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Art In The Lodge Room.

Art in the Lodge Room .

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BY art , we mean the perfect adaptation of the means to the end . The end , primarily , is to impress the intrant with a due sense of the majesty nncl beauty of the Order into which he is being received ; and next to this is

the desirability of presenting that impression from ever being weakened . There are three factors which go to make up this desirable result . They tire the demeanour of the officers , then that of the unofficial brethren , who are necessarily spectators , and lastly the lodge room accessories .

The importance of the order in which we have placed these several elements ol success will be apparent to any one who has heard our beautiful ritual spoilt by an imperfect and pvelunctovy rendering , who Iras seen the subordinate officers treading on each other ' s heels and fussily obtruding their personalities where effaccmeut of a personality was desirable .

An imperfectly got up ritual punctuated with prompting not only from the dais but from the floor , such prompting , often of a conflicting character , has very much lo do with the laxity in attendance that is so often deplored . The effect upon the candidate is the more to be regretted in that he

acquires an impression not alone of that particular lodge , but of the Craft in general . We do not tolerate imperfectly prepared sermons in the pulpit , why should we tolerate carelessness in the chair of K . S . Ii it be not carelessness , but inability , then it is certain that it must have been patent

before the election , and a grave responsibility rests upon those brethren who p laced the brother in a position for

which he was not qualified . If the W . M . ' s incapacity affected his own lodge only there would be less to be said . But even with an inefficient Master in the chair the ceremonies need not suffer , for he should have sufficient wisdom to recognise his own limitations and transfer work for which he was incompetent to abler men . With regard to the officers it is a matter of drill more than of ability . The

ceremony of initiation with which wc are mote immediately concerned provides work for each and every officer , and the more unobtrusivel y it is performed the more artistic is the result . The candidate doe :, not want to be affected by the noise of the machinery but onl y by the work it accomplishes . Coming to details , why should not the address in the

X . E . be followed by a collection for the lodge charitable fund made from all present , coining to the candidate last of all . ft is a very inartistic conception which defers this till the Tyler ' s toast at the festive board . Another detail refers to the indiscriminate use of the gavel during the ceremony ,

than which nothing is more calculated to distract and disturb the candidate during what ought to be among the most solemn moments of his existence . From the purely artistic point of view , the more brethren who take part in the ceremony , the more impressive it is . The W . M . who has

acquired a perfect rendering of the ritual is under a strong temptation to let the lodge see how well he can do it , and there are certain portions of the work he should not delegate . But there are many others he can . The charge , the working tools , the tracing board , can all well be left to

other qualified brethren , who will thus cease to be mere spectators , and will help to make the work that of the lodge rather than that of one brother in it .

The demeanour of those brethren who are of necessity spectators , goes for much in a perfectly artistic ceremony . Within the lodge , every little helps and , carefulness in standing to order , a masonic carriage , perfect silence , perfect obedience , absence of arguments , a serious demeanour before

and after lodge , refraining from disparagement of absent brethren , all of these are little matters which go to make up a very impressive whole . Subsequent conduct at the festive board counts for much when considering the permanence of the work faithfull y clone

in lodge . It not infrequently happens that the thoughtless conduct of brethren , when the restraint of lodge etiquette is removed , tends to obliterate all that has been up to that pointreceived , and makes the neophyte think he has been taking part in a solemn farce . Nather than this should result ,

better that he should not be encouraged to make his appearance at the festive board at all , till he has had a month or two in which to digest all ( hat he has heard and seen . Whilst we have been considering the initiate , having regard to the importance of lirst impressions , it occasionally

happens that the superior degrees are spoilt in their rendering b y inattention to details which make for unity . For instance , the candidate is told that he has to pass an examination in the degree he has alread y taken , and instead of being sent back for a month if he fail to pass it , as he ought , he is prompted in every reply by the deacon . There is doubtless need of liberal prompting in many cases , but it would be far more artistic if it were done before lodge .

Let us now come to the lodge accessories . By these we mean the furniture , appointments and jewels . It is a very pardonable feeling that induces brethren to resolve to have the best of everything . And so we find the W . M . ruling the lodge with a beautifully engraved auctioneer ' s mallet instead of the "javcl . The working tools are suitable for

anything but working with . Imagine the feelings of a candidate who is in the business , on being presented wilh a representation of a carpenter ' s sharp chisel and being told that it is to be used for reducing the rough ashlar to shape . The plumb rule looks more like a broken thermometer

than anything else , whilst the pencil is as often as not but the model of one , and absolutely unlike the pencil of the stoneyard . Working tools of silver and often blazing with cut crystal , are out of harmony if nothing else . Broth , r Ititter Guard should be properly equipped , whereas the