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Article JOSEPH II. ON FREEMASONRY. Page 1 of 2 →
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Joseph Ii. On Freemasonry.
JOSEPH II . CN FREEMASONRY .
The Emperor Joseph II ., of Austria , succeeded to the Imperia throne in 1765 , but did not acquire indepen d ^ death of his mother , the femous Maria Theresa , iii 1780 . Joseph ' s political opinions were far in advance of his time , and indeed have
been supposed to contribute in an indirect manner to the development of the revolution in France . He effected numerous changes in the system of government in his own dominions , some which were unsuited to the circumstances of the times , but the majority were reforms , displaying ^ It was thi s monarch who first tolerated all denominations of Christians in Catholic Austria : the
condition of his Jewish subjects also received his attention , and their civil rights to a certain extent were re He was not uniformly sncce his interference with religious ordinances in Flanders , which he considered to be useless , bigoted eventually cost him his Belgian dominions .
In the year 1786 , great indignation and alarm were excited amongst the priestly party in Austria , by the spread of the Illuminati and kindred secret societies who were accused ( whether justly or not ) of propagating doctrines tending to the overthrow of the altar and the throne . By the ultra Catholics the society of Freemasons was denounced as participating in the worst errors , and even crimes , of the
revolutionary propaganda ; and petitions were by the former , addressed to the emperor , demanding the suppression ofthe Order as subversive of all order and Religion . Joseph II ., however , far from countenancing in the slightest degree the bigoted and obviously unprincipled designs of the papal party , as exhibited in these one-sided counsels , after mature deliberation , issued a decree evincing a spirit of discerning and
paternal interest in what he rightly considered to be a highly deserving and loyal class of his subjects : — u DECKEE .
u Joseph II ., by the grace of God , & c . 64 The Freemasons of my dominions are so numerous , that there is now scarcely a village in which we do not find a Lodge ; it is , therefore , an imperative necessity to establish ordfer for their continuance . 441 am not acquainted with their secrets , never having had curiosity enough to penetrate them ; it is sufficient for me to know that they always do some good ; they sustain the poor , and cultivate and protect literature , But as the security of the state and of good order demand that we should not leave the people entirely to themselves , 1 propose to take Freemasonry
under my protection , and give it my especial favour ( if the Masons conduct themselves well ) , subject to the following conditions : — u 1 . There shall not be in the capital but one , two or three Lodges , if it he possible in them to receive all the Brethren ; at the utmost three . In
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Joseph Ii. On Freemasonry.
JOSEPH II . CN FREEMASONRY .
The Emperor Joseph II ., of Austria , succeeded to the Imperia throne in 1765 , but did not acquire indepen d ^ death of his mother , the femous Maria Theresa , iii 1780 . Joseph ' s political opinions were far in advance of his time , and indeed have
been supposed to contribute in an indirect manner to the development of the revolution in France . He effected numerous changes in the system of government in his own dominions , some which were unsuited to the circumstances of the times , but the majority were reforms , displaying ^ It was thi s monarch who first tolerated all denominations of Christians in Catholic Austria : the
condition of his Jewish subjects also received his attention , and their civil rights to a certain extent were re He was not uniformly sncce his interference with religious ordinances in Flanders , which he considered to be useless , bigoted eventually cost him his Belgian dominions .
In the year 1786 , great indignation and alarm were excited amongst the priestly party in Austria , by the spread of the Illuminati and kindred secret societies who were accused ( whether justly or not ) of propagating doctrines tending to the overthrow of the altar and the throne . By the ultra Catholics the society of Freemasons was denounced as participating in the worst errors , and even crimes , of the
revolutionary propaganda ; and petitions were by the former , addressed to the emperor , demanding the suppression ofthe Order as subversive of all order and Religion . Joseph II ., however , far from countenancing in the slightest degree the bigoted and obviously unprincipled designs of the papal party , as exhibited in these one-sided counsels , after mature deliberation , issued a decree evincing a spirit of discerning and
paternal interest in what he rightly considered to be a highly deserving and loyal class of his subjects : — u DECKEE .
u Joseph II ., by the grace of God , & c . 64 The Freemasons of my dominions are so numerous , that there is now scarcely a village in which we do not find a Lodge ; it is , therefore , an imperative necessity to establish ordfer for their continuance . 441 am not acquainted with their secrets , never having had curiosity enough to penetrate them ; it is sufficient for me to know that they always do some good ; they sustain the poor , and cultivate and protect literature , But as the security of the state and of good order demand that we should not leave the people entirely to themselves , 1 propose to take Freemasonry
under my protection , and give it my especial favour ( if the Masons conduct themselves well ) , subject to the following conditions : — u 1 . There shall not be in the capital but one , two or three Lodges , if it he possible in them to receive all the Brethren ; at the utmost three . In