Amusing Episodes In "Ancient" History.

made certain arrangements in respect of Petitions for Warrants or Dispensations which were forwarded to the Grand Secretary , when that ollicer rose and " humbly beged that the Lodge wou'd please to appoint some certain person lo deliver the Summonses for the future , that he the said Secretary was under the necessity of delivering or paying for the delivery of them for several months past , in fact , ever since he was install'd and vdiich servitude was exceeding troublesome as he was oblidged to work twelve

hours in the day for the Master Painter who e . nploy'd him . " On biin ^ asked why the Pursuivant and T yler did not deliver the summonses , Bro . Dermott said they refused to do so " unlill they were first paid for service done during the time Mr . John Megan was G . Secretary and that the Fund being closed it was in vain to mention . Yet he was resolved that no part of the business should be neglected whilst he was Able to forward or promote it . " Arrangements were accordingly made by which the S . cretary was relieved of the duties he had found so irksome . It was also at the

same meetirg that the W . M . in the chair " lhank'd the G . S . for the last new song which he composed and hop id that the applause of his Brethren wou'd induce Bror . Dermott G . S . to compose another against the next St . John ' s day , which the G . S . promised to attempt . " At the meeting of , G . Lodge on the 2 nd June , 175 6 , a question which much exercised the minds of the brethren—the purchase of candlesticks for

use in G . Lodge—having been settled in favour of purchase by 27 votes to 1 ( 1 , a further motion as to whether they should be paid for out of the Grand Fund or by private subscriptions was considered , and this , we are told , " produced many debates which grew so warm that some were for repealing the first motion and declaring against purchasing any candlesticks . " However , the G . Secretary presented himself with a view to allaying the strife of words , and having obtained an audience , " told the R . W . G .

Master and Brethren that he wou'd propose a scheme by which they would he enabled to purchase ( even silver ) candlesticks without drawing anything out of the Gtand Fund nor any contribution from the Lodges ; " and on being asked to produce his scheme , he at once suggested that in future one guinea should be paid for every wairant of constitution . It was at once agreed that this sum , in addition to the Secretary ' s fees , should be paid , and Dermott nceived a vote of thanks and was intreated "to continue in the study of lhe Interest and honour of the Antient Craft . "

I he memorable scene in Grand Lodge on the 2 nd March , 1757 , when Dermott was railed upon to answer sundry malicious charges brought against him by " John Hamilton , an excluded Mason , " is another incident , that deserves to be mentioned in this article . The subject is serious enough in all conscience , but we can hardly avoid smiling at the mock-silemnity with which the occurrence is described , Hamilton declaring that the

complaints formerly laid against him were groundless and had been' devised by the cunning and wickedness of an impostor , Mr . Lau . Dermott , the Secretaiy , who had imposed on the whole of the Craft , and who , though he affirmed he had been " Regularly made in Ireland , " was only " a clandestine Mason made by James Hagan and others , at a house in Long Acre some years b fore , '' and that his whole Drift was to humbug the Society until

they had accumulated a large sum of money and then rob them , —Dermott appealing to the Book of Constitutions and the Grand Masler in the chair ( Deputy G . M . Halfordj formally proclaiming " as the law of Masons has decrtid so shall a'l things here be done ; "—all this with the utter absence of proof from Hamilton , and the elaborate defence by Dermott , inclines one to think , or at all events , suggests the idea that Dermott must have heard of

Hamilton ' s intended attack and organised the whole thing in order to strengthen , his position and give him still greater , influence with the brethren than he already possessed . However , the record is not without its beneficial results . Firstly , Bro . Thomss Allen , P . M . No . 2 , rose and declared that to his knowledge Dermott had faithfully sei ved . dl the offices ' •in a very Reputable Lodge held in his ( Allen ' s ) house in the City of Dubl i \ " before

coming to England , and that he had never heaid either in or out of the lodge , of any crime being laid to his chaige . Then Bro . Charles Byrne ( Sen . ) , W . M . No . 2 , deposed " that B'O . Lau , Dent ott hiving faithfully teived lhe offices of Senr . and Junr . Deacon , Senr . and Junr . Waiden , 'ird Secretary , was by him Regularly Install'd Master of the good lod ^ e •\' o . 26 . in tte Kirgdum of Ireland , upon the 24 th day of June , 1746 , and itat ; , !! those transactions were prior to Dermott ' s coming to liny land . "

lastly , B o . Dermott produced a certificate ( signed Edwaid Spratt , E ^ q . G . S . ) in e ' er the se * l of the G > and Ledge of Iielaudof his good behaviour and 'uvitude , S . X ., & c , " which gave entire satisfaction . The charges having I een thus proved false and malicious , Hamilton was sentenced , as he unserved , 10 exclusion lor ' . ife from all "ancient" lodges , while : Dertr . ott justl y became a greater power than e \ er in the Counsels of the iraUri ity . The whole lias the appearance of a solemn fa a , but it did good undoubtedly to Dertrott . I sh ^ ll next give an in > tance to show that Bro . Dermott had inoculated some cf his "ancter . t" bctl . re :. with just a suspicion of his own keen

Amusing Episodes In "Ancient" History.

sense of the humorous . On the 5 th December . 1759 , Bro . Goodman , Dep . G . Master , being in the chair , it is recorded in the course of the proceedings that "the Gd Secretary mide a long and labour'd speech against any Victular being chosen Grand Officer , which speech g we great offence to some petsms in the Grand Lodge . " Thereupon " the Secretary own'd that he had treated the subject freely yet he humbly conceiv ed that considering the dignity of the Craft and his duty to the So ; iety I 13 ha J not exceeded the

bounds of Brotherly love and good manners and therefore he humbly moved that the sense of the Grand Lodge might be taken on his present behaviour . " The D . G . M . at once submitted a motion " Whether the Sxy Liu Djrmott for his last speech Merited Applause or Oj ; s : ved Cencure , " and on a division it was resolved in favour of applause by 44 . votes to foir , the D . Grand Master remarking that the division showed there ware •' only 4 publicans in the Room . "

I have once before drawn attention to ths proceeding ; of the Grand Lodge on lhe 271 b December , 1760 , when , after the Earl of Kelly had been proclaimed Grand Master in place of the E trl of B ' esinton , Grand Lodge unanimously ordered that Bro . George Djnovan should " stand Upon the middle table in the Grand Lodge , " and there and then " audiabl y read a certain paper given him for that purpose ; " the paper in qu s ' . ion containing

a vote of thanks to Dermott for his services . Dermott replied in gloiving terms , declaring he was "as happy in his Secretiryship as the Great Pitt was in being Secretary of State . " Lint a still more remarkable instance of the extravagant eulogy bestowed on their Grand Secretary by the " Ancients " will be found in the minutes of lhe 24 th June , 1701 —D . G . M . Osborn being in the chair—when it is recorded lhat the usual toasts hav ng been honoured

— "The Grand Lodge Ordrr'd Bro . George Donovan , Master of No . (> to go up to the Gd . Secretary ' s plica and in the Name of the Grand Lodg ; return the said Gd . Secretary public thanks for his unwearied diligence and emminent services to the Antient Craft in General with h * ve as Master Masons . " Bro . Dermott expostulated with Ihem for their extravagance , printing out that " the No 5 was Irregular , " and Inping " thtt it might b 3 reduced to Three . " But Grand Lodge was not to be denied . A debate a'ose , and it

was resolved that Grand Lodge had a ri ght to toist any eminent brother it chose to honour with any number it pleased . The D . G . M . proposed that the Grand Secretary should be "toasted with the No . of his years , " and it was at once agreed " that Laurence Dermott , Esq ., Grand Secretary , shall be Drunk in form with jo , being now in the 39 th year of his age . " Which was accordingly done—a footnote being added to the record to the effect that the Secretary was in his 41 st year .

But while Dermolt was a model of circumspection in the discharge of his own duties , he was unable to secure that the Grand Ollicers should be equally circumspect in the discharge of theirs . Moreover , about the lim ; I am going to refer to an uneasy feeling must have prevailed among some of the brethren that something was wrong with the moneys of G-and ¦ Lodge . There was no Grand Treasurer in those days , and the funds were in charge

of the D . G . M . and Wardens , each of whom hid a key to the chest in which the cash was kept . At all events , at the meeting at the 1 M ve Bills on the 5 th December , 1764 , a scene occurred which reminds one of the old nursery tale about Old Mother Hubbard , who went to the cupboard to give her poor dog a bone ; but when she got there the cupboird was bare , and so the poor dog had none . On the date mentioned , Dsputy Oiborn , having

paid over £ ¦ } 10 s . interest on the money in the Stocks , inq liry was made a ; to the amount of money in the Chest , and the Secretary nameJ the sum ( close on . £ 28 ) . The majority then insisted on the Chest being opened , and , this having besn done , lo and baholdthe chest was bare , and appa enil / poor Grand Lodge hid nine . On further inquiry , it appeared th ' vt thj Deputy and Wardens had each of them a key , but J . G . W . Gibson had

declined to have anything to do with either keys or cash , so the m it ' . er lav be ' . ween the Deputy Osborn , and S . G . W . Dickey — father of ih : W . Dickey who succeeded Dermott as Grand Secretary , and was subsequently chosen D . G . M . Niither of these brethren was able to account tor the absence of the cash , but the Grand Secretary presented himself an J explained that some time previously Deputy Osborn had entrusted to the la ' e

landlord of the Five Bells a sum of £ 16 odd and had received th * la' . ter ' s promissory note for the same . This note , however , he pliced in the b 3 g containing the cash and handed it altogether to th ; 1 mdlord . He further explained that the bag , money , and note were at the time in the possession of the landlady , Mrs . Windells , widow of tli 2 former landlord . To her accordingly Bro . Osborn at once

descended and demanded restoration of the cash , and the matter having been adjusted as to a sumof ^ 5 paid to a Hospital by Mrs . Windells and an assurance given by Bros . Osborn and Dickey that she should b ? recompensed that amount , Bro . Osborn returned with the cash . Grand Lodg * subsequently declined all responsibility for the £ 5 given without its authority , and not only exonerated Bro . Dicksey from all blame , but even w ^ nt so far as to recommend him for the office of Deputy G . M ., and he was a o 1 : e

Ad03702

THENATIONALTHRIFTSOCIETY 11 us for ils object ihe encouragement nnd promotion of Thrift in various ways , and especially b y holding Meet ings , publishing and circulating Thrift Literal arc . establishing Penny Hunks in connection with the Post Office Savings Hank , and co-operating'with other Institutions for I'l'omotiug the welfare nnd soei-. il improvement vtf the indvtstrv . il vhisses Vhvnnghouv the Country . The . Soe . ie . t y is entirely nnsoetnvian and unpolitical , and its operations are carried on amongst all classes of I lie cjiunimiify . Thrift publications for distribution will be forwarded in subscribers , if desired , or sent direct to any Institution or locality mentioned to the Secretary for that purpose . ' The following are the Subjects dealt with at the Meetings , and in the Publications of the N . T . S . : — ' nHtlr-T IN 1 ) 11 KSS . Till ! I FT I -V . ' Q ^ L'j . - . THI . 'II-T IX H KAI . TH . SAVIXtiS HANKS . ANNUITIES l ' '' ) li lll . l ) AUK . Til K FOOD ItlOFOItM MtlVKMKNT . Til IMF I' IX TIIK IIOUSF ,. TlllilFT JX TIIM WOHKSIIOl ' , TF .. M I'F . UANUF ,. _ yiU ) IN ( i . SOCIKTI F . S . FIIIKXIH . Y A XI ) _ I jjvXF FIT SI ITI K TI US . Til 111 ITJX ^ AM . US KM F . XTS . NATIONAL TlllilFT AXI ) 'I'll llfPTLKSSX KSSTlllilFT IN SAVI . Mi AND TlllilFT IN SI'KNDIXH . Contributions in support of the movement' arc much needed , and will be gratefully received b y I lie Chairman of Committee U ' . GKKVIU . B WAI . POU :, M . A ) , the Viee-Cliairtnan ( Captain TIHIMAS E . OI , AI : KK , . J . P . ) , the Hon . Sec . ( Colonel H . JASPF . II Wiu . i ' . n ) . or the ' ^ 'eretary ( Bro . T . BIIWUKX GIJKKX ) . Cheques should he crossed . Martin ' s Hank , Ltd ., and forwarded to the Head Ollice of the X . T . S ., '< EIXSUURV Outers , Lo . vno . v , E . C .