Lodge Histories. Masonic Toleration

a Grand Lodge for Scotland, and its members were to be LODGE HISTORIES. fonnd filling some of the highest offices for many years afterwards. Several other interesting items regarding the early days of the Grand Lodge of Scotland are referred CANONGATE KILWINNING, No. 2, SCOTLAND. to in this chapter, but sufficient has already been extracted to prove the position of the Canongate Lodge at the (Continued from p 114.) period. Keverting to the history of the Lodge itsel f, we find meeting of the 15fch October 1736, to which THE fchafc on 3rd December 1735 a visitor, who affirmed he was reference has alread been made, was attended by y a Master Mason, was challenged, bnt refused to undergo delegates from four of the Edinburgh Lodges—Mary's a " tryall " in the same way the other visitors had done. Canongate Kilwinning, Kilwinning Scots Arms, Chapel, The Master accordingly dismissed the " Fellow Crafts and and Leith Kilwinning—and the resnlt of their delibera - Prentices," and proceeded to interrogate the visitor, the tions is set forth in the minutes, of which the following is opinion being that he was neither Fellow Craffc nor Master a summary : In the first place, it was decided the four Mason , npon which the Lodge expressed the view that ho Lodges shonld nofc insist on any precedency, but that the had imposed upon them and considered he was a very Officials should take their place according as they enter , " weak entered Prentice and that was all he could pre- the room." The Clerk of Mary 's Chapel was appointed to , act as Clerk to tho meetings and it was agreed that such tend to. , The minutes of 24th June 1736 record an applica- proposals as were approved of should be communicated tion from three brethren asking to bo separated from the by circular letter to fcho respective Lodges of Scotland— Lodge and formed into a new Lodge afc Leith. The appli- signed by the Masters of the particular Lodges by turns cation was granted , and the new Lodge was regularly —in order to have their approbation. Lodges were to be consecrated and ordained , and thus we see the origin of represented upon the day of election of Grand Master b y fche Leith Kilwinning Lodge, from which " branched off their Master and Wardens, either personally or b proxy. y St. David's, No. 36 on the roll of the Grand Lodge of Mary's Chapel was appointed as the place of election of Scotland." At the meeting of 27fch December 1736 many Grand Master, who would there name his Depufcy and distinguished Masons were present, among them John Wardens. We thus see that particular care was taken in third Earl of Kintore who was Grand Master of Scotland those early days to prevent any thing like jealousy, or undue , in 1738 and of England in 1740. This brother was ap- preference, among the four Lodges taking the loading , y Grand Master St. Clair one of the Grand part in this important work and brethren of to-day pointed b , will The Grand Master full y recognise tho benefit of the course adop Wardens at this same meeting. ted. On afc this time, at ono of 3rd November following Canongate Kilwinning Lodge presided at several of the meetings which (3rd January 1737) the Ri ht Hon. the Lord Drum- took into consideration the method proposed for bring g ing more one of fche Lords of Session , was admitted, while about a Grand Master, and were unanimously of opinion , among the visitors was the Earl of Kintore, now described til-it Bro. William Sinclair of Roslino was the most worthy person , and " recommended to the Brotherhood his interest as Master of the Lodge at Aberdeen. in a very earnest manner. Four brethren were also The minutes of this period abound in items of general interest, and from their perusal we may derive some opinion named as deserving of the principal offices of the Grand of the state of affairs at the time. The fees were reduced Lodge which was to be formed , and other details were j , settled. as also the penalty for non-attendance, and in regard to this latter it was resolved that no excuse, save absence On 22nd November Win. St. Clair was raised to the from the dom shonld be accepted as valid. The third degree in the Lodge, and the members at once raised king , meetings were generally attended b distinguished Crafts- him to tho dignity of its Master, he, together with the y men, and it is evident that the Lodge was regarded as one acting Wardens, signing the minutes of tho meeting at of the foremost of the time those on the spot- wnich he was raised. This William St. Clair was a sort of , both by as well as b hereditary Gran d Master, patron , protector or jud y those from a distance. Its membership was ge of continuousl augmented b Scottish Masons, and afc a meeting on 30th November y y the admission of men of dis- a tinction and from the details before ns we may regard the resignation of his office was read , bv which St. Clair trans- , period as one of great prosperity for the Lodge. ferred the honour of the appointment to whomsoever the brethren should be pleased to elect to tho high office. It (To be continued.) was decided thia revocation should be recorded in the books to be kept in the Grand Lodge of Scotland, and then the wethren proceeded to the election of a Grand Master. In MASONIC TOLERATION. consideration of his noble and ancient family, and for zeal the he himself had shown for the good and prosperit is a great deal of sacred truth l ing at the no y of THERE y Craft, the brethren thought fchey could not confer fche foundation of Freemasonry, which pervades every &" nonour upon any brother better qualified or more bone, every sinew, and every blood-vessel of its constitution Properly entitled than this Bro. St. Clair, and he was and its organization. It expresses itself in the words of the ecordingly by unanimous voice elected, and was snhse- Masonic regulation, which all men are required to adhere ti ] , y p aced in fche chair, " installed , saluted , homaged, to, and that truth is Toleration. Here each of us holds J Wledged " aS Grand land ° Mastcr Mas0n of a11 Scot' his own religion ; here each of us tolerates the rel igion of bis brethren. We come together not to propagate our own oo tacts as set out conclusively prove that fche Lod creeds, but to meet those who are our equals J n ge \ , and to make ongate Kilwinning took the initiative in the erection of each other feel that there are good moral qualities, and high virtues, nnd Miiners to he remembered nnd respected among (Translated).—" This Craft came into England as I you nil men and all creeds. To my mind , sir, away back in that say." The reader will observe in fche first place that in far past, ono hundred nnd sixty years ago—I clo not know tho upper line the letter z stands for say : and secon d, the bnt moio—for I am not to be bounded and limited by any phrase " as I you say " is a puzzle. I do not understand it. of these common periods of time in my belief of the anti- I got hold of a book called " English Past and Present," quity of the breadth or spiritual character of Freemasonry by Archbishop Richard Chenevix Trench. It contains a —hut away back ns far ns wo know it in onr English course of lectures on the evolution of tho English language history, thc element which gave vitality to Masonry, the and the first lecture opens thus :— element whieh erratcd brotherhood among its members, the " A very slight acquaintance with tho history of onr own language element which gave fat-en and impetus, and sent it forward will teach us that the speech of Chaucer's age is nofc the speech of as the great pioneer of libert y throughout all the world , to Sl*" ?!t (>n 's—thafc thero is a great difference between the language nnd the under Elizabeth nnd that under Charles tho First, between that raise the oppressed , to break 4he bonds , proclaim iu'der Charles tlie First and Charles the Second, between Charles brotherhood of man—aye, tho equality of the races—was tho Second ancl Queen Anno—that considerable changes had taken that same clause thafc we should tolerate the religion that placo butween the beginning and the middle of tho last century, our brothers professed ; and that , while we claimed thc and thab Johnson aud Fielding did not writo altogether as we do individual and independent right to hold our own creed, we now." should give our brother the equal right to hold his creed When I first got hold of fche Masonic poem, I was sur- and worship his God in tho same purity and with the same prised to see the great; difference in the English language independence that we claim for ourselves. Wo started between now and then ; bufc if any of my moderately in- thero, nnd that spirit spread throughout the world ; and formed readers should take up for the first timo tho whenever you will point to me the religious persecution Chronicle written by King Alfred, in or about 901, he would rlnring the history of the Masonic organization—and there probably doubt the possibility that the language used by has been many such—I will show you that ifc was born of tho Masonic poet about the year 1450, or so, could havo bigotry and intolerance.

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