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Article MASONIC AFFAIES IN CANADA. ← Page 3 of 11 →
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Masonic Affaies In Canada.
for its guidance but your lordship ' s personal communications to Grand Lodge , and they were such ( see 4 th June , 1856 , ) as to call forth in the following October , resolutions of the very strongest nature , and *' disapproval of the unjust and imcourteoiis treatment experienced at the hands of the Grand Master of England , ' and it was firmly stated that the time had been allowed to pass when moderate concessions would have more than satisfied the Masons of Canada , and that less than entire independence would not allay the excitement , & c . and recognition was asked for ;
on behalf of the Prov . Grand Lodge , as a Grand Lodge . This was adopted m January , 1857 , and sent home—and , in March following , your lordship officially made known your plan for restoring peace in Canada , and the concessions that you considered would bring about that desirable object . But previous silence and apparent carelessness had done their work by that time , and ( I write it with all due respect ) your proposal was not then looked upon as a "boon , but as having been forced by the pressure of current events . The Brethren knew then that their memorial had not even been read in Grand Lodge , but had been referred , or
handed over to the new Colonial Board ; and it is certain that no definitive reply has yet been vouchsafed to that respectful document ; although the Grand Registrar at the quarterly communication of the Grand Lodge of England , on the 2 nd of September last , somewhat disingenuously declares that such a statement is inaccurate . Your lordship ' s letter ( in triplicate ) , is not a reply , for the concluding portion of it only makes mention of the memorial having been presented at a late period of the evening—that no discussion took place thereon , and it was referred to the Colonial Board , in consequence of the announcement you had been
previously pleased to make , —and the Colonial Board had no power to send one . Its duty was simply to report to your lordship and Grand Lodge . In the face of all that is reported to have occurred , it would puzzle any body to remove the impression , that the Craft is really governed by the dais , and those upon it , —not by the Brethren at large . Your lordship ' s concessions would perhaps have been deemed " ample , " but for the fatal and unfortunate delay , and before the adoption of the memorial ; but they were never so acknowledged subsequently ;—and whether made before or after , you were ever careful not to embarrass any successor
you might have , and the proposed plan , although binding on you , would not be upon him , —and it might happen therefore that the evil day was only retarded for a season . In this paragraph also , your lordship has been pleased to state that there must have been internal dissensions in Canada , which have led to the existing difficulties , and that they do not arise from delay and inconvenience on your side of the water . I hope to prove that dissatisfaction ( not dissension ) has been occasioned by parties in London , and who have been and . are intimately connected with Grand Lodge itself — and I believe I express the opinion of the two Canadian independent bodies . "
" With respect to paragraph 3 , of your lordship ' s letter , I will simply say , that the independent movement commenced as early as 1850 not 1852 , and that as ^ regards the adhesion of English Lodges to the existing " Independent Grand ' Lodge , " 1 am satisfied that had the Prov . Grand Lodge of Canada West wavered ' in its resolution after what had passed , the Prov . Grand Master would not have been left with a sufficiency of Lodges wherewith to constitute a Prov . Grand Lodge . Such was the pretty general and openly expressed opinion in all quarters , and by the Brethren at large , and I have no doubt that they would have taken warrants from that Independent Grand Lodge . " .
" I now beg permission to refer to paragraph 4 of your lordship s communication , and it is an important one . You regret the proceedings of the Prov . ( 51 rand Lodge of Canada West , and know of no letters emanating from England , which by possibility could be construed favourably to those proceedings . I will quote from one received by me , which could not fail to exercise an influence here . It is from Brother W . W . Beach , who is , I believe , known to your lordship , is now a member of the Colonial Board , and was in this country , lie writes , under date 10 th of June last , as follows ;—
" ' ! took the first opportunity in my power of seeing the Grand Master . He had not leisure to enter into the business , but deputed the Grand Registrar to meet me next day . I spent nearly two hours with him , and placed the whole
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Affaies In Canada.
for its guidance but your lordship ' s personal communications to Grand Lodge , and they were such ( see 4 th June , 1856 , ) as to call forth in the following October , resolutions of the very strongest nature , and *' disapproval of the unjust and imcourteoiis treatment experienced at the hands of the Grand Master of England , ' and it was firmly stated that the time had been allowed to pass when moderate concessions would have more than satisfied the Masons of Canada , and that less than entire independence would not allay the excitement , & c . and recognition was asked for ;
on behalf of the Prov . Grand Lodge , as a Grand Lodge . This was adopted m January , 1857 , and sent home—and , in March following , your lordship officially made known your plan for restoring peace in Canada , and the concessions that you considered would bring about that desirable object . But previous silence and apparent carelessness had done their work by that time , and ( I write it with all due respect ) your proposal was not then looked upon as a "boon , but as having been forced by the pressure of current events . The Brethren knew then that their memorial had not even been read in Grand Lodge , but had been referred , or
handed over to the new Colonial Board ; and it is certain that no definitive reply has yet been vouchsafed to that respectful document ; although the Grand Registrar at the quarterly communication of the Grand Lodge of England , on the 2 nd of September last , somewhat disingenuously declares that such a statement is inaccurate . Your lordship ' s letter ( in triplicate ) , is not a reply , for the concluding portion of it only makes mention of the memorial having been presented at a late period of the evening—that no discussion took place thereon , and it was referred to the Colonial Board , in consequence of the announcement you had been
previously pleased to make , —and the Colonial Board had no power to send one . Its duty was simply to report to your lordship and Grand Lodge . In the face of all that is reported to have occurred , it would puzzle any body to remove the impression , that the Craft is really governed by the dais , and those upon it , —not by the Brethren at large . Your lordship ' s concessions would perhaps have been deemed " ample , " but for the fatal and unfortunate delay , and before the adoption of the memorial ; but they were never so acknowledged subsequently ;—and whether made before or after , you were ever careful not to embarrass any successor
you might have , and the proposed plan , although binding on you , would not be upon him , —and it might happen therefore that the evil day was only retarded for a season . In this paragraph also , your lordship has been pleased to state that there must have been internal dissensions in Canada , which have led to the existing difficulties , and that they do not arise from delay and inconvenience on your side of the water . I hope to prove that dissatisfaction ( not dissension ) has been occasioned by parties in London , and who have been and . are intimately connected with Grand Lodge itself — and I believe I express the opinion of the two Canadian independent bodies . "
" With respect to paragraph 3 , of your lordship ' s letter , I will simply say , that the independent movement commenced as early as 1850 not 1852 , and that as ^ regards the adhesion of English Lodges to the existing " Independent Grand ' Lodge , " 1 am satisfied that had the Prov . Grand Lodge of Canada West wavered ' in its resolution after what had passed , the Prov . Grand Master would not have been left with a sufficiency of Lodges wherewith to constitute a Prov . Grand Lodge . Such was the pretty general and openly expressed opinion in all quarters , and by the Brethren at large , and I have no doubt that they would have taken warrants from that Independent Grand Lodge . " .
" I now beg permission to refer to paragraph 4 of your lordship s communication , and it is an important one . You regret the proceedings of the Prov . ( 51 rand Lodge of Canada West , and know of no letters emanating from England , which by possibility could be construed favourably to those proceedings . I will quote from one received by me , which could not fail to exercise an influence here . It is from Brother W . W . Beach , who is , I believe , known to your lordship , is now a member of the Colonial Board , and was in this country , lie writes , under date 10 th of June last , as follows ;—
" ' ! took the first opportunity in my power of seeing the Grand Master . He had not leisure to enter into the business , but deputed the Grand Registrar to meet me next day . I spent nearly two hours with him , and placed the whole