WETS BOME PUTS A BAN ON THE MASONS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1999, 4 January 1875, Page 2

WETS BOME PUTS A BAN ON THE MASONS.

[FROM THE ENGLISH INDEPENDENT, OCT. I.] ■ The correspondent who have discussed in the " Times "during the past week the reasons pro and con for the Pope having put the Masons under a ban are evidently very much in the dark on the whole subject, nor do we think that the writers in the leading columns of the " Times" itself understand the question enough to throw much light upon it. In this case, as in some others we could name, the Jupiter of the Pre3S is seated uncomfortably high on a cloud of generalities in some Olympian height of his own^ and hasnot deigned to give— perhaps because he cannot— a clear explanation of the cause of offence which renders it impossible for the Marquis of Bipon to reconcile his duties to the church of his adoption with the discharge of his duties as Grand Master othe English Lodgeß of Masonry. jWe

should like to know, and have consulted in vain the daily press f|r?the reasons. j ! What helps to compromise ftie matter j in the eyes of the British public is that the Church of Rome will not; deign to give ' an explanation of the reaV^gfburid of her quarrel. She contents herself with a general denunciation of Masonry in common with all secret societies, which leads writers like " Nemo" to rush to her rccue with a stvange casuistry as to the unlawfulness of secret oaths in general, irre--pective of the subject matter of the oath. Into that question of casuistry we do not mean to enter, «/•. we believe that caie mor--1 ality is very much like case law— one side I is 'good till the ; other is stated^ and <th(B right or wrong very much, depends on the animus impohentis'.' The fact is^ttiaii'such writers are throwing dust in oar eyes, and helping to keep up the delusion that the quarrel of Borne with Masonry is on accouflt of its being a secret society. It is no Buch 'thing. The Church of Borne is too wary to waste powder and shot on such small birds as these. To find the real grounds on which the Church of Rome has put a ban' on Masonry, we must look into the- history of the Jesuits a century agd. This was effected partly by the general advance of the age, but principally by the action of the many secret societies of Theosophists, Bbsicrucians, Illuminati, and others who undertook' to revolutionise society • last century, particularly in.Bavaria,- Austria,, and Italy, and who were organised under the name of Masons. This was the 1 disgniseunder cover of which^tbey iearried on their operations, and as the Church of Borne then, as now, being, much under the guidance of the Jesuits, could not get at them in any other way, it denounced them as Masons. The struggle ■ between a reforming and a conservative party in the Church of Borne was long and keen during the latter half of: last century. Bavaria was the centre of that -. struggle, and Ingoldstadt, which was the University of the Jesuits, was, as we might expect, the very point where the anti- Jesuit movement took its rise; and spread by means of a counter-society organised to oppose them. Adam Weishaupt was then a professor cf civil law at Ingoldstadt, and | he took the lead in this counter conspiracy against the Jesuits He set himself up as the head of a new sect called the Illuminati, or pretended masters of light, who adopted the badges of Masonry, and used its harmless ceremonial and solemn \ rites of initiation as a blind for his real aims, which were to carry on a war to the death against the Jesuits. This Professpr Weishaupt, who does not seem to have; been as wise-headed as his name, carried his hew creed, which was only Deism thinly disguised, to the most extravagant: length. Schlesser, the historian, fro' in whom we have derived much information as to the real aim of this Beet, observes that "almost all the dealers in secrete i and tbe revolutionary party in politics and; religion during the repressive times before: the outburst of the French Revolution sought to avail themselves of symbols, hieroglyphs, and Freemasons' lodges, for' the promotion of their objects, and thej innocent foolery of this secret society was much and variously abused. Initiation, oaths, solemnities, subordination, and ran ka allured them to orders. Symbols and hieroglyphs inspired simpletons land fools with the hope of learning important secrets for their money. Men of the world, lovers of pleasure and adventures,: sought and found in these orders, protectors, acquaintances, recommendations, and . social en joyment, which was seasoned by its exclusive character. In these secret; societies the doubter might more freely express his opinions than in the common intercourse of social life, where they were carefully and minutely watched by both the civil and ecclesiastical police. JThose" who wished to avail themselves of an order in these times for the promotion of their ; objects allured their brethren the Free-| masons and others, by the forms of lax or strict observance of Zincendorfians, Bosicrucians, Martinists, and Templars." j Society thus was honeycombed, particularly in Boman Catholic countries] where the confessional was used as an in? strument of police, with conspiracies against this repressive form of govern^ ment. These societies called themselves by the iunocent name of Masons, and this explains the intense hatred of thfi Church; of Bpme against Freemasonry! which would be unaccountable, if there were no other rites of Masonry than those known in this country. It does not saymuch for the candour of the Church of Bpme, or even for its common sense, that having to do battle with secret societies which were banded together against he*, she could not strike at them except through, the body of ,••; Masonry behind r which these Deists and Freethinkers in disguise had crept in to conceal themselves. What confirms this account of; the matter, and explains the singular confusion in Germany between Masons and this an ti-Catholic league of . illuminists, is' the fact that, till the early part of the last century, Freemasonry was scarcely known /at all in Germany ; in fact, it did not .'exist; there until it was introduced frbni England in 1732,: the first lodge being planted in Hamburg, Freemasonry spread with great rapidity all over- Germany, but it was some time before it attracted the attention of the Papal authorities, who were not slow to scent heresy. The Jesuits, being a secret society themselves, could brook no; rivals, and so; a conflict began between the' Catholic League, as we may describe; the Jesuits, and the anti-Catholics, which ended, as everyone knows, in the temporary triumph of the Liberal party and the suppression of the Jesuits, everywhere in Europe. It is exactly a r hundred and one years since the Bull for the suppression of the Jesuits was put oat 'by Pope Clement XIV., Ganganelli, who died so mysteriously a- year- after— poisoned by the Jesuits, as every Italian firmly believes. Be that as it may, the fact is that the Jesuits, who never forget a grudge or forgive a foe, bore into exile an undying hatred against the sect of theophilanthropists (to use one of their cant terms), who passed themselves off as Masons in Germany. As soon, then, as they were restored as an order by Pius VII. j in 1814, their first act was to get the Pope to fulminate a bull against secret societies in general, not forgetting to class the Masons with Josephists, Bosminians, Fabricans, and all others who had taken any part during the last century in the long attack on the prder. The common sense, then, of the matter is this — than the^ modern Church of Bpmej having sold itself to the Jesuits will 'not . tolerate any secret society that pretends to be, or possibly may become, a rival to the Jesuits. She makes this a- -test of

obedience, and those who are willing to take her for their spiritual guide, and to put their consciences in her keeping, have no right to complain if she exacts this as a test of the sincerity of their conversion. Forsaking all other, will they keep only to her? — to u^e the words of the English marriage service. A good Bomanist it to haven-) other allegiance than hers; and an the husband is entitled to pr; scribe what society his wife shall ke ep, and what friends she shall surround herxelf "with, so the Church of Borne lays down the same terms to those who wish to' entOTTier communion. It is no use to say to* us that this is in" tolerable tyranny thus to confound civil and religions right", in One, and to exalt a priesb into the arbiter of our common daily duties and relaxations. So it is ; but this is the Church of Borne, and those who take her must take her at; a wife takes the husband whose name she adopts? for better or worse, for -richer or -for poorer, in sickness and in health. It is triie that masonry is not in Germanyrand Italy what .it was a century; age -rrthe covert for attacks on ; prf -tcraft. The liberal party do not now nr ed.'the;prqi£Ction now of a secret society, with^path^ initiation, anUbthersigns'of mys^e'ry^Still the old grudge .remains; and ther^ erore;; tb\ show her impartiality, ;the: ;Ghurcb;f l of Borne denounces 'all : sr cret societies "alike; includiugeventhat innocent band of oin,.yivialists who 'have, now the honor - ! pf claiming the Pritice of Walr v as, th;e^ grand master, rice the Marquis of Bippn^ who has gone over to i Borne. -. / ''■■'tir.n- (,?, .- We hope that there is nothing ominous in this example of the late grand master, for the consequences would be much, more serious in theca:e of the Prince of Wiles. We^ heed 1 not : discuss them here;_ but point out in 6onclrjsion; c the moral which this story of Lord Ripon's Budden'SecWi sion to Borne suggests to us. r ltisan instance of what the old school of physiciits called nature abhorring a vacuum. "TEe phrase is jabsurd as applied ,to]uncpnscious matter ; nature has no more abhorrence of ha vacuum than of 'a : plenum;- AButi in the spiritual;>'w6rld it 'expressesoa great truth.' The mind recoils "from a religions vacuum, and the _Bense of r pur spiritaal emptiuess is no sooner felt tJia'n^we'rush on to fill it anywhere and with anything. .Herepis danger, .andh^ere .it^w'thal Borne finds her bppprtunity. ' It is from the sceptical and thefrviolbus that Rome gathers her recruits most readily. Romanism is as much in pur day as what Charles 11. said it was in .his i day— the only religion for a gentleman. We shall not dispute the remark if a 'Charles li;Wi6 f be the standard of ,what 'a r| . gentleman 1 orient to be. We do not wish to- ; ren'ect"6n f ffiose who have taken' the same, step as^ the Marquis .of Ripon ; but ;it (^rtainlyl^Jiminishes our alarm when we find tha^this •Rome-ward movement is almost entirely confined to the upper ierij and ton those foolish persons whothink it othe thing fo reflect; : their, prejudices. ,When.itrbejgns to spread among the middle classes we shall beam to take alarm, -but ''no't q M then.