The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-08-17

stone Cottage on Chesapeake Bay. This prop
erty belongs to DR.. Leroy NJ. Taylor, SD de-
gree, who has fixed it up as a summer head
quarters which is largely patroniZed by his
friends of the Masonic fraternity. 1t is almost
a nightly occurrence to find some of the breth-
rem who have had the pleasure of spending a
few days at this delightful resort relating their
experiences and 'Wonderful Escapes i flood
and tield'' TO a crowd of interested listeners in
the offices of the sanctuary, and the creduous
manner in which stories are received which
would make a "Western paragrapher'' green
with envy is very complimentary to the reator.
1t has been suggested to the Doctor that the
only thing lacking is lodge-room in which
brethren of the Scottish Rite could hold their
meetings during these hot summer nights, as
among the guests quorum can usually be
counted.
1t is understdbd in a general way among
MasOns that fraternal intercourse between the
grand jurisdictions of the United States and the
Grand Orient OF France has been severed by the
action of the latter body in denying the exist
ence of the Deity. The real status of France
in this matter is not to any extent known. The
following bit of history will therefore prove
highly interesting. few months since the
Grand Orient of France invited the various
Masonic powers of the world, regular and ir-
regular to send delegates to an ''Internatonal
Masonic Congress" on the anniversary of the
destruction of the Bastile in 1883. An account
of the congress is given in the CHaiue d' Union
Portugal, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Roumania,
Greece, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Brazil
one from Australia, and one from Massa( hu-
setts. On the 18th of July the Brother Des-
mons took the floor to explain the notifications
ofthe constitution of the Grand Orient in regard
to the liberty of conscience. ''It is clearly es-
tablished, - he is reported saying, ''that only
bad faith could consider the suppression of the
dogmatic affirmation Of the existence of God
and of the Immortality of the soul as a negative
OF Deism and as consequently atheism. In
eliminating from its constitution declaration
of principles incompatible with the absolute
independence of thought the Grand Orient of
France has had for its object only to establish
purely and simply the strict neutrality of Free
masonry in the matter Of religious faith Our
institution in this respect interdicts itself from
denying or affirming anything whatever, and
leaves each of its members to form for himself
an opinion grounded on reason" No doubt
can subsist on this subject in regard TO the in
tentions of French Masonry. 1t is well, never
theless, to remark here that it is not precisely
at this point Of view that the bodies have placed
themselves which have broken official relations
with the Grand Orient of France. 1t is not the
suppression of dOgmatic affirmation that they
have objected to, but against that of one of the
essential symbols OF the order that is to say the
formula, $40 the glory of the Grand Architect
of the Universe" But there is very important
distinction to be made between dogma and a
symbol AS the first is absolute and tyrannical,
SO the second shows itself elastic and ready to
yield to the personal interpretations Of every
one. Masonry ought with the greatest care
reject the dogma, but it ought to respect the
symbol, without which it ceases to be, AS a
high Masonic authority expresses it: "The 'abso-
Lutte independence Of thought means, of course,
that the Grand Orient of France has removed
every obstacle that could prevent atheists being
initiated in its lodges. 1t is true that it does
not ayow itself atheistic that the erasure of the
formula is not denial of the existence of God:
but it is true that it opens its doors to ayowed
atheists and asks them TO enter" The above
shows the exact stand the Grand Orient Of
France has taken in this matter, and also shows
the justice OF the action of the American grand
lodges in seyering fraternal relations with the
misguided Grand Orient Of France