DOES MASONARY FOLLOW THE FLAG?.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXIX, Issue 6989, 14 February 1891, Page 4

DOES MASONARY FOLLOW THE FLAG?.

Brother Walter Hill, of the Lodg •»L' Amour de la Verite," Orient, of Wellington has written to the organ of Freemasons in this country taking exception toa statement made by it, in reference tothe establishmeut in New Zealand of a French lodge, that " Masonry follows the flag." Brother Hill holds that this statement is contary to one of the fundamental principles of Freemasonry, viz., that it is essentially non-political. The editor holds that under any reasonable intrepretation his remarks would not be considered political, forhe meant no more than that the Grand lodges of the United Kingdom had supreme authority throughout the British dominion, except in Canada and some of the Australasian Colonies to whom Masonic, as well as political, autonomy had been conceded. The editor argues that the Grard Orient of Prance is supreme in France and its colonies and possessions, and that it is violation of the unwritten law of Masonry and of Masonic comity, for the Masonic authority which is supreme in some foreign State to charter a lodge in British territory. It is not denied that there sre English lodges in Turkey, Egypt, Cliina, and Japan, but is contended that in all these States there are British and other communities possessing in many respects an isolated position, politically, judically, and socially, and the parent lodges do not claim to exercise anything like supreme authority over them ; but New Zealand being a British colony, where the Grand Lodges of England, Ireland, and Scotland had hitherto exercised supreme, though conjoint, authority. The editor of the Freemason explains that the reason why he advocated the expulsion from English Masonry of any English Masons belonging to the French lodge in Wellington was that the Grand Lodge of England had resolved to admit no French Mason into lodges unless he declared his belief in the Snpreme Being, whereas the Grand Orient of France had struck out of its Book of Constitutions the law requiring all Masons of its obedience to have some religious faith.