Seeking Candidates.

SEEKING CANDIDATES .

IN view of the well known principle that governs Freemasonry , and which prohibits its members seeking candidates for its mysteries , some of the

utterances of leaders of the Order that have lately appeared in our columns , really urging Brethren to try and increase the membership in different quarters , must appear strange and somewhat inconsistent .

We have reported remarks in which Provincial Masters have deplored a falling off in numbers , or only a very small increase in their particular district , and have not considered it wrong to urge upon their

listeners the absolute need of adopting special means of keeping up the flow of new blood ; and we have reported Provincial Superintendents who have laid special stress on the depression , if we may so term it ,

that is associated with the Eoyal Arch Degree , and which was fully recognised by Grand Chapter when its members decided to reduce the probationary period from one year to one month .

With all due deference to those at the head of the different divisions of Freemasonry we consider that any regrets on their part that the Order is not making more rapid strides is ill advised , because open to be so easily misunderstood . It was not a direct oider of Henry II .

that led to the murder of a Becket , but the expression of a wish that someone would rid him of the turbulent priest . There are as many zealous and energetic members among the Freemasons of to-day as there

were among the retinue of the King in those of long ago , and if only a few make themselves as active in carrying out the wishes of their chiefs as did the four

Knights on the memorable occasion to which we have referred , there is no knowing how much harm may result—and all because of an unguarded utterance on

the part of someone in power , quickly acted upon by Brethren who , perhaps by reason of special activity , or perhaps in the hope of courting favour , proceed to give effect to the wish , without considering its ultimate

effect , or even seeking to find out whether they rightly understood the desire of the speaker , or that his words were really meant to be taken in earnest .

It is of course to be expected that Freemasonry should experience the same varieties of fortune as are to be found in other affairs of life , and the question very naturally suggests itself , what steps should its members

take to counteract depression , which is as likely to occur in connection with its flow of membership as continued prosperity ? It is very certain they must not attempt

to supply the deficiency by looking round and urging likely candidates to join the ranks , as such a course would not only be at variance with the principles of the

Institution , but would place the candidates themselves

Seeking Candidates.

in a very awkward predicament when they were called upon to answer one of the first questions put to a novice . The only course seems to be for Brethren to so conduct themselves as to win the respect of the

outside world , the members of which will in due time come to recognise that there is some moral advantage in Freemasonry , and will , as a consequence , speedily evince that desire for further knowledge that will lead

them to knock at the portals of the Craft , and ultimately participate in the benefits it confers on those who really desire to receive them . It must not be supposed that in thus pointing our remarks at some of those high in authority , whose

recent remarks we deem as somewhat entrenching on dangerous ground , we by any means wish to imply that in the generality of- cases our chiefs are careless in their utterances , or unmindful of the rules of the Craft , but we have had sufficient experience of

Freemasonry to know that error is easily transmitted , and if once the impression gains a hold that those in high stations regard a falling off as the result of inactivity

on the part of their juniors it will not be long before a large number of Craftsmen regularly set themselves to the unmasonic labour of seeking candidates for admission into our ranks or advancement to the higher grades .

United Installations.

UNITED INSTALLATIONS .

LATE ST advices from South Australia bring us tidings of an interesting event that took place in

Adelaide on the 25 th June last , when the Masterselect of five of the Lodges were installed at a united meeting held under the joint auspices of the Lodges concerned .

The innovation , for such it must be regarded from an English point of view , appears to possess features of interest , but we doubt if its benefits are of such a character as to outweigh the disadvantages that seem to us to present themselves at the outset .

The main desire of our colonial Brethren seems to have been to minimise expense , but we can hardly see how any great saving is to be made , unless in connection with the visiting arrangements at the

banquet that followed , for there could hardly be a tangible advantage so far as the expense attending the actual work of Installation was concerned , and if the

Visiting accommodation is the sole direction in which saving is to be secured we can see no end of trouble in store to counterbalance advantage under that head .

We can well believe that an imposing display resulted from the joint efforts of the five Lodges , but for all that we do not regard it as being at all likely the English Brotherhood will attempt to imitate their Australian friends in this direction , although , as we

believe it is well to know what is going on in other parts of the world , we shall give a report of the meeting in our next issue , and probably refer to some of its more interesting features later on .