Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Antiquity Of Laying Corner Stones With Religious And Mystical Ceremonies.
liable to a fine of ono shilling . Any old Mason Avishing to join the Lodge anil being found worihv , to pay half-a-guiuoa , "likewise to w his own Regisirio . " Anyone ridiculing a brother ' s "Religion , Trade or ProfV .-sion , " was lined tin shillings , nor " admitted to sit in the Lodge until ho pays the same niu' makes nn humble Submission For his Transgression . " Bv Rule 10 , no brother was allowed to havo a
certificate till he had been a subscribing member for twelve months , " Excepting he is Leveiug the Kingdom , or Going to some other part , or Entering iuto his Magesties Service , and then give his O . B . that ho is not Deeaiving the Lodge . "—X . H . perhaps an Irishman had something to do with tho framing of this ' aw , to judge , at least , from tho spelling of the last word but two . Rule 11 forbade tho admission
of Modern Masons or "any Subscribing' thoso To Belongs , " the meaning of which clause is obvious enough , though the language is slightly ungrammatical , tho object being to "keep tho Ancient Craft from being Adulterated . " By tho same law a visiting brother was to pay as much as a subscribing member , that is , one shilling , his first visit , however , being free . In tho case of any member of tho Lodge
divulging any secrets fco a person not belonging to it , his first offence Avas punishable by a fine of five shillings , and " an humble Submission for his Transgression " ; a second offence was moro seriously noted , tho fine being half-a-guinea , after Avhich if ho committed himself again ho Avas " Excluded nnd Reported to tho Grand Lodge . " Rule 13 enjoined great caro on every brother " jn offering his Interest to any
Man Desireing to Become a Mason without first applying by petifcon , so that no Reflection May bo Carried further by him if not admitted , " —a Aviso precaution , though tho motive Avould seem to havo boon to protect tho Lodge from tho Reflections Avhich thoy could have very well afforded to laugh at , rather than from tho admission of unworthy persons . Rule 14 limits admission to thoso who aro " of Abel
Body , Honest Parentage , Good Reputation in tho neighbourhood where thoy reside , and aro observers of the Laws of the Land . " Tbe next two laws provide ( 1)—That a month ' s notice must bo given before a man is admitted a member , " unless Some Cause May Appear Legal to tho Avhole Lodge ; " and ( 2)—That each intending candidate must send half a guinea with his " pottiton , " which sum , in
the event of his being approved , Avas to bo " Detained as part of his Admission Money ; " a further payment of ono guinea on " his first entering tho Lodge , and sufficient to raise the Avhole to £ 2 2 s 6 d , before he is raised to the degree of Master Mason , exclusive of his Registerie and Tyler . " Rule XVII . is amusing , providing , as it does , " that if any Br . Comes on a stated Lodge Night Avith a foul shirt ,
with a Beard , Silk or Coloured Handkerchief , ho shall pay a fine of twopence for every such offence . " We knoAV that in thoso days men prided themselves on being clean-shaven , so that a beard must have been decidedly objectionable , Avhile the " foul shirt " would bo indicative of Avant of proper respect for tho Lodgo , bnfc we should have thought a "Silk or Coloured Handkerchief" Avas quite harmless .
Tho fast Rule of all provided that no brother should havo a certificate granted " until ho shall havo paid all arrears due to the Lodge , likewise have Discharged all Debts he may havo Contracted with any Brother of tho same or in the house wherein the Lodge is kept in order to Soport the Credit of tho Lodge , Except Love granted from the Creditor "—manifestly a most Aviso law for a most seemly purpose .
We now turn to No . 3 Minute Book , the first entry in which , under date of 27 th April 1802 , records— " That Br . McQuigan lato one hour and Br . Britles tho whole of tho night "—a someAvhat quaint way , in the case of the latter , of noting his absence . Ou the same day it was "Agreed a Brother be allowed ; E 1 Is Od for his Treble at the time oftheProssion , " but the nature of tho "Treble" is not indicated .
After an explanation as to the reason Avhy tho Lodgo left its quarters afc the Lord Nelson , thero follows a minute which is , perhaps , tho most extraordinary in the whole series . "In contempt of this Lodge Rich Clarkson said he was glad ho Avas cleared of tho Lodge , and should mend his old Breeches with his Apron to-morrow . " What the said " Rich . Clarkson " had done , and whether he cleared himself or was
cleared out by the Lodge does not appear in the record ; but ifc is evident he Avas a very rude person indeed , though how the repairing of his old breeches with his Apron could be an act of ridicule towards the Lodge , when it would only have mado himself ridiculous , we arc at a loss to comprehend . On tho same day it is noted that a Bro . Morris was " silenced for four months , and to have no Masonick
Communications with this Lodge or any other for that space of timo , " for having " called a meeting without the leave of the Master or Officers , " and on the 8 th of July following it is ordered thafc at tho end of that period Bro . Morris shonld have his " Setevicato , " and not join the Lodge any more . In 1803 Ave read that Bro . Cane and Bro . O'Neal , the first Junior Warden and Master respectively , Avithdrow from the
Lodgo , while on the 5 th April tho Lodge Avas summoned to considei the misconduct of tho then Master , Bro . Stead , but oAving to his absence the consideration was postponed till some future occasion . On 30 th June it is recorded as follows : — " Opened on the four degrees 4 . 50 : closed on tho 4 th degree 6 p . m . On the 3 rd \ before 7 , on first 20 past 10 . " Our brethren know Avoll enough what is tho fourth degree in these
days ; we presume , however , the fourth here mentioned must have been the R . A . degree . Why tho Lodgo need havo taken four hours and twenty minntes for tho ceremony of closing is not stated , and the inference AVO aro left to drawls one which Bro . Brockbank has suggested elsewhere , to wit , that the labours of the brethren were of so severe a nature that thoy wero compelled nolcntes volentes—volentes
mostly no doubt—to refresh themselves in each interval . The year following is recorded a Committee of Inquiry into a "Grievance between Josh . Wood and Thos . Longworth , " the former charging Longworth Avith having acensed him of " Bringing this Lodge to Poverty , " and further said he—( Wood or LongAVorth , for it is not quite clear which of the two is meant)—had no Gcd but his Lad , and that every
Man s Soul Avas his God . In spito of his denial , Bro . Longworth was found guilty , and Ave learn that at the end of the year he Avas to have his Certificate , Avhen he had settled his books and paid his dues . In 1805 the Lodge removed to the Elephant and Castle . On the 24 th July 1800 it indulged in a game of " high jinks , " the occasion being the visit of three brethren of tho Bury Lodge , No . 171 ,
The Antiquity Of Laying Corner Stones With Religious And Mystical Ceremonies.
and an Irish brother . The minuto of the 28 th August is Avell nigh the most enigmatical in the whole compilation , and in tbe hope that some of our learned readers may bo able to throw somo light on ifc we reproduce it in full : —" Report Thos . Wilkinson , a Spinner at Mr . Ormond ' s and Lodging with Br . Wood , a Native of Warrington Visited by Bro . Joseph Wood and William Skolhorn , Brother of
Nt . John , Avhose healths wero drank , also Worthy Brother Throughout tho Terraqnous Globe [ omitted Br . James Conell y , also of St . John . Who was toasted and tho samo reld . " ] Bro . Brockbank suggests that " reld " means " replied , " and we accept with pleasure his suggestion as being quite in tho order of filings . But A-erv wisely does Bro . Brockbank abstain from offering
Further exposition , especially as to who may havo been intended by " Bro . Throughout the Terraqnous Globe . " We are aware that in the days of the Commonwealth , many eccentric individuals took Avhole sentences , especially Scriptural ones , as names . The person who was irreverently known as " Damned Barehones" Avill occur to most people as a case in point , bufc we did nofc know tho
custom was in existence anywhere in England in the early years of tho present century . Of course , it is possible theAA-ords may moan " all worthy brethren scattered over tho surface of this Terraqueous Globo , " and AVO hope it does ; but that portion of tho minuto begin . ning Avith " Report , " and ending Avith " Warrington" is certainly inexplicable . On tho 18 th December of tho samo year Bros . Hart
S . W . and Longworth J . W . —tho samo , AVO presume , Avhom we havo mentioned as having been guilty of a false charge against Josh . Wood — were nominated for the chair , and on ballot the latter was chosen . In the choice between Bros . Hart and Whalley for S . W ., the latter was successful , Avhile Bro . Bell was preferred to Bro . Quin for the Junior Wardenship . On the 27 th of tho month . hoAvever , votes Avere
again taken , and Bros . Longworth , Hart , and Bell were elected W . M ., S . W ., and J . W . respectively , after which the Lodge Avas " CalVd to R . at four o ' clock , when the brethren partook of a Good and Wholesome Dinner . " The meeting must have been a very convivial one , as the Lodgo was not closed till half-past ten o'clock . In tho course of the year 1808 we have an instance of a " Modern" Mason being initiated ,
passed , and raised according to " Antient" form , as though he had been a * ' profane . " In the minutes of the next year we read " it was proposed by tho Master if Thos . Longworth should walk at the Funeral of Bro . John Bolton , " but it was opposed and agreed " he should not , " and at the next meeting "it Avas proposed by the Master if Bro . Ivers shonld not get any alloAvance for being sick , he going by
a majority of the members . " Wo must all sympathise with unfortunate Bro . Ivers for having been sick , especially as he does not seem to have had any allowance made for him under tho circumstances ; but where he Avent to " by a majority of the members " and Avhy , is beyond onr powers of exposition . A minute of 30 th June of this year , recording that Bro . Bell was installed a second time as Master , and that many
loyal toasts were drunk closes Book III . Book No . 4 begins Avith tho record of a visit on 24 th August ; 1809 , of two Modern brethren , members of Lodgo No . 33 , —now " Anchor and Hope , " No . 37 , an old Lodge , having been founded in 1732 , —and after an entry in which it is mentioned that " The Master conspiciously toasted his Majesty in Ancient form , " the rest of the Brethren giving
" every Mark of Loyality to tho King and Constitution , " we find the Lodges , both Ancient and Modern , attending divine service afc the NOAV Church "in great harmony , " it being an " Emergency Meeting of tho Comemory of tho Jubilee of his preasant Majesty , and Avas a Acomenced with the Ainchient Lodg 196 . " Bnt theso meetings and visits cannot be regarded as so very strange , seeing that the Union ,
fortunately accomplished in 1813 , between Ancients and Moderns Avas doubtless the theme of general discussion at this period . At the meeting held in Commemoration of St . John's Day 1810 , tho Lodgo drank " His Majesty ' s Land and Sea Forces Success , " and drank it "deep in Clarret , " so deep apparently thafc the Secretary had not recovered from the effects of his potations on the 19 th August , when
we find as follows : — " Opened in the Night Templer Order . Derly Beloved Jeromier Grayham who had his Sertifiket delivered for hira B'fore a large Body of Respecttobel Brothers , mot on the Resectobel order . " The minute though strangely worded , however , is curious as showing tho hoIloAvnessof the pretensions advanced by the so-called " Ancient" Masons , to bo the original Bros . Simon Pure of Free
and Accepted or Speculative Masonry , or otherwise we should nofc find them working Craft , Arch , and Templar Masonry under the same warrant . True there may bo a connection between ancient and modern Templarism , and likewise betweeu theso and Freemasonry . Yet it is strange that they , Avho were such sticklers for the purity of the Craft and condemned the so-called " Moderns" for a less con .
spicuous ingrafting of ceremonial on the original Masonic tree , themselves added to ifc first Arch and then Templar Masonry . But to proceed . On December 6 th , 1810 , a "plan of general relief for the town of Bolton " Avas submitted and approved . On 2 nd May , 1811 , the Lodge Avas " engaged for some time in most serious bnsiness , " so serious that no ono seems to have had the courage to record its
nature . —N . B . perhaps it was a series of Toasts drunk "deep in Ola -ret . " On tho 28 th November , after a most serious preamble in wl ich stress is laid on the " Interests of Masonry , " a Brother Blank for repeated acts of disobedienco was excluded from the Lodge " FOR EVER , and shall be reported as such to the Grand Lodge by next Communication and his certificate is burned by vote . " Tho " FOR
EVER" does not , however , seem to haA * e lasted longer than 7 th October , 1813 , for on that day he was admitted by consent of the brethren present , conditionally that he " came as a Visiton Member until ho cleared oft' the Books and then coino as a Subscribing Mem . her . " For " Books " must bo read , AVO presume , " dues , " or Bro . Brockbank could not have fulfilled his task of compilation .
It is not a littlo strange , as our Avortby compiler has pointed out , thafc no mention Avhatever is made of that important and glorious event , "The Union "—that healing of a schism , which had divided our Fraternity for some three-quarters of a century . Our Bolton brethren of thoso days must have been singularly indifferent to the fortunes of the good old Graft .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Antiquity Of Laying Corner Stones With Religious And Mystical Ceremonies.
liable to a fine of ono shilling . Any old Mason Avishing to join the Lodge anil being found worihv , to pay half-a-guiuoa , "likewise to w his own Regisirio . " Anyone ridiculing a brother ' s "Religion , Trade or ProfV .-sion , " was lined tin shillings , nor " admitted to sit in the Lodge until ho pays the same niu' makes nn humble Submission For his Transgression . " Bv Rule 10 , no brother was allowed to havo a
certificate till he had been a subscribing member for twelve months , " Excepting he is Leveiug the Kingdom , or Going to some other part , or Entering iuto his Magesties Service , and then give his O . B . that ho is not Deeaiving the Lodge . "—X . H . perhaps an Irishman had something to do with tho framing of this ' aw , to judge , at least , from tho spelling of the last word but two . Rule 11 forbade tho admission
of Modern Masons or "any Subscribing' thoso To Belongs , " the meaning of which clause is obvious enough , though the language is slightly ungrammatical , tho object being to "keep tho Ancient Craft from being Adulterated . " By tho same law a visiting brother was to pay as much as a subscribing member , that is , one shilling , his first visit , however , being free . In tho case of any member of tho Lodge
divulging any secrets fco a person not belonging to it , his first offence Avas punishable by a fine of five shillings , and " an humble Submission for his Transgression " ; a second offence was moro seriously noted , tho fine being half-a-guinea , after Avhich if ho committed himself again ho Avas " Excluded nnd Reported to tho Grand Lodge . " Rule 13 enjoined great caro on every brother " jn offering his Interest to any
Man Desireing to Become a Mason without first applying by petifcon , so that no Reflection May bo Carried further by him if not admitted , " —a Aviso precaution , though tho motive Avould seem to havo boon to protect tho Lodge from tho Reflections Avhich thoy could have very well afforded to laugh at , rather than from tho admission of unworthy persons . Rule 14 limits admission to thoso who aro " of Abel
Body , Honest Parentage , Good Reputation in tho neighbourhood where thoy reside , and aro observers of the Laws of the Land . " Tbe next two laws provide ( 1)—That a month ' s notice must bo given before a man is admitted a member , " unless Some Cause May Appear Legal to tho Avhole Lodge ; " and ( 2)—That each intending candidate must send half a guinea with his " pottiton , " which sum , in
the event of his being approved , Avas to bo " Detained as part of his Admission Money ; " a further payment of ono guinea on " his first entering tho Lodge , and sufficient to raise the Avhole to £ 2 2 s 6 d , before he is raised to the degree of Master Mason , exclusive of his Registerie and Tyler . " Rule XVII . is amusing , providing , as it does , " that if any Br . Comes on a stated Lodge Night Avith a foul shirt ,
with a Beard , Silk or Coloured Handkerchief , ho shall pay a fine of twopence for every such offence . " We knoAV that in thoso days men prided themselves on being clean-shaven , so that a beard must have been decidedly objectionable , Avhile the " foul shirt " would bo indicative of Avant of proper respect for tho Lodgo , bnfc we should have thought a "Silk or Coloured Handkerchief" Avas quite harmless .
Tho fast Rule of all provided that no brother should havo a certificate granted " until ho shall havo paid all arrears due to the Lodge , likewise have Discharged all Debts he may havo Contracted with any Brother of tho same or in the house wherein the Lodge is kept in order to Soport the Credit of tho Lodge , Except Love granted from the Creditor "—manifestly a most Aviso law for a most seemly purpose .
We now turn to No . 3 Minute Book , the first entry in which , under date of 27 th April 1802 , records— " That Br . McQuigan lato one hour and Br . Britles tho whole of tho night "—a someAvhat quaint way , in the case of the latter , of noting his absence . Ou the same day it was "Agreed a Brother be allowed ; E 1 Is Od for his Treble at the time oftheProssion , " but the nature of tho "Treble" is not indicated .
After an explanation as to the reason Avhy tho Lodgo left its quarters afc the Lord Nelson , thero follows a minute which is , perhaps , tho most extraordinary in the whole series . "In contempt of this Lodge Rich Clarkson said he was glad ho Avas cleared of tho Lodge , and should mend his old Breeches with his Apron to-morrow . " What the said " Rich . Clarkson " had done , and whether he cleared himself or was
cleared out by the Lodge does not appear in the record ; but ifc is evident he Avas a very rude person indeed , though how the repairing of his old breeches with his Apron could be an act of ridicule towards the Lodge , when it would only have mado himself ridiculous , we arc at a loss to comprehend . On tho same day it is noted that a Bro . Morris was " silenced for four months , and to have no Masonick
Communications with this Lodge or any other for that space of timo , " for having " called a meeting without the leave of the Master or Officers , " and on the 8 th of July following it is ordered thafc at tho end of that period Bro . Morris shonld have his " Setevicato , " and not join the Lodge any more . In 1803 Ave read that Bro . Cane and Bro . O'Neal , the first Junior Warden and Master respectively , Avithdrow from the
Lodgo , while on the 5 th April tho Lodge Avas summoned to considei the misconduct of tho then Master , Bro . Stead , but oAving to his absence the consideration was postponed till some future occasion . On 30 th June it is recorded as follows : — " Opened on the four degrees 4 . 50 : closed on tho 4 th degree 6 p . m . On the 3 rd \ before 7 , on first 20 past 10 . " Our brethren know Avoll enough what is tho fourth degree in these
days ; we presume , however , the fourth here mentioned must have been the R . A . degree . Why tho Lodgo need havo taken four hours and twenty minntes for tho ceremony of closing is not stated , and the inference AVO aro left to drawls one which Bro . Brockbank has suggested elsewhere , to wit , that the labours of the brethren were of so severe a nature that thoy wero compelled nolcntes volentes—volentes
mostly no doubt—to refresh themselves in each interval . The year following is recorded a Committee of Inquiry into a "Grievance between Josh . Wood and Thos . Longworth , " the former charging Longworth Avith having acensed him of " Bringing this Lodge to Poverty , " and further said he—( Wood or LongAVorth , for it is not quite clear which of the two is meant)—had no Gcd but his Lad , and that every
Man s Soul Avas his God . In spito of his denial , Bro . Longworth was found guilty , and Ave learn that at the end of the year he Avas to have his Certificate , Avhen he had settled his books and paid his dues . In 1805 the Lodge removed to the Elephant and Castle . On the 24 th July 1800 it indulged in a game of " high jinks , " the occasion being the visit of three brethren of tho Bury Lodge , No . 171 ,
The Antiquity Of Laying Corner Stones With Religious And Mystical Ceremonies.
and an Irish brother . The minuto of the 28 th August is Avell nigh the most enigmatical in the whole compilation , and in tbe hope that some of our learned readers may bo able to throw somo light on ifc we reproduce it in full : —" Report Thos . Wilkinson , a Spinner at Mr . Ormond ' s and Lodging with Br . Wood , a Native of Warrington Visited by Bro . Joseph Wood and William Skolhorn , Brother of
Nt . John , Avhose healths wero drank , also Worthy Brother Throughout tho Terraqnous Globe [ omitted Br . James Conell y , also of St . John . Who was toasted and tho samo reld . " ] Bro . Brockbank suggests that " reld " means " replied , " and we accept with pleasure his suggestion as being quite in tho order of filings . But A-erv wisely does Bro . Brockbank abstain from offering
Further exposition , especially as to who may havo been intended by " Bro . Throughout the Terraqnous Globe . " We are aware that in the days of the Commonwealth , many eccentric individuals took Avhole sentences , especially Scriptural ones , as names . The person who was irreverently known as " Damned Barehones" Avill occur to most people as a case in point , bufc we did nofc know tho
custom was in existence anywhere in England in the early years of tho present century . Of course , it is possible theAA-ords may moan " all worthy brethren scattered over tho surface of this Terraqueous Globo , " and AVO hope it does ; but that portion of tho minuto begin . ning Avith " Report , " and ending Avith " Warrington" is certainly inexplicable . On tho 18 th December of tho samo year Bros . Hart
S . W . and Longworth J . W . —tho samo , AVO presume , Avhom we havo mentioned as having been guilty of a false charge against Josh . Wood — were nominated for the chair , and on ballot the latter was chosen . In the choice between Bros . Hart and Whalley for S . W ., the latter was successful , Avhile Bro . Bell was preferred to Bro . Quin for the Junior Wardenship . On the 27 th of tho month . hoAvever , votes Avere
again taken , and Bros . Longworth , Hart , and Bell were elected W . M ., S . W ., and J . W . respectively , after which the Lodge Avas " CalVd to R . at four o ' clock , when the brethren partook of a Good and Wholesome Dinner . " The meeting must have been a very convivial one , as the Lodgo was not closed till half-past ten o'clock . In tho course of the year 1808 we have an instance of a " Modern" Mason being initiated ,
passed , and raised according to " Antient" form , as though he had been a * ' profane . " In the minutes of the next year we read " it was proposed by tho Master if Thos . Longworth should walk at the Funeral of Bro . John Bolton , " but it was opposed and agreed " he should not , " and at the next meeting "it Avas proposed by the Master if Bro . Ivers shonld not get any alloAvance for being sick , he going by
a majority of the members . " Wo must all sympathise with unfortunate Bro . Ivers for having been sick , especially as he does not seem to have had any allowance made for him under tho circumstances ; but where he Avent to " by a majority of the members " and Avhy , is beyond onr powers of exposition . A minute of 30 th June of this year , recording that Bro . Bell was installed a second time as Master , and that many
loyal toasts were drunk closes Book III . Book No . 4 begins Avith tho record of a visit on 24 th August ; 1809 , of two Modern brethren , members of Lodgo No . 33 , —now " Anchor and Hope , " No . 37 , an old Lodge , having been founded in 1732 , —and after an entry in which it is mentioned that " The Master conspiciously toasted his Majesty in Ancient form , " the rest of the Brethren giving
" every Mark of Loyality to tho King and Constitution , " we find the Lodges , both Ancient and Modern , attending divine service afc the NOAV Church "in great harmony , " it being an " Emergency Meeting of tho Comemory of tho Jubilee of his preasant Majesty , and Avas a Acomenced with the Ainchient Lodg 196 . " Bnt theso meetings and visits cannot be regarded as so very strange , seeing that the Union ,
fortunately accomplished in 1813 , between Ancients and Moderns Avas doubtless the theme of general discussion at this period . At the meeting held in Commemoration of St . John's Day 1810 , tho Lodgo drank " His Majesty ' s Land and Sea Forces Success , " and drank it "deep in Clarret , " so deep apparently thafc the Secretary had not recovered from the effects of his potations on the 19 th August , when
we find as follows : — " Opened in the Night Templer Order . Derly Beloved Jeromier Grayham who had his Sertifiket delivered for hira B'fore a large Body of Respecttobel Brothers , mot on the Resectobel order . " The minute though strangely worded , however , is curious as showing tho hoIloAvnessof the pretensions advanced by the so-called " Ancient" Masons , to bo the original Bros . Simon Pure of Free
and Accepted or Speculative Masonry , or otherwise we should nofc find them working Craft , Arch , and Templar Masonry under the same warrant . True there may bo a connection between ancient and modern Templarism , and likewise betweeu theso and Freemasonry . Yet it is strange that they , Avho were such sticklers for the purity of the Craft and condemned the so-called " Moderns" for a less con .
spicuous ingrafting of ceremonial on the original Masonic tree , themselves added to ifc first Arch and then Templar Masonry . But to proceed . On December 6 th , 1810 , a "plan of general relief for the town of Bolton " Avas submitted and approved . On 2 nd May , 1811 , the Lodge Avas " engaged for some time in most serious bnsiness , " so serious that no ono seems to have had the courage to record its
nature . —N . B . perhaps it was a series of Toasts drunk "deep in Ola -ret . " On tho 28 th November , after a most serious preamble in wl ich stress is laid on the " Interests of Masonry , " a Brother Blank for repeated acts of disobedienco was excluded from the Lodge " FOR EVER , and shall be reported as such to the Grand Lodge by next Communication and his certificate is burned by vote . " Tho " FOR
EVER" does not , however , seem to haA * e lasted longer than 7 th October , 1813 , for on that day he was admitted by consent of the brethren present , conditionally that he " came as a Visiton Member until ho cleared oft' the Books and then coino as a Subscribing Mem . her . " For " Books " must bo read , AVO presume , " dues , " or Bro . Brockbank could not have fulfilled his task of compilation .
It is not a littlo strange , as our Avortby compiler has pointed out , thafc no mention Avhatever is made of that important and glorious event , "The Union "—that healing of a schism , which had divided our Fraternity for some three-quarters of a century . Our Bolton brethren of thoso days must have been singularly indifferent to the fortunes of the good old Graft .