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Article CORRESPONDENCE. ← Page 8 of 9 →
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Correspondence.
stating what Lodges he has visited during the past quarter , and in what condition he has found them . He should have power to regulate the working of the Lodges in his Province , so as to render it uniform ; and furthermore , he should have the power to examine the minutes of every Lodge in his Province , in order to see that the proceedings of the Lodge have been conducted in accordance with the general
Constitutions of the Order , and with the by-laws of the Lodge itself . It woidd be his duty specially to report on any neglect of the duties due from Lodges to G . L ., without waiting for the time of delivering the usual Quarterly Report . The visitors themselves should meet once a year at least , for the purpose of deciding any such questions as miht naturally arise from the nature of their duties ; and failing to
g arrive at a satisfactory conclusion , they might appeal to the Board of General Purposes for a final decision . There yet remains one more point for consideration . The office of visitor would be an onerous one ; it would also entail expense . Should it be a salaried office or not ? I am disposed to say it should be ; and I
. would suggest that the pecuniary remuneration should be fixed for each Province , having reference to the number of Lodges it contains , with travelling expenses ; and that the sum paid be disbursed one-half by G . L . and the other half by the P . G . L . I apprehend , that by the proposed system , many Lodges would be preserved in healthy
activity , which would otherwise be but m a sickly condition ; that an impulse would be given to Masonry such as it has not felt for many years ; and lastly , that the funds of G . L . and P . G . L . would find all dues more regularly and satisfactorily forwarded to thera than has hitherto been the case . There is also another means , by whicli not only a uniformity of working miht be aidedbut a great and invaluable boon conferred
g , upon _ Lodges generally ; I refer to the introduction of a regular system of lectures on Masonry . How few are aware of the history of Masonry ; how few , of the vast number of interesting publications on the subject ; how few , in a word , know anything of the literature and philosophy of Masonry ; and how many have imagined that there was nothing more for them to learn after they had reached to the
degree of P . M . Of many a Brother it may be truly said—viewed in the aspect just pointed out—that Masonry is almost as great a mystery to him as it is to those who never saw the light . He is like a man living in a country who is unacquainted with the spirit and nature of its laws , while enjoying its privileges and discharging a moietof his duties as a citizen . How many regard the outward
y adornment of material , rather than the beautifying of the inward and spiritual Mason ; how many busy themselves in the consideration of the ichnography of the temple , but miss to perceive , or fail to imitate the spirit of the founder , and the objects of its elevation I trust these remarks will be received ivith kindness and examined
with candour . Should they attract the notice of older and more skilled Masons , I trust they will consider them well before rejecting them . If they lead to good it will be a source of gratification ; if
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
stating what Lodges he has visited during the past quarter , and in what condition he has found them . He should have power to regulate the working of the Lodges in his Province , so as to render it uniform ; and furthermore , he should have the power to examine the minutes of every Lodge in his Province , in order to see that the proceedings of the Lodge have been conducted in accordance with the general
Constitutions of the Order , and with the by-laws of the Lodge itself . It woidd be his duty specially to report on any neglect of the duties due from Lodges to G . L ., without waiting for the time of delivering the usual Quarterly Report . The visitors themselves should meet once a year at least , for the purpose of deciding any such questions as miht naturally arise from the nature of their duties ; and failing to
g arrive at a satisfactory conclusion , they might appeal to the Board of General Purposes for a final decision . There yet remains one more point for consideration . The office of visitor would be an onerous one ; it would also entail expense . Should it be a salaried office or not ? I am disposed to say it should be ; and I
. would suggest that the pecuniary remuneration should be fixed for each Province , having reference to the number of Lodges it contains , with travelling expenses ; and that the sum paid be disbursed one-half by G . L . and the other half by the P . G . L . I apprehend , that by the proposed system , many Lodges would be preserved in healthy
activity , which would otherwise be but m a sickly condition ; that an impulse would be given to Masonry such as it has not felt for many years ; and lastly , that the funds of G . L . and P . G . L . would find all dues more regularly and satisfactorily forwarded to thera than has hitherto been the case . There is also another means , by whicli not only a uniformity of working miht be aidedbut a great and invaluable boon conferred
g , upon _ Lodges generally ; I refer to the introduction of a regular system of lectures on Masonry . How few are aware of the history of Masonry ; how few , of the vast number of interesting publications on the subject ; how few , in a word , know anything of the literature and philosophy of Masonry ; and how many have imagined that there was nothing more for them to learn after they had reached to the
degree of P . M . Of many a Brother it may be truly said—viewed in the aspect just pointed out—that Masonry is almost as great a mystery to him as it is to those who never saw the light . He is like a man living in a country who is unacquainted with the spirit and nature of its laws , while enjoying its privileges and discharging a moietof his duties as a citizen . How many regard the outward
y adornment of material , rather than the beautifying of the inward and spiritual Mason ; how many busy themselves in the consideration of the ichnography of the temple , but miss to perceive , or fail to imitate the spirit of the founder , and the objects of its elevation I trust these remarks will be received ivith kindness and examined
with candour . Should they attract the notice of older and more skilled Masons , I trust they will consider them well before rejecting them . If they lead to good it will be a source of gratification ; if