-
Articles/Ads
Article CORRESPONDENCE. Page 1 of 1 Article LODGE OF BENEVOLENCE. Page 1 of 1 Article LODGE OF BENEVOLENCE. Page 1 of 1 Article PROV. G. HONOURS. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
CORRESPONDENCE .
All Letters must bear the name anl address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , hit as a guarantee of good faith . We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of onr Cor . respondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications .
ESSEX CHARITY ASSOCIATION
To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I was much pleased in reading your report of the meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Essex to find that the scheme for the establishment of a Charity Assooiation had been adopted with so much unanimity . You have so forcibly pointed ont the necessity for every Province to
have some kind of organisation for turning the votes held by itself , its Grand Officers , and its members to the best account , that an attempt to supplement yonr remarks by any of mine is unnecessary . But perhaps I may be permitted to draw attention to the seventh of the proposed Bye-laws of the new Association , as published by you in your impression of the 6 th August .
This Bye-law reads as follows . *—" Whenever the Committee shall have resolved that any case is worthy of the support of the Province , they shall forthwith communicate with the several Lodges in the Province , and take sucb other steps as may appear advisable to make known the merits and claims of the candidate , and to secure the support and co-operation of the
Lodges , and the assistance of the subscribers to the various Charitable Institutions , in order that their efforts may be united and attended with success . " The only votes over whioh the Charity Committee can claim to exercise any control are those belonging to the Provincial Grand Lodge and its Grand Officers in their official capacity , and
Bye-Law VI . places these at the disposal of the said Committee . But as these form only a small part of those held by the Province and its members , it must look to the Lodges and subscribers to the several Charities for their hearty co-operation and assistance ; for it is only by their aid that the Association can hope to be of any service . What may be done by means of this co-operation will best be seen by
taking the case of the Devon Association as described in your report of the meeting of the Grand Lodge of that Province . Devon has 338 Boys' votes , 224 Girls' votes , and between 600 and 700 votes for the Benevolent , at least Brother Godtschalk says he received for his Province at the last election—414 Men ' s , and 263 Women ' s votes , making together 677 . Now , Bro . Godtschalk tells us that last year
the Province secured the election of five candidates for the three Charities—namely , two Boys , one Girl , one Aged Mason , and one Widow , the result being that at the end of the year the Province was indebted as follows : —To Berks 93 Boys and 67 Girls ; to Cheshire 300 Boys ; to Shropshire 100 Boys , and North Wales 100 Boys ; to Dorset 276 Boys and 67 Girls ; to himself 128 Boys and 368 Benevolent
votes , making in all 1499—say 1500—votes . On the other hand , there were due to the Province by Warwickshire 204 Boys and 400 Benevolent , leaving a net liability of 826 votes . This was not a very promising outlook for the current year , yet , although the Province was not officially supporting any candidate , Bro . Godtschalk managed to get a Devon Girl elected in April last . Starting with 652 votes to
the good towards the payment of 1500 votes , he first set himself to repay to Cheshire , Dorset , Shropshire , and North Wales the numbers stated above , making a total of 843 votes , and would have repaid the 93 Boys and 67 Girls to Berks , bnt was requested to retain them as it had no candidate . He then , on a particular understanding , helped the girl Rawle , polling for her 1229 votes , and so securing her
election , taking the whole responsibility upon himself—a responsibility which the Province has since seen fit to relieve him of . With 1119 votes towards the Benevolent election in May , he first paid off South Wales 40 votes , and Cumberland 220 votes , after which he lent Monmouth 535 votes , Bro . Constable 441 votes , and Cumberland 104 votes . As matters are now , the Province owes 1291 votes , exclusive
of those due to Bro . Godtschalk , for which he is him responsible , and is owed 1297 votes . By this excellent management Devon has contributed at the last three elections to the election of six candidatestwo Boys , two Girls , an Aged Mason , and a Widow , the votes available at each election—namely , some 1200 to 1300—being so
manipulated as to have been equivalent to about 6000 . Essex has 350 Boys' and 199 " Girls' votes , with probably some 300 or 400 Benevolent ditto—say some 900 in all—and provided the Lodges and brethren in the Province lend their hearty co-operation to the Charity Committee , there is no reason why its strength should not be utilised to the same extent , and with equal success . Fraternally yours , J . H . MIDDS .
Lodge Of Benevolence.
LODGE OF BENEVOLENCE .
To the Editor of the FREEMASON S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND B ROTHER , —I can confirm , from my own knowledge , your correspondent ' s statement as to the desirability of an alteration in the law as to the payment of sums recommended by the Lodge of Benevolence in excess of £ 50 . A few years since a brother of my
acquaintance , throngh heavy losses , was obliged to seek relief from that Lodge . He presented his petition , which was strictly in accordance with the prescribed conditions , and the Lodge , having duly considered his prayer , recommended a grant of over £ 50 . This was approved at the Grand Lodge held two mouths afterwards , but it was three months more before he received the money . He had made his ar .
Lodge Of Benevolence.
rangements under the impression that when Grand Lodge approved the recommendation of the Lodge of Benevolence , the amount so re commended and approved would be handed over to him . His exn-v- *
tations , however , were not realised , and a capital opportunity for re ! covering his position was lost . This is not an imaginary case , and as " C . A . E . " says , " many such must occur in the course of a single year . K I remain , faithfully yours , ALPHA ,
To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I was glad to see , in your issue of the 6 th inst ., an able article attacking the anoqialoup state of affairs as regards the rules for the issue of the monies granted by the Lod ge of Benevolence . At present the more worthy and needful the ' Bro . ther , or his relict , the longer time he or she has to wait for the sum
awarded by those who have the best means of judging of his or her fitness to receive the same . Brethren will be glad to hear that Bro Joshua Nunn , who is always forward in the good works of the Craffc * has expressed his intention , at the next Board of Masters , which meets on the 24 th inst ., to give notice of motion to the following effect " That in such cases where the Lodge of Benevolence has granted an
applicant a sum exceeding £ 50 , he shall be entitled to receive at the next Quarterly Communication a sum up to and not exceeding £ 50 when the Grand Lodge shall have confirmed tho action of the Lod ge of Benevolence , and the remainder at the ensuing Quarterly Com . munication when the Grand Lodge shall have confirmed its own minute wherein the grant has been approved of . "
That , Dear Sir and Brother , is a step in the right direction , but in my opinion it does not go far enough . I shall therefore , at the meeting of 24 th August , move an amendment , to this effect , " That whatever sum the Lodge of Benevolence has , in its collective wisdom , thought fit to grant to an applicant whom it has considered a fit and deserving object for such relief , shall be given to the aforesaid applicant immediately after the confirmation of the acts of the Lodge
of Benevolence by the Grand Lodge at tbe next Quarterly Communication after the grant has been made , only deducting therefrom the £ 10 which the applicant has received at the time of the grant . " Even by my amendment the applicant—the needy brother or his widow—may have to wait three months for that grant which may prove of such vital importance to him or her . I hope by your publishing this on the 20 th , to get the support of the brethren on the 24 th .
To those brethren who are interested in the Eoyal Masonio Benevolent Institution , I would advise them of a revision of the rules and regulations belonging to the same , and thus advantageously to assimilate them to those of the Boys' and Girls' Schools . For instance , a Lady or a Lewis , by the rules of the two latter Institutions , is entitled to double votes—that is to say , if
a Lady or Lewis pay £ 52 10 s towards either of the Institutions , they become Vice-Patrons instead of Vice-Presidents , as is the case with a Mason . There will also be brought forward a motion to this effect— "That for the six months ensuing the election in May , as vacancies occur , the Committee shall have power to put on annul , tants , either male or female , according to the order in which
they stand on the list of unsuccessful candidates , and in oases where the number of applicants is equal , the priority shall be decided by a show of hands at the meeting when and where such election shall take place . " By filling np the vacancies in this manner you prevent the long and anxious time of waiting without increasing the expense of an election , which would cost the
price of five or six annuities . I may be met with the preference for an election , because a large sum of money is sometimes subscribed for the purpose of securing the return of a particular candidate . In reply I would say , that the sum of money received on the day of the last election for the Old People was fifteen shillings , and no more . I
would ask whether it is worth while to risk so much to gain so little ? I thank Bros . " WELL-WISHER" and " S . E . V . " for aiding the above causes with their able pens , whioh I trust will be followed by tbe more substantial aid of themselves and any friends whom they can influence to be present when the matter comes before Grand Lodge for dis . cussion . Yours faithfully and fraternally , C . J . PERCEVAL .
Prov. G. Honours.
PROV . G . HONOURS .
To the Editor of the FREEMASON s CHRONICLE . SIR , —The appointments to office in Provincial Grand Lodge , which were made at the recent meeting of the Grand Lodgo of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight at Portsmouth , show some rather startling results . Exclusive of the P . G . Treasurer , who was , of course , elected by the Brethren and two Grand Tvlers , twenty-one appointments were
made . Of these seven were given to members of Portsmouth Lodges , the . P . G . T . being also a Portsmouth Craftsman ; five appointments went to Southampton ; three to Gosport , which is really a part of Portsmouth for all Masonic considerations , although the harbour lies between them , while Fareham and tho Isle of Wight , the former with one Lodge , the latter with seven get two offices each , and Winchester and Aldershott wind-up the list with one each . But when the
appointments are analysed we find a very extraordinary state of things . Thus , t he Deputy Provincial Grand Master , the Senior Grand Warden , tbe Grand Secretary , Sup . of Works , and Director of Ceremonies , all reside at Southampton ; the Junior Grand Warden , one of the Chaplains , the Grand Organist , the assistant D of C , Standard Bearer , and t wo Stewards are credited to Portsmouth ; Gosport has the Senior Grand Deacon , Pursuivant and one Steward ; Farnham , the Grand Registrar and one Chaplain , the Isle of Wight is honoured with the
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
CORRESPONDENCE .
All Letters must bear the name anl address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , hit as a guarantee of good faith . We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of onr Cor . respondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications .
ESSEX CHARITY ASSOCIATION
To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I was much pleased in reading your report of the meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Essex to find that the scheme for the establishment of a Charity Assooiation had been adopted with so much unanimity . You have so forcibly pointed ont the necessity for every Province to
have some kind of organisation for turning the votes held by itself , its Grand Officers , and its members to the best account , that an attempt to supplement yonr remarks by any of mine is unnecessary . But perhaps I may be permitted to draw attention to the seventh of the proposed Bye-laws of the new Association , as published by you in your impression of the 6 th August .
This Bye-law reads as follows . *—" Whenever the Committee shall have resolved that any case is worthy of the support of the Province , they shall forthwith communicate with the several Lodges in the Province , and take sucb other steps as may appear advisable to make known the merits and claims of the candidate , and to secure the support and co-operation of the
Lodges , and the assistance of the subscribers to the various Charitable Institutions , in order that their efforts may be united and attended with success . " The only votes over whioh the Charity Committee can claim to exercise any control are those belonging to the Provincial Grand Lodge and its Grand Officers in their official capacity , and
Bye-Law VI . places these at the disposal of the said Committee . But as these form only a small part of those held by the Province and its members , it must look to the Lodges and subscribers to the several Charities for their hearty co-operation and assistance ; for it is only by their aid that the Association can hope to be of any service . What may be done by means of this co-operation will best be seen by
taking the case of the Devon Association as described in your report of the meeting of the Grand Lodge of that Province . Devon has 338 Boys' votes , 224 Girls' votes , and between 600 and 700 votes for the Benevolent , at least Brother Godtschalk says he received for his Province at the last election—414 Men ' s , and 263 Women ' s votes , making together 677 . Now , Bro . Godtschalk tells us that last year
the Province secured the election of five candidates for the three Charities—namely , two Boys , one Girl , one Aged Mason , and one Widow , the result being that at the end of the year the Province was indebted as follows : —To Berks 93 Boys and 67 Girls ; to Cheshire 300 Boys ; to Shropshire 100 Boys , and North Wales 100 Boys ; to Dorset 276 Boys and 67 Girls ; to himself 128 Boys and 368 Benevolent
votes , making in all 1499—say 1500—votes . On the other hand , there were due to the Province by Warwickshire 204 Boys and 400 Benevolent , leaving a net liability of 826 votes . This was not a very promising outlook for the current year , yet , although the Province was not officially supporting any candidate , Bro . Godtschalk managed to get a Devon Girl elected in April last . Starting with 652 votes to
the good towards the payment of 1500 votes , he first set himself to repay to Cheshire , Dorset , Shropshire , and North Wales the numbers stated above , making a total of 843 votes , and would have repaid the 93 Boys and 67 Girls to Berks , bnt was requested to retain them as it had no candidate . He then , on a particular understanding , helped the girl Rawle , polling for her 1229 votes , and so securing her
election , taking the whole responsibility upon himself—a responsibility which the Province has since seen fit to relieve him of . With 1119 votes towards the Benevolent election in May , he first paid off South Wales 40 votes , and Cumberland 220 votes , after which he lent Monmouth 535 votes , Bro . Constable 441 votes , and Cumberland 104 votes . As matters are now , the Province owes 1291 votes , exclusive
of those due to Bro . Godtschalk , for which he is him responsible , and is owed 1297 votes . By this excellent management Devon has contributed at the last three elections to the election of six candidatestwo Boys , two Girls , an Aged Mason , and a Widow , the votes available at each election—namely , some 1200 to 1300—being so
manipulated as to have been equivalent to about 6000 . Essex has 350 Boys' and 199 " Girls' votes , with probably some 300 or 400 Benevolent ditto—say some 900 in all—and provided the Lodges and brethren in the Province lend their hearty co-operation to the Charity Committee , there is no reason why its strength should not be utilised to the same extent , and with equal success . Fraternally yours , J . H . MIDDS .
Lodge Of Benevolence.
LODGE OF BENEVOLENCE .
To the Editor of the FREEMASON S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND B ROTHER , —I can confirm , from my own knowledge , your correspondent ' s statement as to the desirability of an alteration in the law as to the payment of sums recommended by the Lodge of Benevolence in excess of £ 50 . A few years since a brother of my
acquaintance , throngh heavy losses , was obliged to seek relief from that Lodge . He presented his petition , which was strictly in accordance with the prescribed conditions , and the Lodge , having duly considered his prayer , recommended a grant of over £ 50 . This was approved at the Grand Lodge held two mouths afterwards , but it was three months more before he received the money . He had made his ar .
Lodge Of Benevolence.
rangements under the impression that when Grand Lodge approved the recommendation of the Lodge of Benevolence , the amount so re commended and approved would be handed over to him . His exn-v- *
tations , however , were not realised , and a capital opportunity for re ! covering his position was lost . This is not an imaginary case , and as " C . A . E . " says , " many such must occur in the course of a single year . K I remain , faithfully yours , ALPHA ,
To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I was glad to see , in your issue of the 6 th inst ., an able article attacking the anoqialoup state of affairs as regards the rules for the issue of the monies granted by the Lod ge of Benevolence . At present the more worthy and needful the ' Bro . ther , or his relict , the longer time he or she has to wait for the sum
awarded by those who have the best means of judging of his or her fitness to receive the same . Brethren will be glad to hear that Bro Joshua Nunn , who is always forward in the good works of the Craffc * has expressed his intention , at the next Board of Masters , which meets on the 24 th inst ., to give notice of motion to the following effect " That in such cases where the Lodge of Benevolence has granted an
applicant a sum exceeding £ 50 , he shall be entitled to receive at the next Quarterly Communication a sum up to and not exceeding £ 50 when the Grand Lodge shall have confirmed tho action of the Lod ge of Benevolence , and the remainder at the ensuing Quarterly Com . munication when the Grand Lodge shall have confirmed its own minute wherein the grant has been approved of . "
That , Dear Sir and Brother , is a step in the right direction , but in my opinion it does not go far enough . I shall therefore , at the meeting of 24 th August , move an amendment , to this effect , " That whatever sum the Lodge of Benevolence has , in its collective wisdom , thought fit to grant to an applicant whom it has considered a fit and deserving object for such relief , shall be given to the aforesaid applicant immediately after the confirmation of the acts of the Lodge
of Benevolence by the Grand Lodge at tbe next Quarterly Communication after the grant has been made , only deducting therefrom the £ 10 which the applicant has received at the time of the grant . " Even by my amendment the applicant—the needy brother or his widow—may have to wait three months for that grant which may prove of such vital importance to him or her . I hope by your publishing this on the 20 th , to get the support of the brethren on the 24 th .
To those brethren who are interested in the Eoyal Masonio Benevolent Institution , I would advise them of a revision of the rules and regulations belonging to the same , and thus advantageously to assimilate them to those of the Boys' and Girls' Schools . For instance , a Lady or a Lewis , by the rules of the two latter Institutions , is entitled to double votes—that is to say , if
a Lady or Lewis pay £ 52 10 s towards either of the Institutions , they become Vice-Patrons instead of Vice-Presidents , as is the case with a Mason . There will also be brought forward a motion to this effect— "That for the six months ensuing the election in May , as vacancies occur , the Committee shall have power to put on annul , tants , either male or female , according to the order in which
they stand on the list of unsuccessful candidates , and in oases where the number of applicants is equal , the priority shall be decided by a show of hands at the meeting when and where such election shall take place . " By filling np the vacancies in this manner you prevent the long and anxious time of waiting without increasing the expense of an election , which would cost the
price of five or six annuities . I may be met with the preference for an election , because a large sum of money is sometimes subscribed for the purpose of securing the return of a particular candidate . In reply I would say , that the sum of money received on the day of the last election for the Old People was fifteen shillings , and no more . I
would ask whether it is worth while to risk so much to gain so little ? I thank Bros . " WELL-WISHER" and " S . E . V . " for aiding the above causes with their able pens , whioh I trust will be followed by tbe more substantial aid of themselves and any friends whom they can influence to be present when the matter comes before Grand Lodge for dis . cussion . Yours faithfully and fraternally , C . J . PERCEVAL .
Prov. G. Honours.
PROV . G . HONOURS .
To the Editor of the FREEMASON s CHRONICLE . SIR , —The appointments to office in Provincial Grand Lodge , which were made at the recent meeting of the Grand Lodgo of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight at Portsmouth , show some rather startling results . Exclusive of the P . G . Treasurer , who was , of course , elected by the Brethren and two Grand Tvlers , twenty-one appointments were
made . Of these seven were given to members of Portsmouth Lodges , the . P . G . T . being also a Portsmouth Craftsman ; five appointments went to Southampton ; three to Gosport , which is really a part of Portsmouth for all Masonic considerations , although the harbour lies between them , while Fareham and tho Isle of Wight , the former with one Lodge , the latter with seven get two offices each , and Winchester and Aldershott wind-up the list with one each . But when the
appointments are analysed we find a very extraordinary state of things . Thus , t he Deputy Provincial Grand Master , the Senior Grand Warden , tbe Grand Secretary , Sup . of Works , and Director of Ceremonies , all reside at Southampton ; the Junior Grand Warden , one of the Chaplains , the Grand Organist , the assistant D of C , Standard Bearer , and t wo Stewards are credited to Portsmouth ; Gosport has the Senior Grand Deacon , Pursuivant and one Steward ; Farnham , the Grand Registrar and one Chaplain , the Isle of Wight is honoured with the