The Masonic Mirror.

same time they must not forget that ifc was from the funds of the Board of General Purposes that , rightly or wrongly—he could not then stay to inquire— £ 1000 had been granted to the Crimean Belief Fund , and £ 1000 fco the Indian Mutiny Fund ( hear , hear ); and if any brother proposed , as ho had a perfect rig ht to do , that a contribution should be made from this fund to our charities , he would now be mot with the objection that the Grand Secretary ' s salary had just been raised , and that , at rate b £ 100 a the resources of the fund had been diminished .

any y year , ( Hear . ) In 1858 . the Board of General Purposes , in a report signed by Bro . Havers and Bro . Roxburgh , were against the salaries in the grand Secretary ' s office being raised ; and nothing hacl been shown to have occurred since that report which would justify the change of opinion which had taken place in that Board , on this subject . He would be the last man in the world to grudge any man a fair reward for the work done ; but this request was made prematurely and unjustly ; when , howeverthe time camehe had no doubt but that Grand Lodge would

, proper , unanimously award to the Grand Secretary some recognition of his services . Bro . Stebbing next rose , but was assailed with loud cries of ( " Spoke ; spoke I " ' ) Bro . Jennings , Grand Director of Ceremonies , said : The brother has a right to speak to the amendment . Bro . Stebbing ( inquiringly)—Eh ? Bro . Jennings ( emphatically ) - ! said you have a right to speak to the amendment .

Bro . Stebbing ( complacently)—Of course . 1 have . ( Loud laughter ) . I have a right to speak on every resolution . It is absurd . ( Renewed laughter ) . The brother went on to say that Grand Lodge ought to be consistent in disposing of its funds , and they ought not to give to Bro . Clarice , after eighteen months ' service , the salary they gave to Brer . AVhite , after a service of more than a quarter of a . century . It would have a bad effect out of doors , particularly amongst the poorer brethren . Bro . Gregory—M . AV " . sir . the eloquence of some of the brethren has rather

diverted our attention from ivhat is really the subject before us . I think , my lord . that arguments merely derived , from precedent , should not be suffered to weigh with Grand Lodgo in this matter . AVhat we want to say is , that the services of the Grand Secretary's office should be efficiently performed , and , being efficiently performed should be duly compensated . ( Hear , hear ) . We are told that Bro . AA hite's salary was only £ 300 a year , ancl that the other £ 100 was merely a gratuity ; but gratuity or salary , it was given year by year ; the thing we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet , ancl if ynu only give Bro . Cray Clarke this £ 100 a

year , I don't suppose he will care a great deal iviietlier you call it a gratuity or au addition to his salary . ( Hear , hear , and laughter ) . Let us not forget , moreover , the fluctuation iu the value of money . £ 300 , some years ago , was worth as much as £ 400 noiv ('• Oh , oh ! " and hear . hear ) . Even assuming what I believe not to bo the case , viz , that the business of the office of the Grand Secretary has not increased , still , 1 say that the fact of our having underpaid Bro . AVhite is no reason why we should underpay our present Grand Secretary , ( hear , hear ) , especially ivhenfrom necessity or choicelie . devotes so much more time to the duties ofthe

, , office . I clo not wish for a moment to depreciate tho services of the Past Grand Secretary , but I can say , from my own knowledge , that when the poorer brethren come for charity , or any of the brethren for business , Bro . Clarice is always to be found at his post ; and we know how much more satisfactory it is to see the head of an office than to transact business with any of the subordinates . ( Hear , hear ) . The secretary of a club does not present an analagous case at all ; for . 1 know how some of those gentlemen transact their business . ( Hear , hear , and laughter ) . The duties of the secretary of a club are far inferior iu importance to those of our

Grand Secretary ; and I have seen the secretary of my own club come quietly in at eleven o ' clock in the morning , aud when I have looked for him at three or four o ' clock in tho afternoon , he was not to be found . ( Hear , hear , ancl laughter ) . A voice—AVhat club is that ? ( Laughter , and cries of " Not fair" ) . Bro . Gregory—Instead of looking to the clubs for a parallel ease , Grand Lodge ought to look to the great commercial companies , and if you do this , you will find , that £ 500 is about the minimum , ancl that the maximum ranges from £ 1 , 000 to