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Article Correspondence. ← Page 2 of 4 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
Now , Bro . Hughan devoted gratuitously for many years a great deal of time in diffusing Masonic information , and was invariably money out of pocket by all bis publications . Had your dignitaries appreciated the merits of his important services Bro . Hughan would have been rewarded with the position of P . D . G . M . instead of P . G . D . But the fact is no
encouragement is given to literary pursuits by the Grand Lodge , because those whom the Grand Lodge represents have no taste for such pursuits . In short , represented and representatives are a true reflex of each other , and hence literary Masonic students are very little appreciated either
in Lodges or in the G . L . In America the same distaste for historic reading prevails largely among the people . We have free schools and a free library in Boston . About twenty per cent , of our population patronize the library . A very large number of these are school children , and I venture to state that to every historic borrower there are a hundred who
borrow novels , stories , adventures , etc . Among the hundreds of mechanics and tradespeople that I have com e in contact with during my residence here , I met but two who cultivated a taste for the hi gher kind of reading , and one of these had attended the university as a law student . But not
many weeks ago even a very prominent lawyer confessed to me that he did not care for history . Americans are great news readers , and except among professionals , such as doctors , clergymen , lawyersetc ., their reading consists of
, newspapers and fiction . Weekly newspapers filled with sensational stories generally meet with greater success than purely literary weeklys , and hence even reli g ious weeklys have stories in them . It must not be inferred from this that Americans
are an ignorant people . On the contrary , they are very clever and shrewd , and speak better English than in the mother country . But yet , except the history they learn in school , they trouble themselves no further with it . The Masonic fraternity are composed of the average class of
citizens . Great credit is due to the Grand Lodge for collecting a Masonic library . In that respect Americans are more generous than the English . But yet , I guess , that of 22 , 000 Masons in the state , not more than
one hundred habitually trouble Bro . Nickerson , its truly efficient librarian ; and even this feeble mental activity would not have existed if it had not been for the class of writers whom " A Veteran " is so bitter against . But with all the stirring up the institution received and the spread of
libraries which every one can consult , out of the 22 , 000 Massachusetts Masons probably not more than 400 would voluntarily tax themselves three dollars a year for a Masonic magazine . By dint of puffing and bluffing of friends and drummers
the number may be increased to 1 , 200 , and many of these would seldom see more of the pamphlet than its covers . This estimate I believe is very near correct . I think that if the fact could be ascertained it would be found that out of 500 , 000
American Masons , not more than 25 , 000 had ever subscribed in any single year three or two dollars each for a purely Masonic publication . A question might now be asked , how it is that with such stirring up on one side and with the facility afforded by Grand Lodges on the other , that so few were stirred up to seek for further light ? To this I
answer , because stirrers are as yet too few when compared with the stand-still advocates ; and , second , to the advantage which our system of Lodge instruction affords to the latter . Eminence in Lodges is acquired wholly by committing the ritual to memory . A very large majority
of those who acquire the ritual are mere newspaper readers . They consequently take for granted that all the legends in the ritual are sacred facts , and they are very jealous of having their faith disturbed . They think they know all that ought to
be known , and they don't want to know more . These , as a class , are generally identified in America with Templarism , Scotch witticism , etc ., and are very vain of their supposed superior knowledge , so much so that to their contributions to the
press they generally prefix K . T . or 33 , with a small circle , etc ., as if these distinctions necessarily enhance the value of their ideas . Hence vanity and ignorance combined induces their leaders to silence those who endeavour to enlighten the brethren . For instance , in 1869 , Bro . Gardner , then G . M . of Massachusetts , in a lecture before an R . Ai Chapter , gave a
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
Now , Bro . Hughan devoted gratuitously for many years a great deal of time in diffusing Masonic information , and was invariably money out of pocket by all bis publications . Had your dignitaries appreciated the merits of his important services Bro . Hughan would have been rewarded with the position of P . D . G . M . instead of P . G . D . But the fact is no
encouragement is given to literary pursuits by the Grand Lodge , because those whom the Grand Lodge represents have no taste for such pursuits . In short , represented and representatives are a true reflex of each other , and hence literary Masonic students are very little appreciated either
in Lodges or in the G . L . In America the same distaste for historic reading prevails largely among the people . We have free schools and a free library in Boston . About twenty per cent , of our population patronize the library . A very large number of these are school children , and I venture to state that to every historic borrower there are a hundred who
borrow novels , stories , adventures , etc . Among the hundreds of mechanics and tradespeople that I have com e in contact with during my residence here , I met but two who cultivated a taste for the hi gher kind of reading , and one of these had attended the university as a law student . But not
many weeks ago even a very prominent lawyer confessed to me that he did not care for history . Americans are great news readers , and except among professionals , such as doctors , clergymen , lawyersetc ., their reading consists of
, newspapers and fiction . Weekly newspapers filled with sensational stories generally meet with greater success than purely literary weeklys , and hence even reli g ious weeklys have stories in them . It must not be inferred from this that Americans
are an ignorant people . On the contrary , they are very clever and shrewd , and speak better English than in the mother country . But yet , except the history they learn in school , they trouble themselves no further with it . The Masonic fraternity are composed of the average class of
citizens . Great credit is due to the Grand Lodge for collecting a Masonic library . In that respect Americans are more generous than the English . But yet , I guess , that of 22 , 000 Masons in the state , not more than
one hundred habitually trouble Bro . Nickerson , its truly efficient librarian ; and even this feeble mental activity would not have existed if it had not been for the class of writers whom " A Veteran " is so bitter against . But with all the stirring up the institution received and the spread of
libraries which every one can consult , out of the 22 , 000 Massachusetts Masons probably not more than 400 would voluntarily tax themselves three dollars a year for a Masonic magazine . By dint of puffing and bluffing of friends and drummers
the number may be increased to 1 , 200 , and many of these would seldom see more of the pamphlet than its covers . This estimate I believe is very near correct . I think that if the fact could be ascertained it would be found that out of 500 , 000
American Masons , not more than 25 , 000 had ever subscribed in any single year three or two dollars each for a purely Masonic publication . A question might now be asked , how it is that with such stirring up on one side and with the facility afforded by Grand Lodges on the other , that so few were stirred up to seek for further light ? To this I
answer , because stirrers are as yet too few when compared with the stand-still advocates ; and , second , to the advantage which our system of Lodge instruction affords to the latter . Eminence in Lodges is acquired wholly by committing the ritual to memory . A very large majority
of those who acquire the ritual are mere newspaper readers . They consequently take for granted that all the legends in the ritual are sacred facts , and they are very jealous of having their faith disturbed . They think they know all that ought to
be known , and they don't want to know more . These , as a class , are generally identified in America with Templarism , Scotch witticism , etc ., and are very vain of their supposed superior knowledge , so much so that to their contributions to the
press they generally prefix K . T . or 33 , with a small circle , etc ., as if these distinctions necessarily enhance the value of their ideas . Hence vanity and ignorance combined induces their leaders to silence those who endeavour to enlighten the brethren . For instance , in 1869 , Bro . Gardner , then G . M . of Massachusetts , in a lecture before an R . Ai Chapter , gave a