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Article FREEMASONRY IN KENT. ← Page 2 of 5 →
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Freemasonry In Kent.
been but in our own Lodge ; for there seemed to me to be an invincible determination to persevere in a course ill calculated to promote Masonry , and thus spread its benign principles more widely—to stimulate the rising and enterprising Mason , and to encourage all to a more profound inquiry into the beauties and excellencies of the Order , an Order that requires more , and deserves more from its members , than too many , I fearare disposed to contribute .
, About a month previous to the Festival , our Lodge received a summons to attend a preparatory meeting , at which the necessary arrangements were to be matte for the ceremonies and proceedings of that day . The first disappointment the deputation from our Lodge experienced was , that , instead of finding deputations from the other Lodges in the province , none were summoned , ancl the only individual present belonging to a Kent Lodgebesides the deputation from 184 was Bro . Key
, , , the W . M . of the Lodge at Gravesend , and he came there in consequence of an invitation from Bro . Keddell , P . M . of 184 , one of our deputation , who , anticipating that all the Lodges in Kent would be required to send a deputation , wrote to Bro . Key to attend if he could . You may then guess how disappointed our deputation was ; for it was considered that the preparatory meeting was for the purpose of transacting business of some importanceespecially as it had been the custom previouslto
, y summon every Loclge in the county . In the course of the clay , some questions were asked as to the appointment of the Provincial Grand Officers , as an impression seemed to rest on the minds of some , that such appointments were for life . The attention of the D . P . G . M . was called to the point , but he was not to be moved , even when the Book of
Constitutions was put before him , which , under its proper head , provided , or , I may rather say , enacted , that such officers should be annually nominated and invested . The D . P . G . M ., ancl some of the other Provincial officers , seemed rather to forget that after twelve months serving , the officer was privileged to take his rank as Past Provincial officer , and , consequently , sustained no lessening of his dignity , or to imagine that there was no honour at all in being a Past-officer , and the latter supported the D . P . G . M . in his determination not to make any change
in his appointments at the ensuing Festival , save and except the filling up of such vacancies as might occur by the non-attendance of any of the Provincial officers of last year . Remonstrance was in vain ; a peculiar kind of delicacy prevented the D „ P . G . M . from taking an office from any one to whom he had once given it , " nor should he clo so , " he declared , " while they were disposed to execute their respective offices . " Such a declaration astounded us .
The D . P . G . M ., although a worthy , courteous , and well-disposed gentleman , very zealous for the cause of Masonry , has imbibed these incorrect views from the laxity with which the Constitutions of Masonry have been acted up to . Such a declaration did not fail to produce a strong sensation in the minds of the Deputies , a sensation that imparted its character to tlieir countenances too visibly to be unnoticed ; so to palliate the bitterness of the disappointmentthe P . G . Secretary assured
, them , that there was no occasion to be uneasy , as there would be from six to eight vacancies , which vacancies would , in conformity to ancient custom in the province , be conferred on members of the visited Lodge . Towards the conclusion of this affair , the P . G . Secretary summoned all the Provincial Officers who held office at the last Festival ; while doing so , the following question was asked : — " Brother P . G . Secretary , if all
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Freemasonry In Kent.
been but in our own Lodge ; for there seemed to me to be an invincible determination to persevere in a course ill calculated to promote Masonry , and thus spread its benign principles more widely—to stimulate the rising and enterprising Mason , and to encourage all to a more profound inquiry into the beauties and excellencies of the Order , an Order that requires more , and deserves more from its members , than too many , I fearare disposed to contribute .
, About a month previous to the Festival , our Lodge received a summons to attend a preparatory meeting , at which the necessary arrangements were to be matte for the ceremonies and proceedings of that day . The first disappointment the deputation from our Lodge experienced was , that , instead of finding deputations from the other Lodges in the province , none were summoned , ancl the only individual present belonging to a Kent Lodgebesides the deputation from 184 was Bro . Key
, , , the W . M . of the Lodge at Gravesend , and he came there in consequence of an invitation from Bro . Keddell , P . M . of 184 , one of our deputation , who , anticipating that all the Lodges in Kent would be required to send a deputation , wrote to Bro . Key to attend if he could . You may then guess how disappointed our deputation was ; for it was considered that the preparatory meeting was for the purpose of transacting business of some importanceespecially as it had been the custom previouslto
, y summon every Loclge in the county . In the course of the clay , some questions were asked as to the appointment of the Provincial Grand Officers , as an impression seemed to rest on the minds of some , that such appointments were for life . The attention of the D . P . G . M . was called to the point , but he was not to be moved , even when the Book of
Constitutions was put before him , which , under its proper head , provided , or , I may rather say , enacted , that such officers should be annually nominated and invested . The D . P . G . M ., ancl some of the other Provincial officers , seemed rather to forget that after twelve months serving , the officer was privileged to take his rank as Past Provincial officer , and , consequently , sustained no lessening of his dignity , or to imagine that there was no honour at all in being a Past-officer , and the latter supported the D . P . G . M . in his determination not to make any change
in his appointments at the ensuing Festival , save and except the filling up of such vacancies as might occur by the non-attendance of any of the Provincial officers of last year . Remonstrance was in vain ; a peculiar kind of delicacy prevented the D „ P . G . M . from taking an office from any one to whom he had once given it , " nor should he clo so , " he declared , " while they were disposed to execute their respective offices . " Such a declaration astounded us .
The D . P . G . M ., although a worthy , courteous , and well-disposed gentleman , very zealous for the cause of Masonry , has imbibed these incorrect views from the laxity with which the Constitutions of Masonry have been acted up to . Such a declaration did not fail to produce a strong sensation in the minds of the Deputies , a sensation that imparted its character to tlieir countenances too visibly to be unnoticed ; so to palliate the bitterness of the disappointmentthe P . G . Secretary assured
, them , that there was no occasion to be uneasy , as there would be from six to eight vacancies , which vacancies would , in conformity to ancient custom in the province , be conferred on members of the visited Lodge . Towards the conclusion of this affair , the P . G . Secretary summoned all the Provincial Officers who held office at the last Festival ; while doing so , the following question was asked : — " Brother P . G . Secretary , if all