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Article CORRESPONDENCE. Page 1 of 2 →
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Correspondence.
CORRESPONDENCE .
*__ [ T HE E DITOR eta not hold himself responsible for ctmj opinions entertained " by Correspondents ^]
DISTRICT GRAND LODGES .
TO THE EMTOB OP THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND 3 IASOI . IC Minimi .. Sm AND BnoxnEE , —The practical utility of Provincial Grand Lodges is , generally admitted all private Lodges in England or Wales , situated at a greater distance than ten miles from the metropolis , being , with but few exceptions , wilder their control . If the necessity of Masonic authority in each county or province of the mother country be recognized , how much greater need is there of similar government by Lodges on foreign stations
, In the former case , communication even with the Grand Master himself , on matters relating to the Craft , is only a question of a few days , whilst in the latter , months may , and frequently do elapse , before an answer can be received . To obviate the inconveniences attending direct communication with Freemasons' Hall from colonial brethren , district Grand Lodges have wisely been created , but as yet the system can hardly be termed complete . Certain parts of the globecontaining a very small proportion of brethren
, , such as China and Sumatra , have Grand Lodges , whilst in others , for example , Africa and the AYest Indies ( it can hardly be supposed that the Provincial Grand Lodge of the Bahamas comprises all these latter islands ) outnumbering them greatly in Lodges , brethren are compelled to make direct application to London for anything they require . Colonial Masons arc unable to bring the matter before Grand Lod ge otherwise that by petition ; were any of the legislators of the Craft in
England to introduce the subject before that body , something might be clone . The spread of Masonry abroad would be much greater if its management were simplified—new Lodges arc more likely to be established where tbe requisite authority for so doing is at hand—disputes and irregularities would also be of less frequent occurrence . The anomaly of granting district Grand Lodges , where few brethren are working , whilst other and more Masonic countries are without , is at once apparent and inconsistent .
Doubtless hi nearly every one of these favoured spots Provincial Grand Masters have been applied for ; but is it not incumbent upon a conscientious ruler of the Craft to make personal inquiries as to the well doing of all Lodges under his jurisdiction ? If the Grand Master be desirous of forming a district Grand Lodge , and is unacquainted with the name of a resident brother of experience , to whose care the new province may be entrusted , cannot letters be despatched to the subordinate Lodges , specifying this
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
CORRESPONDENCE .
*__ [ T HE E DITOR eta not hold himself responsible for ctmj opinions entertained " by Correspondents ^]
DISTRICT GRAND LODGES .
TO THE EMTOB OP THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND 3 IASOI . IC Minimi .. Sm AND BnoxnEE , —The practical utility of Provincial Grand Lodges is , generally admitted all private Lodges in England or Wales , situated at a greater distance than ten miles from the metropolis , being , with but few exceptions , wilder their control . If the necessity of Masonic authority in each county or province of the mother country be recognized , how much greater need is there of similar government by Lodges on foreign stations
, In the former case , communication even with the Grand Master himself , on matters relating to the Craft , is only a question of a few days , whilst in the latter , months may , and frequently do elapse , before an answer can be received . To obviate the inconveniences attending direct communication with Freemasons' Hall from colonial brethren , district Grand Lodges have wisely been created , but as yet the system can hardly be termed complete . Certain parts of the globecontaining a very small proportion of brethren
, , such as China and Sumatra , have Grand Lodges , whilst in others , for example , Africa and the AYest Indies ( it can hardly be supposed that the Provincial Grand Lodge of the Bahamas comprises all these latter islands ) outnumbering them greatly in Lodges , brethren are compelled to make direct application to London for anything they require . Colonial Masons arc unable to bring the matter before Grand Lod ge otherwise that by petition ; were any of the legislators of the Craft in
England to introduce the subject before that body , something might be clone . The spread of Masonry abroad would be much greater if its management were simplified—new Lodges arc more likely to be established where tbe requisite authority for so doing is at hand—disputes and irregularities would also be of less frequent occurrence . The anomaly of granting district Grand Lodges , where few brethren are working , whilst other and more Masonic countries are without , is at once apparent and inconsistent .
Doubtless hi nearly every one of these favoured spots Provincial Grand Masters have been applied for ; but is it not incumbent upon a conscientious ruler of the Craft to make personal inquiries as to the well doing of all Lodges under his jurisdiction ? If the Grand Master be desirous of forming a district Grand Lodge , and is unacquainted with the name of a resident brother of experience , to whose care the new province may be entrusted , cannot letters be despatched to the subordinate Lodges , specifying this