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Article MASONIC RELIEF, IN THEORY AND IN PRACTICE. Page 1 of 2 Article MASONIC RELIEF, IN THEORY AND IN PRACTICE. Page 1 of 2 →
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Masonic Relief, In Theory And In Practice.
MASONIC RELIEF , IN THEORY AND IN PRACTICE .
" \ TOTWITHSTANDING the boasted benevolence of
IA Freemasons , and tbe popular idea that members of the Order extend a helping hand to those of their number who may be in distress , we fear that in a large majority of cases it would go very bard with the Mason who found
himself in a strange English town , penniless and in want . His case might bear the strictest investigation , his distress might have resulted from causes wholly beyond his control , and yet he wonld often find it a difficult task to obtain
sufficient Masonic relief to keep him from suffering the pangs of hunger . The reason for this is not far to seek ; it is not Freemasonry or its members as a body who are to be blamed , but the few black sheep who have found their way
into the Masonic fold—men who do no work , and who never intend to , so long as they can eke out an existence by preying on their fellow creatures . These it is who stop the flow of Masonic benevolence , and make it hard for the
truly deserving brother to obtain that which he is justly entitled to ; for a Mason in distress is really entitled to such relief as his brethren are in a position to afford . While we recognise this as the true cause of Masonic
hardheartedness , there is yet another fact which has to be taken into consideration , there are few towns which possess any organisation intended to deal with appeals and cases of
temporary distress . Were this the case the stranded brother would have a tribunal to which he could submit his appeal , and in instances such as we have referred to there would be
a satisfactory response , costing the brethren of the town a mere trifle each , but proving of great service to the recipient . We ask our readers to imagine the position of a brother circumstanced as we have surmised , who
suddenly found himself in their midst . What could he do , to whom could he appeal , and what would be the reception accorded him ? Provided he had no information as to Masonry in the town , he might visit two or three of the
hotels before even discovering where a Lodge met , and when he had secured that information he might find it impossible to ascertain the name of a single member . Supposing he was so far successful as to find himself in the
presence of a brother , is it not more than likely he would be wrongly judged , or , at the most , he would be promised that his case should be considered at the next meeting of the Lodge . All this might be prevented if we had in each
town a committee duly appointed to consider applications , and afford relief on behalf of the Lodges they represented . It would be a hard matter to swindle these committees , as they would be in frequent communication with those in
other towns , and thus they would serve a double purpose , they would check imposture and relieve real distress ; that too at a cost far below what we are led to believe is annually expended on so-called Masonic impostors .
A New York contemporary ably meets this question by giving a list of advantages which attach to a Masonic ¦ Board of Relief , and a brief perusal of the various items enumerated will no doubt prove interesting to our readers .
A regularly constituted Board , says our contemporary , keeps applications away from the Lodges . This is an advantage which has much wider benefits than appears at
first sight , for not only does a Board keep from the Lod ge all those applicants which it feels justified in helping , as well as those ^ rhioh it deems unworthy of recognition
Masonic Relief, In Theory And In Practice.
but it also proves the means of aiding others in such a way as to render their appeal to a Lodge for pecuniary assistance unnecessary ; this we shall show later on . A Board has more time and better opportunities to
investigate cases . This is perhaps the strongest argument that can be urged in favour of establishing Boards of Relief , for as we have said above , we consider it would be next to impossible for swindlers to deceive the brethren
who constituted such Boards—at least to any great extent —because of the communication which would be kept up between tbe Boards of different towns . Further than this ,
some member or members of the Board would generally be in the district , and cases of distress could be considered at any moment , instead of being left over , as is often the case at present , until the next meeting of the Lodge .
The delegates and Officers of a Board gain much experience , and are therefore better qualified to judge as to the merits and needs of the cases , while on the discovery of an impostor they publish the fact to the world at large .
These are arguments which speak for themselves , this being more particularly the case in regard to the exposure of fraud , but the suggestion that familiarity with ap . plicants places a man in a better position to judge what is right is also true aud worthy of consideration .
A Board assumes the responsibility of Masonic Charitable relief , and acts as the almoner of the Lodge contributing to it , at the same time reducing the actual cost of charitable disbursements to the minimum . And , our contemporary
might have said , is in a position to give practical effect to the preachings of a large class of brethren whose willingness to help ends with the talking about it . A Board is able to make inquiries which are impossible in a Lodge , the
members of which would in many cases have departed to their respective homes before a report founded on actual experience could be prepared . This is not the case with a Board , the members of which can resume an inquiry in
which they are eugaged from day to day , so long as necessary , and at the conclusion of the inquiry may be in a position to expend a few shillings to greater advantage than pounds would prove if left to the disposition of the applicant .
A Board acts promptly and effectively in cases in which single Lodges could not conveniently act , and has sums of money in hand to accomplish purposes that Lodges are not justified in nndertaking . Any one who has heard a
number of appeals submitted to our Lodges will agree with the truth of these arguments , for it occasionally happens that the members of a Lodge find themselves unable to vote funds for outside cases of distress although
they may be desirous of affording some amount of relief . If a sum is periodically set aside for the use of a Board of Relief this difficulty is overcome , and individual brethren
will have the satisfaction of knowing that should they be appealed to at any time they have a regular constituted body to whom to refer the applicant .
The system of a Board is such that adequate relief can be afforded at any hour , or on any day of the week . This we look upon as the only true system of affording brotherly
assistance—a charity exercised at the time of appeal being far more beneficial than that delayed for days , which must of necessity often come too late . ; A Board furnishes employment to a large number of applicants , and places tools in their hands to enable them
to earn their own livelihood . In short , what the Lodges in the nature of things cannot do , the Board of Relief can
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Relief, In Theory And In Practice.
MASONIC RELIEF , IN THEORY AND IN PRACTICE .
" \ TOTWITHSTANDING the boasted benevolence of
IA Freemasons , and tbe popular idea that members of the Order extend a helping hand to those of their number who may be in distress , we fear that in a large majority of cases it would go very bard with the Mason who found
himself in a strange English town , penniless and in want . His case might bear the strictest investigation , his distress might have resulted from causes wholly beyond his control , and yet he wonld often find it a difficult task to obtain
sufficient Masonic relief to keep him from suffering the pangs of hunger . The reason for this is not far to seek ; it is not Freemasonry or its members as a body who are to be blamed , but the few black sheep who have found their way
into the Masonic fold—men who do no work , and who never intend to , so long as they can eke out an existence by preying on their fellow creatures . These it is who stop the flow of Masonic benevolence , and make it hard for the
truly deserving brother to obtain that which he is justly entitled to ; for a Mason in distress is really entitled to such relief as his brethren are in a position to afford . While we recognise this as the true cause of Masonic
hardheartedness , there is yet another fact which has to be taken into consideration , there are few towns which possess any organisation intended to deal with appeals and cases of
temporary distress . Were this the case the stranded brother would have a tribunal to which he could submit his appeal , and in instances such as we have referred to there would be
a satisfactory response , costing the brethren of the town a mere trifle each , but proving of great service to the recipient . We ask our readers to imagine the position of a brother circumstanced as we have surmised , who
suddenly found himself in their midst . What could he do , to whom could he appeal , and what would be the reception accorded him ? Provided he had no information as to Masonry in the town , he might visit two or three of the
hotels before even discovering where a Lodge met , and when he had secured that information he might find it impossible to ascertain the name of a single member . Supposing he was so far successful as to find himself in the
presence of a brother , is it not more than likely he would be wrongly judged , or , at the most , he would be promised that his case should be considered at the next meeting of the Lodge . All this might be prevented if we had in each
town a committee duly appointed to consider applications , and afford relief on behalf of the Lodges they represented . It would be a hard matter to swindle these committees , as they would be in frequent communication with those in
other towns , and thus they would serve a double purpose , they would check imposture and relieve real distress ; that too at a cost far below what we are led to believe is annually expended on so-called Masonic impostors .
A New York contemporary ably meets this question by giving a list of advantages which attach to a Masonic ¦ Board of Relief , and a brief perusal of the various items enumerated will no doubt prove interesting to our readers .
A regularly constituted Board , says our contemporary , keeps applications away from the Lodges . This is an advantage which has much wider benefits than appears at
first sight , for not only does a Board keep from the Lod ge all those applicants which it feels justified in helping , as well as those ^ rhioh it deems unworthy of recognition
Masonic Relief, In Theory And In Practice.
but it also proves the means of aiding others in such a way as to render their appeal to a Lodge for pecuniary assistance unnecessary ; this we shall show later on . A Board has more time and better opportunities to
investigate cases . This is perhaps the strongest argument that can be urged in favour of establishing Boards of Relief , for as we have said above , we consider it would be next to impossible for swindlers to deceive the brethren
who constituted such Boards—at least to any great extent —because of the communication which would be kept up between tbe Boards of different towns . Further than this ,
some member or members of the Board would generally be in the district , and cases of distress could be considered at any moment , instead of being left over , as is often the case at present , until the next meeting of the Lodge .
The delegates and Officers of a Board gain much experience , and are therefore better qualified to judge as to the merits and needs of the cases , while on the discovery of an impostor they publish the fact to the world at large .
These are arguments which speak for themselves , this being more particularly the case in regard to the exposure of fraud , but the suggestion that familiarity with ap . plicants places a man in a better position to judge what is right is also true aud worthy of consideration .
A Board assumes the responsibility of Masonic Charitable relief , and acts as the almoner of the Lodge contributing to it , at the same time reducing the actual cost of charitable disbursements to the minimum . And , our contemporary
might have said , is in a position to give practical effect to the preachings of a large class of brethren whose willingness to help ends with the talking about it . A Board is able to make inquiries which are impossible in a Lodge , the
members of which would in many cases have departed to their respective homes before a report founded on actual experience could be prepared . This is not the case with a Board , the members of which can resume an inquiry in
which they are eugaged from day to day , so long as necessary , and at the conclusion of the inquiry may be in a position to expend a few shillings to greater advantage than pounds would prove if left to the disposition of the applicant .
A Board acts promptly and effectively in cases in which single Lodges could not conveniently act , and has sums of money in hand to accomplish purposes that Lodges are not justified in nndertaking . Any one who has heard a
number of appeals submitted to our Lodges will agree with the truth of these arguments , for it occasionally happens that the members of a Lodge find themselves unable to vote funds for outside cases of distress although
they may be desirous of affording some amount of relief . If a sum is periodically set aside for the use of a Board of Relief this difficulty is overcome , and individual brethren
will have the satisfaction of knowing that should they be appealed to at any time they have a regular constituted body to whom to refer the applicant .
The system of a Board is such that adequate relief can be afforded at any hour , or on any day of the week . This we look upon as the only true system of affording brotherly
assistance—a charity exercised at the time of appeal being far more beneficial than that delayed for days , which must of necessity often come too late . ; A Board furnishes employment to a large number of applicants , and places tools in their hands to enable them
to earn their own livelihood . In short , what the Lodges in the nature of things cannot do , the Board of Relief can