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Article CORRESPONDENCE. ← Page 3 of 8 →
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Correspondence.
or , at all events , better than it has been previously promoted , what is the result 1 In the first place , he does not know how it should be carried on ; and , in the second place , he does not obtain a sufficient number to form a Lodge , the attendance being invariably deficient , unless there is a making , — on which occasions we must give the Brethren credit for turning out . If , however , meetings are called for instruction , and for the improvement of the office-hearers in their respective
duties , or the members in what pertains thereto , we are bound to say , the attendance is far from creditable either to members or officehearers ; there is apparently no anxiety to foster or encourage the promulgation ofthe true principles of the Order , notwithstanding the many professions , which Brethren , in moments of excitement ( at " refreshment time , " for example ) , make ; and very often it happens , that the Lodges are swayed and governed , not by the three principal
office-bearers , but by one or two old hands , who occupy the position of "the _ immovable jewel , " mentioned in my last , and manage the affairs of the Lodge under the titles of Secretary , or Clerk , or Treasurer , as we find to be the case in the Grand Lodge . * The consequence of this system is , that any W . M ., who wishes to carry out the principles of the Order , is thwarted in every possible manner , and obtains little or no support . How is it , then , to be wnndered at , that one who wishes properly to discharge his duties , andis not permitted to do so , should cease to take an interest in the affairs of the Lodge ? Manv , very many , instances of this kind
might be adduced . But " why are Masonic matters so carelessly managed ? " may be , and has often been asked by more intelligent Brethren . The answer is very simple , — " Because there is no regularity in the Lodges , and there is no compulsion used by the Grand Lodge to enforce anything like regularity on any point , save and except , — 'SEND UP THE MONEY !'" The Lodges may work any way they like ; use any
method of entering , passing , or raising they please ; and certainly they avail themselves of this privilege to the fullest extent ; for there will not be found three Lodges working exactly in the same way . The whole matter depends upon the taste , fancy , or ability of the presiding W . M ., and whether he be long or short-winded ( as the three ceremonies are given in a space of time varying from three hours to half an hourf ) the ceremony will be cut shorteither to suit the
, convenience of the candidate , or , as is more frequently the case , to prevent the cooling of ' l' . he supper ! Hurry is the order of the day , or rather ni ght ; until the Brethren get fairly settled down to the business of the table , the real making has scarcely commenced —not the making of Masons ( that they neither care for , nor cultivate , nor are very capable of proceeding with ) , but the making of whiskypunch , at which ceremony we will back them against all the Orients
in the universe , aye , and at the drinking of it too ! But if there be little regularity in what are more properly called the Masonic ceremonials , there is still less in bringing forward candidates . The ballot is scarcely known ; — even the proposition of a
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
or , at all events , better than it has been previously promoted , what is the result 1 In the first place , he does not know how it should be carried on ; and , in the second place , he does not obtain a sufficient number to form a Lodge , the attendance being invariably deficient , unless there is a making , — on which occasions we must give the Brethren credit for turning out . If , however , meetings are called for instruction , and for the improvement of the office-hearers in their respective
duties , or the members in what pertains thereto , we are bound to say , the attendance is far from creditable either to members or officehearers ; there is apparently no anxiety to foster or encourage the promulgation ofthe true principles of the Order , notwithstanding the many professions , which Brethren , in moments of excitement ( at " refreshment time , " for example ) , make ; and very often it happens , that the Lodges are swayed and governed , not by the three principal
office-bearers , but by one or two old hands , who occupy the position of "the _ immovable jewel , " mentioned in my last , and manage the affairs of the Lodge under the titles of Secretary , or Clerk , or Treasurer , as we find to be the case in the Grand Lodge . * The consequence of this system is , that any W . M ., who wishes to carry out the principles of the Order , is thwarted in every possible manner , and obtains little or no support . How is it , then , to be wnndered at , that one who wishes properly to discharge his duties , andis not permitted to do so , should cease to take an interest in the affairs of the Lodge ? Manv , very many , instances of this kind
might be adduced . But " why are Masonic matters so carelessly managed ? " may be , and has often been asked by more intelligent Brethren . The answer is very simple , — " Because there is no regularity in the Lodges , and there is no compulsion used by the Grand Lodge to enforce anything like regularity on any point , save and except , — 'SEND UP THE MONEY !'" The Lodges may work any way they like ; use any
method of entering , passing , or raising they please ; and certainly they avail themselves of this privilege to the fullest extent ; for there will not be found three Lodges working exactly in the same way . The whole matter depends upon the taste , fancy , or ability of the presiding W . M ., and whether he be long or short-winded ( as the three ceremonies are given in a space of time varying from three hours to half an hourf ) the ceremony will be cut shorteither to suit the
, convenience of the candidate , or , as is more frequently the case , to prevent the cooling of ' l' . he supper ! Hurry is the order of the day , or rather ni ght ; until the Brethren get fairly settled down to the business of the table , the real making has scarcely commenced —not the making of Masons ( that they neither care for , nor cultivate , nor are very capable of proceeding with ) , but the making of whiskypunch , at which ceremony we will back them against all the Orients
in the universe , aye , and at the drinking of it too ! But if there be little regularity in what are more properly called the Masonic ceremonials , there is still less in bringing forward candidates . The ballot is scarcely known ; — even the proposition of a