Honorary Past Grand Officers.

HONORARY PAST GRAND OFFICERS .

LONDON , SATURDAY , NOVEMBER 9 , 1 SG 1 .

We consider the following letter to treat upon a subject of so much importance ao tlie well-being of the Craft and the dignity not only of the Order hut of the 31 . W . Grand Master , that Ave hesitate not to give it a more prominent position than Are usually accord to communications from our A'arious correspondents .

PROVINCIAL G-SAND OFFICERS . TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' JlAGAZIirE A :. ' !) ' HASOiriC ' . iIKROi ! . Sm AND BROTJLT . EE . —As 0110 of your own honorary correspondents I am desirous that any error in reporting by any of my honorary colleagues may at once bo rectified , espeeiaily when such mistakes may call in question the acts of a ruler in the Craft . But before I wrote you on the subject

I thought it better to get an explanation from our mutual friend Avho generally reports for that district . The explanation satisfied me that it was a mistake ; however , as others may ask the same question as Avas put to me on . that report , I thought it as Avell to cadi your attention to ifc , and request your reply to some of them as soon as you can give them . Tlie error is in the report of the Provincial Grand Lodge

of Vfest Lancashire ; therein it is stated that the Prov . G . M ., "in consideration of the valuable services which Bro . Brabner had done as Treasurer to thc West Lancashire Masonic Educational Institution , had appointed him as P . Prov . S . G . W . " The report thus written made one suppose that the Prov . G . M . had , by his own prerogative , granted this worthy "

brother Past Rank . whereas , thoProv . G . M . only did what the G . Master of England , and other Prov . G-. Masters occasionally did , A'iz ., desirions of recompensing valuable services , " proposed to Provincial Grand Lodge his intention of conferring the rank of 3 ? . Prov . S . G-. TV . on Bro . Brabner , provided such honour met Avith tho approval of tho Provincial Grand Lodge . " Such appr-oval having

unanimously been signified , the Provincial Grand Past Rank was conferred . From this incident arises tho following questions : —¦ 1 . Has the Prov . G . M . tho nower of couferrinsr such Past

Sank with the consent of Provincial Grand Lodge ? 2 . The G . Master of England having received from Grand Lodge the power of rewarding meritorious services , by conferring Past Rank without previous consultation with Grand Lodgo as heretofore , does a similar power devolve on Prov . G . Masters in their provinces ? Or must the Provincial Grand Lodges confer such a power on the Prov .

Grand Master , or must such power be only granted to the Prov . G . Master by the G . Master of England ? S . If this privilege can only be granted by the G \ Master of England , must it be specially applied for in each case , or does a ProA . G . M ., ipso facto , in any change of the law , havo the power to exercise in his province all those priviliges that the Grand Master has conferred to him by the United

Grand Lodge of England ? As in some offices , such as the Prov . G-. Sec ., Treasurer , Reg ., Dir . of Cers ., ifc is advantageous that these officers , while giving satisfaction in their different offices , should be changed as seldom as possible , Avhile it would bo unfair to such meritorious brethren that because of their usefulness in a certain office thoy should be prevented from being

promoted fco a higher rank , ifc is thought that in wise hands the power occasionally to reward such brethren , by Past Rank of a higher office , would be advantageous , especially where provinces are large , and thc new offices A-acated yearlyare insufficient to give to good and zealous brethren a chance of obtaining the Purple in turn by filling up an office in Provincial Grancl Lod which otherwise " the desire of the

ge , Prov . G . M . and their merits Avould legitimately entitle hem to . Tour answer will oblige many of your country friends . I am , Sir and Brother , Tours faithfully , A COUNTKY CoilKESPONDENT AND P . M .

As Ave have reason tp believe the various points raised in the ahoA'e letter are at the present moment under consideration of the constituted authorities of Grand Lodge , AA e give our opinion under some disaclvantage . ; but AVO do so , nevertheless , with not the less confidence as to the real intent of the laws .

1 st . —The Prov . Grand Master has no poAver ,-either Avith or Avithout the consent of Prov . Grand Lodge , to confer past rank on brethren , and Avhen it has been done it has been so in violation of the laAV—the power nnder the Constitutions being specially reserved to Grand

Lodge alone—and it being enacted ( p . 58 ) that the Prov . Grancl Lodge emanating from the authority vested in the Prov . Grand Master " possesses no other powers than those specified - " and the granting past rank is not one of these poAvers .

2 . —The power lately given to the Grand Master of granting past rank is restricted to him alone—and does not confer any additional power on the Prov . Grand Blasters—notwithstanding , the Booh of Consiiivtions says , that they " are invested with a rank and power in

their particular districts similar to those possessed by the Grand Master "—it never having been the intention of Grand Lodge to SAvamp the Order with honorary Past Grand Officers , and when the new law comes to be introduced into Tlie Boole of Constitutions , it must be

sufficiently guarded to preA'ent such a contingency . The Grand Master has not the right of conferring on 1 ' rov . Grand Masters the power of creating Past Prov . Grancl Officers .

3 . —Our answer to ~ No . 2 will be a sufficient reply to this question . In conclusion , Ave cannot agree with our correspondent that it is at all desirable that because of the usefulness of brethren in one office they should have the past rank of another * , nor is it unfair to them not to giie it

them . Here , at least , Ave know Ave are supported by the expressed opinion of Grand Lodge , Avhich refused to Bro . Thory Chapman , as good and conseieneious a Grand Officer as Avas , appointed the past rank of an office he had neA'er held , even on the recommendation oi' trie M . W . G . M ., though it did not refuse to acknowledge

and reward those services by voting to Pro . Ciraj / n ' . ai ! a distinctive jewel in appreciation of them . Would our provincial brethren claim the right 10 have four Grand Directors because that number is to in- . srpointed in Grand Lodge ? If they should , ami ii i :.- r i be

acted on , in some provinces every Mason of six or < . s irt months' standing will be Prov . Grand Officer's , " t "\ -. re are even IIOAV lodges where every brother Avenrs ih , . ! . ¦ - pie , excepting , perhaps , two or three but very ii- iy initiated .

"We look upon the power recently given to the /• .. \ J . Grand Master as a means by which he may r- ¦ -..:. rd brethren AA'ho have distinguished themselves is . s ,, " a * exertions to promote the interests ofthe Ordr-i * th .-s , ; . houfc the country , either as D . Grand Masters m . ¦; . ¦ r-Avise ; and to extend the power to Prov . Grand J :.- ; rs