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Article Original Correspondence. ← Page 2 of 2 Article Original Correspondence. Page 2 of 2 Article Original Correspondence. Page 2 of 2 Article THE COMPLETION OF ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL. Page 1 of 2 →
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Original Correspondence.
Lodge , not a member ' s name , not even his own was mentioned as belonging to the committee , use and want determining the matter . Bro . Buchan was re-instated in his Masonic privileges , and the Provincial Grand Master , with whom we cannot sufficiently sympathise
and whose conduct in the chair , under the peculiar circumstances , showed him the right man in the right place , promised to consider the whole matter with regard to the Constitution of Provincial Grand Committee . The Provincial Grand Master hinted that a change might be expected
in the office-bearers , and we confess that no widespread desolation would be cast over the province of Glasgow were Bro . Barrow ' s name to become a thing of the Tast . It becomes a serious matter , and should receive an immediate check , any attempt to
infringe upon the liberty of Freemasons , and to call in the powers of a daughter lodge to punish a brother for language used in , and with the approbation of , Grand Lodge ; and any attempt to destroy the -unwritten laws of Freemasonry likewise demand immediate challenge . Yours fraternall y .
A GLASGOW F . M . THE PURPLE IN WEST LANCASHIRE
( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIRAND BROTHER , —Amongst the many beautiful characteristics of Masonry , I believe " Unity "—unity in its extended sense , practically and theoretically—takes a very prominent
position ; and yet I find our brethren in West Lancashire actually wrangling and squabbling amongst themselves concerning the election of a P . G . T . Personalities have been freely indulged in , and in one or two instances the entire
charac-• ter of the communications has been anything but Masonic . Do let our brethren , by all means , terminate a correspondence which ought never to have been commenced . We , as Masons , pride ourselves upon the even tenour of our ways in all relating to our art , and the sooner oblivion
buries in forgetfulness that which exposes our petty jealousies , and equally petty animosities , the better it will be for us as consistent Mascns , and for the protection of our Order against the attacks of those whose cherished hope is to find us defenceless . Yours fraternal !} - , Hull . A YOUNG MASON .
( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR , —The epidemic of the purple fever in West Lancashire is of a much more serious character than was at first suspected , and is producing very extraordinary symptoms in
those affected . 1 our correspondent " Argus , " for example , shows how some suffer , for he actually inverts the order in which the facts that he draws attention to occurred ; not to suit his own purpose , of course , but from severe obliquity
of mental vision , the result of a serious attack of the fever , and he ought at once to change his nom de plume . As to the letter from " One of the Mark'd , " I would remark that your correspondent will
greatly benefit his cause by slandering those who do not agree with his views , and it is eminentl y Masonic so to do . Then , wilh regard to himself , should his Masonic ability equal his poetical genius , he will certainly be appointed Grand
Poet Laureate ( with a garland of leeks for his emblem of oflice ) in the Province of South Lancashire , unless he dies of the fever ( which is not unlikely ) before our very clever young Masons succeed in getting the " new province " created .
Would not our enthusiastic young brethren show them wisdom by emigrating to the Isle of Man ? Masonry requires stirring up there , judging from the last " Grand Chapter '* ' report . T n VI-I venire . •*» ' ¦ 1 ¦ On
* A . IAHI > \ y * .. " - ) .--., j DI . CRAX . KIN . ( To thc Editor of The Freemason . )
SIR , —Freemasonry is loo solemn a subject lo trifle with . If brethren have complaints to make , why not act as the West Lancashire lodges are now doing , and write to thc R . W . P . G . M ., as I
Original Correspondence.
have read they have done , page 712 . The spirit shown by many brethren is unworthy of our three great principles , B . L ., R ., and Tr ., which should never be lost sight of . If " Di . Cran . Kin ., " and others of a similar mind , fully appreciated their OB ., they would in their private chamber feel rather ashamed . On behalf of the
Craft in general , I , for one , most strongly protest against persons attacking their brethren , unless they have the boldness to attach either their name to their letter , or the office and
position , with number , they hold in a Craft lodge ; and I think , Sir , you would be justified in refusing to insert such letters , except such as " Fidelis , " page 711 . Believe me , dear Sir , yours faithfully , AUGUSTUS A . BAGSHAWE .
Chap . 1235 , Prov . G . C . Derbyshire . ( To thc Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —In your last issus "Di . Cran . Kin . " has managed to hit the right nail on the head . He says : " I suppose the
next thing to be suggested by ' Another P . M . ' will be a little quiet bribery . If this be tried , why , then , success will be sure . " Certainly , it will , Brother " Di ., " who should know that better than yourself and your party . It has
been tried ; you ' ve tried it well , and found it answer , and , no doubt , you will try it again . Don ' t you know one of your leaders is trying it on , even at this early period of the Masonic year ? Have you not a brother—one high in
authority—busily engaged going from lodge to lodge , attempting to reply to the circular of Bro . Barber , P . M . 995 , by blandly informing the members that " an entire change will be made in the P . G . L . officers next year , and your lodsre
( this , remember , to every one of them ) will be most favourably considered ? What is this but a little quiet bribery ? Good " Cran . Kin ., " pray leave letter-writing to public journals alone ; you are not equal to it . Your forte is "
chauntmg ; stick to that—it ' s a good prop to lean on , and will always assure you a seat at the festive board of every lodge in the province . Do so , and , in the words of Le Sage , " I wish you all sorts of prosperity , with a little more taste . "
" Fidelis , " a P . G . L . officer , by the way , tells us the P . G . M . " might bestow all his appointments upon his relatives , and we could only grin and bear it . " Well , I fancy there are a few Masons in Liverpool , and in other parts of the province
too , who , by their united action , will very shortl y convince our "faithful" brother we can do a little more , and that without " blustering talk or threatening notices . " So long as we have the Public Instructor to appeal to—that organ so
often and so heartily anathemised by "the part } -, " we have no fear of ultimately obtaining redress for our grievances ; we hold , he " Who rules o ' er freemen , should himself be free , " and we desire
that our P . G . M . should be free'd from his present advisers—brethren who have heaped all this difficulty upon his shoulders—as speedily as possible .
lor years , the abuses now complained of have been tamely borne . The remonstrances of friends of worthy men—many of them the very life and soul of Craft Masonry in this province —have been ignored , and these worthy men
themselves even snubbed most grossly . This has been carried on until we have had perfectl y legal notices of motion pooh-poohed , and refused insertion upon the pages of the minute book ; the letters of the Grand Registrar of England read
only to be sneered at ; the Provincial Grand Registrar called to order by a brother for openly canvassing in lodge a Treasurer illegally and improperly elected by open voting and not b y ballot , to serve party purposes , by putting the
screw upon the wavering wearers of the purple ; and a political speech of an outrageously personal character , permitted from one of the chairs . Until our P . G . M . might well exclaim , with Pitt :
"A long tram of these practices has , at length , unwillingly convinced me that there is something behind the throne greater than the throne itself . " The very argument of Brother " Fidelis " that the number of offices for annual distribution is so exceedingly small when compared with the
Original Correspondence.
number of brethren in the province , is one ofthe strongest in favour of a division of that province . Another argument may be used when the proper time arrives- —if it be necessary . It is sincerel y hoped it never will . If the means suggested b y our brother for remedying the evil were followed ,
satisfaction would reign supreme ; but no one better than " Fidelis " himself knows his idea will never receive the slightest consideration . But , pray , what is the " stuff" he speaks of , that their " fathers' sons ' "' have shown they are made of ? Echo answers , " puff . ' " '
Bro . Turner , too , is attacked by this guileless youth as not having " much gentlemanly spirit in him ; " but if an open , manly , and straightforward bearing , a fearless advocacy of his brethren ' s rights and privileges , is consideredungentlemanl y —and we have to judge from the exhibition of
official temper at the last meeting of the P . G . Lodge—it is not in that august body he will be taught better manners . As for the three brethren referred to as " doubtless feeling that they cannot subside into their usual obscurity , " let me remark , as a member of the same lodge as themselves , they are
not very likely to retire from the present agitation so long as they are assisted in their task by the multitude—and there is a multitude—seeking Masonic reform in this province . Upon reading such letters as those in your paper , emanating , as they are known to do , from P . G . Lodge officers , let each of them remember the
lines—He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill ; Our antagonist is our helper . " Yours fraternally ,
ONE OF THE MARK'D . Nov . 22 , 1 S 71 . [ Having given ample play to opinions on both sides of this question , we must now close the subject . —ED . F . ~\
The Completion Of St. Paul's Cathedral.
THE COMPLETION OF ST . PAUL'S CATHEDRAL .
( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —One has seen so many appeals in the public papers for money to complete the noble fabric dedicated to the apostle who first introduced Christianity into
our country , that it seems a great disgrace upon the people of London—and , indeed , of the whole country—that such appeals should be needed . It may , indeed , be admitted that the present century has seen the restoration of nearly all our
cathedrals , and that the public have raised immense sums during that period for the purpose of church building and restoration , and the present incomplete and desolate-looking state of our metropolitan cathedral may be attributed to a variety of causes—amongst others , to the want
of life and earnest love of work too unhappil y thc rule amongst the cathedral staff for so many years , and also to the immense migration of citizens to the suburbs . However , it is to be hoped the work of completion may soon be begun in earnest , and that the funds will flow in fast in answer to the appeals .
In the meantime , is it not 111 the power of the Craft to do something to help forward the noble work ? More especially , as the building is said to have been "begun and ended" by Freemasons , as recorded among the " Remarkable
Occurrences in Masonry" in the Masonic Calendar . Thus - . " St . Paul's begun by Freemasons , 1675 ¦ " " St . Paul ' s completed by Freemasons , 1710 . " I hardly see how Masons can have completed a work , which , I am certain , the architect , Bro .
Sir Christopher Wren , would say was anything but complete , according to the design conceived by him . I think if the Lodge of Antiquity , of which Bro . Sir Christopher Wren was the Master , and which formerly met at the Goose and Gridiron in
St . Paul s Churchyard , were to set the ball rolling by subscribing to the fund , it would be rapidly followed by every lodge in the kingdom . I am sure our esteemed Grand Superintendent of Works would act as Treasurer to the fund , and it is not too much to hope that the Grand Lodge
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Original Correspondence.
Lodge , not a member ' s name , not even his own was mentioned as belonging to the committee , use and want determining the matter . Bro . Buchan was re-instated in his Masonic privileges , and the Provincial Grand Master , with whom we cannot sufficiently sympathise
and whose conduct in the chair , under the peculiar circumstances , showed him the right man in the right place , promised to consider the whole matter with regard to the Constitution of Provincial Grand Committee . The Provincial Grand Master hinted that a change might be expected
in the office-bearers , and we confess that no widespread desolation would be cast over the province of Glasgow were Bro . Barrow ' s name to become a thing of the Tast . It becomes a serious matter , and should receive an immediate check , any attempt to
infringe upon the liberty of Freemasons , and to call in the powers of a daughter lodge to punish a brother for language used in , and with the approbation of , Grand Lodge ; and any attempt to destroy the -unwritten laws of Freemasonry likewise demand immediate challenge . Yours fraternall y .
A GLASGOW F . M . THE PURPLE IN WEST LANCASHIRE
( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIRAND BROTHER , —Amongst the many beautiful characteristics of Masonry , I believe " Unity "—unity in its extended sense , practically and theoretically—takes a very prominent
position ; and yet I find our brethren in West Lancashire actually wrangling and squabbling amongst themselves concerning the election of a P . G . T . Personalities have been freely indulged in , and in one or two instances the entire
charac-• ter of the communications has been anything but Masonic . Do let our brethren , by all means , terminate a correspondence which ought never to have been commenced . We , as Masons , pride ourselves upon the even tenour of our ways in all relating to our art , and the sooner oblivion
buries in forgetfulness that which exposes our petty jealousies , and equally petty animosities , the better it will be for us as consistent Mascns , and for the protection of our Order against the attacks of those whose cherished hope is to find us defenceless . Yours fraternal !} - , Hull . A YOUNG MASON .
( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR , —The epidemic of the purple fever in West Lancashire is of a much more serious character than was at first suspected , and is producing very extraordinary symptoms in
those affected . 1 our correspondent " Argus , " for example , shows how some suffer , for he actually inverts the order in which the facts that he draws attention to occurred ; not to suit his own purpose , of course , but from severe obliquity
of mental vision , the result of a serious attack of the fever , and he ought at once to change his nom de plume . As to the letter from " One of the Mark'd , " I would remark that your correspondent will
greatly benefit his cause by slandering those who do not agree with his views , and it is eminentl y Masonic so to do . Then , wilh regard to himself , should his Masonic ability equal his poetical genius , he will certainly be appointed Grand
Poet Laureate ( with a garland of leeks for his emblem of oflice ) in the Province of South Lancashire , unless he dies of the fever ( which is not unlikely ) before our very clever young Masons succeed in getting the " new province " created .
Would not our enthusiastic young brethren show them wisdom by emigrating to the Isle of Man ? Masonry requires stirring up there , judging from the last " Grand Chapter '* ' report . T n VI-I venire . •*» ' ¦ 1 ¦ On
* A . IAHI > \ y * .. " - ) .--., j DI . CRAX . KIN . ( To thc Editor of The Freemason . )
SIR , —Freemasonry is loo solemn a subject lo trifle with . If brethren have complaints to make , why not act as the West Lancashire lodges are now doing , and write to thc R . W . P . G . M ., as I
Original Correspondence.
have read they have done , page 712 . The spirit shown by many brethren is unworthy of our three great principles , B . L ., R ., and Tr ., which should never be lost sight of . If " Di . Cran . Kin ., " and others of a similar mind , fully appreciated their OB ., they would in their private chamber feel rather ashamed . On behalf of the
Craft in general , I , for one , most strongly protest against persons attacking their brethren , unless they have the boldness to attach either their name to their letter , or the office and
position , with number , they hold in a Craft lodge ; and I think , Sir , you would be justified in refusing to insert such letters , except such as " Fidelis , " page 711 . Believe me , dear Sir , yours faithfully , AUGUSTUS A . BAGSHAWE .
Chap . 1235 , Prov . G . C . Derbyshire . ( To thc Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —In your last issus "Di . Cran . Kin . " has managed to hit the right nail on the head . He says : " I suppose the
next thing to be suggested by ' Another P . M . ' will be a little quiet bribery . If this be tried , why , then , success will be sure . " Certainly , it will , Brother " Di ., " who should know that better than yourself and your party . It has
been tried ; you ' ve tried it well , and found it answer , and , no doubt , you will try it again . Don ' t you know one of your leaders is trying it on , even at this early period of the Masonic year ? Have you not a brother—one high in
authority—busily engaged going from lodge to lodge , attempting to reply to the circular of Bro . Barber , P . M . 995 , by blandly informing the members that " an entire change will be made in the P . G . L . officers next year , and your lodsre
( this , remember , to every one of them ) will be most favourably considered ? What is this but a little quiet bribery ? Good " Cran . Kin ., " pray leave letter-writing to public journals alone ; you are not equal to it . Your forte is "
chauntmg ; stick to that—it ' s a good prop to lean on , and will always assure you a seat at the festive board of every lodge in the province . Do so , and , in the words of Le Sage , " I wish you all sorts of prosperity , with a little more taste . "
" Fidelis , " a P . G . L . officer , by the way , tells us the P . G . M . " might bestow all his appointments upon his relatives , and we could only grin and bear it . " Well , I fancy there are a few Masons in Liverpool , and in other parts of the province
too , who , by their united action , will very shortl y convince our "faithful" brother we can do a little more , and that without " blustering talk or threatening notices . " So long as we have the Public Instructor to appeal to—that organ so
often and so heartily anathemised by "the part } -, " we have no fear of ultimately obtaining redress for our grievances ; we hold , he " Who rules o ' er freemen , should himself be free , " and we desire
that our P . G . M . should be free'd from his present advisers—brethren who have heaped all this difficulty upon his shoulders—as speedily as possible .
lor years , the abuses now complained of have been tamely borne . The remonstrances of friends of worthy men—many of them the very life and soul of Craft Masonry in this province —have been ignored , and these worthy men
themselves even snubbed most grossly . This has been carried on until we have had perfectl y legal notices of motion pooh-poohed , and refused insertion upon the pages of the minute book ; the letters of the Grand Registrar of England read
only to be sneered at ; the Provincial Grand Registrar called to order by a brother for openly canvassing in lodge a Treasurer illegally and improperly elected by open voting and not b y ballot , to serve party purposes , by putting the
screw upon the wavering wearers of the purple ; and a political speech of an outrageously personal character , permitted from one of the chairs . Until our P . G . M . might well exclaim , with Pitt :
"A long tram of these practices has , at length , unwillingly convinced me that there is something behind the throne greater than the throne itself . " The very argument of Brother " Fidelis " that the number of offices for annual distribution is so exceedingly small when compared with the
Original Correspondence.
number of brethren in the province , is one ofthe strongest in favour of a division of that province . Another argument may be used when the proper time arrives- —if it be necessary . It is sincerel y hoped it never will . If the means suggested b y our brother for remedying the evil were followed ,
satisfaction would reign supreme ; but no one better than " Fidelis " himself knows his idea will never receive the slightest consideration . But , pray , what is the " stuff" he speaks of , that their " fathers' sons ' "' have shown they are made of ? Echo answers , " puff . ' " '
Bro . Turner , too , is attacked by this guileless youth as not having " much gentlemanly spirit in him ; " but if an open , manly , and straightforward bearing , a fearless advocacy of his brethren ' s rights and privileges , is consideredungentlemanl y —and we have to judge from the exhibition of
official temper at the last meeting of the P . G . Lodge—it is not in that august body he will be taught better manners . As for the three brethren referred to as " doubtless feeling that they cannot subside into their usual obscurity , " let me remark , as a member of the same lodge as themselves , they are
not very likely to retire from the present agitation so long as they are assisted in their task by the multitude—and there is a multitude—seeking Masonic reform in this province . Upon reading such letters as those in your paper , emanating , as they are known to do , from P . G . Lodge officers , let each of them remember the
lines—He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill ; Our antagonist is our helper . " Yours fraternally ,
ONE OF THE MARK'D . Nov . 22 , 1 S 71 . [ Having given ample play to opinions on both sides of this question , we must now close the subject . —ED . F . ~\
The Completion Of St. Paul's Cathedral.
THE COMPLETION OF ST . PAUL'S CATHEDRAL .
( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —One has seen so many appeals in the public papers for money to complete the noble fabric dedicated to the apostle who first introduced Christianity into
our country , that it seems a great disgrace upon the people of London—and , indeed , of the whole country—that such appeals should be needed . It may , indeed , be admitted that the present century has seen the restoration of nearly all our
cathedrals , and that the public have raised immense sums during that period for the purpose of church building and restoration , and the present incomplete and desolate-looking state of our metropolitan cathedral may be attributed to a variety of causes—amongst others , to the want
of life and earnest love of work too unhappil y thc rule amongst the cathedral staff for so many years , and also to the immense migration of citizens to the suburbs . However , it is to be hoped the work of completion may soon be begun in earnest , and that the funds will flow in fast in answer to the appeals .
In the meantime , is it not 111 the power of the Craft to do something to help forward the noble work ? More especially , as the building is said to have been "begun and ended" by Freemasons , as recorded among the " Remarkable
Occurrences in Masonry" in the Masonic Calendar . Thus - . " St . Paul's begun by Freemasons , 1675 ¦ " " St . Paul ' s completed by Freemasons , 1710 . " I hardly see how Masons can have completed a work , which , I am certain , the architect , Bro .
Sir Christopher Wren , would say was anything but complete , according to the design conceived by him . I think if the Lodge of Antiquity , of which Bro . Sir Christopher Wren was the Master , and which formerly met at the Goose and Gridiron in
St . Paul s Churchyard , were to set the ball rolling by subscribing to the fund , it would be rapidly followed by every lodge in the kingdom . I am sure our esteemed Grand Superintendent of Works would act as Treasurer to the fund , and it is not too much to hope that the Grand Lodge