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Article THE CRAFT AND ITS CRITICISERS.—III. ← Page 4 of 4
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The Craft And Its Criticisers.—Iii.
Does not the practice of Freemasonry entail heavy expenses on those who take part in it ? To this a ready reply may be given . Such is not necessarily the case , nor is it desirable . Whatever may be said as to equality among Masons , although while in the exercise of our duties in Lodge no distinctions of rank and wealth are recognized , still it is not possible to do away with those social positions which prevail in large communities , and
they have a just claim to be considered as of value . There is in fact a great difference in the scale of expenses in the various Lodges , and a man whose income is limited should take care to join one suitable to his means ; in such a one , moreover , at the social enjoyments for which , at the conclusion of labour , provision is frequently made , and which are far from being forbidden in moderation , he is more likely to meet brethren of his own standing and position in societyand into whose feelings and habits he can
, most advantageously and comfortably enter . It is true , that if he rises high in the Craft , certain honours bring with them temporarily greater expenses for dress and ornamentation , but as to the costliness or cheapness of the materials , he is at perfect liberty to judge for himself ; the extent to which he will go is quite at his own option , and he' may keep within very
moderate limits . There are Lodges , in winch , with an initiatory fee of £ 3 8 s . the annual subscription is not more than £ 1 , while there are others where each of these amounts to £ 21 , besides the cost of frequent and liberal banquets . I now bring my remarks to a close , and only fear that you and your readers will consider what has been said as too elementary and puerile . However long a school may have been established , there is constantly a
fresh demand for primers and spelling books for the use of new pupils as they enter to commence with the rudiments . Freemasonry presents similar circumstances , requiring the same sort of provision , since every week brings accessions in the shape of apprentices wdio have to begin at the beginning . To them I trust you will consider that I have addressed myself more particularly , under an impression that you desire to make your pages useful to all in turn , whatever may be their Masonic rank or age , and in the hope that your more learned correspondents will furnish material suitable to the condition of those who are more advanced . / "TTT ^ -V Jersey , April loth , 1859 . /&' —^ X II . II .
^ o l ^ THE RETTON * HOME . — 'When dear loved ones of the lioiSeBoTd are away from the paternal home , how great the anxiety for their welfare , how constantly and unceasingly the heart yearns to know if all is well ; but when the glad message cornea from home , dear home , then expectant anxiety is stretched to its | utmost tension —the dangers incident to travel cause a fluttering of both joy and fear , which
alternate until the dear ones are in our embrace , and then , after the brief excitement of greeting is over , how sweet and tranquilly the affectionate emotions resume their placid tone . Then , true happiness is enjoyed , unalloyed by fear or apprehensionthe loved ones are near , are with us . "We sit and gaze upon them in joyful serenity , and while the heart beats in grateful adoration to God for the blessings He has surrounded us with , we sit and look upon the travellers with peaceful contentment , —Mirror and Keystone . 3 H
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Craft And Its Criticisers.—Iii.
Does not the practice of Freemasonry entail heavy expenses on those who take part in it ? To this a ready reply may be given . Such is not necessarily the case , nor is it desirable . Whatever may be said as to equality among Masons , although while in the exercise of our duties in Lodge no distinctions of rank and wealth are recognized , still it is not possible to do away with those social positions which prevail in large communities , and
they have a just claim to be considered as of value . There is in fact a great difference in the scale of expenses in the various Lodges , and a man whose income is limited should take care to join one suitable to his means ; in such a one , moreover , at the social enjoyments for which , at the conclusion of labour , provision is frequently made , and which are far from being forbidden in moderation , he is more likely to meet brethren of his own standing and position in societyand into whose feelings and habits he can
, most advantageously and comfortably enter . It is true , that if he rises high in the Craft , certain honours bring with them temporarily greater expenses for dress and ornamentation , but as to the costliness or cheapness of the materials , he is at perfect liberty to judge for himself ; the extent to which he will go is quite at his own option , and he' may keep within very
moderate limits . There are Lodges , in winch , with an initiatory fee of £ 3 8 s . the annual subscription is not more than £ 1 , while there are others where each of these amounts to £ 21 , besides the cost of frequent and liberal banquets . I now bring my remarks to a close , and only fear that you and your readers will consider what has been said as too elementary and puerile . However long a school may have been established , there is constantly a
fresh demand for primers and spelling books for the use of new pupils as they enter to commence with the rudiments . Freemasonry presents similar circumstances , requiring the same sort of provision , since every week brings accessions in the shape of apprentices wdio have to begin at the beginning . To them I trust you will consider that I have addressed myself more particularly , under an impression that you desire to make your pages useful to all in turn , whatever may be their Masonic rank or age , and in the hope that your more learned correspondents will furnish material suitable to the condition of those who are more advanced . / "TTT ^ -V Jersey , April loth , 1859 . /&' —^ X II . II .
^ o l ^ THE RETTON * HOME . — 'When dear loved ones of the lioiSeBoTd are away from the paternal home , how great the anxiety for their welfare , how constantly and unceasingly the heart yearns to know if all is well ; but when the glad message cornea from home , dear home , then expectant anxiety is stretched to its | utmost tension —the dangers incident to travel cause a fluttering of both joy and fear , which
alternate until the dear ones are in our embrace , and then , after the brief excitement of greeting is over , how sweet and tranquilly the affectionate emotions resume their placid tone . Then , true happiness is enjoyed , unalloyed by fear or apprehensionthe loved ones are near , are with us . "We sit and gaze upon them in joyful serenity , and while the heart beats in grateful adoration to God for the blessings He has surrounded us with , we sit and look upon the travellers with peaceful contentment , —Mirror and Keystone . 3 H