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  • The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine
  • March 1, 1855
  • Page 23
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The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine, March 1, 1855: Page 23

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Page 23

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Untitled Article

and inconsistent slanders that have been raised in relation to the forcible abduction of Morgan , be for ever silent . To the Masonic Institution it can make very little difference whether the falsehood , so widely circulated , gained much or little credence . It is our purpose , as it always has been , to live down all that may be said of us adverse

to honour and virtue . We , as Masons , pursue our onward course , c Loving our neighbour as ourself , ' and doing all the good we can in our brief passage through life ; and , in accordance with these views , we expect to receive the approbation of our God , and the good opinion of the respectable and virtuous portion of the community . "

Some Reasons For Our Being A Secret Order.

SOME REASONS FOR OUR BEING A SECRET ORDER .

Freemasonry has been denounced and suspected , in consequence of its being a secret Order . Secrecy in all things where secrecy is maintained , is not only consistent with innocence , but is also imperatively enforced by necessity , as well as demanded by every

consideration of policy . The direct benefits flowing from Masonry are of course intended for , and should be participated in , only by its members —by those who have been regularly initiated into its mysteries , and contribute to its support . They are secured by a knowledge of a universal language , which is used as a test of Brotherhood . This universal language ( universal to Masons ) is ,

under no circumstances , communicated to the world at large . The words and signs of it are secret ; for to communicate them would at once destroy their utility . And , strange as it may seem to the uninitiated , our society professes to have no secrets beyond this . There is little , very little , in the Lodge to gratify the eye of the inquisitive . We do not tempt them with offers to unfold some mighty mystery ; we can impart to them no superhuman wisdom ; we possess not the

elixir of life , nor the philosopher ' s stone , nor the spells of the Tarshun ; we cannot and do not profess to be bound by any ties but such as are consistent Avith our duty towards ourselves and families , our neighbours , our country , and our God . About the general nature of Lodge transactions , every one here can know as much as any of its members ; but , for fear of any

apprehension on this subject , we would briefly state , that nowhere are order and decorum more strictly enforced than in our Lodges ; our business there is charity and brotherly communion , the admission of candidates , and the transactions of such other matters as necessarily

pertain to every association . Now , all this is of such a character that it may , with great propriety , be kept to ourselves . We are Brothers —members of a large family—met for the purpose of transacting our own business , with which the world lias no concern ; and why should the world bo permitted to witness its disposition ? Does a needy . Brother receive assistance , it is not for us to vaunt it ; and it might

“The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine: 1855-03-01, Page 23” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 23 May 2025, django:8000/periodicals/mmr/issues/mmr_01031855/page/23/.
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Title Category Page
CONTINENTAL FBEEMASONRY. Article 4
A DISSERTATION ON THE K AND F DEGREE. Article 10
THE LAST RELIC. Article 13
SOMETHING CONCERNING THE TRADESCANTS. Article 15
THE REPORTED ABDUCTION AND DEATH OF MORGAN, IN THE UNITED STATES. Article 21
MASONIC CURIOSITIES. Article 19
SOME REASONS FOR OUR BEING A SECRET ORDER. Article 23
A CANADIAN GRAND LODGE. Article 24
TO THE EDITOR OF THE FKEEMASONS' MONTHLY MAGAZINE. Article 33
MASONIC CHARITIES. Article 34
MASONIC INTELLIGENCE Article 34
FREEMASONRY. Article 25
THE PATBIOTIC FUND. Article 1
HOPE. Article 30
CORRESPONDENCE. Article 31
THE ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED RITE. Article 35
TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MONTHLY MAGAZINE. Article 32
TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MONTHLY MAGAZINE. Article 32
PATRIOTIC FUND. Article 35
METROPOLITAN. Article 36
PROVINCIAL Article 42
INDIA. Article 49
ROYAL ARCH. Article 47
SCOTLAND. Article 48
AMERICA. Article 49
COLONIAL. Article 52
KNIGHT TEMPLARISM. Article 55
METROPOLITAN LODGE MEETINGS FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH. Article 56
LODGES OF INSTRUCTION. Article 58
CHAPTERS OF INSTRUCTION Article 59
Obituary Article 60
NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. Article 62
ERRATUM. Article 64
Untitled Ad Ad 9
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Untitled Article

and inconsistent slanders that have been raised in relation to the forcible abduction of Morgan , be for ever silent . To the Masonic Institution it can make very little difference whether the falsehood , so widely circulated , gained much or little credence . It is our purpose , as it always has been , to live down all that may be said of us adverse

to honour and virtue . We , as Masons , pursue our onward course , c Loving our neighbour as ourself , ' and doing all the good we can in our brief passage through life ; and , in accordance with these views , we expect to receive the approbation of our God , and the good opinion of the respectable and virtuous portion of the community . "

Some Reasons For Our Being A Secret Order.

SOME REASONS FOR OUR BEING A SECRET ORDER .

Freemasonry has been denounced and suspected , in consequence of its being a secret Order . Secrecy in all things where secrecy is maintained , is not only consistent with innocence , but is also imperatively enforced by necessity , as well as demanded by every

consideration of policy . The direct benefits flowing from Masonry are of course intended for , and should be participated in , only by its members —by those who have been regularly initiated into its mysteries , and contribute to its support . They are secured by a knowledge of a universal language , which is used as a test of Brotherhood . This universal language ( universal to Masons ) is ,

under no circumstances , communicated to the world at large . The words and signs of it are secret ; for to communicate them would at once destroy their utility . And , strange as it may seem to the uninitiated , our society professes to have no secrets beyond this . There is little , very little , in the Lodge to gratify the eye of the inquisitive . We do not tempt them with offers to unfold some mighty mystery ; we can impart to them no superhuman wisdom ; we possess not the

elixir of life , nor the philosopher ' s stone , nor the spells of the Tarshun ; we cannot and do not profess to be bound by any ties but such as are consistent Avith our duty towards ourselves and families , our neighbours , our country , and our God . About the general nature of Lodge transactions , every one here can know as much as any of its members ; but , for fear of any

apprehension on this subject , we would briefly state , that nowhere are order and decorum more strictly enforced than in our Lodges ; our business there is charity and brotherly communion , the admission of candidates , and the transactions of such other matters as necessarily

pertain to every association . Now , all this is of such a character that it may , with great propriety , be kept to ourselves . We are Brothers —members of a large family—met for the purpose of transacting our own business , with which the world lias no concern ; and why should the world bo permitted to witness its disposition ? Does a needy . Brother receive assistance , it is not for us to vaunt it ; and it might

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