Masons' Opinions On The Bible Question.

And again : — " No Christian doubts the authority of the Bible , and in this country we need not trouble ourselves much about any other class of people . We place it upon oar altar ns the Word of God ; tho initiate is practically taught to regard it ; aiid wo take it and enjoin others

to take it as the rule and guide of our conduct . This is enough . If any others who aro not willing so to r < cognize and take it , we are not bound to receive them . Every Lodge is to judge of the fitness of its own candidates ; let this suffice , and remove not tho ancient landmarks which our fathers have set . " ( 0 . W . Mcore . )

Bro . Chase , the author of tho book I am quoting from , endorses Bro . Moore ' s letter , but gives no date thereunto , nor where to find tho said letter . 16 th . "Masonry simply requires of the candidate his assent to one great fundamental religious t . iuli , tho existence and providence of God . " ( Declaration of jive thousand Freemasons of New England ,

1831 . ) 17 th . " Do you seriously declare upon yonr honour that you believe in the existence of Gcd nnd a state of future rewards and

punishments . " ( Rtgulations in Tennessee from 1823 to 1843 ) . —To whioh the author adds , in a foot note , " It is but just that we inform tie reader that this regulation was nearly a dead letter durig the twenty years it remained among the regulations . "

18 th . " It is clearly settled that in the first degrees of Masonry , religious tenets shall not be barrier to the admission or advancement of applicants , providing they profess belief in God and His Holy

Word . " ( Resolution in Ohio , 1820 . ) 19 th . " No test except be'ief in God who governs the Universe , should bo exacted . " ( C . F . C . of Rhode Island , 1850 ) . Similar resolutions wero adopted in Ohio iu 1850 , and Alabama n 1848 .

20 th . " If tho opplicant believe in the moral law ( the Ten Commandments ) and governs himself accordingly , we can requ e no farther . " ( Rob Mon is , - V meiican Freemason , Vol . III ., p 121 . ) 21 st . "By the usages and principles of onr Order , he who does not believe in and acknowledge the Bible as a rule and guide of b ' s conduct , ought not to be reoived into onr 0 : der . " ( HunB . TID , Ohio 1853 . )

22 nd . " With the spirit of tho TEXAS resolution we cannot concur . It is not Ancient Free at : d Accepted Masonry . In the latter , a belief in Deity , in God , or rather trust in GoJ , is all that is required of a candidate . " ( C . F . C . of Rhode Hand , 1858 . )

23 rd . " The Grand Lodge of Iowa recognises no religions creed or dogma as a pre-requisite to gain admission into the portals of hor temple : all she requires ia , that the candidate should believe in tho existence of God , tho Creator of all things , and be freeborn , of lawful nge , and well recommended as a good man and true . ( PARVIN , 1849 . )

24 th . " Resolved . That Masonry , as we received it from onr father . " , teaches tho divine authenticity of the Holy Scriptures , and that the views of candidates on this subject should be ascertained b y

tho Committee of Inquiry , or otherwise , as well as the * , other qualifications and fitness to be received into the Order . " ( Iowa , 1855 . ) " We protest against all snch innovations , " said Bro . Barber , of the C . F . C . of Arkansas in 1856 .

25 tb . " It is the sense of this Grand Lodge , that no man can become a Mason unless he can avow a belief in the principles contained iu the Holy Bible , and that the demand for such a belief does not conflict with the universality of Freemamr-y . " ( Resolution . NelrasTca . 1858 . )*

The above extracts prove , in the first place , that Bro . Bobbins did not originate the idea that belief in the inspiration of the Bible was not essential to Masonry . Secondly , a majority of about two-thirds of tho above quotations accord with Bro . Bobbins' views on the question

at issue . And thirdly , while the names of those who maintained that belief in the Bible was necessary for Masonry are unknown outside of their respective jurisdictions , the

names of Mackey , Moore , and Morris had a world-wide reputation during their lifetime , and notwithstanding their faults and shortcomings Masonic students will have to consult their writings as long as Masonic students exist .

Another fact must be noticed . The opponents of Bro . Bobbins not only resorted to tho style usually adopted by theological debaters of bluffing , & c , but one of them even called Bro . Bobbins an unbeliever in the Bible . Now ,

what Bro . Bobbins believes and disbelieves I do not know ; but I maintain that the mere fact of his belief about the Bible as far as Masonry is concerned cannot prove h s disbelief in the Bible , for otherwise wo must assume that

Mackey , Moore , Morris , the five thousand Masons in New England in 1831 , and all the names mentioned in the above extracts who advocated the same views that Bro . Bobbins does , must also have been disbelievers in the inspiration of the Bible .

The fact is our Masonic bigots are imbued with the spirit of the " Holy Inqirsition , " and I verily believe that if they had the power they wor . M act as badly as the

Inquisition did . Boston , U . S ., 4 th December 1889 .

Membership Of Grand Lodge.

MEMBERSHIP OF GRAND LODGE .

rpHE members of a Grand Lodge are such aa aro desig-- * - nated members by its " Ahiman Bezon " or " Book of Constitutions . " At different oias in the history of tho Craft , the Grand Lodges of tho several jurisdictions havo been composed of different classes of members . As to this

each Grand Lodge is a law unto itself . At tho formation of the Grand Lodge of England , in 1717 , it was composed of Masters and Wardens of all tho regular Lodges , with tho Grand Officers . Since then various regulations have been

adopted . In some jurisdictions , as ra Pennsylvania at the present time , the Grand Lodge is composed of " the Grand and Past Grand Officers ; the Masters and Past Masters by

two years' service , and Wardens of all Lodges lawfully warranted and duly constituted by it and under its jurisdictions , and the elected representatives of such Lodges . " In other jurisdictions , the Grand Lodge is composed only

of Masters and representatives , —Wardens and Past Masters not being members ; while in still other jurisdictions Masters and Wardens are members , Past Masters only being excluded . These variations in practice are duo , in the main , to the recognized necessity , in the largest

jurisdictions , of keeping Grand Lodge within such bounds as to membership as shall enable it to transact its business with satisfaction to itself . An unusually large deliberative body is always cumbrous . It becomes a question , first , how to seat such a body in a Masonic Temple—for a

public hall is not to be thought of for use as a tyled Lodge ; and , second , how to readily handle a body which may become so numerous as to amount almost to a mob . Hence it is that in all Masonic jurisdictions which contain a largo constituency of Lodges and Freemasons , some modification has been made of the early system , of including all Masters , Wardens , and Past Masters in Grand Lodge .

We have been confronted with this question in Pennsylvania , and three years ago a slight modification and only a slight one , was adopted , to wit , to measurably limit the further growth in numbers of Grand Lodge by

including Masters and Past Masters by hoo years' service only ; instead of by one , as theretofore . For three years we have had this system in operation , and as far as our observation has gone tho system has worked exceedingly well . Auxiliary and very important advantages have also

sprung from it . The two years service of Masters has the better prepared them to preside over their several Lodges . They have become better workers and superior rulers ; they have grown more experienced in all of their duties , and the Craft at large has been advantaged accordingly .

We know of no honour that a Lodge can bestow superior to that of the Mastership of the Lodge . Every Master should be gratified to serve for two terms , and we believe the large majority of them are ; but it appears that some of the Wardens do not fancy serving two years as Wardens .

It Wardens really desire to be capable , proficient and duly instructed Masters , two years' service is necessary . In

Grand Lodge , however , the Grand Officers by re-election have always served two years in each of the four stations , making in all eight years ; why , then , should not tho officers of the constituent Lodges serve six years ? Let us remember , the great body of the Craft has interests in the welfare of the Fraternity . The Craft will be best served by the capacity and ability of Lodge Officers

to perform accurately and strictly their duties . Suppose it should be determined to return to the former practice of Masters serving but a single year . Then we would bo immediately confronted with the necessity of limiting tho

membership of Grand Lodge in some other way . What way should that be , which would be more acceptable to the Craft at large than the present two years' service of Masters to ensure their permanent membership ? Shall

the Wardens be cut off from membership ? Or shall tho Past Masters ? Some regulation of this kind would bo necessary . We have three hundred and ninety Lodges at

the present time in Pennsylvania , and these add , under tho present regulation , three hundred and ninety Past Masters to Grand Lodge every two years ; but if we shonld go

back to the old regulation they would add that number every year . We invite the Brethren to carefully weigh these

considerations , and pause before they proceed to change the present regulation . A Lodge has a far higher purpose than to be a manufactory of members of Grand Lodge—