The herald., 1896-01-19
TO THE EDITOR
The Anti-Secret Convention


views and opinions of others as exhibited
by the recent fraternity at the Anti-Secret
convention a couple of days ago. In their
mad crusade against the secret societies in
general and the Free Masons in particular
these alleged expounders of the fatherhood
of God and brotherhood of man, resolved
amongst some other unworthy things that
"secret associations could only be MAIN
tanned at the cost of loyalty to Christ"
Such and kindred denunciations not
merely testify to the utter absence of the
principles of tolerance. love and forbear-
ance which was the central fact and ker-
mel in the teachings of Christ, but likewise
betray blank ignorance as to the nature
| and character, the aim and object OF secret
societies and the deep-wrought and far
reaching effects the activity of such socie-
ties have had upon the doings aud undo
ings of the world. The endorsement of
secret societies was plainly appa-
rent in the life and teachings of Christ
| In Matthew 13.v. 1O-1 !, the disciples
asked: "Why speakest Thou in parallels?
He answered and said unto them, because
| it is given you TO know the mysteries OF the
kingdom of heaven, but to them it Is not
given" Can any declaration for the iegit-
imacy and religious loyalty of secret So
! cieties be more pronounced. more unms-
taxable? Furthermore, the Bible informs
us that Christ enjoined his disciples not to
throw their pearls before swine. le., not TO
enunciate truths for the reception of which
the populace were not ripe. This statement
of Christ. of course, can only apply 10 so.
| cietes and institutions in their mental
treasure vaults. The propriety, however,
and supreme importance of this saying Is
apparent to everyone who has studied
human history, where it is shown again and
again that the presentation OF truths to
mankind which transcend the moral and
| mental attitudes of their minds is not
only useless as reformatory measure,
| but likewise may result in a downright
! evil. For truth is a double-edged sword,
and may cut both him who uses it and him
| against whom ii is used. according to how
! it is managed. The knowledge, for in
| stance, of certain powers and potencies in
herent in men and nature may, if in the
possession of a selfish. revengeful individ-
| ual, be the cause of untold and irredeema-
Bile suffering among mankind. Every
secret society whose secrecy has mean
ing and purpose, is based upon the OBJ
| servation made by every parent that there
is danger in children playing with fire.
arms. 1t is the sweeping majority which ig-
norance, superstition and selfishness holds
! in this world that has enforced and made
necessary the societies and organizations
of secrecy. Even if it be true, that super
stition and creduity of unspiritual man.
ton against those as yet unfit to use her
| higher gifts, still it has been shown by his
tory that more than one grand scheme has
! been frustrated by lack of secrecy of the
engineers. The sceReshifters and engin-
| eers that held in their hands the strings
| that regulated the movements of the ac-
| tors of some of our world dramas have
| been invisible first; afterwards, when the
feat was accomplished and nation had
been tided over some critical junctme of its
| life, did the secret of the modus operandl
| become the property of historians, or re-
mains, perhaps, secret forever.
1t is in the secret council OF some pene-
trating intellects that the plans have been
| draughted, the execution of which has
changed the destinies of nations and in
augurated new eras. Themistocles saved
Athens through such secret council.
Every nation in the world at some juncture
in its career has had It's destiny determined
by the secret council of some brave, far
seeing and resoute man. For it is
given to but a few of us to
possess the insight and calmness requisite
to those, that perform functions as train
| dispatchers of nations. The mental and
moral altitude of those men, enables them
to survey large stretches of the future and
upon that knowledge as a basis, regulate
| the present.
Nor should the reverend fraternity of the
| -anti-secret conventionists - one would
| the cloisters and monasteries of the dark
| ages served as secret repositories for a
| large number of writings of incalculaOle
value to religion and philosophy. Superb
| transations of work, at present extinct.
| were accomplished in these retreats, and
| most of the writings of our church fathers
| and early expositors of Christianity were
| thus tided over the maelstrym of fanaticism
: and iconoclam in the safe harborof refor-
nation. And indeed it was the hermetic
secrecy of the councils held in these clois-
ter cells by freethinking monks that under
| mined the papal power of Rome and made
reformation possible For through this inn
penetrable secrecy the engineers of that
| grand performance held the situation in
their own hands and could turn the wheels
\ into action when the hour struck. and the
| world was ready to receive the message of
mental and moral amelioration.
Again, the process of mental unfold.
ment proceeds from thought to action.
| Thought is the architectural design or plan,
after which the structure of an act is to be
| gauged. Following the s slent directions of
the design, the builders fill in section after
section, preparing the way for
the completion of the ediflce in full accord
| with the idea embodied in the design. On
| the other hand. what Bable-tower of con-
fusion and bewiderment would be the re-
| suit, were each one of the builders per-
mitted to contribute section of the de-
|
, propriety of secret societies. For the latter
| providing they are awake to the signfi-
cance of their postion) are dynamos of
| mental energy, despatching wave upon
| wave OF induction through the popular con-
sciousness, thus moulding the ideas of the
! nations.
All growth is secret. Nature maintains
| this secrecy in her operations in order to
secure herself from interruptions by the
shortsighted, the vainglorious and egotisti-
cal conspirators of a half developed
| humanity. But from her silent workshop
| issue forth in unbroken sequence marvels
upon marvels of beauty, wisdom and
power, manifested in all the kingdoms of
her domain. When her designs are
finished, and her ideation assumed SUBJ
stance, Nature projects her products into
the realm of visibility, for man to study, to
interpret and to utilize. Thus silence and
secrecy are ever the elements III which
| great things fashion themselves together.
| When the oak tree is felled the whole
forest echoes with III but a hundred acorns
are planted silently by some pnnoticed
| breeze. A. E. GIBSON.
| Retiring Our Gold From Circulation
EDITOR HERALD Financial object les
sons are coming thick and fast as we'll as
disastrously. The one now evolving will be