The record-union., 1896-03-09
THE POPE AND SECRET CONTRA
TERNITIES.


reign of Augustus private assembly was
denied except for funeral purpose. Sep
ulture was deemed of the highest i'm
portance, because of the dogma of the
resurrection of the body. Burial asso-
Citations were allowed, but such associa-
tions were not permitted to have a
Grand Lodge or common head. This
denial of a central authority was to
make them less dangerous to the State.
Absolutism has much to fear from the
right of private assembly. The freedom
of association in a private order is al
ways favorable to the PRONUNCIATION of
the principles of liberty. On the basis
of fraternity, men become more humane.
Liberty is the outgrowth of philanthro-
py To say this in another form, it is the
love of mankind in general which en-
genders a love of human liberty.
The old Roman prejudice against the
right of private assembly still exists in
the Catholic Church as a rudiment. The
Holy See has forever been the enemy of
private confraternities. This opposi
tion is a legacy which has descended
from very ancient times. 1t is imbed
ded as fossil in the Oldest traditions
Of absolute governments, and yet the
Christian Church was itself a private
confraternity at the outset. 1t was nee
essary that signs and grips should be
communicated, because writing was not
in use and letters of introduction and
written credentials were impossible.
That the anathema of the church
against membership of private orders
is wholly unreasonable goes without
saying to the minds of members of these
private orders. A temperance organi-
zation is formed for mutual moral sup
port. There is nothing in the secret
of any temperance order, except the
signs and grips. which are never used,
and the password, which simply guar
antees against the intrusion of those
who are not adherents of the principles
of the order. But this secret associa-
tion of men engaged in the conduct of
the affairs of life is universal The
College of Cardinals at Rome holds Sc
rious countries have secret meetings
with the priests. Religious orders have
secrets and hold secret meetings..
In the Protestant Church the observ-
are considered with closed doors and it
is perfectly right that they should be.
Officials hold what are known as execu-
tive sessions. The Senate of the United
States goes into executive session, and
each member is pledged to secrecy
when diplomatic and international af-
fairs are under consideration. Every
member of the Senate of the United
States is therefore a member of a secret
order. He is pledged not to divulge GER
tain things and his pledge is good as
against foreign States and against his
own constituency. The Propaganda of
every church holds secret sessions The
family is a secret order. There is no
secret in Masonry except that what is
known in Masonry is secret. Masonry
holds no knowledge of any truth or
principle that is not known commonly
to all mankind
There is no such thing as confining
truth in it's abstract sense within the
council chambers of a secret order
Neither scientific, moral, religious nor
spiritual truth can be SO confined Ger
tain benefits are to inure only to mem
bers who have made certain contribu-
tions, and TO confine these benefits
strictly to those entitled to receive them
certain covenants of mutual helpfulness
are entered into. That one is entitled to
The benefits of these covenants is wit
messed by certain signs and grips.
There was time when all this had vast
meaning to mankind, but that time has
passed. Private confraternities have
less significance as the universal brother
hood of man comes to be recognized by
society at large. The Government of
the United States is based upon frater-
nity-equality of men before the law
and the Constitution of the United
States itself is on the basis of one grand
fTaternal brotherhood.
1t is just as absurd to suppose that re-
lgion has something to lose by the
membership of its votaries in a secret
order as to suppose that a Catholic can
rot be a member of the United States
Senate, because it holds secret sessions.
Tt is pity that the Roman Church ad-
heres to this old fossilized absurdity.
1t is a great pity that the Pope himself
could not become a Mason or an Odd
Fellow, in order that he might see that
what are called the secrets of these or
ders lose their formidable aspect as soon
as they are known to the initiate.
While these private confraternities may
irculcate religious truth in its spiritual
rather than its doctIinal aspect, they
are in no sense religious sects. The
multiplicity of these orders has de-
prived them of their original meaning.
The individual who is q member of ten
private orders and has assumed special
relation with the membership Of each,
by which in a measure he is bound to
extend special helpfulness to each. hnds