An American Idea Of Fraternity.

AN AMERICAN IDEA OF FRATERNITY .

WE fire occasionally indebted to onr American contemporaries for some spicy illustrations of the strength of their Masonic kindliness of feeling . It seldom happens , however , that we are favoured with such a paragraph as was quoted a short time since from the Masonic Chronicle of Ohio . Our readers have no doubt

heard ere this of the jealousy which characterises the inter-relations of the American Grand Lodges . If we had never had any evidence of this before , it would have been forthcoming in the denunciations of our Mark Grand Lodge by the Grand Chapter of Quebec , Comp .

Graham Past Grand Z . of that Body having particularly distinguished himself by the successful manner in which he fanned the flames of discord . It is of course not strange that where every Grand Lodge appears to be lying in wait to catch every other Grand Lodge tripping , this anxiety to

promote discord should be ns catching as the measles or other contagious disorder . But , in tbe gentleness of onr heart , we confess to have been somewhat taken aback by the unmitigated insolence of the following excerpt from our aforesaid Ohian contemporary : " The grand work , " says

this Masonic Chronicle , " of showing the feeling held by the American Grand Bodies in regard to the ' conduct of the G . M . M . M . Lodge of England in the Quebec matter is going bravely on . The Grand Chapters of Connecticut and Vermont

have recently declared for non-intercourse . Let the good work go on . " It may be our contemporary was hard up for news , and the opportunity served of offering an opinion on some abstruse point of Masonic jurisprudence which it

will never have the sense to understand , but only on this or some other , but equally frivolous or objectionable ground , can we understand a Masonic journal chuckling over the extension of those inharmonious relations which

unfortunately so often exist between bodies that are supposed to be , above all other bodies , knit together by the ties of brotherhood . We are not just now concerning ourselves about the origin of the difference which has arisen between the Grand Chapter of Quebec and the Mark Grand Lodge

of England . It matters little to our present purpose which of the two disputants is responsible primarily for the outbreak . In our eyes , however , it is a sonrce of the deepest regret that a quarrel should have broken out between two Masonic Supreme Powers , and so far are we

from rejoicing over the extension of tbe qnarrel that nothing would give us greater pleasure than to hear it had been determined with the utmost possible credit to both the litigants ; unless indeed ifc were in our power ourselves to resolve the difficulty and restore harmony where

we are compelled to say it is so much needed . The Masonic Chronicle of Ohio thinks differently , and we all know it is an honourable Masonic journal , inclining itself to one object only , that of promoting goodfellowship among Masons all the world overso that in time to come it

, may be able to point with a feeling of pride to yet one more i llustration of the loveliness of brethren dwelling together m unity . It may be that we misunderstand our contemporaryand

, that he is of the more modern belief that the best way for a man to show his love for his neighbour is to kick him downstairs . It is just possible this Masonio Chronicle may labour under the impression that Masonic harmony is most

An American Idea Of Fraternity.

freely promoted by a series of squabbles conducted m exceeding bad taste by pens that have been previously dipped holder-deep in gall . If so , with the Quebec Grand Chapter and the Mark Grand Lodge of England already engaged in a combat a ontrance , the Grand Chapters of

Connecticut and Vermont hurrying up to have their part in the fray , and other Grand Chapters probably" waiting only for the signal to discharge the artillery of their venom at the English mark , we seem to be well on the way towards reaching the ultimate stage or degree of beatitude , Comp .

Graham , with his gall-engulfed pen as a substitute for a trumpet , doing duty as the archangel of peace , and directing ns to our appointed seats in the universal conclave of Masonic Harmony . This is no doubt a very pretty picture , and the ultimate triumph of Masonic principles as thus

expounded by the Ohian Chronicle will probably console us for any difficulties we may happen to encounter by the way . But , in England , the original home of modern Masonry , we are not quite so sanguine about tbe efficacy of the American nostrum for attaining universal Masonic

harmony . It may be through lack of knowledge or through lack of common sense , or that , as some people are known to be colour-blind , so are we English Masons blind to the beauties of Masonic jurisprudence as interpreted by American experts—it may be owing to these cases , taken

singly or conjointly , or to some other cause as yefc undiscovered—at all events , we in the old country are not , nor are we ever likely to be , of the opinion thafc the safest way to promote harmony among the brethren is to set them afc loggerheads with one another . We regret sincerely that

a difference has arisen between the Supreme Powers that respectively govern the Royal Arch Degree in Quebec and the Mark Degree in England . Still more deeply do we regret that the original sphere of this difference between these two powers has been enlarged , and thafc it now

comprises tbe Snpreme Royal Arch authorities of Connecticut and Vermont . We cannot bring ourselves under any circumstances to consider this extension of the quarrel as " a grand work . " Nothing will induce us to say of a quarrel , when the litigants in the field are more numerous -than

they were originally , the " grand work '' of denouncing and excommunicating each other is "going bravely on . " Nor do we think ifc consistent with our duty as Masons to pray that " fche good work may go on , " that is , that the dimensions of a qnarrel , which in the firsfc instance was

confined to two bodies , bnt has since come to include others , may become greater and still greater . Onr great anxiety is that the differences may be put an end to as speedily as possible , and if the Quebec Grand Chapter will but intrust itself to the guidance of reason and common sense ,

instead of permitting itself to be led by the nose by that terrible fire-eater Companion Graham , —at whose utterances we in England all laugh most consumedly , after the manner of good-natured kind-hearted Masonsthere is no obstacle to the immediate determination of the

difference . We have purposely avoided saying anything about the cause of the dispute , which we know to be of the most absurdly trivial character , but we shall not avoid pointing out that fche first in the field to create this bubble bubble was Comp . Graham , armed cap-a-pie , with all his

honours thick upon him , and ready to crush to atoms wifch his injurious diatribes any one daring enough to question his exposition of the law and the facts . Comp . Graham ' s performance may seem , in the estimation of our contemporary , to be a " grand work " and a , " good work " and his enlist-