THE N. Z. TABLET ON FREEMASONRY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VII, Issue 348, 19 December 1879, Page 17

THE N. Z. TABLET ON FREEMASONRY.

Xhb following correspondence has taken place in the columns of our contemporary the New Zealander : (To the Editor of the New Zealanfor.) «. vT3£jr y attention having been directed to a leading article in ™£ NewSri aland Tablet of the 21st ult., urging the Catholics of Wellington to denounce the Masonic demonstration on the occasion o£ laying the foundation stone of the new Supreme Court buildings w ?? a l?\l ?\ remarks u P°a that unwarrantable and uncbantable notice. I shall merely express my disgust as a citizen of a peaceful cxty, where it is hoped and devoutly wished by all sections »~VI dl * cT * nt denominations, that the Sectarian strife of the old world and of postages will never be tolerated in this young and fair ? u^^'u Our Bystem of education happily is so liberal in its nature H h Sl« c ™ CTery reftßon *° h °P e tbat the introduction of Sectarian SK? 1 *? 1 ?.? 817 T ? DlOte ' *nd I say aU honour to the Hon. John list seaSon ""* 7 tod I*l1 * 1 »P eech on th<? education question ..J^t ***«»* be mortifying to the feelings of the writer of the STSm" 1 q ° estl f n .' thafc the Peaceably inclined Catholics of WellingEL? d nOt * ccord ance with the directions given them, to SSL?S! C^ Or ? 1 ? head of tbe Hon - the Attorney.GeDeral and all SmSS^ J° i to 181 at the P ublic ceremonials so successfully do^hf SaCITS aCI T ° n M^ay last, I cannot for a single moment nS^i V* on a » sides, that in Wellington, as in most KSX,^L2 ?W perfect good harmony, and a sort of cosmoJll ofw I h -« e exiß te between the Catholics of this country and fntffi n*™^" 1 them only in religion, but especially X i2fT lverßal , chan *y. «* Catholics with others go hand in handMv S? • at the - Acaden »y <> f Music, as an instance, not excepted. S» T? i?^ enCe ln tblß and a neighbouring colony in which I JSEJ2S if™ Tv 27 year8 ' has P roved me long since that K80;^K 80 ;^ not been held to be so dangerous an association by 2j ff C *t- C dmn f and other eminent m en of great public S?. M . ttia orawd writer in the Tablet would lead his coof £?n? B^° b , eVe lt tO - be - l have had the distinguished honour «*^iV l 5. ln , l J tely . aa l liainted th e late Rev, Father Downing, fn Sw™» ° l n f^ Who knew nic to be a member and a ruler Ova*? n i ry / S Ut he did nofc des P ise or denounce me nor my SSSmp B ,^"** l Ri^ ht Kev ' Dr ' Shei1 ' Lord Bisb °P °* w2 rfSrfH ?C? C divine ' whom X work ed during years upon B£m^i?? f i. knew i.? Ie to be an active worker in the cause of JSEXT'tw uld not Bee in me ' nor in the Order of Freeo^twriStVT u V f neßs or treacherous designs which the editor M^Ll^fl &Un^ s to its Principles. Next, the Rev. Fathers wl.^ f 80 "^ ; T itb botb the ™ g°°d men I worked in the KasX? fan? nera l ch u arity> They were awaTe ol m 7m 7 allegiance dUturhpr 7f t\ ld nOt ah - rink from me - as a^sed by this peace of SJ a L^fh LET ° otorietv - And, finally, I have had the honour SdS n memb f r a ?d connected in the same lodge with a certain Ge&JttJX lded , ln 1 °? c of t be V^rian Courts, and an AttorneylatewS? erh ° ldl ? g c office of Sen^ Warden, whilst the devo[itT-»fKT eaBUr | r . of - tbe lod^ e ' *nd both gentlemen being devout Catholics and attentive members of their Church. Catholic^ BS!i« Tol7'!?^T 017 '!?^ relate how many P iollß P°P es and learned masonS w^fiH { C belon g ed to and patronised the Order of FreeobTeSaddi upon your valuable space. My only readers°hat thf O 5 tbeß « remarkß wa » to show to all of your Catholic erosslv infii- ? + 6r / f has been much, in this instance £?t has^eoS 1? ' d m ieservedl y stigmatized and maligned, £ fegntaS^perins gC8 ' 7 B ° metimeS at other ?i me ; ceremony^ he ft i° nOUr u f Wellin gton citizens be it said, that the Sve^? 7r7 r ft^ t r ° Ugh BUCCeBs tbrou^ b tbe cognisance 4hich they wonlri „*♦ *T !u Pr °^ d t0 know that maQ y of my Catholic friends ££ri*fa£ 111 the ,T lT t tO be v influ^ed by such an article, or the uncharitable protestation from the pulpit the previous evening am,£c, g g S tres P assed 80 &ng upon your space, I A. DIMANT.

Krt, t < To . the Edit »r of the New ZeaUnder.) oKSSKi*""' 1 * ** c *" md * t " >a •£•<*«£*££ glX^tX°L=SiS SEWS 'J&Ts

22 Sv^ 0 ** 118 Goren l m ent. that fraternity had better take up tS:roSfxr eotofthecoionyatoQce ' and8 ° b * «*£3 M. J? G i ?^f- < ?- Mpp D i. mant are like those of all others who are of In 7», y u-, t i ln . kln8: ~^ ey are one-sided. He would not think it ZuM^o 1 /»S )^ q T eMtOe M to^ epr 11 olandconß0 landconBl andconB wby Roman Catholics should not attend at a Masonic celebration. If that gentleman we«» with sword in hand, wouH he not interrogate me as to my business «S d i m^ aU eS °?, to . enter the lod S e ?I am inclined* tSl to be a non^Son? 118 y (Wltbin the I<>dge) Bbould X P^e

fvir,J be i dea * baßgOti e ntoMr< - Dimant ' sheadtbat ifc m «st be mortifying to the feelings of the writer of the article in question and to demSS 1161 "!? D Wellington who, on the Sunday* preSJ *U Uhe demonstration, advised their congregations to refrain from partaking m the ceremony to find that they did not act in accordance wSf directions given them. I think lam in a position to judge of the S« °f tbe Roman Catholic community better than the marehai nr^ST o *^ 18 ' *?d? d I P oß^^^ ass «t, without the slightest prejudice, that the gentlemen who have been traduced for their advice to their congregations have every reason to be satisfied that

b^ <S I ill-feehng and strife begins by the prohibition of a certain sect or class of people from participating in an indulgence or benefit which is egitimately or justly due to all. The Catholic population of the Colony pay the same taxes, rates, duties, &c, as tbl members -i^w*. denomi nat lons1 ons to the general revenue of the Colony, out o f which the cost of building the Supreme Court will be defrayed, and ta 7 th u !V« ? of ttefonndatooa stone should have been entrusted to the Masonic Order is still a myatery. That body knowimTas welasthe Catholic community themselves, that Catholics Snot partake in the demonstration, it is an injustice to one seventh of the whole population of the Colony, who have just as equal a right to lay the foundation stone of any public building to the utter exclusion of all differing from them as that of the Freemasons Mr. Dimant says, " to follow history, and relate how many Dioua F Q rir n r n ddmn M haVebel ? Dged *° anQ Praised th^OrdS of JSS° uld occupy large space." If there has been such a E ?Si ns dIB V n f llshed dmnes at one time Gf their lives belonging to the Order of Freemasonry, they, previous to entering Holy Ordere found out the error of their ways, and shook off the yoked!^MaS secrecy. The Earl of Ripon, the predecessor of the Prince of Wates inthecapacity of Grand Master of the Freemasons of England Sto abandoned that Order, and the history of Masonry can oufytoo'weU tell the long list of names of all the distinguished personages^both lay and divine, who have found out that to belong to Sasonic ?«IhJ o^ only tf -f^ 0118 ' Ut unjust t0 eveiy man not belonS to that Order. Ment has no show in cases of application for a Sritaon m business, either mercantile or otherwise; when Masonry has anything to do with it, and the man of good practical knowledge fa often rejected to make room for one of the Mystic Brotherhood with httle or no ability. I have, on more than one occasion, heard Free masons make use of the following expression-" Masonry is not the e^Tarrt^^ 16^ to bGlie - tt iB " - d^S smce departed this life, and by the tone of his SSr would endeavo? to lead people to believe that those gentlemen fully appreciated and believed in the Order of Masons, fdo not hesiuteto be?eve that Mr. Dimant is all that he professes to be, a very charitably disnosed person, and the Order to which he belongs can indeed boart of many kind and philanthropic men, but he must not allow himseS to be carried avay by a^e notions that because he co-opeSted in the work of chanty with Roman Catholic clergymen, and because ?hrS clergymen d id not lecture and reprove him for belonging to I^secret society that they endorsed what he follows. Nothing is more forS to a R.C priest than to lecture or talk on polemical subjects^SK engageam works of co-operation with a benevolent « £ariߣ society, which I presume, Mr. Dimant alludes to «S » penence in another Colony. ex " I regret I cannot sign my name, for reasons which would not Wellington, December 8, 1879. ' Cathoucu 8-