The Masonic And General Life Assurance Company Limited.

THE MASONIC AND GENERAL LIFE ASSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED .

THE great additions made during the past few years to the ranks of Freemasonry has wrought many changes in the constitution and social position of the Order , which , though beneficial in some instances , cannot be looked upon as universally so . It is questionable whether the system , so

prevalent , of appealing to Freemasons aB a body in matters of business can be defended on any ground , but it is certain that it is productive of no benefit to the Order , for the simple reason that as a rule the better class of society does not parade Freemasonry in business , and thus , through its

being made use of by the lower class only , so much discredit arises . Still we may console ourselves on one point ; the evil is brought about by the sufferers themselves , who should certainly know better than to alter their terms or conditions of business simply because a customer introduces

himself as a Mason ; again , why should any one assume a meeting in Lodge to be a sufficient reference ?—we admit this should be so were Freemasonry not a human institution . Alas ! too many , who have neglected their usual precautions , have eventually had reason to be dissatisfied

with their experience of Freemasons . It is certainly unjust to our Institution to lay these disasters at its door . Why should a customer who is in the habit of using

discretion in his dealings take no pains to examine his purchases when buying of one who blazons forth his Masonic connection ? or why should he blame the Institution if he has been deceived ? We hold that business is

business , and Freemasonry an entirely distinct thing ; and if this were a little better explained to initiates , and the principle more fully carried out , it would prevent half the unworthy members who find their way into our Order ever reaping advantage from their act . For our own part , Ave

look with suspicion on tradesmen who introduce themselves as Masons simply in the hope of gaining an order , for the very reason we have before given , that if they were creditable members of the Craft they would know better . We are aware there are many institutions in the States of America

and Canada which look for support mainly , if not entirely , to Freemasons , but however it may work in those more extended fields , it can never succeed in this country , where an institution which relies on Freemasonry , and on that alone for its support , has but a poor prospect of

succeeding . We are not sure but that it is an advantage to the Craft that such is the case , for if we once stamped a Masonic trading company as a success , we should be flooded with prospectuses from every " promoter " in the city , who would soon make common property of

our signs and symbols . Still , the evil does exist , and , we suppose , will continue , so long as victims can bo found on whom to prey . All we can do is to advise brethren not to accept any business statement simply because vouched for

Masouically , nor to relax one iota of their caution on account of a Masonic introduction ; if they do , they had better complete the job Masonically , which would resolve itself into that excellent ^ virtue of the Craft—Silenceprovided they could not speak well of the venture .

Thus far our remarks have been general , we now intend to make them personal , and for this purpose refer our readers to the Jersey Express of the past month , in the pages

of which a correspondence has been carried on in reference to " The Masonic and General Life Assurance Company . " The ^ writer of the first letter , which is sent " for the information of the public , " states that " a Local Board having

The Masonic And General Life Assurance Company Limited.

been established in Jersey by the above-named Company , and he having been led to believe that this was a Company formed under the auspices of the Freemasons , he was induced to buy One Hundred Shares . " Later on , " being

displeased with the management of the Company , he looked closer into the mattei " , and to his great surprise found that the company was not a Masonic Institution at all ; " the following letter from our Grand Secretary helping to dispel his doubts on the subject : —

[ Copy . ] Freemasons' Hall , London , W . C ., 17 th January 1879 . SIR AND BROTHER , —I beg to inform you , in answer to your letter of the l < th instant , that the Grand Lodge of England has no connection , in any way , with the Masonic General Life Insurance Company Limited .

Yours fraternally , J HERVEY . After the receipt of this epistle our brother appears to have taken fright , and in a later letter he tells us he has sold his shares , at a loss of 75 per cent . We do not

question his right to lake this course , but we would point out that he is very much to blame for his conduct ; and , as we learn from a further communication , he has not only rushed on blindly himself , but , by advocating the claims of the Company at a Provincial Grand Lodge

meeting , had been the means of inducing others to transact business with it . If he had considered for one moment his own interests , and the interests of those whom he had induced to follow his example , he would have taken advice before he published to the world these unmistakable proofs

of his folly . Does he know that if a Company has such a charge as he makes substantiated against it , it is very likely to be seriously injured , at least for a time . We hold that he is in a sense answerable for the money his friends have invested , on his official recommendation ; and that

even if he likes to sell his shares , " at 75 per cent , loss , " he has no right to still further depreciate the value of the speculation by trying to place his co-investors in a similar or worse position . His letter is supplemented in the

following issue by one from a brother who likewise appears to have entered into business relations with the Company under a mistaken idea of its constitution . This correspondent does not attempt to stifle his feelings , as the following extract from his letter will show : —

Many appear to have been entirely misled by the impression that this was a Masonic Institution , countenanced and supervised by Masonic authority , and what conduced materially to strengthen such a belief was the fact that the advertisements of this comparatively insignificant commercial venture were arrogantly exhibited on the

vivid representation of one of the most sacred emblems of Freemasonrv . Whether this was done intentionally , for the special purpose of deceiving and misleading a somewhat extensive class of men , is a question which unwilling victims know best how to answer . The idea seems to have been to identify this particular Society with the Craft , and to

induce inexperienced and trusting novitiates , and other unsuspicious members , to take shares or policies in this concern , and so far , I believe , they have in a great measure succeeded . I quite sympathise with those who have been duped , and who , after confidingly investing their money , on the distinct understanding that they were to

receive a certain small and fixed rate of interest , see this their promised interest stopped , and their capital unrcalisable ; except at a loss , and all this under the garb of Masonry , or rather the catch-word Mastnic . I , as a Mason , and a contributing member of Grand Lodge , am indignant at this state of things , more especially as the public have identified this

Masonic Insurance with the Masonic Fraternity . It is high time that people should be undeceived , and know far and wide that Freemasonry , at least , has nothing whatever to do with this struggling commercial enterprise . If we do any business let it at least not be done under false colours . " To these two letters a reply is sent by the Jersey agent