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Provincial.
terest . The Grand Lodge would not , perhaps , he much restrained or restricted by any strong feeling expressed in any particular loeality ; but at the same time he believed it was glad at all times to have its hands strengthened in any proceedings by the approval of such gatherings as the present , especially upon a question of broad principles like that , of the property in Great Queen-street . Now , as to the accommodation the Masonic body had at head-quarters in London , it bad been
a source of regret for a long time with him that it was possible to make such an unfavourable comparison between London and the country . He could not find in London a place duly fit for the purposes of the Masonic fraternity—such places were only to he found in the provinces . The question arising now was , how should what they bad be appropriated . Were the Craft at large ready to sanction a great outlay , for Vihich they would get no returnbut additional accommodation . A
largely-in-, creased amount of accommodation was required for their ceremonies , their offices , and the due accommodation of the officials , and the various charities . There was a vast amount of property from which there might he a remunerating return , and the Craft might get a much increased rental if they were inclined to adopt certain improvements . There were various lodges in London would leave their present distant places of assembly and come to improved premises at
head quarters . He thought one bugbear had been created in relation to the proposals before the Craft , the groundlessness of which ought to be exposed , the reported wish to adopt a large amount of money from the charities to building purposes .
He had never heard of any proposition to spend £ 60 , 000 , to he obtained by interference with the funds of benevolence . Some brother perhaps might have suggested the idea of borrowing from the benevolent fund , a transfer of money as it were , from one pocket to another , for a short time , but there was really never any contemplation of doing it . He should be exceedingly sorry to see any kind of risk run with those funds ; he had heard others speak of any such idea with disfavour , and he had
himself expressed his strong objection . The charity funds had been contributed for a special purpose , and he hoped they would never be appropriated to any other ; and he believed that no proposition of that sort would for a moment he seriously listened to . Bro . Stebbing had animadverted on the inefficiency of the charities , saying that of the applicants to the institutions only one out of every three were successful . The Girls' School , however , had elected all the applicants ; he believed they had
all been elected in the past year . For the Boys' Institute the accommodation had been raised , and he had made a special appeal , as had also Grand Lodge for more assistance . If the mover of the amendment would consent , he should like to insert an addendum to the effect , that it would be desirable that something worthy of the honour and dignity of the Craft should be erected , though they held determination against reckless and extravagant expenditure . It was his hope that a
permanent committee should be appointed by Grand Lodge to take this subject into consideration , and he -trusted the Craft would not fetter the hands of that committee hy limiting the expenditure to any particular sum . Bro . A . SMITH said he did not feel exactlv inclined to accede
to Bro . Lmckes request , because it would be simply asking-Grand Lodge not to make fools of themselves . But he must support the declaration that it had never been intended to trench upon the benevolent funds . He particularly called the attention to this fact of any brother who might be present , voting for the amendment in a wish to protect the charities . Bro . LA CROIX , P . M . No . go , said it appeared to him that Bro . Stebb '* was labouring under most loomy forebodings of
mg g coming evil to the Craft ; but such forebodings were entirely - groundless , judging from facts before their eyes . He could not admit that anything was to be feared of want in the future , seeing that an increase of prosperity had continually been experienced ever since he had been connected with Masonry . Their charitable institutions seemed to be very much increasing in extent and usefulness , and this showed an * increased ability the of the Craft
on part generally . In respect to the particular question at present under discussion , there appeared to him to be no necessity for touching funds accumulated for any other special purpose ; a general appeal to the Craft would save any expenditure of accumulated funds from any source whatever . He thought the subject had better stand over , as there was plenty of time to see what the general body of Masons thought of the propositions that might be put forward . Bro . EMANUEL wished to know whether the Board of
Provincial.
General Purposes had given any orders for special plans or specifications to be laid before the general Craft ? The brother was answered in the negative . Bro . F . PERKINS said he understood the Prov . G . M . just now to express his opinion that no man would be rash enough to enter upon the speculation of building a large tavern upon the Masonic ground . Now it was in his experience one of the best speculations open , and such opportunities of building and paying
a ground rent were sought for all over London , especially for building premises intended for public tavern business . He also was of opinion that the subject of the Grand Lodge Property was being brought before that meeting in a very strange way .. There had been produced before the brethren block plans of the ground as it now stood , and yet no plans or specifications were brought forward as to what was proposed to be done . He could fully admit all that had been advanced as to the want of
much more accommodation for the Masonic body at their premises in Great Queen-street . He certainly thought that Bro . Stebbing had got into his eyes some of that official dust alluded to by the W . M . of No . 90 . It was his opinion thatto confine an outlay for improvement to £ 1 S , 000 would be a course likely to spoil all , whilst an outlay of about £ 30 , 000 would be sufficient to give every accommodation required , and that of a perfect character . He hoped for his own part that a
Temple would he erected somewhere in London , such as would he worthy of the dignity and importance of the Craft . Bro . STEBBING , in his reply , said he feared every brother who wished to check the expenditure stood in a disadvantageous position , opposed to the arguments advanced . He must confess that he himself should like to see a splendid masonic edifice ; but they , as Masons , were bound to limit their expenditure to their means . However great the necessitfor a fine
buildingy however comfortable or pleasant such a thing was to conteniplate—he must remind the brethren that they should not injure ' the charities ; and every shilling not spent for charity was lost to charity . The plans set forth in contemplation of this expenditure showed to what an alarming extent some of the
speculators were inclined to go—why some of them talked of £ 50 , 000 or £ 60 , 000 being spent in the mad project . Bro . Sherry ' s idea went as far as £ 36 , 000 , and Bro . Binckes ( fresh from London ) even thought of from £ 50 , 000 to £ 70 , 000 as not too much for certain objects . It was said —only lend the money for a time 1 But brethren knew the result of these things . They had heard of a man borrowing a £ 5 note " for a day or two ! " " sure to meet it in a week" & c . What did it often come to ? He
, must recur to his argument ; they should never borrow at all , and the spending of such a large sum as had been talked about should not be calculated upon . They had ground available , 200 ft . by 4 Gft . What could they not build there that they required—what lodges , -what chapters ? And then there was their £ IS , 000 ready at their hands , through the Board of General Purposes , enough for supplying all they really wanted .
Their charities bad not been worked sufficiently to supply the demands of the fraternity , and those who had been connected with it . For the Girl ' s School there had last year been eleven candidates , and only five elected . The Boys' School required enlargement , and where was the money to come from but from from this very fund it was now recklessly proposed to reduce for other purposes . He urged upon all the brethren to let charity
be the groat object of their exertions , and not the desire of a gorgeous palace . If they wanted more in the way of building aud ornament , let the proposers come forward and solicit the Craft as a body . If a general appeal was made , be for one was ready with his hundred or two ; but he could not forget the vast importance of the demands of their charities . The enthusiastic brother wound up a powerful speech with an eloquent perorationcontrasting on the one hand the grandeur of palatial
, edifices , and on the other the full relief and succour of the aged and the orphan . He preferred to see the full comfort of the dependents of the fraternity rather than the most gorgeous of palaces to increase the outward show of Freemasonry . The amendment and original resolution were severally put to the meeting by the R . W . Prov . G . Master , and the iatter carried by a considerable majority .
APPOINTMENT OE OFFICERS . The R . W . PROV . GRAND MASTER then proceeded to invest his Grand Officers , to serve for the ensuing year , as follows : — Bro . Passenger , 152 S . G . Warden „ Dr . Kirkman , 1106 J . G . Warden „ R cv . — Wills , 3 S 7 G . Chaplain
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Provincial.
terest . The Grand Lodge would not , perhaps , he much restrained or restricted by any strong feeling expressed in any particular loeality ; but at the same time he believed it was glad at all times to have its hands strengthened in any proceedings by the approval of such gatherings as the present , especially upon a question of broad principles like that , of the property in Great Queen-street . Now , as to the accommodation the Masonic body had at head-quarters in London , it bad been
a source of regret for a long time with him that it was possible to make such an unfavourable comparison between London and the country . He could not find in London a place duly fit for the purposes of the Masonic fraternity—such places were only to he found in the provinces . The question arising now was , how should what they bad be appropriated . Were the Craft at large ready to sanction a great outlay , for Vihich they would get no returnbut additional accommodation . A
largely-in-, creased amount of accommodation was required for their ceremonies , their offices , and the due accommodation of the officials , and the various charities . There was a vast amount of property from which there might he a remunerating return , and the Craft might get a much increased rental if they were inclined to adopt certain improvements . There were various lodges in London would leave their present distant places of assembly and come to improved premises at
head quarters . He thought one bugbear had been created in relation to the proposals before the Craft , the groundlessness of which ought to be exposed , the reported wish to adopt a large amount of money from the charities to building purposes .
He had never heard of any proposition to spend £ 60 , 000 , to he obtained by interference with the funds of benevolence . Some brother perhaps might have suggested the idea of borrowing from the benevolent fund , a transfer of money as it were , from one pocket to another , for a short time , but there was really never any contemplation of doing it . He should be exceedingly sorry to see any kind of risk run with those funds ; he had heard others speak of any such idea with disfavour , and he had
himself expressed his strong objection . The charity funds had been contributed for a special purpose , and he hoped they would never be appropriated to any other ; and he believed that no proposition of that sort would for a moment he seriously listened to . Bro . Stebbing had animadverted on the inefficiency of the charities , saying that of the applicants to the institutions only one out of every three were successful . The Girls' School , however , had elected all the applicants ; he believed they had
all been elected in the past year . For the Boys' Institute the accommodation had been raised , and he had made a special appeal , as had also Grand Lodge for more assistance . If the mover of the amendment would consent , he should like to insert an addendum to the effect , that it would be desirable that something worthy of the honour and dignity of the Craft should be erected , though they held determination against reckless and extravagant expenditure . It was his hope that a
permanent committee should be appointed by Grand Lodge to take this subject into consideration , and he -trusted the Craft would not fetter the hands of that committee hy limiting the expenditure to any particular sum . Bro . A . SMITH said he did not feel exactlv inclined to accede
to Bro . Lmckes request , because it would be simply asking-Grand Lodge not to make fools of themselves . But he must support the declaration that it had never been intended to trench upon the benevolent funds . He particularly called the attention to this fact of any brother who might be present , voting for the amendment in a wish to protect the charities . Bro . LA CROIX , P . M . No . go , said it appeared to him that Bro . Stebb '* was labouring under most loomy forebodings of
mg g coming evil to the Craft ; but such forebodings were entirely - groundless , judging from facts before their eyes . He could not admit that anything was to be feared of want in the future , seeing that an increase of prosperity had continually been experienced ever since he had been connected with Masonry . Their charitable institutions seemed to be very much increasing in extent and usefulness , and this showed an * increased ability the of the Craft
on part generally . In respect to the particular question at present under discussion , there appeared to him to be no necessity for touching funds accumulated for any other special purpose ; a general appeal to the Craft would save any expenditure of accumulated funds from any source whatever . He thought the subject had better stand over , as there was plenty of time to see what the general body of Masons thought of the propositions that might be put forward . Bro . EMANUEL wished to know whether the Board of
Provincial.
General Purposes had given any orders for special plans or specifications to be laid before the general Craft ? The brother was answered in the negative . Bro . F . PERKINS said he understood the Prov . G . M . just now to express his opinion that no man would be rash enough to enter upon the speculation of building a large tavern upon the Masonic ground . Now it was in his experience one of the best speculations open , and such opportunities of building and paying
a ground rent were sought for all over London , especially for building premises intended for public tavern business . He also was of opinion that the subject of the Grand Lodge Property was being brought before that meeting in a very strange way .. There had been produced before the brethren block plans of the ground as it now stood , and yet no plans or specifications were brought forward as to what was proposed to be done . He could fully admit all that had been advanced as to the want of
much more accommodation for the Masonic body at their premises in Great Queen-street . He certainly thought that Bro . Stebbing had got into his eyes some of that official dust alluded to by the W . M . of No . 90 . It was his opinion thatto confine an outlay for improvement to £ 1 S , 000 would be a course likely to spoil all , whilst an outlay of about £ 30 , 000 would be sufficient to give every accommodation required , and that of a perfect character . He hoped for his own part that a
Temple would he erected somewhere in London , such as would he worthy of the dignity and importance of the Craft . Bro . STEBBING , in his reply , said he feared every brother who wished to check the expenditure stood in a disadvantageous position , opposed to the arguments advanced . He must confess that he himself should like to see a splendid masonic edifice ; but they , as Masons , were bound to limit their expenditure to their means . However great the necessitfor a fine
buildingy however comfortable or pleasant such a thing was to conteniplate—he must remind the brethren that they should not injure ' the charities ; and every shilling not spent for charity was lost to charity . The plans set forth in contemplation of this expenditure showed to what an alarming extent some of the
speculators were inclined to go—why some of them talked of £ 50 , 000 or £ 60 , 000 being spent in the mad project . Bro . Sherry ' s idea went as far as £ 36 , 000 , and Bro . Binckes ( fresh from London ) even thought of from £ 50 , 000 to £ 70 , 000 as not too much for certain objects . It was said —only lend the money for a time 1 But brethren knew the result of these things . They had heard of a man borrowing a £ 5 note " for a day or two ! " " sure to meet it in a week" & c . What did it often come to ? He
, must recur to his argument ; they should never borrow at all , and the spending of such a large sum as had been talked about should not be calculated upon . They had ground available , 200 ft . by 4 Gft . What could they not build there that they required—what lodges , -what chapters ? And then there was their £ IS , 000 ready at their hands , through the Board of General Purposes , enough for supplying all they really wanted .
Their charities bad not been worked sufficiently to supply the demands of the fraternity , and those who had been connected with it . For the Girl ' s School there had last year been eleven candidates , and only five elected . The Boys' School required enlargement , and where was the money to come from but from from this very fund it was now recklessly proposed to reduce for other purposes . He urged upon all the brethren to let charity
be the groat object of their exertions , and not the desire of a gorgeous palace . If they wanted more in the way of building aud ornament , let the proposers come forward and solicit the Craft as a body . If a general appeal was made , be for one was ready with his hundred or two ; but he could not forget the vast importance of the demands of their charities . The enthusiastic brother wound up a powerful speech with an eloquent perorationcontrasting on the one hand the grandeur of palatial
, edifices , and on the other the full relief and succour of the aged and the orphan . He preferred to see the full comfort of the dependents of the fraternity rather than the most gorgeous of palaces to increase the outward show of Freemasonry . The amendment and original resolution were severally put to the meeting by the R . W . Prov . G . Master , and the iatter carried by a considerable majority .
APPOINTMENT OE OFFICERS . The R . W . PROV . GRAND MASTER then proceeded to invest his Grand Officers , to serve for the ensuing year , as follows : — Bro . Passenger , 152 S . G . Warden „ Dr . Kirkman , 1106 J . G . Warden „ R cv . — Wills , 3 S 7 G . Chaplain