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Article CORRESPONDENCE. ← Page 3 of 8 →
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Correspondence.
' I propose sending this letter to the W . M . of every Lodge and the First Principal of every Chapter , and to other influential Brethren . Believe me , with every good wish , Your very faithful Servant and Brother , ROWLAND GARDINER ALSTON , P . J . G . W .
TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS MAGAZINE AND REVIEW . Salford , September , 1852 . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , — I must solicit , at your hands , a little space in your next number , for the insertion of a few remarks on the criticism vouchsafed by one of your reviewers on my two Lectures on Freemasonry . I must , howeverdisclaimat the outsetany imputation of doing it in
, , , my order to vindicate my views . Nothing of the kind . It is my rule to acquiesce when a contrary opinion to mine is expressed , and rather give place to the propounder of it , than engage in a controversy on the disputed ground , which can gender none but the seeds of strife and discord , and which must not be carelessly cast on the soil of " Genuine Freemasonry . " The object of my remarks is simply to rectify a few observationswhichif left unnoticedmiht damage
, , , g our sj'stem in the estimation of the intelligent uninitiated . The reviewer in question has hazarded a few remarks which are likely to provoke the derision of the keen and satirical critic from the camp of the uninitiated . I hasten , therefore , to anticipate the strictures of any such individuals , and thus save the reviewer from severe handling , ancl Freemasonry from obloquy ; for it will be made manifest that our system is not to be chargeable with the peculiar
views propounded by an individual Brother . I shall treat your reviewer ' s remarks seriatim . In page 272 of your last No ., the critic in question speaks after this manner : — " One thing we must say , that our Rev . Brother is rather pharisaical in his manner of treating the hi gh and holy science of Freemasonry , which is the bond of charity and goodwill to all men . In his conclusion he makes use of the following
admonitory words : — ' If our system be , indeed , so closely connected with Revelation , what manner of men should not the professing Brethren be ? Shall we , then , continue to lead a life of carelessness ? Do we not justly incur the reproaches and opprobriums which the poor , pitiable , uninitiated heap upon us ? We can afford to pity the uninitiated , and smile at their ignorance as long as we walk worth y of our vocation . '"
Now , if the science of Freemasonry is , indeed , "high and holy , " as the reviewer admits , why am I " pharisaical" in concluding my Lecture , "Genuine Freemasonry indissolubly connected with Revelation , " with the above admonitory words % Moreover , every wellinformed Brother , who is , of course , acquainted with the different charges and Lectures of our Order , must at once put down the epithet " pharisaical " as gratuitous and uncalled for ; inasmuch as I said , wrote , and published nothing , in the quoted extract , that is inconsistent with the dogma which we are constantly taught , theoretically at least , in our Lodges . The writer in your Magazine
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
' I propose sending this letter to the W . M . of every Lodge and the First Principal of every Chapter , and to other influential Brethren . Believe me , with every good wish , Your very faithful Servant and Brother , ROWLAND GARDINER ALSTON , P . J . G . W .
TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS MAGAZINE AND REVIEW . Salford , September , 1852 . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , — I must solicit , at your hands , a little space in your next number , for the insertion of a few remarks on the criticism vouchsafed by one of your reviewers on my two Lectures on Freemasonry . I must , howeverdisclaimat the outsetany imputation of doing it in
, , , my order to vindicate my views . Nothing of the kind . It is my rule to acquiesce when a contrary opinion to mine is expressed , and rather give place to the propounder of it , than engage in a controversy on the disputed ground , which can gender none but the seeds of strife and discord , and which must not be carelessly cast on the soil of " Genuine Freemasonry . " The object of my remarks is simply to rectify a few observationswhichif left unnoticedmiht damage
, , , g our sj'stem in the estimation of the intelligent uninitiated . The reviewer in question has hazarded a few remarks which are likely to provoke the derision of the keen and satirical critic from the camp of the uninitiated . I hasten , therefore , to anticipate the strictures of any such individuals , and thus save the reviewer from severe handling , ancl Freemasonry from obloquy ; for it will be made manifest that our system is not to be chargeable with the peculiar
views propounded by an individual Brother . I shall treat your reviewer ' s remarks seriatim . In page 272 of your last No ., the critic in question speaks after this manner : — " One thing we must say , that our Rev . Brother is rather pharisaical in his manner of treating the hi gh and holy science of Freemasonry , which is the bond of charity and goodwill to all men . In his conclusion he makes use of the following
admonitory words : — ' If our system be , indeed , so closely connected with Revelation , what manner of men should not the professing Brethren be ? Shall we , then , continue to lead a life of carelessness ? Do we not justly incur the reproaches and opprobriums which the poor , pitiable , uninitiated heap upon us ? We can afford to pity the uninitiated , and smile at their ignorance as long as we walk worth y of our vocation . '"
Now , if the science of Freemasonry is , indeed , "high and holy , " as the reviewer admits , why am I " pharisaical" in concluding my Lecture , "Genuine Freemasonry indissolubly connected with Revelation , " with the above admonitory words % Moreover , every wellinformed Brother , who is , of course , acquainted with the different charges and Lectures of our Order , must at once put down the epithet " pharisaical " as gratuitous and uncalled for ; inasmuch as I said , wrote , and published nothing , in the quoted extract , that is inconsistent with the dogma which we are constantly taught , theoretically at least , in our Lodges . The writer in your Magazine