RELIGIOUS UNREST IN EUROPE SEEN.

Taihape Daily Times, 29 July 1919, Page 5

RELIGIOUS UNREST IN EUROPE SEEN.

- 1 -- —— ■ GROWTH OF FREE MASONRY A READJUSTMENT OF SPIRITUAL LIFE. SAN FRANCISCO, May 6. Rapid spread of Free Masonry and a deep-seated and far-reaching rc- | adjustment in the religious and spirit- ' ual life of the people of Europe were seen by Isidor Jacobs, president of the California Canneries Company, of San Francisco, on a recent visit to the old world. In an address before the Mission Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons on this subject recently Mr. Jacobs said that it was his impression that the religious or spiritual feature noted was the greatest contributing cause to the generally disturbed conditions_ The masses of the people all over Europe seemed to be disturbed mentally, he said, and there appeared to be a mental disturbance going on that would have a marked effect upon the future religious and spiritual conditions of the people. “The great war,” he said, “has brought the people generally to tho point of thinking for themselves and realizing that the principles of Christianity, as these have been enunciated to them, have been sadly at fault. The best evidence that the civilized world is awakening to the fact that their religious teachings have been on wrong lines, is indicated by the -marvellous rapidity with which I found Masonry and Masonic ideas spreading through Europe. It is the natural result of the beginning of freedom of thought among the people, and their desire to seize something that shall take tho place of the erroneous religious teachings of the past. “While in Europe I was advised of l a proposed league of Masons. The unprecedented strides in Mafeonry throughout Europe since the outbreak of the war have caused Masonic authorities to scrutinise even more carefully than before applications for membership in lodges. In Great Britain in 1915 only 21 warrants for new lodges were issued, which ' was about the average for' a number of years pravious thereto. In 1918 there were 74 new lodges founded. The ■same proportion of increase was noted in all tthe Sicandinaviah'eountries and in Italy and France. Marked progress was also recorded throughout Europe in Masonic benevolence. The amounts collected at the annual festivals for the benefit of the sons daughters, and widows of aged, disabled, or deceased Free Masons, as well as for the relief of distressed brethren themselves, went up "by "a j sudden leap over the highest sums I collected in any previous year. These I funds in England in 1918 realized j well over 2,500,000 dollars. Similar ! results were obtained on the European continent. “But aside from the general awakening of tho people to the menace of ignorance, bigotry, fear, and super- • station, and the consequent breaking j away from these ideas, may be menj tidied the fact that Masons themselves have awakened from the selfsatisfied lethargy of the past, and I have come to a realisation that they must aggressively bring out for the benefit of humanity the fact that Masonry stands for light and faith and against mental darkness and civil autocracy and despotism, that it stands for independence of thought in the individual without being dominated and controlled by erroneous influences that pervert and destroy the independence of spirit land action. “Tho rapid spread of Masonry in Europe means that while an era of economic and physical readjustment and reconstruction is at hand ,there will first be brought about spiritual readjustment and reconstruction with the individual himself.”