bro b continued It is obvious that Catherines first attack on Masonry could not and did not succeed. Whilst holding up to ridicule some of its externals and calling its adherents apes and deceivers, the Empress did not touch its real allegories and doctrines. In fact, Catherine knew very little about the realities of the Masonic and Rosicrucian movement: not only did she apparently mix up Claude de Saint-Martin with Martinez Pasqually, but she also mixed up Masons with the German Illuminati, and called them Cagliostros disciples. She was better acquainted with the aberrations of some Mystical visionaries and dreamers who were to be found among Russian Masons and Rosicrucians, as they could be found practically everywhere in those days of the creation of spurious Masonic degrees and of Masonic charlatanism. Thus, Catherines next attack did not prove more successful. It took the form of three comedies, namely, The Deceiver, The Deceived One 2 (both belong to the year 1785), and Shaman 3 from Siberia (1786). The Empress herself stated that the first represented Cagliostro, and the second those who were deceived by him, and that the subject of the third was found in an article on Theosophists in the French Encyclopaedia. Hence they had little to do with real Masons, and could not affect much either their opinions or those of the general public. The Empress herself acknowledged it in one of her letters: I myself like very much Shaman from, Siberia, but am afraid that it will correct no one. Absurdities are hard to fight, and those mentioned in that comedy have become fashionable. The style of all three comedies is rather heavy, and plots are completely artificial. Their success, of which the Empress boasts, must be attributed to the influence exercised by their august author and to the generally poor condition of the Russian stage repertoire of those days. The hero of the comedy The Deceiver constantly speaks mysterious absurdities, holds conversations with spirits, and is engaged in the process of transmutation of base metals into gold; for this purpose The Deceiver (who, as we know, represents Cagliostro) cunningly obtains from his well-to-do friend real gold and jewels, and then disappears. In the end he is caught and delivered to the police. However, there are in this comedy some allusions more characteristic of the state of Russian Martinism than in the two other pieces. The Deceivers tricked friend represents a Martinist. His wife is afraid he is going mad; when asked if he has some ailment, she replies: He is rejoicing over every ailment, both of his own and of other people ... he says [289] sickness is the best possible state. This alludes to a certain ascetism and subjugation of bodily wants preached and practiced by some Russian Martinists. She continues: Last week a watch was lost and a snuff-box; when he was told, he smiled, and said, It is well, they will prove useful to somebody. He flees from what we think is good, gay, agreeable; both from men and business. This is again very characteristic of practices advocated by adherents of Russian Martinism — charity, meekness, forgiveness, detachment from earthly goods, meditations, control of thoughts through contemplations, etc. She relates further: This began after his last holidays: during his journey he met a man whom he brought here; with him he sits behind closed doors, and other persons little known are conducted to him. This probably refers to Rosicrucian meetings in private, «in secrecy and concealment, as they used to say. The person who evidently represents the Empresss views describes the Martinist in the following terms: I consider him to be deceived . . . He tries to discover things which, it is by all known, it is impossible to discover . . . He seems to wander in his mind, for he boils gold and jewels, prepares metals from dew and nobody knows what not from herbs; besides he tries to communicate with invisible spirits by means ... at which intelligent people of old and present days are laughing . . . His head has been turned by ancient Kabalistic nonsense; to study some cyphers he has got a Jewish teacher whom he considers to be a very great expert . . . this poor Jew is secretly dealing in the rag-market. All this is an echo from Rosicrucian studies in Alchemy and the Kabala. The Martinists daughter is like her father; her grand-mother narrates: My grand-daughter came into my room, saw a glass with flowers on a table before me; she began to kiss the leaves. I asked her why, and she replied that a small spirit inhabits every leaf! ...so small that many thousands of them may be put on a pins head! . . . I nearly died from fright . . . Another interesting statement concerning the Martinists in Russia occurs further: They have a secret intention of opening philanthropic institutions such as schools, hospitals, etc., and for this purpose they try to attract rich people. Russian Rosicrucians did establish schools, hospitals, public libraries, and, besides, printed books and periodicals. Being ever anxious to spread patriotic and religious enlightenment, their philanthropic activities were varied, and on an unexampled scale; only they did not hide these activities or intentions, as the Empress suggests. The Shaman or Wizard from Siberia induced a merchants widow to part with some money, promising to produce her deceased husband alive; for that purpose he brought to her twice two bearded men specially attired, and in her fear the widow took them for her departed man. The wizard ended by getting into the hands of the police. The Empresss literary attacks being far from successful, though imitated by some other writers, Catherine applied other more efficient means always at the disposal of an autocratic ruler, and the open activities of the Martinists were stopped. Yet, in secrecy and concealment, they have continued from Catherines days till the present time; although prohibited by Bolshevists, gatherings on the same Martinist or Rosicrucian lines apparently are still being held in Russia. In the meantime the Masonic movement has spread abroad among Russian refugees, mostly of high intellectual standing; a few Lodges have been formed and new ones are in process of formation on the Continent under various and, unfortunately, sometimes undesirable obediences. It is hoped that it may be possible to form an Anglo-Russian Lodge at no distant date under the Grand Lodge of England, and this may prove the nucleus for the revival of English Masonry among Russians. [Books consulted: A. N. Puipin, Russian Masonry, Longinov, Novikov and Moscow. Martinists, Empress Catherines Works. [290] Bro. H. C. next episode
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 09:01:51 +0000
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