THE ARCANE SCHOOLS - Fort Myers Beach Masonic Lodge No. 362

Whenever he sees a Masonic sign and recognizes a Masonic brother, he, of
course, must do by him as a Freemason, as he himself is done by.
How can a man who is a Christian allow himself to be influenced by such motives
as are presented in Freemasonry? Now let it be understood that all action is to be
judged by its motive. No man has a right to receive or confer favors that interfere
with the rights of others. And a man who can travel about the country and make
himself known as a Freemason for the purpose of being indulged, and finding the
best place in a hotel, or the best seat in a railroad car, or the best state-room in a
steamboat, must be a selfish man, and can not be a Christian,--for a selfish man is
not a Christian. Let it then be understood that Masonry in its fundamental
principle, in which its moral character is found, is not reformed, and can not be
reformed without destroying its very nature.
It can not be a part of general benevolence, but stands unalterably opposed to the
highest well-being of society in general. The same, let me say, is true to a greater
or less extent of all secret societies, whose members are bound by oath or pledge
to treat each other with a favoritism that ignores the rights of others. Now, it has
been said, and I think truly, that in the late war if a man wished preferment and
high rank, he must be a high Mason. Such things were managed so much by high
Masons that it was difficult for a man to rise in rank unless he could make himself
known as a high Mason. And let the facts become known--and, I hope that
measures will be taken to make them know--and I believe it will be found that the
great mass of the lucrative offices in the United States are in the hands of the
Freemasons.
It is evident that they are aiming to seize upon the government, and to wield it in
their own interest. They are fast doing this, and unless the nation awake soon it
will be too late. And let the church of God also awake to the fact that many of her
ministers and members are uniting with a society so selfish and wicked as this,
and are defending it, and are ready to persecute all who will not unite with them
in this thing. What Mr. Morris said of the nature of Freemasonry, that is, that it
was the constant practice of Freemasons to give each other the preference, as in
the case of the man delivering his load, is really what every observant man,
especially if he has ever been himself a Mason, knows to be true.
When Freemasons say that it is "a good thing" they mean by this that men reap
personal advantage from it. But I am bound to say, that I should feel utterly
ashamed to have any one offer to give me a right that belonged to others because I
was a Mason.
It has been frequently said, by persons: "If I was going to travel, I would become
a Freemason." A physician in the United States Army in the late war, said to a
relative of his: "If I were going into the army again, I would be sure to become a
Freemason. There is such a constant favoritism shown by Freemasons to each
other, on every occasion, that were I going to take the field again, I would be sure
to avail myself of the benefits of that institution." Now, in opposition to this, I
would say, that were I going to travel, or were I going to enlist in the army, I
should be ashamed to avail myself of any such benefits at all. It is not right that
any such favoritism should exist, and any man ought to reject with indignation the