The Masonic Mirror.

unanimously passed at the last meeting ( No , no ); but ho thought that right ought xo be exercised AA'ith caution . He AA-as not going to discuss the scheme as laid doAvn for advancing these moneys . It might be good or bad , but it AA-as not yet before them , and the time to consider it AA'ould come hereafter ; but ivhat they UOAV had to consider AA-as the resolution adopted at thc last meeting , " That it Avould be a legitimate and judicious application of the funds of General Purposes to advance money on loan to Provincial Lodges to assist them in erecting Masonic

halls or Lodge rooms , provided that proper security bo given for the repayment of the principal , Avith interest , Ai'ithiu a reasonable period . " That AA-as AA'hat they had IIOAV to consider—not Avhether the securities Avere good and sufficient , but AA'hether the princi ple propounded AA-as just and upright . The greater part of the speech of Bro . Stebbing Avas not in opposition to tho principle , but to tho details under AA'hich the principle was to be carried out . Nobody denied the justice of tho plan , but the arguments AA-ere only against the machinery for carrying it out . Bros .

Stebbing and Hop-. vood dealt with the question as though they had to deal Avith a pack of rogues determined to cheat Grand Lodge . ( No , no ) . All their arguments bore that . tendency , for theydAvelt upon the necessity there would be of going to la' . v , and thc bugbear of the Court of Chancery was held before their eyes to frighten them . He believed there Avould never be any such necessity , and that they Avould have even a stronger security than any legal security for the money , in the obligations which would be entered into under Masonic penalties . He

approved the scheme , because it would tend to withdraAv Lodges from taverns and those temptations to enjoyment held out by such places , and the consequent economising of their funds for charitable and other purposes . He abjured them not to iet their scheme fall through from any idea that there Avould be any difficulty Avith regard to the securities , as it Avould lie the duty of the Board of General Purposes to see that the security was good and proper . They ware told that the securities were not goodand that they Avould not be able to recover their money

, Avithout legal proceedings . He AA'as not a lawyer , but he had alu-ays looked upon a mortgage upon real property as a good security , in which they had the right to foreclose and thereby realize their property . Figures Avere notoriously fallacious , but facts were more so . Bro . Stebbings had told them of a Lodge at CoAves which had onlv paid the

mortgagee , and of another at Hyde AA'hich cost £ 600 and sold for £ -100 ; and they must remember that they AA-ould never lend so close as that . NOAV , as he before observed , they were going to subject to Masonic peualties brethren who did not keep to the engagements they entered into with Grand Lodge , and that he looked upon as a greater security than any legal tie they could have ; and further , let Grand Lodge remember that each individual case AA-ould come before them , and upon each AA-ould they have a veto . Bro . Stebbing spoke of the difficulties

they might have to contend with at Berwick- ' upon-TAA-eed and tlie Channel Islands , ibnt it would be their OAVU fault if they placed themselves in any such difficulties ; and he trusted they would not abandon a plan AA'hich AA'as just and proper for fear of difficulties arising in the mode of carrying it out . ( Cheers ) . Bro . MASON thought , ou reflection , Bro . Gregory Avould AA'ithdraw his observation relative to looking upon the brethren as rogues , as it was not just but hi g hly improper , and he believed that no thought of that

kind over entered the heads of either Bro . Stebbing or Bro . Hopwood . ( Hear , hear ) . He was glad to find that Bro . Gregory could regard the Court of Chancery only as a bugbear , though he ( Bro . Mason ) must be alloAved to look upon it with greater respect . He kneAV that that court did a great deal of good , but it also at times did a great deal of eA-il , and they ought not to run the slightest risk of being brought before it . He gave the Board of General Purposes credit for good intentions iu bringing this proposition before them ( cheers ); but he belieA'ed they had made a great mistake . NOAV AA'hat were the advantages to be gained ?—AVhat could they gain by taking their property out of the funds at 3 per

cent . , and lending it on mortgage at i- per cent . ? AVhy , on tho whole sum of £ 2 , 000 they could not obtain more than an extra £ 20 a year , and that only with thc risk of being continually iu litigation . Then what advantages could tho Provincial brethren obtain ? None ; for if they had proper and good security , thoy could have no difficulty in obtaining from building societies , or private individuals , that aid Avhich it was IIOAV proposed Grand Lodges should afford them . He saw many difficulties into Avhich they might be dr , awn Avithout any corresponding

arli-antage , and he must therefore vote for the amendment of Bro . Stebbing . Bro . CorTRELL , thought that the brethren Avere labouring under a mistake as to the subject before them for discussion . He agreed Avith Bro . Stebbing that there might be considerable difficulties in carrying out the scheme as proposed , and which thoy would have to consider when it came fully before them , but that was no reason for not confirming an affirmation that it was expedient to aid in the building of Masonic halls on good and substantial security . AVhcre they had made the

mistake he believed to be this , that in the first instance they did not go far enough . If they had put the resolution that tho trustees of their funds should be enabled to lend the money on the security of real estate , there would have been no difficulty about the matter . As a lawyer he kneiv that in all settlements—the most delicate of trust deeds—clauses were inserted to enable the trustees to lend money on mortgage : and all they had iu viOAv AA-as to lend money on freehold property . He M-onld not go into a discussion on thc statute of mortmain , because that only dealt with the difficult y of retaining lands after thev had got them . All that Avas now proposed was to lend fifty per cent , of the cost of Masonic halls in the

provinces , and it Avas tho duty of tho Board of General Purposes and of Grand Lodge to see that the security Avas good and proper , aud he could not perceive thc smallest conceivable danger of the Board of General Purposes being brought into Chancery or iu any way involved iu litigation . If they had the proper covenants iu their mortgage deed and the repayments Avere not punctually made according to agreement , they Avould have nothing to do but to sell the property and repay themselves without going to Chancery or involving themselves in one shilling

of laiv expenses , and no one could complain of the trustees exercising that rig ht . Ho agreed that it would bo invidious for one Masonic brother to be taking proceedings against another , but was it not a common thing even for brothers' in blood to assist one another with money on mortgage , and though they knew of the contingencies AA'hich might arise , that did not deter them from doing good for fear of difficulties AA'hich might loom in the future . There mig ht be difficulties iu the scheme as laid downbut those they could entertain when they came to

, consider its details , and lie trusted would have no influence in determining their decision on the question IIOAV before them . Bro . HOI-AVOOD asked ( amidst loud cries of spoke ) Avhat security the trustees would have against the consequences of auy suit which might be brought against them ? Bro . CoTTitiiLTi replied that all the security that would be required was a trust deed well known to hwyers , and that then a resolution of Grand Lodge authorising them to lend the money Avould be a perfect

security and indemnity against all consequences . Bro . HAVERS said he felt it his duty to offer one or two observations upon the motion before the chair . First of all he Avished the brethren to dismiss from their minds all the perturbed ghosts of possible LAV suits , for no man more sincerely Avished than he to keep the Craft clear of litigation , aud he Avould say , far distant be the day that AA'itnessed Grand Lodge going into the Court of Chancery ; but the question before them was one which they should look at neither with a strictly legal

, nor a strictly commercial eye . The question they really had to consider Avas , whether it AA-as a laudable object to keep their provincial brethren clear of taverns . It was no argument to say that Masonic halls had failed in certain provincial tOAA-ns ; and Avith regard to what had fallen from Bro . Stebbing , that the proposal AA'as not popular in the

provinces , he had only to say that the Board of General Purposes had good reason to knoAV that it Avas there most popular . Bro . Stebbing had told them that during the last seven years they had expended £ 7 , 000 in the cause of charity ; bi \ t was that , he Avould ask , any reason why they should not lend £ 2 , 000 to their provincial brethren ? He would ask them IIOAV it Avas the Craft had obtained the hall in which they were that moment met ? They obtained it upon the credit of debentures AA-hich AA'ere regularly met and paid , and he would ask them if they had

ei-ei- heard of .-1113-litigation arising out of those debentures ? It had been AA-ell said by Bro . Gregory that they had upon Lodges to AA-hich they might advance money , a greater and a stronger claim than any AA'ith which the land mig ht furnish them ; they had the claim AA'hich rested upon every good and honest Mason , and AA-as it to be supposed that the Masons of the present Avere less honest than their forefathers had proved themselves to be . There was one other matter to which , he Avished to call their attention . They had on former occasions lent money

to the several Masonic charities , and these loans had Avithout any such security being given for them , as AA-as now proposed , been punctually repaid , and that being the case , they had no reason to doubt that the loans now proposed Avould be faithfully and punctually refunded . He mig ht then be permitted to say that the whole question narroAved itself to this issue—should Grand Lodges risk £ 2 , 000 on thc honour and good faith of the provincial brethren ? He trusted it Avould never go forth that they doubted the honour , good faith and probity of their brethren in the provinces , but that on the contrary , that so hig h was the character in AA-hich Grand Lodge held them , that it ii'as felt they AA-ould

faithfully fulfil any covenant into which they might enter . Bro . MOTION' observed that the question was not Avhether they should lay aside all consideration of probable laAvsuits but Avhether they would eA-er get back their money . BRO . SY - . AIMONDS conceived that Bro . Motion ' s question had been already aiiSAvered by Bro . Mason . If the provincial brethren did not meet their engagements , the property could be sold , and AA'ould command in the market a price fully sufficient to repay the advance made b y

Grand Lodge . Bro . RICIIARDSOX , as the Master of a Provincial Lodge , said that tho brethren of that Lodge , of which thc Most AVorshipful Grand Master was himself a member , had purchaser ! tho building in AA-hich they met , but as they had not been able to raise by subscriptions the sum required for the purchase , they took the deeds and lodged them iu the hands of a brother , AVIIO , having that security , alloAved them tojhave the money which they required . If , then , a private member of the Craft

thought he might safely advance money upon such security , Grand Lodge might , he thought , fearlessly expect that whatever money it advanced would be faithfully repaid . A BIIOTHKB stated that he attended at the request of several provincial brethren to state that their vievA-s were entirely opposed to tho proposition . The brethren in the province to which he belonged ( Hampshire ) did not want an advance of money from Grand Lodge . Bro . H . BniDCKs said that he belonged to three distinct provinces , and he spoke the feeling of al 1 the brethren there iu supporting the original proposition .