The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-08-23

terrain other views and still be a
good Mason. A Mason cannot, how
ever, profess atheism. Yet all this is
wholly absurd and stultifying, since it
means that a Mason, as Mason, may
say: Lord, know you not while
as a private person he will say:
Lord, have mercy upon me-" And in
the case of cleIgymen who are Ma
sons, the position is far more fool
ish.
(2) AS regards the Oath, the neo-
phyte swears with eyes blind-folded to
keep secret he knows not what, says
the writer; he also swear fidelity to
a society as to the precepts of which
he as yet knows nothing; he also in
vokes destruction on himself in case
he should violate secrecy. He en-
powers his brethren to injure him in
case of detection. No Catholic can re-
gard the Masonic oath, when consid-
cred seriously, otherwise than as bias
phemous, contrary to right reason as
blind and unknown and contrary to
the good of the State. Yet how does
murder, carry out it's threat? The
carpet of the Lodge (says the writer)
may not be stained with blood, nor it's
walls contain an "aubliette," but Ma
sorry can, and on occasion does, cause
the ruin or decay of men who for con-
scientious reasons have merely aban-
doned it, without attempting to do
evil to their former associates. AS
for the Church, there is no need to
resort to extreme measures on her ac-
count since she never requires ex-Ma-
sons to divulge any of the society,"
secrets.
1t is a known fact, says the writer,
that Masonic signs are made use of
in courts of justice in order to obtain,
or to try to obtain, secret advantage.
1T is within the writer's knowledge
says the Catholic Truth publicist
that an English judge responded to
the Masonic signs of a litigant in
whose favor he gave his verdict
though it is fair to state that this was
not contrary to the weight of very
confused evidence"
| No daily newspaper in England dare
publish the faintest criticism of the
Craft, or still less expose a Masonic
scandal, while in matters of place and
patronage, in all countries, the first
duty of the Masonic patron is clearly
to secure the services of a Masonic
brother, in which cases Masonic
Light" must be somewhat apt to blul
the vision. In short, it is, says the
writer, impossible to believe that al
this enormous expenditure of time
and money is undertaken merely to be
friend the orphan and the widow, tt
practice an esoteric ritual and furnish
a pretext for convivial meetings, anC
not to offer great facilities and tempt
tations to brethren of the middle anG
lower social grades to favoritism, job
berry and protection for minor forms
of rascality. There may be matter
for praise in the moral teachings sug
gested by Masonic ritual; neverthe
less, says the writer, members of the
fraternity do not find themselves de
barred from it's official honors by table
excuses or by impurity of life. 1t il
also certain that Masons, as a. rule
rarely pretend that their motives il
joining the Craft are other than those
of personal gain or social advance
ment.
60 In regard to the charity exer
cised by Masonic bodies, Masons onl!
consider the virtue in it's sense O
philanthropy" which is a virtue O
the natural order. And being only
philanthropic, Masonry is far from be
ing Charitable" since it deliberatel.
excludes from it's membership the
poor and the needy, though it gener
ously supports worthy brethren over
taken by adversely as well as theil
widows and orphans. Masonic benev
olence is applied to it's own members
only, and thus is more like trades
union society in which material bene
fit is really pre-empted by contribu
lions. Is Freemasonry private in it,
charities or almsgiving, as Chris
counselled men to be?
On the contrary, Freemasonry dec
crates a generous brother with /;
Jewel" and charity" that is no
Masonic in it's application, is not char
ity to the Mason. Indeed, the pre-
cepts of Christianity and those of Ma
sonry are in many respects so antago
nistic or contradictory that Masonl
themselves stultify themselves b.
practicing those of the Masonry ant
claiming to belong to the Christian
body. These observations bein,
(says the publicist) intended onl!
for Catholics, the latter while think
ing kindly of their Masonic friends
should respect and uphold the reiter
ated COMBINATIONS of Freemasonr.
by the Church.