-
Articles/Ads
Article CORRESPONDENCE. ← Page 2 of 3 Article CORRESPONDENCE. Page 2 of 3 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
for this assistance should bo mado is a matter on which I do not propose to say much . Those highest on tho poll after tho successful , or thoso who have mado most attempts , might be chosen . Once the Fund is established , and the appropriation of some of its moneys to this particular form of help is included in the programme , and it will be very easy to lay down the necessary regulations , not only
as to selection , bat as to tho amount and tho length of time for which the grant 3 shall bo mado . The general conception being a good ono , the manner in whioh the details shall be carried out may be left for the present . I think whoever suggested this part of tho scheme deserves great credit . As to the other objects , it is admitted that there are boy 3 and girls
¦ who , on leaving school , require a little help to start them , for are not outfits and annuities voted in sundry cases ? Tho amount disbursed under that head in tho Girls' School account for 1879—to take an example—is over £ 35 , and the same item occurs in the Boys' School accounts . The fact that these are only small amounts is at least a kind of guarantee that tho Fund about to bo raised will not be used
extravagantly . Exceptional cases may arise , as they have arisen , in which something on a larger scale will have to be done ; and it strikes me it is better this should be done , so to speak , officially than by appealing to the Craft for assistance as occasion demands . If it is reported that young Jones or Miss Smith is likely to shine in somo particular calling , but is without means and friends to help them ,
I argue it is better they should bo dealt with by the Committee of this Fund than that manifestoes should be drawn np on their behalf , soliciting help from the Masonic public , and I think it would be more congenial to the children themselves , if they are assisted quietly than where their poverty is made known throughout the whole world of Freemasonry . Again , if a register of appointments is kept , and
influence used in order to obtain them for deserving pupils , even the outlay of money may bo found unnecessary , while good conduct in the positions they fill will be a sufficient return for the obligations conferred on thom . Indeed , the purposes enumerated in your recent articlo are , in my judgment , indisputably worthy—a proposition to which I fail to see even the mildest negation can be offered . I
hope , if you can find space for these remarks , that by the time they meet the eye of your readers , the scheme will have been formally approved in outline , and the necessary steps decided on , in order to carry into effect what has been begun so auspiciously . I hope , too , the arduous labours of the promoters will be ungrudgingly recognised . They have done much already , though there is still much that remains to be done .
Fraternally yours , W £ LL-WI 8 nER . London , 12 th March 1880 .
To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICIE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I heard with pleasure iu Grand Lodge the few but able remarks offered by Bros . Clabon and Hogg , when those brethren pointed out tho necessity and desirability of rendering assistance to children at a most critical age , and the exceptional position held by our Institutions in
staying the good work begun before it has time to bear fruit , but which is recognised by almost every other Institution , even by our Board Schools , as being as essential to the requirements of the children as the schooling itself . I was very sorry Bro . Clabon ' s motion was withdrawn , as I believe no better purpose could be found for our surplus funds than that proposed , and how it can be found illegal or not
in the spirit of the intention of the Founders of the Charity to assist the Mason ' s child , which I will guarantee to say is the predominant wish of every mother ' s and widow ' s heart , I fail to see . In course of conversation I heard it freely urged , " raise a separate Fund . " This we now propose to ' do . That its benefits maybe general , not only will the proposed Committee be invested with power to held
the most deserving cases on leaving school , but also , if funds admit , deserving unsuccessful candidates for the privileges of our admirable Institutions . This may appear a wide field , but it is very desirable no difference should arise in after years as to the purposes to which the fends may be applied . Otherwise , as in the present case with the Fund of Benevolence , an enormous sum might accumulate , which
is not needed for the specific purposes of the Fund , and cannot constitutionally be devoted to any other . No doubt Masons in after years will be as able to carry on the same admirable work as we are doing , but beyond investing a reasonable sum in Government securities it is not politic to collect funds for the coming generation . Ton will see I have mentioned the word "deserving . " Now it
seems to be the feeling of many that the object of the Eoyal Masonic Pupils' Assistance Fund is to assist every pupil , no matter what his prospects . This , I think , should be immediately corrected . It will sometimes happen that the most deserving cases aro not elected to tho benefits of our Institutions , but thoso which command the most influence . Therefore , all boys and girls will not of necessity be
the objects chosen for tho benefits of this Assistance Fund , unless they are in the first place worthy , and , in the next , show some extraordinary capacity which it may be thought desirable to cultivate ; but even in these cases the co-operation , where possible , of tho Pupils ' friends will , be necessary , as it is not proposed to devote heavy amounts to ono to tho exclusion of others . If , as before stated ,
funds admit , what more deserving object of Our bounty can bo found than ¦ unsuccessful candidates ? Aro they not often the most friendless and deserving ? A few pounds per annum towards defraying their schooling , either during the time of their candidature or after , if unsuccessful , will reap a golden
harvest in the gratitude of the widow unable , for the want of means , to cope with her distress . It is said we are seeking to elevate the children of distressed Masons , to the disadvantage of the children who may be subscribers . Such jealousy I cannot understand existing in the heart of any brother . Masonry is not a Benefit Society , and if we aro at any time able to assist a poor brother's child , does not our
Correspondence.
Masonic brotherhood teach us it should be our aim to do that , even though it might lead to his occupying a better position than he could have hoped for . Lastly , on the question of rivalling tho existing Institutions , I feel snreall who give tho subject a little attention—and especially after what was said at the meeting of Thursdav last—will
reoogniso that tho promoters have nothing of the kind in contemplation . Much good may be done in the directions I have indicated , and that without in any way checking the flow of contributions
towards them . It cannot too often be too strenuously laid down that this not a rival , but an Assistance Fund , and the assistance it is proposed to give will bo given on a limited soale to deserving pupils , and deserving unsuccessful candidates . I am , Dear Sir and Brother , Yours fraternally , DICK EADCLYJFE .
To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' S CnRONicu :. DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I waB much surprised on reading the report in tho Times of this meeting , and a letter manifesting the same spirit of opposition and misrepresentation , whioh appeared the day following in that journal bearing the signature " P . M . " The notice , too , in the Sunday Times is so similar in tone that ono might
easily be pardoned for suggesting that it was written by the same person . Be this as it may , or rather let the . reports have been written by whom they may , I think it high time that a protest should be entered against the practice , unfortunately too common , of reporters making the notices they write convey as nearly as possible their own views on the subject . I have had some experience of the pTess , but I
venture to say there never was a more flagrant case of this kind than is afforded by the reports I have referred to . I believe it is pretty generally known that Bro . While attended as the representative of the Times on Thursday week last , when the preliminary meeting of the promoters of this Fund was held . He addressed the meeting , and his remarks , to the effect that he had been given to understand it waa
proposed to purchase tho goodwill of businesses for ex-pupils , & c , & c , evoked the strongest expressions of dissent . Lord Bosslyn explicitly stated that a fourth Charity was not contemplated . Lord Carnarvon was quoted as , and Lord Skelmersdale deolared himself to be against adding to the number of our institutions , and Bro . Dick Eadclyffe said the particulars given in the prospectuses issued
were the sum of the suggestions he had received from different quarters . Yet , according to the Times and the Sunday Times , the meeting was held for the purpose of establishing a fourth Charity of a most ambitions character , and having for object very little short of the life-long support of the children who pass through our Schools . A truthful report would have shown that not a single one of the
speeches indicated anything of the kind ,, except that delivered by tho brother I have named . I ask , Is it just to misrepresent so absolutely the character of the meeting , as to pass off on the public the exact converse of what took place ? I have no right to object to a brother taking an exaggerated view of a Pupils' Assistance Fund , nor would it become me to resent any opposition ho may conscientiously feel ,
called upon to offer to a plan I think well of ; but I have the right to call upon a representative of the press to set aside all personal feeling and write a true and impartial account of what took place on a certain occasion . If ever a man was in a minority of one , Bro . While waa when he spoke on Thursday amid tho impatient dissent of his whole audience , yet any one who reads the report in the paper he
represented , and who was not present to judgo for himself of what took place , must as a matter of course be under the impression that the meeting was held for the purpose described . Tho title of the Fund is quite enough to show that its character will be subsidiary , and that nothing more is intended than to provide help for deserving pupils
who need it , or for candidates who fail to obtain admission into the Schools . To say this Fund is something more , and that it is intended to found Scholarships and send boys to the Universities , to help them to enter the Naval and Military services , and to buy Commissions for them is , to put in the mildest form , a monstrous exaggeration . I am , yours fraternally , SEBRIC .
BEDFORDSHIRE . To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAE SIR ATSD BROTHER , —Your correspondent " OBSRRVER" has , 1 think , hit the right nail on the head when he attributes the nonrepresentation of this county at our Festivals to its not being organised as a Province , and as there are smaller Provinces already in exist * ence , I agree with him and you that there is no reason why it should
not be constituted as such forthwith . It would surely give a legitimate impetus to Freemasonry iu this part if the five Lodges already in existence met togother in Provincial Grand Lodge for the purpose of discussing tho welfare of the Craft generally , and of Beds in particular . Occasionally , too , something would no doubt be done for our Institutions , and the agreeable spectacle would be witnessed of
Bedfordshire Stewards vieing with those from other parts of the country in helping Charities , tho help afforded by which , it seems , one , at all events , of the Beds Lodges does not think it beneath its dignity to solicit . I do not ^ anticipate there would be a very large increase in the number or strength of its Lodges if there were a Provincial Grand
Lodge established , but I think tho friendly intercommunications of brethren would necessarily bring about a most genial feeling among the Lodge 3 . I dare say a good chief can bo found who will have very little difficulty in smoothing down any minor differences which may exist , supposing , at least , thero aro any ( say ) of the kind indicated by
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
for this assistance should bo mado is a matter on which I do not propose to say much . Those highest on tho poll after tho successful , or thoso who have mado most attempts , might be chosen . Once the Fund is established , and the appropriation of some of its moneys to this particular form of help is included in the programme , and it will be very easy to lay down the necessary regulations , not only
as to selection , bat as to tho amount and tho length of time for which the grant 3 shall bo mado . The general conception being a good ono , the manner in whioh the details shall be carried out may be left for the present . I think whoever suggested this part of tho scheme deserves great credit . As to the other objects , it is admitted that there are boy 3 and girls
¦ who , on leaving school , require a little help to start them , for are not outfits and annuities voted in sundry cases ? Tho amount disbursed under that head in tho Girls' School account for 1879—to take an example—is over £ 35 , and the same item occurs in the Boys' School accounts . The fact that these are only small amounts is at least a kind of guarantee that tho Fund about to bo raised will not be used
extravagantly . Exceptional cases may arise , as they have arisen , in which something on a larger scale will have to be done ; and it strikes me it is better this should be done , so to speak , officially than by appealing to the Craft for assistance as occasion demands . If it is reported that young Jones or Miss Smith is likely to shine in somo particular calling , but is without means and friends to help them ,
I argue it is better they should bo dealt with by the Committee of this Fund than that manifestoes should be drawn np on their behalf , soliciting help from the Masonic public , and I think it would be more congenial to the children themselves , if they are assisted quietly than where their poverty is made known throughout the whole world of Freemasonry . Again , if a register of appointments is kept , and
influence used in order to obtain them for deserving pupils , even the outlay of money may bo found unnecessary , while good conduct in the positions they fill will be a sufficient return for the obligations conferred on thom . Indeed , the purposes enumerated in your recent articlo are , in my judgment , indisputably worthy—a proposition to which I fail to see even the mildest negation can be offered . I
hope , if you can find space for these remarks , that by the time they meet the eye of your readers , the scheme will have been formally approved in outline , and the necessary steps decided on , in order to carry into effect what has been begun so auspiciously . I hope , too , the arduous labours of the promoters will be ungrudgingly recognised . They have done much already , though there is still much that remains to be done .
Fraternally yours , W £ LL-WI 8 nER . London , 12 th March 1880 .
To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICIE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I heard with pleasure iu Grand Lodge the few but able remarks offered by Bros . Clabon and Hogg , when those brethren pointed out tho necessity and desirability of rendering assistance to children at a most critical age , and the exceptional position held by our Institutions in
staying the good work begun before it has time to bear fruit , but which is recognised by almost every other Institution , even by our Board Schools , as being as essential to the requirements of the children as the schooling itself . I was very sorry Bro . Clabon ' s motion was withdrawn , as I believe no better purpose could be found for our surplus funds than that proposed , and how it can be found illegal or not
in the spirit of the intention of the Founders of the Charity to assist the Mason ' s child , which I will guarantee to say is the predominant wish of every mother ' s and widow ' s heart , I fail to see . In course of conversation I heard it freely urged , " raise a separate Fund . " This we now propose to ' do . That its benefits maybe general , not only will the proposed Committee be invested with power to held
the most deserving cases on leaving school , but also , if funds admit , deserving unsuccessful candidates for the privileges of our admirable Institutions . This may appear a wide field , but it is very desirable no difference should arise in after years as to the purposes to which the fends may be applied . Otherwise , as in the present case with the Fund of Benevolence , an enormous sum might accumulate , which
is not needed for the specific purposes of the Fund , and cannot constitutionally be devoted to any other . No doubt Masons in after years will be as able to carry on the same admirable work as we are doing , but beyond investing a reasonable sum in Government securities it is not politic to collect funds for the coming generation . Ton will see I have mentioned the word "deserving . " Now it
seems to be the feeling of many that the object of the Eoyal Masonic Pupils' Assistance Fund is to assist every pupil , no matter what his prospects . This , I think , should be immediately corrected . It will sometimes happen that the most deserving cases aro not elected to tho benefits of our Institutions , but thoso which command the most influence . Therefore , all boys and girls will not of necessity be
the objects chosen for tho benefits of this Assistance Fund , unless they are in the first place worthy , and , in the next , show some extraordinary capacity which it may be thought desirable to cultivate ; but even in these cases the co-operation , where possible , of tho Pupils ' friends will , be necessary , as it is not proposed to devote heavy amounts to ono to tho exclusion of others . If , as before stated ,
funds admit , what more deserving object of Our bounty can bo found than ¦ unsuccessful candidates ? Aro they not often the most friendless and deserving ? A few pounds per annum towards defraying their schooling , either during the time of their candidature or after , if unsuccessful , will reap a golden
harvest in the gratitude of the widow unable , for the want of means , to cope with her distress . It is said we are seeking to elevate the children of distressed Masons , to the disadvantage of the children who may be subscribers . Such jealousy I cannot understand existing in the heart of any brother . Masonry is not a Benefit Society , and if we aro at any time able to assist a poor brother's child , does not our
Correspondence.
Masonic brotherhood teach us it should be our aim to do that , even though it might lead to his occupying a better position than he could have hoped for . Lastly , on the question of rivalling tho existing Institutions , I feel snreall who give tho subject a little attention—and especially after what was said at the meeting of Thursdav last—will
reoogniso that tho promoters have nothing of the kind in contemplation . Much good may be done in the directions I have indicated , and that without in any way checking the flow of contributions
towards them . It cannot too often be too strenuously laid down that this not a rival , but an Assistance Fund , and the assistance it is proposed to give will bo given on a limited soale to deserving pupils , and deserving unsuccessful candidates . I am , Dear Sir and Brother , Yours fraternally , DICK EADCLYJFE .
To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' S CnRONicu :. DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I waB much surprised on reading the report in tho Times of this meeting , and a letter manifesting the same spirit of opposition and misrepresentation , whioh appeared the day following in that journal bearing the signature " P . M . " The notice , too , in the Sunday Times is so similar in tone that ono might
easily be pardoned for suggesting that it was written by the same person . Be this as it may , or rather let the . reports have been written by whom they may , I think it high time that a protest should be entered against the practice , unfortunately too common , of reporters making the notices they write convey as nearly as possible their own views on the subject . I have had some experience of the pTess , but I
venture to say there never was a more flagrant case of this kind than is afforded by the reports I have referred to . I believe it is pretty generally known that Bro . While attended as the representative of the Times on Thursday week last , when the preliminary meeting of the promoters of this Fund was held . He addressed the meeting , and his remarks , to the effect that he had been given to understand it waa
proposed to purchase tho goodwill of businesses for ex-pupils , & c , & c , evoked the strongest expressions of dissent . Lord Bosslyn explicitly stated that a fourth Charity was not contemplated . Lord Carnarvon was quoted as , and Lord Skelmersdale deolared himself to be against adding to the number of our institutions , and Bro . Dick Eadclyffe said the particulars given in the prospectuses issued
were the sum of the suggestions he had received from different quarters . Yet , according to the Times and the Sunday Times , the meeting was held for the purpose of establishing a fourth Charity of a most ambitions character , and having for object very little short of the life-long support of the children who pass through our Schools . A truthful report would have shown that not a single one of the
speeches indicated anything of the kind ,, except that delivered by tho brother I have named . I ask , Is it just to misrepresent so absolutely the character of the meeting , as to pass off on the public the exact converse of what took place ? I have no right to object to a brother taking an exaggerated view of a Pupils' Assistance Fund , nor would it become me to resent any opposition ho may conscientiously feel ,
called upon to offer to a plan I think well of ; but I have the right to call upon a representative of the press to set aside all personal feeling and write a true and impartial account of what took place on a certain occasion . If ever a man was in a minority of one , Bro . While waa when he spoke on Thursday amid tho impatient dissent of his whole audience , yet any one who reads the report in the paper he
represented , and who was not present to judgo for himself of what took place , must as a matter of course be under the impression that the meeting was held for the purpose described . Tho title of the Fund is quite enough to show that its character will be subsidiary , and that nothing more is intended than to provide help for deserving pupils
who need it , or for candidates who fail to obtain admission into the Schools . To say this Fund is something more , and that it is intended to found Scholarships and send boys to the Universities , to help them to enter the Naval and Military services , and to buy Commissions for them is , to put in the mildest form , a monstrous exaggeration . I am , yours fraternally , SEBRIC .
BEDFORDSHIRE . To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAE SIR ATSD BROTHER , —Your correspondent " OBSRRVER" has , 1 think , hit the right nail on the head when he attributes the nonrepresentation of this county at our Festivals to its not being organised as a Province , and as there are smaller Provinces already in exist * ence , I agree with him and you that there is no reason why it should
not be constituted as such forthwith . It would surely give a legitimate impetus to Freemasonry iu this part if the five Lodges already in existence met togother in Provincial Grand Lodge for the purpose of discussing tho welfare of the Craft generally , and of Beds in particular . Occasionally , too , something would no doubt be done for our Institutions , and the agreeable spectacle would be witnessed of
Bedfordshire Stewards vieing with those from other parts of the country in helping Charities , tho help afforded by which , it seems , one , at all events , of the Beds Lodges does not think it beneath its dignity to solicit . I do not ^ anticipate there would be a very large increase in the number or strength of its Lodges if there were a Provincial Grand
Lodge established , but I think tho friendly intercommunications of brethren would necessarily bring about a most genial feeling among the Lodge 3 . I dare say a good chief can bo found who will have very little difficulty in smoothing down any minor differences which may exist , supposing , at least , thero aro any ( say ) of the kind indicated by