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Article UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND. ← Page 7 of 12 →
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United Grand Lodge Of England.
the monopoly—where was Bro . Bigg ' s consistency ? If he were sincere in his desire to throw open the opportunity of obtaining the red apron to his brethren , why not adopt the bold and just method of giving every loilge an opportunity of obtaining it ; wh y fix a limit , as arbitrary as the one already existing , and of which he found so much to complain ; if it was unjust to deprive the lodge at Richmond of the opportunity of sending a Grand Stewardand obtaining the honour of the red it
, apron , must be equally unjust to deprive the lodge at Croydon of the opportunity of doing so . Thus , then , the remedy proposed by Bro . Bigg was a monopoly as complete as the one he asserted now existed . He must himself be consistent , and as the unflinching opposer of all monopoly whatever , he must oppose the present motion . Bro . CRUCEFIX regretted that the worthy brother who spoke last should have taken the exception he didas it was always obviously
ap-, parent that his influence in the Grand Loclge was deservedly great from the sincerity that graced his address , ancl from the effect of a powerful eloquence ; still if argument would decide , he ( Dr . Crucefix ) hacl no fear for the result , as it was all in favour of free trade in the red apron . Although he feared that argument , however sound , might not succeed , he should briefly offer his opinion , backed by no small experience on the subject in questionand would proudly shave with Bro . Biin the
im-, gg putation of being invidious and unjust , for such were the terms used by a member of the Grancl Lodge in his specious reasoning . If the red apron was a mark of honourable distinction , most unquestionably such distinction should be enjoyed equally by all the London lodges ; if it was a burden as to expense , then the expense should be equally borne
by all . Whatever circumstances might have gradually brought about the present system , it was clear that the distinction of the red apron was desired by the brethren at large . He himself had aspired to the honour and obtained it , and under very peculiar circumstances , that time did not permit him to explain . He felt anxious that all lodges should obtain equal justice . Surely no brother would desire that Freemasonry should not advance with the age in which we live ; yet the addresses against the motion were all retrograde . He would not deny that the red
apron lodges were composed of intelligent and liberal brethren , but he demurred to their claim to the encomiastic praise showered on to them by the printed list , where the contrast between their liberality and that of the blue apron lodges was improperly paraded . He should like to know hy what authority such list was printed and published . The GRAND REGISTRAR . — " By my authority . " Bro . CRUCEFIX regretted that the Grand Registrar had been imposed
upon , for it became his duty to denounce the list as altogether fallacious ; he had examined into the details , ancl the Grancl Lodge would feel some surprise at the following statement , viz .: —That out of two hundred and eighty-three brethren who hacl served the office of Steward to the Asylum festival , only twenty-four were natural members of red apron lodges ; and in the very teeth of the printed statement , he unhesitatingly declared thatinstead of one hundred ancl sixty-seven Stewardsset down as having
, served for the other charities , there were but sixty-one natural members of red apron lodges ; whereas the blue apron lodges , instead of being set clown as contributing , one hundred and three only , should by right have been enumerated as two hundred and nine , the difference being made up by one hundred ancl six brethren leaving the blue to join the red apron lodges . Could anything more clearly prove the necessity of
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
United Grand Lodge Of England.
the monopoly—where was Bro . Bigg ' s consistency ? If he were sincere in his desire to throw open the opportunity of obtaining the red apron to his brethren , why not adopt the bold and just method of giving every loilge an opportunity of obtaining it ; wh y fix a limit , as arbitrary as the one already existing , and of which he found so much to complain ; if it was unjust to deprive the lodge at Richmond of the opportunity of sending a Grand Stewardand obtaining the honour of the red it
, apron , must be equally unjust to deprive the lodge at Croydon of the opportunity of doing so . Thus , then , the remedy proposed by Bro . Bigg was a monopoly as complete as the one he asserted now existed . He must himself be consistent , and as the unflinching opposer of all monopoly whatever , he must oppose the present motion . Bro . CRUCEFIX regretted that the worthy brother who spoke last should have taken the exception he didas it was always obviously
ap-, parent that his influence in the Grand Loclge was deservedly great from the sincerity that graced his address , ancl from the effect of a powerful eloquence ; still if argument would decide , he ( Dr . Crucefix ) hacl no fear for the result , as it was all in favour of free trade in the red apron . Although he feared that argument , however sound , might not succeed , he should briefly offer his opinion , backed by no small experience on the subject in questionand would proudly shave with Bro . Biin the
im-, gg putation of being invidious and unjust , for such were the terms used by a member of the Grancl Lodge in his specious reasoning . If the red apron was a mark of honourable distinction , most unquestionably such distinction should be enjoyed equally by all the London lodges ; if it was a burden as to expense , then the expense should be equally borne
by all . Whatever circumstances might have gradually brought about the present system , it was clear that the distinction of the red apron was desired by the brethren at large . He himself had aspired to the honour and obtained it , and under very peculiar circumstances , that time did not permit him to explain . He felt anxious that all lodges should obtain equal justice . Surely no brother would desire that Freemasonry should not advance with the age in which we live ; yet the addresses against the motion were all retrograde . He would not deny that the red
apron lodges were composed of intelligent and liberal brethren , but he demurred to their claim to the encomiastic praise showered on to them by the printed list , where the contrast between their liberality and that of the blue apron lodges was improperly paraded . He should like to know hy what authority such list was printed and published . The GRAND REGISTRAR . — " By my authority . " Bro . CRUCEFIX regretted that the Grand Registrar had been imposed
upon , for it became his duty to denounce the list as altogether fallacious ; he had examined into the details , ancl the Grancl Lodge would feel some surprise at the following statement , viz .: —That out of two hundred and eighty-three brethren who hacl served the office of Steward to the Asylum festival , only twenty-four were natural members of red apron lodges ; and in the very teeth of the printed statement , he unhesitatingly declared thatinstead of one hundred ancl sixty-seven Stewardsset down as having
, served for the other charities , there were but sixty-one natural members of red apron lodges ; whereas the blue apron lodges , instead of being set clown as contributing , one hundred and three only , should by right have been enumerated as two hundred and nine , the difference being made up by one hundred ancl six brethren leaving the blue to join the red apron lodges . Could anything more clearly prove the necessity of