THE ANTI-CHRISTIAN CAMPAIGN IN FRANCE FREEMASON INTRIGUE AND TYRANNY

New Zealand Tablet, 22 November 1906, Page 10

THE ANTI-CHRISTIAN CAMPAIGN IN FRANCE FREEMASON INTRIGUE AND TYRANNY

A great^ many people in this country- (says- "the vlfoV vHh w35 «overnraent seenhttfifelienr. that -the Srh V,I l i llie ll . isU1 ' u^ons of the. Catholic Chuich aie assailed is Slmp ly the r "outcome of ;~a -popu>mu,?P, y 4P in " l + dericalisni.-and that clericalism is opposed to the interests of the people.-- They ■fail^to observe that the policy of the Gov^nment is not Church hre^\'^?\.^J™ g vess Of thVclthouJ cnuicn, but against Christianity itself Rev Dr ,fc the distinguished author, who wrote some' artt cles on freemasons in Prance ' which appeared • some tune ago in the • National Review,' is undoubtedly uZ X" W1 n h the ?P eraLiony oi the Ma.sonic sect iHne Republic During- his visit to Glasgow this week he vciy kindly, accorded a representative of this an ' v-erS!r^ nitn i th r * üb J cct > d M* statements thro>- a piercing win to light on the whole ' ', ' Anti-Christian Campaign ■> in .France. Our representative explained to Dr -Barry lvL m V» yy < ] T^ in Great Brita * ff had a difficulty Yn fafr" g pf France. *" ulldeistandin S regarding ttie af- • That,' said Dr.. Hairy, 'is not sur»risin» Thn people here are guided by the telegrams that t^ea? in the daily papers. These telegrams come Jrom Pp thc ftieat news agencies, which are in the hands of svndi r^t W ! Ch , are generally controlled by J Of ouise the Jews are not Christians, and so little are they Christians that they have been known' to mii .country, therefore, know very little of what* ' es on l^cSnstHuter 1 "' 10111 " 117 lIOW the Fl ' erich 1 1 With regard to the influence of the French 1 finv France ? ™ "^"tand anything pf the positio^ln -al an its'dispoS St be kn ° Wn that he Govermnent has Some 900,000 Appointments -to that of a man licensed to sell tobacco- The man - • Dr. Barry then proceeded to describe/ what Vpd nn % eirtaWvV lal -.' S Ul ° ■ «P.>"»»«oif'o( thU V asked our .favor Freemasonry. Since 1886 there J?? lnclmed to aetermined, effort We to esUbllsh a Very

■• '~ : "~~" Secular;. : Education , — --•-" !".;... ,'.,!.;_. as --the-, one, kind ,q£ education to be given in France; so- much -so. that there have been nearly three-quart-er^ , r of a . million ""pupil teachers' enrolled 1 Iri ; - a "sort' 'of confraternity, ;> which;- however,' is •->. an ' anti-Christian confraternity. •' -About; • twenty „ years* .-, ago ; the .F-rench Freemasons made up- their-., minds that-, belief in ' (foil should -not ..he. .a j, condition- "of "membership in {tie Mas- - onic ..brotherhood.' This led to a sort of division 5 between the newer •" members" arid, the older kind /The older- class were (*'. Moderates:" ;' but after, this declara- ■ tion that God was, not to , be a necessary i article of their creed, ' the Moderates' disappeared" "from - the. Society, and for about sixteen years' Freemasonry j iv 'France has been not only- Atheistic, but militantly i Atheistic, while at' the same -Lime it has, captured the ." Government, ttie chief places of- the Government, and • of the whole.,, administration. This is perfectly certain " from the names. of persons known to be Freemasons • ' for instance, in the Ministry,- that preceded that of r M. Combes, there were nine Freemasons. Of late, years .they have been discussing whether they ' shouja accept ' the creed of Socialism ; they have not yet decided to do that, but a good many of 'them are Collectives Where the shoe pinches is that the Masons want to hold the control of the .country, and they fear that if the Socialists get control of their Societies matters will ;be reversed. While they coquet" with the Socialist Party, they, dpift accept their gospel, but "they do thin-gs which - s are very -.much in the Socialist programme. For they , profess to encourage universal peace, but they try .itoY recommend that by running down the;;, Army. That": >b>ing so, one can" understand that Freemasons have eyer been on the watch to do Mischief to the Army, and from that one can understand how the Army and the Government should come into collision. That was the condition of things when the Dreyfus business broke out. Dreyfus was, in reality, only a sort of occasion for a campaign against the Army and- against the Church, since many of the officers were Catholics Anyone who is a member of the chief councils of the Masonic organisation is not allowed to-, practise religion or to let his wife or children go to church ■ Other Freemasons may go to church "if it suits their business," but those who belong to the central body have to take a pledge that they never will have Anything to Do with Religious Service', and that they will in eveiy way possible destroy the influence of religion by young against the use of any sort of funds ( for schools, repair of churches, support of the clergy, payment of hospital nurse's' who are Catholics, or for chaplains in the Army.' ' Where are proofs of these statements - tfo be found ?' our representative inquired. 1 They are to be found in the records issued >by and for the Freemasons themseives. They hold every year a congress or conference. A report of that is of course, secret ; but they must print their records for themselves, and these have come into the hands of persons who have published them. All the statements I have made can be proved by the documents which the Freemasons have printed for private circulation. The plan of campaign has been to vote constantly against every grant of money to the Calho- . he Church and against eveiy influence that the Catholic Church can exerci.se. The alliance between the Freemasons and the Jews is a very close one ; and while the Catholic Church is the Christian influence 'in France, the Freemasons have been and are the antiChristian influence. The measures passed with regard to education have been claimed by Freemasons as their doing. Projects of law have been drawn up at their conferences, and afterwards brought , into Parliament. They have taken away the chaplains and religious emblems from the Navy, ami this was a work of M , Lanessan, Minister of Marine, who is credited with -having stated at a banquet:- '! Some say. the .evil is clericalism; I say the -evil is God."" In like'man--jier, the Minister of Education insisted that teachers - in the secular schools -not- only , .. , .• "Shall Not, Go to Church; • ' • \ but shall have no religious emblems whatever. , In this " connection, Dr. Barry ,said they , have invaded the ; rooms of a schoolmistress ,and have, taken, away- her rosary beads. The -result; of. all this,' is-. t*at',' if any -man who holds r a place under-, the Government goes to Mass, or if his wife -and, children .go to Mass, heC.ioses " ■ Ims place, and; i.thi.s,,. sort of „ thing has been , going on - . for.; .ten-, years. T-hen, : in -the Army, an -education,- and an. social action, th.cc Freemasons > endeavor in, eve'rv , way* .-possible ,to, hurKthe^ Catholic.; Church.- „T,his, will" ■ be. seen from the, -fact .that atr one i of their .confer-"

.-rendes,-:so^fax- ;bao\ as 1893, they voted for the suppression of — bhc Concordat.- -tin ~lik*e "manner, they constantly insist, that all schools except the Government (secular)' 'schools'- shall*- be suppressed,' 'the object being that .Catholic' schools should.-, be 'suppressed, , because the- other schools are so, fe.\y,,as to „be of no consequence v . With , regard to ' " ' " ' " V'- : -v : ''^ : ' r - ;The'^ "Catholic" Schools' . '"'.,. ' . -in :£ 'France? ikr- view -of .>tlie,.ieducation here, ./Dr.- Barry's statement Sis -.-..0f :.morehlhan<- ordinary inter"ejet. • '"Oat-holies;'- he-, said^^-m-ay ,<open schools, , tihey may invite children- to coine-atftu them," „b ut - they don? t get : a single* penny either ,af, grates or, of grant,' the "whole expenses - T of-.- building, education, "books, . etc., being, contributed -by-" Catholics v without -getfting .' one penny from- the Government.- .Meantime,- the secular or Government schools are -only intended , to be.Atjiejstic, v and r they "are so. ' We see " the P'reemasdris holding conferences and <-. drawing ■ -'up i; atheistic programmes. This is • repeated .every. >yeaiv They .project at these conferences what is afterwards brought into the House. ■ by , members of the of the highest 'departments—who. are themselves Freemason's. The chicf 'of tlie Grand "Orient— who corresponds with what would-be called the Grand 7 Master here,/ and -who .lives in Paris —rules quite .the largest number ,of F.reemasons in -France. Theso are computed to be 25,000, of ' whom he rules' over 20,000.. About' twelve' vye&rs ago -the Grand Orient issued - a direction that the members o£ the French Parliament who were Freemasons should come to him personally before ,any measure was introduced—or, at any rate, before they voted/ There went to -his ' Temple,' in the Rue" Cadet, a' hundred Deputies. They 1 they were put on the Bench of Apprentices—whdeh 'is the lowest grade >in> the Masonic Order— and there they were Instructed by the Grand Orient as' to the Policy, they were to pursue. Here Dr. Barry explained that in all tho statements he was making he was not quoting from a single Catholic authority. \ . ' ' What led to the exposure of so many of these things? The attack on, the Army ' carried on by General Andre was entirely a Freemason attardlsrjbn the Catholic officers. •If the latter could not be turned out, they were sent to dangerous missions to Africa Cochin-China, and other places, or were- kept b&Sc hU their promotion, it being known all' the "timfc#fehat7 these were most distinguished officers. In 'one ~&4e r " a" 1 --' man who should have been promoted General "saw no "-' .fewer than a hundred Colonels promoted before him who were his juniors. These methods were brought to light by" the discovery of - documents in Andre's office, which were subsequently brought before Parliament, and this discovery led to his resignation and practically brought about the downfall of' The Ministry of M. "Combes. The secret register o£ thp Freemasons, and of the Government on the other, having been taken from the War Office and sold to some members of Parliament,"" led to these documents being brought before the House,' with the above result. This small number of persons —not more than 25,000— have contrived 1 , by being very active and by holding together, to get v into their -bands the Government machine. France is governed by a machine, as America is, and the English people don't seem to reslise this. In this country .we may .change the Government from the Liberals to the Conservatives, or vice-versa, but in France, ... whatever Government is in power, it is always persons of the Left. The reason why Governments change so rapidly in France is that every Ministry takes its share of the spoils. The man in power must get as. many ap- ' pointments as possible for the group he represents • if he does not, his .group is dissatisfied, and" he is turned out, so thatit'is difficult for Governments to improve a position of that kind. Besides that, it is well known that the ballot is. violated- shamefully As soon as a Catholic layman is known to have the intention of voting ,in a particular direction,' or to profess Catholic opinions, there is a" danger' -of his losing whatever' place he has got f .~< People • may be ' Catholic at hearty but they - .•=. „ . , „ ' " ■ Must Not Go -to Mass, "-" " ot take' any Catholic action, and ' the ■ number of -Catholic laymen .appearing, in public, -is given as very . small.' . „ „,.,.,> „ , 'But the* positions ,at' the disposal' .of the Govern- ?)£ n «r« only numl)er » as you have' stated, :; 'about ' 900,000. Surely all "the "Catholics- >of '-France are not "dependent on • the Government for • their^.places ?'• •' ' Even ''if they are. nob actually- dependent on- the Government, they may be very, badly Jiur't.' " \ ■ ' By the influence of the' Freemasons who' support the Government?' ' ' •...,.- .-,,-,- .'^

' Yes. Besides "that; -9 00, OW" "means "" about' one in * thirty-six of. the population, , .which means that one family in every seven"'is concerried, 'French genius' has not yet learned . that Hhe ,'G'pvSirirment' 'should not" be !' absolute. The J French' are gb>erned ;by officials' ; they ;" have not' been trained" to .jair 'independent I ' course of action, 'and r a great many/;' of' the 'people" 'tliinik. noth- ' ing of. politics. ''The 'jiimcuity , : 6'f '."bringing in a Cath'o- ' lie .Government .'is^ directed' ',by^foreign -'corisi'dera-fcions., 1 '" The monarchy been restored' 'under Cdmte ' ' de Chamibp^d as Henry;- V".^ n but "for '"such' reasons';" I and many ; people: -fear- thaf d^ Catholic, ' Government 1 ' were to come in'" it, wolild s'.5 '. mean .^complications. 'The one ' - ; ' '" ' ,""■,"" ' r /"''-'. '*■-*■•"' ■ ' Real Passiooi^of „the- Frencli ■ -,•• .. at the present -time ' is' 1 - for' 7 peace.' There is' nothing' that the French" as' a 1 -' will' not r do sooner than go to war," and that, is the most ~ extraordinary . transformation' of a- people 1 we' have' seen.' They have a feeldn;g that so 1 long as t-he' Republic stands; and is powerful," peace'-is'.secureuy- To 'secure-- this," theFreemasons have it- in"'. their programme to 'reduce " the regular Army to a minimum, r: - : aud : to have' as little regular training as -possible. - They ' also' seek' to -do '<• away w.ith officers wearing « uniform-when off " duty, to abolish the officers" mess, and get- rid of barracks'; v local militia' tßained r by their- own officers, so that to have no military surgeons- ; to " 'have practically they shall have no -common "spirit, "and "to do away with all military emblems,- from flagx to drum. After the Dreyfus case had been- started, hundreds of lectures were given up and ■ down : the country, • with" lantern slides, showing the cruelty of- officers -towards the ranlr-and-file.' Many of these lectures were" given by Freemasons who themselves Were '"officers, but Who professed to show how officers— but ■- not - they— treated ' their men in the Army', in every- barrack-room the Government orders that- the "" Declaration of the Rights of Man " shall be posted' up, "so that the common soldier shall " recognise ~that he is~ as good as his officer." 'The Freemason wants An Anti-Christian -Republics which will stand for industry and peace— and occasionally he adds Socialism. The Freemason' likes, of course, ' to have control in any body 'in which' there is power, and would like to control Socialism ; so that while he springs from the middle classes, and prefers the older form of individualism, he coquets with the Socialist idea. Catholics, however, are more or less committed, by the nature of the case, to a Republic which would have more respect for its Army and Navy, and which Avould take a certain military 7 character. They have no political cohesion, however, because 3 they are distracted between what is left of. the'anonarchical spirit and the difficulty of accepting the" Republic. Leo XIII. did his best to recommend a basis '-of agreement between the two parties, but Leo XIII. supposed that the Republic would be fair.' From all this," Dr. Barry thinks, one can understand the Law of Separation and the suppression of the Budget, A Republic of this kind Will (Not Grant Freedom to the Church— established or disestablished ; that is quite clear. It will always do its best to hamper the action of the clergy and to make it difficult to be a Christian. Even when General Andre was turned out and there was .an outcry all over France at ,his oppression of the military officers, the" man who was put" in his place was also a Freama'son. ' You must not imagine,' remarked, Dr. Barry to" our representative""' ' that I speak from party feeling. I have the greatest admiration for the French people ; I have' been 'fn " France, and I write and' speak French! It would be - the greatest' possible, .'advantage 'if the Frenoh could reconcile their differences and assume once more the old' - French characteristics— chivalry," courage, sense, light and good nature. '-''.'.."'" " I '". , 'What is the result to>.ba? The more one cares for , France, the more one fears that it is passing through a crisis. No greater misfortune - can- happen to Europe - than for France to ■be 1 "out ; '.-but the things they are doing-, there are maMng *>that possible. ' The" , V. Entente Oordiale " '"" "- ' I care, about is not a military^ one,': 'but an interchange- • of good offices -between the -^Fnglish-speaJiing traces and the French ; and if France, becomes morally weakened <. and chaotic— well, we know; "'Jibwf-maay, 'or .how few ' miles it is.from'Metz to., Paris. ". It ; is>ut a short iour-"-ney.' „ \ " ',_ ;: .;', 'J^ ."; 'X' '" ~' „.. Referring to that s tatemerit '" of ' 'M. I ', Lanessan— f , Some say the evil is "clericalism^! say the ,evil is G/od ' : Is that a common attitude?— Such .statements '.have . beent

made over and over again. One Freemason — who had „ been ;a- Protestant pastor— -declared ./with evident, satis--. „,. faction : , ', The French/ Republic 'is anti-clerical' and' ah U•'Christian.' " ' "'"_. .' ; " 1 '- 1 I. .Jr,,.•"".'/„,.. J r,,. •"".'/„,. .' „-...„ Dr. Barry, in concluding! tlie'.inte'rvjew^begged. '., our \, representative to- make it quite clear >liat The? did \npt , , speak* of Freemasonry .without reason." He" emphasised/ f ,againK'he ,f act, that ( he had ' not' 'derived, his, ,\nf or hiatipri, - from- Catholic, authorities because these would. '^t .once jibe/. and. he added. . -that avery, statemgnt.' he had" - ( madeJcould-be proved "by documen^aryrjeYiae^e— mucliVat ■' , least,; of ,which.> was, and is,,.iri..his i ,possessips. er , 1> '.- ■ ,