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Article FURTHER COMMENTS ON " FACTS AND FICTIONS." ← Page 2 of 2 Article FURTHER COMMENTS ON " FACTS AND FICTIONS." Page 2 of 2 Article ROYAL ARCH. Page 1 of 1
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Further Comments On " Facts And Fictions."
. . . I shall now proceed to prove that those who have applied the term Seceders to this section of our Order have done so under wrong impressions ; for , after having carefully
considered tho subject , I am of opinion that there is no evidence yet brought to light which would justify me in believing that any considerable number of them ever owned allegiance to the regular Grand Lodge of England . "
Now , the words " any considerable number , " certainly implies that an inconsiderable number of the Dermotters did own allegiance to the old Grand Lodge . Such being the case there were at least some seceders among the formers
of the 1752 Grand Lodge , and these at least might consistently be termed , rebels , schismatics , and secessionists . Now , Bro . Gould says that in 1748 Dermott joined a Lodge in
London . Bro . Hughan says the same . Bro . Sadler , to the best of my recollection , never disproved or denied Brothers Gould and Hughan ' s statements . Why , then , should not Dermott be entitled to the designations of secessionist , vehel . & o . ?
. , I do not , however , mean to say that rebels and schismatics are necessarily bad men . On the contrary , I believe that we are greatly , if not wholly , indebted to schismatics and rebels for the liberties we now enjoy ; for if the Barons had
not revolted against John , and the Parliament against Charles I ., and the Whigs against James IL , and Luther and Calvin had not been schismatics , we should now possess no more liberty than they had in the darh ages .
Rebellion is , therefore , not actually wrong , providing , however , that in the first place a good and sufficient cause for rebelling existed , and second , before rebelling , efforts should be made to induce the Government to yield peaceably the
desired reform . Dermott and Co ., however , had in the first place no just cause for rebelling , and second , if they had such a cause , they certainly never made the least effort to induce the Grand Lodge to remove said cause . For that kind of rebellion I have , therefore , no sympathy .
I shall now venture to offer my opinion about the seventy worthies immortalized by the pen of John Morgan in 1751 . I believe that every one of them were initiated in regular chartered Lodges , either in England , Ireland , or elsewhere ;
and they fully deserved the titles of " rebels , " " schismatics , " & c . True , Dermott never acknowledged that fact in his records . But , on the other hand , he never asserted or claimed that either himself or his followers had never owed
allegiance to a Grand Lodge . I also believe that the rank ancl file of the seceders was composed of the riff-raff , the scum , and most ignorant men , who ' gained admission into the Fraternity ; they were neither endowed with the spirit
of harmony or vitality necessary for perpetuating a society . For instance , of the Four Lodges of 1717 , one , at least , survives to this clay . Tho first Charters were issued by the Grand Lodge in 1721 . Of these , three survives , and so do
four Lodges of 1722 , and more or less Lodges are still in existence which were chartered respectively in succeeding years . But the original six Lodges of the so-called " Ancients , " of 1751 , evaporated in a very short time . Nay ,
more ! In 1 / 84 the oldest Lodge of the Ancients then living was No . 32 , constituted in 1754 , and the first thirty-one Lodges have , of course , " melted away into thin air . " This want of vitality of the early Ancients' Lodges was ,
doubtless , mainly due to the ignorance of their members . Subsequently , of course , better material was obtained for building up new Lodges . But even in 1764 , Dermott , in a
confidential letter to Philadelphia ( to which I called Bro . Sadler's attention when I was in London ) , begged the Philadelphians to excuse something ( I forget what ) because the members of a certain Lodge of his concern were
comforcfathers of 1751 , they are nevertheless not justified in retaining the usurped ranks on tlie list of Lodges unjustly wrenched by their predecessors in 1813 from the Lodge of A _ ¦ . ¦ .. ¦ . _ _ .., ! ,. 11 -ll T „ , * jl .. i _ J X 1 K-i ? _ . aim utuer tiittD
iiHiiquiiiy an jjuugiis were uuanureu uerore 1752 by the Grand Lodge of England . It is Therefore the bounden duty of all Masons of the Ancients' lineage or
posed of ignorant mechanics , or something to that effect . Such being the case , I hope that Brother Sadler will give up his sentimental " charity " of defending a pack
of scalawags , charlatans , and perjurers , who , without cause or reason , produced unmitigated mischief among the Masonic Fraternity , and henceforth use his talent ancl influence to enlighten the prominent members of the " Grand Masters '
Lodge , " and of all other Lodges who hold Charters from the so-called Ancients , including my own dear " Mother Lodge , " viz ., that of "Joppa , " that , however blameless tbey were for the sins committed by their Masonic
Further Comments On " Facts And Fictions."
descent to ask the Grand Lodge to renumber her Lodges , and to have each Lodge placed on the list in accordance with the priority of their respective dates of Constitution . And second , as the word " United , " which was forced
upon the Grand Lodge in 1813 , servos merely as a reminder of the rascality perpetrated by former unworthy Masons , the said word should therefore at once be stricken out , so that the title of the Grand Lodge may be restored to what it was before 1813 .
I will only add that by doing what is above recommended great credit will be reflected upon the character of English Masons and Masonry in general , but more especially so on
those brethren of Ancients' descent , who would cheerfully and voluntarily surrender to tho proper and legal owners what they were unjustly deprived of in 1813 .
Boston , U . S ., 22 nd January 1888 . ( To be continued )
Royal Arch.
ROYAL ARCH .
iUi THE Quarterly Convocation of Supreme Grand Chapter took place on Wednesday , under the presidency of Comp . Brigadier-General A . W . Adair . The business was
essentially of a formal character ; all the work set out in the agenda paper , as given by us last week , being favourably considered .
PROV . G . CHAPTER OF HANTS AND THE ISLE OF WIGHT .
AT the annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Chapter , held at Aldershot , on Wednesday , the 30 th ult ., the following were appointed as Grand Officers of the Province for the year by Comp . W . W . Beach , M . P ., the Grand Superintendent of the Province : — Comp . J . B . Le Fenvro 394 - - H .
Colonel J . Crease , C . B ., 257 - J . Edgar Goble 309 - - S . E . J . Methven 1461 - - S . N . G . J . Tilling 1461 . - Treasnrer J . Gibson 694 » - . Eegistrar
A . Scott 175 ... Sojourner J . Marks 76 - - - 1 st Assistant Sojourner J . Robertson 394 - . 2 nd Assistant Sojourner Colonel Yeatman Biggs 1331 - Sword Bearer J . Yond 723 - - - Standard Bearer
J . Jackson 1428 ) - - Director of Ceremonies T . W . Pi ice 804 - - Assistant Dir . Ceremonies F . Sanders 342 - - - Organist Rev . A . A . Headley 309 - Assistant S . E . J . Exell 487 - - - Janitor
There was a division as to the election of Treasurer , in succession to Comp . K . J . Hooper Rastrick , resigned . The candidates were Comp . John Brickwood , of Portsmouth ( who was proposed by Comp . Colonel Crease and seconded by Comp . F . Sanders ) , and Comp . G . J . Tilling , of
Southampton ( who was proposed by ( Jomp . R . Jive and seconded by Comp . A . Scott ) . The latter secured a majority of votes .
Star Chapter of Instruction , No . 1275 . —The usual meet . ing was held on Friday , 1 st inst ., at the Stirling Castle , Church-street , Camberwell , when there were present Companions Hilton P . Z . Preceptor , Moore H . 169 M . E . Z ., Addington M . E . Z . 1275 H ., Wingham J ., Stone S . E ., Benedetti S . N . 1275 S . N ., Neeld P . Z . P . S ., Mnrche 1329 ,
and Hattersley 177 . The ceremony of exaltation was rehearsed , Companion Hattersley personating candidate . Companion Hattersley was elected a member , and Companion Addington M . E . Z . for the next meeting . The Chapter was then closed in accordance with ancient custom .
On the 30 th ult . a Masonic ball was held at the George Hotel , near Bangor , in aid of the fund to purchase a life presentation to the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls for the Province of North Wales . The ball , the invitations to which numbered about 150 , was nnder the patronage of
the Right Worshipful P . G . M . Lord Harlech , Major Hunter P . P . G . M . Aberdeenshire East P . P . G . S . W . North Wales , Colonel Piatt D . P . G . M . P . G . D . of England , the Hon .
W . E . Sackville West P . G . W . of England , and the Officers of the Provincial Grand Lodge of North Wales . The arrangements were carried out by the Hon . Secretaries , Dr . Langford Jones and Mr . W . Thornton Jones , the music being supplied by Richardson ' s band , of Liverpool .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Further Comments On " Facts And Fictions."
. . . I shall now proceed to prove that those who have applied the term Seceders to this section of our Order have done so under wrong impressions ; for , after having carefully
considered tho subject , I am of opinion that there is no evidence yet brought to light which would justify me in believing that any considerable number of them ever owned allegiance to the regular Grand Lodge of England . "
Now , the words " any considerable number , " certainly implies that an inconsiderable number of the Dermotters did own allegiance to the old Grand Lodge . Such being the case there were at least some seceders among the formers
of the 1752 Grand Lodge , and these at least might consistently be termed , rebels , schismatics , and secessionists . Now , Bro . Gould says that in 1748 Dermott joined a Lodge in
London . Bro . Hughan says the same . Bro . Sadler , to the best of my recollection , never disproved or denied Brothers Gould and Hughan ' s statements . Why , then , should not Dermott be entitled to the designations of secessionist , vehel . & o . ?
. , I do not , however , mean to say that rebels and schismatics are necessarily bad men . On the contrary , I believe that we are greatly , if not wholly , indebted to schismatics and rebels for the liberties we now enjoy ; for if the Barons had
not revolted against John , and the Parliament against Charles I ., and the Whigs against James IL , and Luther and Calvin had not been schismatics , we should now possess no more liberty than they had in the darh ages .
Rebellion is , therefore , not actually wrong , providing , however , that in the first place a good and sufficient cause for rebelling existed , and second , before rebelling , efforts should be made to induce the Government to yield peaceably the
desired reform . Dermott and Co ., however , had in the first place no just cause for rebelling , and second , if they had such a cause , they certainly never made the least effort to induce the Grand Lodge to remove said cause . For that kind of rebellion I have , therefore , no sympathy .
I shall now venture to offer my opinion about the seventy worthies immortalized by the pen of John Morgan in 1751 . I believe that every one of them were initiated in regular chartered Lodges , either in England , Ireland , or elsewhere ;
and they fully deserved the titles of " rebels , " " schismatics , " & c . True , Dermott never acknowledged that fact in his records . But , on the other hand , he never asserted or claimed that either himself or his followers had never owed
allegiance to a Grand Lodge . I also believe that the rank ancl file of the seceders was composed of the riff-raff , the scum , and most ignorant men , who ' gained admission into the Fraternity ; they were neither endowed with the spirit
of harmony or vitality necessary for perpetuating a society . For instance , of the Four Lodges of 1717 , one , at least , survives to this clay . Tho first Charters were issued by the Grand Lodge in 1721 . Of these , three survives , and so do
four Lodges of 1722 , and more or less Lodges are still in existence which were chartered respectively in succeeding years . But the original six Lodges of the so-called " Ancients , " of 1751 , evaporated in a very short time . Nay ,
more ! In 1 / 84 the oldest Lodge of the Ancients then living was No . 32 , constituted in 1754 , and the first thirty-one Lodges have , of course , " melted away into thin air . " This want of vitality of the early Ancients' Lodges was ,
doubtless , mainly due to the ignorance of their members . Subsequently , of course , better material was obtained for building up new Lodges . But even in 1764 , Dermott , in a
confidential letter to Philadelphia ( to which I called Bro . Sadler's attention when I was in London ) , begged the Philadelphians to excuse something ( I forget what ) because the members of a certain Lodge of his concern were
comforcfathers of 1751 , they are nevertheless not justified in retaining the usurped ranks on tlie list of Lodges unjustly wrenched by their predecessors in 1813 from the Lodge of A _ ¦ . ¦ .. ¦ . _ _ .., ! ,. 11 -ll T „ , * jl .. i _ J X 1 K-i ? _ . aim utuer tiittD
iiHiiquiiiy an jjuugiis were uuanureu uerore 1752 by the Grand Lodge of England . It is Therefore the bounden duty of all Masons of the Ancients' lineage or
posed of ignorant mechanics , or something to that effect . Such being the case , I hope that Brother Sadler will give up his sentimental " charity " of defending a pack
of scalawags , charlatans , and perjurers , who , without cause or reason , produced unmitigated mischief among the Masonic Fraternity , and henceforth use his talent ancl influence to enlighten the prominent members of the " Grand Masters '
Lodge , " and of all other Lodges who hold Charters from the so-called Ancients , including my own dear " Mother Lodge , " viz ., that of "Joppa , " that , however blameless tbey were for the sins committed by their Masonic
Further Comments On " Facts And Fictions."
descent to ask the Grand Lodge to renumber her Lodges , and to have each Lodge placed on the list in accordance with the priority of their respective dates of Constitution . And second , as the word " United , " which was forced
upon the Grand Lodge in 1813 , servos merely as a reminder of the rascality perpetrated by former unworthy Masons , the said word should therefore at once be stricken out , so that the title of the Grand Lodge may be restored to what it was before 1813 .
I will only add that by doing what is above recommended great credit will be reflected upon the character of English Masons and Masonry in general , but more especially so on
those brethren of Ancients' descent , who would cheerfully and voluntarily surrender to tho proper and legal owners what they were unjustly deprived of in 1813 .
Boston , U . S ., 22 nd January 1888 . ( To be continued )
Royal Arch.
ROYAL ARCH .
iUi THE Quarterly Convocation of Supreme Grand Chapter took place on Wednesday , under the presidency of Comp . Brigadier-General A . W . Adair . The business was
essentially of a formal character ; all the work set out in the agenda paper , as given by us last week , being favourably considered .
PROV . G . CHAPTER OF HANTS AND THE ISLE OF WIGHT .
AT the annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Chapter , held at Aldershot , on Wednesday , the 30 th ult ., the following were appointed as Grand Officers of the Province for the year by Comp . W . W . Beach , M . P ., the Grand Superintendent of the Province : — Comp . J . B . Le Fenvro 394 - - H .
Colonel J . Crease , C . B ., 257 - J . Edgar Goble 309 - - S . E . J . Methven 1461 - - S . N . G . J . Tilling 1461 . - Treasnrer J . Gibson 694 » - . Eegistrar
A . Scott 175 ... Sojourner J . Marks 76 - - - 1 st Assistant Sojourner J . Robertson 394 - . 2 nd Assistant Sojourner Colonel Yeatman Biggs 1331 - Sword Bearer J . Yond 723 - - - Standard Bearer
J . Jackson 1428 ) - - Director of Ceremonies T . W . Pi ice 804 - - Assistant Dir . Ceremonies F . Sanders 342 - - - Organist Rev . A . A . Headley 309 - Assistant S . E . J . Exell 487 - - - Janitor
There was a division as to the election of Treasurer , in succession to Comp . K . J . Hooper Rastrick , resigned . The candidates were Comp . John Brickwood , of Portsmouth ( who was proposed by Comp . Colonel Crease and seconded by Comp . F . Sanders ) , and Comp . G . J . Tilling , of
Southampton ( who was proposed by ( Jomp . R . Jive and seconded by Comp . A . Scott ) . The latter secured a majority of votes .
Star Chapter of Instruction , No . 1275 . —The usual meet . ing was held on Friday , 1 st inst ., at the Stirling Castle , Church-street , Camberwell , when there were present Companions Hilton P . Z . Preceptor , Moore H . 169 M . E . Z ., Addington M . E . Z . 1275 H ., Wingham J ., Stone S . E ., Benedetti S . N . 1275 S . N ., Neeld P . Z . P . S ., Mnrche 1329 ,
and Hattersley 177 . The ceremony of exaltation was rehearsed , Companion Hattersley personating candidate . Companion Hattersley was elected a member , and Companion Addington M . E . Z . for the next meeting . The Chapter was then closed in accordance with ancient custom .
On the 30 th ult . a Masonic ball was held at the George Hotel , near Bangor , in aid of the fund to purchase a life presentation to the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls for the Province of North Wales . The ball , the invitations to which numbered about 150 , was nnder the patronage of
the Right Worshipful P . G . M . Lord Harlech , Major Hunter P . P . G . M . Aberdeenshire East P . P . G . S . W . North Wales , Colonel Piatt D . P . G . M . P . G . D . of England , the Hon .
W . E . Sackville West P . G . W . of England , and the Officers of the Provincial Grand Lodge of North Wales . The arrangements were carried out by the Hon . Secretaries , Dr . Langford Jones and Mr . W . Thornton Jones , the music being supplied by Richardson ' s band , of Liverpool .