Ar00100

CONTENTS . PAGE L EADERThe Three English Lodges in Montreal ... ... ... ... 77 Provincial Grand Lodge of Guernsey and Alderney ... ... ... 7 8 The Provincial Grand Lodge and Provincial Grand Chapter of Suffolk ... 79 Mark Grand Lodge ... ... ... ... ... ... So Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... So Instruction ... ... ... ... ... . „ ... Si

M ASONIC NOTESCommittee of General Purposes of Supreme Grand Chapter ... ... S 3 Especial Grand Lodge ... ... ... ,.. ... S 3 The Late Bro . Thomas Fenn ... ... ... ... ... S 3 Committee of Management of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution S 3 Proceedings of the District Grand Lodge of Oueensland ... ... S 3

Correspondence ... ... ... ... ... ... S 4 S COTLANDGrand Lodge Quarterly Meeting ... ... ... ... 84 Provincial Grand Lodge of Forfarshire ... ... ... ... S 4 Consecration of Lodge Hozier , No . 912 ... ... ... ... S 5 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 85 Obituary ... ... ... ... ... ... ... SG

POETRYThe Passing of the Queen ... ... ... ... ... SG Royal Arch ... ... ... ... ... ... ... SG Science , Art , and the Drama ... ... ... ... ... S 7 Masonic and General Tidings ... .,, ... ... ... SS

The Three English Lodges In Montreal.

THE THREE ENGLISH LODGES IN MONTREAL .

We mentioned . a few weeks since tI 1 . 1 t Bro . W . J . HUGHAN had very kindly placed at our disposal a letter on the Three English lodges in Montreal which he had received from Bro . W . 11 . WlIYTE , one of the ablest and most respected members of the

Craft in the Province of Quebec , and we promised that , when a favourable opportunity presented itself , we would offer to our readers such comments as the importance of thc letter most certainly demands . It is not so very long ago that we published

—with a few appropriate remarks b y way of introduction—a communication from a worthy Past Master of one of the three lodges , in which he described the feeling that existed among a very considerable number of the members of them all in favour of effec . tuatine a union between them and the Grand

Lodge of Quebec , and in which he expressed the hope that such a union would be brought about at an earl y date . Bro . WlIYTE , however , in his letter to Bro . MuoilAN goes more full y into the ijuestion , and expresses his opinion that if our Grand Lodge will

only co-operate with those in Quebec who desire that the whole body of Masons in the Province should be under the jurisdiction of its ( irand Lodge , the desired union will speedily be effected . Bro . WHY TIC'S first point is that this journal has—unwittingly

of course—very materially helped those who are doing their utmost to prevent this union . " I have noticed , " says he , " various letters and editorials in the London Freemason , and have been pleased with them all except in one part , and ( hat is ,

in the repetition of the assertion that these three lodges here must go over of their own will and' accord , and that England is unable to take any serious action in the matter until it comes from here . I am sure you will pardon me if I state that this

repetition is very unwise , as no one on this side of the Ocean is disputing the point . You are evidently giving a handle to a very small minority—under a hall ' -do / . en—who are making use of these assertions to prevent a very large majority in each lodge

who wish to come over . " We regret , very naturally and very sincerel y , that our remarks on this point should have had an ellcct which was neither intended nor desired . But considering

that it is onlv just recently that any evidence has been forthcoming from the other side of the Ocean , that the question had passed from the academic phase into—if we mav be permitted

The Three English Lodges In Montreal.

to use the expression—the domain of practical politics , we can hardly be expected to admit that blame attaches to us and our correspondents . When thc question of amalgamating the English lodges with those on the Quebec register , and placing

them all under the banner of the Grand Lodge of the Province was publicly discussed , we could do no more than point out that while we felt sure our Grand Lodge would cordially wish Godspeed to its lodges in Montreal if they decided on casting in

their lot with thc Grand Lodge of Quebec , it rested with the lodges themselves to take the necessary steps to bring about the amalgamation . Our Grand Lodge , however well disposed it might be , and even desirous that the union should take place ,

could not be expected to allow its own laws to be set aside , or to legislate in order to settle this particular emergency . Hence we said that our three lodges in Montreal must take the first step towards helping themselves , and then our Grand Lodge would only be too ready and willing to render what help was in its

power . Passing to thc next material point which Bro . WHYTE deals with , we gather that our authorities have already been consulted b y the English brethren in Montreal who arc in favour of

amalgamation with Quebec , and that they have been informed by our Grand Registrar , that Article 218 B of our ESook of Constitutions—on which they appear to have looked as a stepping-stone to help them out of their difficulty—does not apply to the case of our

three lodges in Montreal . How they can have misunderstood this Article , the meaning of which is clear enough , is . a puzzle . It provides that whenever our Grand Lodge " with the assent of the Grand Master , " has recognised a Grand Lodge in any Colony or

Foreign part , and the Grand Master has signified that "it is not his intention to grant for the future any Warrant for a new Lodge" in the jurisdiction of that local ( irand Lodge , certain specified rules shall apply . No . 1 of these rules lays it down that

" within six months after recognition '' a special meeting of every Lodge in the juiisdiction shall be convened , while Rule 2 provides that at such special meeting the question whether " the Lodge shall continue under the Grand Lodge of England or not "

shall be considered and resolved upon , " a majority of twothirds of the members present" being required to carry a resolution to join the new Grand Lodge , and also a further resolution as to whom " the property and effects of the Lodge "

shall be vested in . In 1 875 our ( irand Lodge , with the assent of the ( irand Master , declared its readiness to recognise the ( irand Lodge of Quebec on the usual conditions , but the latter declined recognition on those terms . On this ground , therefore ,

Article 2181 s would not be applicable to the three English Lodges in Montreal . Again , the first of the live rules appended to the Article provides that the special meeting to consider whether a Lodge shall join ( he new local ( irand Lodge or continue under the Grand Lodtrc of England must be convened " within six

months after recognition , " and hence , even if Quebec had accepted recognition in 1 X 75 on the terms prescribed by our Grand Lodge , Article _ rSr , would still remain inapplicable to the case ol these Anglo-Montreal Lodges . Moreover , the Article is

inapplicable not only to these three Lodges but also to all those English Lodges which in other British Colonies or Foreign parts have elected to remain under the jurisdiction of our Grand

Lodge in preference to joining the local Grand Lodges which have been alread y established for several years . Such Lodges are No . 298 , Halifax , Nova Scotia ; No . 650 , Sydney , N . S . W . ; Mo . 752 , Melbourne , Victoria ; and the Lodges in New Zealand ; in

Ar00103

Now Ready . —The Cosmopolitan Masonic Calendar for 1901 . Price 1 / -, by post 1 / 1