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Article UNITED GEAND LODGE. ← Page 3 of 5 →
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United Geand Lodge.
life , he did not see why these compounding members should be interfered with . There was no doubt that many of these persons belonged to several lodges , so that they paid their quarterage over and over again . Bro . Binckes said he was connected with one of the largest lodges—the Westminster and Keystone—in Avhich this principle
of compounding was adopted by several distinguished members of the lodge , and he thought that it was a matter that ought to be referred back to tbe Board of General Purposes for further ¦ consideration . He felt that this ivas a very important question , and required more consideration than had at present been given to it ; and that might be an argument to induce the Board to
modify their recommendation . He felt that some further inquiry should be given to it before there was any positive recommendation to Grand Lodge on the subject . He hoped that Bro . Victor Williamson , who had intimated that he intended to give notice of motion , would adopt his ( Bro . Binckes ' s ) suggestion , and ask the Board to reconsider this question .
Bro . Stebbing , P . G . D ., said he rose to propose a resolution , that the subject be referred back to the Board of General Purposes , for he was sorry to say that this paragraph bore the marks of hasty legislature . The good old rule of having some Provincial Masons on the Board of General Purposes , had been passed by and they had got into the old stereotyped practice
which prevailed some years ago . He proposed that the subject should be referred to the Board of General Purposes , not only as it affected the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge , for he did not like class legislation , bufc he wanted a law Avhich would apply equally to tbe humblest as well as the greatest in the land . It was his opinion that this laAv would prove to he a great mischief to Freemasonry . He did not say , because a man paid five guineas or twenty guineas , that he could
claim the benefit of all their Charities , bufc he would alloAV him to compound with his mother lodge , and he should be a contributing member of some other lodge . He Avould take the case of a man initiated in a lodge in Northampton , Avho might have been there for ten years , and he then went to Southampton , and it must be painful to him to have to leave ifc , and it
must be equally so to have to subscribe to a lodge which he could not attend . He Avent to the new town ancl there he joined another lodge , but he remained a member of his mother lodge by paying down five guineas . Many captains in the navy and colonels in the army went away for three * four , five , or six years , and they compounded with their lodge Avhile they
were away j when they came back they paid their full subscriptions , and that being so he said it would be a groat pity if they disturbed that arrangement . A brother who was now a resident might have his subscriptions commuted , but that there was a want of practical knowledge , and he ivas sorry to see it in this ¦ recommendation for he ivas afraid that the Board was
deteriorated in its making . He ivas sorry to see it . The men who ranged under the banner of Freemasonry ivere spread over the habitable globe , and this law affecting them appeared like hasty legislation , which was never done well , and therefore he hoped the Board of General Purposes ivould take it into further
consideration . He implored the Grand Lodge not to settle the question thafc night , for people had been under an imagination that they had been obeying the law , and if that law Avas not clear it ought to be made so . Up to 1835 a man thought he had been obeying the law in marrying his Avife's sister , bufc the Government of the country then took up the subject , and they
said that for the future all such marriages should be illegal , but all that had taken place in the past should stand good . In the same way the Board of General Purposes , when they touched
this subject , should have said they would consider all legal that had been done in the past , bufc such and such would be the practice for the future . Lord de Tabley , Prov . G . Master for Cheshire , held that to refer this matter back to the Board of General Purposes Avould not be expedient on the present occasion . The Board had
merely expressed their opinion as to ivhat was the law , and when an amendment in the constitution of the Grand Lodge was proposed then would be the proper time to consider such alteration .
A P . M . of the Westminster and Keystone Lodge said he should like to say a few words upon this question , as tbey had not the slightest reason for supposing that the practice was objectionable . They believed that it was sanctioned by the " Book of Constitutions , " and he was completely taken by surprise as to what was then s > aid about ifc . By adopting the
report they adopted the principle , for if they adopted this recommendation , and ifc Avas confirmed at the next meeting , it would become the law of the Grand Lodge . That was not the proper way to make a new law of the Grand Lodge . As to the policy of doing so , that Avas an open question . They had no right to assume that it was contrary to law , for there was
no Avritten law in the " Book of Constitutions" forbidding the practice of compounding . If it was desirable to abolish the practice , then it Avould be better to give notice to do so . He begged to second the motion that the paragraph in the report be referred back to the Board of General Purposes .
The Earl of Limerick , Prov . G . M . for Bristol , saicl it did not appear to him from the report that any fresh or stringent law was to be made . It appeared to him that the laAv then stood that this practice Avas " contrary to the law as well as the policy of Grand Lodge ; " and he suggested that the words " as Avell as the policy" might be omitted , and come to a vote on
the other part of the question . The Grand Master said he was going to obsarve on the same fact as his noble friend ( the Earl of Limerick ) had just alluded to . Tbe Board of General Purposes had stated the fact that this practice was contrary to law , and they did not recommend the law to be altered ; but it would require them to define some
regulation to make it legal under particular circumstances . If tlie Grand Lodge adhered to the letter of the laAv , then the practice must be given up . His own opinion was , that , if under certain circumstances they could agree to this plan , ifc would be imperative on lodges to invest these sums so received , so that no loss should fall upon the Grand Lodge .
Bro . Bedford , P . G . Chap , was in favour of this subject being referred back for further consideration , for he had heard nothing to convince him that any very serious harm had been , done . If they hastily adopted the resolution , they would do great wrong for the future . Bro . Nunn , as a humble member of the Board of General Purposes , said that Bro . Stebbing had said that the Board had
deteriorated , and was not as it used to be , as it did not include provincial brethren . The Board had merely told them what was illegal , and they had only done their duty in presenting their report to Grand Lodge . The Grand Master suggested that as the Board of General Purposes had ascertained the fact that commutation was
illegal , that they should reconsider the law as it then stood , to ascertain if it could be modified in such a manner as to make commutation legal . The President of the Board of General Purposes said the Board had not the slightest feeling on this matter ; but the question had come before them as to the legality or illegality of
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
United Geand Lodge.
life , he did not see why these compounding members should be interfered with . There was no doubt that many of these persons belonged to several lodges , so that they paid their quarterage over and over again . Bro . Binckes said he was connected with one of the largest lodges—the Westminster and Keystone—in Avhich this principle
of compounding was adopted by several distinguished members of the lodge , and he thought that it was a matter that ought to be referred back to tbe Board of General Purposes for further ¦ consideration . He felt that this ivas a very important question , and required more consideration than had at present been given to it ; and that might be an argument to induce the Board to
modify their recommendation . He felt that some further inquiry should be given to it before there was any positive recommendation to Grand Lodge on the subject . He hoped that Bro . Victor Williamson , who had intimated that he intended to give notice of motion , would adopt his ( Bro . Binckes ' s ) suggestion , and ask the Board to reconsider this question .
Bro . Stebbing , P . G . D ., said he rose to propose a resolution , that the subject be referred back to the Board of General Purposes , for he was sorry to say that this paragraph bore the marks of hasty legislature . The good old rule of having some Provincial Masons on the Board of General Purposes , had been passed by and they had got into the old stereotyped practice
which prevailed some years ago . He proposed that the subject should be referred to the Board of General Purposes , not only as it affected the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge , for he did not like class legislation , bufc he wanted a law Avhich would apply equally to tbe humblest as well as the greatest in the land . It was his opinion that this laAv would prove to he a great mischief to Freemasonry . He did not say , because a man paid five guineas or twenty guineas , that he could
claim the benefit of all their Charities , bufc he would alloAV him to compound with his mother lodge , and he should be a contributing member of some other lodge . He Avould take the case of a man initiated in a lodge in Northampton , Avho might have been there for ten years , and he then went to Southampton , and it must be painful to him to have to leave ifc , and it
must be equally so to have to subscribe to a lodge which he could not attend . He Avent to the new town ancl there he joined another lodge , but he remained a member of his mother lodge by paying down five guineas . Many captains in the navy and colonels in the army went away for three * four , five , or six years , and they compounded with their lodge Avhile they
were away j when they came back they paid their full subscriptions , and that being so he said it would be a groat pity if they disturbed that arrangement . A brother who was now a resident might have his subscriptions commuted , but that there was a want of practical knowledge , and he ivas sorry to see it in this ¦ recommendation for he ivas afraid that the Board was
deteriorated in its making . He ivas sorry to see it . The men who ranged under the banner of Freemasonry ivere spread over the habitable globe , and this law affecting them appeared like hasty legislation , which was never done well , and therefore he hoped the Board of General Purposes ivould take it into further
consideration . He implored the Grand Lodge not to settle the question thafc night , for people had been under an imagination that they had been obeying the law , and if that law Avas not clear it ought to be made so . Up to 1835 a man thought he had been obeying the law in marrying his Avife's sister , bufc the Government of the country then took up the subject , and they
said that for the future all such marriages should be illegal , but all that had taken place in the past should stand good . In the same way the Board of General Purposes , when they touched
this subject , should have said they would consider all legal that had been done in the past , bufc such and such would be the practice for the future . Lord de Tabley , Prov . G . Master for Cheshire , held that to refer this matter back to the Board of General Purposes Avould not be expedient on the present occasion . The Board had
merely expressed their opinion as to ivhat was the law , and when an amendment in the constitution of the Grand Lodge was proposed then would be the proper time to consider such alteration .
A P . M . of the Westminster and Keystone Lodge said he should like to say a few words upon this question , as tbey had not the slightest reason for supposing that the practice was objectionable . They believed that it was sanctioned by the " Book of Constitutions , " and he was completely taken by surprise as to what was then s > aid about ifc . By adopting the
report they adopted the principle , for if they adopted this recommendation , and ifc Avas confirmed at the next meeting , it would become the law of the Grand Lodge . That was not the proper way to make a new law of the Grand Lodge . As to the policy of doing so , that Avas an open question . They had no right to assume that it was contrary to law , for there was
no Avritten law in the " Book of Constitutions" forbidding the practice of compounding . If it was desirable to abolish the practice , then it Avould be better to give notice to do so . He begged to second the motion that the paragraph in the report be referred back to the Board of General Purposes .
The Earl of Limerick , Prov . G . M . for Bristol , saicl it did not appear to him from the report that any fresh or stringent law was to be made . It appeared to him that the laAv then stood that this practice Avas " contrary to the law as well as the policy of Grand Lodge ; " and he suggested that the words " as Avell as the policy" might be omitted , and come to a vote on
the other part of the question . The Grand Master said he was going to obsarve on the same fact as his noble friend ( the Earl of Limerick ) had just alluded to . Tbe Board of General Purposes had stated the fact that this practice was contrary to law , and they did not recommend the law to be altered ; but it would require them to define some
regulation to make it legal under particular circumstances . If tlie Grand Lodge adhered to the letter of the laAv , then the practice must be given up . His own opinion was , that , if under certain circumstances they could agree to this plan , ifc would be imperative on lodges to invest these sums so received , so that no loss should fall upon the Grand Lodge .
Bro . Bedford , P . G . Chap , was in favour of this subject being referred back for further consideration , for he had heard nothing to convince him that any very serious harm had been , done . If they hastily adopted the resolution , they would do great wrong for the future . Bro . Nunn , as a humble member of the Board of General Purposes , said that Bro . Stebbing had said that the Board had
deteriorated , and was not as it used to be , as it did not include provincial brethren . The Board had merely told them what was illegal , and they had only done their duty in presenting their report to Grand Lodge . The Grand Master suggested that as the Board of General Purposes had ascertained the fact that commutation was
illegal , that they should reconsider the law as it then stood , to ascertain if it could be modified in such a manner as to make commutation legal . The President of the Board of General Purposes said the Board had not the slightest feeling on this matter ; but the question had come before them as to the legality or illegality of