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Article QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION. ← Page 9 of 12 →
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Quarterly Communication.
say the truth of his ( Dr . C . ' s ) statement ? No ! it was not possible , ancl he fearlessly abided an unanimous vote . Bro . M'MULLEN seconded the proposal . Bro . DOBIE had opposed the first grant because he thought the system bad , ancl fearing , from the lateness of the hour , he should not get an opportunity presently , he should now move an amendment ; it mi ght , perhapsbe looked upon more as a notice of motion . He thought
, great inconvenience resulted from the way the money grants were made to petitioners . If they were for large sums Grancl Lodge could not investigate ; it hacl not the time nor the inclination , neither was it the place where inquiry or investigation could be properly gone into . The Board of Benevolence was the right place , that he admitted ; why not then leave it with that Board to give the larger sums as well as the small . He should proposethereforethat in futureif at one Board a
, , , larger sum than they could now give were carried , that the next meeting of the Board should have the poiver to reject or confirm the proposition . If approved , and the Grand Master ' s sanction hacl been obtained , the money should be paid . That would give the Boarcl the power required , and would saVe discussion and time of Grancl Lodge —( oh , oh 1 ) . Well , he put it as an amendment—they might look upon it as notice—for he would bring it forward next meeting .
Bro . CRUCEPIX observed that the Grand Registrar was altogether out of order . The motion was put ancl carried . The GRAND MASTER—The first business on the list is to proceed with the postponed report of the Board of General Purposes , on the
alterations in the Book of Constitutions , commencing with article 1 , page 38 . Previously to which I wish you to consider the subject I mentioned some time since , respecting an alteration in the declaration , and elsewhere , that a candidate for initiation must declare that he is free born . I have letters upon the subject from Antigua and Jamaica , which shall be read to you , showing the hardship of the law . There are , at the present moment , many men who are free by the law of emancipation , many who were freed before , and yet , their mothers having been
slaves , they cannot conscientiously sign the declaration nor can we initiate them . This is manifestly unjust and not intended by the laws of Freemasonry . I should be glad to see it altered , and therefore move that the question asked in future be , for " free born "— " free agent , " and in the declaration be altered to " free man . " ( Cheers . ) Bro . R . ALSTON ( P . G . M . Essex ) could not agree that any such question should be asked , it should be altered entirely . It was an insult to a man to ask him—are you free born or a free man ? Of course he was ; every man was free born , it was the villany of man that had made him
anyttung else . It mattered not it a man were born here or m the colonies , or came there by chance , he was freed if found there , ancl the laws of the country recognized him in no other capacity . Freedom was an essential part of our constitution ; the legislature had taken care of it , and he hoped all allusion to it would be dropped . Bro . M'MULLEN thought it had better be " free man . " He could put a case—a slave might by accident be at the colonies , and willingly return to his master ; that man was not fit to partake of Freemasonry , nor
could he be admitted to the Order , as coercion might be used to him afterwards to make him divulge . Again , soldiers were not free men , and could not be initiated . VOL . v . II
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Quarterly Communication.
say the truth of his ( Dr . C . ' s ) statement ? No ! it was not possible , ancl he fearlessly abided an unanimous vote . Bro . M'MULLEN seconded the proposal . Bro . DOBIE had opposed the first grant because he thought the system bad , ancl fearing , from the lateness of the hour , he should not get an opportunity presently , he should now move an amendment ; it mi ght , perhapsbe looked upon more as a notice of motion . He thought
, great inconvenience resulted from the way the money grants were made to petitioners . If they were for large sums Grancl Lodge could not investigate ; it hacl not the time nor the inclination , neither was it the place where inquiry or investigation could be properly gone into . The Board of Benevolence was the right place , that he admitted ; why not then leave it with that Board to give the larger sums as well as the small . He should proposethereforethat in futureif at one Board a
, , , larger sum than they could now give were carried , that the next meeting of the Board should have the poiver to reject or confirm the proposition . If approved , and the Grand Master ' s sanction hacl been obtained , the money should be paid . That would give the Boarcl the power required , and would saVe discussion and time of Grancl Lodge —( oh , oh 1 ) . Well , he put it as an amendment—they might look upon it as notice—for he would bring it forward next meeting .
Bro . CRUCEPIX observed that the Grand Registrar was altogether out of order . The motion was put ancl carried . The GRAND MASTER—The first business on the list is to proceed with the postponed report of the Board of General Purposes , on the
alterations in the Book of Constitutions , commencing with article 1 , page 38 . Previously to which I wish you to consider the subject I mentioned some time since , respecting an alteration in the declaration , and elsewhere , that a candidate for initiation must declare that he is free born . I have letters upon the subject from Antigua and Jamaica , which shall be read to you , showing the hardship of the law . There are , at the present moment , many men who are free by the law of emancipation , many who were freed before , and yet , their mothers having been
slaves , they cannot conscientiously sign the declaration nor can we initiate them . This is manifestly unjust and not intended by the laws of Freemasonry . I should be glad to see it altered , and therefore move that the question asked in future be , for " free born "— " free agent , " and in the declaration be altered to " free man . " ( Cheers . ) Bro . R . ALSTON ( P . G . M . Essex ) could not agree that any such question should be asked , it should be altered entirely . It was an insult to a man to ask him—are you free born or a free man ? Of course he was ; every man was free born , it was the villany of man that had made him
anyttung else . It mattered not it a man were born here or m the colonies , or came there by chance , he was freed if found there , ancl the laws of the country recognized him in no other capacity . Freedom was an essential part of our constitution ; the legislature had taken care of it , and he hoped all allusion to it would be dropped . Bro . M'MULLEN thought it had better be " free man . " He could put a case—a slave might by accident be at the colonies , and willingly return to his master ; that man was not fit to partake of Freemasonry , nor
could he be admitted to the Order , as coercion might be used to him afterwards to make him divulge . Again , soldiers were not free men , and could not be initiated . VOL . v . II