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Article THE EXPENSES OF LODGE BANQUETS. ← Page 2 of 2 Article THE EAST. Page 1 of 1 Article THE EAST. Page 1 of 1 Article WHIT-MONDAY'S HOLIDAY. Page 1 of 1 Article WHIT-MONDAY'S HOLIDAY. Page 1 of 1 Article THE QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION. Page 1 of 1 Article ERRATUM. Page 1 of 1 Article Original Correspondence. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Expenses Of Lodge Banquets.
Jong we may have to report in our veracious pages a happier state of things , and publish even the expressed satisfaction of a grateful clientele , It is just possible that the complaints which rise up are somewhat exaggerated , and much perhaps may be allowed at the close of May , when
diners out are somewhat dyspeptic , and the average Briton or Freemason is looking forward for sea breezes , or Welsh hills , for the waters of some German"Bad , " orforthe restoring freshness of the English Channel . It is at such a time that molehills become mountains , and that Bro .
Grogram ' s indisposition and Bro . Potter ' s objurgations are traceable as much as anything to successive dinners and a good deal of " refreshment . " We are only talking now of bona-fide complaints , and we are perfectly aware that such complaints are not universal . But wc contend
that our whole system of lodge banquets requires revision and control . We spend , in our humble op inion , too much upon it , owing to defective arrangement , and we feel sure by a careful readjustment of our Grand Lodge regulations in this respect a wonderful saving would accrue and more satisfaction generally be given to the
Craft . We are of course aware that there are two sides to this , as to every other question , and if any of our good brethren like to give us their opinion on it , " pro or con , " we shall , with needful editorial supervision of course , "bien enrendu , " be willing to give them a fair held and free course in our impartial columns .
The East.
THE EAST .
What memories and associations belong to the East . Whether as Freemasons or as citizens of the world , we must be the dullest , or mcst apathetic of mortals , if we do not feel an interest in that wondrous region , whence has burst forth , so to say , the whole history of the world ,
from which still flow to us to-day the most affecting and the most solemn of human association . The voices of a great dead past , of a mighty old world , seem to emerge alike from the lapse of ages , and the haze which still
overhangs that wondrous Orient , reminding us of a common origin and fellowship , the same sympathies , and the same rejoicings , of blended hopes and fears , interests and aspirations , united aims and relationshi ps , the faith of ages , the rule of life ! As Freemasons we must ever look
kindly and benignly on the East . The East beheld our origin and witnessed our onward march ; its legends and its living memories , distinguish from first to last every tradition of our Order , and every portion of our ritual ! But taking a broader view even as citizens of the
world , the East must have , as it seems to us , a charm ever for us all ! It is still to us the magic land of romance , and early dreams , the land whose marvellous yet fascinating story still affects the innocence of youth , warms the maturity of manhood , and brightens the twilight of
old age ! Its history and its people , its vicissitudes and its trials , its heroes and its heroines , its wonders and its landmarks still move the imagination and arrest the steps of the wandering pilgrim abroad , of the admiring student at home . There is a spell from its calm decay , its
monumental glories , its scenes , its sands , its palm trees , its seas , its palaces , its pyramids , and its rivers , which can lend to poetry a charm , to prose a fervour , which equally attract the attention of our statesman and the student , the antiquary , and the annalist , the believing , and the
sceptical , the traveller . and the s'ay athome . From 't whatjmi ghty impulses have been lent to art , and science , to poetry , to the drama , to the architecture we admire , and to the paintings we praise ? Say what we will , the East is still for us the land of romance and yet of reality , of strange con .
• 'asts , of marvellous vicissitudes , of all that is often weird and awful , and yet graceful and glowing , of all that makes up the sentiment of hie , or developes the poetry of being . And the kast is a clime moreover , of often startling intelligences , and unlooked-for events . Beneath
that blue sky and glaring sun , beneath the lethargy and exhaustion , so to say , of nature , ¦ 're to be found the vivid passions , and the stirring emotions of more excitable lands ! We " - -ar m the daily telegram , of the deposition of 's Sultan , the elevation of that Cali ph of
The East.
the Faithful , and we are lost in a mist of strange conjectures and endless queries . To-day all seems to be done in a new way , on the most approved plan , of this civil and sagacious age , of a time when men often think the veil of outward and affected courtesy , may be a
substitute for angry acts and outrageous proceedings ! Exit the old Sultan , enter the new Sultan ; the cards are shuffled , and the situation is changed . Voila tout . Wilh that exception all remains the same , and what the future has in
store for us , and for the East , who can venture to say ? Well all this is better than the days of dark deeds in the Seraglio , of heartrending shrieks in the Bosphorus , of the crimes which stain the annals of Turkey , of that recklessness of human sufferin < r which too often marks the
revolution of empires . The old Sultan is in the Pavilion of the Tcheragan Palace , resigned and contented with his family , and numerous dependants , and the new Sultan is amid all the stateliness and glories of the Dolma Bagtche Palace , a few days previously hiding in a cellar ,
his life . hanging on a thread . How wonderful are the vicissitudes ofthe world , ancl the shifting scenes of this sublunary life . For some time to come we all shall await with breathless interest the telegraphic intelligence of each returning day , as the life drama of the East is
played out , and one act succeeds to another , on that crowded stage . Still as Freemasons , our sympathies go with the East . Not being politicians , we do not even presume to glance at what the profane publicist may conjecture or assert , but this we may be permitted to observe ,
that as of old , the East still plays the most important part in the history of the ages as they roll on , and so we believe it will ever be in the good Providence , of the Great Architect of the Universe , until that greater hour , when even
the wonders of the Orient shall have passed away , and this world of ours , with its greatness and littleness , its triumph and its defeats , its heroism and its horrors , is itself but a faded vision of the past . We had written this when the sad news is
flashed to us in a few hours of the dark ending of Abdul Aziz , an astounding surpribe , as the "Times" has it , and an awful incident , we will add of Oriental politics . The telegrams assert that by suicide in the Teh eragan Palaces , Abdul Aziz put an end to his life , on the morning of June 4 th . He was
buried , it is said , " in thc afternoon of the same day , with all the usual pomp , and all ihe honour due to the deceased , " and was " placed in the Mausoleum of the Sultan Mahmoud . " Here we leave the matter to-day , as it would be a waste of time now , in our imperfect information ) to dilate at any length on such wondrous changes and so mournful a catastrophe .
Whit-Monday's Holiday.
WHIT-MONDAY'S HOLIDAY .
As Freemasons , we rejoice in all that aftects the social happiness , and comfort , and welfare of the People . We leave politics to the politicians , and grievances to the grievance-mongers , and the turbid scenes of foreign affairs to those whose duty and interest are identified with their
peaceful progress and happy solution . But on our own principles we have a right , and we mean to exercise it , from time to time , to express our humble opinion on all matters which relate to the social progress of our own " good folk " or of humanity at large . We are among those
who have always welcomed the quarterly holiday . We feel sine that it is a wise provision , fraught with health and happiness , to many toiling thousands , whose lives of hourly , daily labour are cheered by the anticipation of a pleasant outing . And do not let us too hastily
take stock , or affect to discuss the question how the holiday is used , for many very difficult considerations arise up before us at once . It is not the working-classes alone who misuse opportunities , or pervert hours of ease ! Ancl because of the " abuse" by some of these days of ''
holiday , " ' aro we to tinny the use to the great majority , which seriously and soberly avails itself of its hard-earned day of honest recreation ? It is pleasant to note how , despite the marring weather , how thousands were abroad everywhere on Whit-Monday in health and good-humour de-
Whit-Monday's Holiday.
termined to enjoy their " Alba dies ! " We trust that on another holiday we may not hear that * ' red tape" again interferes tve-n with a holiday It seems that at the British Museum and other places women with babies in their arms were not admitted . Now we are not much given to
babies ourselves—we are like the man who said distinctly that he " objected to babies on principle ! " We are quite aware of the nuisance sometimes caused by vociferous and uneasy babies , and as a rule no doubt the exclusion of this turbulent portion of the community is
justified by every law of comfort , quiet , and hygiene . But it is not so much the babies , as the women who carry their babies , we are thinking of . What are they to do ? Why should they be excluded on their holiday ? It is their one holiday for many weary months , and as they cannot
leave their babies , why are they not on these holidays to have the same enjoyments as others ? It seems to us very "hard lines" for the women , who can appreciate as well , if not better , than the men , the acquisitions of science and the
wonders of nature , the results of enterprise , and the relics of arch .-cology . So let us hope for better things , and for the increased use of the popular holidays , never grudging on any ground whatever that occasional cessation of toil and care which is ever good , depend upon it , for us all alike .
The Quarterly Communication.
THE QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION .
The early hour at which we go to ptess on Thursday renders it impossible for us to call attention editorially to the proceedings of the last Quarterly Communication , which we shall hope to do next week .
Erratum.
ERRATUM .
In the first leader of last week read " West Lancashire " for " East Lancashire . "
Original Correspondence.
Original Correspondence .
[ We do not hold ourselves responsible : for , or even AS approving cf the opinions expressed by our correspondents , bnt wc wish , in a spirit of fair play to all , to permit—within certain -lecejtary limits—free discussion . —ED . ]
REGALIA . 7 ' u the Editor of The Freemason . Dear Sir ami Brother , — i I was pleased to sec that my letter on this very mportant subject called foith criticism , and I will at once proceed to answer Bros . " R . W . O . " and " Magnus Ohren , " i . e . to thc best of my ability .
I agree with " R . W . O . " that the private lodge jewels , referred to on p . p . 121 and 123 , seem to be those that are worn suspended from the collar of oflice ; but , that , Article 2 , p . 118 , appears to allow a P . M . ' s jewel to be wo rn as a breast jewel ( one may suppose ) although " Past Master " is not named on p . 16 as a degree " recognised and acknowledged . "
It is a pity that Bro . " M O . " did not take a little more time when he so kindly essayed to put " R . W . O . " and myself to rights , as a very cursory glance at his letter and the following remarks will indicate : — Firstly : lie gives a quotation from my letter , yet attributes it to " R . W . O . " Secondly : He says " It . W . O . " and " Ad Rem " "
confound presentation with regulation jewels , " but reference to my letter , or " It . VV . O . ' s " second letter , will shoiv ncither of us to be in such a state of abject ignorance of the main point , or article , on which this " vexata qmestio " turns . Thirdly : lie seeks to fix the case personally on " R . W . O . " by suggesting " if he should become eligible
to attend Grand Lodge he will find , " "tc . Personalities are un-Masonic , unnecessary , and objectionable . Fourthly : I le gives an extract from thc Constitutions on jewels , hut as there is another , under the head of regalia , that is so much more explicit and binding which I think would have been thc better to have reproduced , therefore I will embody a cony of it in this letter .
Fifthly : Respecting Bro . " M . O . ' s " title or affix , is it right or wrong ? Is not a Warden of the Graud Lodge termed a " Grand Warden ? " nnd of a Prov . Grand Lodge a " Prov . Grand Warden for "" If so , should not Bro . " M . O . ' s" affix run as follows : — " P . P . J . G . W . for Surrey ' " Article 2 , p . 118 ( referred to above ) , says : — " No honorary or other jewel or emblem shall be worn in thc Grand
Lodge or any subordinate lodge which shall not appertain to or be consistent with those degrees which are recognized anil acknowledged by and arc under the control of the Grand Lodge as part uf pure and ancient Masonry . " If the foregoing admits of a Past Master wearing a P . M . ' s jewel on his breast , in addition to the one on his collar , it is still qualified by the Article ' on p . 122 , which says they shall be in silver , for with certain exceptions , made and provided , is it r . ot clear that in regalia—
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Expenses Of Lodge Banquets.
Jong we may have to report in our veracious pages a happier state of things , and publish even the expressed satisfaction of a grateful clientele , It is just possible that the complaints which rise up are somewhat exaggerated , and much perhaps may be allowed at the close of May , when
diners out are somewhat dyspeptic , and the average Briton or Freemason is looking forward for sea breezes , or Welsh hills , for the waters of some German"Bad , " orforthe restoring freshness of the English Channel . It is at such a time that molehills become mountains , and that Bro .
Grogram ' s indisposition and Bro . Potter ' s objurgations are traceable as much as anything to successive dinners and a good deal of " refreshment . " We are only talking now of bona-fide complaints , and we are perfectly aware that such complaints are not universal . But wc contend
that our whole system of lodge banquets requires revision and control . We spend , in our humble op inion , too much upon it , owing to defective arrangement , and we feel sure by a careful readjustment of our Grand Lodge regulations in this respect a wonderful saving would accrue and more satisfaction generally be given to the
Craft . We are of course aware that there are two sides to this , as to every other question , and if any of our good brethren like to give us their opinion on it , " pro or con , " we shall , with needful editorial supervision of course , "bien enrendu , " be willing to give them a fair held and free course in our impartial columns .
The East.
THE EAST .
What memories and associations belong to the East . Whether as Freemasons or as citizens of the world , we must be the dullest , or mcst apathetic of mortals , if we do not feel an interest in that wondrous region , whence has burst forth , so to say , the whole history of the world ,
from which still flow to us to-day the most affecting and the most solemn of human association . The voices of a great dead past , of a mighty old world , seem to emerge alike from the lapse of ages , and the haze which still
overhangs that wondrous Orient , reminding us of a common origin and fellowship , the same sympathies , and the same rejoicings , of blended hopes and fears , interests and aspirations , united aims and relationshi ps , the faith of ages , the rule of life ! As Freemasons we must ever look
kindly and benignly on the East . The East beheld our origin and witnessed our onward march ; its legends and its living memories , distinguish from first to last every tradition of our Order , and every portion of our ritual ! But taking a broader view even as citizens of the
world , the East must have , as it seems to us , a charm ever for us all ! It is still to us the magic land of romance , and early dreams , the land whose marvellous yet fascinating story still affects the innocence of youth , warms the maturity of manhood , and brightens the twilight of
old age ! Its history and its people , its vicissitudes and its trials , its heroes and its heroines , its wonders and its landmarks still move the imagination and arrest the steps of the wandering pilgrim abroad , of the admiring student at home . There is a spell from its calm decay , its
monumental glories , its scenes , its sands , its palm trees , its seas , its palaces , its pyramids , and its rivers , which can lend to poetry a charm , to prose a fervour , which equally attract the attention of our statesman and the student , the antiquary , and the annalist , the believing , and the
sceptical , the traveller . and the s'ay athome . From 't whatjmi ghty impulses have been lent to art , and science , to poetry , to the drama , to the architecture we admire , and to the paintings we praise ? Say what we will , the East is still for us the land of romance and yet of reality , of strange con .
• 'asts , of marvellous vicissitudes , of all that is often weird and awful , and yet graceful and glowing , of all that makes up the sentiment of hie , or developes the poetry of being . And the kast is a clime moreover , of often startling intelligences , and unlooked-for events . Beneath
that blue sky and glaring sun , beneath the lethargy and exhaustion , so to say , of nature , ¦ 're to be found the vivid passions , and the stirring emotions of more excitable lands ! We " - -ar m the daily telegram , of the deposition of 's Sultan , the elevation of that Cali ph of
The East.
the Faithful , and we are lost in a mist of strange conjectures and endless queries . To-day all seems to be done in a new way , on the most approved plan , of this civil and sagacious age , of a time when men often think the veil of outward and affected courtesy , may be a
substitute for angry acts and outrageous proceedings ! Exit the old Sultan , enter the new Sultan ; the cards are shuffled , and the situation is changed . Voila tout . Wilh that exception all remains the same , and what the future has in
store for us , and for the East , who can venture to say ? Well all this is better than the days of dark deeds in the Seraglio , of heartrending shrieks in the Bosphorus , of the crimes which stain the annals of Turkey , of that recklessness of human sufferin < r which too often marks the
revolution of empires . The old Sultan is in the Pavilion of the Tcheragan Palace , resigned and contented with his family , and numerous dependants , and the new Sultan is amid all the stateliness and glories of the Dolma Bagtche Palace , a few days previously hiding in a cellar ,
his life . hanging on a thread . How wonderful are the vicissitudes ofthe world , ancl the shifting scenes of this sublunary life . For some time to come we all shall await with breathless interest the telegraphic intelligence of each returning day , as the life drama of the East is
played out , and one act succeeds to another , on that crowded stage . Still as Freemasons , our sympathies go with the East . Not being politicians , we do not even presume to glance at what the profane publicist may conjecture or assert , but this we may be permitted to observe ,
that as of old , the East still plays the most important part in the history of the ages as they roll on , and so we believe it will ever be in the good Providence , of the Great Architect of the Universe , until that greater hour , when even
the wonders of the Orient shall have passed away , and this world of ours , with its greatness and littleness , its triumph and its defeats , its heroism and its horrors , is itself but a faded vision of the past . We had written this when the sad news is
flashed to us in a few hours of the dark ending of Abdul Aziz , an astounding surpribe , as the "Times" has it , and an awful incident , we will add of Oriental politics . The telegrams assert that by suicide in the Teh eragan Palaces , Abdul Aziz put an end to his life , on the morning of June 4 th . He was
buried , it is said , " in thc afternoon of the same day , with all the usual pomp , and all ihe honour due to the deceased , " and was " placed in the Mausoleum of the Sultan Mahmoud . " Here we leave the matter to-day , as it would be a waste of time now , in our imperfect information ) to dilate at any length on such wondrous changes and so mournful a catastrophe .
Whit-Monday's Holiday.
WHIT-MONDAY'S HOLIDAY .
As Freemasons , we rejoice in all that aftects the social happiness , and comfort , and welfare of the People . We leave politics to the politicians , and grievances to the grievance-mongers , and the turbid scenes of foreign affairs to those whose duty and interest are identified with their
peaceful progress and happy solution . But on our own principles we have a right , and we mean to exercise it , from time to time , to express our humble opinion on all matters which relate to the social progress of our own " good folk " or of humanity at large . We are among those
who have always welcomed the quarterly holiday . We feel sine that it is a wise provision , fraught with health and happiness , to many toiling thousands , whose lives of hourly , daily labour are cheered by the anticipation of a pleasant outing . And do not let us too hastily
take stock , or affect to discuss the question how the holiday is used , for many very difficult considerations arise up before us at once . It is not the working-classes alone who misuse opportunities , or pervert hours of ease ! Ancl because of the " abuse" by some of these days of ''
holiday , " ' aro we to tinny the use to the great majority , which seriously and soberly avails itself of its hard-earned day of honest recreation ? It is pleasant to note how , despite the marring weather , how thousands were abroad everywhere on Whit-Monday in health and good-humour de-
Whit-Monday's Holiday.
termined to enjoy their " Alba dies ! " We trust that on another holiday we may not hear that * ' red tape" again interferes tve-n with a holiday It seems that at the British Museum and other places women with babies in their arms were not admitted . Now we are not much given to
babies ourselves—we are like the man who said distinctly that he " objected to babies on principle ! " We are quite aware of the nuisance sometimes caused by vociferous and uneasy babies , and as a rule no doubt the exclusion of this turbulent portion of the community is
justified by every law of comfort , quiet , and hygiene . But it is not so much the babies , as the women who carry their babies , we are thinking of . What are they to do ? Why should they be excluded on their holiday ? It is their one holiday for many weary months , and as they cannot
leave their babies , why are they not on these holidays to have the same enjoyments as others ? It seems to us very "hard lines" for the women , who can appreciate as well , if not better , than the men , the acquisitions of science and the
wonders of nature , the results of enterprise , and the relics of arch .-cology . So let us hope for better things , and for the increased use of the popular holidays , never grudging on any ground whatever that occasional cessation of toil and care which is ever good , depend upon it , for us all alike .
The Quarterly Communication.
THE QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION .
The early hour at which we go to ptess on Thursday renders it impossible for us to call attention editorially to the proceedings of the last Quarterly Communication , which we shall hope to do next week .
Erratum.
ERRATUM .
In the first leader of last week read " West Lancashire " for " East Lancashire . "
Original Correspondence.
Original Correspondence .
[ We do not hold ourselves responsible : for , or even AS approving cf the opinions expressed by our correspondents , bnt wc wish , in a spirit of fair play to all , to permit—within certain -lecejtary limits—free discussion . —ED . ]
REGALIA . 7 ' u the Editor of The Freemason . Dear Sir ami Brother , — i I was pleased to sec that my letter on this very mportant subject called foith criticism , and I will at once proceed to answer Bros . " R . W . O . " and " Magnus Ohren , " i . e . to thc best of my ability .
I agree with " R . W . O . " that the private lodge jewels , referred to on p . p . 121 and 123 , seem to be those that are worn suspended from the collar of oflice ; but , that , Article 2 , p . 118 , appears to allow a P . M . ' s jewel to be wo rn as a breast jewel ( one may suppose ) although " Past Master " is not named on p . 16 as a degree " recognised and acknowledged . "
It is a pity that Bro . " M O . " did not take a little more time when he so kindly essayed to put " R . W . O . " and myself to rights , as a very cursory glance at his letter and the following remarks will indicate : — Firstly : lie gives a quotation from my letter , yet attributes it to " R . W . O . " Secondly : He says " It . W . O . " and " Ad Rem " "
confound presentation with regulation jewels , " but reference to my letter , or " It . VV . O . ' s " second letter , will shoiv ncither of us to be in such a state of abject ignorance of the main point , or article , on which this " vexata qmestio " turns . Thirdly : lie seeks to fix the case personally on " R . W . O . " by suggesting " if he should become eligible
to attend Grand Lodge he will find , " "tc . Personalities are un-Masonic , unnecessary , and objectionable . Fourthly : I le gives an extract from thc Constitutions on jewels , hut as there is another , under the head of regalia , that is so much more explicit and binding which I think would have been thc better to have reproduced , therefore I will embody a cony of it in this letter .
Fifthly : Respecting Bro . " M . O . ' s " title or affix , is it right or wrong ? Is not a Warden of the Graud Lodge termed a " Grand Warden ? " nnd of a Prov . Grand Lodge a " Prov . Grand Warden for "" If so , should not Bro . " M . O . ' s" affix run as follows : — " P . P . J . G . W . for Surrey ' " Article 2 , p . 118 ( referred to above ) , says : — " No honorary or other jewel or emblem shall be worn in thc Grand
Lodge or any subordinate lodge which shall not appertain to or be consistent with those degrees which are recognized anil acknowledged by and arc under the control of the Grand Lodge as part uf pure and ancient Masonry . " If the foregoing admits of a Past Master wearing a P . M . ' s jewel on his breast , in addition to the one on his collar , it is still qualified by the Article ' on p . 122 , which says they shall be in silver , for with certain exceptions , made and provided , is it r . ot clear that in regalia—