The Irish standard., 1908-06-13
Questions Arising Through Controversy Re-
ceive Attention and Are Clearly
Answered.
Names of Various Orders Existing in the
United States and Now Under the
Ban of the Church.

facts. He gives peculiar and rather
striking instance of the length to
which Masons will GO to claim illus
trious men as members He calls at
tention to IAN affidavit sworn to be-
fore r. Masonic magistrate by a. Mas
ter Mason. that he sat with me (Ad-
ams) twice At meetings of lodge at
Pittsfeld. Mass" Mr.. Adams AYERS
that this oath is false. and that he
never entered house in Pittsfield in
his life.
Origin of Secret Societies.
Hutton Webster. ph, D.. STANDING
for the Doctorate in Political Science
for Harvard University wrote a thesis
on "Primitive Sccre. Societies" which
the Macmillan Company published
last year The character nf this work
is indicated by the high estimate
which the Athenaeum i'm it's April
Issue gives. According to Professor
Webster, secret societies originated
| among savage tribes. and are found
among all uncivilzed people.amonr
the North and South American In
dfans the Negroes Of Africa, the wild
inhabitants Of the Fiji Islands. the
Australian and New Guinea tribes, the
Chinese. the Melanesian Islanders and
tho New Zealanders. There We have
the whole thing-initiation cere-
monies. degrees" lodges" etc. etc,
and the high-sounding titles those saw
ages wear will cause our "Knights Of
the Brazen Serpent" Grand Elect"
Most Excellent Master" Perfect and
Sublime Mason" and Sovereign In
spector General to turn green with
envy. Professor Webster also shows
that, as these savages come under the
influence of Christian civilization,
the limitations" the degrees
lodges" etc, etc, disappear. It
must be a source Of pride to our civil
lized and Christian Grand Knishtsp
and Exalted IIlerophants" to learn
from the professor that they owe their
silly titles and childish trappinss to
the savages OF Borneo and other
for debate at the next meeting of tho
for bedate at the next meeting of the
lodge: What does reversion toward
ancestral type indicate?
1t has been shown again and again
that "the fraternal charity cry Of
these organizations is a fraud, and
their charity is counterfeit of the
genuine article which Christianity in
troduced. Behold genuine charity:
thousands and hundreds Of thousands
of men and women devoting their
lives. without compensation, to help
the poor, to nurse the sick. to bury
the dead, or to teach the ignorant and
clothe the naked-not to the members
Of their own society, their own
church, their own nationality, but to
the members of Jesus Christ, whether
their skins may be black. brown. yell
low or white. This is charity. the
charity Of Christ, the charity that is
vitaiized and finds it's expression in.
the Church of Christ. The charity
Of secret societies may be mutual aid,
1t may be the giving of a auid pro quo.
the result of a bargain, but it is a
| mistake to call this bargain charity
Important Facts. g
Before going further into this SUBJ 4
ject of secret societies. we wish to
say. 1. That it belongs to the Bishop
of the diocese to take cognizance Of
such questions. Q. In this country at
present the question whether So
oiety is or is not a secret society must
be referred to commission consist 4
ing of the Archbishops of the country
or. finally, to the Holy See itself, not 4
to any priest or layman.
Certain societies have been forbid Il
den by name and later we shall men- h
Ition some of these. But, before doing