Some Aspects Of Old Country Masonry.

SOME ASPECTS OF OLD COUNTRY MASONRY .

WHEN an American Mason begins to visit Lodges in Great Britain or Ireland , he experiences a variety of sensations or feelings , such as surprise , disappointment , pity , disapproval , & c . These vary , however , according to the varying condition of the individual Lodges which he may chance to visit . After a

time these feelings give place to others of a less antagonistic nature , and gradually , as the strangeness wears off , he begins to find that after all Masonry is Masonry the world over , although the manner of doing things may vary quite materially . His own opinion of how to conduct a Lodge and its work may not be tbe

correct one , but it is evident to him that it is at least very different from that of the Brethren amongst whom he now finds himself . It is the purpose of the writer merely to point out a few of the differences between Masonry as practiced in the United States and in the " Old Country . "

Size of Lodges . —The average number of members to each Lodge is very much less than in the United States . In the north of Ireland , where the writer is situated , the Lodge which contains thirty-five or forty members is considered of fair size , and one of seventy or more members is large and likely soon to be split up into two or more . An average of six or eight initiations per year is considered good work .

Size of Lodge Eoom . —The average size of the Lodge room is very much less than that of tho average American Lodge . Very few , if any , cities in the British Isles possess a Temple or Masonic Hall sufficient for the local requirements of the Craft . In the city of Belfast there are at least ten buildings devoted entirely to

the purposes of Masonry . These consist of a respectable looking Masonic Hall erected forty years ago , and accommodating about one-third of the Lodges , several small Halls built for the purpose , and several transformed dwelling houses . These Halls are scattered all over the city , and the average size of the actual Lodge room is not more than 25 by 15 feet .

Number of Lodges . —As a necessary corollary from the numerical size of Lodges as stated above , it may be deduced that the number of Lodges is much greater under these conditions than could be the case where Lodges may number from 100 to 500 or more . The city of Dublin , where are situated the headquarters

of the Fraternity in Ireland , boasts of something over thirty Lodges , with R . A . Chapters in proportion , whilst a stranger intent on visiting all tbe Lodges and Chapters of Belfast at the rate of six per week , could not accomplish the task in less than four

months , and he would have no time for the so-called " higher degrees . " There are no less than seventy-oue Blue Lodges in Belfast , with either twenty-nine or thirty of the Red , the population being 300 , 000 . No other city in the world outside London can approach to this number .

Lodges in Ireland meet only once a month , with a " holiday " ( in many cases ) iu June , July and August , thus making on the average only nine meetings per year . Some of the larger Lodges occasionally have an emergency meeting , but these are few and far between , and the " emergency " must be very real to call for a

second meeting in the month . Royal Arch Chapters meet once every three months . The meetings are called for 7 . 30 p . m . and commence about 8 , or sooner if the required number is present . Tha communication lasts usually till about 10 , during that time the regular business is transacted as well as any Degree work that may be on the programme , and then an adjournment is usually

made to the refreshment room . Here a light cold lunch is the usual repast , accompanied by a plentiful supply of beer , claret and best Irish whiskey . Teetotallers , who form a small minority , are furnished with aerated ginger beer , & c . Instead of the speeches looked for on this side of the Atlantic , there are invariably given in the most prefunctory manner the toasts of the Queen , Grand Master , Provincial Grand Officers , visitors , & c .

Conferring Degrees . —This branch of Masonic work , which is generally considered in America to be a most important item in the labour of a Lodge , seems to be treated in Ireland as merely incidental , and to be finished as soo **} as may be . This is largely due to the fact that the work has fco be sandwiched in between

" business , ' whenever time can be spared from the inevitable discussions regarding the question of a Lodge picnic or the quality of the Avhiskey at the last " refreshment . " Consequently , when one compares the actual work with that of a live American Lodge , one must be excused if it appears to be very meagre in quantity

and extremely poor in quality . The Grand Lodges of Great Britain and Ireland have no established ritual , except ( in Ireland ) such as is inculcated by a few Provincial Instructors acting under thedirection of the Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Instruction , which meets four times a year in Dublin . But the whole system

of instruction is a farce , and in actual practice each Lodge is a law unto itself and every man does that which is right in his own eyes . The beautiful moral precepts of our Institution and the symbolical applications of the emblems , & c , are slurred over as quickly as possible or entirely omitted . Iu many cases the work following the O . B . is so cut down as to consist of absolutely

Some Aspects Of Old Country Masonry.

nothing more than the communication of certain signs , words and tokens , whioh alone are termed the " records . " In the experience of the writer , the average time expended in conferring the three degrees of a Blue Lodge is thirty , twenty , and forty minutes respectively . There is no paraphernalia of any kind in the

American sense . The charge to candidates is invariably read and generally bungled . Music plays a very small part in the ceremonies as a rule , and in very many cases is conspicuous by its absence . A very peculiar feature of degree work ia Ireland is the fact that very few Lodges can boast of Officers or members

who are capable of conferring them , and they are perforce obliged to invite outsiders to work for them . In the North of Ireland there are Lodges whose degree work is all done by Brethren who travel twenty miles or more for that purpose , whilst the entire degree work of the seventy-one Lodges of Belfast is performed by twelve or fifteen Brethren who are usually elected honorary

members of the Lodges which they oblige , and several of whom are responsible for the work of nine different Lodges . The work of these men varies very much and depends largely on the " personal equation" of the individual , and several of them are far from being well educated . All of the above remarks on degree work apply equally to the Chapters .

Desire for Office . —It seems to be the desire of every man who becomes a Mason to get into office as soon as possible . It is therefore customary , in order to give every one a fair chance , to elect each member in rotation according to his priority in joining the Lodge , no question ever being raised as to his fitness for the

same . Hence it comes about that many Masters of Lodges are utterly unable to open and conduct their Lodge without being constantly prompted by a better qualified Brother , who is usually a Past Master . A Master has been known to read three or four

lines of the E . A . charge instead of the introductory prayer before being stopped by his prompter . When a few Brethren realise that there are so many ahead of them in order of seniority as members that they cannot wait their turn in patience , they simply form a new Lodge , which is an exceedingly simple operation .

Examination of Visitors . —It is the custom for the Grand Lodges of the British Isles to issue certificates to all newlyinitiated Brethren . When visiting strange Lodges ^ a Brother is invariably requested to produce this certificate as well as pass the

" tests . " The examiners , however , are exceedingly lax in their methods , and the writer feels that iu the case of one or two Lodges at least , he would have gained admittance without having been initiated at all .

Dues and Costs . —The minimum charge for the three degrees as fixed by the Grand Lodge is , for Dublin , twenty-five dollars , and outside of Dublin twenty dollars . Very few Lodges exceed this amount . The average rate for dues is five dollars , and is

usually collected monthly , the roll being called and each member paying up as called upon . Absent members are expected to send apologies through the Secretary , and frequently do , especially when they are in office or are nearing the time when they hope to be voted in for the first time .

Some Grand Lodge Regulations . —The Secretary of a Lodge must be a Past Master . The Secretary must send out printed circulars to each member , notifying them of each Regular or Special Communication , and specifying the work to be done ; no

unspecified business can be taken up . No Lodge can be opened or closed without the presence of a Past Master . The Grand Lodge " recommends" that Oflicers should be able to confer degrees , but makes no ruling to that effect . —David A .. Suttie , in " American Tyler . "

The Scholar In Politics.

THE SCHOLAR IN POLITICS .

THE same man should not try , at least in Masonry , to be afc once an historical scholar and a legislator . The two vocations are incompatible and will conflict . Each demands a certain hardness , an indifference to certain considerations , one might almost say a certain unscrupulousness . The scholar ' s

business is to ascertain the exact truth , and to make it known without regard to considerations of policy , without scruple as to the possible result upon the prosperity of the Craft . The legislator , on the other hand , needs , or is supposed to need , and

usually supposes himself to need , a disposition and a willingness , without scruple as to one's duty to the eternal verities , to suppress or to ignore disagreeable truths . The scholar deals in whole truths , the legislator in non-truths , untruth , suppression of truth —anything but the whole truth , and especially in half-truths .

The scholar must always be right . The politician , as Speaker Reed used to say , must be careful not to be right at the wrong time . Usually there is no clashing . The legislator need only ask himself whether a certain measure is popular or useful . It may

be contrary to all the truths of history and precedent . Five times out of ten the historical scholar , knowing that fact , will think it unnecessary to mention it . Five times out of ten he will call attention to it , but so few will listen to him or take any