Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Royal Benevolent Institution For Aged Masons And Their Widows.
THE ROYAL BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION FOR AGED MASONS AND THEIR WIDOWS .
LONDON , SATURDAY , OCTOBTSU 0 , 1 S 0 O .
It is with p ain vre have to call the attention of the brethren to a notice of motion of Bro . Smith , P . G- . Purst ., to he brought forward at the committee of the above Institution , on "Wednesday next , to the effect that on his resignation of the office of Secretary , Bro .
Farnfield be allowed a retiring pension of £ 60 a year , or one half his present salary . On reading this notice any brother would naturally suppose that either from a pressure of other duties , failing health , advancing age , or other sufficient cause , Bro . Farnfield felt he could no
longer give proper attention to the business and "wished , to retire . But it is not so—Bro . Farnfield is hale and hearty , and most efficiently discharges all the duties -which the position imposes upon him to the general satisfaction of the committee , and , we are sure we may add , of the subscribers to the Institution .
What , then , is the meaning ol the motion r It is a p lain intimation from the Committee , who have always expressed their hig h appreciation of the endeavours of Bro . Farnfield , that he must resign , or , in other words , that if lie does not walk down stairs lie will be pitched out of the window . And why so ? We answer ,
distinctly , to please Bro . Wm . Gray Clarke , the Grand Sec ., who has been heard to declare that Bro . Farnfield must take his choice and cither resign the situation of Asst . Grand Secretary , ox the Secretaryship to the Benevolent Institution—aud for no other reason , that we can
imagine , than that the Craft thought fit to mark its appreciation of the services of Bro . Farnfield , by adding £ 100 a year to his salary as Asst . G . Sec , an act of grace afterwards extended to Bro . Clarke himself ; and , in order to cany his object he has lately applied to the Board of General Purposes for an additional clerk , on the ground
that Bro . FarnfieM ' s time is too much taken up with tho duties attaching to the office of Secretary to the Benevolent Institution . Even were it so , "which we do not believe , we maintain it would be better for the interests of the Craft and the Charity—aye , and more economical —to ap |) oint the extra clerk and continue the present arrangements .
The duties of Secretary to the Benevolent Institution arc unlike those of the other charities , and no where can they be so well or so appropriately conducted as in connection with the Grand Secretary ' s office , and that fact was uot only acknowledged , but discussed at the time of adding to Bro , Farnfield ' s salary . Even if the alteration is made
much of the duties at present performed b y Bro . Farnfield in the Grand Secretary ' s office must still be performed there , and that , too , by the clerks belonging to the office , and paid by Grand Lodge . The certificates required by candidatesfor the annuity must be examined and prepared
iu the Grand Secretary ' s offices , and will occupy as much time as at present . The clerics must answer questions relative to the charity—at least if they do their duty to
their aged brethren—and that will take up their time as it does now . What other duties than these does Bro . Farnfield perform for the Benevolent Institution in the Grand Secretary ' s office ? The preparation of the minutes of meetings , and the directing of circulars , are
done at his own house , and , in times of pressure , by other hands than his . But he has to pay the annuities . Where so fit a place for them to be paid as in a building belonging to the Craft in which a Mason may freely enter without saying " I am a pensioner here and I am going to
receive my annuity / ' as he will bo in fact doing when he has to knock at the door of an office emblazoned "Boyal Benevolent Institution for Aged Masons and their Widows . " But even of this duty more than half is not performed in the Grand Secretary ' s office ; but , as the
majority of the annuitants live in the country , through the medium of the post-office . Has Bro . Farnfield any further duties in connection with the Benevolent Institution , which are performed in the time that ought to be devoted , according to Bro . Clarice , to the business of Grand Lodge ? Yes , one other ; once a month , an hour is abstracted from that time to
attend the meeting of the Committee of Management ; but Bro . Clarke being a member of the Committee , loses the hour also ; and if the office is removed , that time so far as Bro . Clarke is concerned , will be increased without the benefit of his being on the premises , should any brother have business to transact with him . In truth , the
Benevolent Institution , though aided by individual subscriptions , is to a- great extent supported by Grand Lodge , hi virtue of which every lodge has a voice in the election of annuitants ; and we expect the business can no where be so properly and appropriately carried on as
in connection with the Grand Secretary ' s office . But now , with regard to the economy of the proposed arrangement . An additional clerk will cost at the most £ 100 a year—Bro . Moss commenced with £ > 10—and will come out of the general funds of Grand Lodge ; whilst the
forcing Bro . Farnfield to resign his position will cost something like £ 150 a year , for what we maintain will be a positive injury to the Institution : and , coming out of the funds of the charity , will deprive at least six poor aged Masons of the means of passing the close of life in comparative comfort . Let us illustrate one statement . We will take the
Pension to Bro . Farnfield at £ 00 Bent of office 40 Messenger "> 0 Firing , li ghting , cleaning , < £ c 20 Total £ U 0
The average of the pensions not exceeding £ 25 . So that we are now called upon to deprive ourselves of the power of adding six annuitantri to our list , and for what ? To gratif y the Grand Secretary , and thereby reduce the income of the assistant below that of the principal , for there need be no disguising the fact that therein lies the whole secret of the movement .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Royal Benevolent Institution For Aged Masons And Their Widows.
THE ROYAL BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION FOR AGED MASONS AND THEIR WIDOWS .
LONDON , SATURDAY , OCTOBTSU 0 , 1 S 0 O .
It is with p ain vre have to call the attention of the brethren to a notice of motion of Bro . Smith , P . G- . Purst ., to he brought forward at the committee of the above Institution , on "Wednesday next , to the effect that on his resignation of the office of Secretary , Bro .
Farnfield be allowed a retiring pension of £ 60 a year , or one half his present salary . On reading this notice any brother would naturally suppose that either from a pressure of other duties , failing health , advancing age , or other sufficient cause , Bro . Farnfield felt he could no
longer give proper attention to the business and "wished , to retire . But it is not so—Bro . Farnfield is hale and hearty , and most efficiently discharges all the duties -which the position imposes upon him to the general satisfaction of the committee , and , we are sure we may add , of the subscribers to the Institution .
What , then , is the meaning ol the motion r It is a p lain intimation from the Committee , who have always expressed their hig h appreciation of the endeavours of Bro . Farnfield , that he must resign , or , in other words , that if lie does not walk down stairs lie will be pitched out of the window . And why so ? We answer ,
distinctly , to please Bro . Wm . Gray Clarke , the Grand Sec ., who has been heard to declare that Bro . Farnfield must take his choice and cither resign the situation of Asst . Grand Secretary , ox the Secretaryship to the Benevolent Institution—aud for no other reason , that we can
imagine , than that the Craft thought fit to mark its appreciation of the services of Bro . Farnfield , by adding £ 100 a year to his salary as Asst . G . Sec , an act of grace afterwards extended to Bro . Clarke himself ; and , in order to cany his object he has lately applied to the Board of General Purposes for an additional clerk , on the ground
that Bro . FarnfieM ' s time is too much taken up with tho duties attaching to the office of Secretary to the Benevolent Institution . Even were it so , "which we do not believe , we maintain it would be better for the interests of the Craft and the Charity—aye , and more economical —to ap |) oint the extra clerk and continue the present arrangements .
The duties of Secretary to the Benevolent Institution arc unlike those of the other charities , and no where can they be so well or so appropriately conducted as in connection with the Grand Secretary ' s office , and that fact was uot only acknowledged , but discussed at the time of adding to Bro , Farnfield ' s salary . Even if the alteration is made
much of the duties at present performed b y Bro . Farnfield in the Grand Secretary ' s office must still be performed there , and that , too , by the clerks belonging to the office , and paid by Grand Lodge . The certificates required by candidatesfor the annuity must be examined and prepared
iu the Grand Secretary ' s offices , and will occupy as much time as at present . The clerics must answer questions relative to the charity—at least if they do their duty to
their aged brethren—and that will take up their time as it does now . What other duties than these does Bro . Farnfield perform for the Benevolent Institution in the Grand Secretary ' s office ? The preparation of the minutes of meetings , and the directing of circulars , are
done at his own house , and , in times of pressure , by other hands than his . But he has to pay the annuities . Where so fit a place for them to be paid as in a building belonging to the Craft in which a Mason may freely enter without saying " I am a pensioner here and I am going to
receive my annuity / ' as he will bo in fact doing when he has to knock at the door of an office emblazoned "Boyal Benevolent Institution for Aged Masons and their Widows . " But even of this duty more than half is not performed in the Grand Secretary ' s office ; but , as the
majority of the annuitants live in the country , through the medium of the post-office . Has Bro . Farnfield any further duties in connection with the Benevolent Institution , which are performed in the time that ought to be devoted , according to Bro . Clarice , to the business of Grand Lodge ? Yes , one other ; once a month , an hour is abstracted from that time to
attend the meeting of the Committee of Management ; but Bro . Clarke being a member of the Committee , loses the hour also ; and if the office is removed , that time so far as Bro . Clarke is concerned , will be increased without the benefit of his being on the premises , should any brother have business to transact with him . In truth , the
Benevolent Institution , though aided by individual subscriptions , is to a- great extent supported by Grand Lodge , hi virtue of which every lodge has a voice in the election of annuitants ; and we expect the business can no where be so properly and appropriately carried on as
in connection with the Grand Secretary ' s office . But now , with regard to the economy of the proposed arrangement . An additional clerk will cost at the most £ 100 a year—Bro . Moss commenced with £ > 10—and will come out of the general funds of Grand Lodge ; whilst the
forcing Bro . Farnfield to resign his position will cost something like £ 150 a year , for what we maintain will be a positive injury to the Institution : and , coming out of the funds of the charity , will deprive at least six poor aged Masons of the means of passing the close of life in comparative comfort . Let us illustrate one statement . We will take the
Pension to Bro . Farnfield at £ 00 Bent of office 40 Messenger "> 0 Firing , li ghting , cleaning , < £ c 20 Total £ U 0
The average of the pensions not exceeding £ 25 . So that we are now called upon to deprive ourselves of the power of adding six annuitantri to our list , and for what ? To gratif y the Grand Secretary , and thereby reduce the income of the assistant below that of the principal , for there need be no disguising the fact that therein lies the whole secret of the movement .