Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Contents.
CONTENTS .
L EADERS 13 Consecration of the Adair Chapter , No . 17 ^ 0 , at Clevedon 14 Consecration of St . George's Mark Lodge , No . 383 14 Old Warrants . —VI 14 The History of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls from its Origin , 1788 , to 188 ( Continued
its Centenary , S— . ) 15 C ORRESPONDENCEMasonic Charitable Associations 17 Masonic Charities 18 Masonic Bazaars 18 Reviews iS R EPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGSCraft Masonry 18 Instruction 24 Royal Arch 2 j
Instruction , 25 Scotland 2 j Twelfth Night Entertainment at the Girls ' School 26 Royal Masonic Institution for Boys 26 Dorset Masonic Charity 26 Annual Festival of the Langton Lodge of
Instruction , No . 1673 26 Royal Savoy Lodge Ball , No . 1744 26 Gold and Silver Wyre Drawers' Company ... 26 East London Masonic Concert 26 In Memoriam—Bro . McNeill 26 Masonic Luncheon to the Earl of Carnarvon 26 Theatres 27 Masonic and General Tidings 28 Lodge Meetings for Next Week iv .
Ar00101
THE proceedings of Lodge Quatuor Coronati at its last meet-Quattior ing will be found recorded in another column ; but they Coronatomm . p 0 Ssess one feature , upon which , though of a purely personal character , we think a few words may be said . The Herculean labours of
the Secretary , Bro . G . W . SPETH , in whose fertile brain originated , we believe , the idea of creating the Outer , or Correspondence , Circle , now numbering some two hundred members-, have long been known to his brethren ; and on the 6 th inst . they met , we rejoice to say , with a recognition at their hands , by which the principle has been affirmed that—the secretarial
work having outgrown the limits of honorary performance—the time had arrived when a " compliment , " the first , it is to be hoped , of a long series , ought to be voted to the Secretary . The resolution was submitted by Bro . W . J . HUGHAN , P . G . D . ; but the Permanent Committee of the lodge wisely took it up , and incorporated it with the other recommendations in their
report . The " annual compliment ' ' to the Secretary we heartily trust may , and will , increase " pari passu " with the prosperity of the Inner and Outer Circles of the lodge . Such labours as those which have been voluntarily incurred by Bro . SPETH are not capable of indefinite expansion , and if the information we possess is correct , of which there can be little or no doubt ,
that the duties of the lodge confine him to his desk for an average period of five hours daily , we apprehend that the Quatuor Coronati Lodge , if its Outer Circle goes on increasing in the same ratio as in the preceding year , will shortly find itself confronted with some administrative difficulties , which will necessitate the employment of an adequately-salaried officer , with a staff of assistants .
* * * IT is to be regretted that Great Priory , at its meeting at the Priories of Canada Cannon-street Hotel , on the 9 th December last , should have and England . founc j itself under the necessity of passing a resolution of
non-intercourse for the future with the Great Priory of Canada ; but , as far as our judgment goes , we fail to see that any other course was open to it . It is impossible there could have been a more distinct or deliberate invasion of the sovereign rights and privileges of the Great Priory of England and Wales and the Dependencies thereof than when the Great Priory of Canada
issued its warrant for the establishment of a Templar Preceptory in one of our British Colonies , while as regards the reasons alleged by Canada , in defence of its conduct , these are either foundationless or of so flimsy a character , that they will not bear a moment ' s examination . Even Colonel MCLEOD MOORE , Supreme G . Master of Canadian Templars , appears to
admit this . Though he mildly describes the course pursued by the Great Priory of Canada in sustaining its warrant as merely " an error in judgment , " it must be evident that he feels acutely the false position in which Canada has placed itself , or he would not have announced his intention of resigning the office of Supreme G . Master , and that he had consented to
retain it for the present only at the urgent request of a number of his Templar brethren in the Dominion , in the hope that a way might ultimately be found of settling amicably the present unfortunate difference . Whether this hope is ever likely to be realised it is impossible to forecast ; but seeing the Great Priory of Canada has
not only not withdrawn the warrant which was the original cause of the dispute , but has even gone so far as to issue two additional warrants , so as to enable , the Australian Colonists in Victoria to establish an independent Templar Body of their own , the prospect of an amicable settlement is decidedly not hopeful . It is of course too much to expect that the headstrong
advisers whose influence has proved sufficiently powerful to induce the Great Priory of Canada to adopt an aggressive policy towards England will exhibit the slightest respect for the feelings and opinions of the Grand Master to whom they are so deeply indebted , or that they will pay more
heed to the counsels of prudence and moderation when they know he only retains his office in order , if possible , to bring about a reconciliation between the two Great Priories . If we are not greatly mistaken , these advisers include the very men who are chiefly responsible for the hostile action of the Grand Lodge of Quebec towards that of England , and it would be
Ar00102
ridiculous to suggest that such counsellors would assent to any course which was not dictated by themselves . Two quarrels in the brief space of three years about questions of jurisdiction do not promise well for the future friendly relations of the Templar Bodies in the British Empire , nor if independent colonial Grand Bodies intend setting up a claim for concurrent
jurisdiction with the Grand Bodies of the Mother Country in other British Colonies , do we see that it will be possible for the several Supreme Authorities to maintain anything like relations of friendship with each other . Even if we leave out of consideration the rights and wrongs of the question in dispute , it is difficult to imagine how it will advantage the Great Priory
of Canada to have subordinate Preceptories in a remote Australian Colony , where it is impossible for Canada to have Craft Lodges and Royal Arch Chapters . It is true the Templar system has no part whatever in our Constitutional Masonry , but where there are no . Craft Lodges , there can be no Royal Arch Chapters , and where there are no Royal Arch
Chapters , there can be no Templar Masons , unless , indeed we can bring ourselves to believe that English , Irish , and Scotch R . A . Masons will so far forget their loyalty to the old Country as to enrol themselves as recruits under the Templar banner of Canada , and thereby make the present state of confusion , arising out of these interminable questions of
jurisdiction , still more confounded . We sincerely wish we could see the remotest chance of settling this new difference , and escaping the vexations andannoyances—to saynothingof the probable injury to Templar Masonry in Canada—which are sure to follow , if the two Great Priories continue for
long in their present state of antagonism to each other . But , as we have remarked already , there is but little prospect of any such fortunate contingency , and we suppose we must resign ourselves , with what philosophy we are able to command , to the condition of non-intercourse with Canada which our Great Priory has had no alternative but to declare .
* * * A FEW weeks since we published an article from the Times of F in { ndfa ^n ^a > m which our contemporary was not only good enough to say many kind things about the Freemasons , but at the same time drew attention to the beneficial influence which a body of
men so organised was calculated to exert in a country like India , whose social and class distinctions were so tenaciously observed . The circumstance which elicited the article was the installation of the Duke of CONNAUGHT as Dist . G . Master of Bombay , and the key-note became at once apparent when the writer referred so emphatically , even at the outset of his remarks ,
to an observation made by his Royal Highness , to the effect that " There is a no more unique district anywhere than the district of Bombay . In this district there are Masons of all nationalities and all creeds , but imbued with the same devotion to the Craft and loyalty to their Sovereign . " With this and other similar observations to guide him , the writer proceeded to
point out the important services which Masonry was likely to render to India generally in the matter of " social reform and in breaking the barriers of caste . " On noting this for the first time , the reader may perhaps imagine that our contemporary has formulated an erroneous imprebsion of the aims and objects of Freemasonry , which , while it is marvellously active
within itself in fulfilling its self-appointed duties , occupies a passive attitude towards the rest of the world . We do not mean by this that its members ignore or neglect their duties towards the community in which they are established , but that they do not , like those of other societies , go about seeking whom they may enlist under its banner . But there is no doubt
that the Times of India is right , and that once a body of Freemasons has been established in any country long enough for the people to obtain an insight into the principles by which it is actuated , its influence for good must become almost daily more and more perceptible , and in no one thing so much as in the facility with which it puts an end
to class and caste distinctions . It is quite true , as our contemporary says , that " men who meet without restraint and in perfect equality in lodge will soon come to meet in the same way outside . " Equally true is it that "brotherly goodwill is the real mystery in Freemasonry all the world over , and nowhere is it more needed than in India ,
where the objection to social intercourse comes far more from the natives with their traditional prejudices and their cast-iron rules than from the Europeans . " So , too , we think it will be pretty generally conceded , that , as regards " peace , goodwill , Charity , and brotherly love , such are the doctrines preached and practised by many within the Craft ; and with such
a gospel it is small wonder that all creeds and all degrees of men flock to its standard . " Of course , we Freemasons , who know intimately the purposes of the Craft , have long been aware of these truths , but the outside
world either does not know them , or deliberately ignores them ; and it is because the Times of India has brought them so prominently to the notice of its readers , that we have taken this opportunity of referring to its remarks so pointedly .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Contents.
CONTENTS .
L EADERS 13 Consecration of the Adair Chapter , No . 17 ^ 0 , at Clevedon 14 Consecration of St . George's Mark Lodge , No . 383 14 Old Warrants . —VI 14 The History of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls from its Origin , 1788 , to 188 ( Continued
its Centenary , S— . ) 15 C ORRESPONDENCEMasonic Charitable Associations 17 Masonic Charities 18 Masonic Bazaars 18 Reviews iS R EPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGSCraft Masonry 18 Instruction 24 Royal Arch 2 j
Instruction , 25 Scotland 2 j Twelfth Night Entertainment at the Girls ' School 26 Royal Masonic Institution for Boys 26 Dorset Masonic Charity 26 Annual Festival of the Langton Lodge of
Instruction , No . 1673 26 Royal Savoy Lodge Ball , No . 1744 26 Gold and Silver Wyre Drawers' Company ... 26 East London Masonic Concert 26 In Memoriam—Bro . McNeill 26 Masonic Luncheon to the Earl of Carnarvon 26 Theatres 27 Masonic and General Tidings 28 Lodge Meetings for Next Week iv .
Ar00101
THE proceedings of Lodge Quatuor Coronati at its last meet-Quattior ing will be found recorded in another column ; but they Coronatomm . p 0 Ssess one feature , upon which , though of a purely personal character , we think a few words may be said . The Herculean labours of
the Secretary , Bro . G . W . SPETH , in whose fertile brain originated , we believe , the idea of creating the Outer , or Correspondence , Circle , now numbering some two hundred members-, have long been known to his brethren ; and on the 6 th inst . they met , we rejoice to say , with a recognition at their hands , by which the principle has been affirmed that—the secretarial
work having outgrown the limits of honorary performance—the time had arrived when a " compliment , " the first , it is to be hoped , of a long series , ought to be voted to the Secretary . The resolution was submitted by Bro . W . J . HUGHAN , P . G . D . ; but the Permanent Committee of the lodge wisely took it up , and incorporated it with the other recommendations in their
report . The " annual compliment ' ' to the Secretary we heartily trust may , and will , increase " pari passu " with the prosperity of the Inner and Outer Circles of the lodge . Such labours as those which have been voluntarily incurred by Bro . SPETH are not capable of indefinite expansion , and if the information we possess is correct , of which there can be little or no doubt ,
that the duties of the lodge confine him to his desk for an average period of five hours daily , we apprehend that the Quatuor Coronati Lodge , if its Outer Circle goes on increasing in the same ratio as in the preceding year , will shortly find itself confronted with some administrative difficulties , which will necessitate the employment of an adequately-salaried officer , with a staff of assistants .
* * * IT is to be regretted that Great Priory , at its meeting at the Priories of Canada Cannon-street Hotel , on the 9 th December last , should have and England . founc j itself under the necessity of passing a resolution of
non-intercourse for the future with the Great Priory of Canada ; but , as far as our judgment goes , we fail to see that any other course was open to it . It is impossible there could have been a more distinct or deliberate invasion of the sovereign rights and privileges of the Great Priory of England and Wales and the Dependencies thereof than when the Great Priory of Canada
issued its warrant for the establishment of a Templar Preceptory in one of our British Colonies , while as regards the reasons alleged by Canada , in defence of its conduct , these are either foundationless or of so flimsy a character , that they will not bear a moment ' s examination . Even Colonel MCLEOD MOORE , Supreme G . Master of Canadian Templars , appears to
admit this . Though he mildly describes the course pursued by the Great Priory of Canada in sustaining its warrant as merely " an error in judgment , " it must be evident that he feels acutely the false position in which Canada has placed itself , or he would not have announced his intention of resigning the office of Supreme G . Master , and that he had consented to
retain it for the present only at the urgent request of a number of his Templar brethren in the Dominion , in the hope that a way might ultimately be found of settling amicably the present unfortunate difference . Whether this hope is ever likely to be realised it is impossible to forecast ; but seeing the Great Priory of Canada has
not only not withdrawn the warrant which was the original cause of the dispute , but has even gone so far as to issue two additional warrants , so as to enable , the Australian Colonists in Victoria to establish an independent Templar Body of their own , the prospect of an amicable settlement is decidedly not hopeful . It is of course too much to expect that the headstrong
advisers whose influence has proved sufficiently powerful to induce the Great Priory of Canada to adopt an aggressive policy towards England will exhibit the slightest respect for the feelings and opinions of the Grand Master to whom they are so deeply indebted , or that they will pay more
heed to the counsels of prudence and moderation when they know he only retains his office in order , if possible , to bring about a reconciliation between the two Great Priories . If we are not greatly mistaken , these advisers include the very men who are chiefly responsible for the hostile action of the Grand Lodge of Quebec towards that of England , and it would be
Ar00102
ridiculous to suggest that such counsellors would assent to any course which was not dictated by themselves . Two quarrels in the brief space of three years about questions of jurisdiction do not promise well for the future friendly relations of the Templar Bodies in the British Empire , nor if independent colonial Grand Bodies intend setting up a claim for concurrent
jurisdiction with the Grand Bodies of the Mother Country in other British Colonies , do we see that it will be possible for the several Supreme Authorities to maintain anything like relations of friendship with each other . Even if we leave out of consideration the rights and wrongs of the question in dispute , it is difficult to imagine how it will advantage the Great Priory
of Canada to have subordinate Preceptories in a remote Australian Colony , where it is impossible for Canada to have Craft Lodges and Royal Arch Chapters . It is true the Templar system has no part whatever in our Constitutional Masonry , but where there are no . Craft Lodges , there can be no Royal Arch Chapters , and where there are no Royal Arch
Chapters , there can be no Templar Masons , unless , indeed we can bring ourselves to believe that English , Irish , and Scotch R . A . Masons will so far forget their loyalty to the old Country as to enrol themselves as recruits under the Templar banner of Canada , and thereby make the present state of confusion , arising out of these interminable questions of
jurisdiction , still more confounded . We sincerely wish we could see the remotest chance of settling this new difference , and escaping the vexations andannoyances—to saynothingof the probable injury to Templar Masonry in Canada—which are sure to follow , if the two Great Priories continue for
long in their present state of antagonism to each other . But , as we have remarked already , there is but little prospect of any such fortunate contingency , and we suppose we must resign ourselves , with what philosophy we are able to command , to the condition of non-intercourse with Canada which our Great Priory has had no alternative but to declare .
* * * A FEW weeks since we published an article from the Times of F in { ndfa ^n ^a > m which our contemporary was not only good enough to say many kind things about the Freemasons , but at the same time drew attention to the beneficial influence which a body of
men so organised was calculated to exert in a country like India , whose social and class distinctions were so tenaciously observed . The circumstance which elicited the article was the installation of the Duke of CONNAUGHT as Dist . G . Master of Bombay , and the key-note became at once apparent when the writer referred so emphatically , even at the outset of his remarks ,
to an observation made by his Royal Highness , to the effect that " There is a no more unique district anywhere than the district of Bombay . In this district there are Masons of all nationalities and all creeds , but imbued with the same devotion to the Craft and loyalty to their Sovereign . " With this and other similar observations to guide him , the writer proceeded to
point out the important services which Masonry was likely to render to India generally in the matter of " social reform and in breaking the barriers of caste . " On noting this for the first time , the reader may perhaps imagine that our contemporary has formulated an erroneous imprebsion of the aims and objects of Freemasonry , which , while it is marvellously active
within itself in fulfilling its self-appointed duties , occupies a passive attitude towards the rest of the world . We do not mean by this that its members ignore or neglect their duties towards the community in which they are established , but that they do not , like those of other societies , go about seeking whom they may enlist under its banner . But there is no doubt
that the Times of India is right , and that once a body of Freemasons has been established in any country long enough for the people to obtain an insight into the principles by which it is actuated , its influence for good must become almost daily more and more perceptible , and in no one thing so much as in the facility with which it puts an end
to class and caste distinctions . It is quite true , as our contemporary says , that " men who meet without restraint and in perfect equality in lodge will soon come to meet in the same way outside . " Equally true is it that "brotherly goodwill is the real mystery in Freemasonry all the world over , and nowhere is it more needed than in India ,
where the objection to social intercourse comes far more from the natives with their traditional prejudices and their cast-iron rules than from the Europeans . " So , too , we think it will be pretty generally conceded , that , as regards " peace , goodwill , Charity , and brotherly love , such are the doctrines preached and practised by many within the Craft ; and with such
a gospel it is small wonder that all creeds and all degrees of men flock to its standard . " Of course , we Freemasons , who know intimately the purposes of the Craft , have long been aware of these truths , but the outside
world either does not know them , or deliberately ignores them ; and it is because the Times of India has brought them so prominently to the notice of its readers , that we have taken this opportunity of referring to its remarks so pointedly .