SIASONEY
781
SIASONBY
brethren, that if they do not pay more attention to the
pure, simple, beautiful symbolism of the Lodge and
less to the tinsel, furbelow, fuss and feathers of Scotch
Ritism and Templarism, the Craft will yet be shi^n to
its very foundations! *' Let the tocsin be sounded
(Chr., 1880, II, 179). " Many masons have passed
through the ceremony without any inspiration* but,
in public parades of the Lodges (also in England) they
may generally be found in the front rank and at the
masonic banquets they can neither be equalled nor ex-
celled" (ibid^ 1892, I, 246). For similar criticism see
Chr., 1880, II, 195; 1875, 1, 394.
But the real object of both inner and outer work is the propagation and application of the Masonic prin- ciples. The truly Masonic method is, that the lodge is the common ground on which men of different re- ligions and political opinions, provided they accept the general Masonic principles, can meet; hence, it does not directly and actively interfere with party politics, but excludes political and religious discus- sions from the meetings, leaving each M^on to apply the principles to proDiems of the day. But tnis nethod is openly disowned by contemporaneous Ma- v3onry in the Latin countries and by many Supreme Councils of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish system, by the Grand Lodge of Hungary, the Grand Orient of Belgium, etc. It was and is practically rejected also by German and even by American and English Ma- sonry. Thus American Masonic lodges, at least so leadmg Masonic authors openly claim, had a prepon- derant part in the movement for independence, the lodges of the *' Ancients" in general promoting this movement and those of the moderns" siding with Great Britain (Gould, "Concise History" 419). According to the *' Masonic Review" Freemasonry was instrumental in forming the American Union (1776), claiming fifty-two (Chr., 1893, 1, 147), or even fifty-five (Chr., 1906, 1, 202), out of the fiftynsix of the " signers of the Declaration of Independence as mem- bers of the Order". Other Masonic periodicals, how- ever, claim that only six of the signers (" New Age ", May, 1910, 464), and only nine of the presidents of the United States were Freemasons (" Acacia ", II, 409). In the French Revolution (1789) and the later revolutionary movements in France, Italy, Spain, Por- tugal, Central and South America, Masonic bodies, it is claimed, took a more or less active part, as is stated by prominent representatives of the drand Lodees in the several countries and in many cases by *' profane" im- partial historians (see Congi^s Intern, of Paris, 1889, m "Compte rendu du Grand Orient de France", 1889; Browers, "L'action, etc."; Brttck, **Geh. Gesellsch. inSpanien"; *'Handbuch"; articles on the different countries, etc.). In Russia also Freemasonry finally turned out to be a "political conspiracy" of Masom- cally organized clubs that covered the land.
Even with regard to the most recent Turkish Revo- lution, it seems certain, that the Young Turkish party, which made and directed the Revolution, was guided by Masons, and that Masonry, especially the Grand Orients of Italy and France, had a preponder- ant r61e in this Revolution (see "Rivista*', 1909. 76 sqq.; 1908, 394; "Acacia," 1908, II, 36; "Bauhtitte", 1909, 143; "La Franc-Ma^onnerie d^masqu^e", 1909, 93-96; "Compte rendu du Convent, du Gr.*. Or.*, de France", 21-26 Sept., 1908, 34-38). In conducting this work Freemasonry propagates principles which, logically developed, as shown above, are essentially revolutionary and s^rve as a basis for all kinds of revolutionary movements. Directing Masons to find out for themselves practical reforms in conformity with Masonic ideals and to work for their realization, it fosters in its members and through them in so- ciety at large the spirit of innovation. As an ap- parently harmless and even beneficent association, which in reality is, through its secrecy and ambiguous symbolism, subject to the most different influences, it
ftimishes in critical times a shelter for conspiracy, and.
even when its lodges themselves are not transformed
into conspiracy dubs, Masons are trained and en-
couraged to found new associations for such purposes
or to make use of existing associations. Thus. Free-
masonry in the eighteenth century, as a powertul ally
of infidelity, prepared the French Revolution. The
alliance of Freemasonry with philosophy was pub-
licly sealed by the solemn initiation of Voltaire, the
chief of these philosophers, 7 February, 1778, and his
reception of the Masonic garb from the famous ma-
terialist Bro.*. Helvetius (Handbuch,3rded.,II,517).
Prior to the Revolution various conspiratory societies
arose in connexion with Freemasonry from which
they borrowed its forms and methods; Illuminati.
dubs of Jacobins, etc. A relatively large number ol
the leading revolutionists were members of Masonic
lodges, tramed by lodge life for their political career.
Even the programme of the Revolution expressed in
the " rights of man " was, as shown above, drawn from
Masonic principles, and its device : " Liberty, Equality,
Fraternity " is the very device of Freemasonry. Sim-
ilarly, Freemasonry, together with the Carbonari, co-
operated in the Italian revolutionary movement of the
nineteenth century. Nearly all the prominent leaders
and among them Mazzini and Garibaldi, are extolled
by Masonry as its most distinguished members. In
dermany and Austria, Freemasonry during the eigh-
teenth century was a powerful ally of the so-called
party of "Enlightenment" (Aufklaerung), and of
Josephinism; in the nineteenth century of the pseudo-
Liberal and of the anti-clerical party.
In order to appreciate rightly the activity of Free- masonry in Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Eng- land^ and in France imder the Napoleonic regime, the special relations between Freemasonry and the reigning dynasties must not be overlooked. Li Germany two-tnirds of the Masons are members of the old Prussian Grand Lodges imder the protectorship of a member of the Royal Dynasty, which implies a severe control of all lodge activity in conformity with the aims of the Government. Hence German Free- masons are scarcely capable of independent action. But they certainly furthered the movement by which Prussia gradually became the leading state of Ger- many, considered by them as the " representative and the protector of modern evolution" against "Ultra- montanism, *' bigotry", and "Papal usurpations". They also instigated the " Kulturkampf ". The cele- brated jurisconsult and Mason, Grandmaster Blunt- schU, was one of the foremost agitators in this con- flict; he also stiired up the Swiss "Kulturkampf". At his instigation the assembly of the " Federation of the German Grand Lodges ", in order to increase lodge activity in the sense of the " Kulturkampf ", declared, 24 May, 1874 : " It is a professional duty for the lodges to see to it^ that the brethren become fully consdous of the relations of Freemasonry to the sphere of ethical life and cultural purposes. Freemasons are obliged to put into effect the principles of Freemasonry in prac- tical life and to clefend the ethical foundations of human society, whensoever these are assailed. The Federation of the German Grand Lodges will provide, that every year questions of actuality be proposed to all lodges for discussion and uniform action " [Gruber (5), 6; Ewald, "Loge und KulturkampfJ German Freemasons put forth untiring efforte to exert a deddve influence on the whole life of the nation in keeping with Masonic principles, thus maintaining a perpetual silent "Kulturkampf". The prindpal means which they employ are popular libraries, con- ferences, the affiliation of kindred associations and institutions, the creation, where necessary, of new insti- tutionSj through which the Masonic spirit permeates the nation (see Herold, No. 37 and 33 sqq.). A similar activity is displayed by the Austrian Freemasons.
The chief organisation which in France aecured the
