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Article FREEMASONRY IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. ← Page 2 of 2 Article FREEMASONRY IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. Page 2 of 2
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Freemasonry In South Australia.
established by the Grand Lodges of the Mother Country have given in their adhesion to tho new order of things , and henceforth the brethren in this distant colony will enjoy a state of actual independence—as heretofore to all intents and purposes they have enjoyed it , all but in
name . Up till now they have had the management of their affairs pretty much in their own hands , but under three separate and distinct , and at the same time nominally subordinate , organisations , an occasional appeal , perhaps , to headquarters in London , Edinburgh or Dublin being
about the only outward and visible sign that the local District or Provincial Grand Lodges were not in tho enjoyment of absolute independence . Of course , the warrants for constituting new Lodges and certificates of Masonic membership were in all cases issued b y the Snnremo
controlling power , and for these warrants and certificates the customary fees , as by law provided , wero paid . But in all other respects , save in the ono wo have already indicated , our English , Irish , and Scotch brethren here onjoyed full liberty of action , and when the excitement begotten of the
substitution of their own Supreme ruling power for the three previously existing has passed away , it strikes us it will puzzle most of them to discover in what material points there is any difference between their present and past , condition . They were members of the great Masonio family
of which the headship was shared amon g tho Grand Lodges of England , Ireland and Scotland ; they are now a family in themselves , with their own chiefs to rule them , and their own code of laws to regulate and determine their interior and exterior relations . All that , speaking Masonically ,
is essential remains , and doubtless tho old spirit of goodwill towards others will be manifested in all things and on all occasions . But the Lodges—all save one—have transferred their allegiance from the Supreme bodies which created them to a Supreme Body of their own creation .
It is a change which most of us must have anticipated would occur sooner or later . Its occurrence may havo come npon us somewhat in the manner of a surprise . Just as a man with a numerous family , though he may have some difficulty in realising it as a fact when it does
happen , knows well enough that his younger will at some time follow the example of his elder children , and set up for themselves ; so we who have seen or read of our Canadian , Nova Scotian , and other brethren erecting their own independent Grand Lodges must be prepared to see our
Australasian brethren following , as those of South Australia have just elected to do , in their footsteps . The tie which unites together all the Masonic confraternities in the British
Empire will remain , but there will be one more Grand Lodge , and , as a consequence , the home Grand Lodges will have fewer subordinate Lodges in their respective jurisdictions .
It will , no doubt , be urged that we are exhibiting towards our South Australian brethren a spirit of forbearance and consideration which has been denied to the brethren in other Australasian colonies . It will be said , for instance , that we have studiously ignored the very
existence of the so-called Grand Lodge of New South Wales , while , in the very teeth of that fact , we are now speaking of South Australia as enjoying , Masonically , a separate and independent existence . This is quite true , but the difference in the courses pursued bv the brethren in the two
colonies respectively justify this difference of demeanour . In New South Wales a very small minority of the Lodges have established themselves as a separate organisation , in direct opposition to the wishes of an overwhelming majority . in S 0 ll |; h Australia only one out of thirty-three
-uoages has held aloof from a movement , which has since resulted in the establishment of a Grand Lodge in that colony . In New South Wales the bulk of the Lodges prefer remaining in their old allegiance ; in South Australia tbey are all but unanimous in their desire for
independence ot the bodies which created them . Various reasons nave been alleged in justification of the course pursued by we constituent Lodges of the so-called Grand Lodge of « ew bouth Wales , the most conspicuous being ( 1 ) that the colony was unoccupied te . rritorv , that is . was territorv at
™ e time presided over by no Grand Lodge ; and ( 2 ) that T ; tie so-called Grand Lod ge was established by some thirn or foarteen Lodges , whereas only three or four Lodges are required to take part in the establishment in order to give it the requisite validity . These reasons are so clearly in pposition to common sense and the testimony furnished by ie existence even of the seceding Lodges themselves , that we need not be at the trouble of refuting them . The true
Freemasonry In South Australia.
reason for our acceptance of what has been done in South Australia , and o ; : r rejection of the claims of our recalcitrant brethren in New South Wales to have a Grand Lodge of their own , lies in the fact that in the former case the new order of things has been set up by a majority of 32 to 1 ,
while in the hitter case a feeble minority are attempting to override the wishes of the majority . We respect , even if at the same time we feel regret for , the decision at which tho South Australian Lodges of all three Constitutions havo arrived ; we resent , as far as propriety will permit us , the
conduct of the New South Wales few who aro showing such contompt for the opinions of the many . It is enough for us that tho South Australian brethren are men of rank and position , and thoio who seek sonio day to attain eminence havo , with few exceptions , worked together with them for the
purpose which they have now achieved , white in New South Wales the Masonic lights are nearly all of them opposed to any change in the existing order of things . Wo may have occasion to refer to tho subject again , but , unless tho circumstances which were reproduced in our issue of last week are
presented to us under an entirely different aspect ; in other words , unless , as is most improbable , onr South Australian contemporary has misrepresented or exaggerated what has
happened , we shall have no option but to reiterate onr opinion , that the Grand Lodgo recently established in this particular colony has been legally constituted , and should have its sovereign independence recognised forthwith .
The General Committee of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys met on Saturday , 7 th inst ., when there were present : —Bros . J . L . Mather , Dr . Ramsay , A . F . Godson , Raynham Stewart , Jas . Moon , W . Roebuck , R . Berridge , C . F . Hogard , H . W . Hunt , T . Hastings Miller , Edgar
Bowyer , Alfred Williams , Frank Richardson , A . E . Gladwell , Clement Stretton , F . Adlard , C . F . Matier , Thomas Cnbitt , S . H . Parkhouse , G . P . Gillard , H . Venn , W . Wood , H . W . Hunt , and G . P . Festa . Tho minutes of the General Committee , held 3 rd May , and of the House
Committee , " 23 rd May , were read and confirmed . The House Committee and Finance aud Audit Committee nominated at the last meeting were declared duly elected . Six petitions for admission to the School were received ; one was ordered to stand over , four were passed , and one was accepted
subject to the Grand Lodge certificate . Application for two grants were considered , and sums of £ 5 and £ 10 were granted respectively . The following notice of motion , by Bro . Controller Bake , relative to the validity of the votes of a deceased Life Governor , was duly received : —
" In future it is understood that when voting papers have been signed by Subscribers and passed on for the purpose of being used on polling day ? , that tbe vote shall stand good although the Subscriber may havo died between , the period of having signed the voting paper aud tho day of polling for which the voting paper was issued . "
Or , in case the proposition is rejected , that in the Rules , after stating what votes tho several Subscribers are entitled to , there be added in red print : —
" That should a Snbscriber die before the clay of polling named in tho voting paper , the votes will be null and void , alfchongh he or she may have dnly received the voting papers , signed them , and passed them on prior to their decease . "
The Most Worshipful Grand Master H . R . H . The Prince of Wales has granted a warrant for a new Lodge , the Wilson lies , No . 2054 , in memory of the late Dr . Wilson lies , Depnty Prov . Grand Master for Hertfordshire . The Lodge will meet at the Four Swans ,
Waltham Cross , on the first Tuesday in the months of April , May , June and July . Bro . Richard Bird is the W . M . designate , W . Mackie S . W . designate , S- H . Moore . M . R . C . S ., J . W . designate ; Bro . J . Gait Fisher P . M . 1624 is the Acting Secretary .
The Sir Hugh Myrldelton Lodge of Instruction , No . 1 G 02 , which has hitherto met at the Queen ' s Head , Essex-road , has seenrrd a more convenient room , at the King Edward VI ., King Edward-street , Liverpool-road .
The members will hold their first meeting at their new quarters on Thursday , the 19 th inst ., on which occasion the chair will be taken by Bro . Weeden ( a Mason well known in the north of London ) , who will be pleased to see as many friends as can make it convenient to attend .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Freemasonry In South Australia.
established by the Grand Lodges of the Mother Country have given in their adhesion to tho new order of things , and henceforth the brethren in this distant colony will enjoy a state of actual independence—as heretofore to all intents and purposes they have enjoyed it , all but in
name . Up till now they have had the management of their affairs pretty much in their own hands , but under three separate and distinct , and at the same time nominally subordinate , organisations , an occasional appeal , perhaps , to headquarters in London , Edinburgh or Dublin being
about the only outward and visible sign that the local District or Provincial Grand Lodges were not in tho enjoyment of absolute independence . Of course , the warrants for constituting new Lodges and certificates of Masonic membership were in all cases issued b y the Snnremo
controlling power , and for these warrants and certificates the customary fees , as by law provided , wero paid . But in all other respects , save in the ono wo have already indicated , our English , Irish , and Scotch brethren here onjoyed full liberty of action , and when the excitement begotten of the
substitution of their own Supreme ruling power for the three previously existing has passed away , it strikes us it will puzzle most of them to discover in what material points there is any difference between their present and past , condition . They were members of the great Masonio family
of which the headship was shared amon g tho Grand Lodges of England , Ireland and Scotland ; they are now a family in themselves , with their own chiefs to rule them , and their own code of laws to regulate and determine their interior and exterior relations . All that , speaking Masonically ,
is essential remains , and doubtless tho old spirit of goodwill towards others will be manifested in all things and on all occasions . But the Lodges—all save one—have transferred their allegiance from the Supreme bodies which created them to a Supreme Body of their own creation .
It is a change which most of us must have anticipated would occur sooner or later . Its occurrence may havo come npon us somewhat in the manner of a surprise . Just as a man with a numerous family , though he may have some difficulty in realising it as a fact when it does
happen , knows well enough that his younger will at some time follow the example of his elder children , and set up for themselves ; so we who have seen or read of our Canadian , Nova Scotian , and other brethren erecting their own independent Grand Lodges must be prepared to see our
Australasian brethren following , as those of South Australia have just elected to do , in their footsteps . The tie which unites together all the Masonic confraternities in the British
Empire will remain , but there will be one more Grand Lodge , and , as a consequence , the home Grand Lodges will have fewer subordinate Lodges in their respective jurisdictions .
It will , no doubt , be urged that we are exhibiting towards our South Australian brethren a spirit of forbearance and consideration which has been denied to the brethren in other Australasian colonies . It will be said , for instance , that we have studiously ignored the very
existence of the so-called Grand Lodge of New South Wales , while , in the very teeth of that fact , we are now speaking of South Australia as enjoying , Masonically , a separate and independent existence . This is quite true , but the difference in the courses pursued bv the brethren in the two
colonies respectively justify this difference of demeanour . In New South Wales a very small minority of the Lodges have established themselves as a separate organisation , in direct opposition to the wishes of an overwhelming majority . in S 0 ll |; h Australia only one out of thirty-three
-uoages has held aloof from a movement , which has since resulted in the establishment of a Grand Lodge in that colony . In New South Wales the bulk of the Lodges prefer remaining in their old allegiance ; in South Australia tbey are all but unanimous in their desire for
independence ot the bodies which created them . Various reasons nave been alleged in justification of the course pursued by we constituent Lodges of the so-called Grand Lodge of « ew bouth Wales , the most conspicuous being ( 1 ) that the colony was unoccupied te . rritorv , that is . was territorv at
™ e time presided over by no Grand Lodge ; and ( 2 ) that T ; tie so-called Grand Lod ge was established by some thirn or foarteen Lodges , whereas only three or four Lodges are required to take part in the establishment in order to give it the requisite validity . These reasons are so clearly in pposition to common sense and the testimony furnished by ie existence even of the seceding Lodges themselves , that we need not be at the trouble of refuting them . The true
Freemasonry In South Australia.
reason for our acceptance of what has been done in South Australia , and o ; : r rejection of the claims of our recalcitrant brethren in New South Wales to have a Grand Lodge of their own , lies in the fact that in the former case the new order of things has been set up by a majority of 32 to 1 ,
while in the hitter case a feeble minority are attempting to override the wishes of the majority . We respect , even if at the same time we feel regret for , the decision at which tho South Australian Lodges of all three Constitutions havo arrived ; we resent , as far as propriety will permit us , the
conduct of the New South Wales few who aro showing such contompt for the opinions of the many . It is enough for us that tho South Australian brethren are men of rank and position , and thoio who seek sonio day to attain eminence havo , with few exceptions , worked together with them for the
purpose which they have now achieved , white in New South Wales the Masonic lights are nearly all of them opposed to any change in the existing order of things . Wo may have occasion to refer to tho subject again , but , unless tho circumstances which were reproduced in our issue of last week are
presented to us under an entirely different aspect ; in other words , unless , as is most improbable , onr South Australian contemporary has misrepresented or exaggerated what has
happened , we shall have no option but to reiterate onr opinion , that the Grand Lodgo recently established in this particular colony has been legally constituted , and should have its sovereign independence recognised forthwith .
The General Committee of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys met on Saturday , 7 th inst ., when there were present : —Bros . J . L . Mather , Dr . Ramsay , A . F . Godson , Raynham Stewart , Jas . Moon , W . Roebuck , R . Berridge , C . F . Hogard , H . W . Hunt , T . Hastings Miller , Edgar
Bowyer , Alfred Williams , Frank Richardson , A . E . Gladwell , Clement Stretton , F . Adlard , C . F . Matier , Thomas Cnbitt , S . H . Parkhouse , G . P . Gillard , H . Venn , W . Wood , H . W . Hunt , and G . P . Festa . Tho minutes of the General Committee , held 3 rd May , and of the House
Committee , " 23 rd May , were read and confirmed . The House Committee and Finance aud Audit Committee nominated at the last meeting were declared duly elected . Six petitions for admission to the School were received ; one was ordered to stand over , four were passed , and one was accepted
subject to the Grand Lodge certificate . Application for two grants were considered , and sums of £ 5 and £ 10 were granted respectively . The following notice of motion , by Bro . Controller Bake , relative to the validity of the votes of a deceased Life Governor , was duly received : —
" In future it is understood that when voting papers have been signed by Subscribers and passed on for the purpose of being used on polling day ? , that tbe vote shall stand good although the Subscriber may havo died between , the period of having signed the voting paper aud tho day of polling for which the voting paper was issued . "
Or , in case the proposition is rejected , that in the Rules , after stating what votes tho several Subscribers are entitled to , there be added in red print : —
" That should a Snbscriber die before the clay of polling named in tho voting paper , the votes will be null and void , alfchongh he or she may have dnly received the voting papers , signed them , and passed them on prior to their decease . "
The Most Worshipful Grand Master H . R . H . The Prince of Wales has granted a warrant for a new Lodge , the Wilson lies , No . 2054 , in memory of the late Dr . Wilson lies , Depnty Prov . Grand Master for Hertfordshire . The Lodge will meet at the Four Swans ,
Waltham Cross , on the first Tuesday in the months of April , May , June and July . Bro . Richard Bird is the W . M . designate , W . Mackie S . W . designate , S- H . Moore . M . R . C . S ., J . W . designate ; Bro . J . Gait Fisher P . M . 1624 is the Acting Secretary .
The Sir Hugh Myrldelton Lodge of Instruction , No . 1 G 02 , which has hitherto met at the Queen ' s Head , Essex-road , has seenrrd a more convenient room , at the King Edward VI ., King Edward-street , Liverpool-road .
The members will hold their first meeting at their new quarters on Thursday , the 19 th inst ., on which occasion the chair will be taken by Bro . Weeden ( a Mason well known in the north of London ) , who will be pleased to see as many friends as can make it convenient to attend .