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Article AN OLD SOCIETY. ← Page 2 of 3 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
An Old Society.
" In October , 1792 , the French National Convention decreed that the crown , sceptre , mace and seals should be broken ajad carried to the Mint ; and I find that towards the close of the year ( viz . on the 20 th November ) an association was formed in London by several gentlemen in support of the Constitution , against Republicans and Levellers
John Reeves , Esq ., was appointed chairman . On the 5 th Dec , in the same year , at a numerous meeting of merchants , bankers and traders of the City of London ( 3000 persons being present ) , at Merchant Taylors Hall , resolutions were entered into expressive of their firm attachment to the Constitution of the country , and their
determination to support the same ; upwards of 8000 of the most respectable inhabitants of the city subscribing to this declaration . " Besides the formation of the loyal and patriotic clubs I have
named , almost all the counties , cities , and towns in Great Britain presented addresses to His Majesty ( George the Third ) , returning thanks for the royal proclamation against seditious writings , and expressing their loyalty to the King and their determination to support the Constitution as by law established .
" On referring to Preston , I find that it was at this eventful period that the Prince of Wales ( afterwards George IV . ) was elected Grand Master of Masons . Although elected in November , 1790 , His Royal Highness was not installed until 2 nd May , 1792 . During that interval there is no doubt that the Masons would , in various ways , demonstrate
their affection for their Grand Master , their loyalty to their Sovereign , and their determination to maintain and uphold law and religion . In short , as Preston says , ' to show their attachment to the King and Constitution , which the laws of the Order enjoined . '
" Taking all these circumstances into account , we may , I think , fairly conjecture that a number of good brothers and true patriots finding that they could not carry their religion and politics into their respective lodges , determined to form a society or club , the rules of which ( in these respects ) were not so circumscribed as those by which the
Masonic Order was governed ; and we can easily imagine them and their friends ( not necessarily all Masons ) forming a society in antagonism to these democratic associations I have named , and giving it the appropriate title of 'The Improved Order of Old Friends . ' We may imagine how full of loyal and constitutional
feeling their speeches and doings would be in those troublous times . " The jewel of the Chairman or President is , by its symbolical character , evidently intended to represent the tenets and principles of the Order , which I have no doubt was instituted for the purpose of counteracting the infidelity , disloyalty , and lawlessness of that particular period . The All-seeing-eye , the cross , the crown , and the
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
An Old Society.
" In October , 1792 , the French National Convention decreed that the crown , sceptre , mace and seals should be broken ajad carried to the Mint ; and I find that towards the close of the year ( viz . on the 20 th November ) an association was formed in London by several gentlemen in support of the Constitution , against Republicans and Levellers
John Reeves , Esq ., was appointed chairman . On the 5 th Dec , in the same year , at a numerous meeting of merchants , bankers and traders of the City of London ( 3000 persons being present ) , at Merchant Taylors Hall , resolutions were entered into expressive of their firm attachment to the Constitution of the country , and their
determination to support the same ; upwards of 8000 of the most respectable inhabitants of the city subscribing to this declaration . " Besides the formation of the loyal and patriotic clubs I have
named , almost all the counties , cities , and towns in Great Britain presented addresses to His Majesty ( George the Third ) , returning thanks for the royal proclamation against seditious writings , and expressing their loyalty to the King and their determination to support the Constitution as by law established .
" On referring to Preston , I find that it was at this eventful period that the Prince of Wales ( afterwards George IV . ) was elected Grand Master of Masons . Although elected in November , 1790 , His Royal Highness was not installed until 2 nd May , 1792 . During that interval there is no doubt that the Masons would , in various ways , demonstrate
their affection for their Grand Master , their loyalty to their Sovereign , and their determination to maintain and uphold law and religion . In short , as Preston says , ' to show their attachment to the King and Constitution , which the laws of the Order enjoined . '
" Taking all these circumstances into account , we may , I think , fairly conjecture that a number of good brothers and true patriots finding that they could not carry their religion and politics into their respective lodges , determined to form a society or club , the rules of which ( in these respects ) were not so circumscribed as those by which the
Masonic Order was governed ; and we can easily imagine them and their friends ( not necessarily all Masons ) forming a society in antagonism to these democratic associations I have named , and giving it the appropriate title of 'The Improved Order of Old Friends . ' We may imagine how full of loyal and constitutional
feeling their speeches and doings would be in those troublous times . " The jewel of the Chairman or President is , by its symbolical character , evidently intended to represent the tenets and principles of the Order , which I have no doubt was instituted for the purpose of counteracting the infidelity , disloyalty , and lawlessness of that particular period . The All-seeing-eye , the cross , the crown , and the