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Article CORRESPONDENCE. Page 1 of 1 Article CORRESPONDENCE. Page 1 of 1 Article "FRIENDS, CAN YOU KEEP PROM SMILING?" Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
CORRESPONDENCE .
We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Correspondents . We cannot luuZeriafco to return rejected communications . All Letters must hear the name anl address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , hut as a i juarantee of good faith .
PROPOSED ENLARGEMENT OF THE BOYS ' SCHOOL .
To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Tho motion of which Bro . Raynham Stewart has given notice is one that demands the serious attention of the Masonio public It is , of course , a great misfortune that onr Charitable Institutions , no matter how rapidly or considerably thoy may be enlarged , never seem capable of meeting all the approved
demands that are made upon their resources . Within a brief space of time the Girls' Sohool , for instance , has had its premises greatly extended , and the number of its pupils inoreased fifty per cent . Even now there is litigation pending between Bro . 'S . Barton Wilson and tho House Committeo of the Boys' School in respect of the professional charges made by the former as architect of certain additional
premises . The two sections of tho Benevolent Institution havo also been increased until at this present moment there aro over threo hnndred annuitants . It must be remembered that all this has happened within a period not exceeding five years . Yot during all this time there has been no appreciable diminution in the number of claims advanced bv brethren , or on behalf of the widows and orphans
of brethren , to become beneficiaries of our Charities , except , as in tho case of the last October eleotion for the Girls' Sohool , when by the purchase of Lyncombe House and the completion of its fittings , it was found possible to elect all the approved candidates but twelve . But it is morally certain this will only secure a momentary diminution in the number of applicants , as indeed was shown in tho case of
the Boys' School at tho timo of tho extension I have referred to , when an increase of thirty pupils was sanctioned , and that number was taken on additionally , but , if I remember rightly , at two elections instead of all at once . This increase had the passing effect of diminishing the number of candidates , but , as was shown in October , it was only momentary , as the proportion of applicants to vacancies
was , at that election , no les 3 than five to one . Thus , then , stands the case at present as regards our Institutions . In the course of the last five years they have been very greatly increased ; yet , except momentarily in the Girls' Sohool , the number of applicants , if not greater than ever , is at least as great . Having broadly set these facts before your readers , let me now direct attention to tho proposed
extension of the Boys Sohool . The motion of which Bro . Raynham Stewart has given notice is , in brief , to the effect that , as it was possible at the October election to elect only sixteen out of an approved list of seveuty candidates , steps should be taken as speedily as possible to erect new buildings with the view of accommodating ultimately 150 additional boys , but
presently one-third of that number . These boys are to be placed in charge of lady teachers , as their services are to be had on lower and therefore more favourable terms . In fact tho proposal is tantamount to one for the establishment of a preparatory school , whence , as the boys grow old enough they will be drafted into the present or what will then be the Upper School . I think this is a pretty accurate and ,
I hope will be considered as it is intended to be , a fair description ot Bro . Stewart ' s scheme . The plan is a bold one , if not exactly the novelty which some may esteem it , and , in the abstract , like a good many other plans similarly regarded , may be set down as a good plan . But good , bad , or indifferent , it is one which must be carefully weighed in all its bearings . Though a separate and distinct
proposal , it cannot be considered apart from the general policy by which the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys is regulated . It is indeed a part of that policy , which seems to have commended itself so strongly for some time past to the authorities of both our Schools , and which you , Dear Sir and Brother , have on more than one occasion describpd as the " policy of extension , " as contradistinguished from " the policy
of consolidation . The policy of extension is , doubtless , worthy of high commendation , and so far as it has been adopted of late years I , for one , have seen no objection to its having been followed . It has brought forth good fruit in the shape of the additional service which our glorious Institutions have been enabled to render to tho cause of Masonic
charity . And if I thought there were sound reasons for its continuance with the same degree of energy as has been latterly exhibited , and with as great success , I should avoid saying anything which was calculated in the slightest degree to prevent its further adoption . But there is a well-known saying as to there being in all things a limit which it is both unwise and inexpedient to overstep ; and taking
into consideration the great extension which has latterly taken place in the benefits conferred by our Charities , the question very naturally arises , whether it is not incumbent on the Craft to rest a while before they go any further in the same direction , and establish what they have already done on so firm a basis , that no shortcomings in future years will , humanly speaking , be able to affect seriously the
solidity of our Institutions . We pride ourselves , and very justly , on the £ 40 , 000 which are annually raised on their behalf by the Fraternity ; but are any brethren prepared to suggest that twice that amount , or even that amount increased to the extent of one-half only , will be raised with the same facility ; or , at all events , that it
will be forthcoming year after year , if we stand committed to tho provision of so large a sum ? I will assume , for the sake of argument , that the Benevolent Institution might steadily increase the amount of the annuities it grants . By comparison with the two Schools , it has a considerable—not by any means an excessively large , yet a considerable—permanent income . The Girls' School , after its
Correspondence.
recont expenditure and tho fresh obligations it has just incurred , will doubtless hold its hand—for a timo at all events . But tho Boys ' School is very far from being as favourably circumstanced as the other Institutions . It is only this year , and after tho graud success of its Festival in July at the Crystal Pnlaco , that it lias recovered , in rospectof its invested moneys , the position it occupied some fifteen
or twonty years ago , when tho scheme for erecting now school buildings was set on foot . Its pormauent income may bo set down at less than £ 800 ; its responsibilities amount to over £ 10 , 000 a-year . In other words , and speaking roundly , there is £ 1 of income to meet every £ 10 of liability . Is extensiou under such circumstances advisable ? I trow not . Let the ratio bo one to two , and I have too
much faith in the munificence of tho Craft to doubt its preparedness to seo all claims satisfied . The main ground , I take it , of Bro . Stewart ' s argument in favour of the additional school is found in the fact that there were only sixteen vacancies last October to be filled by ballot from an approved list of seventy candidates . Am I to regard this in the light of an
invitation to assume that ho is so modestly inoculated with the sense of gumption as to suppose that the more the number of pupils is in . creased , the fewer will be the candidates who present themselves for eleotion ? If his proposition is acted upon , it will , in the course of a short time , have the effect of adding something like 70 per cent , to the present strength of the Sohool . Will the result of electing
annually somo fifty instead of thirty candidates havo tho effect of diminishing proportionately tho number of applicants ? I say—and I rest my answer on the experience of tho last few years—most emphatically—No . There are—I was on the point of saying moro—but at least there are as many—applicants now , when the School is 200 strong , as when thero wero only some 150 or 160 pupils . The
reasonable deduction is , that if an attempt is mado , now or at any future timo near or remote , to emphasise the enthusiasm of the Craft , and make it as permanent as we hope and believe this particular Institution , and in fact all our Institutions , to be , there will still be the same excess of applicants over vacancies . ¦ The Craft will become more common , and there will be a large and ever-increasing rush of
initiates , when it is once publicly known how easy it is for a brother to obtain for his children the inestimablo benefits of a sound and liberal education . There are several other points in connection with Bro . Stewart's motion on which I should like to offer my opinion , but I am afraid
I have trespassed on your kindness too far . At all events , I feel that I must not ask you to accord me further space in the present instance , but I trust you will find a small corner in some future number for the remaining observations which , in the interest of our Boys ' School , I feel it my duty to offer for your consideration , and that of my fellow-Masons .
Believe me , Dear Sir and Brother , Faithfully and fraternally yours , EST MODUS IN REBUS .
"Friends, Can You Keep Prom Smiling?"
" FRIENDS , CAN YOU KEEP PROM SMILING ?"
To the Editor of the FREEMASON s CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Bro . Hubert , editor of Chaine d' Union at Paris , copied in his July No ., from La Semaine de Grenoble , an amusing story , and asked the question at the head of this paper , viz ., " Friends , can you keep from smiling ? " This I copy from the Cincinnati Masonic Review , and submit to yon ( somewhat abridged )
for the entertainment of your readers . Father Jandel , a Dominican , preached at Lyons about the cross driving away devils . When the Rev . gentleman left the Cathedral he was accosted by one of his hearers , who told the Father that he was a Freemason , that the devil always presides in a Masonic Lodge , and therefore proposed to put the claimed virtue of tho cross to the
following test : — " We meet , " said the Freemason , " every evening in a certain street , at a certain number : tho Demon comes himself and presides over onr meetings ; come this evening and make the sign of the cross upon the assembly , and I shall see at once if what you have said is true . " The Father demanded three days for reflection , which the Freemason granted , and then gave his address to the priest .
Father Jandel thereupon consulted Monseigneur Bonald . The Archbishop assembled several theologians , who advised Jandel to accept the challenge . " Go , my son , " said Bonald , " and God be with you . " The remaining forty . eight hours Father Jandel passed in prayer and mortification , and at the appointed hour he presented himself to
the Freemason in a layman s suit of cloths , but a large cross was concealed under his dress . They soon reached a great hall , furnished luxuriantly , and so brilliantly lighted np that the eyes were dazed . Little by little the seats in the hall were filled , when all at once the presiding Demon was in the chair . " Behold him , " said the Freemason to the Rev . Father . Thereupon tho priest took up his cross
with both hands , making over the brethren tho sign of the cross , when something like a thunderclap extinguished the lights , tho chairs fell upside down , and the company fled ; and amidst the confusion the Freemason , without knowing how , carried off Father Jandel to a long distance . " The adapt of Satan , " then fell upon his knees and cried ont , "Ibelieve , pray for mo , convert me , " & c . Now , a Freemason may well say , who can help smiling at this
monkish superstition ? But I think that with equal reason we may ask , who can help smiling at the credulity of a Rov . Lodge Chaplain ? The Freemason of 18 th September contains an address to the Natalia Lodge , Maritzburgh , by tho Rev . G . M . St . M . Ritchie , as follows : — " Again , Worshipful Master and Brethren ( said the Rev . Bro . Ritchie ) it is my privilege , as your Chaplain and daly-accredited priest of the Church of Christ , to welcome you to this ackuowledg-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
CORRESPONDENCE .
We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Correspondents . We cannot luuZeriafco to return rejected communications . All Letters must hear the name anl address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , hut as a i juarantee of good faith .
PROPOSED ENLARGEMENT OF THE BOYS ' SCHOOL .
To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Tho motion of which Bro . Raynham Stewart has given notice is one that demands the serious attention of the Masonio public It is , of course , a great misfortune that onr Charitable Institutions , no matter how rapidly or considerably thoy may be enlarged , never seem capable of meeting all the approved
demands that are made upon their resources . Within a brief space of time the Girls' Sohool , for instance , has had its premises greatly extended , and the number of its pupils inoreased fifty per cent . Even now there is litigation pending between Bro . 'S . Barton Wilson and tho House Committeo of the Boys' School in respect of the professional charges made by the former as architect of certain additional
premises . The two sections of tho Benevolent Institution havo also been increased until at this present moment there aro over threo hnndred annuitants . It must be remembered that all this has happened within a period not exceeding five years . Yot during all this time there has been no appreciable diminution in the number of claims advanced bv brethren , or on behalf of the widows and orphans
of brethren , to become beneficiaries of our Charities , except , as in tho case of the last October eleotion for the Girls' Sohool , when by the purchase of Lyncombe House and the completion of its fittings , it was found possible to elect all the approved candidates but twelve . But it is morally certain this will only secure a momentary diminution in the number of applicants , as indeed was shown in tho case of
the Boys' School at tho timo of tho extension I have referred to , when an increase of thirty pupils was sanctioned , and that number was taken on additionally , but , if I remember rightly , at two elections instead of all at once . This increase had the passing effect of diminishing the number of candidates , but , as was shown in October , it was only momentary , as the proportion of applicants to vacancies
was , at that election , no les 3 than five to one . Thus , then , stands the case at present as regards our Institutions . In the course of the last five years they have been very greatly increased ; yet , except momentarily in the Girls' Sohool , the number of applicants , if not greater than ever , is at least as great . Having broadly set these facts before your readers , let me now direct attention to tho proposed
extension of the Boys Sohool . The motion of which Bro . Raynham Stewart has given notice is , in brief , to the effect that , as it was possible at the October election to elect only sixteen out of an approved list of seveuty candidates , steps should be taken as speedily as possible to erect new buildings with the view of accommodating ultimately 150 additional boys , but
presently one-third of that number . These boys are to be placed in charge of lady teachers , as their services are to be had on lower and therefore more favourable terms . In fact tho proposal is tantamount to one for the establishment of a preparatory school , whence , as the boys grow old enough they will be drafted into the present or what will then be the Upper School . I think this is a pretty accurate and ,
I hope will be considered as it is intended to be , a fair description ot Bro . Stewart ' s scheme . The plan is a bold one , if not exactly the novelty which some may esteem it , and , in the abstract , like a good many other plans similarly regarded , may be set down as a good plan . But good , bad , or indifferent , it is one which must be carefully weighed in all its bearings . Though a separate and distinct
proposal , it cannot be considered apart from the general policy by which the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys is regulated . It is indeed a part of that policy , which seems to have commended itself so strongly for some time past to the authorities of both our Schools , and which you , Dear Sir and Brother , have on more than one occasion describpd as the " policy of extension , " as contradistinguished from " the policy
of consolidation . The policy of extension is , doubtless , worthy of high commendation , and so far as it has been adopted of late years I , for one , have seen no objection to its having been followed . It has brought forth good fruit in the shape of the additional service which our glorious Institutions have been enabled to render to tho cause of Masonic
charity . And if I thought there were sound reasons for its continuance with the same degree of energy as has been latterly exhibited , and with as great success , I should avoid saying anything which was calculated in the slightest degree to prevent its further adoption . But there is a well-known saying as to there being in all things a limit which it is both unwise and inexpedient to overstep ; and taking
into consideration the great extension which has latterly taken place in the benefits conferred by our Charities , the question very naturally arises , whether it is not incumbent on the Craft to rest a while before they go any further in the same direction , and establish what they have already done on so firm a basis , that no shortcomings in future years will , humanly speaking , be able to affect seriously the
solidity of our Institutions . We pride ourselves , and very justly , on the £ 40 , 000 which are annually raised on their behalf by the Fraternity ; but are any brethren prepared to suggest that twice that amount , or even that amount increased to the extent of one-half only , will be raised with the same facility ; or , at all events , that it
will be forthcoming year after year , if we stand committed to tho provision of so large a sum ? I will assume , for the sake of argument , that the Benevolent Institution might steadily increase the amount of the annuities it grants . By comparison with the two Schools , it has a considerable—not by any means an excessively large , yet a considerable—permanent income . The Girls' School , after its
Correspondence.
recont expenditure and tho fresh obligations it has just incurred , will doubtless hold its hand—for a timo at all events . But tho Boys ' School is very far from being as favourably circumstanced as the other Institutions . It is only this year , and after tho graud success of its Festival in July at the Crystal Pnlaco , that it lias recovered , in rospectof its invested moneys , the position it occupied some fifteen
or twonty years ago , when tho scheme for erecting now school buildings was set on foot . Its pormauent income may bo set down at less than £ 800 ; its responsibilities amount to over £ 10 , 000 a-year . In other words , and speaking roundly , there is £ 1 of income to meet every £ 10 of liability . Is extensiou under such circumstances advisable ? I trow not . Let the ratio bo one to two , and I have too
much faith in the munificence of tho Craft to doubt its preparedness to seo all claims satisfied . The main ground , I take it , of Bro . Stewart ' s argument in favour of the additional school is found in the fact that there were only sixteen vacancies last October to be filled by ballot from an approved list of seventy candidates . Am I to regard this in the light of an
invitation to assume that ho is so modestly inoculated with the sense of gumption as to suppose that the more the number of pupils is in . creased , the fewer will be the candidates who present themselves for eleotion ? If his proposition is acted upon , it will , in the course of a short time , have the effect of adding something like 70 per cent , to the present strength of the Sohool . Will the result of electing
annually somo fifty instead of thirty candidates havo tho effect of diminishing proportionately tho number of applicants ? I say—and I rest my answer on the experience of tho last few years—most emphatically—No . There are—I was on the point of saying moro—but at least there are as many—applicants now , when the School is 200 strong , as when thero wero only some 150 or 160 pupils . The
reasonable deduction is , that if an attempt is mado , now or at any future timo near or remote , to emphasise the enthusiasm of the Craft , and make it as permanent as we hope and believe this particular Institution , and in fact all our Institutions , to be , there will still be the same excess of applicants over vacancies . ¦ The Craft will become more common , and there will be a large and ever-increasing rush of
initiates , when it is once publicly known how easy it is for a brother to obtain for his children the inestimablo benefits of a sound and liberal education . There are several other points in connection with Bro . Stewart's motion on which I should like to offer my opinion , but I am afraid
I have trespassed on your kindness too far . At all events , I feel that I must not ask you to accord me further space in the present instance , but I trust you will find a small corner in some future number for the remaining observations which , in the interest of our Boys ' School , I feel it my duty to offer for your consideration , and that of my fellow-Masons .
Believe me , Dear Sir and Brother , Faithfully and fraternally yours , EST MODUS IN REBUS .
"Friends, Can You Keep Prom Smiling?"
" FRIENDS , CAN YOU KEEP PROM SMILING ?"
To the Editor of the FREEMASON s CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Bro . Hubert , editor of Chaine d' Union at Paris , copied in his July No ., from La Semaine de Grenoble , an amusing story , and asked the question at the head of this paper , viz ., " Friends , can you keep from smiling ? " This I copy from the Cincinnati Masonic Review , and submit to yon ( somewhat abridged )
for the entertainment of your readers . Father Jandel , a Dominican , preached at Lyons about the cross driving away devils . When the Rev . gentleman left the Cathedral he was accosted by one of his hearers , who told the Father that he was a Freemason , that the devil always presides in a Masonic Lodge , and therefore proposed to put the claimed virtue of tho cross to the
following test : — " We meet , " said the Freemason , " every evening in a certain street , at a certain number : tho Demon comes himself and presides over onr meetings ; come this evening and make the sign of the cross upon the assembly , and I shall see at once if what you have said is true . " The Father demanded three days for reflection , which the Freemason granted , and then gave his address to the priest .
Father Jandel thereupon consulted Monseigneur Bonald . The Archbishop assembled several theologians , who advised Jandel to accept the challenge . " Go , my son , " said Bonald , " and God be with you . " The remaining forty . eight hours Father Jandel passed in prayer and mortification , and at the appointed hour he presented himself to
the Freemason in a layman s suit of cloths , but a large cross was concealed under his dress . They soon reached a great hall , furnished luxuriantly , and so brilliantly lighted np that the eyes were dazed . Little by little the seats in the hall were filled , when all at once the presiding Demon was in the chair . " Behold him , " said the Freemason to the Rev . Father . Thereupon tho priest took up his cross
with both hands , making over the brethren tho sign of the cross , when something like a thunderclap extinguished the lights , tho chairs fell upside down , and the company fled ; and amidst the confusion the Freemason , without knowing how , carried off Father Jandel to a long distance . " The adapt of Satan , " then fell upon his knees and cried ont , "Ibelieve , pray for mo , convert me , " & c . Now , a Freemason may well say , who can help smiling at this
monkish superstition ? But I think that with equal reason we may ask , who can help smiling at the credulity of a Rov . Lodge Chaplain ? The Freemason of 18 th September contains an address to the Natalia Lodge , Maritzburgh , by tho Rev . G . M . St . M . Ritchie , as follows : — " Again , Worshipful Master and Brethren ( said the Rev . Bro . Ritchie ) it is my privilege , as your Chaplain and daly-accredited priest of the Church of Christ , to welcome you to this ackuowledg-