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Article CORRESPONDENCE. ← Page 2 of 2 Article MASONIC IMPOSTORS. Page 1 of 1 Article MASONIC IMPOSTORS. Page 1 of 1 Article THE GRAND STEWARDS' LODGE. Page 1 of 2 →
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Correspondence.
fulfilment ol tnc most sanguine expectations maybe confidently relied upon . If advertisements were to appear immediately in the Freemasons' Magazine , calling upon all brethren to furnish what particulars they could , the spirited undertaker of the enterprise would be in a position , at the close of the year , to issue a Calendar replete with information : the archives of the Grand Lodge would afford the names of its members , though
of necessity a few would be omitted owing to the negligence of brethren from whom returns arc due . Brethren of erratic habits would benefit materiall y by so laboured a production , and even the stay-at-homes would enjoy greater facilities for making their arrangements aud appointments . From the ill success that has apparently attended a large proportion of plausible suggestions presented to the public in
the manner I am now doing , the chancer- of this appeal attracting attention are but pli ght , and the ideas of the writer will possibly excite in no second mind a wish for a re-perusal . Permit me . dear Sir and Brother , under veil of a common place though highly honourable signature , to subscribe myself , Yours fraternally , Bombau . lUth Febraaru . 18 i'i 0 . " P . M .
[ We insert the above communication from a colonial brother : but in doing so we feel constrained to make a few observations upon it . In the first place , the authorities in Great Queen-street are not so much to blame for the inaccuracies of the Calendar as the Masters and Secretaries of the various Lodges , who do not obey the instructions laid down in the Book of Constitutions and give
proper notice of the alterations made with regard to the time and place of meeting — without which the law will not allow corrections to be made . On the second part of the letter wc must observe , that experience has proved to us , that any enterprising brother embarking in such a speculation would be sure to meet with a heavy pecuniary loss . In the first place lie would
have to compete with the official publication , which , however incorrect , would be sure to receive the greater patronage , if only from old associations ; secondly , no official publication can contain a list of Encampments—the Templar degree and the Ancient and Accepted Rite not being acknowledged in England : and whilst it would increase the expense of production , so few brethren are , compared to the Craft Masons , interested in the higher decrees
that the lower priced work would be sure to be the favourite with the brethren at large ; thirdly , we do not believe that the Grand Master would sanction the publication of a list of all the members of Grand Lodge—the Grand Officers are published— -and if it did so , so great would be the bulk ofthe volume that it could not be produced , excepting at a price which wc feci convinced would
effectually exclude it from such a sale as would pay even for the printing alone . Of course wc could have no objection to publishing advertisements asking for information for such an object , but the imperfect state of our own list of appointments is a practical commentary on the answers likel y to be obtained . "Wc have not only continually asked through the Magazine for returns
from the Secretaries or Masters of Lodges as to appointments but have repeatedly issued forms to every Lodge in the kingdom to be filled up , and not one in ten were ever returned to our office- the greater part of the information we have received being supplied us by private brethren . From the whole ofthe London Lodges , numbering nearly one hundred and thirty , we received but one reply—and that from the Caledonian , a- Lodge from which as a rule , we are not in the habit of receiving information . —En . l
Masonic Impostors.
MASONIC IMPOSTORS .
TO TIIK l- ' . lnTOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIRROR . Di' . Ai : Sn ; AXD RROTIIKI :, —If there be one class that does the Masonic Order more harm than another , it is the itinerant begging Masons ; and out of every ten cases nine arc impostors . I have formerly been indiscreet enough to give relief to all applicants ; having however resided during three years in three different towns find these instead of
, I gentlemen , " working their way home , " make a regular " tour : and now the Masonic Order is becoming so very popular , 1 have no doubt thev receive a good amount of patronage . 1 have just had another application ; I . cannot- but think the document is a forgery , for surely the P . M .
Masonic Impostors.
a- d Secretary could not have been so indiscreet as to have given th . ; following certificate in direct defiance of the Book of Const-nations ; Copy . ( Masonic Emblems . ) " Lodge of Harmony , Kb . 3 S 7 . " . I . certify that " -Brother Hansel Taylor was duly initiated into Masonry
in this Lodge of Harmony , formerlv of Gosport . but now of Eareham . Hants , the 4 th dav of Mav . 1814 . ' ' < Signed , J . It . Moss , P . M ., and Sec . " _ I" really think , Mr . Editor , now your journal has such a wide circulation , if the brethren were to send you the list of names and descriptions of these itinerant Masons ' , the deserving would get better relief and . the impostors none . Yours fraternally , A . P . PEOV . CTKAXD DEACOX , W . M .. and P . M .
The Grand Stewards' Lodge.
THE GRAND STEWARDS' LODGE .
TO TlfE EDITOR OF THK FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC 31 IEB 0 E . DJ-: AI : SIE A >; D BROTHER , —The suggestion of " Fiat Lux" is a very valuable one , and not , I would suppose , very difficult oi execution . Undoubtedl y the jewel , which would be awarded upon the occasions to which he alludes , would be esteemed very highly , far more so than an ordinary presentation jewel , which frequently emanates from a feeling of respect and love for the
man , rather than from a great appreciation of any extraordinary working powers with which he may be blessed . But does " Fiat Lux" intend confining the competitors for this jewel to the members and officers of the " Grand Stewards' Lodge" only , or does he mean that it should be thrown open to the whole Craft ? If the former , it will lose its value , and will rank no higher than an ordinary presentation jewel ; but if the latter , it will be a prize
worth contending for , and will gain for its fortunate possessor great distinction and honour that will have been well merited and deserved . In the latter case , the names of those brethren who wish to compete should be forwarded to the W . M .. of the Grand Stewards' Lodge some five or six weeks before the trial of skill is appointed to take place , that proper arrangements may be made . It will test the judgment however of those upon whom devolves the responsibility of the arrangements in contriving the necessary time for the great display they -would have of Masonic
research , and I would suggest that out of the number of applicants for the tournay some six or eight should be chosen by a private examination for the final public test of skill . For this purpose it would be necessary that the Grand Stewards' Lodge should meet many times to conduct the preliminary examinations , and it would be no harm if they were assisted in their duties by some two or three eminent Grand Officers not at present enrolled
as members of that Lodge . The essays seem to me to be of so distinct a character as at once to prevent this part of the scheme from being deliberated upon with the other . It is not always that the best writer is the one most calculated to give utterance to our known Masonic language , and the two are of so diverse a nature besides , as to be fitly compared to oil . and water . ' . Chat there should not be an cssay
prizc I do not say : on the contrary . I should advocate this part of the scheme warmly , for it would tend greatly to clear away from the Craft- some of the mists that at present enshroud it , even from the eyes of the most acute of the initiated , - as witness . your " Masonic Notes and Queries " lately . For this , therefore , a distinct jewel should be awarded , with a proviso that the holder of one should be thereby disqualified from possessing the other of
the same year . These remarks are merely thrown out as suggestions . Should the matter assume a tangible shape , I may possibly recur to it again after "Fiat Lux" tells me what he ' thinks of them .
With regard to the difficulty of carrying out the suggestions I threw out at the meeting referred to , I do not think it is of an insurmountable character . Take , for instance , Birmingham , there we have the following Lodges : —the St . Paul ' s , the Lodge of Light , the Athol . the Howe , and the Temperance . ' . Che whole of them might subscribe together pro raid ( as to numbers ) towards defraying the necessary expenses of yourself , Bros . Hewlct .
Hinxnian , and three others ' ; six members , I presume , being enough , if so well up as those who spoke on the last occasion ; while the two Lodges at AVblverhampton , the Lodge of Honour , and St . Peter's ; with the "Walsall Lodge , St . Matthew ; the Tipton Lodge , Noah's Ark ; the Stourbridge Lodge , Stabili + y : the Kidderminster Lodge , Hope and Charity ; and last , though not least , the Dudley Lodges , Harmonic , Royal Standard , "Vernon , and Perseverance—would undoubtedly do something towards it . . Let . then , the Shakspeare
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
fulfilment ol tnc most sanguine expectations maybe confidently relied upon . If advertisements were to appear immediately in the Freemasons' Magazine , calling upon all brethren to furnish what particulars they could , the spirited undertaker of the enterprise would be in a position , at the close of the year , to issue a Calendar replete with information : the archives of the Grand Lodge would afford the names of its members , though
of necessity a few would be omitted owing to the negligence of brethren from whom returns arc due . Brethren of erratic habits would benefit materiall y by so laboured a production , and even the stay-at-homes would enjoy greater facilities for making their arrangements aud appointments . From the ill success that has apparently attended a large proportion of plausible suggestions presented to the public in
the manner I am now doing , the chancer- of this appeal attracting attention are but pli ght , and the ideas of the writer will possibly excite in no second mind a wish for a re-perusal . Permit me . dear Sir and Brother , under veil of a common place though highly honourable signature , to subscribe myself , Yours fraternally , Bombau . lUth Febraaru . 18 i'i 0 . " P . M .
[ We insert the above communication from a colonial brother : but in doing so we feel constrained to make a few observations upon it . In the first place , the authorities in Great Queen-street are not so much to blame for the inaccuracies of the Calendar as the Masters and Secretaries of the various Lodges , who do not obey the instructions laid down in the Book of Constitutions and give
proper notice of the alterations made with regard to the time and place of meeting — without which the law will not allow corrections to be made . On the second part of the letter wc must observe , that experience has proved to us , that any enterprising brother embarking in such a speculation would be sure to meet with a heavy pecuniary loss . In the first place lie would
have to compete with the official publication , which , however incorrect , would be sure to receive the greater patronage , if only from old associations ; secondly , no official publication can contain a list of Encampments—the Templar degree and the Ancient and Accepted Rite not being acknowledged in England : and whilst it would increase the expense of production , so few brethren are , compared to the Craft Masons , interested in the higher decrees
that the lower priced work would be sure to be the favourite with the brethren at large ; thirdly , we do not believe that the Grand Master would sanction the publication of a list of all the members of Grand Lodge—the Grand Officers are published— -and if it did so , so great would be the bulk ofthe volume that it could not be produced , excepting at a price which wc feci convinced would
effectually exclude it from such a sale as would pay even for the printing alone . Of course wc could have no objection to publishing advertisements asking for information for such an object , but the imperfect state of our own list of appointments is a practical commentary on the answers likel y to be obtained . "Wc have not only continually asked through the Magazine for returns
from the Secretaries or Masters of Lodges as to appointments but have repeatedly issued forms to every Lodge in the kingdom to be filled up , and not one in ten were ever returned to our office- the greater part of the information we have received being supplied us by private brethren . From the whole ofthe London Lodges , numbering nearly one hundred and thirty , we received but one reply—and that from the Caledonian , a- Lodge from which as a rule , we are not in the habit of receiving information . —En . l
Masonic Impostors.
MASONIC IMPOSTORS .
TO TIIK l- ' . lnTOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIRROR . Di' . Ai : Sn ; AXD RROTIIKI :, —If there be one class that does the Masonic Order more harm than another , it is the itinerant begging Masons ; and out of every ten cases nine arc impostors . I have formerly been indiscreet enough to give relief to all applicants ; having however resided during three years in three different towns find these instead of
, I gentlemen , " working their way home , " make a regular " tour : and now the Masonic Order is becoming so very popular , 1 have no doubt thev receive a good amount of patronage . 1 have just had another application ; I . cannot- but think the document is a forgery , for surely the P . M .
Masonic Impostors.
a- d Secretary could not have been so indiscreet as to have given th . ; following certificate in direct defiance of the Book of Const-nations ; Copy . ( Masonic Emblems . ) " Lodge of Harmony , Kb . 3 S 7 . " . I . certify that " -Brother Hansel Taylor was duly initiated into Masonry
in this Lodge of Harmony , formerlv of Gosport . but now of Eareham . Hants , the 4 th dav of Mav . 1814 . ' ' < Signed , J . It . Moss , P . M ., and Sec . " _ I" really think , Mr . Editor , now your journal has such a wide circulation , if the brethren were to send you the list of names and descriptions of these itinerant Masons ' , the deserving would get better relief and . the impostors none . Yours fraternally , A . P . PEOV . CTKAXD DEACOX , W . M .. and P . M .
The Grand Stewards' Lodge.
THE GRAND STEWARDS' LODGE .
TO TlfE EDITOR OF THK FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC 31 IEB 0 E . DJ-: AI : SIE A >; D BROTHER , —The suggestion of " Fiat Lux" is a very valuable one , and not , I would suppose , very difficult oi execution . Undoubtedl y the jewel , which would be awarded upon the occasions to which he alludes , would be esteemed very highly , far more so than an ordinary presentation jewel , which frequently emanates from a feeling of respect and love for the
man , rather than from a great appreciation of any extraordinary working powers with which he may be blessed . But does " Fiat Lux" intend confining the competitors for this jewel to the members and officers of the " Grand Stewards' Lodge" only , or does he mean that it should be thrown open to the whole Craft ? If the former , it will lose its value , and will rank no higher than an ordinary presentation jewel ; but if the latter , it will be a prize
worth contending for , and will gain for its fortunate possessor great distinction and honour that will have been well merited and deserved . In the latter case , the names of those brethren who wish to compete should be forwarded to the W . M .. of the Grand Stewards' Lodge some five or six weeks before the trial of skill is appointed to take place , that proper arrangements may be made . It will test the judgment however of those upon whom devolves the responsibility of the arrangements in contriving the necessary time for the great display they -would have of Masonic
research , and I would suggest that out of the number of applicants for the tournay some six or eight should be chosen by a private examination for the final public test of skill . For this purpose it would be necessary that the Grand Stewards' Lodge should meet many times to conduct the preliminary examinations , and it would be no harm if they were assisted in their duties by some two or three eminent Grand Officers not at present enrolled
as members of that Lodge . The essays seem to me to be of so distinct a character as at once to prevent this part of the scheme from being deliberated upon with the other . It is not always that the best writer is the one most calculated to give utterance to our known Masonic language , and the two are of so diverse a nature besides , as to be fitly compared to oil . and water . ' . Chat there should not be an cssay
prizc I do not say : on the contrary . I should advocate this part of the scheme warmly , for it would tend greatly to clear away from the Craft- some of the mists that at present enshroud it , even from the eyes of the most acute of the initiated , - as witness . your " Masonic Notes and Queries " lately . For this , therefore , a distinct jewel should be awarded , with a proviso that the holder of one should be thereby disqualified from possessing the other of
the same year . These remarks are merely thrown out as suggestions . Should the matter assume a tangible shape , I may possibly recur to it again after "Fiat Lux" tells me what he ' thinks of them .
With regard to the difficulty of carrying out the suggestions I threw out at the meeting referred to , I do not think it is of an insurmountable character . Take , for instance , Birmingham , there we have the following Lodges : —the St . Paul ' s , the Lodge of Light , the Athol . the Howe , and the Temperance . ' . Che whole of them might subscribe together pro raid ( as to numbers ) towards defraying the necessary expenses of yourself , Bros . Hewlct .
Hinxnian , and three others ' ; six members , I presume , being enough , if so well up as those who spoke on the last occasion ; while the two Lodges at AVblverhampton , the Lodge of Honour , and St . Peter's ; with the "Walsall Lodge , St . Matthew ; the Tipton Lodge , Noah's Ark ; the Stourbridge Lodge , Stabili + y : the Kidderminster Lodge , Hope and Charity ; and last , though not least , the Dudley Lodges , Harmonic , Royal Standard , "Vernon , and Perseverance—would undoubtedly do something towards it . . Let . then , the Shakspeare