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Article MASONRY IN SCOTLAND. ← Page 3 of 7 →
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Masonry In Scotland.
£ 10 . Os . 3 c ? . to « the collector . " We thought that " the Grand Clerk ' s services were gratuitous" to this fund . It would only be right and proper that the members of the Craft should know when such changes are to take place , for it will be no argument to say that , as the duty of collector was performed gratis for so many years , therefore it was but fair and right to pay him now ; the plea will not standas it is quite possible to get the services of some other Brother
, to manage the business of the fund at the previous rate . There are many charities of a much greater magnitude where the work is gratuitously done , and done well , and we are sure that the services of a Brother could have been obtained free of charge . I do not grudge the payment of office-bearers , but I think that we have no ri ght to be deluded .
But we must now take up the case ofthe goddess " Truth , " as illustrated by the practice of our Grand Lodge . Some of your readers may remember the circulation of an address termed " the Charter , " by Bro . Walker Arnott , S . P . G . M . to the P . G . L . of Glasgow . In that address he explains at length the law of Grand Lodge as to the fees paid by entrants into the Order . His argument clearly proves that every Apprentice must pay at least 26 s . 6 c / . —as much more as the
Lodgo may charge , but not one farthing less—as the Law , chap . xxi . ¦ > 3 , says , " Neither shall payment of these sums , nor any part thereof , be , on any pretence whatever , remitted or deferred . " Brother Arnott ' s remarks were made against the admission of Brethren free of charge for services rendered to the Lodges , such as musicians , — and his address was approved of by the Grand Lodge . The Grand Clerk in his Encyclical to the Lodges , conies out very strong upon this evil ; andfollowing the footsteps of Brother Arnottdenounces tiie
, , system " of entering Apprentices gratuitously for services , "—mark his words , — "to be rendered to the Lodge initiating . " And in the same letter he is equally strong against the system of " initiation for half fees . " I hold that the conduct of those Lodges , which countenance such practices is disgraceful , and that a stop ought to be put
to them , —the only difficulty to their so doing is , the example which they have continually before them . The Grand Clerk's letter is a beautiful specimen of the principle of "Truth , " as practised by Grand Lodge . Grand Lodge by its Clerk says , that " no person is to be initiated for services to be rendered to the Lodge initiating . " What is the meaning of this ? Is it that the dues will be required for Grand Lodge , whether the initiating Lodge obtains them or not ? Oris it a law fixed and imperativeand which cannot be broken ?
, , I trow not ; any law can be broken when it suits the convenience of those who wish to break it , and none are more ready to do so than the Grand Lodge of Scotland . The example whicli is exhibited here , whenever there is any Masonic demonstration to take place , such as the Annual Festival , is quite a sufficient excuse for the daughter Lodges to follow , and they have few qualms of conscience in " copying the example" Scotch fashion !
, But I would prove the "Truth" of my statement by asking a question . How many Apprentices have been made in this city free of expense " for services to be rendered to the Grand Lodge during the last ten years ? " Perhaps the Grand Clerk or Secretary will politel y inform us , and , at the same time , they can add to the list all those , who have been made ou the same terms , in the Provinces visited
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonry In Scotland.
£ 10 . Os . 3 c ? . to « the collector . " We thought that " the Grand Clerk ' s services were gratuitous" to this fund . It would only be right and proper that the members of the Craft should know when such changes are to take place , for it will be no argument to say that , as the duty of collector was performed gratis for so many years , therefore it was but fair and right to pay him now ; the plea will not standas it is quite possible to get the services of some other Brother
, to manage the business of the fund at the previous rate . There are many charities of a much greater magnitude where the work is gratuitously done , and done well , and we are sure that the services of a Brother could have been obtained free of charge . I do not grudge the payment of office-bearers , but I think that we have no ri ght to be deluded .
But we must now take up the case ofthe goddess " Truth , " as illustrated by the practice of our Grand Lodge . Some of your readers may remember the circulation of an address termed " the Charter , " by Bro . Walker Arnott , S . P . G . M . to the P . G . L . of Glasgow . In that address he explains at length the law of Grand Lodge as to the fees paid by entrants into the Order . His argument clearly proves that every Apprentice must pay at least 26 s . 6 c / . —as much more as the
Lodgo may charge , but not one farthing less—as the Law , chap . xxi . ¦ > 3 , says , " Neither shall payment of these sums , nor any part thereof , be , on any pretence whatever , remitted or deferred . " Brother Arnott ' s remarks were made against the admission of Brethren free of charge for services rendered to the Lodges , such as musicians , — and his address was approved of by the Grand Lodge . The Grand Clerk in his Encyclical to the Lodges , conies out very strong upon this evil ; andfollowing the footsteps of Brother Arnottdenounces tiie
, , system " of entering Apprentices gratuitously for services , "—mark his words , — "to be rendered to the Lodge initiating . " And in the same letter he is equally strong against the system of " initiation for half fees . " I hold that the conduct of those Lodges , which countenance such practices is disgraceful , and that a stop ought to be put
to them , —the only difficulty to their so doing is , the example which they have continually before them . The Grand Clerk's letter is a beautiful specimen of the principle of "Truth , " as practised by Grand Lodge . Grand Lodge by its Clerk says , that " no person is to be initiated for services to be rendered to the Lodge initiating . " What is the meaning of this ? Is it that the dues will be required for Grand Lodge , whether the initiating Lodge obtains them or not ? Oris it a law fixed and imperativeand which cannot be broken ?
, , I trow not ; any law can be broken when it suits the convenience of those who wish to break it , and none are more ready to do so than the Grand Lodge of Scotland . The example whicli is exhibited here , whenever there is any Masonic demonstration to take place , such as the Annual Festival , is quite a sufficient excuse for the daughter Lodges to follow , and they have few qualms of conscience in " copying the example" Scotch fashion !
, But I would prove the "Truth" of my statement by asking a question . How many Apprentices have been made in this city free of expense " for services to be rendered to the Grand Lodge during the last ten years ? " Perhaps the Grand Clerk or Secretary will politel y inform us , and , at the same time , they can add to the list all those , who have been made ou the same terms , in the Provinces visited