Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Answers To The Memorial Of The Lodge Of Glasgow St. John, No. 3 Bis.
rians astray , namely , " Glasgow Freemen Operative St . John ' s Lodge . The Members of this lodge having lately discovered an old musty paper in their charter chest procured a translation of it when it turned out to be a charter in their favour , from Malcolm III ., King of Scots , hy which they claim precedency over all the other Lodges in Scotland . Accordingly , in the grand masonic procession which took place at laying the foundation-stone of the Glasgow Asylum for Lunatics in 1810 , the Glasgow Freemen Operative , St . John ' s Lodge , took precedence of all other Lodges except the Grand Lodge of Scotland .
. liven the minutes of the lodge of Glasgow , St . John , themselves condemn this document , for on March 3 rd , 1868 , a motion was passed that a Committee be appointed to examine into tbe historical evidence and data of the antiquity of the lodge ( I must here observe that my information was uot derived through this Committee , although I gave it information ) , and on the ISth September same year a report was read , which is engrossed in the minute book of the lodge , and which so far as this
Malcolm writ is concerned , effectually shows up its falsehood ( to anyone capable ot understanding what historical demonstration is ) as the copy of it which I enclose will show , or as may also he seen by a perusel of it at page 189 of the Freemason for April 16 th , 1870 . Yet notwithstanding all this the Lodge of Glasgow St . John , as a body , still holds foith the Malcolm document as gennine , every lodge circular being stamped with what , I am sorry to say , I can only look upon as the usual lie , viz . — " The
Lodge of Glasgow St . John , " chartered hy Malcolm III ., King of Scots , 1057 . And whether in so doing under the circumstances , the lodge of Glasgow Sfc . John is guilty of falsehood , fraud , and wilful imposition it is for the Grand Lodge to judge , or whether a stop should now he put to its further propagation , and consequent discredit of the Order . I humbly submit that it is the duty of the Grand Lodge of Scotland now to decideand which latter as a member of No .
, 3 bis , I most humbly and respectfully pray that it may do . As to the " Second" head of the St . John ' s memorial which states that it has heen the invariable practice of the Grand Lodge of Scotland to concede as a right to the senior lodge of the Province in which the ceremonial takes place , the appointment of the operatives to carry the tools , I can only say that I
am not aware ot this , and point to the fact that not only did the Most Worshipful the Grand Master Mason of Scotland , backed up by Grand Lodge when assembled in the Charter House of Glasgow Cathedral , preparatory to laying the fonndation-stone of the Albert Bridge , on June 3 rd , 1870 , allow the members of the Journeymen Lodge , No . 8 , to do so , but absolutely refused to allow the senior lodge of the Glasgow Province to deal with the matter as it wished . Then at the laying of
the foundation-stone of the Paisley Free Library and Museum , by the M . W . G . M , the Eight Honourable the Earl of Dalhousie , on 27 th April , 1869 , we find the members of the Lodge Journeymen , No . 8 , carrying the tools , as also , ( vide page 423 of Grand Lodge Reporter , June , 1869 ) at the Industrial Schools , Mossbank , in 1868 , Corn Exchange , Hawick , 1863 , Wallace Monument at Stirling , 1861 , and other places . So that so far as precedent is concerned the Lodge Journeymen , No . 8 , can point to many places out of the Edinburgh Province where they have carried the tools . Further in looking over the Grand Lodge books we find the following law passed in 1883 , which accords to the
Lodge Journeymen a certain prerogative afc all Masonic ceremonials , especially where the Grand Master is present , not only iu Edinburgh but throughout Scotland , as the minute says : "Ib was moved that for some time past the Grand Tyler has been in use of carrying the mallet at the public processions of the Grand Lodge , and as that officers attendance is often requisite on other matters of some importance . Therefore it be a rule in all time coming that the senior member of the Lodge of Journeymen
Mason ? , Edinburgh—out of office—carry the mallet behind the Grand Master in all future processions . " Consequently the carrying of the mallet by W . Nielson of the Glasgow Freemen operative St . John ' s Lodge , at the layiug of the foundation-stone of the 'Victoria Bridge at Glasgow , on the 9 th day of April , 1851 , as mentioned in the First head of the St . John ' s memorial was in direct violation of the above 1783 law , unlese indeed the Lod JourneymenNo . 8 voluntarilconceded the privilege
ge , , y , or onus , for the time being . As to the "third" head of the St . John ' s Memorial I would reopectrully observe that the printed Grand Lodge Law , chap . XX ., sec . 3 , when taken in connection with the 1783 Grand Lodge minute above referred to does not preclude and has not precluded the members of the Journeyman Lodge No . 8 from carrying the
Answers To The Memorial Of The Lodge Of Glasgow St. John, No. 3 Bis.
Mallet , & c , out of Edinburgh , for the words " Edinburgh and no other place , " which the Sfc . John ' s memorial pretends to quote do not occur in this Grand Lodge Law , Chap xx , sec . 3 . Therefore their foundation is so far a mis-quotation . And as to the members of No . 8 being " capable of carrying the implements in question , " which the St . John's Memorial would appear to fear , the upshot proved that so far as capability was concerned ,
the members of No . 8 were just as " capable " of doing at Glasgow as they formerly were at Paisley , Stirling , & c . As to the " fourth " head of this Memorial and its reference to Grand Lodge Laws , Chap , xi ., sec . 13 , I would observe that as I stated above , the decision of the Most Worshipful Grand Master on the occasion referred to was approved of by the members of Grand Lodge then assembled , myself included . And as to the assertion that the " chairin awarding precedence to the
, Lodge Edinburgh Journeymen acted contrary to the laws of the Grand Lodge . " I look upon that , under the circumstances , as a pure mistake . And as to the notice of altering the minutes of Gravel Lodge from the foregoing imaginary data , that I consider to be absurd . The fact of the matter appears tome siinply to be that if the Sfc . John ' s Lodge wished ifc to be properly understood that ifc was the privilege of the Senior Lodge of a province to look afeer the carrying of the Tools at all Masonic
processions in its district it should have got a motion proposed to that effect aud so got the matter regularly settled that such has not been done long ere now , is not therefore the fault of the Grand Lodge but is due to tho remissness of the senior lodges themselve , including St . John ' s lodge amongst the rest . Instead therefore of the Sfc . Johhn ' s Lodge , asking as is done in the latter part of their Memorial that the Grand Lodge should " declare and ehact that the late assumption by the Lodge
Edinburgh , Journeymen No . 8 , of the ( presumed ) rights and privileges of the Lodge of Glasgow , John , No . 3 bis , was illegal and uncalled for , " it is the opinion of a number of the members of No . 3 bis , including myself , that the conduct of the St . John's Lodge was neither so dignified nor masonic as it ought to have heen , and they may be very thankful that they were not ordered to apologise for their own proceedings then ; for if redress he due from any quarter in relation to the proceedings at the ceremonial of laying the foundation-stone of the Albert Bridge , at
Glasgow , on the third day of June , 1870 , not to speak of former masonic ceremonies iu Glasgow , that redress under the circumstances is due from the Lodge of Glasgow , St . John , No . 3 bis . I must now apologize for replying to the request ot the Grand Clerk at so great length , hut as the pretensions of the Lodge of Glasgow , St . John , and its pretended Malcolm Charter have been thrust forward so often and so prominently on so many occasions , I considered it would be better to enter into tbe matter fully and distinctl
y , so that anyone not otherwise acquainted with the subject might he able to understand it . Some brethren have signified to me that seeing I am a member of St . John's Lodge , myself I should not therefore expose any of its faults ; but I consider it to he no part of true -Freemasonry to smother up the truth , aud to allow a lie to pass current as truth , more especially when the means are at hancl to expose it . What I have said has simply been writtenin order to elucidate the truthand truth
, , , as we dll ought to know , is one of the great foundations of all trne Freemasonry . Nothing would give rne greater pleasure than to do what I could in a fair and honest manner to uphold the dignity ancl status of the Lodge of Glasgow , St . John , of which I have the honour to be a member and past office-bearer , hut we must strive to build up that dignity and status upon a sure and legitimate foundation , and seeing that as I have already said the Lodge of GlasgowSfc . Johngot its status of No . 3 his
, , upon the 1628 Roslin Charter , it follows therefore that that status is not affected by the declaration of the unworthiness of this unfortunate Malcolm document . It has been the misfortune of the present members of No . 3 bis , to suffer for the fault of their predecessors ; but I hope that , aided by the counsel and assistance of the Grand Lodge of Scotland and guided by the evidence adduced , tlie members of the Loelge of Glasgow , Sfc . John , No . 3 bis , will now honourably acquiesce in such a decision upon
this matter will settle it ( humanlv speaking ) for ever . I am , most respectfully , Sincerely and fraternally yours , W . P . Br / cirAX , Past Senior Warden , Mo . 3 bis ., Proxy , S . W . No . 432 , and Grand Steward Grand Lodge of Scot-Scotland .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Answers To The Memorial Of The Lodge Of Glasgow St. John, No. 3 Bis.
rians astray , namely , " Glasgow Freemen Operative St . John ' s Lodge . The Members of this lodge having lately discovered an old musty paper in their charter chest procured a translation of it when it turned out to be a charter in their favour , from Malcolm III ., King of Scots , hy which they claim precedency over all the other Lodges in Scotland . Accordingly , in the grand masonic procession which took place at laying the foundation-stone of the Glasgow Asylum for Lunatics in 1810 , the Glasgow Freemen Operative , St . John ' s Lodge , took precedence of all other Lodges except the Grand Lodge of Scotland .
. liven the minutes of the lodge of Glasgow , St . John , themselves condemn this document , for on March 3 rd , 1868 , a motion was passed that a Committee be appointed to examine into tbe historical evidence and data of the antiquity of the lodge ( I must here observe that my information was uot derived through this Committee , although I gave it information ) , and on the ISth September same year a report was read , which is engrossed in the minute book of the lodge , and which so far as this
Malcolm writ is concerned , effectually shows up its falsehood ( to anyone capable ot understanding what historical demonstration is ) as the copy of it which I enclose will show , or as may also he seen by a perusel of it at page 189 of the Freemason for April 16 th , 1870 . Yet notwithstanding all this the Lodge of Glasgow St . John , as a body , still holds foith the Malcolm document as gennine , every lodge circular being stamped with what , I am sorry to say , I can only look upon as the usual lie , viz . — " The
Lodge of Glasgow St . John , " chartered hy Malcolm III ., King of Scots , 1057 . And whether in so doing under the circumstances , the lodge of Glasgow Sfc . John is guilty of falsehood , fraud , and wilful imposition it is for the Grand Lodge to judge , or whether a stop should now he put to its further propagation , and consequent discredit of the Order . I humbly submit that it is the duty of the Grand Lodge of Scotland now to decideand which latter as a member of No .
, 3 bis , I most humbly and respectfully pray that it may do . As to the " Second" head of the St . John ' s memorial which states that it has heen the invariable practice of the Grand Lodge of Scotland to concede as a right to the senior lodge of the Province in which the ceremonial takes place , the appointment of the operatives to carry the tools , I can only say that I
am not aware ot this , and point to the fact that not only did the Most Worshipful the Grand Master Mason of Scotland , backed up by Grand Lodge when assembled in the Charter House of Glasgow Cathedral , preparatory to laying the fonndation-stone of the Albert Bridge , on June 3 rd , 1870 , allow the members of the Journeymen Lodge , No . 8 , to do so , but absolutely refused to allow the senior lodge of the Glasgow Province to deal with the matter as it wished . Then at the laying of
the foundation-stone of the Paisley Free Library and Museum , by the M . W . G . M , the Eight Honourable the Earl of Dalhousie , on 27 th April , 1869 , we find the members of the Lodge Journeymen , No . 8 , carrying the tools , as also , ( vide page 423 of Grand Lodge Reporter , June , 1869 ) at the Industrial Schools , Mossbank , in 1868 , Corn Exchange , Hawick , 1863 , Wallace Monument at Stirling , 1861 , and other places . So that so far as precedent is concerned the Lodge Journeymen , No . 8 , can point to many places out of the Edinburgh Province where they have carried the tools . Further in looking over the Grand Lodge books we find the following law passed in 1883 , which accords to the
Lodge Journeymen a certain prerogative afc all Masonic ceremonials , especially where the Grand Master is present , not only iu Edinburgh but throughout Scotland , as the minute says : "Ib was moved that for some time past the Grand Tyler has been in use of carrying the mallet at the public processions of the Grand Lodge , and as that officers attendance is often requisite on other matters of some importance . Therefore it be a rule in all time coming that the senior member of the Lodge of Journeymen
Mason ? , Edinburgh—out of office—carry the mallet behind the Grand Master in all future processions . " Consequently the carrying of the mallet by W . Nielson of the Glasgow Freemen operative St . John ' s Lodge , at the layiug of the foundation-stone of the 'Victoria Bridge at Glasgow , on the 9 th day of April , 1851 , as mentioned in the First head of the St . John ' s memorial was in direct violation of the above 1783 law , unlese indeed the Lod JourneymenNo . 8 voluntarilconceded the privilege
ge , , y , or onus , for the time being . As to the "third" head of the St . John ' s Memorial I would reopectrully observe that the printed Grand Lodge Law , chap . XX ., sec . 3 , when taken in connection with the 1783 Grand Lodge minute above referred to does not preclude and has not precluded the members of the Journeyman Lodge No . 8 from carrying the
Answers To The Memorial Of The Lodge Of Glasgow St. John, No. 3 Bis.
Mallet , & c , out of Edinburgh , for the words " Edinburgh and no other place , " which the Sfc . John ' s memorial pretends to quote do not occur in this Grand Lodge Law , Chap xx , sec . 3 . Therefore their foundation is so far a mis-quotation . And as to the members of No . 8 being " capable of carrying the implements in question , " which the St . John's Memorial would appear to fear , the upshot proved that so far as capability was concerned ,
the members of No . 8 were just as " capable " of doing at Glasgow as they formerly were at Paisley , Stirling , & c . As to the " fourth " head of this Memorial and its reference to Grand Lodge Laws , Chap , xi ., sec . 13 , I would observe that as I stated above , the decision of the Most Worshipful Grand Master on the occasion referred to was approved of by the members of Grand Lodge then assembled , myself included . And as to the assertion that the " chairin awarding precedence to the
, Lodge Edinburgh Journeymen acted contrary to the laws of the Grand Lodge . " I look upon that , under the circumstances , as a pure mistake . And as to the notice of altering the minutes of Gravel Lodge from the foregoing imaginary data , that I consider to be absurd . The fact of the matter appears tome siinply to be that if the Sfc . John ' s Lodge wished ifc to be properly understood that ifc was the privilege of the Senior Lodge of a province to look afeer the carrying of the Tools at all Masonic
processions in its district it should have got a motion proposed to that effect aud so got the matter regularly settled that such has not been done long ere now , is not therefore the fault of the Grand Lodge but is due to tho remissness of the senior lodges themselve , including St . John ' s lodge amongst the rest . Instead therefore of the Sfc . Johhn ' s Lodge , asking as is done in the latter part of their Memorial that the Grand Lodge should " declare and ehact that the late assumption by the Lodge
Edinburgh , Journeymen No . 8 , of the ( presumed ) rights and privileges of the Lodge of Glasgow , John , No . 3 bis , was illegal and uncalled for , " it is the opinion of a number of the members of No . 3 bis , including myself , that the conduct of the St . John's Lodge was neither so dignified nor masonic as it ought to have heen , and they may be very thankful that they were not ordered to apologise for their own proceedings then ; for if redress he due from any quarter in relation to the proceedings at the ceremonial of laying the foundation-stone of the Albert Bridge , at
Glasgow , on the third day of June , 1870 , not to speak of former masonic ceremonies iu Glasgow , that redress under the circumstances is due from the Lodge of Glasgow , St . John , No . 3 bis . I must now apologize for replying to the request ot the Grand Clerk at so great length , hut as the pretensions of the Lodge of Glasgow , St . John , and its pretended Malcolm Charter have been thrust forward so often and so prominently on so many occasions , I considered it would be better to enter into tbe matter fully and distinctl
y , so that anyone not otherwise acquainted with the subject might he able to understand it . Some brethren have signified to me that seeing I am a member of St . John's Lodge , myself I should not therefore expose any of its faults ; but I consider it to he no part of true -Freemasonry to smother up the truth , aud to allow a lie to pass current as truth , more especially when the means are at hancl to expose it . What I have said has simply been writtenin order to elucidate the truthand truth
, , , as we dll ought to know , is one of the great foundations of all trne Freemasonry . Nothing would give rne greater pleasure than to do what I could in a fair and honest manner to uphold the dignity ancl status of the Lodge of Glasgow , St . John , of which I have the honour to be a member and past office-bearer , hut we must strive to build up that dignity and status upon a sure and legitimate foundation , and seeing that as I have already said the Lodge of GlasgowSfc . Johngot its status of No . 3 his
, , upon the 1628 Roslin Charter , it follows therefore that that status is not affected by the declaration of the unworthiness of this unfortunate Malcolm document . It has been the misfortune of the present members of No . 3 bis , to suffer for the fault of their predecessors ; but I hope that , aided by the counsel and assistance of the Grand Lodge of Scotland and guided by the evidence adduced , tlie members of the Loelge of Glasgow , Sfc . John , No . 3 bis , will now honourably acquiesce in such a decision upon
this matter will settle it ( humanlv speaking ) for ever . I am , most respectfully , Sincerely and fraternally yours , W . P . Br / cirAX , Past Senior Warden , Mo . 3 bis ., Proxy , S . W . No . 432 , and Grand Steward Grand Lodge of Scot-Scotland .