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Article A CENTURY OF FREEMASONRY* ← Page 2 of 15 →
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A Century Of Freemasonry*
framed under the eye and instigation of the anti-Masonic faction *) , were submitted for consideration , and the title assumed proA'isionally by the society was : —¦ "Institution Academique des Sciences et Beaux Arts de l'Ordre immortel et respectable du ban Pere et Patriarclie Noe . "
This " immortal and respectable" Order arrived just at the nick of time for the purposes of government , and its ordinances were speedily authorized in the official quarter . " Now , " the government could exclaim , " IIOAV , you see , we haA * e provided you with a secret society ivhich you have ei-ery encouragement in our power to join . LeaA'e the pernicious and
incomprehensible band of Freemasons , and come into our immortal and respectable association . " They might have added , "Come back into your bonds ; leaA * e the certainty of ultimate liberty , for the certainty of official despotism ; leave a heaven-born institution , Avhose ordinances are inspired by a Grand Master Avho cannot err , and join our gilt simulacrum of an institution , where you may play at Knights and Grand Commanders , instead of Avorking continuously and usefully as humble Brethren . "
From this society—to which we have grren more prominence than its importance Avould at first appear to warrant , —Ave may date the alienation of the minds of Masons from true Masonry , as contained in the three degrees of Entered Apprentice , Fellow Craft , and Master Mason ( in Avhich last Ave Avould expressl y include the Arch ) , to Avhat ive ivould rather denominate
Supplementary Masonry , being the higher Degrees , ivhich , Ave must again insist , are not absolutely necessary for Masonic life . f Kloss evidently has the same feeling Avhen he observes , in giving a slight review of the initiatory ceremony , that "this society possessed the complete aspect of the subsequent higher Orders of Knighthood in Masonry , although it Avas founded for
the express purpose of excluding Masons . "J The probabilit y is , that the Orders of Knig hthood , in other words , the higher Degrees , were simply a modification instituted for purposes of self-defence b y the Masonic Fraternity itself . §
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Century Of Freemasonry*
framed under the eye and instigation of the anti-Masonic faction *) , were submitted for consideration , and the title assumed proA'isionally by the society was : —¦ "Institution Academique des Sciences et Beaux Arts de l'Ordre immortel et respectable du ban Pere et Patriarclie Noe . "
This " immortal and respectable" Order arrived just at the nick of time for the purposes of government , and its ordinances were speedily authorized in the official quarter . " Now , " the government could exclaim , " IIOAV , you see , we haA * e provided you with a secret society ivhich you have ei-ery encouragement in our power to join . LeaA'e the pernicious and
incomprehensible band of Freemasons , and come into our immortal and respectable association . " They might have added , "Come back into your bonds ; leaA * e the certainty of ultimate liberty , for the certainty of official despotism ; leave a heaven-born institution , Avhose ordinances are inspired by a Grand Master Avho cannot err , and join our gilt simulacrum of an institution , where you may play at Knights and Grand Commanders , instead of Avorking continuously and usefully as humble Brethren . "
From this society—to which we have grren more prominence than its importance Avould at first appear to warrant , —Ave may date the alienation of the minds of Masons from true Masonry , as contained in the three degrees of Entered Apprentice , Fellow Craft , and Master Mason ( in Avhich last Ave Avould expressl y include the Arch ) , to Avhat ive ivould rather denominate
Supplementary Masonry , being the higher Degrees , ivhich , Ave must again insist , are not absolutely necessary for Masonic life . f Kloss evidently has the same feeling Avhen he observes , in giving a slight review of the initiatory ceremony , that "this society possessed the complete aspect of the subsequent higher Orders of Knighthood in Masonry , although it Avas founded for
the express purpose of excluding Masons . "J The probabilit y is , that the Orders of Knig hthood , in other words , the higher Degrees , were simply a modification instituted for purposes of self-defence b y the Masonic Fraternity itself . §