-
Articles/Ads
Article ON THE ABUSE OF FREEMASONRY. ← Page 2 of 3 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On The Abuse Of Freemasonry.
and 1 behold what it is ; I know what Masons are bound to be , and I see what they are . Felix . I grant that but few of its professors reduce its beautiful doctrines to practice ; that there are some-and many-r-who join Masonry merely for its social pleasures ; but still , you must admit , that a Masons ' Lodge is anything but a curse to the district in which it is situated . ¦ Cato . I readily admit that a Masons' Lodge ought to be a blessing to
the locality wherein it is held ; but that it Is generally so , I cannot acknowledge ; for , through the evils which have crept into the Lodges , consequences often ensue quite the reverse of salutary . From various causes , a Masons' Lodge of the present day—excepting the bare time devoted to the making of Masons—has more the appearance of a convivial meeting , than of an assemblage of men met to expatiate on the mysteries ofthe Craft ; and minister to the happiness of their fellow-men . What is
the consequence ? Hours are spent in revelry , which ought to be devoted to the development of home virtues—if the parties be husbands and fathers—or the cultivation of the intellect and morality if the [ parties , be single men . , A man emulous of the honours of mastership , must likewise go through the ordeal of presiding over a company of Bacchanals , and reach hishome and family at a most unseemly hour ; evils which it requires a large amount of good to counterbalance .
Felix . The evils you speak of are of frequent occurrence , but are surely far from general . Cato . I am sorry to say they are more general than Masons care to admit ; and while that laxness of discipline which exists in the Order continues , they will go on increasing , until Masonry becomes a by-word
iu the mouths of all good men . Felix . It is a lamentable thing that Masonry , which has sustained unshaken for ages the attacks pf foes from without , should fall at last by the misconduct of its own members . But what would you suggest ? Cato- To suggest a cure iri the present case is not riiore difficult than to point but the evil ; the difficulty is in getting the co-operation of a sufficient number of the Order to corripel the compliance of the rest . We have only to carry out fearlessly the principles of the Orderand
, the evils now defiling it will vanish like the vapours of night before the blaze of day . " Masonry is free—open to free-men " alone . -Arid why ? That the vicious habits of slavery might riot contaminate the beautiful morality of the Order . And yet we . admit' into its [ precincts , the slaves of sin and every defiling passiori ; the libertine , the drunkard , the glutton , the brawler , [ arid the man of pride arid [ vanity ; 'The founder of- the Order , / knowing that [ purity must suffer [ frbin , the prbximity ' / bf filth ' , [
forbade the ^ adniisMpn or , such into her temples . . Her warning voice has been disregarded '; friendship' or interest has [ winked at'vice , / and -the badge of [ a [ Masoiiis rib / longer ^^ awafrarit of ^ rtue , "nor can " : a" tithe of those bearing the name of Mason be found ' within the square arid compasses . . The' evil is not of tovday or yestefdayj it lias existed unchecked until it has nearly paralyzed the benevolent designs . of the institution ; the iriajority ' of whose members consider the kiiife-ahd-fork portion of the matter as the only part which has any claim upon their attention ;
while a fewv influenced , by ambition , find that a suffici . enta stimulus to iriduee them to master the ceremonies , and take ; upon ythemselves the labours of the Lodge ; very , very few indeed , labouring 'in Masbnry / to [ perfect ;) themselves in ' virtue , arid those few / finding as little sympathy in aii Order whose Basis is love to God— -goodness towards rrieri ^ as iri the
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On The Abuse Of Freemasonry.
and 1 behold what it is ; I know what Masons are bound to be , and I see what they are . Felix . I grant that but few of its professors reduce its beautiful doctrines to practice ; that there are some-and many-r-who join Masonry merely for its social pleasures ; but still , you must admit , that a Masons ' Lodge is anything but a curse to the district in which it is situated . ¦ Cato . I readily admit that a Masons' Lodge ought to be a blessing to
the locality wherein it is held ; but that it Is generally so , I cannot acknowledge ; for , through the evils which have crept into the Lodges , consequences often ensue quite the reverse of salutary . From various causes , a Masons' Lodge of the present day—excepting the bare time devoted to the making of Masons—has more the appearance of a convivial meeting , than of an assemblage of men met to expatiate on the mysteries ofthe Craft ; and minister to the happiness of their fellow-men . What is
the consequence ? Hours are spent in revelry , which ought to be devoted to the development of home virtues—if the parties be husbands and fathers—or the cultivation of the intellect and morality if the [ parties , be single men . , A man emulous of the honours of mastership , must likewise go through the ordeal of presiding over a company of Bacchanals , and reach hishome and family at a most unseemly hour ; evils which it requires a large amount of good to counterbalance .
Felix . The evils you speak of are of frequent occurrence , but are surely far from general . Cato . I am sorry to say they are more general than Masons care to admit ; and while that laxness of discipline which exists in the Order continues , they will go on increasing , until Masonry becomes a by-word
iu the mouths of all good men . Felix . It is a lamentable thing that Masonry , which has sustained unshaken for ages the attacks pf foes from without , should fall at last by the misconduct of its own members . But what would you suggest ? Cato- To suggest a cure iri the present case is not riiore difficult than to point but the evil ; the difficulty is in getting the co-operation of a sufficient number of the Order to corripel the compliance of the rest . We have only to carry out fearlessly the principles of the Orderand
, the evils now defiling it will vanish like the vapours of night before the blaze of day . " Masonry is free—open to free-men " alone . -Arid why ? That the vicious habits of slavery might riot contaminate the beautiful morality of the Order . And yet we . admit' into its [ precincts , the slaves of sin and every defiling passiori ; the libertine , the drunkard , the glutton , the brawler , [ arid the man of pride arid [ vanity ; 'The founder of- the Order , / knowing that [ purity must suffer [ frbin , the prbximity ' / bf filth ' , [
forbade the ^ adniisMpn or , such into her temples . . Her warning voice has been disregarded '; friendship' or interest has [ winked at'vice , / and -the badge of [ a [ Masoiiis rib / longer ^^ awafrarit of ^ rtue , "nor can " : a" tithe of those bearing the name of Mason be found ' within the square arid compasses . . The' evil is not of tovday or yestefdayj it lias existed unchecked until it has nearly paralyzed the benevolent designs . of the institution ; the iriajority ' of whose members consider the kiiife-ahd-fork portion of the matter as the only part which has any claim upon their attention ;
while a fewv influenced , by ambition , find that a suffici . enta stimulus to iriduee them to master the ceremonies , and take ; upon ythemselves the labours of the Lodge ; very , very few indeed , labouring 'in Masbnry / to [ perfect ;) themselves in ' virtue , arid those few / finding as little sympathy in aii Order whose Basis is love to God— -goodness towards rrieri ^ as iri the