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Correspondence.
CORRESPONDENCE .
We do not hold ourselves responsihle for the opinions of onr Cor . respondents . All Letters must hear the name and , address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , hut as a guarantee of good faith . We cannot undertake to return rejected coinm > . 'vicat-i . on < i .
THE GRAND TREASURERS HIP . To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CIU'O . VICLE . DEAR Silt AND BROTHER , — Tt seems Io mo hardly worth Avliilo ( o enter into a controversy which < : ; ui neither add to , nor detract from , tho great question which may bo at the present moment agitating the minds of certain sect ions of the Craft ; Uifc as tho surface of
Masonic opinion is just now rnfiled by tho openly-expressed ideas of correspondents , probably it may bo opportune to rchVcfc a word or two of that which is current amongst those who aro most intimately acquainted witli the subject . I have sought for no information in the matter , bnt it is impossible to move nmoiiL' Masons without being
acquainted with tho truth that tlio election of Grand Treasurer is ( in the minds of some ) one of thoso events with which the welfare of Freemasonry is inseparably connected . Beally , Ihe first question one is inclined to put to oneself is—Why all this fuss ? Ancl is tho game really worth tho candle ? When so great a stand was made , " on
principle , against tho office of Grand Treasurer being a permanent one , ard most strenuous efforts wero mado to vindicate the rights and privileges of the brethren with regard to the chief hononr it was in their power to bestow , there was some show for objection to tho proverbial anomaly , " once an Alderman always an Alderman . " But
that having been satisfactorily got over , by the succession of Bro . J . Derby Allcroft and Bro . Horace Brooks Marshall , tho Craft hnd settled down into tho belief that tho honour was one that should be made a subject of emulation ; although , if it be such a sinecure office , as many Avould havo us believe , Avhy all this contention for the
banble which lasts only for a year ? Is Freemasonry to descend into the position of a mutual admiration society , ancl to become more and more limited in its sphere ? If so , the grand aims of the Craft have been missed , and tho arrow must fall short of its mark . None of . ns can fail to appreciate the stand which was made two or three years
ago , in reference to the appointment of Grand Treasurer ; though I am one of thoso Avho think that , after all , there is a vast amount of responsibility , as Avell as honour , attached to it . What honorary Treasurer of any institution—bo his duties heavy or light—but is regarded in a proper sense as the safeguard and r > r < tector of tlie
funds which aro subscribed towards the object for which that institution Avas designed ? And so in onr own Older , it cannot be—must not be—supposed that the brother Avho is considered worthy of being entrusted with the collar rf Treasnrer of one of tho grandest institutions under the sun , shonld be a mere marionette , to be dressed in
his purple and yet be content to gyrate and dance at tho bidding of wire-pullers . I contend thafc the office is not a sinecure , or the person who fills it a nonentity •were it so , the honour would be divested of its worth , and no man of sense would covet such an anomalous position . That ifc should be conveyed to the outside world , who are astute in all
matters of financial integrity , that tho coveted honour of Grand Treasurer of English Freemasons is merely to sit clothed npon the da'is Avith twelve months' "blushing honours" thick npon him , but that in reality ho is no more nor less than the tool of those Avho perched him there , is only an idea fitted for a pantomime . Every
post has responsibility , and certainly that of Grand Treasurer of England is vested with some responsibility as well as dignity . Having delivered myself of these sentiment ? , as tho elder Weller wonld say , let me , by Avay of personal satisfaction express my opinion as to the centripetal force which is becoming unpleasantly manifest
in certain circles of Freemasonry . By this I mean that there is a tendency amongst some Grand Officers Past and Present , and Past Masters of Lodges , to arrogate to themselves great powers , invented by their self importance , so newly acquired , and assume authority which before they passed the chair they thought almost ethereal .
In my travels , and they are not " within a hundred miles of London , " I have seen men who , aspiring to the " proudest position " they can attain in their Lodges , overwhelmingly grateful for the hononr conferred upon them by tbe brethren and inspji ed by the warmest enthusiam for tho future benefit of the cause they have hitherto
espoused , fall back into tho serried ranks of tho veterans , and become—what ? Ardent supporters of the Craft ? Anxions and solicitous to aid by their counsel and experience those who follow them in the chair ? Net afc all . By industry aid perseverancewell-intentioned no doubt—they havo achieved the object of Avhat
should be to every Mason an ambition ; they havo been decorated with the coveted hononr of a Past Master ' s jewel ; and after all the pretty things which could be said of any man hnve been said , they fall back into the veteran rank , and so , in military parlance , attach themselves to the "Staff" of Freemasonry . Decorated with the
medal of merit—and merit it undoubtedly is to those who have faithfully and zealously Avon it—they seem to loso their individuality amongst the brethren who have assisted them to rise to the position they have gained , and , perhaps not intentionally , kick away the ladder by Avhose steps they have climbed to fame . " Theso men Avho ,
if genuinely actuated , wonld form a phalanx of support to those Avho are travelling along the same path , graduate into the rear-guard , and here ifc is thafc a consolidation of presumptuous authority is formed , snch as is now assuming to itself dictation to the Craft in the selection of its Treasnrer . Wo should not have any of this
" wheel within wheel" business in Masonry . It is antagonistic to the principles of " free will and accord " vvhich aie the foundation . Stones cf the whole fabric of our Order . When men advance in position in the Craft , and earn by fervency and z < al their title to the purple , we must all rejoice unfeignedly at the honour which rewards
Correspondence.
merit . But what can bo said of the brother who , having had his talents recognised and services rewarded , holds himself Sanl-like above his fellows , and would dictate amidst personality and self , assumed supremacy what others shonld do ? Waa it not Shylock who , answering Eassanio , in the " Merchant
of Venice , " exclaimed " I will buy with you , sell Avith yon , talk with you , walk with yon , and so fnllowincr ; but I Avill nofc eab with yon , drink with , yon , nor pray with yon r" And is there not too much of tho spirit of tho drama Used old Israelite at present actuating some of thoso who aro insisting upon tho qualifications for , or rather the
personal attributes of , those who aro aspiring to the office of Grand Treasnrer ? Thero is one other point to AA'hich , now that I have committed myself to the indiscretion of scribbling , I may as Avell allude , if it does not encroach too much upon your valuable spaco , and thafc is
the miserable support which is accorded to the Masonic Press , tt may , perhaps , bo irrelevant to tho heading of this letter ; bufc the amateur is permitted to "disrress . " Tho observations of a writer in your pages ( Bro . Whytehead ) have been endorsed by onr brethren across the Atlantic , when he says : — " It is a disgrace that Avith onr
long roll of Lodges , containing an important proportion of the wealth and intelligence of England on their books , there shonld be any lack of support to the Masonic Press . Various are tho excuses given by Lodges and brethren for not subscribing to tho Masonic papers . I am not prepared to admit any excuse from Lodges save that
of absolute Avanfc of funds ; but . there really must be very few Lodges indeed unable to afford the very small sum demanded for an annual copy of ono or both of the Masonie papers . " With our brethren across " tho pond " tho caso appears to bo very different . I do not wish , Sir , to harrow up thoso feelings which mnst damp tho
well-intentioned ardour of an English Masonic editor , but it is nevertheless true that in this country Masons do not read . Inquire of Bros . Gould , Hnghan , AVhytehead , and other of our shining lights who havo spent a vast amount of thoir time in Masonic research , whether their efforts havo received appreciation in any shape or
form . I would add to this—is thero any Lodge or Lodge of Instruction perfect that has nofc a record of tho doings of tho Craffc on its library shelf , unless tho brethren are content to go through in "dummy" form tho monotony of " work , " which after all often resolves itself into the hands of a coterie , whose ambitions
bend is to : ; well the ranks of those who Avill ultimately form the centripetal body who arrogate to themselves the governing of all elections , for Treasurer or otherwise ? I fear my remarks have been rather discursive than otherwise , bufc I intended them to be so , for in all this argument about
"qualification" and" attributes" for the office which some of your correspondents dub a " sinecure" there appears to havo been as much argument and difference as there is between tweedledum and twcedledee . The brethren know for whom they will vote when the
time conies . At any rate let ns have a man AVIIO will not regard tho honour as a shuttlecock , Avho will recognise the responsibilities as well as tho dignity Avhich the brethren seek to confer upon him , and let mo say , in accordance with the old axiom , " May tho best man win . "
I remain , Dear Sir and Brother , Yours fraternally , Quiz ,
To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I am quite ready to exchange opinions on this subject with " OXE Wno WILL NOT READILY ACCEPT THE RESULT or THE BALLOT . " Save in the one passage whero he suggests I may bo actuated by a dog-in-the-manger spirit , there is nothing in
his letter to which even the mosfc thin-skinned person could take serious exception . His tone and manner of treating the question are almost irreproachable , and if I saw my way clear to accepting his arguments , I should do so unhesitatingly and with a greafc deal of pleasure . However , as I cannot do this , I must try my best to meet
them , and Avhether I succeed in the attempt or not , I shall have afc least the satisfaction of knowing thafc , in any reply he may think proper to make , I shall nofc bo rated vulgarly as if I were a pickpocket . It Avas inevitable thafc your correspondent should consider my first
letter was Avanting in good taste . I should probably have said the samo kind of thing had I been replying to it . I felt thafc the ques . tion of Bro . Willing's candidature Avas a delicate one to handle , and I knew , AA'hen I raised it , that I should have this particular charge of want of delicacy laid at my door . But the choice lay between my
sense of taste and my sense of dnty . My justification for writing was and is thafc the principle for which I , in my humble capacity , contend so strongly will be utterly destroyed if a man of no eminence in Masonry is put forward as the champion of that principle . Afc the same time , I studiously avoided offering any remarks of a personal
character . I explained as fully as I could Avhy Bro . Willing ' s name Avas introduced into my letter , and in one part of his your latest correspondent has offered a similar plea in extenuation of his bavino * followed my example . Under these circumstances I think I may dismiss the charge of want of taste laid against mo as at all events
" not proven . '' As to the charge of being "ignorant of tho ordinary routine of election by tho voice of tho people , " I plead emphatically " nofc guilty . " I said , in effect , as to Bro . Willing , that his being a P . M . and founder of sundry Lodges , a good fellow , and all that , did nofc
confer on him " the elighest shadow cf a shade of claim fco ba placed on an eminence above his brother members of tho same stand , ingin Grand Lodge . " Il-re I beg to observe it Avill bo noticed thafc I use the word " claim "—as underscored for yonr correspondent ' s especial behoof—not " right , " which ho has nevertheless substituted for " claim . " I fully agree with your correspondent as to the
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
CORRESPONDENCE .
We do not hold ourselves responsihle for the opinions of onr Cor . respondents . All Letters must hear the name and , address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , hut as a guarantee of good faith . We cannot undertake to return rejected coinm > . 'vicat-i . on < i .
THE GRAND TREASURERS HIP . To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CIU'O . VICLE . DEAR Silt AND BROTHER , — Tt seems Io mo hardly worth Avliilo ( o enter into a controversy which < : ; ui neither add to , nor detract from , tho great question which may bo at the present moment agitating the minds of certain sect ions of the Craft ; Uifc as tho surface of
Masonic opinion is just now rnfiled by tho openly-expressed ideas of correspondents , probably it may bo opportune to rchVcfc a word or two of that which is current amongst those who aro most intimately acquainted witli the subject . I have sought for no information in the matter , bnt it is impossible to move nmoiiL' Masons without being
acquainted with tho truth that tlio election of Grand Treasurer is ( in the minds of some ) one of thoso events with which the welfare of Freemasonry is inseparably connected . Beally , Ihe first question one is inclined to put to oneself is—Why all this fuss ? Ancl is tho game really worth tho candle ? When so great a stand was made , " on
principle , against tho office of Grand Treasurer being a permanent one , ard most strenuous efforts wero mado to vindicate the rights and privileges of the brethren with regard to the chief hononr it was in their power to bestow , there was some show for objection to tho proverbial anomaly , " once an Alderman always an Alderman . " But
that having been satisfactorily got over , by the succession of Bro . J . Derby Allcroft and Bro . Horace Brooks Marshall , tho Craft hnd settled down into tho belief that tho honour was one that should be made a subject of emulation ; although , if it be such a sinecure office , as many Avould havo us believe , Avhy all this contention for the
banble which lasts only for a year ? Is Freemasonry to descend into the position of a mutual admiration society , ancl to become more and more limited in its sphere ? If so , the grand aims of the Craft have been missed , and tho arrow must fall short of its mark . None of . ns can fail to appreciate the stand which was made two or three years
ago , in reference to the appointment of Grand Treasurer ; though I am one of thoso Avho think that , after all , there is a vast amount of responsibility , as Avell as honour , attached to it . What honorary Treasurer of any institution—bo his duties heavy or light—but is regarded in a proper sense as the safeguard and r > r < tector of tlie
funds which aro subscribed towards the object for which that institution Avas designed ? And so in onr own Older , it cannot be—must not be—supposed that the brother Avho is considered worthy of being entrusted with the collar rf Treasnrer of one of tho grandest institutions under the sun , shonld be a mere marionette , to be dressed in
his purple and yet be content to gyrate and dance at tho bidding of wire-pullers . I contend thafc the office is not a sinecure , or the person who fills it a nonentity •were it so , the honour would be divested of its worth , and no man of sense would covet such an anomalous position . That ifc should be conveyed to the outside world , who are astute in all
matters of financial integrity , that tho coveted honour of Grand Treasurer of English Freemasons is merely to sit clothed npon the da'is Avith twelve months' "blushing honours" thick npon him , but that in reality ho is no more nor less than the tool of those Avho perched him there , is only an idea fitted for a pantomime . Every
post has responsibility , and certainly that of Grand Treasurer of England is vested with some responsibility as well as dignity . Having delivered myself of these sentiment ? , as tho elder Weller wonld say , let me , by Avay of personal satisfaction express my opinion as to the centripetal force which is becoming unpleasantly manifest
in certain circles of Freemasonry . By this I mean that there is a tendency amongst some Grand Officers Past and Present , and Past Masters of Lodges , to arrogate to themselves great powers , invented by their self importance , so newly acquired , and assume authority which before they passed the chair they thought almost ethereal .
In my travels , and they are not " within a hundred miles of London , " I have seen men who , aspiring to the " proudest position " they can attain in their Lodges , overwhelmingly grateful for the hononr conferred upon them by tbe brethren and inspji ed by the warmest enthusiam for tho future benefit of the cause they have hitherto
espoused , fall back into tho serried ranks of tho veterans , and become—what ? Ardent supporters of the Craft ? Anxions and solicitous to aid by their counsel and experience those who follow them in the chair ? Net afc all . By industry aid perseverancewell-intentioned no doubt—they havo achieved the object of Avhat
should be to every Mason an ambition ; they havo been decorated with the coveted hononr of a Past Master ' s jewel ; and after all the pretty things which could be said of any man hnve been said , they fall back into the veteran rank , and so , in military parlance , attach themselves to the "Staff" of Freemasonry . Decorated with the
medal of merit—and merit it undoubtedly is to those who have faithfully and zealously Avon it—they seem to loso their individuality amongst the brethren who have assisted them to rise to the position they have gained , and , perhaps not intentionally , kick away the ladder by Avhose steps they have climbed to fame . " Theso men Avho ,
if genuinely actuated , wonld form a phalanx of support to those Avho are travelling along the same path , graduate into the rear-guard , and here ifc is thafc a consolidation of presumptuous authority is formed , snch as is now assuming to itself dictation to the Craft in the selection of its Treasnrer . Wo should not have any of this
" wheel within wheel" business in Masonry . It is antagonistic to the principles of " free will and accord " vvhich aie the foundation . Stones cf the whole fabric of our Order . When men advance in position in the Craft , and earn by fervency and z < al their title to the purple , we must all rejoice unfeignedly at the honour which rewards
Correspondence.
merit . But what can bo said of the brother who , having had his talents recognised and services rewarded , holds himself Sanl-like above his fellows , and would dictate amidst personality and self , assumed supremacy what others shonld do ? Waa it not Shylock who , answering Eassanio , in the " Merchant
of Venice , " exclaimed " I will buy with you , sell Avith yon , talk with you , walk with yon , and so fnllowincr ; but I Avill nofc eab with yon , drink with , yon , nor pray with yon r" And is there not too much of tho spirit of tho drama Used old Israelite at present actuating some of thoso who aro insisting upon tho qualifications for , or rather the
personal attributes of , those who aro aspiring to the office of Grand Treasnrer ? Thero is one other point to AA'hich , now that I have committed myself to the indiscretion of scribbling , I may as Avell allude , if it does not encroach too much upon your valuable spaco , and thafc is
the miserable support which is accorded to the Masonic Press , tt may , perhaps , bo irrelevant to tho heading of this letter ; bufc the amateur is permitted to "disrress . " Tho observations of a writer in your pages ( Bro . Whytehead ) have been endorsed by onr brethren across the Atlantic , when he says : — " It is a disgrace that Avith onr
long roll of Lodges , containing an important proportion of the wealth and intelligence of England on their books , there shonld be any lack of support to the Masonic Press . Various are tho excuses given by Lodges and brethren for not subscribing to tho Masonic papers . I am not prepared to admit any excuse from Lodges save that
of absolute Avanfc of funds ; but . there really must be very few Lodges indeed unable to afford the very small sum demanded for an annual copy of ono or both of the Masonie papers . " With our brethren across " tho pond " tho caso appears to bo very different . I do not wish , Sir , to harrow up thoso feelings which mnst damp tho
well-intentioned ardour of an English Masonic editor , but it is nevertheless true that in this country Masons do not read . Inquire of Bros . Gould , Hnghan , AVhytehead , and other of our shining lights who havo spent a vast amount of thoir time in Masonic research , whether their efforts havo received appreciation in any shape or
form . I would add to this—is thero any Lodge or Lodge of Instruction perfect that has nofc a record of tho doings of tho Craffc on its library shelf , unless tho brethren are content to go through in "dummy" form tho monotony of " work , " which after all often resolves itself into the hands of a coterie , whose ambitions
bend is to : ; well the ranks of those who Avill ultimately form the centripetal body who arrogate to themselves the governing of all elections , for Treasurer or otherwise ? I fear my remarks have been rather discursive than otherwise , bufc I intended them to be so , for in all this argument about
"qualification" and" attributes" for the office which some of your correspondents dub a " sinecure" there appears to havo been as much argument and difference as there is between tweedledum and twcedledee . The brethren know for whom they will vote when the
time conies . At any rate let ns have a man AVIIO will not regard tho honour as a shuttlecock , Avho will recognise the responsibilities as well as tho dignity Avhich the brethren seek to confer upon him , and let mo say , in accordance with the old axiom , " May tho best man win . "
I remain , Dear Sir and Brother , Yours fraternally , Quiz ,
To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I am quite ready to exchange opinions on this subject with " OXE Wno WILL NOT READILY ACCEPT THE RESULT or THE BALLOT . " Save in the one passage whero he suggests I may bo actuated by a dog-in-the-manger spirit , there is nothing in
his letter to which even the mosfc thin-skinned person could take serious exception . His tone and manner of treating the question are almost irreproachable , and if I saw my way clear to accepting his arguments , I should do so unhesitatingly and with a greafc deal of pleasure . However , as I cannot do this , I must try my best to meet
them , and Avhether I succeed in the attempt or not , I shall have afc least the satisfaction of knowing thafc , in any reply he may think proper to make , I shall nofc bo rated vulgarly as if I were a pickpocket . It Avas inevitable thafc your correspondent should consider my first
letter was Avanting in good taste . I should probably have said the samo kind of thing had I been replying to it . I felt thafc the ques . tion of Bro . Willing's candidature Avas a delicate one to handle , and I knew , AA'hen I raised it , that I should have this particular charge of want of delicacy laid at my door . But the choice lay between my
sense of taste and my sense of dnty . My justification for writing was and is thafc the principle for which I , in my humble capacity , contend so strongly will be utterly destroyed if a man of no eminence in Masonry is put forward as the champion of that principle . Afc the same time , I studiously avoided offering any remarks of a personal
character . I explained as fully as I could Avhy Bro . Willing ' s name Avas introduced into my letter , and in one part of his your latest correspondent has offered a similar plea in extenuation of his bavino * followed my example . Under these circumstances I think I may dismiss the charge of want of taste laid against mo as at all events
" not proven . '' As to the charge of being "ignorant of tho ordinary routine of election by tho voice of tho people , " I plead emphatically " nofc guilty . " I said , in effect , as to Bro . Willing , that his being a P . M . and founder of sundry Lodges , a good fellow , and all that , did nofc
confer on him " the elighest shadow cf a shade of claim fco ba placed on an eminence above his brother members of tho same stand , ingin Grand Lodge . " Il-re I beg to observe it Avill bo noticed thafc I use the word " claim "—as underscored for yonr correspondent ' s especial behoof—not " right , " which ho has nevertheless substituted for " claim . " I fully agree with your correspondent as to the