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Article SERVANTS' CHARACTERS. ← Page 2 of 2 Article SERVANTS' CHARACTERS. Page 2 of 2 Article Original Correspondence. Page 1 of 2 Article Original Correspondence. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Servants' Characters.
well can be . The anxious housewife , rightly ever on " hospitable thoughts intent , " and desirous of pleasing her " lord and master , " seeks for a good cook , a comfortable housemaid , an active butler . Alas , poor woman ! many are her difficulties , her drawbacks , and her dangers . The
characters too often which she receives contain both a '" suppressio veri" and a " suggestio falsi , " and she soon finds that the " good cook " is a very indifferent performer , the housemaid who " knows her duties" is slatternly , and idle , and " cheeky ; " and that the butler who is
" thoroughl y conversant with the requirements of his place " is a frequenter of the neighbouring public and a liberal dispenser of his master ' s " cellar . " And so it goes on until the evil has reached a pitch which is almost unendurable . To say nothing of "false characters , " reduced
to a system , by which either information is sought for by " special agents " or notoriously unfit persons are comfortably located in a " genteel family , " with an eye to business , pleasure , and " white soup " combined , we have daily to meet with untrue statements and dishonest
replies . And why is all this ? Simply because of the want of that rare commodity—truthsolely because we will not obey the golden and Divine law of " doing to others as we would be done by . " Persons to get out of a scrape with a troublesome servant , or anxious to save
their own pockets , deliberately slur over notorious shortcomings , judiciously suppress proved offences , and by au evasively worded and intentionally deceptive character or letter , mislead the anxious enquirer and palm off a discarded servant on a suffering fellow creature . Among the
most absurd suggestions we have seen for mending the matter , improving the present most unwholesome state of things , is that from the well known Mr . ( brother ?) Pollaky , of Paddington-green , recommending the foreign " Dienstb ach " for servants . The " Dientsbuch " has , no
doubt , its good points in Germany , like a similar Book of " Service"in France , Belgium , and Russia , but it has its bad ones . It has greatly and gravely broken down as a preventitive of the very evils we have to contend with , and like the passport system is practically useless . It does not
help the good ; it can , and does , serve the bad , as no one knows better than Mr . Pollaky himself . Any such plan is utterly unsuitable to the habits and traditions of our people , and , though it might help certain parties amongst us , would be no guarantee to employers , on the one hand , no aid
to servants on the other . No ! all we want , to use a common expression , is " honour among thieves , " a little more truth , honesty , uprightness , and faithfulness in our dealings one with another . Since we wrote the above we have seen another letter from Mr . Pollaky in the Times of
Saturday , on the same subject , which suggests many serious considerations . We fancy that our skilled detectives in the City and in Scotlandyard will smile heartily at such remarkable statements and such sagacious suggestions , and that " polite letter writer" who favoured the Times
with that striking epistle , must believe the English people to be very easily "led by the nose , " if he can suppose for one moment that such fli ppant remarks about " constitutional difficulties , " and the like , can dispose of the question or induce all classes amongst us to acquiesce , in
what would be a social revolution . Mr . P . is enamoured of the " Dientsbuch . " Be it so ; he has quite a right to be so if he so pleases , but he cannot expect us to share his raptures , the more so as we , with others , well know what qualifications may be fairly adduced to the system , as a
system . A letter , signed " A . B . C , in the ¦ n the Times , fully confirms our views . •Mr . P ' s . last letter , like the preceding , is solel y a special agent ' s letter , from a special agents views and interest * , and can have no possible effect on the discussion , which requires English , not foreign , treatment . There is one
sensational touch about " lost jewels , " which as tne old saying runs , is " worth a Jew ' s eye , " ( ought it not be a Jewess ' s ) ? and we can imagine now Mr . Bailey and Mr . Williamson will have ^ ghed at this characteristic bit of ' chaff . '' we t-rust that Sir E . Y . Henderson may be spared reading the threatened report which ¦ > P . promises , as it is altogether a S ave mistake to attempt to graft on our
Servants' Characters.
social life , a system which originates from an entirely different theory of government and legislation . We feel sure that this proposal is altogether inexpedient and unsound , and if persevered
in could only tend to favour the game of "special agency , " and to destroy all confidence between employers and domestics that great , important portion of our community on which so much of its peace , happiness , and comfort hourly depends .
Original Correspondence.
Original Correspondence .
[ We do not hold ourselves responsible for , or even approving of , the opinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish in a spivit of fair play to all , " to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . ]
SCENES AT MASONIC ELECTIONS . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — It is just as I expected . Bro . Simpson has made a mistake , or has been misinformed . He does not really mean our iUasonic meetings , though his words might lead
fairly to that inference in his original letter , but he alludes to other societies and other meetings not Masonic . I am very glad that it is so , as here my part of the controversy happily ends . I am , yours fraternally , J . CREATON .
A CAUTION . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Through the medium of your paper I am desirous of putting the Almoners of lodges and members of the Craft in general on their guard with respect to one who called on me on the 20 th inst ., and gave his name as
William John Hutchinson , Hiram Ledge , No . 97 , Belfast , but whose real or assumed name I am led to believe is Thomas Blain , and whose address has been at some time No . 14 , Dock-street , Belfast . On his first application I referred him to the lodge Almoner , but he shortly after returned , and informed me that that brother was not at home : he was about half-an-hour too late for him ( this I
have since learned was untrue , as the Almoner was at home , and he was told by this individual that I had sent him to him ; he was relieved , and receipt taken for the same ) . He , therefore , gave me his name , and produ : ed a certificate , and very smartly answered the three or four questions I put to him . I relieved him , and as he begged hard for some old clothes , his being shabby and wet
through , T gave him a coat and vest ; he again shortly returned with same letters he found in the pockets , and unintentionally left his own letters and certificate , which have led me to take further interest in this individual . I immeciately wrote off to Chichester and Arundel , and have since heard that he applied for relief the next morning at Chichester , but as he could not answer the questions put
to him , he cleared out sharp . He says " that he is a mechanical draftsman , has lately returned from America , " which he much regrets , and hopes soon to return again j he has a son in the R . E ., who is on the Ordnance Survey Branch , and he has lately been at Aldershot to try and find him ( one of his letters his been re-addressed to Aidershot ) . He is about sft . loin , in height , slightly built , of
dark complexion , and dark moustache , no beard or whiskers , and has something of a military bearing about him . I am , yours faithfully , T . F . 804 . P . S . —From the quantity of . begging Masons , and some of them worthless fellows , being about , it is time that a
better system of relief was organised . I would suggest that Almoners of neighbouring lodges should communicate with one another , and if each of them were required to make out a quarterly return of the particulars of those who called for relief , and the same forwarded to the G . S . 's
office , where the lists should be analysed and then published with the G . L . quarterly report , it would in time weed out these parasites and make it much better for the genuine brother in distress . T . F . [ The certificate and letters I have forwarded to the G . S . of the G . L . of Ireland . ]
LODGES OF INSTRUCTION . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — At this season of the year there is not so much to occupy the mind of the Masonic public , and hence it
may be a fitting opportunity to draw some attention to the great advantage which has arisen from the establishment of lodges of instruction in all parts of the United Kingdom , and the many reasons existing for their encouragement and further consolidation .
It is to be presumed that most Masons are well acquainted with the oiigin of these admirable institutions , and also with the way in which they came into existence , viz ., by tbe authorisation of regularly warranted lodges , under whose aigis they have flourished , and it is to be hoped will continue to flourish . We have in especial two lodges of instruction , the Unions Emulation Lodge of Improvement for Master Masons , and the Stability Lodge of
Instruction . These two lodges have effected signal good in bringing up the standard of Masonic delivery to a point of excellence . They are supplemented by many more , and the value of these lodges can scarcely be over-estimated , inasmuch as by their means that impressive elocution is acquired which renders a lodge meeting something more nearly approaching its original purpose . To hear the solemn words of our ritual droned out without a thought of their infinite and touching meaning
Original Correspondence.
has often been my unlucky fate ; to hear the Master of the lodge prompted at almost every word in the course of a ceremony has not unfrequently been my fate ; but to hear the snlemnest obligations administered by an inadequate authority has been the worst infliction . I am aware that there are elocution mastersmembers
, of the Craft , who do their best to produce not onlj perfect intonation and due stress upon words , but if the spirit be absent , letter perfectness does little to convey to the person initiated , passed , or raised , the actual meaning of the grand and noble fraternity he is joining or is receiving advancement in .
This is a most important point—and it is partly overcome by the existence of these lodges of instruction , where , at an almost nominal cost , he can perfect himself not only in the essential parts of the Craft ceremonies , but in many instances in the Sectional Lectures as well . But it is hardly to be anticipated , unless lodges of instruction are further spread over the land , that the majority of
Masons can be expected from the regular meetings to become accomplished either in the ceremonies or the lectures . Many of these lodges of instruction are permanent , and as they are duly advertised in the Freemason , no really studious Mason need plead ignorance of the source of knowledge . But there exists another class of lodges of instruction
very much to be deprecated . I allude to little coteries of Masons , otherwise very worthy , who occasionally meet without the sanction of the warranted lodges at places of entertainment , and there rehearse the usual ceremonies , with the prospect of a chop and a pint of stout , and perhaps a glass or so of whiskey after it . This kind of lodge of instruction , and of such there are hundreds in
the metropolitan district , is to be discouraged . They meet without authorisation—without paraphernalia —without fitting rooms—and , I may say , without that observance of secrecy and decorum which should mark all Masonic proceedings . The existence of such conventions is undoubted—and I am not singling out one only for notice on the present
occasion , nor am I imputing to the holders of them motives at variance with the spirit of our institution . I mention their existence , however , with a view of directing the attention of Masonic authorities to a grave error . I will put it this way . What would a Church of England clergyman say if the solemn offices of the Church of England were , I will not say travestied , but to some degree dis honoured by hole-and-corner conventions of the kind ? What would a Dissenting- minister ran tn n cpruiro ran .
ducted mainly for the purpose of ending in a " merry bout " of pipes and beer ? I do not presume to suggest , but I , for my own part , should regard the matter with the utmost suspicion and horror . Hence I venture to offer some ideas , in the hope that they will be accepted , as I enounce them , in a fraternal Masonic s . irit .
First . I would propose that all lodges of instruction should be registered in a sub-register , duly authorised to rehearse the ceremonies and sections—of course without power of actually working—and that their places of meeting shall be invariable . Second . That no lodge of instruction , thus registered , shall be allowed to continue without a quarterly report of
its proceedings and the brethren present being sent to headquarters . Third . That duly authorised and qualified inspectors be at any regular meeting of the lodges of instruction entitled to attend and report to head-quarters . And , fourth , that refreshments , except once or twice a year , be not supplied to members attending such lodges ,
but that a fair sum shall be paid out of the entrance money to the persons at whose homes they may from time to time be held . I would also suggest that regular minute books be kept , showing the names of the brethren and the numbers of their lodges as they may attend . In this manner I feel sure that the better class of lodges
of instruction would tike a higher standing in the Craft than they do now , and w ) uld in the end educate the fraternity more fully for the noble purposes it has in hand . There are many Masonic instructors , and it would be invidious to mention any one in especial . These brethren work hard and receive little encouragement at present , but
their status and importance in the Craft would be raised , without derogating from the authority of the regularl y warranted lodges or their officials , by such a proceeding . Wishing all properly constituted lodges of instruction every future success in any case , I remain , very dear Sir and Brother , yours sincerely and fraternally , KENNETH R . H . MACKENZIE . Hounslow , August 26 th , 1879 .
PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF HAMPSHIRE AND THE ISLE OF WIGHT . To Hit Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — The Grand Lodge meeting of this province took
place at Ventnor , on Monday , the nth inst ., under the presidency of the R . W . P . G . M ., Bro . W . W . B . Beach , assisted by the D . P . G . M ., Bro . Hickman . The usual routine business having b ; en disposed of , the P . G . M . proceeded to appoint and invest his officers for the ensuing year , and it is this part of the proceedings that retiuircs
some nolice . The P . G . M . made his usual introductory speech , abo . it the difficulty of distributing ten collars among thirty lodges , and that the six Stewards' collars , which he intended giving to W . M . ' s and P . M . ' s of lodges , must not be considered as a bar to their future advancement , but , on the contrary , should be regarded as a recommendation for honours in years to come .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Servants' Characters.
well can be . The anxious housewife , rightly ever on " hospitable thoughts intent , " and desirous of pleasing her " lord and master , " seeks for a good cook , a comfortable housemaid , an active butler . Alas , poor woman ! many are her difficulties , her drawbacks , and her dangers . The
characters too often which she receives contain both a '" suppressio veri" and a " suggestio falsi , " and she soon finds that the " good cook " is a very indifferent performer , the housemaid who " knows her duties" is slatternly , and idle , and " cheeky ; " and that the butler who is
" thoroughl y conversant with the requirements of his place " is a frequenter of the neighbouring public and a liberal dispenser of his master ' s " cellar . " And so it goes on until the evil has reached a pitch which is almost unendurable . To say nothing of "false characters , " reduced
to a system , by which either information is sought for by " special agents " or notoriously unfit persons are comfortably located in a " genteel family , " with an eye to business , pleasure , and " white soup " combined , we have daily to meet with untrue statements and dishonest
replies . And why is all this ? Simply because of the want of that rare commodity—truthsolely because we will not obey the golden and Divine law of " doing to others as we would be done by . " Persons to get out of a scrape with a troublesome servant , or anxious to save
their own pockets , deliberately slur over notorious shortcomings , judiciously suppress proved offences , and by au evasively worded and intentionally deceptive character or letter , mislead the anxious enquirer and palm off a discarded servant on a suffering fellow creature . Among the
most absurd suggestions we have seen for mending the matter , improving the present most unwholesome state of things , is that from the well known Mr . ( brother ?) Pollaky , of Paddington-green , recommending the foreign " Dienstb ach " for servants . The " Dientsbuch " has , no
doubt , its good points in Germany , like a similar Book of " Service"in France , Belgium , and Russia , but it has its bad ones . It has greatly and gravely broken down as a preventitive of the very evils we have to contend with , and like the passport system is practically useless . It does not
help the good ; it can , and does , serve the bad , as no one knows better than Mr . Pollaky himself . Any such plan is utterly unsuitable to the habits and traditions of our people , and , though it might help certain parties amongst us , would be no guarantee to employers , on the one hand , no aid
to servants on the other . No ! all we want , to use a common expression , is " honour among thieves , " a little more truth , honesty , uprightness , and faithfulness in our dealings one with another . Since we wrote the above we have seen another letter from Mr . Pollaky in the Times of
Saturday , on the same subject , which suggests many serious considerations . We fancy that our skilled detectives in the City and in Scotlandyard will smile heartily at such remarkable statements and such sagacious suggestions , and that " polite letter writer" who favoured the Times
with that striking epistle , must believe the English people to be very easily "led by the nose , " if he can suppose for one moment that such fli ppant remarks about " constitutional difficulties , " and the like , can dispose of the question or induce all classes amongst us to acquiesce , in
what would be a social revolution . Mr . P . is enamoured of the " Dientsbuch . " Be it so ; he has quite a right to be so if he so pleases , but he cannot expect us to share his raptures , the more so as we , with others , well know what qualifications may be fairly adduced to the system , as a
system . A letter , signed " A . B . C , in the ¦ n the Times , fully confirms our views . •Mr . P ' s . last letter , like the preceding , is solel y a special agent ' s letter , from a special agents views and interest * , and can have no possible effect on the discussion , which requires English , not foreign , treatment . There is one
sensational touch about " lost jewels , " which as tne old saying runs , is " worth a Jew ' s eye , " ( ought it not be a Jewess ' s ) ? and we can imagine now Mr . Bailey and Mr . Williamson will have ^ ghed at this characteristic bit of ' chaff . '' we t-rust that Sir E . Y . Henderson may be spared reading the threatened report which ¦ > P . promises , as it is altogether a S ave mistake to attempt to graft on our
Servants' Characters.
social life , a system which originates from an entirely different theory of government and legislation . We feel sure that this proposal is altogether inexpedient and unsound , and if persevered
in could only tend to favour the game of "special agency , " and to destroy all confidence between employers and domestics that great , important portion of our community on which so much of its peace , happiness , and comfort hourly depends .
Original Correspondence.
Original Correspondence .
[ We do not hold ourselves responsible for , or even approving of , the opinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish in a spivit of fair play to all , " to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . ]
SCENES AT MASONIC ELECTIONS . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — It is just as I expected . Bro . Simpson has made a mistake , or has been misinformed . He does not really mean our iUasonic meetings , though his words might lead
fairly to that inference in his original letter , but he alludes to other societies and other meetings not Masonic . I am very glad that it is so , as here my part of the controversy happily ends . I am , yours fraternally , J . CREATON .
A CAUTION . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Through the medium of your paper I am desirous of putting the Almoners of lodges and members of the Craft in general on their guard with respect to one who called on me on the 20 th inst ., and gave his name as
William John Hutchinson , Hiram Ledge , No . 97 , Belfast , but whose real or assumed name I am led to believe is Thomas Blain , and whose address has been at some time No . 14 , Dock-street , Belfast . On his first application I referred him to the lodge Almoner , but he shortly after returned , and informed me that that brother was not at home : he was about half-an-hour too late for him ( this I
have since learned was untrue , as the Almoner was at home , and he was told by this individual that I had sent him to him ; he was relieved , and receipt taken for the same ) . He , therefore , gave me his name , and produ : ed a certificate , and very smartly answered the three or four questions I put to him . I relieved him , and as he begged hard for some old clothes , his being shabby and wet
through , T gave him a coat and vest ; he again shortly returned with same letters he found in the pockets , and unintentionally left his own letters and certificate , which have led me to take further interest in this individual . I immeciately wrote off to Chichester and Arundel , and have since heard that he applied for relief the next morning at Chichester , but as he could not answer the questions put
to him , he cleared out sharp . He says " that he is a mechanical draftsman , has lately returned from America , " which he much regrets , and hopes soon to return again j he has a son in the R . E ., who is on the Ordnance Survey Branch , and he has lately been at Aldershot to try and find him ( one of his letters his been re-addressed to Aidershot ) . He is about sft . loin , in height , slightly built , of
dark complexion , and dark moustache , no beard or whiskers , and has something of a military bearing about him . I am , yours faithfully , T . F . 804 . P . S . —From the quantity of . begging Masons , and some of them worthless fellows , being about , it is time that a
better system of relief was organised . I would suggest that Almoners of neighbouring lodges should communicate with one another , and if each of them were required to make out a quarterly return of the particulars of those who called for relief , and the same forwarded to the G . S . 's
office , where the lists should be analysed and then published with the G . L . quarterly report , it would in time weed out these parasites and make it much better for the genuine brother in distress . T . F . [ The certificate and letters I have forwarded to the G . S . of the G . L . of Ireland . ]
LODGES OF INSTRUCTION . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — At this season of the year there is not so much to occupy the mind of the Masonic public , and hence it
may be a fitting opportunity to draw some attention to the great advantage which has arisen from the establishment of lodges of instruction in all parts of the United Kingdom , and the many reasons existing for their encouragement and further consolidation .
It is to be presumed that most Masons are well acquainted with the oiigin of these admirable institutions , and also with the way in which they came into existence , viz ., by tbe authorisation of regularly warranted lodges , under whose aigis they have flourished , and it is to be hoped will continue to flourish . We have in especial two lodges of instruction , the Unions Emulation Lodge of Improvement for Master Masons , and the Stability Lodge of
Instruction . These two lodges have effected signal good in bringing up the standard of Masonic delivery to a point of excellence . They are supplemented by many more , and the value of these lodges can scarcely be over-estimated , inasmuch as by their means that impressive elocution is acquired which renders a lodge meeting something more nearly approaching its original purpose . To hear the solemn words of our ritual droned out without a thought of their infinite and touching meaning
Original Correspondence.
has often been my unlucky fate ; to hear the Master of the lodge prompted at almost every word in the course of a ceremony has not unfrequently been my fate ; but to hear the snlemnest obligations administered by an inadequate authority has been the worst infliction . I am aware that there are elocution mastersmembers
, of the Craft , who do their best to produce not onlj perfect intonation and due stress upon words , but if the spirit be absent , letter perfectness does little to convey to the person initiated , passed , or raised , the actual meaning of the grand and noble fraternity he is joining or is receiving advancement in .
This is a most important point—and it is partly overcome by the existence of these lodges of instruction , where , at an almost nominal cost , he can perfect himself not only in the essential parts of the Craft ceremonies , but in many instances in the Sectional Lectures as well . But it is hardly to be anticipated , unless lodges of instruction are further spread over the land , that the majority of
Masons can be expected from the regular meetings to become accomplished either in the ceremonies or the lectures . Many of these lodges of instruction are permanent , and as they are duly advertised in the Freemason , no really studious Mason need plead ignorance of the source of knowledge . But there exists another class of lodges of instruction
very much to be deprecated . I allude to little coteries of Masons , otherwise very worthy , who occasionally meet without the sanction of the warranted lodges at places of entertainment , and there rehearse the usual ceremonies , with the prospect of a chop and a pint of stout , and perhaps a glass or so of whiskey after it . This kind of lodge of instruction , and of such there are hundreds in
the metropolitan district , is to be discouraged . They meet without authorisation—without paraphernalia —without fitting rooms—and , I may say , without that observance of secrecy and decorum which should mark all Masonic proceedings . The existence of such conventions is undoubted—and I am not singling out one only for notice on the present
occasion , nor am I imputing to the holders of them motives at variance with the spirit of our institution . I mention their existence , however , with a view of directing the attention of Masonic authorities to a grave error . I will put it this way . What would a Church of England clergyman say if the solemn offices of the Church of England were , I will not say travestied , but to some degree dis honoured by hole-and-corner conventions of the kind ? What would a Dissenting- minister ran tn n cpruiro ran .
ducted mainly for the purpose of ending in a " merry bout " of pipes and beer ? I do not presume to suggest , but I , for my own part , should regard the matter with the utmost suspicion and horror . Hence I venture to offer some ideas , in the hope that they will be accepted , as I enounce them , in a fraternal Masonic s . irit .
First . I would propose that all lodges of instruction should be registered in a sub-register , duly authorised to rehearse the ceremonies and sections—of course without power of actually working—and that their places of meeting shall be invariable . Second . That no lodge of instruction , thus registered , shall be allowed to continue without a quarterly report of
its proceedings and the brethren present being sent to headquarters . Third . That duly authorised and qualified inspectors be at any regular meeting of the lodges of instruction entitled to attend and report to head-quarters . And , fourth , that refreshments , except once or twice a year , be not supplied to members attending such lodges ,
but that a fair sum shall be paid out of the entrance money to the persons at whose homes they may from time to time be held . I would also suggest that regular minute books be kept , showing the names of the brethren and the numbers of their lodges as they may attend . In this manner I feel sure that the better class of lodges
of instruction would tike a higher standing in the Craft than they do now , and w ) uld in the end educate the fraternity more fully for the noble purposes it has in hand . There are many Masonic instructors , and it would be invidious to mention any one in especial . These brethren work hard and receive little encouragement at present , but
their status and importance in the Craft would be raised , without derogating from the authority of the regularl y warranted lodges or their officials , by such a proceeding . Wishing all properly constituted lodges of instruction every future success in any case , I remain , very dear Sir and Brother , yours sincerely and fraternally , KENNETH R . H . MACKENZIE . Hounslow , August 26 th , 1879 .
PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF HAMPSHIRE AND THE ISLE OF WIGHT . To Hit Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — The Grand Lodge meeting of this province took
place at Ventnor , on Monday , the nth inst ., under the presidency of the R . W . P . G . M ., Bro . W . W . B . Beach , assisted by the D . P . G . M ., Bro . Hickman . The usual routine business having b ; en disposed of , the P . G . M . proceeded to appoint and invest his officers for the ensuing year , and it is this part of the proceedings that retiuircs
some nolice . The P . G . M . made his usual introductory speech , abo . it the difficulty of distributing ten collars among thirty lodges , and that the six Stewards' collars , which he intended giving to W . M . ' s and P . M . ' s of lodges , must not be considered as a bar to their future advancement , but , on the contrary , should be regarded as a recommendation for honours in years to come .