Grand Lodge And Reports Of Proceedings.

Grand Lodge and Reports of Proceedings .

M ANY of the American and Colonial journals have commented on the proceedings of Grand Lodge in June last in connection with the case of Bro . Massey , and we extract the following from The Keystone published at Philadelphia : —

"The Quarterly Communication of the United Grand Lodge of England , on June ist , was the scene of impassioned oratory and long legal arguments on the occasion of the appeal of Bro . Massey against his suspension by the Board of General Purposes for having in a report of the proceedings

of a lodge meeting , in the pages of the London Daily Telegraph , included matter not proper to be published . Although it was stated by the Grand Registrar that if Bro . Massey would withdraw his appeal and express regret for the action complained of , a motion would be made that

Grand Lodge respectfully request the Grand Master to remove the suspension , Bro . Massey refused to recede from his position . His appeal was thereupon rejected by a vote of 300 to 268 . "As it stands , one of the leading Masonic journalists of

England is censured and suspended for violating Article 205 of the Grand Lodge Code . There is nothing left for him to do but to apologize and ask for clemency , which , as a good Mason , we hope he will do . At the same time , the closeness of the vote in the Grand Lodge shows that there was a strong presumption also in favour of Bro . Massey ' s contention . At

any rate , the incident may lead to a clearer and more thorough definition of what may and what may not be published in English Masonic journals . 'THK MASOXIC ILLUSTRATED , ' in commenting upon the case , says : ' The question goes far beyond Bro . Massey . Article 205 says

that nothing may be printed or published which by the laws and regulations of Masonry is improper to be published . Now , if Masonic journalism is to be subjected to rigid censorship , it is highly desirable that Masonic writers should be protected by some clearer definition than Article 205

provides . At present the law is being made piecemeal . Every now and then the subject engages the attention of Grand Lodge and receives some fresh illumination , and it is much to be desired that the whole matter should be- well thrashed out . '

" Our contemporary adds that it has been said that a brother qualified to be a Masonic journalist should possess a Masonic instinct , sensitive enough to keep him within due bounds ; but , it argues , when it is possible for a brother unwittingly to find himself in the meshes of the penal code , ' he ought not to be left entirely to instinct to keep him out . ' " This would seem to be a point well taken where a press

Grand Lodge And Reports Of Proceedings.

censorship is established and agreed to by the journals duly recognized and authorized by Grand Lodge . In this country we have no such censorship , and yet , with rare exceptions , there is nothing published in the Masonic press that could give serious offence . As a rule , the American Masonic journalist seems to be able to apply the same caution to his

conduct in writing about the affairs of the Fraternity that he would in speaking to outsiders about matters that transpire in the lodge room . The careful journalist on the secular press will handle the news of the day in a manner which will not subject his paper to libel suits . In a general way ,

he knows how to avoid giving offence , even though he should not have the libel law constantly open before him . Just so , in fraternal journalism , the distinction between what ought to be published and what ought not to be seems to be pretty fairly understood on this side of the water , and where there

is room for doubt our writers are not above asking for the opinion of those in authority before a thing is published-We are not aware of the exact nature of the article in the Daily Telegraph which gave offence to the English Grand Lodge , but we dare say if Bro . Massey had no personal

motive in publishing what he did , if he was entirely free from bias and would have given the benefit of the doubt to the exclusion of the matter complained of , he would not have subjected himself to censure . We believe he erred unwittingly , and in that case there can be no harm in laying

down plainer directions for the future guidance of himself and his fellow journalists , as ' THE MASONIC ILLUSTRATED ' suggests . "

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