United Grand Lodge Of England.

years , and the late lamented Col . Shadwell Clerke , Grand Secretary , was perhaps the only Grand Officer who really knew anything at all about it . It was only in 1 S 89 that he ( Bro . Philbrick ) was first acquainted with it . He was not a member of the Colonial Board ; he never was till last year ; never attended a meeting , and was onl y asked to o-jve a ruling . It was , therefore , inaccurate to insinuate

that the Grand Officers themselves had anything ' to do with this Cambrian Lodge , or any transaction with it except what he ( Bro . Philbrick ) told them . The lodge had actuall y ignored its duties to Grand Lodge for four years ; it had never sent in a return , had never paid its fees ; and as far as Grand Lodge was concerned was left entirely out in the cold . It was quite true that at that time certain brethren belonging to different Constitutions , some

Eng lish , some Scotch , some Irish , in New South Wales had started the formation of a Grand Lodge there which had not been recognised , and was at that time an entirely unrecognised Masonic body . In 18 S 8 they had Lord Carnarvon ' s visit to the Colony , and he endeavoured to promote Masonic harmony there , and the joining of all lodges to the new Grand Lodge . There were 80 of our lod ges there at the time , including this

Cambrian Lodge , and now let him protest emphatically against the fuss sought to be raised on this question . They were told that since 1779 there had been a consistent policy of Grand Lodge that Rule 219 should be read in the way they supposed . What they meant was this , and he asked Grand Lodge carefullv to wei gh it , that any three brethren in a lodge in a p lace where the English jurisdiction came out , and a new jurisdiction came

in , could insist on holding their English warrant . ( Hear , hear ) . As a matter of law , as their legal adviser , he ventured to tell them that was not the law . ( Cries of "No , no . " ) They were not there as a debating Society . Grand Lodge was called upon to exercise one of its greatest and hig hest constitutional functions , namely , to declare by the mouth of the oldest Grand Lodge existing in the worldwhat this Masonic

, law was . He was sure that Grand Lodge was an assembly of men of wise , fair , sober judgment , wishing to act according to the best of their ability , and not to be drawn one way or the other , simply because they thought a case was hard . It was in that spirit he endeavoured to approach the subject . Reference had been made to the case of the Lodge of Antiquityin 1779 . A more unfortunate instance could not have been brour / ht

forward . It was useless telling of what the laws had been unless they appealed tothe laws for the time being . In 1779 therewere two Grand Lodges existing in England , the Ancients and the Moderns . Some members of a lod ge holding under one seceded and went off to the other . That was no case where there was no Grand Lodge , and he wanted the brethren to understand this great principle

underlying the whole question , when these three brethren seceded it was unlawful for the Grand Master in future to grant a warrant . From the moment the Grand Lodge of England recognised the Grand Lodge of New South Wales the jurisdiction and right of the Grand Master of England to grant a warrant ceased . In similar cases it had always been usual to stipulate that when the lod ges wished to remain they

should not be , to use a modern word , boycotted by the brethren of thc new lodge , but that the brethren of the new lodge should receive them and recognise them as brethren . That was the stipulation made here . It was made in thc case of Canada , South Australia , and Ncw South Wales , but they were thc only instances where this question had arisen where the territory had seceded . Let him

say that people who drew resolutions , and put down such words on the face of thc resolution , they were putting before the brethren what was calculated to mislead . They said it wns the uniform practice of Grand Lodge . He said the uniform praetii c—and he challenged them to name a case to the contrary—had been to permit the brethren—always the majority of the lod

ge—to take that lodge over , and it was only where the majority determined to exist under this Constitution that it was allowed . He asked the mover of this resolution , or the seconder , or anyone who was competent to do so , to contradict him . The uniform practice always had been where a majority of the brethren were in favour of taking the lodge over that they had taken the lodge over . Of course , they heard of irrecfular meetiiitrs . In

the case of New Zealand , they met under the English warrant . If they chose to meet thc brethren out of lodge they could do it ; they could not do it in lodge—that was the New South Wales decision , that they could not meet and discuss in a lod ge an act which would be really an act of repudiating the English authority . Unless that were so no Grand bod y could ever exist , and very few lodges here would have gone over , because there were always lodges with 40 , * - < i , or 60 brethren in them , some of whom

would dissent . That human impediment , from which Masons were not free , existed ; there were always two or three who would wish to distinguish themselves . Hc had no doubt there was a minority of three who dissented , out the rule always had been that the majority of a lodge must regulate tlie minority . The brethren knew that there were always brethren more active than the resistcrs . There would be a certain number of

, 'lerents ° ' . a motion , and when they got a majority then those who "ad been waiting , or , as it was called , sitting on thc fence to see how things went , up they came and were apt to go with the majority . That was what "appened in this case . There was an irregular meeting . Three brethren would not vote , and the Chairman had a casting vote . Other members ¦ warcis

"" - * - , gave in their adherence , including some of those who first dissented . Bro . live believed he had made out there was no majority . There was a majority . The last returns showed that 10 did vote . They had done «* nat some lodges abroad , he was sorry to say , did , they wanted some iitiates , and , to enable them to get initiates , they sent the 7 s . 6 d ., but they ' ? pt Grand Lodge without returns until the ouestion had arisen . What t 0

-in 1 1 Sa ^ lhat * " ^ ho se brethren now protesting were 20 in number , 'Cl onl y 20 . There were 26 who were the other way . Of the 20 , four had bi . t i " S istered here at all . It might be the fault of their officers , I od r G names of tl , ese brethren did not appear in the books of Grand li ' oi S ° ' At " 10 St - * lere werc l ? ' ant * now t'lcsc -7 * *> " Grant us recognii ,,- as a . gul'ir Cambrian Lodge . " ( Mear , hear . ) Let him point out what

tool 1 A ' tmvards the Master , rightly or wrongly , and the Wardens , t * , r t ' 1 warr a'it to the District Grand Secretary , who was the new Secrevvho v Dislrict Gr : wd Lodge of New South Wales . Thc brethren , „ dissented asked to have the warrant back ; they could not satisi * Vi ° lt " " * lley werc tl , c , ninority * ' J- | lc Grand Secretary *' nd " - < se 'f that thc majority had desired to give up the warrant , I acl " *> g on the distinct authority which was given to the new Grand < Jth T ? ' ' - to be permitted to retain their old warrant . On December Gr .- [ nd orders of his Roynl Hi ghness , . ** loiter was written that the lod ' ce 1 C ' 4 kccn recognised on the usual conditions , that should any t > under the English jurisdiction desire to retain its position under the

United Grand Lodge Of England.

English jurisdiction it should do so . ( Hear , hear . ) That was perfectly true . If the majority wished it —}* cs ; if the minority wished it—no . ( Cries of " No , no . " ) Now , there was the point of difference . Addressed to Lord Carrington was a letter to say that there was no objection to this course provided thoy endorsed 011 the margin a memorandum to that effect . A proper cancelling stamp was provided and it was applied to the margin of

every one of those warrants so sent in . When he came to the notice of a wrong done it was done under the sanction of the lodge of New South Wales . It had been done ; it could not be helped ; neither the Grand Master nor any Masonic body could grant a warrant with New South Wales now . No working could take place under it ; and when the Colonial Board passed the recommendation for a warrant of confirmation , let him point out that a

warrant of confirmation could only be granted where a warrant had been lost or stolen . As a matter of fact , the brethren said that this warrant had been taken from them surreptitiously , and they would not be able , after trying everything , to get it . After enquiry had been made by the authority of the Grand Lodge of New South Wales to see what would become of it , it came out that the warrant bad been sent in and was cancelled , so that

nothing possibly could be done . ' The Colonial Board could do nothing ;• the Grand Master could not grant a warrant of confirmation ; it was not in the Constitutions ; he could not . give a new warrant ; and , therefore , what could be done ? The truth was , the majority of the brethren , acting on the wish of the majority , got that warrant cancelled . The matter stood in that way . In matters of this kind , the only person who granted warrants

was the Grand Master . Grand Lodge itself had no power to granta warrant ; Grand Lodge was the only body to take away a warrant , but only for Masonic offences ; but when Grand Lodge recognised a foreign jurisdiction all the warrants of Grand Lodge in that jurisdiction came to an end ; it could only send warrants in parts where the English Masonic jurisdiction went . Therefore he failed to see how possibly any resolution of Grand Lodge

could affect the matter . It had been done ; they could not put the Grand Master , who was the patron of Grand Lodge of New South Wales , in that position ; that would not be the desire of Grand Lodge , nor would it be the desire of the Grand Master , for it could not be done under the Constitutions . 1 he article said most distinctly when attention had been called to it— " the brethren desiring to retain their allegiance . "

Those words which were in the book of 1 853 were struck out in 1 SS 3 , because it was thought the ) ' were useless , and possibly they might give rise to some misunderstanding . ( Cries of " No , no . " ) First of all the alterations showed that it was not a question of allegiance to Grand Lodge , nor allegiance to their own lodge , but a question of uniform usage of Grand Lodge . By law a majority of the

brethren of a lodge could determine whether they would secede or not . When a warrant was sent back that warrant was cancelled ; it was impossible for anything further to be done . This resolution he ventured to tell Grand Lodge . A change of jurisdiction was quite a question of Masonic as of international law . Neither Article 219 nor any article of the Book of Constitutions could change it . Hc therefore appealed to Grand Lodge to deal

with the question as within the meaning of the Book of Constitutions . In 1891 Grand Lodge endorsed that view , and it could not that night pass that resolution without stultifying itself . Hc apologised to Grand Lodge for occupying so much of its time , but he did most earnestly beg them to consider that that was not a personal question at all . If it could have possibly been arranged by any accommodation he was sure the late Col . Shadwell

Clerke , than whom a more kind-hearted Mason or man never served the Craft , would have done it . To use a vulgar phrase , it was now past praying for ; nothing could be done ; any resolution of Grand Lodge in that sense could not have any effect , because the territory was ceded . He most earnestly asked Grand Lodge to pause , and not to put a construction on the

Book of Constitutions which would hamper Grand Lodge in future in other cases . It might have the unhappy effect of influencing the Grand Master with regard to ncw lodges in different parts of thc world . ( Cries of "Vote , vote . " ) Bro . the Rev . R . J . Simpson rose to speak , and a large number of brethren proceeded to leave the hall .

I he Earl of MOUNT EDGCUMBE appealed to thebrethren to stay ; the matter was very important . Bro . the Rev . R . J . SIMPSON said he would occupy but very few minutes . He expressed deep regret that there should have been any personalities , but hc wanted the matter looked at in a clear , dry , legal , just way . All who had listened to Bro . Philbrick must give him the credit ol looking at thc

matter in a kind and generous point of view . He felt , however—it might be from his own want of intelligence—a great difficulty as to which way to vote , and this resolution could not be passed without more or less of a certain amount of justice . Under such circumstances , and looking at the matter from both sides , and giving the brethren full credit for courageous convictions , aud for a desire to uphold the lawful authority of Grand Lodge ,

he would move the previous question . ( Cries of " No , no , " and " Vote , vote . " ) Bro . S . R . BA . SKETT did not propose to follow the heap of arguments that had fallen from Bro . Eve and Bro . Philbrick . Bro . Eve had put the case of the lodge clearly and distinctly . On behalf of the Cambrian Lodge , he must say Bro . Eve had well put the facts before Grand Lodge . This was not a new question ; it had been discussed since it lirst arose in 1888 ,

both in the colony and in New Zealand . It had been discussed in District Grand Lodge , and under the sister jurisdictions of Scotland and Ireland . They might say Scotland was nothing to us ; but the wording of thc Constitutions of Scotland was precisely the same as of the English Constitutions . It was put before the Grand Lodge of Scotland , and they gave their entire approval of the ruling of Sir F . Whitaker , in favour

of the protection of the loyal minority , lhey decided that the minority of three in any case could hold their own . To hold otherwise would bring us in conllict with both thc Sister Grand Lodges of Scotland and Ireland , At thc time the Cambrian Lodge sent their first appeal there was an unrecognised Grand Body in the colony . They wrote for advice and assistance of Grand Lodge in maintaining their rights . It was sent on November

Sth , 188 S . Thc warrant was handed over surreptitiousl y by an unauthorised person . Without going into every personal matter was it not an extraordinary thing lhat four years and-a-half had elapsed before this matter was brought forward ' . ' He had himself tried to bring it forward , but every time he had been prevented . They did not wish to raise any question

which might seem to go against the Grand Registrar , but they thought hc had misread the law , and they appealed to Grand Lodge , whicli was thc body to decide such questions and to assist brethren in maintaining their rights . Now they were here he hoped they would not be sent away emptyhanded . It was a distinctly parallel case to the case of Quebec . It was