A KAISER EFFORT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1896, 29 October 1918, Page 1

A KAISER EFFORT.

PEACE APPEAL IS MADE -TO MASONRY. ATTEMPT MADE AT CONGRESS IN BERLIN. Within the past two days the [Allowing - item has appeared in many newspapers of the larger cities of the United States (stated an American paper at the end of August); — “It may be well to direct the attention of the authorities at Washington and Ottawa to (he fact that an imporant congress was held at Berlin during the closing week of July, of the grand masters and chief dignitaries of the grand lodges of Free Masons of Germany, AustriaHungary, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Finland. Of course, the proceedings were secret. But in view of the attentions showered upon the delegates by the Kaiser, the Princes of his House, and by the members of his Government, there is every reason to believe the reports, according to which it appears the congress was convened at the instance of the Kaiser for the purpose of organising some concerted action by (he Free Masons of (lie Central Powers in (he direction of the Free Masons of the Entente countries with a view to peace propaganda.” The article goes .on (o say there is dread in Germany at the proclaimed determination of (he Entente and the United States to wage the war to a linish, and that the Kaiser is endeavouring by every means in his power to avert this calamity, which will involve the over!brow of his dynasty. Peace drives of various kinds he is inaugurating, the use of the Masonic fraternity being one method, and (he employment of the Vatican another. The attention of George Fleming Moore, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Grand Council, Southern Jurisdiction, of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Kite of Free Masonry, the Mother Supreme Council of the World, was called to the German Masonic Congress. He authorised The Christian Science Monitor to make this statement for him; “The true Free Masons of (he United States do not desire to aid in bringing about any kind of peace except such a one as shall meet the full approval of the Government of the United Slates and shall bo in accord with the principles laid down by President Wilson in discussing the subject. Nor will Free Masons consent to become propagandists of any ideas which are contrary to the fundamental principles on which our Government is founded, for (hose principles are identical with those of Free Masonry.” By way of explaining the relationship between the Masons of the United States and the United Kingdom and those of Germany, the publicity given the purpose of the German Congress renders it necessary to make public -a fact of history in this war that until (be publication of this article has been known to only a few Masons in flic world, much less to the public. In the early days of the war, before German frigid fulness .had become a national policy, before (he Gavel! case, before the Lusitania outi'ago, and before bombs were dropped upon the innocents in London, the Grand Master of one of the leading Grand Lodge jurisdictions of Masonry in the United Slates wrote a letter to (lie Grand Masters of Germany. It was a fraternal letter, couched in tender language. It