MASONIC INTELLIGENCE.

THE MASTERS', PAST-MASTERS', AND WARDENS' CLUB.

(Circular.)

"At a Meeting of Masters, Past Masters, and Wardens, held subsequent to the adjournment of the last Quarterly Communication of the United Grand Lodge of England, it was resolved unanimously :—

"That it is painfully evident to this Meeting that there exists an obvious necessity for the re-establishment of a Masters' Past Masters', and Wardens' Club,-wherein, at stated meetings, the interest and independence of the Craft may be considered and protected.'

"The brethren who signed the foregoing resolution will meet at the Freemasons' Tavern, Great Queen Street, on Thursday next, the 13th instant, at Seven in the Evening, precisely, and request the attendance of as many members of Grand Lodge as possible on that occasion."

"London, 10th April, 1848."

The few but expressive words contained in the above resolution conveyed a meaning sufficiently significant to attract the attention of such members of Grand Lodge, as felt disposed to check the inordinate power of the dais to control the floor, and the following circular will develop the intended objects.

(Circular.)

"At a Meeting of Members of the United Grand Lodge of England, held at the Freemasons' Tavern, on Thursday the 13th ultimo, the following resolutions were unanimously adopted :

"That it is evident to this Meeting there exists a necessity for the establishment of a Masters', Past-Masters', and Wardens' Club, and that such Club be now formed.

"That the Members of this Club must be Members of the Grand Lodge of England.

"That the objects of the Club shall be, to have a precognition of the current business to be brought before the ensuing Grand Lodge, to discuss and consider the same, and to suggest such arrangements thereon as may best conduce to the interests of Freemasonry.

"That the regular Meetings be held on the nights of the assembling of Grand Lodge-the Grand Festival excepted-the chair to be taken at six o'clock precisely.

"That the subscription of the members be five shillings per annum, to be paid in advance.

"That the present officers of the Club do consist of a president, vice-president, treasurer, and secretary.

"That a special meeting of the Club be convened for Friday, the 12th of May, at the hour of seven o'clock punctually.'

"JOHN WHITMORE, Hon. Sec. Pro. Tem.

"B. N. Your attendance at the Special Meeting on the 12th instant,

with as many friends as possible, is earnestly requested.

"Freemasons' Tavern, May 5, 1848."

May 12.-At a numerous meeting of the members, the minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed.

Several brethren addressed the meeting on its objects.
Bro. John Savage was unanimously elected Treasurer.
Bro. Scarborough was unanimously elected Secretary.

Seven brethren were unanimously elected as a Council for the year, exclusive of the Treasurer and Secretary.

The duties of the Council were defined.

The Council to meet on Wednesday, the 7th of June, at five o'clock. The Club to meet on the same day at six precisely.

There were many important suggestions, which it would be premature to promulgate at present.

June 7.-The meeting was numerously attended.

June 20.-This evening the meeting was special, and was well attended; inany subjects were discussed, and a system of organization duly considered. The Secretary was directed to issue a circular, intimating that all communications for the Council or Club should be addressed to him at his office, Crosby Hall Chambers, London.

UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND.

(Circular)-ESPECIAL MEETING.

R. W. BROTHER,-Your attendance is hereby required at an Especial Grand Lodge, to be holden at Freemasons' Hall, on Wednesday the 19th day of April, 1848, at seven o'clock in the afternoon, to proceed with the consideration and despatch of such business proposed and intended for consideration at the last Quarterly Communication as time did not permit of being then brought forward. The Grand Lodge will be opened at eight o'clock precisely.

By command of the M. W. Grand Master,
WILLIAM H. WHITE, G. S.

Freemasons' Hall, March 23, 1848.

N. B. The Grand Officers will dine together at Freemasons' Tavern on the above day, at half-past five o'clock punctually.

On the 19th of April an Especial Grand Lodge was accordingly held. Present-The Right Hon. the Earl of Zetland, M. W. G. M., on the throne; R. W. Bros. H. R. Lewis, P. G. M. Sumatra, as D. G. M.; Simeon, P. G. M. Isle of Wight; Humfrey, P. G. M. Kent; A. Dobie, P. G. M. Surrey; Alston, P. G. M. Essex; Shute, P. G. M. Bristol; J. C. Morris and O'Callaghan, Grand Wardens; Bros. Gen. Cooke, Sirr, Crucefix, M'Mullen, Baumer, Philipe, and many other Present and Past Grand Officers-in all forty-five;-several Grand Stewards; the Master, Past Masters, and Wardens of the Grand Stewards' Lodge, and the same of many other lodges.

The Grand Lodge was opened in ample form.

The Grand Master called on Bro. Dobie to proceed with his motion as the first marked on the business paper.

Bro. DOBIE had on a previous occasion given notice that he would move that the Board of Benevolence should be empowered to confirm at

a subsequent meeting any grant of money not exceeding fifty pounds, which sum, when it had received the sanction of the Grand Master should be paid; at present if a grant of fifty pounds, or any amount above twenty, was voted by the Board, it required to come before Grand Lodge in the way of a recommendation, and then a long discussion generally took place; this caused a great delay. Whatever might be thought by the brethren, he had but one object in view, and that was to disburse the relief voted by the Board as quickly as possible; his proposition had that effect, as four weeks after the grant it could be confirmed, then submitted to the Grand Master, and forthwith paid, while now three months would elapse between the award and the confirmation of it by Grand Lodge, which again required confirmation at a later meeting. To save this time he moved the resolution.

Bro. SIRR briefly seconded the proposition.

Bro. JOHN SAVAGE would respectfully submit an amendment that would meet the case better than the proposal of the Grand Registrar, whose resolution did not meet the only difficulty he wished to remedy. The Grand Registrar had stated he had but one object in view, that was to save time; but his motion would not have that effect, for it would in every case make at least four weeks between the vote of the Board of Benevolence in favour of a grant and its confirmation, and then time must elapse before the consent of the Grand Master could be obtained. If the sanction of the Grand Master was not a mere matter of form some time must be granted for his investigating the case, which he could hardly be expected to do personally, a correspondence would ensue, and more time would be taken up than was now necessary. The station in society from which by law our Grand Masters were selected, compelled us to choose from among those who were frequently out of town or abroad; so circumstanced, the enquiry into the case of a petitioner must be left to others to report upon-this placed the Grand Master in an invidious position; if after an increased loss of time he consented he gained nothing, while if he refused he came into collision with the Board, which was really the Craft, and that too after it had confirmed its vote. The R. W. Brother was also in error as to time, for the Board met the Wednesday before Grand Lodge; only eight days therefore need intervene before the money was paid, if his amendment were carried; another meeting of the Board took place five weeks before Grand Lodge, so that eight times out of twelve the time would be less than by the arrangement contemplated by the R. W. Brother. His greatest objection however was to give a responsibility to the M. W. Grand Masters, present and future, which they would feel placed them in an unpleasant position, to refuse a grant to a distressed applicant, which had already received the sanction of two Boards, and that refusal would be frequently enforced upon the representation of others. He had not the slightest wish to curtail the present privilege of the Grand Master as to grants of 207., but he could not consent to place a power in his hands to exercise only to his own disadvantage. His amendment was, that th recomme grants of money for benevolent purposes

should be paid by an order of Grand

and not require confirmation.

and left the power where it

Lodge had been impro

case; this imposed

Grand Registrar h

the power he was

vote, the merits of which they did not know, but which they might be easily induced to confirm or reject; this was of so dangerous a tendency, and opening the door for the admission of so much personal feeling, that he was sure the brethren would pause, and reject such a very questionable proposal, giving as it would to a few the means of using their power tyranically; he believed Grand Lodge would agree unanimously to his amendment, and had therefore asked no one to second it.

Bro. B. S. Phillips seconded the amendment.

The GRAND MASTER Concurred in what had just been stated; he (and he had no doubt his successors also) would take all the responsibilities attached to the office he had the honour to fill, and any other responsibility the Grand Lodge might place upon it, but where such increased duties were uncalled for it would be as well to avoid them; he should act, when called upon by the law to decide the case of a petitioner, as fairly as his judgment would allow-but he must admit it would place the Grand Master in but an indifferent position if he were to refuse relief when it had been voted by two consecutive Boards of Benevolence, yet he might consider himself in justice bound to do so. It was for Grand Lodge to decide this question, but he believed the amendment met the difficulty which had heretofore existed.

Bro. Humfrey supported the original motion.

Bro. HAVERS rose to make an enquiry, which was, whether the proposer of the amendment meant all grants of the Board, or grants of twenty to fifty pounds? [A conversation hereupon ensued, which ended by Bro. Havers expressing his satisfaction at having made enquiry, by which he had elicited what really was intended, not to curtail the Grand Master's present prerogative. He saw no objection to the amendment]. Bro. M'MULLEN would propose an amendment to the effect, that if a vote passed the Board of Benevolence, the money might be paid when sanctioned by the Grand Master.

The question of order was then discussed, as to the power of an amendment being moved on an amendment. Bro. M'Mullen arguing, if the amendment of Bro. Savage was carried, it would decide and close the debate; Bros. Savage and Dobie held different opinions.

The GRAND MASTER decided, that the practice in the House of Commons was to adopt the amendment as part of the original motion, and the resolution was, that all the words after "that" be omitted, and those of the amendment be substituted to stand part of the original motion; this was always done in the House of Commons, with the forms of which he was well acquainted, from twenty years' experience; he could not say what was the custom in the House of Lords, for their system was so irregular, that he defied any one, however attentive he might be, to ascertain correctly-he should, therefore, put the question in the shape he had held to be regular, and then any brother could put in an amendment, which course could be continued as much as they liked, and propose as many amendments as they thought proper. The amendment was then unanimously carried to stand part of the original motion.

Bro. M'Mullen's amendment was then proposed, but only two hands held up for it.

THE RED APRON.

Bro. BIGG's motion for an alteration in the appointment of Grand Stewards, being next on the list, was then taken. The brother, in a

lucid, eloquent, and well arranged address, which occupied three quarters of an hour in the delivery, entered fully into the merits of the subject, requesting, however, at the outset, that as he spoke very rapidly, and was not pleased with the Grand Reporter's mode of detailing the proceedings, that he might not be reported at all. This the Grand Master overruled as incompatible with the vote that had been come to in Grand Lodge.* We are unable to give a correct report, from the total disregard that is paid to the accommodation of our reporter, and therefore can only give the heads of the arguments. Bro. Bigg having traced the history of the Grand Stewardship from its origin to the present time, the various arrangements to which it had been subjected, and the injustice of allowing only eighteen lodges, which had no particular claims, nor had done anything of importance to deserve a distinction; proceeded to combat the arguments that were likely to be adduced against his proposal, and which he had heard out of doors; and concluded by moving, that all the lodges in the London district be permitted to send eighteen Stewards in rotation annually, beginning with the highest number on the masonic list, and so on; but if the lodge to which the turn came refused or neglected to avail itself of the privilege, then the Grand Master to name any lodge he pleased to send a Grand Steward for that year.

Bro. DOVER, P. G. S., seconded the proposition on principle, not for party feeling, and because he anticipated very great benefit to result from it to the masonic charities. A printed statement was distributed at the last Grand Lodge, evidently for the purpose of showing how large an amount of money has resulted to the charities from the red apron lodges; now if this motion was carried, as he hoped it would be, instead of only eighteen, there would be one hundred and eight lodges consecutively enjoying the honour of the red apron! and as it ought not, for one moment, to be supposed that any one of them would knowingly allow an unworthy brother to be their representative in Grand Lodge; there was every reason for his anticipations being realized, from the emulation of one hundred and eight compared with that of eighteen. He could not suppose that the charities would be prejudiced by this motion, when at once and very soon the Board of Grand Stewards would include representatives from such lodges as Nos. 3, 16, 38, 109, 200, and 317, and a great many others of equal respectability. This printed statement afforded very strong argument in favour of the motion, for it proved by arithmetical numbers how much of the "masonic ornaments, benevolence and charity," have resulted from the honour or privilege of the red apron. It is there stated that the conjoint donations of the one hundred and eight lodges were, during seven years, 87061. 2s. 6d. i. e. 117. 108. 4d. annual average from each. Of this total 28877. 98. i. e. 4l. 118. 8d. only, is the annual average from each of the ninety; whereas 58187. 138. 6d., or 46l. 3s. 7d, is the annual average from each of the red apron lodges. Ergo, the honour alone (red apron) has produced this grand result; and he did think that the one hundred and eight would give double what the eighteen have done; it would be retrograde to think otherwise. But if, severally, they only contributed one-half of the annual average of the eighteen, the result to the charities would be 17,420/. 148. 6d., which is more than double the united amounts upon this paper!! The desire for the extension of the honour or privilege of

*We believe this was an error, as the Grand Master appointed a reporter, &c., to give a correct report, and not by a vote of Grand Lodge. The Grand Master, however, undertaking the entire responsibility of such report.