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Article A COUNCIL OF WAR. Page 1 of 2 Article A COUNCIL OF WAR. Page 1 of 2 →
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A Council Of War.
A COUNCIL OF WAR .
WE have often tried to picture the feelings of a naval or military commander when , on the eve of a conflict , he calls his staff around him for the purpose of finally discussing the situation , and issuing orders for the morrow , which both in his own case
and that of his hearers may be the last they will have an opportunity of fulfilling on this earth . We cannot imagine anything like the formality of an ordinary meeting being observed on such an occasion ; there must be a certain amount of excitement in the breasts of all who take part in the consultation , and this , in all probability , would take the form of a
silence " that might be felt "—the calm , in fact , preceding the coming storm . The leader would know exactly what he wished to communicate to his staff , and a few brief sentences would suffice to give
the finishing touch to the plan of operations which he had been arranging for days , or j > erhaps weeks before , while his officers would be as ready to grasp the situation , which they also had been studying to bring about . And what would be the result of their deliberations ? No power on earth could tell , all must denend on the fntfi of war ! Thp . hnnnnr of
their country might be at stake , the homes of their families might be threatened , in fact , everything might depend on their ability , and the exertions of those who served under them , and yet it would be impossible for them to command success . They could , however , do more ; deserve it .
About the time these lines meet the eyes of our readers there will be held , throughout the length and breath of tho country , various councils—we can hardly say of war , although it is a war against misfortune and suffering which is to be waged ; at which will be discussed the final arrangements in
connection with one of the great Masonic engagements of the year , the celebration of the first Anniversary Festival of 1888 , in connection with the Central Masonic Charities , and we are convinced that at the majority of these councils the gravest doubts will be
entertained as to the result of the approaching meeting , while from all we can learn we fear the gloomiest of forebodings are likely to be realised . We will not say that actual defeat is to be expected , but it is almost certain the supporters of the Eoyal Masonic Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons
and Widows of Freemasons will this year have to fall back considerably from the prominent position they have won in years gone by , and it only remains for them to retreat as gracefully and as orderly as is ¦ nnaaiKIo
The engagement to which we have referred will take place on Wednesday next , at Freemasons' Tavern , London , on behalf of the Benevolent Institution , and will be under the leadership of Sir George Elliot , Bart ., M . P ., R . W . Provincial Grand Master of the Eastern Division of South Wales . We are con-
A Council Of War.
vinced that no stone will be left unturned to secure for the gathering as happy a result as has attended any of its predecessors , but this year the fates are against it , and it is impossible to guage the result . It is true Sir George Elliot has a goodly array of Stewards on whom he may rely for assistance , albeit his forces are far below those of many of his
predecessors in the command he has assumed , and we are also aware the Stewards have been hard at work , some of them for months past , in the good cause ; while it is equally certain they will continue their exertions up to the very last moment . Is it possible then for them to fail ? Unfortunately it is ,
and so far possible as to be almost regarded in the light of a certainty , in consequence of more attractive calls in another quarter . Yet , in spite of all this , we question if there is one among the body of Stewards who has given way to despair , or who will shirk his
duty , simply because he is called upon to fight a severe up-hill battle . We would remind them that if the obstacles to be surmounted are exceptionally severe , the honours which would follow success would be correspondingly great , and the good that might result would be an ample recompense for all their increased efforts .
We have so frequently and so recently referred to the Institution which these Stewards are striving to maintain , that it would be out of place to give any lengthened details here . Suffice it to say there are at the present time upwards of four hundred and
twenty old folk receiving annuities from its funds ; two hundred and twenty seven widows , who each receive £ 32 per annum ; one hundred and seventy nine aged Masons , who get £ 40 a year each ; and fifteen widows , who enjoy one-half of their late
husband's annuity of £ 40 . These grants represent an annual outlay of nearly fifteen thousand pounds , and it is to provide this amount for the current year that the Masons of England will , by their representatives , assemble on Wednesday next , at Freemasons ' Tavern . That their efforts will be crowned with
success is our fondest hope , more especially as there are upwards of one hundred and thirty candidates already approved of as eligible to participate in the annual election which takes place in May next , and for which , at present , there are an msiguineaiit . lv
small number of vacancies . It is perhaps hoping for too much when we say we should like to see an addition made to the number of vacancies , by the creation of new annuities ; but such is our desire , and it is a wish that is felt by many who know from experience the benefits which accrue from this
Institution ' s work . Such an increase , however , could only be possible after an exceptionally grand result of Wednesday's gathering , and of that we are very dubious . However , there is still a ray of hope , for there is no knowing what surprises the two hundred and sixty-twobrethren who bave undertaken the office of Steward have waiting for us , and , although we
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Council Of War.
A COUNCIL OF WAR .
WE have often tried to picture the feelings of a naval or military commander when , on the eve of a conflict , he calls his staff around him for the purpose of finally discussing the situation , and issuing orders for the morrow , which both in his own case
and that of his hearers may be the last they will have an opportunity of fulfilling on this earth . We cannot imagine anything like the formality of an ordinary meeting being observed on such an occasion ; there must be a certain amount of excitement in the breasts of all who take part in the consultation , and this , in all probability , would take the form of a
silence " that might be felt "—the calm , in fact , preceding the coming storm . The leader would know exactly what he wished to communicate to his staff , and a few brief sentences would suffice to give
the finishing touch to the plan of operations which he had been arranging for days , or j > erhaps weeks before , while his officers would be as ready to grasp the situation , which they also had been studying to bring about . And what would be the result of their deliberations ? No power on earth could tell , all must denend on the fntfi of war ! Thp . hnnnnr of
their country might be at stake , the homes of their families might be threatened , in fact , everything might depend on their ability , and the exertions of those who served under them , and yet it would be impossible for them to command success . They could , however , do more ; deserve it .
About the time these lines meet the eyes of our readers there will be held , throughout the length and breath of tho country , various councils—we can hardly say of war , although it is a war against misfortune and suffering which is to be waged ; at which will be discussed the final arrangements in
connection with one of the great Masonic engagements of the year , the celebration of the first Anniversary Festival of 1888 , in connection with the Central Masonic Charities , and we are convinced that at the majority of these councils the gravest doubts will be
entertained as to the result of the approaching meeting , while from all we can learn we fear the gloomiest of forebodings are likely to be realised . We will not say that actual defeat is to be expected , but it is almost certain the supporters of the Eoyal Masonic Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons
and Widows of Freemasons will this year have to fall back considerably from the prominent position they have won in years gone by , and it only remains for them to retreat as gracefully and as orderly as is ¦ nnaaiKIo
The engagement to which we have referred will take place on Wednesday next , at Freemasons' Tavern , London , on behalf of the Benevolent Institution , and will be under the leadership of Sir George Elliot , Bart ., M . P ., R . W . Provincial Grand Master of the Eastern Division of South Wales . We are con-
A Council Of War.
vinced that no stone will be left unturned to secure for the gathering as happy a result as has attended any of its predecessors , but this year the fates are against it , and it is impossible to guage the result . It is true Sir George Elliot has a goodly array of Stewards on whom he may rely for assistance , albeit his forces are far below those of many of his
predecessors in the command he has assumed , and we are also aware the Stewards have been hard at work , some of them for months past , in the good cause ; while it is equally certain they will continue their exertions up to the very last moment . Is it possible then for them to fail ? Unfortunately it is ,
and so far possible as to be almost regarded in the light of a certainty , in consequence of more attractive calls in another quarter . Yet , in spite of all this , we question if there is one among the body of Stewards who has given way to despair , or who will shirk his
duty , simply because he is called upon to fight a severe up-hill battle . We would remind them that if the obstacles to be surmounted are exceptionally severe , the honours which would follow success would be correspondingly great , and the good that might result would be an ample recompense for all their increased efforts .
We have so frequently and so recently referred to the Institution which these Stewards are striving to maintain , that it would be out of place to give any lengthened details here . Suffice it to say there are at the present time upwards of four hundred and
twenty old folk receiving annuities from its funds ; two hundred and twenty seven widows , who each receive £ 32 per annum ; one hundred and seventy nine aged Masons , who get £ 40 a year each ; and fifteen widows , who enjoy one-half of their late
husband's annuity of £ 40 . These grants represent an annual outlay of nearly fifteen thousand pounds , and it is to provide this amount for the current year that the Masons of England will , by their representatives , assemble on Wednesday next , at Freemasons ' Tavern . That their efforts will be crowned with
success is our fondest hope , more especially as there are upwards of one hundred and thirty candidates already approved of as eligible to participate in the annual election which takes place in May next , and for which , at present , there are an msiguineaiit . lv
small number of vacancies . It is perhaps hoping for too much when we say we should like to see an addition made to the number of vacancies , by the creation of new annuities ; but such is our desire , and it is a wish that is felt by many who know from experience the benefits which accrue from this
Institution ' s work . Such an increase , however , could only be possible after an exceptionally grand result of Wednesday's gathering , and of that we are very dubious . However , there is still a ray of hope , for there is no knowing what surprises the two hundred and sixty-twobrethren who bave undertaken the office of Steward have waiting for us , and , although we