The Conduct Of A Lodge

THE CONDUCT OF A LODGE

SEVERAL of our correspondents have kindly expressed the pleaswre they havo derived from reading our recent articles on tho " Rights and Privileges of Worshipful Masters . " One of them has gone even further , ancl propounded a series of elaborate questions , which we shall endeavour , to the best of our humble ability , to answer .

The first question in the series is as follows : — " Can a Warden , in the absence of the W . M . ancl P . M . ' s open a Lodge ? " As our readers are aware , the Constitutions lny it down that , " in the Master ' s absence , the immediate Past Master , or , if he be absent , the Senior Past

Master of the Lodge present , shall take the chair . Ancl if no Past Master of tho Lodge be present , then the Senior Warden , or in his absence the Junior Warden , shall ride the Lodge . " Our first care appears to bo to determine the force of the expression , " rule the Lodge . " It is obvious

that the word Lodge is applicable in this case to a body of Freemasons , not only incorporated together by virtue of the Warrant issued by the Grand Locige to which they owe obedience , but likewise to such corporate body assembled according to law at a stated time to fulfil Masonic duties .

In order to fulfil those duties at least a certain number of brethren must be present . When this is found to be the case , the Locige may then be opened and proceed to business . It will bo obvious , we think , to our readers that this opening of the Locige is the act of constituting it , ancl

nothing more . Till this ceremony has been completed , the brethren assembled together are merely individual Freemasons , not members of a constituent Masonic body : exactly in the same sense that a number of officers , noncommissioned officers , ancl private soldiers , thongh

assembled on the parade-ground , do not constitute a battalion of soldiers for military duty , until the officers and the rest have taken up their proper positions in the companies to which they severally belong , and tho companies have been formed up into line in the order of their sequence . When

all this is done , and the commanding officer has called his battallion to " attention , " then it becomes a constituent body of soldiers in condition for military duty . Similarly , when the officers and members of a Lodge of Freemasons have arranged themselves in due form , ancl the Worshi pful

Master has called them to attention , then the formal ceremony of opening is proceeded with , ancl the Locige is ready for the discbarge of business . This being so—and at the risk of being thought prolix , we have dwelt at length on these preliminaries—we have next to consider what ruling

a Lodge means . The Constitutions provide thafc , in the event of the death , removal , and incapacity of the Master , the Senior Warden shall summon the Lodge , ancl , in his absence , the Junior Warden ; in their absence the I . P . M . ancl P . M . When the Loclsre is met top-ether in the absence

of the Master , the I P . M . or other P . M . shall take the chair ; in the absence of P . M . ' s , the Senior , and in his absence the Junior Warden , shall rule the Locige . Here then we have the position and duties of a Warden in the absence both of the W . M . and P . M . ' s very clearly defined . He may summon

his Locige , and he may rule his Lodge in certain eventualities , but he must not occupy the chair . He must occupy a seat in front or to the right of it , and thence enact such duties as belong to a ruler who is nofc competent to fill the chair . But how can a ruler rule his Locige until the

Locige has been duly opened ? It is nofc , m fact , a Locige at all , as we have already indicated , till this is done . The mere act of summoning a number of persons to meet together does not constitute a meeting ; and when they have assembled , the meeting is not f oi-mally constituted until some

one of those present has been appointed to preside and open the proceedings . We say then a Warden takes prioz-ifc y of P . M . 's in summoning a Lodge , and , in certain cases , he

rules it . Ancl , as it is impossible to rule a Lodge unless it has been formally constituted or opened , we include the opening of the Locige among the rights and privileges of a Warden .

We come now to the question whether the work must be done by a member of the Locige . As regards the opening of the Lodgo , a visiting brother manifestly has no locus standi until it has been opened or constituted . Even

when this has been done , a visiting P . M . has no claim to take any part in the government or business of the Locige . As au act of courtesy , the principal ruling officer , not being the Master , will probably invito such stranger P . M . to occupy the chair , but ho has no right to complain if this act

The Conduct Of A Lodge

of courtesy is not shown him . In the absence of Installed Masters , the P . M . is of superior rank to the Warden and members among whom he is visiting , but he is , so to speak , off duty . Taking the recent exposition of tho Grand Registrar for our guide , we are inclined to lay down the

following as applicable to a Lodgo in which no installed Master happens to bo present . The Warden is Master pro tern ., but disqualified from , ancl therefore incapable of occupying the chair or fulfilling its special duties . He may , however , invite any qualified brother to do the work of the

Master , such invitation being an act of courtesy , not compulsory . The law is very precise . The words are " the Immediate Past Master , " or in his absence , " the Senior

Past Master of the Lodge present . The words wo havo italicised indicate most clearly that Past or Installed Masters of other Lodges have , as we have said , no ZOOMS standi whatever .

We shall deal next with the question as to the eligibility of a Warden who attended on the day of installation and received his collar , but has only attended two Lodges . Here again the law is singularly clear as to what constitutes eligibility in a Warden to fill the Master ' s Chair . " Every

Locige shall annually elect its Master ancl Treasurer by ballot , such Master having regularly served as a Warden of a Warranted Locige for one year . " The words are " regularly served ; " if , therefore , a Warden has deliberately absented himself from his post , he cannot be said to have

served his office for one year . If he were not present the night of installation , ancl did not , therefore , receive his collar , he cannot be said to have completed his full term of service . In both cases , he becomes ineligible for election as Master , ancl that through his own default . In

the case of occasional absence , through illness or other valid cause , we consider he does nofc forfeit his ri ght to be elected Master , nor if he has filled the office during two consecutive Masterships , provided , however , such service has been continuous . We do nofc think a brother who has

served tho office of Warden for say eig ht , months , and is subsequently , after a greater or less interval of time , appointed Warden a second time , becomes eligible for the chair , even thongh the two broken periods of service taken together may exceed the prescribed period of a Warden ' s

. Lastly , is a W . M . responsible for the correctness of the minutes ? The constitutions enact thafc " the Master is responsible for the clue observance of the laws relating to private Lodges , ancl is bound to produce all books , minutes ,

ancl accounts when required by lawful authority . " Nothing whatever is said about his preparing the minutes , or being responsible for their correctness . This , we take it , is the duty of the Secretary . Oliver , in reference to this latter officer , says : " His " ( the Secretary ' s ) " duty is to issue the

summonses ; ancl he is expected to attend the Lodge punctually , that he may enter the proceedings on the minutes , and read them at all meetings of the brethren , whether regular or emergent , " Ifc is the Master ' s duty to see that the proceedings are entered on the minutes , or , in other

words , to take care the Secretary fulfils his duty . But the Master has nothing whatever to do with the preparation of the minutes , and cannot , therefore , be held specially responsible for their correctness . These minutes , it must be remembered , are not the official record of the Lodge

proceedings until they have been read and confirmed in open Locige . One of our constitutions provides that " a book shall be kept in every Lodge , in which shall be entered the names of its members , and of all persons admitted therein together with such other transactions of

the Lodge as are proper to be written . The Master is responsible for the observance of this law . " It is the dut y of the Secretary to keep this book , ancl the duty of the Master to see thafc it is properly kept . In a general sense , of course , the latter is responsible for the correctness of the

minutes , as , indeed , he is responsible for everything that happens in the Lodge during his tenure of the Mastership . There is in his case , however , no special responsibility attaching to this particular duty apart from his other duties .

HOLLOWAY ' S OINTHI ' NTAND PILLS . —At all seasons of tho year mankind is subject to diseases , bnt some seasons are particularly dangerous , and none more so than the soring , with its sudden alternations oi' temperature and varying climnte . Th i ' t a remedy of somo kind is requisite at this season to purify tho I ) ood lias been a recognised fact for aires , and at different times strange remedies have licen resorted to " for the carrying this int effect . The discovery of the abovenamed remedies has been most opportune , for by their use as purifying and strengthening agents , the blood is quickly relieved of effete matters , and at tie same time no risk is incurred \> J undue pxirging or weakening in any vfny .