Grand Lodge.

GRAND LODGE .

LONDON , SATURDAY , DECEMBER 31 , 1864 .

HONORARY MEMBERS . Tho position of honorary members in lodges has long been unsatisfactory , ancl certainly will not be rendered the less so by the decision arrived at by the last Grand Lodge , on the recommendation

of the Board of General Purposes . We have always held that honorary members hold no privileges beyond that of attending the lodge meetings and assisting in the work when requested ,, but that they could not hold office , or interfere in the

general management of the lodge ; ancl here we are agreed with the Board of General Purposes , and we presume , after the recent decision , we must say with Grand Lodge . But we entirely disagree with the principle that an honorary member must be a subscribing member to some other lodge . We are aware of the rule which

says"A brother , who is not a subscribing member to a lodge , shall not be permitted to visit any lodge in tho town or place where he resides more than once during his secession from the Craft . " That rule was intended , and properly so , to prevent a brother partaking of the advantages of

the Craft , who rendered no services in return . But is that the case with honorary members ? We unhesitatingly answer , ISTo . For what are honorary members elected ? Dr . Oliver says : — - Any lodge may elect a brother who has rendered some essential service to the lodge , or distinguished himself by eminence in the Craft as an honorary member . "

If that be the case , surely , because the lodge to which a brother "has rendered some essential service" wishes to do him honour by electinghim an honorary member , it cannot be fairly said that he has seceded from the Craft ; and that it is

whicli renders him unable to A isit a lodge more Chan once " in the town or place where he resides "—a lawwhich Ave regret to say in large towns , where there are many lodges , must be a dead letter ; and in London we know it is violated

daily , and the more especially by members of that profession of which the Grand Begistrar is so bright an ornament . We do not accuse the brethren who violate the law with doing- so knowingly , for there is not one in twenty who ever look into the

" Book of Constitutions , " or , having done so , trouble themselves to remember its provisions . That , however , is altogether apart from the question UOAV before us—the position of honorary members ;

aud to show how contradictory ai * e ideas on tho subject , we quote Dr . Oliver in full : — - " The constitutions of Masonry contain little information on the subject of honorary members . And we must , therefore , estimate their position by such analogies aa may be found to apply to the circumstances of the case .

Any lodge may elect a brother who has rendered some essential service to the lodge , or distinguished himself by eminence in the Craft as an honorary member ; and may confer upon him , not an actual , but a past rank . "The law is silent regarding his privileges : but we think the common sense view of the case would assign to such a one the same privileges in the lodge when he is

present as are enjoyed by a subscriber—else of what value is the membership ? "It is freely admitted that beyond tho four walls of that individual lodge an honorary member can claim no Masonic immunities by virtue of such an appointment , because his name is not recorded in the Grand Secretary's books , except the Grand Lodge itself admit him to

that honour in its own body . But , after all , it may bo doubted whether he would be legally competent to take any active part in the deliberations of the lodge by which he has been thus distinguished without the especial request of the W . M ., who may be desirous of hearing his opinion on any particular question ; and even then , he may be incapable of voting , unless he actually contributes to the funds of the lodge by paying the customary dues ; in which case he would cease to be honorary , and become a literal subscribing member . "

We maintain that the electing a brother an honorary member of a lodge for " essential service to the lodge" is as much an acknowledgement of those services as would be a testimonial , a purseof money , or otherwise , and perhaps somewhat more complimentaiy ; but , indeed , it would be far from that if the brother were at once to be shorn

of all privileges , and informed , " Mind , you cannot visit us a second time without you go and join another lodge ; " and anything more supremely ridiculous could not be propounded , even by the Board of General Purposes , and will , as it deserves ^

be set at naught throughout the Craft . Indeed , in places where there is but one lodge , the members are , by this decision , prevented from paying a graceful compliment to an old and worthy member to whom , perhaps , the lodge owed its very

existence or preservation in the hour of difficulty , and who , when he is retiring from the world of life , would appreciate such a compliment higher than gold or diamonds , but who cannot accept it , as the officials of Great Queen-street hold that by

doing so he " seceded from the Craft "—a bit of special pleading worthy only of the Quirks or Shirks of society . Again , do we not know how many lodges—how many circles of lodges—are dependent on one or two energetic brethren for

their Masonic teaching ; and are subh lodges to be debarred from acknowledging their services in the only manner in which it would be accepted ? because , thereby , they would be virtually excluding