Grand Lodge Of Emergency.

voluntary act , whatever the person's religion ; and it was impossible for Freemasonry or Freemasons to interfere between a man and his minister . If they attempted to do this , they would go against the fundamental principle of the association . Again he entreated the Lodge by no means to attempt to interfere between man and his minister ; because ho believed it would do harm rather than good , inasmuch as , in the present instance , the sufferers had already shown their inability to resist oppression . He trusted therefore the noble Brother would withdraw his motion .

W . Bro . BEACH said—The W . Brother who had just addressed G . L ., appeared to misconceive the purpose of the motion . It was not intended to vilify or abuse the Roman Catholic Church ; it simply regretted the antagonistic position which that church had assumed . ( Bro . Roxburgh ; " No . " ) Surely a refusal of the rites of religion is an antagonistic position , or nothing is antagonistic in this world . For the origin of the feelings which the Roman Catholic Church entertained towards our Order , we must look back to the period of the French Revolution . It was there that a spurious Freemasonry was

introduced , by the Illuminati of Germany , to support the principles of that Revolution , which threatened to subvert all ancient institutions—to sweep away the altar and the throne in one common ruin . Wo must endeavour to disabuse tiiem of these prejudices by drawing rip a short account of some of our principles—embodied they could not be better than in the beautiful words of our ancient charge , " Loyalty to the Sovereign of our native land , and obedience to the laws oF any state which may , for a time , become the place of our residence . "

W . Bro . WEBB must go with the opposition side against the motion . He disapproved as much as any one of bigotry towards Freemasons , and he felt as much as any one the oppression which brother Freemasons elsewhere sustained ; but he was at a loss to see how that bigotry and oppression could be overthrown , or how a contrary feeling towards Masonry would be produced among the Roman Catholic priesthood , by a motion such as that before Grand Lodge , Ho entertained objections towards the motion , because it was always objectionable to discuss any matter , in which the principle ; of religion were mixed up . The fundamental principle , which all Masons were prepared to maintain was , that the doctrines of Christianity were to beheld apart from any discussion ; that was a rule which was never to be broken through . Free-masonry was open to all Creeds , whether

Christian , Roman Catholic , or Jew It held out the hand of friendship to all alike , and it would be unbecoming in them to acknowledge or give countenance to such principles as that sought to be laid down in the first part' of the motion . Now he differed from the second part of the motion , which proposed that the Board of General purposes should prepare a statement of the principles of their society . It was not necessary to prepare such a statement . The principles of Freemasonry were . generally known , they were those of Brotherly Love , Relief , and Truth . It was not by such resolutions as that

before the meeting , that the world was to be convinced of the truth and value of the principles of Freemasonry . Brotherly love was best inculcated by forbearance and toleration to all ; relief to distressed Brethren was best shown by the numerous Charities established by the Craft ; and truth was best manifested , by the fact of their carrying out honestly and impartially the principles they professed . If Masons followed this course , they had nothing to fear ; they might defy hostility ; and the shafts of calumny aimed against them would fall pointless to the ground . ( Cheers . )

XV . Bro . BIN ' CKES would not have risen to lake any part in the discussion , had it not been for some of the observations that had fallen from worshipful Brothers . As to what had been said , about the necessity of steering clear of religious topics , and the assertion , that if we took up the cause of our oppressed fellow-Freemasons in foreign countries , we should be throwing down the gauntlet to all other creeds , —he would in reply remind Grand Lodge , that the motion applied to a specific subject and a particular grievance ; and that therefore it was considered to bo a subjectwith which the

, Grand Lodge of England was competent to deal . It did not matter to them who or what religious sect originated this persecution ; the only question to regard was , whether needless and special persecution took place on a specific ground . Looking at the matter in this point of view , he would say—that whether it was the Jewish , the Roman Catholic , or any other religion , that had taken up an antagonistic position against Freemasonry , was beside the real question . Had their suffering brethren been laboring under disabilities imposed by Jew or Mahometanhe should have counselled them to

, yield . But the Roman Catholic church , by its acts , bad taken itself without the pale of tolerance ; and the oppressions they had inflicted on Roman Catholic Freemasons , in his opinion , called upon all their brother Freemasons , in every part of the world ,. to sympathize with them . Whether they were to adopt the plan of a memorial , or to

draw out a statement of principles—he could not help thinking , that it could not be productive of harm , even if it did no good . He asserted there was a vast amount of ignorance amongst the masses of Roman Catholics , on the subject of Freemasonry . Taking a broad , general view of the question , he thought it would be of advantage to state publicly to the world—without disclosing those secrets , which were locked up in the breast of every Mason—what were the sentiments , the professions , and the motives of Freemasons as a body . There might bo some force in the remark , that we

ought not to interfere against persecutions of Roman Catholics in foreign countries , for that might be interfering with the government of those countries . But then there were instances , even in our own free dominions , where Masons had been subjected to oppression , on account of their adhesion to Freemasonry . He believed that Freemasons had suffered oppression in some " of the West India possessions . An allegation of specific grievances , sustained by Freemasons in Trinidad , had been made ; though conscientiously professing the Roman Catholic religionthey were denied

, the rites of marriage and burial , because they were Freemasons . And was ho to be met by language to the effect , that these things ought not to be stated in Grand Lodge ? Why not stated in Grand Lodge ? why were oppressions , acknowledged to exist , not to be noticed here ? why—when their brethren in foreign Lodges were denied the rites of marriage and burial , because Freemasons—were they to be told that , as a general principle , the Grand Lodge of England would neither act in their behalf , nor yield them sympathy ?

These were questions , he seriously commended to the notice and attention of every member of Grand Lodge : ho asked them to turn it over in their breast , and he hoped they would agree to the principle of the motion , for he really believed , the Roman Catholics were not so well acquainted with the principles of Freemasonry as they might be . The resolution did not aim at any religion in particular . Ho should support the resolution , and he felt it to be his duty to call on themnot to be led away by the eloquence of W

, . Bro . Havers , or specious objections to a motion , so inoffensively framed as not to offend the prejudices of any Brother , whatever might be his religion . \ V . Bro . MASON : —If any Worshipful Brother had attempted to bring under discussion a single dogma of any particular church , he was satisfied that every hand in the Lodge would have been held up

against the resolution . But nothing ol that kind had been attempted —no dogma of any church had been brought under discussion . He admitted they had no right , as Masons , to discuss such questions , but they were not prohibited from entertaining feelings of brotherly love towards their foreign brethren , and doing what they could to soothe their affliction . Whatever might be the creed or the country , he thought it was the duty of Freemasons , if a church placed itself in antagonism with the Craft , to prevent the interference of that power with the proper privileges of Freemasonry . He would not

go into the dogmas of any class , but when a church placed itself in antagonism with Freemasonry , it was their undoubted right to let that church , and all the world , know what the grand principles of Freemasonry were , and he could therefore conceive no possible harm would arise from passing the motion . V . W . Bro . Grand CHAPLAIN Cox : —The Worshipful Brothers who had addressed Grand Lodge , apparently had forgotten that the Church of Rome declared itself infallible , and that it would never rescind any decree it miht have issuedeven though directed

g , against Masonry , because that assumption of infallibility would thereby be impugned . He thought the Worshipful Brother was in error when he said that the principles of Freemasonry wore not known to the Roman Catholic Church . He must distinctly deny that this was so ; the Roman Catholic Church knew and understood what were the principles of Masonry as well as Masons themselves . And it was because they knew these principles intimately that they carried on persecution against Freemasons . If the present resolution was carriedho felt assured it would only be a source of deeper

, persecution to their Roman Catholic brethren . The only course for Grand Lodge , therefore , to take , was , to act as a Worshipful Brother had suggested—to content themselves with expressing sympathy for the oppressions sustained by their brethren . The Roman Catholic priesthood must be permitted to take their own course with respect to Freemasonry ; they would take their course , and without altering their dogmas altogether , it would be impossible to make them change their system . He earnestly asked Grand Lodge not to adopt such a proceeding as would only serve to

increase the principle of persecution . The suffering brother must look for aid where only aid could be obtained—to the Great Architect of the Universe ; and he would again pray the meeting not to carry the motion , feeling satisfied that every Roman Catholic priest knew everything that was connected with the order of Free-