What Freemasonry Is And Why It Exists

E . GI . NTIIER ' essay , which lias been in progress lor many months past , "What is Freemasonry ? " while among thc other contents are a paper b y Bro . EUGENE S . WESTON , Grand Lecturer of Vermont , headed " Masonry ' s Labour and Fruit" ; a disquisition hv Bro . the Rev . R . PERRY BUSH , of

Massachusetts , as ! o "Whence and How Masonry came "; and yet another to show "How Masonry teaches , " b y Bro . J OSEPH M . TAYLOR , wliich formed part of an address he delivered ns Grand Master before thc Grand Lodge of

Washington . Even the " Masonic Gleanings , " wliich consist chiefl y of news about the Craft and reviews of the Proceedings of ( irand Lodges , Chapters , Commanderies , Councils , & c , arc not wholl y free from this class of paper , and will be found to include an excerpt—at least , we have taken it to be such—from an

address of Bro . KnwiN B . HOLMES , Grand Master of Massachusetts , g iving a series of reasons , in his opinion , " Wh y Freemasonrv exists . " It is not often that subjects of this kind arc discussed in our Grand or private lodges . In England we take our Masonry more quietly . We perform our allotted duties

regularly , conscientiously , and to the best of our ability , and , as a rule , we have no reason to be ashamed of the manner in which they are performed . There are certain principles which wc regard as forming the basis on which our Society rests , and which will be found tersely expressed in thc Scriptural

injunction— " Love the Brotherhood , fear God , honour the King . " Belief in ( iod , regardless of the precise form that belief may take individually , is a sine t / itn non of admission into our ranks , and when a man has become one of us , every opportunity is taken of impressing upon bis mind the duty of being loyal to the

powers that be , and charitable towards all men , but especiall y towards his brethren in Masonry . It does not take him long to discover that reli g ion pure and simple and free from sectarian bias , together with that pure morality , which is one of its essential attributes , loyalty to constituted authority , and love of our fellow

creatures are the princip les which underlie our whole Masonic system . As for that Charity , which is ri g htly claimed to be the distinguishing characteristic of every true Mason ' s heart , his first lesson in it is promptly g iven , nor is it long before he discovers that a Mason ' s love of Charity is practicall y illustrated in many and

various ways . He . very soon hears of our general and local Institutions and of the Funds of Benevolence which have been organised b y Grand , Prov . Grand , and private lodges for the relief of necessitous brethren and their widows and families . But we an ; content wilh these evidences of Ihe Masonic faith

that is in us . We English—and under this term we include our fellow Scotch and Irish subjects of thc Queen—have always bcen looked upon as a practical people , and , as a consequence , our Masonry , we know , has invariabl y taken a practical form . Hence , while as Masons , we respect Reli g ion , we do not

strive , to make a Religion of our Freemasonry . We " love thc Brotherhood , " but we have no idea of turning Masonry into a " I ' liiversa ) Provider" of Charily . We are nota . benefit society such as men join in order to secure certain money allowances

for themselves in thc event of illness , and to their widows and families in the . event of death . We arc not even a philanlhrop ical Society , in the sense in which thc term is ordinaril y used . We do not claim to be an organisation for flic distribution of

alms either in money or in kind among the poor members of thc community generally . We have al our disposition no soup kitchens , no coal , blankets , or clothing funds . Wc do not even go so far as to set aside our money for giving flannel petticoats and moral pocket handkerchiefs to little heathens . We do

nol think it is any part ol the scheme ol Masonry that its members should go forth into the world for the purpose of waging war against tlv evils with which Society is alllicted . It was not formed , nor is if capable of being converted into a society for ihe regeneration of man . In short , Masonry has

no mission , and those who are striving to provide it with one are doing ( heir very utmost to destroy il . It is of the very essence of a society with a mission that it should be constantl y on the hitik out U > win proselytes to its banner . But Masonry

seeks no recniils . Those who join its ranks do so freely and voluntarily , without ulterior motive . They arc , to begin with , or perhaps we should say , they are held to be , men in reputable circumstances and of good standing in the sphere to which they

What Freemasonry Is And Why It Exists

belong . When we hear of Masonry having greatly strengthened its position and extended its influence in this or that district , we find on inquiry that worth y outsiders have sought and obtained admission into its lodges . When we hear of Masonic lod ges

having been established on virgin soil , we find that many who happened to be Masons have migrated to some remote part of thc Empire , and that no long time elapsed ere it occurred to them that one of the readiest ways of establishing among

themselves that kindl y feeling by which members of the sam e community should be actuated towards each other was to constitute themselves into a lodge , and the necessary authority for so doing was forthwith asked for and granted . It was in this

way that Freemasonry in its modern form found its way from England , Scotland , and Ireland , firstly into European Continental States , and then into the colonies and possessions of the British Empire ; or else foreigners and colonists visited our shores , and .

having been admitted into our lodges , took the knowled ge they had acquired of Masonry home with them to their own countries and there established , by permission from some proper authority , lodges of their own in

which to carry out the duties of the Craft . It never entered into the minds of the founders of Speculative Freemasonry that it was any part of their duty to go forth into the world and preach the doctrines of the Craft to mankind generally . They would

have , laughed to scorn the idea that Masonry had any mission to fulfil or that it was in any way or to any extent a Reli gion in itself . They did ri ght in publishing to the world the princi ples on which the system is founded . But the principles are the

same now as they were then , and though it is the boast of the present generation that this is a progressive age , there is nothing progressive about principles which are , have been , and ever will be the same . There is then no reason to be found in Masonry

itself why those who have enrolled themselves in its ranks should endeavour to alter or modif y in any way the original design and purpose of its founders ; and it is equally certain there is none to be found outside it . But such further observations as to thc

nature and purposes of Freemasonry which we may desire to make must be reserved for some future occasion , especiall y as in order to g ive a just idea of the views set forth in some of the > articles we have referred to , we should find it necessary to make a heavier demand upon our space than is possible just at this moment .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Cambridgeshire.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF CAMBRIDGESHIRE .

The annual meiting was held in the Masonic Hall , Corn Exchangestreet , Cambridge , on Monday , the 18 th inst ., under the auspices of the Scientific Lod ^ e , No . 88 . The Prov . Grand Master , Bro . Col . R . Townley Caldwell , presided , and the attendance included—Bros . Rev . J ., H . Gray , D . P . G . M . ; J . Leach , Prov . S . G . W . ; S . H . Sharman , Prov . LG . W . ; Rev . H . C . Cronin , Prov . G . Chap . ; W . W . Rouse Ball , Prov .

G . Treas . ; Oliver Papworth , Prov . G . Sec ; A . H . Ruston , Prov . S . G . D . ; F . Piggott , acting Prov . J . G . D . ; Wm . Sindall , Prov . G . S . of W . ; F . Dewberry , Prov . G . D . C ; C . E . Boughton-Leigh , Prov . A . G . D . C ; A . E . Priddle , Prov . G . S . B . ; J . R . Bainbridge , acting Prov . G . Purst . ; and F . W . Potts and A . E . B-iiggs , Prov . G . Stewards . Visitors : Bros . T . J . Railing , 51 . P . S . G . W . Essex , P . A . G . D . C . Eng . ; J . Terry , P . G . S . B . Eng ., Sec . R . M . B . I . ; j . M . McLeod , P . P .

S . G . W . Derby , Sec . R . M . I . B . ; Geo . Corbie , 453 , P . P . J . G . W . Essex ; J . E . C . Turner , P . P . S . G . W . Essex ; H . E . Dehane , i S 43 , P . P . G . S . Essex ; and C . Kent , 699 . From lodges in the province—Bros . j . L . Rutter , W . M ., B . Chenneli , J . V . Pryor , A . E . Chaplin , W . P . Spalding , F . Piggott , J . H . Moyes , A . R . Hill , H . S . Davison , M . D . Bradford , A . H . Langridge , W . James , A . T . Grain , and E . M . Duncombe , of 88 ; James Catling , W . M ,, J . Vail , J . Taylor , J . Sheldrick , J . Royston , H . E .

Greef , W . R . Roper , F . R . Leach , W . H . Berridge , E . Ing , J . Clarke , P . Body , 0 J . Hammond , A . R . Jennings , and H . W . Dewberry , of 441 ; H . Davis , A Bothamley , W . Sullivan , and S . B . Bellars , of 809 ; R . Percy , F . H . Simpson , H T . Trevor-Jones , W . H . Francis , H . Dent , C . G . Griflinhoofe , A . W . Izard , W Pollard , R . T . Adie , A . P . Higgins , C . O . Nicholson , and F . G . Bower , of 859 ; J R . Green , 1492 ; and J . Gordon Chenneli and J . W . Carr , of 2107 .

The Prov . Grand Master and his Djputy having been saluted , lhe minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed . The Prov , Grand Officers then answered the roll-call . The Prov . Grand Treasurer ' s accounts were presented and passed . The Prov . Grand Lodge started the year with a balance in hand of , £ 35 7 s . 2 d . ; the receipts amounted to / 90 Gs . 8 d ., and the expenses to ^ 73 6 s . 7 ^" leaving a balance in hand of £ 52 7 s . 3 d .

In the absence of the Prov . Grand Registrar , the Prov . Grand Secrets' ) presented a return of the lodges for the past year . Bro . W . W . Rouse Ball was re-eltcted P . G . Treasurer , on the moti "" of Bro . Rev . H . C . Cronin , seconded by Bro . J . Vail . __ , The Prov . Grand Master then appointed and invested the Prov . dra " Officers for the year as understated :