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Correspondence
authority of Grand Lodge , in its legislative capacity , being co-extensive with the territorial limits of the Grand Master ' s rule . Masonic jurisdictions beyond those limits were strictly respected . What some people have called the Grand Lodge of York , is , with reference to what is now ' understood by the words " Grand Lodge , " a myth . The Brethren of the old Lodges of York hailed with approbation this great improvement in Masonic government , and finally united their ancient honours to that constitution which extends to every part of the British empire
except Ireland and Scotland . These exceptions are due only to the circumstance that Masonry in those countries , extending backward to periods when they were politically separate , continued to be separate in jurisdiction . Charters and warrants , emanating from those countries , for the holding of Lodges in British colonies , have produced not only inconveniences which might have been serious but for the good feeling of the Brethren , but also anomalies which the Grand Masters and Grand Lodge of England could not prevent , and for which , it is to be hoped , a remedy will yet he found .
Everywhere in Masonic history are to be found traces of the established doctrine that , in the same jurisdiction , there cannot , Masonically , be a plurality of Grand Masters or Grand Lodges . Under warrants from England , Lodges have been established in many foreign countries , but in not one which had already a Grand Master . Foreign Brethren , acting under those warrants , have , in many instances , proceeded to establish Grand Lodges , which , being national , were perfectly consistent with acknowledged principles of Masonic unity . Provincial or
District Grand Lodges , under the English constitution , have been formed in every part of the British empire , but no Grand Lodge . In that country to which , in spite of wars and change , we are still attached by ties of kindred feeling , in the colonies which have since become the United States of North America , the Brethren maintained their Masonic allegiance so long as their national allegiance lasted . Their connection with the Grand Lodge ceased only when they ceased to be Brother members of the British empire . Of late years Masonry has received
extensive development among them ; and English Masons find much pleasure in recollecting that by no Masons have the true principles of Masonry been more fully illustrated than by those children of our forefathers who now follow the stars and stripes . They have had their share of those dissensions and troubles which are occasionally incident even to Freemasonry ; but through all difficulties
they firmly adhered to all sound Masonic principles , and notably to the principles of unity in Masonic government . They never sanctioned the establishment of a new Grand Master or Grand Lodge in any one of their States which already had a Grand Master and Grand Lodge , and have resisted all attempts at disunion in their Masonic territories . One of those attempts incidentally came under the notice of their English Brethren .
Several years ago certain Brethren in New York alleged grievances ,, separated themselves from the Grand Lodge of New York , assumed to elect a Grand Master , and to form a Grand Lodge of their own , and then sought recognition from various Masonic authorities , and , among others , from the Grand Master of England . His Lordship , mindful of that comity which should prevail among Grand Lodges , no less than among nations , referred the subject to the consideration of a committee . The report of that committee , approved by the Grand
Master , transmitted to the New York Brethren , and laid before the Grand Lodge of England , is to be found in cxtemo in the pages of the Masonic Magazine for 1851 . It vindicates , and applies to the cane under consideration , the rule that Masons cannot lawfully withdraw themselves from the jurisdiction of their Grand Master or Grand Lodge , or create within the jurisdiction of a legitimate Grand Master or Grand Lodge another Grand Lodge . An opinion to the like effect had
already been pronounced by many of the Grand Lodges of the United States , and was ultimately adopted and acted upon by all . The co-existence in this country for many yearn of two bodies , each calling itself the Grand Lodge , way a great misfortune , and produced evils so enormous as to afford a striking lesson on the mischief arising from disputed or divided jurisdiction . Yet the principle of unity was never questioned . All agreed that there could be only one legitimate Grand Master or Grand Lodge , differing in
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence
authority of Grand Lodge , in its legislative capacity , being co-extensive with the territorial limits of the Grand Master ' s rule . Masonic jurisdictions beyond those limits were strictly respected . What some people have called the Grand Lodge of York , is , with reference to what is now ' understood by the words " Grand Lodge , " a myth . The Brethren of the old Lodges of York hailed with approbation this great improvement in Masonic government , and finally united their ancient honours to that constitution which extends to every part of the British empire
except Ireland and Scotland . These exceptions are due only to the circumstance that Masonry in those countries , extending backward to periods when they were politically separate , continued to be separate in jurisdiction . Charters and warrants , emanating from those countries , for the holding of Lodges in British colonies , have produced not only inconveniences which might have been serious but for the good feeling of the Brethren , but also anomalies which the Grand Masters and Grand Lodge of England could not prevent , and for which , it is to be hoped , a remedy will yet he found .
Everywhere in Masonic history are to be found traces of the established doctrine that , in the same jurisdiction , there cannot , Masonically , be a plurality of Grand Masters or Grand Lodges . Under warrants from England , Lodges have been established in many foreign countries , but in not one which had already a Grand Master . Foreign Brethren , acting under those warrants , have , in many instances , proceeded to establish Grand Lodges , which , being national , were perfectly consistent with acknowledged principles of Masonic unity . Provincial or
District Grand Lodges , under the English constitution , have been formed in every part of the British empire , but no Grand Lodge . In that country to which , in spite of wars and change , we are still attached by ties of kindred feeling , in the colonies which have since become the United States of North America , the Brethren maintained their Masonic allegiance so long as their national allegiance lasted . Their connection with the Grand Lodge ceased only when they ceased to be Brother members of the British empire . Of late years Masonry has received
extensive development among them ; and English Masons find much pleasure in recollecting that by no Masons have the true principles of Masonry been more fully illustrated than by those children of our forefathers who now follow the stars and stripes . They have had their share of those dissensions and troubles which are occasionally incident even to Freemasonry ; but through all difficulties
they firmly adhered to all sound Masonic principles , and notably to the principles of unity in Masonic government . They never sanctioned the establishment of a new Grand Master or Grand Lodge in any one of their States which already had a Grand Master and Grand Lodge , and have resisted all attempts at disunion in their Masonic territories . One of those attempts incidentally came under the notice of their English Brethren .
Several years ago certain Brethren in New York alleged grievances ,, separated themselves from the Grand Lodge of New York , assumed to elect a Grand Master , and to form a Grand Lodge of their own , and then sought recognition from various Masonic authorities , and , among others , from the Grand Master of England . His Lordship , mindful of that comity which should prevail among Grand Lodges , no less than among nations , referred the subject to the consideration of a committee . The report of that committee , approved by the Grand
Master , transmitted to the New York Brethren , and laid before the Grand Lodge of England , is to be found in cxtemo in the pages of the Masonic Magazine for 1851 . It vindicates , and applies to the cane under consideration , the rule that Masons cannot lawfully withdraw themselves from the jurisdiction of their Grand Master or Grand Lodge , or create within the jurisdiction of a legitimate Grand Master or Grand Lodge another Grand Lodge . An opinion to the like effect had
already been pronounced by many of the Grand Lodges of the United States , and was ultimately adopted and acted upon by all . The co-existence in this country for many yearn of two bodies , each calling itself the Grand Lodge , way a great misfortune , and produced evils so enormous as to afford a striking lesson on the mischief arising from disputed or divided jurisdiction . Yet the principle of unity was never questioned . All agreed that there could be only one legitimate Grand Master or Grand Lodge , differing in