-
Articles/Ads
Article THE MASONIC PRESS AND GKAND LODGE. ← Page 3 of 5 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Masonic Press And Gkand Lodge.
cation w-ifh any person , beyond those sitting immediately right and left of him , on the subject . The idea of making it never occurred to his mind until the business had entered so late into the night , that he saw that the effect of carrying on the discussion relative to the Colonial Committee that night , would be to throw over every other motion for an indefinite period . Of the results of that motion it is now scarcely necessary to speak ; if the holding of the adjourned
Lodge was wrong , it w as the fault of the officials in Grand Lodge , and not the Brethren ; and the Grand Master could equally as well , and wdthout exciting one-half the feeling , have put his veto on the Lodge Meeting in October , and called one in November , as he could set the proceedings on one side , and then call an emergency meeting , to transact the same business over again . If the Grand Master was not informed of what had taken place in time to do so , it was the fault of the Brethren on the dais , and not of those below it ; and on
them , therefore , must ever rest the responsibility . ~ We still believe , that the Brethren ought to possess the power of adjournment , as the inherent right of every deliberative body , but the Grand Master has decided otherwise , and we cheerfully bow to his decision , being , we trust , too good Masons to resist a lawfully constituted authority , though we may yet urge Grand Lodge , in its legislative capacity , to use every lawful exertion to obtain the privilege . We shall not attempt to follow "A Past Master" through his criticisms on the labours and articles of our contemporary the Masonic
Observer ( which has been established only to give Grand Lodge Ueports with comments thereon ) , but proceed to another point of his letter . He complains of the establishment of what is called the " Provincial Mess , " that country brethren may dine together on the occasion of the Quarterly Communications , denouncing it as a Club destined to marshal the members into the hall to vote upon one side of a question , without regard to argument , but merely for party purposes . For ourselves , we object to the term " party " in Masonry : there should be but one party—the party of the Order , determined
to do their best for its interests , and calmly discussing every question which may be brought before Grand Lodge , voting only according to its merits and their own honest convictions . But has the " Past Master" a right to complain of such combinations ? Are they not made at the dinners of the Grand Officers' Club ? and saving only such an exceptional case as the Colonial Committee , in which many Colonial Officers of rank were deeply interested , do not those who sit on the dais follow their leaders like a flock of sheep ?
Need wc instance a recent case—one upon which we could not have thought such wonderful unanimity could exist—that of extending the Charity Jewel to the Benevolent Institution , thus putting all the charities on the same footing , when there were 37 Grand Officers to 1 against the motion , whilst on the floor of the Lodge the numbers were 71 to 17 in its favour ? After deprecating at great length the course pursued by our contemporary , the" Past Master" then refers to this periodical : —•
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Masonic Press And Gkand Lodge.
cation w-ifh any person , beyond those sitting immediately right and left of him , on the subject . The idea of making it never occurred to his mind until the business had entered so late into the night , that he saw that the effect of carrying on the discussion relative to the Colonial Committee that night , would be to throw over every other motion for an indefinite period . Of the results of that motion it is now scarcely necessary to speak ; if the holding of the adjourned
Lodge was wrong , it w as the fault of the officials in Grand Lodge , and not the Brethren ; and the Grand Master could equally as well , and wdthout exciting one-half the feeling , have put his veto on the Lodge Meeting in October , and called one in November , as he could set the proceedings on one side , and then call an emergency meeting , to transact the same business over again . If the Grand Master was not informed of what had taken place in time to do so , it was the fault of the Brethren on the dais , and not of those below it ; and on
them , therefore , must ever rest the responsibility . ~ We still believe , that the Brethren ought to possess the power of adjournment , as the inherent right of every deliberative body , but the Grand Master has decided otherwise , and we cheerfully bow to his decision , being , we trust , too good Masons to resist a lawfully constituted authority , though we may yet urge Grand Lodge , in its legislative capacity , to use every lawful exertion to obtain the privilege . We shall not attempt to follow "A Past Master" through his criticisms on the labours and articles of our contemporary the Masonic
Observer ( which has been established only to give Grand Lodge Ueports with comments thereon ) , but proceed to another point of his letter . He complains of the establishment of what is called the " Provincial Mess , " that country brethren may dine together on the occasion of the Quarterly Communications , denouncing it as a Club destined to marshal the members into the hall to vote upon one side of a question , without regard to argument , but merely for party purposes . For ourselves , we object to the term " party " in Masonry : there should be but one party—the party of the Order , determined
to do their best for its interests , and calmly discussing every question which may be brought before Grand Lodge , voting only according to its merits and their own honest convictions . But has the " Past Master" a right to complain of such combinations ? Are they not made at the dinners of the Grand Officers' Club ? and saving only such an exceptional case as the Colonial Committee , in which many Colonial Officers of rank were deeply interested , do not those who sit on the dais follow their leaders like a flock of sheep ?
Need wc instance a recent case—one upon which we could not have thought such wonderful unanimity could exist—that of extending the Charity Jewel to the Benevolent Institution , thus putting all the charities on the same footing , when there were 37 Grand Officers to 1 against the motion , whilst on the floor of the Lodge the numbers were 71 to 17 in its favour ? After deprecating at great length the course pursued by our contemporary , the" Past Master" then refers to this periodical : —•