Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Contents.
CONTENTS .
LEADERS £ 21 Supreme Grand Chapter 522 Consecration of the Rose and Lily Council , No . 13 , Allied Degrees 522 Special Provincial Grand Lodge of North and East Yorks 522 Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of
Monmouthshire , 523 Installation of R . W . Uro . Sir Olliey Wakeman , Bart ., P . G . M . Shropshire 523 Installation of R . W . Bro . Lord Harlech , Prov . Grand Master North Wales S 24 Washington Lodge , No . $ 9 , Philadelphia 523 Masonic Charity Associations 525 CORRESPONDENCE"A Slang Phrase" S 27
Notes and Queries £ 27 REPORTS OP MASONIC MEETINGSCraft Masonry 527 Instruction 530 Royal Arch 530 Mark Masonry S 30 Scotland < 30
Ireland 531 South Africa 5 - 31 New Zealand 531 A Tyler ' s " Golden Wedding" e i Masonic Concert in Belfast 531 Obituary 531 The Cralt Abroad 551 Masonic and General Tidings 532 Lodge Meetings for Next Week 532
Ar00101
ONE of the best expositions of the character and scope of Freemasonry we have read for some time past is contained in the speech recently delivered by Grand Master LAWRENCE , when laying the foundation-stone of a Government building in the State of New York , and we regret unfeignedly that the claims on our space are just now so urgent as to render it difficult , if
not impossible , to reproduce it in full . The occasion does not seem to have been out of the usual course of such proceedings , nor are we aware of any special circumstances which may have put Bro . LAWRENCE on his mettle , and extorted from him a more forcible and heart-stirring speech than usual . But , whether or not it is our brother ' s habit to express himself thus
admirably , certain it is that in the performance of this particular function he displayed more eloquence than the majority of Masons of our time who have been similarly circumstanced . If at the outset of his speech Bro . LAWRENCE went somewhat beyond the limits of strict historical truth , and assumed what , in the present state of our knowledge , it will be difficult , if
not impossible , for him to prove , namely , that our great English architect , Sir CHRISTOPHER WREN , was Grand Master of the English Freemasons , he has our forgiveness and even our sympathy . We cannot answer for it that Bro . GOULD will not subject him to a severe lecture for his great audacity ; but there is something so fascinating about the WREN tradition , it
consists so well , in point of opportuneness , with the circumstances of his time and the profession of which he was so brilliant a member , that , as we have said just now , we forgive and even sympathise with our distinguished brother . But if with the fear ever before us of bringing down on our devoted head the sublime rebukes of Bro . GOULD , we hesitate to accept
the position assigned to WREN in connection with our Fraternity by Bro . LAWRENCE , we experience no misgivings as to the truth and accuracy of his delineation of our modern system of Freemasonry . There can , for instance , be no question as to the literal correctness of Bro . LAWRENCE ' S statement that Freemasonry " represents neither class , creed , nor race ; "
but that , "through its pure and sacred precepts , it " appeals to the free and enlig htened of every race and creed alike . Its broad principles conflict with the opinions of no God-fearing man . Those who gather around its sacred altars , whatever their creed , whatever their race , and in whatever quarter of the globe they may assemble , learn to subdue their passions ,
to rule themselves as intelligent and responsible beings ; to be upright in all their dealings , benevolent and just toward their fellow-men , and always reverently to adore the Great Creator of all things and Giver of all Good . " Equally true is it—and as applicable to the Craft in England as i t is in the United States of America—that "strictly bound to unswerving
obedience to the laws and loyalty to the Government , cherishing their freedom as their most precious possession , the advocates of peace , and believers in perfect toleration towards every shade of opinion , Masons cannot but be good and useful citizens in any free community , and when called to
officiate upon an occasion of this description , we joyfully remember and proclaim that the spirit of Masonry is identical with the spirit of the enlightened ¦ ige and the glorious country in which it is our fortune to live . " We thank you , Bro . LAWRENCE , for this eloquent exposition of the nature and purposes of our Craft .
* * * WE have been favoured with a letter from Bro . Dr . ROB MORRIS , P . G . Master of Kentucky , having reference to the remarks made by us on the 12 th September last on the subject of the " consolidation of weak lodges . " Our distinguished brother writes that his views correspond with ours , and
that he does not think "a consolidation should be effected if a single member objects ; " and , to demonstrate more clearly his opinion on the question , he has very kindly enclosed copy of his circular , inviting information as " to any legislation by any Masonic body that bears upon the
subject . This circular , which is signed by Bro . MORRIS on behalf of the Committee appointed at the annual Grand Lodge of Kentucky in October , 8 4 , " to digest a constitutional amendment for the consolidation of weak lod ges , and report the same " at the annual meeting for 1885 , tells us not
Ar00102
much more than we knew already , though it more clearly sets forth the grounds on which it was resolved to institute the inquiry . The Committee candidly admit that the matter " presents to us the greater difficulty the more we consider it . " This is not surprising . The " matter" is so essentially delicate , that the resolve of the Committee to
prosecute their inquiries gives us a better idea of their courage than of their discretion . However , as they do not seem to have yet passed the preliminary stage of asking for such information as may be available , we may as well offer a few further remarks , in the hope that Kentucky , having put its foot into a question which is surrounded by all
kinds of difficulty , may withdraw it , while there is yet time , without loss of dignity . Even upon the showing of this circular , there cannot , at least , according to our English notions , be anything very serious to complain of in the numerical condition of its lodges . We fail to see that "the necessity for the consolidation of sickly and feeble lodges is urgent " in the case of the Grand
Lodge of Kentucky . We accept the statements that " we have upon our rolls more than five hundred lodges , but so reduced are they in strength , that the average in membership is less than thirty , " and that "in some counties reporting five or six lodges , the aggregate of Master Masons is scarcely a hundred . " But what then ? This is certainly not a deplorable
state of things , on the assumption of course that the brethren are in a position to keep up their lodges in a state of efficiency and free from debt . Indeed , many among us here will say , as we pointed out in our September article , that it is far better to have a moderate than a high average of membership , seeing that , in the nature of things , overgrown lodges are less
manageable , a large number of members being less likely to work together in harmony than a small number . As we pointed out in that leader— " In England many lodges advisedly limit their numbers , and the tendency of late years has been to deprecate overgrown lodges . " Of course Kentucky has a perfect right to say—We do not agree with you ; we prefer numerically
strong lodges . But neither kentuck } ' nor any other Grand Lodge can undertake to say that lodges must maintain a given strength always . A lodge which has a roll of 100 members now , may in ten years time , from circumstances entirely beyond its control , be able to muster no more than thirty ; but does Kentucky mean to say that in such case the reduced lodge must
either commit suicide or amalgamate with the nearest lodge , and so in either case sacrifice its fair repute and all those kindly associations which have made its life so pleasant ? We can hardly bring ourselves to believe this . In the first place , it possesses neither the right nor the ability to regulate the
membership of its subordinate lodges so long as they observe its laws and tho Constitutions of Masonry . In the second place , if the welfare of the Craft is to be made to depend on mere numbers , the sooner there is an end of it , the better .
» * * OF course we are glad that Bro . MORRIS is of our opinion , and our advice to him , as the most experienced member of this Committee of inquiry , is that he should recommend to the Grand Lodge of Kentucky to leave its subordinate lodges to manage their own affairs , subject , as we have said before ,
to its laws and the Constitutions of the Craft . Lodges which are not capable of doing this must have been established under erroneous opinions as to the true nature of Masonry , which , in the discharge of its important duties , requires that it should have all reasonable latitude secured to it , and that there should be the least possible interference with what may be called its
private as contradistinguished from its public concerns . It matters not to the Grand Lodge of a jurisdiction whether its lodges are content with ten or ten hundred members . So long as they do their appointed work in the manner prescribed by the supreme authority , they have the right to be left alone . They are the sole judges of what is due to their own interests , and if
any of them prefer that the membership shall be limited , that is entirely their own business , and does not justify the meddling of Grand Lodge . We think our American friends will do wisely to remember that there is no society in the world which is so likely to be injuriously affected by overlegislation as Freemasonry . It is above all things a society whose members
are desirous of promoting good fellowship in its truest and best sense . There must be a government of some kind or other , and as a result there must be some code of laws to enforce that government . But when due provision has been made in these respects , the lodges which constitute a jurisdiction only need to be left alone , We in England have very little
legislation . As a rule , our Grand Lodge meets once a quarter and for the Grand Festival . The business transacted is mostly formal , and there is not the slightest doubt that our lodges rub along capitally . Our Grand Lodge rarely troubles itself about anything outside its administrative functions . It takes care that its two funds of General Purposes and Benevolence are dispensed justly and with a due regard to economy . Occasionally a question
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Contents.
CONTENTS .
LEADERS £ 21 Supreme Grand Chapter 522 Consecration of the Rose and Lily Council , No . 13 , Allied Degrees 522 Special Provincial Grand Lodge of North and East Yorks 522 Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of
Monmouthshire , 523 Installation of R . W . Uro . Sir Olliey Wakeman , Bart ., P . G . M . Shropshire 523 Installation of R . W . Bro . Lord Harlech , Prov . Grand Master North Wales S 24 Washington Lodge , No . $ 9 , Philadelphia 523 Masonic Charity Associations 525 CORRESPONDENCE"A Slang Phrase" S 27
Notes and Queries £ 27 REPORTS OP MASONIC MEETINGSCraft Masonry 527 Instruction 530 Royal Arch 530 Mark Masonry S 30 Scotland < 30
Ireland 531 South Africa 5 - 31 New Zealand 531 A Tyler ' s " Golden Wedding" e i Masonic Concert in Belfast 531 Obituary 531 The Cralt Abroad 551 Masonic and General Tidings 532 Lodge Meetings for Next Week 532
Ar00101
ONE of the best expositions of the character and scope of Freemasonry we have read for some time past is contained in the speech recently delivered by Grand Master LAWRENCE , when laying the foundation-stone of a Government building in the State of New York , and we regret unfeignedly that the claims on our space are just now so urgent as to render it difficult , if
not impossible , to reproduce it in full . The occasion does not seem to have been out of the usual course of such proceedings , nor are we aware of any special circumstances which may have put Bro . LAWRENCE on his mettle , and extorted from him a more forcible and heart-stirring speech than usual . But , whether or not it is our brother ' s habit to express himself thus
admirably , certain it is that in the performance of this particular function he displayed more eloquence than the majority of Masons of our time who have been similarly circumstanced . If at the outset of his speech Bro . LAWRENCE went somewhat beyond the limits of strict historical truth , and assumed what , in the present state of our knowledge , it will be difficult , if
not impossible , for him to prove , namely , that our great English architect , Sir CHRISTOPHER WREN , was Grand Master of the English Freemasons , he has our forgiveness and even our sympathy . We cannot answer for it that Bro . GOULD will not subject him to a severe lecture for his great audacity ; but there is something so fascinating about the WREN tradition , it
consists so well , in point of opportuneness , with the circumstances of his time and the profession of which he was so brilliant a member , that , as we have said just now , we forgive and even sympathise with our distinguished brother . But if with the fear ever before us of bringing down on our devoted head the sublime rebukes of Bro . GOULD , we hesitate to accept
the position assigned to WREN in connection with our Fraternity by Bro . LAWRENCE , we experience no misgivings as to the truth and accuracy of his delineation of our modern system of Freemasonry . There can , for instance , be no question as to the literal correctness of Bro . LAWRENCE ' S statement that Freemasonry " represents neither class , creed , nor race ; "
but that , "through its pure and sacred precepts , it " appeals to the free and enlig htened of every race and creed alike . Its broad principles conflict with the opinions of no God-fearing man . Those who gather around its sacred altars , whatever their creed , whatever their race , and in whatever quarter of the globe they may assemble , learn to subdue their passions ,
to rule themselves as intelligent and responsible beings ; to be upright in all their dealings , benevolent and just toward their fellow-men , and always reverently to adore the Great Creator of all things and Giver of all Good . " Equally true is it—and as applicable to the Craft in England as i t is in the United States of America—that "strictly bound to unswerving
obedience to the laws and loyalty to the Government , cherishing their freedom as their most precious possession , the advocates of peace , and believers in perfect toleration towards every shade of opinion , Masons cannot but be good and useful citizens in any free community , and when called to
officiate upon an occasion of this description , we joyfully remember and proclaim that the spirit of Masonry is identical with the spirit of the enlightened ¦ ige and the glorious country in which it is our fortune to live . " We thank you , Bro . LAWRENCE , for this eloquent exposition of the nature and purposes of our Craft .
* * * WE have been favoured with a letter from Bro . Dr . ROB MORRIS , P . G . Master of Kentucky , having reference to the remarks made by us on the 12 th September last on the subject of the " consolidation of weak lodges . " Our distinguished brother writes that his views correspond with ours , and
that he does not think "a consolidation should be effected if a single member objects ; " and , to demonstrate more clearly his opinion on the question , he has very kindly enclosed copy of his circular , inviting information as " to any legislation by any Masonic body that bears upon the
subject . This circular , which is signed by Bro . MORRIS on behalf of the Committee appointed at the annual Grand Lodge of Kentucky in October , 8 4 , " to digest a constitutional amendment for the consolidation of weak lod ges , and report the same " at the annual meeting for 1885 , tells us not
Ar00102
much more than we knew already , though it more clearly sets forth the grounds on which it was resolved to institute the inquiry . The Committee candidly admit that the matter " presents to us the greater difficulty the more we consider it . " This is not surprising . The " matter" is so essentially delicate , that the resolve of the Committee to
prosecute their inquiries gives us a better idea of their courage than of their discretion . However , as they do not seem to have yet passed the preliminary stage of asking for such information as may be available , we may as well offer a few further remarks , in the hope that Kentucky , having put its foot into a question which is surrounded by all
kinds of difficulty , may withdraw it , while there is yet time , without loss of dignity . Even upon the showing of this circular , there cannot , at least , according to our English notions , be anything very serious to complain of in the numerical condition of its lodges . We fail to see that "the necessity for the consolidation of sickly and feeble lodges is urgent " in the case of the Grand
Lodge of Kentucky . We accept the statements that " we have upon our rolls more than five hundred lodges , but so reduced are they in strength , that the average in membership is less than thirty , " and that "in some counties reporting five or six lodges , the aggregate of Master Masons is scarcely a hundred . " But what then ? This is certainly not a deplorable
state of things , on the assumption of course that the brethren are in a position to keep up their lodges in a state of efficiency and free from debt . Indeed , many among us here will say , as we pointed out in our September article , that it is far better to have a moderate than a high average of membership , seeing that , in the nature of things , overgrown lodges are less
manageable , a large number of members being less likely to work together in harmony than a small number . As we pointed out in that leader— " In England many lodges advisedly limit their numbers , and the tendency of late years has been to deprecate overgrown lodges . " Of course Kentucky has a perfect right to say—We do not agree with you ; we prefer numerically
strong lodges . But neither kentuck } ' nor any other Grand Lodge can undertake to say that lodges must maintain a given strength always . A lodge which has a roll of 100 members now , may in ten years time , from circumstances entirely beyond its control , be able to muster no more than thirty ; but does Kentucky mean to say that in such case the reduced lodge must
either commit suicide or amalgamate with the nearest lodge , and so in either case sacrifice its fair repute and all those kindly associations which have made its life so pleasant ? We can hardly bring ourselves to believe this . In the first place , it possesses neither the right nor the ability to regulate the
membership of its subordinate lodges so long as they observe its laws and tho Constitutions of Masonry . In the second place , if the welfare of the Craft is to be made to depend on mere numbers , the sooner there is an end of it , the better .
» * * OF course we are glad that Bro . MORRIS is of our opinion , and our advice to him , as the most experienced member of this Committee of inquiry , is that he should recommend to the Grand Lodge of Kentucky to leave its subordinate lodges to manage their own affairs , subject , as we have said before ,
to its laws and the Constitutions of the Craft . Lodges which are not capable of doing this must have been established under erroneous opinions as to the true nature of Masonry , which , in the discharge of its important duties , requires that it should have all reasonable latitude secured to it , and that there should be the least possible interference with what may be called its
private as contradistinguished from its public concerns . It matters not to the Grand Lodge of a jurisdiction whether its lodges are content with ten or ten hundred members . So long as they do their appointed work in the manner prescribed by the supreme authority , they have the right to be left alone . They are the sole judges of what is due to their own interests , and if
any of them prefer that the membership shall be limited , that is entirely their own business , and does not justify the meddling of Grand Lodge . We think our American friends will do wisely to remember that there is no society in the world which is so likely to be injuriously affected by overlegislation as Freemasonry . It is above all things a society whose members
are desirous of promoting good fellowship in its truest and best sense . There must be a government of some kind or other , and as a result there must be some code of laws to enforce that government . But when due provision has been made in these respects , the lodges which constitute a jurisdiction only need to be left alone , We in England have very little
legislation . As a rule , our Grand Lodge meets once a quarter and for the Grand Festival . The business transacted is mostly formal , and there is not the slightest doubt that our lodges rub along capitally . Our Grand Lodge rarely troubles itself about anything outside its administrative functions . It takes care that its two funds of General Purposes and Benevolence are dispensed justly and with a due regard to economy . Occasionally a question