Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
United Grand Lodge Of Free And Accepted Masons Of England.
vocated the extension of Masonic charities , and in his own person had , to the extent of his means , acted upon that principle ; indeed , he might say he had done other charities injustice by the disproportionate sums he gave to them in comparison with the Masonic charities . The present was not the time to ask for a money grant . The large sums given at the Board of Benevolence made a heavy drain upon the funds , and by the vote that had been come to that evening , two hundred pounds per
annum more would now be required for the annuity Fund than before ; he should oppose the grant for the present . Bro . SCARBOROUGH was sorry to hear that any Mason would oppose the grant of a small pension to the widows of Masons ; it was not enough to talk of their charity , and how pleased they were to give , if they never carried out their kind intentions , and did not give when the opportunity presented itself and the time came ; they took care of themselves—they
voted money for themselves in their old age—they took care of the children of Masons , that is , their own children—but the mothers of those children , the widows of the Masons , they took care might languish and die for want ; even the widows of those very annuitants they made no provision for , and when the man died , not only was the woman ' s protector gone , but with him all her hopes , her very means of living- —was that fair ? He should vote for the motionand had the greatest pleasure
, in doing so ; he recommended the Brethren to think less of the trappings , the gewgaws , the tinsel of Masonry , and more of the charity , more of what Masonry professed to be , but what it was not ; let the Brethren indulge less at the banquet , and be more charitable—a dinner less to each would give a great many more dinners to widows , and that
would in the end be more gratifying to them than any extra indulgence . The proposition was nearly connected with true Masonry , and he should support it , and hoped all in Grand Lodge would do the same . Bro . M'MULLEN hoped he should not be misunderstood nor mistaken , he concurred in what had been said about charity , but at present we could not afford it ; he admitted it was a small sum to ask for , and the application was desirable , but now was not the time to grant it ; at the proper time he should support the application for a grant by his vote
, because he approved of the proposition ; but he could not conceal the fact that it would entail great difficulty on the Grand Lodge if this was acceded to ; we had already made , at it were , contracts with several individuals to allow them annuities , that was a bargain between two parties , and if we were not very careful of our funds , we should perhaps not be able to keep our engagements ; it might be necessary , if this were carried , to tax the country Brethren , to raise the large sums that would in future
he wanted to support the charities , and we all know the objection of the provincial Brethren to pay a few shillings a-year more , and all the charities would suffer if an attempt of the sort were made ; this should he borne in mind , and therefore he could not vote for it . Bro . WiiiTMOitB had heard the same cry raised before , but it was not correct , it was not true in practice , nor founded upon experience ; the reverse was the case ; the more charities the more ready the Brethren
were to support them , the more extensively useful the charities became the more they were known , and the more good they did the more the means would flow in for extending their usefulness . It had been proved in the case of the Girls' School ; from very small beginnings it became a noble , a generous , and an extensive establishment to the Craft ; when an institution for boys was asked for , the same objection was made , the
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
United Grand Lodge Of Free And Accepted Masons Of England.
vocated the extension of Masonic charities , and in his own person had , to the extent of his means , acted upon that principle ; indeed , he might say he had done other charities injustice by the disproportionate sums he gave to them in comparison with the Masonic charities . The present was not the time to ask for a money grant . The large sums given at the Board of Benevolence made a heavy drain upon the funds , and by the vote that had been come to that evening , two hundred pounds per
annum more would now be required for the annuity Fund than before ; he should oppose the grant for the present . Bro . SCARBOROUGH was sorry to hear that any Mason would oppose the grant of a small pension to the widows of Masons ; it was not enough to talk of their charity , and how pleased they were to give , if they never carried out their kind intentions , and did not give when the opportunity presented itself and the time came ; they took care of themselves—they
voted money for themselves in their old age—they took care of the children of Masons , that is , their own children—but the mothers of those children , the widows of the Masons , they took care might languish and die for want ; even the widows of those very annuitants they made no provision for , and when the man died , not only was the woman ' s protector gone , but with him all her hopes , her very means of living- —was that fair ? He should vote for the motionand had the greatest pleasure
, in doing so ; he recommended the Brethren to think less of the trappings , the gewgaws , the tinsel of Masonry , and more of the charity , more of what Masonry professed to be , but what it was not ; let the Brethren indulge less at the banquet , and be more charitable—a dinner less to each would give a great many more dinners to widows , and that
would in the end be more gratifying to them than any extra indulgence . The proposition was nearly connected with true Masonry , and he should support it , and hoped all in Grand Lodge would do the same . Bro . M'MULLEN hoped he should not be misunderstood nor mistaken , he concurred in what had been said about charity , but at present we could not afford it ; he admitted it was a small sum to ask for , and the application was desirable , but now was not the time to grant it ; at the proper time he should support the application for a grant by his vote
, because he approved of the proposition ; but he could not conceal the fact that it would entail great difficulty on the Grand Lodge if this was acceded to ; we had already made , at it were , contracts with several individuals to allow them annuities , that was a bargain between two parties , and if we were not very careful of our funds , we should perhaps not be able to keep our engagements ; it might be necessary , if this were carried , to tax the country Brethren , to raise the large sums that would in future
he wanted to support the charities , and we all know the objection of the provincial Brethren to pay a few shillings a-year more , and all the charities would suffer if an attempt of the sort were made ; this should he borne in mind , and therefore he could not vote for it . Bro . WiiiTMOitB had heard the same cry raised before , but it was not correct , it was not true in practice , nor founded upon experience ; the reverse was the case ; the more charities the more ready the Brethren
were to support them , the more extensively useful the charities became the more they were known , and the more good they did the more the means would flow in for extending their usefulness . It had been proved in the case of the Girls' School ; from very small beginnings it became a noble , a generous , and an extensive establishment to the Craft ; when an institution for boys was asked for , the same objection was made , the