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Article THE ROYAL MASONIC PUPILS' ASSISTANCE FUND. ← Page 2 of 2 Article THE ROYAL MASONIC PUPILS' ASSISTANCE FUND. Page 2 of 2 Article CORRESPONDENCE. Page 1 of 3 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Royal Masonic Pupils' Assistance Fund.
extend the work they do , and therefore we should bo among the last to propose or support any new thing Avhich seemed likely to at all clash with their' interests . . Indeed , iti tho nature oE things , this must be so , for what on earth
would bo the good of suggesting a new Fund , when it was calculated to undo parb of the good work they wero famed for doing ? Wc have argued that the permanent incomes of our Institutions need strengthening , but to sot up a rival claimant ou tho benevolenco of tho Craft
would be to lessen the annual flow in their direction of voluntary contributions , and tho lower these contributions fall , tho less likelihood would thero bo of their permanent incomes being increased . Wo have said thus much , because we agreo with Lord Rosslyn that
tho Assistance Fund must bo so not onl y in name , but in fact , and thafc tho assistance it renders must bo entirely supplemental in its character , thoso only being eligible as recipients of its benefits who have heen accepted by the School authorities either as pupils or candidates who
prove unsuccessful in their canvass . We have spoken of the magnitude of the undertaking as being " apparent , " for in truth it is ono which is never likely to exceed the most moderate dimensions . As we said last week , where thousands are needed annually to
meet the necessities of each School , a few hundreds will suffice for the needs of this supplemental Fund . The Schools between them maintain ancl educate over 400 children afc an average annual expenditure of £ 40 a piece . There go , then , at once over £ 16 , 000 , and there are the
expenses of management besides . But here there will be , in the first place , no expenses of management worth speaking of , whilo the expenditure in respect of the specific objects of the Fund will be item by item and in the aggregate small . The cases which will be brought under the
notice of thoso who administer it will ho few in number , to judge at least from the sums now spent annuall y by the two Schools in helping pupils on leaving , while those of a special character , such as were mentioned b y Dr . Morris , will occur but rarely .
All this we have said before , but it is worth while repeating it , when we find thero are those who incline to think the scheme is somewhat too ambitious . As we have suggested , the paraphernalia of vice-patronage , & c , & c , looks very formidable , but all these things are , in fact ,
merely so many pretty little attractions of an honorary character , such as are commonly held out to people when something of this kind is wanted . To call tho donor of a hundred guineas a Vice Patron , or of ten guineas a Life Governor , is to pay him a pretty compliment which he
appreciates , and if there is anything to vote about , it is only fair he should havo votes in proportion to his donation . Some people liko the initial letters with the regulation , number of etceteras tacked on to their names , and if one man is willing to contribute an extra fifty guineas in order
to be written down a " V . P ., " instead of a " V . Pr ., " or a second five guineas for the privilege of being described as a " L . G ., " instead of " L . S ., " there is nothing lostbv
encouraging the little foible . But the promoters do not anticipate _ anything considerable iu the way of expenditure , and a principal object will no doubt be to so invest the moneys as to be able to meet out of the interest thereon such demands
as may be made on tho Fund . Once a capital sum of , say , £ 20 , 000 or £ 25 , 000 is established , and the interest with occasional donations and subscriptions will be found sufficient . This at least is the view we take of the matter , and which we shall feel it our duty to urge on the promoters and the Executive in season and out of season . To the former
we say , let your lists of subscriptions be as large as you can make them , and to the latter , invest your moneys wisely , find so husband your resources as to avoid all interference witli ^ the flow of contributions towards the principal Charities . We want to help , not to injure them . A crand
effort at starting will suffice to put the Fund firmly ou its logs , and that done , ifc will only need to be conducted in accordance with the rules laid clown . Hence this array of attractions and the honorary distinctions and trifling privileges they will confer .
So far everything has gone satisfactorily . A goodly amotint of support is already secured , and there is no doubt that the way for . the future progress of tho Fund has been made as smooth as -possible . There is an interim
Committee , an Honorary Treasurer and interim Trustee , and an Honorary Secretary . When tho next meeting is held , which will bo when Princo Leopold ' s health and engagements enable him to attend , tho Pupils' Assistance
The Royal Masonic Pupils' Assistance Fund.
Fund will bo a very considerable entity , worthy of His Royal Highness ' s encouragement , and a credit to tho promoters . Possibly by that time , too , the features of the entity will bo of a sufficiently decided character , so thafc
the framing of laws and regulations may bo commenced forthwith . Let ifc suffice for the present , if wo congratulate thoso who started this movement on the support they havo received , tho success of their first meeting , and tho fair prospects before them .
Correspondence.
CORRESPONDENCE .
We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Correspondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications . All Letters must bear the name and address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith .
NON-CONFIRMATION OF BRO . STEVENS'S MOTION . To tho Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I qnito agreo with you in tho position you have taken up , thafc whilo Grand Lodge has a perfect right to reject at ono meeting a motion it had accepted at tho preceding one , snch shilly-shallying does not add to its dignity or consistency . If , as you havo argued , a Committee of Inquiry was thought
desirable in December last , then , unless somo special reasons havo been iu the meantime urged against such a proposition , it must bo equally desirable now . Moreover , it seems to have been churlish to refuse a motion for inquiry . Tho chief arguments of Bro . Stevens ' s opponents were simply these—that things had gone on smoothly enough since tho Union ; that tho brethren cherished tho ritual or
rituals which had been handed down to them , and that , even if a change wore desirable , it would be difficult , if not impossible , to carry ifc out . But tho fact was lost sight of that the appointment of a Committee of Inquiry did not commit Grand Lodge to the introduction of any change into our system . It is at least as likely they might have reported against as in favour of uniformity . They might
have said—We have carefully considered the subject , and the conclusion we have arrived afc is to leave matters as they aro . Ifc is true wo do not approve of everything that has been brought under our notico , bufc we prefer leaving these blemishes to disturbing tho ritual . Or they might havo suggested thafc hero and thero certain amendments wore desirable , and then it wonld have rested with Grand Lodgo to
approve or withhold approval from the Report . But it was , with all duo deference , an act of churlishness on tho part of thoso who think no change is desirable to voto against an inquiry , tho result of which might have confirmed tho wisdom of their opinions . I have no wish to see the controversy revived , but if I had , I should not have very far to go for a reason . Last week there appeared a
letter in the columns of yonr Masonic contemporary , signed " Bos ALBUS , " in which will be found the following passages . Having iirst mentioned that he has had a large experience in installations in almost every parfc in " England for the last sixteen years , " and that while every Province differs in some little respect , " they as a rule preserve the Masonic unities , and adhere closely—in essentials , at
least—to what is taught in the Emulation Lodge , Bos ALBUS adds , " The exception I have found to be the Province of East Lancashire , or at least Manchester , and a circle of some twenty miles round . There they have a brand new ritual of their own , with a form of opening and closing a board of installed Masters , ancl certain peculiar signs and secrets totally unknown to brethren at Leeds , on the one hand
or Liverpool on the other—not only this , but a ritual for opening and closing a board of Past Masters , and a ceremony of installing tho outgoing Master as a P . M . with separate signs , & c , none of which are known in any part of England . " It seems , too , that " even in Manchester itself tho ceremony varies , " and towards the end of his letter , tho writer very pertinently asks , "If the Manchester
secrets are a part of pure and ancient Masonry , why shonld we not be put in possession of them ? If they aro innovations , why shonld they be allowed to continue ? " Just so , Bro . Bos ALBUS , and that , in a different form , is tho line of argument adopted by tho advocates of Uniformity . If there exist anywhere practices which are outside tho ordinary forms of working—say , as taught by tho Emulation Lodfo
of Improvement—why should they be allowed to continue ? Thoy certainly lack the sanction of authority , however interesting they may be locally . Where tho " Masonic unities" are preserved , aud tho " essentials" are pretty closely adhered to , we need not trouble ourselves about little differences , bufc where Lodges havo " a brand new ritual of their own , " it certainly is a subject for inquiry where that
ritual camo from , and why it is worked in one small district , when a different mode of working prevails elsewhere . This statement by "Bos ALBUS" justifies the opinion you havo expressed that it was an act of unwisdom , or rather of self-stultification on tho part of Grand Lodge , to reverse the decision it arrived at in the December previous . By the way , your idea about self-stultification appears to hare given
offence in some quarters , though I do not sec why it should havo dono so . Grand Lodge has twice sanctioned a principle which on both occasions it very shortly afterwards rejected . If I assert a thing one moment , ancl deny it tho next , in plain English , I stultify myself , or to soften the mode of expression , I ara guilty of an inconsistency : and
if any one tells me so , I feel tho force of his remark all the moro , because of its undoubted truth . Of course , I escape condemnation if I can show reasons for tho change of opinion •but in this instance I hold Grand Lodgo has not done so . Fraternally and faithfully yours , L . L .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Royal Masonic Pupils' Assistance Fund.
extend the work they do , and therefore we should bo among the last to propose or support any new thing Avhich seemed likely to at all clash with their' interests . . Indeed , iti tho nature oE things , this must be so , for what on earth
would bo the good of suggesting a new Fund , when it was calculated to undo parb of the good work they wero famed for doing ? Wc have argued that the permanent incomes of our Institutions need strengthening , but to sot up a rival claimant ou tho benevolenco of tho Craft
would be to lessen the annual flow in their direction of voluntary contributions , and tho lower these contributions fall , tho less likelihood would thero bo of their permanent incomes being increased . Wo have said thus much , because we agreo with Lord Rosslyn that
tho Assistance Fund must bo so not onl y in name , but in fact , and thafc tho assistance it renders must bo entirely supplemental in its character , thoso only being eligible as recipients of its benefits who have heen accepted by the School authorities either as pupils or candidates who
prove unsuccessful in their canvass . We have spoken of the magnitude of the undertaking as being " apparent , " for in truth it is ono which is never likely to exceed the most moderate dimensions . As we said last week , where thousands are needed annually to
meet the necessities of each School , a few hundreds will suffice for the needs of this supplemental Fund . The Schools between them maintain ancl educate over 400 children afc an average annual expenditure of £ 40 a piece . There go , then , at once over £ 16 , 000 , and there are the
expenses of management besides . But here there will be , in the first place , no expenses of management worth speaking of , whilo the expenditure in respect of the specific objects of the Fund will be item by item and in the aggregate small . The cases which will be brought under the
notice of thoso who administer it will ho few in number , to judge at least from the sums now spent annuall y by the two Schools in helping pupils on leaving , while those of a special character , such as were mentioned b y Dr . Morris , will occur but rarely .
All this we have said before , but it is worth while repeating it , when we find thero are those who incline to think the scheme is somewhat too ambitious . As we have suggested , the paraphernalia of vice-patronage , & c , & c , looks very formidable , but all these things are , in fact ,
merely so many pretty little attractions of an honorary character , such as are commonly held out to people when something of this kind is wanted . To call tho donor of a hundred guineas a Vice Patron , or of ten guineas a Life Governor , is to pay him a pretty compliment which he
appreciates , and if there is anything to vote about , it is only fair he should havo votes in proportion to his donation . Some people liko the initial letters with the regulation , number of etceteras tacked on to their names , and if one man is willing to contribute an extra fifty guineas in order
to be written down a " V . P ., " instead of a " V . Pr ., " or a second five guineas for the privilege of being described as a " L . G ., " instead of " L . S ., " there is nothing lostbv
encouraging the little foible . But the promoters do not anticipate _ anything considerable iu the way of expenditure , and a principal object will no doubt be to so invest the moneys as to be able to meet out of the interest thereon such demands
as may be made on tho Fund . Once a capital sum of , say , £ 20 , 000 or £ 25 , 000 is established , and the interest with occasional donations and subscriptions will be found sufficient . This at least is the view we take of the matter , and which we shall feel it our duty to urge on the promoters and the Executive in season and out of season . To the former
we say , let your lists of subscriptions be as large as you can make them , and to the latter , invest your moneys wisely , find so husband your resources as to avoid all interference witli ^ the flow of contributions towards the principal Charities . We want to help , not to injure them . A crand
effort at starting will suffice to put the Fund firmly ou its logs , and that done , ifc will only need to be conducted in accordance with the rules laid clown . Hence this array of attractions and the honorary distinctions and trifling privileges they will confer .
So far everything has gone satisfactorily . A goodly amotint of support is already secured , and there is no doubt that the way for . the future progress of tho Fund has been made as smooth as -possible . There is an interim
Committee , an Honorary Treasurer and interim Trustee , and an Honorary Secretary . When tho next meeting is held , which will bo when Princo Leopold ' s health and engagements enable him to attend , tho Pupils' Assistance
The Royal Masonic Pupils' Assistance Fund.
Fund will bo a very considerable entity , worthy of His Royal Highness ' s encouragement , and a credit to tho promoters . Possibly by that time , too , the features of the entity will bo of a sufficiently decided character , so thafc
the framing of laws and regulations may bo commenced forthwith . Let ifc suffice for the present , if wo congratulate thoso who started this movement on the support they havo received , tho success of their first meeting , and tho fair prospects before them .
Correspondence.
CORRESPONDENCE .
We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Correspondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications . All Letters must bear the name and address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith .
NON-CONFIRMATION OF BRO . STEVENS'S MOTION . To tho Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I qnito agreo with you in tho position you have taken up , thafc whilo Grand Lodge has a perfect right to reject at ono meeting a motion it had accepted at tho preceding one , snch shilly-shallying does not add to its dignity or consistency . If , as you havo argued , a Committee of Inquiry was thought
desirable in December last , then , unless somo special reasons havo been iu the meantime urged against such a proposition , it must bo equally desirable now . Moreover , it seems to have been churlish to refuse a motion for inquiry . Tho chief arguments of Bro . Stevens ' s opponents were simply these—that things had gone on smoothly enough since tho Union ; that tho brethren cherished tho ritual or
rituals which had been handed down to them , and that , even if a change wore desirable , it would be difficult , if not impossible , to carry ifc out . But tho fact was lost sight of that the appointment of a Committee of Inquiry did not commit Grand Lodge to the introduction of any change into our system . It is at least as likely they might have reported against as in favour of uniformity . They might
have said—We have carefully considered the subject , and the conclusion we have arrived afc is to leave matters as they aro . Ifc is true wo do not approve of everything that has been brought under our notico , bufc we prefer leaving these blemishes to disturbing tho ritual . Or they might havo suggested thafc hero and thero certain amendments wore desirable , and then it wonld have rested with Grand Lodgo to
approve or withhold approval from the Report . But it was , with all duo deference , an act of churlishness on tho part of thoso who think no change is desirable to voto against an inquiry , tho result of which might have confirmed tho wisdom of their opinions . I have no wish to see the controversy revived , but if I had , I should not have very far to go for a reason . Last week there appeared a
letter in the columns of yonr Masonic contemporary , signed " Bos ALBUS , " in which will be found the following passages . Having iirst mentioned that he has had a large experience in installations in almost every parfc in " England for the last sixteen years , " and that while every Province differs in some little respect , " they as a rule preserve the Masonic unities , and adhere closely—in essentials , at
least—to what is taught in the Emulation Lodge , Bos ALBUS adds , " The exception I have found to be the Province of East Lancashire , or at least Manchester , and a circle of some twenty miles round . There they have a brand new ritual of their own , with a form of opening and closing a board of installed Masters , ancl certain peculiar signs and secrets totally unknown to brethren at Leeds , on the one hand
or Liverpool on the other—not only this , but a ritual for opening and closing a board of Past Masters , and a ceremony of installing tho outgoing Master as a P . M . with separate signs , & c , none of which are known in any part of England . " It seems , too , that " even in Manchester itself tho ceremony varies , " and towards the end of his letter , tho writer very pertinently asks , "If the Manchester
secrets are a part of pure and ancient Masonry , why shonld we not be put in possession of them ? If they aro innovations , why shonld they be allowed to continue ? " Just so , Bro . Bos ALBUS , and that , in a different form , is tho line of argument adopted by tho advocates of Uniformity . If there exist anywhere practices which are outside tho ordinary forms of working—say , as taught by tho Emulation Lodfo
of Improvement—why should they be allowed to continue ? Thoy certainly lack the sanction of authority , however interesting they may be locally . Where tho " Masonic unities" are preserved , aud tho " essentials" are pretty closely adhered to , we need not trouble ourselves about little differences , bufc where Lodges havo " a brand new ritual of their own , " it certainly is a subject for inquiry where that
ritual camo from , and why it is worked in one small district , when a different mode of working prevails elsewhere . This statement by "Bos ALBUS" justifies the opinion you havo expressed that it was an act of unwisdom , or rather of self-stultification on tho part of Grand Lodge , to reverse the decision it arrived at in the December previous . By the way , your idea about self-stultification appears to hare given
offence in some quarters , though I do not sec why it should havo dono so . Grand Lodge has twice sanctioned a principle which on both occasions it very shortly afterwards rejected . If I assert a thing one moment , ancl deny it tho next , in plain English , I stultify myself , or to soften the mode of expression , I ara guilty of an inconsistency : and
if any one tells me so , I feel tho force of his remark all the moro , because of its undoubted truth . Of course , I escape condemnation if I can show reasons for tho change of opinion •but in this instance I hold Grand Lodgo has not done so . Fraternally and faithfully yours , L . L .