The Quarterly Communications.

But these two authorities ( ancl tbey are the only ones that we have on the subject ) differ in some of tbe details . Ancl these differences are important enough to throw a doubt on the truth of the statement . Anderson says in one place ( Constitutions , 2 nd edition , 109 , ) that in February , 1717 , tbey "forthwith revived the Quarterl y Communications of the officers of Lodgescalled the Grand Lodge . "

, Afterwards ( ibid ., 110 , ) he says that at the meeting in June , 1717 , Grand Master Sayer " commanded the Masters ancl Wardens of Lodges to meet the Grand Officers every Quarter in Communication , at the place he should appoint in his summons sent by the Tyler . " Preston says ( Illustrations , 191 , ) that in February "it was resolved to revive the Quarterly Communications of the Fraternity . " Immediately afterhe adds

, that in June the Grand Master " commanded the Brethren of tbe four Lodges to meet him and his Wardens quarterly in Communication ! Thus , according to Preston , tbe Quarterly Communications were to apply to the whole body of the Fraternity ; but Anderson restricted them to the Masters aucl Wardens of the Lodges . The two statements are irreconcileable . A mass meeting of the whole

Fraternity ancl a consultation of the Masters and Wardens of the Lodges are very different things . I shall make no objection here to the use of the word " revived , " though I deem it improper . But the consideration of that point would lead me away from tbe line of the present argument . Ifas Anderson and Preston saythe QuarterlCommunications were

, , y "forthwith revived" in June , 1717 , it is singular that neither gives us the record of any one having been held until December , 1720 . After that date we find the Quarterly Communications regularly recorded by Anderson as taking place at tbe times appointed by the Regulations which were compiled in 1720 by Grand Master Payne , namely , "about Michaelmas , Christmas , and Ladyday , " that is , in September , December and March .

The word " about" in the I 2 tb of those regulations permitted some latitude as to the precise day of meeting . Accordingly we find that Quarterly Communications were held in 1721 in March , September , ancl December ; in 1722 in March ; the others appearing to have been neglected , perhaps in consequence of irregularities attendant on tbe illegal election of the Duke of Wharton . In 1723 there were Quarterly Communications in April and Novemberbut the December meeting was postponed to tbe following January .

, In 1724 tbey occurred in February and November ; in 1725 in May , NoA'ember , and December , ancl so on , but with greater regularity in all the subsequent proceedings of the Grand Lodge , as recorded in the Book of Constitutions by Anderson , and by bis successors Entick and Noortbouck in tbe subsequent editions . Looking at the silence of the records in respect to Quarterly

Communications from 1717 to 1720 , then to the regular appearance of such records after that year , ancl seeing that in the latter year the provision for tbem was first inserted in the general regulations compiled by Grand Master Payne , I hope that I shall not be deemed too sceptical or too hypercritical if I confess a doubt of the accuracy of Anderson , who has , whether wilfully or carelessl y I will not sayattributed tbe establishment of these QuarterlCommunications

, y to Grand Master Sayer , when tbe honour , if there be any , properly belongs to Grand Master Payne . There mi ght have been , and probably were , occasional meetings of the Grand Officers , or even of the Grand Lodge , anterior to 1720 . But I cannot believe with my present light that Quarterl y Communications were known as a regular part of the Grand Lodge organization until they were introduced

by George Payne during bis second Grand Mastership . V