Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The William Preston Lodge Of Instruction, No. 766.
THE WILLIAM PRESTON LODGE OF INSTRUCTION , No . 766 .
ELSEWHERE a correspondent draws attention to certain extraordinary occurrences which took place iu the William Preston Lodge of Instruction at tho beg inning of last month , occurrences which , as he very uointedly remarks , are such as it is rarely the lot of a
Masonic journal to chronicle . A full report , not of the meeting itself at which they happened , but of that which was held ou Friday , the 10 th ult ., appeared in our columns a fortnight since , and it is on the facts as therein narrated that " Q . " bases his observations , facts wbich , we think , our
readers will agree with ns are worthy of being noted most carefully , and , should it be thought wise or expedient , of being brought under the notice of the authorities . The story is soon told . A meeting for the 3 rd ult . was called by the following letter , addressed , in due course , to some , if not all , of the members : —
" Dear Sir and Brother , —At the next meeting of the above Lodge , on Friday , 3 rd February , the following business will be brought forward : —Report of Audit
Committee , election of Officers , and other important business of the Lodge . And I request the favour of your presence in the same , as it may affect the fortune of the Lodge . I am , & o . "
It is evident from the wording of this letter that something of an unusual character was in contemplation , but our readers will no doubt be surprised at what actually took place , or at least at what , in the absence of the official record , Bro . Tribbel , who presided as W . M . at the
meeting held the week following , stated , as best he could from memory , was the " important business " that was transacted . It seems that in the course of the proceedings on the eventful evening a resolution was passed , " by a majority of the brethren present , " to the effect , " That the
Lodge should be discontinued , the furniture , working tools , jewels , & c , of the Lodge sold by public auction , and the proceeds of the sale added to the list of Bro . J . Hayes , the Worthy Preceptor , who was fulfilling the office of Steward this year ; also that the Lodge funds in the hands of the
Treasurer be paid over to Bro . W . Webster , who was stated to be in reduced circumstances , and greatly in need of assistance . " This done , the brethren separated , the Lodge furniture was placed forthwith in the hands of an auctioneer , and disposed of by public sale on the 11 th
ult . —the purchaser being Brother William Dunham , of the Seymour Arms , Seymour-place , Bryanstone-squareand in the opinion of the sapient " majority " there was an end of the William Preston Lodge of Instruction , if not for all time , at least for a period of time more or less
considerable . It is probable , however , that the brethren who passed the foregoing resolution are not a little surprised and chagrined at their failure to bring abont the discontinuance of the Lodge . There is evidently a good deal more vitality in it than those who tried to do it to death ,
and , it may be , rejoiced in the consummation of their wishes , expected to find . At all events , on the 10 th ultimo , several members who were not of the same mind as to the advisability of prematurely determining the existence of the Lodge assembled at the appointed hour ,
Bro . Tribbel , P . M . 1287 , presiding as Worshipfnl Master , with Bro . G . W . West , P . M . of the same Lodge , and Bro . A . Braun , P . M . of the parent Lodge , respectively occupying the Senior and Junior Wardens' chairs . Bro . H . Moore having been appointed to act fro tem as
Secretary , Bro . Tribbel detailed the events of the previous Lodge to the best of his ability , when Bro . West proposed , Bro . Braun seconded , and Bro . Moore supported , a resolution , which was carried without a dissentient voice , to the effect that the minutes of the
3 rd ult . be not confirmed . An Emergency meeting was held at the Seymour Arms , on Monday the 13 th ult ., when it was arranged that for the future the Lodge should hold its meetings at that hostelry . On the 17 th ult ., the brethren accordingly assembled in Bro . Dunham ' s drawing
room , there being no other room available , and that worthy and zealous Craftsman having pointed out that it is not in his power to afford them the requisite accommodation , a
t-ommittee was formed , with power to add to their number , for the purpose of finding a room suitable for Lod ge meetings , while Bro . Dunham very kindly promised to let them have the furniture , as long as they felt disposed
The William Preston Lodge Of Instruction, No. 766.
to mako use of it , Bro . Moore , acting Secretary , being entrusted to write in the meantime to tho late Secretary , and request of him that tho books of the Lodge , being its property , should be delivered up . A vote of thanks to Bro . Dunham closed the proceedings , and the Lodgo adjourned to the 24 th ult .
Having completed our narrative of the circumstances , lot us consider the several points raised by our correspondent " Q . " Taking the notice issued for the meeting of the 3 rd ult . first , lie argues , not without reason , that it was either through ignorance or intentionally misleading ,
at least to those members who wero not in the secret as to the character of that " other important business " which , it was stated , was such as might " affect the fortune of the Lodge . " Ho notes that the agenda include " tho election of Officers , " and that such " election " is sot down before tho
" other important business . " Clearly , therefore , the unprivileged members who had not been taken into the confidence of the more favoured lights of the Lodge could not possibly have anticipated that a motion for tho discontinuance of the Lodge was in contemplation , or why should
' the election of Officers " be set down in the programme of business to be transacted ? What possible object was there to be gained by electing them , if it was proposed to close the Lodge once and for ever ? Such a view must necessarily present itself to the mind of the unbiassed
reader , and were we asked to offer our opinion on the subject , we should not hesitate to express our belief that the wording of the notice was not the result of accident . Is there a single brother possessing ordinai-y intelligence
who , if he had received a notice so worded as regards the business to be done on a particular evening— " Report of Audit Committee , election of Officers , and other important business "—would think that it was proposed to bring the Lodge to an untimely end ?
" Q . " then notes what one of the speakers at the meeting of the 10 th ult . defined as " the undue haste and precipitancy " with which effect was given to the resolution " of a majority of the brethren present on the occasion " referred to . The Lodge furniture , & c , must
have been placed in the hands of the auctioneer almost immediately after the motion was carried . So indecently hurried were the whole proceedings that this wonderful majority would not even wait till the next meeting—that is , for a short week only—that the minutes might be read
for confirmation by the Secretary , as required by the fourth of tbe Lodge Bye-laws . It might reasonably have been expected in taking so important a step as the summary discontinuance of the Lodge , that the utmost care
would be taken to observe strictly—literally as well as in the spirit—the requirements of at least the Lodge regulations , if not of the Book of Constitutions , especially as , so far as we can see , it could not make any possible difference whether the chattels were sold a little sooner or a little
later . But , no ; the one great object to be achieved was the immediate dissolution , and it may have occurred " to a majority of the brethren present on the occasion " that , if time were given for compliance with the aforesaid fourth
Bye-law , there was some chance that , after all , that object might not be attained . We do not wish to say or suggest anything uncharitable , but what can we or any other reasonable brother think in the face of all this " undue haste and precipitancy ?"
Having noticed this feature of the case , " Q . " passes on to discuss the illegality of the proceedings from another point of view . He draws attention to the enactment at page 71 of the Book of Constitutions , by which , if a portion only of tho members of a Lodge retire from it , the
Warrant still remains in force , and the Lodge may be continued by those who remain ; but if all of them retire , then tho Warrant determines . As onr correspondent observes , this law applies to regular Lodges , and may not necessarily be operative in the case of Lodges of
Instruction : but reason suggests that it should , and indeed , is intended to apply to all classes of Lodges . The members of a Lodge of Instruction , though working under a Warrant granted either by a regnlar Lodge , which is responsible for its proceedings , or
by the Grand Master , is composed of members gathered together from all parts of the Masonic community within easy access of the place of meeting . It is most probable ,
therefore—we might almost venture to say certain—that however many of them may be desirous of withdrawing from the Lodge , there will always be some desirous of retaining their connection with it . Consequently , this
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The William Preston Lodge Of Instruction, No. 766.
THE WILLIAM PRESTON LODGE OF INSTRUCTION , No . 766 .
ELSEWHERE a correspondent draws attention to certain extraordinary occurrences which took place iu the William Preston Lodge of Instruction at tho beg inning of last month , occurrences which , as he very uointedly remarks , are such as it is rarely the lot of a
Masonic journal to chronicle . A full report , not of the meeting itself at which they happened , but of that which was held ou Friday , the 10 th ult ., appeared in our columns a fortnight since , and it is on the facts as therein narrated that " Q . " bases his observations , facts wbich , we think , our
readers will agree with ns are worthy of being noted most carefully , and , should it be thought wise or expedient , of being brought under the notice of the authorities . The story is soon told . A meeting for the 3 rd ult . was called by the following letter , addressed , in due course , to some , if not all , of the members : —
" Dear Sir and Brother , —At the next meeting of the above Lodge , on Friday , 3 rd February , the following business will be brought forward : —Report of Audit
Committee , election of Officers , and other important business of the Lodge . And I request the favour of your presence in the same , as it may affect the fortune of the Lodge . I am , & o . "
It is evident from the wording of this letter that something of an unusual character was in contemplation , but our readers will no doubt be surprised at what actually took place , or at least at what , in the absence of the official record , Bro . Tribbel , who presided as W . M . at the
meeting held the week following , stated , as best he could from memory , was the " important business " that was transacted . It seems that in the course of the proceedings on the eventful evening a resolution was passed , " by a majority of the brethren present , " to the effect , " That the
Lodge should be discontinued , the furniture , working tools , jewels , & c , of the Lodge sold by public auction , and the proceeds of the sale added to the list of Bro . J . Hayes , the Worthy Preceptor , who was fulfilling the office of Steward this year ; also that the Lodge funds in the hands of the
Treasurer be paid over to Bro . W . Webster , who was stated to be in reduced circumstances , and greatly in need of assistance . " This done , the brethren separated , the Lodge furniture was placed forthwith in the hands of an auctioneer , and disposed of by public sale on the 11 th
ult . —the purchaser being Brother William Dunham , of the Seymour Arms , Seymour-place , Bryanstone-squareand in the opinion of the sapient " majority " there was an end of the William Preston Lodge of Instruction , if not for all time , at least for a period of time more or less
considerable . It is probable , however , that the brethren who passed the foregoing resolution are not a little surprised and chagrined at their failure to bring abont the discontinuance of the Lodge . There is evidently a good deal more vitality in it than those who tried to do it to death ,
and , it may be , rejoiced in the consummation of their wishes , expected to find . At all events , on the 10 th ultimo , several members who were not of the same mind as to the advisability of prematurely determining the existence of the Lodge assembled at the appointed hour ,
Bro . Tribbel , P . M . 1287 , presiding as Worshipfnl Master , with Bro . G . W . West , P . M . of the same Lodge , and Bro . A . Braun , P . M . of the parent Lodge , respectively occupying the Senior and Junior Wardens' chairs . Bro . H . Moore having been appointed to act fro tem as
Secretary , Bro . Tribbel detailed the events of the previous Lodge to the best of his ability , when Bro . West proposed , Bro . Braun seconded , and Bro . Moore supported , a resolution , which was carried without a dissentient voice , to the effect that the minutes of the
3 rd ult . be not confirmed . An Emergency meeting was held at the Seymour Arms , on Monday the 13 th ult ., when it was arranged that for the future the Lodge should hold its meetings at that hostelry . On the 17 th ult ., the brethren accordingly assembled in Bro . Dunham ' s drawing
room , there being no other room available , and that worthy and zealous Craftsman having pointed out that it is not in his power to afford them the requisite accommodation , a
t-ommittee was formed , with power to add to their number , for the purpose of finding a room suitable for Lod ge meetings , while Bro . Dunham very kindly promised to let them have the furniture , as long as they felt disposed
The William Preston Lodge Of Instruction, No. 766.
to mako use of it , Bro . Moore , acting Secretary , being entrusted to write in the meantime to tho late Secretary , and request of him that tho books of the Lodge , being its property , should be delivered up . A vote of thanks to Bro . Dunham closed the proceedings , and the Lodgo adjourned to the 24 th ult .
Having completed our narrative of the circumstances , lot us consider the several points raised by our correspondent " Q . " Taking the notice issued for the meeting of the 3 rd ult . first , lie argues , not without reason , that it was either through ignorance or intentionally misleading ,
at least to those members who wero not in the secret as to the character of that " other important business " which , it was stated , was such as might " affect the fortune of the Lodge . " Ho notes that the agenda include " tho election of Officers , " and that such " election " is sot down before tho
" other important business . " Clearly , therefore , the unprivileged members who had not been taken into the confidence of the more favoured lights of the Lodge could not possibly have anticipated that a motion for tho discontinuance of the Lodge was in contemplation , or why should
' the election of Officers " be set down in the programme of business to be transacted ? What possible object was there to be gained by electing them , if it was proposed to close the Lodge once and for ever ? Such a view must necessarily present itself to the mind of the unbiassed
reader , and were we asked to offer our opinion on the subject , we should not hesitate to express our belief that the wording of the notice was not the result of accident . Is there a single brother possessing ordinai-y intelligence
who , if he had received a notice so worded as regards the business to be done on a particular evening— " Report of Audit Committee , election of Officers , and other important business "—would think that it was proposed to bring the Lodge to an untimely end ?
" Q . " then notes what one of the speakers at the meeting of the 10 th ult . defined as " the undue haste and precipitancy " with which effect was given to the resolution " of a majority of the brethren present on the occasion " referred to . The Lodge furniture , & c , must
have been placed in the hands of the auctioneer almost immediately after the motion was carried . So indecently hurried were the whole proceedings that this wonderful majority would not even wait till the next meeting—that is , for a short week only—that the minutes might be read
for confirmation by the Secretary , as required by the fourth of tbe Lodge Bye-laws . It might reasonably have been expected in taking so important a step as the summary discontinuance of the Lodge , that the utmost care
would be taken to observe strictly—literally as well as in the spirit—the requirements of at least the Lodge regulations , if not of the Book of Constitutions , especially as , so far as we can see , it could not make any possible difference whether the chattels were sold a little sooner or a little
later . But , no ; the one great object to be achieved was the immediate dissolution , and it may have occurred " to a majority of the brethren present on the occasion " that , if time were given for compliance with the aforesaid fourth
Bye-law , there was some chance that , after all , that object might not be attained . We do not wish to say or suggest anything uncharitable , but what can we or any other reasonable brother think in the face of all this " undue haste and precipitancy ?"
Having noticed this feature of the case , " Q . " passes on to discuss the illegality of the proceedings from another point of view . He draws attention to the enactment at page 71 of the Book of Constitutions , by which , if a portion only of tho members of a Lodge retire from it , the
Warrant still remains in force , and the Lodge may be continued by those who remain ; but if all of them retire , then tho Warrant determines . As onr correspondent observes , this law applies to regular Lodges , and may not necessarily be operative in the case of Lodges of
Instruction : but reason suggests that it should , and indeed , is intended to apply to all classes of Lodges . The members of a Lodge of Instruction , though working under a Warrant granted either by a regnlar Lodge , which is responsible for its proceedings , or
by the Grand Master , is composed of members gathered together from all parts of the Masonic community within easy access of the place of meeting . It is most probable ,
therefore—we might almost venture to say certain—that however many of them may be desirous of withdrawing from the Lodge , there will always be some desirous of retaining their connection with it . Consequently , this