Masonry and the revolution

Title

Creator

Vitata, Emilio P.

Language

English

Source

The Cabletow Volume XXXVIII (No. 3) September 1962

Year

1962

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

Masonry and the Revolution By MWB EMILIO P. VIRATA, PGM Wor. Bio. Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, the Grand Old Man of the Revolution, has time and again publicly declared that our Eman cipatory Movement in 1896 was masonically inspired, masonically generalled, and masonically carried out io a successful termination. One ol the provinces which contributed richly in blood and fortunes to the movement was Cavite. For her valuable contribution the province became known as the cradle of Phil ippine freedom. She earned .die reputation because — It was in Cavite where the moving episode of our struggle for independence took place; It was in Cavite where the Rev olution of 1896 was fiercely 1 ought; It was in Cavite where the Phil ippine independence was pro claimed in June 12, 1898. after success in the fields of battle had been attained; It was in Cavite where the Re public we now enjoy was con ceived by the patriots who fought and died for the Fatherland: It was in Cavite where many Revolutionary generals who be longed to the Craft were born; It was in Cavite where Masonic heroism and martyrdom were re corded in the hearts of men and written in books of history; and It was in Cavite where Ill. Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, Liberator of his country and President of the First Philippine Republic, saw the light of day. Masonry was born in the Philip pines more than a century ago, at Kawit, Cavite. In the place of its birth the Fraternity lived in seuecy, grew fast and spread out far and wide. Its influence inspired the Revolution which liberated our country from foreign domination and delivered our countrymen from slavery. The Republic which we now enjoy we owe to Masonry and the Revolution. Masonry's ac complishments in the Philippines are. indeed, a source of real pride and genuine satisfaction to Masons. Andres Bonifacio, the founder ol the Kalipunan which plotted the the overthrow of the despotic Span ish government, was a Freemason. So was Wor. Bro. I.adislao Diwa, ol Cavite, one of his two co-founders. Most of the Kalipuneros were also Masons or persons of Masonic: leanings. So Bonifacio’s Cry ol Balintawak was wildly welcomed and actively supported by his bro ther Masons anti countrymen who immediately joined the liberation movement. Militarily dressed in rayadillo with buri hats tipped up in front to complete the uniform, holos or spears in hands, barefooted and hungry, the soldiers of Democ racy fought valiantly the enemies 70 er Freedom, won the light and set our country free. The Revolution of 1896 covered two periods. The first period be gan from the Cry of Balintawak on August 16, 1896, and finished with the Pact of Biak na Bato on De cember 1 1, 1897. The second pe riod commenced at the battle of Alapan, Imus, Cavite province, on May 28, 1898, and ended with the inauguration of the First Philippine Republic at Malolos, Bulacan, on January 23, 1899. Il was provoked by the failure of Spain to comply with her commitments in the treaty. Like the first, the second period of the Revolution terminated with victory for the Revolutionary forces and defeat for the Spanish Army. Shortly after the end of the Revol ution, however, the Philippines be came involved again in another warfare. Aguinaldo on February 5, 1899, declared war against Amer ica due to some serious misunder standings between the two coun tties. Fhe Philippine-Amcricaii war lasted for more than two years. It came to a close when Gen Emilio Aguinaldo was treacherously cap tured by Gen. Frederick Funston at Palauan, Isabela, on March 22, 1901. Some historians opine that the end came when the last Filipino general surrendered to the enemv in 1902. He was Gen. Miguel Mahar of Batangas.. Once more the Phil ippines fell under a foreign power. For almost fifty years since then, we had been persistently pleading for our independence by adopting Congressional resolutions and send ing political missions to the United States. At long last our plea was heeded and justice triumphed. So on July 1, 1916, America returned to us the independence which the Revolution had won in the fields of battle and relinquished her sov ereignty over the Philippine terri tory. The independent Philippines joined again the concert of free na tions. In the second period of the Rev olution either Aguinaldo helped the Americans fight the Spaniars, or rice versa, that is, the /Xmericans helped Aguinaldo fight the Span iards. The fact was both fought a common enemy. The alliance was formed under America’s promise to recognize Philippine independ ence after victory. Failing in her promise the former allies became bitter enemies. In the Revolution as well as in the war against z\mcrica the Filipino Masons fought bravely to uphold the cause of free dom. Aside from freedom there are other Masonic ideals and virtues which we must uphold if we are to be proud of our hallowed ground, our heroes, our martyrs, our pa triots, our race. We must bear in mind that those divine gifts are not sweet music only to the ears — they are strong injunctions lor worthy achievements. The uplift — moral, social and political — of our coun trymen should be our constant en deavor, their deliverance from evil <>ur deep concern, their happines our ultimate goal. Permit me to quote from some Masonic scholars on the definition <>l a TRUE MASON. Quote: ' A mte Mason is humble and obedient. Righteous deeds need not be known, nor compenMASONRY ANI) THE REVOLUTION 71 baled. Obedience is a virtue that exalts any man. We must be honest. In practicing honesty we must ever remember that it is our own conscience that we must satisfy and not the curious eye. Our honesty should not choose the time, place, or occasion. It must be practiced at all times, whether alone or in company. A true Mason must be just, for injustice disturbs the peace of minds and breeds communism, the antithesis of democracy which we all abhor. When men arc treated justly they are happy and indus trious. They become an asset and a credit to the community. Never take advantage of anybody. Don’t prey on your fellowmen's weakness or ignorance to benefit yourself. Be always on the level. “A true Mason must be toler ant. He must respect the reli gious and political beliefs of others. That way he contributes to their happiness. Among us we can not expect unanimous opinion on all questions. In a fra ternity that is composed of free and intelligent members discus sions are bound to arise. Ours is a democratic and not a totali tarian organization. We must not hold any grudge against any one or speak ill of a brother in his absence. We must be frank and sincere. "A true Mason must be char itable. But in practicing charity he should avoid indolence. Only the indigents should merit that virtue. If his charity is intended for publicity it becomes nil. And he who acts thus is nothing but a common miser. ‘‘A true Mason must sacrifice all for a good and just cause. A little thus spent is a life worth living for. He must attain selfmastery too. He must be able to control himself whether in victory or in defeat. He must be ready and willing to apologize for his own faults." With so much rich Masonic, her itage and so many glorious Masonic traditions to draw inspiration from, we Masons, can not fail the land that gave us birth in the hour ol her need. Today, we are engaged in a struggle, not bloody, yet dead ly. I refer to our struggle for eco nomic emancipation. We mus free ourselves economically if wc are to have a country and a home we can call our own. Resistance to economic slavery has now become extremely difficult because of out indifference and negligence in the past. The situation is further ag gravated by the fact that rampant graft and corruption have crept into the inner chambers of the govern ment participated in by the high and the low. The evil is being en couraged by weakneed and venal public officials who received orders from vested interests and moneyed individuals mostly of foreign brand. Their conduct is all the more con demnable because with their illgotten money they indulge in os tentatious living that is completly devoid of honesty, morality or de cency. Those so-called servants of the people and their ilk promote criminality and misery, damage Filipino Pride and dignity, and cause loss of national honor and respect. In their hands the citizen ry will always suffer and the nation 72 THE CABLE TOW September, 1962 exposal to criticism beyond repair. They need be eliminated now and forever. Masonry must assist in fostering our country's economy in every way. If in the past deliverance from ty ranny and oppression of nations and peoples had been accomplished by leaders schooled in Freemasonry - like Bolivar in South America, Washington in North America, San Martin in Cuba, and Rizal, Bonifacio and Aguinaldo in the Philippines — there seems to be no reason why economic ills and trangulation may not be cural with Masonic leachings, tenets and prin ciples. Let us, therefore, play our part. Let us stretch forth a help ing hand to remedy a national di saster that is both tragic and ciuel. The task is great and requires much sacrifice. That it is and does, should not discourage us from performing an important duty. We must give our all for country and home. Economic emancipation is the password. Let us be alert and act accordingly. Let us be Masons now, or never. AAA MASONIC MUSIC (Second and last installment) By WB. EUGENE STRANSKY, MD Another composition of Bro. Mo zart in the same year was "Maurer Freude” (Mason’s Delight) to hon or Bro. Ignaz Morn, the most prominent Brother at that time in Vienna whose postion would be characterized now by the term (hand Master, and celebrate the union of the smaller Lodges in Vienna to a few larger lodges. Another remarkable composition is "Fine Kleine Freimurer Kainate” (Little Cantata for Freemasons) for a small orchestra with a male choir. One of the greatest Masonic com positions of Bro. Mozart is "Maurerische Trauci inusik” (Masonic Funeral Music) composed in No vember 1785 on the death of two prominent members ol the Fratertv, Count Eszterhazy and Prince Mecklenburg Strelitz. It is an or chestral work with singers. It is very imposing and by far better than anything performed in our fu nerals. I succeeded several years ago to convince the M. W. Grand Master at that time, M. W Bro. Ma cario M. Ofilada, to order the re cord from America. I wonder, how ever, if it has been played already so far. I may add here that there is likewise a composition for clos ing the Lodge by Bro. Mozart. Flic greatest achievement of out genial Brother is the opera "Die Zaubcrilote" (The Magic Flute). Flic text was written by Bro. Ema73

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