is permitted to enter a Lodge ( whence he sagely deduces the source of the French levelling system ) , we know nothing of : them . - He then goes on to . say , "I must not forget the marked protection afforded
which the nezo Legislature £ of France ^ has . Freemasonry ; this certainly is but a weak argument against our Order ; a candid man , or one not predetermined to envenom the dart he meant to throw at an object , would rather have supposed , that as the Members of our Fraternity are in every part of tlie world so numerous , tire greater number of the leading persons who had usurped a power of s-overmnp--in France , being Masons , and well acquainted with the
salutary influence of a plan which excluded all political discussion , and only tended to succour distress and enforce the moral duties , mig ht very naturally be led to countenance so numerous a body of the community , who ; by their indispensable tenets were prevented ( as a body ) from meddling with the springs of any government . But J . M . was , it > is very manifest ,, predetermined to view every object through-a perverted medium :. ¦ -
His detail of " horrible ceremonies , " "imaginary combats , " "Rabbinical tales , " & C . & C I cannot . speak to , as . I have no knowledge of any thing to which they can allude ; to contend with him on this subject , were a sciomachy for which I have noappetite ; nor is it necessary , ¦ as his . introduction , just afterwards , of the Knights of the Sun , sufficiently proves that he is stumbling among the tracks of imposture , among fanciful establishments , which have no analogy to , and which derive neither support nor countenance from Genuine
Masonry . The forced and affected compliment J . M . then pays to " many Masons of this country of approved morality and sentiment , " but ill comports with the jaundiced aspect of the foregoing part of the essay ; and we give little , credit to , and derive small satisfaction from , the lukewarm praises of a man , who has just before been loading with obloquy an Institution to which we are , from principle , most
worthily , warmly , and inviolably , attached . , J . M .-closes his remarks with three queries . The first has been spoken to in the present essay , but most fully answered by the " Past Master ; " as to the second , it is difficult for us , to say what irregularities some : Lodges ( if Lodges ) ' in France may have been guilty of ; as to the third , wherein he is pleased to give-us Socinus for-the founder of our Order * , and England as the place of its origin , and to
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
To The Editor Of The Freemasons' Magazine.
- With respect also to the obligation J . M . mentions , of " laying aside all marks of distinction , such as stars , garters , ribbands , crosses , & c . " before a Brother is permitted to enter a Lodge ( whence he sagely deduces the source of the French levelling system ) , we know nothing of : them . - He then goes on to . say , "I must not forget the marked protection afforded
which the nezo Legislature £ of France ^ has . Freemasonry ; this certainly is but a weak argument against our Order ; a candid man , or one not predetermined to envenom the dart he meant to throw at an object , would rather have supposed , that as the Members of our Fraternity are in every part of tlie world so numerous , tire greater number of the leading persons who had usurped a power of s-overmnp--in France , being Masons , and well acquainted with the
salutary influence of a plan which excluded all political discussion , and only tended to succour distress and enforce the moral duties , mig ht very naturally be led to countenance so numerous a body of the community , who ; by their indispensable tenets were prevented ( as a body ) from meddling with the springs of any government . But J . M . was , it > is very manifest ,, predetermined to view every object through-a perverted medium :. ¦ -
His detail of " horrible ceremonies , " "imaginary combats , " "Rabbinical tales , " & C . & C I cannot . speak to , as . I have no knowledge of any thing to which they can allude ; to contend with him on this subject , were a sciomachy for which I have noappetite ; nor is it necessary , ¦ as his . introduction , just afterwards , of the Knights of the Sun , sufficiently proves that he is stumbling among the tracks of imposture , among fanciful establishments , which have no analogy to , and which derive neither support nor countenance from Genuine
Masonry . The forced and affected compliment J . M . then pays to " many Masons of this country of approved morality and sentiment , " but ill comports with the jaundiced aspect of the foregoing part of the essay ; and we give little , credit to , and derive small satisfaction from , the lukewarm praises of a man , who has just before been loading with obloquy an Institution to which we are , from principle , most
worthily , warmly , and inviolably , attached . , J . M .-closes his remarks with three queries . The first has been spoken to in the present essay , but most fully answered by the " Past Master ; " as to the second , it is difficult for us , to say what irregularities some : Lodges ( if Lodges ) ' in France may have been guilty of ; as to the third , wherein he is pleased to give-us Socinus for-the founder of our Order * , and England as the place of its origin , and to