Skip to main content
Museum of Freemasonry

Masonic Periodicals Online

  • Explore
  • Advanced Search
  • Home
  • Explore
  • The Freemason
  • Nov. 24, 1877
  • Page 9
  • THE NEW GRAND CHAPLAIN
Current:

The Freemason, Nov. 24, 1877: Page 9

  • Back to The Freemason, Nov. 24, 1877
  • Print image
  • Articles/Ads
    Article FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED ← Page 2 of 2
    Article WHAT IS PLATONIC FRIENDSHIP? Page 1 of 1
    Article WHAT IS PLATONIC FRIENDSHIP? Page 1 of 1
    Article THE NEW GRAND CHAPLAIN Page 1 of 1
    Article UNE AMENDE HONORABLE. Page 1 of 1
    Article Original Correspondence. Page 1 of 2
    Article Original Correspondence. Page 1 of 2 →
Page 9

Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Forewarned Is Forearmed

us all , thank God ! Trade is free , Masonry is liberal and tolerant ,- and we have outlived , let us trust , the age of hurtful monopoly , of noxious utterance , and of unsatisfactory assumption . The great motto for us all now , and most Masonic in its teaching and its scope , is " live

and let live / ' and let us keep aloof from all that may seem to antagonize the full rig ht of individual enterprise , or the just reward of gladdening success . Freemasonry , approves all that is open , and above-board , and straight-running , all that is fair-dealing and business-like . Freemasonry

denounces and rebukes all intimidation , favoritism , and tendencies to jobbery and red tape of any kind , the specious complaints of interested individuals or the hopeless platitudes ot those who are distanced in the race , or have been unsuccessful in the active competition for existence .

Forewarned—forearmed is still a wise and necessary proverb for us all , and being forewarned , we are always forearmed , against the covert insinuation or the open diatribe , against the anonymous letter of the concealed slanderer , against the cackling of geese on the common , against the noisy uproar of the disappointed or

the desperate . Perhaps some of our readers may enter , more fully than we care to do , into the full force of these humble remarks , and we will only add , that in the battle of life we are always forewarned and forearmed , and meet , whether it be the open or the hidden attack , the circular , the handbill or the pamphlet , with one little , if meaning English word , namely , CONTEM PT \

What Is Platonic Friendship?

WHAT IS PLATONIC FRIENDSHIP ?

This is a question which has often been asked , but seldom satisfactorily answered . A recent trial in the Common Pleas seems to offer us a response to a somewhat difficult enquiry , and to point out to us that there is some meaning

in it after all . A " discriminating jury of our fellow-countrymen " has recently awarded a widow ( what Mr . Weller seniors' feelings would have been we do not like to realise ) , aejiooo damages for a breach of promise . In this special case the recalcitrant hero had pleaded " platonic

friendship ; nothing more ' pon honour . " Still , such was his fate , and let us moralize thereupon . Like the jury , we are inclined to think that " platonic friendship " means a good deal more than is generally supposed to be the case , and that in fact , it is not mere " bottled moonshine , " or

" sublimated sentiment" as some too hastily lay down , but is in ^ ruth , if abstract , concrete , if theoretical often very practical . Someexperienceu judges of human life and manners , seem to doubt whether you can really safely lay down any limit as to where platonic frienship beginsorends

and in fact , they assert , that there is no such thing really in the world . Whether platonic friendship be ideal or real , whether it be shadow or substance , whether it be natural or nonnatural , whether it be a delusion or a fact , we do not feel competent to express our opinion to-day ,

but we will confidently assert that it often assumes the shape of a specious proposition or a self-deceiving persuasion , if not of a personal and practical reality . In this recent case , while the gentleman was resting securely , as he thought , on his

beautiiul ideal of platonic friendship , the lady , as often happens , saw a good deal more than he saw , and laid much more stress than he did on apparently platonic words , and , as he assumed completely platonic acts . The jury thought the lady was right in her conclusions ,

and the gentleman wrong in his view of the case , and have demonstrated we think to all , not only how many are the illusions of life , but how great are the dangers of mere platonic friendship . A graceful French lady writer of some merit has said : —

Quel est ce sentiment , cet charme de s ' entendre Qui montrant le bonheur le detruit sans retour , Qui depasse en ardeur l'amitie le plus tendre Et qui n ' est pas l ' amour . What is that " sentiment—that charm of understanding Which

pointing to happiness destroys it without return , Which surpasses in ardour the most profound friendshi p , And yet is not love ? " We find it very difficult to answer this subtle Jjuery , and as the jury in the recent case found it equall y so , they gave a good round verdict of

What Is Platonic Friendship?

£ 1000 damages for the outraged affections of the fair realist .. We feel it therefore to be our duty , as Masonic moralists , to warn all Masonic widowers and bachelors amongst us , lest they too unconsciously are led away by the fancied safety of " p latonic friendship '' into words which

are dubious , attentions which are full of meaning , and acts which are dangerous , all the while thinking themselves petfectly safe . Or else some fine morning they will wake up to the pleasant consciousness that they have made a great mistake , for that platonic friendship which was apparently

the amusement of idleness or the novelty of dissipation has become for them the reality , if not the burden of their life . Too often like silly moths round a candle , they have fluttered around the festive scene , and amid the song laden hours of that amiable weakness of us " Lords ot

the Creation , ' until they have either to face a jury or confront a wife , to measure out full payment , from the pocket of a payee , or to hug the chains of the stern and unvarying seriousness of conjugal existence , instead of the lighter and more amusing role of some would-be professor of " platonic friendship . "

The New Grand Chaplain

THE NEW GRAND CHAPLAIN

We have the greatest satisfaction m announcing that H . R . H . the M . W . Grand Master has been pleased to appoint Bro . the Rev . H . A . Pickard , P . M . Apollo University Lodge , P . Prov .

S . G . Warden , Oxfordshire , as Grand Chaplain in the place of our late lamented Bro . the Rev . Lake Onslow , for the remainder of the Masonic year . A short account of our brother ' s Masonic career will be found elsewhere .

Une Amende Honorable.

UNE AMENDE HONORABLE .

We have to apologize to our esteemed and able confrere , Bro . C . P . McCalla , of Philadelphia , well known as one of the most rising of American Masons , for crediting to the Eclectic an admirable article entitled "Fraternity "

which appeared in our pages last week , and will have delighted many readers . We ought to have said Keystone , instead " of Eclectic , but , as Bro . McCalla well knows , such mistakes will occur even with Masonic Editors . We are glad to call attention for the information of our Craft at

large , for the great merit of that most ably edited Masonic paper , the Keystone of Philadelphia . All lodge libraries and reading Masons should at once order a copy of it , as it is well worth perusal .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

[ We do net hold ourselves responsible lor , or even as approving or eheopinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish , in a spirit of fair play to all , to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . —ED . 1

UNIFORMITY IN RITUAL . To the Editor of the " Freemason . ''' ' Dear Sir and Brother , — My lines are very often cast in Scotland , and , as a zealous English Mason , I frequently make a point of visiting loelges working over the borders . A fortnight ago I visited a lodge the charter of which dates from the

year 1816 , when I was greatly surprised to find that all three of the Craft degrees were worked almost exactly as we do under the English Constitution ! that is to say , with regard to ritual . Last week I visited another lodge , in the adjoining county , dating the same year as that referred to , and was very much astonished to note the ritual of the three Craft degrees as being entirely different . The same

evening I casually mentioned this diversity to a prominent brother , holding high office in the Grand Lodge of Scotland , asking him why the working was not uniform , and his reply was to the effect that each lodge had its own regulations , and it was useless attempting to interfere with them . I am , however , hopeful that our good and eminent Bro . D . Murray Lyon , the Grand Secretary of

Scotland , will add this to the many useful reforms he contemplates initiating in connection with Scottish Craft Masonry . If a uniformity of ritual was observed between the two countries brethren of each Grand Lodge would then be more thoroughly at home as visitors , and besides ,

could in either country make themselves generally useful when invited to take an officer ' s position . The entente cordiale between the two Grand Lodges would also be more genuine . Fraternally yours , AM ENGLISH PAST MASTER .

LODGES AT TAVERNS . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — I am glad that through the freemason I have been able to draw the attention of some of the brethren to the stigma that is now attached to Freemasonry , " the holding of lodges at taverns . " Now , it should be im-

Original Correspondence.

possible for any lodge working in the United Kingtlom to be holding its meetings at hotels , taverns , or public- houses . Masonry has done great and noble things in the past ; it cannot be that there is not left sufficient vitality in the brotherhood but that a General Building Fund could be establUhed for the purpose of erecting small Bethels in the provinces , so that the litual of Masonry might be far

removed from the jargon of the tap-room , and the fascinations and trickery of the host . Asa means towards the desired end ( Masonic lodges in Masonic buildings ) , let Grand Lodge in future refuse to grant , f o under a new clause of the Constitution to be framed ) , any warrant for the holding of a Masonic Lodge in any hotel , tavern , or public-house . At the present time-, there

are in many towns Masonic Halls and Clubs . Sincere Masons wish to see them spread over the length and breaelth of the kingdom , and this will soon be accomplished if the great body of Masons will show to the world that they are Masons in truth anel deed . If it were made illegal to hold any lodge or chapter in any hotel , tavern , or public-house , Masons would then be driven to finel a proper place for the holding of their

loelges anel chapters . This they would soon do , anJ find that the change which they had been obliged to make was all for the better in every respect , both the Mason and Masonry gaining much—a new era , free and untrammelled from the influence of the " Pub " and the host , and at the same time rising much in the estimation of the world by the change . I am , yours fraternally , SIGMA .

OPERATIVE MASONS . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir anel Brother , — Strolling through the town of Melrose , in Scotland , some tlays ago , I turned in to inspect the far-famed abbey of Melrose , one of the largest and most magnificent Gothic structures in the kingdom . It is no news to your

readers to say that the abbey was founded in 1136 by King David , that entombed within its stately walls are King Alexander II ., the Black Douglas , and the heart of King Robert Bruce , and further , that the noble pile forms a prominent scene in Bro . Sir Walter Scott's " Monastery , " " The Abbot , " and " The Lay of the Last Minstrel . " Having inspected for the first time Melrose Abbey , what

is there wonderful in discovering that a Masonic lodge exists likewise in the little Border town , and that there is also a Masonic Hall ? Refering to my " Cosmopolitan Calendar , " however , I found no record of St . John ' s Lodge , Melrose . This seemed strange at first view , but I was subsequently informed the lodge in question holds itself aloof from the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of

Scotland , never owed the Grand Body any allegiance , an el there was little or any probability of their evtr asking for a charter . Further , I was informed that St . John ' s Lodge , Melrose , is almost purely an operative body of Masons ; that it is a well-to-do organisation in a pecuniary sense ; and that the members claim their lodge to be contemporary with the building of Melrose Abbey On the authority

of an official of the Grand Lodge of Scotland , it is interesting to know that St . John's Lodge , Melrose , although not connected with the Grand Lodge , is everything that it should be in the working and objects of Masonry ; and there are , I am assured , hopes in another quarter , that one day or another a Grand Lodge charter will be applied for . Yours fraternally , KENNEQUHAIR .

LOOSE ADMISSION OF CANDIDATES . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , A meml er of the Ecclcston Lodge has taken up the cuelgels in behalf of that lodge , apropos of my remarks in your issue of the 3 rd inst ., on the subject of the admission of a candidate who had been black-balled by my

lodge . Bro . Beckham is the proposer of the candidate in question in the Eccleston Lodge , but he is evidently aware of the weakness of his case , and he makes no attempt whatever to explain why the courtesy of applying to my lodge for information was omitted , nor to show that the acceptance by one lodge of a candidate who has been rejected by another is

not contrary to proper Masonic feeling . He says that I should have made inquiries " outside my own select circle . " Well Sir , I reply to that by saying that as regards Masonry I have no select circle , and the muster roll of my lodge is a practical refutation of such a hint , for among the names will be found those of peers of the realm side by side with the sailing masters of their yachts . I now go a li * tle further than I have hitherto done , and I

say that if Bro . Beckham knew of the previous rejection of the candidate he had no right whatever to propose him in any other lodge without a proper explanation . He probably thinks thatanything is good enough for the country . It is a melancholy fact , but I am obliged to say that 1 do not think so , and with that remark I close the correspondence . Yours fraternally , A PAST MASTER .

A QUERY . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Would you kindly in your next issue give me an answer to the following questions : — In Bye-law No . in of our lodge is the following paragraph : — " It is also compulsory on every member present

entitled thereto , to record his vote . " Paragraph 2 ot Bye-law , No . 13 , reads : — " No brother under the rank of a Master Mason shall be permitted to address the lodge , unless particularly requested to do so , or on special leave granted by the Master . " It is proposed to add to this these words : "Neithei vote on any subject . "

“The Freemason: 1877-11-24, Page 9” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 1 Aug. 2025, django:8000/periodicals/fvl/issues/fvl_24111877/page/9/.
  • List
  • Grid
Title Category Page
CONTENTS. Article 1
REPORTS OF MASONIC MEETING S. Article 1
Royal Arch. Article 4
Ancient and Accepted Rite. Article 4
Royal Arch. Article 4
THE GRAND ORIENT OF FRANCE. Article 4
BRO.THE REV. H. A.PICKARD, GRAND CHAPLAIN. Article 6
ROYAL MASONIC BOYS' SCHOOL. Article 6
Masonic and General Tidings. Article 6
LODGE OF BENEVOLENCE. Article 7
GRAND LODGE OF IRELAND. Article 7
Public Amusements. Article 7
Untitled Article 8
Untitled Article 8
Untitled Article 8
Untitled Article 8
Answers to Correspondents. Article 8
Births ,Marriages and Deaths. Article 8
Untitled Article 8
THE CENTENARY OF THE YORK LODGE. Article 8
FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED Article 8
WHAT IS PLATONIC FRIENDSHIP? Article 9
THE NEW GRAND CHAPLAIN Article 9
UNE AMENDE HONORABLE. Article 9
Original Correspondence. Article 9
CONSECRATION OF THE ST. GEORGE'S LODGE, No. 1723. Article 10
DEDICATION OF A MASONIC HALL AT GALASHIELS, N.B. Article 10
REMINISCENCES OF ST. JOHN'S LODGE, No. 58, KELSO, N.B. Article 10
MASONIC SERMON. Article 11
GRAND ORIENT OF FRANCE. Article 12
METROPOLITAN MASONIC MEETING Article 12
Untitled Ad 13
Untitled Ad 13
Untitled Ad 13
Untitled Ad 13
Untitled Ad 13
Untitled Ad 13
Untitled Ad 13
Untitled Ad 13
Untitled Ad 13
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Page 1

Page 1

4 Articles
Page 2

Page 2

3 Articles
Page 3

Page 3

3 Articles
Page 4

Page 4

6 Articles
Page 5

Page 5

3 Articles
Page 6

Page 6

4 Articles
Page 7

Page 7

5 Articles
Page 8

Page 8

10 Articles
Page 9

Page 9

7 Articles
Page 10

Page 10

5 Articles
Page 11

Page 11

3 Articles
Page 12

Page 12

3 Articles
Page 13

Page 13

10 Articles
Page 14

Page 14

21 Articles
Page 9

Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Forewarned Is Forearmed

us all , thank God ! Trade is free , Masonry is liberal and tolerant ,- and we have outlived , let us trust , the age of hurtful monopoly , of noxious utterance , and of unsatisfactory assumption . The great motto for us all now , and most Masonic in its teaching and its scope , is " live

and let live / ' and let us keep aloof from all that may seem to antagonize the full rig ht of individual enterprise , or the just reward of gladdening success . Freemasonry , approves all that is open , and above-board , and straight-running , all that is fair-dealing and business-like . Freemasonry

denounces and rebukes all intimidation , favoritism , and tendencies to jobbery and red tape of any kind , the specious complaints of interested individuals or the hopeless platitudes ot those who are distanced in the race , or have been unsuccessful in the active competition for existence .

Forewarned—forearmed is still a wise and necessary proverb for us all , and being forewarned , we are always forearmed , against the covert insinuation or the open diatribe , against the anonymous letter of the concealed slanderer , against the cackling of geese on the common , against the noisy uproar of the disappointed or

the desperate . Perhaps some of our readers may enter , more fully than we care to do , into the full force of these humble remarks , and we will only add , that in the battle of life we are always forewarned and forearmed , and meet , whether it be the open or the hidden attack , the circular , the handbill or the pamphlet , with one little , if meaning English word , namely , CONTEM PT \

What Is Platonic Friendship?

WHAT IS PLATONIC FRIENDSHIP ?

This is a question which has often been asked , but seldom satisfactorily answered . A recent trial in the Common Pleas seems to offer us a response to a somewhat difficult enquiry , and to point out to us that there is some meaning

in it after all . A " discriminating jury of our fellow-countrymen " has recently awarded a widow ( what Mr . Weller seniors' feelings would have been we do not like to realise ) , aejiooo damages for a breach of promise . In this special case the recalcitrant hero had pleaded " platonic

friendship ; nothing more ' pon honour . " Still , such was his fate , and let us moralize thereupon . Like the jury , we are inclined to think that " platonic friendship " means a good deal more than is generally supposed to be the case , and that in fact , it is not mere " bottled moonshine , " or

" sublimated sentiment" as some too hastily lay down , but is in ^ ruth , if abstract , concrete , if theoretical often very practical . Someexperienceu judges of human life and manners , seem to doubt whether you can really safely lay down any limit as to where platonic frienship beginsorends

and in fact , they assert , that there is no such thing really in the world . Whether platonic friendship be ideal or real , whether it be shadow or substance , whether it be natural or nonnatural , whether it be a delusion or a fact , we do not feel competent to express our opinion to-day ,

but we will confidently assert that it often assumes the shape of a specious proposition or a self-deceiving persuasion , if not of a personal and practical reality . In this recent case , while the gentleman was resting securely , as he thought , on his

beautiiul ideal of platonic friendship , the lady , as often happens , saw a good deal more than he saw , and laid much more stress than he did on apparently platonic words , and , as he assumed completely platonic acts . The jury thought the lady was right in her conclusions ,

and the gentleman wrong in his view of the case , and have demonstrated we think to all , not only how many are the illusions of life , but how great are the dangers of mere platonic friendship . A graceful French lady writer of some merit has said : —

Quel est ce sentiment , cet charme de s ' entendre Qui montrant le bonheur le detruit sans retour , Qui depasse en ardeur l'amitie le plus tendre Et qui n ' est pas l ' amour . What is that " sentiment—that charm of understanding Which

pointing to happiness destroys it without return , Which surpasses in ardour the most profound friendshi p , And yet is not love ? " We find it very difficult to answer this subtle Jjuery , and as the jury in the recent case found it equall y so , they gave a good round verdict of

What Is Platonic Friendship?

£ 1000 damages for the outraged affections of the fair realist .. We feel it therefore to be our duty , as Masonic moralists , to warn all Masonic widowers and bachelors amongst us , lest they too unconsciously are led away by the fancied safety of " p latonic friendship '' into words which

are dubious , attentions which are full of meaning , and acts which are dangerous , all the while thinking themselves petfectly safe . Or else some fine morning they will wake up to the pleasant consciousness that they have made a great mistake , for that platonic friendship which was apparently

the amusement of idleness or the novelty of dissipation has become for them the reality , if not the burden of their life . Too often like silly moths round a candle , they have fluttered around the festive scene , and amid the song laden hours of that amiable weakness of us " Lords ot

the Creation , ' until they have either to face a jury or confront a wife , to measure out full payment , from the pocket of a payee , or to hug the chains of the stern and unvarying seriousness of conjugal existence , instead of the lighter and more amusing role of some would-be professor of " platonic friendship . "

The New Grand Chaplain

THE NEW GRAND CHAPLAIN

We have the greatest satisfaction m announcing that H . R . H . the M . W . Grand Master has been pleased to appoint Bro . the Rev . H . A . Pickard , P . M . Apollo University Lodge , P . Prov .

S . G . Warden , Oxfordshire , as Grand Chaplain in the place of our late lamented Bro . the Rev . Lake Onslow , for the remainder of the Masonic year . A short account of our brother ' s Masonic career will be found elsewhere .

Une Amende Honorable.

UNE AMENDE HONORABLE .

We have to apologize to our esteemed and able confrere , Bro . C . P . McCalla , of Philadelphia , well known as one of the most rising of American Masons , for crediting to the Eclectic an admirable article entitled "Fraternity "

which appeared in our pages last week , and will have delighted many readers . We ought to have said Keystone , instead " of Eclectic , but , as Bro . McCalla well knows , such mistakes will occur even with Masonic Editors . We are glad to call attention for the information of our Craft at

large , for the great merit of that most ably edited Masonic paper , the Keystone of Philadelphia . All lodge libraries and reading Masons should at once order a copy of it , as it is well worth perusal .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

[ We do net hold ourselves responsible lor , or even as approving or eheopinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish , in a spirit of fair play to all , to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . —ED . 1

UNIFORMITY IN RITUAL . To the Editor of the " Freemason . ''' ' Dear Sir and Brother , — My lines are very often cast in Scotland , and , as a zealous English Mason , I frequently make a point of visiting loelges working over the borders . A fortnight ago I visited a lodge the charter of which dates from the

year 1816 , when I was greatly surprised to find that all three of the Craft degrees were worked almost exactly as we do under the English Constitution ! that is to say , with regard to ritual . Last week I visited another lodge , in the adjoining county , dating the same year as that referred to , and was very much astonished to note the ritual of the three Craft degrees as being entirely different . The same

evening I casually mentioned this diversity to a prominent brother , holding high office in the Grand Lodge of Scotland , asking him why the working was not uniform , and his reply was to the effect that each lodge had its own regulations , and it was useless attempting to interfere with them . I am , however , hopeful that our good and eminent Bro . D . Murray Lyon , the Grand Secretary of

Scotland , will add this to the many useful reforms he contemplates initiating in connection with Scottish Craft Masonry . If a uniformity of ritual was observed between the two countries brethren of each Grand Lodge would then be more thoroughly at home as visitors , and besides ,

could in either country make themselves generally useful when invited to take an officer ' s position . The entente cordiale between the two Grand Lodges would also be more genuine . Fraternally yours , AM ENGLISH PAST MASTER .

LODGES AT TAVERNS . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — I am glad that through the freemason I have been able to draw the attention of some of the brethren to the stigma that is now attached to Freemasonry , " the holding of lodges at taverns . " Now , it should be im-

Original Correspondence.

possible for any lodge working in the United Kingtlom to be holding its meetings at hotels , taverns , or public- houses . Masonry has done great and noble things in the past ; it cannot be that there is not left sufficient vitality in the brotherhood but that a General Building Fund could be establUhed for the purpose of erecting small Bethels in the provinces , so that the litual of Masonry might be far

removed from the jargon of the tap-room , and the fascinations and trickery of the host . Asa means towards the desired end ( Masonic lodges in Masonic buildings ) , let Grand Lodge in future refuse to grant , f o under a new clause of the Constitution to be framed ) , any warrant for the holding of a Masonic Lodge in any hotel , tavern , or public-house . At the present time-, there

are in many towns Masonic Halls and Clubs . Sincere Masons wish to see them spread over the length and breaelth of the kingdom , and this will soon be accomplished if the great body of Masons will show to the world that they are Masons in truth anel deed . If it were made illegal to hold any lodge or chapter in any hotel , tavern , or public-house , Masons would then be driven to finel a proper place for the holding of their

loelges anel chapters . This they would soon do , anJ find that the change which they had been obliged to make was all for the better in every respect , both the Mason and Masonry gaining much—a new era , free and untrammelled from the influence of the " Pub " and the host , and at the same time rising much in the estimation of the world by the change . I am , yours fraternally , SIGMA .

OPERATIVE MASONS . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir anel Brother , — Strolling through the town of Melrose , in Scotland , some tlays ago , I turned in to inspect the far-famed abbey of Melrose , one of the largest and most magnificent Gothic structures in the kingdom . It is no news to your

readers to say that the abbey was founded in 1136 by King David , that entombed within its stately walls are King Alexander II ., the Black Douglas , and the heart of King Robert Bruce , and further , that the noble pile forms a prominent scene in Bro . Sir Walter Scott's " Monastery , " " The Abbot , " and " The Lay of the Last Minstrel . " Having inspected for the first time Melrose Abbey , what

is there wonderful in discovering that a Masonic lodge exists likewise in the little Border town , and that there is also a Masonic Hall ? Refering to my " Cosmopolitan Calendar , " however , I found no record of St . John ' s Lodge , Melrose . This seemed strange at first view , but I was subsequently informed the lodge in question holds itself aloof from the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of

Scotland , never owed the Grand Body any allegiance , an el there was little or any probability of their evtr asking for a charter . Further , I was informed that St . John ' s Lodge , Melrose , is almost purely an operative body of Masons ; that it is a well-to-do organisation in a pecuniary sense ; and that the members claim their lodge to be contemporary with the building of Melrose Abbey On the authority

of an official of the Grand Lodge of Scotland , it is interesting to know that St . John's Lodge , Melrose , although not connected with the Grand Lodge , is everything that it should be in the working and objects of Masonry ; and there are , I am assured , hopes in another quarter , that one day or another a Grand Lodge charter will be applied for . Yours fraternally , KENNEQUHAIR .

LOOSE ADMISSION OF CANDIDATES . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , A meml er of the Ecclcston Lodge has taken up the cuelgels in behalf of that lodge , apropos of my remarks in your issue of the 3 rd inst ., on the subject of the admission of a candidate who had been black-balled by my

lodge . Bro . Beckham is the proposer of the candidate in question in the Eccleston Lodge , but he is evidently aware of the weakness of his case , and he makes no attempt whatever to explain why the courtesy of applying to my lodge for information was omitted , nor to show that the acceptance by one lodge of a candidate who has been rejected by another is

not contrary to proper Masonic feeling . He says that I should have made inquiries " outside my own select circle . " Well Sir , I reply to that by saying that as regards Masonry I have no select circle , and the muster roll of my lodge is a practical refutation of such a hint , for among the names will be found those of peers of the realm side by side with the sailing masters of their yachts . I now go a li * tle further than I have hitherto done , and I

say that if Bro . Beckham knew of the previous rejection of the candidate he had no right whatever to propose him in any other lodge without a proper explanation . He probably thinks thatanything is good enough for the country . It is a melancholy fact , but I am obliged to say that 1 do not think so , and with that remark I close the correspondence . Yours fraternally , A PAST MASTER .

A QUERY . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Would you kindly in your next issue give me an answer to the following questions : — In Bye-law No . in of our lodge is the following paragraph : — " It is also compulsory on every member present

entitled thereto , to record his vote . " Paragraph 2 ot Bye-law , No . 13 , reads : — " No brother under the rank of a Master Mason shall be permitted to address the lodge , unless particularly requested to do so , or on special leave granted by the Master . " It is proposed to add to this these words : "Neithei vote on any subject . "

  • Prev page
  • 1
  • 8
  • You're on page9
  • 10
  • 14
  • Next page
  • Accredited Museum Designated Outstanding Collection
  • LIBRARY AND MUSEUM CHARITABLE TRUST OF THE UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1058497 / ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2025

  • Accessibility statement

  • Designed, developed, and maintained by King's Digital Lab

We use cookies to track usage and preferences.

Privacy & cookie policy