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Article MEETING OF GRAND LODGE. Page 1 of 2 Article MEETING OF GRAND LODGE. Page 1 of 2 →
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Meeting Of Grand Lodge.
MEETING OF GRAND LODGE .
THE regular Quarterly Communication of tlie United Grand Lodge of England will be held on Wednesdaynext , 1 st June , and , as will be seen from tbe notice * we publish elsewhere , the amount of important business that is
set down for consideration is far in excess of the average . Taking the salient features of the agenda paper in the order of their arrangement , we come , in the first place , on certain propositions for a permanent increase in the number o f Grand Officers and the Grand Officers of Provinces of
a certain strength . As stated in the Report of the Board of General Purposes , twenty years have elapsed since any permanent addition was made to the number of Grand
Officers , and having regard to the fact that in the course of that period many new Lodges have been consecrated , involving , as of course , a very large increase in the number of Freemasons , it recommends that an addition be made in
the shape of two Standard Bearers and a Deputy Director of Ceremonies , snch addition to take effect on and after the Grand Festival of 1882 . Now , at first sight this may seem to be a matter of but little consequence . But with the increased numerical strength of tbe Fraternity , it must
follow that there is something like a commensurate increase in the number of those who are deserving of Grand Lodge honours . The Grand Offices , to which , in accordance with law or usage , it is in the power of the Grand Master to appoint brethren are about twelve in all . Grand Trea
surer is elected by the members of Grand Lodge . Grancl Eegistrar is appointed annually , but as a knowledge of Masonic law and usage is not acquired in a day , it has been usual to re-appoint from year to year the same Brother to this important office , so that on all questions of importance
there may be some one capable of offering a sound ancl respectable opinion . Grand Secretary , once appointed by the Grand Master , may be looked upon as a life tenant of the office , or * , at all events , as is the case with our judges , as tenant during good behaviour . The Grand
Superintendency of "Works and the Grand Directorship of Ceremonies must be set down in the same category with the Grand Secretaryship , as being offices held for life or during good behaviour . A Grand Assistant Secretary is only occasionally appointed , and then , as in the case of the late
Bro . Farnfield , and our present respected Bro . Buss , as a reward of merit for tbe unusually able performance of important functions in the office of Grancl Secretary . A G . Secretary for German Correspondence is a necessary as well as an ornamental addition to the roll of G . Officers , but as the office entails a certain amount of work and
corresponding quantum of responsibility , a change in the person holding it is not likely to occur often . Then the Grand and Assistant Grand Pursuivancies by usage entail only a single appointment annually , as the Assistant Grand Pursuivant of one year is customarily , and rightly in
our opinion , promoted to Graud Pursuivant of the next . There are thus for appointment annually only the two Grand Wardens , two Grand Chaplains , four Grand Deacons , Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies , Grand Sword Bearer , Grand Organist , and the Assistant Grand
Pursuivant , while as regards the Grand Chaplains , and G . Organist , the number of brethren eligible , from whom the Grand Master must make his selection , is of necessity very limited . However , setting this point aside , it is clear that ° the very many deserving brethren whose services it would only be too gratifying to the Grand Master to recognise , it is in his power to requite those of only twelve . A
Meeting Of Grand Lodge.
proposal to increase their number to fifteen , that is by twenty-five per cent ., is an eminently judicious one , and we hope , will find acceptance with Grand Lodge . The same remarks apply to the further proposition that in Provinces —and are we justified in including Districts likewise
?in which there are forty Lodges and upwards , the Prov . Grand Masters shall be empowered to appoint annually four Grand Deacons instead of two , and a Provincial Grand Deputy Director of Ceremonies . If this proposition
be carried , the rule will apply to East Lancashire , ¦ West Lancashire . AVest Yorkshire , Kent , and Devonshire , and if Districts abroad , be included , to those of Victoria and New South Wales .
The next matter of consequence which will be submitted will be the report of the Board of General Purposes on the motion referred to it by Graud Lodge in connection with the Voigt-Ttidor difference . It will be in the recollection of our readers that last year Bro . Voigt brought an
action for libel against Bro . Tndor and others , and was successful in obtaining a verdict , but with the nominal damages of one farthing only , and each party to the suit
had to pay his own costs . This latter point placed Bro . Tudor in a dilemma , and accordingly , at the March Communication , he submitted a motion to the effect that a grant of £ 150 should be made to him from the Fund of General
Purposes towards defraying tbe £ 169 4 s lid costs incurred by him . The Board , having duly discussed the matter in all its bearings , report that the principle of Grand Lodge devoting any portion of its funds towards defraying the cost of legal proceedings not incurred by its
authority or on its behalf by the Board of General Purposes would be " an innovation constituting a very inconvenient precedent , and leading to most undesirable results ; " and further , that there is nothing in the case submitted to them to justify a departure from tbe principle
aforesaid . For ourselves , we have already so distinctly and emphatically expressed our opinion on the matter , that we need hardly be at the pains of repeating ourselves
in the present article . It may be as well , however , if we take note of certain of the reasons urged by the Grand Registrar in March against the acceptance by Grand . Lodge of Bro . Tudor ' s motion . Said our learned Brother : —
" This Brother , I regret to say , is an unsuccessful defendant , who has been proved , by the verdict of a jury to have improperly , and without foundation , assailed the character of a Brother , and he comes and asks Grand Lodge to pay costs , the greater part of which have been occasioned by
his own act in forcing the brother to proceed with his action . Whatever the costs were up to that time , he would have none to pay , except his own Solicitor , but he tried to force the plaintiff in the action to pay those costs , against the advice of the learned Judge , who , by the way , is a
Mason and a member of the Middlesex Lodge , and who was extremely desirous this should not go on ; and we should never have heard of this stale matter , which occurred in 1877 , if ifc had not been for Bro . Trevor , who is your supplicant now , moving the Court to compel
Bro . Voigt to go on with his action or to pay his costs , which he had incurred in defending the statements in this summons , which the jury have found to be without justification . " It should be added that Bro . Mclntyre , in the course of his remarks , pointed out that , though the
Provincial Grand Master—of North and East Yorkshire—did not , as he might have done , reinstate Brother Voigt and his companions in misfortune—presumably on the ground that to have done so would not have tended to increase the harmony of the Lodge—his Lordship had farther said ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Meeting Of Grand Lodge.
MEETING OF GRAND LODGE .
THE regular Quarterly Communication of tlie United Grand Lodge of England will be held on Wednesdaynext , 1 st June , and , as will be seen from tbe notice * we publish elsewhere , the amount of important business that is
set down for consideration is far in excess of the average . Taking the salient features of the agenda paper in the order of their arrangement , we come , in the first place , on certain propositions for a permanent increase in the number o f Grand Officers and the Grand Officers of Provinces of
a certain strength . As stated in the Report of the Board of General Purposes , twenty years have elapsed since any permanent addition was made to the number of Grand
Officers , and having regard to the fact that in the course of that period many new Lodges have been consecrated , involving , as of course , a very large increase in the number of Freemasons , it recommends that an addition be made in
the shape of two Standard Bearers and a Deputy Director of Ceremonies , snch addition to take effect on and after the Grand Festival of 1882 . Now , at first sight this may seem to be a matter of but little consequence . But with the increased numerical strength of tbe Fraternity , it must
follow that there is something like a commensurate increase in the number of those who are deserving of Grand Lodge honours . The Grand Offices , to which , in accordance with law or usage , it is in the power of the Grand Master to appoint brethren are about twelve in all . Grand Trea
surer is elected by the members of Grand Lodge . Grancl Eegistrar is appointed annually , but as a knowledge of Masonic law and usage is not acquired in a day , it has been usual to re-appoint from year to year the same Brother to this important office , so that on all questions of importance
there may be some one capable of offering a sound ancl respectable opinion . Grand Secretary , once appointed by the Grand Master , may be looked upon as a life tenant of the office , or * , at all events , as is the case with our judges , as tenant during good behaviour . The Grand
Superintendency of "Works and the Grand Directorship of Ceremonies must be set down in the same category with the Grand Secretaryship , as being offices held for life or during good behaviour . A Grand Assistant Secretary is only occasionally appointed , and then , as in the case of the late
Bro . Farnfield , and our present respected Bro . Buss , as a reward of merit for tbe unusually able performance of important functions in the office of Grancl Secretary . A G . Secretary for German Correspondence is a necessary as well as an ornamental addition to the roll of G . Officers , but as the office entails a certain amount of work and
corresponding quantum of responsibility , a change in the person holding it is not likely to occur often . Then the Grand and Assistant Grand Pursuivancies by usage entail only a single appointment annually , as the Assistant Grand Pursuivant of one year is customarily , and rightly in
our opinion , promoted to Graud Pursuivant of the next . There are thus for appointment annually only the two Grand Wardens , two Grand Chaplains , four Grand Deacons , Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies , Grand Sword Bearer , Grand Organist , and the Assistant Grand
Pursuivant , while as regards the Grand Chaplains , and G . Organist , the number of brethren eligible , from whom the Grand Master must make his selection , is of necessity very limited . However , setting this point aside , it is clear that ° the very many deserving brethren whose services it would only be too gratifying to the Grand Master to recognise , it is in his power to requite those of only twelve . A
Meeting Of Grand Lodge.
proposal to increase their number to fifteen , that is by twenty-five per cent ., is an eminently judicious one , and we hope , will find acceptance with Grand Lodge . The same remarks apply to the further proposition that in Provinces —and are we justified in including Districts likewise
?in which there are forty Lodges and upwards , the Prov . Grand Masters shall be empowered to appoint annually four Grand Deacons instead of two , and a Provincial Grand Deputy Director of Ceremonies . If this proposition
be carried , the rule will apply to East Lancashire , ¦ West Lancashire . AVest Yorkshire , Kent , and Devonshire , and if Districts abroad , be included , to those of Victoria and New South Wales .
The next matter of consequence which will be submitted will be the report of the Board of General Purposes on the motion referred to it by Graud Lodge in connection with the Voigt-Ttidor difference . It will be in the recollection of our readers that last year Bro . Voigt brought an
action for libel against Bro . Tndor and others , and was successful in obtaining a verdict , but with the nominal damages of one farthing only , and each party to the suit
had to pay his own costs . This latter point placed Bro . Tudor in a dilemma , and accordingly , at the March Communication , he submitted a motion to the effect that a grant of £ 150 should be made to him from the Fund of General
Purposes towards defraying tbe £ 169 4 s lid costs incurred by him . The Board , having duly discussed the matter in all its bearings , report that the principle of Grand Lodge devoting any portion of its funds towards defraying the cost of legal proceedings not incurred by its
authority or on its behalf by the Board of General Purposes would be " an innovation constituting a very inconvenient precedent , and leading to most undesirable results ; " and further , that there is nothing in the case submitted to them to justify a departure from tbe principle
aforesaid . For ourselves , we have already so distinctly and emphatically expressed our opinion on the matter , that we need hardly be at the pains of repeating ourselves
in the present article . It may be as well , however , if we take note of certain of the reasons urged by the Grand Registrar in March against the acceptance by Grand . Lodge of Bro . Tudor ' s motion . Said our learned Brother : —
" This Brother , I regret to say , is an unsuccessful defendant , who has been proved , by the verdict of a jury to have improperly , and without foundation , assailed the character of a Brother , and he comes and asks Grand Lodge to pay costs , the greater part of which have been occasioned by
his own act in forcing the brother to proceed with his action . Whatever the costs were up to that time , he would have none to pay , except his own Solicitor , but he tried to force the plaintiff in the action to pay those costs , against the advice of the learned Judge , who , by the way , is a
Mason and a member of the Middlesex Lodge , and who was extremely desirous this should not go on ; and we should never have heard of this stale matter , which occurred in 1877 , if ifc had not been for Bro . Trevor , who is your supplicant now , moving the Court to compel
Bro . Voigt to go on with his action or to pay his costs , which he had incurred in defending the statements in this summons , which the jury have found to be without justification . " It should be added that Bro . Mclntyre , in the course of his remarks , pointed out that , though the
Provincial Grand Master—of North and East Yorkshire—did not , as he might have done , reinstate Brother Voigt and his companions in misfortune—presumably on the ground that to have done so would not have tended to increase the harmony of the Lodge—his Lordship had farther said ,