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Article A JUBILEE YEAR SUGGESTION. Page 1 of 2 Article A JUBILEE YEAR SUGGESTION. Page 1 of 2 →
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A Jubilee Year Suggestion.
A JUBILEE YEAR SUGGESTION .
WE have often heard it remarked by brethren when in complacent mood that "Masonry is a succession of pleasant surprises "—that , no matter how far we may have travelled along the "hidden path , " there are constantly new scenes and fresh sources of enjoyment opening up to the diligent student of the Art . If this be true in respect of the fraternal sentiments that are engendered
by frequently mingling with the members of our Brotherhood , it is none the less so when opportunities are afforded of exercising that virtue which is the "distinguishing characteristic of every Freemason ' s heart " —Charity . The Jubilee year of Her Majesty ' s reign will undoubtedly reveal
to us many new and special objects to which it will not only be appropriate , but beneficial , that we should direct our attention . It is quite clear , from the signs and symptoms everywhere around us , that this is to be a memorable year in the annals of the Masonic Craft , equally as it will
be so from a national point of view . There is already a pleasant ruffle on the surface of the waters , premonitory of social and festivo gatherings which will take place in overy
corner of the Queen s dominions on the auspicious anniversary of her coronation . The " leading spirits" of our Lodges are reasoning together as to the most befitting means of celebrating the Jubilee of the illustrious
Patron of English Freemasonry , and committees are even thus early being formed for the purpose of framing and maturing the necessary arrangements . In no stratum of society will the patriotic pulse beat more heartily than in the body of the Ancient and Honourable Institution of which it is the pride and pleasure of so many thousands of
our fellow-countrymen to profess and call themselves members ; and it is no empty anticipation to predict that amongst the two thousand and odd Lodges that stand on the roll of the Grand Lodge of England , to say nothing of Chapters and various other adjuncts to Freemasonry , there
will not be one to stand isolated from the rest in making some demonstration of loyalty and rejoicing in connection
with the glorious Jubilee . The circular issued by our Pro Grand Master the Earl of Carnarvon , to which we last week alluded at some length , has proved a touchstone to every Lodge within the jurisdiction of Grand Lodge ; and although there mav be divergencies of ooinion on some
minor matters of detail in the proposals which have been shadowed forth , yet upon the main scheme of the Jubilee commemoration there will be no disparity of view whatever . Apart , however , from the general aspect of the subject ,
even so far as it affects our own particular Craft , there is a very apparent desire that something special shall be done to stamp the Jubilee era upon the annals of Freemasonry , and the suggestion to which it is our intention to refer in this article will commend itself to many of our readers as particularly appropriate . In a month from
this time the Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution will be upon us , and notwithstanding we have heard the wish reiterated frequently of late that Bro . Terry may have " a bumper " on that occasion , there are many clouds that darken the horizon of that hope . It is plainly evident that the number of deserving applicants for the benefit of that Institution is hugely in excess of
the resources of the committee to deal with , and under ordinary circumstances it would be utterly hopeless to
A Jubilee Year Suggestion.
imagine that one tibiae of the cases—all of whioh we may presume are urgent—can be met . In connection with this condition of things , it occurs to us as strikingly opportuno that the Jubilee of our widowed Queen should be made an occasion for a grand and special effort on behalf of a large number of other widows , who are appealing for sympathy and succour , and which under existing circumstances we
are positively unable to give . We stand face to face with the unpleasant fact that although there are at present only two vacancies in the " Old People's List , " there is a formidable array of seventy-eight poor and deserving widows
knocking at our gates , and craving for that shelter and assistance to which virtually they are entitled . Now , presuming that in the ordinary course there may be six more vacancies—and that would be an outside calculation
—even then we shall find that seventy of these widows must inevitably be left " out in the cold . " Provided that by any stretch of our imagination the committee could see their way to place twenty additional widow candidates on
the list—which is going to the most extreme limit of what they possibly could do—that would still leave fifty helpless and despairing . Considering , then , that this is the fiftieth year of the reign of our widowed Queen , is not this a particularly apt moment to enquire what can be done for those fifty other widows who , under any possible circumstances , must stand aside unless an almost superhuman effort be made to rescue them from indigence and misery ?
To place them all absolutely on the fund would entail an all-round expenditure of over three hundred pounds to each widow ; and , giving an average of ten years , which is a low estimate , seeing that some of our " Old Folks " live on to eighty , and some , happily , to ninety years of age , it means the raising of a clear lump sum of fifteen thousand
pounds . Now , is it asking too much , considering the wealth that exists amongst the aggregate of the members of the Masonic Order , that a special fund of £ 15 , 000 should be created as a means of commemorating , in purely Masonic fashion , Her
Majesty ' s triumphant Jubilee ? We think not , and venture to believe that when the matter is thought out the idea will strike the great bulk of our brethren as extremelv simple
and practicable . In the first place , if we are to deal at all with these fifty poor old women it must be done " out and out , " absolutely , and at once , by a special fund during the Jubilee year . And at the expiration of the ten years ' average of life to which we have alluded , in case there should be aught remaining of this £ 15 , 000 , the residue
might go into the general coffers of the Institution , to be applied either to the increase of the widows' pensions , or to any other purpose which the committee might deem most suitable . Any other arrangement would only be of a "hand-to-mouth" character , for supposing twenty only
were placed on the fund , the probability is that no fresh vacancies would occur for two or three years , and brethren who had candidates on whose behalf they were solicitous and working hard would argue that it was futile to continue subscribing to an institution whose doors were closed to the admission of anv new cases .
As we have already pointed out , there are upwards of two thousand private Lodges on the roll of the Grand Lodge of England , beside an almost innumerable list of Royal Arch Chapters , Mark Lodges , Lodges of Instruction —the latter of which , by-the-bye , are no inconsiderable factor in the aggregate of Masonic Benevolence—and other degrees of Freemasonry . But , taking the private Lodges
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Jubilee Year Suggestion.
A JUBILEE YEAR SUGGESTION .
WE have often heard it remarked by brethren when in complacent mood that "Masonry is a succession of pleasant surprises "—that , no matter how far we may have travelled along the "hidden path , " there are constantly new scenes and fresh sources of enjoyment opening up to the diligent student of the Art . If this be true in respect of the fraternal sentiments that are engendered
by frequently mingling with the members of our Brotherhood , it is none the less so when opportunities are afforded of exercising that virtue which is the "distinguishing characteristic of every Freemason ' s heart " —Charity . The Jubilee year of Her Majesty ' s reign will undoubtedly reveal
to us many new and special objects to which it will not only be appropriate , but beneficial , that we should direct our attention . It is quite clear , from the signs and symptoms everywhere around us , that this is to be a memorable year in the annals of the Masonic Craft , equally as it will
be so from a national point of view . There is already a pleasant ruffle on the surface of the waters , premonitory of social and festivo gatherings which will take place in overy
corner of the Queen s dominions on the auspicious anniversary of her coronation . The " leading spirits" of our Lodges are reasoning together as to the most befitting means of celebrating the Jubilee of the illustrious
Patron of English Freemasonry , and committees are even thus early being formed for the purpose of framing and maturing the necessary arrangements . In no stratum of society will the patriotic pulse beat more heartily than in the body of the Ancient and Honourable Institution of which it is the pride and pleasure of so many thousands of
our fellow-countrymen to profess and call themselves members ; and it is no empty anticipation to predict that amongst the two thousand and odd Lodges that stand on the roll of the Grand Lodge of England , to say nothing of Chapters and various other adjuncts to Freemasonry , there
will not be one to stand isolated from the rest in making some demonstration of loyalty and rejoicing in connection
with the glorious Jubilee . The circular issued by our Pro Grand Master the Earl of Carnarvon , to which we last week alluded at some length , has proved a touchstone to every Lodge within the jurisdiction of Grand Lodge ; and although there mav be divergencies of ooinion on some
minor matters of detail in the proposals which have been shadowed forth , yet upon the main scheme of the Jubilee commemoration there will be no disparity of view whatever . Apart , however , from the general aspect of the subject ,
even so far as it affects our own particular Craft , there is a very apparent desire that something special shall be done to stamp the Jubilee era upon the annals of Freemasonry , and the suggestion to which it is our intention to refer in this article will commend itself to many of our readers as particularly appropriate . In a month from
this time the Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution will be upon us , and notwithstanding we have heard the wish reiterated frequently of late that Bro . Terry may have " a bumper " on that occasion , there are many clouds that darken the horizon of that hope . It is plainly evident that the number of deserving applicants for the benefit of that Institution is hugely in excess of
the resources of the committee to deal with , and under ordinary circumstances it would be utterly hopeless to
A Jubilee Year Suggestion.
imagine that one tibiae of the cases—all of whioh we may presume are urgent—can be met . In connection with this condition of things , it occurs to us as strikingly opportuno that the Jubilee of our widowed Queen should be made an occasion for a grand and special effort on behalf of a large number of other widows , who are appealing for sympathy and succour , and which under existing circumstances we
are positively unable to give . We stand face to face with the unpleasant fact that although there are at present only two vacancies in the " Old People's List , " there is a formidable array of seventy-eight poor and deserving widows
knocking at our gates , and craving for that shelter and assistance to which virtually they are entitled . Now , presuming that in the ordinary course there may be six more vacancies—and that would be an outside calculation
—even then we shall find that seventy of these widows must inevitably be left " out in the cold . " Provided that by any stretch of our imagination the committee could see their way to place twenty additional widow candidates on
the list—which is going to the most extreme limit of what they possibly could do—that would still leave fifty helpless and despairing . Considering , then , that this is the fiftieth year of the reign of our widowed Queen , is not this a particularly apt moment to enquire what can be done for those fifty other widows who , under any possible circumstances , must stand aside unless an almost superhuman effort be made to rescue them from indigence and misery ?
To place them all absolutely on the fund would entail an all-round expenditure of over three hundred pounds to each widow ; and , giving an average of ten years , which is a low estimate , seeing that some of our " Old Folks " live on to eighty , and some , happily , to ninety years of age , it means the raising of a clear lump sum of fifteen thousand
pounds . Now , is it asking too much , considering the wealth that exists amongst the aggregate of the members of the Masonic Order , that a special fund of £ 15 , 000 should be created as a means of commemorating , in purely Masonic fashion , Her
Majesty ' s triumphant Jubilee ? We think not , and venture to believe that when the matter is thought out the idea will strike the great bulk of our brethren as extremelv simple
and practicable . In the first place , if we are to deal at all with these fifty poor old women it must be done " out and out , " absolutely , and at once , by a special fund during the Jubilee year . And at the expiration of the ten years ' average of life to which we have alluded , in case there should be aught remaining of this £ 15 , 000 , the residue
might go into the general coffers of the Institution , to be applied either to the increase of the widows' pensions , or to any other purpose which the committee might deem most suitable . Any other arrangement would only be of a "hand-to-mouth" character , for supposing twenty only
were placed on the fund , the probability is that no fresh vacancies would occur for two or three years , and brethren who had candidates on whose behalf they were solicitous and working hard would argue that it was futile to continue subscribing to an institution whose doors were closed to the admission of anv new cases .
As we have already pointed out , there are upwards of two thousand private Lodges on the roll of the Grand Lodge of England , beside an almost innumerable list of Royal Arch Chapters , Mark Lodges , Lodges of Instruction —the latter of which , by-the-bye , are no inconsiderable factor in the aggregate of Masonic Benevolence—and other degrees of Freemasonry . But , taking the private Lodges