Page images
PDF
EPUB

GRAND LODGE OF ILLINOIS.

We are indebted to the politeness of R. W. Bro. Reynolds, Grand Secretary, for a copy of the report of the committee on correspondence, and also of the Grand Master's address, before the Grand Lodge of Illinois, at its annual session in October last.

The report is from the accomplished pen of Bro. Reynolds, and is a concise and comprehensive review of the proceedings of the several Grand Lodges of the country. In the notice of the proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Alabama, we find the following decision of that body in a case of

PERSONAL SLANDER :

In this case the defendant was found guilty of using harsh, intemperate and most unmasonic language of a Brother Mason, impeaching alike his veracity and integrity, and the punishment assessed was simply a reprimand. An appeal was taken because of the inadequate punishment, and in the opinion of your committee based upon the evidence in the case, the appeal was well taken. We regard the punishment assessed by the Lodge as insufficient in this case. The offending Brother should at least have been suspended, and we recommend the Grand Lodge to increase the punishment assessed by the subordinate Lodge to that extent.

AN INTERESTING CASE.

The following case in jurisprudence involves several important decisions and will be read with interest by our readers. It occurred in Minnesota :—

Charges were preferred against Charles Symonds in Ancient Landmark Lodge, No. 5, accusing him of speaking evil of a Brother Mason-talking about Masons to those not Masons-slandering the Grand Master-attempting to cheat a Mason-refusing to comply with his contract with a Brother-and endeavoring to injure a Mason's female relative by inuendo,

The Lodge deferred action until after a time when the accuser was compelled to be absent; the necessity for the absence being well known to the Lodge.

The committee to whom the matter was referred in the Grand Lodge, say that the mode of conducting the trial after this time, and the manner of taking and preserving the testimony were highly censurable, and yet, that testimony sustained the charges, and that the Lodge acquitted the accused. Thereupon, the matter was brought to the attention of the Grand Master, who suspended the accused; upon this, the Lodge passed resolutions censuring the Grand Master, and in return be suspended those who voted for the resolutions.

In support of the Grand Master, the committee allege that the testimony was plain and convincing-that a failure to convict was equivalent to the impeachment of the Masonic honor of the witnesses brought to sustain the charges, and that a refusal to convict upon the testimony, was a grave offence against the spirit of our institutions, and that the action of the Grand Master in suspending the offending Brethren, instead of arresting the Charter of the Lodge, was lenient and considerate.

A resolution reported by the committee declaring the accused guilty of unmasonic conduct was adopted 48 to 16; another, expelling him by 62 to 4; a third, censuring the Lodge by 62 to 4, and a fourth sustaining the Grand Master by 53 to 10.

COMPLIMENTARY.

The report says-" As jurists, however, Grand Master ENGLISH (Attorney General) of Arkansas, and Bro. C. W. MOORE of Massachusetts, are safe to follow. Their decisions have stood the test of time and criticism."

FAMILY DIFFICULTIES.

In our last report, a very prevalent practice of parading the family difficulties and differences in Grand Lodges, before the Masonic world, was objected to, as being unnecessary and unmasonic. The committees on Masonic Correspondence can do so if they choose, but as a matter of expediency, it was then and still is our opinion, that it is akin to talking about ones neighbors, a practice of far more injury than advantage, unless there be some particular principle involved, which the Craft should have explained to them.

The report closes with appropriate and affectionate notices of several eminent Brethren who have deceased during the past year.

The address of Grand Master BUCK, which follows in the pamphlet before us, is an ably written and interesting paper, distinguished by the good sense and▸ practical wisdom which have characterized the official course of its estimable author. The opening paragraph of the address is both eloquent and earnest :— "One year since," is its language, "we met while our country was at peace, at home and abroad. Now we meet, in the midst of preparations for war, and not far removed from the roar of cannon, the blast of the bugle, and the horrid, un. earthly din of carnage and battle. One year since, we beheld the familiar faces of friends whom we shall never see on earth again. Now, as we assemble, let us pause, and present ourselves before Him who is invisible, and render thanks for the health he has permitted us to enjoy, for the blessings and mercies vouchsafed, and the plenty with which he has crowned our labors; let us earnestly invoke his blessing upon our deliberations and upon our beloved Order; let us fervently pray that he will interpose his protecting arm in the affairs of our beloved country, restore tranquility, incline the hearts of the people to each other, and induce them once again, in a spirit of loyalty and devotion to the highest good of our race, and of our Government, to be united with a 'three fold cord, which cannot quickly be broken.' Let us humble ourselves beneath His Mighty Hand, so that in these our days of trial, He may be pleased to bestow on us the light of His reconciled countenance, and grant us wisdom in all our councils, and to each one of us that 'peace which passeth all understanding.'"

CHARLATANS AND CONSPIRATORS.

In the latter part of winter or early part of spring, I was advised from several sources, mostly confidential, that a secret and systematic effort was being made in this and other jurisdictions to obtain possession of the Representatives from the Lodges, bind them together by obligations, and by means of them, overturn the established usages of the Grand Lodge, adopt said work by a written law, which is both unusual and unmasonic, and elect Grand Officers to carry the scheme into full effect. Of this I knew nothing personally, but from other circumstances which came to my knowledge, I had every reason to believe that it was so. In one instance, a resident of another jurisdiction said to be an agent in the matter, visited a Lodge in this jurisdiction, introduced a bottle of brandy to the Brethren in the ante-room, deliberately walked into the Lodge-room, and claimed exemption from examination because he was recommended by a distinguished Mason in another State! I do not believe that any Mason in this State of common intelligence, would be guilty of such shameless impudence.

I must be permitted here to remark, that our numbers both in Lodges and members our dignity and self respect-forbid the idea that we are to be made the sport

1

and victims of Masonic inventors and hireling agents. We have learning, talents, philosophy and ritual among ourselves, and it would in every sense be derogatory to us, and to our reputation as a body, to permit such things to be done. I do not desire to see any alteration in our laws upon this subject; they are amply sufficient when properly enforced. And I hope and trust, that all our Brethren this day, for. getting the mistakes and errors of the past, will rally with one heart, one soul, one voice, around your Grand Master, whoever he may be, in disseminating, teaching and working the ritual, work and lectures of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, and no other.

OUR NATIONAL DIFFICULTIES.

Several documents have been sent to me from abroad in relation to our national difficulties. It is my opinion, Brethren, that we will only embarrass ourselves by meddling with the subject. The matter has assumed too vast proportions, and is in too belligerent a condition for a peaceful society to meddle with at present. Let us endeavor so to conduct ourselves, and to so live and act out the principles of Masonry, that when the time comes for us to interpose, we may be found ready to act in this all important matter.

We must close our extracts here. Our Brother in concluding the business part of his address, declines a re-election to the high office which he has held for the past three years, and concludes with fitting notices of the death of several distinguished Brethren of Illinois. Two of these will be found in another place.

DIES IRAE.

THE Craft are now indulging the usual siesta that follows the labors of winter, culminating in the excitements of the annual session of the Grand Lodge in June. The ceaseless activity of the past few months is sensibly diminished, and the sound of the Gavel falls on ears at longer intervals, as if the tired workmen were determined on having their half-holiday. This is eminently proper as a recuperative measure, especially at this time, when even the unthinking begin to comprehend the appalling destitution and suffering likely to accompany the advent of winter. The burdens and calamities of a state of war will then be manifest in the hideous proportions of a full-grown dragon, while now they merely scratch us like the pleasantry of lion's cubs. Then, little children, shrinking women, and even strong men, will need bread, not to be furnished by expressions of inere sympathy; on the contrary, every means of relief will be taxed to their uttermost, that this great community may not witness the dire spectacle of human beings yielding up their lives to the demon of starvation. Among these suffering ones.will be many of our own household, with a double claim on our bounty and benevolence; and while there is a dollar left at our disposal, we cannot stand idly by and witness their need unrelieved.

Rest, then, Brethren, while you may; but let it be the prelude to greater exertion. Enlarge your treasuries as your means permit, and guard them vigilantly till the swiftly-approaching hour when their contents will be demanded in the name of humanity-a sound that has never fallen unheeded on Masonic ears. Let your duty be nobly accomplished in the dark hour of trial; and when brighter days dawn upon us, your note shall not be the least harmonious in the choral of welcome that will greet them.-N. Y. Despatch.

FREEMASONRY IN TURKEY.

RECENT advices from Constantinople bring us the intelligence-not very deplorable in its character-that the late Sultan had departed this life. Notwithstanding the familiar classical adage, “De mortuis nil nisi bonum,” we are still constrained to speak in terms of truth of the deceased potentate. His character may be summed up in a few words. Notwithstanding his contact and alliance with the two greatest powers of Europe, which combined to sustain his throne and save his nation from Russian absorption, and the deep debt of gratitude which should have been the sequel of his salvation through the influence of the French and English arms, he was an illiberal and narrow-minded monarch toward Europeans and those of all religions other than the Mahomedan. The legacy of bigotry left by the great Prophet of his faith to his successors suffered, in the hands of the deceased Sultan, no diminution of venom nor lack of bulk. As reigned the immediate successor of the Prophet-save in the bare power to injure-so reigned he, a bigot and a sensualist, possessing not one virtue to offset a thousand crimes of omission and commission. He lived within himself, with no care for his people, except to make the millions whom he governed minister to his voluptuousness and his vices. His character as a monarch can be exemplified in a single sentence: During his whole reign he did not inaugurate a single measure for the good of his subjects, nor perform an act which could justly point an epitaph of praise, or be inscribed with credit on his mausoleum. Upon Masonry he always looked with disfavor; and, without examining into the merits of the Craft, or informing himself, by any authentic means, of the origin, aims and moral tendencies of the institution, under the guidance of his bigoted ministers, placed it in the category of Atheism.

On his death-bed and through that haze with which disease had surrounded his mental vision, he appears to have looked back clearly on the past, and to have momentarily arrayed before his mind some of the leading errors of his reign. Four days previous to his death he summoned to his presence his brother and heir-apparent, Abd-ul-Aziz Effendi, who immediately obeyed the summons. On entering the death-chamber with tearful eyes, he stooped down and kissed the edge of the coverlet of the royal couch, and stood with folded arms in an attitude of respect.

The Sultan now ordered Halvet, and the apartment was instantly vacated by all the bystanders; for you must know that there is no exclusion of friends and attendants or sunshine from an oriental sick room. Some women had also been in attendance; but these were not the wives or children of the Sultan, but the Hasnadar Oostan, or royal nurse, and a few Halayuks who are exempt from the customary seclusion. The occasion was truly solemn, involving the surrender of an empire by the one, and imposing immense responsibilities upon the other. At the request of the dying Sultan the brother was seated by his bedside, who thus addressed him-"I feel that I shall soon quit this world, and by the laws of our land you will succeed me. I am fully aware of the critical condition of the country, and my heart's desire has ever been to render all my subjects happy; but unfortunately I have not been able to cope with the evil counsels by which I was beset. You know that when I succeeded our illustrious father, of

glorious memory, I was young and inexperienced; but you, my brother, are of mature age, and have had experience enough to be able to resist and to guard yourself against evil counsels. Make up for my shortcomings, I pray you, and endeavor to accomplish those things which I have had at heart, but have been unable to perform. Be firm and independent. Ameliorate the condition of our unfortunate subjects (emphasizing the expression 'unfortunate'); regard and treat them all without any discrimination, as your own children. By rendering them happy and contented you will reinstate the former power and glory of the empire." The Sultan then recommended his children and the rest of his family to his brother's special care and protection. Those who had the opportunity to listen at the curtain before the door of the royal apartment, say that he even mentioned the names of the very individuals who had abused his confidence and given him evil counsel, and warned his brother to be aware of them. interview lasted for more than an hour, and soon after the royal children were summoned.

The

Immediately after the death of the late Sultan, proclamation was made that he had been succeeded by Abd-ul-Aziz Effendi, who scarcely waited until his predecessor's body had been inurned, before proceeding to inaugurate reforms in the different branches of the Government, each of which gave evidence of the liberal tendencies of his mind and the enlightened policy which will hereafter give shape and efficiency to the government of his Empire. One of the most striking features of reform, and one which he exemplified in his own person and household, was the immediate adoption of the principle of monogamy in preference to the system of polygamy, which has cursed the Turks and made Ishmaelites and outcasts of the Mormons. Turkey has now a liberal and enlightened monarch, under whose benign and just sway, and through whose tolerant policy her own people will be made wiser, wealthier and happier. The inevitable tendency of these things will be toward as liberal a policy as to Americans and Europeans, as that which will be exercised toward the immediate subjects of the Sublime Porte; and we may therefore within a few years confidently expect that our beloved institution will find its votaries not only among the foreign residents of the Turkish Empire, but among the better classes of the Turks themselves. Only a few days subsequent to the death of the Sultan all Constantinople was surprised at beholding a Masonic funeral procession winding through its streets, the members being composed of resident Americans and Europeans, who were clothed in the appropriate regalia and lambskins of the Fraternity. In speaking of this event, the correspondent of the Herald makes use of the following language:

"A prominent member of the Order of F. A. M. having died, the various Lodges of the capital resolved to attend his funeral, with Masonic badges and ceremonies. This funeral cortege created quite a sensation in the metropolis, where it was a genuine novelty. The procession was headed by a number of Masons not belonging to any local Lodge, followed by a deputation from the French Lodge, L'Etoile du Bosphor. Then came the English Lodge, the Oriental, succeeded by a number of British and French residents. The English burial service was read by the chaplain of the embassy, and the Masonic ritual by the W. M. of Oriental Lodge.

« ՆախորդըՇարունակել »