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Coerrspondence
COEEESPOOENCE
[ The Editob does not hold Mjnselfrespo entertained by Correspondents
M TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS MAaAZINE AND MASONIC MIRROR . Dear Sir akd Brother , —I was pleased to see in the May number of your Magazine an article signed " Canadian , " calling attention to the subject of Masonic Jurisprudence . I think , sir , that the discussion of so important a subject in your deservedly popular journal will greatly tend to facilitate the workings
of Masonic bodies , and guide those intrusted with the reins of office in the discharge of their duties . Two interesting' questions are raised by your correspondent : —1 st , whether a Master of a Lodge has the right to refuse admission to a Brother not a member of the Lodge ? and , 2 nd , whether a Warden has the power to confer degrees in the absence of the Master ?
I agree with ' Canadian " in his views on the first of these questions ; and will , with your permission ^ give my reasons for so doing in a future number of your journal ; but on the second question he and I disagree in toto . He asks : — " Where do you find authority for the answer given to ' H . O . E . Trinidad / that a Senior Warden ruling the Lodge is authorized to confer degrees ? " As you , sir , have
seen fit only to refer to the authority of the Grand Secretary , for which I have individually the highest respect , but which some Brethren might feel disposed to question , I will , with your permission , quote " authority " that cannot fail , I think , to be satisfactory to your Canadian correspondent , and which will amply sustain the decision you have made , or the opinion you have given , on "H . 0 . B . ' s " question .
If " ¦ Canadian " will turn to the Book of Constitutions , edition of 1723 , the highest authority in existence , he will find , on page 53 , this paragraph : — " When a Fellow Craftsman is chosen Warden of the Work under the Master , he shall be true both to the Master find Fellows ; shall carefully oversee the work in the Master ' s absence to the Lord ' s profit ; and his Brethren shall obey him . " Now , lest any dispute may arise as to the intent and meaning of the word " oversee" in the foregoing sentence , I would direct the attention of the reader to the preceding page ( 52 ) of the same authority , where he will find it fully explained , his verbis : — " The most expert of the Fellow Craftsmen shall be chosen or appointed the Master , or Overseer , of the Lord ' s work , who is to be called Master by those that
work under him . "" * Hence it will be seen , and I think admitted , that c ( oversee" in these instances means to perform the duties of Master . But upon this let us see what the authorities say . In Preston ' s Illustrations of Masonry , 8 th ( and best ) edition , p . 105 , in the ceremony of Installation the Master says , to the Senior
War-* In the different editions of the Book of Constitutions , Pocket Companions , & c , this " V . Charge " has been reproduced , and is , I believe , everywhere held the maxima lex on this subject . — Lector .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Coerrspondence
COEEESPOOENCE
[ The Editob does not hold Mjnselfrespo entertained by Correspondents
M TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS MAaAZINE AND MASONIC MIRROR . Dear Sir akd Brother , —I was pleased to see in the May number of your Magazine an article signed " Canadian , " calling attention to the subject of Masonic Jurisprudence . I think , sir , that the discussion of so important a subject in your deservedly popular journal will greatly tend to facilitate the workings
of Masonic bodies , and guide those intrusted with the reins of office in the discharge of their duties . Two interesting' questions are raised by your correspondent : —1 st , whether a Master of a Lodge has the right to refuse admission to a Brother not a member of the Lodge ? and , 2 nd , whether a Warden has the power to confer degrees in the absence of the Master ?
I agree with ' Canadian " in his views on the first of these questions ; and will , with your permission ^ give my reasons for so doing in a future number of your journal ; but on the second question he and I disagree in toto . He asks : — " Where do you find authority for the answer given to ' H . O . E . Trinidad / that a Senior Warden ruling the Lodge is authorized to confer degrees ? " As you , sir , have
seen fit only to refer to the authority of the Grand Secretary , for which I have individually the highest respect , but which some Brethren might feel disposed to question , I will , with your permission , quote " authority " that cannot fail , I think , to be satisfactory to your Canadian correspondent , and which will amply sustain the decision you have made , or the opinion you have given , on "H . 0 . B . ' s " question .
If " ¦ Canadian " will turn to the Book of Constitutions , edition of 1723 , the highest authority in existence , he will find , on page 53 , this paragraph : — " When a Fellow Craftsman is chosen Warden of the Work under the Master , he shall be true both to the Master find Fellows ; shall carefully oversee the work in the Master ' s absence to the Lord ' s profit ; and his Brethren shall obey him . " Now , lest any dispute may arise as to the intent and meaning of the word " oversee" in the foregoing sentence , I would direct the attention of the reader to the preceding page ( 52 ) of the same authority , where he will find it fully explained , his verbis : — " The most expert of the Fellow Craftsmen shall be chosen or appointed the Master , or Overseer , of the Lord ' s work , who is to be called Master by those that
work under him . "" * Hence it will be seen , and I think admitted , that c ( oversee" in these instances means to perform the duties of Master . But upon this let us see what the authorities say . In Preston ' s Illustrations of Masonry , 8 th ( and best ) edition , p . 105 , in the ceremony of Installation the Master says , to the Senior
War-* In the different editions of the Book of Constitutions , Pocket Companions , & c , this " V . Charge " has been reproduced , and is , I believe , everywhere held the maxima lex on this subject . — Lector .