Free Masonry - The Masonic Trowel

332 PROFESSOR aoBuov's VJEWS
phy. The particulars are numerous and interesting, but
we must come at once to the conclusion.
(P. 75.) " And thus it appears, that Germany has ex*
perienced the same gradual progress from religion to Athe*
ism, from decency to dissoluteness, and from loyalty to rebellion,
which has had its course in France. And I must now
add, that this progress has been effected in the same manner,
and by the same means; and that one of the chief means
of seduction has been the lodges of the Free Masons. The
French, along with their numerous orders of knighthood,
and stars, and ribbons, had brought in the custom of ha*
ranguing in the lodges; and as human nature has a conn-*
derable uniformity every where, the same topics became
favourite subjects of declamation that had tickled the ear
in Franee: there were the qame corruptions of sentiments
and manners among the luxurious or profligate, and the
same incitements to the utterance of these sentiments,
wherever it could be done with safety; and, I may say,
that the zealots in all these tracts of free*thinking, were
more serious, more grave, and fanatical. These are not
assertions a priori. I can produce proofs. There was a
Baron Knigge, residing at that time in the neighbourhood
of Frankfort, of whom I shall afterwards have occasion
frequently to speak. This man was an enthusiast iki Masonry
from his youth, and had run through every possible
degree of it He was dissatisfied with them ail, and par*
ticularly with the frivolity of the French chivalry; but he
still believed that Masonry contained hwdwMe secret*;
(poor man.) He imagined that he saw a glimpse of tbem
in the cosmo-political and sceptical discourses in their
lodges; he sat down to meditate on these, and soon col*
lected his thoughts, and found that those French orators
were right without knowing it; and that Masonry was pure
natural religion and universal citkenship, and that this was
also true Christianity"
This is the same Knigge who personated Phil* in Aat
fraternity where Weishawpt appeared as Spattacus, and