A Hard Case.

A HARD CASE .

HIRE difficulty of making laws for tho government of the - * - Masonic Charitable Institutions which shall at once settle every question likely to arise , shall prevent imposition , and at the same time apply with equal fairness in all cases , is an acknowledged fact , and although the rules

nnder which the Institutions have been conducted in the past have been found to work satisfactorily , we have had ample evidence of late that they do not meet with universal approval , or that they provide all the protection it is

deemed they should do . Perhaps it would be unwise to hope for a code which would satisfy every one , and yet , as year by year goes on , and we gain experience , it should be possible to aim at perfection , if not to attain it . But in

all our doings in this respect we should do well to bear in mind that it is a question of Masonic benevolence which concerns ns , and , therefore , that the laws which are framed , severe though they mav be , should at the same time be

tempered with mercy , or at least should not be allowed to press too heavily on any of the unfortunate members of the Fraternity , or their families , for whom they were framed . If leniency be consistent with fairness , it should be

exercised to the fullest extent , not only in regard to the candidates when once they are admitted to a participation in the benefits of one or other of the Institutions , but also in matters concerning their election . In advising leniency

we know we are touching on delicate ground , as any departure from the strict letter of a law is generally looked upon as the result of influence in one quarter or other ,

and opens the road to scandal and endless dispute . Still , there are occasions when leniency may be exercised , and such an opportunity now exists in connection with the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls .

Among the candidates who took part in the election held three weeks back was an orphan child of the late Bro . Charles Steng , one of four children left without father or mother , totally unprovided for . The case was

most deserving ; one of those which , if we had our way , wonld be eligible for admission to the Institution , under certain restrictions , without the necessity of election . It was strongly recommended , and the child was well

supported , unfortunately not to an extent sufficient to ensure her admission to the School , for although 1288 votes were polled on her behalf , that number proved insufficient to place her on the list of successful . By the laws of the

Institution this child will not be eligible to compete at the election in April next , so that all chance of her admission to the School has vanished , notwithstanding the very large

number of votes polled on her behalf—unless some amount of leniency can be extended towards her , and an exception made in her case .

We are prepared to hear that any such step would create a most damaging precedent ; one which would strike at tho very root of the system under which the elections are conducted : but at tbe same time we remember

an old axiom , to the effect that there is no rule without an exception , and we cannot dismiss from our mind the fact that we are dealing with a case of severe distress , which we are asked to relieve , in the spirit of Masonic

brotherhood , to the best of our ability . What if a precedent were established ? It is seldom that such a case as that of Martha Steng occurs , but as often as it does we feel we shall be inclined to advocate a departure from the hard

A Hard Case.

and fast letter of the law which governs the question . If

it were a case of failure on the last application with only a few votes recorded , or if the child had a mother to look after her , we should not perhaps take the stand we do , but we appeal to the sympathy—we may say the spirit o

justice—of our fellow subscribers to the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , to decide whether or not this is a case for special intervention . The old idea that it is charitable to be severe on those who are down in the

world has exploded , bat even if it were not , are we not Masons , bound together by ties of brotherhood , pledged to support the widow and the orphan so far as lies in our power ? Are we to be governed by laws—just though

they may be in ordinary cases—which permit of no amendment or departure from their letter in the most extreme cases ? Surely this is not consistent with the spirit of Masonry . It is no answer to say that others have suffered

as severely , that only goes to prove the need for alteration ; or that leniency nnder such circumstances would be taken advantage of in the future , for the risk of ultimate

fanure would be too great to allow of repeated attempts being made to suspend the ordinary laws , it is by that means we propose to open a way for the admission of young Steng .

We would suggest that under all tho circumstances of the case—that the applicant is one of four parentless children , but more especially in consequence of the large number of 1288 votes having been polled on her

behalfthat Law LIII . be suspended , so far as this child is concerned , for the next election only , and that the votes already polled for her be carried to her credit for that contest . If she is unsuccessful on that occasion , then the

matter should rest , but we think the subscribers who have supported her with their 1288 votes should be allowed one more , chance to give her the benefits they evidently consider her entitled to . There is ample time in which to learn

the opinion of the supporters of the Institution on the subject , and we shall be pleased to see that steps are taken to give relief to what we deem a particularly hard case , and we think that should the subscribers see their way

to make an exception in behalf of this child that not only would they be doing a kindness in a case of severe distress , but we think the Institution would eventually reap the benefit of being somewhat liberal in the dispensation of its benefits .

Forged Affiliation Next

FORGED AFFILIATION NEXT

AMONG the multitude of so-called legal questions which we owe to the modern avidity for novel and arbitrary legislation in Masonry , several are now the subjects of sharp controversy . Although they have much more to do with justice and Masonic duty than with any

supposed rule or refinement of law , it is to be feared that they will be fought out to some conclusion , right or wrong , on the thorny desert of legal technics , and let the triumph be to whom it may , the defeat must fall on union , charity and peace .

The questions mentioned are such as should never disturb Masonic deliberations . The Craft can more readily make itself familiar with confusion and disgrace by unseemly contentions over mere refinements of legal casuistry , than it can restore what has been already lostjby neglect