Special thanks to George Helmer FPS

MASONRY AND WOMAN.

Voice of Masonry - 1880

ROBERT RAMSAY, ORILLIA, ONTARIO.

MASONRY occupies a peculiarly interesting position with
regard to woman. From time immemorial the Craft have
been opposed to her reception within the portals of their
lodge-rooms. The ancient regulations, charges, and
obligations, one and all, exclude her from a participation in
the ceremonies. This has been seized upon by the
opponents of Freemasonry as an excuse for wanton attacks
upon, and gross insults to, our beloved Institution. " We must
be performing some mystic ceremonies of a peculiarly
immoral character, since woman cannot share our secrets
and unite with us in the performance of our mysteries," or
"we must be indulging in nocturnal revelry and midnight
debauchery." Such insinuations have been thrown out, and
such statements have been made, time and again, by
Blanchard and his narrow-minded allies.

Now, what connection has Masonry with woman? Its
principles inculcate the highest code of honor and respect for
every daughter of Eve. "Masonry is a peculiar system of
morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols." It is
the purest and holiest system of morality ever taught by man
and approved of by GOD. It is not the sniveling, sneaking
morality of the Pharisee or the deceitful morality of the
hypocrite, but a morality that teaches every follower of the
martyred Hiram to regard woman as pure and holy; as a
being created by an All-Wise Father to be the helpmate of
man; his friend and ally in the time of trouble; his guiding star
in his earthly career, and his guardian angel during the dark
hour of temptation, and when the shadow of the winged
messenger of death is hovering by his bedside in the
chamber of mourning and lamentation.

Those who dare to insinuate that Masonry does not respect
woman, because she is not permitted to participate in
Masonic ceremonies, know naught of the character of the
Masonic Institution. One of its great objects is to teach men
to appreciate the exalted character of woman, and all who
have passed through its mystic ceremonies know how
solemnly it regards, supports, and upholds the honor of a
brother and the virtue of those near and dear to him. The
Mason's wife, the Mason's widow, the Mason's mother, the
Mason's sister, and the Mason's daughter, are sacred in the
eyes of the Hiramite. And, as we render them especially
sacred, so do we teach every neophyte that, unless he is a
truly moral man, he is unworthy of the name of a Mason. The
licentious libertine and the obscene jester are alike objects of
pity and disgust to the Craft. They oppose blasphemy,
obscenity, drunkenness, and all things that tend to render
the mind of man coarse, his morals impure, and his thoughts
unholy. On the other hand, do they not inculcate honesty of
purpose, uprightness of intention, and purity of thought? Do
they not teach the neophyte a blessed faith in the goodness
and greatness of GOD, a hope in immortality, more grand
than the mind of man can conceive, and a charity more
boundless than that of any creed, sect, or church, because it
is a charity that embraces a liberality of thought that permits
man to view the errors of others from a kindly and liberal
point of view? Now, we ask our opponents, in all fairness, if
these are a few of our principles, can we fail to honor and
respect woman; to regard her virtue as sacred, and to
uphold her whenever her name is aspersed, or her character
maligned? It is one of the glories of our society that we
respect woman, and, whilst true and faithful td her we love,
we are equally willing to guard over and protect the name
and character of any when falsely accused, or should one
fall under the alluring tongue and damnable promises of the
seducer, we are bound to rescue such an one, if within our
power. Woman, in the eyes of the true Freemason, is the
holiest gift of GOD to man.

We exclude her from our lodge-rooms because our esoteric
ceremonies are not suitable for her, and because our ancient
landmarks are opposed to her admission, but above all
things because we believe home is the place for woman, by
the fireside with her sisters or children. We do not wish to
see woman emasculate herself and forget her sex in the
performance of the duty of man. We love to find her gentle,
and kind, and good, a holy being, as it were, sent from GOD
to render home happy and man pure. We desire not to see
her assuming duties that fall to our coarser natures; she can
help us as Masons in our deeds of love and charity; she can
go with us to the bedside of sickness and smooth the pillow,
and moisten the lips, and sit with patience by the side of the
suffering and the dying, and "administer relief to their
afflictions, and comfort to their distresses." This, then, is the
true connection that Masonry has with woman. To the
Mason she is a pure, holy, exalted being, his friend in
trouble, his helpmate in joy, his guardian angel when the
dark shadow of temptation surrounds him; and, in a word,
the grandest gift that the Creator has bestowed upon man.

| top | back |