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Article G011ESFOIDEI6E ← Page 4 of 10 →
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G011esfoidei6e
long since forgotten pledges to . " pay homage to the Grand Master for the time being , and ^ W to every edict of the Grand Lodge . " I am , Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , 4 zth Dec ., 1858 . Justitia .
WHICH ARE THE OBSTRUCTIVES ? TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS * MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIRROR . Sir and Brother ,, —The discussions which took place in Grand Lodge , on Wednesday last , must have opened the eyes of all to the <^ acy of believing that the Observer party in Grand Lodge have the real Interest of the Craft at heart ; and , whatever be their professions , their acts plainly show that tliey v ^ l niake everything subservient to the determination to oppose the Grand Master and his executive .
They themselves must now be satisfied that their motives are understood , and their conduct duly appreciated , by Grand Lodge . If , as they would make us believe , they are misjudged , let them prove it—not by envpty assertions of zeal and devotion to the great interest and welfare of the body , but by abstaining from such factious and vexations opposition as they treated us with on Wednesday . How can they expect reasoning Brethren
to believe in their protestations , when their actions are so directly at variance with their words ? Doubtless , sir , a faithful report of the discussions will appear in your Magazine of next week , and Brethren , who had not an opportunity of being present , will then be able to judge to what lengths the innate love of opposition will lead some men . Who , that did not know him , would believe that Bro . Portal , with his own notice of
motion on the paper almost identical with the one before Grand Lodge , would have so vehemently opposed it when emanating from the Grand Master . Yet so it was ! The only opposition to the Grand Master ' s motion in reference to Canada was from Bro . Portal and his friends ; and there is just reason to believe that , had the Grand Master not brought it forward , Bro . Portal , in support of his own motion , would have argued as vehemently for , as he did against it .
Is this consistency ? Is this zeal for the general good ? Is it not rather a factious and vexatious opposition—an opposition for opposition ' s sake ? I can see it in no other light-, and such was the view evidently taken of it by Grand Lodge . Before leaving this subject , I cannot help remarldng that Brethren must haye been rather amused at the readiness of one part of the opposition to abandon his espoused cause . His motto might well
bea happy could I be with either , Could I only make sure who would win . " But I think " it ' s no just canny , ' though perhaps characteristic , to start an opposition to a question on its merits , whilst prepared to give entire assent to it at the end of the discussion .
The next subject brought before Grand Lodge was that of our Masonic freeholds , and their adaptation to the better convenience of the Craft . It will surely be allowedly all , that the president of the Board of General Purposes placed before the Grand Lodge a most clear , plain , and straightforward explanation of the report of the Board , with their recommendation to
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
G011esfoidei6e
long since forgotten pledges to . " pay homage to the Grand Master for the time being , and ^ W to every edict of the Grand Lodge . " I am , Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , 4 zth Dec ., 1858 . Justitia .
WHICH ARE THE OBSTRUCTIVES ? TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS * MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIRROR . Sir and Brother ,, —The discussions which took place in Grand Lodge , on Wednesday last , must have opened the eyes of all to the <^ acy of believing that the Observer party in Grand Lodge have the real Interest of the Craft at heart ; and , whatever be their professions , their acts plainly show that tliey v ^ l niake everything subservient to the determination to oppose the Grand Master and his executive .
They themselves must now be satisfied that their motives are understood , and their conduct duly appreciated , by Grand Lodge . If , as they would make us believe , they are misjudged , let them prove it—not by envpty assertions of zeal and devotion to the great interest and welfare of the body , but by abstaining from such factious and vexations opposition as they treated us with on Wednesday . How can they expect reasoning Brethren
to believe in their protestations , when their actions are so directly at variance with their words ? Doubtless , sir , a faithful report of the discussions will appear in your Magazine of next week , and Brethren , who had not an opportunity of being present , will then be able to judge to what lengths the innate love of opposition will lead some men . Who , that did not know him , would believe that Bro . Portal , with his own notice of
motion on the paper almost identical with the one before Grand Lodge , would have so vehemently opposed it when emanating from the Grand Master . Yet so it was ! The only opposition to the Grand Master ' s motion in reference to Canada was from Bro . Portal and his friends ; and there is just reason to believe that , had the Grand Master not brought it forward , Bro . Portal , in support of his own motion , would have argued as vehemently for , as he did against it .
Is this consistency ? Is this zeal for the general good ? Is it not rather a factious and vexatious opposition—an opposition for opposition ' s sake ? I can see it in no other light-, and such was the view evidently taken of it by Grand Lodge . Before leaving this subject , I cannot help remarldng that Brethren must haye been rather amused at the readiness of one part of the opposition to abandon his espoused cause . His motto might well
bea happy could I be with either , Could I only make sure who would win . " But I think " it ' s no just canny , ' though perhaps characteristic , to start an opposition to a question on its merits , whilst prepared to give entire assent to it at the end of the discussion .
The next subject brought before Grand Lodge was that of our Masonic freeholds , and their adaptation to the better convenience of the Craft . It will surely be allowedly all , that the president of the Board of General Purposes placed before the Grand Lodge a most clear , plain , and straightforward explanation of the report of the Board , with their recommendation to