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Article TEACHING IN LODGES OF INSTRUCTION. ← Page 2 of 2 Article OUR TRESTLE BOARD Page 1 of 1 Article OUR TRESTLE BOARD Page 1 of 1
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Teaching In Lodges Of Instruction.
satisfactory progress . Meetings should be held weekly , and if it is thought necessary , intermitted during the hotter months of the year . In acquiring the ritual it is very necessary that the rehearsals should take place at frequent intervals . Otherwise much of the work lias t . ) l ) e gone through over and over again . But if only half-an-hour ' s work is done , and that rcpeated ' in a week ' s time ,
the impression has not had time to die out of the memory , and is week by week intensified until it is thoroughly worked into the mind . Four hours work done at intervals of a month will not have one quarter of the _ effect . After the vessel has come entirely to anchor , it loses an immense amount of time in getting under weigh . And in town lodges at least , it cannot be difficult to get earnest
mentogether once a week , if they are assured that they will not be detained long . Of course , in country lodges , the time occupied in journeying may prove an insuperable difficulty . And as a matter of principle , ritual rehearsals should be brief . Under no circumstances should more than one degree be gone through at a time . Long sittings not only exhaust the attention but confuse the ideas .
And one particular degree should be stuck to for weeks until all present have thoroughly learnt their parts in rotation . It is a great and fat il error to t ; tke the First Degree one meeting , the Second at the next , and si on . Lodges of Instruction are for masonic students , not for veteran Craftsmen , and the students should "peg away" at one thing until they know it . Continuity
of ideas is the great secret of success . Better to learn a little and forget nothing than to learn much and forget much . Tim ? is economised more perfectly under the former plan . And a further economy of time and labour may be effected by classifying the ritual work to t ^ ome extent . We mean that the part of AV . M . in the Lodge of Instruction should only be given to those to whom it is of some
utility , the Past or Present AA ardens of private lodges . To those who have not yet passed the AVarden ' s chair , the benefit desirable from rehearsing the Master ' s part is altogether in nubibus and in fact , a waste of energy . But , on the other hand , this part is infinitely more difficult to acquire than all the other work put together , and for that reason it is desirable that each Master in
prospective should have every possible opportunity of rehearsing it . But if you allow every member of the lodge to occupy in his turn the Master ' s place , you are diminishing the individual opportunities of improvement till they reach vanishing point . If you have , say 25 members in a Lodge of Instruction , of whom , say 4 , arc AVardens , and every member fills the AV . M . ' s place in rotation
it follows that , in the case of a lodge meeting monthly , none of those AVardens would have an opportunit y of going over the work more than once in a year ; hardly often enough to prove of much benefit , we trow . But if restricted to AVardens . each would get three _ rehearsals in a year . And if we Avant ' to arrive at the practical result of having men ready to enter the Master ' s chair
Avith a fair knowledge of its duties , Ave must not be afraid to push youthful enthusiasm a little on one side . At the same time it might be understood that AVardens should not take any other office m the Lodge of Instruction save that of AV . M . Th ' s would , so far as it goes , leave the Av . ay open for junior aspirants . AVe are sure that those of our experienced brethren who look carefully into our suggestions will approve them . Instruction work , other than ritual
rehearsal , wo do not deal with now . as we hold that it should , AVith the possible exception of the lectures , be done as part of private lodge routine . The lectures themselves are most beautiful , but they should certainly be given concurrently with a running commentary , which may be made most interesting , and will serve to elucidate many points otherwise incomprehensible or meaningless . In conclusion , we commend instruction work in general to our readers , feeling certain that no true Mason can ever neglect it .
Our Trestle Board
OUR TRESTLE BOARD
» - ^ in . wlMMg ' " For the Master to lay lines and draw designs upon . "
I \ o apology can be required from us for occupying a portion of our space with the views of others in their own words on subjects in Avhioh interest has been shown by direct enquiry from our readers but if such should be expected , Ave c ; n only say that we are very glad in this holiday season , when Masonic meetings are but few and matters of Masonic interest scarce , that we can select from our
"gleanings " remarks wh ' ch are pertinent to those enquiries and are worthy of general consideration . AVhat ' s ihat we hear , '' Paste aad scissors . '" AVell , whenever we can find the " great thoughts" ' of others better expressed and more interesting than our imperfect gossip , that exclamation won't prevent our use of both ! There are those who use and do not acknowledge ; but our readers shall know the sources from which we derive inspiration .
In our impression of the 4 th inst . we inserted a letter from " . Jurisprudence" headed " AVorking " in Lodges , enquiring as to the number of brethren required to bo present in the respective Lodges of the three degrees , and to which we made answer in a foot-note . Relating to this subject we quote from the Voire , of Masonry , that "The Grand Master ( of Minnesota ) remarks in
reporting some irregularity in a lodge , that it requires seven Master Masons to open the lodge . AVe take note of it because it is another or those inconsistencies which continually rise before one as he investigates the " mysteries of our Institution . " In every opening * nd closing we hear that three constitute a lodge of Master Masons " . Why impose upon us a phrase Avholly disregarded in fact . ' If it requires seven to open a lodge of Master Masons , then it cannot be
Our Trestle Board
composed of three only . It is as easy to say seven as three and it conforms to the fact . " AVe agree with our contemporary as to the inconsistency in this particular instance . AVhat is meant by the statement in our lectures that a lodge of Master Masons " consists of three . " and a lodge of Fellow Crafts " of five . " if it be the fact that a larger immli . r must lie present in each case for " working " pui'iios . s . ' AVhat individual can decide this question for us . once and for all . '
In reference to the same question we find in our same contemporary the following in the report on Kentucky proceedings : — " AVe have never regarded the Masonic ritual as the law of Masonry , but we have supposed it to be founded upon that law . and justly to bo taken as evidence of Avhat the law is : and hence that three Master Masons , one being Master or AVarden , compose a lawful
Master ' s Lodge . The reason Avhy the constitutions require seven to petition for a new lodge is because a lodge as a constituted body must be able to work in all the degrees . By the ritual , an Entered Apprentice Ledge requires ssven , therefore a charter or dispensation cannot issue to less than that number , but it by no moans follows that when working in the different branches , a
lodge is not for all purposes duly and legally opened with the number required by the ritual . AVe do not forget that originally all business was transacted in the Entered Apprentice Lodge : and that may be a very good reason why on conferring the business powers exclusively on the Master ' s Lodge the law should be so made
as to require the presence of seven in order to transact bmsness . But if the constitution is so framed as merely to confer the business power upon the Master ' s Lodge with no provision as to the number required , it is clear to our minds that it can only lie taken to be the Master ' s Lodge as known to the law before the change was made—that is to say , the Master ' s Lodge of the ritual . "
The Toronto Freemason of February refers to our Correspondent's enquiry in our Number 24 ( January ' 51 st ) "AVhy was the -17 th Problem of the First Book of Euclid selected for the P . M . ' s Jewel '! and when ] and who by ) " and translates our footnote , "Information from Brethren- solicit ed . '' into " The Editor gives it up . " To be candid , we do : for amidst all our researches we have not yet
discovered to -whom the selection of tliat beautiful problem , as a distinctive jewel in Freemasonry , is to be attributed , nor the date of its acceptance as such . But one reply to " T . B . ' s" enquiry was received by us , and that from Bro . C . Longman , P . P . G . A . D . C , Xorth AVales ( see Xo . 25 ) . This was of interest so far as it related to the jiroposition itself , but did not answer either of the questions propounded as aboA e .
Mackey tells us that " The jewel of a Past Master in the United States is a pair of compasses , extende I t > sixty degrees on the fourth part of a circle , with a sun in the centre . In England it -was formerly the square on a quadrant , but is at present the square with the forty-seventh problem of Euclid engraved on a silver
juate suspended withm it . It any or our readers can inform us when the " square on a quadrant" was set aside for the form of P . M . Jewel now in use we should be assisted in our desire to ascertain what correct answers should lie given to our Correspondent , ' T . B ., " and others interested . Perhaps the Editor of the Toronto Freemason knows . If so let him shine forth and illuminate .
The World says : '' The death of Canon Portal will be deeply lamented in Hampshire , and his loss will be deplored by the whole bod } ' of English Freemasons . In the old days , when Lords Leigh and Carnarvon were shocking the orthodox ,- of Lord Zitland by raising the standard of the Mark ( fraud Lodge , the popular Rector of Burghclere was their right-hand man , and ho lived long enough
not only to become Grand Master himself of that boity , but to see the Prince of Wales numbered amongst his successors . A few days ago ho came to London , apparently in the best possible health , to move the transfer of Mark Grand Lodge to Bacon ' s Hotel . " * # * * *
AVe trust that the motion of Bro . A . F . Godson , M . P .. P . G . D ., and Patron of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys , for the election of three additional boys to the number already announced for election , will be adopted at the Quarterly Court , to be held tomorrow , the 2 (> th inst ., at Freemason ' s Tavern . J *¦ -. will greatly help the last application cases .
Bro . AVm . Morley will propose at the Quarterly Court of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , on Saturday next , " That from the General Commit'ee , Five or Seven Life \ Governors , being Freemasons , shall be elected annue . lly to act as a Petitions Committee . They shall be nominated and elected in like , manner , and at the . " . ante meeting as the House Committee . Three shall
form a q-torum . They shall meet from t me fcj time as circumstances may require , and receive and examine Petitions of Candidates for a amission , and investigate and make such enquiries relating to the circumstances stated in the Petition , or of the relations of the Petitioner , and may require such confirmation thereof as they may deem advisable , and they shall ( report the
result of such examination or investigation to the General Committee , but they shall not have power t J reject any Petition . " AVe cannot sac any objection to this proposal if brethren can lie found willing to devote sufficient time and attention to the investigations suggested . AVe have known in our time many abuses in
connection with candidature for the privileges ot our Masonic Schools ; and the proteges of those who could attend ojr elections clothed in silks and satins elected , whilst the poor widow in homespun has s . it by with her child whose need Avas far greater than that of the favoured candidate , unfriended and unnoticed . A report from a "Petitions Committee" would ensure that every application to the
accepted Jiy-tfws ^ isncL'al Committee was submitted ballot on its owi ^ 1 iwi ^& S ( k ^ iot on those of partial friends . fa / GRANDY % ' ' , nt '' m' < l "nJ )"' je 1 Si - r ( LODGE )] : V \ LIBRARY A / ^ T^ y
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Teaching In Lodges Of Instruction.
satisfactory progress . Meetings should be held weekly , and if it is thought necessary , intermitted during the hotter months of the year . In acquiring the ritual it is very necessary that the rehearsals should take place at frequent intervals . Otherwise much of the work lias t . ) l ) e gone through over and over again . But if only half-an-hour ' s work is done , and that rcpeated ' in a week ' s time ,
the impression has not had time to die out of the memory , and is week by week intensified until it is thoroughly worked into the mind . Four hours work done at intervals of a month will not have one quarter of the _ effect . After the vessel has come entirely to anchor , it loses an immense amount of time in getting under weigh . And in town lodges at least , it cannot be difficult to get earnest
mentogether once a week , if they are assured that they will not be detained long . Of course , in country lodges , the time occupied in journeying may prove an insuperable difficulty . And as a matter of principle , ritual rehearsals should be brief . Under no circumstances should more than one degree be gone through at a time . Long sittings not only exhaust the attention but confuse the ideas .
And one particular degree should be stuck to for weeks until all present have thoroughly learnt their parts in rotation . It is a great and fat il error to t ; tke the First Degree one meeting , the Second at the next , and si on . Lodges of Instruction are for masonic students , not for veteran Craftsmen , and the students should "peg away" at one thing until they know it . Continuity
of ideas is the great secret of success . Better to learn a little and forget nothing than to learn much and forget much . Tim ? is economised more perfectly under the former plan . And a further economy of time and labour may be effected by classifying the ritual work to t ^ ome extent . We mean that the part of AV . M . in the Lodge of Instruction should only be given to those to whom it is of some
utility , the Past or Present AA ardens of private lodges . To those who have not yet passed the AVarden ' s chair , the benefit desirable from rehearsing the Master ' s part is altogether in nubibus and in fact , a waste of energy . But , on the other hand , this part is infinitely more difficult to acquire than all the other work put together , and for that reason it is desirable that each Master in
prospective should have every possible opportunity of rehearsing it . But if you allow every member of the lodge to occupy in his turn the Master ' s place , you are diminishing the individual opportunities of improvement till they reach vanishing point . If you have , say 25 members in a Lodge of Instruction , of whom , say 4 , arc AVardens , and every member fills the AV . M . ' s place in rotation
it follows that , in the case of a lodge meeting monthly , none of those AVardens would have an opportunit y of going over the work more than once in a year ; hardly often enough to prove of much benefit , we trow . But if restricted to AVardens . each would get three _ rehearsals in a year . And if we Avant ' to arrive at the practical result of having men ready to enter the Master ' s chair
Avith a fair knowledge of its duties , Ave must not be afraid to push youthful enthusiasm a little on one side . At the same time it might be understood that AVardens should not take any other office m the Lodge of Instruction save that of AV . M . Th ' s would , so far as it goes , leave the Av . ay open for junior aspirants . AVe are sure that those of our experienced brethren who look carefully into our suggestions will approve them . Instruction work , other than ritual
rehearsal , wo do not deal with now . as we hold that it should , AVith the possible exception of the lectures , be done as part of private lodge routine . The lectures themselves are most beautiful , but they should certainly be given concurrently with a running commentary , which may be made most interesting , and will serve to elucidate many points otherwise incomprehensible or meaningless . In conclusion , we commend instruction work in general to our readers , feeling certain that no true Mason can ever neglect it .
Our Trestle Board
OUR TRESTLE BOARD
» - ^ in . wlMMg ' " For the Master to lay lines and draw designs upon . "
I \ o apology can be required from us for occupying a portion of our space with the views of others in their own words on subjects in Avhioh interest has been shown by direct enquiry from our readers but if such should be expected , Ave c ; n only say that we are very glad in this holiday season , when Masonic meetings are but few and matters of Masonic interest scarce , that we can select from our
"gleanings " remarks wh ' ch are pertinent to those enquiries and are worthy of general consideration . AVhat ' s ihat we hear , '' Paste aad scissors . '" AVell , whenever we can find the " great thoughts" ' of others better expressed and more interesting than our imperfect gossip , that exclamation won't prevent our use of both ! There are those who use and do not acknowledge ; but our readers shall know the sources from which we derive inspiration .
In our impression of the 4 th inst . we inserted a letter from " . Jurisprudence" headed " AVorking " in Lodges , enquiring as to the number of brethren required to bo present in the respective Lodges of the three degrees , and to which we made answer in a foot-note . Relating to this subject we quote from the Voire , of Masonry , that "The Grand Master ( of Minnesota ) remarks in
reporting some irregularity in a lodge , that it requires seven Master Masons to open the lodge . AVe take note of it because it is another or those inconsistencies which continually rise before one as he investigates the " mysteries of our Institution . " In every opening * nd closing we hear that three constitute a lodge of Master Masons " . Why impose upon us a phrase Avholly disregarded in fact . ' If it requires seven to open a lodge of Master Masons , then it cannot be
Our Trestle Board
composed of three only . It is as easy to say seven as three and it conforms to the fact . " AVe agree with our contemporary as to the inconsistency in this particular instance . AVhat is meant by the statement in our lectures that a lodge of Master Masons " consists of three . " and a lodge of Fellow Crafts " of five . " if it be the fact that a larger immli . r must lie present in each case for " working " pui'iios . s . ' AVhat individual can decide this question for us . once and for all . '
In reference to the same question we find in our same contemporary the following in the report on Kentucky proceedings : — " AVe have never regarded the Masonic ritual as the law of Masonry , but we have supposed it to be founded upon that law . and justly to bo taken as evidence of Avhat the law is : and hence that three Master Masons , one being Master or AVarden , compose a lawful
Master ' s Lodge . The reason Avhy the constitutions require seven to petition for a new lodge is because a lodge as a constituted body must be able to work in all the degrees . By the ritual , an Entered Apprentice Ledge requires ssven , therefore a charter or dispensation cannot issue to less than that number , but it by no moans follows that when working in the different branches , a
lodge is not for all purposes duly and legally opened with the number required by the ritual . AVe do not forget that originally all business was transacted in the Entered Apprentice Lodge : and that may be a very good reason why on conferring the business powers exclusively on the Master ' s Lodge the law should be so made
as to require the presence of seven in order to transact bmsness . But if the constitution is so framed as merely to confer the business power upon the Master ' s Lodge with no provision as to the number required , it is clear to our minds that it can only lie taken to be the Master ' s Lodge as known to the law before the change was made—that is to say , the Master ' s Lodge of the ritual . "
The Toronto Freemason of February refers to our Correspondent's enquiry in our Number 24 ( January ' 51 st ) "AVhy was the -17 th Problem of the First Book of Euclid selected for the P . M . ' s Jewel '! and when ] and who by ) " and translates our footnote , "Information from Brethren- solicit ed . '' into " The Editor gives it up . " To be candid , we do : for amidst all our researches we have not yet
discovered to -whom the selection of tliat beautiful problem , as a distinctive jewel in Freemasonry , is to be attributed , nor the date of its acceptance as such . But one reply to " T . B . ' s" enquiry was received by us , and that from Bro . C . Longman , P . P . G . A . D . C , Xorth AVales ( see Xo . 25 ) . This was of interest so far as it related to the jiroposition itself , but did not answer either of the questions propounded as aboA e .
Mackey tells us that " The jewel of a Past Master in the United States is a pair of compasses , extende I t > sixty degrees on the fourth part of a circle , with a sun in the centre . In England it -was formerly the square on a quadrant , but is at present the square with the forty-seventh problem of Euclid engraved on a silver
juate suspended withm it . It any or our readers can inform us when the " square on a quadrant" was set aside for the form of P . M . Jewel now in use we should be assisted in our desire to ascertain what correct answers should lie given to our Correspondent , ' T . B ., " and others interested . Perhaps the Editor of the Toronto Freemason knows . If so let him shine forth and illuminate .
The World says : '' The death of Canon Portal will be deeply lamented in Hampshire , and his loss will be deplored by the whole bod } ' of English Freemasons . In the old days , when Lords Leigh and Carnarvon were shocking the orthodox ,- of Lord Zitland by raising the standard of the Mark ( fraud Lodge , the popular Rector of Burghclere was their right-hand man , and ho lived long enough
not only to become Grand Master himself of that boity , but to see the Prince of Wales numbered amongst his successors . A few days ago ho came to London , apparently in the best possible health , to move the transfer of Mark Grand Lodge to Bacon ' s Hotel . " * # * * *
AVe trust that the motion of Bro . A . F . Godson , M . P .. P . G . D ., and Patron of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys , for the election of three additional boys to the number already announced for election , will be adopted at the Quarterly Court , to be held tomorrow , the 2 (> th inst ., at Freemason ' s Tavern . J *¦ -. will greatly help the last application cases .
Bro . AVm . Morley will propose at the Quarterly Court of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , on Saturday next , " That from the General Commit'ee , Five or Seven Life \ Governors , being Freemasons , shall be elected annue . lly to act as a Petitions Committee . They shall be nominated and elected in like , manner , and at the . " . ante meeting as the House Committee . Three shall
form a q-torum . They shall meet from t me fcj time as circumstances may require , and receive and examine Petitions of Candidates for a amission , and investigate and make such enquiries relating to the circumstances stated in the Petition , or of the relations of the Petitioner , and may require such confirmation thereof as they may deem advisable , and they shall ( report the
result of such examination or investigation to the General Committee , but they shall not have power t J reject any Petition . " AVe cannot sac any objection to this proposal if brethren can lie found willing to devote sufficient time and attention to the investigations suggested . AVe have known in our time many abuses in
connection with candidature for the privileges ot our Masonic Schools ; and the proteges of those who could attend ojr elections clothed in silks and satins elected , whilst the poor widow in homespun has s . it by with her child whose need Avas far greater than that of the favoured candidate , unfriended and unnoticed . A report from a "Petitions Committee" would ensure that every application to the
accepted Jiy-tfws ^ isncL'al Committee was submitted ballot on its owi ^ 1 iwi ^& S ( k ^ iot on those of partial friends . fa / GRANDY % ' ' , nt '' m' < l "nJ )"' je 1 Si - r ( LODGE )] : V \ LIBRARY A / ^ T^ y