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Article THE MASONIC MIRROR. ¦ r " . ¦ ← Page 2 of 9 →
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The Masonic Mirror. ¦ R " . ¦
pelled to resign the high and honourable offices of Provincial Grand Master and Provincial Grand Superinlendent for Quebec and Three Rivers , & c , in this Province , which I have had the honour and pleasure of holding for some years . I request you to make this known to the M . W . the Earl of Zetland with as little delay as possible , to enable him , if he feels so disposed , to take the necessary steps
for the appointment of a successor , and , at the same time , be so good as to tender to him from me my earnest thanks for his kindness in raising me to such high rank in English Freemasonry , —a rank that will ever be a source of pride and gratification to me , although in the present unfortunate and conflicting condition of Freemasonry in Canada , I feel obliged , as an honest Mason , to place my offices at the disposal of the M . W . Grand Master . I do so with unfeigned reluctance , but I feel that it is my duty , and that I have no other honourable course to
pursue . It is now upwards of a twelvemonth since I addressed a long communication to the Grand Secretary ( 18 th September , 1856 ) on the condition of the Craft in Canada , and therein I foreshadowed all that has since come to pass . My warnings were plain and unmistakeable ; and again and again I pointed out the evil of delay . My letter was simply acknowledge < l , and does not appear to have had the effect I hoped for . I firmly believe that prompt action on the part of the Grand
Lodge of England , at the time that letter was transmitted , would have preserved Canada , although some Brethren would riot have returned to their allegiance . However , regret is now useless . Matters have been getting worse and worse , and the warmest adherents and friends of England have been obliged to declare themselves in favour of independent Masonic government , We have felt it impossible
to blind our eyes to the fact that such must be the finale , —that Lodges and Brethren had fceen driven to make up their minds to such a result ,- ^—and that Provincial Grand authorities would soon have neither Lodges nor Brethren to govern . I might here dwell upon the fact of the formation of an independent body already , —the growing alienation of personal friends , —and a division among Masons fast becoming more and more irreconcilable .
1 . I transmit a printed copy of the proceedings of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada West , now called the "Ancient Grand Lodge of Canada" which will explain very fully all that has occurred . I have taken my part therein , and there never was a more truthful document than the farewell address that we passed as an independent body . Our new organisation is indeed " the creation of a stern necessity" not one of our choice or feeling . No man carries more prestige with him in Canada than Bro . Sir Allan Napier MacNab , who has been chosen for
the first Grand Master . His loyalty is not to be questioned , —his standing in Canada is undeniable , —and nothing but his conviction that our present movement is unavoidable , would have ; placed him at the head of our body . Those proceedings will show that we have thought of England from first to last . We really do look upon the change as one more of letter than of spirit . We have made no sudden wrench , but have glided into our present position , and our English affection remains in strong force . I had no hesitation ( when called
upon to do so ) about installing Sir Allan , —but , keeping in view the whole tenor of our proceedings , —having perused letters from England referring to our recognition , —remembering the Grand Master ' s positive words about the return of warrants , —and feeling that we had performed an unpleasant , but stern duty , in a constitutional and , at the same time , affectionate manner to our old country , I really deemed myself ( as I stated to my Brethren ) acting more as the Deputy of the M . W . Grand Master than as a person giving up and separating from old ties and connections .
The Quebec Lodges ( three ) have decided not to withdraw their allegiance from England , but to accept the M . W . G . M . ' s propositions ; and thjay have elected ( as the accompanying document will show ) Bro . James Dean , of Alma Lodge , No . 931 , to be my successor as Pro v . G . M " . I deem it , however , to be my duty to state , that some Quebec Brethren regard this question of independent govern s ment as one of time simply . I have been informed that it is quite likely the Albion Lodge , No . 17 , will cease working . There will then be two only , and whether a Prov . G . M . is necessary or not will be for the M . W . the Earl of Zetland
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Masonic Mirror. ¦ R " . ¦
pelled to resign the high and honourable offices of Provincial Grand Master and Provincial Grand Superinlendent for Quebec and Three Rivers , & c , in this Province , which I have had the honour and pleasure of holding for some years . I request you to make this known to the M . W . the Earl of Zetland with as little delay as possible , to enable him , if he feels so disposed , to take the necessary steps
for the appointment of a successor , and , at the same time , be so good as to tender to him from me my earnest thanks for his kindness in raising me to such high rank in English Freemasonry , —a rank that will ever be a source of pride and gratification to me , although in the present unfortunate and conflicting condition of Freemasonry in Canada , I feel obliged , as an honest Mason , to place my offices at the disposal of the M . W . Grand Master . I do so with unfeigned reluctance , but I feel that it is my duty , and that I have no other honourable course to
pursue . It is now upwards of a twelvemonth since I addressed a long communication to the Grand Secretary ( 18 th September , 1856 ) on the condition of the Craft in Canada , and therein I foreshadowed all that has since come to pass . My warnings were plain and unmistakeable ; and again and again I pointed out the evil of delay . My letter was simply acknowledge < l , and does not appear to have had the effect I hoped for . I firmly believe that prompt action on the part of the Grand
Lodge of England , at the time that letter was transmitted , would have preserved Canada , although some Brethren would riot have returned to their allegiance . However , regret is now useless . Matters have been getting worse and worse , and the warmest adherents and friends of England have been obliged to declare themselves in favour of independent Masonic government , We have felt it impossible
to blind our eyes to the fact that such must be the finale , —that Lodges and Brethren had fceen driven to make up their minds to such a result ,- ^—and that Provincial Grand authorities would soon have neither Lodges nor Brethren to govern . I might here dwell upon the fact of the formation of an independent body already , —the growing alienation of personal friends , —and a division among Masons fast becoming more and more irreconcilable .
1 . I transmit a printed copy of the proceedings of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada West , now called the "Ancient Grand Lodge of Canada" which will explain very fully all that has occurred . I have taken my part therein , and there never was a more truthful document than the farewell address that we passed as an independent body . Our new organisation is indeed " the creation of a stern necessity" not one of our choice or feeling . No man carries more prestige with him in Canada than Bro . Sir Allan Napier MacNab , who has been chosen for
the first Grand Master . His loyalty is not to be questioned , —his standing in Canada is undeniable , —and nothing but his conviction that our present movement is unavoidable , would have ; placed him at the head of our body . Those proceedings will show that we have thought of England from first to last . We really do look upon the change as one more of letter than of spirit . We have made no sudden wrench , but have glided into our present position , and our English affection remains in strong force . I had no hesitation ( when called
upon to do so ) about installing Sir Allan , —but , keeping in view the whole tenor of our proceedings , —having perused letters from England referring to our recognition , —remembering the Grand Master ' s positive words about the return of warrants , —and feeling that we had performed an unpleasant , but stern duty , in a constitutional and , at the same time , affectionate manner to our old country , I really deemed myself ( as I stated to my Brethren ) acting more as the Deputy of the M . W . Grand Master than as a person giving up and separating from old ties and connections .
The Quebec Lodges ( three ) have decided not to withdraw their allegiance from England , but to accept the M . W . G . M . ' s propositions ; and thjay have elected ( as the accompanying document will show ) Bro . James Dean , of Alma Lodge , No . 931 , to be my successor as Pro v . G . M " . I deem it , however , to be my duty to state , that some Quebec Brethren regard this question of independent govern s ment as one of time simply . I have been informed that it is quite likely the Albion Lodge , No . 17 , will cease working . There will then be two only , and whether a Prov . G . M . is necessary or not will be for the M . W . the Earl of Zetland