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on particular occasions, as in case of the death of the Master, or a Brother of distinction, who has rendered important services to the Craft. The inquiry, therefore, as to the obligation on the part of the Lodge, to comply with the request of a Brother to be buried in Masonic form, is not to be settled by reference to the ancient Constitutions and regulations of the Fraternity; for they are silent on the subject.

What, then, is the usage which has most generally obtained?

This is embodied in the following extract from the introduction to the Funeral Service above referred to:

"No Mason can be interred with the formalities of the Order, unless it be by his own special request, communicated to the Master of the Lodge of which he died a member, foreigners and sojourners excepted; nor unless he has been advanced to the third degree of Masonry; and from this restriction there can be no exception. Fellow-crafts, or Apprentices, are not entitled to funeral obsequies, nor to attend the Masonic procession on such occasions.

"The Master of a Lodge, having received notice of a Master Mason's death, and of his request to be interred with the ceremonies of the Order, fixes the day and hour for the funeral, and issues his command to summon the Lodge. He may invite as many Lodges as he thinks proper, and the members of those Lodges may accompany their officers in form; but the whole ceremony must be under the direction of the Master of the Lodge to which the deceased belonged, and he and his officers must be duly honored, and cheerfully obeyed, on the occasion. But in case the deceased was not a member of either of the attending Lodges, the procession and ceremony must be under the direction of the Master of the oldest Lodge."

From these regulations it appears, that in order to be eligible to Masonic burial, a Brother must be-1st, a Master Mason;-2dly, a member of the Lodge to which he makes the request, or a foreigner and sojourner;-3dly, if a member, he must have communicated the request to the Master of the Lodge before his decease. All these requisites having been fulfilled, the Lodge may, and generally will, proceed to perform the service; unless there be special reasons to the contrary. But in doing so, it is influenced entirely by the respect and affection it bears to the deceased. It is under no obligation whatever to grant the request. It judges of the propriety of the measure for itself, and is at full liberty to act according to its own convictions of duty-not merely to the deceased, but to the Fraternity.

Requests of this character are frequently made by worthy, but not always wisely discriminating Brethren, when a compliance would not only be attended with unpleasant consequences, but would often result prejudicially to the interests of the Institution. This is especially true in large and populous cities, where the Fraternity, under a more stringent regula

*Under a dispensation from the Grand Master, in States where dispensations for public processions are required.

tion, would be liable to be called daily into the public streets; and not always under auspicious circumstances. It has, therefore, been wisely left with the Lodge to determine the propriety of granting such requests when made.

The rule, as given by Preston, and which, he says, is "according to ancient custom," excludes all Brethren, except members of Lodges, "foreigners and sojourners," from the privilege of a Masonic burial; and this is nearly in accordance with the present constitutional regulation of the Grand Lodge of England. The difference is, that the latter makes no exception in favor of foreigners or sojourners. The deceased must have been a member of a Lodge, and the request must have been made to the Master of the Lodge of which he was a member. But the practice in this country has, to some extent, given a broader construction to the rule; or, in other words, the rule is not always strictly regarded; and aged Brethren, who have served the Institution long and faithfully, or distinguished themselves in the service of their country, though, at the time of their decease, not members of any particular Lodge, are frequently honored with Masonic burial. And this is occasionally done at the desire of friends, and when the request has not been made by the deceased.

In the case proposed by our correspondent, the Brother referred to was, at the time of his decease, under suspension from membership. The act of suspension, during its continuance, deprived him of all his rights and privileges as a member of the Lodge. If, therefore, it be assumed that, while a member in full standing, he possessed any claim to the privilege of a Masonic burial, it must at the same time be conceded, that he forfeited that claim, when he forfeited all the other privileges with which he was invested by his membership. These could be restored only by restoration to membership. This could not take place after death; for that is the final termination, not the renewal, of earthly relations. The decision of the Lodge, in this respect, was, therefore, correct.

But there is another point in the case, on which we will venture to say a few words. Our correspondent intimates that the disability under which the deceased labored, did not "extend to his character or worthiness," but" probably arose from incompetency" or inability to discharge his pe cuniary obligations to the Lodge. If this be true, we do not hesitate to say, that the fact was not known to the Lodge at the time of the suspension, or it would not have taken place. There is not a member of the Lodge who would not have paid the dues from his own pocket, if the sus pension could not have been otherwise arrested. There is not a Lodge in the world, that would suspend an honest and worthy Brother for such a

cause.

And we refer to it thus particularly, merely for the purpose of

again entering our protest against the severity of the punishment inflicted in some of the States, for delinquencies of this nature. Had the Brother resided within the jurisdiction of some other Grand Lodges, he would have been expelled and published-disgraced before the whole Fraternity-not for any moral delinquency, but for his poverty! This would not have been knowingly and wilfully done; but, as in the present case, from the want of correct information-from ignorance of his true pecuniary condi tion. It may be said, that a Brother, in such case, should make his circumstances known to the Lodge. A proud, high-spirited man will not do this. Our Lodges cannot, therefore, be too cautious in dealing with this class of delinquents. They should be well assured that the delinquency does not arise from inability, before they proceed to stringent measures; and in all cases, the punishment should be scrupulously graduated by the nature of the offence. This is not done when expulsion, the highest penalty that can be incurred in Masonry, is inflicted for the non-payment of Lodge dues, or other slight cause.

We find no fault with the proceedings of the Lodge in the case before us. They were undoubtedly correct, because in accordance with what the Lodge, at the time, supposed to be true. But on discovering the error, if there be one, we should have thrown aside every other consideration, and complied with the Brother's last request.

PHYSICAL QUALIFICATION OF CANDIDATES.

The London Freemasons' Review, in a brief notice of the Constitutions of the Grand Lodge of New York, says :-" There are some few points to which exception may be taken-among them the following:-The men made Masons must be free-born, (or no bondmen,) of mature age, and of good report, hale and sound, not deformed or dismembered at the time of their making. But no woman, no eunuch.' In England, (continues the Review,) we have seen many estimable men made Masons, who were deformed-wanting an arm or a leg—and some even blind! Aye, and they proved to be most deserving. In these days, MIND supplies every want; and the leading virtue, CHARITY, the moral." This shows very distinctly what the practice is in England, and how the old regulation in this respect is regarded by our transatlantic Brethren generally. We have already expressed our views so fully on the subject,* that we do not feel the propriety of enlarging upon it at this time.

*Vide Magazine, vol. iv. p. 5.

MISSOURI MASONIC COLLEGE.

Palmyra, Mo., Aug. 7, 1846. BRO. MOORE:-It affords me unfeigned delight to assure you of the continued success of the Masonic College of Missouri. The youthful institution is rising rapidly into eminence, realizing the fondest hopes of its patrons and founders. Already it is the dependence of Northeastern Missouri, for dispensing the facilities of education in the higher departments of learning; whilst there may be found on its catalogue of students, the names of young men from the States of Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Ohio, Illinois, and the Territory of Iowa. The faculty consists of J. Worthington Smith, President; Prof. A. Patterson, and Prof. H. W. Hollingsworth-gentlemen of eminent moral virtues and distinguished learning. Their qualifications having now been tested by experience, the fullest confidence is felt by the Fraternity and the public in the prosperity of our school in their hands.

Exalted praise is due to the Grand Lodge of Missouri for its labors in setting up this alma mater (in the midst of our rising youth,) from whose beneficent care not only the rich, but the poor too, the destitute, may become the recipients of untold blessings. It is a peculiarity of Masonic works that their benign influences are confined to no single class of virtuous citizens: all such are permitted to enter the Lodge: all young men of good moral character are permitted to enter our College. The wealthy pay-the poor are taught gratis :—that is, the Lodges that send them, defray their expenses Masonically. Such is Masonic benevolence. Look at it. "The sun at high meridian is the beauty and glory of the day; for then his refulgent beams strike not merely on the loftiest peaks, but look down with cheering warmth into the deepest valley, and light up with a glow of radiance the loneliest stream that wanders on its bosom."

I had the good fortune to be present at a celebration of the 24th June last, at the College; and was so pleased that on my return home I prepared an account of it for you, but neglected to send it. The request of a friend has revived the original intention, which I now hope to execute, and perhaps to submit a few suggestions, touching the future advancement of the institution.

The College is twelve or fourteen miles west of this place; the road lying for the most part over a beautiful and even prairie. To be in the best plight for enjoying the occasion, I went up on the afternoon of the 23d. When I arrived at the refectory of the College boarding-house, (a most excellent establishment, kept by Mr John Higbee,) the whole institution was a scene of the most active bustle. The steward, the honorable Professors and their families, the students, the servants, not to mention several of the neighbors who had come in, were busily engaged in providing for the expected celebration. Minerva had relaxed the usual severity of her brow. From her wonted occupations of poring over the classic page, measuring the power of the wheel, seeking after the quadrature of the circle, or "tracing the comet's rapid flight through fields unknown," she had turned away to employ her energies in divers and sundry businesses, not less important in their place. I almost fear she was at that moment directing her thoughts to such unclassic themes as pork, veal and mutton. Nay, I have reason to believe that

by her special orders, several dozen of those birds deemed sacred to Esculapius, were cut up and stewed into pies; that by a similar oracle, both pigs and turkeys were roasted whole, and gallons upon gallons of peas, beans, onions, cherries, currants, &c., were manufactured into fabrics of the most approved invention, for the use of the votaries of the blue-eyed goddess and their guests, not forgetting the ice-creams, that last best dish of every dinner on the 24th June. In other words, Mr Higbee, who, in the capacity of college steward, is president and commander-in-chief of a most important department of the Masonic College-the eating department-was getting ready a most tasteful and elegant repast, to be served up on the ensuing day, when the Craft should be "called from labor to refreshment"; and the other dignitaries named were adorning with evergreens and otherwise preparing the college chapel for the coming ceremonies. The evening was soft and mild; the vegetable kingdom in all its glory. A pleasant breeze sprang up, and the setting sun, which went down without a cloud upon its face, revealed one of those gorgeous prospects so common at this season on our western prairies. From sundown till dark, flocks of students were traversing the walks and grounds about the College, in every direction; from the refeetory to the dormitories, from the dormitories to the chapel, and thence to the residences of the President and Professors-their motions indicating the perfection of their health and vigor, and their countenances beaming with cheerfulness and contentment. The night was ushered in with music, which was continued till a late hour, when I fell asleep amidst a confusion of agreeable sensations, such as are apt to oppress the mind when a great number of pleasurable objects are presented in quick succession to its view, without allowing it to dwell sufficiently upon any one of them.

The proceedings of the 24th lost a portion of their interest, in the opinion of some, because there was no Masonic procession. Not so with myself. Standing upon a spot of earth here in the far West, which the Grand Lodge of Missouri had consecrated to the cause of human learning, I could but cast my eyes back a brief period, when all around me was a waste and howling wilderness. As yet, Marquette and his companions had not descended the Mississippi. I heard, in fancy, the fierce yell of the Sac and Winnebagoe savage, and saw the affrighted buffalo roused from his lair upon this very college ground. I remembered that so late as 1833, the celebrated "Black Hawk" had raised the war-cry against "the settlers," and stricken terror to many a heart on this very prairie. But now, the hunter and the hunted were gone-the smoke of the wigwam was swept away;-of the wigwam itself no trace remained: instead, the husbandman, the cultivated field, the rich harvests, the splendid mansion, had appeared;—society had already passed through several stages of advancement upon the spot;-a state of elegant refinement was arrived at: Art, science, literature, had here erected trophies commemorative of their triumphs, and were moving forward to the accomplishment of new achievements. The transforming power of civilization which was before me-the character of the events which composed the great outline of the picture-these were the reflections which occupied my mind, and filled it with intense interest. If Lord Byron could not pass the field of Marathon without catching the impulses of Grecian glory, which had expired more than

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