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Article TO THE EDITOR. Page 1 of 2 →
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To The Editor.
TO THE EDITOR .
London , June 11 , ISW . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —The proceedings of last Wednesday evening , in Grand Lodge , were of too much consequence to be lightly passed by . The first subject I shall notice is the vote of 100 / . per annum as a nucleus for a fund for granting pensions to the widows of Masons . I will not cavil at the smallness of the sum voted ; although it is much to be wished that the amendmentof making it 200 / . had been carried .
, , However , the PRINCIPLE was maintained , that something ought to be done for the MASON ' WIDOW ; and let us hope that the vote will not again be stultified . I doubt not that there will be " a call of the house , " and that " the whippers in" will be very active against the meeting in SEPTEMBER . Of all the Quarterly Communications , that , perhaps , is the one , at which it is easiest for the CLIQUE to command a majority . Let , therefore , every brother who wishes the vote to be confirmed make
a point of attending ; let him bear in mind , that the want of his single vote may be the means of again dashing the cup of benevolence from the hands of the too long neglected widow . It is disgusting to hear the special pleading of some who have gained , and others who are trying for , the PURPLE , by their time-serving votes . When the question is to have a statue of a deceased , or a portrait of a living RULER ; when they asked to add house after house to our already ample premises ; the finances
are then flourishing enough to admit of very liberal grants . But let a brother , pre-eminent for his charity , that bright ornament of the masonic character , propose a grant for the WIDOWS , instanter ( because he is opposed to ABUSES and MISGOVERNMENT ) a cry is raised that the finances
of Grand Lodge cannot afford it . We hear these obsequious supporters of clique measures express , in glowing terms , their sympathy for widows , their readiness to subscribe from their own resources ; but CONSCIENCE will not let them vote away the money of Grand Lodge in such a reckless manner . Let us ask them where CONSCIENCE is , when statues , portraits , or houses are wanted ? if so ready to give from their own purses , why do they not set on foot a subscription ? that would prove their SINCERITY . We may support the aged Masonwe may educate his childrenhut
, , until we provide for his helpless widow , our masonic duties are incomplete , our masonic character neither is , nor ever will be , perfect . And now let us turn to another subject—one of the greatest importance—the proposition of Bro . Scarborough , " for a committee to investigate whether any , and what alterations can be made in the ceremonies of the three degrees . " Thanks to the discrete remarks of the M . W . G . M ., we received more light upon the subject than Bro . Scarborough intended
to give us , at so early a stage of the proceedings . This , however , will not justify the brusque observations of Bro . Scarborough ; the censure was merited , but it should have been couched in decent language . There can be no doubt , from what has transpired , that should Bro . Scarborough succeed in his meditated alterations , Masonry , in England , may thenceforth be called by any name ; it will no longer be the Masonry of the whole world . If one 0 . B . is to serve all purposesor either to be
mate-, riallg altered , the ground on which we stand will be swept from under us , the whole fabric will fall to ruins . We may thank the inroad made , on the recommendation of the M . W . G . M ., in March , 1848 , for the destruction with which we are now threatened . This is not a medium through which the craft can be addressed in more explicit terms : but .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
To The Editor.
TO THE EDITOR .
London , June 11 , ISW . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —The proceedings of last Wednesday evening , in Grand Lodge , were of too much consequence to be lightly passed by . The first subject I shall notice is the vote of 100 / . per annum as a nucleus for a fund for granting pensions to the widows of Masons . I will not cavil at the smallness of the sum voted ; although it is much to be wished that the amendmentof making it 200 / . had been carried .
, , However , the PRINCIPLE was maintained , that something ought to be done for the MASON ' WIDOW ; and let us hope that the vote will not again be stultified . I doubt not that there will be " a call of the house , " and that " the whippers in" will be very active against the meeting in SEPTEMBER . Of all the Quarterly Communications , that , perhaps , is the one , at which it is easiest for the CLIQUE to command a majority . Let , therefore , every brother who wishes the vote to be confirmed make
a point of attending ; let him bear in mind , that the want of his single vote may be the means of again dashing the cup of benevolence from the hands of the too long neglected widow . It is disgusting to hear the special pleading of some who have gained , and others who are trying for , the PURPLE , by their time-serving votes . When the question is to have a statue of a deceased , or a portrait of a living RULER ; when they asked to add house after house to our already ample premises ; the finances
are then flourishing enough to admit of very liberal grants . But let a brother , pre-eminent for his charity , that bright ornament of the masonic character , propose a grant for the WIDOWS , instanter ( because he is opposed to ABUSES and MISGOVERNMENT ) a cry is raised that the finances
of Grand Lodge cannot afford it . We hear these obsequious supporters of clique measures express , in glowing terms , their sympathy for widows , their readiness to subscribe from their own resources ; but CONSCIENCE will not let them vote away the money of Grand Lodge in such a reckless manner . Let us ask them where CONSCIENCE is , when statues , portraits , or houses are wanted ? if so ready to give from their own purses , why do they not set on foot a subscription ? that would prove their SINCERITY . We may support the aged Masonwe may educate his childrenhut
, , until we provide for his helpless widow , our masonic duties are incomplete , our masonic character neither is , nor ever will be , perfect . And now let us turn to another subject—one of the greatest importance—the proposition of Bro . Scarborough , " for a committee to investigate whether any , and what alterations can be made in the ceremonies of the three degrees . " Thanks to the discrete remarks of the M . W . G . M ., we received more light upon the subject than Bro . Scarborough intended
to give us , at so early a stage of the proceedings . This , however , will not justify the brusque observations of Bro . Scarborough ; the censure was merited , but it should have been couched in decent language . There can be no doubt , from what has transpired , that should Bro . Scarborough succeed in his meditated alterations , Masonry , in England , may thenceforth be called by any name ; it will no longer be the Masonry of the whole world . If one 0 . B . is to serve all purposesor either to be
mate-, riallg altered , the ground on which we stand will be swept from under us , the whole fabric will fall to ruins . We may thank the inroad made , on the recommendation of the M . W . G . M ., in March , 1848 , for the destruction with which we are now threatened . This is not a medium through which the craft can be addressed in more explicit terms : but .