The Hickman courier., 1869-04-03
FREEnAsOyRv.

I month, praying Congress to refuse cha
! ters 10 any secret associations. and to r,
r peal the law under which the Mason
/ Hall Association of the District of CO
: lumbia obtained its charter.
r The petitioners based their hostilis
c to the ancient Institution of Freemasonr
E on several seriotss charges, which. if we
founded. would have fully justified the
, action
Our duty as public journalists. lead
! US to examine these charges. as the O,
ganization thus assailed extends ever a
the world, aEd claims to have been e
tablished with the praiseworthy obiee
, OF ineuleating the practice Of social an
moral virtue.
A careful study of its history has con
yinced US that It Is, what it processes t
be, 2 beautiful SYSTEM of morality, yeile,
IN allegory and illustrated by symbols
There are no secrets as to its principle
aud objects.
The first of the charges referred to. /
I that 4 Masonic associations are danger
ous'to republican governments y - otIl
! lsss, can slss Ea.aEe aatrue. tLan this.
Monarchy Is a hereditary, FreclIason.
Fy an elective Institution. In the one tbs
sovereign, claiming to rule by an inherit
ed right divine, Is regarded as the foun.
tam Of all honor and power, in the other,
the people are acknowledged to be the
only source Of control.
All Offices in the masonic fraternity,
being in the gift of the craft. govern
( ment Is strictly elective, and consequent
/ iy, republican IN It's form aud character.
IreemasOEFy dangerous to Republican
institutions. 1t might as well be assert
ed that knowledge was dangerous to free
/. dom. The true model of we'll ordered
republic IS just and duly constituted
masonic lodge.
Our great Washington, the memory Of
whose virtues, valor, and patriotism will
remain forever enshrined In the hearts
OF has cOuntrynen, was one Of the great
est ornaments Of the frzterity Identified,
as he was, with the institution. if Ii had
been antagonistic IN its principles or
practice TO republican government, would
he have contented himself with Presi-
dental chair when he might have mount
ed royal throne?
The wiseacres of Ohio. whose minds
Il may be impossible TO irradiate with
the light of truth, also assert, that for 4
long time. masonic societies have direct
ed their efforts, in this country, towards
the support Of slavery and the inception
OF rebellion 10 its behalf In reply TO
this. suffice II TO say that every mason Is
strictly enjoined TO be a peaceful ans
quiet citizen, true TO his government an !
"a his -
disioyaity or rebellion, but patiently TO
submit to legal authority, and conform
with cheerfulness TO the government of
the country IN which he lives" The
charge Of inciting TO rebellion, etc. Is.
therefore, as false as that Of .'Deryerting
the aation, and forbidding to give tribute
to Cesar which was brought against
.he founder Of Christianity--
Who does not know that the essential
Of Masonry, when not per-
verteA Is Charity, and that Brotherly
love, Relief and Truth, are the eeraeT
stones of the Masonic Temper How.
then, can that be a pro-slavery institu
ton. which teaches its members to aid in
the erection of that universal and eternal
temple. which viii, one day. enclose al
humanity within Its precincts? 81
The petitioners say that Freemason
are bound by barbarous oaths repug
nant 70 law, human and divine
This is another infamous falseho0d.
The solemn obligations which Masons
assume have been entered
into BY some Of the wisest and most viz
tuous men of all ages and countries since
the DAYS Of King Solomon Would they
have bound themselves BY barbarous
and unlawful oaths p
Again, it is charged by the petitioners
that she youth OF the country are taught
in Masonic lodges . the pernicious prac-
tees Of conspiracy" and thst these in
stitutious. through the use of vague signs
and symbols, insiduously calculated TO
deceive, :. hsbituate the young and in
nocent to the ways Of duplieity aad de-
moralization The allusiou to the young
aud innocent Is easily disposed of as no
one not of lawful age can be made I
Mason
As to the rest. we have The best au-
thority for stating that desire Of knowi-
edge and sincere wish OF being service
able to his fellow creatures Is tie open
sesame" for every man 10 every masonic
lodge on the face of the globe. and Il
anv evil thing be discounteuanced by
Freemzsonry, more than another. it is
disloyalty, or conspiracy against lawful
government. It's signs and symbols, cor
stitute universal language understood
by al Masons. True, they are secret
and inviolable. This, however, is mani
fest necessity. for were il otherwise, how
could one Mason know another with
whom he was previously unacquainteds
with certainty. The signs aud symbols
sre only vague to the uninitiated, but
70 Nasons instructed IN those duties to-
wards God and man which masonry in
cuIcates. thes are full Of meaning, truth,
and power. Wherever the light of k6owi-
edge has dispelled the mists of iguor-
ance OF the torch Of science revealed the
hidden wonders Of creation, CT an alter
heen erected TO the Architect Of the Uni
verse. there masonry exerts It's benig0
influence uniting men in an adamantine
bond of brOtherly love
.trA.t sacred tie which virtuous spirits
bind
that golden chain which links immortal
Vague signs and symbols do they
call theml =. Hence. says = we'll in
formed masonic suthor-" many sdvsn-
tsgss are derived the distant Chinese.
the Wild Arab, and the American savage.
vii embrace Brother Briton. aud know
that besides the common ties of humzni-
II. there Is still stronger obligation to
induce him to perform kind and friendly
oSees. In fine. the sacred teBets Of the
order are 50 entirely Incompatible with
impiety and immortality that none but a