Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-06-22
The Masons and the Ministers.


There has been held in this city
during the last few days, an assembly
OF clergymen and of others to CON
slider and recommend the best means
of arousing the American people to O
sense of the moral and political dam
gers to be apprehended from further
liberation ofsecret societies, especial
ly the Mssons. The principle OBJ
lection Of these gentlemen, represent.
ing large body of the people, is that
the Masonic Ritual, though founded
upon the theory of Supreme Being,
the unchanging Creator and Ruler OF
all things, docs not, from first to last,
recognize Christ as God, and that it
ignores His Divinity. One of the
very eminent speakers pointed out,
at the distinction between the Amer
lean Protestant Association and the
Masons, to be that, while both are
secret, the former recognized Christ
and the latter did not.
The defence Of the Masons to this
objection is an obvious one. Their
order claims to be universal. 1t en-
braces men of all races, tri res and
creeds; it takes in the Asiatic, Afrio
can, European and aboriginal Ameri-
can. 1t includes men of every faith,
who worship a Supreme God. To
demand a belief in the Divinity OF
Christ would destroy this universally
ty, and confine its membership to
believers in the Christian faith
The other objections to the Masons
are consequent upon this leading one,
and tho other secret orders, such as
Odd Fellows and Good Templars,
were treated as mere limitations of
Masonry, which would perish with
It's fall. In fact, one of the reverend
gentlemen declared that the Good
Templars were nothing more than
''courting societies"-an announce
ment calculated to increase their
membership among the romantic and
susceptible of both sexes.
The general tone ofthe convention
was denunciatory of the newspaper
press, because it did not hold up
Missionary as fearful evil; vet the
convention, as we have stated, placed
their objection to that order upon a
question of religious faith. 1t is no
part OF the duty of the secular news
paper press to proclaim a national
theology, and to hold all men as
enemies of the country who do not
accept that theology. In the first
place, it would be a presumption on
the part of the press, and direct
interference with those who are chosen
to teach the law of God. 1t is more
than probable, too, that the newspa~
pers wocld be as hopelessly divided
IS mankind at large upon the proper
theology to be enforced and thus,
instead of crushing out the disbe.
lovers, the latter, though their por,
ton OF the press, would be making
wholesale conversions from the ranks
of the faithful.
AS long as the charge against the
Masons in their omission, as an order.
TO declare the Divinity of Christ, the
objection isnot peculiar to the Masons
but applies to all that portion Of the
people who not only omit such de-
claration but reject the doctrine
There are religious papers without
number; every religious denomina-
ton has at its service printing press.
es, from which information and in,
struction upon religions matter arc
sent forth without limit to the peo-
pie Of this and all other countries
The Bible is printed in every Ian,
guage and in cheap forms, and is dis
tributed gratuitously to all who will
take it. Thousands of puIpits are
constantly filled by eminent and pro,
found Doctors of Divinity expound-
ing the Gospel and preaching it
sublimities and it's truth. If, in the
face OF these means, the truth is over
whelmed and Christianity is rejected
even here at our doors, it is ungener.
GUS on the part of these Christian
teachers to attribute the responsible
ty to the newspapers. The news
papers of the day publish occasional
items OF Masonic news, just as they
do OF things taking place in Turkey,
Japan and China but they publish,
also, every item of religious intelli-
gence, and great many sermons
The bane Cf there be such a thing)
is always accompanied by the anti
dote. The newspaper press can take
no part IN war upon Masonry or
any other institution, so lone as the
objection thereto is purely theologi>
cal. Every citizen, whether he be
Christian or not, is entitled to re>
spectful liberation of his religious
belief, and that federation the news
papers will maintain as matter of
principle and without reference to
the theology assaulted.
sea- The New York Commercial I'D