The Four Old Lodges.

1 . " That considering the usual business of a Quarterly Communication was too much for one time •, whatever business cannot be despatched here , shall be referred to the Committee of Charity , and their opinion reported to the next Grand Lodge .

That all qnestions debated at the said Committee , shall be decided by a majority of those present . " In consequence of this regulation , the Committee of

Charity was considered as immediately dependent on tbe Grand Lodge ; and the minutes of their proceedings were regularly read and confirmed at the Quarterly Communications .

2 . The Grand Lodge , ( ) thus , to a certain extent , voluntarily delivered over to this Committee the residue of that independence which had been left to it , in the passing of resolutions . This innovation , viz ., the extension of the Committee for the administration of the Charity Fund , into

a meeting of Master Masons , on whom power was conferred to make arrangements of the greatest importance , and to prepare new resolutions ( ) , not only virtually annulled the authority vested in the Grand Lodge , but likewise greatly endangered the equality of the brethren in the different Lodges .

YI , — PRIVILEGES OF THE GKAND S TEWARDS . — 1 . In the Grand Mastership of Lord Weymouth , the Stewards ' Lodge was established ( 1735 ) , and with its formation commenced the bestowal of those extraordinary privileges , which produced so widely spread a feeling of

dissatisfaction among the Craft , and was , according to some high authorities , one of the chief causes of the great schism . The twelve Stewards of the year ( ) had to attend the

Grand Lodge in tbeir proper clothing and jewels , to pay at the rate of four Lodges towards the expense of the Communication , and ( at first ) " were not alloived to vote , nor even to speak , except luhen desired , or else of what related to the ensuing feast only . "

These privileges , however , were rapidly extended , it was soon passed , " that each of the twelve should vote in Grand Lodge ( ) Also to encourage gentlemen to serve the office ( of Steward ) it was agreed that all , Grand . Officers , the Grand Master excepted , should be elected out of that body . ( )

On the 7 th February 1770 it was passedin Grand Lodge : " As the rig ht of the members of the Stewards' Lodge in general to attend the Committee of Charity appears doubtful , no mention of such right being made in the laws of the Society , the Grand Lodge are of opinion , that chey have

no general right to attend ; but it is hereby resolved , that the Stewards' Lodge be allowed the privilege of sending a number of brethren , equal to any other four Lodges , to every future Committee of Charity , and that , as the Master of each private Lodge only has a right to attend ,

to make a proper distinction between the Stewards Lodge and the other Lodges , that the Master and three other members of that Lodge be permitted to attend at every succeeding Committee on the behalf of the said Lodge . "

This resolution , however , was declared not to be intended to deprive any Lodge whioh had been previously constituted of its regular rank and precedence . ( ) Bro . Findel thus expresses himself : ( )

" Tbe newly created Stewards' Lodge , which was permitted to send a deputation of twelve members to the Grand Lodge , having the privilege of voting as individuals , and wearing distinctive aprons and ribands , as it was resolved that in future all the Grand Officers should be elected ont of that body . The office of Steward , which

was a very expensive one , became by this means associat d witb favouritism , in which rank and wealth had tbe preference , iu total opposition to the liberal and equalising spirit of Masonry . The Graud Lodge , says Kloss , first introduced into Masonry that axiom , so abundantly practiced in the so-called higher degrees , that the more

largely a brother contributes , the greater his weight in the Lodge . This nDJusr . preference shown to the Stewards excited loud but righteous indignation among the Brethren , aud such a disturbance ensued that Ward had to get up and make a speech calling for " decency " and " moderation . "

The Four Old Lodges.

The fortunes of the Stewards' Lodge culminated on 18 th April 1792 , when it was put over the heads of its V'asonic parents , and p laced at the head of the list wiihout a number . ( )

VII . —The preceding paragraphs ( I . —VI . ) will hav ° amply illustrated the great abuses which had found thei r way into our ancient Society . The numerous new regulations , which were introduced , caused dissatisfaction , as

the rights of individual Lodges were more and more encroached upon , and the Grand Lodge was made gradually to assume the character of an independent and arbitary power .

§ 23 . —The disturbance of the " Ancient Land Marks , " as recorded in the previous section , or in other words , the repeated innovations upon the original constitutions , gradually effaced from the old Lodges all , or nearly all ,

their distinctive features of constitution , and in the result materially contributed to tbe great Schism of 1739-1813 , which was only healed at the cost of their permanent displacement from the Ancient precedency .

§ 24 . —I . The causes of the great scbism of the last century are foreign to the scope of this article , except so far as they can reasonably be identified witb tbe " Innovations" carried out by the Grand Lodge , which , no

doubt , in the judgment of many worthy brethren , were rapidly effacing every vestige of the "Antient Landmarks . " That the abuses , the leading features of which only have

been outlined in § 22 , produced great discontent , we know , hut in the opinion of the writer , the great disruption of the Craffc was attributable to three distinct causes .

II . ( a ) Speculative Masonry ( ° ) was , so to speak , only on its trial , during tbe generation which succeeded the authors of the revival . The institution of a society of Free and

Accepted Masons , on a cosmopolitan basis , was one thing ; its consolidation , however , opposed as its practical working showed it to be , to the ancient customs and privileges of the operatives , was another and a very different affair .

( 6 ) Tho importation from France of many varieties of spurious Masonry about 1740-50 had tended to disparage the primitive simplicity of the English Rite . ( ) (§ 28 . ) The introduction into this country of tbe then newly *

devised and so-styled " High degrees" was doubtless greatl y aided by the foresight of their originators , who whilst refraining from any direct rivalry with the Antient Craft degree , at the same time cleverly associated their

invention therewith , by limiting the privilege of membership to Freemasons ( ) , thus instilling a belief that the alleged " High Grades" were a recovered portion of the ancient mysteries of the Fraternity , and thereby

persuading uo inconsiderable section of the Craft , that their general adoption was , so to speak , " a return to the old lines , " and instead of an innovation , but tbe raising of a more stately and perfect superstructure on the foundations of tbe existing edifice of Masonry . ( )