Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

Multum in Parbo , or Masonic Notes and Queries .

—©—THE GRAND M . M . M . If it would not be considered presumptuous on my part , I should like to add a little to the observations of the Grand Mark

Master respecting thc recognition of the Mark Grand Lodge . Not only is his authority as Grand Master recognised by the Grand Chapters of Ireland , Canada , Pennsylvania , and Iowa , but , in

England , all the Grand Bodies ( excepting those pertaining to Craft Masonry , under which Mark Masonry should not be placed ) recognise the Grand Lodge of Mark Masters ,

and , thereby , thc Grand Master s authority as the head of Mark Masonry in England These bodies arc the " Knights Templar , ' the " Red Cross of Rome and Constantine , ' and the " Ancient and Accepted Rite . "

In common with many Masons who have given attention to historical Freemasonry , I regret exceedingly the withdrawal of support from the Grand Chapter of Scotland . I say withdrawal , because formerly the

certificates o * f the Mark Grand Lodge were recognised . However , I believe that ere long that influential body will hold out thc right hand of fellowship . W . I . HUG I IAN .

MARK AND ROYAL ARCH . I am not going to continue the discussion with Bro . W . P . Buchan . His silence as to the origin of the G . C . of Scotland "speaks volumes . " I will leave it to the G . L . and

G . C . of Scotland to settle with Bro . Buchan whether they or he are right as to thc Mark degree having been " wrought long before 1736 . " The former declared that this was so in 1 S 5 S , the latter in 186 4 . If they were

wrong in these deliverances , there is the more need for them to mind their own affairs , ami leave English Mark Masters to mind their ' s in peace . What Bro . Buchan appears to me to lose

sight of is this—that modern Masonry , if it is anything superior to Odd Fellows or Ancient Druids , is a clothing in allegory and ceremonial of a certain number of facts which had their existence among the

operative Freemasons of old . As at present existing , our ceremonial cannot be proved to have thc slightest connection with thc operative lodges . Who for a moment believes that William of Wykeham or Sir C .

Wren could now work his way into a modern lodge ? An Entered Apprentice and a Fellow Craft were facts—the Master of a lodge was a great reality , so was a Mason ' s

Mark . The modern Master Mason , and the modern R . A . Mason , had no existence at all , and these testify to no operative fact or truth whatever ; and therefore for a R . A . Mason to claim jurisdiction over the Mark

degree as part of his system , is an anachronism . That such a modern continuance as the Arch should clutch hard at an antique relic like the Mark , is natural enough . It

is equally natural that Mark Masters should decline to allow the pure stream of their immemorial antiquity to be niudded and muddled by the inventions of 1 740 . AN ENGLISH MARK MASTER .

PROV . GRAND LODGES IN SCOTLAND . Bro . Paton has certainly got his fellow in "J . W ., " page 25—only , whereas the former ' s remarks at page 789 show that the writer is mistaken , those of the latter , at page 25 , not only show his mistake , but

Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

also prove it ! Poor man , he has got himself stuck up upon some imaginary pinnacle , from which , with the supremest contempt , he looks down upon other poor sublunary mortals as " old fogies" and "

simpleminded brethren ; but , alas ! for the mutability of human affairs , no sooner docs he give utterance to his grand Quixotic resolve , " J . W . " to the rescue ! than his pedestal dissolves from under him , and he

is left kicking his heels 111 the gutter , keeping time to the music , with " Scottish Provincial Grand Officers must be de facto Masters and Wardens of lodges in the province . "

The absurdity of this is shown by the very law which " J . W . " quotes , viz ., cap . xiii ., sec . 2 , which tells us that the Prov . G . M ., with all thc office-bearers and the Masters and Wardens , shall form each

Provincial Grand Lodge . Now , the conjunctions " with " and " and " show us that the Masters and Wardens arc simply part of Prov . Grand Lodge , and that the officebearers and the Prov . G . M . are thc other

portions of it . Further , as tlie representative of Grand Lodge , it is right that the P . G . M . should neither require to be himself the Master of a lodge , nor that he should be forced to take his officers only from thc dc

facto Masters and Wardens , for , as it is the duty of the P . G . AI . and his officers to oversee thc Masters and Wardens , and to sec that they do their duty , greater independence and propriety" is secured by not

appointing men to watch themselves . Consequently , Grand Lodge Laws very sensibly do not require thc P . G . M . and the officers of a Prov . Grand Lodge to be dc

facto either Master or Warden of any lodge . They simply require them to be Master Masons in connection with tlie province , as shown at page 801 , by Bros . D . Murray Lyon and " Max , " as well as by myself .

In conclusion , i recommend " J . W . " to peruse the concluding remarks of scene 2 , act iv ., of Shakespeare ' s " Much ado about Nothing . " GLA . SGUEN . SIS .

Time docs not permit me , even it inclination did , to reiterate for the special benefit of Bro . C . 1 . Paton and J . W . the arguments which ten years ago I addressed to Grand Lodge in vindication of the eligibility of

any Master Mason to hold office in a Prov . Grand Lodge within whose bounds he is resident . I therefore content myself with quoting the deliverance of Grand Lodge , which settles the fact in dispute : —

Grand Committee , January 31 , 1 S 62 . —Bro . Alexander Hay in the chair . —The Convener of the Sub-Committee appointed to consider and report upon the communication received from Uro . Murray Lyon in regard to the

interpretation put on Grand Lodge Laws by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Ayrshire at a meeting thereof on 24 th December last , held for Ihe election and installation oft 11 . ice-bearer ? , keeping in view also the interpretation put on ( Irand Lodge Laws in

the report of a former Sub-Committee , submitted to the Grand Committee on 5 th June , 1860 , stated that ' said Sub-Committee had met and fully considered the matter , but had differed in opinion . Wherepon a full discussion of tlie

subject was gone into by the present meeting , at the conclusion thereof Uro . Mann moved , seconded by Uro . Skirving— "That with reference to the communication from llro . Murray Lyon , styling himself Provincial Junior Grand

Warden of Ayrshire , complaining that his appointment as such , under commission from the Provincial Grand Master of that province ,

had not been given effect to , and to the report of the Sub-Committee referred to in minutes of Grand Commitee of 5 th June , i 860 , —¦\_ Vide Grand Lodge Reporter , No . IV ., pp . 111-12]—

Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

the Grand Committee are of opinion that the interpretation put upon the Laws of Grand Lodge by that report , to the effect that office-bearers , to be eligible for appointment in Prov . Grand Lodges , must be Masters or Wardens of lodges

in the province , is founded on a misconception , and that no other qualification is necessaay than that— ' All of them must be Master Masons on

the roll of Grand Lodge , members of lodges wilhin the province , and resident in the district for the greater part of the year . ''''— Grand Lod ' X Laws . cap . xi 11 . sec . ; .

A counter-motion was proposed bv . Bro . Mackersy , seconded by Bro . Law , to the effect that the matter be left to the determination of Grand Lodge . Oa a vote being taken Bro . Mann ' s motion was carried by seven to four .

" Grand Lodge , February 3 , 1862 . —The Most Worshipful the Grand Master ( Duke of Athole ) occupying the Throne—A Petition and Complaint from Bro . David Murray Lyon , Provincial Grand Junior Warden of Ayrshire , and Report

of Grand Committee in relation thereto , was taken into consideration , when after observations from the Depute Grand Master , the

follow-Resolution was moved by Bro . Lindsay Mackers } ' , seconded by the Depute Grand Master ( J . Whyte-Melville ) , and unanimously carried : —

" Finds , that on a sound interpretation of the Laws of Grand Lotige , a Provincial Grand Master has power to appoint by Commission from time to time , a Provincial Grand Depute and a substitute Master , two

Wardens , a Secretary , and Chaplain , all of whom must he Master Masons , having a residence in the Province , but not necessarily Masters or Wardens of lodges within the Province : Therefore sustains

the Appeal of Bro . David Murray Lyon , and reverse the Finding of Grand Committee of date 5 th June rS 6 o , and that ofthe Provincial Grand Lodge of Ayrshire founded thereon , and remit to the

Provincial Grand Lodge of Ayrshire , with instructions to receive and instal Bro . David Murray Lyon as Provincial Junior Grand Warden of Ayrshire , should his Commission be in all other respects regular . ' '

The Commission in my favour , which was issued by Sir James Fergusson , Bart , ( now Governor of South Australia ) , P . G . M .

of Ayrshire , was subsequently presented to the Provincial Grand Lodge , and I was installed into office . D . MURRAY LYON .

BRO . W . J . HUGIJAN , of Truro , Cornwall , will be very glad to hear from any brethren who possess , or know of , minutes of lodges , or copies of MS . Constitutions , of an older

date than A . D . 1720 . Our well-known and highly-esteemed Brother is now engaged in preparing another work for thc press , which we believe will pay especial attention to the

MS . Constitutions of thc Freemasons , and has in his possession several copies of these ancient and valuable documents , which he will publish for the first time . FJc is

particularly anxious to have every information obtainable with respect to those manuscripts in the possession of lodges and brethren , as soon as possible .

I ni-: Livi ' . Ri-ooi . SCHOOL BOARH . —The Nonconformists of Liverpool held a conference lately to consider the advisability of recommending a . candidate , holding their views on certain questions of grants , & c , to fill the vacancy at the

School Board caused by the death , of . Mr . lCden , a local solicitor , and a member of the Church of England . Ultimately the conference decided to recommend no special candidate , leaving the body to act as individuals thought best .