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Article CORRESPONDENCE. Page 1 of 2 →
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Correspondence.
CORRESPONDENCE .
TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MONTHLY MAGAZINE . Dear Sir and Brother , —Iain anxious to invite the serious attention of the Members of the Craft to the painful results of the last elections of Male and Female Annuitants ; I allude to the rejection of Thirty-three Brethren out of Thirty-five Candidates , and Nine Widows out of Thirteen ; and to urge upon them the necessity of immediate and active co-operation in rendering the means of the Charity adequate to its wants .
[ The Emtoe does not hold himself responsible for any opinions entertained by Correspondents . !
I know many Brethren who would gladly exert themselves to promote the real object of the Institution—the relief of existing cases of distress , but their ardour is damped by the 53 rd Male Annuity Bye Law—by the reflection that no such object could be gained—that nearly the whole of the results of their exertions , instead of being available for the pressing exigencies of the present , would be engulphed by the " Permanent Fund . " It is much to be regretted that there should be any obstacle to active co-operation in support of this excellent Institution , whilst so many Brethren are crying
for help . The Widows' Annuity Fund is limited to £ 4 , 000 ( and that is a large sum ) , which is a practical recognition , by the Grand Lodge itself , of the principle of limitation , which appears to be as applicable to the one Charity as to the other . Jt is the general opinion of those conversant with such subjects , that the Fund should not be allowed to accumulate beyond £ 10 , 000 ; and of many , that £ 8 , 000 would be amply sufficient for the purposes for which it is intended . I think , therefore , that it should be limited to one of these amounts , or increased only by bequests , so that all donations and subscriptions may be afterwards applied to meet the claims as they arise .
I have no doubt that the rejection of so many Candidates has deeply excited the sympathies of the Craft , and trust that it will lead to earnest endeavours on their part to prevent the recurrence of such painful results . Knowing by personal experience what may be done by individual exertion , I would strongly urge the more energetic amongst the Fraternity to do their utmost to stimulate their less active Brethren to subscribe to these Charities , and to solicit donations and subscriptions from others . I am convinced that if the subject were to be properly agitated , and the principle of limitation adopted , such a sum would be annually
raised as would render the Fund adequate to the relief of the necessities of all proper applicants ; and thus entirely sweep away the system of elections , which I cannot but regard as antagonistic to the principles of our Order . In aid of which , and as an humble example to Brethren generally , I pledge myself to continue to collect not less than Ten Pounds per annum , in favour of one , or both , of these Funds ; and if only one Member of each of the 125 London Lodges would do the
like , the sum of £ 1 , 250 would be raised ( independent of the subscription of the Lodge itself ); and if the same course were adopted in the 429 Country Lodges , at only Five Pounds each , the large sum of £ 2 , 295 would be added , being a total of Three Thousand Five Hundred and Forty-five Pounds per annum !—I am , dear Sir and Brother , faithfully and fraternally yours , * ¦ Samuel Aldeich . Hampstcad , Augmt 20 , 1855 .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
CORRESPONDENCE .
TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MONTHLY MAGAZINE . Dear Sir and Brother , —Iain anxious to invite the serious attention of the Members of the Craft to the painful results of the last elections of Male and Female Annuitants ; I allude to the rejection of Thirty-three Brethren out of Thirty-five Candidates , and Nine Widows out of Thirteen ; and to urge upon them the necessity of immediate and active co-operation in rendering the means of the Charity adequate to its wants .
[ The Emtoe does not hold himself responsible for any opinions entertained by Correspondents . !
I know many Brethren who would gladly exert themselves to promote the real object of the Institution—the relief of existing cases of distress , but their ardour is damped by the 53 rd Male Annuity Bye Law—by the reflection that no such object could be gained—that nearly the whole of the results of their exertions , instead of being available for the pressing exigencies of the present , would be engulphed by the " Permanent Fund . " It is much to be regretted that there should be any obstacle to active co-operation in support of this excellent Institution , whilst so many Brethren are crying
for help . The Widows' Annuity Fund is limited to £ 4 , 000 ( and that is a large sum ) , which is a practical recognition , by the Grand Lodge itself , of the principle of limitation , which appears to be as applicable to the one Charity as to the other . Jt is the general opinion of those conversant with such subjects , that the Fund should not be allowed to accumulate beyond £ 10 , 000 ; and of many , that £ 8 , 000 would be amply sufficient for the purposes for which it is intended . I think , therefore , that it should be limited to one of these amounts , or increased only by bequests , so that all donations and subscriptions may be afterwards applied to meet the claims as they arise .
I have no doubt that the rejection of so many Candidates has deeply excited the sympathies of the Craft , and trust that it will lead to earnest endeavours on their part to prevent the recurrence of such painful results . Knowing by personal experience what may be done by individual exertion , I would strongly urge the more energetic amongst the Fraternity to do their utmost to stimulate their less active Brethren to subscribe to these Charities , and to solicit donations and subscriptions from others . I am convinced that if the subject were to be properly agitated , and the principle of limitation adopted , such a sum would be annually
raised as would render the Fund adequate to the relief of the necessities of all proper applicants ; and thus entirely sweep away the system of elections , which I cannot but regard as antagonistic to the principles of our Order . In aid of which , and as an humble example to Brethren generally , I pledge myself to continue to collect not less than Ten Pounds per annum , in favour of one , or both , of these Funds ; and if only one Member of each of the 125 London Lodges would do the
like , the sum of £ 1 , 250 would be raised ( independent of the subscription of the Lodge itself ); and if the same course were adopted in the 429 Country Lodges , at only Five Pounds each , the large sum of £ 2 , 295 would be added , being a total of Three Thousand Five Hundred and Forty-five Pounds per annum !—I am , dear Sir and Brother , faithfully and fraternally yours , * ¦ Samuel Aldeich . Hampstcad , Augmt 20 , 1855 .