Interloping Brethren.

INTERLOPING BRETHREN .

THE question has often exercised us as to' what would be the position of a Lodge , or of the individual Brethren present therein , who were innocently led to violate their obligation , by assisting in the ceremony of opening up in a

superior degree in the presence of a junior not entitled to participation therein ; the interloping member being well aware of his disability and really maintaining his position by fraudently wearing the regalia of that degree to which

he was not entitled . We have propounded the query to more than one Brother learned in the laws and practice of the Craft , and the answer has usually been that such a thing was not likely to happen—that members of the Order were

too impressed with the teachings of the Craft to desire to take an unfair advantage of their fellows , and that it would be quite time enough to legislate on such a case when the necessity arose . Well , we learn from our Australian

contemporary , " Masonry , " that the necessity has arisen , and we are not at all surprised to learn that the Brethren of the antipodes , who . unintentionally erred , find themselves in the position we expected such a body would find themselves in

—they are rebuked for allowing themselves to be taken in . That is just about the verdict we should expect from the wiseacres of any section of our Brotherhood should a similar complaint be laid before them ; it may be logical , from a

legal standpoint , and may satisty a section of the Brotherhood , but it must be very hurtful to the Brethren who felt themselves imposed upon , and who naturally looked to the

authorities of their J urisdiction to support them in what they justly considered an outrage upon their Lodge and its individual members .

In the case specially referred to a Grand Officer of the Jurisdiction , who was not an Installed Master , but who wore an apron on which the distinguishing badge of suchin the former of the levels—was displayed , remained while

a Board of Installed Masters was opened , and participated as well as he was able in the work of the superior degree ; though , as he afterwards admitted , he was well aware he had

no right to be present , and knowing this he endeavoured to copy the signs of his fellows as well as he was able—and succeeded for a time in passing himself off as an Installed Master .

what was the outcome of this grave Masonic offence ? The local Board of General Purposes investigated the matter , the Brother who had been improperly present was " censured , " and the Lodge admonished to be more careful

Against this " admonition " the members of the Lodge very justly appealed , with the result that the decision of the Board was upheld , but we venture to think this legal decision

will be received with disgust by Freemasons generally who give the matter a moment ' s consideration , and that sympathy for the Lodge and its members will be far more general than respect for such an outrageous official decision .

If the members of the Victorian Board of General Purposes consider that such a grave offence as was admittedly committed—intentionally—by one of its Grand Officers only calls for " censure ' " we must pity them their idea of . the

Interloping Brethren.

fitness of things , but when after finding themselves unable to do their duty and adequately punish one high in Masonic rank they turn and add insult to the injury sustained by the Lodge particularly concerned , our pity turns to something approaching contempt—certainly it seems there is one law

for the high , and another for the lowly , even in Freemasonry . An " admonition to be more careful" probably means very little , if anything ; in this case it is about on a par with telling ; a friend who has been robbed of his watch that he should not be so stupid as to carry one , but even that very

little must be galling to Brethren who probably reported the case to the authorities because they were so indignant at being imposed upon . We do not know how far the law of the land would uphold more strenuous action on the part of conscientious Brethren who might be similarly imposed

upon in this country , but in the event of such an imposition being discovered we would certainly advise the Lodge to cast discretion to the winds , kick the offender out of the Lodge and its precincts , and risk the consequences . They might be . summoned for assault , and possibly fined , but

they would have the satisfaction of knowing that the contemptible individual who wilfully imposed upon them had met a more adequate punishment than he would be likely to

receive if the case were adjudicated upon by the tribunal or the Craft . We should prefer to . lynch such a " Mason " rather than run the risk of his being too lightly punished in an orthodox , hum drum manner .

The article in our contemporary , dealing with the subject is far too lenient , in our estimation , it being as follows :

What may happen to a . Lodge in Victoria . OUR report of the proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Victoria will be read with interest by all W . Ms , and P . Ms ., and many will be astonished as its revelations . The Victorian Naval and Military Lodge , No . 49 , is known

throughout the length and breadth-of the land for its extreme care and rigid practice of ritualistic and ether ceremonies . Indeed this is so remarkable that the Lodge has oecome an object lesson to country and other State P . Ms , and W . Ms ., who avail themselves eagerly of every opportunity to > see the

exemplary and unusually instructive representation of our ceremonials to be witnessed there . Now this very celebrity is not without some drawbacks , and there are unfortunately a very large number of metropolitan and suburban Brethren who envy the Lodge its widespread acknowledgments , and

some of whom are ill-naturedly critical of its proceedings as being something ( and it is the best of compliments to acknowledge it ) " they have never even seen or heard of before . " The Lodge knows full well that this feeling prevails largely and would not on that account expect a very

gentle and considerate treatment if such Brethren were to be its judges , and yet it has had the temerity by unanimous vote to go to Grand Lodge on an appeal against a finding of the Board of General Purposes , knowing full well from first to last that theirs was a forlorn hope , but deeming the 7

matter worthy of the widest possibe ventilation , as something they had no reason whatever to be ashamed of , but regarded as of such importance to the Craft in general as to require the greatest publicity . The facts of the case are that on the

14 th March the installation ceremony took place , the W . M . Bro . J . J . Lock being the Installing Master on the occasion . Grand Lodge was represented by the Deputy Grand Master with the Grand Director of Ceremonies and a number of