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Article UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND. ← Page 6 of 12 →
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United Grand Lodge Of England.
who had heard the very able and eloquent maimer in which this question hacl been introduced b y Bro . Bigg , must take a very lively interest in the debate . He was free to confess that while he was much delighted with the eloquence of the brother on his left ( Bro . Havers ) , he had been equally disappointed at that brother ' s opposing the motion in no very measured terms ; after accusing the proposer of a desire to deprive certain ledges of well merited rihtshe proceeded to enlighten those who
g , , like himself ( Bro . Phillips ) , were not thoroughly acquainted with the hislory of the red apron ; what was expected from his recapitulation of the origin of the privilege but a clear demonstration , that the distinction owed its origin to certain valuable ancl distinguished services rendered to the Craft by the eighteen lodges to whom the honour was exclusively granted ; but the other members of Grand Lodge , like himself , must be greatly astonished to have the assertion confirmed bBro . Haversthat
y , no claims of merit originated the grant , it arose simply from the fact of its having been expedient to give a banquet annually , and several brethren volunteering as Stewards , ancl to defray the expenses , were rewarded with a red apron ; but that now the Stewards could be named from those eighteen only , to the exclusion of every other ; this was neither more nor less than a money qualification , it was entirely inconsistent with the spirit of Masonryand entirelinconsistent with the initiatory
, y ceremony , the instructions therein distinctly pointing to merit , and to merit only , as the means of distinction in the Craft , and the path to be followed for acquiring honours ; it was evident now that the only requisite to this mark of favour was the payment of a quota to a dinner entertainment ,, ancl therefore in its fullest sense a mere money consideration . He trusted
the brethren would give the motion under discussion their patient aud serious consideration , and in the end determine to give to merit , and to that only , a mark of reward . Bro . SCARBOROUGH had listened patiently to the debate , and gathered from it , ancl from what he knew of the red apron history , that it was a money affair ; it might be summed up in very few words as the qualification now stood—thus , the payment by a brother of about ten shillings for every one who dined at the grand festivalwhether the member was
, known to the Steward or not , he was enabled to eat a dinner that cost the Grand Steward twenty-five shillings for the smaller sum of fifteen shillings , the price the tickets of admission were sold for—that was the plain English , and made good the old saying , " the best way to a man ' s heart was through his stomach ; " it was now shown that the shortest way to masonic honours was by a similar road . A good deal hacl been said about the charitiesand a printed was industriouslcirculated
, paper y to show what red apron lodges hacl given ; hut had it been shown that the money was subscribed by the wearers of red aprons or the blues ; did not the money come from all colours for the best of purposes ; ancl ought not the opportunity of obtaining the rewards and honours go also to all colours in rotation ; every brother subscribed according to his means , but the distinctions were to be retained for the wealthy only ; he saw no justice nor masonic fraternity in such an arrangement .
Bro . R . GARDINER ALSTON should feel himself called upon to make a few remarks upon the consistency of the proposer of this motion , because he had started by objecting to the eighteen London lodges having a monopoly , a monopoly of honour well and worthily obtained , he ( Bro . Alston ) considered consistently and charitably worn ; but the remedy for what Bro . Bigg considered a grievance and a monopoly was to increase
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
United Grand Lodge Of England.
who had heard the very able and eloquent maimer in which this question hacl been introduced b y Bro . Bigg , must take a very lively interest in the debate . He was free to confess that while he was much delighted with the eloquence of the brother on his left ( Bro . Havers ) , he had been equally disappointed at that brother ' s opposing the motion in no very measured terms ; after accusing the proposer of a desire to deprive certain ledges of well merited rihtshe proceeded to enlighten those who
g , , like himself ( Bro . Phillips ) , were not thoroughly acquainted with the hislory of the red apron ; what was expected from his recapitulation of the origin of the privilege but a clear demonstration , that the distinction owed its origin to certain valuable ancl distinguished services rendered to the Craft by the eighteen lodges to whom the honour was exclusively granted ; but the other members of Grand Lodge , like himself , must be greatly astonished to have the assertion confirmed bBro . Haversthat
y , no claims of merit originated the grant , it arose simply from the fact of its having been expedient to give a banquet annually , and several brethren volunteering as Stewards , ancl to defray the expenses , were rewarded with a red apron ; but that now the Stewards could be named from those eighteen only , to the exclusion of every other ; this was neither more nor less than a money qualification , it was entirely inconsistent with the spirit of Masonryand entirelinconsistent with the initiatory
, y ceremony , the instructions therein distinctly pointing to merit , and to merit only , as the means of distinction in the Craft , and the path to be followed for acquiring honours ; it was evident now that the only requisite to this mark of favour was the payment of a quota to a dinner entertainment ,, ancl therefore in its fullest sense a mere money consideration . He trusted
the brethren would give the motion under discussion their patient aud serious consideration , and in the end determine to give to merit , and to that only , a mark of reward . Bro . SCARBOROUGH had listened patiently to the debate , and gathered from it , ancl from what he knew of the red apron history , that it was a money affair ; it might be summed up in very few words as the qualification now stood—thus , the payment by a brother of about ten shillings for every one who dined at the grand festivalwhether the member was
, known to the Steward or not , he was enabled to eat a dinner that cost the Grand Steward twenty-five shillings for the smaller sum of fifteen shillings , the price the tickets of admission were sold for—that was the plain English , and made good the old saying , " the best way to a man ' s heart was through his stomach ; " it was now shown that the shortest way to masonic honours was by a similar road . A good deal hacl been said about the charitiesand a printed was industriouslcirculated
, paper y to show what red apron lodges hacl given ; hut had it been shown that the money was subscribed by the wearers of red aprons or the blues ; did not the money come from all colours for the best of purposes ; ancl ought not the opportunity of obtaining the rewards and honours go also to all colours in rotation ; every brother subscribed according to his means , but the distinctions were to be retained for the wealthy only ; he saw no justice nor masonic fraternity in such an arrangement .
Bro . R . GARDINER ALSTON should feel himself called upon to make a few remarks upon the consistency of the proposer of this motion , because he had started by objecting to the eighteen London lodges having a monopoly , a monopoly of honour well and worthily obtained , he ( Bro . Alston ) considered consistently and charitably worn ; but the remedy for what Bro . Bigg considered a grievance and a monopoly was to increase