Special Grand Lodge.

not increased , the fact of their having underpaid Bro . White was no reason why they should underpay their present Grand Secretary , ( hear , hear ) , especially when , from necessity or choice , he devoted so much more time to the duties of the office . When tho poorer brethren came for charity , or any of the brethren for business , Bro . Clarke was always to be found at his post ; and they know how much more satisfactory it was to see the head of an office than to transact business with any of the subordinates . ( Hear , hear . ) The secretary of a club did not present an analogous case at allfor he

; knew how some of those gentlemen transact their business . ( Hear , hear , and laughter . ) The duties of the secretary of a club are far inferior in importance to those of their Grand Secretary ; and he had seen the secretary of his own club come quietly in at eleven o'clock in tho morning , and when he looked for him at three or four o ' clock in the afternoon , he was not to be found . ( Hear , and laughter . ) A voice—What club is that ? ( Laughter , and cries of " Not fair . " ) Bro . Gregory—Instead of looking to the clubs for a parallel case ,

Grand Lodge ought to look to the great commercial companies , and if they did this , they would find that £ 500 was about the minimum , and that the maximum ranged from £ 1 . 000 to £ 2 , 000 . He asked those brethren who had alluded so eloquently to their own duties , whether they would like to discharge those of the Grand Secretary . Bro . Stebbing—Yes . ( Laughter and applause . ) BroGregory—But not for £ 300 a . ( Hearhear . ) He had

. year , been connected from early youth with the administration of large sums of money , and the management of considerable numbers of men , and the result of his experience was , that if they paid men low , they would have bad services . However great the claims of charity may be , they ought not to lead us to forget what is due to those whose faithful services we enjoy . Nor was the fact that we have not acted liberally in the past , any ground for our acting unfairly for the future ( Applause )

. . A brother whoso name we did not learn , said the secretaryship of great commercial companies did not present an analogous case , inasmuch as the revenues of those companies were often immensely greater than that of Grand Lodge . £ 500 a year would be a far more gentlemanly salary ( laughter ) , and on a future occasion they would probably ' find their Grand Secretary asking for that sum . Bro . Cottrell ( No . 14 ) , said they had been told that thej' ought

not to be generous before they were just —( hear)—still they might bo just ( hear ) . The majority of the members of Grand Lodge were incapable of judging of the work which the Grand Secretary had to do , but the Board of General Purposes was conversant with his duties , and it was from them that the recommendation for an additional salary had come ( hear ); and unless they had good reasons for a contrary course , which had not yet been brought forward , the recommendation of that Board ought to be adopted . BroWhitmore agreed that the Board of General Purposes ht

. oug to be best able to judge as to what were the claims of the officers of Grand Lodge ; but when he found that Board introducing in 1859 a recommendation quite opposite to that which they introduced on the same subject in-1858 , he thought they had fair grounds for doubting their judgment . ( Hear . ) He knew the Grand Secretary , who some years ' since was a Past Master of a Lodge to which he belonged , and lie had a very high respect for him ; it was only therefore from a high sense of duty that ho opposed tho proposition before Grand Lodge , "

because the only circumstance which to his mind could justify the increase did not exist , viz ., the request for an increase on the part of the Grand Secretary himself . ( Oh !) The ease of the librarian of Lincoln ' s Inn was not analogous , inasmuch as although the Grand Secretary required , and no doubt possessed , that average intelligence , gentlemanly deportment and manners , which constituted the chief requirements of his office , yet there was no need for that vast learning and varied ability required in such a post as that of tho librarian

referred to . Again , if they gave him this increase thus unasked for , they would prevent his getting it in a manner far more honourable to himself , namely , by coming up and asking for it , after he could plead , say , five years' service as justification for asking it . ( Laughter . ) He was glad to see the dryness of the discussion enlivened ( hear , and a laugh ) , but if he did not succeed in making himself understood to Grand Lodge , ho was thoroughly intelligible to himself . ( Renewed laughter )

. Bro . Savage said the main point seemed to be somewhat overlooked ; it was not what they had done thirty or forty years back , but—was the sum of £ 300 adequate or inadequate as the Grand Secretary ' s salary ? ( hear ) , that was the question . ( Hear , hear . ) He should , therefore , on this occasion support Bro . Havers , although it was sometimes his misfortune to disagree with that brother . [ Bro . Barratt" You'll never do so any more . " ] ( Loud laughter . ) The Grand Secretary was capable of all that Bro . Whitmore said , and more .

Bro . Whitmore—I never for a moment insinuated that there was any lack of information on the part of the Grand Secretary ( hear hear ); I merely spoke of tho abilities required in his office . Bro . Savage enlarged on the advantages they enjoyed by reason of the Grand Secretary's knowledge of continental languages , in addition to his mother tongue , by which means he was enabled to correspond with brethren in various parts of the world . Bro . Wynne thought it would be much better to leave it to his lordship to make some such proposition at some future time ( Oh !)

. Bro . tho Rev . G . R . Portal—My lord , before this matter comes to a vote , I think it is very important that , if possible , we should arrive at an unanimous decision ; because , if the matter is settled by anything like a narrow division . Bro . Gray Clarke will be robbed of a very great part of the gratification which such a vote ought to give hini . ( Hear , hear . ) I am certain there is but one wish on the part of Grand Lodge , viz ., to act kindly to Bro . Clarke ; and I can assure those who have brought forward this motionthat Grand Lodge will

, not be anything like unanimous if it is pressed to a division . Bro . Savage has not put the point quite fairly whenhe says that the question for us to consider is , whether this' £ 300 or £ So 0 is a fair remuneration for a gentleman of Bro . Clarke ' s abilities and demeanour . The question is , whether , what was enough eighteen mouths back is not enough now ? If the salary is insufficient , why did he accept it ? ( Oh , oh !) Is the Board of General Purposes to say , only one year that after thoroughly investigating the nature and extent of the

ago , duties of the Grand Secretary ' s office , they are of opinion that it is neither " necessary nor desirable that any increase should bo made in any of the existing salaries , " and now to contradict it ? They did not make that report in ignorance of the subject , but after careful investigation they reported that all the officers were sufficiently paid . What then has happened between that time and this which can justify them in now saying that Bro . Clarke is not well paid ? Is there some newldiscovered mine of efficiency in him arduous duties

y , or some not before thought of ? I need not recall the past , but I may remind Grand Lodge that Bro . Clarke in his correspondence with Bro . Harington , of Canada , so wrote as to induce that brother to reply"Your letters to me are so personal as very much to embarrass matters , " & c . ( Hear , hear ! and cries of order , order ! question , question !) This is the question—is it a proof of Bro . Clarke ' s efficiency that tho only way in which he conducts a delicate corresponwhom

dence is to offend those , we ought to he solicitous to conciliate . ( Cries of oh , oh ! question , question !) This is the question , and I shall take care that it shall not bo burked . ( Laughter . ) For myself , I attach more credit to the carefully drawn report of twelve months ago than to that of three months ago , and I shall put my confidence in the former rather than in the latter . ( Hear , hear . ) Bro . M'Intyre said it was unfair and uncandid to oppose both these reports—that which said a year ago that the salaries ought to remain as they wereand that which now proposed to increase themAs to

, . depriving Bro . Clarke of the opportunity of "asking" to have his salary raised , he thought it would not press very heavily on his feelings if they raised it IWV instead . ( Laughter . ) One brother who complained now of tho increase as diminishing the funds available for charities , told them on the last occasion that they ought to be just before they ostentatiously gave their money to charities . For his own part , he would let their justice and generosity go hand in hand together .

Bro . the Right Hon . Lord Panmure , D . G . M ., said—My lord , I am not going into the merits of this question , but I wish to notice one point which was raised by Bro . Portal . Every other brother has borne testimony to tho high and honourable character of the Grand Secretary , and no one , with the exception of Bro . Portal , has attempted to cast any slur on the conduct of Bro . Clarice , in the execution of his duties . ( Hear , hear . ) I must say , that I am surprised at the grounds on which Bro . Portal has blamed the Grand hear has blamed him

Secretary . ( Hear , . ) He for letters written in a controversy which is now , I am happy to say , dead and buried—( applause)—in a controversy in which , though the letters were penned by the Grand Secretary , they wore letters written by the desire of the Grand Master himself ( hear , hear ); letters of which the Grand Master was substantially the author , and of which the Deputy Grand Master also was cognizant , and of which Bro . Clarke is no more to blame than the with which he wrote them . ( Hearhear ) If

pen , . there is anything to blame in these letters , let Grand Lodge visitMt on those who were the authors of them , and responsible for them , ( Hear , hear . ) Let the blame rest on the proper shoulders . Having made this explanation , I shall not enter into the merits of the case , though perfectly satisfied that the motion to increase Bro . Clarke ' s salary is not only a proper motion in itself in regard to the duties wdiich he has to perform , but it is a motion by passing which Grand Lodge will be consulting its own dignity . ( Hear , hear . )