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Article THE FREEMASONS' QUARTERLY REVIEW. ← Page 3 of 8 →
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The Freemasons' Quarterly Review.
commencement of the Masonic rule of the present Grand Master , has at length' been carried to the monstrous extent of dividing Freemasonry into two classes—the privileged and the restricted ! We will prove this , perhaps , startling assertion , —first , by
examining , as far as analogy admits , the restrictions or privileges of a Master of a Lodge , of a Provincial Grand Master , and of a Grand Master ; taking our illustrations from the new version of the Book of Constitutions , a work which we propose to notice at greater length in our
succeeding number . The regulations for " Masters and Wardens , " page 77 , rule 3 , provide that , " No Brother shall continue in the office of Master for more than two years in succession , unless by a dispensation , which may be granted by the Grand Master , or the Provincial Grand Master , in cases of real necessity ; but he may be again elected , after he has
been out of that office one year . This regulation shall not extend to a Prince of the Blood Royal appointing a Deputy , but it shall to such Deputy . " Here , then , it is declared that , although "in cases of real necessity , " the Members of the Lodge are not privileged to judge for themselves ,
being restricted by the will of the Grand , or the Provincial Grand Master , still " a Prince of the Blood Royal" may follow his own gracious impulse , and do just as may please him , he being at the head of the privileged class . If this were the only instance of such distinctions , we might
be disposed to pass it over , as an exception merely to the general rule of Masonic equality . Further elucidation , however , will prove that it is unfortunately a part , only , of a general system of privilege and restriction of the most invidious nature .
It is evident to all who seek beyond the surface , that this limitation of the period in which one individual might continue to rule a Lodge was generally intended , on the one hand , to prevent the growth of undue power and influence
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Freemasons' Quarterly Review.
commencement of the Masonic rule of the present Grand Master , has at length' been carried to the monstrous extent of dividing Freemasonry into two classes—the privileged and the restricted ! We will prove this , perhaps , startling assertion , —first , by
examining , as far as analogy admits , the restrictions or privileges of a Master of a Lodge , of a Provincial Grand Master , and of a Grand Master ; taking our illustrations from the new version of the Book of Constitutions , a work which we propose to notice at greater length in our
succeeding number . The regulations for " Masters and Wardens , " page 77 , rule 3 , provide that , " No Brother shall continue in the office of Master for more than two years in succession , unless by a dispensation , which may be granted by the Grand Master , or the Provincial Grand Master , in cases of real necessity ; but he may be again elected , after he has
been out of that office one year . This regulation shall not extend to a Prince of the Blood Royal appointing a Deputy , but it shall to such Deputy . " Here , then , it is declared that , although "in cases of real necessity , " the Members of the Lodge are not privileged to judge for themselves ,
being restricted by the will of the Grand , or the Provincial Grand Master , still " a Prince of the Blood Royal" may follow his own gracious impulse , and do just as may please him , he being at the head of the privileged class . If this were the only instance of such distinctions , we might
be disposed to pass it over , as an exception merely to the general rule of Masonic equality . Further elucidation , however , will prove that it is unfortunately a part , only , of a general system of privilege and restriction of the most invidious nature .
It is evident to all who seek beyond the surface , that this limitation of the period in which one individual might continue to rule a Lodge was generally intended , on the one hand , to prevent the growth of undue power and influence