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Article TO THE SUPREME GRAND CHAPTER OF ENGLAND. ← Page 3 of 4 →
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To The Supreme Grand Chapter Of England.
Annuity Fund to its fate , and lastly to leave benevolent purposes altogether in the shade . AVe have heard the proverb—get money honestly if you can , bui get it by any means . There was also an understanding that a conference should be held with Comp . Masson—why was this implied compact violated ? I have now to advert to another more serious matterit is the singular
, immunity this Companion possesses beyond his fellows ( I hope they will pardon me ) to range most widely from the usual mode of debate among Masonic gentlemen . This has been often observed , but was never more conspicuous than when he charged a Companion with inconsistency in talking one way in one place , and another way at another , scores of times , & c . The Companion forgot the momentwhenas a Master-electhe was
, , , told that the qualifications for a Master were , that he should be courteous in manner , and easy of address . The first it is not difficult to become ; but if found to be so , natural rudeness cannot be pleaded as an excuse ; the latter it may be difficult to attain ; but every allowance would be made when there is no deviation through intentional error . If in these observations I am exceeding the limits of propriety , no one will regret the necessity that impels me more than myself ; but I cannot
refrain from expressing an opinion on the indelicacy that was too apparent ; and I advise the Companion to read , and ponder on , that sentence in St . Luke , which he will find in the 41 st verse of the Gth chapter . AVith this subject there naturally are connected other reflections . The observations of every other speaker were to the point , as each felt himself interested ; thus we had the plain dealing of the mover of the
amendment ; the good humour aud trite remarks of one of the best speakers in Grand Chapter or Loclge , and but for whose support the motion must have been altogether lost ; this Companion , in the opinion of several , mistook the case , which is to be regretted . Another Companion expressed his surprise at the term " taxation " having been accidentally used ; and we know that a word inadvertently used , lias often lost a vote on many important occasions—it was no doubt the case at the time .
1 here is another highly important point for consideration , —How are the Provincial Chapters-to take their part in the discussion of their taxation—I beg pardon—their subscription ? The Chapter in London to which I am attached , received tlieir circular on the Thursday preceding the Quarterly Convocation , to be held on the oth of February , a fortnight after the meeting of the Chapter ; and as the next Chapter will not be helcl for two months , that circular cannot be laid before the Companions until two months after the call has been passed ; so that the first
intimation they will receive of the taxation is not that it is about to be discussed , but that it is about to be levied . If this be the case in London , ancl I aver such to be the fact , how stands the case in the Provinces ? AVhy , worse and worse . The Provincial Chapters are made the scapegoats of certain Busybodies and Marplots , who clo with them just as they please . It is altogether idle to talk of any thing like a proper eleven decent regulation for them ; they are looked on as merely to serve a purpose ; not being present in Grand Chapter , to protect their own interests , they become liable to abuse , because they are kept in ignorance of ivhat is going forward , and taunted with pains and penalties
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
To The Supreme Grand Chapter Of England.
Annuity Fund to its fate , and lastly to leave benevolent purposes altogether in the shade . AVe have heard the proverb—get money honestly if you can , bui get it by any means . There was also an understanding that a conference should be held with Comp . Masson—why was this implied compact violated ? I have now to advert to another more serious matterit is the singular
, immunity this Companion possesses beyond his fellows ( I hope they will pardon me ) to range most widely from the usual mode of debate among Masonic gentlemen . This has been often observed , but was never more conspicuous than when he charged a Companion with inconsistency in talking one way in one place , and another way at another , scores of times , & c . The Companion forgot the momentwhenas a Master-electhe was
, , , told that the qualifications for a Master were , that he should be courteous in manner , and easy of address . The first it is not difficult to become ; but if found to be so , natural rudeness cannot be pleaded as an excuse ; the latter it may be difficult to attain ; but every allowance would be made when there is no deviation through intentional error . If in these observations I am exceeding the limits of propriety , no one will regret the necessity that impels me more than myself ; but I cannot
refrain from expressing an opinion on the indelicacy that was too apparent ; and I advise the Companion to read , and ponder on , that sentence in St . Luke , which he will find in the 41 st verse of the Gth chapter . AVith this subject there naturally are connected other reflections . The observations of every other speaker were to the point , as each felt himself interested ; thus we had the plain dealing of the mover of the
amendment ; the good humour aud trite remarks of one of the best speakers in Grand Chapter or Loclge , and but for whose support the motion must have been altogether lost ; this Companion , in the opinion of several , mistook the case , which is to be regretted . Another Companion expressed his surprise at the term " taxation " having been accidentally used ; and we know that a word inadvertently used , lias often lost a vote on many important occasions—it was no doubt the case at the time .
1 here is another highly important point for consideration , —How are the Provincial Chapters-to take their part in the discussion of their taxation—I beg pardon—their subscription ? The Chapter in London to which I am attached , received tlieir circular on the Thursday preceding the Quarterly Convocation , to be held on the oth of February , a fortnight after the meeting of the Chapter ; and as the next Chapter will not be helcl for two months , that circular cannot be laid before the Companions until two months after the call has been passed ; so that the first
intimation they will receive of the taxation is not that it is about to be discussed , but that it is about to be levied . If this be the case in London , ancl I aver such to be the fact , how stands the case in the Provinces ? AVhy , worse and worse . The Provincial Chapters are made the scapegoats of certain Busybodies and Marplots , who clo with them just as they please . It is altogether idle to talk of any thing like a proper eleven decent regulation for them ; they are looked on as merely to serve a purpose ; not being present in Grand Chapter , to protect their own interests , they become liable to abuse , because they are kept in ignorance of ivhat is going forward , and taunted with pains and penalties