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Article OUR MODEL LODGE. ← Page 2 of 5 →
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Our Model Lodge.
becomes a dangerous quicksand to those Avhose juvenile enthusiasm runs far ahead of their discretion . Moreover , there is another eAil in close connection Avith the one of AA-hich we are speaking , Ave mean the natural tendency among young- men to join Masonry , because they possess many friends who have done soand the indirect "proselytism" thence
, arising . It too frequently happens , that the good-nature of one brother prevents him discouraging a friend from joining , AVIIO , though perhaps free from positive disqualifications , possesses little that should recommend him to such a society . The very delicacy of feeling which must at all times influence our conductAvhere the ballot-box is concernedshould not operate
, , exclusively ; nor should our Avillingness to see new brethren among us , and our anxiety that no proper-minded man should be debarred from sharing in our cherished pursuits , suffer us to degenerate into a state of laxity , which may render it difficult
to impose a proper check , even when the necessity for so doing becomes painfully evident . Another evil , springing out of the first , is the system of taking office in many Lodges . Young men are proverbially enthusiastic ; but this enthusiasm is their most dangerous , as well as their most important characteristic . To our OAVU mind ,
the steps to office in Masonry should be so gradual , as to insure sound knowledge in every department of the Loclge work , the lectures , & c . Nor is this all that is required . The Master of a Lodge ought to possess a tact and delicacy in his manner of regulating the business , and directing the subordinate officers , which can onlbe found in one who has " lvorked " steadil
y up y and progressively ; not in one whose money and influence have heen considered , rather than his aptitude , or who has perhaps been guilty of culpable and mischievous neglect of other duties , in order to revel in the glories of a Provincial apron , or a Past Master ' s jewel .
Such hasty promotion is not only injurious to the brethren , who are thus thrust forward , but is inconsistent Avith the sound government of a Loclge , or the fair advancement of the quieter and more steady-Avorking Masons . Unquestionably , many a fine young fellow carries off the " chair" Avith a dash and brilliancy which it is ever pleasant to witness , but in the deeper duties of the
office , in the discrimination of proper objects for Masonry ' s greatest work , her charities—in the etiquette , without which no society of " gentlemen at heart" can be rightly maintained . —and in that rigid impartiality which should be the brightest light in the code of Masonic morality—young men can scarcely hope to be grounded . Four or five years' proba-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Our Model Lodge.
becomes a dangerous quicksand to those Avhose juvenile enthusiasm runs far ahead of their discretion . Moreover , there is another eAil in close connection Avith the one of AA-hich we are speaking , Ave mean the natural tendency among young- men to join Masonry , because they possess many friends who have done soand the indirect "proselytism" thence
, arising . It too frequently happens , that the good-nature of one brother prevents him discouraging a friend from joining , AVIIO , though perhaps free from positive disqualifications , possesses little that should recommend him to such a society . The very delicacy of feeling which must at all times influence our conductAvhere the ballot-box is concernedshould not operate
, , exclusively ; nor should our Avillingness to see new brethren among us , and our anxiety that no proper-minded man should be debarred from sharing in our cherished pursuits , suffer us to degenerate into a state of laxity , which may render it difficult
to impose a proper check , even when the necessity for so doing becomes painfully evident . Another evil , springing out of the first , is the system of taking office in many Lodges . Young men are proverbially enthusiastic ; but this enthusiasm is their most dangerous , as well as their most important characteristic . To our OAVU mind ,
the steps to office in Masonry should be so gradual , as to insure sound knowledge in every department of the Loclge work , the lectures , & c . Nor is this all that is required . The Master of a Lodge ought to possess a tact and delicacy in his manner of regulating the business , and directing the subordinate officers , which can onlbe found in one who has " lvorked " steadil
y up y and progressively ; not in one whose money and influence have heen considered , rather than his aptitude , or who has perhaps been guilty of culpable and mischievous neglect of other duties , in order to revel in the glories of a Provincial apron , or a Past Master ' s jewel .
Such hasty promotion is not only injurious to the brethren , who are thus thrust forward , but is inconsistent Avith the sound government of a Loclge , or the fair advancement of the quieter and more steady-Avorking Masons . Unquestionably , many a fine young fellow carries off the " chair" Avith a dash and brilliancy which it is ever pleasant to witness , but in the deeper duties of the
office , in the discrimination of proper objects for Masonry ' s greatest work , her charities—in the etiquette , without which no society of " gentlemen at heart" can be rightly maintained . —and in that rigid impartiality which should be the brightest light in the code of Masonic morality—young men can scarcely hope to be grounded . Four or five years' proba-