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Article CORRESPONDENCE. ← Page 2 of 3 →
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Correspondence.
bave had , or are to have , some equivalent . Giving is the spontaneous offering of a generous nature ; and the " P . M . " seems unable to realise tbe difference between these two methods of parting with money . I never doubted the charitable source which actuates the donors who subscribe to any of the public or
private institutions maintained for the benefit of their poorer countrymen by those whose means , or sympathies enable or prompt them to such blessed acts of mercy . What I said I repeat , " That no one ever pays a fraction more than he is rated at ; " in this I did not say he never gavebut -never paidand I
, ; maintain the pride which an Englishman feels , in the thousands of charities which happily spread over the length and breadth of the land , is founded in the fact that they are the fruit of voluntary offerings in the cause of charity—money freely given—but not paid as the result of taxation . If such objects
derived their support from statutable enactments declaring all men , high or low , rich or poor , as contributors of a certain fixed amount , then the chief glory of those institutious would depart , for who could look upon them but as portions of a system he was compelled to supportand which mustof
neces-, , sity , obtain all they required for their existence , or those who levied the tax would be remiss in their duties for not making the amount , so' derived , to he sufficient to cover the expenditure incurred . This , it appears to me , is the distinction between paying and giving .
Looking nearer home , let me borrow an illustration from our own Fund of Benevolence . Freemasons have to pay a quarterage of one shilling , or four shillings per annum , from which every brother , or his widow , has an inalienable right to claim relief in the hour of adversity . This Fund ia supported by direct taxation , and
its distribution—about which I offer no opinion here , though I thiuk it sadly deficient in amount , sympathy with suffering , or common courtesy to applicantsis confided to the actual Masters and Past Masters of lodges . Even this sum , four shillings , although a poll tax , is not levied direct from every brother , but
• deducted from his annual lodge subscription , and is a payment , due to the Grand Lodge , for keeping a brother's name upon the registry . These Grand Lodge dues once paid no one ever dreams of giving a donation , for their poorer brethren , to the Lodge of Benevolence , thus recognising the fact that a compulsory payment once discharged , would appear to absolve all brethren from the idea of an offering for so good a purpose .
No doubt I am very obtuse , but for all my endeavours—and they have been some six or seven—I do not understand the fifth paragraph of the " P . M . ' s " letter . It is a mystery I cannot solve , ' and therefore atn in ignorance of his admission , or denial , of my assertion that the Masonic Charities are not , ^ . er se , instistitutions
from which Freemasons , their widows , or children , are entitle to claim relief . These institutions are , like most English charities , under the whole and sole control of their patrons and subscribers . They are not recognised by the Booh of Constitutions , which teaches Freemasons " the duty they owe to
the Order in general , " and their founders wisely avoided asking for any such recognition . It is also , m my humble opinion , a very ungracious thing for a Brother , alone and unsupported , to step out of his
way to advocate a taxation for those Charities which owe their very existence to the generous impulses of their supporters and , to my mind , savours of a direct insult , being as much as to say "You" ( the subscribers ) " have not raised enough money for those you have undertaken to provide for . Stand aside , bring in your listsas beforeand although
in-, , my fluence does not increase your collections by . a solitary pound , yet , I will get a law made that shall supplement your shortcomings , and complete that which you have laboured so strenuously to maintain . " I seek no credit for any condensing scheme . I did not propound anything of the kind . What I did
say was that if the " P . M . ' s" plan was to be adopted , certain radical changes in the government of the Charities must , sooner or later , take place , and then I enumerated those which occurred to me most readily . It is an easy thing to pull down and destroy , but a difficult task to found and constrnct a scheme
, even but of small utility ; andas my constructive powers are but limited , I have no intention to try , or experimentalise , on such noble institutions . The Masonic Charities are useful , well tended , well eared for , singularly prosperous , at the present time , and likely to be still more so in future ; and I look upon bhat person ,
without any regard as to his great , or small , influence , to be a positive enemy to their further development who would seek to interfere with them now . If they were bankrupt , or collapsing from want of funds or an interest iu their welfare , then I should not oppose the most stirring appeals on their behalf , but even then the idea of forced support would still remain
intolerable . The brethren are ready . The Secretaries of each say " we have only to ask and have ;" the subscribers give freely , work diligently , and increase daily , and yet , at such a time a " P . M . " comes forward to advocate an old idea , proved untenable , and to sow a jealousy between the old generous
supporters , who deserve all the credit given them for their disinterestedness and good will , and a new body of compulsory payees who must , in the long run , swamp , by the mere force of numbers , those who for so many years have vigorously " borne the heat and burden of the day . "
Most amateur Chancellors of the Exchequer produce a budget by which they show , or attempt to demonstrate , what they could reckon on by their system of taxation , why they make certain goods subject to one duty and others to another excise , as well as providing for contingencies in collection and various other drawbacks . The " P . M . " does nothing- of the
kind . He coolly fixed an amount of ten shillings annually , takes no note of anything else , and decides that that sum , neither more nor less , is what 25 , 000 men can , and ought to pay . It is a happy specimen of an ad captandum process of jumping to a conclusion . The " P . M . " regards the Charities not merely as
" adjuncts , " but " as fundamental and vital principles of our Order . " Does he ? I do not . Yet I would not be a whit behind him in doing my utmost for their prosperity . " Brotherly love , relief , and truth , " are our fundamental and vital principles , but brotherly love and relief are not to he confined to certain
existing societies , nor will either of those duties become more imperative if they are to be supported by taxation . The very edict would be an anomaly . Where would bethebrotherlylovethatonly dependedonwhata
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
bave had , or are to have , some equivalent . Giving is the spontaneous offering of a generous nature ; and the " P . M . " seems unable to realise tbe difference between these two methods of parting with money . I never doubted the charitable source which actuates the donors who subscribe to any of the public or
private institutions maintained for the benefit of their poorer countrymen by those whose means , or sympathies enable or prompt them to such blessed acts of mercy . What I said I repeat , " That no one ever pays a fraction more than he is rated at ; " in this I did not say he never gavebut -never paidand I
, ; maintain the pride which an Englishman feels , in the thousands of charities which happily spread over the length and breadth of the land , is founded in the fact that they are the fruit of voluntary offerings in the cause of charity—money freely given—but not paid as the result of taxation . If such objects
derived their support from statutable enactments declaring all men , high or low , rich or poor , as contributors of a certain fixed amount , then the chief glory of those institutious would depart , for who could look upon them but as portions of a system he was compelled to supportand which mustof
neces-, , sity , obtain all they required for their existence , or those who levied the tax would be remiss in their duties for not making the amount , so' derived , to he sufficient to cover the expenditure incurred . This , it appears to me , is the distinction between paying and giving .
Looking nearer home , let me borrow an illustration from our own Fund of Benevolence . Freemasons have to pay a quarterage of one shilling , or four shillings per annum , from which every brother , or his widow , has an inalienable right to claim relief in the hour of adversity . This Fund ia supported by direct taxation , and
its distribution—about which I offer no opinion here , though I thiuk it sadly deficient in amount , sympathy with suffering , or common courtesy to applicantsis confided to the actual Masters and Past Masters of lodges . Even this sum , four shillings , although a poll tax , is not levied direct from every brother , but
• deducted from his annual lodge subscription , and is a payment , due to the Grand Lodge , for keeping a brother's name upon the registry . These Grand Lodge dues once paid no one ever dreams of giving a donation , for their poorer brethren , to the Lodge of Benevolence , thus recognising the fact that a compulsory payment once discharged , would appear to absolve all brethren from the idea of an offering for so good a purpose .
No doubt I am very obtuse , but for all my endeavours—and they have been some six or seven—I do not understand the fifth paragraph of the " P . M . ' s " letter . It is a mystery I cannot solve , ' and therefore atn in ignorance of his admission , or denial , of my assertion that the Masonic Charities are not , ^ . er se , instistitutions
from which Freemasons , their widows , or children , are entitle to claim relief . These institutions are , like most English charities , under the whole and sole control of their patrons and subscribers . They are not recognised by the Booh of Constitutions , which teaches Freemasons " the duty they owe to
the Order in general , " and their founders wisely avoided asking for any such recognition . It is also , m my humble opinion , a very ungracious thing for a Brother , alone and unsupported , to step out of his
way to advocate a taxation for those Charities which owe their very existence to the generous impulses of their supporters and , to my mind , savours of a direct insult , being as much as to say "You" ( the subscribers ) " have not raised enough money for those you have undertaken to provide for . Stand aside , bring in your listsas beforeand although
in-, , my fluence does not increase your collections by . a solitary pound , yet , I will get a law made that shall supplement your shortcomings , and complete that which you have laboured so strenuously to maintain . " I seek no credit for any condensing scheme . I did not propound anything of the kind . What I did
say was that if the " P . M . ' s" plan was to be adopted , certain radical changes in the government of the Charities must , sooner or later , take place , and then I enumerated those which occurred to me most readily . It is an easy thing to pull down and destroy , but a difficult task to found and constrnct a scheme
, even but of small utility ; andas my constructive powers are but limited , I have no intention to try , or experimentalise , on such noble institutions . The Masonic Charities are useful , well tended , well eared for , singularly prosperous , at the present time , and likely to be still more so in future ; and I look upon bhat person ,
without any regard as to his great , or small , influence , to be a positive enemy to their further development who would seek to interfere with them now . If they were bankrupt , or collapsing from want of funds or an interest iu their welfare , then I should not oppose the most stirring appeals on their behalf , but even then the idea of forced support would still remain
intolerable . The brethren are ready . The Secretaries of each say " we have only to ask and have ;" the subscribers give freely , work diligently , and increase daily , and yet , at such a time a " P . M . " comes forward to advocate an old idea , proved untenable , and to sow a jealousy between the old generous
supporters , who deserve all the credit given them for their disinterestedness and good will , and a new body of compulsory payees who must , in the long run , swamp , by the mere force of numbers , those who for so many years have vigorously " borne the heat and burden of the day . "
Most amateur Chancellors of the Exchequer produce a budget by which they show , or attempt to demonstrate , what they could reckon on by their system of taxation , why they make certain goods subject to one duty and others to another excise , as well as providing for contingencies in collection and various other drawbacks . The " P . M . " does nothing- of the
kind . He coolly fixed an amount of ten shillings annually , takes no note of anything else , and decides that that sum , neither more nor less , is what 25 , 000 men can , and ought to pay . It is a happy specimen of an ad captandum process of jumping to a conclusion . The " P . M . " regards the Charities not merely as
" adjuncts , " but " as fundamental and vital principles of our Order . " Does he ? I do not . Yet I would not be a whit behind him in doing my utmost for their prosperity . " Brotherly love , relief , and truth , " are our fundamental and vital principles , but brotherly love and relief are not to he confined to certain
existing societies , nor will either of those duties become more imperative if they are to be supported by taxation . The very edict would be an anomaly . Where would bethebrotherlylovethatonly dependedonwhata