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Article UNITED GRAND LODGE. Page 1 of 2 Article UNITED GRAND LODGE. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
United Grand Lodge.
UNITED GRAND LODGE .
FTTHERE was a very full gathering of members at the - *•Quarterly Communication of United Grand Lodge on Wednesday . The Earl of Carnarvon Pro Grand Master was on the throne , and the Grand Wardens' chairs were occupied by the Grand Wardens for the year respectively .
The preliminary formalities having been carried out , and the address to the Queen on her escape from assassination , and Her Majesty ' s gracious reply having been ordered to be permanently recorded on the minutes of Grand Lodge , Brother James Stevens at once rose and asked the Grand
Master whether , as he purposed in the course of the evening bringing forward a question of privilege , his Lordship was of opinion he should do so then or later . The Grand Master ruled that , if Brother James Stevens confined himself to the mere question of privilege , and avoided all
discussion of the matter , which had given rise bo it , he had better do so at once . Thereupon , Bro . Stevens explained the particular question he was desirous of bringing under notice as being one which affected the privileges of the brethren generally . The Board of Masters had refused to
accept a notice of motion which be ( Bro . Stevens ) had forwarded for insertion in the agenda paper . This they had done on the advice of Bro . Grand Registrar , whom they had consulted , and who had expressed his belief that such a motion as Bro . Stevens had desired to give notice of was
an interference with the prerogative of the Grand Master . He ( Bro . Stevens ) however , demurred to this view . There was nothing , he said , in the Book of Constitutions to the letter or spirit of which it was opposed . He would yield to none in the respect he felt for the prerogative of the Grand Master , but the Book of Constitutions Jaid it down
specifically that Grand Lodge had the power to debate and decide upon all questions which were brought before it , and the humblest of its members had the right to express his opinions . Snch interference very seriously affected this freedom of discussion , and be held it
was high time the brethren below the dais should receive fair treatment . Having made a personal remark , which had better have been left unsaid , Brother Stevens concluded his speech by saying that , as regards his motion , there was no reason why it should not
have been inserted just as well as those that were there . He considered he had been wrongly interfered with , and was desirous of recording his protest . Bro . Duff-Filer P . G . S . B . having inquired what the said notice of motion was which bad been rejected , aud the Earl of Carnarvon
having expressed his willingness to allow it to be described , but without discussion of its merits , Bro . Stevens gave the needful information , namely , that his motion was to the effect that , having regard to the great increase in the number of Lodges in the metropolitan area during the past
twent y-five years , Grand Lodge should " respectfully represent to his Royal Highness the Most Worshipful Grand ¦ Waster the propriety of sub-dividing such metropolitan * rea into four District Grand Lodges . " Bro . Mclnryre , Y-C ., M . P ., Grand Registrar , in reply , said he was of opinion fche
Board of Masters had done right in declining to place •oro . Stevens ' s notice of motion on the agenda paper . It W {* s not a question that came within the cognizance of « ran d Lodge , as it was the prerogative of the M . W . G . M . t 0 constitute Provinces and appoint Prov . G . Masters , and he instanced the case of the Provinces of the Isle
United Grand Lodge.
of Wight and Hampshire , one of which had been merged in the other . That being so , any discussion that would touch the Grand Master ' s prerogative was illegal . Again , the motion was misconceived , as it spoko of making District Grand Lodges , which differed from Provincial
Grand Lodges , in that they possessed the power of expulsion , which the latter did not . It must be remembered that , as a great legislative assembly , Grand Lodge had the power of making laws for tho guidance of the Craft , those laws being passed by the individual votes of the members ,
and being binding even on the Grand Master himself , but it had no power to interfere with or trench upon the prerogative of the G . M . Grand Registrar then discussed at some length the motion of Bro . Stevens , to whom he referred , with what we cannot hut consider as in very bad
taste , as " Mr . James Stevens , " because that brother had courteously sont him by post two printed slips of a letter of his , " with Mr . James Stevens ' s compliments . " However , Bro . Stevens , with tho Grand Master ' s permission , replied briefly , pointing out that his motion did not propose
to make a law , which , of course , would bo binding on all members of the Craft , from the highest to the lowest , but only that Grand Lodge should make a respectful representation to the Grand Master on the subject . He further explained that , in using the word " District , " he had not intended it in the sense in which the Grand Registrar had
understood it , but in the sense in which it was used postally as "N . W . Metropolitan District , " & c . & e . The Grand Master thereupon summed up the whole question , which he said was a serious one , so far as the right of a brother to bring any matter before Grand Lodge for free
discussion , was touched . For himself , he had always looked upon it as a right that should be jealously guarded , but at the same time it was of equal importance that Grand Lodge should uphold the integrity of tho Grand Master ' s prerogative , which was one of the ancient landmarks of the Order . As
regarded the question itself , from the manner in which it had come before them , it was very difficult to follow . He was bound to say there had been little else than a mere statement by the brother who was anxious to bring forward his motion of its scope and character , while , on the other hand ,
there had been a very elaborate and clear argument stated against it by the Grand Registrar , so that one side of the case wns heavily weighted as compared with the other . Were he called upon to decide the whole of the question , and the grounds upon which it had been brought forward
and argued , he should be in some difficulty , as it would be impossible for him to satisfy himself how far each part of the regulations applied to the particular question . But the matter narrowed itself to a very small issue . The proposition affected the prerogative of the Grand Master .
The sub-division of the Metropolis into the four Grand Lodges raised a grave constitutional question , and it was absolutely necessary that any motion of such a character should be worded in a manner to which no objection whatever , whether technically or otherwise , conld be taken .
As the motion stood , it was unintelligible , as there could be no such thing as four District Grand Lodges in London , a District Grand Lodge being totally different from a Provincial Grand Lorltre . On that cruund , therefore , though
he allowed it was a narrcv one , he was <> f opinion that , the Board of Masters had acti d ri < rhtlv in refusing ( o allow such a motion to be submitted to Grand Lodge , and should rule that the motion was out of order .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
United Grand Lodge.
UNITED GRAND LODGE .
FTTHERE was a very full gathering of members at the - *•Quarterly Communication of United Grand Lodge on Wednesday . The Earl of Carnarvon Pro Grand Master was on the throne , and the Grand Wardens' chairs were occupied by the Grand Wardens for the year respectively .
The preliminary formalities having been carried out , and the address to the Queen on her escape from assassination , and Her Majesty ' s gracious reply having been ordered to be permanently recorded on the minutes of Grand Lodge , Brother James Stevens at once rose and asked the Grand
Master whether , as he purposed in the course of the evening bringing forward a question of privilege , his Lordship was of opinion he should do so then or later . The Grand Master ruled that , if Brother James Stevens confined himself to the mere question of privilege , and avoided all
discussion of the matter , which had given rise bo it , he had better do so at once . Thereupon , Bro . Stevens explained the particular question he was desirous of bringing under notice as being one which affected the privileges of the brethren generally . The Board of Masters had refused to
accept a notice of motion which be ( Bro . Stevens ) had forwarded for insertion in the agenda paper . This they had done on the advice of Bro . Grand Registrar , whom they had consulted , and who had expressed his belief that such a motion as Bro . Stevens had desired to give notice of was
an interference with the prerogative of the Grand Master . He ( Bro . Stevens ) however , demurred to this view . There was nothing , he said , in the Book of Constitutions to the letter or spirit of which it was opposed . He would yield to none in the respect he felt for the prerogative of the Grand Master , but the Book of Constitutions Jaid it down
specifically that Grand Lodge had the power to debate and decide upon all questions which were brought before it , and the humblest of its members had the right to express his opinions . Snch interference very seriously affected this freedom of discussion , and be held it
was high time the brethren below the dais should receive fair treatment . Having made a personal remark , which had better have been left unsaid , Brother Stevens concluded his speech by saying that , as regards his motion , there was no reason why it should not
have been inserted just as well as those that were there . He considered he had been wrongly interfered with , and was desirous of recording his protest . Bro . Duff-Filer P . G . S . B . having inquired what the said notice of motion was which bad been rejected , aud the Earl of Carnarvon
having expressed his willingness to allow it to be described , but without discussion of its merits , Bro . Stevens gave the needful information , namely , that his motion was to the effect that , having regard to the great increase in the number of Lodges in the metropolitan area during the past
twent y-five years , Grand Lodge should " respectfully represent to his Royal Highness the Most Worshipful Grand ¦ Waster the propriety of sub-dividing such metropolitan * rea into four District Grand Lodges . " Bro . Mclnryre , Y-C ., M . P ., Grand Registrar , in reply , said he was of opinion fche
Board of Masters had done right in declining to place •oro . Stevens ' s notice of motion on the agenda paper . It W {* s not a question that came within the cognizance of « ran d Lodge , as it was the prerogative of the M . W . G . M . t 0 constitute Provinces and appoint Prov . G . Masters , and he instanced the case of the Provinces of the Isle
United Grand Lodge.
of Wight and Hampshire , one of which had been merged in the other . That being so , any discussion that would touch the Grand Master ' s prerogative was illegal . Again , the motion was misconceived , as it spoko of making District Grand Lodges , which differed from Provincial
Grand Lodges , in that they possessed the power of expulsion , which the latter did not . It must be remembered that , as a great legislative assembly , Grand Lodge had the power of making laws for tho guidance of the Craft , those laws being passed by the individual votes of the members ,
and being binding even on the Grand Master himself , but it had no power to interfere with or trench upon the prerogative of the G . M . Grand Registrar then discussed at some length the motion of Bro . Stevens , to whom he referred , with what we cannot hut consider as in very bad
taste , as " Mr . James Stevens , " because that brother had courteously sont him by post two printed slips of a letter of his , " with Mr . James Stevens ' s compliments . " However , Bro . Stevens , with tho Grand Master ' s permission , replied briefly , pointing out that his motion did not propose
to make a law , which , of course , would bo binding on all members of the Craft , from the highest to the lowest , but only that Grand Lodge should make a respectful representation to the Grand Master on the subject . He further explained that , in using the word " District , " he had not intended it in the sense in which the Grand Registrar had
understood it , but in the sense in which it was used postally as "N . W . Metropolitan District , " & c . & e . The Grand Master thereupon summed up the whole question , which he said was a serious one , so far as the right of a brother to bring any matter before Grand Lodge for free
discussion , was touched . For himself , he had always looked upon it as a right that should be jealously guarded , but at the same time it was of equal importance that Grand Lodge should uphold the integrity of tho Grand Master ' s prerogative , which was one of the ancient landmarks of the Order . As
regarded the question itself , from the manner in which it had come before them , it was very difficult to follow . He was bound to say there had been little else than a mere statement by the brother who was anxious to bring forward his motion of its scope and character , while , on the other hand ,
there had been a very elaborate and clear argument stated against it by the Grand Registrar , so that one side of the case wns heavily weighted as compared with the other . Were he called upon to decide the whole of the question , and the grounds upon which it had been brought forward
and argued , he should be in some difficulty , as it would be impossible for him to satisfy himself how far each part of the regulations applied to the particular question . But the matter narrowed itself to a very small issue . The proposition affected the prerogative of the Grand Master .
The sub-division of the Metropolis into the four Grand Lodges raised a grave constitutional question , and it was absolutely necessary that any motion of such a character should be worded in a manner to which no objection whatever , whether technically or otherwise , conld be taken .
As the motion stood , it was unintelligible , as there could be no such thing as four District Grand Lodges in London , a District Grand Lodge being totally different from a Provincial Grand Lorltre . On that cruund , therefore , though
he allowed it was a narrcv one , he was <> f opinion that , the Board of Masters had acti d ri < rhtlv in refusing ( o allow such a motion to be submitted to Grand Lodge , and should rule that the motion was out of order .