Catholics And Masons -- Tit For Tat
Most of us have heard an old adage, "You have to set a thief to catch a thief." With that thought in mind, you will be interested in an article which appeared October 14, 1956, in the Roman Catholic weekly paper, The Register, official publication of the diocese of Nashville. In his column, "Keeping Up With Events," Paul H. Hallett made some pointed remarks about Freemasonry. Mr. Hallett's sense of humor seems to have been stimulated by a feature on Masonry which had appeared in Life magazine.
Mr. Hallett observes, "When you write about American secret societies, you can be humorous without half trying. It is difficult to suppress a smile when you view the pictures of Mason pageantry shown in Life. To me there are few things more amusing than a photo of a grave American businessman dressed up in the clothing of an Oriental potentate, solemnly intent on some lodge ritual."
We find it easy to share the Catholic columnist's amusement at seeing the same things, and more, in Catholic garb and pageantry.
Referring to a book on secret societies (Arthur Preuss' Dictionary of Secret and Other Societies, published in 1924), Mr. Hallett found further amusement in the names of some of the societies listed: " — the improved Order of Heptasophe, the Go-Hawks Happy Tribe, the Royal Order of the Wouff-Hong, the Royal and Exalted Order of Fleas — all exhibiting the American appetite for tomfoolery." (Emphasis mine, B.C.)
I find no room to quarrel with Mr. Hallett's view of Masonry. It is either a seriously pagan religion, or else a frivolous mockery of solemn religious themes, and at best is a ridiculous way for grown men to play. But to hear such comments from a Catholic columnist is a grand joke indeed. If you have ever doubted the most extreme descriptions of Catholic paganism and heathen pageantry, you need only to subscribe to one of their own periodicals. They demonstrate more of the "American appetite for tomfoolery" than anyone could make you believe otherwise.
Were it not for the depravity it exhibits, there would be few things indeed more amusing than the photo to which Mr. Hallett alluded of an American businessman in the garb of an "Oriental Potentate." One of those things even more amusing, however, is the picture of some solemn Catholic churchman parading about the streets in the garb of some pagan high priest, shirts, skirts, robes, and all. The ludicrous thing about it all is that they dress out in those costumes pretending to represent the saints and apostles of Christ.
If you wonder why grown men and women go in for such solemn "tomfoolery," Mr. Hallett has the explanation. "Several things account for the American fondness for secret societies. In their ceremonies, many of them appeal to the little-boy spirit so pronounced in some American men. Also, their pageantry and grandiloquent titles satisfy a hunger for the grandiose we have inherited from our Old World ancestors, and which has so little chance for expression in our democratic form of government. More seriously, they offer businessmen and politicians an opportunity to establish contacts and influence legislation."
We must largely agree with Mr. Hallett's observations on the American psychology. We would suggest, however, that such motives cannot be restricted to those who practice Masonry, but obviously explains the basis of the appeal which Catholicism has for so many people.
It is interesting that the Catholics, with their myriads of secret orders, Knights of Columbus, grandiloquent titles, garbs and rituals should be laughing at the Masons. The Christian, whose life is one of chaste sobriety, whose dress is in modesty, and whose ritual is in specific obedience to the New Testament of Christ, while grieving at the sinful idolatry of Catholicism, can at the same time find it humorous that the Catholic has the effrontery to poke fun at the same kind of paganism in Masonry. The thief has caught the thief.