Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Pre-Requisites For Masonic Initiation.—No. I.
[& . ] The age must be twenty-one years , unless by dispensation . The fewer the initiations of minors the better , as after all the "legal age " is a good one to follow . In Scotland , the minimum age is eightteen , which is surely too young , as in many parts the great majority at eighteen can scarcely be declared " free , and their own masters ; " and
there are many reasons in favour of the Masonic " majority " being twenty-one at least . [ c ] It ought to be self-evident to all concerned that those who wish to be Free-Masons should be in " reputable circumstances , " and whether it is or not , the Grand Lodge of England declares that
condition must be observed . The difficulty is in the interpretation of the term . What does it mean ? Some say that ordinary " able seamen , " policemen , railway porters , and others such , are eligible . Exception is taken by many as to such a view , and wisely so . Men in receipt of a pound to thirty shillings a week usually , and married , with ffynilies [ be they large or small , some five , some ten , some fifteen , & c ] , cannot afford the luxury of Freemasonry , for it is a luxury , and only to be
enjoyed by those who are in comparatively easy circumstances . No one on the verge of bankruptcy , or who considers such an institution as capable of propping up a falling business , should be proposed in any of our Lodges . We have known candidates to have had their business cards printed frior to their initiation , so as to " be ready for immediate
use , " with that abomination of modern abuse , the emblems of the " Square and Compasses , " & c , & c , & c , ad libitum , and ad nauseam , scattered over the surface ; thus serving a two-fold object , viz ., to exhibit the unworthy motives of the individual and the supposed credulous character of many of the Fraternity !
The proper place for all the worthy class known as the " working men " is in Odd Fellows " Lodges , " Foresters' " Courts , " Rechabite " Tents , " and other excellent Benefit Societies , wherein provision is made for weekly sums in the event of sickness , or the death of the wives or husbands . It is not simply a question of the honesty and
respectability of candidates , but are they in reputable circumstances according to the fair and ordinary meaning to be attached to such a description .
{ d . j There are the several conditions attached to the declaration , which is also one of the " must be " class , and requires to be signed with the full Christian and surnames of candidates . The form includes the foregoing mainly , and , in fact , emphasises them . "Would-be Freemasons " must be unbiassed by the " improper solicitations of
friends . " There again comes the question of definition , what is improper solicitation ? We have often wondered how it was in some Lodges that one Brother proposes so many candidates at each
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Pre-Requisites For Masonic Initiation.—No. I.
[& . ] The age must be twenty-one years , unless by dispensation . The fewer the initiations of minors the better , as after all the "legal age " is a good one to follow . In Scotland , the minimum age is eightteen , which is surely too young , as in many parts the great majority at eighteen can scarcely be declared " free , and their own masters ; " and
there are many reasons in favour of the Masonic " majority " being twenty-one at least . [ c ] It ought to be self-evident to all concerned that those who wish to be Free-Masons should be in " reputable circumstances , " and whether it is or not , the Grand Lodge of England declares that
condition must be observed . The difficulty is in the interpretation of the term . What does it mean ? Some say that ordinary " able seamen , " policemen , railway porters , and others such , are eligible . Exception is taken by many as to such a view , and wisely so . Men in receipt of a pound to thirty shillings a week usually , and married , with ffynilies [ be they large or small , some five , some ten , some fifteen , & c ] , cannot afford the luxury of Freemasonry , for it is a luxury , and only to be
enjoyed by those who are in comparatively easy circumstances . No one on the verge of bankruptcy , or who considers such an institution as capable of propping up a falling business , should be proposed in any of our Lodges . We have known candidates to have had their business cards printed frior to their initiation , so as to " be ready for immediate
use , " with that abomination of modern abuse , the emblems of the " Square and Compasses , " & c , & c , & c , ad libitum , and ad nauseam , scattered over the surface ; thus serving a two-fold object , viz ., to exhibit the unworthy motives of the individual and the supposed credulous character of many of the Fraternity !
The proper place for all the worthy class known as the " working men " is in Odd Fellows " Lodges , " Foresters' " Courts , " Rechabite " Tents , " and other excellent Benefit Societies , wherein provision is made for weekly sums in the event of sickness , or the death of the wives or husbands . It is not simply a question of the honesty and
respectability of candidates , but are they in reputable circumstances according to the fair and ordinary meaning to be attached to such a description .
{ d . j There are the several conditions attached to the declaration , which is also one of the " must be " class , and requires to be signed with the full Christian and surnames of candidates . The form includes the foregoing mainly , and , in fact , emphasises them . "Would-be Freemasons " must be unbiassed by the " improper solicitations of
friends . " There again comes the question of definition , what is improper solicitation ? We have often wondered how it was in some Lodges that one Brother proposes so many candidates at each