The Fund Of Benevolence.

have much to answer for as affects proceedings in Grand Lodge of late years . To " speak out" there has for long been most unpalatable to " powers that be . " At the ensuing Communication , June 7 th 1882 , Bro . Clabon followed up his former remarks by proposing : —

That , for the purpose of maintaining and extending the Fund of Tioncvolcncc , all tho members of the lodges in the London district ( except military lodges ) , shall pay quarterly one shilling and sixpence each to the Fund , instead of one shilling as fixed by the Grand Lodge held on the 2 nd March , 181-1 . And that all members of lodges not within the London district ( except military , colonial , and foreign lodges ') , shall pay quarterly ninepence each to tho Fund , instead of sixpence , as fixed bv the said Grand Lodge .

That no sale ho made of all or any part of the Capital Funds of Benevolence without the express order of a Grand Lodge , confirmed by a subsequent Grand Lodge . In support of his motion , Bro . CLABON said that the increase of expense to the members of the Craft would be so small that it would not be felt , as it did not amount to a halfpenny a-week for

each member . On the other hand , it would add materially to the spending power of the Lodge of Benevolence , as it would add some £ 4 . 000 to their annual income . He ' wished to make it difficult to sell out any of the accumulated funds , as they had baen doing of late . During the ten years that he was President of the Lodge of Benevolence , there had been one or two occasions upon which he

had ventured to differ from the lodge , but his difference had been not that the grant to a poor Mason had been too large , but that it was more than the funds of the lodge could afford . Without troubling Grand Lodge too much , he would remind them that the quarterage of one shilling and sixpence was fixed at the time of the Union in 1814 . and Grand Lodge then thought right to exclude

colonial lodges , so that they pay nothing . If they were required to pay , this would happen : that as the Lodge of Benevolence required two years' payments to have been made to the fund before granting relief , it would , in regard to colonial cases , depend very much upon the regularity of their returns whether evidence as to two years ' payments could be obtained . As regards the state of the fund , he

would say that in 1873 it amounted to £ 25 , 000 . In 1874 the receipts were £ 5 , 449 , and the expenditure £ 4 , 133 . In 1875 , receipts £ 5 . 953 , expenditure £ 4 , 030 . In 1876 , receipts £ 0 , 490 , expenditure £ 5 , 203 . In 1877 , receipts £ 5 , 725 , expenditure £ 5 , 849 . In 1878 , receipts £ 7 , 913 , expenditure £ 4 , 934 . In 1879 , receipts £ 8 , 117 , expenditure £ 7 , 000 . So that up to that time the receipts had

annually exceeded tho payments , and the savings had raised the fund £ 25 . 000 to £ 45 . 000 . In 1880 a change occurs : receipts £ 8 , 470 , expenditure £ 9 , 307 ; and in 1881 , receipts £ 8 , 161 , expenditure £ 9 , 915 . This was a state of things that he hoped Grand Lodge would agree with him in saying ought not to go on ; by spending their capital thev were parting with their provision for old age .

What must be the ultimate consequence if that £ 45 , 000 disappears ? Why , the expenditure must come down , to the great distress of many people . As regards the complaints that the money was distributed improperly , he did not remember any one grant that was given improperly ; he believed very much more good was done by the large grants . If £ 50 was given it went to pay a fow debts ,

and there was no permanent benefit , but if you gave £ 100 or £ 150 , it might be of vast service to the recipient , and set him up again . If the Lodge of Benevolence was now exceeding its income by £ 2 , 000 a year , and Grand Lodge agreed to this increase in the quarterages , the resulting income would cover this excess , and leave a surplus of about £ 2 , 000 . He proposed that the increase

should commence on the 1 st January , 1883 . The motion was seconded by Bro . BRITTEN . Bro . TOMBS opposed the motion altogether . The present quarterages were the result of the arrangements made on behalf of the various lodges . The change would upset a va « t number of calculations ; and it struck him , as Bro . Clabon had admitted , that

they had been too liberal with their money , really and truly . Bro . CLABON : I said nothing of the kind . Bro . TOMBS said his note of Bro . Clabon ' s speech was that they had been granting too much money . He would venture to say that the Board of Benevolence had been too liberal as Trustees . Bro . MONTAGUE GUEST said he thought that before this motion

was carried the provinces should be consulted . In his province it would make a difference of £ 30 a year . lie felt that there had been a certain amount of extravagance . He would not say that the larger grants were not beneficial , butstill the figures just given to them showed an increase of about £ 2 , 000 a year ; and he thought that before they rushed into the gap to make up the deficiency that had

occurred , by adding something- to the contribution of every brother , that the opinion of the provinces ought to be obtained , and that the matter should be postponed in the meantime . Bro . the Rev . J . S . B ROWNRIGG said that he felt strongly against this motion . In his own province they had _ voluntary quarterage of 2 s . a year , which made their full quarterage equal to that of

London brethren . He felt sure that if they raised the quarterage 50 per cent , the local Charities would suffer . On a former occasion they were told that the funds of the Lodge of Benevolence were increasing to such an extent that powers were sought to enable the Board to devote them to some other purpose . He thought that the temporary wave of depression had perhaps produced the extra

distress which had caused this excess of expenditure , and if that were the case they might hope that it would not continue . Bro . J . STEVENS would be disposed to support Bro . Clabon ' s motion if it went further than it did . He thought that every man who was made a mason , whether in the provinces or the metropolis

should pay the same , and he should be prepared , if necessary , to propose an amendment to carry that out . After some further discussion , Bro . CLABON said that he wished to say but very few words in reply , and to ¦ remind Grand Lodge that the Lodge of Benevolence was representative . As far as his recollection went , a fair proportion of the grants made by that

The Fund Of Benevolence.

Lodge were granted as petitions from the country , and what came from the country as freely went back to the country . The M . W . GRAND MASTER then read the resolution , and stated that that was the question on which the brethren had to vote : there was no direct negative proposed to that , but it was proposed

as an amendment that further consideration should be postponed to ascertain the opinion of the provincial brethren , and that no increase should be made at present . That amendment was by Bro . Penrice . There was a second amendment proposed by Bro . Stevens , that if any alteration be made , the sum shall be one shilling a

quarter , whether m the provincial or London district . That second amendment was a provisional one , which made it difficult to deal with . He could not help thinking that the amendment of Bro . Penrice very generally expressed the opinion of Grand Lodge , that

we were not ripe yet upon the subject . Bro . PEXRICE ' amendment , upon being put to the vote , was carried . The original motion was afterwards put and lost . Bro . CLABON gave notice that he should bring the matter forward again in December .

We shall comment on this discussion in our next , and continue the account of the further proceedings on the 6 th December . 1882 .

The Ritual.

THE RITUAL .

CONTINUATION OP CHAP . V . OF Buo . H . J . WHYMPER ' " RELIGION OF FREEMASONRY . "—( See page 330 ) . || p GAIN , in speaking of the columns at the entrance of a Pflf ! -kodge , i tne promise that the house of David should be tai established for ever , Hutchinson said , " In commemoration ftgj--. of this great promise to the faithful , we ornament the

entrance into our Lodges with these emblematical pillars ; from our knowledge of tho completion of that sacred sentence accomplished in the coming of our Redeemer . " * Referring to the Master Masons' Degree and Ritual , Hutchinson said " The great Father of all , commiserating the miseries of the world , sent his only Son , who was innocence itself , to teach the

doctrine of salvation , "f He goes on to say that " the devotees of the Jewish altar had hid religion from those who sought her , " ]; and that ' Our Order is a positive contradistinction to the Judaic blindness and infidelity , and testifies our faith concerning the resurrection of the body . " § Many more opinions could be given to the same purport from this old writer , who completely recognised the Ritual as a Christian one .

It is needless to state the obvious fact , already alluded to , that many writers have regarded H . A . as the type of Christ , but one Christian allusion still remains in our Ritual , closely connected with the Hiramic ceremony—we refer to the bright Star whose rising brings pi -ace and salvation to the faithful and obedient of the Human Race .

It would be most interesting to hear our Preceptors and Universalists attempt to expound this in any other than a purely Christian light . AVo commend the allusion to Ritual mongers and manglers as one urgently calling—from their point of view—for prompt excision . Perhaps nothing more clearly shows the religious tenets of the

Fraternity than the Prayers formerly and still in use . As regards the earlier prayers , for such are in effect the invocations at the head of every one of the " old Charges" or MS . Constitutions , nothing can be plainer ; they are Christian and Trinitarian . So many examples have been adduced in Chapter II . that we refrain from here quoting even one of them .

The authorised prayers of to-day in the various Degrees of the Craft are de-Christianised , for proof is extant that they were formerly Christian . But the mere fact of engaging in prayer at all proves at least the Craft is not , as maintained by some , a body totally unconnected with religion . Why , for instance , invoke " the continual dew of Thy blessing " " upon this convocation assembled

in Thy Holy Same , " unless the subsequent proceedings be of a religious import . To deny the religious nature of the consequent ceremony is to confess that God ' s Holy Name has been invoked for a trivial and worldly purpose , i . e ., " in vain ; " a crime in the eye of Jew , Gentile , and Christian alike . In another prayer do we not thus address the Almighty ? "Vouchsafe thine aid , Almighty Father of the Universe , to this our present convention . " If our

purpose be not connected with religion , what right have we to appeal for divine aid in our undertakings . That the " Ancients " retained the Christian character of their prayers is certain . The following is from the Ahiman Rezon , editions 1750 to 1801 . || It is also to be found in many masonic works of the last century , including the "Freemasons' Pocket Companion , " Edinburgh , 1764 : —

PRAYER to be said at the opening of a Lodge , or making of a Brother . Most Holy and Glorious LOKD GOD , thou Great Architect of Heaven and Earth , who art the Giver of all good jfift . and graces ; and hast promised that when two or three are gathered together In thy Name , thou wilt be in the Midst of them ; in thy Name we assemble and meet together , most humbly beseeching thee to bless ns in all our Undertakings , to give \ is thy Holy Spirit , to enlighten our Minds with Wisdom and Understanding , that we may know , and serve thee

aright , that all our Doings maj tend to thy Glory , and the Salvation of our Souls . And we beseech thee , O LOUD GOD , to bless this our present \ ,., . Undertaking , and grant that this , ot'it NEW BKOTJIBU , may .,,,,, „ , , , dedicate his Life to thy Service , and be a true and faithful I ue ' wllc " BROTHER AMONri _ H ; endue him with Divine Wisdom , that lie f -J ! ., may . with the Secrets of M ASONRY , be able to unfold the Hysterias „„ ii of Godliness and Christianity . ; maue . This we humbly beg in the Name and for tho sake of Jusus Cuiiisx our LORD and SAVIOUR . AMKN .