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Article THE MASONIC MIRROR. ¦ r " . ¦ ← Page 5 of 9 →
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The Masonic Mirror. ¦ R " . ¦
by me in March last , I can have no hesitation in approving of the Brother whom they have recommended to me ; and I have , accordingly , appointed Brother James Dean to succeed you as Prov . G . M . for Quebec and Three Rivers . 6 th . Whilst I abstain from giving an opinion whether any or what circumstances can absolve Masons from their moral obligation , and justify them in
separation from their mother Grand Lodge , I conceive it to be my duty to point out that "in the present unfortunate and conflicting condition of Freemasonry in Canada / ' it is impossible that I could consistently with my duty as Grand Master , and the obligation of my office , recommend to the Grand Lodge the recognition of either of the bodies which have recently assumed the po wer of erecting themselves into a Grand Lodge . " To do so -would - be inconsistent with the first principles of Masonic unity . Of tie Lodges existing in the Provinces of Canada ,
and holding under the Grand Lodge of En gland , the warrants of seven have been returned by those who have joined the Independent Grand Lodge ; whilst thirtyfour have been returned by those who have joined the Ancient Grand Lodge , leaving a large number of Lodges of which some are known to remain firm in their allegiance , and of the secession of others there is no official record . It is plain that the Grand Lodge of England has no right or title to absolve from their allegiance the Brethren who are anxious to preserve it ; it is equally cleaV that it
is the duty , the sacred duty , of the Grand Master and Grand Lodge to support them in maintaining their allegiance and in preserving inviolate their obligation to their parent Grand Lodge . Bearing in mind that there are already two selferected Grand Lodges in Canada ; that there are many Lodges which have not joined either ; that there are others who , having never wavered in their fidelity ,
pray to have a Prov . G . M . appointed in the place of him who has seceded from them , and who desire to remain under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of England , I cannot think that any reasonable Mason will , upon a calm and deliberate review of the facts , come to any other conclusion than that recognition is impossible , and that , even were it accorded , it would lead only to increased confusion . s
7 th . You offer to accept the office of Representative of the Grand Lodge of England in the " Ancient Grand Lodge of Canada : ¦" . for the reasons stated in the preceding paragraph you will at once perceive that that is impossible . I cannot contemplate without the deepest concern the separation of so many Lodges from the parent body , and the ' more so when it is attempted to be shown that the conduct of the Grand Lodge of England has driven them to that course . When I reflect that separation has taken place at a period many months
subsequent to the time when all reasonable complaints have been remedied , and when effectual means had been fallen to prevent their recurrence ; when I know that many of the delays complained of by Lodges originated not from the neglect of the Grand Lodge in England , but from the neglect of the Provincial Officers to forward returns to Loudon intrusted to them for that purpose ; when I remember that the neglect of the duties of his office by the Prov . G . M ., whom I appointed , has been one of the main causes of dissatisfaction most prominently brought
forward in official correspondence , and insisted on , even in minute detail , in memorials from Canada ; when I remember that in consequence of such , alleged neglect the Brethren desired to be permitted to elect their own Prov . G . M ., and that such permission has been virtually conceded to them ; and when I learn that the very first act of the new body has been to elect to supreme office the very Brother
whose conduct had been so severely arraigned as leading to \ the difficulties complained of , —I am irresistibly led to the conclusion that there are other causes than those which have been already declared , and which caused the Prov . Grand Lodge of Canada West to throw off the authority of the Gra-nd Master and the Grand Lodge of England , who have always felt , and still continue to feel , a deep and affectionate interest in the welfare of their Brethren in Canada . "
Commending these matters to your earnest consideration and that of yom Brethren , —I am , Sir and Brother , Yours fraternally ., To T . D . Harington , Esq ., ( Signed ) Zetland , G . M . Quebec .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Masonic Mirror. ¦ R " . ¦
by me in March last , I can have no hesitation in approving of the Brother whom they have recommended to me ; and I have , accordingly , appointed Brother James Dean to succeed you as Prov . G . M . for Quebec and Three Rivers . 6 th . Whilst I abstain from giving an opinion whether any or what circumstances can absolve Masons from their moral obligation , and justify them in
separation from their mother Grand Lodge , I conceive it to be my duty to point out that "in the present unfortunate and conflicting condition of Freemasonry in Canada / ' it is impossible that I could consistently with my duty as Grand Master , and the obligation of my office , recommend to the Grand Lodge the recognition of either of the bodies which have recently assumed the po wer of erecting themselves into a Grand Lodge . " To do so -would - be inconsistent with the first principles of Masonic unity . Of tie Lodges existing in the Provinces of Canada ,
and holding under the Grand Lodge of En gland , the warrants of seven have been returned by those who have joined the Independent Grand Lodge ; whilst thirtyfour have been returned by those who have joined the Ancient Grand Lodge , leaving a large number of Lodges of which some are known to remain firm in their allegiance , and of the secession of others there is no official record . It is plain that the Grand Lodge of England has no right or title to absolve from their allegiance the Brethren who are anxious to preserve it ; it is equally cleaV that it
is the duty , the sacred duty , of the Grand Master and Grand Lodge to support them in maintaining their allegiance and in preserving inviolate their obligation to their parent Grand Lodge . Bearing in mind that there are already two selferected Grand Lodges in Canada ; that there are many Lodges which have not joined either ; that there are others who , having never wavered in their fidelity ,
pray to have a Prov . G . M . appointed in the place of him who has seceded from them , and who desire to remain under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of England , I cannot think that any reasonable Mason will , upon a calm and deliberate review of the facts , come to any other conclusion than that recognition is impossible , and that , even were it accorded , it would lead only to increased confusion . s
7 th . You offer to accept the office of Representative of the Grand Lodge of England in the " Ancient Grand Lodge of Canada : ¦" . for the reasons stated in the preceding paragraph you will at once perceive that that is impossible . I cannot contemplate without the deepest concern the separation of so many Lodges from the parent body , and the ' more so when it is attempted to be shown that the conduct of the Grand Lodge of England has driven them to that course . When I reflect that separation has taken place at a period many months
subsequent to the time when all reasonable complaints have been remedied , and when effectual means had been fallen to prevent their recurrence ; when I know that many of the delays complained of by Lodges originated not from the neglect of the Grand Lodge in England , but from the neglect of the Provincial Officers to forward returns to Loudon intrusted to them for that purpose ; when I remember that the neglect of the duties of his office by the Prov . G . M ., whom I appointed , has been one of the main causes of dissatisfaction most prominently brought
forward in official correspondence , and insisted on , even in minute detail , in memorials from Canada ; when I remember that in consequence of such , alleged neglect the Brethren desired to be permitted to elect their own Prov . G . M ., and that such permission has been virtually conceded to them ; and when I learn that the very first act of the new body has been to elect to supreme office the very Brother
whose conduct had been so severely arraigned as leading to \ the difficulties complained of , —I am irresistibly led to the conclusion that there are other causes than those which have been already declared , and which caused the Prov . Grand Lodge of Canada West to throw off the authority of the Gra-nd Master and the Grand Lodge of England , who have always felt , and still continue to feel , a deep and affectionate interest in the welfare of their Brethren in Canada . "
Commending these matters to your earnest consideration and that of yom Brethren , —I am , Sir and Brother , Yours fraternally ., To T . D . Harington , Esq ., ( Signed ) Zetland , G . M . Quebec .