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  • June 15, 1861
  • Page 12
  • CORRESPONDENCE.
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The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine, June 15, 1861: Page 12

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Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed by Correspondents . EEPLY TO "AN APPEAL TO EEEEMASONS . " TO THE EDITOB 01 ? THE FREEEirASOXS JTAGAZI 5 E AND MASOSIC HIRItOIi . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Ereemasonry has been subjected to many attacks , but it continues to flourish and spread . Ono of the most recent of these depreciatory

onslaughts is to be found in The Guardian of May 29 fch , 1861 , and it is a subject of the deepest regret that the most valuable church newspaper should have admitted so shallow an appeal into ifcs columns . Tho letter in question is as follows : —

" AN APPEAL TO EEEEMASONS . " Silt , —I shall he obliged if you ivill permit me to make an appeal to the Freemasons of England and Wales through the Guardian . The reason AA'hich induces me to make this request is , that on Whit-Monday the ceremony of laying the foundation-stone of a neiv church at Itliyl was attended by the Masons of tho district ; and AA'hen the stone had been laid in due form , his Worship the Provincial Grand Master approached itattired in a costume

, reminding one of a picture in an old Bible of Aaron wifcli his breastplate and Urim and Thummim ; and , after H . W . P . G . M . had put a level on the stone , ivhich I am told he did in a very perfunctory manner , he scattered these ambiguous words amongst the dense croivd assembled— ' In the name of the great Geometrician of the Universe I pronounce that this stone has been properly laid . ' Masons tell me that Jews , Turks , infidels , and heretics are admitted

into their Graft , and , as I understand , these words are used to accommodate the fancies of this heterogeneous compound . Although I may have a prejudice in favour of the Church as the best society knoivn amongst men for the inculcation of principles of charity and religion , I do not presume to dictate to those who think Freemasonry is older than the Christian Church , and better too ; but I think I may fairly appeal to them , on such occasions as that of

laying the foundation of a Christian Church , not to obtrude themselves and use words ivhich I know afc lihyl shocked many . "I AA-ould beg also to remind the Freemasons in Wales of the fact , that their countrymen are superstitious and excitable ; that the ranks of Joe Smith have been strengthened far more by fanatics from Wales , in proportion to the population , than from England . And I ivould ask them Avhether it is not probable that still further familiarising the minds of ignorant men and women ivith such mysteries as those set forth by H . W . P . G . M . may not ave a bad elfeet on sucb minds ?

" TOWNSUEND MAINWARING , M . P . " Such a string of absurdities should , as far as the Craft is concerned , go unnoticed if ifc were not that thoy are so widely spread by The Guardian . Itis the latter circumstance , and that only , thafc makes a reply necessary . This reply must take the letter as it stands , and the first objection to be raised is , by what authority or right does Mr .

Townshend Mainwaring , M . P . for Denbi gh , make an appeal fco tho Freemasons of England and Wales ? Does he belong to us , or docs he believe that in England and Wales Freemasons only arc to be found ? From the style of his note ifc is evident he is nofc a member of the Craft , and for his special information ho is hero informed that Freemasonry exists in every habitable part of the globe . It has

penetrated where Christianity has barely been heard of , being known in India , China , Japan , amongst the wild Bed-Men of the West , the Mussulmen of the East , the Eussians in the North , and the Abyssinians in the South . AVhafc says Dr . Wolff , —when he was initiated in 18-1 ( 5 , he lamented ho had not been a Freemason earlier , because he would havo been treated more kindlin . Persia and the East . He

y was frequently asked if ho ivas a brother ? and being unable to say ho ivas , it brought him under the imputation of being a spy . Not all the boasted power of the Missionary , added to his humane errand , could do half as much for him as one little sign . That sign ivould have borne out Shakospear ' s

line"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin . " Then let Mr . Mainwaring appeal , if ho thinks ho will find redress , to tho whole habitable globe , and not single oufc the Freemasons of England and Wales as his audience . The reason for the if . P . ' s appeal is , that the foundation ot the new church at Bhyl ivas laid by the EW . the Prov . G . M ., Sir Watkin Williams AVynn , upon whose costume Mr . Mainwaring attempts to bo facetious ; and then this

erudite M . P . tells us that the Prov . G . M . applied a level ! to the stone , as he is informed . Did it ever occur to Mr . Mainwaring to inquire who were the artificers of our beautiful cathedrals ? They were the work of Freemasons , a guild of brothers composed of operative and speculative Masons , and the Master Mason was generally the person who laid the first stone at the

N . E . corner of the building . Amongst the Master Masons of antiquity are many names renowned in ecclesiastical history , such as Wykeham , Waynflefce , Chicheley , Sir Eeginald Bray , Cardinal Wolsey , and scores of others who were all churchmen and Freemasons . Before the Eeformation fche Freemasons were under the peculiar protection of the holy father the Pope , and Bulls without end were

promulgated in their favour . They first fell under tho disp leasure of theHoly See in 1738 , when Clement XII . issued a Bull , and decrees , against them , all of which are still in force . It may be information to tell Mr . Mainwaring why such a Bull was promulgated . Masonry had been revived in England in 1717 , and was spreading widelv , when it came

to the knowledge of the Eomish priesthood that the Bible ivas ever laid open in every lodge . That the brethren were taught to regard it as " the unerring record of His wisdom and the revelation of His divine will . " Hence the jealousy of tho Eomish Church ; aud so . with the ultra-hyperaltifcudhiai'ian party in our church , who believe the closer they ape Eome ' s peculiarities the more sanctified they become .

It is nofc our province to offer one word in defence of Sir W . W . Wynn ; he is too good a Mason to need such aid . The breastplate of Urim and Thummim , although Mr . Mainwaring uses it as a scoff , is more allied ivith Freemasonry than he imagines . How , it is not necessary to inform him . Ho professes to bo scandalised at the form of words used by the Prov . G . M . In this that E . W . Bro . had no choice ,

for it is a formula existent before the present language of our beautiful liturgy was offered in the native tongue . In this Freemasons aro consistent , which cannot be always said of your very high churchmen , who , in many instances , such as Mariolatry , the Via Crucis , and many other fancies , is a mere Eomaniser without the honesty of avowing his

purpose . AVhafc the JIT . P . has been told is true . Freemasonry receives into its ranks men of every creed and country , but ib nowhere teaches a man , so received , to abjure one tittle of that creed . Ifcs boast is that it never interferes with any one ' s religious belief , further than to inquire if he acknowlogcs a Supreme Being . If Freemasonry was the bugbear Mr . Mainwaring would have the world believedoes bethink

, it likely thafc we could number in our fraternity such brethren as the Bishops of Salisbury and Montreal , both good Churchmen , without being of the Union school , and dozens moreof tho clergy who could bo named ? Does ifc nofc also strike Mr . Mainwaring , thafc to bo a member of thafc house whero J civs , infidels , and heretics —there are no Turks initatprcsent •—mock and scoff at the Church ; where Dissenters ,

Anabaptists , Quakers , Shakers , Unitarians , all have their fling at our Church in turn , is much more prejudicial to tho interests of true religion than a reverent appeal to fche Grand Geometrician of the Universe ? If so , let him not presume to dictate to us out of the fulness of his ignorance , but rather try to cure the evil with those with whom ho is connected , than , with us , where his word is as idle " wind and fury , signifying nothing . "

As to the assertion of Freemasonry in any way contributing to Mormonism in AVales , "Tbe force of folly can no further go . " Who arc tho Freemasons o ( ' Wales ? Are they not men of some little standing in the social scale ? Are they the neglected poor ? The Freemasons of AVales can take careof themselves ; butthoraiiksfromwhichthcMoi-monsarerecruited are those

for whom the Church cares bufc little . They como from tho Ebenezers and Little Bethels ivhich so numerously show their heads in the parishes where fche tithes are impropriated by landlords , appropriated by clerical corporations , anel where to lie a AVelsh parson is afc once to be little better than a curate . Why docs Mormonism spread ? _ Ask your vicar or rector . Docs lie speak to the people iu their native tongue ? AVill ho allow them to sing a AVelsh h ymn at the " -rave ? No . Then what aro the results ? They will "o to the

“The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine: 1861-06-15, Page 12” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 6 July 2025, django:8000/periodicals/mmr/issues/mmr_15061861/page/12/.
  • List
  • Grid
Title Category Page
FREEMASONRY IN THE UNITED STATES. Article 1
ON SYMBOLS AS APPLIED TO MASONIC INSTRUCTION.* Article 2
MEMOIRS OF THE FREEMASONS OF NAPLES. Article 4
STRAY THOUGHTS ABOUT BOOKS. Article 5
ARCHITECTURE AND ARCHÆOLOGY. Article 6
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INTELLIGENCE. Article 9
INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION OF 1862. Article 9
NOTES ON LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART. Article 10
MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES. Article 11
CORRESPONDENCE. Article 12
BRO. PETER, AND A LOVER OF REGULARITY. Article 13
KNIGHTS TEMPLAR. Article 13
ROYAL BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION FOR AGED MASONS AND THEIR WIDOWS. Article 14
METROPOLITAN. Article 14
PROVINCIAL. Article 14
ROYAL ARCH. Article 18
NETHERLANDS. Article 18
Fine Arts. Article 18
THE WEEK. Article 19
TO CORRESPONDENTS. Article 20
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed by Correspondents . EEPLY TO "AN APPEAL TO EEEEMASONS . " TO THE EDITOB 01 ? THE FREEEirASOXS JTAGAZI 5 E AND MASOSIC HIRItOIi . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Ereemasonry has been subjected to many attacks , but it continues to flourish and spread . Ono of the most recent of these depreciatory

onslaughts is to be found in The Guardian of May 29 fch , 1861 , and it is a subject of the deepest regret that the most valuable church newspaper should have admitted so shallow an appeal into ifcs columns . Tho letter in question is as follows : —

" AN APPEAL TO EEEEMASONS . " Silt , —I shall he obliged if you ivill permit me to make an appeal to the Freemasons of England and Wales through the Guardian . The reason AA'hich induces me to make this request is , that on Whit-Monday the ceremony of laying the foundation-stone of a neiv church at Itliyl was attended by the Masons of tho district ; and AA'hen the stone had been laid in due form , his Worship the Provincial Grand Master approached itattired in a costume

, reminding one of a picture in an old Bible of Aaron wifcli his breastplate and Urim and Thummim ; and , after H . W . P . G . M . had put a level on the stone , ivhich I am told he did in a very perfunctory manner , he scattered these ambiguous words amongst the dense croivd assembled— ' In the name of the great Geometrician of the Universe I pronounce that this stone has been properly laid . ' Masons tell me that Jews , Turks , infidels , and heretics are admitted

into their Graft , and , as I understand , these words are used to accommodate the fancies of this heterogeneous compound . Although I may have a prejudice in favour of the Church as the best society knoivn amongst men for the inculcation of principles of charity and religion , I do not presume to dictate to those who think Freemasonry is older than the Christian Church , and better too ; but I think I may fairly appeal to them , on such occasions as that of

laying the foundation of a Christian Church , not to obtrude themselves and use words ivhich I know afc lihyl shocked many . "I AA-ould beg also to remind the Freemasons in Wales of the fact , that their countrymen are superstitious and excitable ; that the ranks of Joe Smith have been strengthened far more by fanatics from Wales , in proportion to the population , than from England . And I ivould ask them Avhether it is not probable that still further familiarising the minds of ignorant men and women ivith such mysteries as those set forth by H . W . P . G . M . may not ave a bad elfeet on sucb minds ?

" TOWNSUEND MAINWARING , M . P . " Such a string of absurdities should , as far as the Craft is concerned , go unnoticed if ifc were not that thoy are so widely spread by The Guardian . Itis the latter circumstance , and that only , thafc makes a reply necessary . This reply must take the letter as it stands , and the first objection to be raised is , by what authority or right does Mr .

Townshend Mainwaring , M . P . for Denbi gh , make an appeal fco tho Freemasons of England and Wales ? Does he belong to us , or docs he believe that in England and Wales Freemasons only arc to be found ? From the style of his note ifc is evident he is nofc a member of the Craft , and for his special information ho is hero informed that Freemasonry exists in every habitable part of the globe . It has

penetrated where Christianity has barely been heard of , being known in India , China , Japan , amongst the wild Bed-Men of the West , the Mussulmen of the East , the Eussians in the North , and the Abyssinians in the South . AVhafc says Dr . Wolff , —when he was initiated in 18-1 ( 5 , he lamented ho had not been a Freemason earlier , because he would havo been treated more kindlin . Persia and the East . He

y was frequently asked if ho ivas a brother ? and being unable to say ho ivas , it brought him under the imputation of being a spy . Not all the boasted power of the Missionary , added to his humane errand , could do half as much for him as one little sign . That sign ivould have borne out Shakospear ' s

line"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin . " Then let Mr . Mainwaring appeal , if ho thinks ho will find redress , to tho whole habitable globe , and not single oufc the Freemasons of England and Wales as his audience . The reason for the if . P . ' s appeal is , that the foundation ot the new church at Bhyl ivas laid by the EW . the Prov . G . M ., Sir Watkin Williams AVynn , upon whose costume Mr . Mainwaring attempts to bo facetious ; and then this

erudite M . P . tells us that the Prov . G . M . applied a level ! to the stone , as he is informed . Did it ever occur to Mr . Mainwaring to inquire who were the artificers of our beautiful cathedrals ? They were the work of Freemasons , a guild of brothers composed of operative and speculative Masons , and the Master Mason was generally the person who laid the first stone at the

N . E . corner of the building . Amongst the Master Masons of antiquity are many names renowned in ecclesiastical history , such as Wykeham , Waynflefce , Chicheley , Sir Eeginald Bray , Cardinal Wolsey , and scores of others who were all churchmen and Freemasons . Before the Eeformation fche Freemasons were under the peculiar protection of the holy father the Pope , and Bulls without end were

promulgated in their favour . They first fell under tho disp leasure of theHoly See in 1738 , when Clement XII . issued a Bull , and decrees , against them , all of which are still in force . It may be information to tell Mr . Mainwaring why such a Bull was promulgated . Masonry had been revived in England in 1717 , and was spreading widelv , when it came

to the knowledge of the Eomish priesthood that the Bible ivas ever laid open in every lodge . That the brethren were taught to regard it as " the unerring record of His wisdom and the revelation of His divine will . " Hence the jealousy of tho Eomish Church ; aud so . with the ultra-hyperaltifcudhiai'ian party in our church , who believe the closer they ape Eome ' s peculiarities the more sanctified they become .

It is nofc our province to offer one word in defence of Sir W . W . Wynn ; he is too good a Mason to need such aid . The breastplate of Urim and Thummim , although Mr . Mainwaring uses it as a scoff , is more allied ivith Freemasonry than he imagines . How , it is not necessary to inform him . Ho professes to bo scandalised at the form of words used by the Prov . G . M . In this that E . W . Bro . had no choice ,

for it is a formula existent before the present language of our beautiful liturgy was offered in the native tongue . In this Freemasons aro consistent , which cannot be always said of your very high churchmen , who , in many instances , such as Mariolatry , the Via Crucis , and many other fancies , is a mere Eomaniser without the honesty of avowing his

purpose . AVhafc the JIT . P . has been told is true . Freemasonry receives into its ranks men of every creed and country , but ib nowhere teaches a man , so received , to abjure one tittle of that creed . Ifcs boast is that it never interferes with any one ' s religious belief , further than to inquire if he acknowlogcs a Supreme Being . If Freemasonry was the bugbear Mr . Mainwaring would have the world believedoes bethink

, it likely thafc we could number in our fraternity such brethren as the Bishops of Salisbury and Montreal , both good Churchmen , without being of the Union school , and dozens moreof tho clergy who could bo named ? Does ifc nofc also strike Mr . Mainwaring , thafc to bo a member of thafc house whero J civs , infidels , and heretics —there are no Turks initatprcsent •—mock and scoff at the Church ; where Dissenters ,

Anabaptists , Quakers , Shakers , Unitarians , all have their fling at our Church in turn , is much more prejudicial to tho interests of true religion than a reverent appeal to fche Grand Geometrician of the Universe ? If so , let him not presume to dictate to us out of the fulness of his ignorance , but rather try to cure the evil with those with whom ho is connected , than , with us , where his word is as idle " wind and fury , signifying nothing . "

As to the assertion of Freemasonry in any way contributing to Mormonism in AVales , "Tbe force of folly can no further go . " Who arc tho Freemasons o ( ' Wales ? Are they not men of some little standing in the social scale ? Are they the neglected poor ? The Freemasons of AVales can take careof themselves ; butthoraiiksfromwhichthcMoi-monsarerecruited are those

for whom the Church cares bufc little . They como from tho Ebenezers and Little Bethels ivhich so numerously show their heads in the parishes where fche tithes are impropriated by landlords , appropriated by clerical corporations , anel where to lie a AVelsh parson is afc once to be little better than a curate . Why docs Mormonism spread ? _ Ask your vicar or rector . Docs lie speak to the people iu their native tongue ? AVill ho allow them to sing a AVelsh h ymn at the " -rave ? No . Then what aro the results ? They will "o to the

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