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Article THE MASONIC MIEIOR. ← Page 8 of 14 →
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The Masonic Mieior.
Bro . H . G . Warren : " My question is merely whether , if I or any other Brother want a copy of any particular document , we can go and get it ; or whether some other Brother can , and we can not ? I wish to know , therefore , whether , if I want a document , I have the power of going and asking for it ? " \ The B . W . D ; G . M ., Lord Panmure : "I have no hesitation in answering that question . The Brother has , undoubtedly , the power of asking for any document he
pleases . ( Cheers . ) It may be given or refused . ( Laughter . ) And if it should be refused to him and granted to another , he would have just grounds for complaint . ( Laughter , and cries of " Hear , hear " . ) Before the question is put , I may say that I certainly am of opinion that the paragraphs which are moved not to be adopted and recorded on our minutes , are paragraphs which do not at all affect the subjects upon which the Colonial Board is called upon to report ; but I am distinctly of opinion that they tend to revive old sores , by re verting to matters which , as far
as I can understand the proceedings of Grand Lodge in March last , were agreed to be forgotten , ( Hear , hear . ) The Cr . M , having admitted that he was riot entirely free from blame for the past , and having presented to Grand Lodge an ultimatum , which was sent to the Brethren in Canada , and which Grand Lodge pronounced to be a sufficient purgation for anything which jnight have passed ,- —Brethren , the G . M . having done this , not in a corner , not in His closet upstairs , but openly in the face of Grand Lodge , and in the face of the Craft , I say , distinctly , that
paragraph No . 3 of the Report is merely a repetition of the charges made and met in March last—met in a manner which Grand Lodge then pronounced to be satisfactory ; and I cannot conceive any conduct more ungenerous on the part of any public body , and more especially on the part of a ' Masonic ' body , than , in the absence of the G . M ., to adopt such a report as this , containing as . it does a clause which undoubtedly goes back to former times , and condemns former conduct . The whole of these paragraphs are the expression
of the opinion to us of a body whose opinion we didn't ask . ( Hear , hear . ) Bro . Portal has said that this report was to have been entered on the minutes , and not adopted . But the formal motion is , that the report be adopted and entered on the minutes , and I imagine that it is but a puerile difference to draw whether you adoj > t this report or let it stand upon the minutes , with grave charges against the G . M . and certain other Officers not named . ( Hear , hear . ) Whilst it contains those charges , it matters nothing whether it is formally
adopted or merely entered on the minutes . It states certain acts which Grand Lodge passed over months ago , considering the amende made by the G . M . satisfactory . These acts ought not to be raked up and again condemned now , when we know that it is impossible to stay the hand of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada West in the act which it is about to do . I am not so sure , Brethren , that the course which the Prov . Grand Lodge of Canada West is about to take is entirely owing to the neglect of the Grand Lodge of England . ( Hear ., hear ) . It
is admitted in this very document that there are other and internal causes , including the great and rapidly increasing power and influence of the irregular Grand Lodge ; and there are still other internal causes to account for the present position of the Prov . Grand Lodge of Canada West . ( Hear , hear . ) Some of its members desire to have an independent G rand Lodge for Canada . The independent Grand Lodge has actually been recognized by the Grand Lodge of Ireland , and has become the rallying point of all those who sought to be independent of
the Grand luodge of England . My conviction is , that , when the truth comes to be known , we shall find ( though I don't excuse it , mark you ) that the neglect of Grand Lodge in years past has been made somewhat of a stalking-horse by those who wished to throw off their allegiance to the Grand Lodge of England , and adopt a new allegiance to an independent Grand Lodge . . This paper goes further in this paragraph , and invites us to do what ? Why it invites us , by all the means
in our power , to allay distrust and prevent separation , by adopting such means as the Prov . Grand Lodge of Canada West may suggest . It is admitted that these proposals , which the G . M . has sent out , would , three years ago , have been sufficient , and would have left no excuse to those who wished to separate from us . If so , why were they not sufficient in May last ? The independent Grand Lodge in Canada appears to have been determined on ; and , in my opinion , no terms or
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Masonic Mieior.
Bro . H . G . Warren : " My question is merely whether , if I or any other Brother want a copy of any particular document , we can go and get it ; or whether some other Brother can , and we can not ? I wish to know , therefore , whether , if I want a document , I have the power of going and asking for it ? " \ The B . W . D ; G . M ., Lord Panmure : "I have no hesitation in answering that question . The Brother has , undoubtedly , the power of asking for any document he
pleases . ( Cheers . ) It may be given or refused . ( Laughter . ) And if it should be refused to him and granted to another , he would have just grounds for complaint . ( Laughter , and cries of " Hear , hear " . ) Before the question is put , I may say that I certainly am of opinion that the paragraphs which are moved not to be adopted and recorded on our minutes , are paragraphs which do not at all affect the subjects upon which the Colonial Board is called upon to report ; but I am distinctly of opinion that they tend to revive old sores , by re verting to matters which , as far
as I can understand the proceedings of Grand Lodge in March last , were agreed to be forgotten , ( Hear , hear . ) The Cr . M , having admitted that he was riot entirely free from blame for the past , and having presented to Grand Lodge an ultimatum , which was sent to the Brethren in Canada , and which Grand Lodge pronounced to be a sufficient purgation for anything which jnight have passed ,- —Brethren , the G . M . having done this , not in a corner , not in His closet upstairs , but openly in the face of Grand Lodge , and in the face of the Craft , I say , distinctly , that
paragraph No . 3 of the Report is merely a repetition of the charges made and met in March last—met in a manner which Grand Lodge then pronounced to be satisfactory ; and I cannot conceive any conduct more ungenerous on the part of any public body , and more especially on the part of a ' Masonic ' body , than , in the absence of the G . M ., to adopt such a report as this , containing as . it does a clause which undoubtedly goes back to former times , and condemns former conduct . The whole of these paragraphs are the expression
of the opinion to us of a body whose opinion we didn't ask . ( Hear , hear . ) Bro . Portal has said that this report was to have been entered on the minutes , and not adopted . But the formal motion is , that the report be adopted and entered on the minutes , and I imagine that it is but a puerile difference to draw whether you adoj > t this report or let it stand upon the minutes , with grave charges against the G . M . and certain other Officers not named . ( Hear , hear . ) Whilst it contains those charges , it matters nothing whether it is formally
adopted or merely entered on the minutes . It states certain acts which Grand Lodge passed over months ago , considering the amende made by the G . M . satisfactory . These acts ought not to be raked up and again condemned now , when we know that it is impossible to stay the hand of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada West in the act which it is about to do . I am not so sure , Brethren , that the course which the Prov . Grand Lodge of Canada West is about to take is entirely owing to the neglect of the Grand Lodge of England . ( Hear ., hear ) . It
is admitted in this very document that there are other and internal causes , including the great and rapidly increasing power and influence of the irregular Grand Lodge ; and there are still other internal causes to account for the present position of the Prov . Grand Lodge of Canada West . ( Hear , hear . ) Some of its members desire to have an independent G rand Lodge for Canada . The independent Grand Lodge has actually been recognized by the Grand Lodge of Ireland , and has become the rallying point of all those who sought to be independent of
the Grand luodge of England . My conviction is , that , when the truth comes to be known , we shall find ( though I don't excuse it , mark you ) that the neglect of Grand Lodge in years past has been made somewhat of a stalking-horse by those who wished to throw off their allegiance to the Grand Lodge of England , and adopt a new allegiance to an independent Grand Lodge . . This paper goes further in this paragraph , and invites us to do what ? Why it invites us , by all the means
in our power , to allay distrust and prevent separation , by adopting such means as the Prov . Grand Lodge of Canada West may suggest . It is admitted that these proposals , which the G . M . has sent out , would , three years ago , have been sufficient , and would have left no excuse to those who wished to separate from us . If so , why were they not sufficient in May last ? The independent Grand Lodge in Canada appears to have been determined on ; and , in my opinion , no terms or