Unwieldy Lodges.

UNWIELDY LODGES .

During the last 15 or 20 years there is hardly an instance of a new lodge having been constituted in the Provinces or in London but the Consecrating Officer has conceived it his duty to advise the founders to exercise the most extreme caution in

the election of members . You cannot , he has told them , be too particular as to whom you admit to the rights and privileges of membership , and the same care should be taken in the case of the candidate who is the most

intimate friend of your most respected member as in that of one of whom it is only known that he is a good class of man , who has the reputation of possessing the qualities which go to make a good Mason . Sometimes , as at the recent constitution of the Woodgrange Lodge , the sound advice thus tendered by

the Consecrating Officer has been emphasised by the brother who has delivered the oration , and Bro . the Rev . j . S . BROWN - RIGG , P . G . Chaplain , in supporting the Grand Secretary , drew a lofty ideal of the character of the man who seeks admission into our ranks , which we are greatly afraid is only approximately

realised . The three requisites which he insisted upon in every candidate for Freemasonry were that he should be a man of honour , a , man of Charity , and a man of industry , and we hardly think it possible that any one could have summed up the ' requirements more correctly or more

tersely . But the very excellent advice which is thus tendered by our ablest and most experienced Craftsmen on all proper occasions runs a very fair chance of being rendered to a greater or less extent valueless by the increasing tendency of brethren in the present day to enlarge the borders of their lodges . A

new test of quality has been added , and the lodge which is numerically strong is being looked upon with a degree of favour which we do not understand and cannot appreciate . In the United States of North America , where size is one of the chief elements of consideration , we realise that a lodge of Freemasons

will be judged by its strength of membership , just as a railway collision , a steamboat explosion , or a tornado attracts public notice in proportion to the amount of damage it causes to life and property . We trust , however , that our lodges will make a determined stand against the further introduction of this standard

of merit . We concede that there are many cases in which a lodge may be numerous without being unwieldy , and where strength of membership may be looked upon with favour . There is a lodge in one of the Home Counties in which the majority of the members are operatives in the government factories hard by .

This lodge is not far short of a hundred strong , and we should say there would not be the slightest danger to its reputation as a well-ordered lodge if its membership were doubled to-morrow . Those who offer themselves as candidates are for the most part known to each other in the factory before they meet in lodge . So , too ,

with our University lodges , it can matter little as to the number of members , seeingthat University men only areadmitted , that is to say , men of thesamestampandaboutthesamesocialstanding . The same remarks , will apply to other lodges which are not so generally known , but which , nevertheless , are favourably regarded for

the high character of their members . But as a rule the moderate-sized lodge with from 30 to 50 members is the most manageable , and till lately has commended itself most to English Masons . In the case of lodges of this strength it is possible to act upon the advice of Bro . Col . SHADWELL H . CLERKE , Grand Secretary , and

our leading experts to be cautious as to whom we accept as candidates . The members who fully realise the immense responsibility which rests upon those who proposecandidates will take carenot to recommend any for whose reputability they are not able to vouch , lhey will also take care their candidates are genial and kindly as

well as men of character , so that the harmony of the lodge may run as little chance as possible of being disturbed by personal , bickerings and petty jealousies . We repeat , this care is possible jn the case of manageable lodges of about 40 or 50 members , because in such a body every member very soon becomes known 0 everybod y else . All are equally concerned in having members

Unwieldy Lodges.

with whom it will not be derogatory for them to associate outside the lodge , and they will prefer the lofty ideal which was pictured the other day by Bro . the Rev . J . S . BROWNRIGG : to one that is less exacting . But in lodges which are unwieldy by reason of their numbers this caution is well nigh impossible ,

except under conditions which have not yet commended themselves to the acceptance of English Masons . The inquisitorial work of the Private Inquiry Office is not generall y popular in this country , and it is only by the employment of some such agency that a proper inquiry could be instituted in

behalf of a lodge of 200 or 300 members . Therefore , to the advice so properly tendered by our Grand Secretary and others to be cautious whom you admit into the membership of your

lodge , we respectfully add that which is hardly less valuable in its way . Let us take care that our lodges are not unwieldy in respect of numbers , for if they are , the standard of qualification will be proportionately lower .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Devonshire.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF DEVONSHIRE .

The annual meeting of this Provincial Grand Lodge was held on the 23 rd ult ., at Tavistock . The lodge of that town , the Bedford , No . 282 , . was instituted in I 7 QO , and was thus visited in connection with the celebration of

its centenary . I here was a very large attendance of brethren . . The Committee of Petitions met at noon . Bro . VV . G . Rogers , D . P . G . M ., the Chairman of the Committee , was absent through having been detained by business at Exeter . -

Bro . Major G . C . Davie , P . G . Sec , presided , and the members present included : > Bros . John Stacker , P . J . G . W . ; S . Jones , P . P . J . G . W . ; Rev . Dr . Lemon , P . P ^ J . G . W . ; J . B . Gover , P . P . G . Sec , Sec ; W . Powell , P . G . T . ; S . Jew , P . P . G . T . ; J . R . Lord , P . P . G . T . ; W . Locke , P . G . R . ; J . Templeton , P . P . G . T . ; J . W . Cornish ,

P . P . G . T . ; E . T . Fulford , P . P . G . T . ; G . Merrifield , P . P . G . S . of VV . ; R . Hambly , P . P . G . S . of W . ; 'E . Aitken-Davies , P . P . G . S . of W . ; J . S . Kevern , P . G . D . C ; W . Browning , P . P . G . D . C ; A . P . Reece , P . P . A ; G . D . C ; R . Cawsey , P . PJ . G-. D . ; M . Emdon , P . P . J . G . D . ; R . Pengelly , P . P . A : G . D . C . ; W . A . Gregory , P , P . A .

G . D . C ; G . B . Avant , P . P . A . G . D . C ; Major J . S . Swann , P . P . G . Std . Br . ; C . Watson , P . P . G . D . C ; F . Sanders , P . P . G . Std . Br . ; C . A . Nicholson , P . M . and Treas . ; E . M . Ellis , P . M ., Sec ; T . W . Atherton , S . B . Harvey , W . Allsford , J . B . Crabb , N . Radmore , M . Whittle , P . M . ; F . G . Knight , J . Trant , J . J . Leonard , W . M . ; . and H . W . Duncombe , P . D ..

The SECRETARY reported that during the year he had received 1166 boys ' , 66 7 girls ' , 575 men ' s , and 719 women ' s votes , an increase on' the previous year of 61 boys ' , 32 girls ' , 24 men ' s , and no women ' s votes . The Committee reported that during the year five Devon candidates had been elected to the great London Charities—three girls and two men . There

were now 40 Devon candidates supported by the great Charities , viz ., n -men , 12 women , 7 boys , and 10 girls . The Committee felt they owed a debt of gratitude to Bro . Rev . W . Whittley for his admirable management of the votes , for thanks to his exertions the position of the province had been much improved . The members and the lodges should , however , make

further efforts to increase their donations and subscriptions , the province being much indebted to the liberality of the London Charities . There were five applications for relief . Twenty pounds were recommended to be granted to the widow of a brother of Lodge 112 ; ^ 10 to the widow of a brother

of Lodge 2 S 2 ; £$ was voted and £ 20 recommended to a brother of Lod ge 1550 who had become blind in the prime of life ; ^ 5 voted and ^ 10 recommended to the widow of a brother of Lodge 156 ; and £ § voted and £ 5 recommended to the widow of a brother of Lodge 954 .

Bro . DAVIE announced that this year there were 12 lodges who had sent in their ten guineas each , moieties towards their obtaining Life-Governorships of the Benevolent Institutions in London , asking to be granted the other ten guineas each . That was very satisfactory , but from the state of the Treasurer ' s balance only ten of those lodges could be given those ' grants .

He recommended that the grants should be made to those lodges who had received as yet the least number of grants . That course was adopted and the grants made to Friendship Lodge , No . 202 ; Charity Lodge , No . 223 ;

Bedford Lodge , No . 282 ; Union Lodge , 444 ; St . Maurice Lodge , No . 1855 ; St . John Lodge , No . 70 ; St . Peter ' s Lodge , No . 1125 ; 'St . John the Baptist Lodge , No . 39 ; Brent Lodge , No . 1284 ; and Jordan Lodge , No . 1402 .

At Provincial Grand Lodge Bro . Viscount Ebrington , P . G . M ., presided , supported by Bros Major N . Tracy , P . P . G . W ., as D . P . G . M . ; S . Jones , as P . S . G . W . ; Jno . Stocker , P . J . G . W . ; and the following brethren , in addition to those who had been present at the Committee of Petitions :