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Article PROVINCIAL. ← Page 7 of 15 →
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Provincial.
• v ¦ ' " ' ? " ¦ to power , Canada was a large and flourishing province ; and now , in 1858 , at the utmost there were but two Lodges vAichacMowledged The Board of General Purposes had investigated the matter , and they found that the neglect was not in the Grand Secretary ' s office , but that the memorials of the Canadians had been before the Grand Master for months without his taking any notice of them . Now , would any man of business say , that because he
could-not grant all the requests ¦ - ¦ made to him , that the best way of treating communications was to leave them entirely unanswered 1 The resolution before them next called upon them to pledge themselves to support Lord Zetland in his rightful authority . Of course rightful authority should be supported ; but might there not "be some danger of the rightful authority of others than the Grand Masterthe rightful authority of Grand Lodge—being threatened . Why , no sooner was any resolutiondispleasing to the executive brought forward , than they advised the Gra . nd
Master not to put it to Grand Lodge , on the plea that it was against the ancient landmarks . The Book of Constitutions declaredGrand Lodge to be the governing power—the suprerne authority rested in Grand Lodge , and not with the Grand Master . He could give them an instance of how that authority was set aside . At the June meeting of Grand Lodge , two years since , he ( Bro . Portal ) in order to allay the feeling existing amongst the Canadians , moved a resolution , expressing the opinion of Grand Lodge that the colonies should have the power of virtually
appointing their own Prov . Grand Masters , subject of course to the approval of the Grand Master , but Lord Zetland refused to put the resolution to Grand Lodge , on the plea that it was opposed to the ancient landmarks . Yet two years afterwards his lordship made the very concession which he had declared to be opposed to the ancient landmarks . His lordship had changed his mind , but only when it was too late to be of any use . It was like a physician , who having prescribed a wrong medicine for a disease , afterwards altered it , but only when it was too late
the patient being already too far gone . They all knew , that concessions which would at one time have satisfied all reasonable complaints , often became worse than useless by delay . Then let them look at the question of the right of adjournment of Grand Lodge ,. Bro . Warren , whom he was glad to see present , maintained that Grand Lodge— -if | it could not finish the business in one evening , had the right to adjourn for a week or a fortnight , but the Grand Master ruled the reverse , and
at the following meeting , Col . Burlton and others , amongst whom was himself , claimed that they ought to have the right of adjournment , and brought forward a substantive motion on the subject , but the Grand Master refused to put it , as being against the landmarks . So that in fact the Grand Master filched away the privileges of Grand Lodge , and arrogated them ] to himself . Now , on the last occasion of the meeting of Grand Lodge , Sir Lucius Curtis brought forward a vote of confidence in the Grand Master , and though the Book of Constitutions
declared that no motion could be made without previous notice , was allowed to put it to the Brethren . The Prov . G . Master— "No ; not allowed to put it . Tho Grand Master called Sir Lucius to order , but the acclamations of the Brethren drowned his protest , and it was through those acclamations it was put . " ( Cheers ) . Bro . Portal continued—He was not so much complaining of the motion being allowed to be put , as contrasting it with what took place at a later period of tho
evening , when some impertinent letters , which had been addressed to Bro . Harington , in Canada , were laid before Grand Lodge . These letters had embittered the feelings of the Canadians , and were regarded by Bro . Harington as personally offensive . Now anything more impertinent than these letters he had never read , and those with whom he acted wished to express their opinion regarding them . They maintained that when papers were laid before Grand Lodge , they should be them
allowed to express an opinion upon ; hut they were not so allowed , on the ground that they had not given notice of motion , though they had the precedent of Sir Lucius Curtis that evening ; and of Lord Panmure and others , on previous occasions , for bringing forward motions upon papers before Grand Lodge without previous notice . In the face of these facts he would gladly join in a resolution of sympathy with the Grand Master under the attacks made upon him , in the fullest confidence that they were unfounded ; but believing that the rightful auttv > -
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Provincial.
• v ¦ ' " ' ? " ¦ to power , Canada was a large and flourishing province ; and now , in 1858 , at the utmost there were but two Lodges vAichacMowledged The Board of General Purposes had investigated the matter , and they found that the neglect was not in the Grand Secretary ' s office , but that the memorials of the Canadians had been before the Grand Master for months without his taking any notice of them . Now , would any man of business say , that because he
could-not grant all the requests ¦ - ¦ made to him , that the best way of treating communications was to leave them entirely unanswered 1 The resolution before them next called upon them to pledge themselves to support Lord Zetland in his rightful authority . Of course rightful authority should be supported ; but might there not "be some danger of the rightful authority of others than the Grand Masterthe rightful authority of Grand Lodge—being threatened . Why , no sooner was any resolutiondispleasing to the executive brought forward , than they advised the Gra . nd
Master not to put it to Grand Lodge , on the plea that it was against the ancient landmarks . The Book of Constitutions declaredGrand Lodge to be the governing power—the suprerne authority rested in Grand Lodge , and not with the Grand Master . He could give them an instance of how that authority was set aside . At the June meeting of Grand Lodge , two years since , he ( Bro . Portal ) in order to allay the feeling existing amongst the Canadians , moved a resolution , expressing the opinion of Grand Lodge that the colonies should have the power of virtually
appointing their own Prov . Grand Masters , subject of course to the approval of the Grand Master , but Lord Zetland refused to put the resolution to Grand Lodge , on the plea that it was opposed to the ancient landmarks . Yet two years afterwards his lordship made the very concession which he had declared to be opposed to the ancient landmarks . His lordship had changed his mind , but only when it was too late to be of any use . It was like a physician , who having prescribed a wrong medicine for a disease , afterwards altered it , but only when it was too late
the patient being already too far gone . They all knew , that concessions which would at one time have satisfied all reasonable complaints , often became worse than useless by delay . Then let them look at the question of the right of adjournment of Grand Lodge ,. Bro . Warren , whom he was glad to see present , maintained that Grand Lodge— -if | it could not finish the business in one evening , had the right to adjourn for a week or a fortnight , but the Grand Master ruled the reverse , and
at the following meeting , Col . Burlton and others , amongst whom was himself , claimed that they ought to have the right of adjournment , and brought forward a substantive motion on the subject , but the Grand Master refused to put it , as being against the landmarks . So that in fact the Grand Master filched away the privileges of Grand Lodge , and arrogated them ] to himself . Now , on the last occasion of the meeting of Grand Lodge , Sir Lucius Curtis brought forward a vote of confidence in the Grand Master , and though the Book of Constitutions
declared that no motion could be made without previous notice , was allowed to put it to the Brethren . The Prov . G . Master— "No ; not allowed to put it . Tho Grand Master called Sir Lucius to order , but the acclamations of the Brethren drowned his protest , and it was through those acclamations it was put . " ( Cheers ) . Bro . Portal continued—He was not so much complaining of the motion being allowed to be put , as contrasting it with what took place at a later period of tho
evening , when some impertinent letters , which had been addressed to Bro . Harington , in Canada , were laid before Grand Lodge . These letters had embittered the feelings of the Canadians , and were regarded by Bro . Harington as personally offensive . Now anything more impertinent than these letters he had never read , and those with whom he acted wished to express their opinion regarding them . They maintained that when papers were laid before Grand Lodge , they should be them
allowed to express an opinion upon ; hut they were not so allowed , on the ground that they had not given notice of motion , though they had the precedent of Sir Lucius Curtis that evening ; and of Lord Panmure and others , on previous occasions , for bringing forward motions upon papers before Grand Lodge without previous notice . In the face of these facts he would gladly join in a resolution of sympathy with the Grand Master under the attacks made upon him , in the fullest confidence that they were unfounded ; but believing that the rightful auttv > -