Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
"My Stars And Garters." — Past Masters And The Past Masters Degree.
passed the chair as a preliminary step to the degree ; nor will fie be entitled to wear the apron ancl jewel of a Past Master ; for the law distinctly provides that no brother can possibly claim or enjoy the privileges of a Past Master until ho has actually served the office of Worshipful Master for one complete year . " It Avas customary before the Union to instal every candidate for exaltation , and many lodges were in the habit of passing breth for the of
certain ren purpose giving them nominal rank ; nor was their presence at a lodge of installed Masters considered an intrusion . But no such claim would he recognised under our improved system of government , for the present laws are too stringent to admit of any such irregularities ; and it is clear that a Royal Arch Mason , even though he be a Principal , not having served his year as the Worshipful Master of a Craft Lodge , cannot be entitled to any immunity which belongs to a Past Master , and to him alone ; nor can he be allowed to Avitness the ceremony of installation , or to claim a right of entree in Grand Lodge . "
And if we turn to Bro . Mackey ' s Text Boole of Masonic Jurisprudence , published at New York , we find"All that has been here said ofthe rights of Past Masters must be considered as strictly referring to actual Past Masters only ; that is to sayto Past Masters who have been regularl
, y installed to preside over a Lodge of Ancient Craft Masons , under the jurisdiction of a Grand Lodge . Virtual Past Masters , or those who have received the degree in a Chapter , as preparatory to exaltation to the Eoyal Arch , possess none of these rights . "
¦ And Bro . Albert Pike , considered to be one of the most able of Masonic jurists , says , in a report to the Grand Lodge of A rkansas , he does not consider " That the Past Master's degree , conferred in a Chapter , invests the recipient with any rank or authority , except within the Chapter itself ; that it in no Avay qualifies or authorises him
to preside in the chair of a lodge ; that a lodge has no legal means of knowing that be has received the degree in a Chapter ; for it is not to know anything that takes place there any more than it knows what takes place in a Lodge of Perfection , or a Chapter of Rose Croix , whence it follows , that if the actual Past Masters of a lodge have no legal means of recognition of the virtual Past Masters of a Chapter , the former cannot permit the latter to install or be present at an installation . "
Bro . Gedge , of Louisana , also says : — " It is the bounden duty of all Grand Lodges to prevent the possessors of the Chapter degree from tbe exercise of any function appertaining to the office and attributes of an installed Master of a Lodge of symbolic Masonry , and refuse to recognise them as belonging to the Order of Past Masters . " We mi ght go on multiplying authorities , ad
infinitum , but shall content ourselves Avith one more , and that because it has something of a Scotch authority . In Mackey ' s Lexicon of Freemasonry , first English edition , revised by "Bro . Donald Campbell , S . E . P . S ., 32 nd degree , compiler of the Scottish Masonic Calendar" Ave find under the head of " Past Masters " : —
"This degree has never been recognised by the Grand Lodge of Scotland ; it is conferred under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter . " And that brethren should not be too hastily passed throug h the various degrees , is well summed up by Bro . Rob . MorrisP . Grand Master for Kentuck
, y , m his code of Masonic Law rules -. —• f « ^ ril ! le candidates are attempting , in one month , what the lathers allotted to seven years , it is too much that they should expected , in addition to the severe tasks enjoined upon them ,
to take an active part in the government of the lodge , —and too mueh that , green and inexperienced as they are , they should oe invested with the honours and privileges only jnerited by the experienced Masons . " Having , as we think , shown that Bro . Nicholson , has only taken the Past Masters' degree as a
preliminary to the Eoyal Arch in Scotland , and has no claim to be considered a Past Master or to wear the clothing , we come to another part of his letter , again assuring him that we are not jealous of his preferments . He says : — " The honours that I now boldand of which " JN " . W . " ancl
, others , including yourself , appear to be so jealous , neither directly nor indirectly did I seek . The collar of Grand Conclave and the purple of Hertfordshire were given to me quite unexpectedly . To the kindness of my friends more than to my own merits I am indebted for the Masonic rank I hold . " Many men suffer from the acts of injudicious friends , and Ave fear that Bro . Nicholson is no
exception to the rule . At page 51 , of the Book of Constitutions , "Of the other Provincial Grand Officers , " it is enacted , —
"STo brother can be appointed a Provincial Grand Warden unless he be the Master or Past Master of a lodge ; nor a Provincial Grand Deacon , unless he be a Warden or Past Warden of a lodge . " And as regards this law , there can be no dispensation ( for residing out of the province , Bro . Nicholson
has personally informed us he paid the dispensation fee ); and the Book of Constitutions declaring " a dispensation cannot be granted except in cases spe * dally provided for . " We cannot discoA er that Bro . Nicholson has ever been appointed the Warden of any lodge , it being very rare that such an honour is
attained within nine months after initiation . We knoiv Bro . Stuart , the Prov . G . M ., to be too good a Mason and too conscientious in the discharge of his duties to Avilfully A'iolate the Book of Constitutions , ancl can therefore only conclude that he has been misled by some of Bro . Nicholson ' s injudicious friends ,
who have not , when recommending him to office , explained his real standing in the Craft . Moreover , it is even denied that he is a subscribing member to any lodge in . the province . We are informed that he claims to be a member of the Berkhampstead Lodge ; but this is contested by many of the members , the following rule of the Book of Constitutions not having been complied with ,
" No brother shall be admitted a member of a lodge without a regular proposition in open lodge , nor until his name , occupation , and place of abode , as well as the name and number of the lodge of which he is or was last a member , or in which be Avas initiated , shall have been sent to all the members in thesummons ior the next regular lodge meeting ; at which meeting the brother's grand , lodge certificate , and also the certificate of his former lodgeis to be producedancl the decision
, , of the brethren ascertained by ballot . ' A ballot , it is true , is stated to have taken placeat a lodge when only three members were present ,. and the election entered on the minutes—the fact of the brother having been proposed , but , not "in
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
"My Stars And Garters." — Past Masters And The Past Masters Degree.
passed the chair as a preliminary step to the degree ; nor will fie be entitled to wear the apron ancl jewel of a Past Master ; for the law distinctly provides that no brother can possibly claim or enjoy the privileges of a Past Master until ho has actually served the office of Worshipful Master for one complete year . " It Avas customary before the Union to instal every candidate for exaltation , and many lodges were in the habit of passing breth for the of
certain ren purpose giving them nominal rank ; nor was their presence at a lodge of installed Masters considered an intrusion . But no such claim would he recognised under our improved system of government , for the present laws are too stringent to admit of any such irregularities ; and it is clear that a Royal Arch Mason , even though he be a Principal , not having served his year as the Worshipful Master of a Craft Lodge , cannot be entitled to any immunity which belongs to a Past Master , and to him alone ; nor can he be allowed to Avitness the ceremony of installation , or to claim a right of entree in Grand Lodge . "
And if we turn to Bro . Mackey ' s Text Boole of Masonic Jurisprudence , published at New York , we find"All that has been here said ofthe rights of Past Masters must be considered as strictly referring to actual Past Masters only ; that is to sayto Past Masters who have been regularl
, y installed to preside over a Lodge of Ancient Craft Masons , under the jurisdiction of a Grand Lodge . Virtual Past Masters , or those who have received the degree in a Chapter , as preparatory to exaltation to the Eoyal Arch , possess none of these rights . "
¦ And Bro . Albert Pike , considered to be one of the most able of Masonic jurists , says , in a report to the Grand Lodge of A rkansas , he does not consider " That the Past Master's degree , conferred in a Chapter , invests the recipient with any rank or authority , except within the Chapter itself ; that it in no Avay qualifies or authorises him
to preside in the chair of a lodge ; that a lodge has no legal means of knowing that be has received the degree in a Chapter ; for it is not to know anything that takes place there any more than it knows what takes place in a Lodge of Perfection , or a Chapter of Rose Croix , whence it follows , that if the actual Past Masters of a lodge have no legal means of recognition of the virtual Past Masters of a Chapter , the former cannot permit the latter to install or be present at an installation . "
Bro . Gedge , of Louisana , also says : — " It is the bounden duty of all Grand Lodges to prevent the possessors of the Chapter degree from tbe exercise of any function appertaining to the office and attributes of an installed Master of a Lodge of symbolic Masonry , and refuse to recognise them as belonging to the Order of Past Masters . " We mi ght go on multiplying authorities , ad
infinitum , but shall content ourselves Avith one more , and that because it has something of a Scotch authority . In Mackey ' s Lexicon of Freemasonry , first English edition , revised by "Bro . Donald Campbell , S . E . P . S ., 32 nd degree , compiler of the Scottish Masonic Calendar" Ave find under the head of " Past Masters " : —
"This degree has never been recognised by the Grand Lodge of Scotland ; it is conferred under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter . " And that brethren should not be too hastily passed throug h the various degrees , is well summed up by Bro . Rob . MorrisP . Grand Master for Kentuck
, y , m his code of Masonic Law rules -. —• f « ^ ril ! le candidates are attempting , in one month , what the lathers allotted to seven years , it is too much that they should expected , in addition to the severe tasks enjoined upon them ,
to take an active part in the government of the lodge , —and too mueh that , green and inexperienced as they are , they should oe invested with the honours and privileges only jnerited by the experienced Masons . " Having , as we think , shown that Bro . Nicholson , has only taken the Past Masters' degree as a
preliminary to the Eoyal Arch in Scotland , and has no claim to be considered a Past Master or to wear the clothing , we come to another part of his letter , again assuring him that we are not jealous of his preferments . He says : — " The honours that I now boldand of which " JN " . W . " ancl
, others , including yourself , appear to be so jealous , neither directly nor indirectly did I seek . The collar of Grand Conclave and the purple of Hertfordshire were given to me quite unexpectedly . To the kindness of my friends more than to my own merits I am indebted for the Masonic rank I hold . " Many men suffer from the acts of injudicious friends , and Ave fear that Bro . Nicholson is no
exception to the rule . At page 51 , of the Book of Constitutions , "Of the other Provincial Grand Officers , " it is enacted , —
"STo brother can be appointed a Provincial Grand Warden unless he be the Master or Past Master of a lodge ; nor a Provincial Grand Deacon , unless he be a Warden or Past Warden of a lodge . " And as regards this law , there can be no dispensation ( for residing out of the province , Bro . Nicholson
has personally informed us he paid the dispensation fee ); and the Book of Constitutions declaring " a dispensation cannot be granted except in cases spe * dally provided for . " We cannot discoA er that Bro . Nicholson has ever been appointed the Warden of any lodge , it being very rare that such an honour is
attained within nine months after initiation . We knoiv Bro . Stuart , the Prov . G . M ., to be too good a Mason and too conscientious in the discharge of his duties to Avilfully A'iolate the Book of Constitutions , ancl can therefore only conclude that he has been misled by some of Bro . Nicholson ' s injudicious friends ,
who have not , when recommending him to office , explained his real standing in the Craft . Moreover , it is even denied that he is a subscribing member to any lodge in . the province . We are informed that he claims to be a member of the Berkhampstead Lodge ; but this is contested by many of the members , the following rule of the Book of Constitutions not having been complied with ,
" No brother shall be admitted a member of a lodge without a regular proposition in open lodge , nor until his name , occupation , and place of abode , as well as the name and number of the lodge of which he is or was last a member , or in which be Avas initiated , shall have been sent to all the members in thesummons ior the next regular lodge meeting ; at which meeting the brother's grand , lodge certificate , and also the certificate of his former lodgeis to be producedancl the decision
, , of the brethren ascertained by ballot . ' A ballot , it is true , is stated to have taken placeat a lodge when only three members were present ,. and the election entered on the minutes—the fact of the brother having been proposed , but , not "in