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Article CORRESPONDENCE. ← Page 5 of 5
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Correspondence.
was , however , ineffectual—the tide had turned with such fores againsJ improvement , that the slightest opposition was of no ai-ail . The " foul blot" has thus been re-imposed on Scotch Masonry , and we fear that it will be long eie it be again removed . We cannot but give all praise and commendation for the Grand Master ' s endeavour to aid and assist the progress of improvement ; he did Avhat he could to call the Brethren back to a sense of their duty ;
he pointed out the ivay , but he ivas not listened to ; heedless of the consequence , they ivould have their OAVII way ; and ivhen he saw that the fiat had gone forth , his address must have been felt as a reproof by many . He has been a most apt scholar in Masonic knowledge , and if he continue to improve as he has done , and , if he endeavour to keep the Grand Lodge in the line of its duty , he will earn for himself the respect of those Brethren ivho love Masonry for its principlesand not
, from the influence of mercenary motives . You now see that we have got back to the method of giving the three Degrees in one night , sanctioned by the Masonic parliament , after the legal plan has had a trial of six months . There is no use of any Brother pointing out the law , and saying that the causes for each case of emergency must be noted in the Lodge books or minutes ; this will be attended to as strictly as the former law was acted up to , that " it
shall be certified by two Brethren of the Lodge , " & c . The cases of emergency will be the rule , the giving the Degrees regularly will be the exception j a man may IIOAV obtain all the Degrees , if he choose , from E . A . P . to Royal Arch , in one night ; IT HAS BEEN DONE BEFORE , and it may be done again ; there is no law or laAvs to prevent it ; and we can only expect , in consequence of this alteration , that the Lodges will ivork as beforewith that carelessness Avhich characterized them ;
, and that there will be a continuation of the " solemn farce , " the inane formalism , and the usual amount of Masonic ignorance yearly sent abroad , to astonish our foreign Brethren , duly certified ivith five and sixpence worth of parchment and the green seal of the Grand Lodge of Scotland , authenticated by the autograph of W . A . Laurie .
" That ' s good that's gone ; our rash faults Make trivial price of serious things we have , Not knowing them , until we know their grave " The regret shown by the Grand Master at this most discreditable step noAV taken by the Grand Lodge is severely felt by many Biethren . They feel the odium that is attached to them by it , and only hope that some good may spring out of tho evil . If Freemasonry in Scotland is . to rise and take its proper place among our social and moral institutions
, it is just as certain that the system at present pursued by the Grand Lodge must fall ; sooner or later it must come to this ; the pure principle of Masonry cannot co-exist ivith the utter want of principle , ivhich at present obtains in our Masonic parliament . In my next communication 1 Avill take notice of the Grand Lodge of Scotland Reporter , No . 3 , and make some remarks on the charity of Scotch Masons as published in contradistinction to some other expenses
, and give my own opinion as to the falling off in the fees from canditlates joining Lodges ; the Reporter giving a very considerable increase of members compared ivith last year , and the violation of laws w-hen it suits ihe cmiA-enience of those in poiver , I remain yours Fraternally , FELI . OWCRAIT . iMinbiilfih . Mjy , 18 . 11
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
was , however , ineffectual—the tide had turned with such fores againsJ improvement , that the slightest opposition was of no ai-ail . The " foul blot" has thus been re-imposed on Scotch Masonry , and we fear that it will be long eie it be again removed . We cannot but give all praise and commendation for the Grand Master ' s endeavour to aid and assist the progress of improvement ; he did Avhat he could to call the Brethren back to a sense of their duty ;
he pointed out the ivay , but he ivas not listened to ; heedless of the consequence , they ivould have their OAVII way ; and ivhen he saw that the fiat had gone forth , his address must have been felt as a reproof by many . He has been a most apt scholar in Masonic knowledge , and if he continue to improve as he has done , and , if he endeavour to keep the Grand Lodge in the line of its duty , he will earn for himself the respect of those Brethren ivho love Masonry for its principlesand not
, from the influence of mercenary motives . You now see that we have got back to the method of giving the three Degrees in one night , sanctioned by the Masonic parliament , after the legal plan has had a trial of six months . There is no use of any Brother pointing out the law , and saying that the causes for each case of emergency must be noted in the Lodge books or minutes ; this will be attended to as strictly as the former law was acted up to , that " it
shall be certified by two Brethren of the Lodge , " & c . The cases of emergency will be the rule , the giving the Degrees regularly will be the exception j a man may IIOAV obtain all the Degrees , if he choose , from E . A . P . to Royal Arch , in one night ; IT HAS BEEN DONE BEFORE , and it may be done again ; there is no law or laAvs to prevent it ; and we can only expect , in consequence of this alteration , that the Lodges will ivork as beforewith that carelessness Avhich characterized them ;
, and that there will be a continuation of the " solemn farce , " the inane formalism , and the usual amount of Masonic ignorance yearly sent abroad , to astonish our foreign Brethren , duly certified ivith five and sixpence worth of parchment and the green seal of the Grand Lodge of Scotland , authenticated by the autograph of W . A . Laurie .
" That ' s good that's gone ; our rash faults Make trivial price of serious things we have , Not knowing them , until we know their grave " The regret shown by the Grand Master at this most discreditable step noAV taken by the Grand Lodge is severely felt by many Biethren . They feel the odium that is attached to them by it , and only hope that some good may spring out of tho evil . If Freemasonry in Scotland is . to rise and take its proper place among our social and moral institutions
, it is just as certain that the system at present pursued by the Grand Lodge must fall ; sooner or later it must come to this ; the pure principle of Masonry cannot co-exist ivith the utter want of principle , ivhich at present obtains in our Masonic parliament . In my next communication 1 Avill take notice of the Grand Lodge of Scotland Reporter , No . 3 , and make some remarks on the charity of Scotch Masons as published in contradistinction to some other expenses
, and give my own opinion as to the falling off in the fees from canditlates joining Lodges ; the Reporter giving a very considerable increase of members compared ivith last year , and the violation of laws w-hen it suits ihe cmiA-enience of those in poiver , I remain yours Fraternally , FELI . OWCRAIT . iMinbiilfih . Mjy , 18 . 11