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Original Correspondence.
Original Correspondence .
[ The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed by Correspondents . ] CHAIR DEGREE .
( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Your correspondent " Leo , " in your impression of 3 rd inst ., seems to be misinformed as regards the Past Master ' s degree , in stating that it is a side degree in Scotland . It is not , being held by the Supreme Grand Itoyal Arch
Chapter of Scotland as the second degree . ( Vide S . B . R . A ., Chap ., Laws , cap . ii ., sec . 1 . ) Brethren receiving the chair degree ( on the blue ) are not recognised by any lodge of Past Masters in Scotland ; moreover , the Grand Lodge does not authorise it . If a brother has received the degree in a lodge of P . M . ' s ,
I hold that he is admissable to any lodge of " regularlyinstalled Masters . " In Scotland , brethren have a right to the ( courtesy ) title of P . M . through virtue of being ex-R . W . M . ' s ; but , knowing nothing of the secrets of the degree , would not be allowed to enter a lodge of " regularly-installed Masters . "
" Leo " remarks that some lodges in Scotland ( old ones ) grant the degree of Chair , i . e ., P . Master . They have no right to do so , as Grand Lodge does not recognise such a degree , it not being within the pale of " St . John ' s Masonry . " However , he is quite right in his statement , as a good many lodges take upon themselves to give the Chair degree , but also the Royal
Arch , under the charter granted by Grand Lodge . It seems to me great laxity on the part of Grand Lodge to allow such spurious working under their Charter . Let Grand Lodge make an example of a few lodges by suspending or recalling charters from lodges working those degrees , then farewell to Chair and Royal Arch ( on the blue ) . AMMI .
PAST MASTERS AS PRECEPTORS . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAK SIR AND BROTHER , —I have been much struck with the letter of " P . M . and P . Z . " in your issue of the 27 th ult ., and also most cordially agree with your editorial remarks on the same question .
As your correspondent invites discussion on the subject , I am tempted to ask you to insert another letter in reference thereto . That it is most desirable to institute one uniform system of working , none I think can doubt ; but then comes the question—How is that uniformity to be attained ? I have heard many
suggestions , and have several times seen the matter mentioned in the Masonic Mirror , but I never saw or heard anything which bore on the face of it such a stamp of feasibility as the idea propounded by " P . M . and P . Z . ; " and I cannot forbear expressing the opinion that every true Mason should put his shoulder
to the wheel and assist to the utmost of his power in the formation of a " Lodge of Installed Preceptors , " as I feel persuaded that once let it become an established fact , the great majority of Past Masters will , if I may use the expression of the Pharmaceutists , become " members by examination . " If not presuming too much on your patience , I
would throw out a few suggestions , in the sincere hope that they will be taken up and improved upon by those who are much more able to deal with these matters than myself . I would propose , then , that a memorial he got up to Grand Lodge praying our M . W . G . M . to appoint a committee , that they in their turn may be empowered to commission , say , twelve Past Masters to constitute a nucleus for the Board
of Preceptors ; that this nucleus shall have the power to approve or reject all candidates who present themselves for examination , and shall continue so to act , until by the admission of members its numbers so increase that it can then appoint officers , committees , delegates , & c , as occasion may require . It
is true that by this means we tire placing men in the position of examiners who have not themselves passed the ordeal , but surely we have sufficient confidence in our Grand Master to know that he would only sanction the appointment of such brethren as he knew to be competent to perforin their duties properly . And
here let me say that , if this matter is to be carried out well and efficiently , we must let no jealousy or non-Masonic spirit creep in . I know that some may say I am setting up a Board of London Past Masters , when there are many in the provinces equally competent ; that it is encouraging a spirit of
centralization which ought to be avoided ; but iny reply is—The movement must be commenced by some one , and in some place , and where so proper as in the precincts of Grand Lodge itself V Besides , we must remember that in a short time the board would contain many provincial P . Ms . ' s , who , if not absolutely in the
majority , would certainl y prove so respectable a minority that their views and opinions would exercise great influence in all deliberations . After the establishment of tho board , comes the question—On what system of working is the candidate for admission to be examined r That this question should have to be asked , shows how great the necessity of an uniform system has become , for I
Original Correspondence.
venture to say at the present moment two brethren , who may each be thoroughly good workers , might be found to declare that each knew very little of the proper way to work a lodge ; consequently , the only method I can see at present is , that each candidate must most undeniably prove to the board of examiners that he is thoroughly versed in working the degrees ,
lectures , sections , & c , as usually practised in his province . The consequence would be , we should then get a thorough knowledge of the working of each district , and by taking what is good in some , and refusing what is undesirable in others , we get a system
of working at once uniform and good ; then , after such ritual had received the sanction of Grand Lodge , it would , of course , become the standard of all future examinations .
Another serious consideration would be the expense and loss of time entailed upon brethren at a distance from London by having to attend personally that they might be enrolled as members of the board ; but this difficulty might in a great measure be met by deputing some brother , " well skilled in the ancient
charges , " to act as a travelling examiner , to meet the expense of which , doubtless , Grand Lodge would contribute an annual sum , while the fees payable by each brother on becoming a member would be sufficient to meet all emergencies . Independently of the creat advantage to the craft
generally in having one recognised system of working , the great benefit to ourselves as Past Masters ought to induce all who have attained that high honour to bestir themselves in this matter , and rest not until the desired end is accomplished . The remark made by " P . M . " and " P . Z ., " that Masters who have ,
perhaps , most efficiently fulfilled the duties of the chair , are , after their term of office has expired , very apt to grow rusty , is but too true , more especially in those lodges to which no chapter is attached , as , should there be one , they would in all probability be struggling to fit themselves for the honourable discharge of those
higher duties to which they aro eligible . Let us then lose no time , but each all unite heart and hand to bring to bear all legitimate pressure in high quarters , and our request will quickly meet the response for which we hope .
Apologising for the length of this communication , but trusting that others may take up your space more worthily in ventilation of this important topic , I am , dear Sir and Brother , Yours fraternally , P . M . 200 .
( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —If by means of the movement originated by Br . Stevens in your columns , uniformity of ritual bo obtained , THE FREEMASON will have the honour of having effected tho reform which , above all others , is most urgently needed by
the Craft . In a ritual preserved , as that of Masonry is , by tradition only , a gradual deterioration and divergence from the true standard is inevitable . Human memory is fallible , and the mistakes of one generation of ollicers are adopted as the true and correct version by the
next . There are at present no means whatever of regaining the lost standard of correctness , and thus there is a constant tendency to the multiplication of false versions . The difficulty presented from this cause to an earnest Mason conscientiously desirous of learning thoroughly
Ins duties in the lodge , has been already commented upon in your columns , and would of itself amply justify the demand for a reform in this particular . But the divergence of ritual involves a far graver evil , which has not as yet been put forward . The members of each lodge naturally think their own ritual correct ,
and any other incorrect . At present the discrepancies are comparatively inconsiderable , but they arc daily growing more marked . So long as such discrepancies are allowed to remain , we nourish within the bosom of our Order the seeds of future dissension , which , if suffered to germinate , may in a few years lead to a
repetition of the schism , which m the last century split the Order into two contending factions . In addition to the establishment of the proposed Lodge of Preceptors ( which would go fiir to remedy the evil ) , I would suggest that the ritual , as settled by such lodge , should be committed to writing and preserved with the archives of the Grand Lodge ; and
OPERATIVE LODGES . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I have perused with much interest the recent communications of Bro . Hughan , and also the correspondence of Bro . Yarker .
further , that those portions of the ritual as to which secrecy ia not only unimportant but absurd ( as , for instance , the prayers used in the three degrees ) , should be " publicly printed by authority ( as the E . A . charge is at present ) , for the use of the Craft , thus lightening the task , already sufficiently difficult , of committing the ritual to memory . Yonrs fraternally , DELTA .
Original Correspondence.
The subject of which they treat is in itself so interesting , that I have ventured to forward the subjoined remarks . The evidence supplied by the Operative Lodges is very valuable , and Bro . Hughan is doing well to disentomb those long-buried minutes and forgotten documents . The more evidence we can collect , the better , as everything tends to throw light on the neglected history and archseology of
Freemasonry . I am , however , inclined to think that Bro . Hughan and other writers of to-day , rate somewhat too highly the value of such evidence in settling the very difficult question of the true antiquity of the various parts of our system . There seems , for some time past ,
a growing tendency among a class of writers to exalt the evidence afforded by modern minute books , and equally modern rituals , and to set more store by them than they fairly warrant us in doing . Bro . Hughan will not find any written evidence of the second and third degree , most probably , in the
Exertica epoch of the revival , and the evidence we shall have only against , must be , 1 think , indirect , and to a great extent only inferential . And the reason of this is plain . In the first place , the minutes only refer to the business of the lodge , then , as now , transacted in the first degree , and do
not concern themselves , until a much later period , with tho ceremonies . Bro . Hughan ' s suggestion that the terms Master and Fellow were only distinctions in rank , not in degree or secrets , is , however ingenious , inadmissable , because equally repugnant to the most ancient constitutions and to the most modern minutes ,
even of the operative lodges . In the next place , I cannot help thinking that much may be said about restricting the " raising of masters " to the Annual Assembly . There is undoubted evidence that , in 1742 , the custoin of the York Grand Lodge was ( following , as they averred , ancient usage ) to give the third degree
m the Grand Lodge Meeting . 1 am not aware whether there is any evidence in Scotland of a " Grand Assembly , " or whether the history of Operative Masonry there is simply a history of individual lodges . But as there seem traces of a Grand Master , there may also have been a Grand
Convention of the Operative Lodges . Whether there be so or not , all that the evidence of the Scottish Operative Lodges proves , so far , is this : not that the second and third degrees did not exist , but that they are not mentioned in minutes referring to business transacted in the first degree .
Bro . Hughan is perfectly correct in the wording of the Regulation 30 , in Harleian M . SS ., vol . 1942 ( by a misprint Bro . Hughan says 1242 ) , but I am of opinion that Bro . Yarker is right , in understanding " Master" there to mean " Grand Master , " as a private lodgo is never called an assembly , and the rule refers evidently to the Annual Grand Assembly .
Believing then , as I do , that such discussions as these are very helpful to the furtherance of a right appreciation of our true history , and admiring , as I do , the perseverance of Bro . Hughan in this interesting study , and the zeal aud abilities of Bro . Yavker , I beg to conclude my humble contribution to-day by subscribing myself , Very fraternally yours , LATIIOMUS .
P . S . —Equally with Bro . Hughan , 1 should be deeply interested in receiving any evidence which carries the Masonic Templars back to 1086 .
VERBOSITY IN REPORTS OF LODGE MEETINGS . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I was much pleased on reading the remarks in your columns of Saturday , the 27 th inst ., respecting " Hints to Reporters . " _ As a constant reader of your paper since its publication , and likewise that of your contemporary , "The
Freemason ' s Magazine , " I can only confirm the statement of your correspondent by saying that I have repeatedly heard complaints made by the brethren of this locality as to the dry , tedious , and uninteresting reports from the generality of the lodges . I would respectfully suggest , Bro . Editor , that
the object of such reports would be sufficiently attained by inserting a list of the names of the brethren , with that of their lodge , as they take their respective degrees . To the report of one of our Stockton lodges which appeared in your edition of the 20 th inst . I think the remarks above-mentioned are particularly applicable ,
as I noticed the same tedious details of the working of the lodge , with only the following additional , but invidious remark : —" Which is composed of members with whom it is at once a pleasure and a privilege to meet , tee . wish as much could lie said of every lodge in the province . " This evidently has been written by a visiting brother
to the Stockton lodge , who , no doubt , wished to pay its brethren a very flattering compliment ; at the same time , he should be reminded that he ought not to do so at the expense of the good name of the other lodges in the district . I am , dear Sir and Brother , Yours fraternally , March 31 st , 18 G 9 . P . M .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Original Correspondence.
Original Correspondence .
[ The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed by Correspondents . ] CHAIR DEGREE .
( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Your correspondent " Leo , " in your impression of 3 rd inst ., seems to be misinformed as regards the Past Master ' s degree , in stating that it is a side degree in Scotland . It is not , being held by the Supreme Grand Itoyal Arch
Chapter of Scotland as the second degree . ( Vide S . B . R . A ., Chap ., Laws , cap . ii ., sec . 1 . ) Brethren receiving the chair degree ( on the blue ) are not recognised by any lodge of Past Masters in Scotland ; moreover , the Grand Lodge does not authorise it . If a brother has received the degree in a lodge of P . M . ' s ,
I hold that he is admissable to any lodge of " regularlyinstalled Masters . " In Scotland , brethren have a right to the ( courtesy ) title of P . M . through virtue of being ex-R . W . M . ' s ; but , knowing nothing of the secrets of the degree , would not be allowed to enter a lodge of " regularly-installed Masters . "
" Leo " remarks that some lodges in Scotland ( old ones ) grant the degree of Chair , i . e ., P . Master . They have no right to do so , as Grand Lodge does not recognise such a degree , it not being within the pale of " St . John ' s Masonry . " However , he is quite right in his statement , as a good many lodges take upon themselves to give the Chair degree , but also the Royal
Arch , under the charter granted by Grand Lodge . It seems to me great laxity on the part of Grand Lodge to allow such spurious working under their Charter . Let Grand Lodge make an example of a few lodges by suspending or recalling charters from lodges working those degrees , then farewell to Chair and Royal Arch ( on the blue ) . AMMI .
PAST MASTERS AS PRECEPTORS . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAK SIR AND BROTHER , —I have been much struck with the letter of " P . M . and P . Z . " in your issue of the 27 th ult ., and also most cordially agree with your editorial remarks on the same question .
As your correspondent invites discussion on the subject , I am tempted to ask you to insert another letter in reference thereto . That it is most desirable to institute one uniform system of working , none I think can doubt ; but then comes the question—How is that uniformity to be attained ? I have heard many
suggestions , and have several times seen the matter mentioned in the Masonic Mirror , but I never saw or heard anything which bore on the face of it such a stamp of feasibility as the idea propounded by " P . M . and P . Z . ; " and I cannot forbear expressing the opinion that every true Mason should put his shoulder
to the wheel and assist to the utmost of his power in the formation of a " Lodge of Installed Preceptors , " as I feel persuaded that once let it become an established fact , the great majority of Past Masters will , if I may use the expression of the Pharmaceutists , become " members by examination . " If not presuming too much on your patience , I
would throw out a few suggestions , in the sincere hope that they will be taken up and improved upon by those who are much more able to deal with these matters than myself . I would propose , then , that a memorial he got up to Grand Lodge praying our M . W . G . M . to appoint a committee , that they in their turn may be empowered to commission , say , twelve Past Masters to constitute a nucleus for the Board
of Preceptors ; that this nucleus shall have the power to approve or reject all candidates who present themselves for examination , and shall continue so to act , until by the admission of members its numbers so increase that it can then appoint officers , committees , delegates , & c , as occasion may require . It
is true that by this means we tire placing men in the position of examiners who have not themselves passed the ordeal , but surely we have sufficient confidence in our Grand Master to know that he would only sanction the appointment of such brethren as he knew to be competent to perforin their duties properly . And
here let me say that , if this matter is to be carried out well and efficiently , we must let no jealousy or non-Masonic spirit creep in . I know that some may say I am setting up a Board of London Past Masters , when there are many in the provinces equally competent ; that it is encouraging a spirit of
centralization which ought to be avoided ; but iny reply is—The movement must be commenced by some one , and in some place , and where so proper as in the precincts of Grand Lodge itself V Besides , we must remember that in a short time the board would contain many provincial P . Ms . ' s , who , if not absolutely in the
majority , would certainl y prove so respectable a minority that their views and opinions would exercise great influence in all deliberations . After the establishment of tho board , comes the question—On what system of working is the candidate for admission to be examined r That this question should have to be asked , shows how great the necessity of an uniform system has become , for I
Original Correspondence.
venture to say at the present moment two brethren , who may each be thoroughly good workers , might be found to declare that each knew very little of the proper way to work a lodge ; consequently , the only method I can see at present is , that each candidate must most undeniably prove to the board of examiners that he is thoroughly versed in working the degrees ,
lectures , sections , & c , as usually practised in his province . The consequence would be , we should then get a thorough knowledge of the working of each district , and by taking what is good in some , and refusing what is undesirable in others , we get a system
of working at once uniform and good ; then , after such ritual had received the sanction of Grand Lodge , it would , of course , become the standard of all future examinations .
Another serious consideration would be the expense and loss of time entailed upon brethren at a distance from London by having to attend personally that they might be enrolled as members of the board ; but this difficulty might in a great measure be met by deputing some brother , " well skilled in the ancient
charges , " to act as a travelling examiner , to meet the expense of which , doubtless , Grand Lodge would contribute an annual sum , while the fees payable by each brother on becoming a member would be sufficient to meet all emergencies . Independently of the creat advantage to the craft
generally in having one recognised system of working , the great benefit to ourselves as Past Masters ought to induce all who have attained that high honour to bestir themselves in this matter , and rest not until the desired end is accomplished . The remark made by " P . M . " and " P . Z ., " that Masters who have ,
perhaps , most efficiently fulfilled the duties of the chair , are , after their term of office has expired , very apt to grow rusty , is but too true , more especially in those lodges to which no chapter is attached , as , should there be one , they would in all probability be struggling to fit themselves for the honourable discharge of those
higher duties to which they aro eligible . Let us then lose no time , but each all unite heart and hand to bring to bear all legitimate pressure in high quarters , and our request will quickly meet the response for which we hope .
Apologising for the length of this communication , but trusting that others may take up your space more worthily in ventilation of this important topic , I am , dear Sir and Brother , Yours fraternally , P . M . 200 .
( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —If by means of the movement originated by Br . Stevens in your columns , uniformity of ritual bo obtained , THE FREEMASON will have the honour of having effected tho reform which , above all others , is most urgently needed by
the Craft . In a ritual preserved , as that of Masonry is , by tradition only , a gradual deterioration and divergence from the true standard is inevitable . Human memory is fallible , and the mistakes of one generation of ollicers are adopted as the true and correct version by the
next . There are at present no means whatever of regaining the lost standard of correctness , and thus there is a constant tendency to the multiplication of false versions . The difficulty presented from this cause to an earnest Mason conscientiously desirous of learning thoroughly
Ins duties in the lodge , has been already commented upon in your columns , and would of itself amply justify the demand for a reform in this particular . But the divergence of ritual involves a far graver evil , which has not as yet been put forward . The members of each lodge naturally think their own ritual correct ,
and any other incorrect . At present the discrepancies are comparatively inconsiderable , but they arc daily growing more marked . So long as such discrepancies are allowed to remain , we nourish within the bosom of our Order the seeds of future dissension , which , if suffered to germinate , may in a few years lead to a
repetition of the schism , which m the last century split the Order into two contending factions . In addition to the establishment of the proposed Lodge of Preceptors ( which would go fiir to remedy the evil ) , I would suggest that the ritual , as settled by such lodge , should be committed to writing and preserved with the archives of the Grand Lodge ; and
OPERATIVE LODGES . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I have perused with much interest the recent communications of Bro . Hughan , and also the correspondence of Bro . Yarker .
further , that those portions of the ritual as to which secrecy ia not only unimportant but absurd ( as , for instance , the prayers used in the three degrees ) , should be " publicly printed by authority ( as the E . A . charge is at present ) , for the use of the Craft , thus lightening the task , already sufficiently difficult , of committing the ritual to memory . Yonrs fraternally , DELTA .
Original Correspondence.
The subject of which they treat is in itself so interesting , that I have ventured to forward the subjoined remarks . The evidence supplied by the Operative Lodges is very valuable , and Bro . Hughan is doing well to disentomb those long-buried minutes and forgotten documents . The more evidence we can collect , the better , as everything tends to throw light on the neglected history and archseology of
Freemasonry . I am , however , inclined to think that Bro . Hughan and other writers of to-day , rate somewhat too highly the value of such evidence in settling the very difficult question of the true antiquity of the various parts of our system . There seems , for some time past ,
a growing tendency among a class of writers to exalt the evidence afforded by modern minute books , and equally modern rituals , and to set more store by them than they fairly warrant us in doing . Bro . Hughan will not find any written evidence of the second and third degree , most probably , in the
Exertica epoch of the revival , and the evidence we shall have only against , must be , 1 think , indirect , and to a great extent only inferential . And the reason of this is plain . In the first place , the minutes only refer to the business of the lodge , then , as now , transacted in the first degree , and do
not concern themselves , until a much later period , with tho ceremonies . Bro . Hughan ' s suggestion that the terms Master and Fellow were only distinctions in rank , not in degree or secrets , is , however ingenious , inadmissable , because equally repugnant to the most ancient constitutions and to the most modern minutes ,
even of the operative lodges . In the next place , I cannot help thinking that much may be said about restricting the " raising of masters " to the Annual Assembly . There is undoubted evidence that , in 1742 , the custoin of the York Grand Lodge was ( following , as they averred , ancient usage ) to give the third degree
m the Grand Lodge Meeting . 1 am not aware whether there is any evidence in Scotland of a " Grand Assembly , " or whether the history of Operative Masonry there is simply a history of individual lodges . But as there seem traces of a Grand Master , there may also have been a Grand
Convention of the Operative Lodges . Whether there be so or not , all that the evidence of the Scottish Operative Lodges proves , so far , is this : not that the second and third degrees did not exist , but that they are not mentioned in minutes referring to business transacted in the first degree .
Bro . Hughan is perfectly correct in the wording of the Regulation 30 , in Harleian M . SS ., vol . 1942 ( by a misprint Bro . Hughan says 1242 ) , but I am of opinion that Bro . Yarker is right , in understanding " Master" there to mean " Grand Master , " as a private lodgo is never called an assembly , and the rule refers evidently to the Annual Grand Assembly .
Believing then , as I do , that such discussions as these are very helpful to the furtherance of a right appreciation of our true history , and admiring , as I do , the perseverance of Bro . Hughan in this interesting study , and the zeal aud abilities of Bro . Yavker , I beg to conclude my humble contribution to-day by subscribing myself , Very fraternally yours , LATIIOMUS .
P . S . —Equally with Bro . Hughan , 1 should be deeply interested in receiving any evidence which carries the Masonic Templars back to 1086 .
VERBOSITY IN REPORTS OF LODGE MEETINGS . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I was much pleased on reading the remarks in your columns of Saturday , the 27 th inst ., respecting " Hints to Reporters . " _ As a constant reader of your paper since its publication , and likewise that of your contemporary , "The
Freemason ' s Magazine , " I can only confirm the statement of your correspondent by saying that I have repeatedly heard complaints made by the brethren of this locality as to the dry , tedious , and uninteresting reports from the generality of the lodges . I would respectfully suggest , Bro . Editor , that
the object of such reports would be sufficiently attained by inserting a list of the names of the brethren , with that of their lodge , as they take their respective degrees . To the report of one of our Stockton lodges which appeared in your edition of the 20 th inst . I think the remarks above-mentioned are particularly applicable ,
as I noticed the same tedious details of the working of the lodge , with only the following additional , but invidious remark : —" Which is composed of members with whom it is at once a pleasure and a privilege to meet , tee . wish as much could lie said of every lodge in the province . " This evidently has been written by a visiting brother
to the Stockton lodge , who , no doubt , wished to pay its brethren a very flattering compliment ; at the same time , he should be reminded that he ought not to do so at the expense of the good name of the other lodges in the district . I am , dear Sir and Brother , Yours fraternally , March 31 st , 18 G 9 . P . M .