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Article ON FREEMASONRY, ← Page 2 of 6 →
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On Freemasonry,
page or two in Watts' Scripture Catechism , and that this was the extent of his reading in divinity , what would he deserve ?" " Why , to he kicked out as an impudent impostor . " " Right . We will suppose further that one of her Majesty's ministers should proclaim , from his place in the House of Commons , that he hud never read a single page of either history or political economy , and that lie entertained the utmost contempt for such a course of study , —what then ?" " We should sayin such a casethat the duty which her Majesty owes
, , to her people , would oblige her to dismiss him from office , lest , by bis ignorance and incapacity , he should involve the country in some great calamity . " " Then , sir—excuse me—perhaps you think that some degree of qualification is necessery to enable a public man to hold any high official situation ?" " Certainly . We are surprised , James , that you should ask such an absurd question . "
" And yet , sir , if you look into the details of Freemasonry , of which you are the public director , you will find that your rule does not hold good . " " How is that , sir ? Men cannot be permitted to hold high offices in our noble Order without the necessary qualifications . They must have been initiated , passed , and raised , at the least . " "And is that all ?" " By no means . They ought to be perfectly acquainted with the Lodge Lectures , and the ceremonies of the Order "
"And read ?" " Yes , and read ; that they may become versed in its poetry and philosophy , as well as to acquire a competent knowledge of its laws and constitutions . Else how can they be qualified to regulate the discipline of the
lodges ?" " Take care wdiat you say , sir , or I shall catch you tripping . Will you have the goodness to tell me what is the duty of the officers of Grand Lodge ?" " To assist the Grand Master in its government . " " They ought , therefore , to have a perfect knowledge of the minutiae of the system . " " Certainly ; for in the absence of such a knowledge they would be
incompetent to hold the office . " " And how is that knowledge to be acquired ?" " By a regular attendance on the duties of their lodge ; by passing honourably through all its offices ; and by reading and reflection in private . " " Now , sir , I have you ; for in your own reports we find many Grand Officers publicly declaring , at successive Grand Lodges , that they had not complied with these requisitions ; that they had never studied the subject at all ; and that they had not even read the ' Freemasons' QuarterlReview '
y , which is the only accredited organ of the Order in these dominions ; and without a knowledge of its contents , I am sure no one can understand the real nature and design of our noble institution . And therefore it follows that your theory is Utopian , and not adapted to the refinement of the times in which we live . A man is capable , now-a . days , of holding a dignified office , although professedly ignorant of the first principles of the science he undertakes to explain ; and a grave professor , like any street-preacher , may thusby virtue of the cramming processflourish away at his easeeven
, , , though he be ignorant of his ABC . Now , if I were a masonic legislator , I would frame a series of examination questions , embracing every important point of doctrine , discipline , history , philosophy , and law ; for how can a man be qualified to regulate the details of an institution about which he professedly knows nothing . I would have every Grand Officer understand distinctly what is a landmark aud what is not , —for there appears , as we
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Freemasonry,
page or two in Watts' Scripture Catechism , and that this was the extent of his reading in divinity , what would he deserve ?" " Why , to he kicked out as an impudent impostor . " " Right . We will suppose further that one of her Majesty's ministers should proclaim , from his place in the House of Commons , that he hud never read a single page of either history or political economy , and that lie entertained the utmost contempt for such a course of study , —what then ?" " We should sayin such a casethat the duty which her Majesty owes
, , to her people , would oblige her to dismiss him from office , lest , by bis ignorance and incapacity , he should involve the country in some great calamity . " " Then , sir—excuse me—perhaps you think that some degree of qualification is necessery to enable a public man to hold any high official situation ?" " Certainly . We are surprised , James , that you should ask such an absurd question . "
" And yet , sir , if you look into the details of Freemasonry , of which you are the public director , you will find that your rule does not hold good . " " How is that , sir ? Men cannot be permitted to hold high offices in our noble Order without the necessary qualifications . They must have been initiated , passed , and raised , at the least . " "And is that all ?" " By no means . They ought to be perfectly acquainted with the Lodge Lectures , and the ceremonies of the Order "
"And read ?" " Yes , and read ; that they may become versed in its poetry and philosophy , as well as to acquire a competent knowledge of its laws and constitutions . Else how can they be qualified to regulate the discipline of the
lodges ?" " Take care wdiat you say , sir , or I shall catch you tripping . Will you have the goodness to tell me what is the duty of the officers of Grand Lodge ?" " To assist the Grand Master in its government . " " They ought , therefore , to have a perfect knowledge of the minutiae of the system . " " Certainly ; for in the absence of such a knowledge they would be
incompetent to hold the office . " " And how is that knowledge to be acquired ?" " By a regular attendance on the duties of their lodge ; by passing honourably through all its offices ; and by reading and reflection in private . " " Now , sir , I have you ; for in your own reports we find many Grand Officers publicly declaring , at successive Grand Lodges , that they had not complied with these requisitions ; that they had never studied the subject at all ; and that they had not even read the ' Freemasons' QuarterlReview '
y , which is the only accredited organ of the Order in these dominions ; and without a knowledge of its contents , I am sure no one can understand the real nature and design of our noble institution . And therefore it follows that your theory is Utopian , and not adapted to the refinement of the times in which we live . A man is capable , now-a . days , of holding a dignified office , although professedly ignorant of the first principles of the science he undertakes to explain ; and a grave professor , like any street-preacher , may thusby virtue of the cramming processflourish away at his easeeven
, , , though he be ignorant of his ABC . Now , if I were a masonic legislator , I would frame a series of examination questions , embracing every important point of doctrine , discipline , history , philosophy , and law ; for how can a man be qualified to regulate the details of an institution about which he professedly knows nothing . I would have every Grand Officer understand distinctly what is a landmark aud what is not , —for there appears , as we