The gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1798-1799, 1799-01-14

i He deep laid plans Of WEIsHAUpr, to
iubvert government, to aunihlate religion, and
10 reduce mankind 10 their primeyal Rate, ef.
Pouled by the Pbil3Gtbsr5 and fet6y7nc,5 Of Eu-
roPe, ana BY the jac05iH5 Of America, have
Jutty excited the attention OF the public; and
awakened in your own bolom a pertinent iolici-
tude Tor the event. We fully agree with you,
that ne fro2t5 ct c0nIpUacy are the reGult, Of
lnconteltdble tatts--that the principles of A.
mexican l2cO5ns are derived from the Uugli.
It'd tocietils in France and Germany, and THAI.
i they be not checked by government, and BY
the coed tenle Of The people, they will finally
arrive to the fame dangerous and bloody ex,
IRENE.
Thus far we agree. But we dilaqree as to
the origin Of the Wanga7f, You inpute it to
The arts and t7trigHs5 of Mafons hence YOU
have drawn an inference unfavorable to ma
ionry % gersraL-a1d YOU ALTO fcem to imagine
that the ln.,itntion ilclf is impregated with
doctrines oPPoHte TO religion and government.
~ our want Of mafooic knowledge may, per
haPs, execute your doubts with rclped to the
real principles Of the fraterni,y--but when YOU
nJi7e or myreHssiUs the PLAIN import Of RoBr-
son. YOU del3rve not The leaG apology Whatever.
"a Placement ofa few GmPle t-tfs viii place The
1ubieSt in its true light
1t is a fac tina. WEIsHAUPr, after he had
conceived the VAT dcfgn Of ovcrtutning all the
civil and religious c&a5lilhmcnts in the world,
very ar.fully relorteJ to malons as The fi.teR
i7ltruments Of his dabolicaI urpof.s-becauie
mg4sry was neceAary u lucc5s, ana It could be
mp where 70 f5tey degoGted as il the bolon IN
lodge, in which Eaecy is enjoined, and which
IS not 70 liable TO excite the fulpicions of The
world. But It is equally true that the dirc-
pies TO his creed were deceived. 1t IS fac well
known, that m2lons have no conceptions Of I'D
principles and ceremonies Of The degrees above
thoi3 into which they have been Admitted.
Here then IS the point Of WElsHAuPr's du
PicIty. lie hrh prompted them with Il thirf
OF tatt-cr knowledge in the art-they believed
him to poLe.s it-and requeled Of him an ex-
petition ot tur,her nIyltcries. Thus were they
le1 Ike lambs to the Aaught1r-for WEIsH-
huPr, mtead ot Ccuterlng on them the true
Ualonic degree, Initiated bis deluded caLd.
dates into degrees Of bis own cortrivarce, cal
oulate- - >-rrurt their principles. and to
render the TreceP.s, hey had before heard in
cu'catcd in the lodges, Qale and dilTuRirr
Thcle new tangled deg rees were highly en-
| blazOned with ccrcmonI -s and emblems, which
no ether tendency THIN u niGead and amufe
l. IS true mat tie candidates now and then,
as The principles Of tbs new order were oradu-
ally unio.ded, itari led at their own crcdulity-
hnt r tondnis for novelty, The faithful tenant
obthe human brs lit, and the appearance of 70
muoh Ja1Tn4 mU1ry, induced them to procrels /:
They dId not even lufpea The corruption Of
their own pr nciPles and morals and when
they were admitted into The Mu7ir4ti, where
they beoan e fitted for every evil w.rk, their
deIuuon be came more. permanently fixed, and
they f.nIy believed, that they had now arriv-
ed 10 ne aTex Of malonic Eqh. Every thing
t-ey i@W Or heard inculcaed was dvine-and
their 8Ftaf JoHrGa' was conGdercd as the f,b.
llm- oracle q perfection itclf To this pol.
iuFed i3Grce The dhordeTs Of Europe may be
attributed and The Jacobns Of America ait
well the P Hr aligned them by lie Jacobins of
Paris.
Now, Fir, permit us to ak ought this fail-
~ and 'deluGon Of Maions 10 be conhdered as
an I'M .Jlcaticn OF maionry in general 4? AS well
NIGH. you fay, that the chrifian fyltem bas no
toun cation in truth, bcc2ulc its projections at
con .rary to its Precepts. Conhdering the ia
len Is, character, arts and intrigues Of WFIsH-
A'JFT, and the nature Of his dogmas, IS the
elufon he has proPagated Rrange and unna-
rural 1t IS true that, when we only view the
!, 6lar Of his lchemes, we are filled with lurprze
| and hOrror-but when we trace thele effects to
I their canJE5, we cea1c 10 wonder at the f1cCels
| Of bis plans. If we trenb'e at the rqrarer Of
| the former, we Rand atoriihcd at tile Astb az
the latter. Look at JtFrERsoN, CALLArIN,
| NICHOLAS, and MoNReB-they are the tue
| DIT C,f he
they have excited by the propagation ofrevoiu
tionary 1enuments, and the partizaDs they have
acquired, and then weep At the depravity Of
| human nature.
The point, therefore, on which we differ is