Another Roman Catholic Attack On Freemasonry.

nately is not made to burn up such a blasphemous band of brethren as they must be , it my author tells the truth , as they perform the profane ceremonial , in which the Ark of the CoA'enant is introduced ; ancl the lodge is afterwards closed . The next in order is the Royal Arch Mason ' s degree , ancl the conferring of it appears to involve still more profane ceremonial , in the course of Avhich the Tabernacle , Moses and the burning bush , the siege of Jerusalem , the Ark of the Covenant , the hidden manna , ancl Aaron ' s rod the

are in turn introduced—a piece of loaf sugar , our author says , doing sendee for manna . The other degree to Avhich I would briefly make special reference is tho Knight Templars , ancl as this involves the indulgence in no less than five libations of AA'ine , presumably that degree is beyond the ken of teetotallers . The last of the libations is drunk from a human skull ; ancl should the candidate hesitate to drink of the hideous cup , he eventually drains it off under the pointed eompidsion of the swords of the Sir Knihts

g , repeating after the eminent commander the Avoids , ' This pure AA'ine I take from this cup in testimony of my belief iu the immortality of the soul and the mortality of the body , ancl as the sins of the-whole world AA'ere laid upon the head of our Saviour , so may the sins of the person AA'hose skull this once Avas be heaped upon my head in addition to my OAVU , and may they appear in judgment against me both here and hereafter , should I violate or transgress any obligation in Masonry . "

Ihe Kindly reA'ieAver ot this most veracious Avork thus concludes : — " It is only fair to the order that I should repeat that the author of the book boils OA'er iu his hatred of the body , of which he must once have been a member ; but may not , after a-U , there be some grain of truth in the foEowing sentences , with Avhich I conclude my quotations from a work I have read AA'ith some interest and no little surprise ancl Avonderment : ' Men enter this society in order to advance themselves , and to secure the objects of- their worldly interest or ambition . Bound together by mutual oaths ,

they form a body of closest organisation , and out-manoeuvre , outgeneral , and-outbid eA'ery unmasonic candidate , no matter hoAV fair his claim . They mix in the most friendly manner Avith all the members of their profession , business , station , etc . Yet by their secret organisation they do them every injustice . Mason helps Mason , and merit , friendship , ^ ancl public Avelfare must be ever sacrificed to Masonry . '" This is the old American he re-issued in the English market , and Ave can only express our regret that respectable papers should reprint such " garbage , " and so trade on the credulity of their readers .

An Amusing Correspondence.

AN AMUSING CORRESPONDENCE .

AS the following letters refer to a " vexata qmestio , " Ave think it well to reproduce them in the Magazine , the more so as our American contemporary , from whom we cull them , remarks—and Avith Avhom AA'e agree—that they are AveE worth reading ' ' 19 , AlbertjEfate , Knightsbriclge , London , October 12 , 1878 . ^ DEAR Sia , —I beg to aeknoAA'ledge your faA'our . of Avhich I hope you keep a copy . I AA'iE endeavour to ansAver its points

. The report you haA ' e heard is true as far as this : I am one of four persons who have dramatized " That Lass o' LoAvrie's " in England . There Avas no earthly reason Avhy Ave should not do so . The authoress in her book has shown a natural and proper desire to retain copijright in both countries . But she has not printed one syEable to lead one to suppose she desired to retain stage-right in it . And as it is not the habit of novelists , unless they are known dramatists , to dramatize their OAT O Avprks , she has left this entirely open , especially as the law of England gives no novelist sV / e-rights in his