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Article THE GRAND MASTER AND THE "MASONIC OBSERV... ← Page 5 of 8 →
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The Grand Master And The "Masonic Observ...
We must all feel obliged to Bro . Binckes for the knowledge conveyed to us , as to the meaning of the " climax of the invective , '' and many will be gratified at being able to assume from the Latin which follows , that Bro . Binckes has learned to blush at the use of the naughty word . Now , although very desirous of remaining on friendly terms with Bro . Binckes , I must really decline to reveal myself to him- —for the present , at
least . His temperament is too warm , and I wish our contest to conclude as it has begun- — -in words . He will , however , see that I am not to be deterred from speaking my opinion plainl y , although he forewarns me that the Brethren with whom it is his privilege to act'Vare , with himself , on the watch for any one who dares to question their motives or unmask their proceedings , and are prepared to reply to one and all . lam glad to hear it , because , up to the present moment no reply has been attempted , for Bro . Binckes both on the 16 th instant and in his guilty moment quietly shirks
any reply bya worn out platitude—forgetting that invective is not argument , and assertion is not fact . * Hndiscouraged therefore by the threats of Bro . Binckes—undisturbed ^ by his Latin—and unmystified by his polysyllables , I shall , with your permission , not shrink from expressing my opinions on the proceedings of the Observer party , whether in the public duties of the Craft or when in a sly corner of the Masonic Observer they insert a proclamation , bearing signatures which 1
call to remembrance Bro . " Bmckes ' s " guilty ' allusion to the " three tailors of Tooley street , " and which contain language calculated to recal to memory the pretentious and revolutionary proclamations of 1793 . But the truth has been indiscreetly allowed to ooze out , and we now know that the object of the Grand Lodge Giub is , "to enable the independent section of GrandLodge to mature their policy and present a united front to their official opponents . "
A pretty book is to he concocted in this precious club . Well , so be it ; forewarned is forearmed ; and I trust that the official opponents will accept the challenge—and I am sure that they will have the hearty support of all whose support is worth having . But in the meantime let me tell Bro . Binckes , in reply to his manifesto , that I am quite as independent as he is either in or out of Grand Lodge . I will go further—I claim to be more independentbut I will not stand idly by and see the best interests of our
Orderand by incidence those of our noble charities — damaged , because Bro . Binckes and " the Brethren with whom it"is his privilege to act , " have been excluded from office until they can mend their ways . We are working , and ought to work , for great ends , and not for the idle gratification of some two or three Brethren . I declined to be " crushed , " because I will not support the Observer and Grand Lodge Club faction . I claim for myself the right to criticise their words and their conduct—a
right which they most freely exercise in the press , the Grand Lodge , and the provincial Lodges which * they visit in their tours ; and I sincerely trust that these discussions , much as they are to be deplored , will at least have the useful result of opening the eyes of the Brethren at large , who will be thereby led to inform themselves of the facts—a result which will , I doubt not , lead them to a very correct appreciation of these would be leaders , and 77
teach them the value of the " privilegewhich Bro . Binckes so much prizes . In the meantime , this " Club may rest assured that their movements are not neglected . I trust and believe that many watchful eyes are turned upon them , and ( as Brother Binckes must have it in Latin ) many are disposed to address their "leader as in the days of old , " Quousquc tandem ahutcrc Catilina paticntia nostra : patere tua consilia non scntis ?" Kecommending this and the remainder of Cicero's oration to the attentive
consideration of Bro ., Binckes and "the Observer party , I am , & c , 25 * 7 * Oct .. 1858 . Justitia
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Grand Master And The "Masonic Observ...
We must all feel obliged to Bro . Binckes for the knowledge conveyed to us , as to the meaning of the " climax of the invective , '' and many will be gratified at being able to assume from the Latin which follows , that Bro . Binckes has learned to blush at the use of the naughty word . Now , although very desirous of remaining on friendly terms with Bro . Binckes , I must really decline to reveal myself to him- —for the present , at
least . His temperament is too warm , and I wish our contest to conclude as it has begun- — -in words . He will , however , see that I am not to be deterred from speaking my opinion plainl y , although he forewarns me that the Brethren with whom it is his privilege to act'Vare , with himself , on the watch for any one who dares to question their motives or unmask their proceedings , and are prepared to reply to one and all . lam glad to hear it , because , up to the present moment no reply has been attempted , for Bro . Binckes both on the 16 th instant and in his guilty moment quietly shirks
any reply bya worn out platitude—forgetting that invective is not argument , and assertion is not fact . * Hndiscouraged therefore by the threats of Bro . Binckes—undisturbed ^ by his Latin—and unmystified by his polysyllables , I shall , with your permission , not shrink from expressing my opinions on the proceedings of the Observer party , whether in the public duties of the Craft or when in a sly corner of the Masonic Observer they insert a proclamation , bearing signatures which 1
call to remembrance Bro . " Bmckes ' s " guilty ' allusion to the " three tailors of Tooley street , " and which contain language calculated to recal to memory the pretentious and revolutionary proclamations of 1793 . But the truth has been indiscreetly allowed to ooze out , and we now know that the object of the Grand Lodge Giub is , "to enable the independent section of GrandLodge to mature their policy and present a united front to their official opponents . "
A pretty book is to he concocted in this precious club . Well , so be it ; forewarned is forearmed ; and I trust that the official opponents will accept the challenge—and I am sure that they will have the hearty support of all whose support is worth having . But in the meantime let me tell Bro . Binckes , in reply to his manifesto , that I am quite as independent as he is either in or out of Grand Lodge . I will go further—I claim to be more independentbut I will not stand idly by and see the best interests of our
Orderand by incidence those of our noble charities — damaged , because Bro . Binckes and " the Brethren with whom it"is his privilege to act , " have been excluded from office until they can mend their ways . We are working , and ought to work , for great ends , and not for the idle gratification of some two or three Brethren . I declined to be " crushed , " because I will not support the Observer and Grand Lodge Club faction . I claim for myself the right to criticise their words and their conduct—a
right which they most freely exercise in the press , the Grand Lodge , and the provincial Lodges which * they visit in their tours ; and I sincerely trust that these discussions , much as they are to be deplored , will at least have the useful result of opening the eyes of the Brethren at large , who will be thereby led to inform themselves of the facts—a result which will , I doubt not , lead them to a very correct appreciation of these would be leaders , and 77
teach them the value of the " privilegewhich Bro . Binckes so much prizes . In the meantime , this " Club may rest assured that their movements are not neglected . I trust and believe that many watchful eyes are turned upon them , and ( as Brother Binckes must have it in Latin ) many are disposed to address their "leader as in the days of old , " Quousquc tandem ahutcrc Catilina paticntia nostra : patere tua consilia non scntis ?" Kecommending this and the remainder of Cicero's oration to the attentive
consideration of Bro ., Binckes and "the Observer party , I am , & c , 25 * 7 * Oct .. 1858 . Justitia