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MO. 2^:havc Light meet r Ox-nf, toA2m«UA®©ra,iepcr,pf,bscri-;esbusi-j pre-rp.tfncceiv-n con-Board ay of utting Semi-of the lilding ng 50 : high, tones, e first 18 in-ngs to t shin- be of iast.r* be re-r their * shall ince of oilding ie aub-p. It i faith :ompa-•gcrs-i leave ession, .plying JAtS, lowest jje and rticles, cut ion, ons as notice, lonths, deduc-or the 'resses, om oilscarce-s. cash: 100 do. only in mo de-(tediumsuperr.fork.From the Eric Gazette. WASHINGTON’S MASONRY.Of tho arguments used to prop up the sinking cause of masonry, none have been resorted to more frequently, or perhaps wielded to more ef-ffect, than this:—Washington, the father of his country, was a mason, a grand master among nbcre them, and a jealous ad\ ucate of masohry till the lisl 1 day of his death.' This has been asserted, reite. ts, by, rated, and harped upon in every masonic paper. From the character of Washington, as well as ftom certain parts of his farewell address, these statements were disbelieved by many; yet we had not evidence fully, clearly, and explicitly to riiotg that. Washington was ntf a warm, zealous mason, or grand master presiding over the lodges in the United States. We have now, how-ever, the most clear and satisfactory evidence that he never wa9 a grand master, and never presided over the lodges in bis life; and oo far from being a warm, zealous supporter of it, he had not been in a lodge more than once or twice for more than thirty years before his death. It appears by his own Icttors to the Rev. Mr. Snyder, of Frederick-town, Maryland, that he had virtually withdrawn from the society for so great a length of time, that he could not say certainly whether they were propagating the doctrines of the French society of masons called the Illuminati or not. If not attending a lodge for thirty years docs not con. stitute a seceding mason, it is hard to tell what would. It appears he had no other object in view in writing, but to inform him that he did not preside over the lodges, and that he had not even been in a lodge moro than once or twice in thirty years. If Washington had thought it a good society, no doubt he would have said so; but on the contrary, he appears anxious that it should be known that he did jiot preside over the lodges, and that he had for a long timo abandoned the society.’ We are gratified to be able to lay such testimony before our readers as clearly shows Washing, ton, the fathor of his country, to be a seceding mason, and at a time too when it had little of the alarming character it now has. The groat mind of Washington even then fbvpsaw its dangerous character, and withdrew from it; and in hjs fare, well address to his country, warned us in the most earnest and solemn manner to beware of self-con-stitutod societies, combinations, a0 associations. These letters, it will be seen, were edition in 1798, shortly before the death of Washington, which gives them additional Interest.7Mii Editor of the Centinel of the Valleyf Wood-Stock, Shenandoah county, Virginia.Sir—Through the politeness of a friend late on a visit tq Frederick county, I was favoured with a perusal of several letters written by Gen. Washington. Not knowing whether you may have seen them or not, I concluded, by permission, to send them to you. I should bo glad to see them in yOur paper* and with them the remarks I have subjoined, by which you will much o-blige, Yours,SCRUTATOR. LETTER 1.Ml* Vernon, Sept. 25th, 1798. Sir-—Many apologies are due to you for my not acknowledging the receipt of your obliging favour of the 22d ult. and for not thanking you at an earlier period, for the book you had the goodness to send me. I have heard much of the nefarious and dangerous plan and doctrines of the Illuminati, but never 6aw the book, until you were pleased to send it to me. The same causes, which have prevented my acknowledging the receipt of your letter, have prevented, my reading the book hitherto, viz: the multiplicity of matters, which pressed upon me before and the dobilitated state in which I was left after a severe fever bad keen removed, and which allows ipe to add little more hero than thanks for your wishes and favorable sentiments, except to eonect an error you have run into, of my presiding over the English lodges in this country.— The fact is, I preside over none, nor have I been in one, more than once or twice within the last THIRTY YEARS. I be-/tew, notwithstanding, that none of the lodges in this country are contaminated with the principles ascribed to the society of the Illuminati.With respect, I am dec.G. WASHINGTON. LETTER 2.Ml. Vernon, Oct. 12,1798. Sir—It is more than a fortnight since I acknowledged the receipt of your first letter, on the subject of the Illuminati and thanked you for Robison’s account of that society. It went to the post-office as usual addressed to the Rev'd. Mr. Snyder, Fred-trick Town, Maryland* If it lips not been received before this somo mishap must have attended it, of which I pray you to advise me, as it could not have been received at the date of your last, not being mentioned. With respect, I am dec.G. WASHINGTON. LETTER 8.Mt. Vcmon, Oct. 24th, 1798. Rkv'd. Sir—I have your favour of the 17th inst. before mo, and my only motjve to troublo you w ith tho receipt of this letter, is to explain und correct a mistake, which 1 perceive tho hurry in which I am obliged often to write letters, has led youinto. It was net my inient on to doubt t hat the doctrines of the Illuminati and principles of Jacobinism had not spread in the United States, on the contrary, no one is more fully satisfied of the fact thanl'am., The idea I meant to convey was, that t did not believe that the lodges of free masons in this country had, as societies endeavored to propagate the diabolical tenets of the first or the pernicious principles of the latter (if they are susceptible of separation.) That individuals op them may have done it, and that the FOUNDER or 1NSTRU-MENT employed to found the Democratic Societies in the United states may have these objects and actually had a separation of tho people from their government in view, IS TOO EVIDENT TO.BE QUESTIONED. My occupations are such that but little leisure is allowed me to read newspapers of any kind; the reading of letters and preparing of answers absorbs much of my time.With respect, dee.(T WASHINGTON.As additional proof that Washington was conscious of the ambiguous and questionable character of masonry, let us add the following authentic anecdote, copied fronq. the “ Philadelphian.”H ! H ?While Col. Trumbull was aid-de-camp to Gen. Washington, he one day asked tho latter if he would advise him tp become a mason. The General replied that masoniy was a “ benevolent institution, which might be employed for the best or toe worst of purposes; but that for the most part it was merely child’s play ; and that he could not give him any advice on the subject.”Put that and that together, and Wash, ington’s opinion of masonry .wiU be spfilt ciently apparent!nic and lich ex. lsonry inciples ns, and in Phi-mperial a largedvocate un con c news, iy,dtc. valuable citizenivance; r, three »9 than I all ar-mid, to ronklinFront the Sun.?HE REPORT-NQ. il.tekel. Dan. v. 27.RELIGION.That the religion of thp Bible and the ft* ligion of the Lodge are very different things, so much so, that the very first article of tb latter is a direct violation- of the preceptf of the former, has often been demonstrated* That demonstration was stated in the fhtt number of our Report. Were we to take the late disclosures that have been made of the system of freemasonry for our data, we would see that this opposition rises and in* creases with the gradations of the ^steln, until hostility to the christisn religion becomes plain and printed, and a war of extermination is declared against it as a f‘monster that must be conquered!! ” And that the members may be active and devoted soldiers in- this unholy warfare, they ani drilled in the several degrees by the most horrid blasphemous rites, calculated, with infernal ingenuity and aptness, to eradicate; from the breast every the feast sentiment of respect for the holy scriptures; for those rites are burlesques upon the sacred contents of the Holy Bible! and finally, the masonic soldier is told, that to be ** a good mason,” “ he must crush tjic serpent !”r-r “conquer the monster!” a serpent which they (masons) detest as an idol—adored by the idiot and vulgar under tho name of religion !!!But, before we avail ourselves of any of these disclosures, we will let the masonic fraternity see that the cloven foot of their institution was never hidden from the penetrating eye of the Christian. The late disclosures did very little more than confirm the truth of what was previously known* We knew that they must necessarily prac- . tice some kind of rites: their precise form we knew not till we were told lately; but that they were not in accordance with chrisv tianity, we could easily judge from what we knew of the system, ip spite of all the eaie employed for concealment. Besidee the initiatory oath, which every body knew must bo taken before a man can enter the lodge, and prhich is much the fame as swearing to a blank, a most presumptuous sin, we could discern unequivocal marks of the beast on every feature of tne institution.. For instance—the secrecy with «.hich it was characterized, and which, with masons, was a subject of so much boasting, convinced us that it was a work of darkness.— ** We have not so learned Christ.” His religion knows no concealment. It contains no secrets. Can anyono read the 14th, 15th, and 16th verses of the 5th chapter of the gospel according to 8t. Matthew, and not be convinced that masonic secrecy must be the revcrso of gospel light? There was no hiding in the world until it h^d been tutored by the old sprpent; and his trial b*4 •caicely cooled upon the grass of Eden before practice of hiding began. In masonic secrecy we discern hts characteristic windings.But again: Satanic eunniag is marked upon the masonic institution, not only in tho withholding of its rites firom the world, but from the initiated themselves only as they advance up the several grades. This is a feature of the system which mazatu r.cvci concealed, but rather gloried in, It in a contrivance astonishingly well calculated to mould the character and disposition to any purpose whatever. That it is intended tq
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Gettysburg Antimasonic Star
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, US
Wed, Aug 25, 1830
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USA 29 Jan 2025
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