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Article CORRESPONDENCE. Page 1 of 1 Article LODGES OF INSTRUCTION. Page 1 of 1 Article LODGES OF INSTRUCTION. Page 1 of 1 Article COUNCIL OF ALLIED MASONIC DEGREES. Page 1 of 1
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
CORRESPONDENCE .
We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Cor - respondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications . All Letters must bear the name an I address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith .
BRO . NORTON AND PHILADELPHIA MASONRY .
To the Editor of the FREEMASON s CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Bro . Norton ' s argument , based on the Lodgo lists , published in Bro . Gould's "Four Old Lodges , " that " Lodge No . 79 of 1730 was born in England , lived in England , and died in England , " seems unexceptionable , and I think the warmest advocate of tho claims of Philadelphia to regard that particular
Lodge as the first resnlfc of tho deputation granted to Bro . Coxe , will most probably como to the samo conclusion . But it does not follow that Philadelphia is on this account deprived of its title to be the mother-city of American Freemasonry . It ' must first of all be shown that tho statement as to a deputation having been granted to Bro . Coxo as Provincial Grand Master of Now York , Pennsylvania , & c ,
is merely a myth . In tho next placo it must bo shown that the statements of contemporaneous journals , to tho effect that very soon after the alleged grant of that deputation meetings of the brethren in Philadelphia took placo , wero without any foundation . Then when the very difficult task of proving these negatives , or , at least , the latter of the two , has been achieved , it may reasonably te accepted
that Philadelphia is not , in respect of American Freemasonry , what she claims to be , namely , its mother-city . For myself , I have never been a very warm supporter of the theory that Lodge No . 79 hailed from Philadelphia . It was too vague a proposition , too unsubstantiated by anything in the shape of direct evidence to commend itself to my mind . But I have always looked upon the Coxe deputation
and the extracts from the Philadelphia journal—I forget its name for the moment—as having a very direct bearing upon the subject , and till the reality of thoir existence has been seriously disturbed , I shall always be of the opinion that Freemasonry undoubtedly established itsslf in Philadelphia before it did in any other city of the present United States . I will go further ancl say that , even if the
Coxe deputation was never granted—and I know no Craftsmen who 5 s more competent to throw lig ht on this than Bro . Gould—I shonld still hold to the belief that the evidence of a contemporary journal as to there having been meetings of the Craft in the City of Brotherly Love cannot be overset . We must not judge the Masonic arrangements of those days as to the Constitution of Lodges by the methodical
regulations of the present , when petitions , backed up by recommendations , aro formerly submitted to the authorities , and warrants are granted or refused as they see fit . In and abont the year 1730 Lodges came into being—especially in a remote colony of England , as Pennsylvania then was—with bnt scant ceremony , and it is easy to imagine how a few English Masons who
had settled in America , or a few colonials who , during a temporary sojourn in this country , had become members of the Craft , and returned full of real admiration for Masonry , would meet together and constitute themselves into a Lodge , without those formalities which now-a-days are held to be preliminarily necessary to the formation of a Lodge . And when it became known that some brother
had been made Provincial Grand Master of a part or the whole of the British North American Colonies , it requires no stretch of the imagination to suppose that the informal constitution of such Lodge would be accepted , and that any warrant that might be given to it would be antedated to the period of their first regular meetings . Those who have studied the earliest published lists of Lodges , and
lave noted the frequent changes in their order and dates of constitution , will have no difficulty in imagining that , having regard to those frequent changes ancl irregularities in the case of onr Lodges at home , there would certainly be still more remarkable and inexpli . caple changes among Lodges constituted in a distant colony . With all our anxiety to obtain direct evidence about such interesting
matters , we cannot afford to disregard the claims of circumstantial evidence altogether , especially when it comes before us in the shape of contemporaneous newspaper announcements . Trusting Bro . Gould will find leisure to write to yon as to his knowledge of the Coxe Deputation , and his opinion , if he has given the matter his consideration , about early Freemasonry in Philadelphia ,
I beg to remain , Fraternally yours , PHILADELPHOS . P . S . —I need nofc trouble Bro . Hnghan , as everybody knows how ardent a supporter he is of the view I have expressed—to wit , that Philadelphia is fcho mother city of American Freemasonry . PH .
Lodges Of Instruction.
LODGES OF INSTRUCTION .
To tho Editor of the FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —A correspondent , writing under the name of "DISCIPLE , " again opens a question of somo importance , which , if I am not mistaken , has already received a considerable amount of
attention in your journal . He comments npon the unsatisfactory manner in which the business of most of tho Metropolitan Lodges of Instruction is conducted , and points to tho low standard of educational attainments observable in the chosen Preceptors . He very justly remarks that " a course of training in the elementary knowledge of
Lodges Of Instruction.
English grammar might prove of some advantage to teacher and pupil . " There can scarcely be two opinions as to the desirabilit y of improvement in that direction . The educated mind would more readily discern fcho many incongruities to which hitherto undisputed assent has been given , and trained intelligence wonld be moro likel y to appreciate and accept the excellent and valuable emendations
which , with brighter intellect , some eminent brethren have for years past advocated and endeavoured to introduce j but to whioh igno . ranco , prejudice , ancl a kind of superstitious Conservatism have proved a stumbling block , so that their zealous efforts have met with but very poor success . Ifc would certainly nofc diminish the prestige of the Order if the Preceptors , as the remarks of "DISCIPLE" imply ,
were capable of delivering expositions of the history , phiiosophy , and science of Freemasonry , and possessed the requisite knowledge to enlighten the inquisitive pupil npon difficult , and real or seemingly obscure questions . Experience , however , proves that any attempt to deviate from the beaten track would be received with scant tolera . tion . The reason for the apathy and opposition is not far to seek . Aa
a general rule the attendants at Lodges of Instruction are those who have either an immediate or contiguous prospeofc of advancement in their own Lodge . These consider Lodges of Instruction merely as a convenient and inexpensive stage for rehearsal of the routine of general Lodge work . The words of the ceremonies , as indeed of the Lectures , & c , are learnt , not as " DISCIPLE , " in his innocence and
guilelessness imagines , by being " conveyed orally , but from openly published and freely advertised books , containing in a more or less correct form all that is required for the efficient perform , ance of the duties of every office in the Lodge . Hence , a brother who happens to be conversant with what might nofc inaptly be termed the drill , and who exhibits the taofc and capacity of a drill
sergeant , is elected and suffered to occupy the important post of Pre . ceptor , notwithstanding his palpable ignorance of the elementary principles of the science , the eccentric use of his mother tongue , and the audacious liberties he takes with poor , unfortunate letter H . The question of scholarly attainments , which might presumably be expected to be possessed by any one accepting the office of teacher of
our exalfced mysteries , does in no way trouble or interest ; fche average pupil . He has neither fche time , nor , indeed , the inclination or care , to become acquainted with anything beyond the requirements of ordinary Lodge work , and the height of his ambition is attained b y the ephemeral distinction of having passed the chair in his Lodge . Then his business with the Preceptor is ended , and the Lodge of
Instruction sees him no more . There is no donbfc thafc afc no immeasurable distance of time all these much-to-be-regretted conditions must and will change . The successful efforts whioh are afc the present time being made . to spread a higher education amongst all classes cannot fail to exercise a wholesome influence , and render intelligent pupils more numerous , and
therefore an ignorant and ill-trained Preceptor an impossibility . But , meanwhile , ifc would be ungracious and ungenerous to withhold a due meed of praise and warm acknowledgment to those brethren who so freely offer their time and energies , which in all probability might in many cases be more pleasantly and profitably
employed , and who , whatever their fitness or capacity , are ever ready and willing to counsel , advise , and instruct in such knowledge as they possess , and in the best manner they know how , and who give their services gratuitously to the advantage of the Craft , by undertaking the onerous and thankless task of occupying the position of Preceptor of a Metropolitan Lodge of Instrnction . Fraternally yours , E . GOTTHEIL .
Council Of Allied Masonic Degrees.
COUNCIL OF ALLIED MASONIC DEGREES .
Ebor Council ( T . I . )—A meeting of this Council was held at York , on Tuesday evening , 19 th inst ., when there were present—Bros . J . S . Cumberland W . M ., G . Simpson P . M . as S . W ., M . Millington 3 . W ., T . B . Whytehead P . M . Sec , A . T . B . Turner S . D ., E . J . de Salis as J . D ., W . P . Husband I . G ., P . Pearson Tyler , W . B . Dyson , J . J . Wilkes , & o . Bro . F . Binckes P . G . W ., Secretary of the Boys '
School , was also present . Bro . Gates , of the Restoration Lodge , Darlington , was admitted to the Order of St . Lawrence , and , with several of the other members of the Council , was subsequently admitted to the degrees of Knight of Constantinople , Red Cross of Babylon , and Grand High Priest . After the close of the proceedings , the brethren met at the Grill , and a mosfc harmonious evening was spent .
The will of Bro . Edward Cox , late of 102 Chancery-lane , law stationer , and of Carlton-road , Putney-hill , who died on the 15 th ult ., was proved on fche 7 fch insfc ., by Mrs . Lydia Cox , the widow , and Mr . Edward Hanslope Cox , the son , the executors , the personal estate being sworn under £ 6 , 000 . The testator gives and bequeaths all his real and personal estate whatsoever to his wife for her own absolute use and benefit .
Mosfc of our readers , and certainly those who have the pleasure of knowing Bro . Dr . J . D . Moore P . G . S . B . of E . Lancashire , will learn with feelings of regret that he has been seriously ill . Later accounts , however , report a considerable improvement in his condition , and we trnsfc that ere long onr worthy and distinguished brother may be so far restored to health and strength as to take his place once more amongst ns with his accustomed energy and ability .
We understand that H . R . H . the Prince of Wales has accepted a copy of Bro . F . Jalian Croger ' s " Masonic Musical Mnse . "
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
CORRESPONDENCE .
We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Cor - respondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications . All Letters must bear the name an I address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith .
BRO . NORTON AND PHILADELPHIA MASONRY .
To the Editor of the FREEMASON s CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Bro . Norton ' s argument , based on the Lodgo lists , published in Bro . Gould's "Four Old Lodges , " that " Lodge No . 79 of 1730 was born in England , lived in England , and died in England , " seems unexceptionable , and I think the warmest advocate of tho claims of Philadelphia to regard that particular
Lodge as the first resnlfc of tho deputation granted to Bro . Coxe , will most probably como to the samo conclusion . But it does not follow that Philadelphia is on this account deprived of its title to be the mother-city of American Freemasonry . It ' must first of all be shown that tho statement as to a deputation having been granted to Bro . Coxo as Provincial Grand Master of Now York , Pennsylvania , & c ,
is merely a myth . In tho next placo it must bo shown that the statements of contemporaneous journals , to tho effect that very soon after the alleged grant of that deputation meetings of the brethren in Philadelphia took placo , wero without any foundation . Then when the very difficult task of proving these negatives , or , at least , the latter of the two , has been achieved , it may reasonably te accepted
that Philadelphia is not , in respect of American Freemasonry , what she claims to be , namely , its mother-city . For myself , I have never been a very warm supporter of the theory that Lodge No . 79 hailed from Philadelphia . It was too vague a proposition , too unsubstantiated by anything in the shape of direct evidence to commend itself to my mind . But I have always looked upon the Coxe deputation
and the extracts from the Philadelphia journal—I forget its name for the moment—as having a very direct bearing upon the subject , and till the reality of thoir existence has been seriously disturbed , I shall always be of the opinion that Freemasonry undoubtedly established itsslf in Philadelphia before it did in any other city of the present United States . I will go further ancl say that , even if the
Coxe deputation was never granted—and I know no Craftsmen who 5 s more competent to throw lig ht on this than Bro . Gould—I shonld still hold to the belief that the evidence of a contemporary journal as to there having been meetings of the Craft in the City of Brotherly Love cannot be overset . We must not judge the Masonic arrangements of those days as to the Constitution of Lodges by the methodical
regulations of the present , when petitions , backed up by recommendations , aro formerly submitted to the authorities , and warrants are granted or refused as they see fit . In and abont the year 1730 Lodges came into being—especially in a remote colony of England , as Pennsylvania then was—with bnt scant ceremony , and it is easy to imagine how a few English Masons who
had settled in America , or a few colonials who , during a temporary sojourn in this country , had become members of the Craft , and returned full of real admiration for Masonry , would meet together and constitute themselves into a Lodge , without those formalities which now-a-days are held to be preliminarily necessary to the formation of a Lodge . And when it became known that some brother
had been made Provincial Grand Master of a part or the whole of the British North American Colonies , it requires no stretch of the imagination to suppose that the informal constitution of such Lodge would be accepted , and that any warrant that might be given to it would be antedated to the period of their first regular meetings . Those who have studied the earliest published lists of Lodges , and
lave noted the frequent changes in their order and dates of constitution , will have no difficulty in imagining that , having regard to those frequent changes ancl irregularities in the case of onr Lodges at home , there would certainly be still more remarkable and inexpli . caple changes among Lodges constituted in a distant colony . With all our anxiety to obtain direct evidence about such interesting
matters , we cannot afford to disregard the claims of circumstantial evidence altogether , especially when it comes before us in the shape of contemporaneous newspaper announcements . Trusting Bro . Gould will find leisure to write to yon as to his knowledge of the Coxe Deputation , and his opinion , if he has given the matter his consideration , about early Freemasonry in Philadelphia ,
I beg to remain , Fraternally yours , PHILADELPHOS . P . S . —I need nofc trouble Bro . Hnghan , as everybody knows how ardent a supporter he is of the view I have expressed—to wit , that Philadelphia is fcho mother city of American Freemasonry . PH .
Lodges Of Instruction.
LODGES OF INSTRUCTION .
To tho Editor of the FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —A correspondent , writing under the name of "DISCIPLE , " again opens a question of somo importance , which , if I am not mistaken , has already received a considerable amount of
attention in your journal . He comments npon the unsatisfactory manner in which the business of most of tho Metropolitan Lodges of Instruction is conducted , and points to tho low standard of educational attainments observable in the chosen Preceptors . He very justly remarks that " a course of training in the elementary knowledge of
Lodges Of Instruction.
English grammar might prove of some advantage to teacher and pupil . " There can scarcely be two opinions as to the desirabilit y of improvement in that direction . The educated mind would more readily discern fcho many incongruities to which hitherto undisputed assent has been given , and trained intelligence wonld be moro likel y to appreciate and accept the excellent and valuable emendations
which , with brighter intellect , some eminent brethren have for years past advocated and endeavoured to introduce j but to whioh igno . ranco , prejudice , ancl a kind of superstitious Conservatism have proved a stumbling block , so that their zealous efforts have met with but very poor success . Ifc would certainly nofc diminish the prestige of the Order if the Preceptors , as the remarks of "DISCIPLE" imply ,
were capable of delivering expositions of the history , phiiosophy , and science of Freemasonry , and possessed the requisite knowledge to enlighten the inquisitive pupil npon difficult , and real or seemingly obscure questions . Experience , however , proves that any attempt to deviate from the beaten track would be received with scant tolera . tion . The reason for the apathy and opposition is not far to seek . Aa
a general rule the attendants at Lodges of Instruction are those who have either an immediate or contiguous prospeofc of advancement in their own Lodge . These consider Lodges of Instruction merely as a convenient and inexpensive stage for rehearsal of the routine of general Lodge work . The words of the ceremonies , as indeed of the Lectures , & c , are learnt , not as " DISCIPLE , " in his innocence and
guilelessness imagines , by being " conveyed orally , but from openly published and freely advertised books , containing in a more or less correct form all that is required for the efficient perform , ance of the duties of every office in the Lodge . Hence , a brother who happens to be conversant with what might nofc inaptly be termed the drill , and who exhibits the taofc and capacity of a drill
sergeant , is elected and suffered to occupy the important post of Pre . ceptor , notwithstanding his palpable ignorance of the elementary principles of the science , the eccentric use of his mother tongue , and the audacious liberties he takes with poor , unfortunate letter H . The question of scholarly attainments , which might presumably be expected to be possessed by any one accepting the office of teacher of
our exalfced mysteries , does in no way trouble or interest ; fche average pupil . He has neither fche time , nor , indeed , the inclination or care , to become acquainted with anything beyond the requirements of ordinary Lodge work , and the height of his ambition is attained b y the ephemeral distinction of having passed the chair in his Lodge . Then his business with the Preceptor is ended , and the Lodge of
Instruction sees him no more . There is no donbfc thafc afc no immeasurable distance of time all these much-to-be-regretted conditions must and will change . The successful efforts whioh are afc the present time being made . to spread a higher education amongst all classes cannot fail to exercise a wholesome influence , and render intelligent pupils more numerous , and
therefore an ignorant and ill-trained Preceptor an impossibility . But , meanwhile , ifc would be ungracious and ungenerous to withhold a due meed of praise and warm acknowledgment to those brethren who so freely offer their time and energies , which in all probability might in many cases be more pleasantly and profitably
employed , and who , whatever their fitness or capacity , are ever ready and willing to counsel , advise , and instruct in such knowledge as they possess , and in the best manner they know how , and who give their services gratuitously to the advantage of the Craft , by undertaking the onerous and thankless task of occupying the position of Preceptor of a Metropolitan Lodge of Instrnction . Fraternally yours , E . GOTTHEIL .
Council Of Allied Masonic Degrees.
COUNCIL OF ALLIED MASONIC DEGREES .
Ebor Council ( T . I . )—A meeting of this Council was held at York , on Tuesday evening , 19 th inst ., when there were present—Bros . J . S . Cumberland W . M ., G . Simpson P . M . as S . W ., M . Millington 3 . W ., T . B . Whytehead P . M . Sec , A . T . B . Turner S . D ., E . J . de Salis as J . D ., W . P . Husband I . G ., P . Pearson Tyler , W . B . Dyson , J . J . Wilkes , & o . Bro . F . Binckes P . G . W ., Secretary of the Boys '
School , was also present . Bro . Gates , of the Restoration Lodge , Darlington , was admitted to the Order of St . Lawrence , and , with several of the other members of the Council , was subsequently admitted to the degrees of Knight of Constantinople , Red Cross of Babylon , and Grand High Priest . After the close of the proceedings , the brethren met at the Grill , and a mosfc harmonious evening was spent .
The will of Bro . Edward Cox , late of 102 Chancery-lane , law stationer , and of Carlton-road , Putney-hill , who died on the 15 th ult ., was proved on fche 7 fch insfc ., by Mrs . Lydia Cox , the widow , and Mr . Edward Hanslope Cox , the son , the executors , the personal estate being sworn under £ 6 , 000 . The testator gives and bequeaths all his real and personal estate whatsoever to his wife for her own absolute use and benefit .
Mosfc of our readers , and certainly those who have the pleasure of knowing Bro . Dr . J . D . Moore P . G . S . B . of E . Lancashire , will learn with feelings of regret that he has been seriously ill . Later accounts , however , report a considerable improvement in his condition , and we trnsfc that ere long onr worthy and distinguished brother may be so far restored to health and strength as to take his place once more amongst ns with his accustomed energy and ability .
We understand that H . R . H . the Prince of Wales has accepted a copy of Bro . F . Jalian Croger ' s " Masonic Musical Mnse . "