Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS— PAGK . American Masonic Drink Legislation ... .,, „ . ... 33 1 Decision by the Tasmanian Board of General Purposes . « ... 332 Supreme Council of Sctland ... ... ... ... ... 332 Provincial Grand Lodge of Nottinghamshire ... ... ... ... 33 2 Summer Outing of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge , No . 207 C ... ... 334 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 335

MASONIC NOTESResignation of the Prov . Grand Master of Norfolk , Bro . Lord Suffield ... 337 The Mark Benevolent Fund Festival ... ... ... _ ... 337 Summer Entertainment of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution ... 337 Installation of Bro . the Duke of Portland as Prov . G . Master of Nottinghamshire ... ... ... ... ... ... 337 Masonic Notes and Queries ... ... ... ... ... 33 $

Reviews ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 33 ? Royal Masonic Institution for Boys ( Quarterly Court ) ... ... ... 33 S All Saint ' s Church , Weston-Super-Mare _ ... ... ... ... 33 S St . Mary Magdalen ' s New Church , Accrington ... ... ... 339 Mark Benevolent Fund Festival ... ... ... ... ... 330

Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 342 Royal Arch ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 343 Cryptic Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 343 Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution ... ... ... ... 343 Our Portrait Gallery ... ... ... ... ... ... 343 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... 314

American Masonic Drink Legislation.

AMERICAN MASONIC DRINK LEGISLATION .

Bro . G . W . Sl'ETII some lime since lavourcd Bro . UPTON , of the Grand Lodge of Washington , and through him the whole body of Freemasons in the United States , witli " an English View of American Freemasonry , " and wc venture to say that

there are very few of the opinions which he has propounded which are not fully endorsed hy Fnglish Craftsmen . On previous occasions we have laid before our readers some of the opinions of Bro . Sl'ETII , so that llicv may be held to be ( airly conversant

with his views . But there is not one among the many " fads " which find favour among the brethren belonging to sundry of the American jurisdictions which he has supported by more forcible arguments and more successfully than the " drink question . ' '

Our readers have doubtless heard that in several of the Grand Lodges in the United States the candidature of any person engaged in the liquor traffic for the mysteries and privileges of Freemasonry is strictly forbidden '> y specially enacted laws , while in some a person so engaged who had been admitted and taken the Degrees , pursues his avocation al the risk of being

excluded from his lodge . Against this legislation Bro . Sl'ETII has spoken , as we have said , very strongly , lie remarks , in the first place , that in Kugland there are " confirmed teetotallers among the Brotherhood , " and that occasionally they form new

lodges , where they can meet and practice their principles " in their own particular fashion . To this , lie says , he has no objection ; "they have every right" to form new lodges , where "their

own ideas of pleasure and morality can be carried out . " But he most decidedly objects to conceding " to a chance majority in an old lodge the right to pass a bye-law and forcibl y turn it into a teetotal lodge . " He declines to " recognise the

right of any majority to deprive a minority of a right , unless such ri ght can be shown to be injurious to the majority , " and as he puts it very plainly " It cannot hurt you if / drink a glass of wine . " Hence , lie does not object to the establishment of new

lod ges on teetotal principles , but only to their adoption of the title of " Temperance lodges " on the ground that it implies that all other lodges are intemperate . Xor does Bro . Sl'ETII take

exception to the establishment of teetotal lodges in America any "lore than in England . What he exclaims against is the tyrannical legislation of some Grand Lodges , which forbid the use of

American Masonic Drink Legislation.

alcoholic stimulants at lodge dinners , notwithstanding that a majority of those present habitually take wine or other alcoholic beverage in their own homes . He argues that

to judge by those , who occasionally visit our lodges , there is not one American Mason in 20 who is a teetotaller and his inference is that this anti-drink legislation is enacted

on the ground that members of lodges cannot be trusted to drink alcohol at lodge dinners without making themselves drunk and thereb y " bringing disgrace upon the lodge

and the Craft . " He concedes that it is distasteful to him to advance such a reason as this , but he is quite right in pointing out that such a reason or inference , is materially deducible from the . passing of such enactments .

His most forcible arguments are brought to bear against those Grand Lodges which forbid the admission into Masonry of those who are engaged in the manufacture of , or traffic in alcoholic liquors . As regards this he says very justly : "You

actually cast a huge stigma on a large class , the majority of which is comprised of men as virtuous , as honourable , as upright as any citizen in the State . They do not get drunk themselves , thev do not incite others to get drunk , they are in most cases

good citizens , excellent fathers of families , charitable as beseems their wealth , foremost in every project for the amelioration of the lot of man , men whom many of you receive into your own families as intimate friends—and with one stroke of the pen you

defame them indiscriminately , degrade them by declaring them unlit to associate with you in lodge ; besmirch them with an indelible stain . Some of these men your daughters love and marry , and you bless the union ; some of these men your State

honours by cffice ; some of these men go down to the grave wept by the poor , the widow , and the orphan ; some of these men we , in England , raiic to the rank of peerage . Oh ! you sanctimonious Masons , how good and moral and high-toned you must

be . ! " But he carries his argument still more forcibly home by quoting the " axiom as old as the hills— ' The receiver is worse than the thief . ' " If , says Bro . SPETH , "there were no receivers , there would be no thieves ; if there were no moderate drinkers ,

there would be no brewers ; because it is not the small proportion of drunkards in a community which can supply them with a living , let alone great riches . And the majority of you are moderate drinkers , and thus you are the direct cause of the

existence of the brewers and distillers . You lirst encourage these men in their atrocious crime of brewing and distilling in order to please your palates , and then , like so many PECKSNIFFS , you raise your virtuous hands and eyes to heaven , and vilify

them . " These are terrible home thrusts which the fanatical promoters ol the anti-drink legislation in some of the American Grand Lodges will scarcely relish . And B . ro . Sl'ETII might have carried his argument still further b y

pointing out that one ol the lirst and most important duties enjoined on the Mason on his acceptance and initiation into our Society , is that he should respect the laws of his country and the avocations of brewer and distiller have the sanction of the law

Thus it comes about that these Grand Lodges which by law forbid the admission into Freemasonry of those who are "manufacturers of or dealers in alcoholic liquors , " are not onl y stigmatising them in the manner so justly and so accurately described

by Bro . Sl'Kill , but they are likewise denying them admission into an honourable Society , not for any dishonourable acts , but because they follow associations which the laws of heir State both sanction and permit .