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Correspondence.
CORRESPONDENCE .
All Letters must bear the name anl address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith . We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Cor . respondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications .
THE EVENING NEWS ON THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .
To the Editor of the FREEMASON S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I invariably look out for the Masonio column of the Evening News . It contains mostly some interesting items of news , and , generally speaking , the views it expresses are sound . But a paragraph I have just read about tho additional grant to the Koyal Masonio Benevolent Institution and other matters has
completely staggered me . The writer first of all points out that the anxiety tbat is felt as to the confirmation of this further grant is needless . But has he already forgotten that Bro . Baynham Stewart ' s motion was brought forward in the first instance last December , and though it was passed unanimously , and amid loud applause , yet in March , an eminent Brother , Deputy Prov . Grand Master of one of the
home counties , a Past Grand Deacon , and a member of the Board of General Purposes , moved the non-confirmation of so much of the December minutes as related to the said motion , and the motion was carried , a Committee of Inquiry into the funds at the disposal of the Board of General Purposes being appointed with a view to ascertaining if Grand Lodge could afford tbe additional outlay ? In June , Bro .
Stewart ' s motion was again submitted , and , it having been shown thafc the Board had a surplus income of £ 4 , 000 per annum , was carried by a small majority , a counter-proposition to give £ 400 having been first negatived . Now , whafc happened in March with reference to the December minutes , may—I hope it will not , for the sake of Grand Lodge consistency—happen iu September with reference to the June
minutes , especially as the attendance at the last Communication , when the rival motions were discussed , was a small one , and the majority for Bro . Stewart ' s motion only about fifteen . Hence , I think , it is very natural that the supporters of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution shonld bestir themselves , and that its Secretary should second their efforts .
As to the latter part of the paragraph , so far as I can nndertand it , it strikes me as being written in a tone which , to say the least , is the reverse of Masonic . The writer says there is this in favour of the Benevolent Institution , " That the recipients of its bounty did nofc come into Masonry at a time when it was thought there was something to be got out of Masonry . They joined Masonry , ifc is true : and
what is as fcrne , they never did anything for Masonry besides belong , ing to it and working up in it , and the support of the Charities was never part of their practice . Still , they were Masons , and they fell into bad circumstances , and the doctrines of Freemasonry have been carried into effect by placing them on the annuitants' list . " But he goes on to say , " With the other Institutions there is a difference .
The children who are admitted are the children of younger Masons , who , there is no room left to doubt , in a large proportion had an eye to the future when they joined the ranks , and the great majority of whom never contributed a halfpenny to either of the Institutions . Very few men join Masonry late in life , and so there is no suspicion that the annuitants of the Benevolent Institution saw in the not far
distant future an annuity of £ 40 , when they went through the ceremonies of initiation , passing , and raising . " Now , these assertions are far too sweeping in their character There is reason to believe tbat many join the Craft for what they can make out of it , bnt such brethren are tbe exception , not the rule . Moreover , to my knowledge , very many men of mature age join the
Fraternity , and if they , or any of them , have an eye to the main chance , why may they not just as well regard an annuity of £ 40 as " in the not far distant fnture , " as the election of one of their children to the Boys' or Girls' School ? A . man of fifty may argue with much reason that to lay ont a few pounds per annum for ten years to secure a life annuity of £ 40 , if circumstances should
go hard with him , is by no means a had investment , jnst as a younger man with a quiver fnll of olive branches growing up around him may think it profitable to join onr ranks in order that when the time comes he may get one or two of them maintained and educated at the expense of the Schools . It nnfortunatel y happens that there is much truth in what the writer to whom I am referring savs with
so much apparent unction ; a glance at the lists of candidates will show this ; but , as I have before suggested , his accusation is directed against the whole of tho Craft , instead of against an unworthy minority . Lastly , I submit it would be in better taste to make a charge of this sweeping description in the columns of-one of the Masonic papers , not in those of an evening contemporary which furnishes only once a week a modest dose of Masonic news .
Fraternally yours , "Q . " [ We quote the paragraph referred to in the above letter in full in another part of our columns . —ED . E . G . ]
IS MASONRY REALLY FLOURISHING ?
To the Editor of ihe FKEEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I quite agree with what yon said in yonr recent article bearing the above title , especially when you remark of the increasing number of applicants for relief from the
Correspondence.
Fnnd of Benevolence that " Apart from all other considerations , this is one of the ill effects of a too ready admission of candidates into Freemasonry , of men who fall into arrear , at first with their subscri ptions , then lapse altogether into a state of apathy and discontent , and finally fall into the ranks of those who have to ask for charity . " Ifc is also unfortunately trne that , owing to the number of young Lodges
which are springing up in all directions , they find it imperative to beat up for recruits , " in order to keep np the balance in the hands of the Treasurer , " though , as you are pleased to add , "in some Lodges we conld mention , in spite of an average share of admissions the balance sheet tells a woeful tale of laxity on the part of the members , and a hopeless state of arrears , so far as contributions are concerned . "
These aro great evils and seriously affect the fair fame of Freema . sonry . But they are not irremediable . If Lodges will only follow the advice of our late worthy Bro . John Hervey and be cautious in their reception of candidates , they will very soon pnt an end to the admission of comparatively pauper members , or those whose only care in joining Masonry is to make out of it as much profit as possible .
Leaving the Colonial out of the reckoning , there are quite 1300 Lodges in England , and these are fairly well distributed throughout the country . Let greater care be exercised in issuing fresh warrants , whioh can be absolutely wanted only in very rare cases . Then , and by strictly following Bro . Hervey's advice , we shall hear but little of joining Masonry for profit and living upon its Charity .
I remain , Faithfully yours , M . M . London , 23 rd August 1882 .
Commenting on this subject , the conductor of the Masonic column in the Evening News writes as follows : — The FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE has start : d a subject of great importance to the Craft , and which it is a pity has not been taken up in print before this . In a leading article last Saturday week the whole matter is succinctly , yet thoroughly , gone into whether Masonry is
really flourishing . Admitting the large increase in numbers within the last ten years , it is suggested that numerical strength is not an nnmixed good . The unsatisfactory condition of some Lodges is attributed to the large number of their members and the lack of discrimination whioh some brethren exhibit in introducing gentlemen into the Order . One of the consequences of this is , that many of the
newly-introduced have a strong desire to achieve hononrs in Masonryand as they cannot do so for several years in their own Lodges , because of the large number , they petition for new Lodges . The writer of the article in question believes that if the progress of Freemasonry had gone on to the present time in the same ratio as it assumed for the seven or eight years prior to 1880 the consequence mnst have been to
cause such a degeneracy of the Craft as would have shorn it of much of its influence and importance . What the writer says also of the ambition of brethren to get honours is perfectly trne . Those who seek hononrs only in Masonry are nofc the true Masons , but rather those who love it for its own sake , and strive to carry out its principles in practice . There is no doubt that the reason the calls on the Fund of Benevolence are so numerous is that men are admitted into
the Order whose position in life never warranted the expenditure of the initiation fee . As mentioned above , the subject is one of great importance , and it is highly satisfactory to know thafc but few warrants for new Lodges are being granted at the present time by the Grand Master . The granting of warrants does not appear to be fully understood . In former years very few warrants were granted . For instance , in 1849 there were but 8 , in 1850 there were 12 , in 185111 , in
1852 11 , in 1853 13 , in 1854 11 , in 1855 15 , in 1856 23 , in 1857 34 , in 1858 32 , in 1859 30 , in 1860 36 , in 1861 45 , in 1862 34 , in 1863 45 , in 1864 48 , in 1865 36 . in 1866 48 , in 1867 59 , in 1868 37 , in 1869 50 , in 1870 4 fi , in 1871 41 , in 1872 35 , in 1873 55 , in 1874 43 , in 1875 66 , in 1876 68 , in 1877 73 , in 1878 66 , in 1879 54 , in 1880 38 , and in 1881
56 . The increase has really occurred between 1860 and the present time , and not between the Prince of Wales ' s Grand Mastership in 1875 and the present time , as some have erroneonsly supposed .
BRO . WILLINO ' S CHOIR . —The prospectus of this new musical association has just been issued , and from it we gather that , in view of the dissolution of the Sacred Harmonic Society , some members of the chorus determined to resolve themselves into the above Association , under the presidency of the Earl of Lathom and an influential committee , with Bro . Willing ( sub-conductor of the late society ) as
conductor . A series of four subscription concerts is announced to take place in St . James ' s Hall , at the first of which , on 12 th December , will be produced , for the first time in London , Niels Gade fl cantata " Psyche" ( written for the Birmingham Festival ) in conjunction with Handel's " Acis and Galatea . " The Princess of Wales has accepted the dedication of " Psyche , " and it is expected that Her
Koyal Highness will be present at this performance . At the remaining concerts , Mendelssohn ' s "Elijah , " Handel's " Messiah , " and a Miscellaneous Concert , including a new work , will be given . The orchestra , entirely professional , complete in every department , witn Messrs . Carrodas , Doyle , Howell , White , & c , as principals , will togemembers
ther with the chorus ( including many of the most efBcient of the late Sacred Harmonic Society ) number about 250 performers . The principal vocalists announced include Mesdames Marie Eo- e , Anna Williams , Mary Davies , Orridge , Rosse , and Patey ; MeS ! jr ~ Edward Lloyd , "Vernon Rigby , Joseph Maas , Frederic King , C H 601 ? - and Lewis Thomas . Exeter Hall has been secured for rehearsals , which will be shortly resumed .
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 , but as a guarantee of good faith . We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Cor . respondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications .
THE EVENING NEWS ON THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .
To the Editor of the FREEMASON S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I invariably look out for the Masonio column of the Evening News . It contains mostly some interesting items of news , and , generally speaking , the views it expresses are sound . But a paragraph I have just read about tho additional grant to the Koyal Masonio Benevolent Institution and other matters has
completely staggered me . The writer first of all points out that the anxiety tbat is felt as to the confirmation of this further grant is needless . But has he already forgotten that Bro . Baynham Stewart ' s motion was brought forward in the first instance last December , and though it was passed unanimously , and amid loud applause , yet in March , an eminent Brother , Deputy Prov . Grand Master of one of the
home counties , a Past Grand Deacon , and a member of the Board of General Purposes , moved the non-confirmation of so much of the December minutes as related to the said motion , and the motion was carried , a Committee of Inquiry into the funds at the disposal of the Board of General Purposes being appointed with a view to ascertaining if Grand Lodge could afford tbe additional outlay ? In June , Bro .
Stewart ' s motion was again submitted , and , it having been shown thafc the Board had a surplus income of £ 4 , 000 per annum , was carried by a small majority , a counter-proposition to give £ 400 having been first negatived . Now , whafc happened in March with reference to the December minutes , may—I hope it will not , for the sake of Grand Lodge consistency—happen iu September with reference to the June
minutes , especially as the attendance at the last Communication , when the rival motions were discussed , was a small one , and the majority for Bro . Stewart ' s motion only about fifteen . Hence , I think , it is very natural that the supporters of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution shonld bestir themselves , and that its Secretary should second their efforts .
As to the latter part of the paragraph , so far as I can nndertand it , it strikes me as being written in a tone which , to say the least , is the reverse of Masonic . The writer says there is this in favour of the Benevolent Institution , " That the recipients of its bounty did nofc come into Masonry at a time when it was thought there was something to be got out of Masonry . They joined Masonry , ifc is true : and
what is as fcrne , they never did anything for Masonry besides belong , ing to it and working up in it , and the support of the Charities was never part of their practice . Still , they were Masons , and they fell into bad circumstances , and the doctrines of Freemasonry have been carried into effect by placing them on the annuitants' list . " But he goes on to say , " With the other Institutions there is a difference .
The children who are admitted are the children of younger Masons , who , there is no room left to doubt , in a large proportion had an eye to the future when they joined the ranks , and the great majority of whom never contributed a halfpenny to either of the Institutions . Very few men join Masonry late in life , and so there is no suspicion that the annuitants of the Benevolent Institution saw in the not far
distant future an annuity of £ 40 , when they went through the ceremonies of initiation , passing , and raising . " Now , these assertions are far too sweeping in their character There is reason to believe tbat many join the Craft for what they can make out of it , bnt such brethren are tbe exception , not the rule . Moreover , to my knowledge , very many men of mature age join the
Fraternity , and if they , or any of them , have an eye to the main chance , why may they not just as well regard an annuity of £ 40 as " in the not far distant fnture , " as the election of one of their children to the Boys' or Girls' School ? A . man of fifty may argue with much reason that to lay ont a few pounds per annum for ten years to secure a life annuity of £ 40 , if circumstances should
go hard with him , is by no means a had investment , jnst as a younger man with a quiver fnll of olive branches growing up around him may think it profitable to join onr ranks in order that when the time comes he may get one or two of them maintained and educated at the expense of the Schools . It nnfortunatel y happens that there is much truth in what the writer to whom I am referring savs with
so much apparent unction ; a glance at the lists of candidates will show this ; but , as I have before suggested , his accusation is directed against the whole of tho Craft , instead of against an unworthy minority . Lastly , I submit it would be in better taste to make a charge of this sweeping description in the columns of-one of the Masonic papers , not in those of an evening contemporary which furnishes only once a week a modest dose of Masonic news .
Fraternally yours , "Q . " [ We quote the paragraph referred to in the above letter in full in another part of our columns . —ED . E . G . ]
IS MASONRY REALLY FLOURISHING ?
To the Editor of ihe FKEEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I quite agree with what yon said in yonr recent article bearing the above title , especially when you remark of the increasing number of applicants for relief from the
Correspondence.
Fnnd of Benevolence that " Apart from all other considerations , this is one of the ill effects of a too ready admission of candidates into Freemasonry , of men who fall into arrear , at first with their subscri ptions , then lapse altogether into a state of apathy and discontent , and finally fall into the ranks of those who have to ask for charity . " Ifc is also unfortunately trne that , owing to the number of young Lodges
which are springing up in all directions , they find it imperative to beat up for recruits , " in order to keep np the balance in the hands of the Treasurer , " though , as you are pleased to add , "in some Lodges we conld mention , in spite of an average share of admissions the balance sheet tells a woeful tale of laxity on the part of the members , and a hopeless state of arrears , so far as contributions are concerned . "
These aro great evils and seriously affect the fair fame of Freema . sonry . But they are not irremediable . If Lodges will only follow the advice of our late worthy Bro . John Hervey and be cautious in their reception of candidates , they will very soon pnt an end to the admission of comparatively pauper members , or those whose only care in joining Masonry is to make out of it as much profit as possible .
Leaving the Colonial out of the reckoning , there are quite 1300 Lodges in England , and these are fairly well distributed throughout the country . Let greater care be exercised in issuing fresh warrants , whioh can be absolutely wanted only in very rare cases . Then , and by strictly following Bro . Hervey's advice , we shall hear but little of joining Masonry for profit and living upon its Charity .
I remain , Faithfully yours , M . M . London , 23 rd August 1882 .
Commenting on this subject , the conductor of the Masonic column in the Evening News writes as follows : — The FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE has start : d a subject of great importance to the Craft , and which it is a pity has not been taken up in print before this . In a leading article last Saturday week the whole matter is succinctly , yet thoroughly , gone into whether Masonry is
really flourishing . Admitting the large increase in numbers within the last ten years , it is suggested that numerical strength is not an nnmixed good . The unsatisfactory condition of some Lodges is attributed to the large number of their members and the lack of discrimination whioh some brethren exhibit in introducing gentlemen into the Order . One of the consequences of this is , that many of the
newly-introduced have a strong desire to achieve hononrs in Masonryand as they cannot do so for several years in their own Lodges , because of the large number , they petition for new Lodges . The writer of the article in question believes that if the progress of Freemasonry had gone on to the present time in the same ratio as it assumed for the seven or eight years prior to 1880 the consequence mnst have been to
cause such a degeneracy of the Craft as would have shorn it of much of its influence and importance . What the writer says also of the ambition of brethren to get honours is perfectly trne . Those who seek hononrs only in Masonry are nofc the true Masons , but rather those who love it for its own sake , and strive to carry out its principles in practice . There is no doubt that the reason the calls on the Fund of Benevolence are so numerous is that men are admitted into
the Order whose position in life never warranted the expenditure of the initiation fee . As mentioned above , the subject is one of great importance , and it is highly satisfactory to know thafc but few warrants for new Lodges are being granted at the present time by the Grand Master . The granting of warrants does not appear to be fully understood . In former years very few warrants were granted . For instance , in 1849 there were but 8 , in 1850 there were 12 , in 185111 , in
1852 11 , in 1853 13 , in 1854 11 , in 1855 15 , in 1856 23 , in 1857 34 , in 1858 32 , in 1859 30 , in 1860 36 , in 1861 45 , in 1862 34 , in 1863 45 , in 1864 48 , in 1865 36 . in 1866 48 , in 1867 59 , in 1868 37 , in 1869 50 , in 1870 4 fi , in 1871 41 , in 1872 35 , in 1873 55 , in 1874 43 , in 1875 66 , in 1876 68 , in 1877 73 , in 1878 66 , in 1879 54 , in 1880 38 , and in 1881
56 . The increase has really occurred between 1860 and the present time , and not between the Prince of Wales ' s Grand Mastership in 1875 and the present time , as some have erroneonsly supposed .
BRO . WILLINO ' S CHOIR . —The prospectus of this new musical association has just been issued , and from it we gather that , in view of the dissolution of the Sacred Harmonic Society , some members of the chorus determined to resolve themselves into the above Association , under the presidency of the Earl of Lathom and an influential committee , with Bro . Willing ( sub-conductor of the late society ) as
conductor . A series of four subscription concerts is announced to take place in St . James ' s Hall , at the first of which , on 12 th December , will be produced , for the first time in London , Niels Gade fl cantata " Psyche" ( written for the Birmingham Festival ) in conjunction with Handel's " Acis and Galatea . " The Princess of Wales has accepted the dedication of " Psyche , " and it is expected that Her
Koyal Highness will be present at this performance . At the remaining concerts , Mendelssohn ' s "Elijah , " Handel's " Messiah , " and a Miscellaneous Concert , including a new work , will be given . The orchestra , entirely professional , complete in every department , witn Messrs . Carrodas , Doyle , Howell , White , & c , as principals , will togemembers
ther with the chorus ( including many of the most efBcient of the late Sacred Harmonic Society ) number about 250 performers . The principal vocalists announced include Mesdames Marie Eo- e , Anna Williams , Mary Davies , Orridge , Rosse , and Patey ; MeS ! jr ~ Edward Lloyd , "Vernon Rigby , Joseph Maas , Frederic King , C H 601 ? - and Lewis Thomas . Exeter Hall has been secured for rehearsals , which will be shortly resumed .