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Article THE LAUDATORY VISITOR. Page 1 of 1 Article THE LAUDATORY VISITOR. Page 1 of 1
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Laudatory Visitor.
THE LAUDATORY VISITOR .
ONE of the greatest privileges attached to the Masonic Brotherhood , and the one which perhaps secures for all ranks of it the largest amount of enjoyment is that of visiting . Laid down by the Book of Constitutions almost in the form oF a law , there can bo no question as to the expe . diency of allowing it to become even more general than we now find it : and whether it be in order that the same
usages and customs may be observed throughout the Craft , and a good understanding cultivated amongst Freemasons , as the Constitutions have it , or merely to enjoy the hospitality of a friend that we attend a Lodge other than our own , the welcome accorded is equally hearty . In this
matter but little distinction is made as regards position in the Craft . The Grand Officer , the Past Master , the simple Master Mason , and even the Entered Apprentice , have one and all the right hand of fellowship extended to them , and although the guests and members of the Lodge
may be total strangers to each other outside the mystic circle , once within it , all reserve vanishes , and the initiate of but yesterday finds himself , equally with the brother •who has spent the years of an ordinary lifetime as a member of the Craft , respected and made welcome by those
around him . Hospitality is recognised as one of the strongest characteristics of Freemasonry , and we doubt if there are many Lodges to be found wherein this feature of the Craft is neglected , or even made of secondary
importance . The first verse of a good old Masonic song puts this before us most forcibly , and we trust the day is far distant when any alteration will be needed in the few lines we
quote—Should the chances of life ever tempt me to roam , In a Lodge of Freemasons I'll still find a home ; There the sweet smile of friendship still welcomes each guest , And brotherly love gives that welcome a zest . " This is as it should be , and the advantage accruing to tbe
Craft by reason of it cannot be over-estimated , for it is not only within the narrow limits of our neighbourhood that the matter has to be considered ; but , bearing in mind the
universality of the Craft , it is a question affecting the whole world . Having spoken thus far in general terms , we will now devote a little consideration to the visitor himself .
We hardly think ifc necessary to refer on the present occasion to the conduct a visitor shonld pursue within the Lodge , as the usages of Freemasonry and the established custom s of the Order are sufficiently explicit on that point ; out at the social board no such fixed laws exist , and there
ample opportunity offers for the display of whatever ability a brother may possess . As in Lodge , the question of hospitalit y is again among the foremost ; indeed , the toast in honour of the Visitors is frequently considered the principal one of the evening , while the remarks of those to
w bom falls the lot of replying are looked forward to with interest by the brethren generally . We suppose we need hardl y say that the duty of acknowledging this compliment is a pleasurable one , while on the other hand there are ew men to whom the task of making a speech comes
without some inconvenience , while to many , it is really a terrible undertaking . We have all heard of the man who , unaccustomed- as he was to public speaking , yet arose with a great amount of pleasure on that particular occau , when all the time his features and manners gencrl Y gave unmistakable evidence of the extreme pain he was suffering . If this introduction is unknown amone
The Laudatory Visitor.
Masonic speakers , there are many m frequent use among them which are equally out of place , and which might with advantage be omitted . Bro . A ., after opening well on behalf of himself and other visitors , quickly assumes the use of the pronoun " I , "
and then favours the company with what , in quieter moments would be looked upon as a chapter on selfglorification . He can boast a large Masonic experience , having been a Mason for many years , and having during
that time made a special feature of visiting Lodges in every part . He has a very good opinion—or he thinks so—of what Lodge work should be , and his usual mode of referring to this particular part of the day ' s proceeding ia that " never ! never ! NEVER ! in the whole course of" his
" lengthened experience has he seen the ceremonies so perfectly carried out as was the case that day . " We have known the same brethren make this statement time after time without , we think , really giving one thought to what they were saying or weighing in the slightest degree
tbe import of the words they were uttering ; and our wonder has often been to learn when this improvement will stop , whether it will go on uninterruptedly till the end of time , or whether it will come to an unseemly end somewhat in the same way as the frog did when trying to swell itself to the size of an ox . We would also remark that there is a
point at which ' praise becomes the severest sarcasm , and , although perhaps unintentionally , the compliment may be more objectionable than actual censure . Thus another brother deems it not out of place to comment on the furniture and general appointments of the Lodge , and we fully
believe without for a moment thinking he is displaying very bad taste in so doing . We are open to conviction that in Masonry things are not as in the ordinary pursuits of life , but at present we are of opinion that certain rules which govern the one are applicable to the other , and that so long
as such is the case this topic should be ignored . What should we think of a man , who , when visiting us afc our own homes , freely commented on the quality of our carpet ,
the pattern of our chairs , or the value of our furniture generally ; and yet this is done time after time in Masonic speeches , with the idea of complimenting the Lodge on the possession of the articles in question .
Having by such means endeavoured to impress the brethren with an idea of their superior knowledge the speakers suddenly remember the object for which they are standing up and acknowledge , often in well-chosen words , the compliment paid them and the other guests and then
resume their seats or hand over the work of replying to some others among those present . If the task was no light one for the first speakers , how much harder it is for those who follow . There is absolutely nothing fresh to be said , and
yet all are often expected to take their turn with tbe result that some prove themselves terrible bores , while others display a great amount of htimour and ability . The Mason who could give the visitor some new topic on which to dilate would deserve the thanks of the whole of h's Fraternitv ; but
we fear that so long as Freemasonry continues its present glorious system of entertaining all comers , there will be little chance of finding a subject which has not been worn almost threadbare by former generations of brethren .
The Prince and Princess of Wales , accompanied by their daughters the Princesses Louise , Victoria , and Maud , visited Brighton on Thursday , when His Royal Highness , amid the heartiest demonstrations of welcome , formally opened the Hospital for Sick Children .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Laudatory Visitor.
THE LAUDATORY VISITOR .
ONE of the greatest privileges attached to the Masonic Brotherhood , and the one which perhaps secures for all ranks of it the largest amount of enjoyment is that of visiting . Laid down by the Book of Constitutions almost in the form oF a law , there can bo no question as to the expe . diency of allowing it to become even more general than we now find it : and whether it be in order that the same
usages and customs may be observed throughout the Craft , and a good understanding cultivated amongst Freemasons , as the Constitutions have it , or merely to enjoy the hospitality of a friend that we attend a Lodge other than our own , the welcome accorded is equally hearty . In this
matter but little distinction is made as regards position in the Craft . The Grand Officer , the Past Master , the simple Master Mason , and even the Entered Apprentice , have one and all the right hand of fellowship extended to them , and although the guests and members of the Lodge
may be total strangers to each other outside the mystic circle , once within it , all reserve vanishes , and the initiate of but yesterday finds himself , equally with the brother •who has spent the years of an ordinary lifetime as a member of the Craft , respected and made welcome by those
around him . Hospitality is recognised as one of the strongest characteristics of Freemasonry , and we doubt if there are many Lodges to be found wherein this feature of the Craft is neglected , or even made of secondary
importance . The first verse of a good old Masonic song puts this before us most forcibly , and we trust the day is far distant when any alteration will be needed in the few lines we
quote—Should the chances of life ever tempt me to roam , In a Lodge of Freemasons I'll still find a home ; There the sweet smile of friendship still welcomes each guest , And brotherly love gives that welcome a zest . " This is as it should be , and the advantage accruing to tbe
Craft by reason of it cannot be over-estimated , for it is not only within the narrow limits of our neighbourhood that the matter has to be considered ; but , bearing in mind the
universality of the Craft , it is a question affecting the whole world . Having spoken thus far in general terms , we will now devote a little consideration to the visitor himself .
We hardly think ifc necessary to refer on the present occasion to the conduct a visitor shonld pursue within the Lodge , as the usages of Freemasonry and the established custom s of the Order are sufficiently explicit on that point ; out at the social board no such fixed laws exist , and there
ample opportunity offers for the display of whatever ability a brother may possess . As in Lodge , the question of hospitalit y is again among the foremost ; indeed , the toast in honour of the Visitors is frequently considered the principal one of the evening , while the remarks of those to
w bom falls the lot of replying are looked forward to with interest by the brethren generally . We suppose we need hardl y say that the duty of acknowledging this compliment is a pleasurable one , while on the other hand there are ew men to whom the task of making a speech comes
without some inconvenience , while to many , it is really a terrible undertaking . We have all heard of the man who , unaccustomed- as he was to public speaking , yet arose with a great amount of pleasure on that particular occau , when all the time his features and manners gencrl Y gave unmistakable evidence of the extreme pain he was suffering . If this introduction is unknown amone
The Laudatory Visitor.
Masonic speakers , there are many m frequent use among them which are equally out of place , and which might with advantage be omitted . Bro . A ., after opening well on behalf of himself and other visitors , quickly assumes the use of the pronoun " I , "
and then favours the company with what , in quieter moments would be looked upon as a chapter on selfglorification . He can boast a large Masonic experience , having been a Mason for many years , and having during
that time made a special feature of visiting Lodges in every part . He has a very good opinion—or he thinks so—of what Lodge work should be , and his usual mode of referring to this particular part of the day ' s proceeding ia that " never ! never ! NEVER ! in the whole course of" his
" lengthened experience has he seen the ceremonies so perfectly carried out as was the case that day . " We have known the same brethren make this statement time after time without , we think , really giving one thought to what they were saying or weighing in the slightest degree
tbe import of the words they were uttering ; and our wonder has often been to learn when this improvement will stop , whether it will go on uninterruptedly till the end of time , or whether it will come to an unseemly end somewhat in the same way as the frog did when trying to swell itself to the size of an ox . We would also remark that there is a
point at which ' praise becomes the severest sarcasm , and , although perhaps unintentionally , the compliment may be more objectionable than actual censure . Thus another brother deems it not out of place to comment on the furniture and general appointments of the Lodge , and we fully
believe without for a moment thinking he is displaying very bad taste in so doing . We are open to conviction that in Masonry things are not as in the ordinary pursuits of life , but at present we are of opinion that certain rules which govern the one are applicable to the other , and that so long
as such is the case this topic should be ignored . What should we think of a man , who , when visiting us afc our own homes , freely commented on the quality of our carpet ,
the pattern of our chairs , or the value of our furniture generally ; and yet this is done time after time in Masonic speeches , with the idea of complimenting the Lodge on the possession of the articles in question .
Having by such means endeavoured to impress the brethren with an idea of their superior knowledge the speakers suddenly remember the object for which they are standing up and acknowledge , often in well-chosen words , the compliment paid them and the other guests and then
resume their seats or hand over the work of replying to some others among those present . If the task was no light one for the first speakers , how much harder it is for those who follow . There is absolutely nothing fresh to be said , and
yet all are often expected to take their turn with tbe result that some prove themselves terrible bores , while others display a great amount of htimour and ability . The Mason who could give the visitor some new topic on which to dilate would deserve the thanks of the whole of h's Fraternitv ; but
we fear that so long as Freemasonry continues its present glorious system of entertaining all comers , there will be little chance of finding a subject which has not been worn almost threadbare by former generations of brethren .
The Prince and Princess of Wales , accompanied by their daughters the Princesses Louise , Victoria , and Maud , visited Brighton on Thursday , when His Royal Highness , amid the heartiest demonstrations of welcome , formally opened the Hospital for Sick Children .