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  • March 6, 1875
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The Freemason's Chronicle, March 6, 1875: Page 4

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    Article UNITED GRAND LODGE. ← Page 2 of 2
    Article CORRESPONDENCE. Page 1 of 1
    Article MASONIC MINSTRELSY. Page 1 of 1
    Article REVIEWS. Page 1 of 2 →
Page 4

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United Grand Lodge.

Lodge of Quebec as an independent Grand Lodge ; representatives to be interchanged . A long discussion ensued on the report of the Lodge of Benevolence , wherein very largo grants were made to distressed brethren and the widows of deceased brethren . Mr . John M . Clabon ,

the president of tho Lodge of Benevolence , and Mr . Joshua Nnnn , the Vice President , stated the circumstances under which the grants had been made , and warned the brethren against falling into tho error of making the grants too large . Other Masonic business was then proceeded with , and the brethren adjourned at a lato hour .

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

All Letters must bear the name and address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , hut as a guarantee of good faith . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications . We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Correspondents .

ASSISTANCE TO MASONIC CHAEITIES

To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Bro . Edward Clark P . M . 1194 and 1329 , P . P . G . Sop . Wks . Middlesex , of 17 Talfonrd Road , Peckham Road , undoubtedly appreciating the great amount of good effected by Bro . Constable ' s mode of assisting the Masonic Charities , has signified his approval thereof by pursuing a similar course . He

seems , however , to have come to tho conclusion that the same amount of money might be collected , with considerably less trouble and fatigue , by charging two-shillings-and-sixpenco instead of ono shilling , as does Bro . Constable . It is gratifying that Bro . Clark , whose high position in the Craft lends additional value to his approval of this method of obtaining subscriptions , is applying his influence

and energies to its promotion . There are many who give willingly and unhesitatingly , provided they are asked to do so , bnt whoso names , cither from thoughtlessness or indolence and apathy are never seen in any list of subscribers . There arc others whose position in life does not enable them to spare sufficient to constitute what is considered a respectable donation , bnt arc nevertheless

anxious to give what they can well afford . There is a largo class of the latter , and for these , especially , subscription by ticket , with a chance of winning a Life Governorship must be in itself a groat boon . We may therefore justly express a hope that others , whoso position and influence give reasonable grounds for a prospect of success , will imitate the excellent example of Bros . Constable and Clark . Tho Masonic Charities require , and should have our constant care .

However great the amount of benefit effected by tho existing institutions , it is the undoubted duty of . every Craftsman to work with all his heart and soul to endow them with greater power . For it should ever be borno in mind that the demands for help from tho a"cd

Mason , the widow , and the orphan , are always immeasurably " in excess of the moans to bestow it . Tho resources after all are very circumscribed , and therefore any ono who applies himself to promote their extension deserves the hearty thanks of all true Masons . Yonrs fraternally , E . GOTTIIEIL .

Masonic Minstrelsy.

MASONIC MINSTRELSY .

To the Editor of Tim FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . SIR , —If the author of the clover stanzas entitled "My Brother " is not laughing at us , I trust he will turn his poetical talent to account for the benefit of the Order generally . Masonic minstrelsy needs much improvement , and I think the time has come when such songs as those quoted in your last article , should be banished from our

repertory . The author of " My Brother " clearly possesses a poetical turn , but his piece is better fitted for recitation than for a musical setting . Some one has remarked that the subject of a good song , must bo cither " Wine " or " Woman . " I am inclined to think that there is much truth in this . A song should deal with one thought or idea only , and it should appeal to the emotions which are common to

all men . Wine and Women are universall y appreciated hy all but a few sober fanatics who would taboo these heaven-sent solaces of poor humanity . I would suggest that our unknown author should try his hand upon either of these themes . Ho can give them a Masonic turn if lie pleases , without destroying the unity which is one of tho greatest charms of a song . One word with reference to the prevailing love for comic verse . I

believe the preference to bo bad ; a sign of frivolity and decadence . However , I can understand and appreciate . " My Brother" contains much humour , and hence I regard it as a valuable addition to our small stock of Masonic poetry , but mere farce , without either wit or humour , should be driven out of our Lodges .

Wo are a serious body , with grave ends in view ( I do not intend a pun ) , and tho verses which enliven our leisure hours should be at least tinged with " the pale cast of thought . " I am , dear Sir , yours very truly , P , \ y #

CLUB HOUSE PLATING CUIUS . —Mogul Quality , picked Is 3 d por pack , Ms per dozen packs . Do . seconds Is per pack , lis per dozen packs . If bv post Hd per pack extra . Cards for Piquet , Bezinuo , Ecart . 5 , & c , Mo"ul Quality 10 d per pack , 8 s per dozen packs . —London : W . W . Morgan , 6 / Barbican , E . C . B '

Reviews.

REVIEWS .

All Books intended for Beview should be addressed to the Editor of The Freemason ' s Chronicle , 67 Barbican , E . C . — : o : — Shakespeare Commentaries . By Dr . G . G . Gervinus , Professor at Heidelberg . Translated , under the author ' s superintendence , by F . E . Bunnett . New Edition , revised by the Translator . London : Smith , Elder and Co ., 15 Waterloo-place .

CONCLUDING NOTICE . Ono of tho most popular in tho roll of Shakespearian characters is unquestionably that of " sweet Jack Falstaff , kind Jack Falstaff , true Jack Falstaff , valiant Jack Falstaff , and , therefore , more valiant , being as he is , old Jack Falstaff . " Bnt this very popularity furnishes the strongest reason for a careful study of tho man and of the

dramas in which he is so prominent a figure . If we see him on tho stage , acted well , or even passing well only , we are intensely pleased . We langh at his drolleries , we are in love with his joviality . Wo scarcely heed his knaveries , or even the cowardice he more than once displays . Wo see in him merely a perfectly drawn , and , as such , admirable character . We know he is a true portrait of a class of

men who were common enough at the period to which he is assigned . Bnt we rarely stop to analyse the character , or to deduce the lesson which the poet intended to impress upon his hearers through its medium . In our enthusiasm for this perfection of portraiture we forget that the evil in Falstaff outweighs the good in jnst the same ratio as " the intolerable deal of sack" was out of all proportion

to " the half-pennyworth of bread . " Thus in our very admiration for the poot as the creator , tho maker of Falstaff , we do a serions injustice to his moral and aesthetic nature . It rarely occurs to us to inquire whether Shakespeare , with the vast powers he possessed , would have stooped to ennoble so worthless a personage ? Whether , indeed , he has so ennobled him ? The outer easing is so attractive

that we pause not to learn what is hidden beneath . Yet Falstaff in the two parts of Henry IV and The Merry Wives of Windsor is one of tho best practical illustrations of Shakespeare ' s value as a great moral teacher . For this reason , also , it is , perhaps with the one exception of Hamlet , one of tho best tests of a critic ' s judgment and analytical power . Hence have we reserved this for the concluding portion of our

remarks . if our author has rightly estimated this and the character of Hamlet , which aro among tho most subtle of the great poet's creations , we need hardly pause to inquire into the merits of his other analyses . Tho earlier part of tho commentary on the first part of Henry 17 . is devoted to the characters of Hotspur and Prince Henry .

Admirable as are the comments of Gervinns hereon , wo do not propose to dwell upon them , for space and time are both wanting . Pass we thenjat once to Falstaff ; " the personification of the inferior side of man , of his animal and sensual nature " ; in whom " all the spiritual part of manhonour and morality , refinement and dignity—has been early spoiled and lost . " To take tho anthor ' s sketch of his character : — "The

material part has smothered in him every passion for good or for evil ; ho was perhaps naturally good-natured , and only from trouble and bad company became ill-natured , but even this ill-nature is as short as his breath , and is never sufficiently lasting to become real malice . His form and his mere bulk condemn him to repose and love of pleasure ; laziness , epicurean comfort , cynicism , and idleness ,

which are only a recreation for his prince , are for him tho essence , nature , and business of life itself . " Later on : " His wit , the only mental gift which ho possesses , must itself serve to his subsistence ; at any rate , in the Merry Wives of Windsor , he prepares it expressly with this business-like object to escape want . Want aud necessity , it is said in Tarlton ' s 'Jests , ' is the

whetstone of -wit , and it is even so with Falstaff . This may relate especially to his ingenuity in fraudulent tricks , but the merely intellectual side of his wit may also be referred to his physical heaviness . His mere appearance attracts attention to him , and provokes men to mock him ; he affords a pictnre of tho owl bantered by the birds . This position alone calls forth , in self defence , those

passes of wit which , for the most part , do not spring from direct natural capacity . In all witty and satirical powers in men , the innate gift , generally speaking , lies in a negative realistic nature little adapted for action ; the more essential element in this power is its training and cultivation , lying , as it does , entirely in a keen , well exercised sense of comparison , and consequently in the most

versatile and manifold observation and practice . This habit became another nature ; it must have been so in Falstaff , all the more early and completely , the earlier his mere appearance provoked the attacks of wit . " Again , as to the natnre of this wit we are told : " His whole comic power lies in his unintentional wit and in his dry humour ; natural mother wit ever appears in this way ; comic

genius , like genius of every kind , moves in the nndistinguishable lino between consciousness and instinct . It is just this happy medium which Shakespeare assigned to his Falstaff ; and this medium and his position as bantering and bantered , as a mark for wit just as much as a dealer iu it himself , assigns to him the social place he always occupied . " Then , as to his

moral being , "tho words no conscience and no shame , " says the author , " express all that we require for acquaintance with him . At times indeed , he has attacks of remorse , and these make evident the man ' s better nature , even under such a material burden , is never quite lost . " To what extent this lack of all shame prevails in him is , we are told , " most glaringly depicted , when he hacked his

sword as an evidence of his heroic deeds , and by this business , and by his shameless swearing , makes even a Bardolph blush . The basis of this character is exhibited in his soliloquy concerning honour . " And again : " It is this very core , or rather nullity of his nature , his lack of honour , which places him as a great and striking contrast to the other principal character of the play . As in Percy honour and manlinesa blend into one idea , according to the notions of the age , so , on

“The Freemason's Chronicle: 1875-03-06, Page 4” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 21 May 2025, django:8000/periodicals/fcn/issues/fcn_06031875/page/4/.
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Title Category Page
SOCIAL CHANGES. Article 1
CONVIVIALITY. Article 1
ASSYRIAN DISCOVERIES. Article 2
ATHLETICISM AND MASONRY. Article 2
UNITED GRAND LODGE. Article 3
CORRESPONDENCE. Article 4
MASONIC MINSTRELSY. Article 4
REVIEWS. Article 4
THE MAGAZINES OF THE MONTH. Article 5
MONEY MARKET AND CITY NEWS. Article 6
INNOVATIONS. Article 7
THE THEATRES, &c. Article 8
Untitled Article 8
Untitled Article 8
Untitled Article 8
REVIEW OF THE WEEK. Article 8
THE BESSEMER SALOON STEAMER. Article 11
DIARY FOR THE WEEK. Article 12
NOTICES OF MEETINGS. Article 12
THE DRAMA. Article 13
THE LORD MAYOR'S VISIT TO LIVERPOOL. Article 13
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Article 14
DOWN A MINE. Article 14
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

United Grand Lodge.

Lodge of Quebec as an independent Grand Lodge ; representatives to be interchanged . A long discussion ensued on the report of the Lodge of Benevolence , wherein very largo grants were made to distressed brethren and the widows of deceased brethren . Mr . John M . Clabon ,

the president of tho Lodge of Benevolence , and Mr . Joshua Nnnn , the Vice President , stated the circumstances under which the grants had been made , and warned the brethren against falling into tho error of making the grants too large . Other Masonic business was then proceeded with , and the brethren adjourned at a lato hour .

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

All Letters must bear the name and address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , hut as a guarantee of good faith . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications . We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Correspondents .

ASSISTANCE TO MASONIC CHAEITIES

To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Bro . Edward Clark P . M . 1194 and 1329 , P . P . G . Sop . Wks . Middlesex , of 17 Talfonrd Road , Peckham Road , undoubtedly appreciating the great amount of good effected by Bro . Constable ' s mode of assisting the Masonic Charities , has signified his approval thereof by pursuing a similar course . He

seems , however , to have come to tho conclusion that the same amount of money might be collected , with considerably less trouble and fatigue , by charging two-shillings-and-sixpenco instead of ono shilling , as does Bro . Constable . It is gratifying that Bro . Clark , whose high position in the Craft lends additional value to his approval of this method of obtaining subscriptions , is applying his influence

and energies to its promotion . There are many who give willingly and unhesitatingly , provided they are asked to do so , bnt whoso names , cither from thoughtlessness or indolence and apathy are never seen in any list of subscribers . There arc others whose position in life does not enable them to spare sufficient to constitute what is considered a respectable donation , bnt arc nevertheless

anxious to give what they can well afford . There is a largo class of the latter , and for these , especially , subscription by ticket , with a chance of winning a Life Governorship must be in itself a groat boon . We may therefore justly express a hope that others , whoso position and influence give reasonable grounds for a prospect of success , will imitate the excellent example of Bros . Constable and Clark . Tho Masonic Charities require , and should have our constant care .

However great the amount of benefit effected by tho existing institutions , it is the undoubted duty of . every Craftsman to work with all his heart and soul to endow them with greater power . For it should ever be borno in mind that the demands for help from tho a"cd

Mason , the widow , and the orphan , are always immeasurably " in excess of the moans to bestow it . Tho resources after all are very circumscribed , and therefore any ono who applies himself to promote their extension deserves the hearty thanks of all true Masons . Yonrs fraternally , E . GOTTIIEIL .

Masonic Minstrelsy.

MASONIC MINSTRELSY .

To the Editor of Tim FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . SIR , —If the author of the clover stanzas entitled "My Brother " is not laughing at us , I trust he will turn his poetical talent to account for the benefit of the Order generally . Masonic minstrelsy needs much improvement , and I think the time has come when such songs as those quoted in your last article , should be banished from our

repertory . The author of " My Brother " clearly possesses a poetical turn , but his piece is better fitted for recitation than for a musical setting . Some one has remarked that the subject of a good song , must bo cither " Wine " or " Woman . " I am inclined to think that there is much truth in this . A song should deal with one thought or idea only , and it should appeal to the emotions which are common to

all men . Wine and Women are universall y appreciated hy all but a few sober fanatics who would taboo these heaven-sent solaces of poor humanity . I would suggest that our unknown author should try his hand upon either of these themes . Ho can give them a Masonic turn if lie pleases , without destroying the unity which is one of tho greatest charms of a song . One word with reference to the prevailing love for comic verse . I

believe the preference to bo bad ; a sign of frivolity and decadence . However , I can understand and appreciate . " My Brother" contains much humour , and hence I regard it as a valuable addition to our small stock of Masonic poetry , but mere farce , without either wit or humour , should be driven out of our Lodges .

Wo are a serious body , with grave ends in view ( I do not intend a pun ) , and tho verses which enliven our leisure hours should be at least tinged with " the pale cast of thought . " I am , dear Sir , yours very truly , P , \ y #

CLUB HOUSE PLATING CUIUS . —Mogul Quality , picked Is 3 d por pack , Ms per dozen packs . Do . seconds Is per pack , lis per dozen packs . If bv post Hd per pack extra . Cards for Piquet , Bezinuo , Ecart . 5 , & c , Mo"ul Quality 10 d per pack , 8 s per dozen packs . —London : W . W . Morgan , 6 / Barbican , E . C . B '

Reviews.

REVIEWS .

All Books intended for Beview should be addressed to the Editor of The Freemason ' s Chronicle , 67 Barbican , E . C . — : o : — Shakespeare Commentaries . By Dr . G . G . Gervinus , Professor at Heidelberg . Translated , under the author ' s superintendence , by F . E . Bunnett . New Edition , revised by the Translator . London : Smith , Elder and Co ., 15 Waterloo-place .

CONCLUDING NOTICE . Ono of tho most popular in tho roll of Shakespearian characters is unquestionably that of " sweet Jack Falstaff , kind Jack Falstaff , true Jack Falstaff , valiant Jack Falstaff , and , therefore , more valiant , being as he is , old Jack Falstaff . " Bnt this very popularity furnishes the strongest reason for a careful study of tho man and of the

dramas in which he is so prominent a figure . If we see him on tho stage , acted well , or even passing well only , we are intensely pleased . We langh at his drolleries , we are in love with his joviality . Wo scarcely heed his knaveries , or even the cowardice he more than once displays . Wo see in him merely a perfectly drawn , and , as such , admirable character . We know he is a true portrait of a class of

men who were common enough at the period to which he is assigned . Bnt we rarely stop to analyse the character , or to deduce the lesson which the poet intended to impress upon his hearers through its medium . In our enthusiasm for this perfection of portraiture we forget that the evil in Falstaff outweighs the good in jnst the same ratio as " the intolerable deal of sack" was out of all proportion

to " the half-pennyworth of bread . " Thus in our very admiration for the poot as the creator , tho maker of Falstaff , we do a serions injustice to his moral and aesthetic nature . It rarely occurs to us to inquire whether Shakespeare , with the vast powers he possessed , would have stooped to ennoble so worthless a personage ? Whether , indeed , he has so ennobled him ? The outer easing is so attractive

that we pause not to learn what is hidden beneath . Yet Falstaff in the two parts of Henry IV and The Merry Wives of Windsor is one of tho best practical illustrations of Shakespeare ' s value as a great moral teacher . For this reason , also , it is , perhaps with the one exception of Hamlet , one of tho best tests of a critic ' s judgment and analytical power . Hence have we reserved this for the concluding portion of our

remarks . if our author has rightly estimated this and the character of Hamlet , which aro among tho most subtle of the great poet's creations , we need hardly pause to inquire into the merits of his other analyses . Tho earlier part of tho commentary on the first part of Henry 17 . is devoted to the characters of Hotspur and Prince Henry .

Admirable as are the comments of Gervinns hereon , wo do not propose to dwell upon them , for space and time are both wanting . Pass we thenjat once to Falstaff ; " the personification of the inferior side of man , of his animal and sensual nature " ; in whom " all the spiritual part of manhonour and morality , refinement and dignity—has been early spoiled and lost . " To take tho anthor ' s sketch of his character : — "The

material part has smothered in him every passion for good or for evil ; ho was perhaps naturally good-natured , and only from trouble and bad company became ill-natured , but even this ill-nature is as short as his breath , and is never sufficiently lasting to become real malice . His form and his mere bulk condemn him to repose and love of pleasure ; laziness , epicurean comfort , cynicism , and idleness ,

which are only a recreation for his prince , are for him tho essence , nature , and business of life itself . " Later on : " His wit , the only mental gift which ho possesses , must itself serve to his subsistence ; at any rate , in the Merry Wives of Windsor , he prepares it expressly with this business-like object to escape want . Want aud necessity , it is said in Tarlton ' s 'Jests , ' is the

whetstone of -wit , and it is even so with Falstaff . This may relate especially to his ingenuity in fraudulent tricks , but the merely intellectual side of his wit may also be referred to his physical heaviness . His mere appearance attracts attention to him , and provokes men to mock him ; he affords a pictnre of tho owl bantered by the birds . This position alone calls forth , in self defence , those

passes of wit which , for the most part , do not spring from direct natural capacity . In all witty and satirical powers in men , the innate gift , generally speaking , lies in a negative realistic nature little adapted for action ; the more essential element in this power is its training and cultivation , lying , as it does , entirely in a keen , well exercised sense of comparison , and consequently in the most

versatile and manifold observation and practice . This habit became another nature ; it must have been so in Falstaff , all the more early and completely , the earlier his mere appearance provoked the attacks of wit . " Again , as to the natnre of this wit we are told : " His whole comic power lies in his unintentional wit and in his dry humour ; natural mother wit ever appears in this way ; comic

genius , like genius of every kind , moves in the nndistinguishable lino between consciousness and instinct . It is just this happy medium which Shakespeare assigned to his Falstaff ; and this medium and his position as bantering and bantered , as a mark for wit just as much as a dealer iu it himself , assigns to him the social place he always occupied . " Then , as to his

moral being , "tho words no conscience and no shame , " says the author , " express all that we require for acquaintance with him . At times indeed , he has attacks of remorse , and these make evident the man ' s better nature , even under such a material burden , is never quite lost . " To what extent this lack of all shame prevails in him is , we are told , " most glaringly depicted , when he hacked his

sword as an evidence of his heroic deeds , and by this business , and by his shameless swearing , makes even a Bardolph blush . The basis of this character is exhibited in his soliloquy concerning honour . " And again : " It is this very core , or rather nullity of his nature , his lack of honour , which places him as a great and striking contrast to the other principal character of the play . As in Percy honour and manlinesa blend into one idea , according to the notions of the age , so , on

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