Mother Kilwinning.

MOTHER KILWINNING .

LONDON , SATURDAY , JULY 9 , 1864 .

BY BKO . D . MuititAT LYON , Mj , P ® CCVG e J . Q / W ., Of AYItSlIIEE . L-V ^ - 'eftARV / ' No . XII . ^ ^ When among the records forming the subject of the latter portion of our last paper , our attention

Avas , from its great length , drawn to the minute of the Mother Loclge in reference to their proceedings upon an occasion most honourahle to those participating in them , and not unworthy of beingreproduced in the pages of a periodical devoted to the service of the Scottish Craft . Alexander

Boswell , of Auchinleck , M . P . for the Countj' - of Ayr , the originator of the scheme for the erection of a monument on the banks of Doon to the memory of Eobert Burns , Avas Depute-Master of Mother Kilwinning in 1819—20 ; and he it was

Avho with Masonic ceremony planted the cornerstone of the edifice he Avas so anxious should be reared , and Avhich has since been , visited by hundreds of thousands of A isitors , attracted by the fame of the Scottish bard to the scene of his early

years . That the greater eclat should be given to the proceedings at this most interesting event , deputations from all the Avest country lodges holding of Grand Lodge Avere invited to be present ; but while the Ayrshire lodges gave a unanimous

response to this invitation , only one lodge furth of the province of Ayr—Glasgow Partick Kilwinning —embraced the opportunity of thus publicly , and in their Masonic capacity , paying honour to the memory of "him , the bard , that ' s far aAva ';"

although the Masonic ranks Avould have been further augmented by certain other brethren from GlasgOAV , had not their company been declined by those charged Avith maturing arrangements for the

procession . The reader will have noticed Avith Avhat feeling of offended dignity the Mother Lodge sympathised Avith those of her daughters , Avho , in the beginning of the present century , complained of their " not

being called upon to attend at any public occasion in the country as other regular lodges were .- " As Ave Avrite , there occurs to us a notable though less recent instance of the non-recognition of the Kilwinning Lodges , the act being homologated by

Grand Lodge , and commented upon by the Mother Lodge , who indignantly repels the insinuations of her prosperous , and , at times , somewhat

haughty rival , asserts her perfect right to constitute new lodges , and vindicates her daughters from the charge of exhibiting the bar sinister upon then * Masonic escutcheon . Wishing to establish fraternal relations Avith other lodges in their neighbourhood , the Paisley Kilwinning St . Andrew , within a few weeks after its constitution in

December , 1 / 91 , sent a deputation to A isit the Lodge Paisley St . James , who refused to receive the deputation , or to hold Masonic intercourse with the brethren composing it . The propriety of such a course being questioned by other ancl more

liberally-minded brethren holding under the Edinburgh Constitution , the circumstance was reported to Grand Lodge by the Master of St . James , to Avhose communication the Grand Secretary returned the following reply : —

" . . . . Our quarterly communication accordingly met on Monday evening ( Feb 7 , ' 92 ) , when I laid your letter before them , Avhich gave great satisfaction , and the Grand Loclge were unanimously of opinion that the Lodge of Paisley

St . James ' s acted with an exceeding degree of propriety in refusing to accept of' a -visit or deputation from the loclge denominating themselves the Paisley St . AndreAv ' s , in consequence of a charter from the Kilwinning * Loclge , whose right

to grant charters ceased at the period 1736 , when William St . Clair , Esq ., of Roslin , surrendered to the lodges of Scotland his hereditary right of Grand Master . . . . Therefore charters from

the Kilwinning Lodge are altogether unconstitutional , and lodges holding such charters are by no means to be countenanced . They may indeed be admitted as brethren of these lodges , as individuals , but not as part of a regular body . And I

am desired , in name of the Grand Lodge , to return their sincere thanks to the Lodge of Paisley St . James for their great attachment to the Craft , and for their particular attention in this instance—not doubting that the brethren of that lodge will persevere in that attention , and to every other Masonic duty . . . . "

Chagrined at the contents of this letter , copies of which had been sent to the other lodges in Renfrewshire , ancl while yet smarting under the insult conveyed in the refusal of St . James to reciprocate their proffered friendshipthe Lodge

, St . Andrew forwarded to Kilwinning a copy of the above letter , omitting to make any remark thereupon , " not doubting but the very respectable .-characters Avho has signed our charter is perfectly *