Correspondence.

Masonry , And in what manner' has my claim been met ? By low , unmeaning abuse . My spelling is bad . My English is not a la Lindley Murray—why I am not informed . I am all wrong in my Hebrew , yet no one sets me right . My knowledge of history is all nonsense , and yet I merely quoted the titles

of books printed without making any comments . I baA e been directly charged with falsehood , and indirectly with being an impostor and a swindler . Will any honest Mason say I haA r e deserved such accusations ? Exactly 40 years have I been proprietor and editor of newspapersmagazines & cin the

Aus-, , , tralasian colonies , and during the whole of that time never , received anything like the same amount of abuse as remains recorded in the columns of the Freemasons Magazine , and all heaped upon me within the . space of the last two months . Omnia vincit Veritas !

Yours fraternally , HENET MELVILLE . P . S . —Wben Sir J . W . Hort wrote to me it was as Grand Secretary of Ireland . I cannot say whether the Papal triple cross is the symbol of 33 or that of the Irish Secretaryship . What have 33 to do with

the Pope ' s symbols , or what has the Pope to do with the Masonic symbol ? No doubt the Pope will say the Masons are pirates , and that they have stolen the symbol without knoAving its use . Does the Pope , ¦ or do the Cardinals knoAv the usage of the triple tau ? If not , why preserve it ?—H . M .

TO IBB E 3 I 1 QB 0 ? THE PHXB 5 TASOENS' MAGAZINE AND 1 TASONI UlttBOB . Dear Sir and Brother , —Allow me to suggest that -the Council of the Masonic Archaeological Institute is the proper body to investigate Bro . Melville ' s claims to be a discoverer . If Bro . M . ' s assertions are Avorth

-anything , they would stand the testing of such men as Bros . Glaisher , Hyde Clarke , Pullen , and W . Smith , O . JS ., and , supported by those names , he would find the Craft by no means backward in acknowledging his pretensions . Meanwhile , it can hardly be a matter of surprise that Bros . BuchanCJCarleton

, . . , ¦ and others should be somewhat dubious of mere vainglorious boasting , backed by none of the recognised -authorities in Masonic science . Yours fraternally , June 7 , 1869 . J . A . H .

Bro. Dnalxo's Article " Freemasonry And Christianity."

BRO . DNALXO'S ARTICLE " FREEMASONRY AND CHRISTIANITY . "

TO THE EDITOR OE THE FREEMASONS * MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIBEOE . Dear Sir and Brother , —The generous motive expressed by a lover of pure Theism in the last paragraph of his letter in your impression of the 29 th iiiltimo , I fully appreciate , but at the same time cannot accept the proposed amendment of my article on

" Freemasonry and Christianity . " I will , therefore , endeavour to prove the strict . accordance with fact and principle of the paragraph your correspondent has quoted , and for this purpose I have divided the disputed passage into two sections . 1 . " With a full and firm conviction that the

adoption of any distinct reli gious creed would inevitably destroy the love and harmony in Avhich her children dwell , Masonry avoids and strictly prohibits

all approach to religious matters , save in the one question of the first degree . " 2 . " And this question is introduced solely with the object of preventing admission into the order of men destitute of natural religion , whose vows cannot be relied on , since they do not believe in the existence of a Supreme Being or in the immortality of the soul . " The truth of the assertion contained in Section I .

must be patent to all ; I therefore pass without further comment to a consideration of the questions inyolved ic Section II . In the Ancient Charges , under the head of " God and Eeli g ion , " we find the folloAving succinct and incontrovertible proof that Atheists are beyond the pale of Freemasonry : — " Let a man ' s religion or

mode of worship be what it may , he is not excluded from the Order , provided he believe in the glorious Architect of Heaven and Earth . " As a guarantee of good faith Masonry requires of every neophyte a solemn pledge of fidelity ; he must swear on the sacred Avritings of his creed to keep

inviolate the Secrets of the Order , and must further invoke the aid of the Great Architect of the Universe to support him in this obligation . No Atheist could fulfil the required conditions ; being a man destitute of natural religion , his vows could not be relied on ; since his oath would necessarily be no stronger than his word . It is not against men of truth , honour , and

integrity that our precautions are taken , but against men who , being destitute of these virtues aud devoid of a salutary fear of punishment after death , might possibly prove traitors to the engagements they might contract . It being better that 99 men of honour should be excluded from the Order than that one traitor should

gain admission , we have closed the portals of Masonry to all Atheists . Amongst those who deny the existence of a Supreme Being there are , doubtlessly , men of honour , truth , and integrity , Avhose simple word might be implicitly relied on ; but it is equally certain that there are other ' s , who—fearing neither

God or man—are capable of any iniquity . The strength of a beam is only equal to that of its weakest part , so it is with Atheism ; and , as we could only distinguish the good men from the bad by careful inquiry and long personal knowledge , we are fully justified in saying , — "the vows of Atheists cannot be relied on , " this , of course , being of general application , not of the individual one " A Lover of pure Theism " has attributed to it .

In conclusion , I entirely disavow the least intention either of hurting the feelings of thoughtful , zealous brethren , or of casting a slur on those who are already beyond the pale of Freemasonry . As an individual , I might be content with the simple promise of another for the due performance of a covenant or contract , but as a Mason I should require the

highest guarantee of fidelity , one based on the belief in a future state of reward and punishment . Such a pledge could not possibly be relied on , when given by a man destitute of natural religion , since by his not believing in the existence of a Supreme Being as his Creator and Judge , he would be devoid of that salutary fear of punishment in a future state , which Avould deter him from wilfully violating his obligation . Tours fraternally , DNALXO .