Qualified Directors Of Ceremonies.

QUALIFIED DIRECTORS OF CEREMONIES .

IF evidence were needed as to the diversity of opinion existing among the leading Craftsmen of different districts we could not do much better than select the office of Director of Ceremonies in a Private Lodge as

an exemplification , for in some parts it is regarded as one of the chief posts of honour in the Lodge , in others it is looked upon as one of the minor offices—one of the

lowest rungs in the ladder leading to the ultimate occupation of the position of Worshipful Master—while , of course , there are almost as many midway opinions as there are districts in which to look for them .

Without desiring to attach too much importance to the office of D . C . we are inclined to agree with those who regard it as important and look for one of the most experienced members of the Lodge to fill it ; for although

there may appear little or nothing for the Director of Ceremonies to do in the ordinary work of a Lodge , it is astonishing how different a really efficient holder of the

office can make a meeting , especially if there are a large number of visitors present , or the general body of officers are new to their work , as is the case after an installation , when the brethren have not accustomed themselves to

work together by rehearsal of their parts at a Lodge of Instruction or a private meeting . One of the principal speakers at the Lodge of Instruction , No . 581 , the special meeting of which we recorded

last week , appears to have fully recognised this when , in desiring to prove the value of the teaching afforded at the Lodge , he mentioned that no less than fifteen of its members had gone forth and received appointments as

Directors of Ceremonies , it being , as he put it , an accepted fact that the Lodges did not usually appoint Directors of Ceremonies who were unacquainted with Craft work . It will be seen that the remarks are somewhat qualified ,

which goes to prove that in Lancashire as in other parts of the country , it sometimes happens that the office of which we speak is regarded as of minor importance , and is conferred on an incompetent or inexperienced member , as a stepping-stone to higher things .

While we recognise that some brethren are peculiarly endowed with the necessary qualifications for an efficient Director of Ceremonies , and require little or no training or previous experience to fit them for the position ,

much may be done by proper tuition , and in this particular the great value of Lodges of Instruction comes prominently to the front , but , strange to say , there are comparatively few of them that seem to make a feature

of training Directors of Ceremonies . What are the special duties , it may be asked ? and in reply we would say that a meeting seldom passes without some trivial hitch or pause , and many of these would have been prevented if an efficient Director of Ceremonies had been

Qualified Directors Of Ceremonies.

about , with a watchful eye , to see everything ready to hand , and in place . Where is the contribution box that has to be presented to the candidate in the northeast corner of the Lodge ? or the sharp instrument the

Worshipful Master presents to his notice at another part of the ceremony ? or the copy of the Lodge Bye-laws with which he should be presented ? If they are not in

their place , ready for use , an awkward pause may result , and an impressive ceremony spoilt , all for lack of a moment ' s thought on the part of somebody , and that

somebody in all these cases might well be the Director

of Ceremonies . But we need hardly extend the consideration of the subject . Instances should come to the mind of anyone who gives the matter a moment ' s thought , which will

clearly prove the utility of a Director of Ceremonies who is fully qualified for his post , and we can hardly imagine a Master appointing one he cannot thoroughly rely upon , when once he has come to recognise the value

of a competent holder of this office , even if , by so doing he has to pass over a Brother far down in the list , for whom he desired to find an office . To our thinking none but well qualified Past Masters should be invested with the collar of Director of Ceremonies .

Trouble In New Zealand.

TROUBLE IN NEW ZEALAND .

A MEETING of the United Grand Lodge of Victorian Freemasons was held at the Masonic Hall , Collins Street , Melbourne , on 18 th December . The G . M . Sir W . J . Clarke , Bart ., stated that he had received a report from the liquidating committee of the District Grand Lodge of the English Constitution with reference to the

funds of the Lodge , but he had not the report with him . He stated , however , that he had received the unconditional resignation of the Grand Secretary Bro . T . H . Lempriere , and he thought that it would be just as well if the Lodge considered that without the report . A motion

was then proposed that the resignation of the Grand Secretary be received , and the motion was carried without discussion . It was decided that the appointment of

a new Grand Secretary should stand over until next meeting , and in the meantime a special audit should be made of the accounts , for the protection of the incoming official .

The accounts now published as to the deficiency make it appear that the discovery has just been made . As a matter of fact , says the " Melbourne Age , " it is twelve years old , and was a deficiency of about £ 800 which had been caused by one of the clerks in the Secretary ' s office .

The Secretary , Bro . T . H . Leinpriere , it appears , although entirely unconnected with the peculation , had accepted the responsibility of making the amount good , as the money had been abstracted by one of his employees . As

the winding up neared completion this old affair came before the committee of management , and they determined to lay it before the ex-District Grand Master of the District Grand Lodge E . C , and present Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of Victoria ( Sir