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Article WANT OF CHARITY. ← Page 2 of 2 Article FREEMASONRY IN GERMANY. Page 1 of 1
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Want Of Charity.
tremely reduced circumstances , Avhich , I think , is without a parallel in tho annals of Freemasonry , and so antagonistic to the first principles of the Orcler , that too much censure cannot be bestoAved upon the lodge guilty of tho same .
Some fivo weeks ago , the brother to whose case I refer being reduced to the A'ery lowest ebb of poverty , in fact Avitiv a wife ancl family on the verge of starvation , on making known his case to the officer appointed to the Charity Committee of East Lancashire to dispense tho Masonic Charities iu this district , Avas advised to seek aid from tho lodge to which he had , until within a very
brief period , belonged , and that his case should subsequently bo considered by the above Committee . He accordingly attended the regular meeting of the lodge , and stated to the W . M . the extreme necessity he was in ; that if no assistance Avere rendered him , his only course Avould be to apply to the parish for relief , and that it AVRS only through absolute ivant he IIOAV brought himself to
seek the aid which he ever rendered unto others in distress in more prosperous times . The matter Avas brought before the lodge , ancl , after consideration , the brother Avas publicly informed that the members did not consider him a proper object for relief . Upon asking if any charge had been preferred against him to render him an uinvorthy recipient of Masonic aid , ho was told that no charge had been brought against him , but that the majority of tho members did not feel disposed to render him assistance .
With tears in his eyes , for , Sir , " The flesh Avill quiver whore the pincers tear , " was this poor brother thus turned away to look elsewhere for the charity Avhich we , as Masons , profess so much to admire . Did the case end here , bad though it be , the matter mi
¦ g ht have been overlooked ; but upon a few friends taking the matter in hand , and endeavouring to raise a small subscription amongst the congregation of tbe church Avhich the brother had for 14 years attended , judge of the surprise expressed b 3 ' them upon being informed of all that had transpired in the lodge with reference to tbe case , and the remark added that , since
the Masonic body refused to assist one of its poor members , they individually could not take upon themselves to run counter to the determination of the lodge . I always considered that matters transacted or discussed in open lodge should be hold sacred from the outer Avorld ; but here diametrically opposite . Tbe affair referred to AVAS canvassed by Masons to non-Masons
with this result , that the brother they Avere themselves uiiAvilliug to assist , from tbe obloquy cast upon him by their refusal , was debarred looking for assistance elsewhere .
Comment upon the case further is from me unnecessary . I enclose tho name and number of the lodge , irhich you may make public or not , ab your option . I also enclose my card ancl address ; and , in conclusion , can only vouch that a more upright man , Christian or Mason , than the injured brother to lvhorn I refer does not exist in tho province of East Lancashire ; and if your insertion of
this should lead the members of his late lodge to extend to others a little more of the charity they profess so much to admire , tho object of this note Avill have been fullv answered .
I am , Sir , yours most obediently , FRIENDSHIP , LOVE , AND TRUTH . Manchester , September 10 th , I 860 . [ The brother can apply to the Lodge of Benevolence , which will require a certificate of his character , etc ., from his late lodge . If it is refused he can cite them to show cause for tbe refusal before the Board of General Purposes . ]
Freemasonry In Germany.
FREEMASONRY IN GERMANY .
TO THE EDITOl : OF THE THEEMASONS . MAGAZINE AUD MASONIC HIKKOl . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —During a recent tour upon the Continent , I happened to be in Berlin , and at tbe table d'hote at tbe hotel at which I was staying ( Hotel du Rome , Unter den Linden ) , tho subject of Masonry incidentally cropped up . I inquired of mine host as to Avhether there Avas a lodgo meeting in Berlin during tho brief period of my stay there , and , Avibh an amount of caution which , did him . honour , he gave me some information .
A night or two afterwards he sent me to a Masonic Hall hard by , somewhat seedy in its exterior , but internally Avell appointed in all that was requisite to lend solemnity and impressiveness to the ceremony- Here I met a number of brethren ready to open lodge , but as I could scarcely speak a word of German , and the brethren could muster but a very small stock of English or French , a
convei-sation ensued more mysterious than , edifying . HoAvevcr , I found one brother who spoke a little French , and another AA'lio in childhood had spoken English , and I managed to make them understand lvho I ivas . Then camo a difficulty as to my personal identity with the individual referred to in my certificate , seA'eral proofs of which I produced . At last I produced my passport , and
asked the brethren to compare the signature which I had just made in the visitors' book with the signatures on my passport , and on my certificate . This was done , and the 'Tyler Avas called in , Avho stated that the name and description given by me corresponded Avith bhe name I bore at the hotel , on my luggage , on my letters , and by which I was addressed by the English residents who visited mo there , according to the pori ' iar of tbe hotel Avho had been senb Avith me .
I do nob complain of all this caution . On the contrary , I admired it , and rather provoked than prevented minuteness of inquiry ; for it is far better iu my opinion that a genuine brother in a strange land should be put bo a little extra trouble , than that an unqualified person should , under the cover of ignorance of the language , manage to insinuate himself into as assembly which , ho
has no right to enter . There are one or tAvo points in the ceremony ( it was the third degree ) which certainly made ib more impressive than it usually is in English lodges . Those points , Avhilo different from our mode , had nothing iu them Avhich could be objected to , but possessed a high and impressive symbolical significance ; but to these of course I am prevented from referring in print .
I have simply troubled you with these observations for two reasons ; first , to shoiv the desirability and tbo necessity of having your certificates with you when travelling on tbo Continent ; and secondly , in order to direct any Masonic brother , who may pass through Berlin , to a lodge where he may see our beautiful ceremonies Avorked with a degree of efficiency AA'hich is highly
gratifying . So far as I could judge from my limited acquaintance Avith the German language , the ceremony seemed to mo in all its essential respects identical with Our own . The general explanation of signs seemed to mo imperfect , and not calculated to convey such information to a newly advanced brother as he would require on visiting other
lands , as , for instance , England ; but on this point I should not like to be too positive , oAving to the reasons I have before mentioned . I have thought these feiv words would interest you ; and , as there are so many English upon the Continent just now , it is more than probable that some of the brethren Avill thank me for tbo hints thus given .
I am , dear Sir aud Brother , Yours fraternally , H . R . S . ( P . M . 202 ) . London , Sept . 21 , 1863 .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Want Of Charity.
tremely reduced circumstances , Avhich , I think , is without a parallel in tho annals of Freemasonry , and so antagonistic to the first principles of the Orcler , that too much censure cannot be bestoAved upon the lodge guilty of tho same .
Some fivo weeks ago , the brother to whose case I refer being reduced to the A'ery lowest ebb of poverty , in fact Avitiv a wife ancl family on the verge of starvation , on making known his case to the officer appointed to the Charity Committee of East Lancashire to dispense tho Masonic Charities iu this district , Avas advised to seek aid from tho lodge to which he had , until within a very
brief period , belonged , and that his case should subsequently bo considered by the above Committee . He accordingly attended the regular meeting of the lodge , and stated to the W . M . the extreme necessity he was in ; that if no assistance Avere rendered him , his only course Avould be to apply to the parish for relief , and that it AVRS only through absolute ivant he IIOAV brought himself to
seek the aid which he ever rendered unto others in distress in more prosperous times . The matter Avas brought before the lodge , ancl , after consideration , the brother Avas publicly informed that the members did not consider him a proper object for relief . Upon asking if any charge had been preferred against him to render him an uinvorthy recipient of Masonic aid , ho was told that no charge had been brought against him , but that the majority of tho members did not feel disposed to render him assistance .
With tears in his eyes , for , Sir , " The flesh Avill quiver whore the pincers tear , " was this poor brother thus turned away to look elsewhere for the charity Avhich we , as Masons , profess so much to admire . Did the case end here , bad though it be , the matter mi
¦ g ht have been overlooked ; but upon a few friends taking the matter in hand , and endeavouring to raise a small subscription amongst the congregation of tbe church Avhich the brother had for 14 years attended , judge of the surprise expressed b 3 ' them upon being informed of all that had transpired in the lodge with reference to tbe case , and the remark added that , since
the Masonic body refused to assist one of its poor members , they individually could not take upon themselves to run counter to the determination of the lodge . I always considered that matters transacted or discussed in open lodge should be hold sacred from the outer Avorld ; but here diametrically opposite . Tbe affair referred to AVAS canvassed by Masons to non-Masons
with this result , that the brother they Avere themselves uiiAvilliug to assist , from tbe obloquy cast upon him by their refusal , was debarred looking for assistance elsewhere .
Comment upon the case further is from me unnecessary . I enclose tho name and number of the lodge , irhich you may make public or not , ab your option . I also enclose my card ancl address ; and , in conclusion , can only vouch that a more upright man , Christian or Mason , than the injured brother to lvhorn I refer does not exist in tho province of East Lancashire ; and if your insertion of
this should lead the members of his late lodge to extend to others a little more of the charity they profess so much to admire , tho object of this note Avill have been fullv answered .
I am , Sir , yours most obediently , FRIENDSHIP , LOVE , AND TRUTH . Manchester , September 10 th , I 860 . [ The brother can apply to the Lodge of Benevolence , which will require a certificate of his character , etc ., from his late lodge . If it is refused he can cite them to show cause for tbe refusal before the Board of General Purposes . ]
Freemasonry In Germany.
FREEMASONRY IN GERMANY .
TO THE EDITOl : OF THE THEEMASONS . MAGAZINE AUD MASONIC HIKKOl . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —During a recent tour upon the Continent , I happened to be in Berlin , and at tbe table d'hote at tbe hotel at which I was staying ( Hotel du Rome , Unter den Linden ) , tho subject of Masonry incidentally cropped up . I inquired of mine host as to Avhether there Avas a lodgo meeting in Berlin during tho brief period of my stay there , and , Avibh an amount of caution which , did him . honour , he gave me some information .
A night or two afterwards he sent me to a Masonic Hall hard by , somewhat seedy in its exterior , but internally Avell appointed in all that was requisite to lend solemnity and impressiveness to the ceremony- Here I met a number of brethren ready to open lodge , but as I could scarcely speak a word of German , and the brethren could muster but a very small stock of English or French , a
convei-sation ensued more mysterious than , edifying . HoAvevcr , I found one brother who spoke a little French , and another AA'lio in childhood had spoken English , and I managed to make them understand lvho I ivas . Then camo a difficulty as to my personal identity with the individual referred to in my certificate , seA'eral proofs of which I produced . At last I produced my passport , and
asked the brethren to compare the signature which I had just made in the visitors' book with the signatures on my passport , and on my certificate . This was done , and the 'Tyler Avas called in , Avho stated that the name and description given by me corresponded Avith bhe name I bore at the hotel , on my luggage , on my letters , and by which I was addressed by the English residents who visited mo there , according to the pori ' iar of tbe hotel Avho had been senb Avith me .
I do nob complain of all this caution . On the contrary , I admired it , and rather provoked than prevented minuteness of inquiry ; for it is far better iu my opinion that a genuine brother in a strange land should be put bo a little extra trouble , than that an unqualified person should , under the cover of ignorance of the language , manage to insinuate himself into as assembly which , ho
has no right to enter . There are one or tAvo points in the ceremony ( it was the third degree ) which certainly made ib more impressive than it usually is in English lodges . Those points , Avhilo different from our mode , had nothing iu them Avhich could be objected to , but possessed a high and impressive symbolical significance ; but to these of course I am prevented from referring in print .
I have simply troubled you with these observations for two reasons ; first , to shoiv the desirability and tbo necessity of having your certificates with you when travelling on tbo Continent ; and secondly , in order to direct any Masonic brother , who may pass through Berlin , to a lodge where he may see our beautiful ceremonies Avorked with a degree of efficiency AA'hich is highly
gratifying . So far as I could judge from my limited acquaintance Avith the German language , the ceremony seemed to mo in all its essential respects identical with Our own . The general explanation of signs seemed to mo imperfect , and not calculated to convey such information to a newly advanced brother as he would require on visiting other
lands , as , for instance , England ; but on this point I should not like to be too positive , oAving to the reasons I have before mentioned . I have thought these feiv words would interest you ; and , as there are so many English upon the Continent just now , it is more than probable that some of the brethren Avill thank me for tbo hints thus given .
I am , dear Sir aud Brother , Yours fraternally , H . R . S . ( P . M . 202 ) . London , Sept . 21 , 1863 .