-
Articles/Ads
Article Untitled ← Page 2 of 2 Article PROVINCIAL GRAND CHAPTER OF LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND. Page 1 of 2 Article PROVINCIAL GRAND CHAPTER OF LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ar00200
enlightened our readers as to the authoritative character of the working of that lodge . The Emulation Lodge of Improvement was founded under warrant from the Lodge of Unions , No . 256 , in October , 1823 , and Bro . FENN mentioned that he had discovered , when recently reading over the list of founders , that there were among them two brethren who had been
members of the Lodge of Reconcilation—that is to say , of the body composed of the ablest representatives of the then newly-united " Ancient " and " Modern " or "Regular" sections of the English Craft , to which , immediately after the Act of Union had been consummated , was entrusted the important and responsible task of compiling
a uniform system of ritual . This Lodge of Reconciliation fulfilled its task with the most scrupulous care , and the system prepared by it was finally approved and sanctioned by United Grand Lodge as the official ritual of the English Craft in 1816 . It was two of the members of this important body whose names were recently discovered by Bro . FENN
among the founders of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement ; and , from the fact that the late Bro . W . FARNI-IELD , Assistant Grand Secretary , joined the Lodgeof Improvement in 1 S 26 , and must have been familiar with the Emulation working as established three years previously by the foundersamong whom were the two aforesaid members of the Lodge of Reconciliation
—and that he ( Bro . FENN ) had enjoyed frequent opportunities of consulting the said Bro . FARNFIF . LD , whose death did not take place till 1 S 76 , he ( Bro . FENN ) felt he was justified in considering there was an almost , if not quite , unbroken chain of connection between the system as prepared by the Lodge
of Reconciliation , and sanctioned by the United Grand Lodge in 1 S 16 , and the present Emulation system . This is what Bro . FENN was so anxious to point out , as it stamps almost with an official character our famous Emulation working .
Provincial Grand Chapter Of Leicestershire And Rutland.
PROVINCIAL GRAND CHAPTER OF LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND .
CONSECRATION OF ST . GEORGE'S CHAPTER , No . 1560 . The annual convocation of this Prov , Grand Chapter , for the transaction of the general business of the province , and for the special purpose of consecrating a new Royal Arch Chapter to be attached to the Albert Edward Lodge No . 1560 , was held at Freemasons' Hall , Leicester , on Tuesday , 2 nd inst ., under the presidency of the Grand Superintendent , the M . E . Comp . W . Kelly , F . S . A ., F . R . Hist . Soc , & c . The meeting was numerously attended , amongst those present being the following officers
and members of Prov . G . Chapter : Comps . G . Toller , Prov . G . H . ; Rev . W . Langley , as Prov . G . J . j S . S . Partridge , Prov . G . S . E . ; C . J . Wilkinson , as Prov . G . S . N , j R . Dalgliesh , Prov . G . P . S . ; G . T . Willan , Prov . G . A . S . ; Rev . C . Henton Wood , Prov . G . Reg . ; A . Balmforth , Prov . G . S . B . ; J . Young , Prov . G . D . C . ; ' W . A . Musson , Prov . G . Org . ; R . Boughton-Smith , P . P . G . A . S . ; T . Halliday , P . Z . 779 ; A . P . Wood , P . Z . 1130 ; M . J . Walker , H . 1130 ; W . S . Black , J . 1130 ; C . S . Preston , H . 279 ; and J . Hassall , J . 770 .
I he chapter having been duly opened , the rolls of chapters and of P . G . Officers were called , the several chapters being fully represented , and nearl y every P . G . Officer at his post . After the reading and confirmation of the minutes of the last General Convocation , the ceremony of constitution and consecration of the new chapter was proceeded with , at the commencement of which the Grand Superintendent , as Consecrating Officer , delivered the following address : —
Excellent Companions , —We are met on this present occasion partly to conduct the ordinary business of Provincial Grand Chapter , but we have in addition been specially called together to consecrate the new chapter of St . George , to be attached to the Albert Edward Lodge , No . 15 G 0—an event of rare occurrence , inasmuch as only three new chapters have been founded in the province during the present century . Two of those chapters I had the honour of consecrating , whilst of the earliest of them , which was consecrated by that excellent Mason , the late V . W . Bro . John Savage , P . G . D ., I
was the M . E . Z . nominated in the charter . As to the precise period when Koyal Arch Masonry was first practised in Leicester it seems difficult to decide , as in former days the old Atholl Lodge ; . —like No . gi , formerly existing here until after the Union in 1813—worked under their warrants , not only Ihe Craft Degrees , but also the Mark , Royal Arch , Templar , and some other Orders . It was by this body of seceders , the socalled Ancient or Atholl Masons , that the Order of the Holy Royal Arch of Jerusalem was first introduced . Dr . Oliver and some other writers ( but probably erroneously )
think it was formed by dividing the old Master's grade into two parts . The first mention of the Degree is in a printed work of 1741 ; it next appears in the Atholl records in 1752 , and upon lodge minutes at York in 17 G 2 . The Grand Royal Arch Chapter of England was constituted July 22 nd , 1767 , under Lord Blaney , then the Immediate Past Grand Master of the regular Grand Lodge of England ; and to this body the present Supreme Grand Chapter of England owes its origin . By its authority charters were granted and provinces constituted , Leicestershire being so constituted as early , at least ,
as 1793 , and having as its Grand Superintendent Thomas Boothby Parkyns , M . P . ( afterwards Lord Rancliffe ) , also P . G . Master for the province , and who in 1802 was the G . First Principal of Grand Chapter . It was not , however , until April 20 th , 1858 , that a Grand Chapter was formed in the province , under the authority of Earl Howe , Grand Superintendent , over which , as his lordship's Deputy , I had the honour to preside , as I have since done , either in that capacity or as Grand Superintendent , at every convocation . Although Ihe Grand Chapter had amongst it leaders many noble and some Royal
members of the Grand Lodge of England , it was never recognised by the Grand Lodge until the Union in 1 S 13 ; and in like manner the Grand Chapter of Scotland is not recognised by the Grand Lodge of that country down to the present day . By this Grand Chapter was granted , under the number 102 , the first charter for a Royal Arch chapter in this province—that of the Chapter of Fortitude , attached to St . John ' s Lodge—which thus came into existence as early as 179 G , being six years after St . John ' s Lodge was founded . The early minute book of this chapter is , unfortunatelylost ; but a number
, of particulars , deiived from old papeis among the records of St . John ' s Lodge , are printed in my little " History of Freemasonry in Leicestershire . " We find that John Abbey was exalted in 179 G ; that " the expenses of a Koyal Arch chapter held April 6 th , 1802 , weie defrayed out of the Craft Fund j " and that after the Union of 1 S 13 , under date December 41 b , 1817 , the designation was ( for a time ) changed to " United Chapters 102 and 114 , George Inn , " and , as the old Atholl Lodge , No . 171 , had ceased to make
returns , its members , no doubt , in like manner became merged in St . John's Lodge . The original warrant of the chapter , like that of the lodge , having been lost or destroyed some years previously , a warrant of confirmation was obtained from the Grand Chapter , dated May 9 th , 1821 ; and about the same time the furniture , & c , of the chapter was purchased by subscription , headed by Sir F . G . Fowke , Bart ., who also presented the banner of the Principals—still in use . During half a century this was the only chapter
Provincial Grand Chapter Of Leicestershire And Rutland.
in the province , when in 1847 St . Augustine ' s Chapter was founded in connection with the then recently established John of Gaunt Lodge , No . 7 66 ( now 523 ) , and so continued to the year 1 S 56 . At that time the brethren at Ashby being desirous of having a chapter attached to their lodge , whilst both the local chapters were in anything but flourishing condition , the members being ( in comparison with those of the two lodges ) few in number , it was decided for them to unite in working the old Chapter of Fortitude , whilst the charier of St . Augustine ' s Chapter wasannexedtothe lodge at Ashby de la Zouch . On May 2 Sth ,
1 S 69 , the De Mowbray Chapter , at Melton , was consecrated , our worthy Comp . Langley , to whom Masonry there and elsewhere in the province owes much , being the first M . E . Z . And , finally , on the 14 th January , 1 S 73 , I had the pleasure during the time I held the high office of P . G . M ., as well as that I still retain of Grand Superintendent , of consecrating the Charnwood Chapter , No . 1007 , Loughborough . From that day to the present , whilst several new lodges have sprung into existence in our midst , all of which are in a highly flourishing condition , and whilst the dear old Chapter of Fortitude—the mother
chapter of most of us—has , I believe , closely approaching 100 members , it is self-evident that there is " ample room and verge enough " for the friendly and beneficial operations of , at least , one additional Royal Arch chapter in Leicester . Under these circumstancss , and with a view of giving a new impetus to Royal Arch Masonry amongst us , a charter has been obtained for the new chapter of St . George , No . 1560 , which we are about to constitute in ancient form , and mystically to construct as aspiritual temple to the honour and gloiyof the Great I Am , and may the result prove that we may apply to it the words of the Masonic poet : —
" When orient Wisdom beam'd serene , And pillar'd Strength arose ; When Beauty tinged the glowing scene , And Faith her mansion chose ; Exulting bands the fabric view'd , Mysterious powers ador'd ; And high the triple union stood That gave the Mystic Word . "
The PROV . GRAND SCRIBE E . having stated the wishes of the companions of the new chapter , and having read the petition and warrant , and the other usual formalities being observed , the CONSECRATING OFFICER called upon E . Comp . the Rev . C . Henton Wood , Prov . G . Reg ., to deliver the oration . Comp . WOOD , after giving some interesting paarticulars as to the history of the several Royal Arch chapters in this province , and remarking upon the apparent want of interest shown in Royal Arch Masonry , proceeded as follows :
Why , then , is the Supreme Order of the Royal Arch in such a languishing condition , when the Mark Degree and other Masonic systems now worked in our midst are continually gaining accessions of strength and , so far as one is able to judge , prospering exceedingly ? A chief cause , no doubt , is novelty . To many minds the multifarious clothing , jewels , and paraphernalia of these various Orders have a great attraction , and whereas a principal charm of Masonry is the consciousness of secret knowledge , which gives a sense of superiority over those who have it not , this feeling is intensified by the
multiplicity of the Degrees taken ; and the young Mason is tempted to wander off the beaten track in search of abstruse and complicated instruction before he has acquired the genuine secrets of a M . M ., and the allurements of office lead him to seek employment outside his lodge sometimes before he has qualified himself for promotion within it . Another cause is the want of more instruction during a brother ' s novitiate . Are not Degrees conferred in too quick succession ? Is not the feeling growing that candidates have a sort of claim and right to the succeeding Degrees at the earliest possible date
allowed by the Constitutions ? iand do not many of our rising brethren in consequence claim officers aright , whether qualified or not ? If a candidate is told within three months of his initiation that , having taken the Third Degree , he has arrived at the summit of his profession , is he not apt to feel disappointment , and can we wonder that he should seek after novelty and try to quench his rising thirst for knowledge at every fresh fountain to which he can gain access , rather than rest content under the vine of his own lodge and drink of his own cistern ? A craftsman may lawfully travel as his ancient brethren did ,
from east to extremest west to seek out other Masters and learn new modes of work ; but he should at least know how to indent on the rough and try the smooth before he sets out . So long as minute instruction in the three Degrees is little attended to , so long as slovenly signs and tokens are tolerated and the work of a lodge restricted , by common consent , to the ceremonial conferring of Degrees , on the principle of " the more the merrier , " quality in candidates being held secondary to quantity , the Royal Arch being never so much as hinted at , it is to be feared that the Supreme Order will not conquer
that place in the estimation of the brethren at large which its importance demands . Time is devoted to other Degrees which would perhaps be better spent in striving to attain to the " climax of Freemasonry , " for the ritual is extensive and complicated , and can hardly be mastered on the few occasions set apart for the exercise of it . We have therefore to rely too much on other means of obtaining the requisite knowledge , the correctness of which is doubtful , and the companion who does his best in that direction too often fails to satisfy either himself or his predecessor in office . But , happily , there
are landmarks and limits within which the aspirant cannot widely err . In ritual we are apt to attach too much importance to our own views of verbal accuracy , whereas the doctrine of limits , which runs like a thread throughout the Craft Degrees , appears to me as applicable to ritual as to morals . In the first place , we have brought to our notice the two grand parallels between which , so long as a brother confines himself and marches steadily onward , with the eye of faith fixed on that star of hope which illuminates the immense vista , he cannot err . The point within the circle conveys the same idea . The
landmarks bound his horizon , and whereas the limit of every circle is a rectangle contained by the radius and half the circumference , the Mason standing in the centre can still discern the two great parallels of the law of God and the rulers of the Craft . For if a material circle be divided into a large number of sectors , and these be arranged side by side alternately , point to base , it will be seen that they will be found to approximate to the rectangle above mentioned ; and here I see the origin of the indented or tesselated border and the pattern of a companion ' s badge . And the idea of two grand parallel
is dominant in the Koyal Arch itself . Ihe * ' limit" of the curve called Catenary is two parallel straight lines ; for the two parts of a flexible cord suspended by its two ends , are ( if very long in proportion to the distance between them ) practically parallel to one another . In the Koyal Arch we have impressed on our minds the strength and durability of a vault or dome constructed on the principle of the true Catenarian Arch , standing complete in itself without buttress or bond of any kind . Such an Arch stands self-supported only when the curve from which it takes its name can be accurately
traced between the limits of the outer and inner edge of the voussoirs . This again reminds me of the path of a steadfast Mason amid the landmarks of his Order , containing his words and very thoughts within the compass of propriety and going on his humble way rejoicing in the light which God has shed around him . I have endeavoured to suggest the possible causes which prevent the brethren at large from entering the Supreme Order and hinder them from pursuing it steadfastly . If I am right , these causes will not be removed by merely increasing the number of chapters , but the lack of a centre of instruction and a standard of comparason in our Province will be supplied
to-day . The St . George ' s Chapter commences its career with every advantage ; it possess in its Principals , the Chiefs of the Order in this Province , three illustrious companions , second to none in Masonic skill and extended experience . They will be , I understand , supported by a body of companions selected for their approved conduct and zeal , and who will fulfil the expectations of the founders by setting up for imitation such a standard of ritti . il and finished working as will instruct the minds and gladden the eyes of all who aie privileged to behold it . May T . G . A . O . T . U . prosper them one and all . May He direct and approve their work on earth and finally exalt them in the Heavens .
Tlie ceremony of constitution and consecration was then regularly proceeded with , according to the printed programme of proceedings , and , on its completion , the Three Principals designate , viz ., M . E . Comps . W . Kelly , G . Supt . ; George Toller , Prov . G . H . ; and S . S . Partridge , Prov . G . S . E ., who had all previously rilled the several chairs of a Royal Arch chapter , were duly inducted into the chairs of First , Second , and Third Principals
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ar00200
enlightened our readers as to the authoritative character of the working of that lodge . The Emulation Lodge of Improvement was founded under warrant from the Lodge of Unions , No . 256 , in October , 1823 , and Bro . FENN mentioned that he had discovered , when recently reading over the list of founders , that there were among them two brethren who had been
members of the Lodge of Reconcilation—that is to say , of the body composed of the ablest representatives of the then newly-united " Ancient " and " Modern " or "Regular" sections of the English Craft , to which , immediately after the Act of Union had been consummated , was entrusted the important and responsible task of compiling
a uniform system of ritual . This Lodge of Reconciliation fulfilled its task with the most scrupulous care , and the system prepared by it was finally approved and sanctioned by United Grand Lodge as the official ritual of the English Craft in 1816 . It was two of the members of this important body whose names were recently discovered by Bro . FENN
among the founders of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement ; and , from the fact that the late Bro . W . FARNI-IELD , Assistant Grand Secretary , joined the Lodgeof Improvement in 1 S 26 , and must have been familiar with the Emulation working as established three years previously by the foundersamong whom were the two aforesaid members of the Lodge of Reconciliation
—and that he ( Bro . FENN ) had enjoyed frequent opportunities of consulting the said Bro . FARNFIF . LD , whose death did not take place till 1 S 76 , he ( Bro . FENN ) felt he was justified in considering there was an almost , if not quite , unbroken chain of connection between the system as prepared by the Lodge
of Reconciliation , and sanctioned by the United Grand Lodge in 1 S 16 , and the present Emulation system . This is what Bro . FENN was so anxious to point out , as it stamps almost with an official character our famous Emulation working .
Provincial Grand Chapter Of Leicestershire And Rutland.
PROVINCIAL GRAND CHAPTER OF LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND .
CONSECRATION OF ST . GEORGE'S CHAPTER , No . 1560 . The annual convocation of this Prov , Grand Chapter , for the transaction of the general business of the province , and for the special purpose of consecrating a new Royal Arch Chapter to be attached to the Albert Edward Lodge No . 1560 , was held at Freemasons' Hall , Leicester , on Tuesday , 2 nd inst ., under the presidency of the Grand Superintendent , the M . E . Comp . W . Kelly , F . S . A ., F . R . Hist . Soc , & c . The meeting was numerously attended , amongst those present being the following officers
and members of Prov . G . Chapter : Comps . G . Toller , Prov . G . H . ; Rev . W . Langley , as Prov . G . J . j S . S . Partridge , Prov . G . S . E . ; C . J . Wilkinson , as Prov . G . S . N , j R . Dalgliesh , Prov . G . P . S . ; G . T . Willan , Prov . G . A . S . ; Rev . C . Henton Wood , Prov . G . Reg . ; A . Balmforth , Prov . G . S . B . ; J . Young , Prov . G . D . C . ; ' W . A . Musson , Prov . G . Org . ; R . Boughton-Smith , P . P . G . A . S . ; T . Halliday , P . Z . 779 ; A . P . Wood , P . Z . 1130 ; M . J . Walker , H . 1130 ; W . S . Black , J . 1130 ; C . S . Preston , H . 279 ; and J . Hassall , J . 770 .
I he chapter having been duly opened , the rolls of chapters and of P . G . Officers were called , the several chapters being fully represented , and nearl y every P . G . Officer at his post . After the reading and confirmation of the minutes of the last General Convocation , the ceremony of constitution and consecration of the new chapter was proceeded with , at the commencement of which the Grand Superintendent , as Consecrating Officer , delivered the following address : —
Excellent Companions , —We are met on this present occasion partly to conduct the ordinary business of Provincial Grand Chapter , but we have in addition been specially called together to consecrate the new chapter of St . George , to be attached to the Albert Edward Lodge , No . 15 G 0—an event of rare occurrence , inasmuch as only three new chapters have been founded in the province during the present century . Two of those chapters I had the honour of consecrating , whilst of the earliest of them , which was consecrated by that excellent Mason , the late V . W . Bro . John Savage , P . G . D ., I
was the M . E . Z . nominated in the charter . As to the precise period when Koyal Arch Masonry was first practised in Leicester it seems difficult to decide , as in former days the old Atholl Lodge ; . —like No . gi , formerly existing here until after the Union in 1813—worked under their warrants , not only Ihe Craft Degrees , but also the Mark , Royal Arch , Templar , and some other Orders . It was by this body of seceders , the socalled Ancient or Atholl Masons , that the Order of the Holy Royal Arch of Jerusalem was first introduced . Dr . Oliver and some other writers ( but probably erroneously )
think it was formed by dividing the old Master's grade into two parts . The first mention of the Degree is in a printed work of 1741 ; it next appears in the Atholl records in 1752 , and upon lodge minutes at York in 17 G 2 . The Grand Royal Arch Chapter of England was constituted July 22 nd , 1767 , under Lord Blaney , then the Immediate Past Grand Master of the regular Grand Lodge of England ; and to this body the present Supreme Grand Chapter of England owes its origin . By its authority charters were granted and provinces constituted , Leicestershire being so constituted as early , at least ,
as 1793 , and having as its Grand Superintendent Thomas Boothby Parkyns , M . P . ( afterwards Lord Rancliffe ) , also P . G . Master for the province , and who in 1802 was the G . First Principal of Grand Chapter . It was not , however , until April 20 th , 1858 , that a Grand Chapter was formed in the province , under the authority of Earl Howe , Grand Superintendent , over which , as his lordship's Deputy , I had the honour to preside , as I have since done , either in that capacity or as Grand Superintendent , at every convocation . Although Ihe Grand Chapter had amongst it leaders many noble and some Royal
members of the Grand Lodge of England , it was never recognised by the Grand Lodge until the Union in 1 S 13 ; and in like manner the Grand Chapter of Scotland is not recognised by the Grand Lodge of that country down to the present day . By this Grand Chapter was granted , under the number 102 , the first charter for a Royal Arch chapter in this province—that of the Chapter of Fortitude , attached to St . John ' s Lodge—which thus came into existence as early as 179 G , being six years after St . John ' s Lodge was founded . The early minute book of this chapter is , unfortunatelylost ; but a number
, of particulars , deiived from old papeis among the records of St . John ' s Lodge , are printed in my little " History of Freemasonry in Leicestershire . " We find that John Abbey was exalted in 179 G ; that " the expenses of a Koyal Arch chapter held April 6 th , 1802 , weie defrayed out of the Craft Fund j " and that after the Union of 1 S 13 , under date December 41 b , 1817 , the designation was ( for a time ) changed to " United Chapters 102 and 114 , George Inn , " and , as the old Atholl Lodge , No . 171 , had ceased to make
returns , its members , no doubt , in like manner became merged in St . John's Lodge . The original warrant of the chapter , like that of the lodge , having been lost or destroyed some years previously , a warrant of confirmation was obtained from the Grand Chapter , dated May 9 th , 1821 ; and about the same time the furniture , & c , of the chapter was purchased by subscription , headed by Sir F . G . Fowke , Bart ., who also presented the banner of the Principals—still in use . During half a century this was the only chapter
Provincial Grand Chapter Of Leicestershire And Rutland.
in the province , when in 1847 St . Augustine ' s Chapter was founded in connection with the then recently established John of Gaunt Lodge , No . 7 66 ( now 523 ) , and so continued to the year 1 S 56 . At that time the brethren at Ashby being desirous of having a chapter attached to their lodge , whilst both the local chapters were in anything but flourishing condition , the members being ( in comparison with those of the two lodges ) few in number , it was decided for them to unite in working the old Chapter of Fortitude , whilst the charier of St . Augustine ' s Chapter wasannexedtothe lodge at Ashby de la Zouch . On May 2 Sth ,
1 S 69 , the De Mowbray Chapter , at Melton , was consecrated , our worthy Comp . Langley , to whom Masonry there and elsewhere in the province owes much , being the first M . E . Z . And , finally , on the 14 th January , 1 S 73 , I had the pleasure during the time I held the high office of P . G . M ., as well as that I still retain of Grand Superintendent , of consecrating the Charnwood Chapter , No . 1007 , Loughborough . From that day to the present , whilst several new lodges have sprung into existence in our midst , all of which are in a highly flourishing condition , and whilst the dear old Chapter of Fortitude—the mother
chapter of most of us—has , I believe , closely approaching 100 members , it is self-evident that there is " ample room and verge enough " for the friendly and beneficial operations of , at least , one additional Royal Arch chapter in Leicester . Under these circumstancss , and with a view of giving a new impetus to Royal Arch Masonry amongst us , a charter has been obtained for the new chapter of St . George , No . 1560 , which we are about to constitute in ancient form , and mystically to construct as aspiritual temple to the honour and gloiyof the Great I Am , and may the result prove that we may apply to it the words of the Masonic poet : —
" When orient Wisdom beam'd serene , And pillar'd Strength arose ; When Beauty tinged the glowing scene , And Faith her mansion chose ; Exulting bands the fabric view'd , Mysterious powers ador'd ; And high the triple union stood That gave the Mystic Word . "
The PROV . GRAND SCRIBE E . having stated the wishes of the companions of the new chapter , and having read the petition and warrant , and the other usual formalities being observed , the CONSECRATING OFFICER called upon E . Comp . the Rev . C . Henton Wood , Prov . G . Reg ., to deliver the oration . Comp . WOOD , after giving some interesting paarticulars as to the history of the several Royal Arch chapters in this province , and remarking upon the apparent want of interest shown in Royal Arch Masonry , proceeded as follows :
Why , then , is the Supreme Order of the Royal Arch in such a languishing condition , when the Mark Degree and other Masonic systems now worked in our midst are continually gaining accessions of strength and , so far as one is able to judge , prospering exceedingly ? A chief cause , no doubt , is novelty . To many minds the multifarious clothing , jewels , and paraphernalia of these various Orders have a great attraction , and whereas a principal charm of Masonry is the consciousness of secret knowledge , which gives a sense of superiority over those who have it not , this feeling is intensified by the
multiplicity of the Degrees taken ; and the young Mason is tempted to wander off the beaten track in search of abstruse and complicated instruction before he has acquired the genuine secrets of a M . M ., and the allurements of office lead him to seek employment outside his lodge sometimes before he has qualified himself for promotion within it . Another cause is the want of more instruction during a brother ' s novitiate . Are not Degrees conferred in too quick succession ? Is not the feeling growing that candidates have a sort of claim and right to the succeeding Degrees at the earliest possible date
allowed by the Constitutions ? iand do not many of our rising brethren in consequence claim officers aright , whether qualified or not ? If a candidate is told within three months of his initiation that , having taken the Third Degree , he has arrived at the summit of his profession , is he not apt to feel disappointment , and can we wonder that he should seek after novelty and try to quench his rising thirst for knowledge at every fresh fountain to which he can gain access , rather than rest content under the vine of his own lodge and drink of his own cistern ? A craftsman may lawfully travel as his ancient brethren did ,
from east to extremest west to seek out other Masters and learn new modes of work ; but he should at least know how to indent on the rough and try the smooth before he sets out . So long as minute instruction in the three Degrees is little attended to , so long as slovenly signs and tokens are tolerated and the work of a lodge restricted , by common consent , to the ceremonial conferring of Degrees , on the principle of " the more the merrier , " quality in candidates being held secondary to quantity , the Royal Arch being never so much as hinted at , it is to be feared that the Supreme Order will not conquer
that place in the estimation of the brethren at large which its importance demands . Time is devoted to other Degrees which would perhaps be better spent in striving to attain to the " climax of Freemasonry , " for the ritual is extensive and complicated , and can hardly be mastered on the few occasions set apart for the exercise of it . We have therefore to rely too much on other means of obtaining the requisite knowledge , the correctness of which is doubtful , and the companion who does his best in that direction too often fails to satisfy either himself or his predecessor in office . But , happily , there
are landmarks and limits within which the aspirant cannot widely err . In ritual we are apt to attach too much importance to our own views of verbal accuracy , whereas the doctrine of limits , which runs like a thread throughout the Craft Degrees , appears to me as applicable to ritual as to morals . In the first place , we have brought to our notice the two grand parallels between which , so long as a brother confines himself and marches steadily onward , with the eye of faith fixed on that star of hope which illuminates the immense vista , he cannot err . The point within the circle conveys the same idea . The
landmarks bound his horizon , and whereas the limit of every circle is a rectangle contained by the radius and half the circumference , the Mason standing in the centre can still discern the two great parallels of the law of God and the rulers of the Craft . For if a material circle be divided into a large number of sectors , and these be arranged side by side alternately , point to base , it will be seen that they will be found to approximate to the rectangle above mentioned ; and here I see the origin of the indented or tesselated border and the pattern of a companion ' s badge . And the idea of two grand parallel
is dominant in the Koyal Arch itself . Ihe * ' limit" of the curve called Catenary is two parallel straight lines ; for the two parts of a flexible cord suspended by its two ends , are ( if very long in proportion to the distance between them ) practically parallel to one another . In the Koyal Arch we have impressed on our minds the strength and durability of a vault or dome constructed on the principle of the true Catenarian Arch , standing complete in itself without buttress or bond of any kind . Such an Arch stands self-supported only when the curve from which it takes its name can be accurately
traced between the limits of the outer and inner edge of the voussoirs . This again reminds me of the path of a steadfast Mason amid the landmarks of his Order , containing his words and very thoughts within the compass of propriety and going on his humble way rejoicing in the light which God has shed around him . I have endeavoured to suggest the possible causes which prevent the brethren at large from entering the Supreme Order and hinder them from pursuing it steadfastly . If I am right , these causes will not be removed by merely increasing the number of chapters , but the lack of a centre of instruction and a standard of comparason in our Province will be supplied
to-day . The St . George ' s Chapter commences its career with every advantage ; it possess in its Principals , the Chiefs of the Order in this Province , three illustrious companions , second to none in Masonic skill and extended experience . They will be , I understand , supported by a body of companions selected for their approved conduct and zeal , and who will fulfil the expectations of the founders by setting up for imitation such a standard of ritti . il and finished working as will instruct the minds and gladden the eyes of all who aie privileged to behold it . May T . G . A . O . T . U . prosper them one and all . May He direct and approve their work on earth and finally exalt them in the Heavens .
Tlie ceremony of constitution and consecration was then regularly proceeded with , according to the printed programme of proceedings , and , on its completion , the Three Principals designate , viz ., M . E . Comps . W . Kelly , G . Supt . ; George Toller , Prov . G . H . ; and S . S . Partridge , Prov . G . S . E ., who had all previously rilled the several chairs of a Royal Arch chapter , were duly inducted into the chairs of First , Second , and Third Principals