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Article THE FREEMASONS' BUILDINGS: ← Page 2 of 2 Article THE FREEMASONS' BUILDINGS: Page 2 of 2
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The Freemasons' Buildings:
THE FREEMASONS' BUILDINGS :
A G IUKD PAxroamtiG EXTKAVAGAJIZA , IN RHYME , AS rEKFOlOIED AT TlIB ItOYAIi ClUM THEAT 1 U 3 , GEEAT QUEEN STREET , JUNE 4 th , 1862 . Er THE GRAND BARD ( Self-appointed ) . Graud Lodge cloth often present rum sights When its decks are cleared , for brotherly fights ,
But of all the melees , without rhyme or reason , Commend me to that of the last this season . Brother Stimpson , from Birmingham , first took his seat . « - 'To afford , on the organ , a musical treat , But his left baud was thick ancl his right did so squeak , That we ' ve all got the horrors , to last us a week . The minutes were mutter'd , by Grand Sec . Clarke ,
"Whose reading left most of the Craft in the dark , Whilst "his cleric , " who sat by him , could have been better heard , But , of course ! he'd no right to utter a word .
The Particular Purposeless Board scrutineers Were charg ' c ! to do duty , sans favours or fears ; And the late Grand Pursuivant , Adams , hy name , Will take rank at next meeting!—Why not at that same ? Then came a great bore—that Colonial Board ; Por its President mumbled so , none could afford To sit cracking tbeir ear-drums to catch what he meant
, And in meaningless twaddle was an hour , or so , spent . The Grand Audit report was then read and received , And its statements set forth just what all had believed , The Benevolence Board , too , 'twas pleasing to see , Granted money , to brethren ancl widows , so free . Next came the chief matter that Masons desire ,
Proposed by the President , Bro . Mclntj-re , Who needlessly told his dismay when he'd seen Bro . Meymott ' s own letter in THE MAGAZINE . He felt it his duty to repel that attack , Which had made the board smart from their head to their back , And to prove that they wished to have their own way in it , Proposed its reception , and to call it a minute .
Bro . Lloyd , in a sensible speech , urged the need Of a special discussion , before they agreed To pull down the property , all but the Hall , Ancl find themselves then just beginning the ball . Bro . Stebbing objected the plan to discuss , And thought they'd receive " the report without fuss ; But Lloyd said its merits he did not then enter on ,
Por he felt they were doing what tbey ought not to venture on . The report raised a question of building and leasing , Which he took to mean much revenue ceasing ; The funds of Grand Lodge would be thus dissipated , And involve the Craft deeply if they did as 'twas stated . Up rose the Grand Master , who said he was willing To appoint a Grand Lodge , when they might do their milling ; The report on the minutes , so he had a notion , No reference had to Brother Lloyd ' s motion .
Next spoke Brother Meymott , as he'd been referred to , Por writing a letter showing what lie demurred to In the printed report , which was false ancl unfair , And in which he , and others , had not had a share . Brother Jennings , in accents not pleasing or kind , Tried hard to make Grand Lodge believe—what a blind \—That the board who adopted that document had
The credit of what had been done—good or bad ! His remarks were intended to be Meymott ' s stopper , But Gregory saw that tbe dodge was improper , And pray'd the Grand Master his rule to let slack , So that Meymott might answer this double attack . The Grand Master replied , and made matters no better , He'd not seen the " MAO . " nor read Meymott ' s letter : Then Meymott replied—the report he'd disown it , , Because when amended he'd never been shown it .
The Freemasons' Buildings:
Brother Jennings , irate , and with great aggravation , Called the letter " a tissue of misrepresentation ; " And Gregory thought such terms un-masonic , Was cheered hy Grand Lodge ; ancl Jennings got one—ironic . The Grand Master then gave the brethren his leave To ask Brother Warren his right to receive
And print such a letter ? A course nothing less than To worm out the secrets , well-kept by each press-man . The Grand Sec / s eyes sparkled with glee and delight , He thought they'd caught Warren and pin'd him down tight ; But boast , as he may , that THE Miaaon he'll snub , " He'll make no new friends by that " tale of a tub . " The hint so well ivenby Jennings was taken
g , To catechise Warren ; but he was not shaken ; He answered out boldly ; he naught had to fear ; And the brethren chimed in with a hearty good cheer . 'Midst loud cries of " Ob ! " much cheers and great laughter , Jennings sank in his seat and held his tongue after ; And the Grand Master said it deserved reprehension If a member of Grand Lodge its business dare mention .
Next the brethren were asked to observe the board ' s plans , Which hnng up to view like two huge shatteradans , And then the Junior Grand Warden suggested Brother Lloyd make his motion , and not be molested . He did so , and showed what a pretty fine ravage The scheme would soon make ; but in popped John Savage , Whose enquiry was stopped , and Lloyd did proceed
To question the law on their own title-deed . He was followed in this by the limbs of the law , Ancl if tbere'd been time they'd have gone on to jaw About titles , and buildings in brickwork and stone , And finished when honest men came by their own . Then from freehold , and leasehold the matter soon ranged , To the law , called Masonic , how that could be changed ; But in that the Grand Registrars , hoth , were at fault , And the Grand Master too , so it came to a halt .
And there all might have stuck , for no one knew how To get out of the slough they were floundering in now But hush ! there's the voice of one " vigilant and true , " And in a few moments he'll pilot them through . Brother Havers , at first , told us , what we all saw That both the Grand Registrars knew not the law ; And lie quoted some precedents—where they'd done wrong
If their law was right—but not worth an old song . He urged all the good of the order to seek , By merging their schemes , without envy or pique , And throw the doors open to all those who chose To send in a plan or had aught to propose . He was also surprised , and the last man to wish , That the brethren , themselves , should cry out " stinking fish !"
No lawyer -was he , hut a man of plain sense , And thought it unwise with such questions to fence . They had sold to the Wesleyans land for their schools , And that body had built them , —nor were they such fools That they purchased their title without judgement or care , And in panics of that kind he never would share . He thenthough the subject miht he a digression
, g , Hoped each one would withdraw every hasty expression , And sat himself down , amidst general applause ; Common-sense having licked the small dabblers in laws . The scrutineers then were admitted , to state , The result of their counting , which stopped the debate ; The Grand Officer ' s rejected ; John Savage by name , Was returned by the craft ! very much to its shame .
After this came more talk , without meaning or use , But a clatter of words were much in abuse , And the Grand Master said as , he would , —then he wouldn't , Call a Special Grand Lodge , for he could , —though he couldn't .
Thus ended act one of this farcical play , When act two's to commence why no one can say ; And before the grand scheme can be finally carried , We'll all be " gone coons , " and our great grandsons married .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Freemasons' Buildings:
THE FREEMASONS' BUILDINGS :
A G IUKD PAxroamtiG EXTKAVAGAJIZA , IN RHYME , AS rEKFOlOIED AT TlIB ItOYAIi ClUM THEAT 1 U 3 , GEEAT QUEEN STREET , JUNE 4 th , 1862 . Er THE GRAND BARD ( Self-appointed ) . Graud Lodge cloth often present rum sights When its decks are cleared , for brotherly fights ,
But of all the melees , without rhyme or reason , Commend me to that of the last this season . Brother Stimpson , from Birmingham , first took his seat . « - 'To afford , on the organ , a musical treat , But his left baud was thick ancl his right did so squeak , That we ' ve all got the horrors , to last us a week . The minutes were mutter'd , by Grand Sec . Clarke ,
"Whose reading left most of the Craft in the dark , Whilst "his cleric , " who sat by him , could have been better heard , But , of course ! he'd no right to utter a word .
The Particular Purposeless Board scrutineers Were charg ' c ! to do duty , sans favours or fears ; And the late Grand Pursuivant , Adams , hy name , Will take rank at next meeting!—Why not at that same ? Then came a great bore—that Colonial Board ; Por its President mumbled so , none could afford To sit cracking tbeir ear-drums to catch what he meant
, And in meaningless twaddle was an hour , or so , spent . The Grand Audit report was then read and received , And its statements set forth just what all had believed , The Benevolence Board , too , 'twas pleasing to see , Granted money , to brethren ancl widows , so free . Next came the chief matter that Masons desire ,
Proposed by the President , Bro . Mclntj-re , Who needlessly told his dismay when he'd seen Bro . Meymott ' s own letter in THE MAGAZINE . He felt it his duty to repel that attack , Which had made the board smart from their head to their back , And to prove that they wished to have their own way in it , Proposed its reception , and to call it a minute .
Bro . Lloyd , in a sensible speech , urged the need Of a special discussion , before they agreed To pull down the property , all but the Hall , Ancl find themselves then just beginning the ball . Bro . Stebbing objected the plan to discuss , And thought they'd receive " the report without fuss ; But Lloyd said its merits he did not then enter on ,
Por he felt they were doing what tbey ought not to venture on . The report raised a question of building and leasing , Which he took to mean much revenue ceasing ; The funds of Grand Lodge would be thus dissipated , And involve the Craft deeply if they did as 'twas stated . Up rose the Grand Master , who said he was willing To appoint a Grand Lodge , when they might do their milling ; The report on the minutes , so he had a notion , No reference had to Brother Lloyd ' s motion .
Next spoke Brother Meymott , as he'd been referred to , Por writing a letter showing what lie demurred to In the printed report , which was false ancl unfair , And in which he , and others , had not had a share . Brother Jennings , in accents not pleasing or kind , Tried hard to make Grand Lodge believe—what a blind \—That the board who adopted that document had
The credit of what had been done—good or bad ! His remarks were intended to be Meymott ' s stopper , But Gregory saw that tbe dodge was improper , And pray'd the Grand Master his rule to let slack , So that Meymott might answer this double attack . The Grand Master replied , and made matters no better , He'd not seen the " MAO . " nor read Meymott ' s letter : Then Meymott replied—the report he'd disown it , , Because when amended he'd never been shown it .
The Freemasons' Buildings:
Brother Jennings , irate , and with great aggravation , Called the letter " a tissue of misrepresentation ; " And Gregory thought such terms un-masonic , Was cheered hy Grand Lodge ; ancl Jennings got one—ironic . The Grand Master then gave the brethren his leave To ask Brother Warren his right to receive
And print such a letter ? A course nothing less than To worm out the secrets , well-kept by each press-man . The Grand Sec / s eyes sparkled with glee and delight , He thought they'd caught Warren and pin'd him down tight ; But boast , as he may , that THE Miaaon he'll snub , " He'll make no new friends by that " tale of a tub . " The hint so well ivenby Jennings was taken
g , To catechise Warren ; but he was not shaken ; He answered out boldly ; he naught had to fear ; And the brethren chimed in with a hearty good cheer . 'Midst loud cries of " Ob ! " much cheers and great laughter , Jennings sank in his seat and held his tongue after ; And the Grand Master said it deserved reprehension If a member of Grand Lodge its business dare mention .
Next the brethren were asked to observe the board ' s plans , Which hnng up to view like two huge shatteradans , And then the Junior Grand Warden suggested Brother Lloyd make his motion , and not be molested . He did so , and showed what a pretty fine ravage The scheme would soon make ; but in popped John Savage , Whose enquiry was stopped , and Lloyd did proceed
To question the law on their own title-deed . He was followed in this by the limbs of the law , Ancl if tbere'd been time they'd have gone on to jaw About titles , and buildings in brickwork and stone , And finished when honest men came by their own . Then from freehold , and leasehold the matter soon ranged , To the law , called Masonic , how that could be changed ; But in that the Grand Registrars , hoth , were at fault , And the Grand Master too , so it came to a halt .
And there all might have stuck , for no one knew how To get out of the slough they were floundering in now But hush ! there's the voice of one " vigilant and true , " And in a few moments he'll pilot them through . Brother Havers , at first , told us , what we all saw That both the Grand Registrars knew not the law ; And lie quoted some precedents—where they'd done wrong
If their law was right—but not worth an old song . He urged all the good of the order to seek , By merging their schemes , without envy or pique , And throw the doors open to all those who chose To send in a plan or had aught to propose . He was also surprised , and the last man to wish , That the brethren , themselves , should cry out " stinking fish !"
No lawyer -was he , hut a man of plain sense , And thought it unwise with such questions to fence . They had sold to the Wesleyans land for their schools , And that body had built them , —nor were they such fools That they purchased their title without judgement or care , And in panics of that kind he never would share . He thenthough the subject miht he a digression
, g , Hoped each one would withdraw every hasty expression , And sat himself down , amidst general applause ; Common-sense having licked the small dabblers in laws . The scrutineers then were admitted , to state , The result of their counting , which stopped the debate ; The Grand Officer ' s rejected ; John Savage by name , Was returned by the craft ! very much to its shame .
After this came more talk , without meaning or use , But a clatter of words were much in abuse , And the Grand Master said as , he would , —then he wouldn't , Call a Special Grand Lodge , for he could , —though he couldn't .
Thus ended act one of this farcical play , When act two's to commence why no one can say ; And before the grand scheme can be finally carried , We'll all be " gone coons , " and our great grandsons married .