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Article ON FREEMASONRY, ← Page 4 of 5 →
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On Freemasonry,
by , mankind can see too plainly to be any longer the dupes of such absurd pretences ?'" " Snuff me those candles , quoth the barber ! Yes ; I am perfectly indifferent to all assertions which are unreasonable ; and particularly to such absurd pretences as distinguish Mr . Soane's hypothesis ; for the conclusion is the very same , and almost expressed in the very words , which "Voltaire , Weishaupt , Cagliostro , and their associates , pressed upon the French people , to destroy tbe influence of religion , before that Great Revolution which brought a monarch and myriads of his subjects to the guillotine ; and was reiterated by Paine , Carlile , and all the atheists and infidels of our own country , who were desirous of relaxing the bonds that cement the allegiance of the people to the altar and the throne . Its soundness has been tested ,
and cast aside , not merely as useless , but as destructive of the happiness of civil and social life . " We might probably have expressed ourselves warmly on this point , for our companion took us up with , " Keep your temper , my dear friend ; your hobby still remains intact . The only wonder is , how Freemasonry , although it may be perfectly innocent , should be a hobby with any man of sense . " " There it is now ! You think our pursuits are childish ; and we admit it is not the first time that we have heard such an accusation maintained .
Our opponents , assuming that Freemasonry is frivolous , will still allowwhich is no slight recommendation ofthe Order—that it does not inculcate any practices which are at variance with the interests of society , for frivolity , however it may be unbecoming to the dignity of man , is at all events innocent . " " And therefore useless ; " my companion quickly interposed . " Useless ! Let Masonry be carefully and minutely examined—let it be traced through all its divisions and degrees—let its doctrine , its discipline , and its ceremonies , be critically analyzed , by friends or by enemies—no
matter which—and there will be found in it nothing really objectionablenothing useless . The caviller may express his doubts about the eligibility or expediency of some particular rites , but it is because he does not possess the key to enable him to ascertain their moral and social reference . " " All this is very well , " said B , with that knowing twinkle of the eye for which he is so remarkable , " but cui bono ? wherein is the Freemason superior to the profane ? " " Because he is in membership with an institution which embraces all
those prominent virtues that bear directly on the public good , and tend to cement the general interests of onr speeies , by an amelioration of the mind and manners , and a prevention of the evils which usually arise from the absence of moral cultivation . " " Why , then , are not these effects visible to the eye ? Why do they not appear on the surface ?"
" My friend , they are visible to the eyes of every wise and prudent man . But the cowan is wilfully blind—he will not enquire—he will not analyzeit is too much trouble . He has learnt by rote a few parrot-like phrases , and drivelling attempts at argument ; and these he repeats , ad nauseam , without ever trying to ascertain whether they are true or false ; although they have been refuted a thousand and a thousand times over . He can form no idea of the beauty of masonic sociality ; and therefore he is content with retailing a certain modicum of twaddle , which goes down very well with
superficial or prejudiced hearers , and satisfies them that he is a very clever fellow . " " It may be so . I am quite willing to confess that I know nothing certain about your practices . " " Then you have not read Dr . Oliver ' s masonic works , which we have so frequently recommended as worthy of your attention ? " " No , indeed . I am neither a Mason nor a lover of Masonry , and therefore it is very unlikely that I should spend my time in reading masonic
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Freemasonry,
by , mankind can see too plainly to be any longer the dupes of such absurd pretences ?'" " Snuff me those candles , quoth the barber ! Yes ; I am perfectly indifferent to all assertions which are unreasonable ; and particularly to such absurd pretences as distinguish Mr . Soane's hypothesis ; for the conclusion is the very same , and almost expressed in the very words , which "Voltaire , Weishaupt , Cagliostro , and their associates , pressed upon the French people , to destroy tbe influence of religion , before that Great Revolution which brought a monarch and myriads of his subjects to the guillotine ; and was reiterated by Paine , Carlile , and all the atheists and infidels of our own country , who were desirous of relaxing the bonds that cement the allegiance of the people to the altar and the throne . Its soundness has been tested ,
and cast aside , not merely as useless , but as destructive of the happiness of civil and social life . " We might probably have expressed ourselves warmly on this point , for our companion took us up with , " Keep your temper , my dear friend ; your hobby still remains intact . The only wonder is , how Freemasonry , although it may be perfectly innocent , should be a hobby with any man of sense . " " There it is now ! You think our pursuits are childish ; and we admit it is not the first time that we have heard such an accusation maintained .
Our opponents , assuming that Freemasonry is frivolous , will still allowwhich is no slight recommendation ofthe Order—that it does not inculcate any practices which are at variance with the interests of society , for frivolity , however it may be unbecoming to the dignity of man , is at all events innocent . " " And therefore useless ; " my companion quickly interposed . " Useless ! Let Masonry be carefully and minutely examined—let it be traced through all its divisions and degrees—let its doctrine , its discipline , and its ceremonies , be critically analyzed , by friends or by enemies—no
matter which—and there will be found in it nothing really objectionablenothing useless . The caviller may express his doubts about the eligibility or expediency of some particular rites , but it is because he does not possess the key to enable him to ascertain their moral and social reference . " " All this is very well , " said B , with that knowing twinkle of the eye for which he is so remarkable , " but cui bono ? wherein is the Freemason superior to the profane ? " " Because he is in membership with an institution which embraces all
those prominent virtues that bear directly on the public good , and tend to cement the general interests of onr speeies , by an amelioration of the mind and manners , and a prevention of the evils which usually arise from the absence of moral cultivation . " " Why , then , are not these effects visible to the eye ? Why do they not appear on the surface ?"
" My friend , they are visible to the eyes of every wise and prudent man . But the cowan is wilfully blind—he will not enquire—he will not analyzeit is too much trouble . He has learnt by rote a few parrot-like phrases , and drivelling attempts at argument ; and these he repeats , ad nauseam , without ever trying to ascertain whether they are true or false ; although they have been refuted a thousand and a thousand times over . He can form no idea of the beauty of masonic sociality ; and therefore he is content with retailing a certain modicum of twaddle , which goes down very well with
superficial or prejudiced hearers , and satisfies them that he is a very clever fellow . " " It may be so . I am quite willing to confess that I know nothing certain about your practices . " " Then you have not read Dr . Oliver ' s masonic works , which we have so frequently recommended as worthy of your attention ? " " No , indeed . I am neither a Mason nor a lover of Masonry , and therefore it is very unlikely that I should spend my time in reading masonic