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Article GRAND LODGE AND FESTIVAL. ← Page 2 of 3 →
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Grand Lodge And Festival.
statement being publicly made , there was an evident sensation in Grand Lodge , and since that period we have received various letters expressing the deepest sympathy with Bro . Chapman , and
condemnatory of the want of courtesy on the part of the officials in the Grand Secretary ' s office . On inquiry , however , w e are happy to find , as we have already stated , that there is no foundation for such a charge , Bro . W . G . Clarke , the V . W . Grand Secretary , having written to both Bro . Oox and Bro . Chapman , on the 19 th of April , announcing the intention of the M . W . Grand Master not to reappoint them on the 28 th—a communication which both the Brothers have courteously
acknowledged . We are happy to be enabled to make this statement , for as we are never backward to blame the officials of the Order when we believe there has been any laxity in the discharge of their duties , it would ill become us to allow a serious misconception like that produced by the imperfectly heard statement of Bro . Chapman , to pass current amongst the Brethren without correction . It might , perhaps ,- have been more gracious had Bro . Jennings , as Senior Dir . of Cers ., been first allowed to retire into the honourable
position of a B . G . Officer , and Bro . Chapman advanced in his place for one year , to be succeeded in the next by Bro . Woods ; but in the bestowal of honours we have no right to question the taste or discrimination of the M . W . Grand Master , though it might appear that by selecting the junior Officer to receive a supersedeas before the senior , there was some ground of complaint relative to the
manner in which he had discharged his duties , did w e not know that no such imputation was intended to be conveyed ; and we regret that Bro . Chapman , after receiving nine days' notice of the proposed change , allowed his temper to get the better of his discretion and good taste . We congratulate Bros . Cox and Chapman that they are now ranked amongst the P . G . Officers , and shall be happy , next year to offer similar congratulations to Bros . Moore , Jennings , and Smith .
The usual ceremonies over , the M . W . Grrand Master and the Brethren adjourned to the Grand Festival—the festival par excellenee of the year . But never did it less deserve its title—never within our recollection was it so badly attended ; and were the Grand Master ' s popularity to be estimated by the attendance at the festival , we should be indeed compelled to pronounce it at the lowest ebb . But we believe that it was not so much the
lukewarmness of the Brethren generally , but the desire of the Stewards , as far as possible , to save their own pockets , that tended to this result ; no exertions whatever , so far as we can ascertain , having been made by the majority of them to do fitting honour to the Grand Master , by assembling round him a proper muster of the Brethren .
A certain rank and privilege is given to the Grand Stewards on condition of their performing certain duties—one of which is the providing an annual banquet open to all , at a ^ price not exceeding 15 s , a ticket—this banquet usually coating 22 $ . a head j and , of
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Grand Lodge And Festival.
statement being publicly made , there was an evident sensation in Grand Lodge , and since that period we have received various letters expressing the deepest sympathy with Bro . Chapman , and
condemnatory of the want of courtesy on the part of the officials in the Grand Secretary ' s office . On inquiry , however , w e are happy to find , as we have already stated , that there is no foundation for such a charge , Bro . W . G . Clarke , the V . W . Grand Secretary , having written to both Bro . Oox and Bro . Chapman , on the 19 th of April , announcing the intention of the M . W . Grand Master not to reappoint them on the 28 th—a communication which both the Brothers have courteously
acknowledged . We are happy to be enabled to make this statement , for as we are never backward to blame the officials of the Order when we believe there has been any laxity in the discharge of their duties , it would ill become us to allow a serious misconception like that produced by the imperfectly heard statement of Bro . Chapman , to pass current amongst the Brethren without correction . It might , perhaps ,- have been more gracious had Bro . Jennings , as Senior Dir . of Cers ., been first allowed to retire into the honourable
position of a B . G . Officer , and Bro . Chapman advanced in his place for one year , to be succeeded in the next by Bro . Woods ; but in the bestowal of honours we have no right to question the taste or discrimination of the M . W . Grand Master , though it might appear that by selecting the junior Officer to receive a supersedeas before the senior , there was some ground of complaint relative to the
manner in which he had discharged his duties , did w e not know that no such imputation was intended to be conveyed ; and we regret that Bro . Chapman , after receiving nine days' notice of the proposed change , allowed his temper to get the better of his discretion and good taste . We congratulate Bros . Cox and Chapman that they are now ranked amongst the P . G . Officers , and shall be happy , next year to offer similar congratulations to Bros . Moore , Jennings , and Smith .
The usual ceremonies over , the M . W . Grrand Master and the Brethren adjourned to the Grand Festival—the festival par excellenee of the year . But never did it less deserve its title—never within our recollection was it so badly attended ; and were the Grand Master ' s popularity to be estimated by the attendance at the festival , we should be indeed compelled to pronounce it at the lowest ebb . But we believe that it was not so much the
lukewarmness of the Brethren generally , but the desire of the Stewards , as far as possible , to save their own pockets , that tended to this result ; no exertions whatever , so far as we can ascertain , having been made by the majority of them to do fitting honour to the Grand Master , by assembling round him a proper muster of the Brethren .
A certain rank and privilege is given to the Grand Stewards on condition of their performing certain duties—one of which is the providing an annual banquet open to all , at a ^ price not exceeding 15 s , a ticket—this banquet usually coating 22 $ . a head j and , of