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Article THE LODGE OF BENEVOLENCE. Page 1 of 1 Article LODGE "VICTORIA IN BURMAH." Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Lodge Of Benevolence.
THE LODGE OF BENEVOLENCE .
RIGHTS OP PROVINCIAL BRETHREN . AT the meeting of Grand Lodge to bo held on Wednesday next , tho recommendation submitted by the Board of General Purposes , for the recasting of the constitution of the Lodgo of Benevolence , will come on for discussion . It is proposed to limit the number of members
to forty-five , with the addition of a President , and the principal Grand Officers . Out of tho forty-five , thirty are to be elective . There is an amendment on tho notice naner . nronosed bv
1 . 1 > X ^ . / the Rev . William Tebbs , which we believe aims at equalisation of the suffrage in respect of the elective members , but which do 3 S nofc otherwise affect the principle of tho alterations proposed by the Board of General Purposes . Clause
C of this amendment runs as follows : — " As many representatives ( W . M . or P . M . ) cf London Lodges , to be elected by the W . M . ' s of such Lodges , as shall bo in twice the proportion of the number of London Lodges to the number of Provincial Lodges . "
We confess our inabilit y to fathom tho exact meaning or limitation of this clause ; and do not , we apprehend , stand alone in our want of acumen . However it be explained , we cannot bufc regard the amendment of Bro . Tebbs as complicated in theory , and cumbersome in
practice , if it even be practicable . Except in Grand Lodge , ifc is nofc easy to get all W . M . ' s of London Lodges together , and even there , many must be unavoidably absent on all occasions : a fact which is fatal to equalisation of the
suffrage in this case . For this ancl other reasons we do not expect that this amendment will meet the views of any party in Grand Lodge . The real question afc issue now is , not the way in which the Lodgo of Benevolence shall be recast , but whether it be desirable to reconstitute it afc all .
Another amendment stands upon the paper , emanating from Bro . Robert P . Gould , P . M . of No . 92 , which has the merit of being perfectly intelligible , ancl provided the rcconstitution of the Lodge of Benevolence take effect , is , from our point of view , highly desirable . Ifc aims simply at
protecting the rights of Provincial brethren , by providing that one-half of the number of elective members shall be actual or Past Masters of Country Lodges , in case the requisite number of qualified Irctlircu shall he put in nomination .
We flatter ourselves that the English spirit of fair play is ever dominant amongst us , ancl that no one can desire to deprive our country brethren of a just share in the control of the Locige of Benevolence , proportioned to that of Londoners . To this end , the amendment of Bro . Gould
is happily calculated , and we doubt nofc that numerous influential brethren from tho Provinces will be found in their place to support the insertion of a proviso which , in our opinion , would find its proper place annexed to the original motion .
As to the principle of the original motion itself , opinion may be divided ; subordinate Past Grand Officers and others who will lose their former ex officio privilege of sitting at the Lodge of Benevolence , may feel disposed to resist the innovation . However tlie matter be settled , ifc will be
well to bear in mind that the amendments must be put first to the meeting ; that should the original motion afterwards be carried , ifc is desirable thafc the amendment
protecting the rights of country brethren should be previously tacked on to it ; and thai brethren who vote for the affirm " - ative on such amendment will remain perfectly free to oppose the ori ginal motion afterwards , if they deem fit .
Lodge "Victoria In Burmah."
LODGE " VICTORIA IN BURMAH . "
OUR readers will havo noticed a letter signed " A Looker On , " winch appeared in onr issue of last
week , and from which it will bo gathered that tho authority of Grand Lodge has been deliberately set at naught by "Victoria in Burmah , " No . 832 , Rangoon . We havo no intention of recounting the whole of the circumstances connected with the recent disputes which have taken place
iu this Lodge , bnt it will be necessary to give an outline of the leading facts . In December 1875 , Rev . Bro . Marks , at tlie time absent in England , was appointed Senior Warden of this Lodge . He did not , as it happened , return to Rangoon till the April following . Ho did not take 1 Iis
seat as Warden till August . He was a candidate for tho Mastership in December 18 / G , when his eligibility was questioned ; but Bro . Nichols , at tho time W . M ., ruled that he was eligible , and on a ballot Bro . Marks was elected Master by thirteen votes ag-ainsfc cloven given to Bro .
Vaillant . An appeal against Bro . Nichols ' s ruling was lodged in the proper quarter , but was dismissed on the ground that it was not couched in respectful language . Pending a second appeal , Bro . Marks was installed . The I . P . M . then presented a complaint against sundry brethren
for un-Masonic conduct , and the Lodge passed sentence of exclusion against the brethren in question . Subsequently , the Dep . District Grand Master decided adversely on the second appeal , and ho further declined to interfere in the matter of exclusion . Bro . Vaillant and his brethren in
misfortune then carried their case to Grand Lodge , and afc tho Communication held on the 5 th December last , that august body , on motion duly made by Grand Registrar , and seconded , resolved ( 1 ) that Bro . Marks was not eligible to fill the chair of his Locige ; ( 2 ) that Lodge " Victoria in Burmah " be directed to receive ao-ain as members the five
brethren whom they had excluded , and restore them fully to all their Masonic rights and privileges . What has since taken place was recorded in these columns last week by "A Looker On . " The excluded brethren presented themselves at the next regular meeting after the resolution of
Grand Locige had been received , that is , on the 11 th January , and requested to bo allowed to take their seats again in tho Lodgo . They wero told , however , " by a P . M ., who is also , D . D ^ G . M ., tho I . P . M . " ( Bro . Marks , we presume ) "being also present , that their attendance at tho
Locige was premature , and thafc they could nofc be admitted . " In vain did they plead tho peremptory order of Grand Lodge , which , it was admitted , had been received ; in vain did they protest they had come in a friendly spirit .
It was no good , aud they had to retire crestfallen and disappointed , because in the opinion of Lodge Victoria in Burmah , " Grand Locige had based its decision in ignorance and had made some mistake in procedure . " These aro tho facts of the case thus far . Let us now turn to the law on
the subject of " Appeal . Afc page 95 of the Constitutions wc find it laid down that" The grand lodge possesses the supreme superintending authority , ancl the power of finally deciding on every
case which concerns the interest of the craft . Any lodge or brother , therefore , who feels aggrieved by the decision of any other Masonic authority or jurisdiction , may appeal to the next practicable grand lodge against such decision .
The appeal must be made in writing , specifying the particular grievance complained of , and be transmitted , together with all documentary evidence , to the grand secretary twenty-one days at least before the next quarterly com-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Lodge Of Benevolence.
THE LODGE OF BENEVOLENCE .
RIGHTS OP PROVINCIAL BRETHREN . AT the meeting of Grand Lodge to bo held on Wednesday next , tho recommendation submitted by the Board of General Purposes , for the recasting of the constitution of the Lodgo of Benevolence , will come on for discussion . It is proposed to limit the number of members
to forty-five , with the addition of a President , and the principal Grand Officers . Out of tho forty-five , thirty are to be elective . There is an amendment on tho notice naner . nronosed bv
1 . 1 > X ^ . / the Rev . William Tebbs , which we believe aims at equalisation of the suffrage in respect of the elective members , but which do 3 S nofc otherwise affect the principle of tho alterations proposed by the Board of General Purposes . Clause
C of this amendment runs as follows : — " As many representatives ( W . M . or P . M . ) cf London Lodges , to be elected by the W . M . ' s of such Lodges , as shall bo in twice the proportion of the number of London Lodges to the number of Provincial Lodges . "
We confess our inabilit y to fathom tho exact meaning or limitation of this clause ; and do not , we apprehend , stand alone in our want of acumen . However it be explained , we cannot bufc regard the amendment of Bro . Tebbs as complicated in theory , and cumbersome in
practice , if it even be practicable . Except in Grand Lodge , ifc is nofc easy to get all W . M . ' s of London Lodges together , and even there , many must be unavoidably absent on all occasions : a fact which is fatal to equalisation of the
suffrage in this case . For this ancl other reasons we do not expect that this amendment will meet the views of any party in Grand Lodge . The real question afc issue now is , not the way in which the Lodgo of Benevolence shall be recast , but whether it be desirable to reconstitute it afc all .
Another amendment stands upon the paper , emanating from Bro . Robert P . Gould , P . M . of No . 92 , which has the merit of being perfectly intelligible , ancl provided the rcconstitution of the Lodge of Benevolence take effect , is , from our point of view , highly desirable . Ifc aims simply at
protecting the rights of Provincial brethren , by providing that one-half of the number of elective members shall be actual or Past Masters of Country Lodges , in case the requisite number of qualified Irctlircu shall he put in nomination .
We flatter ourselves that the English spirit of fair play is ever dominant amongst us , ancl that no one can desire to deprive our country brethren of a just share in the control of the Locige of Benevolence , proportioned to that of Londoners . To this end , the amendment of Bro . Gould
is happily calculated , and we doubt nofc that numerous influential brethren from tho Provinces will be found in their place to support the insertion of a proviso which , in our opinion , would find its proper place annexed to the original motion .
As to the principle of the original motion itself , opinion may be divided ; subordinate Past Grand Officers and others who will lose their former ex officio privilege of sitting at the Lodge of Benevolence , may feel disposed to resist the innovation . However tlie matter be settled , ifc will be
well to bear in mind that the amendments must be put first to the meeting ; that should the original motion afterwards be carried , ifc is desirable thafc the amendment
protecting the rights of country brethren should be previously tacked on to it ; and thai brethren who vote for the affirm " - ative on such amendment will remain perfectly free to oppose the ori ginal motion afterwards , if they deem fit .
Lodge "Victoria In Burmah."
LODGE " VICTORIA IN BURMAH . "
OUR readers will havo noticed a letter signed " A Looker On , " winch appeared in onr issue of last
week , and from which it will bo gathered that tho authority of Grand Lodge has been deliberately set at naught by "Victoria in Burmah , " No . 832 , Rangoon . We havo no intention of recounting the whole of the circumstances connected with the recent disputes which have taken place
iu this Lodge , bnt it will be necessary to give an outline of the leading facts . In December 1875 , Rev . Bro . Marks , at tlie time absent in England , was appointed Senior Warden of this Lodge . He did not , as it happened , return to Rangoon till the April following . Ho did not take 1 Iis
seat as Warden till August . He was a candidate for tho Mastership in December 18 / G , when his eligibility was questioned ; but Bro . Nichols , at tho time W . M ., ruled that he was eligible , and on a ballot Bro . Marks was elected Master by thirteen votes ag-ainsfc cloven given to Bro .
Vaillant . An appeal against Bro . Nichols ' s ruling was lodged in the proper quarter , but was dismissed on the ground that it was not couched in respectful language . Pending a second appeal , Bro . Marks was installed . The I . P . M . then presented a complaint against sundry brethren
for un-Masonic conduct , and the Lodge passed sentence of exclusion against the brethren in question . Subsequently , the Dep . District Grand Master decided adversely on the second appeal , and ho further declined to interfere in the matter of exclusion . Bro . Vaillant and his brethren in
misfortune then carried their case to Grand Lodge , and afc tho Communication held on the 5 th December last , that august body , on motion duly made by Grand Registrar , and seconded , resolved ( 1 ) that Bro . Marks was not eligible to fill the chair of his Locige ; ( 2 ) that Lodge " Victoria in Burmah " be directed to receive ao-ain as members the five
brethren whom they had excluded , and restore them fully to all their Masonic rights and privileges . What has since taken place was recorded in these columns last week by "A Looker On . " The excluded brethren presented themselves at the next regular meeting after the resolution of
Grand Locige had been received , that is , on the 11 th January , and requested to bo allowed to take their seats again in tho Lodgo . They wero told , however , " by a P . M ., who is also , D . D ^ G . M ., tho I . P . M . " ( Bro . Marks , we presume ) "being also present , that their attendance at tho
Locige was premature , and thafc they could nofc be admitted . " In vain did they plead tho peremptory order of Grand Lodge , which , it was admitted , had been received ; in vain did they protest they had come in a friendly spirit .
It was no good , aud they had to retire crestfallen and disappointed , because in the opinion of Lodge Victoria in Burmah , " Grand Locige had based its decision in ignorance and had made some mistake in procedure . " These aro tho facts of the case thus far . Let us now turn to the law on
the subject of " Appeal . Afc page 95 of the Constitutions wc find it laid down that" The grand lodge possesses the supreme superintending authority , ancl the power of finally deciding on every
case which concerns the interest of the craft . Any lodge or brother , therefore , who feels aggrieved by the decision of any other Masonic authority or jurisdiction , may appeal to the next practicable grand lodge against such decision .
The appeal must be made in writing , specifying the particular grievance complained of , and be transmitted , together with all documentary evidence , to the grand secretary twenty-one days at least before the next quarterly com-