M. Yesbugem, even in the national palace in presence of six deputies, that the

actual Freemasonry in Belgium had become a powerful and dangerous arm in the hands of certain men, that the Swiss insm'rection had its resting place in the machinations of the Belgian lodges, and that Brother Defacqz, Grand Master of these lodges, had undertaken, in 1844, a voyage to Switzerland, only in order to prepare tliat agitation.
84 WAR OF ANTICHRIST WITH THE CHURCH.
Communists of Paris. It may serve as a means to hold in terror the unfortunate prince or leader who may be seduced in youth or manhood to join secret societies from motives of ambition ; and when that ambition was gratified, might refuse to go the lengths for Socialism which the Alta Vendita required. But otherwise assassination did not by experience prove such a sovereign power in the hands of the Carbonari as Mazzini expected. His more astute associates soon found out this ; and, not from any qualms of conscience, but from a strong sense of its inexpediency for their ends, they determined to reject it. They found out a more effective, though a far more infamous, way for attaining the dark mastery of the world. It was by the assassination not of bodies but of souls — by the deliberate systemization and persevering diffusion of immorality.^
The Alta Vendita, then, sat down calmly to consider the best means to accomplish this design. Satan and his fallen angels could devise no more efficacious methods than they found out. They resolved to spread impurity by every method used in the past by demons to tempt men to sin, to make the practice of sin habitual, and to keep the unhappy victim in the state of sin to the end. They had, being living men, means to accomplish this purpose, which devils could not use without the aid of men. Christian civilization established upon the ruins of the licentiousness of Paganism had kept European society pure. Vice, when it did appear, had to hide its head for shame. Public decency, supported by public opinion, kept it down. So long
^ Nubius, who, in conjimction with the Templars of France, and the secret friends of the Revolution in England, had caused all the troubles endm-ed by the Church and the Holy Father during the celebrated Congress of Rome and dmnng the entire reign of Louis Philippe, and had so ably planned the revolutions afterwards carried out by^Palmerston and Napoleon III., was written to before his death by one of his fellow-conspiratoi's in the following strain : — " We have pushed most things to extremes. We have taken away from the people all the gods of heaven and earth that they had in homage. We have taken away their religious faith, their monarcliical faith, their virtue, their probity, their family virtue ; and, meantime, what do we hear in the distance but low bellowing ; we tremble, for the monster may devour us. We have little by little deprived the people of all honourable sentiment. They will be without pity. The more I think on it the more I am convinced that we must seek delay of payment."
LETTER OF PICCOLO TIGRE, ETC. 85
as morality existed as a recognized virtue, the Ee volution had no chance of permanent success ; and so the men of the A Ita Vendita resolved to bring back the world to a state of brutal licentiousness not only as bad as that of Paganism, but to a state at which even the moridity of the Pagans Avould shudder. To do this they proceeded with caution. Their first attempt was to cause vice to lose its conventional horror, and to make it free from civil punishment. The unfortunate class of human beings who make a sad trade in sin, were to be taken under the protec- tion of the law, and to be kept free from disease at the expense of the State. Houses were to be licensed, inspected, protected, and given over to their purposes. The dishonour attached to their infamous condition was, so far as the law could effect it, to be taken away. That wholesome sense of danger and fear of disease which averted the criminally disposed from sin was to dis- appear. The agents of the Alta Vendita had instructions to increase the number and the seductiveness of those unfortunate beings, while the State, when revolutionized, was to close its eyes to their excesses, and to connive at their attempts upon the youth of the country. They were to be planted close to great schools and universities, and wherever else they could ruin the rising generation in every country in which the sect should obtain power.
Then literature was systematically rendered as immoral as possible,, and diffused with a perseverance and labour worthy of a better cause. Kailway stations, newspaper stands, book shops, and restaurants, were made to teem with infamous produc- tions, while the same were scattered broadcast to the people over every land.
The teaching of the Universities and of all the middle schools of the State, was not only to be rendered Atheistic and hostile to religion, but was actually framed to demoralize the unfortunate alumni at a season of life always but too prone to vice.
Finally, besides the freest licence for blasphemy and
SG WAR OF ANTICHRIST WITH THE CHURCH.
immorality, and tlie exhibition and diiFusion of immoral pictures, paintings, and statuary, a last attempt was to be made upon the virtue of young females under the guise of educating them up to the standard of human progress.
Therefore, middle and high-class schools were, regardless of expense, to be provided for female children, who should be, at any cost, taken far away from the protecting care of nuns. They were to be taught in schools directed by lay masters, and always exposed to such influences as would sap, if not destroy, their purity, and, as a sure consequence, their faith. These schools have since been the order of the day with Masonry all over the world. "If we cannot suppress woman let us corrupt her with the Church," said Vindex, and they have faithfully acted upon this advice.
The terrible society which planned these infernal means for destroying religion, social order, and the souls of men, continued its operations for many years. Its " permanent instruction " became the Gospel of all the secret societies of Europe. Its agents, like Piccolo Tigre, travelled unceasingly in every country. Its orders were received, according to the system of Masonry, by the heads and the rank and file of the lodges as so many inevitable decrees. But fortunately for the world, it permitted too much political action to the second lines of the great conspiracy. In the latter, ambitious spirits arose, who, while embracing to the full the doctrines of Voltaire and the principles of Weishaupt, began to think that the Alta Vendita stayed actual revolution too much. This state of feeling became general when that high lodge refused admittance to Mazzini, who wished to become one of the invisible forty — the number beyond which the supreme governing body never permitted itself to pass.
The jealousy of JSIuhius — for jealousy is a quality of demons not wanting fi^om the highest intelligences in Atheistic organization to the lowest — prevented his being admitted. But he was already far too powerful with the rank and file of the Carbonari to be refused a voice in the supreme management.
THE INTELLECTUAL AND THE WAR PARTY IN MASONRY. 87
He raised a cry against the old chiefs as being impotent and need- ing change. Nubius consequently passed mysteriously away.