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Article GRAND LODGE JURISDICTION AND NEW SOUTH WALES. ← Page 2 of 3 Article GRAND LODGE JURISDICTION AND NEW SOUTH WALES. Page 2 of 3 →
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Grand Lodge Jurisdiction And New South Wales.
in tbe world , while , as regards England , ifc would still have over 1300 Lodges on its roll . We recognise , we hope with a becoming sense of humility , and at the same time with due thankfulness , the condescension with which the Canadian Craftsman admits
that there is a time when " these ' Colonial' Provincial Lodges " are of some good . They are " all well enough on tho introduction of Masonry into a Province or country ;" but , it is added , " brethren should be taught to rely upon themselves , to establish their own libraries , to erect their
own halls , to build up their own Charities , and to govern themselves . " We make bold to remark with all deference that our "' Colonial' Provincial Lodges" are , likewise , " all well enough , " so long as they prefer carrying out the objects with which they were established under the regis of
the Grand Lodge which constituted them to set tip for themselves . If the head of a family and its subordinate members are willing and anxious to remain under the same roof , what possible objection can there be to such arrangement ? Again , there are no Grand Lodges anywhere
which interfere so little with tbe concerns of their subordinate Lodges as those of England , Scotland , and Ireland . It is only when tbe laws and regulations of the Craft are violated that they take any action . These "' Colonial ' Provincial Lodges " may and do " rely upon themselves . "
Many of them have " their own Libraries , " and those who have not are quite at liberty to establish them whenever they are so minded , and the necessary funds are forthcoming . Many have their own halls , and we rejoice to say , more have built up " their own Charities ; " in short ,
they virtually " govern themselves . " They are on exactly the same footing in all respects , and stand in the same relation to their respective Grand Lodges as do our home Provincial Grand Lodges ; and if they had their Grand , instead of their Provincial or District Grand Lodges , they
would not be a whit better off than they are now , and they might possibly be worse . British Freemasonry has borne fruit , of much of which it may be justly proud , but its work is done in a manner that is quiet and unpretentious . We
have no objection whatever to Lodges and Masons , in " unoccupied territories " calling Conventions , but then our Australian Colonies , New Zealand , India , & c . & c . are already occupied .
We cannot congratulate our contemporary on one of its arguments , in advancing which we are sorry to say it dis-Elays a lamentable degree of ignorance as regards Masonic istory . We are quite ready to discuss with it this and all other questions wbich may appear to have or to be likely to
have a beneficial influence on the future of the Craft , but it is not in our power to furnish it with mental capacity to understand our arguments , neither is ifc any . business of ours to provide reasons for such theories as it may evolve from its own inner consciousness . Hence , much as we may
regret that it " cannot understand why the Masons of New South Wales should be deprived of the right to govern themselves any more than those brethren in other parts of tbe globe , " we fail to grasp the truth of the following statement : " as to the fact that tbey "—the Masons of New
South Wales— " were and are apparently in a minority , all we can say is that our English brethren should be the last to raise an objection to the regularity of the formation of the Grand Lodge of New South Wales on that account , since the Grand Lodge of England itself , at its foundation
in 1717 , was in an insignificant minority in that particular . " We will not stop to question the use of the word " apparently " in the foregoing passage , because we think the difference between " thirteen , " wbich is the highest number of Lodges we have seen assigned to the so-called
Grand Lodge of New South Wales , or claimed by ifc , ancl " seventy , " which is the number still holding under the English , Scotch , and Irish Grand Lodges , is too clearly manifest even to the simplest understanding to be questionable for a single moment .
Nor will we trouble ourselves to inquire in what " particular" it was that " the Grand Lodge of England itself , afc its formation in 1717 , was in an insignificant minority . " We are , however , fully prepared to allow thafc this passage shows onr contemporary possesses in an
eminent degree the faculty of imagination . We are under tbe impression—though , being human , we are , like all other men , liable to error—that in no recognised Masonic
authority have we seen more than four Lodges as having been in existence in England afc the time of the formation of oar Grand Lodge , except fche one in York , which in 1725 took to itself the title of Grand Lodge , and described
Grand Lodge Jurisdiction And New South Wales.
itself as " the Grand Lodge of AIL England . It waa these four Lodges , the only ones , save York , which are known to have had an existence at that epoch , and are now styled "The Four Old Lodges . 'Vhich established tbe Grand Lodge of England ; and we confess " we cannot understand "
how four out of five Lodges can be spoken of as " an insignificant minority . " We'have already said we cannot undertake to provide our contemporary with an understanding that shall be capable of grasping such simple facts as the one we have just mentioned in reference to the
formation of the Grand Lodge of England in 1717 . Neither is it in our power to prevent it from converting the very substantial majority of four out of five Lodges into " an insignificant minority . " We shall , therefore , pursue this matter no further than to suggest—and we do
so in all fraternal kindness—that the Canadian Craftsman will be none the worse as an organ of Masonic opinion , if it should go in , at its earliest convenience , for a short course of Masonic reading , to the end that ifc may become possessed of a knowledge of just a few of fche elements of
Masonic history . The concluding sentence of the extraordinary article which has formed the subject of our somewhat lengthened comments is so wonderfully amusing that we cannot refrain from quoting it in full . " We have no desire , " says
our contemporary , in the child-like simplicity of its heart , " to use coercion towards any Lodges , but we think a free expression of opinion should be permitted among the brethren of the English and Scotch Lodges of New South
Wales , and thafc the Grand Lodges of those Constitutions should , instead of lavishing praises on their Colonial Officers , who are stifling discussion and suppressing libert y of action by threats and edicts , reprimand them for their unwarrantable and meddlesome officiousness . " Like other
people , we are thankful for even the smallest mercies that may be vouchsafed to us , and we are glad to hear our Canadian friend has " no desire to use coercion towards any Lodges ; " but what is it doing else , in this case of the so-called Grand Lodge of New South Wales , than advocate
coercion as against the seventy Lodges in that colony which prefer remaining true to their old allegiance in favour of " an insignificant majority " of thirteen Lodges . If ever there was a case in which the force of public opinion was decisively in favour of a particular
policy , it is the one which is now offered by tbe Craft in New South Wales , where but one in every six Lodges has declared itself in favour of secession , and whence , even now , as we have said already , applications are frequently being made to our home Grand Lodges for warrants to constitute
new Lodges . What would our contemporary say if some ten Lodges in fche jurisdiction of Quebec suddenly resolved on setting up a Grand Lodge of their own P Would it still declare it had " no desire to use coercion " towards them , and denounce the Grand Lodge of Quebec , as it is now
denouncing those of England , Scotland , and Ireland , if it took steps , as it undoubtedly would take them , to forbid its remaining fifty-four Lodges from countenancing the movement of the seceding Lodges ? If the Canadian Craftsman is really desirous of understanding the true
character of the present Masonic disturbance in New South Wales , it must picture to itself the outbreak of a similar state of things , say , in Quebec , Canada ,
or some other sovereign and independent jurisdiction . New South Wales is a British colony concurrently occupied by the Grand Lodges of England , Scotland , and Ireland , and the reason for this concurrence
of jurisdiction must be obvious to people of reasonable understanding . The population is composed of English , Irish , and Scotch , and English Masons prefer to be connected with the Grand Lodge of England , the Irish wifch thafc of Ireland , and the Scotch with that of Scotland .
The plan has been found to work admirably , here and elsewhere , with tho exception of slight occasional disturbances , but these must be expected in Masonry as in other things , and will right themselves if only the outside world will be kind enough to refrain from all " unwarrantable and meddlesome officiousness . " An article in fche same
number of the Craftsman , on "The 'English' Lodges in Montreal , " makes clear what its meaning is when it ^ says , it has " no desire to use coercion towards any Lodges . It remarks therein , " we do not wish our Montreal Eng lish with
brethren to imagine that we are threatening them coercion . " Bat in the previous paragrap h it had remarked that " whilst great praise was due to G . Master Graham and the Grand Lodge of Quebec , for their past moderation ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Grand Lodge Jurisdiction And New South Wales.
in tbe world , while , as regards England , ifc would still have over 1300 Lodges on its roll . We recognise , we hope with a becoming sense of humility , and at the same time with due thankfulness , the condescension with which the Canadian Craftsman admits
that there is a time when " these ' Colonial' Provincial Lodges " are of some good . They are " all well enough on tho introduction of Masonry into a Province or country ;" but , it is added , " brethren should be taught to rely upon themselves , to establish their own libraries , to erect their
own halls , to build up their own Charities , and to govern themselves . " We make bold to remark with all deference that our "' Colonial' Provincial Lodges" are , likewise , " all well enough , " so long as they prefer carrying out the objects with which they were established under the regis of
the Grand Lodge which constituted them to set tip for themselves . If the head of a family and its subordinate members are willing and anxious to remain under the same roof , what possible objection can there be to such arrangement ? Again , there are no Grand Lodges anywhere
which interfere so little with tbe concerns of their subordinate Lodges as those of England , Scotland , and Ireland . It is only when tbe laws and regulations of the Craft are violated that they take any action . These "' Colonial ' Provincial Lodges " may and do " rely upon themselves . "
Many of them have " their own Libraries , " and those who have not are quite at liberty to establish them whenever they are so minded , and the necessary funds are forthcoming . Many have their own halls , and we rejoice to say , more have built up " their own Charities ; " in short ,
they virtually " govern themselves . " They are on exactly the same footing in all respects , and stand in the same relation to their respective Grand Lodges as do our home Provincial Grand Lodges ; and if they had their Grand , instead of their Provincial or District Grand Lodges , they
would not be a whit better off than they are now , and they might possibly be worse . British Freemasonry has borne fruit , of much of which it may be justly proud , but its work is done in a manner that is quiet and unpretentious . We
have no objection whatever to Lodges and Masons , in " unoccupied territories " calling Conventions , but then our Australian Colonies , New Zealand , India , & c . & c . are already occupied .
We cannot congratulate our contemporary on one of its arguments , in advancing which we are sorry to say it dis-Elays a lamentable degree of ignorance as regards Masonic istory . We are quite ready to discuss with it this and all other questions wbich may appear to have or to be likely to
have a beneficial influence on the future of the Craft , but it is not in our power to furnish it with mental capacity to understand our arguments , neither is ifc any . business of ours to provide reasons for such theories as it may evolve from its own inner consciousness . Hence , much as we may
regret that it " cannot understand why the Masons of New South Wales should be deprived of the right to govern themselves any more than those brethren in other parts of tbe globe , " we fail to grasp the truth of the following statement : " as to the fact that tbey "—the Masons of New
South Wales— " were and are apparently in a minority , all we can say is that our English brethren should be the last to raise an objection to the regularity of the formation of the Grand Lodge of New South Wales on that account , since the Grand Lodge of England itself , at its foundation
in 1717 , was in an insignificant minority in that particular . " We will not stop to question the use of the word " apparently " in the foregoing passage , because we think the difference between " thirteen , " wbich is the highest number of Lodges we have seen assigned to the so-called
Grand Lodge of New South Wales , or claimed by ifc , ancl " seventy , " which is the number still holding under the English , Scotch , and Irish Grand Lodges , is too clearly manifest even to the simplest understanding to be questionable for a single moment .
Nor will we trouble ourselves to inquire in what " particular" it was that " the Grand Lodge of England itself , afc its formation in 1717 , was in an insignificant minority . " We are , however , fully prepared to allow thafc this passage shows onr contemporary possesses in an
eminent degree the faculty of imagination . We are under tbe impression—though , being human , we are , like all other men , liable to error—that in no recognised Masonic
authority have we seen more than four Lodges as having been in existence in England afc the time of the formation of oar Grand Lodge , except fche one in York , which in 1725 took to itself the title of Grand Lodge , and described
Grand Lodge Jurisdiction And New South Wales.
itself as " the Grand Lodge of AIL England . It waa these four Lodges , the only ones , save York , which are known to have had an existence at that epoch , and are now styled "The Four Old Lodges . 'Vhich established tbe Grand Lodge of England ; and we confess " we cannot understand "
how four out of five Lodges can be spoken of as " an insignificant minority . " We'have already said we cannot undertake to provide our contemporary with an understanding that shall be capable of grasping such simple facts as the one we have just mentioned in reference to the
formation of the Grand Lodge of England in 1717 . Neither is it in our power to prevent it from converting the very substantial majority of four out of five Lodges into " an insignificant minority . " We shall , therefore , pursue this matter no further than to suggest—and we do
so in all fraternal kindness—that the Canadian Craftsman will be none the worse as an organ of Masonic opinion , if it should go in , at its earliest convenience , for a short course of Masonic reading , to the end that ifc may become possessed of a knowledge of just a few of fche elements of
Masonic history . The concluding sentence of the extraordinary article which has formed the subject of our somewhat lengthened comments is so wonderfully amusing that we cannot refrain from quoting it in full . " We have no desire , " says
our contemporary , in the child-like simplicity of its heart , " to use coercion towards any Lodges , but we think a free expression of opinion should be permitted among the brethren of the English and Scotch Lodges of New South
Wales , and thafc the Grand Lodges of those Constitutions should , instead of lavishing praises on their Colonial Officers , who are stifling discussion and suppressing libert y of action by threats and edicts , reprimand them for their unwarrantable and meddlesome officiousness . " Like other
people , we are thankful for even the smallest mercies that may be vouchsafed to us , and we are glad to hear our Canadian friend has " no desire to use coercion towards any Lodges ; " but what is it doing else , in this case of the so-called Grand Lodge of New South Wales , than advocate
coercion as against the seventy Lodges in that colony which prefer remaining true to their old allegiance in favour of " an insignificant majority " of thirteen Lodges . If ever there was a case in which the force of public opinion was decisively in favour of a particular
policy , it is the one which is now offered by tbe Craft in New South Wales , where but one in every six Lodges has declared itself in favour of secession , and whence , even now , as we have said already , applications are frequently being made to our home Grand Lodges for warrants to constitute
new Lodges . What would our contemporary say if some ten Lodges in fche jurisdiction of Quebec suddenly resolved on setting up a Grand Lodge of their own P Would it still declare it had " no desire to use coercion " towards them , and denounce the Grand Lodge of Quebec , as it is now
denouncing those of England , Scotland , and Ireland , if it took steps , as it undoubtedly would take them , to forbid its remaining fifty-four Lodges from countenancing the movement of the seceding Lodges ? If the Canadian Craftsman is really desirous of understanding the true
character of the present Masonic disturbance in New South Wales , it must picture to itself the outbreak of a similar state of things , say , in Quebec , Canada ,
or some other sovereign and independent jurisdiction . New South Wales is a British colony concurrently occupied by the Grand Lodges of England , Scotland , and Ireland , and the reason for this concurrence
of jurisdiction must be obvious to people of reasonable understanding . The population is composed of English , Irish , and Scotch , and English Masons prefer to be connected with the Grand Lodge of England , the Irish wifch thafc of Ireland , and the Scotch with that of Scotland .
The plan has been found to work admirably , here and elsewhere , with tho exception of slight occasional disturbances , but these must be expected in Masonry as in other things , and will right themselves if only the outside world will be kind enough to refrain from all " unwarrantable and meddlesome officiousness . " An article in fche same
number of the Craftsman , on "The 'English' Lodges in Montreal , " makes clear what its meaning is when it ^ says , it has " no desire to use coercion towards any Lodges . It remarks therein , " we do not wish our Montreal Eng lish with
brethren to imagine that we are threatening them coercion . " Bat in the previous paragrap h it had remarked that " whilst great praise was due to G . Master Graham and the Grand Lodge of Quebec , for their past moderation ,