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Article MASONIC CHIT CHAT. ← Page 3 of 5 →
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Masonic Chit Chat.
returned into their ranks a simple , humble Mason . The Brethren ivill hear with me , while in a very few sentences , I recount in what manner he became possessed of the office which he thus resigned . In the time of James ] . of Scotland , the Grand Master and all the Grand Office-Bearers were appointed by the king ; in the reign of his successor James II . a charter was granted by the Crown , giving to the family of St . Clairthe right of being hereditary Grand Masters of Scotlandand
, , this was continued without interruption to the time when James VI . crossed the borders to assume the English sceptre . The claims of that family having been permitted for many years to remain in abeyance , the Craft at this time assembled , and seeing the great disadvantages under which they laboured from the want of a proper patron and protector , drew up a charter constituting once again the St . Clairs of Roslin their hereditary Grand Masters , ivhich they continued to be till
the year 1736 , when William St . Clair , believing , as I have before stated , that he could no longer retain the office , with profit to the Brethren , resigned his right into the hands of those who gave it . A meeting of the Lodges was called , they assembled in Edinburgh , and the Grand Lodge was constituted as it now exists . Since then , under the blessing of the great Architect of the Universe , the Grand Lodge of Scotland has spread and prospered . The Lodges in Denmark own her
as their mother ; she claims the Brethren in Russia as her children ; in France her power is acknowledged , and in Holland her sway is felt ; in ~ Hevt England they obey her laws , and in Nova Scotia her protection is claimed . In the West Indies and in Turkey , in Ceylon and Syria , her influence is confessed , her mandates are obeyed , and within these
few days I have had the pleasure of investing as Provincial Grand Master for the Western Provinces of India our Brother Dr . Burnes , whose well known zeal , will , I am confident , tend materially to extend the influence of the Grand Lodge of Scotland . She has been the means of imparting light to thousands who were in darkness , and of spreading far and wide the principles and the knowledge of Freemasonry . Many of the noblest structures which adorn our land , raise their heads
on foundations which she has laid , while several of the most valued institutions of Scotland , have testified by the privileges they have conferred on the Craft , the gratitude which they owe for her assistance . " Such , my Brethren , are the advantages ivhich have occurred to Masonry from the noble gift of St . Clair of Roslin ; said 1 not well then , when I declared that to us as Masons he was illustrious , and did I not well when I bade you join with me in honoring his memory ; we
must honor him—but we must do more , we must follow in his steps . If there be any young Brother amongst us , who feels no anxiety for the interests of his Order , no desire to study its advancement , tell him of St . Clair of Roslin , who eagerly cultivated the principles and knowledge of Masonry ; or if there be any of our elder Brethren , whose zeal begins to flag , and who is losing the ardour of former days , remind him of St . Clair of Roslinwho till the latest years of a very
, long life , continued to be a diligent , unfailing workman . If there be one whose ears are deaf to the entreaties of the poor Brother , tell him of the warm heart and open hand of St . Clair of Roslyn . Above all , if there be one , and I fear there are many such , who overrating their knowledge and fitness , and aspiring to higher offices than their Brethren think it right to bestow , prefer rather to absent themselves from their Lodge and to run the risk of bringing dissension among the Brethren , than
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Chit Chat.
returned into their ranks a simple , humble Mason . The Brethren ivill hear with me , while in a very few sentences , I recount in what manner he became possessed of the office which he thus resigned . In the time of James ] . of Scotland , the Grand Master and all the Grand Office-Bearers were appointed by the king ; in the reign of his successor James II . a charter was granted by the Crown , giving to the family of St . Clairthe right of being hereditary Grand Masters of Scotlandand
, , this was continued without interruption to the time when James VI . crossed the borders to assume the English sceptre . The claims of that family having been permitted for many years to remain in abeyance , the Craft at this time assembled , and seeing the great disadvantages under which they laboured from the want of a proper patron and protector , drew up a charter constituting once again the St . Clairs of Roslin their hereditary Grand Masters , ivhich they continued to be till
the year 1736 , when William St . Clair , believing , as I have before stated , that he could no longer retain the office , with profit to the Brethren , resigned his right into the hands of those who gave it . A meeting of the Lodges was called , they assembled in Edinburgh , and the Grand Lodge was constituted as it now exists . Since then , under the blessing of the great Architect of the Universe , the Grand Lodge of Scotland has spread and prospered . The Lodges in Denmark own her
as their mother ; she claims the Brethren in Russia as her children ; in France her power is acknowledged , and in Holland her sway is felt ; in ~ Hevt England they obey her laws , and in Nova Scotia her protection is claimed . In the West Indies and in Turkey , in Ceylon and Syria , her influence is confessed , her mandates are obeyed , and within these
few days I have had the pleasure of investing as Provincial Grand Master for the Western Provinces of India our Brother Dr . Burnes , whose well known zeal , will , I am confident , tend materially to extend the influence of the Grand Lodge of Scotland . She has been the means of imparting light to thousands who were in darkness , and of spreading far and wide the principles and the knowledge of Freemasonry . Many of the noblest structures which adorn our land , raise their heads
on foundations which she has laid , while several of the most valued institutions of Scotland , have testified by the privileges they have conferred on the Craft , the gratitude which they owe for her assistance . " Such , my Brethren , are the advantages ivhich have occurred to Masonry from the noble gift of St . Clair of Roslin ; said 1 not well then , when I declared that to us as Masons he was illustrious , and did I not well when I bade you join with me in honoring his memory ; we
must honor him—but we must do more , we must follow in his steps . If there be any young Brother amongst us , who feels no anxiety for the interests of his Order , no desire to study its advancement , tell him of St . Clair of Roslin , who eagerly cultivated the principles and knowledge of Masonry ; or if there be any of our elder Brethren , whose zeal begins to flag , and who is losing the ardour of former days , remind him of St . Clair of Roslinwho till the latest years of a very
, long life , continued to be a diligent , unfailing workman . If there be one whose ears are deaf to the entreaties of the poor Brother , tell him of the warm heart and open hand of St . Clair of Roslyn . Above all , if there be one , and I fear there are many such , who overrating their knowledge and fitness , and aspiring to higher offices than their Brethren think it right to bestow , prefer rather to absent themselves from their Lodge and to run the risk of bringing dissension among the Brethren , than