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Article MASONRY IN SCOTLAND. ← Page 2 of 7 →
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Masonry In Scotland.
consciences . No ! our modesty will not permit us to blazon forth to the world our deeds of charity . We keep them all to ourselves , making , as many others do , a virtue of necessity . But this quiet way of noting our Charity is hardly correct , since it prevents the Craft in general from emulation , although emulation for the mere sake of ostentation is not charity ; we will , therefore , give the Masons of Scotlandand all those who are interested in the subjecta hint of
, , what we have been doing during the last year . The sum expended by the Scotch Craft in Charity , during this period—as a body , I mean—¦ ivas exactly £ 59 . 15 s . 7 d . l This sum , if deducted from the sums paid by each newly-made Mason , would amount to about tenpeneefarthing from every Apprentice initiated ! Some Brethren may say that this is not a fair statement of the fact , and that it does not include what the private Lodges give for benevolent purposes . This argument maybe
very specious , and I would be the first to give the private Lodges full credit for the sums which they give , when I find any Brother willing to prove their claims . We know that it is by the lessons which the entrant receives , when he is admitted into a Lodge , that he can learn anything of the principles and practice of the Craft , and wc know also , that there is a peculiar cautiousness characteristic of Scotland , andif we add to this the prudent example of the Grand Lodge in
, the matter of charity , I hardly think it possible that our Brethren will exercise that virtue in a sivperfluous manner , or , at all events , in a way which will be detrimental to their purses , or in the slightest degree injurious to their families . But another question arises , Who are those people who have
received this large sum ? The Grand Lodge says that there is a great improvement amongst them , which is as much as to say , that formerly the Benevolent Fund was given away to parties , who did not deserve it . Thirty-four individuals divided this sum , giving an average of £ 1 . 13 s . Id . to each . This is an apparent improvement on last year ; I say apparent , as we have a smaller number of recipients and a larger sum divided ; but it does not follow that it has been
more efficiently bestowed , or more equitably adjusted than it was last year , —we know nothing of the sum paid to individuals , except that some of them received copper ! This brings me to notice a very remarkable circumstance , which may be called a groiving evil , in the Grand Lodge . We have laws , but it does not follow that they must be acted up to , and , if it is necessary , others may be broken through , just to suit the
convenience of those who have the management ; of course , the Grand Lodge may be consulted , if it is thought proper ; but that ceremony is of little moment , —indeed , there is a good deal of what may be called humbug , a considerable proportion of cant , and a trifle of hypocrisy , in many of the sayings and doings of Grand Lodge , and we may therefore use , without , offence , the above terms as indicative of our great principlesinstead of the bland and beautiful
, " Brotherly love , Relief , and Truth . " To show this , six years ago the Fund of Benevolence was formed , and up to last year , it has always been ostentatiously recorded that this fund was managed at little or no expense ; the only charge being postage and printing ; last year a charge for rent appeared in the statement of this fund , —this year the wedge has been sent a little further home , ancl besides the rent charge we have another of
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonry In Scotland.
consciences . No ! our modesty will not permit us to blazon forth to the world our deeds of charity . We keep them all to ourselves , making , as many others do , a virtue of necessity . But this quiet way of noting our Charity is hardly correct , since it prevents the Craft in general from emulation , although emulation for the mere sake of ostentation is not charity ; we will , therefore , give the Masons of Scotlandand all those who are interested in the subjecta hint of
, , what we have been doing during the last year . The sum expended by the Scotch Craft in Charity , during this period—as a body , I mean—¦ ivas exactly £ 59 . 15 s . 7 d . l This sum , if deducted from the sums paid by each newly-made Mason , would amount to about tenpeneefarthing from every Apprentice initiated ! Some Brethren may say that this is not a fair statement of the fact , and that it does not include what the private Lodges give for benevolent purposes . This argument maybe
very specious , and I would be the first to give the private Lodges full credit for the sums which they give , when I find any Brother willing to prove their claims . We know that it is by the lessons which the entrant receives , when he is admitted into a Lodge , that he can learn anything of the principles and practice of the Craft , and wc know also , that there is a peculiar cautiousness characteristic of Scotland , andif we add to this the prudent example of the Grand Lodge in
, the matter of charity , I hardly think it possible that our Brethren will exercise that virtue in a sivperfluous manner , or , at all events , in a way which will be detrimental to their purses , or in the slightest degree injurious to their families . But another question arises , Who are those people who have
received this large sum ? The Grand Lodge says that there is a great improvement amongst them , which is as much as to say , that formerly the Benevolent Fund was given away to parties , who did not deserve it . Thirty-four individuals divided this sum , giving an average of £ 1 . 13 s . Id . to each . This is an apparent improvement on last year ; I say apparent , as we have a smaller number of recipients and a larger sum divided ; but it does not follow that it has been
more efficiently bestowed , or more equitably adjusted than it was last year , —we know nothing of the sum paid to individuals , except that some of them received copper ! This brings me to notice a very remarkable circumstance , which may be called a groiving evil , in the Grand Lodge . We have laws , but it does not follow that they must be acted up to , and , if it is necessary , others may be broken through , just to suit the
convenience of those who have the management ; of course , the Grand Lodge may be consulted , if it is thought proper ; but that ceremony is of little moment , —indeed , there is a good deal of what may be called humbug , a considerable proportion of cant , and a trifle of hypocrisy , in many of the sayings and doings of Grand Lodge , and we may therefore use , without , offence , the above terms as indicative of our great principlesinstead of the bland and beautiful
, " Brotherly love , Relief , and Truth . " To show this , six years ago the Fund of Benevolence was formed , and up to last year , it has always been ostentatiously recorded that this fund was managed at little or no expense ; the only charge being postage and printing ; last year a charge for rent appeared in the statement of this fund , —this year the wedge has been sent a little further home , ancl besides the rent charge we have another of