The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1831-06-29


and morality. s.l.-f,
But the Memoralists seen 70 approheno lna. s.A.l
che dreaded evils OF Masonc 81 ~ oo.,-
cations as far as they relate 70 lounges eso ues"
concentrated in the Grand Lodges eha shat Tue
nre rogatives they claim and exereise, The su-
I,teme bomqoev paid them, and the implicit obe-
dieuce" Welded to their laws and ofamances by
.be sphordinate Lodges and all Masnnss give them
power successfully to resist the 1egssiatiVe au-
iboritv and bid defiance 10 the laws. Fortunately
for n; and the community, VIC neither exercise,
,ossess or claim any such power or authority.
Rut if we did we appeal to the world, and ask,
Were they ever exercised with SO much prudence
and moderation BY any other body of men7 We
appeal to the annals Of the religious and political
world and we say it is without precedent that
a vast BODY of men associated together for so long
A period with the means attributed to US of becom-
ing tvrants, should have been noted for their firm
attachment to, and manly defence and support
of liberal governments, civil liberty, and human
rights If indeed we possess the preroga tives and
the power ascribed to u.s. it speaks volumes in IA
vor of Masonry, that she exercises over them such
a perfect salntary control, as so completely to
check the as Z ing ambition of men, as never to
permit her votaries to promote the cause of tyran-
ny and oppression, even from motives of self ag-
grandzement; fact of which we can justly boast
and we challenge contradiction !; but which We de-
y the Memorialists to point out in the history of
any other body, religious or political.
To show that their fears are well grounded the
De Witt Clinton. He says. " No Legislature can
create lodge THAT "All Charters and Dispen-
Stations to create such bodies, originate in Grand
Lodges THAT q The authority Of Grand Lodges
and duties of Subordinate Lodgesare not affected
BY acts of Incorporation, which are procured only
to enable them to hold property" And IN particu-
lar, that, In ALL CASES all Masons and all Lodg-
es are bound TO obey the ordinances and decisions
of the Grand Lodge, to which they are all attached"
This doctrine acknowledge TO be correct. But
L.. in he DD10F
we deny. 1t is there said, q the ordinances and
decisions of the Grand Lodge are paramount IN
ALL CASES to the civil authority; and that = OF
course if the Legislature requires of the members
Of Lodges to perform what the Grand Lodge deter
mines TO be contrary to the usages and laws OF
Masonry. the forme. must be set at nought, and the
latter implicitly obeyed." All this may appear
plausible, but is deceptive, and uniounded IN fact
Mr. Clinton did not say that the ordinances and de-
cisions of the Grand Lodge were paramount in ANY
case, to the civil authority Nor did he say they
must be IMPLICITLY, that is. asnressrredy, obeyed.
He knew better-every Mason knows better
we are prepared to shew.'
That . No Legislature can create Lodge is
-trle That all Lodges originate in Charters or
Dissertations from Grand Lodges. is true. So,
neither can Legislature create Church, which
is as fully independent Of that body, as Lodge
claims to-be. And we recognize the existence of
no constituted authority in the United States, to
intermeddle with the concerns of either Of us, so
long as We connne ourselves Wlthin the pals OF
law. II Subordinate Lodges are created by the
Grand Lodge, so are Churches created by Synods,
CONSIDERATIONS, and Ecclesiastical Councils Our
origins are analogous to each other; and neither
Churches nor Lodges acknowledge the slightest
ependence on Legislative authority. except in the
conferred powers of holding and managing their
corporate funds, and being protected in the enjoy
ment of their natural and constitutional rights &C
knowledged to belong to all not as gift from.the
Legislature, but as our own inalienabie property !;
held by virtue Of the title and character of free
born American Citizens As Churches are amena-
BILE to the bodies, in whom they have vested the
authority to govern them in matters of faith and
discipline, and to them only, we hold ourselves
bound as Hasons and Subordinate Lodges, " to
obey the ordinances and decisions of the Grand
Lodge to which" we are all attached
But be it remembered, that we do not hold the
" authority of the Grand Lodge" to be "para-
mount to the civil authority" in ANY case, within
the complicated jurisdiction of the q Constitution,
and constitutional laws of the land y nor does any
Mason or Subordinate Lodge hold itself bound,
implicitly" or without reSerre, to " obey the
dinances and decisions of the Grand Lodge" in
ANY case, where it becomes necessary, by so doing,
- to set at nought" the laws of the land. We have
one standing and invariable rule, by which, all
those ordinances and decisions must be tried and
to which, they must strictly conform, before they
become binding in ANY case They must be
found tn comport nth the rules and regulations
Of Masonry generally y and every Mason knows
that those 3" rules and regulations" lay him under
solemn responsibility to 20 BE QUIET AND PEACE
ABEE SUBJECT OF THE GOVERNMENT UNDER
WHICH HE LIVES, TRUE TO HIS COUNTRY AND ITS
LAWS, AND TO RENDER EQUAL JUSTICE TO ALL
MANKIND" 1t is thus, the laws and usages oil
Masonry fatty contradict the statements ofthe Me
norialists and shew that the civil authority must
IN all cases, be considered " paramount TO that OF
the Grand Lodge; and so be acknowledged by
them. And further, that no Mason, Subordi-
nate Lodge is bound to obey the ordinances and
decisions Of the Grand Lodge, even by virtue of
their Masonic obligations, farther than thoy are
constitutional and legal and this for the very val
i'd reason, that whatever does not " conform strict
ly to the Constitution and laws of the land" COM
ports not with the laws and usages of Masonry gen
orally; and hence, is unmasonc. The Grand
Lodge, therefore, is fullyconned within the meaning
of " the restrictive clause" of its Charter and so
are all Masons and Subordinate Lodges by the
PARAMOUNT laws and usages" of the order and
any ordinance or decision contrary to these, would
be treated with merited contempt
From the above considerations, do solemnly
aver, that the Memorialists have treated us with
unairness; and it is very difficult to to see how
any man or body of men, with knowledge of what
has now been stated, can suppose Masonry danger
GUS to the State We fully satisfied tina; before
such can be the fact, the principles and very ma
ture OF the institution must be completely changed
Then all its bonds will be dissolved and its doings
become perfect nulity But to remove all rea-
sonable doubts on this subject, we hereby declare
it as an " ordinance and decision" of this Grand
Lodge, that in ALL CASES, we consider and ac-
knowledge the civil authority Of our country and
State, paramount to our own. And we hereby alb
solve all Masons and Suhorddate Lodges, under
our jurisdiction, from any supposed Obligation to
consider our authority paramount to the ConstItu-
ton and laws of the land. And furthermore. we
strictly enjoin it on them to render implicit obe
dience to the civil authority in all cases. in prefer
ence 70 ours when that authority shall be exer-
cised within the true intent and meaning Of the
constitution of our country
We would here just observe, for the information
of those unacquanted with the facts, that Grand
Lodges are formed on principles purely republican.
They are the voluntary associations of Masters
and Wardens of Lodges, elected by the suffrapes
of the Members of Subordinate Lodges; Subordi-
nate, merely because they have voluntarily made
themselves So for the better government of the
whole. 1t will be seen, then that Grand Lodge
is the creature of the Subordinate Lodges, from
which, alone, they derive all the power they have.
The Grand Lodge has no power even to elect its
own members; but is compelled to receive such,