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Article THE BEST OF FRIENDS MUST PART. ← Page 2 of 4 →
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The Best Of Friends Must Part.
MASONIC CHAEITT . The following instance of true Masonic charity and forbearance is extracted from an article which appeared in the Journal of Alien burg , under - the head " Bruderblatter '' . far Freimaurer , " and for a translation of which we are indebted to the kindness of Bro . Dr , MacCowan , R . "WVM . No . 1 , Edinburgh , Bep . Grand Orient of France at the Grrand Lodge of Scotland
:---In the letters of the Baron Bietfield , it is stated that the Prince Eoyal , afterwards Frederick II . being one day with his father at the palace of the Prince of Orange , at Loo , the conversation turned upon Freemasonry ; his father spoke of it with contempt , but the Count of Lippe-Buckeburg defended it . On this occasion the prince
expressed to him privately the wish he had to become a Freemason , and selected the Orient of Brunswick for his reception , fixing the night of the 14 th to the 15 th of August , 1738 , for the ceremony /; when lie appeared , accompanied by the Count of Truchsess-Waldburg , whom he proposed should be admitted along with him .
Frederick insisted they should make no difference between his reception and that of any ordinary individual , and his desire was accordingly acceded to . The prince was complimented on his conduct during the ceremony , and especially on his fortitude under his trials ( at that period these were extremely severe , and often very dangerous ) .
Frederick the Great always maintained that Freemasonry was an institution beneficial to the state , because , as he often said , it prohibited politics and promoted the good of the country , and its aim was the perfect morality of its members . In one of his letters , written the 30 fch January , 1779 , to the Grand Master , Prince Frederick of Brunswick , he says , " I cannot
sufficiently praise the spirit which animates the Freemasons to become good patriots and loyal subjects ; and under so enlightened a Master as your Serene Highness , who , to superior talents joins the firmest attachment to me , I anticipate the happiest result from their zealous efforts to promote virtue and true patriotism in the hearts of all my subjects . "
In another letter from the same prince to the Master of the Lodge Royal York of Friendship , Orient of Potsdam , dated 14 th February , 1777 , he writes : — " The Masonic Society , whose sole object is to plant the seeds and encourage the growth of virtuous principles in mj kingdom , can always rely on my protection . This is the glorious
duty of every sovereign , and I will never cease to iulfil it . Those uninitiated then , are totally in error , who attribute to this prince the remark " Freemasonry is a great delusion . " It is true that he discontinued his connection with tho Craft , but it was on the following grounds .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Best Of Friends Must Part.
MASONIC CHAEITT . The following instance of true Masonic charity and forbearance is extracted from an article which appeared in the Journal of Alien burg , under - the head " Bruderblatter '' . far Freimaurer , " and for a translation of which we are indebted to the kindness of Bro . Dr , MacCowan , R . "WVM . No . 1 , Edinburgh , Bep . Grand Orient of France at the Grrand Lodge of Scotland
:---In the letters of the Baron Bietfield , it is stated that the Prince Eoyal , afterwards Frederick II . being one day with his father at the palace of the Prince of Orange , at Loo , the conversation turned upon Freemasonry ; his father spoke of it with contempt , but the Count of Lippe-Buckeburg defended it . On this occasion the prince
expressed to him privately the wish he had to become a Freemason , and selected the Orient of Brunswick for his reception , fixing the night of the 14 th to the 15 th of August , 1738 , for the ceremony /; when lie appeared , accompanied by the Count of Truchsess-Waldburg , whom he proposed should be admitted along with him .
Frederick insisted they should make no difference between his reception and that of any ordinary individual , and his desire was accordingly acceded to . The prince was complimented on his conduct during the ceremony , and especially on his fortitude under his trials ( at that period these were extremely severe , and often very dangerous ) .
Frederick the Great always maintained that Freemasonry was an institution beneficial to the state , because , as he often said , it prohibited politics and promoted the good of the country , and its aim was the perfect morality of its members . In one of his letters , written the 30 fch January , 1779 , to the Grand Master , Prince Frederick of Brunswick , he says , " I cannot
sufficiently praise the spirit which animates the Freemasons to become good patriots and loyal subjects ; and under so enlightened a Master as your Serene Highness , who , to superior talents joins the firmest attachment to me , I anticipate the happiest result from their zealous efforts to promote virtue and true patriotism in the hearts of all my subjects . "
In another letter from the same prince to the Master of the Lodge Royal York of Friendship , Orient of Potsdam , dated 14 th February , 1777 , he writes : — " The Masonic Society , whose sole object is to plant the seeds and encourage the growth of virtuous principles in mj kingdom , can always rely on my protection . This is the glorious
duty of every sovereign , and I will never cease to iulfil it . Those uninitiated then , are totally in error , who attribute to this prince the remark " Freemasonry is a great delusion . " It is true that he discontinued his connection with tho Craft , but it was on the following grounds .