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Article " THERE'S A REPORT." Page 1 of 2 Article " THERE'S A REPORT." Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
" There's A Report."
" THERE'S A REPORT . "
DUE caro aa tn tho admission of visitors , lost by neglect any unqualified peraon shonld gain admission to our assemblies , and the brethren bo thereby innocently led to violate their obligation , is enjoined upon certain officers in Lodge at the time they receive their collars ; and it is a
function to which they pledge fidelity , so long as the honours and responsibilities of office are entrusted to their keeping . It is merely to correct certain little shortcomings in the execution of this most important trust that we would
present to those whom it mi ght concern a few hints as to the caution which it is imperatively necessary should be observed in order that the sacred precincts of our Lodges should not be invaded by those who are not entitled to
participate in the mysteries and privileges of our Order . Now , the insinuation is frequently burled at us , witb a contemptuous curl of the lip—indeed it is the favourite weapon wielded by ignorant opponents— -that Freemasonry is a
' secret society ; " and the deduction they draw from this is that therefore it must , perforce , be the conservatory of every conceivable form of wrong-doing ! We confess we trace but little logic in the argument which , after all said
and done , must be ex parte , seeing that the objectors to our system know no more about it than did the boy who cut open the bellows to ascertain " where the wind came from . " But , whilst we can afford to be charitable towards those
who regard our Institution in a dog-in-the-manger spirit , we have the satisfaction of knowing that amongst the cardinal principles which Freemasons solemnly pledge themselves to uphold and promulgate are those synonouious
with the Apostolic injunction— "Fear God ; honour the king ; love the brotherhood . " Further , we vow to abstain from even the appearance of disloyalty to any State in which
we may for the time be located , and which affords us its protection , and more especially to the Sovereign of oar native country whence we derived our birth and infant nurture . If it be " seoret" to draw a cordon sanitaire
around our vows of fealt y to God and country— to guard safely the practice of the " purest principles of piety ancl virtue , " of compassion towards the distressed , the fatherless and the widow—then we say the Order is emphatically
a secret society , jealous to preserve the highest and holiest laws , both human and divine . To argue that , because some few are unmindful of their obligations ,
selfimposea , tne system must thereiore necessarily be bad , is as abject and impotent as that which is often so unscrulousl y flung at religion itself . There are black sheep in every flock ; but
" Angela are bright still , Although the brightest fell . " But , regarded in another aspect , Freemasonry is no more secret" than any other society or combination of men
wnose qualifications tor membership are the payment of certain fees , and a guarantee before admission of the candidates' respectability , and moral and social worth . Ihese are among the precautions adopted by all
wcllregitiated institutions—even by the humblest Mechanics ' institutes , or Young-Men ' s Christian Associations , for that matter ; destroy this principle , and you get rid altogether ot the very fundamental basis upon which every good
society is organised . Where is tho man bold enough to assert that an institution of any sort could be held together even i £ the payment of fees and the conditions which constitute membership were entirely abolished ? Only in a tar hi gher and nobler sense does Freemasonry differ from
" There's A Report."
tho various other societies by which it is surrounded ; and it is not necessary for our present purpose to enter into any further explanation of the subject . Onr object is to point out that , the privileges of membership having bojn secured by a certain number of individuals , they havo a
right to expect that those " vested interests , so to speak , shall be religiously guarded against invasion by thoso who are not similarly entitled . Wo venture to believe that in a vast majority of cases such is the result , and that seldom
in the memory of even the oldest Mason has the dreaded alarm , "It rains ! " resounded through any Lodge-room . Still we are painfully aware from experience that thoro aro times and seasons when duo caro is not exorcised in the
admission of strangers , so as to prevent tho consternation which would naturally ensue from such a catastrophe . It is the boast of a Freemason that , having been once admitted within the pale of the Craft , ho is at liberty to claim admission to any Lodge , in any part of the habitable globe ,
provided he can satisfy the duly authorised guardians of the sanctity of the Order that he is " one of us . " This universality of Freemasonry is one of tho features of cosmopolitanism which commends it to our confidence and respect ; but thero is another side to tho question which
demands equal , if not greater attention . For instance , a visitor is desirous of witnessing the interior working of a Lodge , and he thereupon presents himself , " properly prepared , " and willing to prove thafc he i «
legitimately entitled to mingle with tho brethren , in whatever quarter of tho globe they might assemble . He is in not a few cases received with the ready grasp of the hand , and the effusion of welcome whieh characterises tho heart
of tho brethren of tho mystic tie , and ho passes into tho Lodge room , disappointed at the loose scntinclship which is placed before tho door , and vexed at having had no opportunity of proving himself worthy of the unbounded confidence which has beeu manifested towards him . Notions
ago we visited a Lodge precisely under those circumstances . The brethren were in the best of spirits , and glad indeed to welcome any visitors Avho appeared , but nofc a word of enquiry was passed as to who vouched for tho stranger , or whether he was " ono of us" or not . The business
proceeded , and as it was nofc the duty of the visitor to utter a syllable or to participate in any way during the evening-, it was just possible thafc the veriest cowan , possessed of the requisite bounce and self-possession , might have sat oufc the whole meeting ' , provided he had a quick perception , and
copied the examples readily . We could speak of other instances of a similar kind that have been related to us , particularly in London Lodges , where , upon the bare assertion , and even without signing the attendance book , strangers have been passed into the Lodge , and "no
questions asked . " Ifc may be urged thafc never has a stranger , unacquainted with Masonic usages , been found with sufficient temerity to elbow his way into a Lodge , or that the presence of an unwelcome guest has disturbed tho harmony of our meetings . But that docs nofc destroy tho
possibility of such a confn-femps . For all that we know such a perilous adventure mi ght havo been accomplished , or at all events duo measures liavc not boon adopted to thwart such an audacity . And why ? Simply because what is everybody ' s business is nobody ' s business , and the
officers to whom this function is specially entrusted are either too lethargic or too busily engaged at tho moment to notice the entrance of a stranger . It is too painful to contemplate tho dismay which would ensue from tho discovery of an intruder who may possibly have gained from indiscreet brethren sufficient of our signs to enable
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
" There's A Report."
" THERE'S A REPORT . "
DUE caro aa tn tho admission of visitors , lost by neglect any unqualified peraon shonld gain admission to our assemblies , and the brethren bo thereby innocently led to violate their obligation , is enjoined upon certain officers in Lodge at the time they receive their collars ; and it is a
function to which they pledge fidelity , so long as the honours and responsibilities of office are entrusted to their keeping . It is merely to correct certain little shortcomings in the execution of this most important trust that we would
present to those whom it mi ght concern a few hints as to the caution which it is imperatively necessary should be observed in order that the sacred precincts of our Lodges should not be invaded by those who are not entitled to
participate in the mysteries and privileges of our Order . Now , the insinuation is frequently burled at us , witb a contemptuous curl of the lip—indeed it is the favourite weapon wielded by ignorant opponents— -that Freemasonry is a
' secret society ; " and the deduction they draw from this is that therefore it must , perforce , be the conservatory of every conceivable form of wrong-doing ! We confess we trace but little logic in the argument which , after all said
and done , must be ex parte , seeing that the objectors to our system know no more about it than did the boy who cut open the bellows to ascertain " where the wind came from . " But , whilst we can afford to be charitable towards those
who regard our Institution in a dog-in-the-manger spirit , we have the satisfaction of knowing that amongst the cardinal principles which Freemasons solemnly pledge themselves to uphold and promulgate are those synonouious
with the Apostolic injunction— "Fear God ; honour the king ; love the brotherhood . " Further , we vow to abstain from even the appearance of disloyalty to any State in which
we may for the time be located , and which affords us its protection , and more especially to the Sovereign of oar native country whence we derived our birth and infant nurture . If it be " seoret" to draw a cordon sanitaire
around our vows of fealt y to God and country— to guard safely the practice of the " purest principles of piety ancl virtue , " of compassion towards the distressed , the fatherless and the widow—then we say the Order is emphatically
a secret society , jealous to preserve the highest and holiest laws , both human and divine . To argue that , because some few are unmindful of their obligations ,
selfimposea , tne system must thereiore necessarily be bad , is as abject and impotent as that which is often so unscrulousl y flung at religion itself . There are black sheep in every flock ; but
" Angela are bright still , Although the brightest fell . " But , regarded in another aspect , Freemasonry is no more secret" than any other society or combination of men
wnose qualifications tor membership are the payment of certain fees , and a guarantee before admission of the candidates' respectability , and moral and social worth . Ihese are among the precautions adopted by all
wcllregitiated institutions—even by the humblest Mechanics ' institutes , or Young-Men ' s Christian Associations , for that matter ; destroy this principle , and you get rid altogether ot the very fundamental basis upon which every good
society is organised . Where is tho man bold enough to assert that an institution of any sort could be held together even i £ the payment of fees and the conditions which constitute membership were entirely abolished ? Only in a tar hi gher and nobler sense does Freemasonry differ from
" There's A Report."
tho various other societies by which it is surrounded ; and it is not necessary for our present purpose to enter into any further explanation of the subject . Onr object is to point out that , the privileges of membership having bojn secured by a certain number of individuals , they havo a
right to expect that those " vested interests , so to speak , shall be religiously guarded against invasion by thoso who are not similarly entitled . Wo venture to believe that in a vast majority of cases such is the result , and that seldom
in the memory of even the oldest Mason has the dreaded alarm , "It rains ! " resounded through any Lodge-room . Still we are painfully aware from experience that thoro aro times and seasons when duo caro is not exorcised in the
admission of strangers , so as to prevent tho consternation which would naturally ensue from such a catastrophe . It is the boast of a Freemason that , having been once admitted within the pale of the Craft , ho is at liberty to claim admission to any Lodge , in any part of the habitable globe ,
provided he can satisfy the duly authorised guardians of the sanctity of the Order that he is " one of us . " This universality of Freemasonry is one of tho features of cosmopolitanism which commends it to our confidence and respect ; but thero is another side to tho question which
demands equal , if not greater attention . For instance , a visitor is desirous of witnessing the interior working of a Lodge , and he thereupon presents himself , " properly prepared , " and willing to prove thafc he i «
legitimately entitled to mingle with tho brethren , in whatever quarter of tho globe they might assemble . He is in not a few cases received with the ready grasp of the hand , and the effusion of welcome whieh characterises tho heart
of tho brethren of tho mystic tie , and ho passes into tho Lodge room , disappointed at the loose scntinclship which is placed before tho door , and vexed at having had no opportunity of proving himself worthy of the unbounded confidence which has beeu manifested towards him . Notions
ago we visited a Lodge precisely under those circumstances . The brethren were in the best of spirits , and glad indeed to welcome any visitors Avho appeared , but nofc a word of enquiry was passed as to who vouched for tho stranger , or whether he was " ono of us" or not . The business
proceeded , and as it was nofc the duty of the visitor to utter a syllable or to participate in any way during the evening-, it was just possible thafc the veriest cowan , possessed of the requisite bounce and self-possession , might have sat oufc the whole meeting ' , provided he had a quick perception , and
copied the examples readily . We could speak of other instances of a similar kind that have been related to us , particularly in London Lodges , where , upon the bare assertion , and even without signing the attendance book , strangers have been passed into the Lodge , and "no
questions asked . " Ifc may be urged thafc never has a stranger , unacquainted with Masonic usages , been found with sufficient temerity to elbow his way into a Lodge , or that the presence of an unwelcome guest has disturbed tho harmony of our meetings . But that docs nofc destroy tho
possibility of such a confn-femps . For all that we know such a perilous adventure mi ght havo been accomplished , or at all events duo measures liavc not boon adopted to thwart such an audacity . And why ? Simply because what is everybody ' s business is nobody ' s business , and the
officers to whom this function is specially entrusted are either too lethargic or too busily engaged at tho moment to notice the entrance of a stranger . It is too painful to contemplate tho dismay which would ensue from tho discovery of an intruder who may possibly have gained from indiscreet brethren sufficient of our signs to enable