Mother Kilwinning.

massonry ; and if found Qualified , to Admit us members of Kilwining Lodge , upon paying the usual dues ; and your Petitioners Shall ever pray . "AiEXE . Espiiisr . "PATEK . BOWIE . " Kilwining , May 8 th , 175 S . '

"Direct the answer to Patrk . Bowie or Alexr . Espline , Merchts . in Edinbro . ; and if you Send In a Discrieption or patren of the ribbons of your Lodge , and Avhat quantity will be necesary , P . Bowie will do him self the Honour to make a Set of New Ribbons to tbe Mother Lodge . "P . BOAVIE . "

On the presentation of their petition , Bros . Esplm and Bowie underwent an examination conducted by a committee of the brethren , and haviug been " found qualified Masons , accepted , and cunning iu the craft , " Avere " ordaint aud admittet members of this The Mother Lodge . " Twelve months afterwards the Lodge order " a Letter of Thanks to be written to

them for their very handsome present of ribbons for the jewels of The Mother Lodge . " Previous as well as subsequent minutes record many other instances of the most fraternal intercourse taking place between the sons of Grand Lodge and those of Mother Kilwinning . The Canongate , Leith , Glasgow ,

Torphichen , Ayr , Kilmarnock ( lodges originally sprung from Kilwinning ) , with the Journeyman , St . Luke , St . James , Roman Eagle ( of Edinburgh ) , Argyle of Glasgow , and other ' s holding of the Grand Lodge , are named in connection with brethren visiting Kilwinning for the purpose of being admitted as ¦ matriculated members of the Mother Lodge ; besides

which Ave find the Lodge Canongate , a year after the Kilwinning . Fraternity had parted company with Grand Lodge , sending to " our Mother Lodge" a " dutiful and affectionate letter , " to which the Master was directed " to make a proper return . " And as if to reciprocate the true Masonic spirit

animating the craftsmen , of Kilwinning in extending the grip fraternal to , and adopting as sons , brethren hailing from lodges holding of Edinburgh , the Grand Lodge consent in 1759 to the occupation of the throne in the Grand East by Alexander , Earl of Eglinton , an ex-Grand Master of Mother

Kilwinning ; in 1786 a matriculated member of the same ancient lodge ( Rev . James Wright , of Maybole ) , as Grand Chaplain , preaches before Grand Lodge , as lie had done twenty years previously in presence of the Lodge of Kilwinning ; and during the years 1797-8 another son of Mother Kilwinning ( the Earl of Crawfurd ) holds the post of Depute Grand Master of Scotland .

Circumstances such as these could not hut strengthen the friendly intercourse subsisting between the members of the two Masonic Grand Bodies then existing in Scotland ; and Avith the exception of an occasional ebullition of a someAA'hat intolerant spirit on the part of stray adherents of the

Grand Lodge ,. these amicable relations continued until the long and earnestly desired abdication of Mother Kilwinning placed the Scottish fraternity under one supreme head . We shall instance only one of the -unseemly fracas -we have hinted at . In the summer of 1807 , there being a public procession of Freemasons in the town of Greenock , the Lodge Greenock Mounfcstewart Kilwinning , No . 70 on the

roll of Kilwinning Lodges , were brought into collision with Lodge No . 234 ( holding of Grand Lodge ) claiming the jjrecedence of the former , who urged that " as being the oldest and most respectable " lodge they had a right of precedence over No . 234 . On behalf of the lodge demurring to this claim , it was

stated that , as holding of the Grand Lodge of Scotland , they Avere entitled to the position claimed , and that " according to the laws of the mother lodge they were hound , not only to have no communication with the Kilwinning Lodges , but they were not even to acknowledge them as Masons . " The dispute

having assumed rather a serious aspect , the magistrates of Greenock , who were on the ground , interfered , deciding in favour of the Greenock Mountstewart , which lodge , with Bro . Geo . Blair at their head , thereupon took up the desired position , and , by their dignified Masonic bearing in the after proceedings of the day , fully supported the honour of their venerable mother .

While the appointment of the clerk of the lodge was anciently vested iu the hands of the Deacon and Warden , these officials themselves held their Masonic position from year to year by the suffrages of their brethren— -the election taking place in open lodge , in which apprentices equally with masters and

journeymen had the right to vote ; and that the democratic principle might even be more fully developed in the choice of the lodge's officials , the Kilwinning brethren in 1704 , as has already been shown , abrogated the statute which gave to the two principal office-bearers the patronage of the Secretaryship of the lodge , and

inaugurated the new law by electing their clerk . A short time afterwards we find the lodge on one occasion unanimously waiving this right in favour of the Master , who consequently for that year made choice of his own Secretary . These apparently trifling inroads upon the rights of the members paved the way

to greater , for iu 1740 the Master is found ratifying the election of office-bearers , a list of those nominated by the lodge having previously been submitted for his approval ; and of the immediately succeeding annual election , the lodge , after making choice of the Earl of Kilmarnock as their Master , are quietly ignored by his lordship ' s depute appointing the remaining office-bearers -.

—" The twentieth of December , which have been for ever observed Avhen a lawful day in this lodge as the anniversary of a new Master's election , falling on Sunday , the lodge was convocate upon Monday , the 21 st ( 1741 ) , when Robert Mollison , Esq ., our Right Worshipfull Master , having opened the lodge and

taken the chair , he proposed for his successor the Right Honourable William , Earl of Kilmarnock . This nomination being unanimously approved of by all the brethren present , our late Worshipfull produced a letter from the said noble Earl signifying his acceptance and appointing him Deputy Master for the year

ensuing , with power to choose the several officers of the lodge , and do every other thing competent Avith the said office in absence of the Master elect . . . . " In consequence of which authority our late Right Worshipfull continued in the chair , and appointed Thos . Boyd , Esqr ., of Pitcon , and Mr . Alexander

Ferguson , Minister of the Gospel at Kilwinning , Senior and Junior Wardens ; David Blair , Esqr ., or Giffordland , Secretary ; James Cunningham , Esqr ., or