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Article THE BAUHUTTE. ← Page 2 of 2 Article LE MONDE MACONNIQUE. Page 1 of 1 Article A NEW IDEA. Page 1 of 1 Article A NEW IDEA. Page 1 of 1 Article Original Correspondence. Page 1 of 3 Article Original Correspondence. Page 1 of 3 →
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The Bauhutte.
wonder to see such narrowness , ( excuse the word , Bro . Findel !) , in the BauhiUte . If such speculations are in Bro . Findel ' s apprehension , wise or unwise , useful or useless , surely on the great ground of toleration we may very well receive and study them . Truly our good
brother is unconsciously reaching unto the sectarian intolerance of the " Strict Observance , " which so injured and hindered German Masonry ! Let us , as Masons , be liberal minded and large-hearted , and within due bounds welcome all researches , whether
we agree with them or not , which either affect the practical history or the abstract theories of Masonry . Bro . Findel and ourselves agree in so much that it seems always a pity , and we feel it to be so , when we differ from him , but
dismissing all doubts and fears as to the reality , stability , steadfastness of English Masonry , let us labour together in friendl y sympathy for the spread of true and ancient and universal Craft Masonry in the world .
Le Monde Maconnique.
LE MONDE MACONNIQUE .
We have received and perused our French contemporary for Augusl , and are glad to reciprocate the fraternal feeling expressed more than once in its pages . It has , indeed , sometimes anpeared to us that our good friends and ourselves have , perhaps , both been a little hasty . Bros . Grimaux and Caubet will remember that
our first " rencontre was in response to some remarks about " cheap bibles , " and our esteemed Grand Secretary , a brother who deserves the regard of all . Subsequently Bro . Grimaux propounded some amusingly strange doctrines about " Les Philadelphes , " and we called attention to
them . 1 hen came the famous Convent of i S 77 , and we spoke out " moie nostro , " if strongly , ( our good brethren will admit ) , manfully and honestly . We said what we meant , and . we meant what we said . The justice of ourobjections , from an English point of view , to the
course the Grand Orient had taken , has been sustained by the calm and deliberate action of our English Grand Lodge . But having said our say , as Masons , as we always say it , with honest frankness , and without any Jesuitical subterfuge or evasion of the difficulty , we do not see that
any good can accrue to French or English Masonry by continuing a sterile discussion . We trust agree to differ , and so long as the French Grand Orient , responding to Bro . Hubert ' s anxious hopes , goes no further , makes no change in its ritual , creates no revolutionary
propaganda , as we have no object or end to serve but the good of Freemasonry , we shall remain silent spectators of events . We have no wish to keep up a constant " tiraillerie " with our worthy Bros . Caubet and Grimaux , and we must ask them to believe , onco for all , that though we
differ widely , as they know , in our view of things Masonic , . though there is undoubtedly a very chasm , so to say , between us , we have never lost our good will for , our sympathy with , French Freemasonry . As regards the present position
and future action of the French Grand Orient wc shall say a few words next week , which we hope will be taken in good part by our brethren in France and the Monde Maronnii / iie We hope for better days for French Freemasonry .
A New Idea.
A NEW IDEA .
Is it true that •' « there is nothing new under the sun , " yet every now and then an idea crops up which claims and puts foith the gloss of newness ? Our contemporary the West London Express , alludes , in the words we now give , to a curious little episode which has . it seems . Iatelv
taken place in Lancashire . " Until quite lately the French used to caricature the English husband as leading his wife into the market by a rope and selling her to the highest bidder . This , according to the'lively Gaul , ' was a common event in perfide Albion ; but if somewhat
overdrawn , it had a foundation in fact . h \ the Midlands and the North , wife selling is b y no means utterly unknown , and an amusing case occurred onl y a few da ) s ago in Lancashire . A mason parted with his wife to a fellow mason for the sum of £ 5 > on lease ; £ 10 was first asked ,
A New Idea.
but this was considered too high—the ' article ' was not worth so much . The landlord of an inn where the transfer was effected acted as arbitrator , and £ j was accepted . As in this case , however , it was not a sale , but a lease , the husband would have done well—regardine - the
wife-kicking propensities of Lancashire—to make some stipulation about repairs ; at present , if the wife is damaged , its original owner will have to stand the loss , or the expense of repairs . It is not unlikely that all four parties concerned in this little arrangement , consider it not only equitable ,
moral , and in all respects advisable , but actually legal , and would be genuinely amazed to hear anything to the contrary . Perhaps , after all , it would be better if such a practice were made legal , then we should not have so many divorce court scandals . When A admired B ' s wife , and B ' s wife responded to his affection , B being
amenable , the whole matter could be settled amicably , without collusion or esclandre . I think the idea is worth considering . " Thus far our juvenile , but most respectable contemporary , whose views hereon will probably be " caviare " to some of our readers . It is very curious that one of the most cherished traditions
in Yorkshire and Lancashire has been that if a man took his wife with a rope round her neck he could sell her in any open market to the highest bidder . This is probably the remnant of the old usages of the " villane , " but it is not so long ago either that on a market day in a good
town in Yorkshire , which shall be nameless , a man is said to have sold his wife for 2 s . 6 d . and a pot of beer , having a rope round her neck . This idea , together with the other , that a husband may beat his wife with a stick no bigger than his little finger , must be classed among the
delusions of folk-lore . As regards the present case , while we are not quite prepared to endorse our contemporary ' s opinion altogether , either as to the possibility , or practicability , or morality of his proposal , one " point , '' as the lawyers say ,
occurs . And it is one which we commend to the serious attention of our legal brethren . If he parts with his wife on lease , who is bound to give the customary two coats of paint outside , lessor or lessee ? We pause for a reply .
Original Correspondence.
Original Correspondence .
[ We do not hold ourselves responsible for , or even as approving of , the opinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish , in 1 spirit of ( air play to all , to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . —ED . 1
LONDON MASONIC CHARITY ASSOCIATION . To lhe Editor if the " Freemason . " Dear Sir ai . d Brother , — As a promoter of the London Masonic Charity Association , I think it right to put before the public in general , and the Masonic world in particular , the " raison d ' etre , " or the foundation or groundwork of its formation .
To the uninitiated world who are not Masons , and even to many of them , it might veiy possibly appear unmasonic , and not pertaining to that universal brotherhood of which we have so much cause to be proud j but I speak for myself , and I think I might say for almost all my colleagues in this Association , that we are entirely actuated by the true principles of charity as taught by the
Craft . I will take my starting point from the statistics so diligently and ably furnished by Bro . Gladwell , in which he gives separately , but which I for terseness lump , the amount subscribed by London alone and that by the provinces collectively , and then the aggregate number of candidates returned for the same period icspcctively : London
. £ 10 . 4231 provinces £ 15 , 232 , or £ 1193 less than London ; candidates returned—London 2 , 34 , provinces 304 , or 1 G 0 in excess . Those figures speak volumes . Well , here is the grievance ; what is the remedy ? First of all , let us enquire how the provinces achieve so great a success . It is simple enough , and Masonic to a certain extent only . In each province there are several minor lodges , and
over nearly each province there is one , and in some cases two Provincial Grand Lodges ; these Grand Lodges asa rule constitute the centre of an ai-sociation to which the minor lodges and their respective members in a great measure contribute their votes , both collectively and individually , so that they , the province , can feel morally certain of returning their candidate , or candidates , if anv , at the first or
second election j if there are no candidates , these accumulated totes arc lent to . 1 neighbouring province , to bc returned when required . So far so gooil . Where , or when , docs true Masonry in these combinative measures cease ? It ceases when the merits of individual
cists are not sufficiently considered ; it ceases when sentiment is allowed to overiide ordinary justice ; it ceases when the child of an aged and decrcpid Mason , or his widow , is passed over for the child or widow , of the brother of yesterday ; it ceases when the claims of that brother who has subscribed for years , and supported one cr more of the in-
Original Correspondence.
stitutions are superseded by the brother who when he has paid his entrance-fee and subscriptions considers his duties as a Mason have ceased , buttons up his pockets , and never contributes one iota more towards those institutions , from which he is reaping or seeking to reap the benefit . It is here , Sir , that true Masonry ceases , it is then that the Committee should be empowered to step in , and , after having
satisfied the most deserving and the especially urgent cases in their own provinces , should well weigh the merits of the remainder , and without partiality , favour , or affection , forward those on their own list , or help the necessitous of their neighbour , if required . There are several points to be considered in the merits of a case besides length of Masonic brotherhood , support given to the
Craft and its institutions , & c , & c , such as position of friends and relatives , number of children , number of chances for election , sudden death , or reversal of fortune , & c , & c , but all in their several degrees . I trust , dear Sir and Brother , that you and your valuable columns will give this Association your earnest support , and that by uniting we shall be able to follow the excellent example of our brethren in the provinces , and return our
proportionate share of candidates to our different institutions . They have shown us that they can always return those candidates who dwell ia their midst , and who naturally look to them for aid and support . I can only say , if we do not take a leaf out of their copy-book we thoroughly deserve to be laughed at , as we have been , for not looking after ourselves . Yours fraternally , C . J . P .
To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Hear Sir and Brother , — I tender to you my best thanks for inserting a letter , the tenor of which you disagreed with . The result of the second meeting of the promoters does not remove my objection to the scheme , which I again characterise as but an offshoot from that lately attempted to be developed by the Charity Organisation Society . The selection of the
candidates who are to become recipients of the Association s amalgamated votes is to be left to a committee of the Association . How this will suit the views of those who are supporting the cases not selected can only be judged by the result . In my opinion , each supporter of a case will deem that which he advocates as the most urgent , an . l it cannot bc expected that the friends of every rejected candidate will aid the Assoc ' mion in its endeavour to secure the return of one chosen from the ruck bv an intervening
Committee . I fail to perceive any direct advantages to either candidates or the Institutions by the formation of such an Association . On the contrary , I maintain that if the members of a lodge recommending the applicant would use their influence in favour of the candidate on whose behalf they have given a certificate , and if influential members of the
Craft would abstain from the too frequent practice of having their names appended to a multiple of cases , sufficient concentration would be effected tosecure an election at an early date after acceptance of the case by the General Committee . Aug . 26 th . ILL . [ This movement has nothing to do with the C . O . S ., and utterly repudiates its ideas . —ED . ]
To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — The formation of the London Charity Association will doubtless prompt those provinces who have not a Charity Committee , to form one at once , to get their fair share of candidates into the Masonic Institutions ; and the combined exertions will bc sensibly felt by the provinces
who have hitherto been so feirtunate to get " a good share " of candidates into the Institutions . Yet to prevent heartburnings after the elections , let the unsuccessful candidates be educated under the auspices of the respective provincial committees , at suitable schools near their own homes , until they are successful , or , if not , their education completed , thereby constituting them wards of
their respective province , so to speak ; and they would bc recognised prote ' ges of the Craft equally with those who have received the superior advantages of the great Charities , and would be additional proofs of the goodness inherent in our principles . Several children mi jht in this manner receive benefits who at present receive none , and
who would in after life have reason to remember the good works of the brttherhood , whereas , to them Masonry otherwise would be merely a name . Those provinces who are not so fortunate as to have an Education Fund could alter their Benevolent Fund rules , so as to include education and increase the members'
subscriptions threepence or sixpence " extra per quarter to meet the additional expense , " if required . " I remain , dear Sir and Brother , yours faithfully and fraternally , \ V . M . j LINCS .
TRURO CATHEDRAL . To the Editor of Ihe " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — 1 hope 1 shall not be thought to bc interfering in a matter not concerning me if I make one or two very
brief remarks on the correspondence which has taken place 011 the above subject . Bro . E . Holmes is quite able to take care of himself , and has made an excellent defence of his position , but I would submit to bis oppcnints , " freemason" and " T . W . M ., " that ,
1 . Bro . Holmes has a perfect right to give notice of any proposition with regard to a grant of money . 2 . A Provincial Grand Lodge has a perfect right to appropriate funds to any object which a majority of its members may decide tn be fit and picpcr ( subject , cf course , to its bye-laws ) .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Bauhutte.
wonder to see such narrowness , ( excuse the word , Bro . Findel !) , in the BauhiUte . If such speculations are in Bro . Findel ' s apprehension , wise or unwise , useful or useless , surely on the great ground of toleration we may very well receive and study them . Truly our good
brother is unconsciously reaching unto the sectarian intolerance of the " Strict Observance , " which so injured and hindered German Masonry ! Let us , as Masons , be liberal minded and large-hearted , and within due bounds welcome all researches , whether
we agree with them or not , which either affect the practical history or the abstract theories of Masonry . Bro . Findel and ourselves agree in so much that it seems always a pity , and we feel it to be so , when we differ from him , but
dismissing all doubts and fears as to the reality , stability , steadfastness of English Masonry , let us labour together in friendl y sympathy for the spread of true and ancient and universal Craft Masonry in the world .
Le Monde Maconnique.
LE MONDE MACONNIQUE .
We have received and perused our French contemporary for Augusl , and are glad to reciprocate the fraternal feeling expressed more than once in its pages . It has , indeed , sometimes anpeared to us that our good friends and ourselves have , perhaps , both been a little hasty . Bros . Grimaux and Caubet will remember that
our first " rencontre was in response to some remarks about " cheap bibles , " and our esteemed Grand Secretary , a brother who deserves the regard of all . Subsequently Bro . Grimaux propounded some amusingly strange doctrines about " Les Philadelphes , " and we called attention to
them . 1 hen came the famous Convent of i S 77 , and we spoke out " moie nostro , " if strongly , ( our good brethren will admit ) , manfully and honestly . We said what we meant , and . we meant what we said . The justice of ourobjections , from an English point of view , to the
course the Grand Orient had taken , has been sustained by the calm and deliberate action of our English Grand Lodge . But having said our say , as Masons , as we always say it , with honest frankness , and without any Jesuitical subterfuge or evasion of the difficulty , we do not see that
any good can accrue to French or English Masonry by continuing a sterile discussion . We trust agree to differ , and so long as the French Grand Orient , responding to Bro . Hubert ' s anxious hopes , goes no further , makes no change in its ritual , creates no revolutionary
propaganda , as we have no object or end to serve but the good of Freemasonry , we shall remain silent spectators of events . We have no wish to keep up a constant " tiraillerie " with our worthy Bros . Caubet and Grimaux , and we must ask them to believe , onco for all , that though we
differ widely , as they know , in our view of things Masonic , . though there is undoubtedly a very chasm , so to say , between us , we have never lost our good will for , our sympathy with , French Freemasonry . As regards the present position
and future action of the French Grand Orient wc shall say a few words next week , which we hope will be taken in good part by our brethren in France and the Monde Maronnii / iie We hope for better days for French Freemasonry .
A New Idea.
A NEW IDEA .
Is it true that •' « there is nothing new under the sun , " yet every now and then an idea crops up which claims and puts foith the gloss of newness ? Our contemporary the West London Express , alludes , in the words we now give , to a curious little episode which has . it seems . Iatelv
taken place in Lancashire . " Until quite lately the French used to caricature the English husband as leading his wife into the market by a rope and selling her to the highest bidder . This , according to the'lively Gaul , ' was a common event in perfide Albion ; but if somewhat
overdrawn , it had a foundation in fact . h \ the Midlands and the North , wife selling is b y no means utterly unknown , and an amusing case occurred onl y a few da ) s ago in Lancashire . A mason parted with his wife to a fellow mason for the sum of £ 5 > on lease ; £ 10 was first asked ,
A New Idea.
but this was considered too high—the ' article ' was not worth so much . The landlord of an inn where the transfer was effected acted as arbitrator , and £ j was accepted . As in this case , however , it was not a sale , but a lease , the husband would have done well—regardine - the
wife-kicking propensities of Lancashire—to make some stipulation about repairs ; at present , if the wife is damaged , its original owner will have to stand the loss , or the expense of repairs . It is not unlikely that all four parties concerned in this little arrangement , consider it not only equitable ,
moral , and in all respects advisable , but actually legal , and would be genuinely amazed to hear anything to the contrary . Perhaps , after all , it would be better if such a practice were made legal , then we should not have so many divorce court scandals . When A admired B ' s wife , and B ' s wife responded to his affection , B being
amenable , the whole matter could be settled amicably , without collusion or esclandre . I think the idea is worth considering . " Thus far our juvenile , but most respectable contemporary , whose views hereon will probably be " caviare " to some of our readers . It is very curious that one of the most cherished traditions
in Yorkshire and Lancashire has been that if a man took his wife with a rope round her neck he could sell her in any open market to the highest bidder . This is probably the remnant of the old usages of the " villane , " but it is not so long ago either that on a market day in a good
town in Yorkshire , which shall be nameless , a man is said to have sold his wife for 2 s . 6 d . and a pot of beer , having a rope round her neck . This idea , together with the other , that a husband may beat his wife with a stick no bigger than his little finger , must be classed among the
delusions of folk-lore . As regards the present case , while we are not quite prepared to endorse our contemporary ' s opinion altogether , either as to the possibility , or practicability , or morality of his proposal , one " point , '' as the lawyers say ,
occurs . And it is one which we commend to the serious attention of our legal brethren . If he parts with his wife on lease , who is bound to give the customary two coats of paint outside , lessor or lessee ? We pause for a reply .
Original Correspondence.
Original Correspondence .
[ We do not hold ourselves responsible for , or even as approving of , the opinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish , in 1 spirit of ( air play to all , to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . —ED . 1
LONDON MASONIC CHARITY ASSOCIATION . To lhe Editor if the " Freemason . " Dear Sir ai . d Brother , — As a promoter of the London Masonic Charity Association , I think it right to put before the public in general , and the Masonic world in particular , the " raison d ' etre , " or the foundation or groundwork of its formation .
To the uninitiated world who are not Masons , and even to many of them , it might veiy possibly appear unmasonic , and not pertaining to that universal brotherhood of which we have so much cause to be proud j but I speak for myself , and I think I might say for almost all my colleagues in this Association , that we are entirely actuated by the true principles of charity as taught by the
Craft . I will take my starting point from the statistics so diligently and ably furnished by Bro . Gladwell , in which he gives separately , but which I for terseness lump , the amount subscribed by London alone and that by the provinces collectively , and then the aggregate number of candidates returned for the same period icspcctively : London
. £ 10 . 4231 provinces £ 15 , 232 , or £ 1193 less than London ; candidates returned—London 2 , 34 , provinces 304 , or 1 G 0 in excess . Those figures speak volumes . Well , here is the grievance ; what is the remedy ? First of all , let us enquire how the provinces achieve so great a success . It is simple enough , and Masonic to a certain extent only . In each province there are several minor lodges , and
over nearly each province there is one , and in some cases two Provincial Grand Lodges ; these Grand Lodges asa rule constitute the centre of an ai-sociation to which the minor lodges and their respective members in a great measure contribute their votes , both collectively and individually , so that they , the province , can feel morally certain of returning their candidate , or candidates , if anv , at the first or
second election j if there are no candidates , these accumulated totes arc lent to . 1 neighbouring province , to bc returned when required . So far so gooil . Where , or when , docs true Masonry in these combinative measures cease ? It ceases when the merits of individual
cists are not sufficiently considered ; it ceases when sentiment is allowed to overiide ordinary justice ; it ceases when the child of an aged and decrcpid Mason , or his widow , is passed over for the child or widow , of the brother of yesterday ; it ceases when the claims of that brother who has subscribed for years , and supported one cr more of the in-
Original Correspondence.
stitutions are superseded by the brother who when he has paid his entrance-fee and subscriptions considers his duties as a Mason have ceased , buttons up his pockets , and never contributes one iota more towards those institutions , from which he is reaping or seeking to reap the benefit . It is here , Sir , that true Masonry ceases , it is then that the Committee should be empowered to step in , and , after having
satisfied the most deserving and the especially urgent cases in their own provinces , should well weigh the merits of the remainder , and without partiality , favour , or affection , forward those on their own list , or help the necessitous of their neighbour , if required . There are several points to be considered in the merits of a case besides length of Masonic brotherhood , support given to the
Craft and its institutions , & c , & c , such as position of friends and relatives , number of children , number of chances for election , sudden death , or reversal of fortune , & c , & c , but all in their several degrees . I trust , dear Sir and Brother , that you and your valuable columns will give this Association your earnest support , and that by uniting we shall be able to follow the excellent example of our brethren in the provinces , and return our
proportionate share of candidates to our different institutions . They have shown us that they can always return those candidates who dwell ia their midst , and who naturally look to them for aid and support . I can only say , if we do not take a leaf out of their copy-book we thoroughly deserve to be laughed at , as we have been , for not looking after ourselves . Yours fraternally , C . J . P .
To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Hear Sir and Brother , — I tender to you my best thanks for inserting a letter , the tenor of which you disagreed with . The result of the second meeting of the promoters does not remove my objection to the scheme , which I again characterise as but an offshoot from that lately attempted to be developed by the Charity Organisation Society . The selection of the
candidates who are to become recipients of the Association s amalgamated votes is to be left to a committee of the Association . How this will suit the views of those who are supporting the cases not selected can only be judged by the result . In my opinion , each supporter of a case will deem that which he advocates as the most urgent , an . l it cannot bc expected that the friends of every rejected candidate will aid the Assoc ' mion in its endeavour to secure the return of one chosen from the ruck bv an intervening
Committee . I fail to perceive any direct advantages to either candidates or the Institutions by the formation of such an Association . On the contrary , I maintain that if the members of a lodge recommending the applicant would use their influence in favour of the candidate on whose behalf they have given a certificate , and if influential members of the
Craft would abstain from the too frequent practice of having their names appended to a multiple of cases , sufficient concentration would be effected tosecure an election at an early date after acceptance of the case by the General Committee . Aug . 26 th . ILL . [ This movement has nothing to do with the C . O . S ., and utterly repudiates its ideas . —ED . ]
To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — The formation of the London Charity Association will doubtless prompt those provinces who have not a Charity Committee , to form one at once , to get their fair share of candidates into the Masonic Institutions ; and the combined exertions will bc sensibly felt by the provinces
who have hitherto been so feirtunate to get " a good share " of candidates into the Institutions . Yet to prevent heartburnings after the elections , let the unsuccessful candidates be educated under the auspices of the respective provincial committees , at suitable schools near their own homes , until they are successful , or , if not , their education completed , thereby constituting them wards of
their respective province , so to speak ; and they would bc recognised prote ' ges of the Craft equally with those who have received the superior advantages of the great Charities , and would be additional proofs of the goodness inherent in our principles . Several children mi jht in this manner receive benefits who at present receive none , and
who would in after life have reason to remember the good works of the brttherhood , whereas , to them Masonry otherwise would be merely a name . Those provinces who are not so fortunate as to have an Education Fund could alter their Benevolent Fund rules , so as to include education and increase the members'
subscriptions threepence or sixpence " extra per quarter to meet the additional expense , " if required . " I remain , dear Sir and Brother , yours faithfully and fraternally , \ V . M . j LINCS .
TRURO CATHEDRAL . To the Editor of Ihe " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — 1 hope 1 shall not be thought to bc interfering in a matter not concerning me if I make one or two very
brief remarks on the correspondence which has taken place 011 the above subject . Bro . E . Holmes is quite able to take care of himself , and has made an excellent defence of his position , but I would submit to bis oppcnints , " freemason" and " T . W . M ., " that ,
1 . Bro . Holmes has a perfect right to give notice of any proposition with regard to a grant of money . 2 . A Provincial Grand Lodge has a perfect right to appropriate funds to any object which a majority of its members may decide tn be fit and picpcr ( subject , cf course , to its bye-laws ) .