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Article TO THE EDITOR. ← Page 2 of 2
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To The Editor.
can be more impressive , or better calculated to fix the mind upon those exalted duties and truths which are the foundation of our Order , than the working of the best Metropolitan Lodges . Can we say as much of the Provincial ones ? To particularize would be stepping beyond our ancient landmarks . Another , and a very important point , is the office of P . G . M . ; and here I would suggest , that no Brother should be eligible until he had attained a certain ageancl filled the chair of some Lodge
, in his province for the space of two years . The Book of Constitutions says , " No Master or "Warden is chosen by seniority , but for his merit . " My object is to prevent any who may be very young men , and still younger Masons , from holding such important offices . Can we expect that a young man , probably hurried through his degrees , and placed in a private chair , that he may go , by a species of hop , skip , and jump , into a grand chairwill be master of his own workor capable of t ' n-
, , structing the Brethren in theirs ; or looked up to with proper respect by his Officers and Brethren in general ? Although unwilling to trespass so much upon your valuable pages , there is one more subject which I cannot help dilating upon . It is the vote of the G . L . for a statue to the memory of our late M . W . G . M . The supporters of that measure cannot be more impressed with the
propriety of marking our respect to the memory of that illustrious individual than I am . It is the modus operandi , I complain of . Statues and columns are all very well for putting money into the pockets of a few ; they become a nine days' wonder , without effecting any real good . I could name several ( and doubtless they are onl y a few out of hundreds ) who take the same view of the thing , and who neither have nor will give a sixpence for the statue ; but who would willingly subscribe
liberally towards the enlargement of some of our existing charities , or the foundation of a new one . When we look around , and see so many of our Brethren suffering from age , penury , and infirmities : and , what is of far more importance , unable to give their children that instruction which may make them useful members of society , ancl fit them for the mansions of bliss ; let us not throw away our money upon a senseless piece of marble ; but employ it upon our indigent Brethren , or their as
yet innocent offspring . Thereby we shall not only show our respect to the memory of a departed Brother , but our gratitude to the great Architect , who has cast our lot in a fairer field . Although the subscribers to the " Sussex Memorial" are , most of them , not members of our Craft , I trust they are all our Brethren in a more exalted sense ; and that they would cordially co-operate with us in carrying out some plan for erecting a building , to be called " The Sussex Institution . " Let us recollect that , in that day ,
When shrivelling like a parched scroll , The flaming heavens together roll ; AVhen louder yet , and yet more dread . Swells the high trump that wakes the dead ! . our works of pomp and vanity will avail us naught ; but Our lasting CHARITY ' more ample s , vay , Nor bound by time , nor subject lo decay ; In happy triumph shall for eve r 'ive , And endless good diffuse , and endless praise receive . P HILO -M ASONIOUS
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
To The Editor.
can be more impressive , or better calculated to fix the mind upon those exalted duties and truths which are the foundation of our Order , than the working of the best Metropolitan Lodges . Can we say as much of the Provincial ones ? To particularize would be stepping beyond our ancient landmarks . Another , and a very important point , is the office of P . G . M . ; and here I would suggest , that no Brother should be eligible until he had attained a certain ageancl filled the chair of some Lodge
, in his province for the space of two years . The Book of Constitutions says , " No Master or "Warden is chosen by seniority , but for his merit . " My object is to prevent any who may be very young men , and still younger Masons , from holding such important offices . Can we expect that a young man , probably hurried through his degrees , and placed in a private chair , that he may go , by a species of hop , skip , and jump , into a grand chairwill be master of his own workor capable of t ' n-
, , structing the Brethren in theirs ; or looked up to with proper respect by his Officers and Brethren in general ? Although unwilling to trespass so much upon your valuable pages , there is one more subject which I cannot help dilating upon . It is the vote of the G . L . for a statue to the memory of our late M . W . G . M . The supporters of that measure cannot be more impressed with the
propriety of marking our respect to the memory of that illustrious individual than I am . It is the modus operandi , I complain of . Statues and columns are all very well for putting money into the pockets of a few ; they become a nine days' wonder , without effecting any real good . I could name several ( and doubtless they are onl y a few out of hundreds ) who take the same view of the thing , and who neither have nor will give a sixpence for the statue ; but who would willingly subscribe
liberally towards the enlargement of some of our existing charities , or the foundation of a new one . When we look around , and see so many of our Brethren suffering from age , penury , and infirmities : and , what is of far more importance , unable to give their children that instruction which may make them useful members of society , ancl fit them for the mansions of bliss ; let us not throw away our money upon a senseless piece of marble ; but employ it upon our indigent Brethren , or their as
yet innocent offspring . Thereby we shall not only show our respect to the memory of a departed Brother , but our gratitude to the great Architect , who has cast our lot in a fairer field . Although the subscribers to the " Sussex Memorial" are , most of them , not members of our Craft , I trust they are all our Brethren in a more exalted sense ; and that they would cordially co-operate with us in carrying out some plan for erecting a building , to be called " The Sussex Institution . " Let us recollect that , in that day ,
When shrivelling like a parched scroll , The flaming heavens together roll ; AVhen louder yet , and yet more dread . Swells the high trump that wakes the dead ! . our works of pomp and vanity will avail us naught ; but Our lasting CHARITY ' more ample s , vay , Nor bound by time , nor subject lo decay ; In happy triumph shall for eve r 'ive , And endless good diffuse , and endless praise receive . P HILO -M ASONIOUS