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Article CORRESPONDENCE. ← Page 4 of 5 →
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Correspondence.
THE MASTER OF THE LODGE , ON THE SAMK HBIXO CERTIFIED AND PROVEN TO THE SATISFACTION OF HIMSELF AND HIS WARDENS . ILL each case of emergency it has been the law , that the causes for departure from this law , as to interval of time between each degree , shall be stated and inserted in the Lodge minutes , and reported by the Lodge to the Grand Lodge , in tbe return of names of entrants for registration in the books of Grand Lod . " I mention that the part in small ' tals
ge may cap was , upon Bro . Whyte Melville ' s motion on November 4 th , 1850 , struck out , so that there might be no excuse for emergencies . Here , then , was the Irish Commissioner introducing the old and obnoxious law as an amendment , —which , Ave do not hesitate to say , has been the curse of the Craft in Scotland;—introducing , and by so doing sanctioning-, the entering , passing , and raising of candidates in one night , the time occupied in so manufacturing the Mason to beas usualfrom half an hour
, , to an hour and a half , according as tbe abilities of the W . M . or the convenience of candidates , might be consulted . The amendment was received ivith immense applause . One after another the members patheticall y detailed the ivant of business in the Lodges , the diminished state of the exchequer and prophetically and publicly announced the total annihilation and bankruptcy of Scottish Masonry , unless the three Degrees were given in one niht as heretofore . Our Masonic parliament
g , together with our worthy Secretary and Clerk , sung of decreasing '• receipts and diminished fees , and of course , as it is money that makes Masonry to go , Avithout that silver oil ive could not expect it to move freely unless well lubricated . The " Miserere " was sung in a manner highly creditable to the performers—solo and choral—nearl y bringing tears even from the rough Ashler !
J will now introduce the opposition—the glorious minority of ( I had nearly said , one !) Brethren , who saAv the evil that was about to be done to Scotch Masonry , and tried to stem the impetuosity of those Brethren , whose organs Nos . S and 6 had been so much excited . As a friend said to me , " Our fast improvinc and worthy Grand Master , " and I use the word worthy advisedly , " shewed more of true Masonic feeling and principle on this occasion than many of the narrow-minded and very energetic Brethrenbwhom the majority ivas made he appeared to
, y up ; be perfectly confounded at the decision , and recalled to their minds the bad odour , in which the Grand Lodge of Scotland stood in the Masonic ¦ world ; he begged of them to weigh the consequences of the step they . ivere about to take , and not to slur their name : nay , he begged of them , as a personal favour to forbear , and quoted the experience of his own Lodge in favour of continuing the system of intervals of time betiveeti the giving of Degreesthat the candidates might be more properly
, instructed . When the Grand Lodge ivilled that the representative of the Grand Lodge of Ireland ' s amendment should be carried , the Grand Master appeared to feel that degradation had been heaped on the Craft and upon himself , and in a tone of voice , as melancholy , as if he mourned the loss of a dear friend , li < - said , ' ' I am sorry that this has passed into a law ; but since it has done so , I trust that the Masters of Lodges ivill indeed use their utmost discretion , in this matter . "
The Proxy Master of Lodge Kilwinning ; in the East , Bro . D . Robertson , next tried in vain to stem the current by moving that it was incompetent to make such an amendment ; that it should come as a distinctive motion , being an alteration in the law , and in consequence required that three months' notice should be given , us laid down in Chap . XL , Section B , ofthe laws , before it could be taken into consideration This VOL . ji . L c
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
THE MASTER OF THE LODGE , ON THE SAMK HBIXO CERTIFIED AND PROVEN TO THE SATISFACTION OF HIMSELF AND HIS WARDENS . ILL each case of emergency it has been the law , that the causes for departure from this law , as to interval of time between each degree , shall be stated and inserted in the Lodge minutes , and reported by the Lodge to the Grand Lodge , in tbe return of names of entrants for registration in the books of Grand Lod . " I mention that the part in small ' tals
ge may cap was , upon Bro . Whyte Melville ' s motion on November 4 th , 1850 , struck out , so that there might be no excuse for emergencies . Here , then , was the Irish Commissioner introducing the old and obnoxious law as an amendment , —which , Ave do not hesitate to say , has been the curse of the Craft in Scotland;—introducing , and by so doing sanctioning-, the entering , passing , and raising of candidates in one night , the time occupied in so manufacturing the Mason to beas usualfrom half an hour
, , to an hour and a half , according as tbe abilities of the W . M . or the convenience of candidates , might be consulted . The amendment was received ivith immense applause . One after another the members patheticall y detailed the ivant of business in the Lodges , the diminished state of the exchequer and prophetically and publicly announced the total annihilation and bankruptcy of Scottish Masonry , unless the three Degrees were given in one niht as heretofore . Our Masonic parliament
g , together with our worthy Secretary and Clerk , sung of decreasing '• receipts and diminished fees , and of course , as it is money that makes Masonry to go , Avithout that silver oil ive could not expect it to move freely unless well lubricated . The " Miserere " was sung in a manner highly creditable to the performers—solo and choral—nearl y bringing tears even from the rough Ashler !
J will now introduce the opposition—the glorious minority of ( I had nearly said , one !) Brethren , who saAv the evil that was about to be done to Scotch Masonry , and tried to stem the impetuosity of those Brethren , whose organs Nos . S and 6 had been so much excited . As a friend said to me , " Our fast improvinc and worthy Grand Master , " and I use the word worthy advisedly , " shewed more of true Masonic feeling and principle on this occasion than many of the narrow-minded and very energetic Brethrenbwhom the majority ivas made he appeared to
, y up ; be perfectly confounded at the decision , and recalled to their minds the bad odour , in which the Grand Lodge of Scotland stood in the Masonic ¦ world ; he begged of them to weigh the consequences of the step they . ivere about to take , and not to slur their name : nay , he begged of them , as a personal favour to forbear , and quoted the experience of his own Lodge in favour of continuing the system of intervals of time betiveeti the giving of Degreesthat the candidates might be more properly
, instructed . When the Grand Lodge ivilled that the representative of the Grand Lodge of Ireland ' s amendment should be carried , the Grand Master appeared to feel that degradation had been heaped on the Craft and upon himself , and in a tone of voice , as melancholy , as if he mourned the loss of a dear friend , li < - said , ' ' I am sorry that this has passed into a law ; but since it has done so , I trust that the Masters of Lodges ivill indeed use their utmost discretion , in this matter . "
The Proxy Master of Lodge Kilwinning ; in the East , Bro . D . Robertson , next tried in vain to stem the current by moving that it was incompetent to make such an amendment ; that it should come as a distinctive motion , being an alteration in the law , and in consequence required that three months' notice should be given , us laid down in Chap . XL , Section B , ofthe laws , before it could be taken into consideration This VOL . ji . L c