The True Basis Of Masonic Benevolence.

THE TRUE BASIS OF MASONIC BENEVOLENCE .

There is a considerable amount of truth in the statement by Bro . JOSEPH ROBBINS , M . D ., in his preface to the Report on Correspondence which he presented to the Grand Lodge of Illinois , at its annual meeting in October last , to the effect that

when some enthusiast arises and propounds some wonderful theory of his own which shall put and keep the world straight for the rest of its existence , it almost invariably happens that this wonderful new theory is neither more nor less than an old one

in a new garb , an old one which has been again and again considered and discussed from every possible point of view , and which , every time it has been considered and discussed , has been shown to be more or less worthless to effect the purpose for which it was enunciated . Nor is Bro . ROBBINS content with

merely making this statement , for he goes on to illustrate its force by , as he puts it , " one of the newer subjects which for a number of years has received increasing attention—the subject of ' Masonic homes , ' asylums for the widows and orphans of

Masons , and the aged and decayed members of the Fraternity . A few years ago , stimulated by the example of Kentucky , almost every jurisdiction was discussing the ways and means for establishing a * home , ' the desirability of possessing one being

taken for granted . " Those , however , he points out , who were familiar with a previous similar craze in behalf of " Masonic colleges , " raised a warning voice and pointed out the dangers incident " to any attempt to manage large and expensive

establishments by a body like the Grand Lodge , " and how serious a departure the establishment of such "homes" would be "from the underlying principle of Masonic Charity , when any system of taxation was resorted to which did not take into account the

relative ability of brethren to contribute , and their right , under their primary engagements , to be themselves the judges , each for himself , of that ability . " He enumerates the difficulties which arose out of the establishment of the Masonic Home in

Kentucky—its " pressing financial necessities , the attempt to relieve these by assessments on a per capita basis , the resistance of lodges on constitutional grounds , the arrest of charters ancl their final restoration , the Craft ' shaken to its foundations' and

' well nigh stranded for ever' " " All these , " he tells us , " were a part of the dreary story before the final basis was formed on the principle of voluntary support . " Actuated by

these views and guided by this experience , Bro . ROBBINS expresses himself as being favourable to the establishment of " Charitable funds " rather than of " Charitable homes . " He is

in favour , in the case of children , of setting up schools for their maintenance and education , but in the case of the aged brethren and their widows , he evidently inclines to the opinion of those who think a Charity fund is preferable to a home .

ror ourselves , ancl with the knowledge we have of the system on which our Masonic Institutions have been established , and our experience of the manner in which their affairs are administered , we are of opinion it would be a grievous mistake if any of the

' Masonic homes " in the United States , of which we have heard so much recently , were established on any other principle than that of voluntary support , while , as regards the permanent relief of aged and necessitous brethren and their widows , we prefer

the fund to the home . The success of our three Institutions is due to the fact of their having been established on the principle of voluntary support . Our two Schools owe their origin to the enterprise of private brethren—the senior , or Girls' School , to

that of Bro . the Chevalier RuSPINl and his friends on the " Modern " side , and the junior , or Boys' School , to that of Bro . Burwood and his friends of the United Mariners Lodge on the " Ancient" side . Undoubtedly , the " Ancient" Grand Lodge gave its sanction to a levy on behalf of its School of five shillings

The True Basis Of Masonic Benevolence.

for every person initiated in a London lodge , and half that sum in the case of those initiated in a non-London lodge , and for a short period prior to the Union the proceeds of this levy were paid quarterly to the School . The " Modern " Grand Lodge demurred to anything of the kind , and paid a fixed annual

contribution to the Girls' School . For about 25 years after the Union , United Grand Lodge adopted the "Ancient" principle , and paid over in equal moieties to the two Schools the proceeds of a similar levy , ancl then commuted it into a fixed annual contribution of £ 150 to each School , the Grand Master receiving

in return a certain number of votes at each election in return for such annual contribution . But , except to this small extent , our Masonic Schools have been wholly supported by voluntary contributions . As regards the Benevolent Institution , Bro . CRUCEFIX ' scheme for the establishment of an Asylum or Home

for the aged brother or his widow met with very strenuous opposition from the outset . CRUCEFIX himself got into hot water over the business , and was suspended for a time from his Masonic rights and privileges . The Duke of SUSSEX , M . W . Grand Master , favoured the annuity system , and the Male

Annuity Fund was established by Grand Lodge in 1842 , the year before his Royal Higbness ' s death . The Widows' Fund was founded also by Grand Lodge seven years later , when at length the Asylum scheme , which had been in existence for 14 years , and amassed a considerable sum of money for building purposes ,

was amalgamated with the Grand Lodge Annuity Funds ; the Asylum was erected at Croydon , and the three became what is now known briefly as the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution . But in this case , though there is an Asylum or Home , it will only accommodate 33 out of 420 annuitants , or one in every 13 ; the

privilege of residing in it , as vacancies arise , is accorded onl y to those who have been already elected annuitants , in the order of their seniority , men first and widows afterwards , so that they may accept or decline it as they choose . In short , the Asylum or Home idea is entirely subsidiary to the Annuity idea , and it is

more than probable that if the Asylum Fund had not been originally raised for building purposes , so that in order to keep faith with those who had contributed , the promoters of the scheme were obliged to carry out their original idea , the present building at Croydon would never have been erected .

Again , though Grand Lodge now contributes £ 1600 a year towards the support of the Annuity Funds , which itself founded as a relief to its own Fund of Benevolence , this sum forms onl y about one-tenth or one-eleventh part of the total income of the Institution , the other nine-tenths or ten-elevenths being raised

annually by the voluntary contributions of the brethren and their friends . Lastly , there is a considerable and increasing number of Educational ancl Benevolent Funds or Associations established in different parts of the country , which , though they are liberally supported by grants from the funds of the Provincial Grand

Lodges and Provincial Grand Chapters—which grants , it must be remembered , are also voluntary—are mainly dependent for their support on the voluntary donations and subscriptions of the local Masons . Thus the voluntary principle is the basis on which all our English Masonic Institutionsare founded . Moreover ,

though annual grants in aid are made by Grand Lodge , the government of our Schools is outside the limits of its control , nor , in the case of the Benevolent Institution , of which , except as to the Asylum , it was the founder , does it bear more than a part in the administration of its affairs , while it assuredly derives no benefit

from its share in the shape of patronage . In fine , our three principal Masonic Charities in England require annually some £ 40 , 000 for their support , and , taking last year as an example , the sum received in voluntary " donations and subscriptions " was , in round figures , £ 3 8 , 793 . Therefore , in any Charitable scheme which our brethren in the United States in their several

jurisdictions may consider it desirable to formulate , we trust they will carefully eschew the idea of per capita assessment and look entirely to the voluntary principle as the true basis of Masonic benevolence .