Membership Of The Grand Lodge Of Scotland ; What It Is And What It Ought To Be.

tie communications of the Grand Lodge ; ¦ winch also , they began to think , might ¦ with advantage be held occasionally in Glasgow , and perhaps in Aberdeen , and not always in Edinburgh . It appeared to them , likeAvise , that great benefit to the cause of Freemasonry in Scotland might

confidently be expected from the regular or frequent attendance of brethren from all parts of the country at the meetings of the Grand Lodge , if these were conducted , as they ought to be , and as they certainly woidd beif actual Masters and "Wardens

, of lodges and Past Masters were its only members , —brethren of knoAvledge and experience , as well as of unquestionable respectability , who , meeting Avith each other , would mutually impart and receive instruction , and that thus the working of the

Grand Lodge and the conduct of its meetings would become a pattern for all the lodges Avithin its jurisdiction . That all Past Masters should be recognised as entitled to a place on the roll of the Grand Lodge for life , as is the case in the Grand Lodge of England and other Grand lodges , they thought likely to be of most beneficial effect , as securing in the Mghest possible

degree the presence of brethren of knoAVledge and experience in all its meetings : whilst thus , also , lodges would almost necessarily be led to a frequent change of their highest office-bearers , and feAV or none would continue , as has been too much the practice in many lodges in Scotlandto

re-, elect the same brother year after year to the office of Master , and the same brethren as Wardens , the younger brethren thus hairing had no encouragement , from the prospect of the possible attainment of Masonic honours , to apply themselves

diligently to the study of Freemasonry , and so to qualify themselves for performing the functions of office-bearers . Were the Grand Lodge what it ought to be , and Avhat by the abolition of the proxy system it mi ght be expected to become ; presence

at its meetings would certainly be esteemed a desirable privilege , and a place amongst its members a high honour , and thus brethren would be stimulated to aspire to the offices of Master-and Warden , and to seek the learning necessary for a proper

discharge of the duties of these offices in the lod ges of which they are members . But how was the abolition- of the proxy system to be accomplished 1 Partly by

inducing lodges to recall their proxy commissions , and by stimulating actual Masters and Wardens of lodges to avail themselves of their right , and to take their places as members of the Grand Lodge ; and in this direction some progress has been made . It is evident that if this change were

generally to take place , the proxy system would die a natural death . But something more seemed to be necessary for the speedy and complete reform of the Grand Lodge , —namely , that the Grand Lodge , like the Parliament of the United Kingdom when

it passed the Reform Bill , should reform itself . Accordingly , at the Quarterly Communication held in May of the present year , a motion was made and seconded , of Avhich due notice had been given , as required by the laws of the Grand Lodge ,

by the proposer and seconder , at the immediately preceding Quarterly Communication in February , to the effect that , from and after the commencement of the next Masonic year , the Grand Lodge should consist exclusively of the Most Worshipful

Grand Master , the Most Worshipful Depute Grand Master , the Most Worshipful Substitute Grand Master , the Provincial Grand Masters and Depute Grand

Masters , the Grand Wardens and Provincial Grand Wardens , and the actual Masters and Wardens and Past Masters of lodges . This motion was , in fact , a complete Eeform Bill , leaving no further change to be desired , and yet not in the slightest degree revolutionarybuton the

, , contrary , a return to the sound principles of Ereemasonry , and a perfect assimilation of the constitution of the Grand Lodge of Scotland to that of all other Grand lodges in the Avorld . Care having been taken to apprise brethren , throughout the country of

the motion to be proposed , and especially the actual Masters and Wardens of lodges not represented by proxy , and to stimulate these to a discharge of their duty on this important occasion , many of them responded to the call , and there was a large

attendance at the meeting of the Grand Lodge in May . The dominant clique found themselves in a minority , and the motion was carried . It now seemed that the much-needed reform of the Grand Lodge ¦ was thoroughly accomplishedand that we

, had only to wait till the commencement of a new Masonic year to- see the happy fruits of it . But difficulties were not , and < S 2