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Article LODGE HISTORIES. Page 1 of 1 Article LODGE HISTORIES. Page 1 of 1 Article MASONIC TOLERATION. Page 1 of 2 →
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Lodge Histories.
LODGE HISTORIES .
CANONGATE KILWINNING , No . 2 , SCOTLAND .
( Continued from p 114 . ) THE meeting of the 15 fch October 1736 , to which reference has already been made , was attended by delegates from four of the Edinburgh Lodges—Mary ' s
Chapel , Canongate Kilwinning , Kilwinning Scots Arms , and Leith Kilwinning—and the resnlt of their deliberations is set forth in the minutes , of which the following is
a summary : In the first place , it was decided the four Lodges shonld nofc insist on any precedency , but that the Officials should take their place " according as they enter the room . " The Clerk of Mary ' s Chapel was appointed to
act as Clerk to tho meetings , and it was agreed that such proposals as were approved of should be communicated by circular letter to fcho respective Lodges of Scotlandsigned by the Masters of the particular Lodges by turns
—in order to have their approbation . Lodges were to be represented upon the day of election of Grand Master by their Master and Wardens , either personally or by proxy . Mary ' s Chapel was appointed as the place of election of
Grand Master , who would there name his Depufcy and Wardens . We thus see that particular care was taken in those earl y days to prevent anything like jealousy , or undue preference , among the four Lodges taking the loading
part in this important work , and brethren of to-day will full y recognise tho benefit of the course adopted . On 3 rd November following Canongate Kilwinning Lodge
took into consideration the method proposed for bringing about a Grand Master , and were unanimously of opinion til-it Bro . William Sinclair of Roslino was the most worth y person , and " recommended to the Brotherhood his interest
in a very earnest manner . Four brethren were also named as deserving of the principal offices of the Grand Lod ge which was to be formed , and other details werej settled .
On 22 nd November Win . St . Clair was raised to the third degree in the Lodge , and the members at once raised him to tho dignity of its Master , he , together with the acting Wardens , signing the minutes of tho meeting at
wnich he was raised . This William St . Clair was a sort of hereditary Grand Master , patron , protector or judge of Scottish Masons , and afc a meeting on 30 th November a resignation of his office was read , bv which St . Clair
transferred the honour of the appointment to whomsoever the brethren should be pleased to elect to tho high office . It was decided thia revocation should be recorded in the books to be kept in the Grand Lodge of Scotland , and then the
wethren proceeded to the election of a Grand Master . In consideration of his noble and ancient family , and for the zeal he himself had shown for the good and prosperity of no Craft , the brethren thought fchey could not confer fche
& " nonour upon any brother better qualified or more Properl y entitled than this Bro . St . Clair , and he was ecording ly by unanimous voice elected , and was
snhse-J,ti yp ] aced in fche chair , "installed , saluted , homaged , land ° Wledged " aS Grand Mastcr Mas 0 n of a 11 Scot ' oo tacts as set out conclusively prove that fche Lodge \ J n ongate Kilwinning took the initiative in the erection of
Lodge Histories.
a Grand Lodge for Scotland , and its members were to be fonnd filling some of the highest offices for many years afterwards . Several other interesting items regarding the
early days of the Grand Lodge of Scotland are referred to in this chapter , but sufficient has already been extracted to prove the position of the Canongate Lodge at the period .
Keverting to the history of the Lodge itself , we find fchafc on 3 rd December 1735 a visitor , who affirmed he was a Master Mason , was challenged , bnt refused to undergo a " tryall" in the same way the other visitors had done . The Master accordingly dismissed the " Fellow Crafts and
Prentices , " and proceeded to interrogate the visitor , the opinion being that he was neither Fellow Craffc nor Master Mason , npon which the Lodge expressed the view that ho had imposed upon them , and considered he was a very weak entered Prentice , and that was all he could pretend to .
The minutes of 24 th June 1736 record an application from three brethren asking to bo separated from the Lodge and formed into a new Lodge afc Leith . The application was granted , and the new Lodge was regularly consecrated and ordained , and thus we see the origin of
fche Leith Kilwinning Lodge , from which " branched off St . David ' s , No . 36 on the roll of the Grand Lodge of Scotland . " At the meeting of 27 fch December 1736 many distinguished Masons were present , among them John third Earl of Kintore , who was Grand Master of Scotland
in 1738 , and of England in 1740 . This brother was appointed by Grand Master St . Clair one of the Grand Wardens at this same meeting . The Grand Master presided at several of the meetings afc this time , at ono of
which ( 3 rd January 1737 ) the Rig htHon . the Lord Drummore , one of fche Lords of Session , was admitted , while among the visitors was the Earl of Kintore , now described as Master of the Lodge at Aberdeen .
The minutes of this period abound in items of general interest , and from their perusal we may derive some opinion of the state of affairs at the time . The fees were reduced , as also the penalty for non-attendance , and in regard to this latter it was resolved that no excuse , save absence
from the kingdom , shonld be accepted as valid . The meetings were generally attended by distinguished Craftsmen , and it is evident that the Lodge was regarded as one of the foremost of the time , both by those on the
spotas well as by those from a distance . Its membership was continuously augmented by the admission of men of distinction , and from the details before ns we may regard the period as one of great prosperity for the Lodge . ( To be continued . )
Masonic Toleration.
MASONIC TOLERATION .
THERE is a great deal of sacred truth lying at the foundation of Freemasonry , which pervades every bone , every sinew , and every blood-vessel of its constitution and its organization . It expresses itself in the words of the Masonic regulation , which all men are required to adhere to , and that truth is Toleration . Here each of us holds
his own religion ; here each of us tolerates the religion of bis brethren . We come together not to propagate our own creeds , but to meet those who are our equals , and to make each other feel that there are good moral qualities , and high
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Lodge Histories.
LODGE HISTORIES .
CANONGATE KILWINNING , No . 2 , SCOTLAND .
( Continued from p 114 . ) THE meeting of the 15 fch October 1736 , to which reference has already been made , was attended by delegates from four of the Edinburgh Lodges—Mary ' s
Chapel , Canongate Kilwinning , Kilwinning Scots Arms , and Leith Kilwinning—and the resnlt of their deliberations is set forth in the minutes , of which the following is
a summary : In the first place , it was decided the four Lodges shonld nofc insist on any precedency , but that the Officials should take their place " according as they enter the room . " The Clerk of Mary ' s Chapel was appointed to
act as Clerk to tho meetings , and it was agreed that such proposals as were approved of should be communicated by circular letter to fcho respective Lodges of Scotlandsigned by the Masters of the particular Lodges by turns
—in order to have their approbation . Lodges were to be represented upon the day of election of Grand Master by their Master and Wardens , either personally or by proxy . Mary ' s Chapel was appointed as the place of election of
Grand Master , who would there name his Depufcy and Wardens . We thus see that particular care was taken in those earl y days to prevent anything like jealousy , or undue preference , among the four Lodges taking the loading
part in this important work , and brethren of to-day will full y recognise tho benefit of the course adopted . On 3 rd November following Canongate Kilwinning Lodge
took into consideration the method proposed for bringing about a Grand Master , and were unanimously of opinion til-it Bro . William Sinclair of Roslino was the most worth y person , and " recommended to the Brotherhood his interest
in a very earnest manner . Four brethren were also named as deserving of the principal offices of the Grand Lod ge which was to be formed , and other details werej settled .
On 22 nd November Win . St . Clair was raised to the third degree in the Lodge , and the members at once raised him to tho dignity of its Master , he , together with the acting Wardens , signing the minutes of tho meeting at
wnich he was raised . This William St . Clair was a sort of hereditary Grand Master , patron , protector or judge of Scottish Masons , and afc a meeting on 30 th November a resignation of his office was read , bv which St . Clair
transferred the honour of the appointment to whomsoever the brethren should be pleased to elect to tho high office . It was decided thia revocation should be recorded in the books to be kept in the Grand Lodge of Scotland , and then the
wethren proceeded to the election of a Grand Master . In consideration of his noble and ancient family , and for the zeal he himself had shown for the good and prosperity of no Craft , the brethren thought fchey could not confer fche
& " nonour upon any brother better qualified or more Properl y entitled than this Bro . St . Clair , and he was ecording ly by unanimous voice elected , and was
snhse-J,ti yp ] aced in fche chair , "installed , saluted , homaged , land ° Wledged " aS Grand Mastcr Mas 0 n of a 11 Scot ' oo tacts as set out conclusively prove that fche Lodge \ J n ongate Kilwinning took the initiative in the erection of
Lodge Histories.
a Grand Lodge for Scotland , and its members were to be fonnd filling some of the highest offices for many years afterwards . Several other interesting items regarding the
early days of the Grand Lodge of Scotland are referred to in this chapter , but sufficient has already been extracted to prove the position of the Canongate Lodge at the period .
Keverting to the history of the Lodge itself , we find fchafc on 3 rd December 1735 a visitor , who affirmed he was a Master Mason , was challenged , bnt refused to undergo a " tryall" in the same way the other visitors had done . The Master accordingly dismissed the " Fellow Crafts and
Prentices , " and proceeded to interrogate the visitor , the opinion being that he was neither Fellow Craffc nor Master Mason , npon which the Lodge expressed the view that ho had imposed upon them , and considered he was a very weak entered Prentice , and that was all he could pretend to .
The minutes of 24 th June 1736 record an application from three brethren asking to bo separated from the Lodge and formed into a new Lodge afc Leith . The application was granted , and the new Lodge was regularly consecrated and ordained , and thus we see the origin of
fche Leith Kilwinning Lodge , from which " branched off St . David ' s , No . 36 on the roll of the Grand Lodge of Scotland . " At the meeting of 27 fch December 1736 many distinguished Masons were present , among them John third Earl of Kintore , who was Grand Master of Scotland
in 1738 , and of England in 1740 . This brother was appointed by Grand Master St . Clair one of the Grand Wardens at this same meeting . The Grand Master presided at several of the meetings afc this time , at ono of
which ( 3 rd January 1737 ) the Rig htHon . the Lord Drummore , one of fche Lords of Session , was admitted , while among the visitors was the Earl of Kintore , now described as Master of the Lodge at Aberdeen .
The minutes of this period abound in items of general interest , and from their perusal we may derive some opinion of the state of affairs at the time . The fees were reduced , as also the penalty for non-attendance , and in regard to this latter it was resolved that no excuse , save absence
from the kingdom , shonld be accepted as valid . The meetings were generally attended by distinguished Craftsmen , and it is evident that the Lodge was regarded as one of the foremost of the time , both by those on the
spotas well as by those from a distance . Its membership was continuously augmented by the admission of men of distinction , and from the details before ns we may regard the period as one of great prosperity for the Lodge . ( To be continued . )
Masonic Toleration.
MASONIC TOLERATION .
THERE is a great deal of sacred truth lying at the foundation of Freemasonry , which pervades every bone , every sinew , and every blood-vessel of its constitution and its organization . It expresses itself in the words of the Masonic regulation , which all men are required to adhere to , and that truth is Toleration . Here each of us holds
his own religion ; here each of us tolerates the religion of bis brethren . We come together not to propagate our own creeds , but to meet those who are our equals , and to make each other feel that there are good moral qualities , and high