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Article PROVINCIAL JURISDICTIONS AND COUNTY DIVISIONS. Page 1 of 1 Article A DENOUNCER DENOUNCED. Page 1 of 2 →
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Provincial Jurisdictions And County Divisions.
PROVINCIAL JURISDICTIONS AND COUNTY DIVISIONS .
A CASE which at least possesses the attraction of novelty was brought before the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons at the Quarterly Communication of that body on Tuesday , and as it refers to a matter which also concerns the Craft degree , we
presume it will have to be attended to m United Grand Lodge on an early occasion . It appears a Mark Lodge has been consecrated for the Province of Hertfordshire at the Crown Hotel , Broxbourne , which
hotel it has been pointed out is in the parish of Nazing , Essex , and on that account in the Mark Province of East Anglia . An arrangement has been arrived at with Lord Henniker , Grand Master of East Anglia , that while all future Lodges held at that
house are to be regarded as within the jurisdiction of his Province , the Lodge in question shall be considered a Hertfordshire one . We thus have the anomaly of a Mark Lodge belonging to one Province meeting in
a neighbouring jurisdiction , and , as we have said , the same peculiarity holds good in regard to a Craft Lodge—the Broxbourne , No . 2353—which also meets at the Crown Hotel . It will now have to be settled what action is to be taken in regard to the latter body .
This peculiarity of meeting place is not , we believe , confined to the . Crown Hotel at Broxbourne . A few years back we were told of a Lodge that held its meetings at a Provincial Hotel , the proprietor of which
had made some additions to his premises , in the form of a hall and better dining accommodation , these additions being just over the county boundary . Therefore , while the members entered their Lodge
quarters through a door m the Province to which they were attached , they performed all their Masonic work , and enjoyed refreshment after labour in a neighbouring jurisdiction , and it is questionable how
far they were justified in continuing operations under such conditions . This particular instance may be regarded as a somewhat trivial matter , but the case
just brought into prominence at Broxbourne is hardly of that character , and now that attention has been drawn to the Mark Lodge meeting at the Crown Hotel it is scarcely to be supposed the Craft body will
be left undisturbed . It js more than probable that many other instances of irregular meeting places exist in various parts of the country , the county boundaries affecting many
towng , and cutting them up between two and sometimes even more Provinces , with results which must sometimes affect the meeting places of Masonic bodies . eSTlflCiallv thnHA wrnf > L Via / iro lmrl nnnaainn in
shift their quarters from one part of a town to another . We imagine the question will be discussed m its various aspects , and some definite understanding arrived at when the snhip . Rt ia hrrmah * hpfn ™ iht >
. ruling body of the Craft , as it probably will be , unless some of the existing Committees of the Order have power to set matters straight .
A Denouncer Denounced.
A DENOUNCER DENOUNCED .
IN the Chicago Daily Tribune of 23 rd June 1891 , tliore was an article with the caption , " He was a Mason and upheld his Order , " reading as follows : BOSTON , MASSACHUSETTS , 23 rd JUNE . An attack on Freemasonry iu the meeting of the Baptist ministers to-day resulted in a dramatic scene . The Rev . J . B . Stoddard wns
the essayist of the conference , and bis subject was : The Inflnonco of Secret Societies upon Churches , as Derived from the Landmarks of Masonry . " His attack npon Masonry was especially bitter . Said he : " Masonry mutilates tho law of God by leaving tbe name of Christ ont of the ritual of initiation . Before a man can become a
Mason he mnst profess to believe in the existence of a God . It is not a personal God whioh is the object of his faitb . Masonry , it is said , quotes from tbe Bible . So did the Devil when he offered to go into partnership with Christ . There are even some ministers who co into the Order and profess these things , and they also profess
that ordination is an evidence of sanctification . " Instantly on this last statement , the Bov . Mr . Cleaveland , a prominent worker in the denomination here , jumped to his feet and in a passionate voice cried , "I rise to a point of order . I am a Mason , and I havo lis toned to this scathing stigmatism of the Order with patience , hot cannot
listen to this unjust and uncalled for abase . The Rev . Dr . Moxton pnt the vote , and declared tho point of Order not sustained . Mr . Cleaveland called for a rising vote , and it resulted 7 to 50 .
Instantly , Mr . Cleaveland rose , and , addressing tho Seoretary , said "I reqnest that you drop my name from the roll of membership of this conference . I do not care to be a member of any body that refuses to sustain any decent point of order . "
Now , I am of the opinion that Mr . Cleaveland acted rather nastily in objecting to the remarks of tha Rev . J . B . Stoddard , who , there is no donbt , intended to nse scathing language in his reference to Masonry . But did he ? From the remarks he made , I should say his subject was , " Tho Effects of Masonry on Churches . "
The article in the Tribune states that" His attack on Masonry was especially bitter , " but why should hia attack on Masonry be more bitter than his attack on other secret societies ? Had he ever applied for admission to
Freemasonry and been refused ? If so , it is no wonder that ho is " especially bitter " against Masonry . He certainly never was a Mason , and not being a Mason he was talking about something he did not understand .
He charges Masonry with mutilating the law of God , " by leaving the name of Christ out of the ritual of initiation , " and I infer that he believes that Masonry emanated direct from God ; that God prescribed the ritual of initiation , and that the Masons of the present day havo
left ont the word " Christ . " Now , it is possible that Masonry had the divine origin that is implied in his remarks , but Masons generally do not say so . However , as Masonry is so ancient , and has come down to us orally , it is not surprising that its divine origin has been lost sight of .
But if the Rev . J . B . Stoddard will kindly inform us where he finds the law of God he refers to , which alludes to the Masonic ritual of initiation , he will confer a great favour on the Masonic Fraternity , and they will undoubtedly
have the ritual changed to comply with the law of God , by inserting the omitted word " Christ . " For , even the " bitterest " enemies of Masonry have never accused them of wilfully violating the law .
The Rev . J . B . Stoddard also finds some fault with Masonry , because , " Before a man can become a Mason he must profess a belief in the existence of a God . " I will venture to say that he is tbe first minister of the gospel who has put himself on record pi being opposed to any
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Provincial Jurisdictions And County Divisions.
PROVINCIAL JURISDICTIONS AND COUNTY DIVISIONS .
A CASE which at least possesses the attraction of novelty was brought before the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons at the Quarterly Communication of that body on Tuesday , and as it refers to a matter which also concerns the Craft degree , we
presume it will have to be attended to m United Grand Lodge on an early occasion . It appears a Mark Lodge has been consecrated for the Province of Hertfordshire at the Crown Hotel , Broxbourne , which
hotel it has been pointed out is in the parish of Nazing , Essex , and on that account in the Mark Province of East Anglia . An arrangement has been arrived at with Lord Henniker , Grand Master of East Anglia , that while all future Lodges held at that
house are to be regarded as within the jurisdiction of his Province , the Lodge in question shall be considered a Hertfordshire one . We thus have the anomaly of a Mark Lodge belonging to one Province meeting in
a neighbouring jurisdiction , and , as we have said , the same peculiarity holds good in regard to a Craft Lodge—the Broxbourne , No . 2353—which also meets at the Crown Hotel . It will now have to be settled what action is to be taken in regard to the latter body .
This peculiarity of meeting place is not , we believe , confined to the . Crown Hotel at Broxbourne . A few years back we were told of a Lodge that held its meetings at a Provincial Hotel , the proprietor of which
had made some additions to his premises , in the form of a hall and better dining accommodation , these additions being just over the county boundary . Therefore , while the members entered their Lodge
quarters through a door m the Province to which they were attached , they performed all their Masonic work , and enjoyed refreshment after labour in a neighbouring jurisdiction , and it is questionable how
far they were justified in continuing operations under such conditions . This particular instance may be regarded as a somewhat trivial matter , but the case
just brought into prominence at Broxbourne is hardly of that character , and now that attention has been drawn to the Mark Lodge meeting at the Crown Hotel it is scarcely to be supposed the Craft body will
be left undisturbed . It js more than probable that many other instances of irregular meeting places exist in various parts of the country , the county boundaries affecting many
towng , and cutting them up between two and sometimes even more Provinces , with results which must sometimes affect the meeting places of Masonic bodies . eSTlflCiallv thnHA wrnf > L Via / iro lmrl nnnaainn in
shift their quarters from one part of a town to another . We imagine the question will be discussed m its various aspects , and some definite understanding arrived at when the snhip . Rt ia hrrmah * hpfn ™ iht >
. ruling body of the Craft , as it probably will be , unless some of the existing Committees of the Order have power to set matters straight .
A Denouncer Denounced.
A DENOUNCER DENOUNCED .
IN the Chicago Daily Tribune of 23 rd June 1891 , tliore was an article with the caption , " He was a Mason and upheld his Order , " reading as follows : BOSTON , MASSACHUSETTS , 23 rd JUNE . An attack on Freemasonry iu the meeting of the Baptist ministers to-day resulted in a dramatic scene . The Rev . J . B . Stoddard wns
the essayist of the conference , and bis subject was : The Inflnonco of Secret Societies upon Churches , as Derived from the Landmarks of Masonry . " His attack npon Masonry was especially bitter . Said he : " Masonry mutilates tho law of God by leaving tbe name of Christ ont of the ritual of initiation . Before a man can become a
Mason he mnst profess to believe in the existence of a God . It is not a personal God whioh is the object of his faitb . Masonry , it is said , quotes from tbe Bible . So did the Devil when he offered to go into partnership with Christ . There are even some ministers who co into the Order and profess these things , and they also profess
that ordination is an evidence of sanctification . " Instantly on this last statement , the Bov . Mr . Cleaveland , a prominent worker in the denomination here , jumped to his feet and in a passionate voice cried , "I rise to a point of order . I am a Mason , and I havo lis toned to this scathing stigmatism of the Order with patience , hot cannot
listen to this unjust and uncalled for abase . The Rev . Dr . Moxton pnt the vote , and declared tho point of Order not sustained . Mr . Cleaveland called for a rising vote , and it resulted 7 to 50 .
Instantly , Mr . Cleaveland rose , and , addressing tho Seoretary , said "I reqnest that you drop my name from the roll of membership of this conference . I do not care to be a member of any body that refuses to sustain any decent point of order . "
Now , I am of the opinion that Mr . Cleaveland acted rather nastily in objecting to the remarks of tha Rev . J . B . Stoddard , who , there is no donbt , intended to nse scathing language in his reference to Masonry . But did he ? From the remarks he made , I should say his subject was , " Tho Effects of Masonry on Churches . "
The article in the Tribune states that" His attack on Masonry was especially bitter , " but why should hia attack on Masonry be more bitter than his attack on other secret societies ? Had he ever applied for admission to
Freemasonry and been refused ? If so , it is no wonder that ho is " especially bitter " against Masonry . He certainly never was a Mason , and not being a Mason he was talking about something he did not understand .
He charges Masonry with mutilating the law of God , " by leaving the name of Christ out of the ritual of initiation , " and I infer that he believes that Masonry emanated direct from God ; that God prescribed the ritual of initiation , and that the Masons of the present day havo
left ont the word " Christ . " Now , it is possible that Masonry had the divine origin that is implied in his remarks , but Masons generally do not say so . However , as Masonry is so ancient , and has come down to us orally , it is not surprising that its divine origin has been lost sight of .
But if the Rev . J . B . Stoddard will kindly inform us where he finds the law of God he refers to , which alludes to the Masonic ritual of initiation , he will confer a great favour on the Masonic Fraternity , and they will undoubtedly
have the ritual changed to comply with the law of God , by inserting the omitted word " Christ . " For , even the " bitterest " enemies of Masonry have never accused them of wilfully violating the law .
The Rev . J . B . Stoddard also finds some fault with Masonry , because , " Before a man can become a Mason he must profess a belief in the existence of a God . " I will venture to say that he is tbe first minister of the gospel who has put himself on record pi being opposed to any