THE BUILDER MAGAZINE
august 1921
volume 7 - number 8
Frederick the Great, and His Relations with Masonry and Other Secret Societies
TAKEN FROM THE
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE LADY CRAVEN
Elizabeth, the
youngest daughter of the fourth earl of Berkeley, was born on December 17,
1750. A sprightly and beautiful girl, she had many love affairs, and was
finally married to William, 6th Lord Craven. She was unfaithful to him, having
relations with the French ambassador, Count de Guines, but was pardoned by her
indulgent husband. After Lord Craven's death she went to Germany and found a
place in the train of the Margrave of Anspach, to whom, after an unseemly
friendship, and within three months after the death of his wife, she was
married. There is no need to detail her history further, or print the long
codicil of her titles, save to say that, after having seen life in many courts,
among them Russia, and after having had a most mixed career of love affairs and
intrigues, the Lady published her "Autobiographical Memoirs" in 1826, when she
was in her seventy-sixth year. From these Memoirs the following chapter, with a
few irrelevant paragraphs omitted, has been taken: for what reason, the Masonic
reader will immediately discover for himself.
The best edition of
the "Autobiographical Memoirs" of the Margravine is published by John Lane under
the title of "The Beautiful Lady Craven"; the two volumes are attractive in
appearance, as most of Lane's books are, and halve been very ably edited by A.
M. Broadley and Lewis Melville.
WE DISPATCHED a
courier forward, after whose arrival at Berlin the King sent eight fine horses
to draw us through the sandy plains of Prussia. The frost and snow in Bohemia
had much damaged the springs and wheels of our carriage; but we arrived without
any serious injury or accident, from a journey which was the most terrific I
ever underwent; for if any thing had ever happened to the Margrave, I and I
alone, should have been accused of doing him harm.
When we arrived at
Berlin, the Carnival being ended, all the Royal family were gone to their
different villas; but His Majesty returned to meet the Margrave at his palace;
while I was left to the discretion of the Princess Royal, afterwards Duchess of
York, who had her own establishment in the Royal Palace.
We remained here only
four days, during which time I saw but little of the Margrave, for he was
constantly with the King. He informed His Majesty that there had existed a
mysterious correspondence among some of the nobility of Bareith, and others at
Anspach the object of which he supposed was to form more distrusts between
Austria and Prussia.
Frederick William II
had succeeded to the throne on the death of his uncle Frederick the Great, in
1786. He made many salutary regulations for his subjects and established a Court
of Honour to prevent the horrible practice of duelling in his dominions.
As I was willing to
gain all the information possible respecting so great a character as Frederick
the late King, it may easily be imagined that I lost no opportunity which could
be afforded me during my residence among the Royal Family, and which, together
with the Margrave's knowledge of this illustrious man, and that of Prince
Hardenberg, afforded me much satisfaction.
After my marriage
with the Margrave, we brought out from Anspach a full-length portrait of the
late King, for which he himself sat, for the Margrave, whom he also presented
another of his father, Frederick William. The countenance and whole figure are
striking resemblance of His Majesty. The expression is surprisingly fine. I
had it placed under a canopy at Brandenburgh House, and those who have seen it
can never forget it.
When Frederick
ascended the throne he was only twenty-eight years of age. lt is well known to
all Europe how this great Prince profited by the army left to him by his father,
and the riches which he had accumulated. He had been detested by the late King
when he was Prince Royal, because he appeared to apply himself to the sciences
and fine arts rather than to military affairs. Having followed his father to
Wesel, he conceived the project of passing into a foreign country. He had
probably other motives than those of gaining instruction by travels; no doubt it
was to escape the tyranny of his father: but the latter had gained information
of his design, and arrested him at the moment of its execution. He was tried by
Commissaries who had the firmness not to condemn him to lose his head. It might
appear to be a light crime for the presumptive heir of a kingdom to quit the
realms without the permission of his Sovereign; but such was the law. Of
four-and- twenty judges, only one was found who voted for the sentence of death,
and that was a person named Derschau; yet such was the magnanimity of Frederick
when he came to the throne, that this man never experienced from him the
slightest vengeance.
Frederick, his
father, was on the point of renewing on the theatre of Europe the scene of Don
Carlos, or more recently that of Czarowitz. The Prince was pardoned; but the
unfortunate companion of his flight, his friend and confidant, was decapitated.
Frederick has been
accused by his enemies as having neither shed a tear nor used an argument to
induce his father to save this victim from destruction. But I have been
assured, from those who were present at the scene, that when the unfortunate man
was led to the scaffold, the Prince Royal demanded his pardon with the effusions
of a heart broken by grief; and that he fainted more than once during the
punishment, and in fact experienced the greatest anguish. Before the execution
he had tried every means in his power to save him. In his despair, he had
offered to his father to renounce the throne forever, in order to preserve the
life of his friend whom he loved: but the inflexible Monarch, not satisfied with
the sentence of the judges, who had condemned him to the galleys for life, with
his own hand signed his death-warrant, alleging that there was no justification
for the crime of high treason, and treating his son's entreaties with
indignation and contempt. Katt was the grandson of a field-marshall, and son of
a general of that name at that time both alive and in the service of the King.
Frederick the Great
was born with sensibility, but he learned to suppress his emotions and his
feelings; he saw how necessary it was to be just, as well as merciful, during
his long military career; and perhaps the firmness which has been his reproach,
was the greatest triumph of his nature.
After this event he
retired to Rheinsberg, applying himself to all kinds of acquirements; and here
he learned to play on the flute, on which instrument he excelled, not as a
prince, but as an amateur of the first rank.
His allowance was
extremely moderate, and his father had vigorously forbidden any one to advance
him money. This order was, however, ill observed, and it has been objected
against him that when King he never repaid the obligations of his creditors.
But the fact was otherwise; he paid them in secret. The Minister of his
father's finances had refused to advance him money, and when the Prince ascended
the throne this man was supposed to be ruined, and on his coming to give in his
accounts demanded permission to retire; when the young King, to the astonishment
of all round him, praised his fidelity, begged him to continue his services, and
doubled his salary.
What a different
fidelity from that of the judges of poor Katt, who considered blind obedience to
the commands of their Sovereign as a proof of fit submission to his authority!
It is a singular
circumstance in the history of the House of Bradenburgh, that during the space
of 370 years, in which time the sovereignty was in their hands, there was never
experienced one minority.
Frederick enjoyed an
immoderate reputation, and to a certain point even the adoration of his
contemporaries, not only as a warrior, but as a governor of his empire, and as a
profound politician. His assiduity was indefatigable, and his skill in affairs
of government transcendent. The Government of Prussia appeared to rise from the
seeds of despotism, and formed a lesson of instruction to the world.
Notwithstanding his exactness and his inflexibility in war, he obtained the
affections of his soldiers, who always denominated him their Father Fritz. It
was the name by which he was familiarly called through the army.
The severity of his
conduct towards Baron de Trenck (1) has excited the indignation of mankind, and
has been considered as a blot on his escutcheon; but arbitrary order and
rigorous detention have to be exercised in other countries as well as in
Prussia. Without pleading this as an excuse, I shall endeavour, with
impartiality, to remark on the leading points of the justification of
Frederick's conduct, derived from those who were acquainted with the cause of
such a punishment.
M. de Trenck had been
forbidden by the King, whom he acknowledged not only as his Sovereign, but as
his benefactor, to write to his uncle, who was a chief of the Pandours.
His injunctions were
violated. The King demanded of him personally whether he was in correspondence
with his uncle. M. de Trenck denied it. "Do you give me your word of honour of
it?" said the King. "Yes, Sire," was the answer. It was at the very time that
Trenck had just written to his uncle, that this dialogue passed. The discovery
was made, and M. de Trenck was sent to the fortress of Magdeburg: it was a
punishment usual in the Prussian service. M. de Trenck plotted his escape, and
fled with an officer whom he had seduced to desert, he killed those who pursued
him. The King's Resident at Dantzic, whither Trenck had fled, sent him back to
his Sovereign. Trenck had certainly violated every law - he had at first been
disobedient, then perjured - a rebel, and a murderer.
At Magdeburg, Baron
de Trenck recommenced his devices: his imprisonment was in consequence rendered
more severe, and his confinement lasted for ten years.
Trenck was six feet
two inches high, and squinted: he was popular, and always followed by thousands.
After the death of Frederick he published his Memoirs. At that period, all who
were acquainted with the groundwork of his history were dead: on his own
testimony depends the whole of his relation. Those whom he cites in his
narrative have probably forgotten the circumstances of so distant a date, but
without recurring to vague conjectures regarding the truth of this affair, or of
the cruelty exercised against him, M. de Trenck avows that he had intrigued with
a person of illustrious rank. If that person, as has been generally supposed,
and which from good authority I know to be the case, was the Princess Amelia,
sister of the King; if from this connection there were children who were
deprived of life by means the most horrible - what strong inducements might not
the King have had for visiting on Trenck a punishment of the severest kind,
without being under the necessity of explaining (from motives of decorum and
decency) the reasons which influenced him to such an act.
Frederick frequently
broke his officers for causes light in appearance; but he always had heavier
charges against them, which were unknown to the rest of mankind, and which he
concealed for the purpose of preserving military discipline.
As soon as Frederick
ascended the throne, he invited into his kingdom all those who were called les
esprits forts: Voltaire, le Marquis d'Argens, the Abbe de Prade, Maupertuis, and
even the impious La Metrie. This example encouraged the literary Germans to
proclaim their sentiments, Berlin became the asylum of the persecuted, and the
nursery of truth.
The history of the
secret societies of Germany was at that time little known. It might be
interesting to a philosopher, but the generality of people might regard it as a
romance: all well-informed persons can attest the reality of it.
Towards the end of
the last century an association, or secret society, existed, which was daily
gaining ground. It was the Order of the Illumines. The chiefs of this Order
had resolved to form an association which was to unveil the mysteries of
superstition, to enlighten mankind, and to render them happy. Their object was
to gain a superiority over the lodges of Freemasonry, (2) and to turn these
institutions from darkness to the benefit of humanity. They proposed to extend
the sphere of knowledge universally, not so much in depth as on the surface; to
introduce reason and good sense; to ameliorate the condition of men by an
insensible operation. No Prince, however great or good, was to be admitted.
They swore to preserve, as much as was in their power, Sovereigns from the
perpetration of crimes, and from the commission of errors; to abolish the
slavery of despotism, to destroy ecclesiastical jurisdiction, to favour the
liberty of the press, and to unveil mysteries of every description.
The project was great
noble and sublime; but prudence was wanting in its execution. They expected to
see a sudden effect, whilst they forgot that the edifice was only building. The
society enlarged, the wicked and designing were admitted; the powers of bigotry
and superstition saw the force of their enemy, and the arm of Government was
called to their assistance. Many of the chiefs were driven from Germany, others
were imprisoned, and every thing but death and torture inflicted on them.
The dispersed members
of this association soon formed another assembly; they were again surprised,
their papers taken, and their doctrines published, without regard to the effects
which they might produce. Many sects arose from these, which rendered discord
prevalent throughout Germany. Their different Orders had little resemblance to
Freemasonry - they were visionary, mystical, and cabalistic.
Frederick had too
sound an understanding to be caught in the snares of enthusiasm. It is not known
whether the attempt were made to conquer him, but it is most probable that he
was never tried. Nor is it certain when the area or how the nature of the
misunderstanding between this Monarch and the superiors of the Order of
Freemasonry began. Whether he was ignorant of the machinations of modern
Masonry, of the visions and the horrors which were latterly raised, or of the
general tendency of these mysterious associations; or whether having once
adopted the Masonic costume, and having openly protected its Orders, he did not
wish, even after having seen its evil tendencies, to retract and to separate
from a society into which he had erewhile not disdained to enter - he refrained
from excluding from his dominions these secret associations.
Masons of every
denomination - Rosicrucians, Centralists, Illuminate - had all, under his reign,
the liberty of establishing lodges and societies according to their fancy,
provided they did not disturb the public order.
Thus Berlin became
the receptacle of sects, of parties, of conjurations, of chemical mysteries, and
of extravagances of every kind.
In the meantime
instruction was not neglected, and Frederick supported and protected every
institution which might extend education throughout his kingdom. Rousseau had
written his Emilius - a work the most perfect of its kind, and which places the
author incontestably in the rank of the first of benefactors to mankind; in
Germany this production became as a torch which extended its light throughout;
it opened to the system of education new views. Youth was taught not by words
alone, and those in an unknown language - but he gave them clear ideas of
natural things, of moral and physical relations, of mechanism, of history, and
of geography.
Frederick did not
lose sight of the good effects of such a system of education; and to promote it,
established a Consistory, which was to superintend every institution, and at the
head of which he placed himself. He procured masters, and did not blush to
render homage to the superiority of the institution which he had promoted. The
example of the Sovereign excited the nobility and gentry of the nation, and
Frederick inspired in his subjects an admirable and laudable competition.
It was in one of
those moments which in human life are so contradictory to the general sentiments
of the mind, that Frederick, hearing the news of the proscription of the Jesuits
in France, by the public functionaries, exclaimed, "Pauvres gens! ils ont
detruit les renards qui les defendaient des loups, et ils ne voient pas qu'ils
vont etre devores."
Frederick had
sanctioned and approved the writing of the philosophers; he had become a
philosopher himself. Heveltius had published his work De I'Esprit in France,
and to avoid punishment had fled to England. Le Contrat Social of Rosseau had
found protection among the magistracy; and the Parliaments had defended
Doderpt's declaiming against despotism. The Court and Clergy had admired
Voltaire's ridiculing the Parliaments. There has been exaggeration, when it has
been said that the philosophers proposed by a regular plan to subvert the
foundations of societies and thrones: they worked to that effect without being
sensible of it. They did not wish to be the destroyers, but the preceptors, of
monarchs: and had Montesquieu only produced his work Sur les Romains, and his
Esprit des Lois; had Beccaria only written his Traite des Delits et des Peines;
had Voltaire only refuted Machiavel, and defended Calas, Scriven, and Lally; had
pleaded the cause of nature, of morality, and of religion; and had the
Encyclopedists respected the principles of religion alone - they would have been
entitled to the indulgence of the world. But the discussion of one subject led
to a another, and in the correction of abuses they proceeded beyond the bounds
which they had prescribed. Then it was, that one of the greatest Kings who ever
wore a crown figured in the correspondence of philosophy: then it was, that he
pronounced in his Academy the eulogy of the man who wrote L'Homme Machine,
("Man, a Machine"-Ed.) and that he compelled his churches to celebrate obsequies
of the man who had endeavoured to undermine the foundation of Christianity.
This influence spread
throughout Europe: it penetrated into every class. Diderot, D'Alembert, and
Condoreet, united their forces in the operation. Then the sects of the
Illuminate, who had associated for the destruction of revealed religion,
overthrew its foundations, as far as regarded themselves, and introduced a new
code founded on natural morality, which led to the system of primitive equality.
Even Frederick
himself proved that a king, though a man of letters, could not sustain with
dignity the sceptre of literature. Some unfortunate members defiled the
character of his Academy; but Euler and La Grange were an eternal honour to it.
Some men of high estimation were associated with others of obscure and even
ridiculous talents: their inequalities were great.
It was a prejudice
generally spread throughout Germany, that the province of Prussia, and Berlin in
particular, was peopled with Atheists. Because Frederick encouraged freedom of
thought in his dominions; because he collected and united about his person men
of genius; because, under his reign, some irreligious books escaped from the
Prussian press - this conclusion, as absurd as precipitate, was adopted. M.
Nicolai, a distinguished writer and bookseller of Berlin, (a union very rare,
though it were to be desired that it were more general,) had depicted Berlin in
a romance with great truth; and his work displays excellent notions on the
manners of Germany. He has shown, that if, in general, there are some
Freethinkers in the Prussian provinces, the people at large are attached to the
national religion.
Towards the end of
the seven years' war, a man named Rosenfeld, in the service of the Margrave of
Schwedt, quitted the service of that prince, and began to inform the populace
that he was the new Messiah; that Jesus had been a false prophet; that the
preachers were rogues and liars, who preached death; that for himself he
preached life, since his adherents never died; that the King of Prussia was the
Devil; that the time approached when he (Rosenfeld) should assemble together the
twenty-four Elders, and should obtain the sword, and govern the world with their
assistance.
Rosenfeld prevailed
on some of his adherents to deliver over to him seven girls, of whom the zealous
fanatics were the fathers. It was, he said, to open the seven seals that he
required seven virgins. With these he formed a seraglio: one of them was his
favourite Sultana; he made the others work, and lived upon the profit of their
labours. After having carried on the trade of a Messiah for twenty-nine years,
under different mischanges; first poor, then imprisoned, afterwards entertained
by the presents of his votaries, and living habitually by means of the wool
which his mistresses spun; after acquiring disciples in Berlin and its environs,
in Saxony, and even at Mecklenburg - one of his faithful followers, who had in
vain expected to reap the fruit of his splendid promises - even one of those who
had delivered over to him three of his daughters, accused him before Frederick;
that is to say, denied his Messiah, who he believed to be the true God, before
the King, whom he believed to be the true Devil. This very accuser always
regarded Rosenfeld as the real Messiah, and only wished that the King could
compel him to realize his prodigious offers.
The King sent
Rosenfeld to a natural tribunal, which condemned him to be whipped, and shut up
for the remainder of his days at Spandau. The Supreme Tribunal commuted this
sentence, and pronounced that this new Messiah should be sent to the House of
Correction, where he should be flogged as often as he at attempted to have an
adventure of gallantry, and after two years that a report should be made of his
manner of conducting himself. The defenders of the accused appealed: the King
revised the process, and confirmed the severer sentence of the first tribunal.
He imagined, without doubt, that it was necessary that Rosenfeld should be
punished in the sight of the people, to prevent them from being in future
deceived through similar visions.
But the most absurd
opinions are often the most tenacious, because they have no perceptible basis by
which they may be measured; and this spectacle did not undeceive any of the
adherents of Rosenfeld, a great number of whom remained attached to him.
He went afterwards to
preach his doctrines at Charlottenberg, hardly a mile from the capital; but he
found that this theatre was too small for two fanatics like himself and
Musenfeld. The Government, without doubt, tired with his persevering
enthusiasm, overlooked his folly and left him in repose. . . .
Duke Ferdinand of
Brunswick, (3) the conqueror of Creveldt and of Minden, was induced, by the
persuasion of the Baron de Hund, who was a Reformer, to place himself at the
head of the reformed Lodges of Freemasonry, which has taken the appellation of
the Strict Observance. It was supposed to be an Order of Freemasonry which was
a continuation of the Society of Knights Templer: the highest step was that of a
Templar, with all the ceremonies of ancient chivalry. Doctors of divinity and
professors of Physic were received as Chevaliers d'Epee. It is hardly possible
to conceive that reasonable beings could lend themselves to ideas so ridiculous;
example, however, did everything, and enthusiasm was contagious. In this branch
of the Order there reigned a monastic despotism, and men who led away by rites
and ceremonies. The members alone possessed the secret; those out of the Order
could never tell where or what it was.
As no woman can
possibly be a Mason, every woman has a right to endeavour to penetrate the
mystery. (4) It is admitted that Adam was the first Mason; he founded the first
lodge - he had all the instruments necessary for the purpose - he produced the
mortar;- without Eve there would have been no lodge. Where is the mystery of
Masonry, if the idea be followed up? Having created the lodge, he made members
for it: those members created others, and the society extended over the globe;
and while the globe exists, members will never be wanting. Over this secret I
will throw the apron!
When the minds of men
were sufficiently heated, the actor of this drama caused to appear upon the
scene the Thaumaterges, or miracle-workers. These appeared to have ordinarily
no relation with Freemasonry in general, but attached themselves to personages
eminent for rank or fortune. One of the first of these charlatans was
Schroepfer, a coffeehouse-keeper of Leipsic, on whom Duke Charles of Courland
(5) had inflicted corporeal punishment; but who afterwards so fascinated this
Prince, and a greater part of the principal personages of Dresden and of Leipsic,
that he compelled them to act a principal part with him.
At that time were
reproduced on the theatre of Europe the follies of Asia and of China - the
universal medicine - the art of making gold and diamonds - the beverage of
immortality. The peculiar qualification of Schroepfer was the invocation of
manes; he commanded spirits, and caused the dead and the invisible powers to
appear at his will. The denouement of his drama is well known. After having
consumed immense sums which he obtained from his adherents, and alienated their
senses, when he found that he could no longer sustain the imposture, he shot
himself through the head with a pistol, in a wood near Leipsic.
To Schroepfer
succeeded Saint-Germain, who had been before announced by the Comte de Lambert.
This Saint-Germain had lived a thousand years; he had discovered a tea, before
which all maladies disappeared; he made, for his amusement, diamonds of immense
magnitude! He attached himself to Prince Carles of Hesse; (6) but, like his
predecessors, he forgot not to die.
In the meantime
Gessner, religious miracle-worker, appeared in the environs of Ratisbon. He did
not belong to the Freemasons, nor did he attach himself to any of the principal
members of the Order; but he was equally useful to it, - for all the prodigies
of which he was heard to speak corroborated the general faith of miracles, which
was one of the great springs of the machine. In the heart of Switzerland lived
a preacher of an ardent imagination - of a penetrating mind - of immeasurable
ambition - of undaunted pride; am ignorant man, but gifted with the talent of
speech - intoxicated with mysticism - eager after prodigies - and made up of
credulity. He imagined that, with faith, miracles might at this time be
effected. Servants, peasants, Roman Catholic priests, Freemasons - all combined
in his mind as contributing to the gift of miracle-working, whenever he
discovered the slightest appearance of anything extraordinary.
M. Lavater (7) gained
a great party, particularly among the women; these brought him the men - and he
had soon thousands, and subsequently millions, of followers after his visionary
ideas.
After these,
succeeded Mesmer (8) and Cagliostro (9) (whose tricks and extravagances are well
known), without reckoning the crowds of madmen, of charlatans, of jugglers of
every kind, who sprang up on all sides.
This concourse of
knaves, far from appeasing the divisions of Freemasonry, augmented the
fermentation. A new branch arose in the dominions of Frederick: it was called
the Lodge of Zizendorf, from the name of its founder. This Zizendorf had been
formerly a member of the Templars, from which Order he detached himself, and
formed a great party, assuring them that he alone had the true rites and the
true mysteries. Each of these branches decried the other. This new agitation
attracted the attention of men of sound understanding (at least of the Order),
who immediately formed a new association under the name of Eclectic Masonry.
They professed a general toleration of all sects of the Order; and this system,
which was the only solid one (if any system of the kind can be so), gained in a
short time many partisans. This was the cause of the fall of the Order of
Templars, who soon saw their machine in ruins. Frequent Chapters were held,
where the deputies of the provinces deliberated; and, with surprise, the first
question they found they had put to the Grand Master was, What is the true end
of the Order, and its real origin? Thus the Grand Master, and all his
assistants, had laboured, for more than twenty years, with incredible ardour,
for an object of which they neither knew the true end nor the origin. Thus
puzzled and perplexed, the system of the Templars was abandoned, and an Order
instituted of the Chivalry of Beneficence.
Every secret
association has something of resemblance to a conspiracy, and it is incumbent on
every Government to watch over it. But some consideration must be paid to the
characters of the members. If they will not bear the test of inspection,
doubtless measures should be taken to prevent their increase, with moderation
and prudence. And when it is more-over remembered that Sweden lost its
constitution from these associations, which are frequently composed of men
profound in design and indefatigable in perseverance, no means should be laid
aside which may develop their plans. . . .
(1) Frederick von der
Trenck (1726-1794), a native of Konigsberg. His arrest at Dantzic in 1754
caused a great sensation throughout Europe. He was not liberated until 1756. He
was denouched as a spy in France, and guillotined July 25, 1794. (2) Frederick
the Great was, however, an ardent Freemason, and as such was instrumental in
arranging the initiation into, the Order of more than one member of the British
Royal Foraily. (3) Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick (1735 - 1806)
killed at the battle of Jena. He was an ardent Freemason, and entered into
friendly relations with the English Grand Lodge. (4) The Margravine in this
instance is mistaken. Masonry of Adoption, or Feminine Freemasonry, was
extensively practised in France and on the Continent. Marie Antoinette and her
sister Caroline, Queen of Naples, both belonged to the Order of which the
unfortunate Princesse de Lamballe was for a time Grand Mistress. (5) Charles,
Duke of Courland (b. 1728). (6) Brother of the reigning Landgrave William IX.
Born 29 Dec, 1744. (7) Johann Caspar Lavater (1741-1801). (8) Friedrich Anton
Mesmer (1734-1815). (9) Alexander Cagliostro (1745-1795). His connection with
Freemasonry is fully, but not exhaustively, described in Mr. W.R. H.
Trowbridge's biography (1910). (10) La Metrie wrote a book called "Man, a
Machine." It was published in this country by the Open Court Company of Chicago.
A Postscriptural
Preachment by the Editor:
The editor begs
indulgence of the veteran Masonic student while he administers a preachment to
the young students in the Craft, using the above as a text for the same. Those
young students are asked to use the Lady Craven article as a kind of laboratory
task whereby to examine two or three rather important canons of historical
study. They are asked, nay, urged to sharpen their young critical faculties on
the intriguing paragraphs of the Beautiful Lady, for they will not soon
encounter again so useful a specimen.
They are asked to
note first, that the Lady Craven received nearly all her information at
second-hand, and then not often from authoritative sources. This, at one
stroke, removes her narrative, which is so well-informed upon the surface of it,
from the class of genuine historical sources, and renders all she says (with all
due respect to the memory of the clever grande madame) more or less suspect.
What is gossip worth as evidence? Nothing! In history gossip is almost useless,
more especially in those passages whereabout much controversy has raged. When
you undertake the study of Masonic authors bear in mind that you are ever to
stand on your guard against the easy sin of accepting gossip at its face value.
Ascertain first of all if your author had access at first-hand to his sources of
information: if he did not, next ascertain, if you can, how reliable were his
informants. Accounts of Masonry, no more than any other chapters of history,
are not to be taken on anybody's mere say-so, even though the say-soer himself
wore the apron. In other words, the laws of evidence are in full force in the
Masonic province. Masonic Scholarship! what crimes have been committed in thy
name by those who have forgotten this simple fact! In the second place, it is
always necessary to ascertain the competency of the author himself (or herself)
to deal with the matter in hand. Facts themselves are useless to one incapable
of thought. What impression of the intellectual capacities of the Beautiful
Lady do you gain from the above, especially from that diverting paragraph in
which she develops a quite Jesuit bit of argument drawn from the eventful
experiences of Adam and Eve? Does it anywhere appear that she knows anything
about Masonry herself? Would a well-informed writer have mixed together the
Illuminati, the Thaumaterges, the Messiah Worshippers and all that into one
whole and dubbed the thing Masonry? It is evident that the Beautiful Lady knew
nothing about her subject, even though more than once she clearly attempts to
make the reader believe that she has seen behind the curtains of it all. When
one is being invited to receive a palpable deceit it is well that he become
sceptic at once and read on with a grain of salt.
Note another thing,
not closely connected with the above. Suppose that you have read another
account of Frederick's doings in Masonry, etc., and that, as would be very sure
to happen, your author's account would violently disagree with that furnished by
the Beautiful Lady: how would you decide in your mind which of the two to
believe, or whether either one might be true in his (or her) statements? In such
a dilemma it is wise to refer the matter to the experts. The experts may
disagree, that is true. They often do, and in that case one must let his
judgment hang in suspense: but usually on important matters, and where there is
much available data, the experts are sure to be in general agreement, and if so
it is seldom difficult to learn what are their conclusions. (THE BUILDER exists
in order, among other things, to make accessible to Masonic students the work of
Masonic experts). It happens that THE BUILDER published. recently an opinion by
an expert on some of the very things about which Lady Craven writes so
engagingly. In the month of December for last year you will find Arthur Edward
Waite's reply (and what a thrilling reply it was!) to the canards against
Freemasonry published by the London Morning Post. Look up that article and read
what that "master of those who know" had to say about Frederick the Great, and
the Illuminati, etc. (Wouldn't it be "rich" to read a reply from Brother Waite
to the article on Freemasonry published in the Roman Catholic Encyclopedia? Such
a reply would surpass the one referred to above, and would be worth going miles
to see!)
Lastly, when the
beginner makes his debut into the field of Masonic lore he soon grows dizzy at
the complexity of it all, begins to realize too keenly his own ignorance, and is
tempted to abandon it all at the start. Brother Beginner, do nothing of the
kind. Put up with your helpless sense of bewilderment while you doggedly wade
through six or seven volumes of Masonic history: After awhile the country will
begin very gradually to disclose itself; you will see the great landmarks
emerging from the mist; and finally the highways will stand clearly revealed.
After that it is no trouble to walk therein. You will gain confidence in
yourself; you will not abase yourself any more at the feet of every author you
encounter; you will come at last to have an informed judgment on Masonic matters
and to trust that judgment. Long before you have reached that satisfactory
stage you will have learned enough to see that any writer who lumps together a
great variety of secret societies, religious cults, and private fanatics and
calls the whole thing Freemasonry, is not a writer whose pages are to be taken
seriously.
ROMAN CATHOLICISM AND
FREEMASONRY
BY BRO. DUDLEY
WRIGHT, ENGLAND
PART IV
L. LORENTE, the
author of the History of the Inquisition, who was himself secretary of one of
the Inquisition tribunals, canon of the Primatical Church of Toledo, Chancellor
of the University of that city, Knight of the Order of Charles III, and member
of the Royal Academies of History and of the Spanish Language at Madrid, has
left on record the following lengthy statement concerning M. Tournon's
appearance before the Inquisitors.. He says:
"M. Tournon, a
Frenchman, had been invited into Spain and pensioned by the government in order
to establish a manufactory of brass or copper buckles and to instruct Spanish
workmen. On 30th April, 1757, he was denounced to the Holy Office as suspected
of heresy by one of his pupils, who acted in obedience to the commands of his
confessor.
"The charges were:
(1), That M. Tournon had asked his pupils to become Freemasons, promising that
the Grand Orient of Paris should send a Commission to receive them into the
Order, if they should submit to the trials he should propose, to ascertain their
courage and firmness; and that their titles of reception should be expedited
from Paris; (2), that some of these young workmen appeared inclined to comply if
M. Tournon would inform them of the object of the Institution. That, in order to
satisfy them, he told them severally extraordinary things, and showed them a
sort of picture on which were figured instruments of architecture and
astronomy. They thought that these representations related to sorcery and they
were confirmed in the idea on hearing the imprecations, which M. Tournon said
were to accompany the oath of secrecy.
"It appeared from the
depositions of three witnesses that M. Tournon was a Freemason. He was arrested
and imprisoned on 20th May, 1757, at Madrid, The following conversation which
took place in the first audience of monition, is of interest. After asking his
name, birthplace, and his reasons for coming to Spain, and making him swear to
speak the truth, the Inquisitor proceeded:
"Q. Do you know or
suppose why you have been arrested by the Holy Office? "A. I suppose it is for
having said that I was a Freemason. "Q. Why do you suppose that? "A. Because I
have informed my pupils that I was of that Order, and I fear they have denounced
me, for I have perceived lately that they speak to me with an air of mystery,
and their questions lead me to believe that they think me a heretic. "Q. Did you
tell them the truth? "A. Yes. "Q. You are then a Freemason? "A. Yes. "Q. How
long have you been so? "A. For twenty years. "Q. Have you attended the
assemblies of Freemasons? "A. Yes, at Paris. "Q. Have you attended them in
Spain? "A. No. I do not know if there are any lodges in Spain. "Q. If there
were, would you attend them?. "A. Yes. "Q. Are you a Christian, a Roman
Catholic? "A. Yes, I was baptized in the parish of St. Paul, at Paris "Q. How,
as a Christian, can you dare to attend Masonic assemblies, when you know, or
ought to know, that they are contrary to religion? "A. I do not know that; I am
ignorant of it at present, because I never saw or heard anything there which was
contrary to religion. "Q. How can you say that, when you know that Freemasons
profess indifference in matters of religion, which is contrary to the Article of
Faith which teaches us that no man can be saved who does not profess the
Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman religion? "A. Freemasons do not profess that
indifference. But it is indifferent if the person received into the Order be a
Catholic or not. "Q. Then the Freemasons are an anti-religious body? "A. That
cannot be, for the object of the Institution is not to combat or deny any
religion, but for the exercise of charity towards the unfortunate of any sect,
particularly if he is a member of the Society. "Q. We prove that indifference is
the religious character of Freemasons, that they do not acknowledge the Holy
Trinity, since they only confess one God, whom they call T.G.A.O.T.U., which
agrees with the doctrine of heretical Philosophies, who say that there is no
true religion but only religion, in which the existence of God, the Creator only
is allowed, and the rest considered as a human invention. And as M. Tournon has
professed himself to be the Catholic religion he is required by the respect he
owes to our Saviour, Jesus Christ, true God and true man, and to His Blessed
Mother, the Virgin Mary, our Lady, to declare the truth according to his oath,
because, in that case, he will acquit his conscience, and it will be allowable
to treat him with that mercy and compassion which the Holy Office always shows
towards sinners who confess; and if, on the contrary, he conceals anything he
will be punished with all the severity of justice, according to the holy Canons
of the laws of the kingdom. "A. The mystery of the Holy Trinity is neither
maintained nor combatted in the Masonic lodges; neither is the religious system
of the natural philosophies approved or rejected. God is designated as T. G. A.
O. T. U., according to the allegories of the Freemasons, which relate to
architecture. In order to fulfil my promise of speaking the truth, I must
repeat that, in Masonic lodges, nothing takes place which concerns any religious
system, and that the subjects treated of are foreign to religion, under the
allegories of architectural works. "Q. Do you believe, as a Catholic, that it is
a sign of superstition to mingle holy and religious things with profane things ?
"A. I am not sufficiently acquainted with the particular things which are
proscribed as contrary to the purity of the 'Christian religion; but I have
believed till now that those who confound the one with the other either by
mistake or a vain belief, are guilty of the sin of superstition. "Q. Is it true
that in the ceremonies which accompany the reception of a Mason, the crucified
image of our Saviour, the corpse of a man, and a skull, and other objects of a
profane nature, are made use of ? "A. The general statutes of Freemasonry do not
ordain these things: if they are made use of, it must have arisen from a
particular custom, or from the arbitrary regulations of the members of the body,
who are commissioned to prepare for the receptions of candidates; for each lodge
had particular customs and ceremonies. "Q. That is not the question; say if it
is true that these ceremonies are observed in Masonic lodges. "A. Yes, or no,
according to the requirements of those who are charged with the ceremonies of
initiation. "Q. Were they observed when you were initiated? "A. No. "Q. What
oath is necessary to take on being received a Freemason? "A. We swear to observe
secrecy. "Q. On what? "A. On things which it may be inconvenient to publish. "Q.
Is this oath accompanied by execrations? "A. Yes. "Q. What are they? "A. We
consent to suffer all the evils which can afflict the body and soul if we
violate, the oath. "Q. Of what importance is this oath, since it is believed
that such formidable execrations may be used without indecency? "A. That of good
order in the Society. "Q. What passes in these lodges which it might be
inconvenient to publish? "A. Nothing, if it is looked upon without prejudice;
but as people are generally mistaken in this matter, it is necessary to avoid
giving cause for malicious interpretations; and this would take place if what
passes when the brethren assemble was made public. "Q. Of what use is the
crucifix, if the reception of a Freemason is not considered a religious act? "A.
It is presented to penetrate the soul with the most profound respect at the
moment that the novice takes the oath. It is not used in every lodge and only
when particular grades are conferred. "Q. Why is the skull used? "A. "That the
idea of death may inspire a horror of perjury. "Q. Of what use is the corpse?
"A. To complete the allegory of Hiram, architect of the temple of Jerusalem;
who, it is said, was assassinated by traitors, and to induce a greater
detestation of assassination and every offence against our neighbours, to whom
we ought to be as benevolent brothers. "Q. Is it true that the festival of St.
John is celebrated in the lodges, and that Masons have chosen him for their
patron? "A. Yes. "Q. What worship is rendered him in celebrating his festival?
"A. None; that it may not be mingled with profane things. This celebration is
confined to a fraternal repast, after which a discourse is read, exhorting the
guests to beneficence towards their fellow creatures, in honour of God, the
Great Architect, Creator, and Preserver of the Universe. "Q. Is it true that the
sun, moon, and stars are honoured in the lodges? "A. No. "Q. Is it true that
their images or symbols are exposed? "A. Yes. "Q. Why are they used? "A. In
order to elucidate the allegories of the great, continual, and true light which
the lodges receive from the Great Architect of the world, and these
representations belong to the brethren, and encourage them to be charitable. "Q.
M. Tournon will observe that all the explanations he has given of the facts and
ceremonies which take place in the lodges are false and different from those
which he voluntarily communicated to other persons worthy of belief; he is,
however, again invited by the respect he owes to God and the Holy Virgin to
declare and confess the heresies of indifferentism, the errors of superstition
which mingle holy and profane things, and the errors of idolatry which led him
to worship the stars: this confession is necessary for the acquittal of his
conscience and the good of his soul; because if he confesses with sorrow for
having committed these crimes, detesting them and humbly soliciting pardon
(before the fiscal accuses him of these heinous sins) the holy tribunal will be
permitted to exercise towards him that compassion and mercy which it always
displays to repentant sinners; and because he is judicially accused, he must be
treated with all the severity prescribed against heretics by the holy canons,
apostolic bulls and the laws of the kingdom. "A. I have declared the truth and
if any witnesses have deposed to the contrary, they have mistaken the meaning of
my words, for I have never spoken on this subject to any but the workmen in my
manufactory, and then only in the same sense convey by my replies. "Q. Not
content with being a Freemason, you have persuaded other persons to be received
into the Order, and to embrace the heretical pursuits and pagan errors into
which you have fallen. "A. It is true that I have requested these persons to
become Freemasons, because I thought it would be useful to them if they
travelled into foreign countries, where they might meet brethren of their Order
who could assist them in any difficulty; but it is not true that I encouraged
them to adopt any errors contrary to the Catholic faith, since no such errors
are to found in Freemasonry, which does not concern any points of doctrine. "Q.
It has been already proved that these are not chimerical; therefore let M.
Tournon consider that he has been a dogmatizing heretic, and that it is
necessary that he should acknowledge it with humility, and ask pardon and
absolution for the censures which he has incurred; since if he persists in his
obstinacy he will destroy both his body and soul; and as this is the first
audience of monition he is advised to reflect on his condition, and prepare for
the two other audiences which are granted by the compassion and mercy which the
holy tribunal always feels for the accused."
M. Tournon was taken
back to the prison and persisted in giving the same answers in the two remaining
audiences. When brought before the court when the fiscal presented his act of
accusation he confessed facts but explained them as he had done before. He
refused to choose an advocate on the ground that Spanish lawyers were not
acquainted with the Masonic lodges and were as much prejudiced against them the
public. He therefore thought it better to acknowledge that to was wrong and
might have been deceived from being ignorant of particular doctrines; he
demanded absolution and offered to perform any penance that might be imposed on
him, adding that he hoped the punishment would be moderate on account of the
good faith which he had shown and which he always preserved, seeing nothing but
beneficence practised and recommended in the Masonic lodges without denying or
combatting any article of the Roman Catholic faith.
He was condemned to
be imprisoned for one year after which he was to be conducted under an escort
the frontiers of France; he was banished from Spain forever, unless he obtained
permission to return from the King or the Holy Office. He also signed his
abjuration with a promise never a again to attend the assemblies of the
Freemasons. He went to France at the termination of his imprisonment and it does
not appear that he ever returned to Spain.
In the same year that
the foregoing occurred - 1757 - the Associate Synod of Scotland attempted to
disturb the peace of the Fraternity. Happily, these bigoted dissenters did not
possess a fraction of the power of the Church of Rome, or of the Council of
Berne, but their proceedings were prompted by a like fanaticism, and would have
been marked with the same severity, but, fortunately for the Order, their power
extended only to the spiritual concerns of those delinquents who were of the
same sect as themselves. At the beginning of 1745 a complaint was lodged before
the Synod of Stirling stating that many improper things were performed at the
initiation of Freemasons and requesting that the Synod would consider whether or
not the members of that Order were entitled to partake of the ordinances of
religion. The Synod referred the matter to the Kirk Sessions under their
inspection, allowing them to act as they thought proper. In 1755, they ordered
that every person who was suspected of being a Freemason should return an
explicit answer to any question that might be asked concerning the Masonic
oath. In the course of these examinations the Kirk Sessions discovered (for
they seem hitherto to have been ignorant of it) that men who were not architects
were admitted into the Order. On this account the Synod, in the year 1757,
thought it necessary to adopt stricter measures. They drew up a list of foolish
questions, which they commanded every Kirk Session to put to those under their
charge. These questions related to what they thought were the ceremonies of
Freemasonry and those who refused to answer them were debarred from religious
ordinances. The Act of the Associate Synod was in the following terms:
"Whereas the oath is
one of the most solemn acts of religious worship, which ought to be taken only
upon important and necessary occasions; and to be sworn in truth, in judgment
and in righteousness, without any mixture of sinful, profane, or superstitious
devices:
"And, whereas the
Synod had laid before them, in their meeting at Stirling on the 17th March,
1745, an overture concerning the Mason oath, bearing that there were very strong
presumptions that among Masons an oath of secrecy is administered to entrants
into their Society, even under a capital penalty, and before any of these things
which they swear to keep secret be revealed to them; and that they pretend to
take some of these secrets from the Bible; beside other things which are ground
on scruple, in the manner of swearing the said oath; and therefore overturning,
that the Synod would consider the whole affair, and give directions with respect
to the admission of persons engaged in that oath to sealing ordinances.
"And, whereas the
Synod in their meeting at Stirling on the 26th September, 1745, remitted the
overture concerning the Mason oath, to the several Sessions subordinate to them,
for their proceeding therein, as far as they should find practicable, according
to our received and known principles, and the plain rule of the Lord's word and
sound reason.
"And, whereas the
Synod at their meeting at Edinburgh on the 6th March, 1755, when the particular
cause about the Mason oath was before them, did appoint all the Sessions under
their inspection, to require all persons in their respective congregations, who
are presumed or suspected to have been engaged in that oath, to make a plain
acknowledgement, whether or not they have ever been so; and to require that such
as they may find to have been engaged therein, should give ingenious answers to
what further inquiry the Sessions may or cause to make, concerning the tenor and
administration of the said oath; and that the Sessions should proceed to the
purging of what scandal they may thus find these persons convicted of, according
to the directions of the above-mentioned Act of Synod in September, 1745.
"And whereas the
generality of the Sessions have, since the afore-mentioned periods, dealt with
several persons under their inspection about the Mason oath; in course of which
procedure, by the confessions made to them, they have found others, beside
themselves of the Mason Craft, to be involved in that oath; and the Synod
finding it proper and necessary to give more particular directions to the
several Sessions, for having the heinous profanation of the Lord's name by that
oath purged out of the congregations under their inspection. "Therefore the
Synod did and hereby do appoint that the several Sessions subordinate to them,
in dealing with penons about the Mason oath, shall particularly interrogate them
- if they have taken that oath, and when and where they did so? If they have
taken the said oath, or declared their approbation of it, oftener than once,
upon being admitted to a higher degree in a Mason lodge? If that oath was not
administered to them without letting them know the terms of it, till in the act
of administering the same to them? If it was not an oath binding them to keep a
number of secrets, none of which they were allowed to know before swearing the
oath? If, beside a solemn invocation of the Lord's name to that oath, it did not
contain a capital penalty of having their tongues and hearts taken out in case
of breaking the same? If the said oath was not administered to them with several
superstitious ceremonies: such as the stripping them of, or requiring them to
deliver up, anything of metal which they had upon them - and making them kneel
upon their right knee, bare, holding up their right arm bare, with their elbow
upon the Bible, or with the Bible laid before them - or having the Bible, as
also the square and compasses in some particular way applied to their bodies?
And if, among the secrets which they were bound by oath to keep, there was not a
passage of Scripture read to them, particularly I Kings vii, 21, with or without
some explication put upon the same for being concealed?
"Moreover, the Synod
appoint, that the several Sessions shall call before them all persons in their
congregations who are of the Mason Craft and others whom they have a particular
suspicion of as being involved in the Mason oath, except such as have been
already dealt with, and have given satisfaction upon that head; and that, upon
their answering the first of the foregoing questions in the affirmative, the
Sessions shall proceed to put the other interrogatories before appointed; as,
also, that of persons of the Mason Craft, applying for sealing ordinances, and
likewise others concerning whom there may be any presumption of their having
been involved in the Mason oath, shall be examined by the ministers if they have
been so; and upon their acknowledging the same, or declining to answer whether
or not, the ministers shall refer them to be dealt with by the Sessions, before
admitting them to these ordinances; and that all such persons offering
themselves to the Sessions for joining in covenanting work, shall be then
examined by the Sessions as to their concern in the aforesaid oath.
"And the Synod
further appoint, that when persons are found to be involved in the Mason oath,
according to their confessions in giving plain and particular answers to the
foregoing questions and professing their sorrow for the same; the said scandal
shall be purged by a sessional rebuke and admonition - with a strict charge to
abstain from all concern afterward in administering the said oath to any, or
enticing into that snare, and from all practices of amusing people about the
pretended mysteries of their signs and secrets. But that persons who shall
refuse or shift to give plain and particular answers to the foregoing questions,
shall be referred under scandal incapable of admission to sealing ordinances,
till they answer and give satisfaction, as before appointed.
"And the Synod refer
to the several Sessions to proceed unto higher censure as they shall see cause,
in the case of persons whom they may find involved in the said oath with special
aggravation, as taking or relapsing into the same, in opposition to warnings
against doing so.
"And the Synod
appoint that each of the Sessions under their inspection shall have an extract
of this Act, to be inserted in their books, for executing the same accordingly:'
In Roman Catholic
countries, in particular, the persecution of Freemasons continued with unabated
vigour. In Portugal brethren were exposed to the penalties ordained by its
bigoted rulers. In 1766 Major Francois d'Alincourt, a Frenchman, and Don Oyres
de Ponellas Pracao, a Portuguese nobleman, were imprisoned by the governor of
Madeira solely because of their membership of the Order. They were conveyed to
Lisbon where they were confined in a fortress for fourteen months until they
were released by the generous and persistent efforts of other members of the
Craft.
Towards the end of
1770 the governor of the Isle of Madeira, Jean Antoine de Sa Pereira, persecuted
several Freemasons, his action being said at the time to be for vengeance. His
despatches to the Marquis de Pombal, some of which are now in the keeping of the
Bibliotheque Nationale, are couched in bombastic and splenetic language, as may
be seen from the following specimen:
"In discharge of my
duty and as a faithful subject, I am compelled to describe to you the horrible
scheme of the most monstrous crimes concocted by the most diabolical of sects
and the most barbarous suggestions, such as in this enlightened age have never
been placed before the pious eyes of His Majesty. I call this sect diabolical,
because under the title of Freemasons they open their arms to embrace all the
nations of the world. They obey one visible head who bears the specious title of
'Very Worshipful,' who is said to have been elected to this position in
Scotland, of which nation he is a subject."
On 27th November,
1770, the enraged Governor Funchal informed the Marquis de Pombal of the
discovery of a group of Freemasons, which he proved to him by forwarding the
documents seized, among which were some Masonic catechisms. He added that these
impious people followed the anathematized maxims posed by Father Joseph Torrubia
in his book Sentinelle contre les Francs-Macons, a copy of which he also sent.
Aires de Ornellas Frazao, head of the Funchal custom house, and a very large
number of Freemasons in the island were the first to be arrested. When
interrogated, Frazao observed a strict silence, but in a letter to the
magistrate, he indulged in threats and endeavoured to outwit him with
subterfuges. However, his wife, when she was questioned, declared than an
engineer, Sergeant-major Francis d'Alincourt and Barthelemy Andrieux, both
Frenchmen, were also members of Craft. They were at once arrested. She then
gave the names of other persons whom she believed also be associated with the
Order, among whom were Julien Fernandez da Silva, a physician; Eumolpo Stanislas;
and Joachim Antoine Pedroso, who, in a letter sent London addressed to
Barthelemy Andrieux had referred to "the memory of our good brothers." Frazao
and d'Alincourt were sent to Lisbon but Andrieux asked to be interregated again,
when he avowed heresy, and having told the Governor all he wished to know, was
released. This man had previously been denounced to the Inquisition as a
libertine, because he had set the soldiers the bad example of eating meat on the
fast days prescribed by the Church, not attending Mass, and belonging to the
Freemasons.
On St. Januarius' Day
in 1776 the blood of saint is said to have refused to liquefy in the customary
manner and the agents of Tanucci, an unscrupulous and inveterate enemy of the
Craft, attributed this to the machinations of the Freemasons and a persecution
immediately followed. But Ferdinand's queen Caroline, who is said to have
"loved Masons well," interposed and in consequence of her advocacy the edict was
revoked and Tanucci dismissed from office.
The original Lodge of
John of Scotland founded France in 1778 on a warrant and constitution from the
Grand Orient of Paris had as its first Master the Abbe Bartolio, while among its
members were the Abbe Robinson, the Abbe Durand, Prior of Entraigne Dom Chabriet,
a Benedictine of the Monastery of Cluny.
Aix-la-Chapelle was
the scene of a severe persecution of Freemasons in 1779. A Dominican monk named
Ludwig Greinemann, a lecturer in theology, endeavoured to prove, in a course of
Lenten sermons, that the Jews whom he held to be responsible for the crucifixion
of Jesus, were members of the Masonic Order; that Pilate and Herod were the
Wardens of a Masonic lodge; that Judas before he betrayed his Master was
initiated in a lodge held in a synagogue; and that when he returned the thirty
pieces of silver he did no more than pay his fees for initiation into the
Order. A commotion was raised immediately among the people by these discourses,
and the magistrates of the city immediately issued a decree which provided that
"if any one shall offer a refuge in his house to Freemasons, or allow them to
assemble there, he shall be punished for the first offence with a fine of one
hundred florins; for the second offence, two hundred florins; and for the third
offence, with perpetual banishment from the city and its territories."
Meanwhile, however,
the Craft continued to grow. In 1787 a lodge was again established in Rome, but
the members were surprised by the officers of the Inquisition on 27th December,
1789, but the brethren succeeded in making their escape though the property and
archives were seized. On the same day the Inquisition captured that
arch-charlatan, Cagliostro, whose evil repute had acted very prejudicially upon
Freemasonry. The lodges in Lombardy issued a manifesto - which was laid before
the College of Cardinals - disclaiming all connection with him and defending the
Craft from the charges brought against it by the Papacy.
(To be continued)
THE FINALITY OF
MASONRY
BY BRO. LOUIS BLOCK,
P.G.M., IOWA
SOME YEARS ago a
great thinker and teacher, one George Burman Foster, now of sainted memory,
wrote an epoch-making book which he called "The Finality of the Christian
Religion." By this he did not mean the end of the Christian Religion in the
sense of its coming to a termination, but what he did mean was an effort to set
forth the true meaning and purpose of this great religion in its last and final
analysis.
In writing this book
this brave preacher performed a great service for Christianity, for he rescued
it from being smothered to death by the caking and crystallizing process with
which the creed-mongers were trying to encase it. This he did by showing that
real Christianity - the Christianity that Christ taught - was no mere matter of
fixed formulae, of rigid legalism, of hard and fast creeds. That on the
contrary it was a natural religion, taught by reason and inspired by nature,
which is after all but the visible garment of God. It found its voice in the
song of the birds and the brooks, in the murmur of the breeze and the majestic
roll of the thunder. It was a thing which, as Emerson put it, was in tune "with
the blowing clover and the falling rain." It was a living, breathing force, one
that could no more be confined within a creed, than a rose could be kept from
bursting from its bud. Christ cared naught for creeds but He was careful to
"consider the lilies how they grow." He knew that forms and ceremonies, creeds
and churches, towers and temples are not themselves religion, but the mere
trappings of it - mere modes of expression by means of which human souls have
striven since time began to make confession of the presence of God in the heart
of men.
Forms fade and die
away, creeds change and disappear, churches crumble to dust, but the Spirit
abides, for it is not they.
Today a great and
far-reaching cry responds from the Craft, calling for a leader who shall perform
fro Masonry the same great service that Prof. Foster rendered his religion.
For we face two
things that are fraught with menace for our institution.
One of these is a
growing superstition that worships the ritual like an idol - that tends to look
upon it as a thing and an end, in and of itself.
Another is a woeful
failure of many so-called Masons to get any sort of real idea about the great
lessons the ritual strives to teach, and a consequent wretched failure to make
its meaning, manifest either in the life of the individual Mason or of the
nation in which he lives.
Why is it so many
Masons continue to think that Masonry was not only brought into being, but
continues to exist, for the sake of the ritual and for that alone? All they seem
to talk about, or think about, or care about is "getting the work." In their
effort to become perfect in the letter of the ritual they would fain memorize
the punctuation marks if that were possible. Among them that man is the best
Mason who comes nearest a phonograph in the perfection of his word memory. All
too few of them make much, if any, effort to understand the spirit of the ritual
or to let that spirit have its perfect work in their thoughts and lives. Ask
one of these what a certain part or phrase of the ritual means, and he is not
only at a loss to know, but even wonders what is the matter with you, that you
should think it really had a meaning, or that he ought to know that meaning. He
has accurately committed his lines, repeated them without a mistake, and for him
that's enough. And it he can say them with fewer errors than you can, he thinks
himself a better Mason than you are - despite the fact that he has little or no
idea what those words mean.
Is Masonry an
institution that exists for the sole purpose of putting a premium upon the mere
ability to memorize?
Let us see.
From time immemorial
we have been taught that the design of the Masonic institution is to make its
votaries wiser and better and consequently happier, that we are to receive none
knowingly into our ranks except such as are moral and upright before God and of
good repute before the world, because such men when associated together will
naturally seek each other's welfare and happiness equally with their own. In
order that they may do so upon a common platform and become not weary in well
doing we obligate them by certain solemn and irrevocable ties that serve to bind
them together in this great and glorious work.
Now it must be
perfectly clear to any one who will give it a moment's thought that the mere
ability to commit words never made a man wiser and better, nor himself or his
neighbours any happier. But that it is only when he comes to grasp the noble
meaning that those words teach and makes that meaning to live in his daily life,
that any real good gets done.
What a wonderful
world this would be - what a heaven - life we would have on earth - if every
Mason would try half as hard to know the meaning, and to live it, as he does to
get the words of the ritual.
We are painfully
careful about a new brother's committing the words - we force him to learn them
- won't be decent to him till he does - but once he's got them, we let him go
hang as far as their meaning goes. As far as the words went he was subjected to
forced feeding, but when it comes to getting the meaning, he must forage for
himself. Having ground the words into him we let him grope for the rest.
Naturally he thinks his betters know what they are about, and noting where they
put the emphasis, he gets the words and - quits. Or if he goes on doing anything
it is simply to help some other brother to get the words, words, words. In
lodges where this sort of thing prevails real live men soon lose their interest
and stay away, for there is much better food for hungry souls to be found
elsewhere. That is the thing that causes so many lodges to die of dry rot.
For there is
something in the very nature of formalism that tends to fossilization. The
charm of novelty is a thing that cannot last, and endless repetition soon wreaks
ruin unless there is repeatedly brought to the mind of the Mason a re-vivifying
realization that there lies hidden within the ritual great thoughts and meanings
to come to know which means comfort in hours of care, an inspiration that
rescues life from becoming a dreary mill-round of fate, and reveals a path of
individual service, to follow which is to sweeten and sanctify the whole life of
the humblest mortal on earth.
But unless the Mason
comes to see these things, unless he gets the vision, unless the spirit that
lies within the letter be eternally made manifest, the ritual becomes like a
system of electric light wires from which the current is cut off, so that even
while crying for light, we grope in darkness, and Masonry fails in her function.
Of what avails our
elaborate system of "types, emblems, and allegorical figures" if these have
become as "sounding brass and tinkling cymbal" that strike upon deaf ears and
stir no life in our sodden souls?
Oh, yes, I know - we
are busily engaged in caring for our distressed, housing their bodies, clothing
their nakedness, and filling their bellies, nevertheless, and despite all that,
and until we go one step further, and systematically feed their starved souls,
our own included, Masonry will continue to fail in her function.
There is a great
hunger in the souls of men today - a lack and a want that neither food, clothes,
or shelter can fill. If Masonry is to save herself it must be by trying to
satisfy this want. To succeed it must be done systematically. Haphazard work
always has, and always will, fail. The only salvation that really saves is
systematic salvation. The only way to rescue and revive the ritual and restore
it to the brethren is by a systematic scheme for educating them in the things
for which it stands. Masons must be made to know that the ritual is no mere
magic sing-song of empty words, but is the stern story of the struggle and
travail of a human soul striving to attain light - that "Light that never was on
land or sea."
One who has just come
fresh from reading the thoughts of the leaders of the Masonic world will find a
wonderful accord among them concerning the thing they think the ritual is meant
to teach - things that make for nobler human life, in the home, on the street
abroad in the nation, and round about the globe. It is like a mighty chorus
singing, in unison -
"Hark to their
voices, they utter one Name One Lord, one Hope, one Brotherhood proclaim!"
It is these things
which when taught systematically that have in them the power to save. And it can
be systematically done, is even now being so done. You will be surprised to
learn how hungry the Masons are to go to school - all they want is a chance.
Give them a course of
study and broad-mind deep-thinking, forward-looking men - men with soul aflame
with their faith in human brotherhood, to teach them, and you simply cannot
drive them away from the Masonic study class.
In my own town, with
my own eyes I have seen it. Have seen a Masonic college professor lecture night
after night to an audience of three hundred brethren - men from all the walks of
life - "the butcher, the baker and the candle-stick maker" - they were all
there, they simply ate up that "high-brow stuff" and called for more. Sat for
over an hour, hearing him talk about such a thing as the "Psychology of
Architecture" forsooth! And the discussion and live debate that followed, the
interest and enthusiasm that were show and the new friends that were made -
friends of mind, heart, and soul! Why it would make you think Brother Kipling's
"Mother lodge out there"! And out of it all t |
