The Lodge Of Benevolence.

THE LODGE OF BENEVOLENCE .

BY the adoption of Brother Nunn ' s resolution a step has heen made in the right direction , and brethren who are under the necessity of applying to the Lodge of Benevolence , and whose cases are deemed to be of unusual gravity , will no longer be compelled to wait for fonr , or it may be close on six months , until all but a modest £ 10 of

the grant recommended is paid over to them . The law , as it stood until the proposed alteration was accepted , was to the effect that in all cases of grants in excess of £ 50 , they should not be paid to the applicant until the minutes of the Grand Lodge , at which the said recommendations were

approved , had been confirmed ; while in the case of smaller suras which might be paid forthwith , that is , immediately after they had been voted by the Lodge of Benevolence , the amount was stated at £ 10 . The effect of Brother Nunn ' s resolution will be that in future where a sum in excess of

£ 50 is recommended , a payment of £ 50 may be made on account the very morrow after the recommendation of the Lodge of Benevolence has been approved by Grand Lodge , while as to sums in excess over £ 50 they will not be paid till the minutes of the approving Grand Lodge have been

confirmed . As regards the amount of the grant which may in future be paid at once , it has been altered from £ 10 to £ 20 . It cannot be denied that these changes are , as we have said , in the right direction , and both Bro . Nunn , who

submitted them , and Bro . Clabon , who seconded , expressed themselves as most anxious to adopt any plan by which , as far as possible , the relief administered should be immediate . Both these brethren—and from their long connection with the Lodge of Benevolence , Bro . Clabon as

President , and Bro Nunn as Senior Vice President , we must not fail to show due respect for the opinions they set forth — -both these brethren , we say , seemed willing to suggest or accept any changes in the Constitutions which were calculated to improve our present system of administering

relief in the larger and more important cases , their sole reason , as they stated most emphatically , being that the action of the Lodge of Benevolence should be governed by prudence . If we think their notions of prudence most nearly resemble aa excess of caution which , having regard

to the circumstances is uncalled for , we must , nevertheless , thank them for having placed their views so clearly and conscientiousl y before Grand Lodge . They have taken the lead in bringing about a change in our laws which cannot be otherwise than beneficial to the class of brethren whom

it will affect , and so far at all events , we have every reason to be satisfied with what has been done . Another resolution was subsequently moved in Grand Lodge by Bro . Perceval aud seconded by Bro . Eaynham W . Stewart , to the effect that in the case of all grant ?

m excess of £ 50 recommended by the Lodge of Benevolence , they should become payable immediately after they had been approved , and without waiting for the further

confirmation of Grand Lodge , that is , for a further period of three months . Bro . Perceval pointed out that an applicant to whom a sum above £ 50 was awarded was recommended to the Lodge of Benevolence , whose members had all the

The Lodge Of Benevolence.

facts of tho case before them , and that after careful consideration of those facts they proposed the grant of such a sum as they considered wonld meet tho necessities of tho distressed

brother . Bro . Stewart pointed out that it could not be the intention of Grand Lodge to keep a brother waiting for that which would do him good . He said he knew cases where if the "rants had been

made immediately , the recipients might have recovered somewhat of their former prosperity . And why , ho asked , should they doubt their Committee , who thoroughly investigated every case that was brought under their notice ? If they intended to benefit their fellow-creatures they

should do so simply and at once . Bro . Binckes strengthened theso arguments by stating that he knew of cases where grants of a larsre amount would havo been almost nugatory , if some good friends of the applicants had not come forward and advanced money till the grants were receivable from

Grand Lodge . He said it seemed to him that , by the present law , Grand Lodge itself interfered between the desire of the Board to ad minster relief and the applicant who sought it . He added that in no case would any brother attempt to support an exceptionally large grant by the

Lodge of Benevolence unless he had good and sure grounds on which to recommend it . He suggested it was enough if the recommendation of a grant passed the scrutiny of the Board in the first instance , and then of the Parliament of the Craft in Grand Lodge assembled , and he closed his

speech by stating it as his opinion that Bvo . Nunn ' s resolution , though a progressive one , did not go far enough , while , if they adopted Brother Perceval's amendment , they would be doing that for which the Lodge of Benevolence was organised—namely , assisting a

needy brother at the time when he most wanted assistance . Bro . James Mason inclined towards the views of Bros . Nunn aud Clabon , while Bro . the Rev . R . J . Simpson P . Grand Chaplain thought tho balance of advantage as between the two propositions was in favour of giving

immediate relief . The difference , he urged , was between a proposition of principle and a proposition of degree . Bro . Nunn's proposition was a very graceful one , but Bro . Perceval ' s was merely carrying out that graceful proposition to its legitimate conclusion . Bros . Nunn and Clabon ,

however , still adhered to the views they had expressed , that ifc was necessary in these cases to act with prudence , They were all desirous of giving liberally and as promptly as possible to applicants for relief , but if , when they had given the whole sum voted in the manner proposed by

Bro . Perceval , any question should afterwards arise , he thought they would all regret ifc . After a few words from Bro . Perceval , in the course of which he pointed out that where a few cases occurred in which grants had to be negatived , the number of cases which were disappointed by

not being able to have the larger sum within a short space of time were too many to be counted . Grand Lodge divided on the amendment , which was rejected by 150 votes to 113 . Bro . Nunn's resolution was then put and agreed to , and the discussion ended .

Por ourselves we should rather have had the amendment than the original resolution , our chief reason being one we have more than once laid down in articles or comments on the point at issue , namely—that we have the utmost faith

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