Freemasonry And Roman Catholicism.

FREEMASONRY AND ROMAN CATHOLICISM .

( BY BRO . WM . BERNARD . ) One of the many strange inconsistencies of the Romish Church is its opposition to secret societies , while at the same time no institution , eVher of modem or ancient times , relies more --.,-,.-. them than the Chnrch itself . In fact , the

, Church cf Rome is principally composed of secret societies , and has its secret organizations attached to every order within its circle , and its cecret commissaries connected with every perron of eminence maintaining its dogmas . And to what end is this secret pr . wer employed . Alas

that it should have to be said , to extend at any sacrifice the power of the Church , to annihilate mental freedom , and to strangle the consciousness of the dignity of human nature , and to eradicate family and national affections . It professes to be infallible in knowledge and to

have truth as its foundation , yet does not disdain to make wilful ignorance one of its most potent ¦ luxilaries . I s ^ , y wilful ignorance because in its opposition to Freemasonry I cannot find a more suitable expression . The Roman Catholic priest , who is generally an intelligent and well educated

man , knows very well that his denunciations 01 Freemasonry , supported at times by falsehoods of the most ridiculous character , are in accordance with the cherished maxim of the Church that " the end justifies the means . " Supposing him to know some of the princip les upon which

Freemasonry is founded , and this knowledge is easily " ; ' , obtainable , he dare not truthfully and impartially expound them . On the other hand if , as his utterances lead some of us to believe , he knows nothing of us , how absurd his own reflection must tell him it is to denounce that

of which he is entirel y ignorant . In reality , I believe the Catholic priest knows more about us than we give him credit for . Has the confessional no power to extract at least some knowledge as to our mysteries , especially when an instrument in the hands of a cunning , unscrupulous , and

highly educated man , and brought to bear upon a mind shattered by sickness ancl in doubt of receiving the sacred consolations of the church . Can we for a moment think that the confessional , which prys into the motives and actions of life and duty in its most important and delicate

aspects , which deems no human ties , interests , or sympathies beyond the critical eye of its selfish inspection , and which succeeds in probing the heart ' s most guarded feelings . Can we think that this instrument will not be used to unlock what we call the safe and secret repositories of our treasures , and shall we think

when we hear of a pour dying and priest ridden Roman Catholic brother renouncing the fraternity that it has not ? Again , what respect does the confessional attach to a solemn oath when the ievelation against which that oath was taken tends , even in the belief of the priest , to the good and prosperity of the Church . T' > refuse to unbosom that which

is antagonists -o thc Church is to be against her : to reveal it , even though pledged not to do so , is to serve her ; and even to take an oath for the express purpose of breaking it in the service of the Church is a meritorious action , the guilt of whicli is entirely removed by " absolution , "

and the peijury afterwards rewarded by a benediction . The Romish Church further draws these conclusions : That God does not , as Supreme Judge , estimate the outward act so much as the secret motive of the actor ; and nence no action however immoral and criminal

in human judgment is really so unless the secret intention be evil . If , therefore , an evil doer can onl y assign a good motive for his deed , or substitute an alleged for the real one , he is justified . Now , what follows from this ? Not merely that every crime admits of an after justificatonbut

, that it may be committed without even a scruple of conscience ! A man , too , may sin when he can cite any approving opinion of an author as his authority for the act ; and wh y ? Because in that case the evil intention does not rest with

him , but with his authority ; and this species of sin is termed probable , and the system by which it is defended they call probabilismus . ' Again , . a man may sin , they say , when he conceives a lawful object may be attained thereby , and this

Freemasonry And Roman Catholicism.

they denominate the " leadings of intention . " Once more , a man may sin with " mental reservation" ( reservatio mentalis ) , as when in uttering one assertion he thinks of another , and that because , say they , a man in that case thinks to himself a limitation of hia intention , by which

the expression becomes quite different to his consciousness to what it seems to others . A man may also sin by equivocation , by using , for example , a p hrase which possesses various significations , and giving in his own mind a meaning to the words employed different from that which

the hearer understands and believes . In this manner they justify fraud , perjury , murder , and unchastity , and in this manner possibly some of them may justify their false and absurd attacks upon Freemasonry . " What , " asks the writer of an article in last week's " Freemason , "

" has Freemasonry perpetrated , what have Freemasons done , that it and they should be made the fulcrum of intolerance and the sport of bigotry ? " It may be answered that _ in Freemasonry Roman Catholicism finds a powerful and daily increasing foe ,

a foe winning for its many beauties , its wise and liberal inculcations , its grand humanitarianism and its reverence towards the G . A O . T . U . and his works , the sympathy and encouragement of all libera ! , intelligent and IVfasonically enlightened men . Freemasonry lets the light

shine upon the darkness . Catholicism excludes it . Freemasonry is the herald of man ' s progress to which Catholicism presents a cruel and dogmatic obstruction . Catholicism however is not blind , it knows well enough that the more Freemasonry spreads the less men will look

with veneration upon the arrogance and superstition of a domineering church . Freemasonry hinders or interferes with no man ' s creed , wounds no man ' s feelings , tramples upon no man ' s politics , but endeavours to connect all by the sweet ties of brotherly love , relief and truth .

It inculcates the purest morality regardless of social distinctions , advocates loyalty and social Order , and uncompromisingly adheres to the glorious proclamation of " peace and goodwill towards men . " It is possible for a Roman Catholic to be as good a Freemason as the most

advanced Protestant as many of our Roman Catholic brethren indisputably prove . The Unitarian and Trinitarian may Masonically join hands as brothers and participate in the blessings of a system of morality acceptable , I beiieve , to God , and beneficial , I

am sure , to man . The teachings of the Romish Church arc continually affording proofs to what a depth of stupidity the human mind can sink under the degrading influence of spiritual bondage , and such degradation becomes in the end the heaviest curse of the worst form of tyranny .

The Papacy knows that one of the greatest stumbling blocks to its ascendancy here is Freemasonry , that the loyalty of a true Mason to the Throne and Constitution is too deep to allow him to declare a temporal allegiance to a Pope , or to think that " Kings and Princes being

in fact only their ( the Popes ) deputies , to whom consequently subjects owed obedience so long and no longer as they remained faithfully submissive to the directions of their spiritual superiors , in default of which they might lawfully be deprived both of crown and life . " They were

grand and memorable words of Peter the Great when , in speaking of the Jesuits , he said , " I know that a large proportion of them are highly educated , and in that respect capable of doing great service to the State , but I likewise know that they use their religion as the

instrument of promoting their private ends , that their pious exterior hides an immeasurable ambition and a complicated web of intrigue , the sole object of which is the extension or the fortify ing of Papal , or , rather , of Jesuit rule , in every state in Europe , that their

seminaries are but the engines of their tyranny , that they are too restlessly unquiet to leave the smallest hope that they will refrain from intermeddling in the affairs of my empire , and , therefore , I decline receiving them into it , and

cannot but wonder that any Court in Europe should be able to shut its eyes to their deceitful behaviour . " Bravo , Peter , say I . It may be said that theological discussions are at all times objectionable when connected with our Order

Freemasonry And Roman Catholicism.

but in this case it is unavoidable . We must defend ourselves , and fearlessly speak the truth , and we dare any Romish priest , be he the proudest bishop or the most insignificant pastor , to prove anything which can lower and degrade Freemasonry in the estimation of those who

know anything about it . We regret having to take this position , but are we to be constantly silent when thc ignorant and designing tongue of false report is spreading the most detestable stories abroad concerning us , and the society to which we belong , are we to let the vile

calumnies go uncontradicted , and thus allow ourselves to be misunderstood , even by a few ? To us our Order is dear , and it is our duty to maintain its character . We should never let even the suspicion of reproach rest upon it . We have not yet come to the necessity of attaching much

importance to the fanatical denunciations of an uninformed priest , and as a rule we are not in the habit of looking upon molehills as mountains , . but , when we do meet any gentleman of this stamp who honestly thinks he has a grievance against us , who shows by his opposition that he

is not altogether unfamiliar with our duties aud actions , and that he has a good case to bring before the Bar of Faith , Hope , and Charity , we shall look upon him as a greater genius than either Xavier or Loyala . In the meantime , let us calmly dismiss the impotent attacks of feeble and untruthful adversaries , for as the old woman

says , "Bless ' em , it amuses them , and does us no harm . " That Freemasonry is flourishing in England more than it ever has done , that in America it is all powerful , that throughout the Continent it is taking a strong hold upon the affections of all classes , and that in Rome itself there is actually a Masonic Lodge , is our concluding reply to a contemptible slander .

Edinburgh Royal Blind Asylum And School.

EDINBURGH ROYAL BLIND ASYLUM AND SCHOOL .

The arrangements for the laying of the memorial-stone by Bro . Sir Michael Robert Shaw Stewart , Bart ., Grand Master Mason of Scotland , have now been completed , antl from a programme which has been issued by Bro . John Laurie , Giand Secretary , it appears tbat the members of

Grand Lodge will assemble in the Freemasons' Hull , George-street , at half-past one o'clock p . m . on Monday , the 22 nd inst ., when the lodge will be opened by the M . W . the Grand Master . The other brethren will assemble in Charlotte-square at one o'clock . The Grand Lodge being adjourned , a procession will be formed , and will , upon a given signal , move off in the following order :

—Detachment of cavalry , band of music , guard of honour , the members of the subordinate lodges , three abreast , junior lodge in Iront , band of music , members of the Grand Lodge in like order , the office-bearers of the Grand Lodge , accomjianied by their proper officers , the carriage of the M . W . the Grand Master , rear guard of cavalry . The route of the procession will be as follows : —From

Charlottesejuare , along George-street , Frederick-street , Prince ' sstreet , Mound , Bank-street , Parliament-square , where it will join the civil procession and proceed thence to the site of the stone at West Craigmillar . The ceremony being over , Grand Lodge will be closed in thc hall ot the Blind

Asylum , and the brethren will then disperse . It is expected that there will be a large turn out of brethren from all paits of the country , and extensive railway arrangements have been made for thc conveyance to and from Edinburgh . ' A full report of the proceedings will be given in our next .

Investiture Of The Order Of The Bath.

INVESTITURE OF THE ORDER OF THE BATH .

Her Majesty the Queen held a private investiture of the Order of the Bath on Wednesday . The Right Hon . Sir Bartle lucre , preceded by Bro . Sir Albeit Woods , Secretary of the Order , bcaringthe insignia of a . Knight Grand Cross of the Order ( Civil Division ) ,

was introduced to her Majesty's presence by thc Lord Chamberlain , and was invested with the badge of the Older , and received the honour of Knighthood . Bro . Lord Suffield was in like manner introduced , and was invested with the insignia of a Knight Commander

of thc Bath ( Civil Dmsion ) , and received the honour of Knighthood . Bro . Francis Knollys was then introduced , and received from the Queen the insignia of a Companion of the Order ( Civil Division ) .

DEATHS or TWO LEADERS IX LIVERPOOL . —Within little more than a week the residents of Liverpool have been called to mourn the death of two of the principal citizens . Mr . William Langton , chairman of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board ( probably the most important

estate in the world ) , succumbed to a severe bronchial attack about a fortnight ago ; and on Saturday last his Worship the Mayor , Lieut .-Col . Thomson , after a very short illness , elied from the same cause . No Mayor of Liverpool has died during his year of office since 1785 .