Morals and Dogma excerpt from 3� - Master

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Excerpted from: Morals and Dogma by Albert Pike
Two forms of government are favorable to the prevalence of falsehood and deceit. Under a Despotism, men are false, treacherous, and deceitful through fear, like slaves dreading the lash. Under a Democracy they are so as a means of attaining popularity and office, and because of the greed for wealth. Experience will probably prove that these odious and detestable vices will grow most rankly and spread most rapidly in a Republic. When office and wealth become the gods of a people, and the most unworthy and unfit most aspire to the former, and fraud becomes the highway to the latter, the land will reek with falsehood and sweat lies and chicane. When the offices are open to all, merit and stern integrity and the dignity of unsullied honor will attain them only rarely and by accident. To be able to serve the country well, will cease to be a reason why the great and wise and learned should be selected to render service. Other qualifications, less honorable, will be more available. To adapt one's opinions to the popular humor; to defend, apologize for, and justify the popular follies; to advocate the expedient and the plausible; to caress, cajole, and flatter the elector; to beg like a spaniel for his vote, even if he be a negro three removes from barbarism; to profess friendship for a competitor and stab him by innuendo; to set on foot that which at third hand shall become a lie, being cousin-german to it when uttered, and yet capable of being explained away,--who is there that has not seen these low arts and base appliances put into practice, and becoming general, until success cannot be surely had by any more honorable means ?--the result being a State ruled and ruined by ignorant and shallow mediocrity, pert self-conceit, the greenness of unripe intellect, vain of a school-boy's smattering of knowledge.

The faithless and the false in public and in political life, will be faithless and false in private. The jockey in politics, like the jockey on the race-course, is rotten from skin to core. Everywhere he will see first to his own interests, and whoso leans on him will be pierced with a broken reed. His ambition is ignoble, like himself; and therefore he will seek to attain omce by ignoble means, as he will seek to attain any other coveted object,--land, money, or reputation.

At length, office and honor are divorced. The place that the small and shallow, the knave or the trickster, is deemed competent and fit to fill, ceases to be worthy the ambition of the great and capable; or if not, these shrink from a contest, the weapons to be used wherein are unfit for a gentleman to handle. Then the habits of unprincipled advocates in law courts are naturalized in Senates, and pettifoggers wrangle there, when the fate of the nation and the lives of millions are at stake. States are even begotten by villainy and brought forth by fraud, and rascalities are justified by legislators claiming to be honorable. Then contested elections are decided by perjured votes or party considerations; and all the practices of the worst times of corruption are revived and exaggerated in Republics.

Intrigued by the ATS posts of freemasons and their detractors I have started reading morals and dogma. Thus far I have completed the third chapter. IMHO the concepts and ideas presented by Mr. Pike are nothing less than the work of a genius. While I am still lost in much of the allegory and the numerlogy of his vision, his narrative reflects clearly the state of government and man today as I see it. Reading Pike has also assisted me in seeing my own weakness in my lack of tolerance and my lack of foregiveness.

In this light I would appreciate comments from masons on the excerpt I have provided above. I am also particularly interested on general comments on Pike and whether the spirit of his ideas still lives in masons today.

Anti-masons need not comment as I have read a mountain of anti-mason literature and found it to be completely lacking in credibility and reason.
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I, of course, love that book. In the excerpt above, however, we see one of the worst aspects of Pike's personality, however, which is that he was a (mild) racist. It's odd, though, when you realise that he was very good friends with the Grand Master of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge (a black man) and also was one of the few southerners to speak out openly against slavery, long before the American civil war (which, of course, was not about slavery, but that's another story), a position for which he paid dearly in ridicule.

Pike, I think, was a genius, who was sadly slightly trapped by his time and location. For his time and location, he was also incredibly understanding and tolerant. The vast majority of what he has to say in Morals and Dogma is of the most sterling character, and continues to be useful to this day.

I have a 1931 copy of morals and dogma in hardback but i cant find that excerpt are you saying its on page 30? or chapter 3?

Originally posted by df1
In this light I would appreciate comments from masons on the excerpt I have provided above. I am also particularly interested on general comments on Pike and whether the spirit of his ideas still lives in masons today.

I think the vast majority of what Pike wrote holds true today. In political science, as well as in metaphysics, he was sort of a neo-Platonist. He believed (as did Plato) that only men of great virtue and wisdom should ever hold political power in the state, and here lamented that, in most cases, the exact opposite actually occurs.

As for Pike�s influence in Masonry, it remains strong in the Ancient and Accepted Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction of the US. Morals and Dogma is one of my favorite books of any genre.

Fiat Lvx.

minniescar

Originally posted by minniescar
I have a 1931 copy of morals and dogma in hardback but i cant find that excerpt are you saying its on page 30? or chapter 3?

It is in chapter 3. I am reading a print out of an electronic version that some typos and mangled spelling, so please free to make any corrections that are appropriate.

AlexKennedy: I did not take Pikes 'negro' reference in the above excerpt as even mildly racist, though 'primitive man' would likely be a more 'politically correct' choice of words in our racially charged times, much like the racial references of samuel clemons are mistakenly consider bigoted. Perhaps pike exhibits racism in other instances, but to this point I do not see it.

I will be rereading pikes narrative on the first three degrees before continuing with the rest of the book, as it is far from an easy read, but then nothing worthy of knowing is easy.

In the selected excerpt I find pike to be prophetic when I view the condition of our current society. It is my belief that this tide must be turned before we are buried in our own excessive waste and corruption.

Masonic Light: I agree completely based on my limited reading, though I am not an initiated mason, pike makes me feel that I am at least a mason in my heart.
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I have always wanted to read this book, but never got around. Is that the entire book online ?

Deep

Originally posted by ZeroDeep
I have always wanted to read this book, but never got around. Is that the entire book online ?

The TOC starts here...
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df1 ill have to look again this evening and if you are reading it and understanding it then you are a better man then i. I read the majority of it some of it several times yet all it did was confuse me.

Originally posted by df1

AlexKennedy: I did not take Pikes 'negro' reference in the above excerpt as even mildly racist, though 'primitive man' would likely be a more 'politically correct' choice of words in our racially charged times, much like the racial references of samuel clemons are mistakenly consider bigoted. Perhaps pike exhibits racism in other instances, but to this point I do not see it.

Well, hey, I love the man to pieces, I think he was not only a genius, but also compassionate and holding the other virtues Scottish Rite Masonry holds dear, but he also had some racist opinions. If you read "Irano-Aryan Faith and Doctrine as Contained within the Zend-Avesta," you will see more instances of what is definitely a mild (not strong) racism. Pike also seems to have believed the fallacy that the Aryan (i.e. Indo-European) people were white-skinned, (as you can find in "Lectures of the Arya"), but this was also a commonly-held false belief at the time.

On the other hand, Pike was (I believe) the first white man in North America to be declared an honourary Native chief by actual Native Americans, and he crusaded relentlessly for their rights. I believe that one of his reasons for joining the Conederate side during the American Civil War was that the Confederate government promised to keep up settlement payments to the Native Bands with whom he dealt, while the Union government would make no such promise.

As for Pike's political stance, I agree with ML about Pike wishing to see qualified, selfless, philosophical individuals lead. But we must not mistake this for disdain for democracy. In fact, if you look a little later on in the book (and I'm paraphrasing from memory, here), you will find Pike stating that the only governments a decent man can in good conscience support are : democracies (like the U.S.), constitutional monarchies (Britain, Canada), and other representative forms; and that although these forms often lead to demagogues taking power, they are better than the enforced forms of government (like despotism) which can be much better at first if the leader is a decent person, but which sink much deeper, much faster, to tyrrany.

DF1, by the way, "in your heart" is a good first place to be prepared to be a Mason.

It is my understanding that the reason Pike took up arms with the South is that he was an ardent supporter of STATES rights, which the Union was trampling, and which was the real issue behind the war between the states, not slavery.

I can't remember the source on this, but recall it to be contained in his biography.

Originally posted by theron dunn
It is my understanding that the reason Pike took up arms with the South is that he was an ardent supporter of STATES rights, which the Union was trampling, and which was the real issue behind the war between the states, not slavery.

Actually, Pike was opposed to secession, and did not believe that the Union was �trampling� state�s rights. He wrote that he joined the Confederacy because his own sons had been drafted by the Arkansas Militia, not because of political ideology.
One of Pike�s closest Masonic associates, the Carolinian Albert G. Mackey, remained a staunch supporter of the Union for the entire war. Pike eventually resigned his post from the Confederacy because he came to believe the Confederacy was a sham perpetrated by criminals and traitors. The Confederacy repeatedly broke its treaties with the Native Americans, which Pike would not countenance.
After the war, Pike (like most former Confederate officers) was pardoned for the crime of treason after having taken an oath of loyalty to the United States.
This is an important point because Pike loved his country; he did not despise it, nor did he wish to dismember it.

Fiat Lvx.


[edit on 22-6-2004 by Masonic Light]

As M&D was published post civil war, I would think that the excerpt reflected much pertaining to the carpetbaggers that pillaged the population of the south following the war by brutally robbing the political power, the wealth and the dignity of the southern people.

In many respects I see the see same failings and unpure motives in the mercenary and uncaring ways our government and corporations are operating today in the US within both the republican and democratic parties. My desire is to be an instrument of change, but to this point I feel powerless. I think pike makes clear that even the smallest action can result in immense and unexpected results.

So I suppose the point of my ramblings is, in what respect can freemasonry provide the wisdom to determine what actions and the strength and faith to carry out those actions?

Albert Pike was, in fact, a genius, one of the leading thinkers of his day. He is the only Confederate soldier whose statue sets in Washington, D.C. Like Robert E. Lee, he was not a racist.

Much of his writing was so difficult to understand, as is often the case with scientists and philosphers, that much has been misinterpreted.

The writings and thoughts, however, are his own. Although he influenced Masonry, Freemasonry is not based upon Albert Pike's philosophy as many non-Masons have declared or attempted to imply.

As to the availability of his book, it is no longer in print although it is one of the most sought-after tomes around the English-speaking world. You can go to google.com and put (in quotation marks) the author's name and the book's name and find it for sale. It is still available by many book sellers willing to sell it for a relatively low price.

I believe that the purchase could, within a few more years, be an excellent investment for a collector.

www.onealclan.com

Originally posted by 2012

As to the availability of his book, it is no longer in print although it is one of the most sought-after tomes around the English-speaking world.

It is no longer printed by the Supreme Council, but is reprinted by Kessinger in paperback form. It can be ordered directly from them, or through Barnes & Noble.
The Supreme Council has used, hardback earlier editions for sale on their website for $50.

Fiat Lvx.

So, M&D would be a book worth reading?

This is mildly off-topic, and may have been clarified before. How in the world did Albert Pike get blamed for the ku klux klan? What was his invlolvement, if any?
users.crocker.com...

Originally posted by 2012
...Much of his writing was so difficult to understand, as is often the case with scientists and philosphers, that much has been misinterpreted.

I have completed reading the first 3 degrees/chapters of M&D and I am reflecting on what I have read before I reread them in several days. I suspect that much like symbology of masonry the true meaning of this work is hidden. So hopefully in the end I will comprehend what he intended to say, rather than misinterpret. It appears to me that anti-mason are intentionally distorting pike rather than making an innocent misinterpretation.

The writings and thoughts, however, are his own. Although he influenced Masonry, Freemasonry is not based upon Albert Pike's philosophy as many non-Masons have declared or attempted to imply.

Again I see it the other way around. It appears me that Pikes philosphy is more based on freemasonry instead of vice versa, but perhaps this is due to my limited knowledge of freemasons.
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[edit on 22-6-2004 by df1]

[edit on 22-6-2004 by df1]

I consider Pike a genius myself. I might have one good thought while Alby had 10,000.

[edit on 22-6-2004 by TgSoe]

Originally posted by DontTreadOnMe

This is mildly off-topic, and may have been clarified before. How in the world did Albert Pike get blamed for the ku klux klan? What was his invlolvement, if any?

In the early 1900�s, a certain Walter Fleming wrote a book on the history of the Ku Klux Klan, and claimed that Pike was a member. Fleming did not give his sources (if he had any), and there is absolutely no evidence that Pike was ever affiliated in any way with the KKK.

To put the KKK into perspective, this was originally formed to be a fraternal order of former Confederate soldiers after the war. The KKK�s founder, Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest (who was the first �Grand Wizard�) had no intention of founding a terrorist organization.
When the Klan�s rank and file began perpetrating terrorist acts, Forrest formally disbanded the Klan, and the organization�s other leadership followed suit. However, independent klans continued to terrorize Negroes, northerners, and progressives for years to come, until it finally went defunct around the turn of the century.
If Pike had been an early member of the Klan (which is a big if ), he would have resigned with the other gentleman members. It is clear from Pike�s many writings his beliefs strongly contradicted the objectives and ideology of the Ku Klux Klan.

In the 1920�s, a new group was formed called Invisible Empire, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. They had no actual connection to the original Klan, but adopted its name, its costumes, and some of its ceremonies. They were partially financed by the so-called German-American Bund, which was a financial front for the Nazi Party in Germany. The new Klan began adopting fascist ideologies.

It was this �new� Klan that was responsible for the many atrocities against Negroes, Jews, and liberals during the Civil Rights era, and it is this Klan that continues to survive in scattered local bodies across he nation. They have apparently adopted the Nazi Party flag as a symbol, as its presence is everywhere at the Klan rallies I�ve seen on TV.

They are also members of the so-called �Christian Identity� movement, which is a mixture of right wing extremism, Christian fundamentalism, and violent racism. During the �50�s and �60�s they had many followers, including high ranking political leaders and judges. Today, the movement is in decline, and most of its members are uneducated, coming from the fringes of trailer park society.

Fiat Lvx.


[edit on 22-6-2004 by Masonic Light]

IMHO a thread for each degree covered in M&D is justified. Pike had a very deep and profound intellect. It is interesting to note that those that misquote Pike are no where to be found in the discussion of this excerpt.
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Certainly. the critic that uses Pike's words out of context are ignorant of the context, so to be perfectly fair to them (unlike their treatment of us) they have not read the book, do not own a copy, would not bother had they the time, nor understand it if they took the time, so they post from ignorance.

Someone took a snippet out, posted it, and then the ignorant, seekiing a weapon, copied and pasted the quote(s) without a whit of understanding. This is why they do not discuss Pike, only quote him, parrot like, with a bird brain understanding alone.. which is to write, no understanding.

I sincerely suggest reading this book to everyone. Pike was a genius, and if you divorce his politics from the book (they are of the late 1800s after all) it makes for great bedtime reading...