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To The Editor Of The Freemasons' Quarterly Magazine .
With regard to Sunday meetings , I may as well observe , that , as Ereemasous are not gifted , any more than other mortals , with duality of body as AA'ell as of mind , it is impossible that they can attend the evening service of the metropolitan churches , as it is celebrated at precisely the same time at which the Lodges in question meet ; and , thereforealthough A . S . D . states that " desecration of the Sabbath
, cannot be sanctioned by Masons , " I contend that it is sanctioned by them if they meet on Sunday anyAvhere else but in a place of , and for the purpose of , public Avorship . I must repeat , it is -not a pursuit for Sunday , and that , if Brethren are not at church on Sunday evening , they ought to be at home Avith their families ; and that we do not , therefore , judge those " harshly" Avho devote their Sunday evenings
to purposes so opposed to those for Avhich the Sabbath Avas originally intended . The Grand Lodge is undoubtedly the authority to which such irregularities should be referred ; but I preferred giving a friendly notice in your Magazine , to sending a formal report to the Grand Lodge . Eor the same reason I refrained from publishing the name of the Lodge , although its numbers and the names of some of the Brethren
present are in my pocket-book . Having dismissed this subject , let me call your attention to another point , namely , the houses at whieh many of these Lodges of Instruction are held . Some meet at houses of well-known respectability , such as Ereemasons' Tavern and the George and Vulture ; but others are held at ( and the fact is well known to Cowans , as well as to Masons ) regular public-houseswhichthough perhaps quite
respect-, , able , are still public-houses . And this may also refer to country Lodges , as well as the Lodges of Instruction in London . The mere fact of these meetings being held at public-houses , is enough to keep gentlemen , and certainly the clergy , away from them altogether . We cannot doubt that the clergy are a body of men whom it is most desirable to retain among us , and who may be of the greatest service to
the Order . I know that many a young man , on taking Holy Orders , refrains from attending the Lodge nearest to his curacy , from the habits in which the Brethren indulge , and on account of the characier of the place in whieh they meet ; and I think that , considering the professions made by Ereemasons , a Mason ' s Lodge ought to be a place which both clergy and laity may frequent Avithout the fear of scandal .
I am glad to find , on good authority , that one Lodge of Instruction has since my last letter changed its night of meeting from Sunday to Wednesday ; and I hope that , before long , others Avill follow such a good example , and that Brethren , instead of making paltry excuses to themselves for practices which admit of no justification , will at once abandon them , and thus once more set themselves on a proper footing Avith their families and Avith the rest of the Avorld .
I am , dear Sir and Brother , Yours , very sincerely and fraternally , P . J . W .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
To The Editor Of The Freemasons' Quarterly Magazine .
With regard to Sunday meetings , I may as well observe , that , as Ereemasous are not gifted , any more than other mortals , with duality of body as AA'ell as of mind , it is impossible that they can attend the evening service of the metropolitan churches , as it is celebrated at precisely the same time at which the Lodges in question meet ; and , thereforealthough A . S . D . states that " desecration of the Sabbath
, cannot be sanctioned by Masons , " I contend that it is sanctioned by them if they meet on Sunday anyAvhere else but in a place of , and for the purpose of , public Avorship . I must repeat , it is -not a pursuit for Sunday , and that , if Brethren are not at church on Sunday evening , they ought to be at home Avith their families ; and that we do not , therefore , judge those " harshly" Avho devote their Sunday evenings
to purposes so opposed to those for Avhich the Sabbath Avas originally intended . The Grand Lodge is undoubtedly the authority to which such irregularities should be referred ; but I preferred giving a friendly notice in your Magazine , to sending a formal report to the Grand Lodge . Eor the same reason I refrained from publishing the name of the Lodge , although its numbers and the names of some of the Brethren
present are in my pocket-book . Having dismissed this subject , let me call your attention to another point , namely , the houses at whieh many of these Lodges of Instruction are held . Some meet at houses of well-known respectability , such as Ereemasons' Tavern and the George and Vulture ; but others are held at ( and the fact is well known to Cowans , as well as to Masons ) regular public-houseswhichthough perhaps quite
respect-, , able , are still public-houses . And this may also refer to country Lodges , as well as the Lodges of Instruction in London . The mere fact of these meetings being held at public-houses , is enough to keep gentlemen , and certainly the clergy , away from them altogether . We cannot doubt that the clergy are a body of men whom it is most desirable to retain among us , and who may be of the greatest service to
the Order . I know that many a young man , on taking Holy Orders , refrains from attending the Lodge nearest to his curacy , from the habits in which the Brethren indulge , and on account of the characier of the place in whieh they meet ; and I think that , considering the professions made by Ereemasons , a Mason ' s Lodge ought to be a place which both clergy and laity may frequent Avithout the fear of scandal .
I am glad to find , on good authority , that one Lodge of Instruction has since my last letter changed its night of meeting from Sunday to Wednesday ; and I hope that , before long , others Avill follow such a good example , and that Brethren , instead of making paltry excuses to themselves for practices which admit of no justification , will at once abandon them , and thus once more set themselves on a proper footing Avith their families and Avith the rest of the Avorld .
I am , dear Sir and Brother , Yours , very sincerely and fraternally , P . J . W .