Hearty Good Wishes.

HEARTY GOOD WISHES .

FROM whence do Visiting Brethren derive the custom , which is so universal and so generally practised , of tendering hearty good wishes to the Worshipful Master of the Lodge they are visiting , previous to its being closed ?

We are led to put this question because , although we believe the custom is almost as old and almost as universal as Freemasonry itself , its propriety is again questioned and its practice discredited , by some who

profess to have an intimate knowledge of the Craft , and are desirous of maintaining it in its integrity . We have been accustomed , - and we presume every Brother has also , to hear the Visitors tender the

" Hearty good wishes" of their Lodge to the Chair , previous to the conclusion of the business of our meetings , but the right to do this is challenged , the question being asked , by what authority an individual member pledges his Lodge in this way ? When we were called to order on this point a few weeks back we were certainly unable to give any good answer to the question of the objector , who stopped

our greeting with the interrogation—what authority or sanction have you from the Lodge to use its name , now that you are a visitor here ? We pleaded it was the custom of the Craft , and were answered that the

custom was bad , unwarrantable , and ought to be discontinued . We cannot agree on this point , but we know , that those who , for some reason or other , have

suddenly discovered an objection to this wide-spread custom , are attempting to force their views upon the Craft , and that being so the subject becomes deserving of consideration .

Rightly or wrongly the Craft has permitted this fprm of fraternal greeting from time immemorial , indeed , if we go back to the records of long ago we

shall find it was regarded as of greater moment than it is now , for we frequently find old Minutes recording

the fact that the Visitors tendered " hearty good wishes" previous to the closing of the Lodge ; but

even . apart from this the custom is so universal at the present day that it seems almost laughable for any individual to commence a crusade against it—but so it is ; the error has been pointed out , and the question will now have to be answered—Which is correct ?

our Grand Lodges , our Provincial or District Grand Lodges and Private Lodges throughout the world , or the little band of reformers who have made the

' . 'Hearty good wishes" of the Visitors a point of attack in their desire for change , and would rob us of this particular form of greeting ?

. ,. Were we not accustomed to these little outbursts of enthusiasm in the way of reform , and did we not

Hearty Good Wishes.

know that however much they may be at variance with recognised ideas of what is right they seldom fail to leave traces behind , we might not have thought this particular fad worthy of notice , but it would be

a misfortune for Freemasonry to forfeit any of the charm which now surrounds its feature of visiting ; and , on that basis , if on no other , there should be an immediate and determined opposition to those who

preach reform in this direction , unless they can give some very good grounds for their proposal to do away with the heartiness of the recognised Masonic

greeting . We cannot say that haste to get over the closing ceremonies of our meetings , which this curtailment of conventionalities seems at first blush to

imply , is at the bottom of the present movement , although we have heard Masters in their desire for extreme punctuality request that these greetings , the

singing of the Masonic " closing hymn , " and other little technicalities should be dispensed with , in order that the proceedings might be brought to an

end at the appointed time . Energy in such a direction is misplaced , and goes far to imply a lack of

knowledge of the fitness of things . Better by far

that the closing should be delayed five or ten minutes than an impression created that any part of the ' work of Freemasonry is slurred over in the desire to sit at the festive board . Refreshment after labour is a splendid institution , but labour

must be attended to first , and should be carried through to a decent finish , else the reward of refreshment is less deserved and less appreciated by the true Brother .

Internal Dissention.

INTERNAL DISSENTION .

BEARING in mind our remarks of last week to the effect that Freemasonry has more to fear from within , than from outside its ranks , we may ask '

how much longer will the Grand Lodge of England refuse to recognise the Grand Lodge of New Zealand ? The parent body will have to give in sooner or later , and such being the case why delay the gracious act ?

Here is a . Masonic body most intimately associated with the Mother country , that has recently warranted

its ninety-eighth subordinate Lodge , considered as being

undeserving of official recognition , and , as a consequence , its members are regarded as outside the pale of Brotherhood—seceders , in fact , who are guilty of

grave offence against the laws of the Craft . Can such proceedings be regarded in any other light than a farce , and is it consistent with the professed principles of

Freemasonry to keep up this " family jar" as the . Grand Lodge of England is doing ?