The Arcana of Freemasonry (1915) - The Masonic Trowel

THE ARCANA OF FREEMASONRY 323
official participation
in the International Masonic
Conference then being held.
Was there not in this anti-pacific attitude an
exaggerated fear of touching the domain of
politics? It appears rather that Berlin knew the
projects of the Imperial Government. The latter
had decided to crush France, and was acting in
consequence. In these conditions, it became very
poor politics to cultivate amongst Germans any
pacific sentiments. It was solely on political
grounds, therefore, that the Prussian Grand
Masters affected to eschew politics. It remains to
be asked whether this action is " regular " and
no !
truly worthy of Freemasonry. Emphatically
If at times French Masons have been mixed more
than necessary in politics, they have nevertheless,
as French Masons, always served a noble and disinterested
cause. Can the Prussian Masons, who
have knowingly made themselves accomplices of
unworthy politics, make the same claim? The least
that can be asserted is that German Masonry has
not been on a level with its task. This intellectual
elite of a nation, proud of its " Kultur," has not
been any more enlightened than a crowd. It has
multiplied its platitudes towards an autocratic
system, which is losing for Germany the benefit
of a century of laborious efforts and brave
struggles In the full knowledge of the falsifi-
cation of the Ems dispatch, the Imperial dynasty