Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Address To The Officers And Brethren Of The Lodge Of Antiquity, Montreal.
of officers aud mariners of Her Majesty ' s ship the Pglailes , then in port . The Worshipful Masters of other lodges favoured as upon my private invitation . Since my appointment to the Masonic Board of Relief , I have attended every meeting but one , and
gladly bear testimony to the importance ancl great usefulness of tbe Board , which reliei-es both lodges and members from the investigations of numerous cases of distress adjusted by the Board . Thanks to valuable services of Bro . Milton , the President , and
Bro . Stearns , the Treasurer , the Board had in many instances only to admire and approve their action chirms ; recess .
The Grand Lodge met in this city on the second Wednesday of July . Their proceedings are before you . This lodge paid its proportion of expenses for the proper reception of Grand Lodge , and for incidentals incurred by the meeting , but steadily refused to contribute from their funds towards a large and expensive banquet for various reasons—first : that the funds have never been contributed or intended for
the purpose of refreshments ; second—that we must be just before we are generous , and being thus far unable to pay our debts , should not enter into unnecessary expenditure ; and last , because it is a bad precedent , as lodges in smaller places , where Grand Lodge might meet , would wish to follow our example ,
without perhaps , being able to afford it ; and the Lodge of Antiquity together with four other lodges , felt at liberty to take the initiative in saving their funds for the purposes for Avhich they were entrusted to the lodge . NeA'ertheless , an annual reunion of the
representatives of the Craft in Canada , at a social board is both pleasing and desirable , but the expense thereof should fall upon the whole Craft , not upon the one or the few lodges Avhere Grand Lodge happens to meet ; and since it seems inexpedient to take the
funds for an annual banquet from the Grand Lodge funds , I have given notice of motion for the next regular communication of Grand Lodge , that each lodge shall annually contribute the sum of five dollars towards a Masonic banquet to be given during the
session of Graud Lodge , which would produce the amount of nearly one thousand dollars , ancl thus apportion the expenses to all the lodges , partakers at their OAVU pleasure of the benefits thereof .
At this meeting , our distinguished honorary member , S . W . Bro . Bull , was unanimously re-elected D . D . G . M ., and our popular Senior Warden , V . W . Bro . William Dalton , was appointed Assistant Grand Organist . I will here insert a few questions on Masonic law
, which during the year have been offered for my consideration . It is an established fact that the Master is the proper exponent of the laiv to his lodge , although subject to higher authority . The very raps
of the Master ' s gavel bear a symbolical allusion to the indelible words— " Ask , and it shall be given to you seek , and ye shall find ; knock , and it shall be opened unto you . " The Master is , as already remarked , subject to higher authority ; but it is not to be forgotten that the highest officer holding the highest authority ,
whose decisions during his term of office are the law , namely , the Most Worshipful the Grand Master , is chosen from among the Masters and Past Masters of lodges ; thus should it be the pride of ei'ery Master , by diligent study of the Masonic laiv , to fit himself
for the high position Avhich may , by possibility ,, become his proud lot . Without mentioning minor and unimportant questions , I will at once proceed to more difficult ones , questions without direct precedent , Avhich ,
nevertheless , required decision ; ancl first , Can a brother be proposed , seconded , and at the same meeting balloted or voted for . as an honorary member ? I give the following reasons for deciding in the negative . It is unfair to members to introduce among them a
candidate , a joining or a honorary member , whose presence they or either of them do not desire ; hence thewholesome rule , that a proposition must be laid before the lodge at one meeting to be acted upon after certain preliminaries , at the next : the principal one of these preliminaries being , that every member of the lodge must be notified in the summons , for the
last mentioned meeting , of the proposed ballot , in , order that ei'ery member may be at liberty to record ' his vote an the occasion , and thus preserve that peace and harmony wliich could not otherwise reasonably exist . The only possible objection to this ruling may be taken from the Constitution , sect . 1 , of honorary
members , which says : " A brother , Avho may have rendered any service to the Craft in general , or to any particular lodge , may , by a vote of the lodge ,, be elected an honorary member to such lodge ;" but the Constitution fails to say how such vote
is to be taken . If , therefore , Ave construe the law by the Avord , one Avould be compelled to suppose that a majority vote is sufficient to elect an . honorary member , setting at defiance the Avishes of the minority , no matter how large ; that minority
may perchance be au actual majority of all the members of the lodge , the absentees having no knowledge-Avhatever of the intended proposition ; to avoid suchconstruction , we are compelled to look into the spirit of the law , by adding to the foregoing section , one
following shortly after , namely sect . 1 , " Proposing members , " in these words : " No brother shall be admitted a member of a lodge ivithout a propositionin open lodge , at a regular meeting , nor until his name , occupation , and place of abode , as ivell as the name ancl number of the lodge of which he is or was . last a member , or in which he was initiated , shall
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Address To The Officers And Brethren Of The Lodge Of Antiquity, Montreal.
of officers aud mariners of Her Majesty ' s ship the Pglailes , then in port . The Worshipful Masters of other lodges favoured as upon my private invitation . Since my appointment to the Masonic Board of Relief , I have attended every meeting but one , and
gladly bear testimony to the importance ancl great usefulness of tbe Board , which reliei-es both lodges and members from the investigations of numerous cases of distress adjusted by the Board . Thanks to valuable services of Bro . Milton , the President , and
Bro . Stearns , the Treasurer , the Board had in many instances only to admire and approve their action chirms ; recess .
The Grand Lodge met in this city on the second Wednesday of July . Their proceedings are before you . This lodge paid its proportion of expenses for the proper reception of Grand Lodge , and for incidentals incurred by the meeting , but steadily refused to contribute from their funds towards a large and expensive banquet for various reasons—first : that the funds have never been contributed or intended for
the purpose of refreshments ; second—that we must be just before we are generous , and being thus far unable to pay our debts , should not enter into unnecessary expenditure ; and last , because it is a bad precedent , as lodges in smaller places , where Grand Lodge might meet , would wish to follow our example ,
without perhaps , being able to afford it ; and the Lodge of Antiquity together with four other lodges , felt at liberty to take the initiative in saving their funds for the purposes for Avhich they were entrusted to the lodge . NeA'ertheless , an annual reunion of the
representatives of the Craft in Canada , at a social board is both pleasing and desirable , but the expense thereof should fall upon the whole Craft , not upon the one or the few lodges Avhere Grand Lodge happens to meet ; and since it seems inexpedient to take the
funds for an annual banquet from the Grand Lodge funds , I have given notice of motion for the next regular communication of Grand Lodge , that each lodge shall annually contribute the sum of five dollars towards a Masonic banquet to be given during the
session of Graud Lodge , which would produce the amount of nearly one thousand dollars , ancl thus apportion the expenses to all the lodges , partakers at their OAVU pleasure of the benefits thereof .
At this meeting , our distinguished honorary member , S . W . Bro . Bull , was unanimously re-elected D . D . G . M ., and our popular Senior Warden , V . W . Bro . William Dalton , was appointed Assistant Grand Organist . I will here insert a few questions on Masonic law
, which during the year have been offered for my consideration . It is an established fact that the Master is the proper exponent of the laiv to his lodge , although subject to higher authority . The very raps
of the Master ' s gavel bear a symbolical allusion to the indelible words— " Ask , and it shall be given to you seek , and ye shall find ; knock , and it shall be opened unto you . " The Master is , as already remarked , subject to higher authority ; but it is not to be forgotten that the highest officer holding the highest authority ,
whose decisions during his term of office are the law , namely , the Most Worshipful the Grand Master , is chosen from among the Masters and Past Masters of lodges ; thus should it be the pride of ei'ery Master , by diligent study of the Masonic laiv , to fit himself
for the high position Avhich may , by possibility ,, become his proud lot . Without mentioning minor and unimportant questions , I will at once proceed to more difficult ones , questions without direct precedent , Avhich ,
nevertheless , required decision ; ancl first , Can a brother be proposed , seconded , and at the same meeting balloted or voted for . as an honorary member ? I give the following reasons for deciding in the negative . It is unfair to members to introduce among them a
candidate , a joining or a honorary member , whose presence they or either of them do not desire ; hence thewholesome rule , that a proposition must be laid before the lodge at one meeting to be acted upon after certain preliminaries , at the next : the principal one of these preliminaries being , that every member of the lodge must be notified in the summons , for the
last mentioned meeting , of the proposed ballot , in , order that ei'ery member may be at liberty to record ' his vote an the occasion , and thus preserve that peace and harmony wliich could not otherwise reasonably exist . The only possible objection to this ruling may be taken from the Constitution , sect . 1 , of honorary
members , which says : " A brother , Avho may have rendered any service to the Craft in general , or to any particular lodge , may , by a vote of the lodge ,, be elected an honorary member to such lodge ;" but the Constitution fails to say how such vote
is to be taken . If , therefore , Ave construe the law by the Avord , one Avould be compelled to suppose that a majority vote is sufficient to elect an . honorary member , setting at defiance the Avishes of the minority , no matter how large ; that minority
may perchance be au actual majority of all the members of the lodge , the absentees having no knowledge-Avhatever of the intended proposition ; to avoid suchconstruction , we are compelled to look into the spirit of the law , by adding to the foregoing section , one
following shortly after , namely sect . 1 , " Proposing members , " in these words : " No brother shall be admitted a member of a lodge ivithout a propositionin open lodge , at a regular meeting , nor until his name , occupation , and place of abode , as ivell as the name ancl number of the lodge of which he is or was . last a member , or in which he was initiated , shall