Time Qualification For W.M.

TIME QUALIFICATION FOR W . M .

WE are by no means surprised that the opinion of the Board of General Purposes , in regard to the reading of Rule 130 of the Book of Constitutions , as set out for consideration

at this week ' s meeting of Grand Lodge , has been rejected by the representatives of the Craft in unmistakable terms ; and we can only express our surprise that anything so absurd was ever put forward by the ruling authority of the Order , as the reading it was sought to make applicable in future .

The Rule in question deals with the qualifications of candidates for the Master ' s chair , the actual wording being , that the members of every Lodge shall annually elect its Master by ballot , from among those of its members " who

have served for one year the Office of Master or Warden " in a regular Lodge warranted under the English Constitution . This Rule has worked well and , we were going to' say

is universally understood throughout English Lodges , but we must not go so far , in view of what has recently occurred , for it seems that a certain section of the Brotherhood are unable

to understand the plain English therein expressed , or have been led away by the " lawyer " element of Grand Lodge , in this latest example of the endeavour to introduce legal quibbles into the peaceful working of Freemasonry . The

point at issue has arisen through the inability of a certain Brother to attend his Lodge Installation meetings for the purpose of being " invested " with the collar of Warden-Junior and Senior in turn—although he has attended

subsequent . meetings and by actual service has qualified for the necessary twelve months as a Warden , that is to- say , he actually worked in each Office for a period of eight months , or nearly a year and a half in the two , and was only prevented

by duty to the State from being present on the Installation nights . But this way of reckoning is assuming that a Brother appointed to Office in a Lodge only starts duty when he has been " invested . " We are of opinion that the mere

appointment" to Office , with notification of acceptance thereof , is sufficient to constitute an actual "holding , " and that a Brother who discharged all the duties of a Wardenship so far as he was able , though he was not once actually present

in Lodge , being , for matter of argument , we will suppose , indisposed on each night of meeting , would still have qualified , and be entitled to election to the Chair . This , perhaps , is taking the extremely wide view of the case , but the rendering

as sought by the Board of General Purposes goes much further in the opposite direction , as they suggested that " the service of Warden under Rule 130 must be in regard of one of the Wardens' Chairs , either Senior or Junior , for one complete year , from the period of investment . "

The Grand Registrar , in supporting this ruling urged that as two halfpennies would not do for a penny in the slot machine , so part services in the two Wardens' Chairs could

not be allowed to count as qualification as " a " Warden . But that quibble was speedil y upset when it was pointed out that two halfpennies were legal tender for a penny long before slot machines were thought of and were so even now ,

Time Qualification For W.M.

Sir John Monckton , who occupied the Chair of Senior Warden in Grand Lodge , led the opposition , and said the question was before Grand Lodge as the result of a very narrow majority in the Board of General Purposes .

Ultimately the point was put to the vote and on a show of hands difficulty arose as to which side really carried the day . As a result Grand Lodge divided , and the votes were counted ,

the result being that the recommendation of the Board was rejected , by about 360 votes to 280 , a result which was long and loudly cheered .

The division amply demonstrated the difficulty of securing a reliable count of Grand Lodge , the way in which the result was arrived at being very unsatisfactory , and , as a matter of

fact , we question whether the Brethren in the gallery were counted at all , although we think it might be fairly said they were unanimous in vetoing the decision arrived at by the Board of General Purposes .

All's well that ends well , but an experience such as this should teach ordinary members of Grand Lodge that they must at all times be prepared for surprises , and must carefully weigh the probable results of even the most innocent looking

propositions . Had the Rule been altered as was desired it would have pressed most harshly on many occasions . Let us assume , for sake of argument , that the Senior Warden of a Lodge dies during his term of Office and that the Junior is

promoted—the result , in the opinion of the Board—would be that he was disqualified for the Chair , or rather that he had not qualified by service as Warden . Happily , however , there

is little fear of such an anomaly arising , now that Grand Lodge has upheld in such marked terms the common sense reading of Rule 130 .

Great sympathy was evoked for the Lodge primarily interested in the discussion—the Regent ' s Park , No . 2202—which had been temporarily deprived of its rights , and prevented from having a representative at the Installation of the

Most Worshipful the Grand Master at the Royal Albert Hall ( through a misunderstanding it was sought to explain in Grand Lodge , although most of us are able to imagine what misunderstanding " jneans , when it is sought to demonstrate

that might is right ) . A very large proportion of the Brethren present—even the Grand Registrar , who in his official capacity had charge of the case " against" the Lodge , and many who supported him—felt that the principal Officers of the Regent ' s

Park Lodge deserved sympathy in the trouble that had befallen them , while no inconsiderable number of those who voted considered that the thanks of the Craft were due to the

Lodge for bringing so important a matter forward , and persevering in the struggle until the subject was brought to so creditable an issue .

The eighty-second birthday of our distinguished Brother Dean Hole , who recently published another interesting book

of reminiscences , occurred on 5 th inst . A memorable event in the Dean ' s career , says the ' * Week End , " will take place in the course of the next few months , for he then completes his sixtieth year as a Freemason ,