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ttetflsanc ltm $ TRAT £ f ) .

The Lodge Chaplain.

The Lodge Chaplain .

THE Chaplain is one of the permissive officers , referred to in Article 129 of the Book of Constitutions . That is to say , that the lodge can , as far as legal requirements are concerned , get along , and perform all its work , without a brother being specially appointed to the

office . In Grand Lodge , the case is different , inasmuch as Article 18 says that the Grand Master , on the occasion of his installation , " shall " appoint certain officers , according to a prescribed list , which includes Chaplains .

In Provincial Grand Lodge , the phrase is , " is empowered to appoint . " In each case the Chaplain ranks immediately after the Wardens , and above all the other executive officers , from which is to be inferred the high esteem in which the office is held .

It must not be supposed because the appointment ot a Chaplain is not actually prescribed by the Constitutions , that the absence of those functions usually connected with that office , is contemplated . On the contrary , the offering up of prayer to T . G . A . O . T . U . is an essential part of every Masonic ceremony , from opening a lodge to consecrating a new one .

As to the Chaplain ' s duties . Beyond the obvious one of offering up prayer , as set forth in Article 28 , there is nothing laid down , and the Chaplain has the responsibility of making his own . Antient usage requires him to deliver an oration on the nature and principles of the Order on such state

occasions as the consecration of a new lodge , and in many lodges those portions of the ceremonies which refer to the moral responsibilities of candidates are generally left to the Chaplain . This , however , is all prescribed work , and it is in other ways , as to which no directions exist , that the

Chaplain can do much to elevate the character and standing of the lodge . If the Chaplain be a clerical brother , he usually has the

time and the taste for literary pursuits which less happily placed brethren do not possess , and he thus has opportunities for Masonic study and for Masonic reading that most brethren have not . Moreover , he probably has a library and works of reference within easy reach , and in this respect has the advantage over many brethren . All this points to the most

important of the Chaplain ' s self imposed duties . The lodge may not unreasonably look to its Chaplain for a good deal of guidance in those matters which require a knowledge of history , both current and archaeological . True , it is within the power of any brother to study Masonic history and lore ,

but to read profitably is an art by itself , and demands a special training , such as the Chaplain has probably undergone . A man who is engaged in business and its attendant worries all day long , cannot all at once secure that detachment of mind and power of concentration , which

serious reading necessarily demands . On the other hand the clergyman spends a good deal of his working time in that very frame of mind , and , therefore , the Master ought to find in him his most useful assistant .

The Master can rule the lodge in the East , with the assistance of the Wardens in their respective spheres ; and between them they can admit candidates into the Order , and look after the financial well-being of the lodge , but it ought not to be supposed that Masonry begins and ends with all this routine . The brethren have a right to be instructed ,

and it is an obligation of which the Master is reminded at every lodge meeting . If he has not the power or ability himself , if he does not possess , the mental and lingual gift , at all events there is brother Chaplain , who is professionally a speaker and reader , and with suitable encouragement he may find a

limitless sphere of usefulness , and evenings otherwise " blank , " may be amongst the most enjoyable and profitable spent . Brother Chaplain is generally relied upon when an " oration" is called for , and he has a great opportunitv . On these occasions he is listened to with respectful attention

by a larger number of brethren than usual , and the attendant circumstances invest his remarks with weight . But the very fact that what he says cannot be replied to there and then , is a restraint upon him . He cannot refer to debateable questions , nor can he venture upon personal opinions ,

however well qualified he be to give them . Thus the oration sometimes becomes but a series of platitudes or truisms ; emasculate in fact .

We might sum up these few remarks by saying that the Chaplain ' s duty is to keep ever in the front the most exalted aspect of the Craft . It is , first and last , a great religious institution . It is not a benefit society , it is not a social recreation , it is not a mutual improvement class , but its objects are to make those who belong to it more extensively

useful to their fellow men , and to impress upon their hearts in indelible characters its sacred principles of Brotherly Love , Relief , and Truth ; and whilst the Master , and the officers who assist him , may be the visible machinery which keeps the lodge moving , we venture to think the brother to whom is confided the religious offices , may succeed in establishing an influence not inferior to any of them .