A History of the of in the Province ofOntario 1855-1955

by

Walter Stevens Herrington Roy S. Foley and William J. Dunlop

History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

Index of Chapters

CHAPTER 1: Chaotic Condition of Masonry prior to 1855 First Provincial Grand Lodge; War of 1812-15;Schismatic Grand Lodge at Niagara in 1802; Simon McGillvary, ; Second Provincial Grand Lodge; Unsettled condition of the Craft; Morgan incident; Sir Allan Napier McNab; Third Provincial Grand Lodge; Appeals to Grand Lodge of England; Resolution of October 10 1855.

CHAPTER 2: Birth of an Independent Grand Lodge of Canada William Mercer Wilson installed as Grand Master; Reaction of Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada West; An- nual Communication of Grand Lodge in Hamilton, July 9 1856; Amending of the Constitution; Diversity in the workings of lodges; Recognition from some Grand Lodges in the United States; Attack made by Grand Master of the ; The Canadian Masonic Pioneer; Constituent lodges; Membership.

CHAPTER 3: Events leading to Union of Provincial Grand Lodge with the Grand Lodge of Canada Resolution adopted by Provincial Grand Lodge relative to Grand Lodge of England and the Grand Lodge of Canada; Reply of the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England to this resolution; M. W. Bro. Wilson’s letter to the Grand Secretary of the Provincial Grand Lodge; Communication of the Grand lodge of Canada in Montreal on July 8 1857; Resolution authorizing the Grand Master to appoint a committee to negotiate union with the Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada West.

CHAPTER 4: Union of the Two Grand Lodges of Canada Meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge on September 8 1857; Formation of a second independent Grand Lodge; The good offices of M. W. Bro. T.D. Harington, Provincial Grand Master of and Three Rivers; Basis of union of the two Grand Lodges; Meeting of the Grand Lodge of Canada in Toronto, July 14, 1858; The consummation of union; The jurisdiction of the newly formed Grand Lodge; Constituent and affiliating lodges at time of union.

CHAPTER 5: M. W. Bro. Harington succeeds M. W. Bro. Wilson The problem of the unaffiliated Mason; The growth and increasing prestige of Grand Lodge; The visit of the Prince of Wales and the bungled arrangements with respect to Masonic participation in the laying of a corner stone to Public Buildings in Ottawa; Numerical strength of the Order; Masonic asylum or charitable institution

CHAPTER 6: The years 1862 – 1868 The tribute to the memory of the Prince Consort; Death of Thomas Gibbs Ridout P.G.M.; Presentation to M. W. Bro. Wilson; Revision of the Constitution; Uniformity in by laws of lodges; Attempts at standardizing ritual; Fenian Raids; Asylum Trust Fund and M. W. Bro. Wilson’s views on the contentious question.

CHAPTER 7: Confederation Thirteenth Annual Communication; Growth of Masonry in first 13 years; Revival of Masonic asylum project.

CHAPTER 8: The Question of Provincial Autonomy in Masonry Fourteenth Annual Communication; M. W. Bro. A. A. Stevenson, Grand Master; Canvassing for Masonic of- fice; Masonic asylum project; Impact of Confederation upon Grand Lodge; The contentious question of an independent Grand Lodge in the Province of Quebec. Contents Page  History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

CHAPTER 9: Further attempts as solution of the Quebec problem Fifteenth Annual Communication; Absorbing problem of the Craft in Quebec; Attitude of Grand Lodges in the U. S.; Negro Lodges; Masonry in .

CHAPTER 10: The final solution of the Grand Lodge problem in Quebec Tentative terms of settlement rejected by Quebec; Belligerent attitude of the newly formed Grand Lodge of Quebec; M. W. Bro. Wilson elected Grand Master; Reactions of Grand Lodges in the U.S. to the Quebec prob- lem; Final terms of settlement; Revival in 1874 of the Masonic asylum project.

CHAPTER 11: Death of M. W. Bro. Wilson M. W. Bro. Wilson elected G.M. for the tenth time. His death; R. W. Bro. Kerr’s eulogy; Eden Lodge in Lon- don ; Formation of the

CHAPTER 12: A clandestine Grand Lodge of Ontario The clandestine Grand lodge of Ontario recognized only by ; Final extinction of this Grand Lodge; Address of R. W. Bro. James A Henderson at the laying of the corner stone of a Church in Lansd- owne; Withdrawal of credentials of representatives from the Grand Orient of .

CHAPTER 13: Four Grand Masters 1879 -1886 M. W. Bro. Henderson’s address at laying of corner stone of town hall in Delta; Grand lodge ruling with respect to participation in non-Masonic functions; ’s relation to religion; Brief tenure of office of Lieut. Col. James Moffat of ; Controversy with Grand Lodge of England; R. W. Bro. J. Ross Robertson and the Lakeside Home for little Children; Masonic burial plot in Mount Pleasant Cemetery; Renaming of the Grand Lodge of Canada; Committee on ritual; Tribute to M. W. Bro. Daniel Spry.

CHAPTER 14: Some difficult Issues Difficulties over jurisdiction in Quebec; Views of M. W. Bro. Murray; Ancient landmarks of the Order; Attack on Freemasonry by Church dignitary in Quebec; M. W. Bro. Henry Robertson on canvassing for office; Grand Lodge’s supreme and exclusive jurisdiction in Ontario; M. W. Bro. Richard T. Walkem and the settlement of differences between the Grand Lodge of Quebec and the Grand Lodge of England.

CHAPTER 15: Years of Achievement Revision of the Constitution; Renaming of Grand Lodge; M. W. Bro. Walkem, mediator in differences between Grand Lodge of Quebec and Grand Lodge of England; M. W. Bro. John Ross Robertson, Grand Master; Grand Masters’ rulings; Tribute to M. W. Bro. Robertson; His memorable contribution to Masonry.

CHAPTER 16: Quiet Years Tribute to memory of M. W. Bro. John M. Gibson; Centennial observance in Toronto of the introduction of Freemasonry into the Grand Jurisdiction; Fraternal Congress in the city of Chicago.

CHAPTER 17: More Uneventful Years M. W. Bro. W. R. White, Grand Master; Final solution of the problem of subordinate lodges of the spurious Grand Lodge of Ontario; Problem of the Asylum Fund revived; M. W. Bro. William Gibson, Grand Master.

Contents Page ii History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

CHAPTER 18: Years of Quiet Uneventfulness Continued M. W. Bro. E. T. Malone, Grand Master; The Grand Master on the abuse of the ballot; Grand Lodge of the State of Washington and coloured Freemasonry; Views of M. W. Bro. Malone; Tribute to M. W. Bro. Malone

CHAPTER 19: Grand Lodge passes its Mid Century Milestone Royal Solomon Mother Lodge at Jerusalem; Untimely death of M. W. Bro. R. B. Hungerford; M. W. Bro. John E. Harding and the Semi Centennial Fund; Fiftieth Annual Communication of Grand Lodge 1905; Grand Master Allen on the condition of Masonry in the Province; M. W. Bro. J. Ross Robertson, historian of Grand Lodge.

CHAPTER 20: The Lull before the Storm M. W. Bro. Augustus T. Freed, Grand Master; M. W. Bro. D. F. MacWatt on social functions and banquets; An invasion of Grand Lodge jurisdiction by a lodge under the jurisdiction of the ; Lodges of Instruction; Revision of Grand Lodge rulings.

CHAPTER 21: The Years of the First World War Hon. William David McPherson, K.C., Grand Master; commemoration of 100 years of peace between Great Britain and the United States; outbreak of First World War; M. W. Bro. Sidney A Luke, M. W. Bro. William H. Wardrope, Grand Master; Grand Lodge finances; Masonic Service of Thanksgiving in Royal Albert Hall in London

CHAPTER 22: Disconcerting Influx into Masonry M. W. Bro. Fred W. Harcourt, K. C., Grand Master; the Eastern Star; conduct at the Fourth Degree; the will of M. W. Bro. J. Ross Robertson and the Masonic library; Notable Masonic visitors from abroad attending Im- perial Chamber of Commerce; compilations of rulings of Grand Masters; concern over influx into Masonry; Col. William Nisbet Ponton, Grand Mster; Erection of memorial stone at grave of M. W. Bro. William Mercer Wilson; growing need of benevolence; appointment of permanent Supervisor of Benevolence; Annual Commu- nication of 1925 and distinguished English Masonic visitors

CHAPTER 23: Numerical and Financial Strength of the Order M. W. Bro. W. J. Drope, Grand Master; Apparently healthy condition of Masonry; Participation in laying of corner stone to Masonic Memorial to George Washington; and its Bi-Centenary Cel- ebration, Jne, 1925; Long service medals for Pst Masters; Death of M. W. Bro. Drope.

CHAPTER 24: Continued Phenomenal Growth of the Order M. W. Bro. John A. Rowland, successor to M. W. Bro. Drope; Important rulings of M. W. Bro. Rowland; 72nd Annual communication of Grand Lodge at the Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph; Masonry and religion

CHAPTER 25: Last Years of the Booming Twenties M. W. Bro. John S. Martin, Grand Master; Plans for celebration of 75th anniversary of the constitution of Grand Lodge; Grand Lodge Memorial Fund; M. W. Bro. R. B. Dargavel, Grand Master; Phenomenal growth of the Order during the decade; Tribute to R. W. Bro. William McGregor Logan, Grand Secretary

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CHAPTER 26: From Prosperity to Depression M. W. Bro. R. B. Dargavel and the $250,000 Grand Lodge objective for the Memorial Fund; Presentation to M. W. Bro. Malone of an oil painting of himself; Communication of Grand Lodge; M. W. Bro. John S. Martin’s appointment of a committee to study the question of Masonic education; M. W. Bro. Dargavel as an ‘ambassa- dor of goodwill’

CHAPTER 27: M. W. Bro. Walter Stevens Herrington, Grand Master 1931-1933 Contrasting decades; impact of the depression on Masonry; Grand Lodge concern over the phenomenal influx into Masonry during the twenties; measures to combat the evil effects of the depression; Masonic education

CHAPTER 28: M. W. Bro. Frank Armitage Copus, Grand Master 1933-1935 M. W. Bro. Copus installed as Grand Master in St. Catharines; his recommendation to Grand Lodge of a medal for worthy veterans in the Craft; report of the committee on the advisability of changing the name of Grand Lodge; Presentation of set of gavels to Grand Lodge; funerals under military auspices; death of M. W. Bro. E. T. Malone, K.C.; M. W. Bro. J. Ross Robertson’s gift of 3000 volumes to the Grand Lodge library; Committee to survey re arrangement of districts; tribute to M. W. Bro. Copus

CHAPTER 29: M. W. Bro. Alexander James Anderson, Grand Master 1935-1937 Official visitations; precedence of toasts at Masonic banquets; 200th anniversary of ; M. W. Bro. Anderson’s impression of that event; Death of R. W. Bro. Logan, Grand Secretary; Tribute to his worth and his service; committee to consider feasibility of dividing the jurisdiction into zones.

CHAPTER 30: M. W. Bro. William James Dunlop, Grand Master 1937-1939 Annual communication of Grand Lodge in July, 1938; M. W. Bro. Dunlop’s impressions of ’s bi- centenary celebration in 1939 of the introduction of Freemasonry into Canada; M. W. Bro. Dunlop and Mason- ic education; Making a Mason ‘at sight’; the annual communication in 1939; The Grand Master’s valedictory address; H.R.H., the Duke of Kent installed Grand Master of the Mother Grand Lodge of the World; The Grand Master’s visitations; appointment of a Custodian of the Work; R. W. Bro. E. G. Dixon elected Grand Secretary

CHAPTER 31: M. W. Bro. John Alexander Dobbie, Grand Master 1939-1941 Improved condition of Masonry; Masonic education; visitation of the Grand Master; outbreak of war; central special war service committee; benevolent committee and birth of Grand Lodge British War Relief Fund.

CHAPTER 32: M. W. Bro. John Alexander McRae, Grand Master 1941-1943 Death of M. W. Bro. John A Rowland; M. W. Bro. W. J. Dunlop, new Grand Teasurer; Grand Lodge assets; the special war service committee; condition of Masonry as seen in initiations, resignations and suspensions; Ma- sonic education; visitation of the Grand Master; the Grand Master’s Masonic career.

CHAPTER 33: M. W. Gro. Timothy Clark Wardley, Grand Master 1943-1945 Precautionary warnings of the Grand Master; influx of candidates; R. W. Bro. Hart’s observations on Masonic education; Lodge finances and financing; substantial surpluses of Grand Lodge; the work of the British War Re- lief Committee; inauguration of voluntary Blood Donors Group; Grand Lodge Communication of 1945; Pene- wobikong Lodge at Blind River; Grand Lodge Bulletin; Medals for distinguished Masonic service; visitation of the Grand Master; Organizations not recognized by Grand Lodge; M. W. Bro. Wardley’s Masonic career.

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CHAPTER 34: M. W. Bro. Charles Stanton Hamilton, Brand Master 1945-1947 End of the war; Grand Master’s commentaries on the times; Grand Lodge finances; the overworked lodges and Masonic education; New lodges; centennial anniversaries; William Mercer Wilson Medals; Grand Master’s comments on lodge financing; Masonic relief to Masonic families in distress in England and Scotland; Domin- ion wide Conference of Masons initiated.

CHAPTER 35: M. W. Bro. Thomas Hamilton Simpson, Grand Master 1947-1949 Grand Master’s observations on world situation; heavy influx of candidates in relation to resignations and sus- pensions; Masonic education; comparison of resignations and suspensions of the twenties and forties; financial situation of Grand Lodge; Food parcels for Britain; new lodges; centennial celebrations; awarding of William Mercer Wilson Medal; District Chaplains; Liquor problem and the Masonic Order.

CHAPTER 36: M. W. Bro. James Patterson Maher, Grand Master 1949-1951 Official visitations; reduced surpluses; Grand Lodge benevolence; lessening inflow of candidates; Masonic edu- cation; Grand Lodge library and the retirement of Bro. N. W. J. Haydon as librarian; lodges instituted; William Merce Wilson Medal; report on the condition of masonry.

CHAPTER 37: M. W. Bro. Nelson Collins Hart, Grand Master 1951-1953 Review of the condition of Masonry since 1930; strong financial position of Grand Lodge; successor to M. W. Bro. Dargavel as supervisor of benevolence; relief of distressed Masonic brethren in the Netherlands; growing membership and increasing number of large lodges; lodges instituted; William Mercer Wilson Medal; Masonic education and its difficulties; Grand Master’s visitations; Lodge anniversaries; Grand Master’s rulings; death of M. W. Bro. Dargavel.

CHAPTER 38: M. W. Bro. Joseph Alonzo Hearn, Grand Master 1953-1955 Grand Master qualifies for high office; Grand Master’s visitations; Grand Lodge finances and Grand Lodge benevolence; Masonic service Guild; Blood Donors’ group; lodges instituted, constituted and consecrated; Lodges qualifying for the ‘gold braid’; medals awarded; Centennial Committee of Grand Lodge; the Centennial Anniversary; the Masonic Church Service, the Centennial Communication of Grand Lodge, the Grand Master’s Banquet; Epilgue, future problems awaiting solution.

GRAND MASTERS’ RULINGS 1930-1955

LIST OF GRAND MASTERS 1855 - 2011

Contents Page  History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

CHAPTER I

Chaotic Condition of Masonry Prior to 1855

HE tenth of October should be a red letter day in the Canadian Masonic calendar for on that day in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, there came into being the first independent Grand TLodge in Canada. There had been several so-called Grand Lodges previous to that date; but they did not profess to exercise supreme authority over their respective jurisdictions, and were known as Provincial Grand Lodges. They operated under warrants granted by one or other of the Grand Lodges of England and were them- selves subject to control of their respective mother Grand Lodges across the sea. The first Provincial Grand Lodge in Upper Canada was warranted by the Athol Grand Lodge of England, popularly known as the “Ancients,” on the 7th of March, I 792, when William Jarvis was appointed Substitute Grand Master of Masons for the Province of Canada West. This Provincial Grand Lodge continued to function until the death of RW. Bro. Jarvis in 1817, at which date the five original lodges sanctioned under the warrants of the Grand Lodge of England had, by reason of the new warrants issued by him, increased to twenty-six. During the latter years of his life R.W. Bro. Jarvis did not appear to take much interest in the Order, nor did he seem to entertain a proper appreciation of the duties of his high office. The war of 1812-15 may have contributed towards the listlessness of the officers of Grand Lodge. At any rate, after his death there appeared to be no life in the provincial organization. The outlook was very gloomy, as no effort was made by those in authority towards reorganization. To make matters worse, a schismatic Grand Lodge had been formed at Niagara in 1802, and from time to time had issued warrants and performed all the functions of a regularly constituted Provincial Grand Lodge. This rift in the ranks was brought about by what the Niagara brethren considered the unjustifiable removal of the seat of Grand Lodge, with the jewels and regalia, from Niagara to York. To Addington Lodge at Bath is due the credit of having adopted measures for saving the Craft from complete disintegration. The members of this Lodge, realizing that some action must be taken towards reorganization, took it upon themselves to summon a convention at Kingston to consider what measures should be taken for the re-es- tablishment of a Grand Lodge. The convention met on the 2 7th of August, 18 1817, the representatives of eleven lodges being present. Roderick McKay was nominated as Grand Master, and in due course a most respectful peti- tion was forwarded to the Grand Lodge of England praying that the nomination of Bro, McKay be confirmed. For five years the convention continued to meet, and for five years the Grand Lodge of England turned a deaf ear to its petitions. During this period it had succeeded in holding the Craft together in the face of many difficul¬ties which we to-day would consider insurmountable. It performed all the functions of a Provincial Grand Lodge, but ever held itself ready to submit to the recognized authority of the Grand Lodge of England, if that august body would take some step to remedy the situation. With no pretence of usurping authority, Articles of Association were ad- opted in order to secure uniformity of procedure. No fewer than seven warrants for new lodges were issued. All of its proceedings were respectful and dignified, and no one rejoiced more over the release from their responsibilities than did the leaders of the convention, when in 1822 the Grand Lodge of England appointed Simon McGillivray Provincial Grand Master. The same man who had exhibited such tact and diplomacy in bringing about the formation of the convention, Bro. John Dean of Bath, was chosen Grand Secretary and rendered just as valuable service in organizing the sec- ond Provincial Grand Lodge. The first meeting was summoned in September, 1822. Eighteen lodges responded to the summons. The task before the newly appointed Provincial Grand Master was not an easy one. There was a feeling that a Canadian and not an Englishman nor a Scotchman, should fill the office, and the indifferent way Chapter 1 Page  History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop in which Bro. Jarvis had performed his duties afforded some justification for such an attitude on behalf of many of the lodges. especially those in the western part of the Province. Simon McGillivray, however, was an entirely different type of man and was closely identified with extensive business interests in Canada. As a young man he had visited this country in 1800. He was a nephew of Simon McTavish, famous in the fur trading enterprises of the new world, and was so familiar with the conditions of the rival companies that to him was entrusted the im- portant mission of fusing the Northwest and Hudson’s Bay Com¬panies. His brother, William McGillivray, was an active Mason And in 1823 was appointed Provincial Grand Master of Montreal and William Henry District. He could hardly be viewed in the same light as William Jarvis, who had neither Masonic nor business affiliations in Canada until he sailed from England in May, 1792, a Secretary and Registrar of the Province of Upper Canada, also carrying with him the warrant appointing him Provincial Grand Master. McGillivray was peculiarly fitted for the task in hand, if he could have found it convenient to devote his time to the duties of his office. He could be firm without appearing to be autocratic, and persuasive with no loss of dignity. The result of his labours was embodied in .a report to the Grand Lodge of England, in which he carefully “’viewed the unsettled condition in which he had found the Craft, and the manner in which he had brought together the opposing elements. He had given dispensations to twenty lodges and did not despair of bringing the remaining sixteen within the fold. He continued to fill the office until his death in 1840 but, while he succeeded in placing the Craft upon a working basis, his continued absence from Canada upon business made it necessary to entrust the guidance of Grand Lodge to deputies, who failed to rise to the occasion. While a few individual lodges manifested a deep interest in Freemasonry and kept their own home fires burning, yet throughout the Province there was a gradual decline in Masonic activities. No small portion of this lack of interest upon the part of the individual lodges may be attributed to the Morgan incident. As the supposed fate of Morgan furnished material for the political orators, editors and pamphleteers, in more than one election across the border, it can readily be conceived that from the mass of matter put forward as evidence it is very difficult to separate the fictitious from the true. In all probability the full truth will never be known. William Morgan was born in Virginia in 1774. He followed the trade of stonemason, was dissipated in his habits, neglectful of his family, and was rarely free from debt. He appears to have spent a year or more about 1821-22 in and about Toronto, working part of the time at his trade, and for a while on a farm. There is no evidence that he was a member or was ever admitted to any lodge in Canada. Upon his return to the United States he managed to gain admission to a at Batavia in the State of New York by representing himself as having joined the Masons during his residence in Canada. He succeeded in gaining the confidence of the Batavia Brethren to such an extent that he was received in the Royal Arch Chapter at Leroy, N.Y., in May, 1925. Subsequently his name appeared among the petitioners for the establishment of a Chapter at Batavia, but owing to his dissipated habits the original petition was withdrawn, and a new one, from which his name was omitted, was prepared and the Chapter formed. He became so annoyed over this affront that he declared his intention of writing an exposure of Freemasonry, and proceeded to enter into a contract with that end in view. One of his accomplices withdrew from the infamous scheme and it is believed that he acquainted some Masons with Morgan’s intention. These brethren, if such they were, with an enthusiasm and daring worthy of a nobler purpose, caused him to be removed to Fort Niagara in the early part of September, 1826. Here he was kept a close prisoner until September 24th when, it is alleged, he was put to death and his weighted body committed to the waters of Niagara or Lake Ontario. Such, in brief, is the generally accepted story of the fate of this misguided and unfortunate man. Although the Craft, as a body, was in no way implicated in the crime, yet the publicity given to the occurrence could not fail to bring Freemasonry into disrepute and dampen the ardour of the faithful brethren in Upper Canada who, amid most dis- couraging conditions, had been making heroic efforts to place the Provincial Grand Lodge upon a firm footing. In 1842 R.W. Bro. Ziba M. Phillips of Brockville, by virtue of his rank as Past Deputy Provincial Grand Master, Chapter 1 Page  History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop an honour conferred upon him by McGillivray twenty years before, took it upon himself to call a meeting of del- egates from all the lodges to take into consideration the state of the Craft and the necessity of forming a permanent Provincial Grand Lodge. At least four lodges responded to the summons, the brethren west of Kingston ignoring the invitation. As a result of this meeting a petition was forwarded to the Grand Master in England, praying that the Honourable Robert Baldwin Sullivan be appointed Provincial Grand Master. No reply to the petition was received. Undeterred by the cold reception given their prayer, the brethren, in response to another invitation by R.W. Bro. Phillips, met again in 1843 at Smith’s Falls. Forty-six brethren were in attendance, representing at least eight lodges. They took prompt action and went through the form of organizing an independent body, the Grand Lodge of Free Masons, Canada West, and elected Bro. Phillips Grand Master. The action of the brethren ill the eastern part of the Province had the effect of awakening the Brethren in other parts, as it was apparent that unless some united effort was made to reunite the whole Province, there was a grave danger of the Craft being split up into rival sections. The newly formed Grand Lodge continued to warrant lodges and hold regular communications until the autumn of 1854, but its sphere of influence was limited to the eastern part of the Province. St. Andrew’s Lodge of Toronto made an effort in May, 1845, to revive the Provincial Grand Lodge, by petitioning the Grand Lodge of England to appoint one of St. Andrew’s past masters, W. Bro. T. G. Ridout, as Provincial Grand Master. One unexpected result of this act was the disclosing of the fact that a member of this same lodge had for nine months been in possession of the coveted honour, and held warrants from both the Grand Lodge of Scotland and the Grand Lodge of England appointing him Provincial Grand Master. Sir Allan Napier McNab, a conspicuous figure in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, was the first na- tive-born Canadian to occupy the Throne in the Grand East. In December, 1841, at the age of 43, when he had already received his honorary title and was regarded as one of the foremost statesmen of his day, he was initiated in St. Andrew’s Lodge and a month later was passed to the second degree in Barton Lodge at Hamilton. He could not at this stage of his Masonic career have been very favourably impressed with the Order, as two and one half years elapsed between his initiation and his next visit to his mother Lodge, and he did not take his Master’s degree until May, 1845. While he was on a visit toEdinburgh in the autumn of 1842, the Scottish Grand Lodge issued its warrant, making Sir AlIan Provincial Grand Master in Canada. This might be regarded as an empty honour, as there were no lodges in Canada West operating under warrants from that Grand Lodge. Sir Allan evidently did not prize the appointment very highly, as upon his return he does not appear to have mentioned it to any of his friends. Two years later, while in England, he laid before the Grand Lodge of England the chaotic condition of Masonry in this province, and evidently convinced that hitherto indifferent body that he was the man to rescue the Craft from an early demise. He returned with a warrant appointing him District Grand Master for England of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada West. Just why he should preserve the same secrecy in respect to this second honour it is difficult to understand, but he does not appear to have taken anyone into his confidence until he learned six months after his appointment that Barton Lodge had called a meeting to discuss the petition of St. Andrew’s Lodge for the appointment of Bro. Ridout. The surprise of the brethren can easily be imagined when Sir Allan turned up at the meeting and announced that Barton Lodge could not very well support the memorial of St. Andrew’s Lodge, as he had already been duly appointed Provincial Grand Master. It was the popular belief that Bro. Ridout was better qualified for the position, but to avoid any further complication a happy compromise was found by prevailing upon Bro. Ridout to accept the office of Deputy Provincial Grand Master, and immedi- ate steps were taken to re-organize the Provincial Grand Lodge, which is known in Masonic history as the Third Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada West. It was an earnest, relieved, but not altogether contented body of Masons that met in the Masonic Hall at Hamilton on the 9th of August, 1845, with Sir Allan Napier McNab presiding. For over twenty years the Grand East had existed in name only, and it was with difficulty that the leaders in the various lodges were able to keep them alive.

Chapter 1 Page  History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

The spirit of Masonry had lost none of its splendour, and as the clouds began to lift, the brethren realized that they alone were at fault. Twenty-seven delegates presented their credentials from seven of the most influential lodges, extending from St. John’s in Kingston to Norfolk in Simcoe. It may be interesting to note, at this stage, that one of the representatives from the latter Lodge who was contented to accept the rather unimportant office of Assistant Director of Ceremonies, was none other than William Mercer Wilson. The most important business transacted at this meeting, besides the selection of officers including Bro. Ridout as Provincial Deputy Grand Master, was the appointment of a committee to frame by-laws for the government of Grand Lodge. By 1852 there were no fewer than thirty-four lodges affiliated with the new Grand Lodge, which held its regular semi-annual communications and led a rather active existence, in striking contrast to the former provincial bod- ies. At the meeting held in June, 1852, the first step was taken for the creation of an independent Grand Lodge. .A notice of motion was given that at the next regular meeting a resolution would be introduced, that the Grand Lodge of England be memorialized to permit the Provincial Grand Lodge to exercise sole control over the affairs of Masonry in this Province. Accordingly, at the meeting in October, a resolution was passed without discussion, so far as the minutes show, and it went much farther than the notice that had been given. It provided for the ap- pointment of a committee to draft a petition to the Grand Lodge of England, praying for permission to establish a Grand Lodge in that part of the Province of Canada formerly constituting Upper Canada, with full power and authority to manage and control all matters connected with such Grand Lodge and all lodges now working under the constitution of the Grand Lodge of England. Although the committee was given plenary power to carry on the correspondence with the Grand Lodge of England, they did not go further than to draft the petition, and pres- ent it at the next meeting in May for adoption. It was couched in the most friendly terms and, while it professed the most “fraternal feelings of gratitude, respect, and esteem” for the United Grand Lodge of England, it made it quite clear that it was the desire of the Provincial Grand Lodge to be permitted to elect its own Grand Master and to have absolute control of the working and operation of the Craft within its jurisdiction-the United Grand Lodge still retaining and exercising a superior and governing power. The only reason assigned in the petition for such a change was the need of a fund for benevolent purposes. This would be forthcoming if the fees for registration, Grand Lodge certificates, and lodge Warrants were paid into the local treasury instead of being sent to England to be disbursed by the United Grand Lodge. There was the usual long wait for an answer from England. Six months elapsed before the next meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge and, although there had been two communications of the mother Grand Lodge since the preparation of the petition, there was I he same exasperating silence which did not tend to increase the “ fraternal feelings of gratitude, respect, and esteem” of the Canadian brethren. At the meeting in October, 1853, a notice of motion was given that, at the next meeting in May, a resolution would be presented calling for the forward- ing of a petition for power to establish an independent Grand Lodge in Canada West. At the following meeting in May it was learned that for some unaccountable reason the unanswered petition had not been forwarded until December; but even so, from December or January to May was a very long time to wait for a reply to such an important prayer. The fact, however, that there had been a long delay on this side of the ocean in transmitting the petition called for less drastic action than otherwise would have been taken. The Canadian brethren contented themselves with forwarding a letter to the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge, complaining that no reply had been received to the petition that had been sent in December, and a further complaint was levelled at the head of the Grand Secretary in respect of the unpardonable delays upon his part, sometimes as long as a year, in acknowledging the receipt of money remitted and in forwarding certificates and warrants. The patience of the leaders was sorely tried and their forbearance can be attributed only to the reluctance of a large number of brethren to sever connection with the Grand Lodge of England. Another session of the Provincial Grand Lodge was held in October, 1854, and still no reply had been vouchsafed to the petition. At this meeting one very important step

Chapter 1 Page  History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop was taken, which laid the foundation for our present benevolent work. The sum of £300 was set aside as a nucleus for a permanent fund of benevolence. An interesting discussion also took place in respect of what was regarded by some as an invasion of territory by the Grand Lodge of Ireland, as there were no fewer than thirteen lodges in Canada West operating under warrants from that Grand Lodge. It was, however, decided to take no action. Ours was not a Sovereign Grand Lodge and it had enough vexed questions on hand with the Grand Lodge of England without introducing another which would probably meet the fate of those already under consideration. The Provincial Grand Lodge met in May and July, 1855, and while the apparent indifference of the Grand Lodge of England was discussed at these meetings, no decisive step was taken. At the latter meeting an effort was made to submit resolutions calling for the formation of an independent Grand Lodge, but the Deputy Grand Master ruled them out of order. A large number of delegates resented this action; and after adjournment they called an informal meeting, gave expression to their views in language that was unmistakable, and unanimously passed a resolution that a meeting be called for the 10th of October in Hamilton to take into consideration the advisability of establishing an independent Grand Lodge of Canada. For some time the Irish lodges in Upper Canada had’ been having their own troubles with their mother Grand Lodge, and were contemplating the establishment of an independent Grand Lodge of their own. The Grand Lodge of Ireland intimated its willingness to grant a Provin- cial Grand Lodge, but upon terms that were not acceptable to the Irish lodges. At a convention held in Hamilton in May, 1855, a resolution was passed, providing that all the Irish lodges send delegates to the Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada which was to meet at Niagara in July, and seek the co-operation of that body in an effort to induce the three Grand Lodges of England, Ireland, and Scotland to grant a united separate Grand Lodge for the Province. No mention of these delegates is made in the minutes of the Niagara meeting. Many a heart-burning might have been saved if their proposals had met with a more kindly reception by the Provincial Grand Lodge. Before dealing with the proceedings of the memorable meeting of the 10th of October, 1855, let us revert briefly to the action of the Grand Lodge of England with respect of the memorial of the Provincial Grand Lodge which reached England before the end of 1853. Although the Grand Lodge met quarterly, the year 1854 was allowed to pass and the year 1855, as far as the meeting in September, without even an acknowledgment of the reception of the memorial. At this meeting, the special committee to whom it was referred made rather lame excuses for the delays in forwarding certificates and warrants, pleaded no excuse whatever for allowing nearly two years to pass before taking action upon the petition, and evaded the main question altogether by submitting “that the expedi- ency and propriety of rejecting or complying with the prayer thereof rest with the M.W.G. Master.” As this report was not submitted to the Grand Lodge until the 25th of September, its purport was unknown to the Canadians until some time after the date fixed for the convention. It does not require much exercise of the imagi- nation to picture the scene in the vicinity of the Masonic Hall at Hamilton on the morning of that eventful day the 10th of October. There were delegates from forty one lodges all the way from Montreal to Windsor, but they were not all of one mind. The leaders of the movement had studied the situation from every angle, and had pre- pared resolutions so carefully worded as not to give offence to the wavering brethren yet comprehensive enough to accomplish their purpose. Small groups of bewhiskered men were gathered here and there in spirited debate as they discussed the situation. In the hearts of some there was a very strong attachment to the old country. The very name, the United Grand Lodge of England, carried with it an air of superiority. The efforts to establish in Canada a form of stable government had not up to this time been very successful. There was a tendency to lean upon the Motherland, to look to her for support and guidance, to place implicit confidence in her counsels, and that same dependent attitude prevailed in matters Masonic. owed its existence to the Grand Lodges of England and Ireland. There was, of course, the example of the Grand Lodges across the lakes which had originated from the same source but had thrown off their allegiance and had become

Chapter 1 Page  History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop successful. independent, sovereign bodies. Then again the argument was advanced that matters could not be worse, for the Grand Lodge of England was absorbing for her own benevolent purposes the surplus funds of the Canadian lodges, and at the same time sending to our shores many emigrants who sooner or later became a charge upon the Masons here. The unpardonable delay in forwarding certificates and warrants was common knowledge; so the pros and cons were eagerly discussed until the hour arrived for calling the meeting to order. There was no unseemly levity about the proceedings as all felt that they were engaged upon serious business. The first resolu- tion passed was to the effect that the convention was to be conducted according to the rules and regulations gov- erning meetings of the Grand Lodge of England. That first step must have awakened in the breasts of many pres- ent a feeling of filial respect. A committee was next appointed to prepare a series of resolutions to be presented to the meeting. Needless to say, these resolutions were already in the pockets of some members of the committee, for although the convention adjourned at 6 p.m. and reassembled at 7.30. The committee was promptly on hand prepared to submit the resolutions. The preamble to the first one, which recited all the grounds for desiring the for- mation of an independent Grand Lodge, would have required the full hour and a half to prepare. The concluding part, however, was brief and to the point: “Therefore be it resolved that in order to apply a remedy to the evils, to form perfect fraternal union and harmony, establish order, ensure tranquility, provide for and promote the general welfare of the Craft, and secure to the fraternity of Canada all the blessings of Masonic privileges--it is expedient, right, and our bounden duty, to form a Grand Lodge of Canada.” This resolution was carried by a vote of forty to one. The one brother who voted against it was not opposed to it but felt it his duty to do so in the absence of instructions from his lodge to support it. The first resolution declared in favour of the principle, and the second in a very few words brought into being that organization which now permeates every corner of our Province, and ranges under its banner no fewer than 115,000 members. It read as follows: “That we, the representatives of regularly warranted Lodges, have in convention assembled resolved that the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of Canada be and is hereby formed upon the ancient charges and constitutions of Masonry.” To this resolution there was not one dissenting voice. Step by step the work of organization proceeded, and the evening session concluded with the appointment of a committee, headed by William Mercer Wilson, to prepare a constitution for the newly formed Grand Lodge. On the following morning the committee reported and the draft constitution was adopted. Then followed the election of officers, and the meeting showed its gratification in no mistakable manner when it was announced that William Mercer Wilson was elected the first Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada. The business of the convention concluded in harmony by the appointment of a commit- tee to make the necessary arrangements for the installation of the Grand Master-elect.

Chapter 1 Page  History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

CHAPTER II. Birth of An Independent Grand Lodge of Canada

N appeal was first made to a Past Grand Master of the Grand -Lodge of New York to perform the instal- lation ceremony, but the Grand Master did not think it prudent to advise him to accept the invitation; Aso the committee proceeded to Detroit where their request was readily granted. The Honourable H. T. Backus. Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Michigan, graciously accepted the invitation. Accordingly, at a special meeting held in the Masonic Hall in Hamilton on the 2nd of November. 1855. The new Grand Lodge was duly constituted under the name of “The Most Worshipful, The Grand Lodge of Ancient. Free and Accepted Masons of Canada” and William Mercer Wilson, in due and ancient form. was installed as the first Grand Master thereof. After tendering to Bro. Backus the thanks of the Grand Lodge for his fraternal kindness in performing the ceremony of consecration and installation in such an impressive manner. the M. W. the Grand Master ..closed the Grand Lodge in ample form with solemn prayer. The first act of the Grand Master was to forward an address to the Grand Lodge of England in which he reiterated the causes leading up to the formation of the Grand Lodge. He set forth in clear and convincing language the discourteous neglect of the mother Grand Lodge to acknowledge the many appeals that were made to her and concluded as follows: “Engaged in one common cause-the good of our fellow-men.by promoting the interests of our time-honoured institution, and it being our first wish and highest ambition to establish and perpetuate “ sincere and intimate alliance with the Grand Lodge of England. we extend to you, in the name of our divine art. the right hand of Brotherhood and confidently claim from you a reciproca- tion of our fraternal regard.” Let us now briefly consider how the action of the newly formed Grand Lodge was received by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada West and the Grand Lodge of England. The former grand body held its regular semi-an- nual meeting in Toronto within two weeks after the meeting in Hamilton, when the new Grand Lodge was orga- nized. The subject was introduced by the reception of a letter from the Grand Master of New York, explaining why he had refused to give his consent that his Grand and Past Grand Officers might perform the consecration and installation ceremony. There was also a letter from Norfolk Lodge, the first of its kind, withdrawing allegiance from the Provincial Grand Lodge. It was also announced that seven more lodges had followed the example of Norfolk Lodge. The Provincial body misjudged the extent of the prevailing sentiment in favour of an independent Grand Lodge; otherwise it would have fallen in line and graciously co-operated in seeking to unite all Masons in the Province under one Grand Lodge, thereby avoiding much friction and bitterness that followed. Instead of adopting this, which in the light of what subsequently occurred was the only sensible course to pursue, it threw down the gaunt- let to M.W. Bro. Wilson and his followers by warning all lodges in the jurisdiction not to admit to their lodges any member of Norfolk Lodge nor of any other lodge which might adopt the same course, until the Provincial Grand Master received instructions from England how to act. This, of course, necessitated a renewal of the appeal to the Grand Lodge of England, with very little expectation that an early’ reply would be forthcoming. At the next semiannual meeting in May, the Provincial Lodge carried its hostility one step farther by adopting a report issued from the Provincial Grand Secretary’s office, directing the Grand Secretary to publish, for the information of the Masonic Fraternity at large, a true statement of the facts connected with the movement which led up to the forma- tion of the new Grand Lodge, not only implying in the report, but boldly asserting, that the statements issued by that organization to the various Grand Lodges were not borne out by the facts; yet this report arrived at the same

Chapter 2 Page  History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop conclusion as to the necessity for an independent Grand Lodge, as is apparent from the following extract from the concluding ‘paragraph: “Nearly the entire Craft agree in the belief that an independent organization is essential to the proper and effectual working of the Craft in this Province,” but follows up this declaration with the expressed determination to attain this end “in a legitimate manner and not by violence.” After a careful perusal of the address of Grand Master Wilson, which contains the statements which, it is alleged, are not borne out by the facts, we fail to see that he in any way departed from a fair and impartial summing up of the true situation and of the causes leading up to the organization of the grand body over which he presided. By what “legitimate” means the Provincial Grand Lodge hoped to secure its independence, in case the Grand Lodge of England refused to grant their petition, was not made clear, nor was there any intimation as to how long they would submit to the silence of the Grand Lodge of England, before they too would resort to “violence”. Having placed themselves upon record, as believing that an independent Grand Lodge “was essential to the proper and efficient working of the Craft in the Province”, it was incumbent upon them to point out how that essential end was to be attained. Up to that time, they had no reason to believe that the Grand Lodge would endorse any such proposition. If not, then it could only be secured by “violence”; so that the logical conclusion is that the only difference between them and the organizers of the new Grand Lodge was as to the length of time that should elapse before they would resort to “violence”. Copies of this report, which was calculated to bring into contempt the leader of the “recent movement of insubordination” as the new organization was styled, were sent to the Grand Lodges of England. Ireland, and Scotland and to all the Grand Lodges in the United States, and to all lodges holding warrants under the Provincial Grand Lodge. This was a virtual declaration of war along the whole line. During the previous year, the Provincial Grand Lodge. despairing of obtaining any replies to their written commu- nication to the Grand Lodge of England. concluded to appoint a personal representative in the hope that a personal appeal might secure better results. Accordingly. Wor. Bro. R. H. Townsend of London was appointed and invested with full power to act in the matter. Brother Townsend attended the quarterly communication of the English Grand Lodge in March, 1856. and brought to the attention of that grand body while in session the discourtesy that had been shown to the Canadian breth- ren, and alluded particularly to the committee appointed to deal with the grievances of the Canadian Provincial Grand Lodge. It will be remembered that that committee made virtually no recommendation but reported that the matter was under the control of the Grand Master. Upon motion of Brother Townsend, a resolution was unani- mously carried that that report be printed and circulated. This brought the condition of Masonry in Canada into the arena of the Grand Lodge of England, with the onus resting upon the Grand Master to show cause why some action had not been taken. Another English brother, who felt that the Canadians had not been fairly treated, gave notice of motion that he would, at the next meeting, move that a Provincial Grand Lodge should ‘ have all the privileges of an independent Grand Lodge, except that every three years it should submit to England the names of brethren for the position of Grand Master. The Grand Master evidently felt that he was on the defensive and at the next quarterly meeting in June, he presented a lengthy address, in which he sought to excuse himself for neglecting to acknowledge the communications from Canada. He characterized the action of the organizers of the new Grand Lodge as rebellious, expressed his indignation that the notice of motion above referred to should have been given without consulting him, and promised in a most indefinite way to lay before Grand Lodge, at an early date, a plan which he hoped would be satisfactory to all the Provincial Grand Lodges and which would get rid of their complaints. The next meeting of the Grand Lodge was awaited to see what disclosure the Grand Master would make in respect of his plan for remedying the grievance of the Provincial Grand Lodge, for the friends of the Canadians were forcing the issue and some action had to be taken. At the following meeting in September the Canadian question was supreme. The Grand Master was not able to be present, but the acting Grand Master Chapter 2 Page  History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop presented his address, which set forth his plan for meeting the grievances of the Provincial Grand Lodge. He sug- gested several changes in respect of the provincial finances and the exchange of communications, which were an improvement upon the then existing regulations, but he declined to give his consent to the alteration of the laws, so as to enable the Provincial Grand Lodges to elect their own Grand Masters, and he made no comment whatever upon the question of an independent Grand Lodge. Nor was any reference made to the report of the committee that had been appointed for the express purpose of enquiring into the expediency of forming a body to whom all letters and correspondence relative to colonial matters should be submitted for consideration. This committee had assembled . and reported in time for their report to be presented at the last meeting. The autocratic position of the Grand Master was challenged, a spirited discussion followed, and cries of “Shame” were heard when those speakers who favoured the cause of the Canadians enlarged upon the deliberate manner in which their claims had been neglected. By an overwhelming majority it was resolved that the report of the committee be read, which was a clear indication that the majority of Grand Lodge did not endorse the conduct of their own officials in respect of matters colonial. Nothing further was accomplished at this meeting and the Canadian question was again shelved until an adjourned meeting, which met four weeks later on October 1st. The Earl of Carnarvon, a prominent mem- ber of the English Grand Lodge. had very pronounced views upon the Canadian question and upon the manner in which the Grand Master and the Grand Secretary had arrogated to themselves the right to deal with the matter, instead of submitting it to the Colonial Board appointed for that purpose. When Grand Lodge assembled on the first of October, he championed the cause of the Provincial Grand Lodge and in an address of matchless eloquence pressed it home. and succeeded in securing the unanimous endorsation by Grand Lodge of a resolution referring the address of the Grand Master to the Board to consider and report at the next quarterly meeting in December. The concluding sentence of his address left no doubt as to his views as to the proper course to pursue. He said, “I move also that the report be printed and distributed amongst the brethren at their entrance to Grand Lodge, and that the Grand Lodge considers that no scheme will be satisfactory, which fails to approve of the Colonial Brethren having a voice in the appointment of the Provincial Grand Master:’ This was the position of affairs in England on the first of October. 1856. and it looked as if some definite action was about to be taken. At any rate, the question had been wrested from the hands of the Grand Master and the Grand Secretary who had been largely responsible for the delays in dealing with it. In the meantime, the newly formed Grand Lodge had held its first annual communication, commencing on the 9th of July. at Hamilton, at which much important and necessary business was transacted. There were fifty-one delegates present, representing thirty-three lodges, The outstanding feature of this meeting was the address of the Grand Master, William Mercer Wilson. To him the Masons of Canada owe more than to any other person of his or any other generation, for it was his judicial mind, schooled in the art of balancing the scales of justice that brushed aside the trivial technicalities that stood in his way and brought order out of chaos. It was his patient leadership that marshalled the forces of temperance and brotherly love against those of selfishness and prejudice and came out victor in the end, but not without many a lively skirmish, It was his skill and superior knowledge of human nature that perfected the organization he helped to bring into being. His address upon this occasion was a masterpiece that might well be put forward as a model. To give mere extracts from it, with comments, would detract from its merits. We, therefore, give it in full and commend it to the careful study of the reader. From it he will be able to form some opinion of the gigantic task the Most Worshipful Brother had in hand and the wisdom. tact, and tolerance displayed in the performance of it.

“Worshipful Brethren and Brethren: “Nine months have passed away since the brethren met in this city in solemn convocation, for the Chapter 2 Page  History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

purpose of taking into their most serious consideration the state and requirements of Masonry in this Province; the result of their labours was the establishment of the Grand Lodge of Canada. It is unnecessary now to refer to the doubts which agitated the minds of the brethren as to the neces- sity and propriety of the step which was ultimately decided on, after a long and anxious discus- sion on the various important points the question involved. and when after a careful research into precedents, the light of truth directed us, without violating any of our obligations. but acting in strict conformity with the true spirit of them all, to that great result which will be remembered with gratitude by all future generations of Canadian Freemasons, and looked upon as the dawn of a new era of Masonic prosperity in the Province. “Whilst we have much cause for deep gratitude to T.G.A.O T.U., for the large measure of success that has already rewarded our zealous labours in the cause of Masonry, our path has not been free from difficulties and obstacles. In both sections of the Province there are some brethren, who, disregarding the claims of charity and brotherly love, have aspersed the integrity of our motives and sneered at our earnest efforts to advance the interests of our common cause and unmindful alike of justice and truth, have characterized us as traitors to the Order. But actuated by the true spirit of Masonry which has. and I trust ever will, direct the actions of this Grand Lodge, your officers have steadily persevered in the conscientious discharge of the important duties entrusted to them, to remove the unfounded prejudices of the ignorant, and to correct or to defy the opposition of the vio- lent. The manner in which they have performed their arduous duties merits your warmest approval. and I trust that the Lodges will continue to afford them their united and earnest support, to ensure the permanent prosperity and dignified position of the Grand Lodge. “There are many matters of interest and importance to be brought before you at this Communi- cation, and your prudent action thereon will secure the future harmonious working of the Grand Lodge. You are fully alive to the necessity of approaching the discussion of those matters in a proper Masonic spirit, keeping prominent1y in view that the good of the Craft is the object to which our efforts are directed; and I feel assured that, however we may individually differ in opinion as to the best method to be adopted in order to secure that great end, we shall never forget that as breth- ren it is our especial duty to work together in harmony, peace, and unity. “The amended Constitution comes before you as first in importance and I am satisfied that the Grand Lodge will cordially join with me in saying that we feel deeply indebted to those breth- ren who have devoted so much time, care, and ability to the compilation of that important work. I would here refer in an especial manner to the valuable services of R.W. Bro. Stephens, in that and other matters; his advice and co-operation have been of the greatest importance to our cause, and I have ever found him ready and willing to afford both. At my suggestion, printed copies were forwarded to every lodge for careful consideration, that the brethren might offer suggestions of such alterations as they thought desirable. These suggested alterations have now been re-consid- ered and the document as amended will be submitted for your adoption. Since the last meeting of the Grand Lodge I have officially visited nearly all the Lodges in this part of the Province, and in every instance my reception was most kind and fraternal. I would take this opportunity of earnestly impressing upon those brethren, who may hereafter fill high positions in the Grand Lodge, the necessity and importance of paying frequent visits to the subordinate Lodges, which will not only have the effect of’ drawing still closer the bonds of brotherhood, but will also satisfy those breth- ren whose lot has been cast in the more distant and less settled parts of the Province. that we take a deep and lively interest in their Masonic welfare and happiness, and that they are indeed members Chapter 2 Page 10 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

of that great, mystic Fraternity which has endured for ages and extends its benefits to the remotest regions of the world. “In the course of my Masonic tour, I observed with regret that there existed a great diversity in the working of the various Lodges; and, conceiving that one uniform system of work is essential to the well-being of the Craft, I would strongly recommend to your serious consideration whether that ob- ject would be best secured by first deciding which system of work now in use shall be permanently adopted, and then promulgating it by Lodges of Instruction, or by appointed lectures, or by any oth- er means you may approve. Before quitting this subject, I would suggest that the committee, which you may appoint to decide on the mode of work to be followed by the Craft in Canada, should be requested also to take into consideration and report upon the propriety of adding the “Mark” to the “Fellow Craft’s” degree. It has long been my opinion that the “Mark” is not properly a part of the “Arch” degree, but belongs to the second degree; and a similar view of the subject appears now to have been taken by the Grand Lodge of England as well as by several other Grand Lodges. “The subject of numbering our subordinate Lodges will also claim your attention during the present session. This is a matter of some importance; and, though not unattended with difficulty, I entertain no doubt but that a careful investigation of the subject by a special committee will result in a satis- factory conclusion. “I desire warmly to congratulate you upon the prompt and hearty recognition accorded us by the Most Worshipful the Grand Lodge of Ireland. As a large number of the subordinate Lodges now affiliated with this Grand Lodge were formerly working under warrants from the Grand Lodge of Ireland, the action of that Grand Body was looked for with much solicitude by us all; and the truly fraternal manner in which the expression of our Masonic feelings was reciprocated by them, binds us still closer in that bond of brotherly love which I trust will remain unbroken and unstrained so long as the sun and moon shall endure. “A number of Grand Lodges in the United States, also, have already, in the most fraternal spirit, acknowledged the correctness of our Masonic position, whilst a few others have delayed their recognition out of courtesy to the Grand Lodge of England, waiting until an opinion had been ex- pressed by that Grand Lodge. I am not disposed to condemn the extreme caution exercised by that portion of our sister Grand Lodges in this matter, but will merely say that, whilst the Grand Lodge of England is looked up to by Canadian Masons with sentiments of the highest respect and regard, and whilst her approval of the step we have taken will be hailed by all with delight and satisfaction, we do not for a moment admit that her decision in the matter can in any way affect the legality of our position. The correctness of our course has been clearly demonstrated by many of the most dis- tinguished and best informed of Masonic writers and authorities; and, although by some parties our proceedings have been condemned, I have neither met with nor heard of a single instance in which any but worthless and specious arguments have been adduced against the correctness of our action, or our present constitutional position. “The present meeting of the Grand Lodge has been deferred beyond the appointed time, in the hope that I should have been able to lay before you the reply of the Grand Lodge of England to our Address. I regret, however, to say that up to this time no communication has been received. We must, therefore, confidently hope that the true spirit of Masonry which has ever prominently dis- tinguished the Grand Lodge of England, will so direct their counsels at their next meeting that they will approve of the action we have taken for the security and benefit of the Craft in this Province,

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reciprocate the sincerely fraternal feelings we entertain towards them, and recognize with cheerful satisfaction their sister Grand Lodge of Canada. would strongly recommend that, until the decision of the Grand Lodge of England shall have been received, the course which has hitherto been pur- sued towards the members of those Lodges which have not yet affiliated with us should be perse- vered in, and that we should continue all fraternal offices to those brethren whose conscientious scruples have deterred them from at once joining us in the establishment of an independent Grand Lodge, feeling assured that when the justice of our cause has become fully understood, the Grand Lodge of Canada will unite under its banner the whole Masonic Fraternity of the Province. “I observe by the report of the proceedings of the Grand Lodge of New York, in June last, that M.W. Joseph D. Evans, the Grand Master, in his address to the Grand Lodge stigmatizes us as a spurious Grand Lodge and pronounces us schismatic and rebellious. He even goes farther than this, and presumes to censure the action of those distinguished Grand Bodies who have acknowledged our Masonic existence and position as an independent Grand Lodge. “We have strong reasons for believing that the course taken by Bro. Evans was induced by a circu- lar recently issued by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada West, wherein it is asserted that the statements contained in our Address to Grand Lodge are not borne out by facts; and this charge, or rather ingeniously arranged misrepresentation, supported by further misrepresentations of parties well known to you to be actuated by personal and interested motives, and to be the agents of the Provincial Grand Lodge, has doubtless misled the Grand Master of New York. “I trust we are warranted in the conclusion that the observations of Bro. Evans were made in igno- rance of the principal facts connected with our recent movement; for it would, indeed, be painful to me to adopt the only other alternative, and believe that any statement of a brother holding the high position of Brother Evans amongst the Masons of New York could have been made with an utter disregard of truth. ‘The circular of the Provincial Grand Lodge is the first case that has come before me of anyone having openly dared to dispute the• truth of any statement contained in our Address, which, with a desire that our case should become thoroughly known, was extensively circulated all over this continent. The first I knew of the existence of the circular, which appears to have been carefully concealed from us, was a few days since, when a distinguished brother, a leading member of the Grand Lodge of South Carolina, informed me that such a circular had been addressed to them. Since my arrival in this city a copy has been put into my hands, and it will presently be laid before you. Had it not been for this evidence, I would not have believed that the “officers” who still cling to the Provincial Grand Lodge would have descended to calumniate our proceedings, which they well know to have been taken on calm reflection, with strictly conscientious motives, and in perfect accordance with the principles of the Constitution of Freemasonry. “In addition to the 2,000 miles which I have travelled exclusively on Masonic business, in the Prov- ince, since our last meeting, I returned last week from a visit to Kentucky, which involved a journey of 2,000 miles more. I visited the Kentucky brethren on their invitation, and with a desire to make the acquaintance of the special leading members of our Order in the neighbouring Republic, and I cannot find words to express the gratification I experienced from the kind and fraternal welcome with which I was received, and the pleasure and advantage I derived from the intercourse with the brethren with whom it was my good fortune to meet. These honours and attentions I received as your representative, and it gives me great pleasure to communicate the fact to you.

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“I desire to recommend to your favourable consideration that important undertaking to which our distinguished Brother Robert Morris has devoted so much time, ability, and capital. I allude to the republication of standard Masonic works. By the labour and enterprise of Brother Morris in plac- ing within the reach of all a fund of Masonic information, not only in the publication referred to, but also in the valuable periodical conducted under his auspices, a flood of Masonic light has been bestowed upon the Craft, of inestimable benefit to the Masons of the present day, which was quite unknown to our Masonic progenitors. There are many other Masonic periodi¬cals deserving your warmest support, and brethren desirous of becoming intelligent working Masons should avail them- selves of the opportunity of acquiring the valuable information thus placed within their reach. I can- not quit this subject without expressing the great pleasure I experienced on the receipt of the first number of an ably conducted Masonic sheet, published in Montreal, under the title of The Canadian Masonic Pioneer. The spirit and enterprise displayed by our Montreal brethren, in originating this periodical, entitle them to the gratitude of the Craft; and, well knowing that it is to be conducted by some of the best informed Masons of the Province, we may look forward with confidence to it becoming an invaluable disseminator of Masonic light and truth. “Before concluding my address, I desire to express my high appreciation of the valuable services rendered to the Grand Lodge and to the Craft generally, by our esteemed brother the R.W. Dr. Bernard, the Deputy Grand Master. His unwearied exertions, his untiring energies, his talents and his time, have been freely and cheerfully devoted to advance the interest of the Grand Lodge, and entitle him to our grateful thanks. “In these remarks I feel assured that I express the feeling of the Grand Lodge.” W. M. WILSON Grand Master

After the conclusion of the Grand Master’s address, the meeting proceeded to complete their organization The constitution received good deal of attention. The jurisdiction had originally been divided into the three districts: the Western, that portion of Upper Canada lying west of Toronto; the Central, the remaining portion of the Prov- ince; and the Eastern, the lodges in Lower Canada. The new division provided for seven districts: four in Upper Canada and three in Lower Canada. There was no Board of General Purposes, but the Grand Master. after the opening of Grand Lodge, which was held on the first Wednesday in July, appointed eleven standing committees:

1. On Credentials; 2. On Correspondence; 3. On Condition of Masonry; 4. On Constitution and Regulations; 5. On Warrants; 6. On Grievances; 7. On Appeals; 8. On Finances; 9. On Accounts of Representatives; 10. On Charity; 11. On Audit.

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The duties and powers of the Deputy Grand Master were much more extensive than they are today. Among his other powers, he could hear all Masonic complaints and irregularities, and could restore a brother whom he considered improperly suspended. Dual membership was not permissible. The lodges enrolled under the Grand Lodge were numbered according to the dates of their formation, as follows:

1. Lodge of Social and Military Virtues, Montreal. 2. Niagara Lodge, Niagara. 3. Barton Lodge, Hamilton. 4. Union Lodge, Grimsby. 5. Norfolk Lodge, Simcoe. 6. Sussex Lodge, Brockville. 7. Prevost Lodge, Dunham. 8. Golden Rule Lodge, Stanstead. 9. St. George’s Lodge, St. Catharines. 10. Prince Edward Lodge, Picton 11. Nelson Lodge, Clarenceville. 12. St. Andrew’s Lodge, St. Andrew’s 13. St. George’s Lodge, Montreal 14. St. John’s Lodge, London 15. Zetland Lodge, Montreal 16. King Solomon’s Lodge, Toronto 17. Lodge of Strict Observance, Hamilton 18. St. John’s Lodge, Cayuga 19. Thistle Lodge, Amherstburgh 20. St. John’s Lodge, Hamilton 21. 21 St. Thomas Lodge, St. Thomas 22. Brant Lodge, Brantford 23. Great Western Lodge, Windsor 24. Wellington Lodge, Dunnville. .. 25. 25 Shefford Lodge, Waterloo 26. Vaughan Lodge, Maple 27. Harmony Lodge, Binbrook 28. Wellington Lodge, Stratford 29. Hoyle Lodge, Lacolle. 30. Acacia Lodge, Hamilton 31. St, Andrew’s Lodge, Caledonia 32. Kilwinning Lodge, London 33. Rehoboam Lodge, Toronto 34. Jacques Cartier Lodge, Montreal 35. St. Francis’ Lodge, Melbourne 36. St. John’s Lodge, Ingersoll 37. King Lodge, Sherbrooke 39 Alma Lodge, Galt.

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There were a few other lodges to be numbered but they had not yet submitted their data to enable the committee to allot the proper numbers. The Committee on the Grand Master’s Address reported that it contained, as is apparent today, matter of vital interest to the Craft. They singled out for honourable mention, the Grand Lodge of Ireland, the first of the Old Country Lodges to acknowledge the Grand Lodge of Canada. The committee endorsed the remarks of the Grand Master, regarding the Provincial Grand Lodge, the Grand Lodge of England and the Grand Lodge of New York. The Grand Secretary reported that the register showed 1179 members in good standing. The meeting, upon the whole, was a busy and harmonious one and the brethren were all highly gratified with the progress the new orga- nization had made.

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CHAPTER III Events Leading to Union of the Provincial Grand Lodge with the Grand Lodge of Canada

ATTERS were not moving smoothly with the Provincial Grand Lodge. They met on October 22nd, at Toronto and there was still no word from England. R.W. Bro. T. D. Harington, the Provincial Grand MMaster for Quebec and Three Rivers under England, was present at the meeting and explained that he had received a communication from the Grand Secretary of England requesting his views upon the situation in Canada. A copy of his letter in reply was read and preserved among the archives. In it, he fairly set forth what had taken place, although not justifying the formation of the new Grand Lodge. He sounded a note of warning to the English Grand Lodge, in the following sentences: “Worthy men waver, feeling themselves unsupported, and finally, although retaining their English affection, but losing hope and confidence, they reluctantly look to self-government. They will, of course be received with open arms by the self-constituted G. L. of Canada, to which they will give their adherence, unless the loyal P.G.L. is driven to declare its own independence.” After the Grand Secretary had made known at the meeting the attitude of the English Grand Master, there was an ominous silence. The bond of attachment was being strained almost to the point of breaking. If they had not be- rated the Grand Lodge of Canada for declaring its independence, a motion for similar action upon their part would have found favour among a large number of delegates. Their only hope rested upon the Grand Lodge of England taking some step at an early date to help them out of their dilemma. They were engaged in a three-cornered con- test, in which there was a fair prospect of losing on two sides. They felt chagrined that their loyalty to their Mother Grand Lodge should not be reciprocated by some effort upon the part of that body. They gave expression to their indignation by introducing the following resolution, which was carried unanimously: “That this Provincial Grand Lodge have been deeply pained that the Grand Master of England should have re- ceived in such a manner the constitutional conduct which this Provincial Grand Lodge have pursued throughout their difficulties and grievances and their pain is rendered more intense that he should in any such manner have blamed, for unconstitutional conduct, the Deputy Provincial Grand Master, who has, by the direction of the Pro- vincial Grand Master, conducted the entire business of the Province, and whose zeal for Masonry and efforts to maintain it in unsullied purity, have gained for him the deepest respect of all the Masons in Canada.” Not content with the foregoing resolution, they followed it up with another condemning the Grand Secretary for his careless method in dealing with the Canadian correspondence, and at the same time, dealing another blow at the Grand Master for not calling him to account. This resolution, which was also passed without one dissenting voice, began as follows: “That this Provincial Grand Lodge desire to express, in the strongest terms, their disap- proval of the unjust and uncautious treatment which they have experienced at the hands of the M.W. the Grand Master of England.” The language of these two resolutions was not calculated to win any special favours from the M. W. the Grand Master. The position of the Provincial Grand Lodge was gradually growing untenable. Lodge after lodge was withdrawing its allegiance. They were helpless without the aid of the Mother Grand Lodge, and the years were rolling by and that aid was withheld. They were drifting with the tide towards independence. The Grand Lodge of Canada still extended the hand of fellowship to all the Canadian lodges, but the Provincial Grand Lodge failed to interpret the hand-writing on the wall. Having paid their respects to the Grand Master of England Chapter 3 Page 16 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop by the foregoing resolutions, they turned their attention to the Grand Lodge of Canada and gave vent to their feelings by placing the following resolution upon their minutes: “That the Lodges and individual brethren under this Jurisdiction are hereby strictly forbidden to hold Masonic communication with the self-styled Grand Lodge of Canada or any Lodge or any individual having any connection therewith.” Before adjourning, they decided to make one more effort to move the Grand Lodge of England. A special committee was appointed “to embody fully in a petition, the grievances and present wants of the brethren.” A special communication was summoned to meet in Toronto on the 8th of January, 1857, to consider the report of the committee. There were only fourteen present at the meeting but they were the leaders; in fact everyone was an officer of Grand Lodge, practically all of the officers except the Grand Master, who rarely attended any of the meetings. The petition reflected great credit upon the framers. It was a masterly arraignment of the officers of the Grand Lodge of England for their neglect and indifference in matters relating to the Canadian lodges. It was the history of the Provincial Grand Lodge from the appointment of R.W. Bro. Jarvis in 1792 up to the date of the document, but in dealing with the new Grand Lodge of Canada, they were much more moderate in their tone. They had made out such a strong case against the Grand Lodge of England that they evidently had convinced themselves that M.W. Bro. Wilson was not after all such a transgressor as their former references to him would indicate. Or did they have a presentiment that at no very distant date they might feel constrained to justify themselves for adopting a similar course? They referred but incidentally to the Grand Lodge of Canada and then dropped the subject with the following comment: “Deeply deploring this event, although the very recital your Memorialists have just given must well nigh have led to the conclusion that such a contingency was inevitable.” The concluding paragraph should have left no doubt in the minds of the English Grand Lodge that the time for temporizing with the Canadians had passed. In conclusion, your Memorialists would firmly state that they consider the time has been allowed to pass, when moderate con- cessions would have more than satisfied the Masons of Canada, and that less than entire independence as to the government of the Craft will not allay the excitement which now too largely prevails in this once happy, united, and loyal Province. They would, therefore, memorialize your august body to give recognition to the establishment of this Provincial Grand Lodge as the Grand Lodge of Upper Canada, with full and unrestricted powers, to whom it will ever be a proud and grateful consideration that, hailing from the Grand Lodge of England, they will remain essentially an English Grand Lodge, in this the noblest Province of England’s dominion, that their independence has been constitutional, and that her statutes will remain their law.” The memorial was adopted and ordered to be transmitted to the Grand Lodge of England. By the time the docu- ment reached England, the Grand Master had receded somewhat from his previous haughty air, and was appar- ently impressed with the fact that his attitude was as unpopular with some of the English brethren as it was with the Canadians. In due course the petition was referred to the Colonial Board together with a letter from the Grand Master. A copy of this letter of the Grand Master was forwarded by the Grand Secretary to the Grand Secretary of the Provincial Grand Lodge. He excused himself for some of his former remarks, upon the ground that there was some confusion with reference to the so-called Independent Grand Lodge of Canada and the Provincial Grand Lodge of the same place. He then proceeded to deal with their requests under five separate heads. A.-The power of selecting their own Grand Master. He condescendingly stated that he was prepared to consider the propriety of appointing as ‘Provincial Grand Master any brother they shall report to him as most acceptable to themselves. B.-That they should retain all fees of every sort and kind. The Grand Master proposed a scale of fees substantially less than the tariff then in force and waived all contributions to the Fund for Benevolence. C.-That the Pro¬vincial Grand Master should grant warrants for new Lodges. He gives no direct reply to this request but says that it is a matter that may properly be left to the Colonial Board.

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D.-That the Provincial Grand Master should be empowered to appoint subordinate Provincial Grand Masters. This he flatly refused to concede, saying that that must ever remain a part of the prerogative of the Grand Master. E.-The Grand Lodge should still retain a supervising power. He takes this for granted, as may be easily gathered from the manner in which he deals with the other requests. The Provincial Grand Secretary, by the direction of the Deputy Grand Master, R.W. Bro. Ridout, who was, de facto, the Provincial Grand Master, had replied to the communication of the Grand Secretary of England “that the concessions proposed in that statement are made at too late a period to be acceptable to the Canadian Craft and that they will not be sufficient to allay the strong feeling of discon-tent prevailing throughout the whole jurisdic- tion.” This correspondence took place in March and April before the Provincial Board had reported upon the peti- tion. The Grand Secretary of the Provincial Grand Lodge further stated in his letter that the brethren were waiting for a reply to their memorial and said: “Should an unfavourable reply be received to that memorial, in three months there will be scarcely a Lodge that will retain the allegiance to the Grand Lodge of England.” He gave this, not as his personal view, but as the de- cided opinion of the Deputy Grand Master and the officers of his Grand Lodge.” In the face of this, which could not be construed as anything short of a threat of secession, the Grand Secretary of England replied that the memorial had been referred to the Colonial Board, in conjunction with the Grand Master. He then called attention to the letter of the Grand Master, to which we have referred and continued: “I am further directed to express the earnest hope of this Grand Lodge that the remedies proposed by the M.W. Grand Master will be found to meet the requirements of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada West.” They had already been warned by the Provincial Grand Secretary that the remedies proposed fell far short of satis- fying the Canadians. This shortsighted policy of the English Grand Lodge could produce but one result. This cor- respondence took place in March and April, 1857, nearly three months before the semi-annual communication of the Provincial body, which met in Toronto on June 30th. The memorial which had been prepared with such pains had produced no result. The time for sending petitions and memorials had passed. When the meeting assembled, the Deputy Grand Master knew that they were face to face with a crisis in their history, that the delegates were in no humour for asking any further concessions from England, and he was not disposed to encourage any further petitions or memorials. The time for action had arrived. He was anxious that proper decorum should be observed in their proceedings and felt it necessary to address them before introducing the correspondence. In the course of his remarks, he said : “I regret to inform you that, as yet, the Grand Lodge of England has not granted the prayer of the memorial ad- opted by you, nor does it seem probable, from the tenor of the correspondence which the Grand Secretary will now lay before you, that you will discover any reason for hoping that the privileges sought by the Provincial Grand Lodge will be conceded to it. “The questions involved in that memorial are of the most vital importance to the efficiency and well-being of the Order in Canada; we will discuss them, I am sure, with judgment and prudence and will act with that careful re- gard to the discipline of the Craft which has hitherto marked the proceedings of this Provincial Grand Lodge and which will now be best maintained by the recollection of what is due to the Mother Grand Lodge, from which it has been our privilege and pleasure to hail.” There were other influences at work tending to bring about the change; not the least was the good will and friendly action of M.W. Bro. Wilson. He had kept in close touch with all the events hitherto recorded in connection with the Provincial Grand Lodge; and, concluding that the time was ripe for friendly overtures towards them, he

Chapter 3 Page 18 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop penned the following letter to their Grand Secretary a few days before the meeting we are now dealing with. “Dear Brother Richardson: “I am much pleased to learn that your Provincial Grand Lodge will meet at Toronto on the 30th instant and that some decided step will then be taken on the important question of self-government. I most sincerely hope that the brethren on that occasion will be actuated by no feeling other than a desire for the good of the Craft. “Union is essential to Masonry, and I trust that many days will not be allowed to pass away before we can present to the Masonic world a phalanx of united brethren. Our Grand Lodge will meet at Montreal on the 8th proximo and I need scarcely say how delighted I would be to meet you and every member of your Grand Lodge on that occasion. You have many men of sterling ability and sound Masonic knowledge among you, whose services are required and whose talents are wanted to assist in building our in this Province. For my own part, I shall never rest satisfied until .every good Mason in Canada is united under one banner; and I am happy in the belief that their sentiments are becoming more general and that the members of the Craft, almost universally, are now desirous of forgetting the past and of becoming more united for the future. Waiting with much anxiety the result of your meeting but relying upon the triumph of sound Masonic principles, I continue, dear Bro. Richard- son, Very truly and fraternally yours, WILLIAM M. WILSON.” To that was appended a postscript commenting upon the report of the action of the Grand Lodge of England. He concluded with: “The division which has taken place amongst us has made no change in the friendly feelings I have ever enter- tained towards those brethren with whom I was so long and happily associated; and all I request is that they will give me, and those with whom I act, credit for the same honesty and integrity of purpose they claim for them- selves, a claim which I cheerfully concede to them.” Such a letter could scarcely fail to produce good results. The fact, too, that other sovereign Grand Lodges were welcoming the new Grand Lodge into the fold carried a good deal of weight in influencing the Provincial body. The first act evidencing a change of heart towards the lodges that had thrown off their allegiance to the Grand Lodge of England was a resolution rescinding the one formerly passed forbidding fraternal intercourse with all such lodges. The reading of the correspondence with the Grand Lodge of England was followed by the passing of a series of resolutions which no doubt were anticipated by the Deputy Grand Master and which moved him to speak as he did at the opening of the meeting. They were so far-reaching in their character that we reproduce them in full: “Resolved-That with unfeigned grief, this Provincial Grand Lodge, in fidelity to the Order within the Province, is constrained to declare that separate organization is necessary for the efficiency and stability of Freemasonry in Canada.” “Resolved-That on confirmation of this foregoing resolution (at the next ensuing meeting of this Provincial Grand Lodge) this Grand Lodge shall declare itself an independent Grand Lodge, all warrants from the Grand Lodge of England being returned thereto.” “Resolved-That the interests of Masonry require that proper unity of the Craft should be restored and maintained throughout the Province.” Having gone this far, which was in full accord with the true spirit of Freemasonry, there was only one logical Chapter 3 Page 19 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop sequel and that was that they endeavour to secure that unity by making peace with the Grand Lodge of Canada. In their previous allusions to that body, it was referred to as the “self-styled Grand Lodge of Canada”; but in the concluding paragraph of the resolution, they dropped this offensive epithet and extended the right hand of fellow- ship to the brethren with whom they had waged a bitter war for years, and demonstrated that their love for our Order was strong enough to enable them to forget their differences and strive to restore the harmony that had been interrupted by the action taken at that impromptu meeting at Niagara two years before. They made the amende honorable for some of the aspersions cast upon the men who took part in that meeting by passing the following: “That this Provincial Grand Lodge, being actuated by the spirit of the foregoing resolution and accepting an in- timation of an anxious desire on the part of the members of the Grand Lodge of Canada for a union with those composing this Provincial Grand Lodge with a view to the restoration of perfect unity amongst Freemasons of Canada.” They paid a graceful tribute to the spirit of amity of the committee that had been appointed in the previous Octo- ber to frame that last petition sent to the Grand Lodge of England, by naming the same men as a committee “with power to take such measures as they may consider necessary and expedient to effect such unity -and to meet any committee appointed for a like purpose by the Grand Lodge of Canada, and with them to negotiate preliminary terms on which such reunion may be accomplished and consolidated, reporting at the next meeting of the Provin- cial Grand Lodge.” The Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Canada convened at Montreal on the 8th of July, A.D. 1857. There was a fair attendance of delegates and the officers were there in full force. The reports of the D.D.G.Ms. were very encouraging. The Grand Secretary reported that warrants had been issued to nine lodges, formerly un- der dispensation. No item upon the programme evoked more interest than the report of the Committee on Foreign Correspondence. Grand Lodge looked very eagerly for recognition by the various grand bodies to whom they had sent a statement of their position and the causes leading up to their formation. It was with satisfaction that they learned that many of the Grand Lodges of the United States upheld them in their course of action and with deep regret that others withheld recognition through fear of giving offence to the Grand Lodge of England. At the present time, when our Grand Lodge is recognized and highly esteemed throughout the world, there is no necessity for advancing any arguments to justify our existence, but seventy-five years ago the situation was very different. The Grand Lodge of England, the senior Grand Lodge of the world, was honoured and respected by all sovereign Grand Lodges, many of whom were proud to call her their Mother Grand Lodge. Without recognition from her and other Grand Lodges, the prospects of the Grand Lodge of Canada would not be very bright. Any step calculated to assist in securing that recognition was warmly welcomed. The report of the Committee on Foreign Correspondence of the Grand Lodge of Florida was prized so highly, and rightly so, that it was printed in full in the proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Canada and covered more than eighteen pages. It was exceptionally well written, and the arguments, so clear and convincing, were driven home with an irresistible force; and, best of all, the true Masonic spirit prevailed through it all. Parallel cases were cited and pre¬cedents from many states of the union were brought forward to justify the action of M. W. Bro. Wilson and his friends. The report closed by citing with approval an extract from the report of the Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of South Carolina to his Grand Lodge as follows: “One of the most interesting events that have occurred in the Masonic history of the past year is the organization of an independent Grand Lodge in Canada. Since the first establishment of Masonry in that Province, it has been governed by a Provincial Grand Lodge, holding its charter from the United Grand Lodge of England, while much trouble and annoyance has been felt from the existence of other Lodges under warrants granted by the Grand Lodge of Ireland. The Provincial Grand Lodge holding this subordinate position, cramped in its energies by its Chapter 3 Page 20 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop dependence on the Mother Country, and drained of its revenues by the large returns that it was compelled to pay to its superior, having in vain appealed for a redress of its grievances and for a modification in its charter, at length with the true spirit of America determined to right itself; and accordingly, at a convention of the Lodges holden on the 10th of October last, an independent Grand Lodge was formed. It is not to be doubted that the Grand Lodges of the United States will, with one accord, extend the right hand of fellowship and recognition to this, their younger sister.” It was very gratifying to receive just as hearty recognition from many other Grand Lodges, among them being the Grand Lodge of Ireland, the District of Columbia, Alabama, Iowa, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Oregon, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Texas and Vermont. There was still, however, the unsolved problem of lack of harmony within the Province. The Grand Master voiced the sentiment of practically all Masons in the Province when he touched upon the subject in the course of his ad- dress: “I congratulate you, brethren, upon the high standing attained by your Grand Lodge as well as on the prosperous condition of the Craft generally. Those pleasurable feelings, however, I must admit. are somewhat tinged with re- gret when I consider that I am still unable to announce from this place that a more perfect union of the Craft in this Province has taken place. This has ever been the most anxious wish of my heart and the leading aim and object of all my efforts. I trust, however, that this pleasing duty may soon devolve upon my successor and that he will ere long be in a position to convey to us the gratifying intelligence that every Mason in this Province acknowledges allegiance to the Grand Lodge of Canada.” He then referred to the resolution passed at the recent meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge and the letter that he had written to the Grand Secretary, Bro. Richardson, and concluded this part of his address with the following appeal to the brethren: “I now commend this important matter to your most serious consideration, nothing doubting that your action thereon will have a tendency to increase the Masonic feeling evinced by our brethren of the Provincial Grand Lodge in these resolutions and ensure a speedy and happy union of the whole Canadian Craft.” The cause of union was forwarded one step further by the reception of the report of the Committee on the Address of the Grand Master. Their report dealing with that part of the address relating to the question of union was as follows: “Your Committee are much gratified at receiving the resolutions passed at the last meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge for Canada West, being indicative of an unanimous wish of those brethren who have not yet acknowledged the supremacy of this Grand Lodge to promote unity amongst the brethren. Your Committee recommend that a communication be forwarded to the Secretary of the Provincial Grand Lodge, stating that it has always been the anxious wish of this Grand Lodge to promote perfect unity in the Craft; and, in order to accomplish this object, it is desirable that a perfect understanding should exist between the Provincial Grand Lodges and Provincial Grand Masters throughout the Province and this Grand Lodge with respect to the proposed basis of union. Your Com- mittee also recommend that a committee of seven be appointed to take such measures as they may consider neces- sary and expedient to effect such unity; and to meet the committee appointed for a like purpose by the Provincial Grand Lodge for Canada West, and any other committee appointed by the Provincial Grand Masters for Canada East, and with them to negotiate preliminary terms on which such a union may be accomplished and consolidated, reporting to a special meeting of this Grand Lodge to be called for the purpose. Your Committee feel that they but echo the sentiments generally expressed by the brethren in congratulating the Grand Lodge on the faithful, judicious, and considerate manner in which the M.W.G.M. has fulfilled the duties of his office during the past two

Chapter 3 Page 21 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop years, and doubtless to his exertions much of the present success and encouraging prospects of the Grand Lodge are due.” This was followed by a resolution putting into effect the recommendation of the committee. The resolution read as follows: “That the M.W. Grand Master appoint a committee to negotiate a union with the Provincial Grand Lodge; and that it be an instruction to that committee that they entertain no proposition not based on an entire independence of Freemasonry in Canada, nor any implication upon the constitutionality or correctness of the present position of this Grand Lodge, but that on all other points it is the desire of the Grand Lodge to meet them on a footing best calculated to bring about the union they so much desire.” The Grand Master requested that he might be permitted to resign his gavel into the hands of the brethren to elect a successor in his stead, urging as reasons therefor the pressure of professional business and the need for an immedi- ate Past Grand Master. The brethren, however, felt that he was the one man capable of carrying on the negotiations for a union and he was accordingly re-elected Grand Master. Before adjournment, a resolution was unanimously passed authorizing him to appoint a committee to negotiate a union with the Provincial Grand Lodge with instructions to entertain no proposition not based on an entire inde- pendence of Freemasonry in Canada, nor any implication upon the constitutionality or correctness of the position of the Grand Lodge of Canada.

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CHAPTER IV

Union of the Two Grand Lodges of Canada

HE prospective union of the two Grand Lodges was the absorbing topic in all Masonic circles for the few weeks following the incidents recorded in the previous chapter. All looked hopefully towards the meeting Tof the respective committees, which met on the 5th of August. The first act of the meeting was to pass a resolution which doubtless correctly expressed the feeling of all pres- ent: “That Unity being the first and fundamental principle of Freemasonry. the more widely that principle will admit of practical application in the government of the Craft. the bet- ter will the interests of Masonry be served. It is, therefore, the opinion of this meeting that a union of the whole Masonic fraternity in Canada under one Grand Lodge will best promote the interests of all Freemasons in Canada.” This was carried unanimously and to smooth the way for the negotiations upon which they were about to enter the following was also carried without one dissenting voice: “That in view of the terms of authority under which this meeting is held no question of constitutionality as affecting either body be discussed but that both Lodges meet as equals and in a spirit of a mutual and generous conciliation for the good of Masonry.” The Provincial representatives came prepared with the proposed articles of union’ which were submitted to the committee representing the Grand Lodge of Canada. The eleven articles proposed were carefully considered by the latter committee which suggested a number of amendments and a lengthy debate ensued which proceeded no farther than Article I. After a careful study of the minutes of the meeting we cannot but conclude that both com- mittees indulged too freely in what is popularly known as hairsplitting. They all agreed the union was advisable, that they should meet as equals, that the Grand officers of both bodies should be accorded equal past rank in the new Grand Lodge, but differed over the language used in Article I. which the Provincial Lodge claimed implied the absorption of their Grand Lodge by the other. They did not like the idea of being treated as an inferior body. If we read the article as proposed by the Provincial it seems to meet all the requirements of a fair union and if we read the article with the proposed amendments. it seems to be just as well adapted to the purpose all had in view. lt is only when we compare the two that we can find some ground for the objections raised by the Provincial Com- mittee. The article as originally submitted read: “Article I. There shall be, from and after the ------¬next ensuing a full. perfect. and per- petual union of and between the two fraternities of Free and Accepted Masons of Canada above described so that in all time hereafter they shall form and constitute but one broth- erhood and that the said community shall be represented in one Grand Lodge. to be sol- emnly formed, constituted and held on the said next ensuing, and from thence¬forward forever.” In the light of the two resolutions passed at the opening of the meeting, this article appears quite unobjectionable but the committee of the Grand Lodge of Canada thought otherwise and proposed that it read as follows:

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“Article I. There shall be, from and after July 9th. 1858. next ensuing. a full. perfect and perpetual union of and between the fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of Canada so that in all time hereafter it shall form and constitute but one brotherhood and that the said community shall be represented in one Grand Lodge from and after the 9th of July. 1858. and from thence forward forever.” This appears unobjectionable but the committee of the Provincial Grand Lodge thought otherwise. A dead-lock ensued and the meeting adjourned without attempting to deal with the remaining ten articles. The result was dis- heartening to all well-wishers of the Craft, who had confidently looked for a happier conclusion of their delibera- tions. At the next meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge held on the 9th of September. 1857. the action of its committee was approved and no further action was taken at that meeting towards resuming the negotiations for union. The committee, however, was not discharged so all hope of a union was not abandoned. There was other important business to transact and the remainder of the session was given over to it. Sir Allan N. MacNab was upon the throne and announced that by the confirmation of the minutes of the meeting on the 30th of June. the Provincial Grand Lodge had declared its independence, and he forthwith requested that every Master or delegate holding any warrant of a lodge from the Grand Lodge of England should surrender the same to him. The following war- rants were accordingly handed in :-St. Andrew’s, Toronto ; St. John’s, Kingston ; BeIleville Lodge, BeIleville; St. John’s, Cobourg; Union, Napanee; Western Light, Bolton; Richmond, Richmond HiIl; Ionic, Toronto; United, Brighton; Ontario, Port Hope; True Britons’, Perth; Kemptville, KemptvilIe; Jerusalem, Bowman¬ville; Amity, DunnviIle; Rose, Sandwich; Trent, Trenton; Mount Zion, Borelia; St. George’s, Gosfield; Composite, Whitby; Weiland, Fonthill; St. George’s, London ; King Solomon’s, Woodstock; Wel¬lington, Chatham; Madoc, Madoc; Erie, Morpeth; Consecon, Consecon; Corinthian, Stanley’s MiIls; Merrickville, MerrickviIle; Victoria. Port Sar- nia; North Gower, North Gower; Doric, Ottawa; Corinthian, Ottawa; Simcoe, Simcoe; Durham. Newcastle; Stir- ling, Stirling; St. John’s, Toronto; Oxford, Woodstock; Faithful Brethren, Manilla. After this formality was concluded, the foIlowing resolution, unanimously carried, brought into being the second independent Grand Lodge in this Province: “That in true, loyal, and constitutional succession to the late Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada West. a Grand Lodge of Canada be now formed, constituted and proclaimed, under the title of the ‘Ancient Grand Lodge of Canada’.” They then proceeded to set their house in order, following quite closely the same procedure adopted two years before by the other independent Grand Lodge. Sir Allan MacNab was elected Grand Master and his first act was to appoint a committee to prepare a farewell address to the Grand Lodge of England. This memorial announced in firm but cautious language the action of the meeting in declaring its independence. The warrants were tendered to the Mother Grand Lodge accompanied with the request that they “may be returned to form the proud title pages of our Provincial History.” Before being adjourned, the following resolution was passed: “That no brother hailing from this Grand Lodge shall belong to a Lodge under the juris- diction of the self-styled Grand Lodge of Canada.” They appear to have deemed it their duty to take this step. It will be observed that in referring to the other Grand Lodge they resumed the objectionable word, “self-styled”. Although the resolution was not likely to help the cause of union, it was not as strong as the one formerly passed when the Grand Lodge of Canada first came into being. That resolution, it will be remembered, forbade the lodges and individual brethren holding “ Masonic Com- munication with this self-styled Grand Lodge of Canada, or any Lodge or any individual having any connection

Chapter 4 Page 24 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop therewith.” The time had arrived when the services of some intermediary were very desirable as there was a grave danger of the two independent Grand Lodges drifting farther apart unless some decisive step be taken to reconcile them. Both were desirous of union but each was fearful of the other lest some advantage would be gained in the articles of union. For¬tunately such an individual was at hand in the person of R.W. Bro. T. D. Harington, Provincial Grand Master of Quebec and Three Rivers. He was also a member of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada by reason of his affiliation with St. Andrew’s Lodge of Toronto, and as such had taken an active part in the proceed- ings leading up to the declaration of independence of the latter Grand Lodge. He was a member of the committee that presented the proposed articles of union. When the Provincial Grand Lodge in 1856 was appealing to the Grand Lodge of England to take some action to remedy the situation in Upper Canada, the Grand Master of Eng- land had, through his Grand Secretary, appealed to R.W. Bro. Harington for such information as in his opinion would be useful to the Grand Master in dealing with the troubles in Canada. R.W. Bro. Harington complied with this request and at length sent the Grand Secretary a complete statement of the situation which did not differ material\y from the information already in the possession of the Grand Lodge of England. He confirmed the grounds of complaint which had repeatedly been made. In referring to the action of those who had formed the new Grand Lodge under M.W. Bro. Wilson he writes: “Had their remonstrances and representations relating to misgovernment. or rather ne- glect of government, which has been felt to be a growing evil for some time past, been courteously attended to in some way-they say-and a desire at least have been evinced to meet the wishes of the brethren, and place them upon some more satisfactory footing, in regard to the management of their own local affairs, it is exceedingly doubtful if throw- ing off allegiance would ever have been thought of.” Having been instrumental in forming the new Ancient Grand Lodge of Canada, he felt that no other course was open to him but to resign his position as Provincial Grand Master of Quebec and Three Rivers. In the course of his letter tendering his resignation, he referred to his former unanswered communication in language that had no uncertain sound and was calculated to make an impression upon the hitherto impervious Grand Master. “It is now upwards of twelve months since I addressed a long communication to the Grand Secretary (18th Sept., 1856) on the condition of the Craft in Canada and therein I foreshadowed all that has since come to pass. My warnings were plain and unmistakable and again and again I pointed out the evil of delay. My letter was simply acknowledged and does not appear to have had the effect I hoped for. I fervently believe that prompt action on the part of the Grand Lodge of England at the time that letter was transmit- ted would have preserved Canada, although some brethren would not have returned to their allegiance. However, regret is now useless. Matters have been getting worse and worse and the warmest adherents and friends of England have been obliged to declare themselves in favour of independent Masonic government. We have felt it impossible to blind our eyes to the fact that such must be the finale, that Lodges and brethren had been driven to make up their minds to such a result and that the Provincial authorities would soon have neither Lodges nor brethren to govern. I might here dwell upon the fact of the formation of an independent body already, the growing alienation of personal friends and a division among Masons, fast becoming more and more irreconcilable.” Chapter 4 Page 25 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

He then referred to the organization of the new Ancient Grand Lodge of Canada and called his attention to the farewell address that had already been forwarded to him. He then continued: “Our new organization is indeed the creation of a stern necessity, not one of choice or feeling. No man carries more prestige with him in Canada than Bro. Sir Allan Napier MacNab who has been chosen for the first Grand Master. His loyalty is not to be questioned. His standing in Canada is undeniable and nothing but his conviction that our present movement is unavoidable, would have placed him at the head of our body. Those proceedings will show that we have thought of England from first to last. We really do look upon the change as one more of letter than of spirit. We have made no sudden wrench, but have glided into our present position and our English affection remains in strong force.” R. W. Bro. Harington’s letter evoked a reply with a promptness hitherto unknown in communicating with Eng- land. His letter was dated the 9th day of November and the reply of the Grand Master was penned on December 5th. This was in striking contrast with the delay of months in answering the pressing petitions relating to the same subject. He administered a mild rebuke to Sir Allan N. MacNab for having asked for a surrender of the warrants, and flatly refused to recommend to Grand Lodge recognition “of either of the bodies which have recently assumed the power enacting themselves into a Grand Lodge.” Without suggesting what his suspicions were, he expressed his belief that there were other causes than those already declared which caused the Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada to throw off the authority of the Grand Master and the Grand Lodge of England. Needless to say, the resignation of R. W. Bro. Harington was accepted and Bro. James Dean was appointed his successor. The corre- spondence did not end there. The Grand Master had sought to defend his position, and in analysing the situation had omitted the most forceful arguments that had been advanced to justify the declaration of independence. In order that the correspondence might disclose all the facts bearing upon the question, RW. Bro. Harington wrote a very lengthy reply, dealing most exhaustively with every argument advanced by the Grand Master. To this, he received a brief and characteristic letter from the Grand Secretary to the effect that “His Lordship, having given the whole subject his mature deliberation, does not observe any grounds or any new circumstances alleged. which induce him to alter his expressed opinion.” Having exhausted every possible argument to induce the Grand Lodge of England to take a complacent view of the situation, he then turned his attention to the all-absorbing question of union. He had witnessed the dead-lock in the first effort to bring about a union; had given the subject very close study and succeeded in evolving a draft of articles of agreement, which he hoped would meet with the approval of both Grand Bodies or, in any event, would form a basis for friendly negotiations. He had been in communication with M.W. Bro. Wilson and RW. Bro. Ridout, and had a clear understanding of the views of each, and in the articles drafted by him, he sought to avoid the points of difference which had resulted in the dead-lock and to choose language that would be acceptable to both. From a casual reading, it would be difficult to find words less objectionable than Article I, as re-drafted by him:-”There shall be from and after the next ensuing a full, perfect, and perpetual Union of and between the Grand Lodges of Free and Accepted Masons of Canada above described, so as that, in all times hereafter, they shall form and constitute one community to be represented in one Grand Lodge, to be solemnly formed, constituted and held on the said next ensuing, and from thenceforward forever.” The only radical change in the wording is the substi- tution of “The Grand Lodges of Free and Accepted Masons of Canada above described” for “the two fraternities of Free and Accepted Masons of Canada above described” as proposed by the reorganized Provincial body and “the fraternity” of Free and Accepted Masons of Canada as proposed by the Grand Lodge of Canada. The word- ing now proposed recognized both bodies as Grand Lodges. The distinction is very fine, yet the difference, which the reader may not readily detect, was sufficient to terminate the former attempt at a union. Those upholding the position taken by the Grand Lodge of Canada were able to advance some very good reasons for their contention. They were first in the field as an independent Grand Lodge and the subsequent declaration of independence by the Ancients was an endorsement of the action taken by the Grand Lodge of Canada, as no better reasons for de-

Chapter 4 Page 26 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop claring their independence had ever been advanced by the Ancients than those put forward by the Grand Lodge of Canada for having done the very same thing at an earlier date. Moreover, the Grand Lodge of Canada had al- ready received recognition from twenty-two sovereign Grand Lodges. They objected, therefore, to a union of the two Grand Lodges into a new Grand Lodge, as that would mean that the honourable position already attained by them would be lost and the work of seeking recognition would have to be done over again. They were prepared to throw open their door and welcome the lodges constituting the Ancients, and accord to all their officers the same rank held by them in their own Grand Lodge, and in every respect to receive them on a perfect equality with the lodges constituting the Grand Lodge of Canada. It was doubtful at the outset, if the change of wording suggested by RW. Bro. Harington would be acceptable to the Grand Lodge of Canada. The other articles of the proposed agreement related to the internal government of the Grand Lodge and were not likely to provoke much difference of opinion. Copies of these articles were sent to the two Grand Lodges and the various lodges under their jurisdiction, accompanied by a letter urging them to discuss them and improve upon them. He did not insist upon the phraseology used by himseIf but presented them as his own individual ideas which might, in any event, form a starting point for negotiations. He evidently loved to draw a picture of the consummation of his hopes and presented a most attractive one in the form of a “Proposed Programme of Ceremony of Union and Incorporation of the Grand Lodges of Canada.” This was enclosed with the circular letter. It provided for the two Grand Lodges entering the hall at the same time when the fraternity were seated and completely intermingled. The processions were to advance to the throne while the two Grand Masters proceeded up the centre, followed by their officers in reverse order and seated themselves in chairs one on each side of the throne. The Grand Chaplain was to invoke a blessing upon the proceedings followed by the reading of the Act of Union by the Director of Ceremonies. No detail was omitted in this contemplated ceremony which was to conclude with a grand banquet, for which the fol- lowing instructions were given: “Commence it by passing round the Cup of Brotherly Love. the Grand Master to drink first.” “Peace, good will and Brotherly Love, all over the world ‘” While the cup is passing, the brethren sing, “Auld Lang Syne!” “Cheers--Nine Times Nine!” Although the ceremony was never carried out, no doubt the RW. Bro. derived much pleasure in preparing it, and the anticipation of such a happy conclusion of the negotiations may have played its part by softening the hearts of some of the brethren who had been instrumental in blocking the proceedings in the previous attempt to bring about a union. At any rate, the proposal for resuming negotiations was favourably received by both Grand Lodges, each of which appointed a representative to agree upon the terms of union and submit the same for confirmation. R W. Bro. W. C. Stephens represented the Grand Lodge of Canada, and R. W. Bro. T . D. Harington, the Ancient Grand Lodge. These names should be held in grateful remembrance by all Canadian Masons. They were both men of broad vision, sincerely devoted to the Craft and prepared to meet each other in a conciliatory spirit actu- ated solely by an honest desire to adopt such measures as would, in the end, place Freemasonry in Canada in the proud position which it has today attained. The result of their labours was a “Proposed Preamble and Resolutions for finally settling the union of the Craft in Canada.” That R. W. Bro. Harington approached the subject with an open mind is quite evident from the fact that his proposed Articles of Agreement were cast aside and an entirely different method adopted. As this document was the basis of the union of the two Grand Lodges, it may rightly be considered as one of the most important instruments relating to Freemasonry in Canada and is worthy of being reproduced at length:

Chapter 4 Page 27 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

“Whereas the past condition and future welfare of Freemasonry in Canada rendered it absolutely necessary to organize and establish a sovereign Grand Lodge, for the reasons and on the basis set forth in various documents from time to time circulated, the correct- ness of which has not been refuted, although there has existed diversity of opinion as to whether the proper time had arrived for severing the connection with the Mother Grand Lodges of Great Britain and Ireland, without further efforts being first made to obtain such necessary concessions as would tend to ameliorate the condition of the Canadian Craft; and which diversity of opinion has been suffered to operate to the injury of the best interests of Freemasonry in the Province, and thereby to militate against the ad- vancement of the entire Order, by creating, as it has done, antagonistic bodies, claiming separate and independent jurisdictions; by causing division amongst the brethren bound together by strong and mutual ties and by interfering here and elsewhere with that unity which is essentially a first principle of the landmarks of the ancient institution; “And whereas, the anxious and generally expressed desire for consummating a union of the fraternity under one governing and supreme authority testifies that whether the proper time had or had not previously arrived all are now agreed that Canadian Freema- sonry should possess its one Grand Lodge ; “And whereas the maintenance of the dignity of the Grand Lodge of Canada for the fu- ture must be an object of equal interest to the entire Canadian fraternity; “It is resolved, That an impartial review of all the eventful circumstances attending its organization, its priority, its subsequent important proceedings, and its recognition by a portion of the , and by a very large proportion of the Grand Lodges of the United States of America, demonstrates, that the Grand Lodge of Canada, organized on the 10th October, 1855, and known and recognized as aforesaid, by the style and title of The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of Canada, should be acknowledged by the entire Canadian Craft, and should be, and is hereby declared to be, the Grand Lodge of the fraternity in and throughout Canada. “Resolved also, That the diversity of opinion heretofore men¬tioned, which in various ways retarded the union of the fraternity, having given rise, amongst other circumstances to be regretted, to the anomaly in Freemasonry of the Ancient Grand Lodge of Canada, and exercising jurisdiction over a portion of the Canadian Craft, it is necessary for the interests of the institution, and in accord with the previous resolution, that the said An- cient Grand Lodge of Canada should be dissolved; therefore, the same is now dissolved, its officers (as Past Grand officers) and its members and Lodges, hereby uniting with and becoming enrolled, according to their respective rank and seniority, on the register of The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of Canada, in every respect as though they had concurred originally in the organization of that Lodge; to which they hereby pledge their willing and faithful obedience, feeling as all do, that the future pros- perity and permanent welfare of Freemasonry require unanimity and harmony. “Resolved, also, That a committee, to consist of -----be appointed for ascertaining and defining the respective rank and precedence of brethren, and of Lodges, according to the dates of their original warrants or dispensations, the committee to report to an espe- cial communication of Grand Lodge, to be convened by the M.W. Grand Master, at six

Chapter 4 Page 28 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

months from this date. “Resolved, also, That warrants under the seal of the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of Canada, to bear date on this day of union, be forthwith prepared for each and every Lodge enrolled on the registry of The Ancient Grand Lodge of Canada aforesaid, and that the names of seven members of each Lodge be furnished, with as little delay as possible, to the Grand Secretary, for insertion in such respective warrants; the number of each such warrants to be affixed thereto, after receiving the report of the committee aforesaid. “And Resolved, also, That all Provincial Grand and Private Lodges not at present in al- liance with The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of Canada, be noti- fied of these pro-ceedings, and be invited to enroll themselves within six months, that they may be accorded their proper rank and precedence on the registry of the said Grand Lodge at the Special Communication before mentioned.” Looking at all the circumstances leading up to the union, one cannot but feel that that document reflects great credit upon its authors and that the course recommended was for the best interest of all. Too much credit cannot be given to R.W. Bro. Harington for having brought about such a change of front among the Ancients. Sir Allan N. MacNab and R.W. Bro. Ridout no doubt also played an important part in moulding the views of their followers. It required no small degree of courage and self-sacrifice upon their part to acquiesce in the dissolution of the body they had brought into being’ in the hope that it would be the fountain-head of Freemasonry in Canada. It was no easy matter to yield up the aspirations based upon years of patient labour and consent to be absorbed by a rival organization that two years before they had characterized as the “self-styled Grand Lodge” that to attain its object had made use of statements that were not borne out by the facts. When paying tribute to the memory of the found- ers of Freemasonry in Ontario as it exists today, the names of these two distinguished brethren must not be omit- ted. All Canadian Masons looked hopefully forward to the next meeting of the Grand Lodge of Canada which was summoned for the 14th of July, 1858, to meet in the hall of King Solomon’s Lodge in Toronto, for it was arranged that the longed-for union would then be consummated. In the hearts of some there were misgivings owing to the unfortunate dead-lock which had occurred at the last conference. At the appointed hour the brethren assembled in full force, there being no fewer than fifty-four Past Masters present. Many of the lodges were also represented by their wardens. Among the distinguished visitors were the Grand Masters of Vermont and Kentucky, both of whom had manifested the keenest interest in the affairs of the Grand Lodge of Canada. To them the proposed preamble and resolutions had been submitted and both agreed that the same might be accepted without impairing the con- stitutional position of Grand Lodge and that they would prove beneficial to all parties concerned. In concluding his address, M.W. Bro. W. M. Wilson congratulated the committee appointed by the respective Grand Lodges upon the liberal and Masonic spirit in which they had discharged their duties, and a round of applause greeted the announcement that a full and perfect understanding had been arrived at and that he trusted that in a few hours a union of the whole Canadian Craft upon satisfactory and honourable terms would be consummated. The regular routine of business, necessary and important as it was, was hastily disposed of and R.W. Bro. Stephens introduced the long-for subject which was uppermost in the minds of all present, by reading the report of the Committee on Union and followed it up by moving: “That the preamble and resolutions for the union of all the Craft in Canada, now submit- ted, be approved, adopted, and accepted by this Grand Lodge, as the basis upon which that union, so essential to the interests of Masonry in Canada, may be effected.” The beaming face of Grand Master Wilson reflected the satisfaction and joy of all present when he declared the

Chapter 4 Page 29 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop resolution to be carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned to resume the sitting at 7.30 p. m. Shortly after the brethren assembled in the evening, a deputation from the Ancient Grand Lodge brought the good news that that honourable body had also unanimously adopted the preamble and resolutions for union. M.W. Bro. Wilson thanked that deputation for the welcome message they had brought and desired them to convey to the Ancient Grand Lodge of Canada a message of like import from the Grand Lodge of Canada, and to advise M.W. Bro. MacNab and the officers and members of his Grand Lodge that he was ready and anxious to receive them into membership of the Grand Lodge of Canada. A few minutes later the hundred and fifty brethren assembled in an adjoining street heard for the last time within the tyled doors of The Ancient Grand Lodge of Canada the knocks of the gavel of Sir Allen N. MacNab as he declared the Grand Lodge closed. This closing act was ac- companied with mingled feelings of regret and joy. Of regret that the familiar formula of “happy to meet again” which thrusts itself forward at the closing of every Masonic function was singularly inappropriate; of joy that the differences, discord and strife and bitterness were to be buried forever and they were about to enter upon a new era of union and harmony. The grand honours were never given with more earnestness and were never indicative of a more sincere and heart-felt welcome than those which greeted Sir Allan as he stood upon the dais by the side of M.W. Bro. Wilson, who was unable to restrain the prolonged applause as the reunited brethren upon the floor of the lodge gave vent to their happiness and satisfaction at witnessing the warmth of the greeting between the two Grand Masters and their respective officers. It was a disorder, if such it may be styled, that gladdened the hearts of all present. When order was restored, they all joined hands and encircled the room as M.W. Bro. Wilson pronounced the invocation that came direct from his heart,-”May the links thus united never be broken.” The joint meeting then proceeded to pass the most far-reaching resolution ever presented to any Masonic body in Canada. After reading the preamble and resolutions adopted by the two Grand Lodges separately, R.W. Bro. Harington moved that the same be jointly ratified and confirmed. R.W. Bro. Stephens seconded the resolution which was carried unanimously amid as wild a scene of rejoicing and congratulation as was ever witnessed in a Masonic lodge room. It was some time before the Grand Master’s voice could be heard, and as he pronounced the union of the Grand Lodges completed, he brought his gavel down with a firmness that left no doubt as to the satisfac- tion such pronouncement gave him. After the Ancient Grand Lodge was formally declared dissolved, the brethren listened to inspiring and congratulatory addresses from the principal actors in the momentous scene they had just witnessed. On the morrow, M.W. Bro. William Mercer Wilson was elected Grand Master and R W. Bro. Thomas W. Ridout, Deputy Grand Master. In recognition of their untiring efforts in effecting the union, the honorary rank of Past Grand Master was conferred upon RW. Bro. T. D. Harington and R W. Bro. W. C. Stephens. Thus was brought to a happy conclusion the years of anxious waiting for some good spirit to point the way to terminate the differences that threatened to destroy the usefulness of the Craft in Canada. No record of the meeting at which this end was attained would be complete without some reference to that portion of the address of Grand Master Wilson in which he presented his conception of what a Master of a lodge ought to be. This definition came with redoubled force from him, as he in his life was a living exemplification of the ideal Master, as described by him. “To become the model Master of a Lodge should be the ambition of every brother; and to discharge with efficiency and zeal the duties of that important office should be his most anxious desire. These duties are not confined to the mere repetition of a few phrases, learned by rote, but he should be enabled to instruct the Craft, not only as to the meaning and origin of our ceremonies, but also to explain to them the philosophy which is veiled in its allegories and illustrated by its symbols. He should be able, also, to convince his brethren, that all science and all art, legitimately directed, are but lines that radiate towards the great ‘I AM’; that the sciences are the media by which we are led to contemplate the goodness, greatness, wisdom and power of the Great Architect of the

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Universe; and that the arts are the modes we have developed of expressing our sense and admiration of the wondrous glories of an Almighty Father which are scattered around us. The Master of a Lodge should also, in his life and in his conversation, be a model for his brethren to admire and imitate, and should himself practise, out of the Lodge, those great moral doctrines and virtues which he inculcates within its walls. He should be punctual and methodical in all things, and. both by his character and conduct, command the re- spect, the esteem, and good will of all men; for, as the Master is supreme in his Lodge, and distinguished by his position in the Craft, so should he also be distinguished as the possessor of an irreproachable character, a dignified demeanour, an expanded intellect, and a liberal education. Happy and prosperous must those Lodges be which are governed by such men! -Their time of meeting is looked forward to by the brethren with the most pleasing anticipations. Prompt at the hour, every brother is at his station, and the work is carried on with pleasure and profit. The Worshipful Master who presides over his Lodge with ability, firmness, and decision; (for without force of character there can be no force of impression) whose manner is courteous yet dignified; whose decisions are consonant with reason and Masonic law; and who dispenses light and information among the Craft, will ever be regarded by his brethren as one who is entitled to their highest respect and their most fraternal regard.” The union of the two Grand Lodges of Canada having been happily effected, there was still wanting recognition by the Grand Lodge of England. Although there had been some heated correspondence over the action of the Ca- nadian brethren, there was never a time when they lost their respect and reverence for the mother Grand Lodge which finally on the 1st of December, 1858, passed the following resolution: “That official intimation having been received of the formation of the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons in Canada, this Lodge recognizes that body as an in- dependent Grand Lodge, having jurisdiction over the Province hitherto known as Canada West and expresses its desire to entertain henceforth with it, such a cordial and fraternal intercourse as will serve to promote the interests of Masonry in both countries.” This resolution, conceived in a friendly spirit and passed in good faith. was not satisfactory to the Canadian Grand Lodge. as it was recognized as having jurisdiction over only that part of Canada known as Canada West, whereas the lodges upon its roll were situated in both Canada East and Canada West and there were only four lodges in Canada East that acknowledged the authority of the Grand Lodge of England. At the next quarterly meeting held on the 2nd March, 1859, the question was again revived and it was explained that the Grand Lodge of Canada claimed jurisdiction over the entire Province which since 1841 had included both Canada East and Canada West. It was also explained that in what formerly was the Province of Canada West, there were also two lodges acknowledging the authority of the Grand Lodge of England. The mother Grand Lodge desired to protect the interests of these two lodges, as well as the four in Canada East, in the event of their not desiring to affiliate with the Canadian Grand Lodge. The whole matter was left in the hands of the Earl of Zetland to arrange the terms of settlement. The negotiations, carried on with M.W. Bro. Wilson, resulted in what is known as the Zetland-Wilson Agreement, which was confirmed by the Grand Lodge of England on June 1st, 1859. This historic document, embodied in a report of M.W. Bro. the Earl of Zetland to his Grand Lodge, stipulated that the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Canada should extend over the whole Province and that there should be full recognition of all the rights and privileges of private lodges and of individual brethren still holding firm in their allegiance to the Grand Lodge

Chapter 4 Page 31 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop of England. No more warrants for new lodges in any part of Canada were to be granted by the English Grand Lodge. The Provincial Grand Lodge of Montreal, which had virtually ceased to exist, was not to be resuscitated. The lodges remaining in the Montreal District were to have the privilege of being placed under the Provincial Grand Master of Quebec or communicating direct with the Grand Lodge of England. It was further provided that the rights and privileges of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Quebec should be fully recognized and respected. In presenting his report, the Grand Master expressed his gratification at the courteous and fraternal spirit exhibited by Grand Master Wilson in arriving at a final settlement of the many vexed questions that for years had been the cause of much uneasiness to the brethren on both sides of the Atlantic. The following is a list of constituent and affiliating lodges at the time of the union: No. Lodge Where Held I Antiquity ... Montreal 2 Niagara ...... Niagara 3 Barton ...... Hamilton 4 Union ...... Grimsby 5. Norfolk ...... Simcoe 6 Sussex ...... Brockville 7 Prevost ...... Dunham 8 Golden Rule ...... Stanstead 9 St. George’s ...... St. Catharines 10. Prince Edward ...... Picton 11. Nelson ...... Henryville 12 St. Andrew’s ...... St. Andrew’s 13 St. George’s ...... Montreal 14 St. John’s ...... London 15. Zetland ...... Montreal 16 King Solomon’s ...... Toronto 17 Strict Observance ...... Hamilton 18 St. John’s ...... Cayuga 19 Thistle ...... Amherstburg 20 St. John’s ...... Hamilton 21 St. Thomas ...... St. Thomas 22 Brant ....,...... Brantford 23 Great Western ...... Windsor 24 Wellington ...... Dunnville 25 Shefford ...... Waterloo 26 Vaughan ...... Maple 27 Harmony ...... _...... Binbrook 28 Wellington ...... Stratford 29 Hoyle ...... Lacolle 30 Acacia ...... Hamilton 31 St. Andrew’s ...... Caledonia 32 Kilwinning ...... London 33 Rehoboam ...... T oronto 34 Jacques Cartier ...... Montreal Chapter 4 Page 32 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

35 St.Francis ...... Melbourne 36 St. John’s ...... Ingersoll 37 King ...... King 38 Victoria ...... Sherbrooke

AFFILIATING LODGES IN THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO No. Lodge Where Held 1 St. Andrew’s ...... Toronto 3 St. John’s ...... Kingston 4 Moira ...... Belleville 5 St. John’s ...... Cobourg 6 Union ...... Napanee 7 Western Light ...... Bolton 14 Richmond ...... Richmond Hill 16 St. John’s ...... Carleton Place 17 St. Francis ...... Smith’s Falls 18 Ionic ...... Toronto 19 United ...... Brighton 20 Ontario ...... Port Hope 21 True Britons’ ...... Perth 23 Kemptville ...... Kemptville 26 Wellington ...... Guelph 28 Jerusalem ...... Bowmanville 29 Amity ...... Dunnville 30 Rose ...... Sandwich 32 Trent ...... Trenton 33 Mount Zion ...... Brooklin 34 St. George’s ...... Kingsville 35 Composite ...... Whitby 36 Weiland ...... Fonthill 37 St. George’s ...... London 38 King Solomon’s ...... Woodstock 39 Wellington ...... Chatham 42 Madoc ...... Madoc 43 Erie ...... Morpeth 44 Consecon ...... Consecon 45 Corinthian ...... Stanley Mills 46 Merrickville ...... Merrickville 47 Victoria ...... Port Sarnia 48 North Gower ...... North Gower 49 Doric ...... Ottawa 50 Corinthian ...... Ottawa 52 Simcoe ...... Simcoe 53 Durham ...... Newcastle

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54 Stirling ...... ’, ..Stirling 55 St. John’s ...... Toronto 56 Oxford ...... , ...... Woodstock 57 Faithful Brethren ...... Manilla 58 Simcoe ...... ,...... , ...... Bradford 59 St. George’s ...... ,...... , ...... Owen Sound 60 Colborne ...... Colborne 61 Ridout ...... Otterville 62 True Blue ...... Albion 63 King Hiram ...... , ... , ...... Lindsay 64 Corinthian ...... , .. Barrie 65 Manito ...... ,...... Collingwood 66 Tuscan ...... Newmarket

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CHAPTER V

M.W. Bro. Harington Succeeds M.W. Bro. Wilson

HE position of the unaffiliated Mason has been the subject of many a controversy. Grand Master Wilson had very decided views upon the question and gave expression to them in his annual address in 1859. He Tquotes from the “Old Charges” as follows, “Every Mason ought to belong to a Lodge, and to be subject to its by-laws and the gen- eral regulations.” In commenting upon the rights and privileges of a Mason who has demitted from lodge and has not affiliated with another. he held “that by his demission he violates the principles and disobeys the precepts of the Order and divests himself of all the rights and privileges which belong to him as a member of that organization, still remaining. however, subject to the government and discipline of the Order.” The report of the Committee on Foreign Correspondence of the same year gives the views of other Grand Masters upon the same subject. From a perusal of these it is quite clear that the Grand Master of Canada was not alone in taking the stand that he did. The Grand Master of Kansas said, “I hold that every Mason ought to be a member of a Lodge and, while he has ability, as- sist by contribution to relieve the wants of others; and he who stands aloof and looks on coldly at the struggles incident to life, nor adds some portion to the common fund allot- ted to relief should never be a Mason; he is a stone unfitted for the building and would always mar the beauty of our noble edifice.” The Grand Master of Maine put the case just as strongly: “I am not prepared to impeach or call in question the motives of those who, for reasons best known to themselves have seen fit to withdraw from the active sphere of Masonic labour. There may be, doubtless. in a few instances such obstacles as to render an asso- ciation with any Lodge impracticable; but we are well aware that in the great majority of cases no excuse can be given unless it be that of a flagging zeal or penurious economy, These sutlers who hang about the outskirts of our army are always willing to receive any advantages which they may derive from being nominally associated with us, but are never willing to contribute, by their hand or purse. towards the success or maintenance of the Order.” The following is taken from the New Hampshire report: “Some, no doubt, seek admission into our Lodges from a morbid and idle curiosity to know the secrets of the Order and. when once gratified, take no further interest in the institution. Others. perhaps, apply solely on selfish principles, thinking that it may aid them in the attainment of some selfish end. Others, perhaps. in fact we know it. are about to travel and it suddenly occurs to them that Masonry will be a convenient passport or Chapter 5 Page 36 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

introduction among strangers. Of all such, we can only say. it would have been as well for them and better for the Lodge, if instead of being white balled into the Lodge, they had been black balled out of it.” The Committee on Foreign Correspondence after presenting the views of the Grand Masters of other jurisdictions, from which the foregoing are abstracted, make the following comment upon what they also regarded as an evil, doing great injury to the cause of Freemasonry: “While your Committee would scrupulously forbear from denying to the venerable brother, who has for years done good and square work, the pleasure and even the ben- efits of the Order, they would still desire to suggest that the constitution, which provides that a brother shall only visit a lodge once during his secession from the Craft. be more rigidly enforced. It might be possible to enact that no brother, except in case of poverty or bodily infirmity, should be permitted to leave his mother Lodge except for the purpose of joining another Lodge and that if he again withdraw. he should be bound in honour to pay dues to his mother Lodge.” M.W. Bro. Wilson was not only an honoured and respected leader among the Masons of Canada, but his repu- tation went far beyond the borders of his native land. His addresses were exten¬sively quoted in the reports of the Grand Lodges of the United States. It was no surprise that he was again re-elected Grand Master at the 1857 meeting and, it must have been a source of deep satisfaction: to him that R.W. Bro. T. D. Harington was chosen as Deputy Grand Master at the same meeting. The last year of this period of M.W. Bro. Wilson’s occupancy of the throne in the Grand East was to him one of comparative ease. Much had been accomplished in five years. There were forty-one lodges owing allegiance to the Grand Lodge of Canada at the time of its formation. Of these, fifteen were working under warrants from the Grand Lodge of Ireland; one from the Grand Lodge of Scotland; fifteen in Canada West, from the Grand Lodge of England and ten in Canada East. From the same Grand Lodge. When he returned the gavel to his brethren at the annual communication held at Ottawa in July, 1860, there were one hundred and thirty-six lodges holding warrants issued by him and two working under dispensations. Moreover. the Grand Lodge over which he presided was in fraternal correspondence with ,all three Grand Lodges of the Motherland and with thirty-seven sovereign Grand Lodges of the United States. The union of the Canadian lodges had become an accomplished fact, and to a man .of the refined sensibility and sympathetic nature of William Mercer Wilson, it must have been a most comforting reflection to see peace and harmony where there was strife and discord when he first ascended the throne. It was with a heart filled with emotion and gratitude to the Great Architect of the Universe that he used the following words in his annual address : “T o God and Him alone, are we indebted for the peace, happiness and prosperity which has attended our efforts and blessed our labours. With gratified hearts and due solemnity, we would therefore earnestly entreat our common Father to continue to us His protec- tion, blessing, and guidance.” Could anyone have a truer conception of the mission of Masonry, or has it ever been expressed in more beautiful language than that used by him in that same address? “The great aim of Masonry. as I understand it, is to cultivate and improve the mind, and to impress upon its votaries the solemn truth that there is an omnipotent, omniscient, and ever-living God who rules and governs all. In the interesting and beautiful ceremonial our Order, we are constantly reminded of this great and important truth, and also that

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the same Mighty Power that fashioned and sustains the universe, created the mind of man; bestowed upon him a thinking; a reasoning, and a feeling nature, placed him in a universe’ of wonders, endowed him with faculties to comprehend them and enable him to rise by his meditations to a knowledge of their divine origin. (to look through nature. up to nature’s God.) The language used by a distinguished statesman and savant of our own day on a recent occasion. may well appropriately be applied to our own ‘divine art’; for Masonry must make an impression on the minds of its disciples, which can never wear out by lapse of time, or be effaced by the rival influences of other contemplations, or obliterated by the cares of the world. The lessons then learned and the feelings then engendered or cherished will shed their auspicious influence over the minds through life, protecting against the seductions of prosperous fortune, solacing in affliction, preparing the mind for the great change, that must close the scene of our earthly labours, by ha- bitual and confident belief in the only wise God, and in the humble hope of immortality, which the study of His word must inspire, and which the gracious announcement of His revealed will abundantly confirms. “Masonry, from its origin to the present time, in all its vicissitudes, has been the steady, unvarying friend of man; it has (in the language of an eloquent brother) gone forth from age to age, the constant messenger of peace and love, never weary, never forgetful of its holy mission, patiently ministering to the relief of want and sorrow, and scattering, with unsparing hand, blessings and benefits to all around. It comforts the mourner; it speaks peace and consolation to the troubled spirit; it carries relief and gladness to the habitations of want and destitution; it dries the tears of the widow and orphan; it opens the source of knowledge; it widens the sphere of human happiness; it even seeks to light up the darkness and gloom of the grave, by pointing to the’ hopes and promises of a bet- ter life to come. All this Masonry has done and is still doing. Such is Masonry and such its mission; and we should never forget, while enjoying its benefits and appreciating its value, the duties we owe to the Order, for there is no right without a parallel duty, no liberty without the supremacy of law, no high destiny without earnest perseverence, and no real greatness without self denial.” In concluding his address, he referred to the approaching visit of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales (afterwards King Edward VII.) The special committee on the matters named in the Grand Master’s address were of the opinion that an address to the Prince, inasmuch as he did not belong at that time to the Order, would not be exactly in accordance with Masonic usage; but they ventured to suggest that a move in the proper quarter might induce the Government to invite the co-operation of the Grand Lodge in the important ceremonials connected with the erection of the public buildings at Ottawa, which were to take place during the visit of His Royal Highness. This was the one event that marred the otherwise felicitous term of M.W. Bro. T. D.. Harington in the Grand East, and the only occasion in the in Canada when the Order did not receive that recognition that all brethren felt was owing to them. The Grand Master convened an especial communication of Grand Lodge to meet at Ottawa on the first day of September, A.D. 1860, for the avowed pur pose of assisting in the ceremonies of laying the corner stone of the new Parliament Buildings. As a scurrilous and unwarranted attack was afterwards made upon M.W. Bro. Harington by an anonymous writer in the London Freemasons’ Magazine, it is due to him and to the honour of the Canadian Craft that we publish his explanation of this lamentable occurrence as set forth in a circular letter issued by him: “Bearing in mind my verbal explanation to Grand Lodge on the 1st instant, I deem it to Chapter 5 Page 38 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

be my duty, while events are fresh in my remembrance, to draw up a statement of the circumstances relating to the laying of the corner stone of the public buildings at Ottawa, by H. R. H. the Prince of Wales, on the 1st September. I860, and the proposed co-opera- tion thereat of the Masonic Fraternity, and its subsequent disappointment. “Several Brethren having asked me if the Craft would, in my opinion, appear as a body during the visit of the Prince, to which question I could give no decided answer, I ad- dressed on the 27th July the annexed letter to Brother The Honourable Attorney Gen- eral Macdonald, asking if it was probable the Freemasons would be invited to assist in laying the corner stone, at Ottawa, which he verbally acknowledged, and promised to attend to,-and a few days after he informed me that ‘ the Governor General approved of the presence of the Craft but considered it to be his duty to consult the Prince of Wales before arriving at any final conclusion. The propriety of this step was obvious but it en- tailed, of course, considerable delay, as His Excellency had to meet the Prince at Gaspe and would not return to Quebec before the 18th August; and then the hurry, confusion, and excitement attendant upon so interesting a period, rendered it next to impossible to see and converse with any member of the Government. “Early in August, I went to the Public Works office, by request of the Deputy Commis- sioner. Mr. Keefer, who asked what my ideas were in regard to the ceremony at Ottawa, and desired to know what the Freemasons proposed doing. I at once explained that they could be present only to take some part in the ceremony, and also that although the Prince would actually lay the stone, and be the recipient of all the honours, the Grand Master of the Order must, if present, declare the stone to be properly laid in the usual form. Shortly after the Commissioner, Bro. the Hon. Mr. Rose, sent again for me and to him I gave the same explanation, showing him the copy of my letter to Mr. Macdonald and informing him that it was then in the hands of the Governor General; and as time was passing rapidly by, I ought to have a quick reply to enable me to issue my summons to the Grand Lodge and brethren generally, as well as to afford time for the assembling of visitors from the United States, from whom I had received communications; and I placed before him one from M.W. Bro. Robert Morris, of Kentucky, the following being an extract therefrom: “ ‘Should you decide to call your Grand Lodge together, as your worthy predecessor suggested and wait upon H.R. Highness, I submit to you whether it might not add eclat to the occasion were some one representing the American Grand Lodges to be united in the deputation. I would cheerfully attend and could in every sense of the word speak for the Grand Lodges, Grand Masters, and the general Craft of this country. I have not given any hint upon this subject to any one; nor will I until I hear from you. But if you approve of it, and official etiquette justify such a measure, the fact that 4,700 lodges and 196,000 Masons of the United States tendered their good wishes and welcome to the Prince, would, it appears to me, redound some honour to our common cause. “Mr. Rose coincided with all I said, and after he had had an interview with the Governor General, repeated what I had formerly learned from Mr. Macdonald. After the arrival on the 18th, Mr. Rose informed me that, although the Prince, not being a Freemason, could not lay the stone with Masonic honours, and could not well be initiated for the purpose,

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without causing jealous feelings, yet he would be glad to be supported by the Craft and have its members around him. I was to be told this in writing; no letter, however, reached me; but Brother H. Bernard, Attorney General’s Department, informed me, by authority, that all was arranged, and I could summon the Craft for the first September. “Before however, I could do this, I received a message from Mr. Rose himself to the ef- fect that the matter was not quite settled and requesting me to delay my summons until I again heard from him. Three days elapsed and I had abandoned all idea of the presence of the Fraternity being required at Ottawa, when on the 23 of August, Mr. Receiver Gen- eral Sherwood told me that it was to be present; and on my saying that Mr. Rose had not written, he advised me at once to seek an interview with that gentleman, who was about to take his departure that very day for Ottawa. I went directly and found him at din- ner, and his carriage in waiting to convey him to the railway station, but he very kindly waived inconvenience and saw me. I again explained how, only as a body the Craft could be present - pointed out that it was not a light thing to assemble the brethren-that unless to take a prominent part they could not appear publicly as Freemasons and I spoke very plainly. Mr. Rose, pleading hurry with good reason, could not then write, but assured me that he would do everything he could for the Craft when at Ottawa; promised me passes for such official brethren as I might name; asked what their assembling would likely cost the government to which I answered-nothing-and requested me, seeing the state of things, and as a man of the world, judging by what he then said, to assume the responsi- bility, and summon the Fraternity. I left him under the impression that the Craft was to take part in the approaching ceremony and telegraphed at once to the Grand Secretary, requesting him to issue the necessary summons despatched messages to some other members of the Grand Lodge,•-was fortunate at Montreal in meeting with and explain- ing my position to my predecessor in office and the Deputy Grand Master and receiving a promise from each to be present and support me. (although their subsequent pressing engagements prevented this.) and on Friday, the 31st, met my brethren at Ottawa. “On Friday evening, accompanied by Brother Harris, Grand Secretary, my, Brother De- Grassi, Grand Director of Ceremonies, and Brother Laver, Architect of the Parliamenta- ry Buildings, I called at the temporary residence of the Prince and had an interview with Mr. Rose, at which I spoke very freely and openly and protested against further indeci- sion and delay in letting the Craft know what its members were to do the following day; and not only’ did I once more explain, by his desire, what the Freemasons expected, viz; a prominent position to be assigned to them as a body, on the ground, while the Grand Master and the principal officers of the Grand Lodge took their proper places near the stone, but I drew attention to that portion of the ceremonial, which related to the proving and declaring the stone to be properly laid, as being peculiarly the province of the Craft- which was all it desired to do-and the performance of which could not prevent all the honours being accorded, as they ought to be, to the Prince. Mr. Rose at first threw out a suggestion that I should see the Duke of Newcastle, or his secretary, but it did not strike me that I had anything to do with either, only the Canadian authorities; and, finally, I left in Mr. Rose’s keeping my manuscript of the ceremony, for which, and the final decision of the Government, I was to call the next morning, and make the last known to the Grand Lodge. I may here mention that it became apparent to my brethren and myself that some

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kind of influence, although impossible to define its nature, was adverse to the Fraternity and we could guess that individuals, not Freemasons, were desirous of taking prominent parts in the ceremony, from which the Craft, if it assisted, might exclude them. “I may likewise mention that I pointed out, during my several interviews, how members of Government, being Freemasons, could, if they chose to do so, unite their executive and Masonic functions, by acting as officers, pro tern.: the Legislative Chaplain could officiate as Grand Chaplain; and the Government Superintendent of Works, as Grand Superintendent; both being members of our Order. “Finally, I saw Mr. Rose on the day of the ceremony and learned from him that there had been a meeting of the executive Council that morning at which it was resolved that the Craft should not take part in the approaching ceremony. I must, however add, that Mr. Rose was very kind; expressed much regret; offered tickets of admittance to the premises; wished the Fraternity to attend in clothing as spectators; verbally invited me to bring some eight or ten of the principal members to the dejeuner; and hoped I would soften down the disappointment as much as in my power: adding, that Brother the Hon. John Ross, President of the Council, was to see me, but I did not meet that gentleman. “Every particular was submitted to Grand Lodge, and its proceedings thereon, embrac- ing the resolution of the brethren (while bowing to the decision of the authorities), not in any way to appear in public as Freemasons-or accept any invitation, and to send an ad- dress to England-will be found recorded in the published proceedings. The course they adopted met with my ready concurrence. “I trust that this statement will be satisfactory to the brethren at large. as it was to Grand Lodge. and they will not think that our Order suffered in any way except from disap- pointment at not being permitted. after their anxiously expressed readiness to support and assist their most gracious young Prince and future Sovereign. I considered it to be my duty to summon them together under the circumstances-as I have given them in de- tail-that their honour and loyalty might not be impugned or the risk be incurred of their being called upon to act at the very last moment and being then found wanting. If I erred and caused inconvenience. the brethren must overlook the error. as one of the head and not of the heart, and consider indulgently my desire to act for the best, and anxiety that the son of our beloved Queen should have every possible honour shown to him, and the corner stone of the National Buildings of this magnificent country, after being laid by him, declared, according to ancient custom, to be-’Well formed. true and trusty’ by the Grand Lodge of Ancient. Free and Accepted Masons of Canada.” It was some solace to the wounded feelings of the Grand Master to receive. several months after the event, a joint letter from the Honourable John A. Macdonald, the Attorney General of Canada and the Honourable John Rose. the Commissioner of Public Works, a letter in which they regretted the attack that had been made upon him. “Quebec. February 15th, 1861 “Dear Br. Harington. “We have perused with regret a letter published in the London F.M. Magazine. of the 1st December last. signed by an anonymous writer under the initials of ‘E.G.C:

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“Although the services of the Masonic body were not made use of on the occasion of laying the corner stone of the Parliament House at Ottawa. no slight to the Order. or its Grand Master. with whom we were in pleasant communication was intended or imag- ined-nor were you in any way snubbed. as ‘E.G.C: expresses it. “As members of the Craft, we readily accord to you that respect and consideration which is your due. as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada, ..... and as the Grand Lodge of Canada, . . . . . and as personal friends of old acquaintance, we beg to assure you that we feel pained and aggrieved at the unwarrantable attack made upon you by this anony- mous writer. “We are, dear Br. Harington, “Fraternally yours, (Signed) “JOHN A. MACDONALD. “JOHN ROSE.” “ T. D. Harington, Esq.” The second year of M.W. Bro. Harington’s term of office was marked by steady progress of the Craft. Dispensa- tions were granted to no fewer than thirteen new lodges and many improvements were introduced in the man- agement of the affairs of Grand Lodge. The most important of these was the organization of a Board of General Purposes. Up to this time, the various committees of Grand Lodge were appointed by the Grand Master. and M. W. Bro. Wilson had recommended the formation of a General Committee to direct the operations of Grand Lodge. A Special Committee of which M.W. Bro. W. E. Stephens was the Chairman was appointed to take into consideration amendments to the Constitution with that object in view. This committee reported, at the Annual Communication held at London in 1861, in favour of an amendment establishing a Board very much along the lines of the Board of General Purposes as it now exists. This same amendment provided also for a General Com- mittee, consisting of the Board of General Purposes and the Master of every regular lodge which was to meet immediately preceding each Annual Communication of Grand Lodge. All reports of the Grand Master. Deputy Grand Master. District Deputy Grand Masters or other Grand Officers or the Board of General Purposes or any board or committee appointed by the Grand Lodge and all other matters to be brought before Grand Lodge were first to be submitted to this General Committee for consideration and dis-cusslon. As there were, at this time, 135 constituent warranted lodges, most of which sent their representatives to the An- nual Communication, it is difficult to understand why such a cumbersome piece of machinery as this General Committee should be introduced. The report of the Special Committee, however, was received and adopted and the Board of General Purposes was brought into being. At this same Annual Communication the Grand Secretary, R. W. Bro. Thomas D. Harris, submitted a report on a uniform system of keeping lodge minutes for the use of all lodges under the jurisdiction. This system is practically the same as that in use today in all lodges. The report of the Grand Secretary was received and adopted. Grand Lodge was seriously handicapped at this period of its history through lack of funds to enable it to carry out its plans. At the end of the financial year in 1861, the total excess of assets over liabilities was $6,535.10, includ- ing in this sum the dues unpaid by lodges. $1,121.22, so that the entire available assets were only $5.413.88. This involved the exercise of the strictest economy. Immediately after the union had been consummated, a resolution had been passed providing that a medal be struck to commemorate the happy event and a committee was ap- pointed to arrange the design and secure the medals and make a recommendation as to the distribution of them. Two years after the passing of this resolution, Grand Lodge directed that “the expense of preparing the die and

Chapter 5 Page 42 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop ribbon hangers be defrayed, but that no further expense be incurred or the medal struck, without the further orders of Grand Lodge.” It was not until three years after the appointment of the committee that the Grand Secretary was empowered to secure a sufficient number to supply such lodges as had already paid for them. In the face of this enforced economy, Grand Lodge did not hesitate to look with favour upon a memorial presented in 1859, by St. Andrew’s Lodge of Toronto, for the erection of a Masonic asylum or charitable institution in Canada. A committee was appointed at that time to consider the memorial. This committee carefully considered the nature of the differ- ent institutions erected under the auspices of Freemasonry in different parts of the world and finally recommended in a very exhaustive report, presented at the London meeting, the erection of an asylum, where in peace and quiet aged and indigent Masons might find a home and thus realize the spirit of Masonry in the fulfilment of its highest obligation. No detail was omitted in respect of the support and maintenance of the institution and it was suggested that the actual construction should not commence until $20,000 was available for the purpose. It was proposed that $10,000 be raised by voluntary contributions and that a similar sum be voted from the funds of Grand Lodge. The report was adopted and Grand Lodge was pledged to appropriate the $10,000 for that purpose as soon as a similar amount was raised by private subscription. For the first time, the report of the Committee on Foreign Correspondence, prepared by R.W. Bro. Fowler, ap- peared in the form of an appendix to the printed Proceedings of 1861. It covered some 87 pages and contained much readable matter and many complimentary references to the annual addresses of Grand Master Wilson. The committee made a suggestion which might well have been adopted for the reasons assigned by the chairman. It was to the effect that the report be printed previous to the meeting of Grand Lodge, always of course under the supervision of the Grand Master, and that it be placed in the hands of the members when they came to attend the Annual Communication. He claimed quite properly that the reading of a report of such length did not do justice either to the compiler or to the subject. The same argument could be advanced in respect to the reports of the same committee today. They are necessarily voluminous, too voluminous to be read in full. They contain matter of great interest to all delegates attending Grand Lodge, yet it is the only report not freely distributed at the Annual Communication. The expense involved appears to be the only argument that can be advanced against the adoption of such a course.

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CHAPTER VI

The Years 1862 -68

HE seventh Annual Communication was held at St. Catharines .in July, 1862. M.W. Bro. Harington in his address paid a tribute to the memory of the Prince Consort in the following well-chosen sentences: T “Our Most Gracious Sovereign-Our Queen-Our widowed Queen. is even now bowed by natural grief. for the death of her nearest and dearest friend-her husband-one for whose untimely loss the entire Empire unites in mourning ;-one whose domestic and public virtues had endeared him as well to every British subject, as to all who had the privilege or honour of knowing him, or became in any way subject to his kind. amiable and benignant influence. We have the affecting declaration of our sorrowing Queen, that none knew how thoroughly good was the illustrious Prince the nation had lost. But her subjects, while grieving with. have increased cause to love her, who, forgetful of her own sorrow, even at the time when it must have been the most poignant. identified herself with the widows of those humbler, hard working miners. who had been cut off by a terrible visitation-and in her own misery remembered and soothed theirs. Daugh- ter and Niece of Masons! Well may the Fraternity be proud of her affinity to them. and gloriously does she, our loved and Sovereign Lady, add refulgence to our Order, one of whose grand principles is ‘relief’ to suffering fellow-creatures! Soon will another of her children leave her protection, but with her full and free approval. One of those children, of whom we are all so proud, and who cannot fail to carry about with them the impress of the womanly virtues of their august mother, as well as the manly ones of their deeply lamented father!” The Committee on the Grand Master’s Address expressed the sentiments of all loyal Freemasons when they as- serted that it was peculiarly befitting the Masonic Order to send a letter of condolence to Her Majesty, the daugh- ter of a Grand Master, the Duke of Kent, and the niece of another Grand Master, the Duke of Sussex, the two illustrious brethren chiefly responsible for effecting the union of the rival Grand Lodges of England. A feeling reference was made to the loss by death of R.W. Bro. Ridout, who had proven himself a most staunch and useful friend of the Craft when it was sorely in need of a guiding hand like his. Of him the Grand Master said: “And let us look also at home, brethren, Here we miss our much respected and oldest member, the M.W. Brother Thomas Gibbs Ridout, Past Grand Master of Canada! Who is there, who remembers not his kind face and familiar honest greeting, ofttimes roughly uttered to cover a feeling, generous spirit, crippled and debarred from accomplishing its wishes! Who cannot call to mind his devotedness to Freemasonry, and how readily, cheerfully, and constantly he met its varied claims upon his time, his attention, and his means! Many have had experience of his kindness-I know I have. Here again Grand Lodge has the opportunity of condoling with the sorrowing widow and surviving rela- tives-and those who have sorrowed will bear ready testimony to the exceeding power of sympathy, even if that alone is necessary to be offered.”

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R.W. Bro. William G. Storm. D.D.G.M. of Toronto District, in his report, provides us with the following informa- tion regarding this distinguished brother. “On the 29th July, 1861, died. Thomas Gibbs Ridout, a Past Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada. Born at Sorel, Canada East. on the 10th October, 1792, he was brought at a very early age to the City of Toronto, by his father, (the late Brother the Hon. Thomas Ridout, Surveyor General of Upper Canada,) and was an inhabitant of that city, when yet its population numbered fewer than a score of white persons. “In the year 1823, his father applied for and received the Warrant of ‘St. Andrew’s’ Lodge. Toronto. one of the oldest Lodges in this Province, and the subject of this memoir was the first candidate initiated in that Lodge. Passing through all the official grades, he at length became Master of his mother Lodge, to which position he was subsequently re-e1ected on several occasions. “He was, for nine years, the first principal of the •St. Andrew’s’ Royal Arch Chapter. and subsequently served as the Eminent Com¬mander of the (Geoffrey de St. Aldemar) Encampment of Knights Templar. “On the institution of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada West, under the Grand Lodge of England, and the nomination of Sir Allan Napier MacNab as Provincial Grand Master, Brother Ridout received the appointm.ent of Deputy Provincial Grand Master, an office which he continued to hold for a long series of years, and until the formation of the Grand Lodge of Canada, when, in testimony of his great skill and learning as a Mason, and of his faithful services to the Craft, he was, by the unanimous vote of the Grand Lodge, exalted to the rank of a Past Grand Master. “Such was his Masonic career, nor was his life as a citizen less useful to those among whom it was cast, nor less honourable to himself. He was the founder of the Bank of Upper Canada, and was for more than forty years the chief executive officer of that institu¬tion, whilst throughout that long period he was called by the favour of his fel- low-citizens to many positions of responsibility and power. Upright and conscientious in all his dealings, possessed of great ability and a commanding mind, and of a disposition tender almost to weakness, and charitable almost beyond the limits of the most liberal generosity, he was universally respected and revered, and beloved the most by those who knew him best. “A loss so important and so much to be deplored, as that of so exalted a Mason, and so good a man, could not fail to awaken amongst the Craft the deepest sentiments of sor- row, yet amidst the grief of such a dispensation, the consolation based upon his worth is to be found in ‘that vital and, immortal principle which inspires a holy confidence that the Lord of life and glory has enabled him to trample the king of terrors beneath his feet, and to lift his eyes to that bright morning star, whose rising gives peace and salvation to the faithful’.” The most pleasing event of the eighth Annual Communication held in Montreal in July, 1863, was the presenta- tion to M.W. Bro. W. M. Wilson, beloved by every Freemason in the jurisdiction, of a testimonial, consisting of an elegant carved Oak case containing complete silver sets for breakfast, dinner, and tea. The presentation was made by M.W. Bro. Harington who still occupied the throne in the Grand East. The distinguished brother, with that elo-

Chapter 6 Page 45 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop quence and good taste which characterized all of his utterances, acknowledged the gift in the following words: “There are incidents, I presume, in the lives of most men, which, exciting their liveliest feelings of grateful emotion, create in them an intense desire for the ability to express them suitably and forcibly, but the very intensity of the feelings excited by the occasion prevents all expression of them. Such is my own condition at the present moment, and I have no words at command with which to express a tithe of the emotions which now swell at and oppress my heart. This magnificent testimonial, intrinsically valuable as it is, is infinitely more acceptable and valuable to me, as evidencing the kind feeling which had prompted the donors; a gift worthy of the distinguished body of men from whom it emanates, and far above the poor deserts of him whom you have at all times delighted to honour. “Brethren, you have been pleased to rate highly my past services in the cause of Ma- sonry, but this you must permit me to say that, had it not been for the wise heads and warm hearts which encour¬aged, counselled and sustained me, during the many hours of anxiety, perplexity, and difficulty, when we first raised the standard of our Grand Lodge, all the efforts which were then made to establish Canadian Masonry on a permanent and suitable basis would have proved a failure; for the invaluable services rendered by these fathers of Canadian Masonry, on the occasion referred to, for the unvarying kindness and support which I have individually and at all times received from the Craft, at large, and for this last and crown¬ing mark of your esteem and approbation, I can only tender you my most grateful and heartfelt acknowledgments. This magnificent testimonial will be proudly preserved by my descendants, and long years after all who now hear me shall have passed away from the chequered scenes of this last earthly pilgrimage, future generations of Masons may point .to it and say, it was thus that our Masonic forefa- thers proved their love for the Royal Art, and rewarded those who had laboured for the cause.” The last year of M.W. Bro. Harington’s term was uneventful in many respects, but much useful work was done at the Annual Communication held at Hamilton in July, 1864. Most of the time was spent in considering the report of a special committee that had been appointed two years before to revise the constitution. The code of rules and regulations for the government of the Board of General Purposes which had been adopted in 1861 was found to be incom¬plete. and the provision for a General Committee to supervise the work of the Board of General Pur- poses and to which all reports were to be submitted. even that of the Grand Master. was found to be unwieldy and unworkable. Suggested amendments had been brought forward at the previous meeting in 1863. but the Special Committee could not get away from the idea of a General Committee and recommended doing away with the Board of General Purposes and reducing the members of this General Committee to thirty-two. sixteen of whom were to be appointed by the Grand Master and the remaining sixteen to be elected by Grand Lodge. This reduction in members would have been an improvement on the provision of 1861. which provided that the Committee con- sist of the Board of General Purposes and the Masters of every regular lodge. The suggested amendment of 1863, if adopted, would have practically placed the government of Grand Lodge in the hands of thirty-two members. The officers of Grand Lodge and the District Deputy Grand Masters were not necessarily included among the members, unless they were appointed by the Grand Master or elected by Grand Lodge. We are not surprised that the proposed amendment did not meet with the approval of Grand Lodge, and the whole question was referred back to the Special Committee for further consideration. When the report was presented at the Hamil¬ton meeting in 1864, it was found that the cherished idea of a governing body in the form of a General Committee had been Chapter 6 Page 46 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop abandoned and more extensive powers were given to the Board of General Purposes, which was to be constituted as it is today. The entire constitution was revised and ordered to be printed for the use of the Craft. R\V. Bro. William B. Simp- son of Kingston, who for many years had been a prominent and useful member of Grand Lodge, was elected and duly installed as successor to M.W. Bro. Harington. During the two years that M.W. Bro. Simpson ruled the Craft, steady progress was made in bringing into general use the system of uniformity in the by-laws of the various lodges. He, as did his predecessors, deplored the lack of uniformity in the work. Several remedies had been suggested. An effort was made to have the District Deputy Grand Masters undertake the task. but that was found impracticable. He recommended the appointment of one or two Grand Lecturers to give instructions to the various lodges and that they receive adequate remuneration for their services. The problem, however, was not solved, owing chiefly to lack of funds to meet the expenses. In the Proceedings of the Annual Communica¬tion, the last one over which he presided, there appeared for the first time a synopsis of the returns of the lodges for the year ending the 24th June, 1866. From this we observe that there were 180 lodges within the jurisdiction with a total membership of 6,263. There was at this time no Committee on Benevolence. Relief was granted under the direction of the Board of General Purposes. The amount expended during the year was $340.00. In his last annual address, he touched upon three topics that were engaging public attention: the war clouds that threatened to deluge Europe with blood, the Fenian raid, and Confederation. In case our native land should be drawn into the European struggle, he appealed to all brother Masons to be ready for any emergency. He denounced the Fenians who entered our peaceful country as “a band of lawless invaders, the very pariahs of society,” and of the invasion said, “A more criminal raid was never heard of in the history of modern nations. The idea of assisting such independence (of Ireland) by a murderous onslaught on the peaceful inhabit- ants of a remote and happy British Province is too absurd to be entertained. Plunder was the object and may the just laws of our country mete out to them a just reward.” He welcomed Confederation and deemed the time op- portune for a Confederation of the Grand Lodges of the new Dominion. He cherished a dream never to be realized when he appealed to Grand Lodge to ponder well the formation of a “Grand Lodge for the whole of British North America with a Provincial Grand Lodge in each Province.” There was general rejoicing among the brethren when after a period of seven years, M.W. Bro. William Mercer Wilson was again prevailed upon to assume the gavel in Grand Lodge. He had, by his pleasing manner and un- disguised love for the Craft, won the affection of the entire Fraternity, who had implicit confidence in his leader- ship. We see evidence of his farsightedness in the manner in which he dealt with several important questions that were engaging the attention of Grand Lodge. The question of a Masonic asylum occupied a prominent place in the discussions of Grand Lodge. A number of brethren had set their hearts upon the erection and maintenance of a suitable building for unfortunate and indigent members of the Order. An “asylum trust” had been created but there was not that enthusiasm among the constituent lodges that was looked for. The members composing the trust were insistent upon taking immediate steps for the erection of the building, although not more than one fourth of the lodges has subscribed to the fund. The report of the Board of General Purposes upon the project covered several pages of the Proceedings of the An- nual Communication of 1867 but contained no clearly defined recommendation. The Grand Master, in his address at the same meeting, dealt with the question from every point of view. His comments were as follows: “It appears to me that we are not yet in a position which would warrant so large an expenditure of money, as would be required for the erection and endowment of such an establishment as the Masons of Canada would wish to see associated with their name and Order. Neither do I believe that there exists any urgent necessity for the immediate expenditure of money for this purpose; for although we must all admire the princely benevolence displayed by the

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Masons of England, in their great Masonic charities, we at the same time also know how widely different our posi- tion and circumstances are from theirs. Every warranted Lodge under this jurisdiction has, doubtless, its little list of widows and orphans, whom it gladly relieves to the utmost extent of its ability, and this Grand Body, also, has never turned a deaf ear to the appeal of poverty or distress; but if you were carefully to examine the position and circumstances of the parties respectively, who have thus received relief and assistance at your hands, you would, I am convinced, find that but very few of them, if any, would accept your bounty, if coupled with the condition that, before they could become the recipients of it, they must become the inmates of a Masonic asylum and such of you as have had the opportunity of visiting asylums erected for aged and indigent Masons either in England or elsewhere, and have carefully observed the inmates of these institu¬tions must admit the fact that in this country. we have but few representatives of that class of cases amongst us. The whole funds of our Grand Lodge (with the exception of that portion which is abso¬lutely required to defray contingent and other expenses) are, I consider, sacred to benevolent purposes; and if these are prudently invested in public securities, we shall be enabled, with- out encroaching upon the principal, effectually to relieve and assist all who have claims upon our benevolence.” The Grand Master also touched upon the question of one Grand Lodge for all Canada and, while he admitted that the idea of uniting all the members of the Fraternity residing in the various Provinces into one Grand Body was a pleasing one to contemplate, he had grave doubts whether a union embracing such an immense extent of country, with the probability of other important additions, would promote the advancement of the best interests of Masonry on this continent. As the Grand Master had touched upon the right of Grand Lodge to retain the title of the Grand Lodge of Canada which, it was claimed, was a misnomer, by reason of there being other Grand Lodges within the territory brought by Confederation within the boundaries of the Dominion, the question of the position of Grand Lodge in this respect was referred to a special committee of seven. The report of this committee was to the effect that considering “all the circumstances connected with the recent political change that has taken place, the best interests of Masonry require that the present position, standing and name of this Grand Lodge be maintained.” It required, however, the casting vote of the chairman of the committee, M.W. Bro. T. D. Harington, to carry the resolution to present the report. When the report came before Grand Lodge, it was discussed at some length. with no prospect of an agreement; so further discussion was postponed until the next Annual Communication. The question of lack of uniformity in the work still occupied a prominent place in the reports of the District Depu- ties and no satisfactory solution had yet been found. The views of M.W. Bro. Wilson upon any attempt at innova- tion or change in the lex non scripta of Masonry were very pronounced: “A system which has come down to us from our ancient brethren, hallowed, mellowed. and approved by our fathers in the mystic art, is not to be rashly interfered or tampered with; and if through inadvertence, or because it seemed more consistent with our modern notions, any change has crept in, I would gladly favour an immediate return to the old pattern and traditions of the Order.” As an illustration of the impetus given to Freemasonry by the re-election of M.W. Bro. Wilson, it might be noted that dispensations were granted to fourteen new lodges during the first year of his second term as Grand Master.

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CHAPTER VII

Confederation

HE thirteenth Annual Communication was held at London in July, 1868. This meeting was honoured by the presence of Canada’s foremost statesman, R.W, Bro. Sir John A. Macdonald, who presented his ap- Tpointments as the Representative of the United Grand Lodge of England. He was received with Grand Honours and the rank of Past Grand Senior Warden was conferred upon him. The Grand Master apologized for his hastily prepared address to which he was not able to devote much time, ow- ing to the pressing professional duties and a recent il1ness; but no apology was necessary, for it will rank among the finest ever delivered from the Grand East and contains much matter upon which all Masons might most profit- ably reflect. He sounded a timely warning to all members of the Craft who, not heeding their professed object in seeking admission, may have been influenced by mercenary or other unworthy motives: “In the course of the discussions which occasionally take place at our annual meetings, sentiments are sometimes expressed by the younger members of the Fraternity which have led me to believe that they neither fully understood nor appreciated the original design and aim of our institution; but had come to regard it as if the great and sole object of our association was the mere accumulation of funds for the relief of distressed Ma- sons, for the support of their widows, and for the education of their destitute children, forgetting apparently the explanations which had been given and the lessons they had received at their initiation into our mysteries. Charity, in its largest sense, in its broadest signification, is a virtue dear to the heart of every true Mason, and that charity which is not only active, but passive, is freely exercised by the genuine brother; he is ever ready to assist the distressed as he is to abstain from unkindness, discourteousness, or the mali- cious construction of his neighbour’s motives. “The inculcation of every virtue, the improvement of our species, the advancement of learning and science, the study of the liberal arts, and especially the cultivation of broth- erly love, these are some of the aims of the Craft and of its votaries. If there is to be found in our ranks any individual who has joined us, actuated by no higher motive than self-interest, and influenced by the idea that he is thereby making a most judicious investment for himself and family, he will soon discover that he has not only deceived himself but that he has altogether misapprehended the genius, the scope, and the great objects of Masonry; for our brotherhood is not for a moment to be placed on the same level with those mere benefit clubs which have recently been established, with the sole and avowed intention of making to the contributor, or to his legal representatives, a full and equivalent return in hard cash for that which he has invested in their hands. Neither is Masonry to be thus shorn of her fair proportions; nor is she to be circumscribed or fet- tered as to the discharge of her numerous duties. We are told that the three great tenets of a Mason’s profession are Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth; and to you, my Brethren, I now say-cultivate them all.” The concluding portion of his address, which he at the time believed was the last he would ever give from the

Chapter 7 Page 49 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop throne, may be regarded as a benediction, not alone to the large assembly who heard him upon that occasion, but to all Masons for all time : “May Masonry continue to flourish in all parts of the world, and may we, her workmen, prove equal to our profession and worthy of our exalted privileges; for, after all, breth- ren, we are but just what our name conveys-merely builders, patiently but hopefully toiling on, and humbly following in the steps of our predecessors; trying to carry out the designs left by them on their Masonic trestle-board, and leaving the work to be contin- ued and perfected by those who are to come after us; rejoicing, however, in the hope that our feeble contributions of service and of labour may lead to the glorious consummation which will secure the approving smile and ultimate reward of the Great Architect of the Universe, who is Himself the beginning and the end of all creation. Finally, my brethren, let us work while it is day; for ‘the hour cometh when no man can work’.” It must have been a source of gratification to the Grand Master to report that the 41 lodges, which paid him hom- age when he was first chosen to preside over them, had increased to 205, of which number no fewer than 170 had sent their representatives to that Communication. He had granted twelve dispensations during the year just ended and the total membership was 8,022. The question of the Masonic asylum was again to the fore and it was quite apparent that the proposal was not so popular as its, sponsors desired. A resolution was introduced that the whole plan be abandoned, and that the Board of General Purposes devise some means of disposing of the fund that had already been contributed by private lodges. After an interesting discussion, a compromise amendment was accepted to the effect that further consider- ation of the question be postponed until the next Annual Communication. The very respectable sum of $4,701.40 had been contributed for that special purpose and the right to dispose of it for any other purpose was a question upon which the brethren could not agree. For the first time in the history of Grand Lodge, a portion of one day was given over for the exemplification of the work. The regular chairs were filled by skilled brethren, who proceeded with the ceremony of opening and closing a lodge in the three degrees. This was the last expedient adopted to secure uniformity.

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CHAPTER VIII

The Question of Provincial Autonomy in Masonry

HE fourteenth Annual Communication of Grand Lodge was held in Montreal, the home city of the Grand Master, M.W. Bro. A . A. Stevenson. During the first year of his term, the healthy growth of the Order Tcontinued. Twelve dispensations to new lodges were issued during the year, bringing the full number up to 209. Although the delegates were called upon to travel long dis¬tances, 182 lodges were represented at the meet- ing. The ordinary Masonic transactions, during the year, did not vary greatly from the routine of former years. The Grand Master, in his address, deemed it necessary to administer a reproof to those brethren who indulged in the practice of canvassing for office, both in private lodges and in the Grand Lodge. He recommended the following method of combatting the evil: “The most effectual mode of securing the complete abolishment of this evil practice, will be for every brother, when approached in that way, to cast his vote against, instead of for, the party who resorts to such improper methods for the purpose of obtaining office.” The asylum project was discouraged by M.W. Bro. Stevenson. He was of the opinion that the expenditure nec- essary for the erection and maintenance of such an institution would not be justifiable under the circumstances. He believed that the majority of applicants for relief would prefer accepting a small annual grant to assist in maintaining themselves among their own relatives or acquaintances, rather than seek admission to an institution which would generally be regarded as a home for paupers. He advocated instead that the means and energies of the Fraternity be devoted towards the establishment of a school for the support and education of the children and orphans of Freemasons. The Board of General Purposes, in reporting upon that portion of the Grand Master’s address relating to the question, was noncommittal and recommended that the matter be left with Grand Lodge to take such action as it saw fit, with the result that the question was shelved for another year by referring it to a Special Committee to report at the next Annual Communication. The Grand Master deplored the existence, within the territorial jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Canada, of a number of lodges under the authority of other Grand Lodges. He was of the opinion that the time was ripe for bringing all such lodges within the fold, so there would be one and only one common Canadian Brotherhood. No further action, however, was taken in that direction, than the reception of the report of the Board of General Purposes, which recommended that the whole matter be left in the hands of the Grand Master to take such action as he deemed proper. There were, at this lime, 39 lodges in the Province of Quebec. Of these, 32 were under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Canada, five under the United Grand Lodge of England, working under the arrangement agreed upon in 1859, and two under the Grand Lodge of Scotland. There were a number of brethren in the Province of Quebec occupying prominent positions in the Craft, who contended that the Act of Confederation which dissolved the Union between the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec, placed these Provinces in the position of unoccupied territory, and supported this contention by quoting that portion of the address of Grand Master Wilson, delivered at Kingston in 1867, which related to the idea of a General Grand Lodge for all of Canada with a Provincial Grand Lodge in each Province. These brethren appear to have overlooked the fact that in the same address, M.W. Bro. Wilson said that he entertained grave doubts whether such a General Grand Lodge would have a tendency to promote the best interests of Masonry on this continent and cited the case of the United States, where no such

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General Grand Lodge existed. They also overlooked the fact that that portion of the address was referred to a Special Committee; and upon the motion of M.W. Bro. Wilson himself, the committee reported that the best in- terests of Masonry required that the then existing position, standing and name of the Grand Lodge of Canada be maintained. This report was adopted by Grand Lodge. With these facts staring them in the face, it is difficult to see how these discontented brethren could state, as they did, that Grand Master Wilson recognized that Ontario and Quebec were unoccupied territory, in reference to Freemasonry. These same brethren claimed, although nothing appears in the Proceedings of Grand Lodge to support their contention, that they expected that the Masons of the Province of Ontario would, at the meeting held in Montreal in 1868. be ready to arrange an amicable separation of the Grand Lodge of’ Canada and divide its properties and funds between the Freemasons of Quebec and On- tario. They further alleged that upon the first day of the session, they attempted to introduce the subject and Grand Master Stevenson refused to allow it to be brought forward and discussed. Little was heard of the agitation until the 25th September, fol¬lowing the meeting in Montreal, when the Grand Master received a letter advising him that delegates from the various lodges in Montreal had held a meeting the evening before, and had appointed a committee of three to wait upon him and acquaint him with the action which it seemed desirable should be taken in regard to the interests of Masonry in the Province. M.W. Bro. Stevenson promptly named eleven o’clock that same morning, but stipulated that the District Deputy of the District should be present. The deputation waited upon the Grand Master at the appointed hour, but declined to discuss the question in the presence of the District Deputy. They accordingly withdrew, but returned in a short time and presented a written statement, signed by four Past Masters, to the effect that brethren from various lodges in the Province had met the evening before and were unanimously in favour of a Grand Lodge for the Province of Quebec, and desired to know if the Grand Master was willing to summon an Emergent Communication for the purpose of ascertaining whether that object could be carried out. The Grand Master replied that as far as he then saw, there could be only one answer given to such a request. He pointed out to them that they did not place before him any facts that would justify him in complying with their request. He promised, however, to give the matter his earnest consideration and to answer them more favourably in a day or two. Upon making further enquiries, he subsequently learned that, before appointing the deputation to wait upon him, the meeting of the 24th September had passed a resolution to call a meeting for Oc- tober 20th, for the purpose of forming a Grand Lodge of Quebec. Under these circumstances he conceived it to be his duty to summon the four Past Masters to appear before him on October 8th to give an explanation of their conduct. Three of the brethren responded to the summons and their explanations were considered unsatisfactory. The Grand Master pointed out to them that they had taken an obligation to uphold and maintain that which they were attempting to destroy; urged them to desist from their agitation for the present; and assured them that if it turned out that there existed so strong a feeling as they pretended, the question might come up for discussion at the next annual meeting. The brethren appeared to be satisfied but asked time to consult their friends. Three days later they returned and positively declined to recede from the position taken by them. On the following day the Grand Master received a circular letter addressed to the Worshipful Masters, Past Masters, Wardens, Officers, and other brethren of the several lodges of the Province of Quebec and signed by seventeen prominent brethren, among them being the names of three Worshipful Masters. This letter advised the brethren, to whom it was addressed. that a convention would be held in Montreal on October 20th. for the purpose of taking into consideration the state of Freemasonry in the Province and to proceed, if so decided, to the formation of a Grand Lodge for the Province of Quebec. It did not take the Grand . Master very long to decide upon a course of action. He requested the three Masters who had signed the letter to appear before him. and learned that they had taken it upon themselves to act as they did without any authority from their lodges. He endeavoured to persuade them to refrain from further participation in the movement, but without avail. Whereupon he reluctantly issued edicts of suspension against sixteen of the sev- enteen whose names were appended to the circular calling the convention. The other brother. who had also signed Chapter 8 Page 52 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop the letter, promised to withdraw from the scheme and thus escaped suspension. but later on repented doing so and renewed his connection with the other signatories. The Grand Master also issued an edict to all the lodges in the Province of Quebec prohibiting all brethren from attending the so-called convention or taking any part in any other meeting that might be called for a similar purpose. The insurgent brethren were not to be so easily deterred from their undertaking and forthwith issued another circular letter warning the brethren that what purported to be the edict of the Grand Master was informal, illegal, and unconstitutional. not having the Grand Lodge seal affixed thereto. On the ‘4th October the District Deputy Grand Master of the Montreal District, who deeply regretted the rebellious attitude of the lodges within his jurisdiction and remained loyal to M.W. Bro. Stevenson throughout this trying period, attended in his official capacity the regular communication of Zetland Lodge for the purpose of reading the edict of the Grand Master, as he was aware that the Worshipful Master was out of the country. He was met with open defiance, was grossly insulted, and would have been assaulted but for the interposition of two or three brethren who afforded him protection. He exercised his authority by suspending the Lodge and taking charge of the warrant. Matters had reached a crisis that it is difficult to believe could, under any circumstances, prevail among men who had ever been imbued with the true spirit of Freemasonry. The warrant of the Lodge of Antiquity, of which the District Deputy was the Worshipful Master, mysteriously disappeared and the Grand Master was the recipient of an anonymous letter warning him that unless the warrant of Zetland Lodge be re- placed, an important Masonic document (obviously the warrant of the Lodge of Antiquity) would be destroyed. On the 19th day of October the Grand Master learned that Montreal Kilwinning Lodge had appointed delegates for the convention, whereupon he issued an edict suspending the Lodge and caused the same to be served upon the Worshipful Master with a demand for the surrender of the warrant books and papers of the Lodge, which the Master declined to deliver. It will be observed that all of these suspensions of lodges and brethren took place prior to the meeting fixed for the convention, so that the lodges and brethren under suspension could not constitution- ally participate in the proceedings of that meeting. That, however, did not hold them in check. The meeting was held; the suspension of Zetland Lodge was declared nulI and void; they went through the form of creating a so- called Grand Lodge for the Province of Quebec, and elected to office many of the brethren who were still under suspension. They went so far as to bring to the city the Grand Master of Vermont, for the purpose of installing the officers, but when he learned the true position of affairs he declined to render them that service ; so the ceremony was performed by a P.D.D.G.M. who himself was at the time under suspension. The Grand Master lost no time. in notifying .all the sister Grand Lodges of what had taken place, with the request that they would in no manner accord, recognition to the irregular and clandestine organization. It was claimed by the organizers of this movement and so reported in the press of the city, that twenty-one of the thirty-nine lodges were represented at the convention. It was found, however, upon examination, that many of these lodges had not been given any authority for representation, but that it was principally done by Past Masters and Masters who took part in the proceedings in the hope that their action would afterwards be endorsed by their respec¬tive lodges. In other instances a majority vote was considered sufficient to bind the lodge. Several of the lodges, alleged to have been represented, afterwards repudiated all connection with the proceedings. Special men- tion should be made of a communication forwarded to the Grand Master over the signatures of fifteen members of Zetland Lodge, who regretted the indignities offered to the D.D.G.M.. disavowed their connection with the un- masonic conduct of the brethren upon the occasion of his visit and prayed that the suspension might be removed, so far as it applied to them. Needless to add, their prayer was granted. The next move on the part of the rebellious brethren was to issue a manifesto to the brethren of the lodges of the Province of Ontario. in which they sought to justify the course adopted by them. Such was the pathetic and humiliating story that Grand Master Stevenson laid before a Special Emergent Communication of Grand Lodge. held in Montreal on the 1st December. 1869, for the purpose of adopting such measures as might be deemed necessary under the circumstances. His address, which set forth in the fullest detail all that had been brought to his knowledge concerning the rebellious brethren, was Chapter 8 Page 53 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop referred to a Special Committee. The report of this committee was a complete endorsation of the able manner in which the Grand Master had handled a most delicate and trying situation. The report of the committee, as adopted by Grand Lodge, held that the Province of Quebec had been fully occupied Masonically since 1855, and was still occupied by the Grand Lodge of Canada. The action of the Quebec brethren in presuming to form a second Grand Lodge was declared illegal and unconstitutional. The seceding brethren were given an opportunity to return to their allegiance. A warning was given that the so called “Grand Lodge of Quebec” could not hope to secure recognition from the Grand Lodge of Canada and ought not to expect it from any other Grand Lodge, upon a proper presentation of the facts. A further warning was embodied in the report to the effect that all brethren acknowledging allegiance to the so called “Grand Lodge of Quebec” who did not, within three months, return to their allegiance to the Grand Lodge of Canada, would be summoned to appear before Grand Lodge to show cause why they should not be ex- pelled from the privileges of Freemasonry.

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CHAPTER IX

Further Attempts at a Solution of the Quebec Problem

HE fifteenth Annual Communication was held at Toronto in July, 1870, with M.W. Bro. Stevenson on the throne. The all absorbing question which took precedence over all others was the position of the Craft in Tthe Province of Quebec. Matters had not improved since the Emergent Communication and it was with deep emotion that the Grand Master was compelled again to appeal to Grand Lodge for a solution of the difficulty. The pain to him was all the more poignant owing to the outbreak having taken place among the brethren of his own city where he had every good reason to look for loyalty, especially during his term of office as the supreme head of the Craft. All efforts to induce the rebellious lodges to return to their allegiance to the Grand Lodge of Canada had failed. He thereupon submitted the whole question to the anxious assembly in the following words: “What is to be done in the present posItion of affairs? The question is one which is more easily asked than answered, and its consideration may well occasion anxiety in the mind of every mem¬ber of Grand Lodge. The determination arrived at in this case will be viewed with interest throughout both continents, and its influence will be felt far and wide. Grand Lodge sovereignty is in reality upon its trial, and the Masonic world are looking on with deep con¬cern. The line of action adopted now will not only be fraught with momentous consequences to ourselves, but will exercise an immense influence, for good or for evil. upon the future of Freemasonry in other countries. It becomes us, then, to consider well what that action should be, so that no false step may be taken which might prove injurious to Freemasonry and be a source of regret to us for years to come. Entertaining, as I do, a firm conviction that the con¬clusions arrived at in December last were based upon correct Masonic principle, I cannot be expected to concur with those’ who are ready to yield everything for the sake of peace, or even a questionable expedi- ency; nor can I bring my mind to believe that Grand Lodge organizations ought to be tossed about, swept away, or destroyed, at the whim or caprice of statesmen or politi- cians, whenever they may find it convenient or necessary to make even such alterations as were made here about three years ago. This would, in my humble opinion, be placing the fate and destiny of Grand Lodges in the hands of men who may not even be members of our Order. Look at the question from another point of view. Suppose the local gov- ernments and legislatures of these four Pro¬vinces to be abolished, and the business of the Dominion to be entrusted to only one Government-a mere legislative union in fact- would it be necessary then, or possible if necessary, to disorganize the Grand Lodges existing at that time within the Dominion, and form only one Grand Lodge for the en- tire territory~ Certainly not. Yet this is the exact converse of the proposition so boldly advanced and so strenuously urged by many well-intentioned, though in my judgment mistaken, brethren.” With but one dissentient vote, the address of the Grand Master was referred to the Board of General Purposes with instructions to report on the following day upon that part referring to the “Grand Lodge of Quebec.” In due course the Board presented its report, the various clauses of which were considered seriatim.

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Clause one, approving the position taken at the Emergency Communication, as to occupation of the Province of Quebec by the Grand Lodge of Canada, was adopted. Clause two simply declared that the so-called Grand Lodge of Quebec was not attracting to itself the lodges working in that Province and that the number of lodges remaining loyal to the Grand Lodge of Canada was the same as in December. Considerable discussion took place at this stage of the proceedings by reason of an amendment to a motion for its adoption, which amendment was sponsored by M.W. Bros. W. M. Wilson and T. D. Harington. This amendment, which came as a great surprise to many, proposed full recognition of the Grand Lodge of Quebec as a sister Grand Lodge, reserving however to the Grand Lodge of Canada full control over those lodges in Quebec which desired to continue their connection with the latter Grand Lodge. Upon a vote being taken, the amendment was defeated by an overwhelming majority, and the entire report as presented by the Board was adopted. The remaining clauses of the report provided that Grand Lodge should continue its protection to the loyal lodges in the Province of Quebec and that no action be taken towards expelling the brethren summoned to show cause. This leniency was extended through a desire to avoid any step which might possibly retard the restoration of harmony. The attitude of the leaders in the movement in Quebec may be gathered from a letter addressed to the Grand Sec- retary by John H. Isaacson who was one of the committee appointed at the first meeting of the delegates and who took a foremost part in forming the so-called Grand Lodge of Quebec. He was in Toronto at the time the report of the Board of General Purposes was under discussion and was invited to appear before Grand Lodge and offer any explanation he might desire to make regarding his conduct. He curtly declined to do so, except upon the terms named in his letter, which read as follows: “Montreal, 30th june, 1870. “To Thos. B. Harris, Esq., G. Sec. Grand Lodge of Canada. “Dear Sir and R.W. Bro.: “I beg to acknowledge the receipt of an official communication from you, under date 13th June, inst., summoning me to appeal before the G.L. of A.F. and A.M. of Canada, at its Annual Communication, to be held in the City of Toronto, in the Province of Ontario, on Thursday, the 14th day of July next, to ‘show cause why I should not be expelled from the privileges of Freemasonry.’ “In reply, I have to state that in view of what I conceive to be the illegal, unjust, and ar- bitrary conduct of the Grand Master and C.L. of Canada towards me by my suspension, subsequent proceedings, and the issue of the above summons, I consider it my duty to decline so to appear and for the reasons: “1st. That being a Mason of good standing under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Quebec, and being amenable to that body alone for my unmasonic acts, and owing and admitting no allegiance to the G .L. of C. this latter body has no legal right whatever to summon me to appear before it. or in any way to adjudicate on my actions. “2nd. That even if the G.L. of C. held jurisdiction over me. it could not call upon me ‘to show cause why I should not be e:xpelled: i.e.• punished. until ofler I had been accused, furnished with a copy of the specific charges against me, tried. and declared guilty¬not one of which proceedings has ever yet been adopted. “3rd. That the G.L. of C. has already. at its last Special Communication. in my absence.

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on the ex parle statements of the G .M. and others. and without giving me any chance of defence. or opportunity to refute such statements. and contrary to all precedents of jus- tice. prejudged my cause and unanimously and emphatically condemned my (alleged) actions. Vide report of Special Committee. clause 3. adopted by G.L. of C. “In conclusion. I desire to state that I make this reply to your communication. and take exception to the action of your G.L. on the grounds above given. from no spirit of disre- spect to your G.L.. or from any desire to increase or complicate the present difficulties unhappily existing throughout the Craft in the Provinces of Quebec and Ontario. And, as an evidence of my sincerity. I hereby declare that I am ready and willing at any time to give to your Grand Lodge, or to any of its officers or members. the fullest information and explanation of my Masonic acts. if invited in a fraternal spirit to do so.” M.W. Bro. Stevenson was chosen Grand Master for the third time. He was thoroughly conversant with the situa- tion in Quebec and there was a general feeling that he was better qualified than any other brother to devise some solution of the difficult problem. When he met Grand Lodge again at the Annual Communication at Ottawa in 1871. he was able to announce an increase in the total number of lodges sufficient to offset the number that had seceded in Quebec. Two dormant lodges had been resuscitated. one of the seceding ones had returned to its allegiance, and eighteen new dispensa- tions had been granted. Of the latter. one was in the centre of the disturbed territory-Union of Strict Observance, Montreal; and four were in Manitoba. He was, however, unable to report any improvement in the situation in Que- bec. He referred the whole question again to Grand Lodge, pointing out that there were several alternatives that might be adopted. The last of these enumerated by him was the withdrawal of the Grand Lodge of Canada from the Province, ceding that territory to the new Grand Lodge. This, of course, would include an equitable distribu- tion of the funds and property. While he did not recommend this course, yet the inclusion of it in the alternatives suggested by a Grand Master from the throne in his annual address was the first official sign of yielding on the part of the Grand Lodge of Canada. He did not express himself as greatly in favour of letting matters rest as they were, trusting to time and the good offices of the brethren concerned to heal the breaches. The Board of General Purposes, in reporting upon the question, adopted a much more moderate tone than in their former reports upon the same subject. They did not recede from the opinion formerly expressed by them as to the legality of their position. but did assert that a unanimous desire on the part of the lodges in Quebec to be set apart as a separate Masonic territory would be favourably entertained by Grand Lodge. They further recommended that a commit- tee be appointed by Grand Lodge to confer with a committee of the seceding lodges of Quebec, with a view to the restoration of Masonic harmony in that Province. This recommendation appeared to be the most appropriate course, as up to that time there had been no round-table conference. To smooth the way for such a conference the Board went one step further and recommended that all suspen¬sions of Masters of lodges and Masons in that Province, then in force, be removed. The report was ordered to be printed and circulated among the members. On the following day the question was discussed from every point of view and Grand Lodge finally adopted a resolu- tion brought forward by the District Deputy Grand Master of Montreal. This resolution provided that the territory of the Province of Quebec be ceded to the new organization in Quebec so soon as the Grand Lodge of Canada received satisfactory assurance that a settlement or compromise mutually satisfactory had been effected between the Masons in Quebec, then loyal to the Grand Lodge of Canada, and the members of the so-called Grand Lodge of Quebec. This bore very much the appearance of abandoning the loyal brethren in a very critical hour. The situ- ation had become very embarrassing, owing to the action of many of the Grand Lodges of the United States, who had welcomed the Grand Lodge of Quebec into the fold of sovereign Grand Lodges.

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As early as 1862, the attention of Grand Lodge had been called to the position of coloured persons claiming ad- mission to lodges in Toronto. This was embodied in the report of the District Deputy Grand Master of the Toronto District, presented that year. The question arose again in a much more aggravated form at the Annual Communica- tion in J87 J • A letter had been received from the Secretary of a lodge at Chatham and also a petition from others belonging to a lodge at Toronto, both said to be holding warrants from the Grand Lodge of the State of New York (coloured) desiring to surrender their warrants and affiliate with the Grand Lodge of Canada. The Board of Gen- eral Purposes, to whom the letter and petition had been referred, reported that the Grand Secretary be instructed to state in reply, that the Grand Lodge of Canada could recognize only one Grand Lodge in the State of New York, and that any application for admission must be made personally by each candidate in accordance with the provi- sions of the constitution. The report was adopted in the belief that the question would end there. At this time, it was the practice for each District Deputy Grand Master to read his report to Grand Lodge. As they covered fifty or sixty pages of the Proceedings, a great deal of time was consumed in the reading and it must have been a great tax upon the patience of the delegates. A motion to abandon the practice was brought forward and lost. None reported with greater pride upon the progress being made than the District Deputy of Manitoba, whose four lodges were working under dispensations.

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CHAPTER X

Lodge Problem in Quebec

. W. BRO. JAMES SEYMOUR of St. Catharines, who succeeded M.W. Bro. Stevenson as Grand Master, was able at the seventeenth Annual Communication, held at Hamil¬ton, in July, 1872, to report Mthat he had, during the year, granted twenty-one dispensations for the formation of new lodges. Apart from this, his message was a cheerless one, as all efforts to settle the Quebec difficulty had borne no fruit. Six representatives from the lodges in Quebec, working under the Grand Lodge of Canada, had met seven from the Grand Lodge of Quebec in Montreal. M.W. Bro. Stevenson presided over the joint committee and their delibera- tions were carried on in the most friendly manner. After the submission of proposals from both sides and a free discussion of the same, the joint committee were finally able to agree unanimously upon terms of settlement, subject to the approval of the Grand Lodge of Quebec. The plan agreed upon provided that the lodges in Quebec, working under the Grand Lodge of Canada, be received into the Grand Lodge of Quebec, exactly as if they had originally taken part in the organization of that body. It also provided that all questions including names of lodges, distribution of property in the case of duplicate lodges, and priority of number. be left entirely to a committee of six, three of whom would be named by each party, with power to name an arbitrator. Liberal as these concessions appear, they were rejected by the Grand Lodge of Quebec, which assumed what now appears to be an unwar- ranted and most autocratic attitude. A resolution was passed instructing the Grand Secretary to invite all lodges in the Province that were in existence prior to October 20th. 1869, (the date of the organization meeting) to affiliate with: the Grand Lodge of Quebec, with the same rights and privileges as if they had assisted in the formation of that Grand Lodge. The Grand Master was authorized by the same resolution to proclaim non-intercourse with any lodge or pretended lodge in the Province that persistently refused to recognize the supremacy of the Grand Lodge of Quebec. To all lodges formed in the Province since October 20th. 1869, under warrants from the Grand Lodge of Canada, the Grand Lodge of Quebec was under the terms of the resolution “disposed to extend all the clem- ency that is consistent with the maintenance of the integrity of this Grand Lodge and the constitution of the Order, even to the issuing of new warrants and healing of work already done.” Upon receiving notice of the foregoing resolution, the loyal lodges were summoned to a meeting, when after due consideration. the following resolution was unanimously passed: “1. Therefore Resolved,-I. That in the opinion of this meeting of representatives of Lodges working under the Grand Lodge of Canada, the resolutions passed by the so- called Grand Lodge of Quebec are insulting to the Grand Lodge of Canada, and could not be accepted as a basis of union except by the sacrifice of all self respect on the part of the said Grand Lodge and the Lodges working under its jurisdiction. “2. That the formation of the said so-called Grand Lodge of Quebec in that part of the ju- risdiction of the Grand Lodge of Canada comprised within the boundaries of what was, at the time of the formation of the said Grand Lodge, known as Lower Canada or Canada East, was a violation of the territorial jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Canada, and of the obligations of members of Lodges working under that Grand Lodge. “3. That the loyal Lodges of this Province. as duly represented in this meeting, hereby renew their expressions of allegiance to the Grand Lodge of Canada and their earnest Chapter 10 Page 59 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

desire to remain in affiliation with said Grand Lodge. “4. That inasmuch as the efforts for the restoration of harmony made by the Grand Lodge of Canada and the Lodges in this Province working under it have been, in spite of the extraordinary concessions offered, insultingly rejected by the so-called Grand Lodge of Quebec,-in the opinion of this meeting, the Grand Lodge of Can¬ada should at once take such steps as may be necessary to maintain her Masonic supremacy over the territory universally recognized as belonging to her until the causeless rebellion of October, 1869; and that an appeal should at once be made to all sister Grand Lodges in communica- tion with the said Grand Lodge of Canada. to join with her in the maintenance of these rights. “5. That the Deputy Grand Master be requested to communicate to the M.W. the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada, and to all the Lodges working under that jurisdic- tion, these resolutions, together with the protocols of the conference and all proceedings connected with the movement undertaken, with a view to the restoration of Masonic harmony in this jurisdiction.” This was the unfortunate position of affairs in Quebec which confronted Grand Lodge. It seemed a hopeless case. All loyal Masons realized that the whole situation was at variance with the first principles of Masonry. The Board of General Purposes to whom the Grand Master’s address was referred, went no further than to express their regrets that the attempt at a settlement had proven a failure. The subject was brought before Grand Lodge and a resolution introduced with the object of again approaching the Quebec Grand Lodge. All could accept the pre- amble, which in part read :-”That a continuance of these differences must ultimately become very injurious and discreditable to the reputation of the Order and that it is the bounden duty of every true and sincere Mason to exert all the influence in his power to induce a pacific sol¬ution and adjustment of them.” With that end in view, the proposed resolution provided for the appointment of a committee consisting of two Past Grand Masters. Wilson and Simpson, and R.W. Bro. Thos. White to confer with a similar committee from the Grand Lodge of Quebec. After a short discussion the resolution was withdrawn and Grand Lodge adjourned with the dark clouds of discord still threatening to deluge Freemasonry in the Province of Quebec, with distrust and hatred, instead of brotherly love. The Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Correspondence expressed the views of all the brethren when commenting upon the outcome. He declared that it was “next to unbearable to give up all hope of the restoration of brotherly love, peace and harmony, and (we) are, therefore, willing to catch at any glimmering of hope that may appear on the horizon.” There was, at that time on the part of the Grand Lodge of Quebec, no similar expression of an ardent desire to meet the brethren of the Grand Lodge in a further effort to arrive at a settle¬ment. They exhibited no indication of receding from the position taken by them at the time the joint committee had recommended terms of settlement. That resolution was, so far as could be learned, an ultimatum. In this extremity the eyes of Grand Lodge were again turned towards the man who had, on more than one occasion, extricated the Order from a perilous situation. The last “glimmering of hope” appeared to consist in placing again upon the throne, M. W. Bro. William Mercer Wilson; this was accordingly done. That an experienced and masterly pilot was at the helm of the Masonic ship of Canada, was early manifested by the manner in which he dealt with the Grand Lodge of the State of Vermont. That Grand Lodge, at a recent com- munication, had taken upon itself the burden of regulating affairs within the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Canada, by adopting a resolution instructing its Grand Master to suspend all intercourse between the two Grand Lodges, unless the Grand Lodge of Canada withdrew all claims to jurisdiction over the Province of Quebec.

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While M.W. Bro. Wilson was a man of the most gentle and amiable disposition, he was at the same time quite capable of firmness and never hesitated to adopt drastic measures where the occasion called for it. He regarded this act, upon the part of the Grand Lodge of Vermont, as unfriendly and dictatorial; and, without waiting for instructions from Grand Lodge, he issued an edict which bears upon its face the most conclusive evidence that it emanated from a man endowed with no small degree of tact, bravery, and wise discernment. We cannot do justice to it without publishing it in full: “Whereas, official information has reached us this day, that at the last Annual Com- munication of the Grand Lodge of the State of Vermont, the following resolution was adopted, viz, ‘Whereas, the Grand Lodge of Canada still refuses recognition of the Grand Lodge of Quebec and is asserting jurisdiction over Lodges located in the Province of Quebec; and ‘Whereas, such assertion of Jurisdiction violates the well-settled principles of Masonic law, applicable to such cases; therefore ‘Resolved, that the Grand Master is hereby instructed (unless the Grand Lodge of Can- ada, at its next session, withdraws from and ceases to assert any jurisdiction over any Lodge or Masons in the Province of Quebec) to issue circulars to the different Grand Lodges, as well as to the subordinate Lodges of this State, that the Grand Lodge of Ver- mont and its subordinates have suspended all Masonic intercourse with the Grand Lodge of Canada and Masons under its jurisdiction, until the wrong is made right.’ “And whereas, the Grand Lodge of Canada, since its establishment in October, 1885, has claimed and exercised exclusive Masonic jurisdiction and authority over the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec which claims to Masonic sovereignty have been recognized and admitted, not only by the Masons of Quebec and the Grand Lodge of Vermont, but also by the Grand Lodges in every quarter of the globe; and “Whereas, while we readily admit the right that our’ sister Grand Lodges have (in accor- dance with their knowledge of the facts and of Masonic law) to recognize and establish friendly relations with any body of Masons whom they may deem worthy of that honour, we at the same time most emphatically deny the right of any. Grand Lodge to dictate to us the course we should follow in such case; and we therefore at once indignantly repel the attempt thus made by the Grand Lodge of Vermont to coerce this Grand Body into the recognition of a body of Masons, who, without the assent of this Grand Lodge, and in contempt of all Masonic law and precedent, have thus attempted to wrest from us a por- tion of our lawful territory and authority. The Grand Lodge of Canada, while jealous of her own honour, and careful at all times not to encroach upon the rights or prerogatives of others, will permit no interference, and will submit to no dictation from any quarter whatever. “Now, therefore. for the reasons above stated, and by virtue of the power vested in us as Grand Master, we do hereby order and direct that all official correspondence and com- munication between this Grand Lodge and the Grand Lodge of the State of Vermont shall now cease and terminate; and we do hereby charge and command all our worshipful and Chapter 10 Page 61 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

loving brethren within our jurisdiction to refuse admission into our Lodges. and to hold no Masonic communication with, any Mason hailing from the jurisdiction of the said Grand Lodge of Vermont. We also further order and direct that this Edict shall remain in full force and effect until the Grand Lodge of Vermont shall rescind the unfriendly and unjustifiable resolution above recited.” Many of the Grand Lodges of the United States had taken it upon themselves to devote many pages of their proceedings to the Quebec situation, but none had gone the length of the Grand Lodge of Vermont. This was an opportunity to convey to all such outsiders that the Grand Lodge of Canada was quite capable of managing its own affairs and that its Grand Master would not tolerate any usurpation of his prerogatives. The report on Foreign Correspondence of the , made the following comment upon the action of M .W. Bro. Wilson: “The annual Address was a lengthy and most complete report of official transactions, and proves the Grand Master to be one of those officers who appreciate their duties and fulfill them. When the Grand Lodge of Vermont injudiciously (and as we think, illegally) severed communication with the Grand Lodge of Canada, unless she should recognize Quebec, Brother Wilson, with a commendable regard for the dignity of his own Grand Lodge, at once retaliated with a proper spirit, and so did Brother T. Douglas Harington, the Grand Representative of Vermont, and one of the most distinguished Masons of our country. and one who has done more for Quebec Grand Lodge than any other member of the Grand Lodge of Canada. Vermont went just one step too far and put her foot in it, and she cannot pull it out too soon, even if she loses a shoe by it-better lose her slipper than her honour.” This famous Edict was also a hint to the seceding lodges in Quebec, that the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada was not to be coerced. During the first year of this, his last term in the Grand East, he made no approaches to the Quebec brethren and carefully noted the drift of events. He evidently realized that, although they put up a bold front, they were inwardly chafing under a most discomforting condition. As Masons, they could not but realize that sooner or later there must be a change. If the Grand Lodge of Canada would not withdraw from the Province, then it rested with themselves to adopt some other attitude than that of defiance. The Board of General Purposes fully approved the action taken by the Grand Master and he was re-elected for another term. Early in 1874, he felt that the time was ripe for taking action, under the resolution adopted in July, 1871. He arranged for a Masonic conference of the members of the committees appointed by the Grand Lodge of Quebec and by himself and, after much careful consideration, they agreed upon terms of union between the lodges in Quebec, which had, during this trying period, remained faithful in their allegiance and the lodges already affiliated with and compos- ing the Grand Lodge of Quebec. The terms of settlement were very similar to those that had been recommended two years before by the joint committee. It was with deep satisfaction that the Grand Master announced at the Annual Communication, held in Toronto in 1874, that the long-pending difficulties between the two Grand Lodges had been happily arranged. The Board of General Purposes, in its report upon the address, paid him the following well merited compliment: “The Board feels that to the many great qualities of mind and heart of the Grand Master, we are in a great measure indebted for that restoration of peace and harmony now so happily effected.” It was through no fault of the Grand Master that the asylum question was kept dangling before Grand Lodge for so many years. In his annual address in 1873, he expressed the hope that some decisive step be taken towards Chapter 10 Page 62 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop the erection of this building or that the scheme be altogether abandoned. While he did not presume to dictate to Grand Lodge as to the course to be pursued, he made it quite clear that he was of the opinion that the plan could not be successfully carried out. He did not believe there was any analogy between the great Masonic charitable institutions in England and the one in contemplation. He believed that very few, then benefiting from the contribu- tions from Grand Lodge; would be willing to accept a home which would necessarily take them away from their children and relatives. There were many, he said, whose hearts were gladdened by the bounty from Grand Lodge, who would relinquish it altogether, rather than accept it upon the terms suggested. The Board of General Purposes endorsed the position taken by the Grand Master and summed up the situation as follows: “The successful establishment of such an asylum, and the erection of stately buildings in connection therewith, in which aged Masons and their wives and widows might find the comforts of a home, would no doubt be gratifying to Masonic pride, and might be pointed out to a ‘profane’ as conclusive evidence of Masonic Benevolence and zeal; but produce an effect on the uninitiated is not the Mason’s mission, and it may well be questioned whether such a gratification would not be bought too dear. The sole quest ion for Grand Lodge is how best to dispose of its funds available for purposes of be- nevolence; and there can be no doubt that the establishment of such an institution would be a severe tax for all time on the resources of Grand Lodge, that its benefits would not, in the present condition of Canada, be availed of to any very large extent, and that little would be left, after paying the yearly expenses of maintenance, to be distributed amongst equally deserving outdoor applicants for relief. ‘The greatest good to the great- est number’ should be the object aimed at in the distribution of our benevolence, and there can be little doubt that the present mode of affording relief is at the same time the most economical for the donors, and the most acceptable as well as beneficial for the large majority of the recipients.” Again in 1874, the Grand Master counselled that the practical suggestions made by the Board receive the favour- able consideration of Grand Lodge. The Trustees of the Masonic Asylum Trust were wedded to the plan and brought in a voluminous report, in which they reviewed all that had taken place during the last fifteen years in respect to the proposed asylum, and argued that their plan was feasible and urged that immediate action be taken. The Board of General Purposes dismissed the question by stating that their report of the previous year was still before Grand Lodge and that they did not deem it expedient to offer any further suggestion upon the subject. As the report of the Board for 1874 was left where it was, the Grand Master did not have the satisfaction of witnessing the settlement of a problem that had annually engaged the attention of Grand Lodge since 1859.

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Chapter XI

Death of M.W. Bro. William Mercer Wilson

O content was Grand Lodge with the wise rule of Grand Master Wilson that, at the conclusion of the work of the nineteenth Annual Communication, he was again elected Grand Master for the tenth time. R W. Bro. SJames K. Kerr was chosen Deputy Grand Master and, for the twentieth time R W. Bro. Thomas Bird Har- ris was elected Grand Secretary, the only incumbent of that office since the formation of Grand Lodge. With this exceptionally strong pair at the head of Grand Lodge, the prospects for a successful year were bright indeed, but the Great Architect of the Universe had deemed otherwise. Within a few weeks after his election, the faithful and efficient Grand Secretary was summoned to the Grand Lodge above. A Special Communication of Grand Lodge was summoned to meet at Hamilton to attend the funeral of the deceased brother. After the services of the Church of England had been read, the Grand Master conducted the Masonic ceremony. At its conclusion, he addressed the large concourse of brethren, but was so overcome through the loss of his intimate friend that he could not give utterance to his feelings. He appointed R.W. Bro. J. J. Mason successor to the late Grand Secretary. Did he, on that occasion have a presentiment that his earthly pilgrimage was nearing its close? On the 16th January, 1875, the sad intelligence was flashed over the wires to all parts of the Province that William Mercer Wilson, Judge of the County Court of the County of Norfolk and Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada, had passed away. We detract nothing from the merits of the many able men who have graced the Grand East in the Grand Lodge of Canada, when we assert that no Grand Master ever has filled, and in all probability no Grand Master ever will fill, the place in the history of that institution that must, in all justice, be accorded to William Mercer Wilson. No one was better qualified to pay a fitting tribute to his memory than his Deputy, R. W. Bro. James K. Kerr, himself a leader in the same profession and an earnest worker in the Craft. In his address to the Annual Communication at London, in I875, he referred to his lamented friend and brother in these following eloquent terms: “This being the first instance in the history of our Grand Lodge that the Grand Master has been called by the Supreme Architect of the Universe to lay aside his gavel, we were overwhelmed with unutterable grief, and this great bereavement threw us into confusion. Our Head and Chieftain had fallen. “M.W. Bro. Wilson was initiated into Freemasonry in St. John’s Lodge, Simcoe, in 1840. He at once engaged in the active duties of the Lodge, being elected Junior Warden in the same year, and thenceforward he continued earnest and devoted in promoting the interests of the Order, seizing every fair opportunity of inculcating the principles and precepts which we profess, and actively discharging the duties which throughout his lifetime were cast upon him by his brethren. “It has been well written of him, that ‘the Craft has lost one of its brightest ornaments in Ontario, and the Fraternity a shining light, whose large experience, sound judgment, and just decisions commend him as a Masonic authority of the highest order’. His services to Masonry have been great and are fully appreciated, though they can never be adequately rewarded, for no man could have done more to advance its interests. He was among the first to aid in the establishment of the Grand Lodge of Canada, and so highly were his services at that time regarded, that he was chosen the first occupant of the oriental chair, Chapter 11 Page 64 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

which he held uninterruptedly for several years. In 1860, he was permitted to retire, and chosen again in 1866, holding the position for two years, when he only relinquished it on account of acceptance of office under the Government. Five years later he was again elected to the position, and continued to hold it up to the time of his death. “M.W. Bro. Wilson was most indefatigable in promoting the cause of Freemasonry. He shrank from no task calling for effort on his part, but cheerfully undertook the most arduous labour, and accepted the most exacting calls upon his time and strength. in for¬warding the cause he had so truly at heart. Brilliant in the discharge of his duties, un- tiring in his zeal and energy, possessing those qualities that attract and charm the minds of men, it is impossible to measure the service he has rendered to the Craft in Canada. “He promoted our interest throughout the United States and won for our Grand Lodge the high position which it occupies in the estimation of the Grand Lodges throughout the world. He introduced into the working of our system any improvements which he found existing in the other Grand bodies visited by him. He examined into the workings of our subordinate Lodges. and contributed largely to their instruction, and in a great measure he controlled for the good the cause of our Grand Lodge. He at all times furthered the prosecution of good works amongst his brethren, and inculcated the practice of our pro- fession and tenets. “In M .W. Bro. Wilson were embodied those attributes symbolized by the three famous pillars of the ancient temple. His Masonic wisdom was great. The strength of his deci- sions was conceded by all, and the beauty of his Masonic and Christian walk won the admiration of his brethren. His exertions were largely crowned with success, and his untiring efforts were admired and appreciated by his brethren who continued to shower upon him the highest honours that they could bestow; and whilst the records of our Grand Lodge abound with the works of his hands. they also bear testimony to the esti- mation in which M .W. Bro. Wilson was always held by his brethren. Full of Masonic honours, he left this earthly scene. “In the world at large he played an important part, and discharged his duties in such a manner as to entitle him to the respect of all. “In official life he was affable and courteous-at the bar he was an able advocate and a generous adversary. In the municipal and county councils he was a thoughtful and pru- dent member. a dignified and judicious warden. In the military service he was a brave soldier. a considerate commander. On the bench, an upright judge and a sound lawyer. As a neighbour and friend, he was noble, generous and hospitable. As a husband and father, he was kind and affectionate. As a good citizen, none stood higher. He was hon- oured as a man and almost idolized as a Mason-for he possessed all those qualities which distinguish the good and true brother, and which have indelibly impressed his name upon the tablet of our hearts. “It was by a strange and mournful coincidence that our first Grand Master and our first Grand Secretary were taken from us within a few short months during the same Masonic year. “They had been for so many years labouring side by side in the same Masonic vineyard. In life their names and works were linked together for good and now they have gone almost together to the Grand Lodge above.

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“But whilst we mourn our loss. let us endeavour to console ourselves with the belief that it is not commensurate with those high, and noble honours and awards to which our beloved brethren have been called. Let us be admonished that in the midst of life we are in death, and so live and act our parts that we may have no cause for repentance when the hour of our own departure is at hand.” The returns presented to the Annual Communication following the death of the Grand Master showed 332 war- ranted lodges under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Canada with 15.934 members in good standing. The receipts from lodges for the fiscal year ending 31st December, 1874, were $14.070.I4. The assets of Grand Lodge, including the Asylum Fund, amounted to $52.816.84. One of the first acts of R.W. Bro. Kerr, as Acting Grand Master, was the granting of a dispensation to “Eden Lodge of London”. The brethren working under this dispensation, at the Annual Com-munication, held in their city in July, petitioned for a warrant. The Board of General Purposes, in its report to Grand Lodge. recommended that the warrant be not granted, but that the Grand Master be requested to issue his dispensation authorizing the officers and brethren named therein to pass and raise those already initiated in that Lodge. Grand Lodge adopted that por- tion of the report. but the brethren seeking the warrant opposed the resolution adopting the report and demanded a ballot upon the question. The ballot did not alter the result. R.W. Bro. Kerr was duly elected Grand Master and intimated to the District Deputy Grand Master of the London District that he was prepared to issue a dispensation in the terms of the report at any time, upon delivery to the Grand Secretary of the dispensation then in the hands of “Eden Lodge” and upon a return being made of the work done there under. The opposition to the granting of the warrant had emanated from the brethren, who had satisfied the Board that it was not in the interest of the Craft to favour another lodge in London at that time. At the request of the District Deputy, the Grand Master interviewed some of the local brethren, who led the movement against the formation of the new lodge in London and M.W. Bro. Kerr used his good offices to restore harmony but without avail. He, however, did not despair of effecting a reconciliation and promised to return to London later in the season; but before he could do so, he learned that a meeting of “Eden Lodge” had been called for the purpose of initiating a candidate. He at once instructed the Grand Secretary to forbid the Worshipful Master holding the meeting. The meeting was held and the candidate initiated. It was claimed by the Worshipful Master that the letter of the Grand Secretary, forbidding the meeting, did not reach him until after the date of the meeting. He, however, went out of his way to argue that the dispen- sation he held was sufficient authority for the proceeding and that he was supported in this contention by the D.D.G.M. The Grand Master subsequently met the brethren of Eden Lodge, and repeated that upon the surrender of the dispensation granted, he would issue a new one in the terms prescribed by Grand Lodge. The dispensation was not surrendered, although the Grand Secretary, upon instructions from the Grand Master formally applied for the same. On the 7th February, 1876, the Grand Master was again requested to issue a dispensation either general in its terms, or at all events extending its operation until the next Communication of Grand Lodge. He made an- swer that he would not entrust the Worshipful Master of “Eden Lodge•with another dispensation until his request for the return of the one already issued had been complied with. Three days later a declaration of incorporation of “The Grand Lodge of Ontario” was made by five of the brethren who had been most energetic in the demand for a warrant. When the Grand Master was apprised of the declaration of incorporation and that the brethren therein named had been holding clandestine and unauthorized meetings under the pretended authority of the so-called Grand Lodge, he forthwith issued an edict suspending the brethren named in the declaration and all others who had met with them in the furtherance of their scheme, from all the rights, benefits, and privileges of Freemasonry until Grand Lodge took action in respect to their misconduct. The reasons assigned by these rebellious brethren for the course adopted by them were of the most puerile and frivolous nature. They claimed that the name “Grand Lodge of Canada” was a misnomer inasmuch as its jurisdiction was limited to a small portion of Canada. As the

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Grand Master pointed out, the name by which a Grand Lodge is known. is rather a matter of taste than one of Masonic constitutional law. He further explained to Grand Lodge that the five brethren who had signed the decla- ration did so without the concurrence of a single lodge or any other Masonic authority. No lodge had authorized any such meeting or delegated any such persons to act on its behalf, and not one lodge had approved their action or expressed the slightest sympathy with them or their design. Some misguided brethren, carried away by the blandishments and representations of the framers of the declaration, had allied themselves with the movement and brought upon themselves the penalty of suspension. The men so suspended were in most instances discontented and disappointed members, who had looked for personal promotion and advantage, rather than the furtherance of Masonic aims and objects. The rebellious brethren made charges so easily refuted that they do not merit mention in these pages. They had been so well satisfied with the management of the affairs of Grand Lodge, that their zeal to become warranted as a constituent lodge under its jurisdiction knew no bounds. It was not until their request was denied that they preferred their charge of mismanagement. The Board of General Purposes at the next Annual Communication, held in Ottawa in 1876, expressed its unqualified endorsement of the action of the Grand Master and recommended the expulsion of all brethren implicated. Their report was adopted. The District Deputy Grand Master of Manitoba reported to the Acting Grand Master at the London meeting in 1875, that at a meeting of the several lodges in his District, a convention was summoned for the purpose of con- sidering the welfare of the Craft in the Province. Representatives from three lodges met and, after mature delibera- tion, agreed that the best interests of the Craft required the formation of a Grand Lodge for the Province. A Grand Lodge was accordingly formed, officers installed and the necessary routine of business disposed of. The Grand Lodge of Canada, upon the recommendation of the Board of General Purposes, extended due recognition to the new western star in the Masonic firmament.

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Chapter XII

A Clandestine “Grand Lodge of Ontario”

THE twenty-second Annual Communication of Grand Lodge was held at St. Catharines in the month of Sep- tember, 1877. Owing to the absence of M .W. Bro. James Kerr, in the Old Country, at the time appointed for the regular meeting, the Grand Master caused it to be formally opened in July and, without transacting any business, it was adjourned until the 12th of September, a proceeding which the Board of General Purposes challenged, as not in strict accordance with the constitution and one that should not be recommended as a precedent. It was with unfeigned satisfaction that the Grand Master in his opening address, announced that the so-called Grand Lodge of Ontario was without any recognition from any Masonic authority. They had sought recognition and received it from only one sovereign body, the Grand Lodge of Texas, and that solitary proffer of friendly intercourse was speedily withdrawn as soon as the Grand Master became apprised of the circumstances under which the organiza- tion carne into being. The discredited and dishonoured brethren who sought to usurp the authority of the Grand Lodge of Canada found themselves the objects of ridicule and scorn, both at home and abroad. Of the movement, the Grand Lodge of California said, “All the proceedings in its organization were irregular and revolutionary.” The by resolution refused “to hold Masonic intercourse with the so-called Grand Lodge of Ontario or any subordinate Lodge, claiming or acknowledging jurisdiction under the same, or any member owing allegiance thereto.” The Grand Lodge of Florida adopted the following resolution, “that the breth- ren of this Grand Jurisdiction be, and are hereby forbidden to visit or in any way recognize a body claiming to be the Grand Lodge of Ontario, or from having any associations therewith, or its pretended allegiance.” The Acting Grand Master of Illinois declared, “The Grand Lodge of Canada, with which we are in fraternal correspondence and which is everywhere recognized as a sovereign body, already fully occupies the territory of the Province of Ontario.” As an inducement to brethren to join their ranks, the “Grand Lodge of Ontario” had incorporated into its so-called institution, a provision that “in case of the sickness of any brother, disqualifying him from labour three dollars per week is to be appropriated by the lodge to which he belongs, for his sustenance, and in case of the death of any brother, fifty dollars is to be appropriated by the Grand Lodge for the benefit of his widow and orphans, if any.” In the opinion of the Acting Grand Master of Illinois, this provision should not prove an attractive bait to any right-thinking Mason. He said, “That in recent years, we had been drifting in a mercenary direction and coming to make Masonry more and more a matter of dollars and cents, cannot be doubted, nor can any thoughtful brother view without alarm the increasing tendency in this direction.” The Grand Master of Maine said, “Learning from official sources that a spurious Grand Lodge had been formed in the Province of Ontario, Canada, I issued a cautionary circular to all the Lodges in this Grand Jurisdiction, that no Lodge or individual hailing under this so-called Grand Lodge, could be recognized in this jurisdiction.” The Grand Lodge of Mary- land took similar action and passed a resolution, “that no Lodge or individual hailing under the so-called Grand Lodge of Ontario can be recognized in this jurisdiction as having Masonic standing.” The Committee of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, to which the application for recognition was referred, arrived at the conclusion, “that the so-called Grand Lodge of Ontario is a spurious body, with whom it would be improper and unmasonic to enter upon fraternal relationship.” The Grand Master of disposed of the request for recognition in few words:-”On the face of their own statement, the mode of proceeding was irregular and unmasonic, as the action was not by a convention of regular Lodges, but was only the insufficient action of individual Masons, contrary to Masonic law and well established precedent.” The Grand Master of New York launched a death dealing blow

Chapter 12 Page 68 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop direct from the shoulder: “We do not deem it worthwhile to take up time and space in discussing the matter. The whole proceeding is an outrage on Masonic law and propriety, and the Grand Lodge of Canada was entirely justified in expelling its promoters from the rights and privileges of Masonry.” From the Grand Master of Manitoba came the “most unkindest cut” of all. In his annual address he said: “It is so manifestly illegal, and contrary to all the usages and regulations of the Craft. that one wonders how brethren with intelligence could have been so misguided.” Such was the reception accorded the request of the small coterie of misguided London brethren for recognition in the Masonic world. They had brought themselves into derision and contempt and had forfeited the privileges they had previously enjoyed. Grand Lodge dealt charitably with all who evinced due contrition for their heinous offence and accepted the suggestion of the Grand Master that he be empowered to take such action as might prove just and proper with individual cases. Many availed themselves of this generous offer and were again received within their respective lodges. The cause was doomed to failure from its very inception, as it was conceived in hatred and founded upon mis¬representation and a false conception of the true mission of Masonry. A helpless weakling at its best, it died a natural death. At the Annual Communication in Kingston in 1879, the Grand Master, in his address, made the following announcement: “After a severance from legitimate Freemasonry for upwards of three years, the greater portion-twenty in all-of those who were expelled by you in 1876 or suspended for their connection with the ‘Ontario’ movement, have expressed a desire to return to their alle- giance and have been restored by me to good standing in the Craft. A number of brethren residing in or near London, including those I had restored, lately presented petitions, accompanied by the requisite recommendations, and I created by dispensation the new Lodges, King Solomon’s and Union, already referred to. I subsequently healed, in the former Lodge, at the request of this Lodge and of my London brethren, some of those residents in the locality, who had been irregularly made under the authority of the self- styled Grand Lodge of Ontario. The general regulations and conditions, which I have prescribed as to the healing and affiliation of irregularly made Masons, will. I trust, en- sure the reception of worthy material only. “It will be gratifying to you to learn that what was called the Grand Lodge of Ontario has ceased to exist. The seal used by it has been delivered up to me, and has been destroyed, and the other formalities considered necessary for its extinction have been complied with.” A volume made up of the addresses of distinguished Masons, delivered upon various occasions to mixed audi- ences, would prove most interesting reading. The ordinary speaker would be at a loss to choose a line of discourse that would prove attractive to all his hearers. Grand Lodge has been singularly fortunate in having among its Grand Masters many scholarly and eloquent men, whose addresses upon all occasions have been most appropri- ate. The following extract from an address delivered by R.W. Bro. James A. Henderson, Q.C., D.C.L., (afterwards Grand Master) when laying the corner stone of a church at Lansdowne in June, 1878 may be cited as a model which Masonic orators might safely follow: “Our duties as Masons are reverence and obedience to the Most High, brotherly love, charity and truth to our fellow-men. On these grand principles has our Order been reared up and limited to no sect, rank, or nationality. Masonry from its inherent goodness, has Chapter 12 Page 69 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

become diffused over the world, and endeavours, as far as human aid can effect, to pro- mote peace in raising the structure of moral duties, in promoting good feeling toward man, in inculcating courtesy to all, in refraining from allowing difference of opinion to disturb good feeling, in softening the roughness of temper, and in flinging a certain ray of sunset over the evening of life, when clouds gather around and storms threaten to ruffle it. We wish it to be understood that we do not, as Masons, arrogate to ourselves the character of being better than other men. There are thousands, who have not joined our fraternity, who are as good and true as any of us can be but we believe that the true prac- tice of Masonry has a natural tendency to refine and improve the hearts of all who truly follow its precepts; that it wakens in our minds feelings of brotherly love and universal benevolence, thereby enabling us to become better members of society than we were before. The Bible, ever open in our Lodge, teaches us the duty we owe to God and like- wise to our fellow-men; it inspires us with awe and reverence to the Great Architect of the Universe; it orders us to practise truth, justice and charity to our fellow-men. But we do not attempt to usurp the position of those who minister in holy things or set ourselves above them, but rather seek to follow the guidance of our spiritual pastors and teachers, content that Freemasonry shall be recognized as the handmaid of religion. Let a man’s religion be what it will, we do not exclude him from the benefits and advantages of our Order, provided he believes in the Glorious Architect of Heaven and Earth, and practices the sacred duties of morality. Many thinking and serious persons object to Freemasonry on account of a few of the brethren not acting up to their professions, but these should remember that the abuse of a thing is no valid objection to its inherent goodness. How many call themselves Chris- tians who are a disgrace, yet ultimately hurt not the Gospel but themselves. A Judas ex- isted among the holy Apostles of Christ. We have no fear for the existence of our Order; it shall endure as it has endured; it has stood as it shall stand, on its own merits; it has resisted the sword of the barbarian and the bigot, the persecution of the powerful; it has been enabled to withstand all assaults made on it by virulent and implacable enemies; our Ancient and Honourable Fraternity founded on strength and stability is ‘As some tall cliff that lifts its awful form, Swells from the vale and midway meets the storm; Though round its breast the rolling clouds are spread, Eternal sunshine settles on its head.’ M.W. Bro. Kerr was succeeded by M.W. Bro. W. H. Weller. It was during the first year of the latter’s term of office that Grand Lodge, following the lead of the Grand Master, took a firm stand as to the belief in God being one of the landmarks of the Order that was absolutely binding upon all Freemasons throughout the world. The question arose through the action of the Grand Orient of France, with which the Grand Lodge of Canada was in friendly intercourse. The Grand Orient, some years before, adopted a clause in its constitution asserting a belief in God as a fundamental principle of Freemasonry. At its Assembly, preceding the first Annual Communication over which M.W. Bro. Weller presided, after the proposition had been submitted to the constituent lodges and ample time taken for mature consideration, the Grand Orient by a large majority repealed the clause with the avowed object of permitting the initiation of atheists. The Masonic world was horrorstruck at the innovation. As soon as the Grand Master learned what had taken place he withdrew the credentials of the representative of the Grand Chapter 12 Page 70 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

Lodge of Canada near the Grand Orient and submitted his action to Grand Lodge to take such further steps in the matter as they deemed the circumstances would warrant. The question was referred to the Board of General Purposes, which endorsed the course pursued by the Grand Master and submitted a report to Grand Lodge which was adopted without discussion, and has ever since been the guide of Grand Lodge; and which is, or ought to be, most rigidly adhered to by all Freemasons. That report read as follows: “The action of the M.W. the Grand Master, in withdrawing the credentials of our Repre- sentative from the Grand Orient of France, will be approved by every member of Grand Lodge-the Grand Orient of France having erased from its Constitution those paragraphs which assert a belief in the existence of God and the immortality of the soul. Such ac- tion can only be received as an abandonment of the great landmark of Freemasonry upon which the principles of our Order are formed, and it is opposed to the traditions, practice, and precepts of all true Masons from the earliest period of our history. Such a departure calls for decisive action and demands response with no uncertain sound from all true Masons. We, therefore, desire to record our determination to hold no inter- course with anybody which does not acknowledge the existence of the Supreme Being- T.G.A.O.T.U.-and that we cannot continue to recognize the Grand Orient of France as a Masonic body. Lodges working under our jurisdiction will henceforth refuse to admit as a Mason any person hailing from the Grand Orient of France, or its subordinate lodges, unless his certificate show that he has been initiated according to ancient rites and cer- emonies in a Lodge professing belief in T.G.A.O.T.U., and unless such person shall acknowledge this belief to be an essential landmark of our Order.”

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CHAPTER XIII Four Grand Masters 1879 -1886

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AMES A. HENDERSON, Q. C., D.C.L., of Kingston, was chosen Grand Master at the Annual Communica- tion held in his native city in 1879. The succeeding two years, during which he occupied the throne, were two Jof the most peaceful in the history of Grand Lodge. Harmony prevailed throughout the entire jurisdiction and there was nothing to disturb our friendly relations with other Grand Lodges. Reference has already been made to the oratorical powers of the Grand Master. During his term of office he made many valuable contributions to the literature of Freemasonry in the addresses delivered by him upon different occasions. At the laying of the corner stone of the town hall in the village of Delta, in the county of Leeds on the 24th of June, 1880, he defined the du- ties imposed upon Freemasons in language so clear and impressive that it cannot too often be brought before all members of the Craft: “Freemasonry teaches four great and essential duties. The first is our duty towards God, to reverence His holy name, to implore His aid in all our laudable undertakings, to trust Him for protection, to esteem Him as the chief good, and to bow submissively to His will, and so, by imprinting on our minds and enforcing on the everyday actions of men the first principle of religion, it may humbly strive to be accounted ‘her lowly hand- maid.’ The second duty is to our neighbour. We are taught to admonish and reprove him. to protect and defend him in his property, person, and character, to aid if possible in his reformation from error, to encourage his feeble energies, and to rebuke his presumptuous fol1ies with• the kindness and courtesy of a brother, and ever to do unto him, in the spirit of the Golden Rule, as we would have him do unto us. Third, our duty to ourselves. We are enjoined to avoid all irregularities of intem¬perance and excess that may impair the mind or body, to use the talents given to our charge to the best of our energies and, ever faithful to the trusts committed to us, to lead a just and upright life, full of honour and truthfulness. Fourth, our duty to our country. We are to be quiet and peaceable citizens, true to our government and just to our country, not to countenance any act which may have a tendency to subvert the general good order of society, but pay due observance to the laws of the country in which we reside, and never forget the allegiance due to the sovereign of our native land. Our Order has had its depressions, its ebbs and flows, at one time arising from want of proper zeal among its members, and at another time from the persecutions of crowned heads, of political and, I regret to say, of religious authori- ties, who understood not the noble principles on which Freemasonry is founded. But from its reverses it has arisen with renewed vigour. So long as the bulwarks of our Order are built upon the actions of the brethren, no other aids or defence are needed to resist the attacks of enemies, composed mainly of those who have failed to gain admission to our ranks, and of those who are jealous of its well-doing. We do not set ourselves up to be better than other men because we are Masons. We are frail as well as others. We can only modify, not regenerate. All institutions, civil and religious, are liable to the same affliction, and our Order must not be condemned for sharing a similar fate.” In 1874 the then ruling Grand Master expressed the opinion that it was not proper for Freemasons to participate as such in a general ceremony in which any other fraternal organization took any part. Grand Lodge endorsed the views of the then Grand Master; but sufficient publicity does not appear to have been given to his ruling. M.W. Bro. Henderson put the question forever at rest in his first address to Grand Lodge: “Application was made to me for permission for certain brethren to attend as Masons the funeral of a brother who desired to be buried according to the ritual of a non-masonic society to which he belonged. I held that the brethren should not appear as a Lodge, or Chapter 13 Page 73 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

clothed as Masons on funeral occasions, unless the burial rites were performed under the exclusive control of the Lodge and according to the procedure laid down in the Book of Constitution, which only allows the addition of the funeral services of the church to which the deceased belonged. The rights and privileges of the church or the minister in performing the burial services are never to be interfered with but are fully and freely conceded. The Order of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons, the oldest existing secret society, is not obtrusive and we never thrust ourselves before the public clothed in the badge of a Mason, unless when carrying out those duties prescribed by ancient custom, or by the Constitution and even in these cases, a Masonic funeral being the sole excep- tion, a dispensation is made, under severe penalties, a previous requisite. As between the lodge and the association to which the deceased may have belonged, if the brethren are to appear at all as Masons, the lodge must have sole and absolute charge. No association can share in the performance of our Masonic funeral rites. Due respect can ever be paid by the Craft to the memory of a brother who desired to be buried according to the rites of other organizations, by attending as individuals, and as a rule none are more ready to honour the memory of the deceased than Freemasons. However much personal feel- ings may urge us, it is not wise or prudent to break what may be considered a universal rule.” Grand Lodge formally endorsed the views of the Grand Master and declared the same to be in accordance with the landmarks of Freemasonry. The relation of Freemasonry to religion was clearly defined by the Grand Master in the course of an address de- livered by him upon the occasion of the laying of the corner-stone of St. James’ Church at Carleton Place on the 30th of June, 1881: “For ages past Freemasonry has been a zealous worker in rearing for the Church those truly wonderful cathedrals and edifices which adorn not only the continent of Europe but our Motherland. Wherever you see that beautiful order of architecture, the Gothic, remember that it is a gift of Freemasonry to the church. From the time when our Grand Master, Solomon, erected that splendid temple on Mount Moriah, to the present day, have Freemasons taken part in the glorious work of building those wondrous and majes- tic structures within which man breathes his prayers of peace and gladness. It is to our predecesors in the Craft that mankind is indebted for those stupendous monuments of human skill, the pyramids of Egypt, which, though many thousands of years have passed away. still exist; the colossal ruins of Memphis and Thebes, of Baalbec and Palmyra tes- tify to the amazing skill of the ancient builders. There exists in the minds of those who are unconnected with our Order, erroneous ideas that Freemasonry is incompatible with religion. fearlessly and openly assert that the connection between the two is absolute and cannot be severed or destroyed. Our Order contributes to promote the social happiness of man in this world by the practice of every virtue. Religion promotes happiness in a future state. Hence Masonry must be considered the handmaid of religion, because the practice of virtue, though it cannot absolutely save, is an essential condition of salvation. To be a good and perfect Mason, not only a thorough knowledge of the Volume of the Sacred Law is essential but there must be an acting-up-to and a carrying out of the pre- cepts contained in that Holy Book. It is first recommended to the serious contemplation of every Mason, and he is charged to consider it as the unerring standard of truth and Chapter 13 Page 74 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

justice and to regulate his actions by the divine precepts it contains.” Lieut.-Col. James Moffat, of London, succeeded M. W. Bro. Henderson as Grand Master and at the expiration of one year an uneventful but upon the whole a harmonious one, he asked to be relieved of the trust and was suc- ceeded by M.W. Bro. Daniel Spry who was elected and installed at the Annual Communication held at London in July, 1882. The tenure of office of the new Grand Master was not as free from entanglements as that of his two predecessors. As he himself expressed it in his first annual address. the year “had its pleasures and its trials, its doubts and its difficulties.” He, however, did not despair, but with his characteristic spirit of optimism declared that “through all, the sun of prosperity has shone brightly and the future is full of hope. “He was confronted with no fewer than three cases of infringement of jurisdiction, any one of which might have had disastrous results, but for his tact and good judgment. Two of these were complaints made by foreign Grand Lodges against lodges within our jurisdiction, and the third was made by our Grand Lodge against the Grand Lodge of England. The first complaint was over the initiation by a lodge in our jurisdiction of a candidate whose domicile was in the state of Michigan. M.W. Bro. Spry promptly repudiated the action of the lodge, caused the name to be erased from the roll, directed the fee received from the brother for his initiation to be paid over to the Michigan lodge within whose jurisdiction he resided, and declared him to be an unaffiliated Mason within the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Michigan. In reporting the adjustment of this complaint from a Grand Lodge with which the Grand Lodge of Canada had always been on the most intimate terms, the Grand Master placed on record his high appreciation of the courtesy and amicable spirit evinced by the officers of the Grand Lodge of Michigan in dealing with the question. The other complaint against a Canadian lodge came from the Grand Lodge of Oregon. In that case the candidate had formerly resided in Ontario but had taken up his permanent residence in the State of Oregon. Upon paying a visit to his native town, but with no intention of again becoming a permanent resident, he was initiated into Masonry by the local lodge, but this was done with the consent of the lodge in Oregon, within whose jurisdiction he resided. The local lodge had acted in good faith and without any desire to infringe upon the rights of others, but had erred in assuming that the consent of the Oregon lodge conferred upon it authority to adopt the course it did. M. W. Bro. Spry had hoped to dispose of the complaint as was done in the Michigan case, and expressed his regret that one of his lodges had interfered with the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Oregon. That Grand Lodge, however, refused to acknowledge as a Mason the candidate who had been the innocent victim of an unfortunate misunderstanding, and no further action was taken by the Canadian Grand Master. The difficulty with the Grand Lodge of England was not so easily disposed of. It will be remembered that in the final settlement of the-prolonged controversy with the Grand Lodge of England over the question of separation, three Lodges in the Province of Quebec, namely St. Paul’s No. 374, St. George’s No. 440 and St. Lawrence No. 640, remained faithful to the Mother Grand Lodge and the situation in respect to them remained unchanged when the Grand Lodge of Quebec was formed. The difficulty which confronted M.W. Bro. Spry was in respect to what he considered the unwarranted action of one of these Lodges in initiating in the Province of Quebec a resident of the city of Toronto who had been balloted for and rejected by a Toronto lodge. Upon the facts being made known to the Canadian Grand Master, he forwarded a letter to the representative of the Grand Lodge of Canada near the Grand Lodge of England requesting him to bring the matter to the notice of the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England. M.W. Bro. Spry was of the opinion that it was clearly an invasion of territorial jurisdiction, as the principle involved was precisely the same as that upon which he had acted in the Michigan case and had been prepared to apply to the Oregon case. The complaint was in due course presented to the English Grand Master, who sought to dispose of it in a peremptory manner, as appeared by the following reply from the Grand Secretary of England:

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“Having laid this protest before the M.W. the Grand Master of England, I am commanded, in reply, to remark that it is not easy to understand how the expression ‘Invasion of Territory’ can be applied to a case where a person leaves the jurisdiction of the protesting Grand Lodge and entering that of another, is initiated therein. It would obviously be inconvenient and impracticable for such a course to be declared against Masonic law, as it would be clearly impossible to lay down where to draw the line. For example, supposing the person in question, instead of going to Montreal had proceeded to England, Ireland or Scotland, for a time, could it be asserted that he could not be made a Mason in those countries? There is certainly no Masonic regulation on this side of the water forbidding it. “I am further to point out that it does not in any way appear that the Montreal Lodge was at all aware that their candidate had been black balled in a Canadian Lodge, as stated in your enclosure. and consequently no blame can be attached to Lodge 440 on that ac- count. “The M .W. the Grand Master of England, therefore, considering these facts. can only regret that he is unable to coincide with the view taken by the M.W. the Grand Master of Canada on the matter in question.” Here the matter rested until the Annual Communication at Ottawa in 1883 when the facts were laid before Grand Lodge by the Grand Master who concluded his statement with the following formidable argument: ‘The unsatisfactory nature of this reply did not lead to the hope that anything could be gained by further correspondence, and decisive action is evidently required to maintain the dignity and uphold the sovereign rights of this Grand Lodge. If we accept this letter as a declaration of the Masonic principles which guide the Grand Lodge of England, it is clear that they virtually deny the right of this Grand Lodge to exercise exclusive Mason- ic jurisdiction, within and over our own territory. The three English Lodges in Montreal are not now within our jurisdiction, and whatever privileges they possessed under the terms of recognition accepted by the Grand Lodge from the Grand Lodge of England, these privileges ceased the moment the Grand Lodge of Quebec was formed and there is now no justification for this unwarranted violation of our territory. The Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of England. in his official communication says that ‘it is not easy to understand how the expression ‘Invasion of Territory’ can be applied to a case where a person leaves the jurisdiction of the protesting Grand Lodge and entering that of another is initiated therein’. I cannot see any difficulty in understanding that the term ‘Invasion of Territory’ is correctly applied to a case where members of a Lodge subordinate to the Grand Lodge of England, make an attack on the rights of another Grand Lodge by entering its territory and, securing the rejected material of one of its Lodges, take the person thus willingly captured within the territory of another Grand Lodge and there make him a Mason. Not only is this an invasion of the territory of Grand Lodge, but it is also an injustice to the Grand Lodge of Quebec in making use of its territory to inflict an injury upon a Grand Lodge with which it is on terms of peace and harmony. If this Grand Lodge, and the Grand Lodges of British America and the United States, allow the doctrine as laid down by the Grand Secretary of England to pass unchallenged, then it may be questioned whether the Masonic Grand Lodges on this continent do possess the powers, rights, and prerogatives which heretofore they supposed they enjoyed. Brethren of Grand Lodge, are you prepared to allow residents of this Province to be made Masons

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outside of your jurisdiction without your consent? I trust not. When this matter was brought under my notice I proposed dealing with it at once, but after further consider- ation decided to leave to the Grand Lodge the settlement of so important a subject. I may say, however, that I am of the opinion that there will be no permanent peace or harmony in Masonry in Canada until all Lodges now holding warrants from the Grand Lodges of Great Britain have given their allegiance to the Grand Lodges of that part of the Domin- ion in which they are situate.” Grand Lodge endorsed the position taken by the Grand Master and went one step further by expressing the opin- ion that it should refuse to give the status and privileges of a Mason to a man thus introduced into the Order. By a resolution passed at the same session, Grand Lodge desired the Grand Master to communicate to the Grand Lodge of England the action taken by the Grand Lodge of Canada and to endeavour by further correspondence to effect an amicable arrangement respecting similar cases for the future. The Grand Master, desirous of avoiding serious complications with the Mother Grand Lodge, refrained from issuing his edict excluding the brother in question from the privileges of Freemasonry within the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge, upon receiving assurance that the matter would be properly considered with a view to prevent a recurrence of the action complained of. At the An- nual Meeting of 1884, he was pleased to report that the difficulty was in a fair way of being satisfactorily settled and he trusted that in the future we would have no reason to complain of the conduct of the English lodges still working within the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Quebec. The Grand Master, in his first annual address, informed Grand Lodge that he had been advised by the Secretary of the Hospital for Sick Children at Toronto, that the Grand Senior Warden, RW. Bro. J. Ross Robertson, had erected on the island opposite the city a convalescent home for sick children, to be called the “Lakeside Home for Little Children.” The conditions upon which the gift was made was that children of members of the Masonic Fraternity should be admitted to the Hospital for Sick Children and the Lakeside Home on the recommendation of certain members of the Craft, named by the donor. This was the beginning of an institution which has done much to al- leviate the suffering of hundreds of little children and particularly those belonging to members of the Craft. The generosity of the distinguished brother was also evidenced by the gift of a large plot of ground in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto, for the benefit of brethren who may die in circumstances of poverty and distress. During the second year of M.W. Bro. Spry’s term of office numerous applications to be healed were made to him by persons who had become members of lodges ,on the registry of the so-called Grand Lodge of Ontario. The Grand Master declined all such applications and pointed out to the parties that they were not members of the Ma- sonic Fraternity and could not be recognized by any competent Masonic authority, and that if they desired to be- come Masons the only course open to them was to apply by petition to one of the regular warranted lodges on the register of the Grand Lodge of Canada. Several acted upon his advice and in one locality all the members of one of these illegal bodies made application to a proper lodge and were balloted for. accepted, and initiated. The ac- tion of the Grand Master eventually resulted in breaking up this second so-called Grand Lodge of Ontario. Some American Masonic writers threw out the suggestion that the use of the name “The Grand Lodge of Ontario” by these spurious organizations could be overcome by the Grand Lodge of Canada adopting that name and pointed out that it would be appropriate to do so, in as much as the Grand Lodge of Canada exercised exclusive jurisdic- tion over the Province of Ontario and over no other territory. The Grand Master did not agree with these writers, but stated in his address to Grand Lodge.meeting in Toronto in 1884, that it might be well to add as a subtitle to the name of the Grand Lodge, the words. “having jurisdic- tion over the Province of Ontario.” This was the first step towards the subsequent adoption of the subtitle “in the Province of Ontario”, as we have it today. The Board of General Purposes. in its report upon the Grand Master’s

Chapter 13 Page 77 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop address, stated that the present title was calculated to mislead foreign Masons as to the extent of our jurisdiction and that it seemed desirable, while retaining the distinctive name, to append to it words which would explain our true position. There were in fact two so-called Grand Lodges of Ontario at that time: one to which the foregoing comments apply which had its origin in the city of London, and another composed of coloured men, with headquarters at Windsor. The latter is still operating in Western Ontario under the title of “The Grand Lodge.” For years the question of the ritual had been the source of much anxiety. The rigid adherence to the doctrine of the “lex non scripta” laid down by the first Grand Master with no established system of imparting instruction had re- sulted in a lack of uniformity in the work. Complaints from District Deputy Grand Masters came pouring in from all parts of the jurisdiction. The subject was frequently touched upon by the Grand Masters in their addresses. The Committee on the Condition of Masonry expressed regret that there were not more Lodges of Instruction. The English ritual with slight modifications had been adopted as early as 1850. Differences of opinion arose as to what the English ritual actually was. In order that there might be some recognized authority. M.W. Bro. Spry recommended the appointment of a permanent committee with whom the Grand Master might consult upon all matters relating to the ritual. His recommendation was adopted, and his successor. M.W. Bro. Hugh Murray. ap- pointed M.W. Bros. Spry. Moffat, Henderson. Kerr, and Seymour and R. W. Bros. Henry Robertson. Otto Klotz. and Richard Bull. Although M.W. Bro. Spry was afflicted with a severe illness during the second year of his term of office, he ac- complished a great deal as Grand Master, and every Mason in the jurisdiction could endorse the well-merited eulogy expressed in the concluding paragraph of the report of the Board upon his address: “During the period of his administration the Craft has, under the blessing of the G.A.O.T.U.. prospered in a marvellous degree, and much prosperity is due to the effi- cient and zealous manner in which the M.W. the G.M. has wielded the authority vested in him.” When we consider the prominence given in the annual address of the retiring Grand Master to the incident of inva- sion of jurisdiction by one of the English lodges in the Province of Quebec. and the hope expressed by him that the difficulty would be amicably disposed of before the next Annual Meeting we naturally look for some refer- ence to it in the next year’s Proceedings. In vain do we look for light upon the subject and we are left to our own resources to ascertain what sort of settlement was effected. As no further reference is made to it in the subsequent Proceedings, the logical conclusion is that it was disposed of quietly and unofficially. A far more serious question had arisen in the Province of Quebec which might very easily have produced unforeseen complications in the Province of Ontario. although it did not directly affect the Grand Lodge of Canada. Grand Master Hugh Murray considered the question of such importance that he dealt with it at great length in his address delivered at the An- nual Communication held at Hamilton in 1885. The Grand Master of Quebec had on January 1 st. 1885, issued a proclamation to all brethren in obedience to his Grand Lodge declaring all lodges in that Province working under any foreign Grand Lodge to be illegally and irregularly existing and prohibiting all brethren acknowledging his authority from holding Masonic intercourse with any of the members of such lodges. in so far as Ancient Craft Masonry was concerned. This proclamation was aimed directly at the three Lodges in the city of Montreal on the register of the United Grand Lodge of England, one of which, as contended by M.W, Bro. Spry. had invaded the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Canada. As this edict produced no perceptible effect in the settlement of the difficulty, it was followed by another on the 5th July, 1886, proclaiming that all Masonic intercourse be suspended and cease between the Grand Lodge of Quebec, its subordinate lodges and all brethren in obedience thereto, and the Grand Lodge of England and all lodges and brethren in obedience thereto. The action of the Grand Lodge of

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Quebec was watched with much interest by the Grand Lodge of Canada, owing to the fact that the Grand Lodge of Canada, as far back as 1861 and while still exercising jurisdiction in the Province of Quebec, had taken similar action in respect to two of these same Lodges; namely, St. George’s and St. Lawrence. The reason assigned for issuing the edict of 1861, forbidding communication with the members of these two Lodges was that they were irregular. It was asserted that they had surrendered their warrants and by that act had ceased to exist as regular lodges and could not therefore be recognized as such. At the time the Grand Lodge of England extended recognition to the Grand Lodge of Canada, there was no small amount of dissatisfaction over the condition imposed, that these three Lodges should remain under jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of England; and there were many prominent members of the Grand Lodge of Canada ready to seize upon the slightest pretext for declaring all or any of the three irregular. The Grand Lodge of England quite properly took the stand that it was a condition of recognition that these three Lodges should remain under its jurisdiction, and that it must necessarily be the proper judge of its relations towards all of its constituent lodges, and that it did not rest with the Grand Lodge of Canada to declare any of them irregular. It further claimed that the Lodges in question had been working regularly. No answer could be made to that process of reasoning; the edict forbidding communication was revoked; all three were acknowledged by the Grand Lodge of Canada to be regular; and that settled the matter so far as the Grand Lodge was concerned.

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CHAPTER XIV

Some Difficult Problems

N a previous chapter we have recited what took place at the time of the establishment of the Grand Lodge of Quebec, culminating in the recognition of that Grand Lodge by the Grand Lodge of Canada in 1874. The IGrand Lodge of England, which up to that time had refused recognition, then expressed its willingness to recognize it, providing the same privileges were extended to these three English Lodges as had been originally agreed upon by the Grand Lodge of Canada. This the Grand Lodge of Quebec refused to do; declared that it would accept nothing short of recognition of exclusive and supreme authority in the Province of Quebec; and insisted that the Grand Lodge of England should withdraw the warrants of the three Lodges over which it claimed juris- diction. This the Grand Lodge of England refused to do without the expressed wish of the Lodges in question, but intimated that it would offer no obstacle to the transference by the members of their allegiance. It would have been an easy matter for the Lodges in question to have acted upon this suggestion of their Grand Lodge and thus re- move all occasion for further controversy over the matter. Correspondence was carried on between the two Grand Lodges which were unable to arrive at a settlement, and the outcome was the proclamation forbidding Masonic communication with members of the three Lodges, which steadfastly refused to change their allegiance. M.W. Bro. Murray expressed his views upon the situation in the following language: ‘It is cause for regret that the brethren of St. Paul’s, St. George’s and St. Lawrence Lodg- es have not seen it to be their duty to remove all occasion for contention, by surrendering their warrants, and affiliating with the Grand Lodge of the Province. “I sympathize strongly with the Grand Lodge of Quebec in the struggle for what I be- lieve to be a correct principle and I admit that from her standpoint she is not bound by the conditions that applied to the recognition of the Grand Lodge of Canada. Further than this, however, I think our Grand Lodge cannot go, for though we may regret that condi- tional recognition was accepted by our predecessors, who acted no doubt under circum- stances peculiarly adverse, and at a time when the question of Grand Lodge sovereignty was not so prominent as in the present day, yet we are, I believe, bound honourably to carry out the agreement entered into by them, and which has remained undisturbed for nearly twenty-six years.” The Board of General Purposes, in its report upon the Grand Master’s address, which report was adopted by Grand Lodge, concurred in his views and expressed the opinion that Grand Lodge was bound honourably to carry out the understanding upon which it accepted recognition from the Grand Lodge of England, and that it could not do more than use its friendly offices towards the solution of the difficulty. These friendly offices do not appear to have been sought by either party to the unfortunate difference existing between the two Grand Lodges, and M.W. Bro. Murray was not able, at the Annual Meeting held in Windsor in 1886, to enlighten Grand Lodge as to the progress that had been made towards a settlement. During the second year of his term of office, a rather unusual occurrence took place, which emphasized the deter- mination of Grand Lodge that no man can remain a Mason who does not believe in a personal God, who cannot say that he believes in the immortality of the soul or in a future life of rewards and punishments, and who believes

Chapter 14 Page 80 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop that our first great light, the Bible, is inapplicable to the intelligence of the present day. A member of a constituent lodge was charged with being a person unfit to retain his connection with his lodge, or with the Masonic Frater- nity, upon the ground that he was an agnostic, a secularist, a freethinker, and being such, that he held religious views and opinions not consistent with the doctrines and principles of Freemasonry. On this charge he was tried, found guilty and suspended. He appealed against the punishment inflicted by his lodge; his case was considered by the Board of General Purposes, who after reviewing the evidence and examining him further, and hearing him in explanation, reported recommending that his suspension be removed and that he be restored to good standing in his lodge. Grand Lodge refused to adopt the report of the Board and the case was referred to the Grand Master for such further enquiry and action as he might deem proper. The Grand Master fully realized the importance of the case, and was very careful not to establish a precedent that would not withstand the closest scrutiny. He closely examined the brother in person and gave to Grand Lodge a verbatim report of the brother’s answers to the leading questions put to him. In answer to the question as to whether he believed in the Great Architect of the Universe, he replied, “I believe in God, not necessarily a personal God, but I use the term ‘God’ because it is the term generally used; it might however, be expressed by any other name,” As to his belief in the immortality of the soul. he expressed himself as follows: “I hope that the soul of man is immortal, but not having any actual knowledge on the subject, I cannot say that I believe it.” Regarding a future life he said. “I hope there is a future life of reward and punishment, but having no actual knowledge, I cannot say that I believe it.” He further stated that he believed that the will of God was revealed in the Bible, as far as it goes, but that the Bible did not contain the whole of God’s revealed will and was not applicable to the intelligence of the present day and that it was not the unerring standard of truth and justice. M.W. Bro. Murray followed in the footsteps of his predecessor in his insistence upon observing the ancient land- marks, and expressed his views in part, as follows : “Masonry is tolerant. Let a man’s religion or mode of worship be what it may, he is not excluded from the Order, provided he believe in the Great Architect of the Universe, and practise the sacred duties of morality. Masonry is tolerant, but there is no place in Masonry for the stupid atheist, or the irreligious libertine. Masonry is tolerant and will never admit the right of any man to persecute his brother man for his opinion, but there are certain landmarks which cannot be changed, the most important being the belief in God, and the immortality of the soul. There can be no doubt upon this question, for this Grand Lodge has over and over again shown its adherence to this landmark.” He therefore declined to interfere with the action of the lodge which had suspended the brother, and Grand Lodge concurred in his finding. It was very opportune that this proceeding should have been laid before Grand Lodge at length at that particular period in our history and that the principles upon which our Order rests should have been so clearly defined, for at the very time that the Grand Master had the case of this erring brother under consideration, a most unjust attack was made upon Freemasonry by an eminent dignitary of the Roman Catholic Church, in the Province of Quebec. It was with some reluctance that the Grand Master brought the matter before Grand Lodge but he felt that he could not allow the incident to pass .in silence. The damaging reference to our Order was contained in a mandement pro- mulgated by no less a personage than a cardinal of the Province of Quebec and adopted by all the Roman Catholic bishops of that Province. The Grand Master dealt with this document in the following forceful language: “Among other things, it says that the Masonic body is a society of irreligious men,

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banded together under an organization and by horrible oaths, under the secret guidance of invisible leaders, for the purpose of making war upon the Church and upon society, and for resuscitating paganism, under the specious pretext of establishing liberty, equal- ity, and fraternity through the world. “You, brethren, do not need to be told that this characterization of Masonry is cruelly unjust. That we might not appear in the eyes of the world to assent for a moment to such injurious and unwarranted assertions, I have thought it my duty, not with any desire to enter into controversy, but wishing simply to protest against the wrong done our Order, to say that the aims and teaching of Masonry are pure and peaceable. We place the word of God before the neophyte. We ask him to accept it as his guide, to reverence it as the sure revelation of Divine will, to seek its counsel, and to obey its precepts. Tolerant of other men’s views, we demand that all Masons shall profess faith in the Supreme Being, in the immortality of the soul, and in a state of future rewards and punishments. Our counsels tend to peace, brotherly love, and charity. To aid the widow and the orphan, to succor those in distress, to help those who need counselor assistance-these are our du- ties. “We give respect and obedience to the constituted authorities, strive to promote order, and love our most gracious Sovereign. The best and the greatest of men have been Ma- sons. The illustrious heir to the British throne is the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England, and men, the foremost in arts, in literature, in arms, in the state, and in the church, are his brethren and ours. “I dare not say that a bad man may not be a Mason, but I am very bold in saying that a good Mason cannot be a bad man.” M.W. Bro. Murray was succeeded by M.W. Bro. Henry Robertson, who was duly installed as Grand Master at the Annual Communication held at Windsor in July, 1886. Owing to illness and other causes he was unable: to make as many visitations as he desired during the ensuing twelve months. Fortunately. there were no weighty matters brought before him during this period and he was able at the next Annual Communication held at Brockville in 1887 to report that the condition of the Craft in the Province of Ontario was harmonious and prosperous. He was a gifted lawyer and was considered a leading authority upon Masonic jurisprudence. His views, therefore, upon the subject of canvassing for members may be accepted as a safe guide. In the course of his first address from the Crand East he said: “A word of caution seems to be needed to our younger brethren with regard to canvass- ing for members. It should be distinctly understood that the solicitation of any person to join our ranks is a serious Masonic offence, whether it be done by members or officers of the lodges or by the lodge as a body. I have seen a lodge summons with a sugges- tive and very improper note at the bottom, indicating that some efforts should be made to increase the membership. I immediately stopped this practice in that quarter, and I sincerely hope that no future occasion may arise when it will be necessary, by strong measures, to prevent the repetition of this very serious offence.” During the second year of his term, M .W . Bro. Robertson had the satisfaction of having enrolled upon the reg- ister of the Grand Lodge of Canada the only lodge in the Province of Ontario working under the jurisdiction of a foreign Grand Lodge. In 1844 the Grand Lodge of Ireland had issued a warrant to a lodge at Vankleek Hill in the County of Prescott, known as St. John’s Lodge, No. 159, on the Grand Register of Ireland. While no serious Chapter 14 Page 82 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop difficulty had ever arisen in respect of this Lodge it was nevertheless the only obstacle in the way of supreme and exclusive jurisdiction in Ontario, and there was always the possible danger of friction and difficulty, such as had arisen in the Province of Quebec over the three lodges in that Province acknowledging allegiance to the Grand Lodge of England. St. John’s Lodge forwarded a petition to the Grand Master asking to exchange their warrant from the Grand Lodge of Ireland for a new warrant to enable them to work in future under the Grand Lodge of Canada, but making a condition that they should receive as their number on the register of the Grand Lodge of Canada, No.8, or No. 8a or No. 7a. The Grand Master granted the prayer of the petition so far as he had power to do so. but stated that the number would have to be determined by Grand Lodge. He directed the Grand Secretary to issue a warrant to them, engrossed on parchment, in the form used and given to other affiliating lodges. He fur- ther recommended that the issue of the warrant be confirmed by Grand Lodge; that the officers and past officers of the lodge should retain their rank upon being registered in the books of Grand Lodge; and that the number to be assigned should be the nearest vacant number on the list of lodges to correspond with the date of the original warrant from the Grand Lodge of Ireland. The terms of admission named by the Grand Master were acceptable to St. John’s Lodge; the issue of the warrant was confirmed by Grand Lodge at the session of 1888, held in the city of Toronto; the recommendations of the Grand Master were adopted; and St. John’s Lodge was duly enrolled on the register of the Grand Lodge of Canada as No. 21a. Having acquired supreme authority over all the lodges in the Province of Ontario, it was but natural that Grand Lodge should view with anxiety the long-drawn-out difficulty between the Grand Lodge of Quebec and the Grand Lodge of England. The strained relation ‘between these two Grand Lodges, both so near to the Grand Lodge of Canada, had not improved since the disclosures made to Grand Lodge by M.W. Bro. Murray. There was a gen- eral feeling throughout Ontario that if a settlement could be effected through the mediation of a third party, the Grand Lodge of Canada should provide the mediator. Accordingly the following resolution was passed by Grand Lodge: “That having heard with pleasure from the M.W. the Grand Master that the last lodge working under a foreign warrant in this jurisdiction has now applied to this Grand Lodge to be placed on its roll of warranted lodges, the time is opportune for the Grand Lodge of Canada, as the Mother Grand Lodge of Quebec, to offer its friendly services to the Grand Lodges of England and Quebec, to aid them in the settlement of the unfortunate matters in dispute between these Grand Bodies, so that a stop may be put to the vexa- tious trouble so injurious, not only to the jurisdictions directly interested, but to the Craft generally, be it therefore “Resolved :-That this Grand Lodge request the M.W. the Grand Master to enter into correspondence with H.R.H. the Most Worshipful the Grand Master of England and the M.W. the Grand Master of Quebec, looking to the end that harmony and brotherly love may prevail between England and the Craft in this Dominion.” The delicate and difficult task of carrying the resolution into effect fell upon the incoming Grand Master, Richard T. Walkem, Q.C., of Kingston. No happier choice could have been made than the scholarly, astute, and tactful incumbent of the throne in the Grand East for the succeeding two years. To M.W. Bro. Robertson may be credited the revival of the practice of embodying in the Annual Proceedings a Report on Foreign Correspondence. These reports were, in the early days of the Grand Lodge, one of the most interesting features of the Proceedings but for a number of years they had been discontinued, and the absence of them was commented on in other jurisdictions. The Canadian brethren were not aware of the loss they were sus- taining by not having reports of that nature for their perusal. for as the Grand Master informed Grand Lodge, they

Chapter 14 Page 83 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop contain a fund of information that is exceedingly interesting and which must be of great benefit and instruction to all who are desirous of a better acquaintance with the work of our Order. Grand Lodge adopted the suggestion of M. W. Bro. Robertson and very appropriately appointed him Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Correspon- dence.

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CHAPTER XV

Years of Achievement

HE name of our Grand Lodge as it is styled at present. ‘The Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Canada, in the Province of Ontario” appeared for the first time upon the title pages of the Pro- Tceedings of 1888. This change of name was the result of a revision of the Constitution brought about by a resolution introduced in Grand Lodge in 1885 providing that a committee be appointed for that purpose. The task was accordingly assigned to M.W. Bros. Daniel Spry and Otto Klotz and R.W. Bro. Henry Robertson. At the next Annual Communication in 1886, this committee submitted the result of their labours for the consideration of Grand Lodge; and the draft Constitution. as prepared by them. was printed in the Proceedings of that year. The first clause read as follows: “The style and title of the Grand Lodge shall be ‘The Grand Lodge of Ancient. Free and Accepted Masons of Canada. in the Province of Ontario•... At the next Annual Communication. the consideration of the proposed new Book of Constitution resulted in its adoption with certain amendments but the first clause remained as presented in the original report of the commit- tee. So well was the work of the committee done that very few amendments have been found necessary and the Book of Constitution now in use is substantially the same as that adopted in 1887. The change of name, however, was not altogether satisfactory to our critics. as the reviewer of the Foreign Correspondence in one of our sister provinces commented upon it as follows: “We feel that the name ‘Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario’ is not just appropriate, as at present Canada is composed of seven Provinces, each having a Grand Lodge of its own, called after their respective provincial names, except Ontario, the Grand Lodge we are speaking of. How would it look if in the District of Columbia in the United States, the M.W. Grand Lodge should style itself ‘The Grand Lodge of the United States’-this written in very large letters, but just beneath in very small letters, ‘in the District of Columbia’?” M .W . Bro. Henry Robertson in his next review replied to his brother reviewer in the following words: “ We are very loath to lose the old name ‘Grand Lodge of Canada’ under which we were formed. and by which we are so well known all over the Masonic world. Similar criticisms have come from other Provinces and attempts have been made to change the name to the ‘Grand Lodge of Ontario’ but all to no avail. One very formidable argument used against it was that the name ‘Grand Lodge of Ontario’ has been twice brought into disrepute by two spurious organizations which under that title had sought recognition in the Masonic world.” M.W. Bro. Walkem lost no time in acting upon the resolution of Grand Lodge requesting him to enter into cor- respondence with the Grand Master of England and the Grand Master of Quebec, looking to the restoration of harmony between their respective Grand Lodges. He opened communication with the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Quebec in order to ascertain whether his mediation would be acceptable. He received an answer in the affirmative and was invited to visit and be the guest of that Grand Lodge at its Annual Meeting, to be held in Chapter 15 Page 85 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

Montreal in January, 1889. He accepted the invitation, was received in the most cordial manner, and found that the Quebec brethren earnestly desired a settlement of the difficulty with the Grand Lodge of England which should combine “peace with honour”. M.W. Bro. H. L. Robinson, Grand Master of Quebec, in addressing his Grand Lodge upon the occasion of M.W. Bro. Walkem’s visit, spoke as follows: “The Grand Lodge of Canada (in the Province of Ontario), at its last Annual Commu- nication, in a kind and fraternal spirit which this Grand Lodge fully understands and appreciates. authorized its Grand Master to offer his mediation both to England and Quebec. M.W . Bro. Walkem, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada, accepted the position, and, under the authority of the resolution of this Grand Lodge, just quoted, your Grand Master and Grand Secretary have considered the proposition made and have accepted the mediatorial offer. “That distinguished brother hopes to visit England during the present year, and from his high character as a man and a Mason, his eminent position at the bar of his Province. his comprehension of the points of difference, and his fraternal desire to arrange those dif- ferences, it will be seen that no better mediator could have been selected. There is also the additional reason. not without its weight in such an effort to terminate our dispute with England, that the Grand Lodge of Canada, as our Mother Grand Lodge, is the fittest mediator in this matter with the Grand Lodge of England, which was its Mother Lodge. “The selection of such an intermediary is in the highest degree judicious and appropri- ate. “In view of this offer, and with a desire to strengthen the hands of M.W. Bro. Walkem in mediating, I would suggest that Grand Lodge at this Communication should authorize and empower my successor in office, the Grand Master of this Grand Lodge, to suspend or even withdraw the edicts of this Grand Lodge against the Grand Lodge of England and its Lodges, whenever advised or requested so to do by Grand Master Walkem. In his judgment and good will we have a sufficient guarantee that the advisory power thus given him will be judiciously employed; and this action from us may facilitate the efforts he may make to accomplish successfully his mission.” The Grand Lodge of Quebec acted upon the suggestion of its Grand Master and unanimously adopted a resolu- tion authorizing its Grand Master for the time being, at the request of M.W. Bro. WaIkem, to withdraw both the edicts which had given rise to the trouble. The request for their withdrawal followed in due course and the Grand Master issued his proclamation on the 23rd of October, 1889, withdrawing the edicts of January 1st, 1885. and July 5th. 1886. At the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Canada, held at Owen Sound in 1889, M.W. Bro. Walkem reported to Grand Lodge what had taken place at Quebec and counselled his brethren to exercise forbearance and to refrain from criticism respecting the matters in dispute. In June of the following year, he paid a visit to England and was received by the English Grand Lodge with great cordiality. This was the first time a Grand Master of Canada had visited the Mother Grand Lodge in his official capacity. Upon his return he spoke in the most glowing terms of the unbounded hospitality accorded him by the English brethren, but was silent upon the chief object of his visit, the settlement of the trouble with the Grand Lodge of Quebec. He found that the task assigned him was much more difficult of accomplishment than he had anticipated. For the next two years he continued his negotiations and, while he was not in a position to disclose the actual progress made towards a solution of the difference, the Grand Master of Quebec reported to his Grand Lodge in January, 1891. that the Chapter 15 Page 86 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop distinguished mediator had requested him to allow matters to remain as they were, as he was hopeful of suc- cess. Each party to the dispute had taken a firm stand, and unfortunately there appeared to be no middle ground affording an opportunity for a compromise. The Grand Lodge of Quebec argued with a great deal of force that no two Grand Lodges could occupy the same territory and, as its authority in the Province of Quebec had been universally recognized throughout the entire Masonic world, it would not extend recognition to any lodge within its territory, working under a foreign jurisdiction. In the discussion that took place over the question in other juris- dictions, the position taken by the Grand Lodge of Quebec was upheld in almost every instance, and that fact no doubt influenced the Quebec brethren in their determination to refuse recognition of the three lodges concerned. The Grand Lodge of England was just as firm in its declaration that it had entered into an agreement with the Grand Lodge of Canada that these three lodges should continue upon the register of the Mother Grand Lodge and should not be molested in the exercise of their privileges as regularly constituted lodges within the territory over which the Grand Lodge of Canada in all other respects had jurisdic¬tion ; that the Grand Lodge of Quebec was composed of lodges which, at the time the agreement was entered into, were working under the Grand Lodge of Canada; and that their severance from the Grand Lodge of Canada, when they became a separate Grand Lodge, in no way affected their obligation to abide by the terms of the agreement that they, as a part of the Grand Lodge of Canada, had solemnly undertaken to observe. The Grand Lodge of England could not cast off the lodges in question, although willing that they should transfer their allegiance. This, the latter stubbornly refused to do. They had taken affront at the edict excluding them from fellowship with the other Masons of Quebec and were quite content to remain as they were. It required no small degree of optimism to take a hopeful view of the situation, but M.W. Bro. Walkem was not a man to be discouraged in his efforts to attain a desired end simply because the obstacles in his way appeared insur¬mountable. His genial disposition and earnest presentation of his desire to establish harmony had, from the beginning of his negotiations, won for him the esteem and confidence of the Que- bec breth-ren. To them, therefore, he devoted himself most assiduously in the hope that for the sake of peace they would recede from the position taken by them. No further reference is made to the question in tho Proceedings of Grand Lodge until 190 I, when M.W. Bro. Hungerford expressed his belief that at no distant day the three English lodges in Quebec would affiliate with the Grand Lodge of Quebec. He assured Grand Lodge that St. Lawrence Lodge had already taken action, and had passed a resolution favouring affiliation and requesting the Grand Lodge of England to enact the necessary legislation to enable it to do so. This legislation having been enacted in 1905, the Grand Lodge of Quebec, at its 36th Communi¬cation in January, 1906, made a further advance towards re- suming friendly relations with the Grand Lodge of England by passing a resolution authorizing its Grand Master to enter into fraternal cor¬respondence with the English Grand Lodge with a view to securing recognition and arranging for an exchange of representatives. These negotiations were carried on during the year; and at the next Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Quebec there were great rejoicings over the happy termination of the long and bitter quarrel between the two Grand Lodges, which had been very trying to the parties immediately concerned and very embarrassing to so many jurisdictions, especially the Grand Lodge of Canada. Following the exchange of representatives, one of the English Lodges, St. Lawrence, severed its connection with England and joined the Grand Lodge of Quebec. The other two, St. George’s and St. Pau)’s, declined to quit the Mother Grand Lodge and are still working under the warrants from the Grand Lodge of England. There is no more familiar name in the annals of Freemasonry in the Dominion of Canada that that of John Ross Robertson. His fame was not restricted to members of the Craft, as he was widely known as a man of letters, edi- tor, publisher, collector of works of art, and a kind-hearted philanthropist, whose especial care was the sick and afflicted children of the Province. His name will ever be associated with the Hospital for Sick Children in the city of Toronto, an institution which owes much to his kindly interest and generous donations. He manifested his love for this charitable work in his appeal to Grand Lodge on its behalf in his second annual address:

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“Very near my heart is one of the great charities of this Province, a work which com- mends itself to every man and woman in the land, a charity which, I feel assured, has the earnest sympathy and well-wishes of every Craftsman in this Grand Communication. While those who in manhood’s prime, stricken by sickness, claim our kindliest care, who is there among you all whose heart does not go out in tender sympathy for the sick and ailing little ones-those who cannot help themselves? For this work the Hospital for Sick Children of Toronto stands erect today, and, as a provincial charity with outstretched arms, gathers in its embrace little sufferers, thus giving relief and health to many whose lives have always been in shadow and who, perhaps, have never heard a kindly word or seen a friendly smile.” He first came into prominence as a Mason when he assumed In 1886 the duties of District Deputy Grand Master of Toronto District No. 11. During the year he made seventy-eight official visits to the lodges committed to his care, including seven District Lodges of Instruction. Each lodge was visited at least twice. No notification was given at the first visit, so that he might see the ordinary work of the lodge, without the advantage of special prepa- ration. Of his second and subsequent visits, if any, the lodges were duly notified by the District Secretary and a form was enclosed with a request that the same be filled up by the secretary of the lodge and be ready for the District Deputy upon the occasion of his visit. This form contained some fifty questions relating to almost every detail of the statistics, working, and property of the lodge, so that the District Deputy could at a glance ascertain the weak points, if any, to which he should devote his attention. His Report to Grand Lodge covered twenty-eight pages of the printed Proceedings. He indulged in no fulsome flattery and spared no criticism when it was needed but all was done in a most thorough manner and in a kindly spirit not calculated to give offence. In the follow- ing year, as Chairman of the Sub-Committee on the Condition of Masonry, he presented a report which was a model in every respect. He had already evinced a great interest in the early history of Craft Masonry in Canada and after his election as Deputy Grand Master in 1888, he was in great demand as a lecturer upon the subject. He was elected Grand Master at the Annual Communica¬tion held in Kingston in ) 890 and during his first year as Head of the Craft, he set about the performance of the duties of that high 0ffice with the same thoroughness that characterized his work in the other offices previously held by him in Grand Lodge. Within the twelve months he visited one hundred and thirty 102 lodges covering nearly ten thousand miles of travel, one thousand miles of which were by road. This was frequently done at great personal inconvenience to himself. He mapped out his itinerary and kept his appointments regardless of the condition of the roads or weather, sometimes suffering from attacks of lumbago, which would have induced most men more robust than he to seek the comforts of a home. These visits were not mere perfunctory receptions but to each assembly he gave an hour’s address upon the trials and triumphs of those who founded the Craft in Canada, an epitome of our pioneer history and lost no opportu- nity to gather from every available source all manner of data bearing upon the subject. In commenting upon the beneficial results of these visits, R. W. Bro. E. T. Malone, Chairman of the Sub-Committee on the Condition of Masonry, reported as follows: “These visits were not confined to the lodges in cities and towns, to the strong and pros- perous, but to the weak and dormant. In the Lodges at the crossroads, and wherever good could be accom¬plished, the Most Worshipful Brother was to be found giving counsel, encouragement and advice, and entertaining the brethren with lectures most instructive. In order to give the result of such visits, a few quotations from the reports will be in or- der. They are as follows, and will speak for themselves:-’New life has been infused into weak lodges, enthusiasm prevails everywhere.’ ‘Much benefit has been derived, not only from the interesting lectures, but from bringing hand to hand him who sits and labours

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in the Grand East, him whose territory is provincial, and him who diligently labours in his own vineyard.’ ‘By these visits, the weak have been strengthened, the strong encour- aged, and a stimulus imparted which will show its beneficial results in more ways than can be comprehended.” Many lodges took advantage of the presence of the Grand Master to submit questions for his ruling which, but for the opportunity thus afforded, would never have been propounded, with the result that during the year he deliv- ered over sixty official decisions, many of them involving important points of Masonic jurisprudence. The Board of General Purposes in its Report upon the Grand Master’s Address, paid him the following compli- ments: “Our M.W. Brother has been able to forget the cares and demands of business, and to devote most of his time to a very careful inspection of subordinate lodges. The labour involved in the series of visitations has been immense, but it has been a labour of love, and beyond all doubt much good has been accomplished. New zeal has been enkindled in parts of the jurisdiction where the: work of the Craft has been flagging, the brethren have been instructed by the admirable lectures delivered by the Grand Master, and in a general way a stronger bond of sympathy has been established between the Grand and the subordinate lodges. It is nol. to be expected that these self-imposed and extraordi- nary labours on the part of the G .M. shall be recognized as necessarily incidental to the duties of his exalted office; it would be unreasonable that any such sacrifice should be either expressly or implicitly called for; but at the same time the obligation under which the Grand Master has in this respect placed Grand Lodge is very great and cannot well be repaid.” During the same year he visited England, and of his reception by the brethren there he wrote as follows: “On the 4th day of September, 1890, at the Quarterly Com¬munication of the United Grand Lodge of England, at London, held in the historic meeting-place of the Craft of the Motherland, a reception was accorded me as your Grand Master, which while memo- ry runs, will never be effaced from mine. The welcome of English Masons, assembled in their Quarterly Communication-a goodly company, composed of the flower of the land, men eminent in literature, art and commerce, and many as well who have fought on land and sea and carried the flag to victory-made my Canadian heart warm again for the land of my ancestors, the birthplace of our sires, my brethren. who have left you a heritage which gives our Anglo-Saxon blood a nobility that comes alone by merit without the garnishing distributed by earthly creation, sometimes without due heed to the character- istics of the recipient. The pen halts as my thoughts go back to that grand meeting. Words can scarcely be found in fitting form to express the pleasure of that re-union with the English Craft, and my mind retains with delight the pleasant words of the acting Grand Master of England when he wished me God-speed in my journey home, and desired me to convey to you all a fraternal message of good-will and fellowship from the children of the British race and Craft to those who, with love for the old land, were now strong in the strength of their own manhood in the land across the sea.” During the second year of his incumbency of the throne in the Grand East, M. W. Bro. Robertson accomplished the prodigious task of visiting 232 lodges, thereby completing the round and getting in close personal touch with every lodge in the jurisdiction. We can form some idea of the sacrifice thus involved when we consider that these Chapter 15 Page 89 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop visits took ten months of actual time out of two years of a busy man’s life; yet he writes thus merrily of his vis- its: “The thousand memories of the pleasant talks at these re-unions with my fellow-crafts- men have added leaves to the book of my life, to which I shall surely, in the aftertime when age has a greater claim upon me, turn with pleasure, to refresh my mind, to recall old names and faces, encouraged by the thought that many of those who then greeted me are yet active in the work, and are still with me, marching along in the twilight of life, with the unchanging desire we all have who recognize masonry as the idealistic reality of fraternity.” M.W. Bro. Robertson’s greatest service to the Craft is The History of Freemasonry in Canada from its introduction in 1749 to 1858. This magnificent work, published in two volumes in 1900 and containing 2175 pages, represents the labour of many years of careful research. The introduction was written by Bro. William J. Hughan of Torquay, England, himself a Masonic historian of note. In commenting upon the extent of the task performed by the author, he wrote as follows: “This history has no equal of the class, either as respects its magnitude, its interest and attrac- tiveness, its literary skill, or its conspicuou51 success. Many of the author’s extraordinary finds and well-directed researches, if fully narrated, would surprise even those most familiar with his indomitable perseverance and unwearying persistence in getting at the foundation facts of the subjects, the difficulties which would have fright- ened or vanquished others being to him but incentives to renewed and increased efforts until reliable information had been obtained.” Regarding the manner in which he treated the subject matter, Bro. Hughan commented thus: “The plan of the work could not be improved, as the whole ground is covered, and what is more, so intelligently and helpfully are the chapters arranged, that notwithstanding their comprehensive and elaborate character, the systematic divisions, into suggestive sections and periods, together with the very full indices, leave nothing to be desired for facility of reference, chronological sequence or general study.” He concluded his introduction with the following complimentary comments upon the general excellence of the history: “I cannot conclude these remarks without once more expressing my admiration of Brother Robertson’s magnificent services on behalf of the Grand Lodge. Though he has given me a free hand to criticize his great work to any extent and to point out any defects, 1 have nothing but praise to offer and heartfelt gratitude to tender, for his amazing energy and unwearying efforts, in preparing and publishing such a noble contribution to the Literature of the ‘Fraternity of Ancient, Free and Ac- cepted Masons’.” In commenting upon the History, M.W. Bro. E. T. Malone in his annual address in 1899 said: “The Craft in this jurisdiction and, I may add, in this Dominion, is to be heartily con- gratulated on the completion of the great work to which our worthy Past Grand Master, M.W. Bro. J. Ross Robertson, has devoted years of labour and research, and the outlay for which is beyond ordinary calculation. ‘The History of Freemasonry in Canada’, two large volumes, is a work of such magnitude that it is far in advance of any poor words of praise that I could bestow upon it for its remarkable excellence in every single re- spect.” That the Grand Lodge of Canada has acquired and maintains so high a position among the Grand Lodges of the world, today, is in no small measure due to the superior standard of the addresses and literary efforts of the men of its Grand East and, among these, we believe everyone who has given the subject any consideration will give the foremost place to M.W. Bro. John Ross Robertson.

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Entrance to the Coliseum on the 100th Anniversary (1955)

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CHAPTER XVI

Quiet Years

T the Annual Communication of Grand Lodge held at Ottawa in July. 1929, the Committee on the Fra- ternal Dead paid the following tribute to the memory of the Honourable Sir john Morrison Gibson. AK.C.M.G., M.A.. LL.D.. LL.B.. K.C.: ‘The late Sir john Gibson was distinguished in many avenues. His life’s work is intri- cately interwoven in his unique Masonic career. In every position, from the humblest office to the highest within the power of h:s native Province to bestow, he wielded an influence for good that has imparted its impress deep and lasting. His energies in private, public, political, legal, military, municipal, social and commercial enterprises stand as a monument to him. He was a noted jurist. and eminent among the long list of Ontario’s Attorneys-General. AG, a Minister of the Crown charged with the oversight of law en- forcement, his judgment was unerring and his sympathies full and genuine. As a soldier he will live in the memory of those it was his duty to command. When called to the high office as the King’s direct representative in Ontario-that of Lieutenant-Governor -those cardinal characteristics which had been ornaments in a useful and successful life endeared him to the people.” Such was the man who succeeded M.W. Bro. Robertson as ruler of the Craft. Owing to a prolonged illness he was unable to pay many official visits during the first year of his term. Many prominent brethren had hoped that the year 1892 would not be allowed to pass without some action by Grand Lodge towards a centennial celebra- tion of the introduction of Freemasonry into this jurisdiction. As early as 1889. a resolution was passed by Grand Lodge authorizing the appointment of a committee by the Grand Master to take into consideration the best means of celebrating the event. Such a committee was appointed by M. W. Bro. Robertson in 1891. At the next Annual Meeting they reported in favour of a celebration to be held in Toronto in October, 1892, but upon a motion that the report be received and adopted by Grand Lodge, the resolution was lost. The brethren of Toronto had set their hearts upon the event and without the sanction or assistance of Grand Lodge. they carried out a programme of which M.W. Bro. Gibson spoke thus approvingly: “Where Grand Lodge in its wisdom hesitated to act, the brethren of Toronto, with a promptitude and energy characteristic of the provincial metropolis, organized and worked to a brilliant conclusion a celebration that was at once enthusiastic in its concep- tion, successful in its progress and consummation, and historic in the completeness of its detail. Very appropriately the observance of the anniversary was preceded by attendance at divine service in the Metropolitan Church, on the 18th December, at which there was a vast attendance of the Craft. and where an admirable address, suit¬able to the occasion, was delivered by Bro. Rev. W. F. Wilson. At the Centennial Banquet, which was held on the 27th of the same month, St. john’s Day. nearly four hundred brethren assisted, each wearing the silver medal struck to commemorate the event. Our zealous Past Grand Master. M.W. Bro. J. Ross Robertson, the active guiding spirit of the affair, presided. and delivered the centennial address, presenting in eloquent diction a most interesting array Chapter 16 Page 92 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

of fact and incident which connectedly related the story of the Craft in Ontario for the past hundred years and bore testimony to the untiring research and extensive knowledge of Masonic lore for which the M.W. Brother has already acquired so widely extended a reputation. The narration created unbounded enthusiasm in his hearers. and its publica- tion subsequently elicited the most flattering enconiums from readers in the old world as well as the new.” Grand Master Gibson took his Freemasonry seriously and lost no opportunity to impress upon his brethren the need for putting into daily practice the lessons learned in the lodge room. He spoke from the very bottom of his heart when he touched upon this subject in his second annual address: “It has been my aim, however. to impress upon the Craft wherever I have visited that there is some danger of our regarding well-worked Lodges, with a continual inflow of candi- dates and amply provided treasuries, as the chief object of Masonic ambition. Indeed, it has sometimes appeared to me that in the press of routine and degree-conferring work, some lodges-notably some of our best city lodges-from one year’s end to another lose those oppor¬tunities for Masonic intercourse and the cultivation of closer indi¬vidual fraternal relationship among the members, which are so desirable and should always be improved. It has been my aim to urge that something more should be done within the lodge rooms than mere transaction of business and conferring of degrees. Masonry is a sham and means nothing if it is confined to the lodge room, if it fails to permeate our conduct and actions throughout life, or if it fails in some cases to restrain and in other cases to prompt us in the course we are about to pursue in any direction. Perplexing ques- tions of duty arise when business interests conflict with the charitable consideration due from one Mason to another, or when one’s instinctive Masonic partiality is combatted by notions of what on other grounds may be right or wrong. Such difficulties might. in my opinion, be more frequently the subject of informal and fraternal counselling together in the lodge room, with the advantages of safer conclusions in the specific cases and educa- tive influences upon the brethren generally. The ideal of a Freemason is difficult of at- tainment. We are human and humanity is very weak and imperfect. But we are not good Masons if we do not strive to the best of our ability to exemplify our professions by the practical record we from day to day are making. We are prone to boast of the antiquity of our Order, to descant in grandiloquent terms upon its stability and world-wide diffu- sion and, with pardonable pride, to grow eloquent in referring to its lofty aims and the everlasting principles on which it is founded. But the practical and important question for each of us is whether, by reason of being Masons, we are better men than we would have been if we had not been Masons.” At the Annual Convocation of the In 1891, a resolution had been adopted in favour of joining with other nations in holding a Fraternal Congress in the city of Chicago at some time during the con- tinuance of the World’s Fair. The purpose of the proposed meeting was the interchange of fraternal sentiments concerning the general interest of Masonry throughout the world. The idea originated with M.W. Bro. Robertson, who recommended such a meeting in both of his two annual addresses. Accepting the statement of its sponsors that there was no intention of attempting to form a general Grand Lodge, the Grand Lodge of Illinois extended a cordial invitation to alI Grand Lodges with which it was in fraternal correspondence to meet in Chicago in August. 1893. Thirty-six Grand Jurisdictions were represented at the meeting and Canada had no cause to apologize for the calibre of its representatives, M.W. Bros. Gibson and Kerr. Carefully prepared papers on matters of Masonic Chapter 16 Page 93 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop interest were read and discussed, and ten conclusions were formulated. While these conclusions had no binding effect upon the jurisdictions represented, it is doubtful if any Grand Lodge would, in a crisis, act contrary to the expressed opinions of such an eminent body of representative Masons. Two of these conclusions were, and still are, of great interest to the Grand Lodge of Canada, as they coincide with the views advanced and acted upon by our Grand Lodge: “The conclusion of the Congress is that a Grand Lodge duly organized in a state or other autonomous territory is rightfully possessed of absolute Masonic sovereignty therein.” This was the principle for which the Grand Lodge of Quebec was contending in its long-drawn-out controversy with the English Grand Lodge. The other was one upon which the Grand Lodge of Canada had, quite recently, on more than one occasion laid great stress: “An unequivocal belief and trust in God is the fundamental principle upon which the institution of Masonry was founded and must forever rest.”

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CHAPTER XVII

More Uneventful Years

. R. WHITE. Q.C.. was duly installed as Grand Master at the Annual Communication held at Hamilton in July, 1894. At the conclusion of his first year, he reported to Grand Lodge in part as follows: W “The year has been marked by no Masonic event of importance. I have not been called upon to decide any questions of great moment. Our relations with other Grand Lodges have been most cordial and, within our own jurisdiction, I think I am safe in saying that scarcely a ripple of discord has disturbed that peace and harmony which seem to have become the normal condition of this Grand Lodge.” From the easy manner in which the Grand Master refers to the duties performed by him, one might infer that he had been called upon to do very little during the year. Such was not the case. He had dedicated no fewer than seven lodge rooms; visited nearly every part of the jurisdiction ; had been called upon ‘ to adjudicate upon many important matters; and, in his annual Address, tendered to Grand Lodge some wholesome advice upon several subjects he evidently had considered very carefully. His long professional experience prompted him to give the following warning regarding some proposed amendments to the Constitution, which were to be brought before Grand Lodge for consideration: “I have always thought, and still think, that Grand Lodge should hasten slowly in making amendments to the Constitution. If anything is found to work either injury to the Craft or an injustice to any large number of individual Masons, then it is not only your right but your duty to so amend the Constitution as to remedy the evil. But let me remind you that no system of human laws has yet been devised which, while doing perfect justice in ninety-nine cases, may not do injustice to the hundredth. Unless, therefore, the wrong is widespread and glaring, it may be as well to let matters remain as they are.” At the Annual Communication held at Kingston in 1879. Grand Master Weller had been pleased to announce that the so-called Grand Lodge of Ontario had ceased to exist and that the formalities necessary for its extinction had been complied with. While these formalities were deemed sufficient to put an end to the activities of the so-called Grand Lodge, they did not terminate the existence of the constituent lodges which had received their warrants from this spurious organization; nor did they dispose of the scores of members who had been led to join these lodges in the belief that they thereby became regular Freemasons. From time to time, since 1879, the District Deputies had reported instances of these individual members applying to be healed, and scores of them were healed, but the supply appeared to be inexhaustible. This was one of the subjects with which M. W. Bro. White grappled and brought before the Board of General Purposes in 1895. The Board, after discussing the matter very fully, recommended to Grand Lodge that a committee consisting of the Grand Master, the Past Grand Master, and the Deputy Grand Master, be authorized to meet with the members of the said organization and agree with them, if possible, as to the terms upon which they might all be healed and recognized as Masons within this jurisdiction and that the committee have full power finally to dispose of the whole matter. These were very wide powers but Grand Lodge adopted the recommendation of the Board and the committee set to work to do what should have been done sixteen years before.

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At the next Annual Communication held in Belleville in 1896, the Grand Master reported as follows: “I am very much pleased to be able to report to this Grand Lodge, that during the past year (pursuant to the authority granted at our last meeting), such arrangements have been made with the members of this organization as will effectually sweep this body out of existence for, I trust, all time to come. Their charter (granted by the Provincial Govern- ment) has been transferred to myself and the Grand Secretary, as trustees for this Grand Lodge, all warrants issued to subordinate lodges, the seal and all other books and prop- erty of this so-called body, have been, or are being, delivered up and are now in posses- sion of this Grand Lodge. Many of them have applied for affiliation to our Lodges, and are now active and useful members of this Grand Body. The surrender is voluntary and complete--the only concession granted being that members of the extinct body holding the rank of Past Master therein are conceded that rank in any of our lodges with which they may affiliate or to which they may be admitted.” Although M.W. Bro. White very modestly declined to take unto himself any credit for the happy accomplishment of the very desired results, it was well known that the proposal to deal with the question originated with him and that he was most untiring in his efforts to have it finally disposed of. It was also during his term of office that the vexed problem of the Asylum Fund was again revived. At the Annual Communication held in Hamilton in 1894, the following resolution was passed; “Resolved,-That the Board of General Purposes be requested to report at the next Annual Communication of Grand Lodge the objects for which the Asylum Fund was formed, and the best means to be adopted for carrying these objects into effect.” No sub- scription had been made towards the fund since 1873 and the capital sum with accumulated interest amounted to $14,043.75. The Board, after fully considering the resolution, passed in 1894, and the several reports and resolu- tions of Grand Lodge relating to the fund, reported to Grand Lodge in the following year that the object for which the fund was raised was the erection of an asylum for “the indigent and decayed Mason, his bereaved widow and his helpless orphan.” The Board further reported that, in its opinion, one reason that militated against the success of the undertaking more than any other was the apparent desire of the promoters to have Grand Lodge enter upon the building of the asylum without first raising a sufficient sum as an endowment. The conclusion of the Board was that it was inadvisable to undertake the erection and maintenance of the asylum and it recommended that the lodges whose members had contributed to the fund be requested to consent that the amounts so contributed be transferred to the general funds of Grand Lodge, so that the income derived there from might be made available for benevolent purposes. Grand Lodge declined to act upon the recommendation of the Board and passed a reso- lution providing that the Grand Master appoint a committee of five to enquire into the question of establishing an asylum as contemplated when the fund was created. The committee so appointed, unable to report at the next annual meeting, requested that it be reappointed with power to add to its members and that it be directed to report at the annual meeting in 1897. The request was granted, and, in order to ascertain the views of the several lodges, the following questions were submitted to each of the 360 lodges in the Province; 1. Is it the opinion of your lodge that a Masonic home should be established? 2. If so, how much will your lodge undertake to provide annually as a contribution to the maintenance fund? 3. What amounts will individual brethren within the jurisdic¬tion of your lodge contribute annually? 4. What worthy brethren in your jurisdiction would take advantage of the benefits of the home if estab- lished? (An answer to this question is desired after careful enquiry has been made, and you are also

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requested to forward the names of any such brethren.) No answer was made to the circular by 264 lodges. To the first question 34 lodges stated that they were of opinion that a Masonic home should be established, some of them qualifying this by stating that this was their opinion if the maintenance of the home was assured. To this first question 42 lodges stated that they were of opinion that a Masonic home should not be established. T en lodges asked for further information. One lodge answered that it was of opinion that a Masonic home should not be established unless the home pro- vided for widows and orphans. One lodge answered that it was not at present in favour of a home, but if the home were established it would assist in its maintenance. One lodge answered that the lodge had decided to leave the question in the hands of this Grand Lodge. In answer to the second and third questions, annual subscriptions amounting to about $500 were guaranteed. The fourth question was practically unanswered. The result was so unsatisfactory that the committee at the Annual Communication of 1897 asked that it be reap- pointed with somewhat extended powers providing for a personal canvass of every lodge in the jurisdiction. This request was also granted. Again in 1898 the committee came before Grand Lodge and reported that it had “reluctantly come to the conclu- sion that at the present time there does not exist among the Masons of this jurisdiction sufficient regard or enthu- siasm for the project to warrant any present attempt to establish such a home.” The committee made no recommendation regarding the disposition of the fund, which then amounted to $15,227.75. Thus another attempt to make some use of the asylum fund failed and the question remained precisely where it was when revived in 1894. M.W. Bro. William Gibson ascended the throne in July, 1896. Six out of the seven special Communications held during his two years of office were convened for the purpose of laying corner-stones. More than one Grand Mas- ter had endeavoured to discourage the opinion which appeared to have been entertained by some people that one of the special duties of a Grand Master was to officiate at these functions whenever and wherever called upon. The reader may be interested to know the views of two Grand Masters. to whom so many appeals were made, that they were inclined to rebel against what they considered an imposition. M,W . Bro. John Ross Robertson expressed himself as follows: “An evident impression prevails with many that the laying of cornerstones is an art which the Grand Master should exercise at call. It is rather suggestive of other than proper motives, when some of those who desire the honour are anxious to know whether the Grand Officers and members, in addition to their attendance, should not also con- tribute to the erection of the building, at the same time deeply concerned as to the size of the contributions that will be collected at the ceremony. My belief is that in nearly every case, except, of course, where educational, charitable, and state structures are concerned, the Craft is invited to participate not from the slightest desire to honour ‘the ancient fra- ternity,” but with the sordid hope, published in the press, and posted on every barn door, that the presence of the Craft will attract a large assemblage and yield a proportionate

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pecuniary return. “Some years ago when, under the instructions of the then Grand Master, I performed the ceremony, the reverend gentleman who preached charity and unselfishness in that par- ticular locality, murmured because the offering taken up did not yield enough to pay for a new pulpit; indeed he gave me such scant civility that even the Grand Chaplain, who officiated, felt a spasm of muscular Christianity at intervals during the ceremony. “In no other jurisdiction on earth has the corner-stone ceremony been rendered so com- mon as in Canada. The latest scheme, however, which has developed and is now in full working order - it may be patented for aught I know-is the quadruple cornerstones. Three of these stones are laid by members or adherents of the church and the Craft is ‘graciously permitted’ to lay the fourth. Now I yield to no man in my reverence for things sacred. I recognize Masonry as the exemplification of the Christianity taught by Him whom eighteen centuries ago, with the music of His footsteps turned sorrow into joy. and gave us the message from the Master, but I, without hesitation, draw the line and hold my pen when asked to summon Grand Lodge to act as an annex for a purpose which, however appropriate, yet when taken part in by the Craft, cheapens an impressive ceremony, lowers the dignity of the Craft, and drags it in as the side-show to capture the little spare cash the spectators have left, before they have even time to recuperate from the exhausting results of their regular contributions.” One would have thought that this language would have left no doubt as to how the Craft viewed the practice but M.W. Bro. Gibson found it necessary to issue the following warning: “Worshipful Masters and D.D.G.M’s should, prior to making application, carefully in- quire into all the circumstances and report to the Grand Secretary so that the Grand Mas- ter may be advised whether he would be justified in incurring the trouble and expense of convening a meeting of Grand Lodge. Many persons entertain the idea of using Grand Lodge for the purpose of drawing a crowd together on such occasions, without any higher motives in view.” The Grand Secretary, R.W. Bro. J. J. Mason, was granted leave of absence during a period covering the session of Grand Lodge in I897. He had been tendered the command of the Canadian Bisley rifle team. As he was a skilled rifleman and would reflect credit upon the Dominion, it was deemed fitting that he should accept the position. He was also entrusted with the commission of presenting Her Majesty Queen Victoria, upon the occasion of her diamond jubilee, with a suitable address from the members of the Grand Lodge of Canada. In alluding to the pro- priety of the latter mission, M. W. Bro. Gibson said: “Masons have more than ordinary right to hold Her Majesty in the highest veneration. Is she not the daughter of a Mason, and the mother of the first Mason in the British Empire, the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England, a son who became head of the Craft in England at a very critical period in its history, and by the prompt acceptance of that ex- alted position saved the reputation not only of the Grand Lodge of England, but of every Grand Lodge in the world, thus early showing the tact and ability that has made him not only the first gentleman in the land, but the most popular in the British Empire?” It was during the second year of M.W. Bro. Gibson’s term as Grand Master that the special committee on the asy- lum fund declined to make any recommendation as to the disposition of the money on hand. For thirty-six years

Chapter 17 Page 98 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop this question had been dangling before Grand Lodge, and every time it was discussed, many reasons were ad- vanced against the erection of a home for aged and indigent Masons. The committee appears to have overlooked the fact that the helpless orphan was also included in the original enumeration of those intended to be benefited by the fund. In the same volume of the Proceedings of Grand Lodge, in which the special committee reports against the establishment of a home, we find the reviewer of the Foreign Correspondence, M. W. Bro. Henry Robertson, calling special attention to the remarks of the Grand Master of North Carolina upon the success attending the maintenance of an orphan asylum in that jurisdiction. As his references were somewhat lengthy, we quote him in part only: “The brightest page in the history of Masonry in North Carolina was written when the Grand Lodge established this institution, for a home for the homeless, the fatherless and motherless within the bounds of this Grand Jurisdiction, and that ‘page’ grows brighter as we see the Masons year after year striving to maintain it, increase its capacity, and thereby its usefulness; and while we, as Masons, are doing this, we must not be unmind- ful, but ever grateful to those (who are not Masons) who have so liberally contributed of the means with which God has blessed them, to aid us in this great work. Upon such may the God of Heaven continue to shower His richest blessings. “If it were possible for me to add one more word to what has already been written and spoken, that would arrest the attention of the Craft throughout this Grand Jurisdiction in the cause of our orphan asylum, I feel it would be a pleasure to do so. That this home for the fatherless and motherless, is now, and must become, as time rolls on, the greatest monument to Masonry there is no question, for it was born of sympathy founded in love, and lives in the hearts and prayers of the good and true. The widow in her lonely home will breathe a silent prayer for Heaven’s blessings to rest upon the Craft who have made it possible by their care and foresight to give a home to her orphan child surrounded with every comfort, without which it would have been a castaway and an object of charity. Our Craftsmen throughout this Grand Jurisdiction, as they toil day by day for an hon- est living for themselves and their families and annually contribute to the support and maintenance of this institution, can do so with the assurance, that should their offspring become orphans, the doors of this home will be open to take care of them and bring them up to be useful men and women.” This language is in striking contrast with that of the various committees appointed from time to time to report upon the feasibility of carrying out the design for which the fund was originally created. Since the inauguration of the fund in 1863 several attempts had been made to make some practical use of the money on hand, but it remained for the Board on Audit and Finance to take the decisive step that put an end to the repeated controversies over it. It embodied in its report to Grand Lodge in 1900 the statement that it was of the “opinion that unless Grand Lodge at its next annual session otherwise orders the asylum fund should be merged into the General Fund.” Grand Lodge adopted the report. which was tantamount to endorsing the proposed dispo- sition of the fund. The subject was not introduced at the next session; so the General Fund was increased by the transfer of $16,491.75, the amount then standing to the credit of the asylum fund.

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CHAPTER XVIII

Years of Quiet Uneventfulness Continued

. W. BRO. E. T. MALONE, who for many years had filled creditably the office of chairman of the sub- committee on the Condition of Masonry, was installed in the Grand East at the Annual Communication Mheld at Toronto in 1898. Few Grand Masters entered upon their duties with as complete a knowledge of the work and standing of the constituent lodges as did M.W. Bro. Malone. He elevated the office of chairman of the sub-committee to a higher plane than it had ever attained before and, by a careful study of the reports of the District Deputies, he acquired a thorough understanding of the difficulties they encountered and was in a position to suggest the proper remedies. So well had his counsel been received and adopted that at the end of his first year as Grand Master, he was able in all sincerity to present the following report of peace and prosperity: “Our Lodges are in a flourishing condition; our Craftsmen are engaged in works of love and charity; our financial returns will show an increase over that of any previous year; and our Grand Lodge is in cordial and fraternal relations with every legitimate Grand Lodge in the world. We are a favoured people; our country is in a prosperous and peace- ful condition with bright prospects for a continuation of such blessings.” We cannot better define his attitude towards the Craft than by presenting his own simple definition of a successful Grand Master: “Lectures and discussions on the history and antiquity of the Craft may be instructive and entertaining, but in my opinion for a Grand Master to be successful in his mission he must get close to the hearts of his brethren, indulge in plain, practical common sense talks, impress upon his hearers that the success of the Order depends upon individual conduct and effort, that it will be exalted in proportion to the manner in which its adher- ents exemplify the doctrine of love to God and love to man.” There was one small cloud in the otherwise clear Masonic firmament and that was the abuse of the ballot in four or five lodges. The Grand Master’s comments upon this evil were very timely: “I am aware that the ballot is a sacred privilege entrusted to the brethren, and a conscien- tious exercise of the same cannot be questioned or enquired into. It is the safeguard of the institution. It is a Mason’s right to exercise the privilege without interference from anyone, responsible only to his own conscience but it is well for him to know that he forgets his manhood and violates his obligation when the trust is exercised in a vindic- tive and cowardly spirit. Revenge, jealousy, and fancied wrongs should not govern the deposit of a ballot and thereby endanger the peace and harmony of a Lodge.” Early in 1899 the Masonic world was startled by the action of the Grand Lodge of the State of Washington in recognizing another Grand Lodge of coloured men in the same state. Opposition to such recognition arose, of course, not from the fact that it was a body of coloured men, but because the creation of a second Grand Lodge in the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Washington, constituted a most flagrant case of invasion of territory. The recognition accorded by the Grand Lodge of Washington to its rival was inexplicable to the sister Grand Lodges, which protested in no uncertain and far from complimentary terms. Many of them went so far as to break off com- Chapter 18 Page 100 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop munication with the Grand Lodge of Washington. To the credit of M.W. Bro. Malone, when the Grand Master of the offending Grand Lodge submitted to him the report of his Grand Lodge and asked for fraternal counsel his disapproval of the action, while most emphatic, was free from the bitterness which had characterized much of the correspondence on the same subject. M.W. Bro. Malone quoted as precedent the case that had come before the Grand Lodge of Canada in 1871, when two lodges claiming to hold warrants from the Grand Lodge of New York, coloured, had asked to turn in their warrants and be received by the Grand Lodge of Canada. It will be re- membered that the decision on that occasion had been that the Grand Lodge of Canada, being on terms of friendly inter¬course with the Grand Lodge of the State of New York, could not recognize any other body claiming to be a Grand Lodge, within the jurisdiction of that Grand Lodge. M.W. Bro. Malone proceeded to give his opinion as follows: “As you ask my fraternal advice on the subject, I honestly say that I regret the action taken by your Grand Lodge, and would gladly welcome a reconsideration on your part of the subject. While deploring the harsh language which you claim to have been used by several of the Grand Lodges when discussing this question, still I am convinced that you have not fully appreciated the motives of those who have opposed you in this matter.” Fortunately, by the time of the Annual Communication in July, 1899, the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada was able to report that the situation had righted itself. A committee of seven Past Grand Masters of the Washington jurisdiction, appointed to investigate the question, had advised that the recognition be withdrawn; their report was accepted and fraternal relations were resumed between the Grand Lodge of Washington and the other Grand Lodges. One Grand Master, in referring: to the service rendered by M.W. Bro. Malone. expressed himself as follows: “Grand Lodge is not aware what a valuable officer we have and how zealous he is in see- ing that the high name our Grand Lodge has attained shall be maintained. I have always found his advice safe to follow and calculated to be in the best interests of the Craft.” This opinion given in 1910 was entertained by every other Grand Master from that date. When we reflect upon what M.W. Bro. Malone did for the Craft since he passed the gavel on to his successor, we realize that the concluding words of his second annual address came direct from his heart: “I trust to be able to serve you for the remainder of my life in some capacity, no matter how lowly the position may be. I desire to continue active in the good work of the Craft. My best wishes will be always for your welfare. There is work for us all-none so low or insignificant that cannot find work at his hands, which, when conscientiously done, will add lustre and credit to the institution. Accept the work that is at hand, and do not lose time and opportunity by waiting until work of greater magnitude presents itself. Your place in the institution is just where Providence has placed you.” To the lasting benefit of the Craft, his wish was amply realized for since he vacated the throne, no brother rendered more faithful service to Freemasonry in the Province of Ontario than M.W. Bro. Malone. For over twenty years he instructed the District Deputy Grand Masters in the duties of their office and the thoroughness with which they did the work assigned them was largely due to the sound advice of their friend and counsellor. Grand Masters did not hesitate to refer to him when questions arose respecting the true rendering of the ritual. He was for many years the senior member of the “Grand East” and was appropriately styled the Nestor of Grand Lodge. In his capacity

Chapter 18 Page 101 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop as Grand Treasurer he rendered a service that placed the Craft under the deepest obligation to him. For years he enjoyed the enviable reputation of being a sound and capable lawyer, whose opinion upon all classes of securi- ties was eagerly sought. Fortunate indeed was Grand Lodge to secure the services of such a brother to guard its treasury, with the result that of the hundreds of thousands of dollars that passed through his hands, not a single dollar was lost. His investments were pronounced by the auditors well selected and safe and yielded an income greater than could reasonably be expected. Few of the brethren realized the amount of time and labour expended in the performance of the exacting duties of Grand Treasurer but the pleasing smile with which he presented his annual reports was convincing evidence that he sounded a true note in his valedictory address, when he expressed the wish to serve Grand Lodge in some capacity for the remainder of his life.

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CHAPTER XIX

Grand Lodge Passes Its Mid-Century Milestone

. W. BRO. RICHARD B. HUNGERFORD was installed Grand Master at the Annual Communication held in London in 1900. One of his first duties was to investigate the workings of the Royal Solomon MMother Lodge at Jerusalem. This Lodge had been granted a charter by M.W. Bro. Wilson in 1873. At that time he regarded it as a very high compliment that the Grand Lodge of Canada should take the initial step in reviving Masonic light in that grand old East, which in the words of the M. W. Brother “was the seat of its birth and from which its brilliant rays had been transmitted to every quarter of the globe.” There were twenty members at first. According to the last return made in December 1898, there were twenty-eight members, eight of whom had been initiated during the preceding year. It is surmised and believed that Grand Master Wilson was not aware that the members of the Fraternity to whom he granted the charter had made fruitless attempts to obtain one from England, Scotland. Ireland, and the United States. This wayward offspring, far removed from the parent Grand Lodge, which had practical supervision over its af- fairs. is supposed to have drifted into careless, slipshod. and unconstitutional methods. M.W. Bro. Hungerford assured Grand Lodge that he had been placed in possession of reliable information which convinced him that the only advisable course was to withdraw the charter. The Grand Secretary, under his instruc- tions, wrote to the Worshipful Master ordering him to forward the minute books. No reply having been made to this demand, the Board of General Purposes recommended that immediate steps be taken towards the absolute withdrawal of the warrant and that in the meantime the warrant be suspended. Grand Lodge adopted the recom- mendation of the Board, the Lodge was suspended, and in March. 1902, a notice was mailed to the Worshipful Master and officers citing them to appear at the next Communication of Grand Lodge and show cause why the warrant should not be withdrawn. Evidence was forthcoming from several sources proving conclusively that the Lodge had persistently violated the constitution and had in many ways been guilty of grave irregularities. Grand Lodge accordingly in July, 1902, authorized the Grand Master to withdraw or cancel the warrant forthwith. The warrant, however, was not cancelled until 1907, when that very necessary but unpleasant duty was performed by M.W. Bro. Burritt, who followed it up with a circular letter to all Grand Lodges in fraternal relation¬ship, advis- ing them of the step he had taken. This was the tragic end of the first attempt of the Grand Lodge of Canada to establish a constituent lodge in a foreign country. Three weeks after Grand Lodge adjourned in 1901, M.W. Bro. Hungerford suffered what was believed to be a slight stroke of paralysis but which proved to be much more serious than at first anticipated. He lingered on until September 9th, when he passed away, the second Grand Master to die while in office. The duty of administering the Craft fell upon the Deputy, John E. Harding, K .C., who in his annual address concluded a touching reference to the late Grand Master with the following beautiful and appropriate lines: Among the dead our brother sleeps, His life is rounded true and well, And love in bitter sorrow weeps Above his dark and narrow cell. As Hiram slept, the widow’s son,

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So doth our brother take his rest. Life’s battles fought, life’s duties done. His faults forgot, his worth confessed. At the 48th Annual Communication held at Toronto in 1903, Grand Lodge was reminded of the death of the Grand Secretary. R.W. Bro. J. J. Mason, who had to his credit twenty-nine years of active service in office, a record attained by no other officer. The sub-committee on the Fraternal Dead referred to him as “a broad-minded pub- lic-spirited man, a capable leader and enthusiastic friend of our citizen soldiers, a generous opponent, a devoted, unselfish friend, a consistent Christian -the best known, the best loved Mason in this jurisdiction.” Grand Master Harding’s name will ever be associated with the Semi-Centennial Fund. In his annual address in 1903, he proposed that the fiftieth anniversary of the formation of Grand Lodge be celebrated by the establish- ment of a fund of $100,000 for benevolent purposes and that the interest arising from the investment of this sum be appropriated to extreme cases; $200 to be the limit in anyone case of a beneficiary on the fund. The Board, in its report on the Grand Master’s address, expressed its sympathy with his desire to carry out the proposed plan for the relief of the helplessly indigent brethren, but Grand Lodge took no further action at that session. The Grand Master also intimated that, in his opinion, the time had arrived when the Masonic asylum fund should be added to the Benevolent Fund. in order that the interest up on it might be used for benevolence. This proposition met with no response from Grand Lodge. This apparent indifference did not deter him from following up his long-cher- ished plan for increasing the benevolent grants but on the contrary spurred him on to greater activity. During the following year, he lost no opportunity of laying the needs of the indigent brethren and the widows and orphans of deceased Masons before every gathering he addressed. He succeeded in awakening sufficient enthusiasm to en- able him to report at the next Annual Communication held at Brockville in 1904, that the sum of $5,119.22 had al- ready been contributed towards the fund, and that a number of lodges had amended their by-laws increasing their dues by $1.00 per year for three years to pay the yearly quota of their members. This was in keeping with a sug- gestion made by the Grand Master when he first laid his proposed plan before Grand Lodge. The Board of General Purposes came to his support by appointing a sub-committee to consider the condition of the fund and the best mode of carrying out the objects aimed at in its establishment. This sub-committee, while not endorsing all the details of the plan, outlined by the Grand Master, recommended the appointment of a central committee composed of members of the Board of General Purposes to be called the Semi-Centennial Fund Committee, which should devise means for the effective carrying out of the scheme. This recommendation was adopted by Grand Lodge. The Grand Mas¬ter’s heart rejoiced at this triumph. for he knew that his long cher¬ished dream for increasing the charitable work of Grand Lodge would be ultimately carried out when once that body was committed to the plan. The District Deputies. with more or less enthusiasm, entered into the work of raising the required amount, which meant a per capita tax of three dollars upon each member, and M .W. Bro. Harding had the satisfaction of seeing the full $100,000 paid into the treasury of Grand Lodge, although it took several years to accomplish that end. The fiftieth Annual Communication of Grand Lodge was held at Hamilton in July, 1905. The Grand Master, M .W. Bro. Ben¬jamin Allen, proudly announced that during the year then brought to a close, he had not been called upon to investigate a single charge against any of the 35,000 members of the Craft in the jurisdiction. The Com- mittee on the Condition of Masonry reported: “Prosperity of the brightest kind seems to be universal, and the fi- nancial status of the lodges is a matter for congratulation. Harmony prevails in all the districts to such an extent as to almost warrant the Board in stating it to be complete.” This was the pleasing picture the Grand Master was able to present to the distinguished visitors from four other jurisdictions across the border. who had brought greetings from their respective Grand Lodges to the Grand Lodge of Canada upon the occasion of the successful completion of a career extending over half a century. In a felicitous mood, M.W. Bro. Allen briefly reviewed the remarkable progress that had been made in the past fifty years. The 1,500 Masons enrolled upon the register of the forty-one Chapter 19 Page 104 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop lodges forming the Grand Lodge of Canada in 1855 had become 35,000, comprising 390 lodges, notwithstand- ing the loss of over forty lodges ceded to Quebec and Manitoba. Beginning with not sufficient funds to purchase regalia for its Grand Officers. and with an initial balance sheet of only £93 and disbursements of but £64, Grand Lodge found itself possessed of a well invested capital of $1 10,000 and the .Grand Treasurer presented a report showing for the year receipts of $39,362.85 and disbursements amounting to $32,209.49, of which $13,940.00 was expended in benevolence. The main feature of the celebration was an address by the historian of Grand Lodge, M .W. Bro. J. Ross Robert- son, who had become the standard authority upon all matters relating to the history of the Craft. In speaking of the origin of Masonry, the M. W. Bro. said: “As to the origin of Masonry, using that term in its broad sense to cover the Fraternity of to-day, it is, in my opinion, impossible to fix any date for the origin of Speculative Ma- sonry. No subject has given rise to more difference of opinion amongst Masonic scholars and writers than the question of the origin of our Craft. On one point, however, all mod- ern authorities concur In the opinion that there is nothing that connects the Speculative Masonry of to-day with the building or builders of King Solo¬mon’s Temple. I interject this remark here, from the fact that very many of our younger brethren, and perhaps not a few of their elders, talk about Craft origin as if King Solomon was our first Grand Master and that the Temple mechanics were Craftsmen who worked precisely as we do in the lodges of this jurisdiction. In the light of modern research by writers of eminence, and from my own reading of much that has been printed on this point, I am satisfied that the genesis of the speculative section does not antedate the era of the building corporations of the Middle Ages.” Regarding the origin of our ritual, the lecturer vouchsafed the following information: “But it is generally admitted that the division of the Masonic system into three degrees was the work of ritual makers of the 1720-1723 period, for we know from the Book of Constitutions of 1723 and other publications that there were three degrees at that pe- riod. “As regards the rituals, a number were published from 1723, but they were all unrec- ognized. The fact is that the rituals of the pioneer years of the Grand Lodge of England were gradually embellished and extended as the years went on, until at the union in 1813 the working of the two Grand Lodges was compared and revised, and very elaborate cer- emonies were compiled and then promulgated by the Emulation Lodge of Improvement, whose work is sanctioned by the Grand Lodge of England. ‘The work of our lodges in Canada is precisely the same as that of the Emulation work to which I have just referred, and exactly the same as that worked in England and in ali lodges on the roll of the Grand Lodge of England.” M .W. Bro. Allen having intimated to the brethren that he could not see his way clear to continue in office beyond the one year, R.W. Bro. James H. Burritt, K.C., was duly elected and installed Grand Master. M.W. Bro. Burritt earned all the honours bestowed upon him by Grand Lodge. When elected D.D.G.M. of the Ottawa District in 1886 he prepared an address upon Freemasonry treating his subject historically and enlarging upon the symbolic teachings of the three degrees. By adopting this course, he had a real message to deliver to the brethren of his District, which was received with many open avowals of thankfulness. Owing to his wide experi- Chapter 19 Page 105 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop ence as a skillful lawyer, he was placed upon the Committee of Grievances and Appeals upon his first appearance in Grand Lodge as a member of the Board in 1886 and remained a member of the Committee for eighteen years. During the latter twelve years of that period, he was Chair¬man of the Committee and as such was largely re- sponsible for the conclusions arrived at in respect of many cases referred to him for adjudication. He was also an energetic member of the committee appointed in 1904 to revise the Constitution. Many cases were submitted to him for his decision as Grand Master and his rulings were invariably found to be in keeping with justice and the best interests of the Order. During the two years that he served as Grand Master, from July, 1905, to July, 1907, there was nothing to disturb the harmony of the Craft in any part of the jurisdiction. He found occasion to make an emphatic pronouncement respecting the practice of canvassing for votes, which was well received. In the course of his remarks upon this subject, he said, “It may be impossible to prevent the brethren from urging the merito- rious claim of any brother for a specified office, nor can I see much harm in this, within bounds of reasonable solicitation, but personal canvass by any brother, either in Grand Lodge or out of it, for his own advancement, has always been and ought always to be severely censured.” In 1910 he was appointed Chairman of the Committee on Constitution and Laws, an office that he filled with great credit to himself and benefit to Grand Lodge.

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CHAPTER XX

The Lull Before the Storm

. W. BRO. AUGUSTUS T. FREED was installed as Grand Master at the Annual Communication held at Ottawa in July, 1908. At the next meeting held at Niagara in 1909, he opened Grand Lodge with the Mgavel that was used 116 years before at the initiation of Gen. in Union Lodge, Ex- eter, England. M.W. Bro. john Ross Robertson, in his extensive researches, had discovered indisputable evidence that the first Governor of Upper Canada, who inaugurated the first government in this Province, a few miles from where Grand Lodge was in session, was a Freemason and had also unearthed and secured possession of the gavel that had been used at his initiation. Upon this occasion the Grand Master was pleased to report that the year which had elapsed since the last Annual Communication of Grand Lodge had been one of continued prosperity. There had been a gratifying increase in membership and the income had been greater than in any former year. There were upon the roll 39,795 Masons in good standing. The revenue for the preceding twelve months was $38,754.80 and $21,956.30 had been expended in benevolence. At the end of his second year in office, he informed Grand Lodge that nothing of an unusual character had taken place during the year. There had been no serious disturbance of the harmony which should prevail among Freemasons, reasonable progress had been made, and our relations with all foreign jurisdictions were most cordial. He was succeeded in 1909 by M.W. Bro. D. F. MacWatt, judge of the County Court of the County of Huron, who in his first annual address answered a question that is very frequently asked regarding dancing and card playing in a lodge room. His reply was as follows: “There is another matter which should properly be dealt with here. Should dancing and card playing be allowed in our lodge rooms under a dispensation for an ‘At Home’? I hold not. Our lodge rooms are dedicated to Masonry and should be as sacred as our churches. I have no personal objection to either, but the lodge is no place for such. If the younger members wish to meet their friends once a year at an ‘At Home’, I would not oppose them in the slightest degree. as I think it is an admirable thing; but let the dancing and card playing be held somewhere else.” The Grand Master entertained very decided views upon lodge banquets. The evils he complained of have not yet disappeared. The Master of every lodge might well give serious thought to the following comments: “I quite approve of social features in connection with our lodges, in reason, but I strongly disapprove of the late hours to which our meetings are far too often spun out. The fre- quent banquets, and entertainments, after the lodge is closed, extending to a very late hour at night. or rather to a very early hour in the morning. “When there is to be a banquet, the meeting should commence promptly at the hour of opening; and if so, with the reasonable amount of work laid down for the occasion, the banquet room should be reached by ten. Then if the speeches are, as they ought to be, few and short, midnight should see all the members on their way home.

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“I have had to put up, as many others had, with brethren proposing toasts during the year, and taking from half an hour to an hour in doing so, when three minutes would have been ample.” On a certain Sunday in June, 1910, a lodge of Masons from Port Huron. Michigan, crossed over to Sarnia in regalia and performed their funeral service over the remains of a member of their lodge, who had died in the latter town. While no harm was actually intended, yet it was such an obvious invasion of jurisdiction that the Grand Master felt he could not allow it to pass without calling upon the Grand Master’ of Michigan to censure the offending lodge and to give some assurance that there would be no repetition of the occurrence. Because it was a funeral ceremony, performed at the request of the deceased brother, the Michigan Grand Master was disposed to treat the question very lightly, and replied that he could not find it in his heart nor in the “Book of the Law” to censure the lodge that had followed out so nearly what he deemed to be the “spirit of Masonry.” Not so M .W. Bro. MacWatt. He replied that he had no knowledge of the “Book of Law,” but it was as old as Masonry itself, that no lodge be- longing to a Sovereign Grand Lodge can invade the jurisdiction of a sister Grand Lodge. He recalled the kindliest feelings that had existed between the two Grand Lodges but repeated that it was not a matter of sentiment but a far weightier matter, and one that required a complete explanation and retraction and an expression that in the future no lodge under the jurisdiction of the Michigan Grand Lodge would invade our territory. The Grand Master of Michigan did not deem any further reply necessary, whereupon M.W. Bro. MacWatt, after consultation with a number of the Past Grand Masters and the Dep¬uty Grand Master, caused the Grand Secretary to write the Grand Secretary of Michigan a letter in which all the facts of the case were presented. He particularly called attention to the fact that the deceased brother died in Sarnia; that he, the Grand Master, resided in the same town and it would have been a matter of a few minutes only to have communicated with him in an informal way; that there were two lodges in Sarnia either one of which would gladly have permitted the funeral service to be performed under its auspices. The Grand Master of Michigan replied rather curtly through his Grand Secretary that he saw no occa- sion for further correspondence over the point. As he declined to disavow the act and repudiate what was clearly an invasion of jurisdiction. M.W. Bro. MacWatt on January 27th. 1911. issued an edict forbidding all owing al- legiance to his Grand Lodge to hold Masonic intercourse with the Masons of Michigan. Fortunately this strained relation was of short duration. The Grand Lodge of Michigan held its Annual Communication in the following month of May in Port Huron, just across the river from the home of Grand Master MacWatt. Evidently the Grand Lodge did not approve the course adopted by its Grand Master. Upon the first day of the meeting, a deputation requested a conference with M.W. Bro. MacWatt, which was readily granted. They waited upon him the follow- ing morning and, after a candid and frank discussion, they made the amende honorable, admitted the invasion of jurisdiction and expressed their regret therefore. whereupon the Grand Master withdrew the edict and the pleasant fraternal relations which formerly existed between the two Grand Lodges were resumed. The incident serves to illustrate how the thoughtless act of the Master of a lodge may be attended with very serious consequences. M.W. Bro. Aubrey White upon assuming office in July, 1911, found his Grand Lodge at peace with all foreign jurisdictions and prosperity and harmony prevailing throughout his own, and the same happy condition contin- ued during the ensuing two years. This, however, does not mean that his duties fell lightly upon him for, as he expressed himself, “the man who looks after the interests of the Craft in this great jurisdiction has no easy task.” He was a firm believer in Lodges of Instruction. Concerning these, he addressed Grand Lodge as follows, at the end of his first year: “Deeming it to be of great importance that these schools of good work, which bring Ma- sons together in large numbers, and promote the extension of acquaintance and brotherly love, should be continued, I intimated to my District Deputy Grand Masters my expecta- tion and desire that each of them would arrange to hold at least one Lodge of Instruction Chapter 20 Page 108 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

in his district, and I promised, so far as circumstances would permit, to be personally present when invited. A considerable number of Lodges of Instruction have been held. I was invited to attend no fewer than eleven and I was present at eight Lodges of Instruc- tion in various parts of the Province.” Witnessing the beneficial results of his efforts along this line, he pursued the same course during his second year and in his valedictory address he spoke very encouragingly of what had been accomplished: “By long experience and continued interest in all that makes for strength and reputation of the Craft, I feel warranted in the conclusion that accurate work, social intercourse and assembling in large numbers are among the strongest factors which give us character and standing in the community. I know of no way in which the strength of the Craft may be better shown than by the holding of Lodges of Instruction. Therefore, in season and out of season I have urged the holding of one in every district. By argument in my addresses, by pressing it upon my representatives in the various districts, and by continually urging it as opportunity occurred, I endeavoured to accomplish my purpose. During the last year nine lodges were held. They were well attended and of great benefit to the districts. “I was delighted at the good work done, the large numbers present, and the pleasant social intercourse that prevailed. The Lodge of Instruction held at Brockville, although somewhat difficult to bring about, was one of the best I have ever attended. Not so many years ago careless and inaccurate work was quite common. Now it is a rare exception to find work that is not up to the standard, and this has been brought about by the holding of Lodges of Instruction. Let the good work be continued and extended to every district.” During his two years in office as Grand Master, M.W. Bro. White was called upon to give no fewer than thirty- seven rulings. Some of these were far-reaching in their consequences and form a part of our recognized Masonic jurisprudence, while others were of less import, yet all made demands upon his time. Two applications were made to him in reference to the initiation, passing and raising of candidates at Lodges of Instruction. He held that a Lodge of Instruction had no inherent power to initiate or confer degrees. The same ruling had been given upon a former occasion by M.W. Bro. John Ross Robertson and adopted and approved by Grand Lodge and as Grand Lodge again endorsed it in the address of M.W. Bro. White, it bore for a time at least the force of Masonic law in this jurisdiction. In a compilation of rulings presented to Grand Lodge in 1921, to which reference will hereafter be made, the committee in charge of the revision reversed this ruling.

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CHAPTER XXI

Years of the First World War

HE Hon. William David McPherson, K.C., was installed Grand Master at Ottawa in 1913. At that Com- munication of Grand Lodge, the Committee on Audit and Finance brought in a supplementary report Trecommending that a sum not exceeding $600.00 be granted from the funds of Grand Lodge to defray the expenses of the incoming District Deputy Grand Masters to a Provincial Lodge of Instruction. Grand Lodge did not appear to be in sympathy with the proposal and passed a resolution that the matter be laid on the table and not considered until the next annual meeting. At the next Annual Communication, the question was revived and the promoters of the scheme, after a spirited discussion, succeeded in obtaining the grant asked for. The meeting, the first of its kind, was held in Toronto on the 14th of October, 1914. The attendance was large, the work in the three degrees was exemplified and the experiment was in every way pronounced an unqualified success. In conformity with a suggestion made by the standing Committee on the Condition of Masonry in 1913, that the 100 years of continuous peace between Great Britain and the United States be appropriately commemorated under the auspices of the Grand Lodge of Canada, a special meeting of the Board of General Purposes was convened at Toronto on the 19th March, 1914, to proceed with the arrangements. Invitations were extended to the Grand Mas- ters of all Grand Lodges in the United States and Canada; also the Grand Masters of the Grand Lodges of England, Ireland, and Scotland to be the guests of our Grand Lodge on the second day of the Annual Communication to be held at Niagara Falls in 1914. The Committee on the Condition of Masonry hailed the event in eloquent terms. At the appointed time, the 16th of July, 1914, after the close of Grand Lodge, the centennial was duly celebrated in the presence of many distinguished visitors. Peace was the dominant note of the meeting. The hearts of all present were moved by the spirit of brotherly love and the hope was expressed that other nations, witnessing the amity prevailing among the English-speaking races, would emulate their example and hasten the day when the sword would no longer be the arbiter in international disputes. Vain was that hope. Within three weeks, the smouldering embers of hatred, oppression and deceit, the antithesis of all that Freemasonry stands for, burst into a consum- ing conflagration that in a few short months encircled the globe. At the Provincial Lodge of Instruction to which reference has been made, Grand Master McPherson pictured the carnage that had been so brutally wrought upon the unoffending Belgians, and invited subscriptions to a fund for the relief of the distress in that little kingdom, with the result that he was able to announce at the Annual Communication in 191 5 that he had forwarded to His Most Gracious Majesty, King Albert, the sum of $45,632.81, gladly contributed by the Freemasons of Ontario to alleviate, in some degree, the hardships his subjects were undergoing. In concluding an eloquent and patriotic address, in which he reviewed the incidents leading up to the outbreak of the war, and the heroic efforts that were being made to check the murderous onslaught of the German hordes, he spoke as follows: “In Canada, when the war is over, our people must fix even more securely than at pres- ent, on sure and certain foundations, those free British institutions which have been handed down to us and upon the maintenance of which depend the peace, progress and prosperity of our people. Let us especially respond to the trust attaching to the rich in- heritance we have received from our fathers; let us feel our personal responsibility to the full extent of our powers and influence for the preservation of the principles of civil and religious liberty; and let us remember that it is only religion and morals and knowledge

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that can make a people respectable and happy under any form of government. Let us hold fast the great truth that communities are responsible as well as individuals; that no government is respectable which is not just; that without unspotted pur:ty of public faith, without sacred public principle, fidelity, and honour, no mere forms of government, no machinery of laws can give dignity to the Canadian public life. In our day and generation let us seek to raise and improve moral sentiment so that we may look forward not to a de- graded but to an e1avated and improved future, and when both we and our children shall have been consigned to the place appointed for all living, may love of country, and pride of empire glow with equal fervour, among those who bear our names, and then, as now, may their endeavour be to ‘fear God, love the Brotherhood, and honour the King.’ ” M.W. Bro. Sidney A. Luke controlled the destinies of the Craft from July, 1915, to July, 1917, two years of un- precedented anxiety. The successful prosecution of the war was the one object towards which our legislative bod- ies, large and small, our churches, educational institutions, fraternal organizations, manufacturing establishments, tillers of the soil, mercantile establishments and individual citizens directed their energies. The war was the one theme of conversation. Nothing seemed to be of any consequence unless in some way it was contributing towards the victory which we felt confident must in the end crown the efforts of the allies; yet with all the unrest, suspense, and heartaches, Freemasonry flourished, because the sons of Canada were yielding up their lives by the thousands for those sacred principles upon which our Craft is founded. The Grand Master spoke as a true Mason when he gave utterance to the following, in his first address to Grand Lodge in 1916: “I am happy in reporting that within the Masonic circle of this jurisdiction, the past year has been an uneventful one, one of peace and quietness. I would that the same might be said of other activities. But the war-cloud is still hanging over this people, and, whether we are conscious of it or not, I am sure there is within each mind a feeling of unrest - of expectancy -a dread foreboding, not as to the final outcome; for as Masons we must believe that Truth and Right will be victorious in the end; but rather are we fearful as to the news which the next cable may bring regarding the fate of relative or friend on the battle front. “The Allies are fighting for great principles-principles that are essential to the future welfare of mankind-principles which the Germans have outraged and which must be maintained at all costs. Believing in the God of Truth, we are making sacrifice in order that honour and good faith may once more prevail amongst the nations of the earth. Re- lying on the promise that ‘Whoso sweareth unto his neighbour and disappointeth him not, shall receive a blessing: we have therefore but to possess our soul in patience, and to wait, though it may be under such circumstances an anxious task.” The M.W. Brother in his second address to Grand Lodge, reported that during the round of his visiting he listened to a great many addresses, and that the war was the staple of each. The lodges and individual members were so engrossed in this one subject that we find a great falling off in the interest taken in the details of the work. For instance, in the two years of M.W. Bro. McPherson’s term, he was called upon to give his ruling upon fifty ques- tions submitted to him, while M.W. Bro. Luke had fourteen referred to him during his first year and only four during the second. While the Grand Master shared the enthusiasm of the brethren, he never allowed himself to be carried away beyond the bounds of prudence. As the two hundredth anniversary; of the founding of the Grand Lodge of England occurred during the second Chapter 21 Page 111 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop year of his term, he followed up a suggestion made by himself at the Annual Communication in 1916 by request- ing M.W. Bro. Freed to prepare a paper upon the history of the Mother Grand Lodge. This paper was presented at the 191 7 meeting and is published in full in the Proceedings of that year; it is well worth perusal and careful study by every Mason. The year was also marked by the completion of the hymnal section of the musical ritual, a work that has contrib- uted greatly towards the embellishment and impressiveness of the routine of the lodge room. William H. Wardrope, K.C., ascended the throne in July, 1917, when the struggle upon the western front had en- tered its bitter stage. The Germans had renewed their ruthless U-boat attacks upon neutral shipping; Russia had collapsed; Ludendorff had withdrawn his army to the Hindenburg Line, leaving the allied forces facing a desert waste, thereby upsetting the extensive preparations of Britain and France for a renewal of the attack along the Somme. The United States was thoroughly aroused and her timely aid raised the morale of the allies and had a correspondingly depressing effect upon that of the enemy. Canada had again won immortal fame at Vimy Ridge. The address of the Grand Master at the annual meeting in 1918 reflected the effect upon his mind of the varying fortunes of the war. He made no direct references to what had taken place during the year; but it was easy to fol- low the trend of his thoughts. Although we were all hopeful as to the ultimate outcome, yet there was ever present in our minds the horrible nightmare of the merciless carnage, the frequent narrow margins between victory and defeat and the awful thought of what might have been if those margins had favoured the enemy. While our hearts were heavy as we scanned the long list of casualties, yet with it all, there was the determination to’ make, if neces- sary, greater sacrifices still, in a cause we knew to be right and just. We saw, perhaps for the first time, the force, wisdom and beauty of those great truths which Freemasonry seeks to implant in the breasts of all its adherents. All this and more, we read in and between the lines of M.W. Bro. Wardrope’s address. After a touching reference to those whose loved ones had fallen in battle, he concluded that portion relating to the war with the following eloquent appeal: “May neither wealth nor luxury, fear or self-sacrifice, nor death itself, blind us or sepa- rate us from that company of immortals that gave up all for God and country. How coarse is wealth! How gross is luxury when it is exposed to the brilliant rays of that sense of devotion that inspired those whose bodies have fallen, but whose spirits go marching on. May admiration of their nobility, love of their courage, fear of their contempt, prompt us to the greatest self-sacrifice, the determination that death itself shall be endured to obtain that victory that awaits only those who put their trust, as David of old did, in Almighty God.” The inquisitive brethren appear to have recovered from their abstemious habit of the previous years and bombarded the Grand Master with no fewer than forty-five ques- tions for his ruling during the year. As the M .W. Brother intimated, a good many of these questions would have been unnecessary had the applicants for information been more familiar with the Book of Constitution. He commented with satisfaction and pride upon the condition of the finances of Grand Lodge. The receipts exceeded those of the previous year by $19,653.26. This increase in revenue was largely accounted for by the higher dues imposed under a resolution in- troduced in 1916, raising the annual dues to Grand Lodge, of each member, from fifty cents to one dollar. The total assets of Grand Lodge had reached the magnificent sum of $249,946.97 and there was expended upon benevolence during the year $38,705.00. In the following year, how true to the time and circumstances was the tone of the Grand Master’s address! It had a ring of peace, joy, thanksgiving and a noble resolve to prove Chapter 21 Page 112 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

ourselves worthy of the sacrifices that had been made on our behalf. “We thank Almighty God that the most cruel war in all history is a thing of the past and that we sit together as of those on whom victory rests instead of as those who have gone down, not only to physical defeat, but to an inglorious and moral obloquy that will fol- low their children’s children to the third and fourth generation. May we be worthy of the success that has crowned our efforts and humble in the knowledge that God Himself has sustained us in all the dreadful vicissitudes through which we have passed. As He recognized our exertions and our aims on the fields of battle, may we in all humility pray that He will be with us in the days of peace and that in our daily lives we may exhibit a modest spirit and be animated with lofty desires. We pray especially that the all-living Father will be with those of our brethren and their families who have lost loved ones, and that their sorrow may, in some measure, be assuaged by the knowledge that those brave spirits are but pioneers in that land of which, in due time we all hope to be citizens. May we who live prove worthy of those whose blood has consecrated afresh the principles of justice, liberty, and truth.” Once more the finances of Grand Lodge had taken a leap forward. The annual receipts had increased by $9,706.75 and the assets had reached the grand total of $282,734.87. As might have been expected upon the release of the hundreds of thousands of young men, who had been under arms for years and had learned the value of true com- radeship, there had already set in that steady flow of applicants for membership, which in a few short years was to swell our numbers beyond the hundred thousand. During the year, 3,705 were admitted, making the total number upon the roll, 69,775. In the month of June, 1919, M.W. Bro. Wardrope had the privilege of attending one of the largest and most representative gatherings of Masons this world has ever witnessed. The meeting was summoned by the Grand Master of England to enable the English Craft to give united expression to the Grand Architect of the Universe of its thankfulness for the cessation of hostilities and for the blessings of peace. The meeting was held in London and was attended by delegates from the United States, Canada, Scotland, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Brit- ish Guiana, Burma, Eastern Archipelago, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, South China, Jamaica, Madras, Newfoundland, Nigeria, and South America. For one week the delegates were the guests of the Grand Lodge of England and were the recipients of that lavish hospitality for which the English brethren are famous. The crowning event was a special thanksgiving service and celebration of peace, held at the Royal Albert Hall, Kensington. Nine thousand Masons, arrayed in their regalia, assembled in the huge auditorium and to use the words of our representative, “presented a picture that will live as long as memory lasts.” The Grand Lodge of Canada, at its Annual Communication following the event, congratulated its Grand Master upon the able and ad- mirable manner in which he upheld the honour and dignity of Canadian Masonry upon that occasion, thus aiding materially in cementing the ties that have always bound together the Masons of the Great Mother of Nations and her children of the Overseas Dominions.

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CHAPTER XXII

Disconcerting Influx into Masonry

RED W. HARCOURT, K.C., Official Guardian, added 72,000 Freemasons to his already large family of wards, when by the vote of Grand Lodge in July, 1919, he became its Grand Master. The unprecedented Fincrease of 7,000 members during the first year of his term called forth from him the following note of warning: “Guard your portals with unremitting diligence. Do not admit any applicant without first making the most careful investigation. Curb any ambition or desire to outrival predecessors or other lodges as regards mem- bers. Remember, one black sheep may taint the whole flock. Such is your duty to the Craft, and your obligations demand this of you.” He commented upon the favourable condition of the finances which had kept pace with the increase in membership. Although the amount expended upon benevolence exceeded $50,000.00, he recom- mended more generous treatment in deserving cases. It must have been a source of great satisfaction to him to witness during the next ten years an annual expenditure of double that amount for the same purpose. He was called upon to rule upon a question that has given more than one Grand Master some concern. He was asked to declare as clandestine an organization, called “The Eastern Star,” upon the ground that its members were composed of women, the relatives of Masons and that it had attracted to each of its lodges a few Masons as patrons. He very sagaciously declined to rule, for the reason that he knew nothing about the Order and had been assured by some of the male patrons that it laid no claim to being Masonic. He, however, called the attention of Grand Lodge to the fact that the Grand Lodge of England had some ten years previously approved the action of its Board in suspending two brethren for joining a similar order in England. He therefore contented himself with the remark that he did not think a Mason is justified in joining or lending his name to any society not Masonic, simply because he is a Mason. The Master of every lodge would do well to ponder carefully over M.W. Bro. Harcourt’s advice regarding the management of what is popularly but improperly styled “the fourth degree”: “There are at times functions so prolonged as to interfere with the next day’s duties. At all times Masonry teaches loyalty to family ties and steady devotion to the .daily round, the common task. I speak feelingly as regards late sessions. Lodge functions should not be prolonged after midnight and, if properly organized, there is no necessity for it. The trouble is that the Master presiding becomes obsessed by the fear that unless he calls on every Masonic dignitary for a speech and allows every entertainer an encore, he will give offence. These dignitaries and entertainers should assist him by refusing to respond to calls for encores. Shorter meetings and reasonable hours would increase the attendance.” At the Annual Communication of 1920, a resolution sponsored by two Past Grand Masters was introduced, to change the name of Grand Lodge to “The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons in the Province of Ontario.” After a prolonged discussion, the question was laid over to the next annual meeting. In the follow- ing year the discussion was resumed but Grand Lodge could not be convinced that it should give up the name by which it had been known from its inception, and the resolution was lost. Space will not permit us to reproduce alI of the Grand Master’s comments upon the aftermath of the war, but we

Chapter 22 Page 114 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop cannot forego presenting to the reader his eloquent conclusions: “We are passing through a critical period, we are at the parting of the ways. Doubt, unrest, envy, upheavals every- where. All is in the melting pot, old and sacred beliefs are being shattered and old anchors cut loose, a new world is being made. Will it be a better world? A deadly warfare, not of shelIs or bulIets or in trenches, is still being hotly and cruelly waged. When will real peace come? “Not until the spirit of universal Brotherhood, world-wide and real. shall prevail. and hold in its dominating grip the minds and hearts of men. The sword must give place to the ploughshare; even the agitator, ceasing from bickering, must join the army of work- ers; the dividing line between classes and factions must melt away and everyone in the world must as a heart-felt utterance repeat the words ‘Our Father, who art in Heaven’- and those other words as well, ‘I am my brother’s keeper.’ And when that bright day comes, The Master of All Good Workmen shall put us to work anew.’ ” In the course of the same address, the Grand Master made the pleasing announcement that the late M.W. Bro. John Ross Robertson had made a provision in his will whereby Grand Lodge became the possessor of his valuable Masonic library composed of about one thousand volumes, being one of the rarest collections of its kind in the world. It was subsequently arranged on shelves in the Yonge Street Temple, Toronto, where it may be consulted by any member of the Craft. In September, 1920, Grand Lodge had the privilege of entertaining the following prominent Masons who had come to Toronto to attend the annual meeting of the Imperial Chamber of Commerce: Bro. Right Honourable Lord Desborough, K.C.V.O., Past junior Grand Warden of the United Grand Lodge of England; Bro. james H. Stirling, Provincial Deputy Grand Warden of Antrim, Ireland; V.W. Bro. Stanley Machin, J.P., Past Grand Trea- surer of the United Grand Lodge of England; W. Bro. Cecil A. Powell, Past Grand junior Deacon of the United Grand Lodge of England; and W. Bro. John Dickens, Past Grand Standard Bearer of the United Grand Lodge of England. All of these distinguished visitors were made honorary members of the Grand Lodge of Canada, the first three with the rank of Past Grand Senior Warden, the other two with the rank of Past Grand junior Warden. Following that event, Viscount Cave, who had come to Canada as the guest of the Canadian Bar Association, was entertained by Ionic and Ashlar Lodges of Toronto and made an honorary life member of each. These lodges may well congratulate themselves in having so eminent a jurist Past Grand Senior Warden of the Grand Lodge of England and member of the Privy Council enrolled among their members. At the Annual Communication held at Ottawa in 1921, the Grand Master presented to Grand Lodge a compilation of rulings of Grand Masters of the Grand Lodge of Canada, from 1855 to 1921. The committee in charge of the revision had a rather difficult task, as there were conflicting rulings in many instances. In such cases they selected that ruling which in their judgment was the best. This little volume, if studied carefully in conjunction with the Book of Constitution, will give satisfactory answers to a great many questions that are presented to Grand Mas- ters. M.W. Bro. Harcourt was not disposed to look with favour upon what he termed the abnormal growth in numbers. As his second year was marked with an increase of 9,000, he expressed the apprehension that at some time in the future there might be an unfavourable reaction in the form of demits, suspensions, and dissensions, caused by not choosing as carefully as we should. Colonel William Nisbet Ponton, M.A., K.C., had acquired an enviable reputation in Masonic circles years before he became Grand Master in July, 1921. As Chairman of the Committee on the Condition of Masonry, he had presented a series of reports to Grand Lodge which were most favourably commented upon in the proceedings of Chapter 22 Page 115 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop other jurisdictions for beauty of diction and thoughtful matter. He was more widely known among his Canadian brethren through the eloquent addresses delivered by him in all parts of the jurisdiction during the two years he filled the office of Deputy Grand Master. The first session of Grand Lodge over which he presided was an es- pecial Communication summoned for the purpose of laying the corner-stone of the new Temple at Hamilton. For many years the last resting place of the first Grand Master had remained unmarked by a suitable monument. Grand Lodge, which is itself a never-fading monument to his memory, felt that a tangible memorial in keeping with the greatness of the man and Mason should be placed upon his grave. Accordingly, at the session of 1921, a committee was appointed to carry out the plan. On the 22nd of June, 1922, in the presence of a large concourse of brethren, a massive block of granite, wrought into a chaste and beautiful design, by master craftsmen of the ancient mystery was unveiled in the little churchyard near Simcoe, where all that was mortal of William Mercer Wilson had been consigned to the dust forty-six years before. While M.W. Bro. Ponton took a lively interest in every branch of Masonic activity, paying eighty official visits during his first year as Grand Master, the one subject that was the dearest to his heart was a project for the erection of a Masonic home. He touched upon it in nearly every lodge he visited and in his first annual address he unfolded his plan in detail, introducing his subject as folIows: “Throughout the year I have with all the earnestness of which I was capable urged con- sideration of the advisability of purchasing a large and central site or estate-at once pic- turesque and produc¬tive, and erecting thereon a stately and superb edifice as a Masonic home, hospital and school, of which there is a present need for the orphan children and widows and dependents of deceased brethren, and for those infirm and aged brethren who have been reduced to the lowest depths of poverty, total disability and distress. Sev- eral of our orphans now are housed by the Foresters and Oddfellows; some of our aged are in County Houses of Refuge, and two at least are being cared for in Roman Catholic institutions. Our membership has doubled in eleven years and then our total benevolent grant was only $30,000. Then we did not realize our need. Times have changed, and we with them. But we lag behind-we are not abreast of the times. Tenth in numerical rank in the world, the smaller jurisdictions set us an example of practical benevolence per capita and collectively, that should make us blush -each maintaining a central home-and many of them schools as well-their pride-their shrine-their creative expression of ideal philan- thropy and brotherhood-a transforming force! May the Great Architect give us vision and perspective, wisdom, initiative, and divine enthusiasm, and a resolute will to under- take and complete this great work-which need not interfere with our present system of benevolence save in so far that it will relieve that fund of many claims and so lighten the burden, while at the same time bettering the condition of the recipients.” The Committee on the Grand Master’s Address took a sympathetic view of the question, and recommended the appointment of a special committee to make careful enquiry as to the best mode of carrying out the Grand Mas- ter’s suggestion and to estimate the cost of construction and maintenance and such other information as might be necessary to enable Grand Lodge at its next meeting to discuss the scheme intelligently. The burden of the work of this committee fell upon the chairman, R.W. Bro. R. B. Dargavel. Forms of questionnaires were sent to all the constituent lodges but the information was still incomplete when Grand Lodge assembled in 1923. The commit- tee, therefore, was continued in office for another year, with M.W. Bro. Ponton as a member. The following sum- mary of the responses to the questionnaires was pre¬sented to Grand Lodge in 1924:

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Number of Lodges ...... 527 Not reported ...... 40 Children needing assistance ...... 234 Suitable environment ...... 223 Not suitable environment ...... I I Willing to go to school...... 38 Dependents needing assistance ...... 294 Suitable environment...... 245 Not suitable environment ...... 49 Willing to go to a home ...... 20 Willing to go to a hospital...... 32 In the face of this information, the committee could not very well do otherwise than report that they did not con- sider it advisable or practicable at that time to entertain the proposal to build a hospital, home, or school. At the same time, they recommended that the system of benevolence be extended by making definite arrangements with such institutions in different parts of the Province as would adequately provide, where necessary, for hospital or aged cases, and that provision should also be made to assist in the education and maintenance of the orphans. They emphasized what had repeatedly been urged by the Committee on Benevolence, that the constituent lodges be impressed with their responsibility in assuming the burden of caring for the dependents, and that the grants from Grand Lodge should be supplementary only to their efforts. They further recommended the appointment of a per- manent secretary who would devote his whole time to supervising the bene-volent grants, assist in the direction of the education of the orphans, and endeavour to secure a greater co-operation from the constituent lodges. While Grand Lodge did not fall in line with M. W. Bro. Ponton’s idea of a hospital, home, and school, he had the satisfaction of seeing the introduction of an improved system of benevolence by the appointment of a permanent officer of Grand Lodge, known as the Supervisor of Benevolence. The report was received and adopted as a whole but the other recommendations have not yet been put into effect. At the Annual Communication held at Fort William and Port Arthur in 1922, a special committee appointed at the previous annual meeting made its report upon an organization known as the Grotto or “The Mystic Order of Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm,” which it was alleged demanded Masonic affiliation as a pre-requisite for membership. The report of the committee concluded with a recommendation “that it be made unlawful from henceforth for any Freemason under the jurisdiction of this Grand Lodge to become a member of the organiza- tion.” After a spirited discussion, Grand Lodge, instead of adopting the recommendation of the committee, sub- stituted the following: “That as regards any organization, lodge or society unaffiliated with, or not now recog- nized by Masonry in our jurisdiction it shall be and hereby is declared to be improper and unlawful for any Freemason under the jurisdiction of this Grand Lodge to become a member of such an organization, lodge or society, if membership in the Craft is in any way or to any extent a pre-requisite to membership therein, unless such organization, lodge, or society at the time has received and continues to possess the express recogni- tion and approval of this Grand Lodge. In the event of any question arising as to whether

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any particular organization, lodge or society now in operation requires the recog¬nition and approval of this Grand Lodge, the question shall be decided by the Board of General Purposes, subject to review by this Grand Lodge.” Through the kindly offices and diplomacy of the Grand Master in conference with representative members of the Grotto, he was able to secure an undertaking that the objectionable feature in the pre-requisite for membership would be removed and the promise was faithfully carried out. The Annual Communication of 1923, which was held in the city of Toronto, was honoured by the presence of an unusual number of distinguished visitors, among them being representatives from the Grand Lodges of , Manitoba and Massachusetts. For the first time in the history of the Grand Lodge of Canada a deputation from the United Grand Lodge of England, specially appointed for the purpose, crossed the Atlantic to convey the fraternal greetings and hearty good wishes of the Mother Grand Lodge to all brethren of the Canadian Grand Lodges. The deputation consisted of M W. Bro. the Right Honourable Lord Amptill, Pro Grand Master accompanied by W. Bro. Lt,-Col. H. Hamilton-Wedderburn, Past Deputy Grand Director of Ceremonies, W. Bro. A . E. Carlyle, Past Asst. Grand Director of Ceremonies, and Bro. Sir John Ferguson, Grand Treasurer. M.W. Bro. Sir John Gibson in- troduced the English brethren who were graciously welcomed by M.W. Bro. Ponton. In the course of an eloquent address, Lord Amptill delivered a message of goodwill, with which he had been charged by HRH. the Duke of Connaught, Grand Master of England, and referred to the differences between the Grand Lodge of England and the Grand Lodge of Canada in the first few years of its history, in the following terms: “1 might perhaps just add this: your visit to us and our visit to you ought to wipe out a past on which we in England have no reason to pride ourselves. The rulers of the Craft seventy years ago followed the bad example of British statesmen of former days; they had not the far sight or the imagination or even the knowledge to understand the mission of the British race, to which under Divine Providence had been given the opportunity of peopling all the most beautiful and magnificent vacant spaces of the earth; and therefore our Grand Lodge treated the lodges under her jurisdiction in Canada with indifference, and even worse, and those lodges were justified in raising the standard of revolt, as free men always are justified in revolt when they are not governed in accordance with justice and right. “Having made that mistake, and you having revolted, we acknowledge your indepen- dence, but naturally for a time there could not without hypocrisy be anything like cordial relations. Time, however, has healed over all those differences, and I think now, Most Worshipful Master, I am not exaggerating when I say our hearts beat absolutely together, and that with you here in Canada we in England look forward to a future in which we shall be able to co-operate more and more in the furtherance of the objects of Freema- sonry: that is to say in doing such good to humanity at large as lies within the compass of our own opportunities which God has accorded to us as citizens of the British Empire.” Of the topics of current practical interest touched upon by Grand Master Ponton in his second annual address, the following must commend itself to every thoughtful Mason: “The estimable practice of presenting to the young Master Mason a copy of the volume of the Sacred Law appropriately inscribed is being generally adopted, and should be universal. It will be treasured and handed down as a precious heirloom, and read as it should be by all Masons as a great repository of symbolism, of poetry, music, truth, and inspiration. The Bible was the loom on which our language was woven-and is the best Chapter 22 Page 118 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

antidote to the Hymns of Hate of the Anarchists and those who take liberties with lib- erty, and the negations of the ‘stupid atheist and irreligious libertine’. It helps us, as does Freemasonry to open ‘Our eyes to see the unseen in the seen, The vision of the worker in his work’.” For many years the Fraternal Correspondence had been ably reviewed by RW. Bro. Edward B. Brown, K.C., but owing to his increased professional duties, he was obliged to vacate the chair in 1922. The report, as presented in the Proceedings of 1923, was divided among several brethren, the bulk of the work falling upon W. Bro. R. C. Blagrave, D.D., afterwards Grand Chaplain. Upon his retirement as Grand Master, M .W. Bro. Ponton was appointed chairman and continued for many years to make each annual report a “treasure house of Craft lore.”

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CHAPTER XXIII

Numerical and Financial Strength of the Order

. W. BRO. W. ]. DROPE, upon his accession to the throne in 1923, found the affairs of Grand Lodge in a most satisfactory condition. The membership had reached the grand total of 98,036; the receipts for Mthe preceding year, apart from the income from the Semi-Centennial Fund, amounted to $153,451.03 and the Committee on Benevolence reported an expenditure during the preceding year of $103,459.00. During the first year of his term, there was a falling off in the number of new members. R.W. Bro. Thomas Shanks in his ex- haustive report upon the Condition of Masonry, made the following comments upon this reduction in initiations: “Throughout the Masonic world there has been a considerable decrease during the past year or two in the members joining our ranks. This is not mentioned in a spirit of appre- hension but merely as a passing comment on the condition of the Order universally. The large increase in membership immediately following the world war was no doubt due to the easy flow of money and the desire for fraternity which was the natural reaction from the conflict and hate of the European horror. But business depression and social unrest followed, and the abnormal increase has changed to a steady and more uniform acces- sion. There is no cause for solicitude in this return to old conditions.” That the Grand Master shared the views of RW. Bro. Shanks is quite evident from the following extract from his first address to Grand Lodge: “By references to copies of the Proceedings of previous years, I find that in the last eight years the Masonic membership of Ontario has doubled. This is a state of affairs which demands our attention and is unworthy of boastful comment.” On the first of November, 1923, he had the pleasure of participating in the laying of the corner-stone of a Masonic memorial to George Washington on Shooter’s Hill, overlooking the home of the first president of the United States of America. Each of the thirty Grand Masters present participated in laying the cement, using the identical trowel that had been used by Washington in laying the corner-stone of the National Capitol in 1793. Twenty thou- sand Masons witnessed the ceremony. This beautiful granite structure 230 feet in length, 160 feet in breadth and 200 feet high, erected at a cost of $4,000,000.00 is an architectural triumph, worthy of the Order that conceived the idea and carried it through to a successful completion and worthy of the man and Mason to whose memory it was raised. In his second annual address, M.W. Bro. Drope took occasion to refute an impression that appeared to be gaining ground in some quarters, to the effect that an organization known as the Ku Klux Klan had some sort of connec- tion or affiliation with the Masonic Fraternity. In this connection he said: “I wish to state in the most emphatic language that the Ku Klux Klan has no connection direct or indirect, in letter, in spirit, or otherwise howsoever, with the Masonic Order in the Province of Ontario. It is perhaps not within my province nor do I deem it to be necessary at the present time to express any opinion or to make any ruling on the ques- tion of members of the Masonic Order be¬coming members of the Klan, but I venture to suggest that members of the oldest and most honourable Fraternity in the world will do Chapter 23 Page 120 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

well to consider seriously before associating themselves with an organization which in a country where the franchise is universal and freedom of speech is assured to all, finds it necessary to conceal the identity of its membership behind a hood or a mask.” In June, 1925, the Grand Lodge of Ireland celebrated at the city of Dublin, the bi-centenary of its organization. The Grand Lodge of Canada was represented by its Grand Master. The function commenced with a reception to the overseas Grand Lodge visitors, followed by a luncheon, but the most impressive event was a divine service in St. Patrick’s Cathedral attended by two thousand Masons. The vast gathering was addressed by the Senior Chaplain, the Most Reverend Doctor D’Arcy, Primate of all Ireland, who spoke from the text taken from the l37th Psalm, “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it.” At a banquet provided for the visitors in the dining hall of the Masonic Temple, pronounced by M.W. Bro. Drope to be the finest Masonic function of that nature he ever attended, he had the honour of responding to the toast to his Grand Lodge. The Earl of Donough- more. K.P.. who presided. in introducing the Grand Master of Canada. made a kindly reference to the grant of one thousand dollars that had been donated by the Grand Lodge of Canada to the Grand Lodge of Ireland to assist to rebuild the lodges which had been destroyed during the rebellion. On the following day the delegates were per- mitted to visit the two Masonic schools for boys and girls respectively. The latter, founded in 1792, cares for one hundred and five orphans between the ages of eight and sixteen. Of these schools, M.W. Bro. Drope, himself the principal of one of the most efficient private schools in Ontario, wrote as follows : ‘The Grand Lodge of Ireland is to be congratulated on the splendid work that is being achieved for the two hundred children under its care. These boys and girls are being trained in all the duties of citizenship and any of them showing special ability are sent to the universities. These schools are supported by voluntary subscriptions and apparently no special effort is required to finance them successfully.” At the Annual Communication held at Hamilton in 1925. was inaugurated the practice of presenting Long Service Medals to Past Masters who had served as Rulers of the Craft for more than fifty years. No fewer than thirty-six veteran brethren were entitled to this mark of honour. As their names were read by the Grand Secretary, all of those who were able to attend assembled at the altar where M. W. Bro. Ponton addressed them in felicitous terms as he pinned upon the breast of each the emblem of their long and faithful service. M.W. Bro. Sir John M. Gibson, one of the recipients, responded in feeling and befitting words. After M. W. Bro. Drope’s return from his visit to Ireland, he was stricken down with the recurrence of a malady from which he had been suffering for some time. He, however, hoped to gain sufficient strength to enable him to preside at the Annual Communication and it was a bitter disappointment to him that he was obliged to append to his Grand Master’s address, the following paragraph: “I had been looking forward with anticipated pleasure to this meeting in Hamilton but fate decrees otherwise. The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak. Notwithstand- ing the fact that many troubles have arisen during the year, the soul of Masonry in our jurisdiction, unblemished, is striving for higher ideals, and more efficient service. Let us have no vain regrets for an ill-spent past, but let us spend our todays in such a manner that we may be prepared for the endless tomorrow when it arrives.” At his invitation, the Board of General Purposes with their friends adjourned to a garden party in the spacious grounds of his home at Grimsby, where the M.W. Bro., reclining upon an invalid’s chair, greeted each brother with a warm clasp of the hand and commissioned him to bear his greeting and good wishes to Grand Lodge, which was to meet on the following day. A few weeks later, he passed away, deeply mourned by all who knew him. His good works, his useful blameless life, moulded upon the ideals presented by the tenets of Freemasonry, lead us to Chapter 23 Page 121 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop believe that he was fully “prepared for the endless tomorrow.”

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CHAPTER XXIV

Continued Phenomenal Growth of the Order

. W. BRO. JOHN A. ROWLAND, K.C., had the distinction of presiding at three Annual Communica- tions. The first occasion was at Hamilton in 1925, where as Deputy Grand Master he was called upon Mto officiate owing to the illness of Grand Master Drope. It was found after the war that a great many desirable young men were being refused admission to the Craft be- cause of some physical disability due to wounds received upon the battlefield. To remedy what was deemed a hardship, the Constitution had been amended in 1919, so that a candidate, not perfect in his body, might be initi- ated, provided he was able to understand our secrets and mysteries and to explain or exemplify them. To safeguard an unwarranted extension of this privilege, it was necessary that each case be decided upon its merits by the mem- bers of the lodge, approved by the Worshipful Master after investigation, and sanctioned by the Grand Master. Many cases had been dealt with under the amendment but there was a lack of uniformity and there was reason to believe that too great a latitude was extended in many instances. M.W. Bro. Rowland was the first Grand Master to sound a note of warning and to deliver a well considered judg- ment upon the true interpretation of the amendment. In his annual address in 1926 he dealt with the subject, as follows: ‘The language of the 1919 amendment to the Constitution is very comprehensive but the amendment had a meaning and a purpose. It was intended to modify the pre-exist- ing practice and not to wipe it out. And whatever may be the powers of a Grand Master under the amendment, in my judgment they should be exercised in such a way as to conform with the spirit rather than the letter of the law. I do not think that a dispensa- tion should be issued where the disability is such as to render the applicant unable to follow and understand our ritual and ceremonies, or to make his presence in the lodge an embarrassment to the members. I therefore refused to issue permission to receive the application of a candidate who was so deaf as to be unable to follow the ritual, of another who had lost both legs, and of a third whose disability was so serious that he was unable to walk except with crutches.” He went one step farther in respect to the desirability of electing, as rulers of the Craft, members suffering from physical disability: “It seems to me that the time has arrived when we should give an expression of our opin- ion on this important matter, and I am disposed to recommend that Grand Lodge declare that no member who is suffering under a disability which prevents him from literally complying with our ritual and ceremonies should be allowed to hold an office in a lodge without a special dispensation from the Grand Master.” The Committee upon the Grand Master’s Address expressed themselves as being in accord with the interpretation placed by the Grand Master upon the 1919 amendment, and also embodied the following in their report: “We are therefore in accord with the Grand Master’s views and recommend that as said

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views apply to the election and installation of a Worshipful Master of a lodge that same be adopted as a rule of Grand Lodge for future guidance and observance.” As this report was adopted by Grand Lodge, the pronouncement of M.W. Bro. Rowland may be accepted as the law governing all cases falling within the provisions of the amendment. For some years it was felt that some step should be taken to relieve Grand Masters from the necessity of respond- ing to invitations to receptions and banquets which the lodges in all parts of the jurisdiction desired to tender them. To overcome this tax upon the time and strength of the honoured guest, M.W. Bro. Rowland, through the District Deputy Grand Masters, arranged a series of district meetings. All the lodges in a district would combine and entertain the Grand Master at some suitable point. The innovation was most successful as it enabled the smaller lodges to participate in an enjoyable function far beyond their ability to undertake with¬out the aid of the sister lodges in the district. The practice was so satisfactory all round that it is now the rule instead of the exception. The masterly addresses delivered by the Grand Master upon these occasions fully bear out the following encomium passed upon him in 1926 by the Committee on ‘the Grand Master’s Address: “Grand Lodge can congratulate itself on having as its Chief Executive a brother emi- nently endowed with wisdom to comprehend, judgment to define and ability to success- fully and satisfactorily administer its business and its affairs.” The decree of 1922 declaring it unlawful for any member to become associated with any society that made Ma- sonry a prerequisite, unless such society was expressly recognized by Grand Lodge, was couched in language that should have left no doubt in the mind of anyone as to the comprehensiveness of its application. M.W. Bro. Ponton made it quite clear in the following year that the Order of the Eastern Star was included in the inhibition. This, however, did not appear to satisfy what M.W. Bro. Rowland styled the militant section of the Order, who persisted in “demanding our lodge rooms and clamouring for our men.” He pointed out in his address in 1927 that a building or a room that had been dedicated to Freemasonry is for Masonry alone; that our lists and records are open only to those who are authorized to see them; and that information as to the standing may not be given for other than the purposes of the Craft. While expressing no disapproval of the Order, he declared that the resolution of 1922 was a part of the traditional policy of the Masonic Order, which did not lend itself to co-opera- tion with other societies. The Grand Master’s successor also found it necessary to issue a warning to all lodges in the jurisdiction that membership in the Order of the Eastern Star was not permissible. Exception to this course was taken at the next Annual Communication by a resolution introduced on the floor of the Grand Lodge; but when a vote was taken, only two hands were raised in support of the motion. Through the good offices of the Deputy Grand Master, the Hon. John S. Martin, Minister of Agriculture, the sev- enty-second Annual Communication was held at the Ontario Agricultural College at Guelph. The location was ideal for such an assembly and the buildings placed at the disposal of Grand Lodge were admirably adapted to the requirements. The Grand Master expressed his satisfaction with the Masonic activities of the preceding two years. Additions had been made to the membershi; the assets had increased; the relief work had been made more effective; and the influence of the Craft had steadily grown stronger. M.W, Bro. Rowland gave expression to many beautiful thoughts in the numerous addresses delivered by him; but in none did he reach a higher plane than in his valedictory peroration at Guelph in 1927. Space will not permit us to give more than two extracts. Speaking generally of the Craft he said: “We know strangely little about its beginnings, its founders or its early history. Quietly, silently it has spread, like learning or civilization, until its network of lodges encircles the globe. It is worthy of note that it has found its readiest acceptance and its surest inter-

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pretation among the practical people of our own race, the people of all the least likely to mistake for long the shadow for the substance, or the form for the spirit. It has survived alike the attacks of its enemies from without, and the misguided enthusiasm of friends within who have failed to catch its spirit or its divine purpose.” His views upon the relation of Freemasonry to religion were contained in the following well chosen words: “I would not have you believe, and no true friend of Masonry will pretend, that it alone can suffice for our moral and spiritual needs. To substitute the lodge room for the church, to claim for it or any system of morality the regenerating power of a true religion is to misunderstand the functions of both. Masonry, however, has a place. With its he made the further comment: “Masonry, recognizing neither race, creed nor occupation, is do- ing wonderful work in uniting all classes of men in the interests of good citizenship. No other organization has so great an opportunity of developing good citizenship and creat- ing a bond of understanding and sympathy among all classes of our people.” With its fundamental morality and universal symbolism, its sanity and moderation and steadying power, it seems to furnish a common ground upon which thinking men may meet and from which they may move forward to that closer sympathy and truer understanding which is the need of the modern world.”

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CHAPTER XXV

Last Years of the Booming Twenties

. W. BRO. THE HON. JOHN S. MARTIN remarked, in his first address to Grand Lodge that he was the first farmer to be elected to that high office. In this connection he made the further comment: “Masonry, Mrecognizing neither race, creed nor occupation, is doing wonderful work in uniting all classes of men in the interests of good citizenship. No other organization has so great an opportunity of developing good citizenship and creating a bond of understanding and sympathy among all classes of our people.” But for his modesty, which prevented his doing so, he might have added. quite truthfully, that there was no more zealous exponent of that doctrine than M.W. Bro. Martin. He pursued the course established by his predecessor of holding district meetings arranged by the District Deputy Grand Masters, and by this means was able to come into contact with nearly every part of the jurisdiction, without making such heavy inroads upon the time of a very busy man, as would have been inevitable had he attempted to follow the former practice of visiting single lodges. The affection entertained by the brethren for their Grand Master was evidenced by the large numbers that turned out to greet him. In many instances the largest halls available could not accommodate all who sought admission. His heart-to-heart talks made a deep impression upon his hearers and could not fail to strengthen their resolve to be true to their obligation. Pursuant to a resolution passed in 1926, Grand Master Rowland had appointed a committee to report at the next Annual Communication on a suitable scheme to celebrate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the constitution of Grand Lodge. The Committee through its chairman. R.W. Bro. A. ]. Anderson, presented a report in 1927 recom- mending that the celebration be of a three-fold character: (I) that the history of Grand Lodge be carried forward to 1930 and be ready for presentation at the seventy-fifth Annual Communication; (2) that an especial effort be made to have as guests upon that occasion a large number of representatives from foreign jurisdictions and (3) that an effort be made to augment the benevolent fund. The report was adopted by Grand Lodge and the committee continued in office. By 1928 they were able to report substantial progress: a sub-committee had in hand the prepa- ration of the history; satisfactory assurance had been received that the event would be favoured and honoured by the presence of distinguished brethren from Grand Jurisdictions in the Motherland, the Provinces of Canada and some of the United States. and their plan for augmenting the benevolent fund was expressed as follows: “Your Committee therefore recommends that a fund of at least a quarter of a million dol- lars be accumulated by June, 1930, such fund so based and inaugurated to be known as ‘Grand Lodge Memorial Fund: to be an open continuous Fund, to which additions, by way of gift, grant, donation, devise or bequest may be made in the future by individual Masons and Lodges and from Masonic functions and efforts. the fund to be invested and its revenue or income to be used for benevolent purposes by and under the control and direction of Grand Lodge.” Grand Lodge adopted the report, which simply meant that by June, 1930. $250,000.00 was to be raised. This was no small undertaking to be performed in two years. The chief burden of the task fell upon the Deputy Grand Master. R.W. Bro. R. B. Dargavel who superintended the appointment of a committee in each of the thirty-two districts. From his experience as Chairman for years of the Committee on Benevolence, he knew the needs of Chapter 25 Page 126 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop the dependents and could speak with authority regarding the relief and comfort brought to the homes of those in distress by the assistance granted by Grand Lodge. He delivered eloquent addresses throughout the jurisdiction, impressing upon the brethren their duty of availing themselves of the opportunity of practising that virtue which at an earlier period of their Masonic career they professed to admire. His efforts, seconded by those of other mem- bers of the committee, met with phenomenal success, and by the end of May, 1929, the Grand Secretary was able to report that he had received and deposited to the credit of the fund the magnificent sum of $140, 000.00. Many lodges over-subscribed the allotted quota, in some cases doubling and trebling the same. In his annual address of 1929, M.W. Bro. Martin presented a strong appeal, in the course of which he said: “The individual Mason and the constituent lodge are charged with the sacred trust. to care for the widow and the orphan of our departed, and also to guarantee that our aged and infirm brethren do not suffer or spend their declining years in poverty and distress. “The Memorial Fund is. therefore. not in reality an appeal from your Grand Master or from Grand Lodge. but it comes to each and all of us from members of our own house- hold. from brethren to whom we pledged ourselves to stand hand to hand when we met with circumstances of unforeseen misfortune and calamity. and above all from those who have passed beyond the vale-appealing to us that we do not fail or even falter but carry to their widows and orphans comfort and consolation in the day and hour of their greatest trial and affliction.” One of the pleasing features of the session of 1928 was the presence of a large number of veteran brethren. M.W. Bro. Martin had for some time entertained the desire to do honour to these former rulers of the Craft. He caused invitations to be extended to all over seventy years of age to attend the Annual Communication to receive the con- gratulations of their brethren. About one hundred and twenty five who responded were marshalled before the dais by the Grand Director of Ceremonies. when they were cordially greeted by the Grand Master and at his request were addressed by M.W. Bro. Wardrope. who in eulogistic terms assured them of the affection and admiration of their brethren. After being accorded the Grand Honours due to their rank. they were invited to a banquet at which each was presented with a medal as a souvenir of the occasion. The Annual Communication of 1929. held in the city of Ottawa. promised to be one of the most enjoyable and successful in the history of Grand Lodge. The Ottawa brethren spared no pains in making suitable preparations for the comfort and entertainment of the delegates. One circumstance alone marred what in all other respects was an ideal meeting-the Grand Master was absent through illness. The hearts of all the brethren were deeply touched when they learned that he had been stricken down and that some considerable time would elapse before he could hope to resume his normal occupa- tions. The throne was taken and his address read by RW. Bro. R B. Dargavel. the Deputy Grand Master. who in addition to presiding at the Board of General Purposes, performed the exacting duties of Grand Master in a man- ner that reflected great credit upon his executive and administrative ability. In 1929 the number of lodges in the jurisdiction was 564. with a total membership of 114.237. as of the 31st of December. 1928. and an estimated membership of 116.500 at the date of the meeting. The gross revenue for the year ending May 31st. 1929, on General Account was $150.275.4 7. There was expended on benevolence during the same period. $108,931.00. to which may be added the sum of $93.000.00 granted by the constituent lodges. making a grand total of $201.931. The assets of Grand Lodge. including the Semi-Centennial Fund. but not in- cluding any sums received on account of the Memorial Fund. reached their highest level of $480,124.33. No history of the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario would be complete without something more than a passing reference to R W. Bro. William McGregor Logan. M.A .. its Grand Secretary. More than one Chapter 25 Page 127 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

Grand Master has remarked that the success of a constituent lodge depends very largely upon the efficiency of its secretary. The same holds good of the Grand Lodge. No fewer than twenty-one paragraphs in the Book of Con- stitution are devoted to defining the duties of the Grand Secretary; but custom and the good nature of the several incumbents of that office have so enlarged those duties that it might almost be said of the Grand Secretary. as is laid down in the case of the Grand Master, that his powers and prerogatives are not limited or abridged except in so far as the Constitution directly limits or abridges the same. R .W. Bro. Logan was an honour graduate of the University of Toronto and upon the completion of his course, was awarded the gold medal for proficiency in classics. For a number of years he was in charge of the Department of Classics in Aylmer Collegiate Institute and later filled the same position in Hamilton. He was initiated into Ma- sonry at Aylmer in 1891 and in the following year affiliated with St. John’s Lodge. Hamilton. becoming its Master in 1902. In 1909. he was chosen District Deputy Grand Master of the Hamilton District. He served upon the Board of General Purposes as Chairman of the Committee of Fraternal Dead from 1914 to 1918. He was a member of Hamilton Chapter, R.A.M., and a life member of Aylmer Chapter and St. John’s Chapter, Hamilton, of the latter of which he was First Principal in 1900. In 1907 he was Grand Superintendent of Hamilton District. He was a member of Godfrey de Bouillon Preceptory, Knights Templar, Hamilton; was a member of the Supreme Council 33 0 of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for Canada and was the Commander-in-Chief of Moore Sovereign Consistory 32 0, S.P.R.S. of Ontario. He was for years a member of the . His classical training, his experience as a teacher, and his Masonic affiliations eminently qualified him for the position of Grand Secretary, to which office he was appointed upon the death of his predecessor, R.\V. Bro. R. L. Gunn in 1 9 J 8, and elected at the regular Communication in 1919. One of the many duties assigned to the Grand Secretary is the keeping in close touch with everyone of the 564 lodges in the jurisdiction, which means that he is to see that their dues are regularly paid ; that their returns are in order; that candidates are advanced at the pre- scribed time; and that in all other respects the provisions of the Constitution and by-laws of the lodge are properly observed. The hundred and one details in connection with all Special and Annual Communications are all worked out by him and staged under his personal supervision. R.W. Bro. Logan made a special study of Masonic jurisprudence. The digest of the Rulings of Grand Masters from 1855 to 1920, referred to in the foregoing pages, was first prepared by him, although it was revised by a commit- tee composed of Past Grand Masters and received their imprimatur before it was published by Grand Lodge. This little volume, consisting of only a few pages, is the recognized authority upon all points coming within its scope. As he was recognized as an authority upon all matters of procedure, his opinion was sought by the ruling Masters in all parts of the jurisdiction, and it is no secret that Grand Masters leaned heavily upon him for support in respect to many of the details of their high office. He had a keen sense of humour and was an easy and fluent speaker. Through his humorous and instructive addresses, he gained a popularity which placed him in great demand at Masonic functions. Grand Lodge has always ‘ been extremely fortunate in its selection of a Grand Secretary, but none was more popular. painstaking, and efficient than R.W. Bro. Logan.

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CHAPTER XXVI

From Prosperity to Depression

. W. BROTHER RODERICK BERNARD DARGAVEL was instalIed as Grand Master at the Annual Communication held at Ottawa in July, 1929. We may readily conjecture that during the previous Mtwelve months he had very little time to devote to his personal affairs, for to him had been assigned the herculean task of raising the balance of $250,000, the objective of the Memorial Fund, to which $140,000 had already been subscribed. To him, however, this was a labour of love as for many years he had been most actively engaged in the benevolent work of Grand Lodge. It was the ardent desire of the Special Committee on the cel- ebration of the Seventy-fifth Anniversary of Grand Lodge that they would be able to commemorate the occasion by announcing the completion of the Fund, the income from which was to be devoted exclusively to benevolent work. Their confidence in the ability of the man appointed for the task was not misplaced. He visited practically every district in the jurisdiction and through his eloquent and persuasive addresses succeeded in imparting his enthusiasm to all with whom he came in contact. At the Annual Communication in 1930, without assuming any credit for the magnificent result attained, he mod- estly but proudly announced, in the course of his address, when referring to the fund: “The response has been most generous. Your zeal for the greatest of all Masonic virtues is deserving of unstinted praise and com¬mendation and as a result of your sincerity and fidelity of purpose we have not only attained but exceeded our objective.” The Special Committee, however, in their final report to Grand Lodge did not hesitate to give credit where it was due. In referring to the same matter they reported in part as follows: “As to the Memorial Fund we are able to report that, through the efficient working of the organization presided over by our M.W. Grand Master, the initial sum has been reached and exceeded as the Fund on the 12th of July stands at $327,000.” When we reflect that the amount was raised during that harrowing period of depression when most fraternal and business organizations were experiencing difficulty in balancing their budgets, it speaks well also for the loyalty of the Craft who have not forgotten the lesson imparted in the north-east angle of the lodge. There was an unusual departure from the orthodox routine at this Communication of Grand Lodge by the admis- sion, during the regular session, of a number of ladies headed by Mrs. E. T. Malone, wife of the Grand Treasurer. They were formally conducted to the dais to witness the presentation to M.W. Brother Malone of an oil portrait of himself upon the completion of twenty seven years’ service as Grand Treasurer. The celebration proceedings were further enhanced by the presence of a large number of distinguished guests bearing the greeting and felicitations of their respective Grand Lodges. Notable among them were representatives from the Grand Lodges of Quebec, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Michigan, Scotland and England. Grand Lodge was deeply moved upon receiving, through ‘R. W. Bro. Colonel George Monckton ArundelI, Past Grand Warden of the United Grand Lodge of England, a personal message from his beloved Grand Master, His Royal Highness, The Duke of Connaught, which read as folIows: “On the occasion of the visit to Canada of a deputation from the United Grand Lodge of England, I wish to convey to the brethren of the Domin- ion my fraternal greetings and my wish for their future happiness and prosperity. The warm feelings which have been so long established between the English and Canadian Masons have done much to strengthen the bonds of Chapter 26 Page 129 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop our Masonic unity and good-will: “I express my fraternal desire that the blessings of the Great Architect of the Universe may ever rest on all the brethren of that Dominion with which I have been so specially associated.” The entertainment of the visitors reached its climax in a most successful banquet tendered to them in the Royal York Hotel which was attended by more than one thousand delegates. In his address to Grand Lodge in 1929 Grand Master, the Honourable John S. Martin, expressed his conviction “that the time had come when something more definite and constructive should be accomplished in the line of Masonic education,” and recommended that a committee be appointed to take the matter into consideration. This was the first step in the inauguration of the movement which is regarded as one of the most important problems awaiting solution. The Committee on Grand Master Martin’s Address cordially endorsed his proposal and a com- mittee was accordingly appointed. During M.W. Bro. Dargavers term of office many experimental meetings were held with gratifying results but no definite workable system was agreed upon. The committee, however, after a survey of the schemes in operation throughout the English-speaking world. reported at the Annual Communication in 1931 that there was “a great and growing demand for Masonic education throughout this Grand Jurisdiction and that means must at once be taken to supply educational facilities.” M.W. Bro. Dargavel, to use his own happy expression. as our ambassador of good-will, conveyed our fraternal felicitations to many other jurisdictions in Western Canada and the neighbouring Republic. From their several annual reports we learn that he was graciously received and that his eloquent addresses made a most favourable impression upon all who were privileged to hear him. In the peroration to his final address to the brethren he sounded a true keynote to the service Freemasons can and should render to the Craft: “My appeal to you. my brethren. is that our service to the Craft may be such that Ma- sonry will continue to stand for all that is high in thought and progressive in the line of right, that by its inculcation of piety and virtue, patriotism to our country, fidelity to our homes, service to God and humanity, it may attain a higher plane of usefulness than ever before. God grant that the spirit for which Masonry has ever contended may be the inspiration of all our hearts and that we may all work together with such love and unity that great as has been her achievement still greater will be her benedictions and blessings for the future.”

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CHAPTER XXVII

M.W. Bro. Walter Stevens Herrington, Grand Master 1931 - 1933

O two decades could provide a more striking contrast than the nineteen-twenties and the nineteen-thirties. The twenties opened with a devastating war over, a peace signed, and the victor nations facing with an Nexhausted sense of relief a world hopefully “made safe for democracy.” The thirties opened upon disil- lusioned victor nations, with their snugly secure way of life threatened by new emergent forces, and with scattered storm clouds of war drifting above the horizon. In the twenties men lived in a delirium of ever-spiralling prosper- ity; the thirties saw them flung ignominiously into the abyss of a battering depression. The twenties saw Freema- sonry in Ontario riding on the crest of unpre¬cedented numbers of initiations, unprecedented credit balances, and unprecedented enthusiasms. The thirties searched and tested and challenged Freemasonry and Freemasons as they had hitherto never been searched and tested and challenged. That was the foreboding prospect that faced R.W. Bro. Walter Stevens Herrington. K.C., F.R.S.C., of Napanee, Ontario, when, on the 20th of July, 1931, in the City of Kingston, he was elevated to the rank of the thirty-seventh Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario. In retrospect, it would seem to have been providential for Masonry that at this crucial period in its history there should have been at the post of command so eminently worthy a man, a lawyer of repute, a historian, a Shakespearean scholar, an able administrator, and a devoted Mason. He came to his high office with many years of distinguished service in Grand Lodge and to the Craft in general: District Deputy Grand Master of Frontenac District in 1905; a member of the Board of General Purposes of Grand Lodge for six years (1918-I 923); Chairman of the Committee on the Fraternal Dead for seven years (1920-1926) ; Chairman of the Committee on the Condition of Masonry for two years (1926-1928); Deputy Grand Master in 1929-30 and 1930-31. The impact of the depression could not have affected Masonry too seriously in the years 1930 and 1931, for M.W. Bro. Herrington’s predecessor in office felt it necessary to devote but one sentence to that theme in his report to Grand Lodge: “It is true we are assembling in disturbing and perplexing times, when the whole world is struggling with a great, economic depression, when the old order might appear to be in process of change and transition, bringing with it chaos and confusion to our social, industrial, and even religious life.” But in 1932, M .W. Bro. Herrington gave four pages and in 1933 three pages of his address to Grand Lodge to this economic blitz and its implications for Masonry. He observed the overflowing granaries on the one hand and the want and destitution on the other; the shrunken sources of revenue, depressed prices, and bread lines; the ferment of unrest and the discordant voices proclaiming new and strange faiths; the relief committees in every community; the works programmes to forestall recourse to the dole and its evil consequences. Upon this sorry social situation he had this thought-provoking commentary: “Have we in the days of unprecedented prosperity, while vying with each other in our lavish expenditures upon needless luxuries, been unmindful of the sources of our mate- rial blessings and neglectful of our duty toward Him who had so bountifully supplied our every want?”

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We need to give some attention to the effect of these abnormally difficult times upon Freemasonry. W e may note these facts: the marked decrease in initiations, the abrupt upsurge in withdrawals and suspensions, the occasional questionable financing of lodges to maintain solvency, the decreased revenues of Grand Lodge, the marked in- crease in benevolence. In 1920 there were 486 lodges with a membership of 80,920; in 1924. 538 lodges with it membership of 102 096; and in 1929, 564 lodges with a membership of 115981 . During the decade of the twen- ties there was a 21.5 % increase in the number of lodges; and a 61.0% increase in membership. Over this ten-year period the initiations averaged 4864.6 for each year, with the high water mark of 6271 in 1922; the resignations averaged 1112.8 ; and the suspensions for N.P.D 1220.7. But in 1931, the initiations had fallen to 2698; resigna- tions had increased to 1133; and suspensions had increased to 1825; in 1932 initiations, resignations, and suspen- sions stood respectively at 1874, 1248, and 2628. In 1933 they stood respectively at 1434, 1507, and 3338. The figures tell the story graphically enough. The total membership in 1933 was 7094 less than in 1929. Grand Lodge revenue had decreased considerably, while on the other hand applications for relief and grants for benevolence had shown a marked increase. Even as early as 1929, Grand Lodge had expressed concern over the profusion of mill-made Masons, of the even- tual wastage due to demits applied for and granted, and of the alarming number of suspensions for non-payment of dues, all greatly accelerated, of course, in the stressful thirties. M.W. Bro. Herrington, in his 1933 address to Grand Lodge did not understate, overstate, or misstate the facts when he said: “This lamentable condition is not wholly due to the prevailing depression as it existed in a marked degree before we were overtaken by that economic cyclone.” Very candidly he laid the blame in part upon individual lodges and upon Masonry in general. Fortunately for Free- masonry, Grand Lodge in 1930 had taken statesman-like action in the appointment of a Committee on Masonic Education under the Chairmanship of R.W. Bro. W. J. Dunlop to formulate a province-wide plan of Masonic in- struction in our traditions, rites, symbolism and history and to report to Grand Lodge at its next Communication. The 1932 report, and the second to be made, is worthy of note; it reveals the obvious stamp of the orderly-minded, systematic, far-seeing schoolmaster; and to-day, twenty years later, every detail of that report is functioning, only in greater amplitude, in every lodge in every district, and in every Past Masters’ Association in our Grand Juris- diction. The Grand Master in 1933 observed “with the deepest satisfaction” this introduction “in every part of our jurisdiction of a system of Masonic education, that gives promise of providing a remedy for the apparent lack of appreciation of the true beauties and benefits of Freemasonry manifested by a large percentage of our member- ship.” He expressed confidence that our Freemasonry would mean more to us than ever before now that we had “discharged a long-overdue duty to our neglected brethren.” While M. W. Bro. Herrington. or even the father of Masonic education, would no doubt be loath to claim that Masonic education was the cure-all for all the ills of the body Masonic, nevertheless this implementing of a system of Masonic education throughout our Grand Jurisdic- tion was assuredly the most significant development in Masonic history in many a long year. Still, for all that, lodges had lodge rooms to rent and maintain and the depression was placing many lodges in desperate straits. Little wonder is it that some had recourse to questionable financing. But the Grand Master spoke words of wisdom for all time, when in reference to those who were attempting to replenish treasuries by thinly- disguised lotteries he said: “An unprofitable way of raising money and possesses all the elements of an offence against the criminal and the moral code.” His words of advice to the lodges were “greater caution” and a dauntless spirit of resolution.” One other situation which gave the Grand Master grave concern was the lack of Sabbath observance. This was

Chapter 27 Page 132 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop an outgrowth. in the main, of the inrush of new luxuries, the motor car, and the radio; of the jerry-built fortunes which made golfing so fashionable; and of the general undermining of old faiths that came as an aftermath of the war. The Grand Master was quite unequivocal in his point of view: “I am not advocating a return to puritanical exactitude nor an abandonment of reason- able and wholesome forms of recreation but that the entire day should be so given up to the exclusion of the worship of the Creator in the place appointed for that purpose is in my opinion contrary to the teaching and spirit of Freemasonry. “Whatever the cause may be there are thousands of Freemasons in our Province who are rarely in their pews on the Sabbath Day. It is difficult to understand how these brethren can reconcile this neglect of duty with the lessons taught in the lodge room.” Despite the multiplicity of factors that must have given the leaders in Masonry in those days grave concern, R.W. Bro. Seager, Bishop of Huron, in reporting to Grand Lodge on the condition of Masonry. felt constrained to say that Masonry was still “a vital force in the community. That could be true only because there were men in every community imbued with the same high purpose, the same spirit of resolution and self-dedication as this wise, judicious, and devout Grand Master of the early thirties. Following his term of office as Grand Master, M.W. Bro. Herrington continued to serve the cause of Freemasonry in this Grand Jurisdiction in many ways till his death on the 17th of July, 1947, in his native town of Napanee, where two days later in Riverside Cemetery he was laid to rest with Masonic honours, attended by a goodly com- pany of Masonic brethren, among whom were four Grand Lodge representatives, M.W. Bros. R. B. Dargavel. W. J . Dunlop, and J. A . McRae, and R.W. Bro. J. P. Maher, the Deputy Grand Master.

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CHAPTER XXVIII

M.W. Bro. Frank Armitage Copus, Grand Master 1933 -1935

WO futile attempts have been made to change the date of the Annual Communication from the middle of July to a season of the year when more moderate weather might reasonably be expected. If such a resolu- Ttion would have been in order at the meeting in St. Catharines in 1933, it probably would have been fa- vourably received. Tired and well bleached, M.W. Bro. Frank Armitage Copus was duly installed as Grand Master after enduring four days of torrid heat; for, owing to the absence of the Grand Master, he not only presided for two days as President of the Board of General Purposes but as Deputy Grand Master assumed the gavel in the East for the remaining two days of the session of Grand Lodge. M.W. Bro. Copus performed a lasting service to the Craft by recommending to Grand Lodge in his address in 1934 that the necessary steps be taken to award a suitable jewel to all brethren who have completed fifty years of uninterrupted connection with the Craft. The Committee upon his Address were in sympathy with the proposal and recommended the appointment of a committee to enquire into the feasibility of establishing such a jewel and to report at the next Annual Communication. The Grand Master had the satisfaction of receiving from the Com- mittee, at the 1935 session of Grand Lodge, an approved design for what is now known as the Veteran Jubilee Medal and a recommendation that it be presented by Grand Lodge to all brethren who have completed not less than fifty years’ membership in good standing in our jurisdiction. The report of the committee was unanimously received and adopted. Needless to add, these medals, which are artistically designed, are highly appreciated by the recipients and the formal presentation of them in the constituent lodges is a pleasing and inspiring ceremony. Pursuant to a resolution of Grand Lodge at the 1932 session, M.W. Bro. Herrington appointed a committee to consider the question of the advisability of changing the name of the Grand Lodge. At the next session the com- mittee was granted further time for consideration and at the Communication held at St. Catharines presented a report which was unanimously adopted by Grand Lodge and which it is hoped will forever settle the question. It is of such vital importance and so conclusive that we present it in its entirety: “The name ‘Grand Lodge of Canada’ was adopted by our Grand Lodge at the time of its organization in 1855. “After Confederation, when other Grand Lodges were organized in the Dominion, we added to our title the words ‘in the Province of Ontario’ in order to prevent any misun- derstanding as to the extent of our territorial jurisdiction. “In 1921 at our Annual Communication the question of changing our name to read The Grand Lodge of the Province of Ontario’ was fully discussed upon the floor of Grand Lodge and the vote of Grand Lodge was overwhelmingly against the change. ‘The arguments then advanced hold good to-day. The same sentiments animate us all to-day. Tenacious of the traditions of our forebears and their labour of love in building this family of the household of the faithful, we must remain loyal to the memories of our historic past. Our name is a precious heritage read and known by all men of the Craft Universal.

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“The Grand Master of Alberta struck the keynote of the situation, when, dealing with this question in his address, he was generous enough to say: ‘When we read the his- tory of those stirring days seventy-eight years ago we can sympathize with the pride that prompts a continuance of a title and can understand the reluctance to introduce a change.’ “Your committee, therefore, respectfully recommends that no change be made in a name that has been so long, so honourably, and so intimately associated with our Grand Lodge.” A set of gavels presented to Grand Lodge by RW. Bro. Sir George McLaren Brown of London, England, Honorary Past Grand Deacon of the United Grand Lodge of England, Past Grand Registrar of our Grand Lodge and a Past Master of Canada Lodge No. 3527 in London, England, were first used at the Annual Communication at Toronto in 1934. M.W. Bro. Copus acknowledged the gift in the following words: “The handsome gavels are made out of wood taken from the grand staircase of the old Freemasons’ Hall on Great Queen Street In London, They will be cherished by us as mementos alike of that shrine of British Freemasonry and of a brother esteemed by us all for his sturdy Canadianism and his great services to this Grand Lodge and to Canadian Masons during the trying days of the Great War.” It was upon the recommendation of the Grand Master that funerals, held under military auspices, were exempted from the ban prohibiting Masons from participating in funeral services in which any other organization takes part. In the Proceedings of 1935 many references were made to the great loss Grand Lodge sustained in the death of M.W. Bro. Elias Talbot Malone, K.C., who passed to the Grand Lodge Above on the 9th of October, 1934, after completing thirty years of faithful service as Grand Treasurer of the Grand Lodge. In the course of a letter sent by the Grand Master to the Masters of all lodges, M. W. Bro. Copus paid the following eloquent tribute to his memory: “His private life was beautiful in its unostentatious grace and simplicity. In his house he radiated every wholesome virtue. Revered us a citizen of Toronto by all classes, he was often described as a typical Irish gentleman, warm hearted, the soul of probity and the living embodiment of the great ideals and principles of Freemasonry. In his chosen profession of the law he enjoyed the confidence alike of the Bench, the Bar and of his clients, and he was universally regarded as a sound lawyer and a scrupulous guardian of the trusts committed to his care.” During the first year of the Grand Master’s term of office a further impetus was given to the cause of Masonic education by extending to all lodges in the jurisdiction the privilege of obtaining upon loan books from the library of Grand Lodge. This magnificent collection of over 3,000 volumes, the gift of M.W. Bro. John Ross Robertson, was housed in the Yonge Street Temple in Toronto and was available only to members of the Craft who found it convenient to visit the Temple. Under the able direction of the librarian, Bro. N. W. J Haydon, a list of books avail- able for loan from the circulating section was printed and mailed to every lodge in the jurisdiction. Subsequent reports of the committee in charge of the library indicate that this step has met with most gratifying results. For many years the question of a re-arrangement of the districts had been informally discussed in many parts of the Province. In the sparsely settled sections there were only seven or eight lodges in a district while in the larger urban centres there were three or four times that number. No definite action was taken to remedy what appeared Chapter 28 Page 135 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop to be an unwarranted distribution until 1933 when M .W. Brother Copus appointed a committee to make a general survey of the situation and to report at the next Annual Communication. The burden of this task fell upon M.W. Bro. R. B. Dargavel who, from his experience as Supervisor of Benevolence, was more familiar with the existing arrangement than any other member of Grand Lodge. For four years he sedulously applied himself to the difficult task, interviewed District Deputy Grand Masters and deputations from the several districts that would be affected by the proposed changes and studied the problem from every angle. Upon his recommendation some minor changes were made in the districts of Northern Ontario in 1934 and 1935. The material collected by M. W. Bro. Dargavel and his observations upon the same were referred in 1937 to a committee composed of representatives from different parts of the Province under the chairmanship of R. W. Bro. Smith Shaw. This committee reported to Grand Lodge in 1938 that “it would be inadvisable to proceed with general redistribution at the present time. “ This report was adopted by Grand Lodge, the evident feeling being that the time was not yet ripe for the re-ar- rangement of the distribution. M. W . Bro Copus exemplified in himself, as Grand Master, that high ideal he urged all brethren to strive to attain when commenting in his valedictory address upon the part Freemasons should play in remedying the unhappy conditions prevailing in the world at that time: “Let it be Freemasonry’s high task to dedicate herself to a mission of reconciliation, a spiritual reunion with men of good-will everywhere, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, Roman Catholic and Protestant, employer and employee, differing in so many respects but alike in this, that we are all children of a common Father and, therefore, brethren, fellow-pilgrims towards the light of that better day we all so passionately desire.”

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CHAPTER XXIX

M.W. Bro. Alexander James Anderson, Grand Master 1935 -1937

. W. Brother Alexander James Anderson. K.C., M.P ,. assumed his office as Grand Master at the Annual Communication held in the city of Hamilton in 1935. Among other comments made by the committee Mupon his first annual address to Grand Lodge we quote the following: “He has faithfully fulfilled the exacting duties of leader of the Craft and when we reflect upon the many calls upon his time by reason of the honourable position he occupies in the service of our country, not overlooking the demands of his profession, we marvel at his accomplishments and ask ourselves, ‘How did he do it?’ “ When we add to the many calls upon his time as Member of the House of Commons for a populous riding in the city of Toronto, the unescapable professional work as senior member of a law firm, one would naturally wonder how he found any time to devote to the duties of Grand Master. We find, however, that he put into active practice what he so earnestly commended to others in the following extract from his address to Grand Lodge: “Visitation is a medium through which we can gain from each other. It affords opportu- nity for observation and interchange of thought and tends to prevent our becoming nar- row and restricted in our views and to correct errors in our judgment on matters relating not only to our Order but to our own lives and actions. It induces more sympathetic con- cern for our fellow-man and inspires in us a better and higher conception of right living, right thinking, a higher degree of patriotism and a proper understanding of our relations with the Great Architect of the Universe.” During the first year of his term he paid official visits to twelve districts and a large number of individual lodges. He bore the greetings of our Grand Lodge to the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts and witnessed the installation of the Grand Master. He attended the Annual Communications of the Grand Lodges of Quebec, Alberta. and and by his inspiring addresses strengthened the fraternal bond so happily existing between these jurisdictions and our own. M.W. Bro. Anderson put at rest the vexed question as to the proper wording of the first toast to be honoured at all Masonic banquets by quoting no less an authority than the Most Worshipful Right Honourable, the Earl of Harewood, Pro-Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England, who. in ruling upon this subject, pointed out that the toast to “the King and the Craft” has been drunk continuously by the brethren since the early days of the 18th century and is reported to have been drunk by the Scottish brethren as far back as the reign of King James I of Scotland about the year 1430. As the Grand Master’s recommendation that the wording “the King and the Craft” be recognized as the proper procedure was endorsed by the Committee on his Address and adopted by a unanimous vote of Grand Lodge, the question may be considered as finally settled. The Grand Lodge of Scotland celebrated the two-hundredth anniversary of its institution in November. 1936. The bi-centenary of any organization is an event worthy of an extraordinary celebra¬tion but this occasion was rightfully regarded by the Scottish Masons as the most important in the history of their Grand Lodge as His Royal Highness, The Duke of York, was to be installed as Grand Master. Elaborate preparations in keeping with the impressive ritual and the dignity of the central figure in the ceremony were made by the committee in charge. It was the good fortune of M.W. Bro. Anderson to be in office when all the Grand Lodges of the world were invited Chapter 29 Page 137 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop to join the Scottish brethren in the installation ceremony and it was the good fortune of our Grand Lodge that the Grand Master was able personally to respond to the invitation. That he was deeply moved by the hospitality of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, the brilliance of the gathering and the impressiveness of the ceremony is manifest by the detailed report of his visit which he gave to Grand Lodge: “As Grand Master of your Grand Lodge, it was with great pleasure that it became my privilege to attend that function as your representative. Masons from all quarters of the globe (62 different bodies) were represented there and were, with their ladies, the guests of the Grand Lodge of Scotland for the week beginning November 28th and ending December 4th. Very great provision was made by the Grand Lodge of Scotland for the entertainment and comfort of their guests. The first function was a dinner on Saturday evening, November 28th, at the Caledonian Hotel Edinburgh, at which the Grand Master Mason, Sir Ian Colquhoun, presided and at which many of the officers and Past Grand Master Masons of the Grand Lodge of Scotland attended with the guests. On Sunday, November 29th, divine service was held in St. Giles Cathedral, when that historic edifice was filled to overflowing with members of the Masonic Fraternity only. “At 3.00 o’clock Monday, November 30th, the installation of His Royal Highness the Duke of York as Grand Master Mason took place in Usher Hall, the largest public hall in Edinburgh, when upwards of three thousand Masons assembled to witness the ceremo- ny, which was possibly one of the most colourful and dignified ceremonies I have had the pleasure of witnessing. The installation ceremony was performed by Grand Master Mason, Sir Ian Colquhoun, assisted by his Grand Lodge Officers and was a model of dignity, precision and rendition. His Royal Highness, the Duke of York, after his instal- lation, invested his officers with the regalia of their respective offices and was then the recipient of an address of congratulation delivered by Sir Ian Colquhoun, the retiring Grand Master Mason, to which address His Royal Highness made a suitable reply. It is fair to state that the ovation tendered to His Royal Highness on the completion of the installation, and on his rising to reply to the address of congratulation, was overwhelm- ing and lasted for several minutes. That evening all visiting Masons, together with the officers and Past Grand Masters of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, were individually presented to and graciously received by His Royal Highness. Then followed a banquet in the dining hall of Edinburgh Castle at which His Royal Highness presided as Grand Master Mason. This, needless to say, was a very brilliant function. One toast only was received, that to “The King.’ Little did any of us think that in ten days’ time His Royal Highness would be His Majesty King George VI.” Neither the merry skirl of the bagpipes that led the procession of Grand Lodge in 1937 nor the glittering display of gold braid could entirely dispel a feeling of sadness that hung over the vast audience. One familiar face was missing; a penetrating voice that never failed to fill the large auditorium was no longer heard. In the interim since the last meeting, our Grand Secretary had been summoned to the Grand Lodge Above. From the many loving tributes paid to his memory in the various reports presented to Grand Lodge, we quote the following from the Grand Master’s address: “Brother Logan brought to the office of the Grand Secretary great natural ability, a high- ly cultivated mind and valuable experience as an educator. In the field of Masonry he had made constant advances in its study and in its ranks. He showed the same zeal in his

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office as Grand Secretary as he had shown in his professional life as a teacher. Being a good conversationalist, deferential as a listener, courteous in discussions and possessed of a quiet yet infectious humour, he made a model companion. He was regarded as one of the great Masonic Grand Secretaries of the world and was a most helpful counsellor and advisor. Only those who have been privileged to occupy the offices of Grand Master or Deputy Grand Master know fully his worth to them and to our Order. He executed the duties of his office, with the kindly and faithful help of his staff, until the last. Many were the letters received from other Grand Jurisdictions extending regrets at his passing and sympathy with us in our loss. He died as he had lived, true to the faith he had in the Divine Creator and His revealed word and in the principles of our Order.” RW. Bro. Logan’s death occurred in March. On April 1, M.W. Bro. Anderson appointed R.W. Bro. E. G. Dixon Acting Grand Secretary for the remainder of the Masonic year, to await his formal election to office at the Annual Communication of Grand Lodge in July. Under the present system five members are elected to the Board of General Purposes each year by a general vote of Grand Lodge for a term of two years and five are appointed each year by the Grand Master for a like period. It rarely occurred that a candidate from the remote eastern or western districts could secure a position upon the Board by election. To remedy what he regarded an injustice to these districts the Grand Master, in his annual address in 1937, suggested the appointment of a committee to consider the feasibility of dividing the jurisdic- tion into zones, each zone electing its own representatives. A strong committee was accordingly appointed and after a careful study of the situation presented to the Board of General Purposes at the Annual Meeting in 1938 a rather complicated but not impracticable scheme along the lines indicated by the Grand Master. A spirited debate followed and so many objections were raised to the plan that the Board concluded to take no action and left the question open for further consideration at the next Annual meeting.

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CHAPTER XXX

M.W. Bro. William James; Dunlop, Grand Master 1937 -1939

EW Grand Masters were so well known throughout the Province before installation as M.W. Bro. William James Dunlop. This was, in part, due to his official position as head of University Extension for the Uni- Fversity of Toronto but to Masons his name had, for years, been associated with Masonic education. From the inception of the movement until his election as Deputy Grand Master, he was very active as chairman of the committee in charge of this important work and to him is largely due the success that has been attained in impart- ing to the brethren a clearer understanding of the symbolism and aims of the Craft. At no time in its history has Grand Lodge been honoured by the presence of so many distinguished visitors as were present at the Annual Communication in July, 1938. No fewer than thirty-one visiting delegates were intro- duced, including representatives from the Grand Lodges of England, Scotland, and Ireland. The Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia had just concluded a most successful celebration of the bi-centenary of the introduction of Freema- sonry into Canada and many of the delegates taking part in that event journeyed on to Toronto to pay their respects to our Grand Lodge. That the visitors enjoyed the hospitality of their hosts was quite apparent from the many compliments paid the Grand Lodge at a farewell banquet given in their honour attended by 1400 members of the Craft. M.W. Bro. Dunlop, just returned from the representative gathering at Halifax, gave vent to his reveries of the progress which Freemasonry had made in Canada in two hundred years in his first address, from which we extract the following; “Our retrospect, after two hundred years, is one which prompts us to a feeling of pride of the proper sort in the achievements of those who have gone before and who laboured to lay the foundations of this Craft deep in the soil of a new, vigorous, and a free country. Masonry began in a small way in Canada. Like most good enterprises it grew gradu- ally with little of the spectacular in its progress. Two hundred years ago there was one little army lodge at . To-day there are in this Dominion, nine Sovereign Grand Lodges with a combined membership of approximately two hundred thousand. Our own Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario has one hundred thousand Masons in five hundred and sixty-eight lodges. In numbers Masonry has grown most satis¬factorily in the course of two centuries. Has it grown otherwise than in member- ship? Two hundred thousand Masons, in a population of a little over ten millions, along with other citizens of good sense and of goodwill, must prove to-day to be a wonderfully reliable sheet anchor for the stabilization of the Dominion in times where there is always the danger that ignorant firebrands, motivated by hatred, greed and lust for power, would, if they could, bring chaos and conflagration, storm and stress, and other ills designed to destroy our freedom. Truly, Masonry has been a stabilizing factor throughout the years of its existence and will continue to serve in that capacity as long as time shall last. “But in these two centuries, now completed, Masonry has done more. Without beating the drum or waving the flag, it has steadily made its substantial contribution to the prog- ress of our country. Masons are in the front ranks of all walks of life. They are, for the most part, thinking men, religious men, and men who are never extremists. Having been Chapter 30 Page 140 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

taught over and over again in our lodge rooms to be temperate, prudent, brave and just, Masons travel the middle road between the extremes, accept no ready-made ideas, but go on their way quietly and steadily serving their God, their neighbours and themselves. Simply impossible it is to estimate the contribution of Canadian Freemasonry to the de- velopment and the welfare of this Dominion.” No one could question the sincerity of the Grand Master when he said, in his first address to Grand Lodge, that the cause of Masonic education was dear to his heart. Having passed through all the stages of his chosen profes- sion from a teacher in a public school to Director of Extension for the University of Toronto, he was quick to see the need of some sort of Masonic guidance and instruction in furtherance of the counsel so frequently impressed upon the candidate in our ceremonies. For many years it had been felt that some decisive step should be taken to improve the attendance at the regular meetings of the lodges. It was generally conceded that the desired end could be attained by awakening the interest of the brethren in the traditions, history, philosophy and symbolism of the Craft, an ample field for study and research. The first active step by Grand Lodge followed the declaration by M.W. Bro. the Honourable John S. Martin in 1929 that he was convinced that the time had come when something more definite and constructive should be accomplished in the line of Masonic education. The Committee upon his Address cordially endorsed the proposal of the Grand Master to “appoint a strong committee for the careful consideration of the whole many-sided ques- tion of Masonic Education.” His successor, M.W. Bro. Dargavel, accordingly appointed a committee and wisely named R.W. Bro. W. j. Dunlop as chairman. At the next annual meeting the committee reported progress and asked for more time to consider details before making specific recommendations. After making a thorough sur- vey of schemes of Masonic education in operation throughout the English speaking world, the committee in 1931 presented a comprehensive report outlining in detail a systematic course of instruction which was received and adopted by Grand Lodge. The main features of the plan were that Masonic education must be under the immediate direction and control of Grand Lodge; that the committee have charge of the preparation of a curriculum; that the material presented be the most elementary sort; that lodges be encouraged to promote Masonic education within themselves; and that Past Masters’ Associations throughout the jurisdiction be asked to make the promotion of the scheme one of their most important duties. R.W. Bro. Dunlop was retained as chairman of the committee until his election as Deputy Grand Master in 1935 but his interest in the cause was in no way diminished by reason of his retirement from the position; but on the contrary, he took full advantage of the enlarged opportunities for encouraging the brethren in adopting the system recommended. Considerable difficulty was experienced in selecting capable instructors who could devote the time necessary in the preparation and delivery of addresses. It was also found that, in many districts, there were no Past Masters’ Associations, although it was recognized that they were the proper bodies to assume control of the work in their respective districts under the direction of the central committee. These difficulties were not deemed insurmountable and there was a confident feeling that they would soon be overcome. Instructive and diversified papers, broad in their scope, were available and the committee supplied the sub-committees with valuable sugges- tions and topics for study and discussion. Most satisfactory progress was made and the Grand Master voiced the general opinion of the Craft when summing up the situation in 1938, he said, “Good work has been done and the prospects for better work are bright”; and in touching upon the same subject in 1939 he was able to report a year of progress and sustained effort. So far as the writer has been able to learn, M.W. Bro. Dunlop was the first Grand Master to exercise his preroga- tive of making a Mason “at sight,” that is to confer all three degrees without the usual preliminaries and previous probation. The candidate for this unique and singular ceremony was the Honourable and Reverend H. J. Cody,

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M.A., D.O., LL.D., President of the University of Toronto, who for many years had evinced a deep interest in our Order and was frequently chosen as the guest speaker at gatherings of Masons. Soon after this, the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania followed M.W. Bro. Dunlop’s example and by him the distinguished Presi- dent of Temple University was made a Mason “at sight.” At the Annual Communication held in Toronto in 1939 the registration recorded 2,921 brethren in attendance, the largest in the history of Grand Lodge. In his valedictory address the Grand Master expressed in unmistakable language his views upon the duties of a Mason in respect to church attendance: “Religion is a normal function of a healthy-minded human being. Sectari- anism and the discussion thereof have no place in Masonry but true religion is vital to every Mason. Our Order is the handmaid of the Church. For our own sake, for the safety of the next generation, for the welfare of the world, each Mason should do his share towards making effective the work of our churches.” The closing days of M.W. Bro. Dunlop’s term of office were signalized by another happy event which strength- ened that tie which, in preceding years, had bound us so closely to our brethren of the Motherland. While our Grand Lodge was in session in Toronto M.W. Bros. R. B. Dargavel and F. A. Copus, the official representatives of our jurisdiction, were the honoured guests in London of the United Grand Lodge of England upon the occasion of the installation of H.R.H, The Duke of Kent, as Grand Master of the Mother Grand Lodge of the World. This sub- lime ceremony was of exceptional interest to all Canadian brethren as it was performed by the Most Worshipful Past Grand Master, our beloved Sovereign, King George VI, just a few weeks after his return from his triumphal tour of our country. M. W. Bro. Dunlop travelled probably a good deal more than did his predecessors. He spent two weeks in North- western Ontario and a week in Northern Ontario; he visited the Annual Communi¬cations of the Grand Lodges of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba and was made an Honorary Past Grand Master of each of them; no Masonic District in Ontario was overlooked. As time went on, the committee appointed to supervise the ritual passed out of existence and it became a tradi- tion that all rituals and ceremonies were the special care of the “Grand East.” an in formal group composed of the Grand Master, the Past Grand Masters, the Deputy Grand Master, and the Grand Secretary. Because Grand Masters were being deluged with questions, orally and in writing, M. W . Bro. Dunlop recommended, in his final address, the appointment of a Custodian of the Work. Grand Lodge adopted his recommendation and the Board of General Purposes appointed him Custodian. The duties attached to this new office were the instruction of the District Deputy Grand Masters and the answering of questions, there being always an appeal through the Grand Master to the “Grand East” if the questioner was not satisfied. From the outset, this arrangement worked well. The Grand Secretary, being a barrister and solicitor, answered questions relative to Masonic jurisprudence and the Custodian made decisions regarding controversial points in the ritual. It was at the beginning of this term that a new Grand Secretary was elected. In March, 1937, R. W. Bro. Logan passed on after a rather long illness and M.W. Bro. Anderson asked R.W. Bro. Ewart Gladstone Dixon to act as Grand Secretary for the remaining few months until the Annual Communication of Grand Lodge in July. The young man so chosen was one of the most popular members of Grand Lodge, one who was known throughout the Dominion for his prowess in sport. As an undergraduate in the University of Toronto and after, he had been one of the greatest rugby football players of his time and had excelled in baseball, hockey, basketball and any game to which he devoted his talents. “Reddy” Dixon was known from coast to coast. After graduation from the Univer¬sity, he had commenced his course in Law which was interrupted by the outbreak of in which Major Dixon served with distinction in France and Flanders and was awarded the Military Cross. In Grand Lodge he had been an elected member of the Board of General Purposes and chairman of the Committee on Grievances Chapter 30 Page 142 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop and Appeals. As everyone anticipated, he was elected Grand Secretary by acclamation, whereupon he gave up his law practice and took up his new duties with enthusiastic energy. In the same year he was appointed King’s Counsel. R.W. Bro. Dixon travelled everywhere throughout the jurisdiction and soon was well known in Masonic circles throughout Canada and the United States. He became the best “public relations officer” that any Grand Lodge could ever hope to have.

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CHAPTER XXI

M.W. Bro. John Alexander Dobbie, Grand Master 1939 -1941

For convenience, we may say that the searing years of the depression ended in September of 1939. Those years delivered staggering blows to Freemasonry in Ontario; for during that decade there were 27,836 fewer initiations than during the twenties, there were 11,772 more suspensions and 1,076 more resignations. Little wonder is it that the total membership in the Craft in 1939 stood at 93,842 as against 115,981 in 1929. But we must remember that Masonry in the thirties suffered not only from the shocks of unemployment and depressed wages but also from much that was ill-advised in Masonic policy or lack of policy in the twenties. Over against this staggering numerical loss and consequent severe financial loss there were, happily, other factors revealing themselves in the thirties which inspired well-justified faith and optimism. Beginning with 1936, initiations began to show a heartening increase; suspensions and resignations were showing decreases, and restorations showed a noticeable increase. Let the figures speak for themselves:

Initiations Resignations Suspensions Restorations 1933 1,434 1,507 3,338 192 1934 1.526 1,381 3,051 247 1935 1,547 1,400 3,000 257 1936 1,747 1,260 2.639 312 1937 2,066 1,006 1,941 422 1938 2,046 1,095 1.952 368 1939 1.876 1,013 1,700 288

This altered situation in the late thirties was due in the main to the insistence of District Deputy Grand Masters that lodges curtail their evenings’ programmes, curtail superfluous and irrelevant talk, provide brief and stimulat- ing programmes at the banquet hour, adopt regular and interesting courses of instruction in Masonic ritual. sym- bolism, and history; improve the ventilation of lodge rooms; and above all cease the unpardonably late hours, and take cognizance of the fact that lodges had a duty to perform in relation to every initiated brother. The result was that in July of 1937 R.W. Bro. H. J. Alexander, in reporting to Grand Lodge on the condition of Masonry, could speak in this confident vein: “Your Committee is pleased to report that on every hand there is increasing evidence that Masonry is steadily but surely emerging from the trials of the past few years. We have passed through what has proved to be a real testing time in our common life. The fires have burned fiercely about the pillars of our institution. That they have not suffered a more severe disintegration is undoubtedly due to the soundness of their structure.” As to Masonic education he had these encouraging words: “Masonic Education, which was adopted in our Jurisdiction only a few years ago, has made such progress that it is now acting as a little leaven, leavening the whole mass,

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and the brethren are eagerly availing themselves of their opportunities in this regard as rapidly as the advantages can be offered.” Such, in brief, was the situation in Masonry at the end of the thirties when the holocaust of war again erupted upon a weary world and when R.W. Bro. J. A. Dobbie was elevated to the rank of Grand Master. Our plan now will be to present a brief survey, really a mere cataloguing, of significant events in M.W. Bro. Dobbie’s civic and Masonic career, and then turn to a study of the well-being of Masonry and the contribution of Grand Lodge to that well-being during the years 1939-41. The Grand Master was a graduate of Queen’s Uni- versity, Kingston, in Arts and Medicine. He served with distinction as assistant-superintendent of the Ottawa Civic Hospital in 1927-39 and as superintendent in 1939-42. He was secretary of the Ottawa Medico-Chirurgical Council for many years; an active member of the Scottish Rite since 1933; District Deputy Grand Master of the Ottawa District in 1928-29; member of the Royal Order of Scotland in 1935 and of the Board of General Purposes of Grand Lodge in 1926-32 during which time he was a member of the Committee on Masonic Education; and for three of the five years, its chairman; Deputy Grand Master in 1937-38 and 1938-39. During the last year in which he was Grand Master he suffered a prolonged illness. After his recovery and until his sudden death on January 6, 1945, he continued to identify himself with civic and Masonic affairs, in which connection his most notable con- tribution was the organization of the Masonic Bureau for the City of Ottawa and Westboro. At his funeral in the City of Ottawa, attended by the full Temple choir and over 400 brethren, Rev. Dr. Eakin stated that the words used by M.W. Bro. Dobbie, when presenting the last fifty-year medal in his Mother Lodge, revealed best the ideal and the measure of the man: “Not what I gain, but what I give, measures the worth of this life I live.” His two great characteristics, according to this clergyman and friend, were perfect simplicity and perfect sincerity. Of the two years, in which he served as Grand Master, M.W. Bro. Dobbie was able, because of illness, to give little more than one year to the arduous duties of his office; his visitations and leadership were in the main re- stricted to that first year. During that time he visited Toronto, Bolton, Sarnia, Chatham, Guelph, Hamilton, Ayr, Sundridge, Fort William, Smith’s Falls, Napanee, Oshawa, Ottawa, and St. Thomas. At Sundridge, he dedicated Strong Lodge, No. 423; at Napanee, he presented the 50-year Veteran Jubilee Medal to M .W. Bro. Herrington in Union Lodge; and at Smith’s Falls on St. John’s Day, December 27, he presided as Installing Master in St. Francis Lodge as part of the Lodge’s celebrations of its 100th Anniversary. The significant thing for Masonry, however, during these two years was the promptitude and vigour with which it met the challenge and demands of war. Not long before the 1940 Communication, the Grand Master, on the sug- gestion of M.W. Bro. Copus, sponsored the idea of opening the homes of Ontario Masons to the bombed out and evacuated British children of Masonic parentage. A central Special War Service Committee was set up, consisting of M.W. Bros. R. B. Dargavel, J. A. Rowland, F. A. Copus, and W. J. Dunlop; RW. Bros. H. G. French, N.F.D. Kelly, Dr. T. A. Carson, and E. G. Dixon; W. Bros. Russell Treleaven and C. H. Cunningham, the Deputy Grand Master and the Grand Master. An urgent appeal was made to all Masons in the Grand Jurisdiction to open their homes to Overseas’ children, and a cable was despatched to the British Government offering 1,000 homes for that purpose. This action was formally and unanimouslv approved by resolution in Grand Lodge. In September of 1940, however, the British Government, for various reasons, was unable to accept the offer. At this same time there came a call for help from another quarter, from the wives of English and Scottish Masons who with their children had come to Canada unassisted but who soon found them¬selves in a desperate plight be- cause of their inability to receive financial assistance from their husbands in England and Scotland. This recently formed War Service Committee now undertook to make grants out of Grand Lodge funds so that these unfortu- nate victims of an unkind fate might live in decency and in reasonable comfort. At the same time Grand Lodge considered the advisability of raising by subscription from the Craft at large funds to assist in more general relief

Chapter 31 Page 145 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop work. Interim grants of various amounts were made as follows: $1.000 to the Red Cross; $500 to the Y.M.CA. war work; $200 to the Canadian Legion; $50 to the Greek Relief Fund; and £500 to the Lord Mayor’s Fund. Out of this latter contribution there was born the Grand Lodge British War Relief Fund to meet the urgent needs arising from prolonged and indiscriminate bombings. To this fund the Masons of Ontario contributed by July of 1941 the sum of $114,195.60, a truly magnificent contribution in response to a specific challenge. Masonry had found its soul. With a very real sense of satisfaction was R.W. Bro. C W. Robb able to report to Grand Lodge in these words: “The good seed sown by our predecessors continues to bear gratifying harvest of awak- ened interest in matters Masonic and evidence is not lacking that nearly all the Lodges are conscious of the desirability of a regular course of instruction to supplement the ritualistic part of the ceremonies.” And R. W. Bro. W. C N. Marriott, in reporting on the condition of Masonry, could say with a note of triumph: “It has been said by some brethren that what we needed to stimulate Masonry was a challenge. When the challenge was presented in the form of war service, it was met unfalteringly.”

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CHAPTER XXXII

M.W. Bro. John Alexander McRae, Grand Master 1941 -1943

OR another two years and more, we must view our Ontario Freemasonry against the background of war waged with a crescendo of fury and frightfulness. It is true, nevertheless, that while the war brought with it Fsharpened anxieties, new and embarrassing burdens and inconveniences, it swept away all unemployment, raised wages and replaced the moral depression of the thirties by a moral exhilaration that comes with selfless service and sacrifice. It is thus only that we can understand the seemingly paradoxical statement of the Grand Master in July of 1943: “The Masonic year now closing has been one of prosperous peace and harmony through- out the Jurisdiction,” We can in no other way reconcile the stark and startling contrast: peace and war, harmony and strife, prosperity and wanton destruction. It was unfortunate for Grand Lodge and for Freemasonry that at this time, April 18, 1942, they should have lost one of the greatest of Canadian Freemasons, M.W. Bro. John A. Rowland, the Grand Treasurer. All references to this man seem like superlatives until we know the man, his life, and his achievements. Masonry honoured him with every high office it had to bestow: Grand Master, Grand Treasurer, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite of the Dominion of Canada. He was prominent in his profession of law; he was a leader in business, the treasurer and wise counsellor of his Alma Mater, Victoria University; a member of the Board of the Toronto Hospital for Incurables; an active, and not merely a professing, member of his Church. The tribute of his minister in the Tim¬othy Eaton Memorial Church, Dr. Trevor Davies, is priceless: “He had a fundamental integrity of character, and that furnished a sound basis for the fine graces and qualities of his personality. His exactness, his conscientiousness, his moderation in speech were all expressions of a character which was sound to the core.” His person and his life were a benediction to Freemasonry. We review church reports and on finding increasing memberships and bulging contributions, we at once assume that all is well and flourishing. The same is true with Masonry. There is a body of truth in the inference, although not the whole truth. Anyway neither the Church nor Freemasonry thrive too well in the red. In 1941, Grand Lodge enjoyed its first meagre surplus in ten lean years. In 1942, there was a more substantial surplus of over $7,000; and in 1943, a still more substantial one of at least three times this amount. Grand Lodge assets now stood at $878,706.88. During the depression, contributions to benevolence had made heavy inroads on the capital funds of Grand Lodge, inroads far exceeding the 80 % of the capitation contributions prescribed by the Constitution. In 1940-41 even with the depressing anxieties of war, there came a turn for the better; and Grand Lodge then directed its attention to building up the capital fund to its level of 1934, and eventually to the $1.000,000.00 mark. Such was the policy as set forth by M.W. Bro. W. J. Dunlop, the successor to M .W. Bro. John A. Rowland, as Grand Treasurer. But if the applications for benevolence in the forties showed a marked decline. so also did interest rates, so that the process of recouping the losses of the thirties was slowed considerably.

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The Special War Service Committee, now enlarged to include R W . Bro. C. M. Pitts of Ottawa, continued its policy of the two previous years. although its major effort was directed to the Grand Lodge War Relief Fund, R. W. Bro. T. C. Wardley was now appointed chief organizer for the Fund, and a considerable measure of the suc- cess achieved in the eighteen months that followed was due to the dynamic. unremitting, and efficient work of this man and of the District Organizers whose efforts he inspired. Another $115,000 was raised, making the grand total of subscriptions to the fund. $245,000. In September of 1942, the Grand Secretaries of the Grand Lodges of England and Scotland reported that contributions would no longer be needed. The Battle of Britain had been won, and war from the air was now being carried to the German Fatherland. The $25,000 that still remained as a balance in the British War Relief Fund was retained in a special account to meet the emergencies that might arise in the subsequent days of the war. This greatly improved financial position of Grand Lodge was happily a fairly true index to the condition of Ma- sonry in other respects. For the eleven years ended with December 31. 1941, each year had shown a decline in membership a little more pronounced than the preceding year. The decline in 1941 was the smallest recorded, 444 less than the decline of the previous year. The year 1942 actually showed a small increase of 99; and 1943, an increase of 1,552. It is true that since 1939 there had been quite a marked increase in initiations and quite a marked decrease in resignations and suspensions; but the incidence of deaths had adversely affected the general membership level. Then, too, during 1941-1942 no fewer than 116 received their Fifty-Year Medals and 28 had the distinctions of being Installed Masters for fifty years. In 1942-43 there were issued 130 Fifty-Year Medals and thirteen Past Master’s Medals -just an illustration of the way so many Masons prized their associations in the Craft. It was thus with a degree of modesty and moderation that the Grand Secretary reported in 1943: “The general conclusion to be drawn is that in our Masonic lodges there is a more active interest at work, a keener spirit is being exhibited than perhaps has been shown in some of the years of the depression. “ M. W. Bro. Copus, reporting for R W. Bro. Marriott who was ill, confirmed these encouraging words of the Grand Secretary: “Almost without exception the District Deputy Grand Masters report a satisfactory num- ber of desirable candidates, reductions in outstanding dues, better attendance at lodge meetings, uniformity in the work, and quite satisfactory -in some cases superlative ren- dition of the ritual.” On the other hand, the Grand Master, M.W. Bro. McRae, while noting with satisfaction the great numbers who retained their membership throughout life, the increasing initiations and decreasing suspensions and resignations, still expressed keen concern as to the sufficiency and effectiveness of the efforts made by lodges to rehabilitate those whom the stress of circumstances had forced to relin¬quish membership; concern about the undue num- bers of unaffiliated Masons. those who had moved permanently from the community in which was located their Mother Lodge; concern as to those conditions which militated against thoroughly satisfactory attendance-con- ditions imposed by war, restrictions on oil and rubber, severe burdens of taxation, and shift work in industries; concern over the embarrassment experienced by individual lodges in their dwindling revenues occasioned by the inadequate replacements by new members of those who had taken out life membership; and anxiety that with this flow of new life into Masonry, the Craft might again experience the tragic aftermath of the twenties. That the Craft at this time of writing-ten years later-has not gone through this distressing cycle, is due in gener- ous measure to the fidelity with which the Grand Master performed his duties in these two years and to the two men who served as Chairmen of the Committee on Masonic Education, R. W. Bro. C. W. Robb and R. W. Bro. N. C. Hart. During the year in which R W. Bro. Hart served as Chairman, there came forth from his office a steady Chapter 32 Page 148 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop stream of letters of instruction and guidance and bulletins on Masonic education for the District Deputy Grand Masters and the Supervisors of Masonic Education in individual lodges. His report to Grand Lodge in 1943 is stimulating and suggestive. A summary of the reports received by him from the thirty-five districts is worthy of a place here: 19 Districts had Supervisors of Masonic Education. 14 Districts had District Committees. 282 of the 447 lodges reporting had Educational Committees. 15 District meetings had been held with an average attendance of 767. 58 lodges had a programme at all meetings. 288 lodges had programmes at some meetings. 49 lodges held special educational meetings. 1158 educational meetings in the Grand Jurisdiction were held with an estimated attendance of 37,000. 70 special meetings had an average attendance of over 100. 510 Masons had contributed to Masonic Education programmes. 823 lectures were given and 190 discussions held. 168 lodges had Committees of Instructions for candidates. 74 special meetings for officers of lodges had been held. 8 such lodges of instruction had an average attendance of 35. 16 Districts had held divine service, in addition to those services held by individual lodges. Such was the amazing growth of an idea, to which, eleven years earlier, R. W. Bro. W . J. Dunlop had given his benediction. The influence of this whole work has been most salutary. Of the Grand Master, M. W. Bro. J. A. McRae, we can say with equal truth what Wickham Steed said of King George V, upon his accession to the throne: “No roi faineant.” M.W. Bro. McRae was no Grand Master faineant. On assuming office he set as his first objective the visitation of every district in the Grand Jurisdiction. In the first year, in addition to the half of the district meetings attended, he likewise visited sufficient individual lodges and attended sufficient special ceremonies to bring him into reasonably close contact with twenty-five of the thirty- five districts. In the second year he “finished the job,” no mean performance for the head of a large and vitally important University Department in time of war. Of all these visitations, three are of some special significance: that on June 14, 1942, to the Blue Church Cemetery, three miles west of Prescott, where he unveiled the memo- rial stone over the hitherto unmarked grave of the second Grand Master, M.W. Bro. T. D. Harington; that on July 14, 1942, to the Special Communication of Grand Lodge held at Niagara-on-the-Lake, where in the lodge room of Niagara Lodge, No.2, he unveiled the tablet erected by Grand Lodge “to commemorate the completion of one hundred and fifty years of continuous service of the Brethren of the Niagara District in promoting the interests of the Craft”; and that on the 20th of January, 1943, to St. John’s Lodge, Carleton Place, where he conducted the ceremony of installation as part of their celebration of their 100th Anniversary. Two excerpts from the reports of M. W . Bro. Herrington on the Grand Master’s addresses to Grand Lodge in 1942 and 1943 appraise justly the work of M.W. Bro. McRae in his high office. In 1942 he reported thus:

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“The Grand Master does not appear to have had many leisure hours during the past year. Owing to war conditions the demands upon his time have been increasingly onerous. In addition to his ordinary duties he has had the supervision and direction of research on a war problem. This alone would tax the energy of most men; yet we find that the work that is expected of every Grand Master has. in no way, been neglected. In addition to the daily routine of this high office he has made official visits to nearly half of the Districts in the Jurisdiction, often travelling long distances at great personal inconvenience. Upon all these occasions he has been enthusiastically received and his scholarly addresses have inspired audiences to greater activity in promoting the interests of the Craft.” These were his words in 1943: “It is a fair inference that his inspiring addresses have, in a large measure, contributed to the improved condition of Freemasonry throughout the Province. His insistence that, at every regular meeting of the constituent lodges, some time should be devoted to Ma- sonic Education, was timely and his commendation of the splendid work of the Chair- man of the Committee on Masonic Education was well merited.” The following in brief is M.W. Bro. McRae’s Masonic history: Worshipful Master of Queen’s Lodge, Kingston, in 1926; District Deputy Grand Master for Frontenac in 1930-31; member of the Board of General Purposes of Grand Lodge 1932-38, during which time he was a member of the Committee on Masonic Education for four years, and for three years Chairman of the Committee on the Fraternal Dead; Deputy Grand Master in 1939-40 and 1940-41; and Grand Master in 1941-42 and 1942-43. May “memory hold the door” securely and for long upon this man’s signal contribution to his University, his city, and the Craft; find may the pathways of the future lead into ways of pleasantness and service.

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CHAPTER XXXIII

M.W. Bro. Timothy Clark Wardley, Grand Master 1943 -1945

N the 1943 Proceedings of Grand Lodge. an anonymous biographer introduced M.W. Bro. McRae’s successor in office with these words: I “He brings to his office as Chief Head and Ruler in the Craft. a profound belief in its fun- damental tenets and principles, a marked executive ability gained by a deep understand- ing of human nature. and a sincerity of purpose, apparently nurtured by an early diet of oatmeal porridge and maintained by a belief in the Shorter Catechism.” It may be profitless to enquire how the new Grand Master, M.W. Bro. Timothy Clark Wardley, came by his many estimable qualities, -whether through his parents, his Church, the Masonic Order, or the stern school of competi- tive business-but of one thing we are fully assured, he was eminently worthy of his high office-patently sincere, deeply understanding, alert to new ideas, and singularly zealous and untiring in bringing them to fruition. He soon took up a warning uttered by his predecessors, only with increased sharpness and insistence: “Guard well the portals.” In both his addresses to Grand Lodge, he repeated this warning: “Let us, this time, make certain that there shall be no repetition of former unfortunate experiences which were foretold by Grand Masters a quarter of a century ago when they pleaded for more care and when their plea so often went unheeded.” “Last year I directed your attention, indirectly it is true, to the necessity for careful se- lection of candidates for the privileges of Ancient Freemasonry. The developments of succeeding months made it seem so necessary for me to place this matter more definitely before you that I had a letter sent to every member of the Craft informing all that my concern is that our Masonry may again become too popular and that our members and lodges may by mistaken zeal be too enthusiastic and anxious for members.” The inflow of candidates was undoubtedly high: for 1943, 3,632 initiations, and for 1944, 4,568; but still far short of the flood tide of 1922, 1923, and 1924, when there were 6,271, 5975, 5,471 initiations respectively for those three years. Then too, in 1944, there were only 523 suspensions as against an average of 1,220.7 for the twenties and 2.397.9 for the thirties. There was also a gratifying increase in restorations: 475 for 1943, and 587 for 1944. The membership level in 1944 had reached 96,171. It may well be that all the precautionary measures as well as the warnings were having their salutary effect. For R.W. Bro. Robb, reporting in1944 on the condition of Mason- ry, said that among the new applicants for Freemasonry there was “a preponderance of men of greater maturity and that more and more demitted members and brethren suspended for non-payment of dues were seeking re-in- statement; Bro. Copus, reporting in 1945 for R.W. Bro. Robb who was ill, drew attention to the generally greatly improved attendance at lodge meetings. It would seem that the flow of initiations was not going to degenerate into an assembly line operation,” for wherever districts had appointed Supervisors of Masonic Education and had carried out definite programmes of instruction all such districts and lodges were showing in all respects a healthy and gratifying progress. Once again it is enlightening to study the tabulated report submitted by R.W. Bro. Hart Chapter 33 Page 151 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop on Masonic Education for the year 1945:

Year 1943 1944 1945 Lodges reporting 477 492 569 Masonic Education Committees 282 366 419 Lodge libraries ----- 84 118 Masonic Education-all meetings 58 60 32 Masonic Education-some meetings 288 333 383 Masonic Education-special meeting 49 117 71 Total Masonic meetings 1,158 1,547 1,654 Total Attendance 37,000 63,107 71,952 Lecture type meetings 823 1,202 1,202 Discussion meetings 190 363 333 Committees of Instruction for candidates 168 189 293 Committees of Instruction for Officers 74 120 79

It is observable that almost everywhere throughout the Grand Jurisdiction there was a pronounced approval of this policy of Grand Lodge, and that despite the pressure of initiations there was generally a most gratifying at- tention given to Masonic instruction. So impressed was the Grand Lodge Chairman of Masonic Education with this growing sense of the importance of this phase of Masonry that in 1945 he brought to Grand Lodge these five recommendations: 1. The appointment of a permanent Supervisor of Masonic Education so that there would be more con- tinuity to the programme of work than there could be with a year by year appointed chairman; 2. The outlining of a programme of Masonic Education for a considerable period of time, say five years; 3. The increased encouragement of study and research groups; 4. The extending of facilities of the Grand Lodge Library, particularly by providing a more extensive clipping service, by filing Masonic addresses and listing names of available and accredited speakers within the Grand Jurisdiction; 5. The increasing of the grant to Masonic Education so that members of the Committee could assemble early in the year to discuss problems and formulate plans. We are brought to the inevitable conclusion that with wise and discriminating selection of candidates, with a proper recognition by each lodge of its obligation to its members, and with a well-planned and skillful handling of Masonic education, the whole problem of suspensions, resignations, and demits would in the main solve them- selves.

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Both in 1944 and in 1945 the Grand Master drew the attention of lodges to the matter of lodge finances and fi- nancing. In 1944 he recalled the appointment in 1934 of a committee to enquire into the financial situation of individual lodges. The findings of this committee were that too many lodges were suffering as a result of the extravagance, the improvidence and the bad management that prevailed in the prosperous days of the twenties, suffering particularly from “the improvident life membership plans and the careless use of funds received from such fees.” In 1945, while noting with satisfaction that many constituent lodges were at last putting their houses in order, he regretted that there were still a few who were apparently “taking little heed for tomorrow with respect to the financial operations of their lodges.” Grand Lodge, on the other hand, by means of the greatly increased revenues and by judiciously decreased expenditures, was showing substantial surpluses each year: $31,534.72 for the year ended May 31, 1944; and $34,467.54 for the year ended May 31, 1945. Assets now stood at $927,710.54, of which $460,210.54 was in the Combined Memorial and Semi-Centennial Fund. The policy of paying back into the General Fund what had been withdrawn for benevolence was continuing apace, so that in 1945 Grand Lodge assets stood at the 1934 level. It had taken exactly eleven years to recoup the depletion of the barren years. By 1945 the British War Relief Committee had brought to a close the two main phases of relief work which had called the Committee into being. The grant of $8,462.55 during the year 1943-44 for those families, left stranded in this country without available assistance from the homeland, finally and worthily discharged this self-imposed obligation. The total of remittances to the Grand Lodges of England and Scotland for the bombed-out civilians reached $215,112.50 out of the total subscriptions of $248,492.09. This, too, was an eminently laudable service scrupulously and efficiently rendered. Of the balance of $33,379.59, $30,000 was invested in Victory bonds and $3,379.59 was placed in a special account for special emergencies facing the brethren in England and Scotland. During these two years Grand Lodge likewise made three other grants of significance: $4,000 to the Canadian Red Cross; $500 to the Kamsack Lodge, destroyed in the Saskatchewan cyclone; and $5,000 to what was then the new Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. With the war in Europe ended and the flow of service men homeward ever increasing, the War Service Committee of Grand Lodge turned its attention to a new field of endeavour - the perfecting of plans throughout the Grand Jurisdiction for the rehabilitation of veterans, who were members of the Craft, and to achieve this end by coordinating their efforts with those of the Federal Government. One other phase of Masonic benevolent endeavour, carried on independent of Grand Lodge, though with its generous approval, was that of the voluntary blood donors’ group of Hamilton, a work organized by W. Bro. William Hoyle of Elec- tric Lodge, No. 495, for the purpose of making available, gratis and at short notice, blood transfusions for those who found the costs of such service burdensome or prohibitive. Since 1941 this group had rendered such service silently and effectively; and it probably would have continued without its due of publicity and praise but for the disastrous Moose Hall fire when in one night this group of public spirited Masons supplied on a few minutes’ notice fifty donations of blood to the victims of the fire. Masons need have no qualms of conscience when they view in retrospect all phases of their benevolent endeavours in the war years. Out of these two eventful years in Ontario Freemasonry, there still remain a number of incidents and undertakings of special interest to be considered: there was the assembling of Grand Lodge in 1945 under unique but difficult circumstances; the spontaneous and royally liberal assistance given to a lodge struggling for survival; the launch- ing of the new Grand Lodge Bulletin and the striking of a distinctive medal for meritorious service; there were visitations and rulings of the Grand Master of special importance. After Grand Lodge had completed its usual arrangements for the 1945 Communication in July, the country was informed by the Dominion Government that restrictions were being placed upon hotel accommodation for sum- mer conventions and upon travelling by train in order that arrangements for the handling of returning veterans might be in no way impeded or disrupted. Grand Lodge. however. had commitments that could not be neglected or postponed -grants and expenditures to be approved and senior executive officers to be elected. Nevertheless Chapter 33 Page 153 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop all previous arrangements were cancelled and a new call was sent out on June 27 for a one-day Communication. At the same time the District Deputy Grand Masters of fourteen Districts located some 100 or 150 miles from Toronto (Algoma. Bruce, Chatham, Eastern, Frontenac, Muskoka. Nipissing East, Nipissing West, Ottawa, Sar- nia, St. Lawrence, Temiskaming, Western. and Windsor) were authorized to call District meetings of properly qualified brethren some time prior to July 11 of 1945 for the purpose of electing D.D.G.M.’s for 1945-46. Even with these hastily improvised arrangements. the 1945 Communication of Grand Lodge had eighty per cent of its normal attendance. The emergency of the Penewobikong Lodge, No. 487, at Blind River was Masonry’s perfect answer, unequivocal and affirmative, to the question: Am I my brother’s keeper? This Lodge had been struggling in an unfriendly en- vironment and “under the most trying circumstances to keep the banner of Freemasonry flying in a region remote from the larger centres.”When its need became generally known, the brethren responded promptly and gener- ously. A roof was put on their Masonic home and paid for by one brother; the mortgage of $3.300 was discharged; and an additional sum of $6,315 was on hand for redecorating and other unforeseen emergencies. In 1943 M.W. Bro. McRae presented to Grand Lodge the suggestion of a small bulletin, to be issued gratis and at regular intervals to the brethren through the lodge summons and carrying information of general interest about Masons and Freemasonry in the Grand Jurisdiction. The Committee on the Grand Master’s Address endorsed his recommendation that his successor in office appoint a committee to examine carefully the proposal and report to the next Communication of Grand Lodge. At the meeting of the Board of General Purposes following the close of Grand Lodge in 1944, RW. Bro. Russell W. Treleaven was entrusted with the responsibility of editing this new publication, bearing the title “The Grand Lodge Bulletin” and carrying “Masonic news and information of general interest to the Craft.” It was published in September. January, and June, and met with warm approval throughout our own jurisdiction and with lively interest in many other Grand Jurisdictions. At the Annual Communication of Grand Lodge in 1944, in his address to Grand Lodge, the Grand Master •brought forward the suggestion of a special medal for distinguished Masonic service. The Committee appointed to con- sider this recommendation consisted of M.W. Bros. R B. Dargavel, F. A. Copus, T. C. Wardley; RW. Bros. C. S. Hamilton. E. G. Dixon. J. A. Hearn, C. M. Pitts with M.W. Bro. W. J. Dunlop as Chairman. The Committee brought in its report in 1945. Of its recommendations we may note these features: “that this Medal is to be re- garded by the Masons of this Grand Jurisdiction as is the Victoria Cross by members of the Armed Forces of the British Commonwealth of Nations; that the Mason to whom this Medal is awarded will be known as one whom his brethren have delighted to honour; and that the wearer of this Medal will be one who has fully earned the esteem and the respect of his brethren for good work well done.” The Medal was to be known as the “William Mercer Wilson Medal” and must be awarded only to one who has no “possible chance of becoming a Worshipful Master or Past Master,” but who nonetheless renders service far beyond the call of duty. The Award Committee would consist of three Past Grand Masters appointed by the Board of General Purposes and their decision in every case would be final. M .W. Bro. Wardley was quite as zealous and as conscientious as his predecessor in his visitations: seventeen districts in his first year, and the remainder in the second year. These four visitations are of special interest: the Special Communication of Grand Lodge at Ancient St. John’s Lodge, No.3, at Kingston. on the 5th of October, 1944, to commemorate the Sesqui-Centennial of that historic Lodge, where the Grand Master unveiled the tablet which bears this inscription: “This tablet is erected by the Grand Lodge AF. & A.M. of Canada, in the Province of On- tario, in grateful recognition of the valuable service rendered by the Ancient St. John’s Lodge, No.3, to Freemasonry during a critical period in the early history of the Craft in

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Upper Canada.” The visit to Acacia Lodge, No. 61, in Hamilton where at a special Grand Lodge Night the guest speaker was the Grand Master of New York State, M.W. Bro. Charles Froessel; that to St. John’s Lodge, No. 35, Cayuga, on March IS, 1945; and to Maitland Lodge, No. 33, Goderich, on June 6, 1945, where in each case the One Hundredth An- niversary was being observed. During his two years in office, there came to the attention of M.W. Bro. Wardley at least three instances of orga- nizations, other than the Masonic Order, with membership “predicated on Freemasonry,” being invited either to attend a Freemason’s lodge or to confer a degree therein. These were the “Order of DeMolay,” the “Grotto,” and an organization variously known as “The High Twelve Club,” “The High Twelve Club International” and “The High Twelve International.” The Grand Master was of the opinion that much of the adverse criticism of Masonry came as a result “of the actions, administration, etc. of bodies. which, although not controlled by the Craft, are, because of their name and their basis of membership, classed by non-Masons as Masonic.” He, therefore, applied to all such organizations the ruling adopted by Grand Lodge in 1922 and “so clearly and concisely outlined” by M.W. Bro. Dunlop in 1938: “That as regards any organization, lodge or society unaffiliated with, or recognized by Masonry in our jurisdiction, it shall be and is hereby declared to be improper and unlaw- ful for any Freemason under the jurisdiction of this Grand Lodge, to become a member in such organization, lodge or society. if membership in the Craft is in any way or to any extent a prerequisite of membership therein, unless such organization has received and continues to possess the express recognition and approval of the Grand Lodge.” The story of M.W. Bro. Wardley’s Masonic affiliations and honours may be briefly told: 1922 Worshipful Master of Irvine Lodge, No. 203, Elora. 1927-28 D.D.G.M. of Wellington District. 1931 Elected to the Board of General Purposes of Grand Lodge. 1934-41 Chairman of the Committee on Benevolence in Grand Lodge. 1941 -43 Deputy Grand Master and Organizer of the British War Relief Fund. 1943-45 Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario. Likewise a member of the Moore Consistory. 32o A. & A. S. R. and of Guelph Chapter, No. 40, R. A. M. It might be fitting to conclude this survey of M .\V. Bro. Wardley’s tenure of office by quoting in part his tribute to a late Past Grand Master, M. W. Bro. J A . Dobbie, simply because it throws a white light upon other aspects of his life and character not yet observed -his graciousness and his capacity for warm and enduring friendship: “...... from my first acquaintance with him, we were drawn together and became fast friends. Perhaps I was fortunate in being one of those who had the opportunity of know- ing and understanding him, for behind the natural reserve of the man, I found a kindly and understanding heart, a great love of the Craft and an unsurpassed loyalty to his friends.”

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CHAPTER XXXIV

M.W. Bro. Charles Stanton Hamilton, Grand Master 1945 -1947

OR the past six years, we have been viewing Masonry in Ontario against the background of war. On May 7, 1945, the German collapse was complete and unconditional; and on September 4, 1945, Japan made Fher formal capitulation. From this time on, we shall view our Masonry against a background of slow and painful social, political, and industrial readjustment, against a background of peace, an uneasy peace, and often a mere mockery of peace. M.W. Bro. C. S. Hamilton, in his address to Grand Lodge in 1946, one year after his elevation to the office of Grand Master, drew a picture of our times in no way overdrawn or extravagant: “Will this civilization survive? It would seem as if the world were being driven by in- scrutable powers over the precipice to destruction. Never did mankind have so much natural power in his control. We are truly living in the Atomic Age, and every place you look you can see power. There is the Power of the Home -out of which ought to stream the greatest force in the world, Love. Instead we see hunger, juvenile delinquency, and divorce. There is the Power of Sport -out of which ought to stream laughter and fair play. But, instead, we have seen Sport so commercialized that the main purpose of it has been lost. There is the Power of Education -out of which ought to stream light and a wider fellowship. Even here there is much to be desired in the results achieved. There is the Power of Industry. Masonry calls us to labour and the happy stream of content- ment ought to flow from this Power, but it is tragic what we see in the ranks of labour and capital to-day. There is the Power of Government -a government ought to be ‘of the people, for the people, by the people’-that is the great democratic end toward which we press; and yet, even here what corrupt practices and selfishness are observed. Then there is also the Power of the Church -out of which ought to stream a great spiritual light, showing us the way to God, and everyone will agree that even in the Church, a revival of religion is needed.” So we shall see Masonry in a period of transition, in a period of bafflement and bewilderment. Strangely, however, to the superficial observer at least, all was well with Freemasonry in the years immediately following the war. There were swelling numbers of candidates and abundantly replenished treasuries. The table below will show the rapidly growing numerical strength: For the year ended December 31, 1945 December 31, 1946 Initiated 4862 (284 inc. ) 6,244 (1,382 inc.) Suspended 393 (130 dec. 393 Affiliated 755 (42 inc. ) 892 (173 inc) Reinstated 584 499 Membership 99,509 (3,238inc.) 104,400 (4,891 inc. )

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The Grand Treasurer reported a surplus of receipts over expenditures for the General and Memorial Funds of $37,382.19 for the year ended May 31, 1946; and of $40,039.11 for the year ended May 31, 1947. The Grand Lodge assets for the latter year stood at $1,047,125.99, an increase of $40,619.11 over the previous year; it was “financially an excellent year -the best in its long history.” Lest we become vainglorious, let us examine the distribution of these initiations during these two years ended December 3 I, 1945 and December 31, 1946:

Number of Lodges Candidates December 31 December 31 Initiated 1945 1946 Zero 15 6 1-5 215 185 6-10 166 158 11-15 99 82 16-20 41 64 21-25 15 36 26-30 12 17 31-35 5 11 36-40 1 7 41-45 --- 2 46-50 --- 2 5 I-55 --- 1 569 571 In both years it will be seen that close to 150 lodges were cruelly overworked; that initiating. Passing and raising had become, as in the twenties, a factory process; that ceremonial dignity, impressiveness, and intelligent interpre- tation of ritual must have been reduced near to the minimum. Little wonder that in the supreme urgency to keep abreast of the piled-up work, there was at least one case of such flagrant violation of the Constitution as to draw from the Grand Master a severe censure. On the other hand, the Committee on the Condition of Masonry made these buoyantly cheerful reports to Grand Lodge: “There is a marked similarity in this year’s reports comparable with that of the reports of a year ago in that all reflect growth, good growth, in body and spirit. Material develop- ment has been matched by a wider interest in those attributes that essentially are of the spirit. All the District Deputies comment on the excellence of the work exemplified by the officers of all the lodges within their various jurisdictions.” (1946) “The note of optimism is sounded everywhere. Peace, prosperity, and progress is evi-

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denced in every part of the jurisdiction.” (1947) ‘The quality of the Candidates during the year receives great praise from many District Reports.” (1947) We might not impertinently ask, “How many D.D.G.M.’s witnessed this initiating, passing and raising in mass formation during their inspections?” And yet, one night excepted, this must have been the procedure for some 150 lodges for every regular and emergent meeting, and indeed for many special meetings with special dispensa- tions. Of course, there may have been some compensating factors; it may well be that the selection of candidates was more exacting; it may well be that more attention was being given to a more personal interest in the joining member; for the situation in 1946 and 1947 provides a striking contrast to the situation in 1926 and 1927, the hey- day of Masonry in the twenties. December 31 December 31 1926 1946 1927 1947 Affiliations 1511 892 1110 1115 Suspensions 1477 393 1592 385 Restorations 307 499 329 449 Resignations 1342 608 1183 763

In the forties we see a marked improvement in the matter of restorations; we see suspensions reduced by almost seventy-five per cent and resignations reduced by about fifty per cent. So much, so good. Let us see how Masonic education fitted into the picture. In 1946, R.W. Bro. Nelson Hart reported to Grand Lodge: “Neither all the Districts nor lodges have sent in reports, but, the majority have. A few lodge secretaries have excused themselves from reporting because of lack of time to complete reports. Your Committee might question the validity of such an excuse, and suggest a lack of interest instead.” The fact was that over 150 lodges were altogether too busy conferring degrees to provide the necessary time for Masonic education. For 1946, therefore, there were fewer lodges and districts reporting than previously, and there was “a loss in attendance at all types of educational meetings.” Yet despite that disappointing fact, the Chairman concluded his 1946 Report on a hopeful and confident chord: “The foundations are being well and carefully laid and there are indications that the membership of this Grand Jurisdiction will soon consist of better informed Masons.” In 1947 the Chairman reported that over one-third of all the lodges failed to report to the D.D.G.M. that only twenty-four devoted some time to Masonic education at each regular meeting, that only one-half of the districts had Committees on Masonic Education. As opposed to that, in those lodges where conferring degrees was not a factory process, Masonic education had struck its roots deep and the Chairman noted: “Where comparative figures have been submitted it is interesting to note that the aver- age attendance at meetings where there is some Masonic Education is approximately 20 members higher than at other meetings.”

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We may well ask whether this is or is not the price inevitably to be paid for these periodic blossoming phases in Masonry. Seemingly fearful that it was the price to be paid and hopeful of offsetting the loss to candidates in these overworked lodges and of providing them with some opportunity for Masonic self-education, Grand Lodge organized Committees under the Chairmanship of M.W. Bro. W. J. Dunlop to prepare booklets on each of the three degrees to be given to candidates when initiated, passed, and raised; and for those lodges that were wisely fulfilling a duty, a Manual for Instructors for all three degrees was now to be provided. During the two years ended with July of J 947, two new lodges were formed. Corinthian Lodge. on a petition signed by 42 members, 30 of whom were members of Doric Lodge. No. 623, Kirkland Lake, was duly instituted by R. W. Bro. F. H. Longmorre, D.D.G.M., June 26, 1946. In Sudbury, by the unanimous approval of Nickel Lodge, No. 427, Sudbury Lodge, No. 658, was instituted by R.W. Bro. C. O. Maddock” D.D.G.M. of Nipissing West District, on March 31, 1947. Likewise during these two years, a number of lodges either had special celebrations for longevity or had Grand Lodge approval for such eventual celebrations. Durham Lodge, No. 66, at New¬castle, observed its Centennial Anniversary on March 11, 1946; Mt. Zion Lodge, No. 28, Kemptville, celebrated the Hundredth Anniversary of its natal day on October 24, J 945, on which occasion the late G . , former Premier of On- tario and Canadian High Commissioner to London, was present and received his Veteran Jubilee Medal. Barton Lodge, No. 6, Hamilton, observed its Sesqui-Centennial Anniversary on November 4, 1945. Three other lodges had their claims to wear the gold-trimmed regalia investigated and approved: the Lodge of Strict Observance, No. 27. of Hamilton, effective September 21, 1947; Ionic Lodge, No. 25, Toronto, effective July 6, 1947; and King Solomon’s Lodge, No. 22, Toronto, effective June 24, 1947. The Lodge of Strict Observance had its first meeting on September 21. 1847, by authority of a warrant or dispensation granted by Sir Allan McNab, Provincial Grand Master on the registry of the Grand Lodge of England. This was one of the founding lodges of Grand Lodge. Ionic Lodge, likewise, came into being on dispensation authorized by Sir Allan McNab “acting under the grace of the Earl of Zetland, G.M. of the Ancient and Honourable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of England.” The original charter of King Solomon’s Lodge was granted by the Grand Lodge of Ireland and was originally num- bered 222. The Canadian charter was granted by M.W. Bro. W. M. Wilson on February 3. 1856, and the Lodge was renumbered 16. This Lodge has had the unique distinction of contributing three Grand Masters: M.W. Bro. John Ross Robertson and M.W. Bro. Daniel Spry, both initiated into King Solomon’s Lodge; and M.W. Bro. Au- brey White, an affiliated member. The first awards of the William Mercer Wilson Medal for Meritorious Service were made in 1946. The honour of priority went to Bro. Dr. David A. Moir, the 93-year old Masonic veteran and active Chaplain of Acacia Lodge, No. 61, Hamilton. The others to receive the award were: Bros. A. W. Cathcart, Ancient 5t. John’s Lodge, No.3, Kingston; E. J. Clark, Kenogamisis, No. 656, Geraldton ; E. H. Dearden, General Mercer, No. 5 48, Toronto; A. E. Gregory, Faithful Brethren, No. 77, Lindsay; T. J. MacFarlane, Doric, No. 316, Toronto; R A. MacGillvary, Twin City, No. 509, Kitchener; Maurice Mentel, Mount Sinai, No. 522, Toronto. In 1947 there were these recipients: Bros. Peter Fisher, Grand River, No. 151, Kitchener; Robert G. Douglas, Chaudiere, No. 264. Ottawa; R H. Parr, Stamford, No. 626, Stamford Centre. During M.W. Bro. Hamilton’s term of office, there were four matters to which special attention might well be drawn. Grand Masters in the past have frequently admonished constituent lodges with respect to lodge finances and particularly with respect to the lavish granting of life memberships. M.W. Bro. Hamilton probably went one step further when he recommended “that a sound schedule of fees, based on actuarial computation, should be printed and distributed to all lodges for their guidance, and that fees received by lodges for life membership should be set aside in a separate fund to be drawn upon in accordance with the schedule.”

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The War Relief Fund, we have already seen, had been closed out. This Fund had rendered a proud service. The need in England and Scotland, even in the days of peace, remained; there were destitution and suffering crying for relief. On the recommendation of the Grand Master, a Committee was organized under the chairmanship of RW. Bro. J. P. Maher and consisting of M.W. Bros. R. B. Dargavel, F. A. Copus, W. J. Dunlop, T. C. Wardley; RW. Bros. T. H. Simpson, J. A. Hearn, G. F. Clark, E. G. Dixon, and W. Bro. Norman C. Urquhart to endeavour to bring some measure of relief to the suffering Masonic brethren in England and Scotland; it was proposed to send to those Masonic families in distress 600 boxes of food per month from September 1, 1947 to August 31, 1948, at a cost of $8.00 per box including the cost of shipment. The full story of this venture in Masonic benevolence will be told later. During the depression and the war, when materials were scarce, regalia of all sorts had suffered much both in qual- ity of material and in workmanship; indeed variations in design had crept in almost unobserved. In 1944, on the recommendation of M.W. Bro. T. C. Wardley, a committee had been set up under the Chairmanship of R. W. Bro. J. P. Maher to make a thorough investigation of regalia both for Grand Lodge and for the constituent lodges and to report to the next Annual Communication of Grand Lodge. In 1945 and 1946 two interim reports were made. In 1947 a complete and exhaustive report was presented; and the implementing of that report, fully recorded in the Proceedings of Grand Lodge for 1947, should go far to improve the quality and appearance of regalia and to standardize the Masonic clothing and regalia for all ranks and officers in Craft Lodges and in Grand Lodge. In July of 1946, the Grand Master had recommended that efforts be directed toward a Dominion-wide confer- ence of Masons with a view to “bringing about a better understanding among the Provinces of the Dominion.” In September of 1946, he attended the Western Jurisdiction Conference at Banff in company with M.W. Bro. R B. Dargavel and R W. Bro. E. G . Dixon. His proposal at this Conference for an all Canadian Conference was warmly received and adopted. In October, in company with R. W. Bros. T. H. Simpson and E. G. Dixon he attended a Conference of the Eastern Canadian Jurisdictions in Moncton, N.B. Once again his proposal for a Conference of representatives of all jurisdictions in Canada at some central point was adopted. Then, on February 24 and 25, 1947, a “get-together” was convened at the Seigniory Club at Montebello in Quebec Province, with representa- tives from the nine Canadian jurisdictions present. The Ontario delegates were M.W. Bro. R B. Dargavel, M.W. Bro. W. J. Dunlop, R. W. Bro. T. H. Simpson, R.W. Bro. E. G. Dixon, and the Grand Master. Here it was decided that the first Conference should be held in 1949; that each Grand Lodge and District Grand Lodge should have three voting delegates; that the cost should be defrayed on a per capita basis; that additional representatives might attend at their own expense; and that M.W. Bro. Arthur Cumming of Alberta should be the Chairman of the first Conference. This initiating of Biennial All-Canada Conferences of Masons was a significant step in Canadian Freemasonry. The 1947 Report of the Committee on the Grand Master’s Address dwelt on it at some length; and that report provides a very fitting commentary on the contribution of M. W. Bro. C. S. Hamilton to the cause of Freemasonry during his term as Grand Master: “Our Grand Master will always be remembered for the remarkable contribution he has made to Canadian unity, to mutual Masonic understanding throughout the Dominion. Never before in our long history have representatives been brought to sit around the same table to discuss common problems and to become thoroughly acquainted with one another. At the all-Canadian ‘get together’ which our Grand Master organized and over which he presided so capably, there was not the slightest suggestion (but quite the contrary) that anyone Grand Lodge might be the dominant power in Freemasonry. Over and over again, at that meeting, our Grand Master explained that the sole purpose was

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the development of unity, of understanding, of mutual defence and support. . . . For this achievement, his notable contribution our Order in Canada, your Committee unreserv- edly and enthusiastically commends him.”

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CHAPTER XXXV

M.W. Bro. Thomas Hamilton Simpson, Grand Master 1947 -1949

HERE were two significant features about M.W. Bro. Thomas Hamilton Simpson’s elevation to the office of Grand Master: he was the third Grand Master to be elected from Acacia Lodge, No.61, Hamilton, all of Twhom had been initiated in the lodge; and he had been elected without interruption a member of the Board of General Purposes from 1936 till 1945, when he became Deputy Grand Master. We might say that his two years in office suffered from the same two disabilities as did those of his predecessor: there was the same social and industrial unrest linked with international problems of the gravest and most per- plexing sort; and there was the same inordinate inflow of candidates into Masonry. Both occasioned the Grand Master deep concern. It was the former which held first place in his thoughts in his first address to Grand Lodge as Grand Master in 1948: “The feeling must come to us that Freemasonry can be of help in solving these problems. Our own Grand Lodge, with its membership of over 109,000 men from all walks of life, together with the thousands of other members of the Craft in Canada and elsewhere, surely can exert a tremendous influence for good in this troubled world. We have no thought of political domination, nor do we interest ourselves in obtaining religious su- premacy. But we do seek to awaken and direct the conscience and develop the character of those having membership in the Craft. If we can accomplish this and transmit that influence and spirit to those with whom we have daily contact, then truth, honour, and justice are bound to become the dominating influences throughout the world.” In 1949 he set forth in sharpest contrast the repression inherent in authoritarian and totalitarian systems and the expansive freedom inherent in the democratic state, a freedom which is the breath of life to Freemasonry: “In a world where to many millions the right of free assembly without let or hindrance is denied, through the goodness of God and His Divine Providence the privilege is still ours of meeting in another session of Grand Lodge to confer together and to consider matters that pertain to the welfare of our beloved fraternity.” With respect to the heavy influx of new members into Masonry he made this blunt commentary: “Just as others have done before me, I must sound the warning, Guard well the portals. That warning has been sounded time and time again, but in spite of this we find a lodge in this jurisdiction accepting as an applicant for membership and granting initiation to one who has lived in Canada for only about six months.” For the year ended December 31, 1947, there were 6,139 initiations, just 132 short of the all time high of the twen- ties; and for 1948, 5,620. The distribution of these initiations for these two years appears as follows: Number of Lodges Initiations December 1947 December 1948 Zero 6 9 1-5 160 188

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6-10 168 172 11-15 116 97 16-20 51 49 21-25 34 29 26-30 17 15 31-35 13 6 36-40 4 6 41-45 1 1 46-50 1 --- totals 571 572 Numerically this inflow of candidates must have been gratifying to the treasuries of lodges. But it is patently obvi- ous that there was far too heavy a concentration of initiations in those last eight categories, too heavy when you take into consideration the importance of maintaining dignity and impressiveness in our ceremonies, and when you consider the lost opportunities for inculcating Masonic principles and teaching Masonic history and tradi- tion. It may be true, but is still highly dangerous to assume it, that this great influx into Masonry was due to the fact that men were groping for the light of some assured philosophy or way of life. What is true is that in lodges where initiations were unduly high, there, too, resignations and suspensions were disproportionately numerous. The table below points that fact plainly enough: Year ended Dec 31 Lodges with 15 or No. of resignations No. of Suspensions More initiations 1946 151 (26.5%) 286 (42.8%) 192 (51.4% 1947 136 (23.8%) 258 (33.8%) 156 (40.5%) 1948 115 (20.0%) 203 (27.7%) 188 (35.1%) As has been stated previously, these heavy inundations of candidates, making of necessity such heavy demands upon the lime of lodges for even imperfect and undignified ceremonies, defeated the very agencies which were at hand to make Masonry intelligible and meaningful, and to consolidate the numerical strength. Hence the regret- table wastage through resignations and suspensions. The Reports of the Chairman on Masonic Education during the three Masonic years, 1947, 1948, and 1949, the last three years, by the way, in which RW. Bro. Nelson Hart adorned that office, stir in one very mingled feelings: on the one hand, admiration for superb work superbly done; and on the other hand, sympathy because the im- mediate results seemed in no way commensurate with the labours expended; and likewise, feelings of resentment that many individuals and lodges could have failed so conspicuously to accept and meet the challenge presented. Witness these deliciously juvenile bits of harsh criticism: “Quite frankly, I found much adverse comment on the necessity of compiling exhaustive statistical reports on Education, and I feel the cause of Masonic Education would be well served if these reports could be simplified by eliminating all questions which have no direct bearing on Education.” “Why did not those who are promoting Masonic Education and those who want it get Chapter 35 Page 163 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

together and have special meetings for this purpose? Many people resent being educated against their will while the seeker after learning must be accommodated.” It is worth while reproducing the tabulated results of this Masonic Education endeavour over the past three years and more: DISTRICTS average for 5 years 1947 1948 1949 Reporting 30 34 29 30 Supervisors 24 29 22 23 M.E. committees 17 21 12 15 District Libraries 8 8 8 8 P.M. associations 23 24 24 22 Dist. M.W. meetings 46 76 32 21 Attendance 3404 4383 1787 2448 Special meetings 82 87 46 74 Attendance 12550 10340 6545 8903 District Divine Service 24 37 28 49 Attendance ------7507 6440

LODGES Reporting 430 360 292 309 M.E. committees 393 407 292 309 Lodge libraries 99 61 61 --- M.E. all meetings 43 24 24 --- M.E. some meetings 76 77 93 160 Total Attendance 53601 41474 77463 60352 Lecture type meeting 1055 929 785 739 Discussion type meeting 332 400 476 427 Members participating 1189 1601 1389 1232 Lodge Divine service 321 307 245 250 Visits in District 410 364 1039 559 Visits out of District 126 152 121 145 Visits to other Jurisdictions 39 36 45 45 Visits from other Jurisdict. 29 38 48 42

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From these tabulated facts, the Committee Chairman drew this conclusion: A study of this summary (1948) reveals the discouraging feature: that few supervisors for Masonic Education have been appointed; that there is a decrease in District meetings; that fewer District meetings for Masonic Edu- cation were held; that only fifty per cent of the lodges sent reports to the District Deputy Grand Master; and that in only a few lodges there is some educational work at all regular meetings.” “It might be noted that lodges, which reported, held 3,940 regular meetings and 3,100 emergent meetings and that there was an effort in the interests of education in 1,340. This seems to emphasize the fact that most of the time is devoted to the conferring of degrees and that the lodges are not convinced that something more should be done.” Nevertheless when we examine the numbers of initiations, resignations, and suspensions in the twenties and in the forties, we are at once struck by the marked cut in the number of resignations and suspensions in the forties. Below is the average number of annual initiations, resignations, and suspensions for the ten years of the twenties and of the forties: Initiations Resignations Suspensions the 1920’s 4,764.6 1113.8 1,220.7 the 1940’s 4,330. 4733.1 586.8 How are we to account for the heartening difference? In only three ways, I think: the more careful guarding of the portals; the livelier sense of the lodge’s obligation to the joining brother; and the mighty efforts of the Committee on Masonic Education “to increase the number of well-informed members of lodges in this Grand Jurisdiction... “At the price of appearing prolix, we must refer to two other topics which come with- in the ambit of Masonic education: the distribution of the Masonic booklets and the Manual, and the death of R.W. Bro. C. W. Robb. The five booklets prepared by the Committee under the Chairmanship of M.W. Bro. W. J. Dunlop, “For the Information of a Prospective Candidate,” “For the Use of the Entered Apprentice.” “For the Use of the Fellowcraft,.. “For the Use of the Master Mason” and the “Manual for Instructors and Students” came into circulation in 1948. The booklets soon justified themselves as means of “enlightening and stimulating interest” and the Manual soon proved a mine of information for the seeker. In 1949 R. W. Bro. Hart paid his tribute to his predecessors, leaving to others the assessment of his own splendid pioneering efforts: “Your Committee regretfully reports the death of R.W. Bro. Charles W. Robb, the im- mediate Past Chairman of the Committee. M.W. Bro. W. J. Dunlop was responsible for the introduction of the Masonic Education programme in the Grand Jurisdiction. The late R. W. Bro. Robb consolidated the plans and established methods of treatment. He made extensive study of educational methods in other Grand Jurisdictions and compiled an exhaustive summary which has proven of inestimable assistance to his successors. To him may be largely attributed the gradual increased interest in and enthusiastic reception of, the efforts of your Committee.” If the flood tide of initiations in the later years of the forties brought some measure of disappointment to RW. Bro. Hart in his work of Masonic education, they proved showers of blessing to the Grand Treasurer who continued to chalk up handsome annual surpluses: $31,187.13 for the year ended May 31, 1948; and $20,609.86 for the year ended May 31, 1949, with Grand Lodge assets at the end of the forties standing at $1,098,922.98 and with the

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Grand Treasurer levelling his sights on a more distant target of a million and a quarter so that in some unexpected eventuality Grand Lodge might “be able to help where help was needed.” Grants to benevolence in 1948 amount- ed to $77,740.00 ($66,915.00 from the General Fund and $10,825.00 from the Memorial Fund); and in 1949, to $80,491.00 ($68,821.00 from the General Fund and $11,670.00 from the Memorial Fund). The marked increase in the demands upon the Benevolent Fund was due in part to the increased costs of services rendered, in part to an increase in the number of applicants for relief, and in part to special emergencies arising during these two years. No sooner had Grand Lodge reached its decision to transmit food parcels to needy Masonic brethren in England and Scotland than the wheels began to move. Shipments were made and paid for by Grand Lodge even during July and August of 1947. Then, Grand Lodge decided to appeal to all constituent lodges for funds, and beginning with September 1, a minimum of 500 parcels per month was set. The prompt and generous response of the brethren soon increased the 500 to 600, then to 900, and by January of 1948, to 1,200 parcels* *Each parcel transshipped to the contained the following : 1 pkg. Ogilvie Tea Biscuit 1 Tin Chicken 1 pkg. Complete Pie Mix 1 Tin Savoy Custard Powder ½ lb. Tea 1 lb. Sugar 1 lb. Shortening 1 lb. Raisins 1 lb. Tin of Ham 1 Tin Meat Balls 1 Tin Steak and Onions 1 Tin Salmon 1 Tin Hard Candy 1 pkg. Cake Icing 1 Tin Plums 1 pkg. Chocolate Cake Mix 1 Tin Peanuts of twenty pounds each or twelve tons of food per month. Masonic brethren in Ireland were now included, for it was found that the need there was equally great. By July 12, 1948, instead of the $50,000 asked for, $121,362.85 was contributed; and by July 31,1949, $121,718.93. This was a splendid piece of work by the brethren of the Grand Jurisdiction and by the Committee headed by R. W. Bro. James P. Maher, an exceptionally able organizer, as Chairman. The Grand Secretary of the United Grand Lodge of England, R. W. Bro. Sydney A. White, com- mended this service of benevolence in these words: “You cannot imagine the happiness your gifts bring, and think there is not a Masonic area in England where the generosity of our brethren overseas has not been experienced and talked about with enthusiasm and gratitude.” The All-Canadian Conference, initiated by M .W. Bro. C. S. Hamilton and formally approved of by resolution at a meeting of representatives of all Grand Lodges in Canada and the two District Grand Lodges in Newfoundland, met for the first time in Toronto on February 28 and March 1 and 2 of 1949. The Conference of Grand Masters of North America, held annually in Washington, D.C., was represented by the Grand Master of Michigan, M.W. Bro. Hazen P. Cole. Here in perfect harmony matters of interest to Masonry in Canada and to the Craft in general were discussed. The next Conference was arranged for 1951 in the city of Winnipeg. A number of new lodges came into being during these two years: Corinthian Lodge, No. 657, Kirkland Lake, was constituted and consecrated on September 20, 1947, with R W. Bro. Thomas Arnott officiating. At Sudbury Lodge, No. 658, Sudbury, on October 20, 1947, M. W. Bro. R B. Dargavel conducted this significant ceremony. Chapter 35 Page 166 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

On October 29, 1948, the Grand Master himself presided at a like ceremony at Equity Lodge. No. 659. at Oril- lia. Three lodges were instituted: Chukuni Lodge. No. 660. at Red Lake. on November 20. 1948. by R. W. Bro. George Cruchy, D.D.G.M.; St. Andrew’s Lodge. No. 661. at St. Catharines, on February 25. 1949. by R. W. Bro. Charles H. Hesburn, D.D.G.M. of Niagara District “A”; and Terrace Bay Lodge. No. 662, Terrace Bay in North- ern Ontario, on June 25. 1949. by R. W. Bro. Malcolm Rabbitts. D.D.G.M. of Algoma District. Then on June 12, 1949, a dispensation was issued for the formation of Brant Lodge in the town of Burlington. No fewer than five lodges either had their Centennial Celebrations or had their claims established to wear the gold- trimmed regalia as well as the subsequent celebrations during either of the two years of M. W. Bro. Simpson’s term of office. The former two were: the Lodge of Strict Observance, No. 27. Hamilton, on October 17, 1947; and Ionic Lodge, No. 25, Toronto, on September 5,1947. The following three lodges had their claims to wear the coveted regalia duly established, with anniversary celebrations following shortly after: Ontario Lodge No. 26, ef- fective August 30, 1947. observed the occasion on November 24. 1947; Dalhousie Lodge, No. 52. Ottawa, effec- tive May 16. 1948, celebrated the event on May 17, 1948; and Corinthian Lodge, No, 101, Peterborough, effective May 17, 1948, observed its anniversary on June 3, 1948. Then in addition to these, St. Andrew’s Lodge, No. 16, Toronto, observed its 125th Anniversary on November 11, 1947. At all six of these memorable ceremonies, the Grand Master was the distinguished guest of honour. Two lodges had their claims investigated and established for having completed the 100year journey, but too late to commemorate the occasion before the close of the Masonic year of 1949: Jerusalem Lodge, No. 31, Bowmanville, effective December 18, 1949; and Thistle Lodge, No. 34, Amherstburg, effective August 17, 1949. Such were the signs of the growing numerical strength of the Order. An unusual number of Masons qualified for the William Mercer Wilson Medal for Meritorious Service: In 1948 Bro. James Cowan, Mount Dennis Lodge, No. 599, Weston. Bro. Charles McPherson Wilson, Clifton Lodge, No. 254, Niagara. Bro. William James Taylor. Dalhousie Lodge, No.5 2. Ottawa. Bro. Ernest William Shell. Keystone Lodge. No. 412, Sault Ste. Marie. Bro. John Adam Wood. John Ross Robertson Lodge, No. 545. Toronto. Bro. Frederick Wellington Bowen. Durham Lodge. No. 66. Newcastle.

In 1949 Bro. Fred Carmichael. Ionic Lodge, No. 25, Toronto. Bro. J. H . Hockin. Waverley Lodge, No. 361, Guelph. Bro. T. H. Herrington, Union Lodge. No.9, Napanee. Bro. H. L. Tarbush. Corinthian Lodge, No. 96, Barrie. Bro. George Martin, Pequonga Lodge. No. 414. Kenora. The deaths of three Grand Masters necessitated some realignment of Grand Lodge Committees. M.W. Bro. Her- rington died on the 16th of July, 1947. He had served as Committee Chairman both for Fraternal Correspondence and Fraternal Relations. With his death, two full committees with Chairmen were formed: for the Committee on Fraternal Correspondence the following were appointed: M.W. Bro. F. A. Copus (Chairman), M.W. Bros. R. B.

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Dargavel. W. J. Dunlop. C. S. Hamilton, R.W. Bros. J. P. Maher, RW. Treleaven, and E. G. Dixon. For the Com- mittee on Fraternal Relations these appointments were made: M.W. Bro. J. A. McRae (Chairman), M.W. Bro. R B. Dargavel, and R.W. Bros. J. P. Maher, C. W. Robb, C. M. Pitts, and E. G. Dixon. M.W. Bro. Hamilton replaced M.W. Bro. Wardley on the Award Committee for the William Mercer Wilson Medal for Meritorious Service and became the Committee Chairman. Then, too, M.W. Bro. W. J. Dunlop assumed the place of M.W. Bro. W. H. Wardrope as the Grand Representative of the Grand Lodge of Scotland; and M.W. Bro. F. A. Copus took the place of M.W. Bro. Herrington as Grand Representative of the Grand Lodge of Ireland. There were three features peculiar to M.W. Bro. Simpson’s term of office: the appointment of District Chaplains, the recommendation with respect to lodge fees and dues, and the newly established policy of Grand Lodge with respect to the use of liquor. On the suggestion of the Grand Chaplain. R. W. Bro. James Semple of Peterborough, beginning with 1947-48, District Chaplains were appointed from the clergy with the hope of promoting closer co-operation between churches and the Craft. By means of “wise counsel and guidance” and by assisting with periodic addresses in the banquet room, these District Chaplains have established and given permanence to this sound policy. Custom dies hard and the custom of lodge fees and dues established as early as 1858 and 1887 died slowly and painfully. Far too many lodges were still charging the minimum fees and dues, or were making charges totally out of line with the mounting costs of the forties. Seven lodges in the Grand Jurisdiction were still charging the mini- mum initiation fee of $20; thirty-one had an initiation fee of $25; seven lodges had annual dues of $3; and sev- enty-four, dues of $4. No wonder so many were in financial difficulty in the thirties and no wonder so many were unable, even during the more prosperous days of the forties, to establish a reserve for the evil days. The Grand Master in 1948 suggested to the lodges a minimum fee of $35 and minimum annual dues of $5. Before the end of his term of office, most lodges had wisely readjusted their fees and dues to meet the altered living conditions. With respect to the liquor problem and its impact upon the Masonic Order, the Grand Master with moderation made this observation: “I am certain no one would want to see a return of those old days and the same old con- troversies.” He, therefore, in 1948, issued the following directive with the advice “that any member who violates this directive will be subject to Masonic discipline”: 1. “The serving, use or consumption of intoxicants at any function held under Masonic auspices or at any gathering of Craft Masons is prohibited. 2. “The above regulation covers the secretive possession and consumption of liquor by a member or his guest at a lodge At Home or any other lodge gathering. 3. “No member of the Craft shall attend any lodge assembly in an intoxicated condition. 4. “The bringing of any intoxicants upon lodge premises owned or controlled by Masons is prohibited. No such premises owned or controlled by Masons shall be leased for any function, such as wedding receptions, dances or other entertainment, unless there is a definite agreement with the lessee that no intoxicants shall be served or consumed upon or brought onto such premises.” A writer in the Proceedings of 1947-48 said of M. W. Bro. Simpson: “He will make an excellent Grand Master.” This was without doubt not merely a prophetic but an astute and discerning judgment of the man.

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CHAPTER XXXVI

M.W. Bro. James Patterson Maher. Grand Master 1949 -1951

N July of 1949, M.W. Bro. Simpson was succeeded in office by M. W. Bro. James Patterson Maher. In his Masonic pilgrimage to the Grand East, M.W. Bro. Maher had demonstrated qualities admirably fitting him for Ihis new office: he had shown a remarkable capacity for winning co-operation, for organizing with despatch, and for getting things done. Outside the fold of Freemasonry, in the field of business, he had been singularly suc- cessful; he had wide and varied humanitarian interests; he ever manifested a strong and enlightened civic sense. But one ventures to assert that M.W. Bro. Maher’s success as Grand Master was due to quite another reason; namely, the impact of his mind and spirit upon a host of Masons during his many visitations throughout the Grand Jurisdiction and beyond; for these visitations were in very truth like a Royal Progress, long anticipated, rallying, stimulating, inspiring. During his first year in office, he attended eleven of these historic Masonic gatherings: the 100th Anniversary of Thistle Lodge, No. 34, Amherstburg, on September 6, 1949; the 25th Anniversary of Hatherly Lodge, No. 625, Sault Ste. Marie, in October, 1949; the 75th Anniversary of Walker Lodge, No. 321, Acton, on October 2 I, 1949; the 75th Anniversary of North Star Lodge, No. 322, Owen Sound, on November 25, I 949 ; the 75th Anniversary of Saugeen Lodge, No. 197, Walkerton, on November 29,1949; the 100th Anniversary of Jerusalem Lodge, No. 31, Bowmanville, on December 19, 1949; the 150th Anniversary of Union Lodge, No.7, Grimsby, on January 20, 1950; the 100th Anniversary of Amity Lodge, No. 32, Dunnville, on April 12, 1950; the 125th Anniversary of Richmond Lodge, No. 23, Richmond Hill, on April 19, 1950; the 83rd Anniversary of Old Light Lodge, No. 184, Lucknow, on June 7, 1950; the 80th Anniversary of Ionic Lodge, No.2 29, Brampton, on June 20, 1950. We may be pardoned for referring to three of them: to Amity Lodge, where there was assembled the largest gather- ing of Masons ever known in that community; to Ionic Lodge, where the festivities took the form, in part, of a gay garden party, with ladies in attendance, with the Bell Singers, with bowers of flowers and luscious strawberries; and to Hatherly Lodge, where the brethren from far distant points, from Webbwood, Espanola, Blind River, and Thessalon, assembled to share in the general enthusiasm, an event which the District Deputy of Nipissing West, R.W. Bro. J. R. Gill, has described in these words: “The enjoyment of the occasion was enriched by the presence of the Most Worshipful, the Grand Master, and the Grand Secretary. M.W. Bro. Maher’s address, characteristic of this distinguished Mason, was an inspiration to the brethren of the Lock City and the many visitors present.” In his address to Grand Lodge, the Grand Master made these commentaries upon these memorable occasions: “an inspi- ration and an opportunity for re-dedication to all those who were fortunate enough to be in attendance”; “striking example of the genuine interest which many of our members take in the welfare of their lodge”; “meetings of this kind are of great benefit in promoting the welfare of our Craft in this Grand Jurisdiction.” But these Anniversaries were only a part of his larger programme; he still had a few days and weeks left for journeyings farther afield: to Chapter 36 Page 169 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Illinois in October of 1949; to the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on December 27th of 1949; to the Grand Masters’ Conference in Washington where “were congregated in one group the leaders of three and a half million Freemasons from as far south as Cuba and Chile, and from our own Provinces of Nova Scotia, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Ontario”; to the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of New York in New York City in May of 1950; and finally to his mother Lodge, York Lodge, No. 156, on December 15, 1949, when he was presented with an oil painting of himself by V.W. Bro. George S. Henry on behalf of the lodge. At the Communication of Grand Lodge, when he stood before the bar of judgment of the Committee on the Grand Master’s Address, he heard this pronouncement: “What a remarkable number of Anniversaries the Grand Master was able to attend! Those were wonderfully inspiring meetings and brought great credit to the Craft in the Grand Jurisdiction. He has travelled widely over the Province and in the United States and your Committee hopes that the year ahead will not involve as much travelling nor as many meetings as filled the crowded year that is past.” But when the 1950-5 1 Masonic year dawned, despite the drain there must have been on his physical energies in the preceding year, despite the precious time which, as a business man, he must have sacrificed, he was again in fine fettle for more journeyings and turned a deaf ear to the kindly advice and warning injunction of the Chairman of the Committee on the Grand Master’s Address. Early in September, he was seized with a nostalgic longing for the scenes of his boyhood, and off to Picton in boyish glee he went to meet in the lodge room of Prince Edward Lodge companions of other days. Then there followed a round of Anniversaries : October 19, 1950, the 35th Anniversary of High Park Lodge, No. 531 , Toronto; December 12, 1950, the 25th Anniversary of Delta Lodge, No. 634, Toronto; December 18, 1950, the 25th Anniversary of Caledonia Lodge, No. 637, where he was ushered into the lodge room to the skirl of the pipes, the roar of the kettle drums, and the sonorous booming of the big bass drum; May 4, 1951, the 75th Anniversary of Georgian Lodge, No. 348, Penetanguishine; March 10, 1951, the 90th Anniversary of Lebanon Lodge, No. 139, Oshawa; May 19, 1951, the 90th Anniversary of Tecumseh Lodge, No. 144, Stratford, where the grandly Shakespearean manner mingled oddly with barbaric Indian splendour. But that was not the end, for he tells us: “It was my privilege to be present at many District meetings where I had the opportunity of coming into personal contact with members of all the lodges that compose the various Districts.” Of these there were three visitations to the North: first to the Western District, where in company with R.W. Bro. E. G. Dixon. Grand Secretary, he visited Kenora, at which meeting every lodge in the District was represented, even Chukuni Lodge in Red Lake. 200 miles distant; Fort Frances. a visit that convinced the Grand Master that such visits were more needed than any in the southern and more populous centres; Fort William; and lastly Ter- race Bay, where Terrace Bay Lodge was duly constituted and consecrated. Then, later in the year in January, again in company with the Grand Secretary, he met the brethren of Penewobikong Lodge, No. 487, in Blind River, where bus loads from Sudbury. Sault Ste. Marie, Chapleau. and from every lodge in Nipissing West District gath-

Chapter 36 Page 170 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop ered to honour the doughty little lodge which had weathered the storms of former years and survived to justify the confidence and the generosity of her Ontario brethren; never had the Grand Master attended a “more enthusiastic and spontaneous gathering of Masons in all his years of Masonry.” In May of 1951, he made his triumphal entry into Kirkland Lake, Kapuskasing, Timmins, and Haileybury. After these tumultuously enthusiastic receptions he returned home “confident that Masonry is strongly established in the northern section of this Grand Jurisdiction and is ably fulfilling its God-given mission.” All this must have been a formidable undertaking; and it must have necessitated great sacrifices; but in the case of one who could transmit something of his own buoyant enthusiasm and solid convictions, these visitations amply repaid the sacrifices in energy and time, and labour. So important do we feel these visitations by Grand Lodge to the frontiers of our Ontario Freemasonry and even beyond to be, that for once we think it advisable to record the visits made during these two years. For 1949-50: • RW. Bro. E. A. Miller -the dedication of Memorial Temple at Waco, Texas; • RW. Bro. J. A. Hearn -the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodges of Louisiana and of Missis- sippi and of the Province of Quebec; • RW. Bro. N. C. Hart -the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodges of Massachusetts and of Michigan; • RW. Bro. R C. Berkinshaw -the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia; • M.W. Bro. C. S. Hamilton -the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodges of Alberta and of Sas- katchewan; • RW. Bro. T. C. Wade -the Annual Communication of the ; • R. W. Bro. E. G. Dixon -the Annual Communication of the ; and the Centen- nial Celebration of the Grand Lodge of California, held in San Francisco, valuable for information acquired in conjunction with our own planned Centenary; • M.W. Bro. W . J. Dunlop -the Conference of the Eastern Canadian Grand Lodges ; and a visit to the Old Land to extend personal invitations to the United Grand Lodge of England, the Grand Lodge of Scotland, and the Grand Lodge of Ireland; • M.W. Bro. T. H. Simpson -the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Maryland and the Con- ference of the Western Canadian Grand Lodges.

For 1950-51: • M.W. Bro. C. S. Hamilton -the 75th Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba ; • RW. Bro. ]. A. Hearn -the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodges of Ohio and of New York; • RW. Bro. N. C. Hart -the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Michigan; • R.W. Bro. G. F. Clark -the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of the Province of Quebec; • Bro. W. J. Dunlop and R.W. Bro. E. G. Dixon -the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania and the Conference of Grand Masters and Secretaries in Washington;

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• Bro. F. A. Copus -the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia; • Bro. J. P. Maher -the Second Biennial Conference of the Canadian Grand and District Grand Lodges in Winnipeg.

What can be said to be achieved by these visitations between province and province and between state and state? Certainly there is the mutual exchange of ideas with the resultant widening of vision and the breaking down of insularity; there is the needed cementing of bonds both inter-provincial and international; there is the happy op- portunity for solving mutual problems; and lastly there must be much that is stimulating, fortifying, and inspira- tional. It would appear that with 1950 another cycle had set in for Ontario Freemasonry with decreased surpluses, de- creased initiations, but increased resignations and suspensions. The decrease in sur¬pluses was due, only in very slight part, to the decrease in initiations; labour and materials and services had for the past few years severely checked these buoyant surpluses; and demands for benevolence were now more urgent and pressing. For the year ended May 31, 1950, the surplus was $19,262.04; and for 1951, $13,378.74, quite a severe falling-off from the surplus of $40,039.11 recorded for the year ended May 31, 1947. Grand Lodge assets on May 31, 1951, had reached the $1,131,564.66 mark. For the year, ended May 31, 1944, grants to benevolence had been at their lowest, $59,595; by 1950 they had risen to $86,079; and by 1951, to $90,711. Over the thirty year period, ended with May 31, 1950, Grand Lodge had expended on benevolence $2,455,421.17, an amount $200,103.57 in excess of what the Constitution prescribed could be used from the dues received from constituent lodges. The Grand Treasurer estimated that this amount, to- gether with what was expended from the Centennial and the Memorial Funds, what was given for the British War Victims ($248,492.09) and Food Parcels: for Britain ($253,905.14), what was given in such special grants as the Manitoba Flood Relief ($22,722.90), the Canadian Red Cross and the Boy Scouts, etc., and what the constituent lodges themselves had expended over this thirty year period, would reach the princely total of some $6,000,000. That was the silver lining to the dark clouds of war and depression. By May 31, 1950, the membership in the Craft had reached 120,136 for the 580 lodges. All during the thirties and until the end of 1941, there had been a steady decline from the peak of 116,998 in 1930. From that lowest point of 91,398 in 1941, there had been uninterrupted increases every year since that time; but with 1950, there began to show some falling-off in the number of initiations as well as an increase in suspensions and resignations As of Dec. 31 Initiations Resignations Suspensions 1949 5776 753 451 1950 5464 837 579 This decrease in the number of initiations and the decrease in the number of lodges which had fifteen or more initiations now had its noticeable impact upon the greater attention being given to Masonic education both in indi- vidual lodges and in districts throughout the Grand Jurisdiction. In the Report of the Chairman of the Committee on Masonic Education we notice for both these years ended with July of 1951 an improvement over the past two or three years in the number of district meetings and of special meetings, and in the number of those who attended these district and special meetings; we notice likewise an increase in the number of lodges reporting on Masonic education to the D.D.G.M.. and in the number of members taking part in the work of Masonic education, as well as an increase in the over-all attendance at such meetings. We must, of course, not forget the important part played by the recently issued Manual which was now filling a long-felt need. Nor must we overlook the zeal and skill of

Chapter 36 Page 172 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop the new Chairman of the Committee on Masonic Education, R.W. Bro. Harry L. Martyn. the Successor to RW. Bro. N. C. Hart, who himself had contributed so richly to this all important work. This is probably the appropriate time to mention the change made at the Grand Lodge Library. In July of 1950, due to age and ill health, Bro. N. W. ]. Haydon resigned his position as Grand Lodge librarian at the Yonge St. Temple in Toronto. His successor was a much younger man, R.W. Bro. Arthur E. MacGregor, P.G.S.W. and Past Master of University Lodge, who had a long record of distinguished service in Grand Lodge. Bro. Haydon at the time of his resignation had completed almost seventeen years of uninterrupted service as librarian. In 1933, during M .W. Bro. Herrington’s term of office as Grand Master, a Special Committee, made necessary by the introduc- tion of Masonic education, and consisting of RW. Bro. W. J. Dunlop (Chairman), RW. Bro. Morley E. McKenzie, and R W. Bro. Chas. S. Hamilton, reported forthrightly to Grand Lodge as follows: “That no system of Masonic Education can operate successfully unless the brethren have access to books on Masonry is an axiom.” Of the six recommendations, made by this Committee, one was this: ‘’That the Committee engage the librarian and ar- range for his remuneration on the basis of the time required for the work.” Early in the following year, Bro. N. W. J. Haydon was appointed librarian. Then in 1934, RW. Bro. W . J. Dunlop reported to Grand Lodge, in part, as follows: “Your Committee wishes to express its gratitude to the Librarian, Bro. Haydon, who has done excellent work throughout the year, and who has by no means counted the hours but has done everything that came to hand. His interest in his work is remarkable and it is evident that he works for the love of Masonry.”’ Sixteen years later, RW. Bro. John R Rumball, as Chairman of the Library Committee, reported to Grand Lodge in these words: “No report of the Library for the year 1949-50 would be complete without reference to the resignation of Bro. N. W. J. Haydon, who has faithfully served as Librarian for a period of over sixteen years. His deep interest in the work and his innate fondness for books and learning have enabled him to show the way to the young Masonic student and also to be of assistance to the advanced scholar.” Here we have two men, writing at sixteen years’ interval and independently each of the other, uttering the same warm eulogy of this cultured gentleman and brother. During these two years, eight lodges were instituted and four were constituted and consecrated. These were the lodges instituted: • Brant Lodge. UD., on September 19, 1949, by RW. Bro. W. L. Sommerville, D.D.G.M. of Hamilton “A”; • Sunnylea Lodge, UD., on March 10, 1950, by RW. Bro. P. F. Edgerton, D.D.G.M. of Toronto “A”; Temple Lodge, UD., • Westboro, on October 27, 1950, by RW. Bro. M. J. Haggins, D.D.G.M. of Ottawa District; Temple Lodge, U D., • Belleville, on January I. 195 1. by R W. Bro. A. V. Gaebel. D.D.G.M. of Prince Edward District; • Composite Lodge, U.D.. Hamilton, on February 21, 1951. by RW. Bro. E. G . G awley, D.D.G.M. of Hamilton “B”; • Atikokan Lodge, UD., Atikokan, on July 4, 1951 , by RW. Bro. N. S. Marsh, D.D.G.M. of Western District. These lodges were constituted and consecrated: • St. Andrew’s Lodge, No. 661, St. Catharines, on October 26, 1949, by M.W. Bro. T. H. Simpson, P.G.M.; Terrace Lodge. No. 662. Terrace Bay. on September 15. 1950, by M.W. Bro. J. P. Maher; Brant Lodge, No. 663, Burlington, on September 29, 1950, by

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• M.W. Bro. T. H. Simpson; • Sunnylea Lodge, No. 664, Lambton Mills, on September 29, 1950, by M. W. Bro. W. ]. Dunlop. • St. George’s Lodge, No. 41, Kingston, qualified for its 100th Anniversary, effective December 27, 1952. This lodge received its dispensation from the Grand Lodge of Ireland, dated July 2, 1852. and had been in continuous operation ever since its first meeting on December 27, 1852. No fewer than eight Masons in the Grand Jurisdiction merited the William Mercer Medal for distinguished Ma- sonic service: Bro. William Dougan. The Builders’ Lodge, No.1 77, Ottawa; Bro. W. M. Holtby, Alpha Lodge. No. 384. Toronto; Bro. A. G. McCullough. St. John’s Lodge. No. 20, London; Bro. A . W. MacGillvary, Harris Lodge, No. 216. Orangeville; Bro. D . ]. McLeod. Thistle Lodge. No.2 50. Embro: Bro. W. R Parker, Corinthian Lodge, No. 10 I, Peterborough; Bro. John Rennie, Zetland Lodge, No. 326, Toronto; Bro. John E. Smith, Speed Lodge, No. 180, Guelph. In July of 1950, the Grand Master, feeling that Masons and Past Masters who had borne the heat of the day longer than the fifty year span were deserving of special recognition. authorized a Committee to have designed “a bar or other addition to our Veteran Jubilee Medal (50 years a Mason) and also to our Long Service Medal (50 years a Past Master) in recognition of 60 years’ service. The Special Committee of RW. Bro. R C. Berkinshaw (Chair- man). RW. Bro. George F. Clark and RW. Bro. E. G . Dixon reported in 1951 and that report, which was adopted by Grand Lodge. may be found in Appendix “A” of Grand Lodge Proceedings for 1951. But items 7 and 8 of the Report should probably be recorded here: (7) “The pin, in each case, shall, on application to Grand Lodge, be awarded to a member in good standing in this Jurisdiction who has already received, or who is entitled to receive either of the above medals respectively and has completed an additional ten years’, or a total of sixty years’ , member- ship in good standing as a member or as a Past Master, as the case may be, of a Lodge in this Grand Jurisdiction. (8) “If part of the additional ten years’ membership includes membership in a duly recognized Grand Lodge outside this Grand Lodge, the award may be made at the Grand Master’s discretion provided that the additional ten years’ membership includes not less than five years in the Jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario.” The Grand Master, during his term of office, re-emphasized what Grand Masters in the past had emphasized, that Freemasonry is not a substitute for religion, nor is attendance at lodge a substitute for attendance at church. His own words convey his conviction pointedly enough: “I suggest that everywhere possible you demonstrate to your community by attending Divine Service that our Freemasonry is a supporter of the Church. Or as our Masonic an- cestors used to say ‘Masonry is the handmaiden of the Church.’ This I cannot emphasize too strongly. The world must be shown that Freemasons are religious men.”

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The Report on the Condition of Masonry submitted by the Chairman, R. W. Bro. C. M. Pitts in July of 1951, gives us the highlights in our Ontario Freemasonry, emphasizing and supplementing observations which have already been made: 1. There were now 581 lodges, of which four were under dispensation. 2. The membership at June 30, 1951, had probably exceeded the 123.000 mark. 3. The District Deputy Grand Masters’ Reports reflected the general soundness of the condition of Free- masonry throughout the thirty five districts and their constituent lodges. 4. There was high commendation of the excellence of the ritual as performed by lodge officers; the orderly and efficient manner in which lodge records were being kept; the increasing atten¬dance at lodge meetings; but grave concern that some districts and lodges in their zeal to “make members” were neglecting the more important duty of “making Masons” through the medium of Masonic edu- cation. 5. The extension of Masters’ and Wardens’ Associations throughout the jurisdiction was evidence of the increasing awareness of the usefulness of such Associations. 6. “The Grand Master’s visits throughout the jurisdiction have been greatly appreciated and his mes- sages of encouragement and his presentation of the aims and purposes of the Fraternity have done much to contribute to the well-being of the Craft. The informality of his visits in Temiskaming District was most especially appreciated by the brethren, many of whom travelled long distances to hear his addresses and to meet him. His considera¬tion in holding early meetings and his delightful personality endeared him to all. “He has been ably assisted in his visits by the Grand Secretary and other members of Grand Lodge. The Deputy Grand Master and M. W. Bro. Dunlop have done a great deal to lighten the task of the Grand Master by taking the responsibility of the dedication of new lodge premises and speaking on special occasions throughout the Province. “Blood Donors Services in Windsor, Hamilton. Toronto, Ottawa. and Nipissing West Districts have been of great blessing. The demands are ever increasing and the gratitude of those who have ben- efited has been as of those who have received the gift of new life. “The spirit of benevolence is strong among the lodges. When need arises it is usually something which requires more financial assistance than in former days for, in this as in all other departments of life. the high cost of living is evident. The brethren are aware of these increased necessities and meet the demands with effectiveness. assured of the support of the Grand Lodge Committee of Benevo- lence which continues to perform such a magnificent service to the Craft under the Chairmanship of RW. Bro. J . A. Hearn and under the supervision of M.W. Bro. R. B. Dargavel. whose devotion to this Department of Masonic endeavour. as in all other activities of the Craft, is a glowing example and inspiration.” Such was Ontario Freemasonry in the mid-20th century. The prolonged period of war and depression had served the dual purpose of purging and vitalizing the membership. The growing numerical and financial strength of the Order was now matched, as never before, by an increasing awareness among the membership of the true purpose and mission of Masonry.

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CHAPTER XXXVII

M.W. Bro. Nelson Collins Hart, Grand Master 1951 -1953

ERIODS of struggle are usually more exhilarating than periods of calm; conquest, more thrilling than peaceful consolidation. The past twenty-three years have seen Ontario Freemasonry through a time of Psocial, industrial, and political turmoil, both national and international, of depression, war, and painful readjustment. Masonry met the full impact of it all, and not by any means all for the ill. Masonry’s survival was dependent upon a prompt and successful adjustment to an emerging new world. During these twenty-three years, there has come into being a body of Masons, immensely more alert and better informed, thanks to the initiation of a carefully planned and vigorously promoted plan of Masonic education, thanks to the founding of a central Ma- sonic library and the availability of Masonic literature to all constituent lodges in the Grand Jurisdiction, thanks to the Grand Lodge Bulletin, issued quarterly and distributed gratis to every member of the Craft. and to the “Manual of Masonic Instruction” and the Masonic booklets on the three degrees. In the face of rapid inflation the financial structure of individual lodges has been made more secure; the million dollar objective of Grand Lodge of the early forties has been reached and passed. The cry of the needy, of the victims of flood and famine and war has been heard and magnificently answered. The inflow of candidates for Masonry has for the past ten years continued strong; and the resignations and suspensions, while showing a slight increase over those of the mid-forties, are hearteningly low when compared with the situation in the disastrous thirties and the boom twenties. Grand Lodge has now a wisely settled policy with respect to the insidious and invidious liquor traffic. The anomalous situa- tion of two separate and seemingly opposed entities, church and Masonic Order, is now giving place to a wiser concept of an essential partnership of the two, thanks to the increased practice of annual church services under the auspices of Masonic districts and individual lodges. Lastly, the All-Canadian Conferences. held biennially, are now evidence of the growing stature and the broadening outlook of Provincial Freemasonry. At the middle of the century, our Craft has moved out into broader and deeper and, for the time being, calmer waters. Such was the heartening prospect which greeted R .W. Bro. Nelson Collins Hart, Professor and Head of the De- partment of Botany in the University of Western Ontario, when in July of 1951 he was elevated to the rank of Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario. His predecessors in office had bequeathed to him an enviable inheritance; but his own enlightened and vigorous promotion of Masonic education throughout the Grand Jurisdiction qualified him as a worthy successor in a line of distinguished Grand Masters. Reports from all departments of Grand Lodge at the Annual Communications of 1952 and 1953 were buoyantly and confidently optimistic. The Grand Treasurer crisply observed: “Grand Lodge keeps marching on financially.” That, of course, was true, for since 1941, following the “lean years” of the depression, every year had shown a substantial surplus. The surpluses at the end of these two Masonic years, 1952 and 1953, were $17,289.19 and $18,060.02 respectively, exclusive of three bequests: $29,000 from the estate of our late Bro. R O. Harris and the late Miss Jane Honton in 1952 and a second bequest for $10,000 from the Harris estate in 1953, all of which had been earmarked for the Benevolent Fund. The total Grand Lodge resources at the end of this two-year period had reached $1,206,413.87. For a short time prior to and following the death of M.W. Bro. R. B. Dargavel, R. W. Bro. A. E. MacGregor had supervised the work of benevolence for Grand Lodge. His other varied and onerous duties, however, did not per- mit of full-time attention to this important work. Consequently, on the recommendation of a special committee, Chapter 37 Page 176 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

W. Bro. George J. McQueen, Past Master of Doric Lodge, No. 382, Hamilton, was appointed full-time Supervisor of Benevolence for Grand Lodge, and he assumed his duties in February of 1953. Grants to benevolence during these two Masonic years ended with May 31, 1952 and 1953, :were $89,590.00 and $86,260.00 respectively. Over the 33-year period, from June 1, 1920, to May 31, 1953, the 80 per cent of the per capita fee had proven inadequate for the needs of benevolence by $ 594,816.97, composed of $170,226.57 from the General Fund and $424,590.30 from the Combined Centennial and Memorial Funds. This overreaching was not a case of flouting the Constitution but a case of scrupulously ministering to needs and fulfilling the full spirit of the law. To meet the costs of a long overdue plan of contingent liability insurance for Grand Lodge and all constituent lodges, the Constitution was amended to permit Grand Lodge a per capita levy of $1.10 instead of the former $1.00. Of this amount, eighty cents will go as before to the Benevolent Fund and thirty cents to the General Fund. The Grand Treasurer commended the wisdom and the foresight of our predecessors in never having launched upon a policy of Masonic homes and hospitals, a policy which has all but rendered bankrupt many a Grand Lodge in the United States. Grand Lodge benevolence has never been restricted to our own Masonic kith and kin in On- tario or even to the brotherhood in sister provinces; and so we find Grand Lodge, on the authorization of the Grand Master, forwarding on the 17th of March, 1953, to the Grand Lodge of the Netherlands $5,000 to relieve distress among Masonic brethren caused by devastating floods. The reply of R. W. Bro. J. Van Eck, Grand Treasurer, is interesting and moving: “In the name of our Grand Master and of all the brethren who have suffered from the calamity, I request you to convey our sincere and best thanks to all who offered their as- sistance in this matter. We are touched very much by the overwhelming demonstrations of sympathy and helpfulness which we received from all parts of the world, especially from brethren abroad, and we express our gratitude to all parties concerned.” As of December 31, 1952, the Grand Secretary reported that the total membership of all 588 lodges had reached 125,596, an increase of 5,430 over the total recorded in 1951. The membership in 1943 was 83,049 for 569 lodges. Thus there was an increase of 34.9 per cent in membership and of 5.27 per cent in lodges during the ten-year period. In other words there would appear to have been a disproportionate increase in membership as compared with the increase in lodges and a consequent piling up of members in many individual lodges. This may be more clearly seen in the following table: Lodge Membership No. of Lodges Dec. 31, 1952 Dec.31,1952 0 -50 8 51 -100 97 101 -150 141 151-200 83 201 -250 71 251 -300 47 301 -350 39 351-400 40 401-450 21

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451 -500 19 501-550 10 551 -600 6 60 I -650 1 651 -700 1 701 -750 1 Total 585 While there may have been no disproportionate number of resignations and suspensions from the abnormally large lodges, and while for those lodges with the large membership there may have been a very considerable number of non-resident members. yet a District Deputy Grand Master of Frontenac has stated: “The small lodges which have time for advancement of Masonic knowledge have a much higher proportionate attendance, retain interest of new members, and exhibit an unrivalled enthusiasm.” Granted that accommodation could be found for a marked increase in the number of lodges there appears to be every reason for subscribing to the policy of the United Grand Lodge of England in restricting the membership of individual lodges to 200 or 250. During these two years, eight new lodges were instituted: • Corinthian Lodge. U.D., Cornwall. March 13. 1952. by R. W. Bro. H. A. Stimson. D.D.G.M. • West Hill Lodge. U.D.• Agincourt. September 3. 1952. by R. W. Bro. D. C. Little. D.D.G.M. • Westmount Lodge. U.D.. Hamilton. September 23. 1952. by RW. Bro. E. C. Krebs, D.D.G.M. • Superior Lodge. U.D. Red Rock, October 22. 1952. by RW. Bro. M. H. Thompson, D.D.G.M. • Kempenfeldt Lodge, U.D., Barrie, January 20. 1953. by RW. Bro. ]. K. McCauley, D.D.G .M. • William James Dunlop Lodge. U.D.• Peterborough, February 18. 1953. by RW. Bro. L. H. Ingram, D.D.G.M. • Kroy Lodge, U.D., Thornhill, June 19. 1953, by R.W. Bro. H. A. Jackson, D.D.G.M. The following lodges were constituted and consecrated: • Composite Lodge, No. 667, Hamilton, October 3, 1951, by M. W. Bro. T. H. Simpson, P.G.M. • Temple Lodge, No. 665, Ottawa, October 19,1951, by RW. Bro. C. M. Pitts, P.D.D.G.M. • Temple Lodge, No. 666, Belleville, October 26, 195 1, by M.W. Bro. N. C. Hart, G.M. • Atikokan Lodge, No. 668, Atikokan, September 26, 1952, by R.W. Bro. E. C. Dixon, Grand Secre- tary. • Corinthian Lodge, No. 669, Cornwall. October 10, 1952, by RW. Bro. J. A. Hearn, D.G.M. The coveted William Mercer Wilson Medal was presented to four brethren who for fifty years had rendered yeo- man service to their respective lodges: Bro. Edgar Foreman, Kilwinning Lodge, No. 565, Toronto; Bro. F. A. Hamilton, Grenville Lodge, No. 629, Toronto; Bro. John Saker, Kilwinning Lodge, No. 64, London; Bro. A. M. Smale, Percy Lodge, No. 161, Warkworth. Of the Fifty-Year Medals, the Veteran Jubilee Medal went to no less than 496 and the Long Service Medal (50 years a Past Master) to 35. Fifty-two Masons received the Sixty-Year Pin and three Past Masters laid claim to a similar award. Three Right Worshipful Brethren received the Fifty-

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Year Bar for fifty years of outstanding service to the Craft as Past District Deputy Grand Masters: R. W. Bro. Ed. Worth, Tecumseh Lodge, No. 245. Thamesville; R. W. Bro. ]. E. Francis, Patterson Lodge, No. 265, Thornhill; R. W. Bro. A. J. Whitby, Granite Lodge, No. 352, Parry Sound. The Committee on Masonic Education is faced with a problem of great difficulty in promoting its important and vitally essential work. Its aim, of course, is to have every lodge in every Masonic District participating regularly and systematically in this work, but the problem to be solved is that of the lodge with the numerous membership and the lodge which grinds out degrees. Examine the number of initiations for those lodges with a membership in excess of 250: Initiations No. of Lodges Dec. 31, 1952 Dec. 31 , 1952 0-4 0 5 – 9 40 10 – 14 61 15 – 19 44 20 -24 31 25 -29 8 30 -35 1 Total 185 Of these 185 lodges, there were 84 with 15 or more initiations or approximately 45 initiations, passings, and rais- ings. Of these 185 lodges, 145 had 10 or more initiations or approximately 30 initiations, passings, and raisings. If all lodges in the Grand Jurisdiction are considered, there were 99 lodges with 15 or more initiations and 210 with 10 or more initiations. It would be fantastic to expect from some 150 lodges any serious and systematic at- tention being given to Masonic education. This is borne out by the report of the Committee Chairman. In 1951, 392 lodges reported; in 1952, 423 lodges reported; and in 1953, 474 reported. The consolation which one can draw from these figures is that an undesirable situation is showing marked improvement. The Chairman and his Committee may take deserved satisfaction in that fact. From those other lodges whose whole time is not more than consumed with conferring degrees in what may well be an undignified and unimpressive manner, we read this encouraging information: 1951 1952 1953 Number of Brethren taking part in some Masonic Education programme .... 1444 1578 1856 Number of Districts reporting ...... 30 32 34 Number of Districts with a Supervisor of Masonic Education ...... 23 22 26 With life at the tempo of the 1950’s, we would never expect Grand Masters to emulate the standard set by M.W. Bro. John Ross Robertson in the early 90’s when he made 232 visitations in one year. Still in these exacting times, Grand Masters have never failed to visit at least once every district in the Grand Jurisdiction. M. W. Bro. Hart did that and he also made visitations to a number of Grand Lodge Communications in the United States, and to

Chapter 37 Page 179 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop special receptions and anniversaries in our own Province and sister Provinces. Calls from lodges to the Grand Master to attend these special functions have become of late so numerous and so insistent that M. W. Bro. Hart felt constrained to state in an address to Grand Lodge that the time was near at hand when to attend the increasing number of anniversaries and to attend to the multiplicity, of duties of a Grand Master would be overwhelming. However, during his two years in office he honoured the following lodges on these unique occasions: • the 75th Anniversary of Mercer Lodge, No. 347, Fergus, on October 5, 1951. • the 150th Anniversary of Moira Lodge, No. II, Belleville, on October 26. 1951. • the 100th Anniversary of Masonry in the area in and around Pt. Stanley, held at St. Mark’s Lodge, Pt. Stanley, on October 30. 1951. • the 75th Anniversary of Vittoria Lodge, No. 359, Vittoria. on May 16. 1952. • the 100th Anniversary (effective June 4, 1952) of Composite Lodge, No. 31. Whitby, on June 6, 1952. • the 50th Anniversary of Century Lodge. No. 457, Merlin, on June 20, 1952. • the 75th Anniversary of Maple Leaf Lodge, No. 362, Tara, on September 12. 1952. • the 100th Anniversary (effective March 9, 1952) of St. George’s Lodge, No. 41, Kingsville, on Sep- tember 18, 1952. • the 90th Anniversary of Bums Lodge, No. 153, Wyoming, on October 24, 1952. • the 100th Anniversary (effective November 22. 1952) of King Solomon’s Lodge, No. 43, Woodstock, on November 25, 1952. • the 100th Anniversary (effective December 27, 1952) of St. John’s Lodge, No. 40. Hamilton, on January 3. 1953. • the 100th Anniversary (effective January 25. 1953) of Wellington Lodge, No. 46. Chatham. on Janu- ary 26, 1953. • the 100th Anniversary (effective January 1, 1953) of St. Thomas Lodge. No. 44. St. Thomas, on February 5, 1953. • the 100th Anniversary (effective April, 1952) of St. George’s Lodge, No. 42, London, on March 27, 1953. • the 75th Anniversary of Dufferin Lodge, No. 364. Melbourne. on June 5. 1953. • the 100th Anniversary (effective June 6.1953) of Brant Lodge, No. 45, Brantford, on June 13, 1953. In addition to these lodges whose anniversaries the Grand Master attended, the following five had their Centennial Anniversaries approved: • Mount Zion Lodge, No. 39. Brooklin, effective in the fall of 1952. • Great Western Lodge, No. 47, Windsor, effective April 24, 1954. • Victoria Lodge, No. 56, Samia. effective June 10, 1954. • United Lodge, No. 29, Brighton, effective August II, 1955. • Vaughan Lodge, No. 54, Maple, effective September 21, 1954.

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Three important rulings by the Grand Master were made effective during these two years. An undue number of petitions for membership were coming from men who resided outside the jurisdiction of the lodge to which they were applying for membership. In this connection the Grand Master drew three conclusions: that such prospective members were not likely to attend regularly; that every office in a lodge was an honour and had its corresponding duty and responsibility; that the proper procedure was for the lodge seeking dispensation for such petitioners was first to procure a waiver from the lodge nearest the applicant’s place of residence and a certificate of character and then apply for a dispensation. Then this ruling was made: “A brother who does not reside within the limits of the jurisdiction of his lodge may not hold office without the special permission of the Grand Master.” There were likewise brought to the attention of the Grand Master cases of carelessness or inefficiency on the part of Worshipful Masters in the discharge of their duties. To provide against similar situations, the Grand Master ef- fected this ruling: “The Examining Board shall examine the Master-Elect and shall report on his familiarity with the duties of Master, including his knowledge of the Work, the Constitution, the Rulings of Grand Masters, and the By-laws of his Lodge.” To guard against what one might term an unseemly desire to recoup lodge finances or to increase lodge membership and to guard against the casual perfunctoriness of investigating committees in in- terviewing applicants for Masonry, this third important ruling was put into effect: “It shall be the duty of members of any investigating committee to assure themselves that the information supplied by the petitioner for initiation or affiliation is correct.” Concerning the question of .canvassing for Masonic office,” this one sentence from the Grand Master’s address covers the inadvisability and unwisdom of such action in these pertinent words: “Our Grand Lodge has always considered the use of circular letters, pamphlets and other political means of propaganda in support of candidates for office. or related to personal measures presented to Grand Lodge, to be beneath the dignity of our Fraternity.” The questionable location of lodge social functions and the questionable uses to which lodge premises may be put when leased or rented drew from the Grand Master these two observations: • “Your Grand Master is of the opinion that lodge functions should be held. as far as pos- sible, on Masonic properties where they can be properly controlled.” • “Your Grand Master, therefore, insists that all those in control of Masonic properties exercise the greatest care in permitting their use by organizations and associations which are not associated with our Fraternity, and which might tend to create an unfavourable reputation of Masonry.” In the Grand Master’s two addresses to Grand Lodge and in addresses to public gatherings of Masons these lines of thought received recurring emphasis: the scrupulous and selective care in admitting applicants to Masonry; the improvement and beautifying of lodge premises; the close scrutiny of lodge finances; the imperative need of instituting new lodges in order to create and sustain interest, to promote more zealously Masonic education and to provide opportunities for enriched service to capable men; the exten¬sion o f the commendable practice of Divine Services sponsored by Masonic districts and by constituent lodges; and, lastly, what Grand Masters have emphasized in season and out of season, the need of Masons to be identified with the church and to support the church and resist the commercialization of the Lord’s Day. Before leaving this survey, we should make mention of five significant events: the lamented death of His Maj- esty, King George VI. on February 4th. 1952; the coronation of Her Majesty, Elizabeth II, on June 2nd, 1953; the special Communication of the United Grand Lodge of England for the installation of the Grand Master, the Earl of Scarborough, at the Royal Albert Hall in London on November 6, 195 I, which ceremony was attended by our Grand Master and Grand Secretary; the third biennial conference of the Canadian Grand Lodges on February 18- 21, 1953, in Montreal; and the death of M.W. Bro. R. B. Dargavel, Grand Master in 1929-31 and Supervisor of Chapter 37 Page 181 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

Benevolence from 1931 until his death on the 21st of September, 1952. The integrity and fidelity to a trust, the deep and generous sympathies, the diligence, the penetrating insight, and the unselfishness of this good Mason and citizen have been observed and admired by all, and set forth with singular felicity of phrase by the Rev. Dr. W. Harold Young at the funeral service in High Park United Church, Toronto, on September 24, 1952. If we accept as true a statement made by R. W. Bro. W. L. Wright, Chairman of the Committee on the Condition of Masonry, to this effect, “For it is no exaggeration to state that generally speaking Masonry at the present time scintillates with sincerity and moral endeavour,” then it is true because of the inspiration and leadership provided by men in the body of Masonry with the intellectual and spiritual stature of M .W. Bro. R B. Dargavel.

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CHAPTER XXXVIII

M.W. Bro. Joseph Alonzo Hearn, Grand Master 1953 -1955

OSEPH A. HEARN, when he was made an Entered Apprentice in Royal Arthur Lodge, No. 85, Montreal, no doubt never dreamed that in July, 195I, he would be elected Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge Jof Canada in the Province of Ontario, and that two years later he would be elevated to the supreme office of Grand Master. In that elevation there was to be for him an additional honour and distinction - linking hands across the century with M. W. Bro. William Mercer Wilson, first Grand Master of our Grand Lodge, to do honour to the great company of Masons who have so signally advanced the cause of Masonry in the Province during the past hundred years. Grand Lodge always seems to find as its Grand Masters men otherwise so fully employed that the additional bur- dens of Grand Master would assuredly seem enough to “break the camel’s back.” But the burdens have invariably been borne and no backs have been broken. M.W. Bro. Hearn came to his high office well tested in offices of responsibility other than that of his own business: President of the Toronto Auto Dealers’ Association, President of the Federation of Automobile Dealers’ Association of Canada, President of the Riverdale Kiwanis; in Masonry: President of the Toronto Past Masters’ Association, Chairman of the Committees of Audit and Finance, and of Be- nevolence of the Board of General Purposes of Grand Lodge, and, in addition to all this, actively identified with the Board of Managers of the St. James-Bond United Church, the Toronto Board of Trade, the Granite Club, and the Big Brother Movement. Yet, mirabile dicitl, he still carries himself with sprightly erectness. The two years in which he adorned the office of Grand Master were essentially years of preparation for the Cen- tennial Anniversary. But, apart from that, there was much to prove his generous impulses and test his endurance and fortitude. During these two years, he made: 25 official district visitations within the Grand Jurisdiction; 22 visitations outside the Grand Jurisdiction, 21 of which were to Grand Lodge Communications in the United States; 5 visitations in connection with constituting and consecrating lodges; 7, in dedicating lodge rooms; 2, for corner- stone laying; 5, for the l00th Anniversaries of lodges; 2, for R. A. M. Grand Chapter. Then there were 4 visitations of quite special significance: 2. to the Conference of Grand Masters at Washington, where at the Conference on February 22, 23, and 24, 1954, he was honoured with the Chairmanship of the Conference, the first Canadian to hold that high office; his visit to Orient Chapter, RA.M. No. 79. when the rank of Honorary First Principal was conferred on him; and his reception into Canada Lodge, No. 532. on the evening of October 2, 1953, the Lodge with which he affiliated some thirty years earlier, which made him a Worshipful Master, and which sponsored his election in 1937 as Grand Junior Warden. Calculate, if you will, the miles covered by car, train, bus, and plane; the hours and days consumed; the physical wear and tear, and you will perhaps appreciate, though not adequately measure, the sacrificial service which attends the office of the Most Worshipful the Grand Master. The Chairman of the Committee on the Condition of Masonry, RW. Bro. C. M. Pitts, reported on the value and significance of these visits thus: ‘’Every District Deputy Grand Master writes most appreciatively of the benefits from his visits, his message, and his vibrant personality.” The financial position of Grand Lodge continued to improve, as it had done in every year since 1941. The $43,367.12 surplus over the past two years brought Grand Lodge assets to $1,249,780.99, just a trifle short of the million and a quarter mark. The additional ten cent per capita levy on the membership of constituent lodges, ap- proved by Grand Lodge in 1953, for the purpose of obtaining funds for premiums on an over-all Public Liability Chapter 38 Page 183 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

Policy, now became operative for the first time in Grand Lodge history. Grand Lodge benevolence over the two years totalled $183,386.11, with these special donations going to the following organizations in each of the two years:

1954 1955 Canadian Red Cross $1000 $1000 Salvation Army 1000 500 Canadian Institute for the Blind 1500 500 Ontario Boy Scouts’ Association 500 Hurricane Relief Fund 5000 Apart from the $5,000 donation to the Relief Fund for the victims of Hurricane Hazel, we must note with grati- fication the contribution of $4,583.71 by the lodges of the four Toronto Districts to reimburse River Park Lodge, No. 356, in StreetsviIle, when the foundations of their new Masonic home under construction were demolished by the hurricane and the resulting floods. We must note, too, the increasing frequency of bequests and donations to the Memorial Fund. During these last two years these were made: Estate of Bro. Arthur Herbert Smith $14,000.00 Estate of V. W. Bro. W. S. Gibson 542.47 Estate of Bro. E. Milne 149.67 Estate of R. W. Bro. W. D. Lowe 10.00 Two other benevolent units, the Masonic Service Guild and the Blood Donors’ Group, have admirably supple- mented the benevolent services of Grand Lodge and of individual lodges. The Masonic Service Guild, established in Toronto in 1871 as the Masonic Board of Relief to serve transient Masons with helpful advice and financial assistance, has had a long and honourable record of service in Masonry. During the grim years of the thirties, the functions of the Board were greatly extended: it began reporting back to Grand Lodge the nature of the assistance rendered to Masons, members of lodges outside of Toronto, who were in hospital or temporarily domiciled in the city and in straitened circumstances; in the peak of the depression, too, it assumed the duties of employment agency to find work for unemployed Masons; it made hospital visitations; and the distribution of flowers, fruits, or other delicacies became an essential part of its programme; it carried out investiga¬tions for lodges and for the Benevolent Committee of Grand Lodge to assist either or both of them in their work of benevolence. Of the “King Solomon Plot” in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, the gift in 1883 of M. W. Bro. John Ross Robertson as a burial place for indigent Masons, the Masonic Board of Relief has had custodial supervision ever since the generous gift was made. Then, in 1950, in view of the greatly widened scope of its ac- tivities and services, the Board was renamed ‘The Masonic Service Guild of Toronto.” The various lodges in the Toronto area send elected or appointed representatives to the Guild and contribute on a voluntary per capita basis to help carry out its various duties and services. The present officers of the Guild are: V.W. Bro. George O. Coales, Chairman since 1932; V.W. Bro. Charles E. Higginbottom, 1st Vice President; V .W. Bro. G. Dean Maxwell, 2nd Vice President; and R W. Bro. George F. Guy who has recently assumed the duties of Secretary in succession to V.W. Bro. George Bartholemew. In the case of the Blood Donors’ Group, an idea in the mind of one man, W. Bro. William Hoyle, taken up by Chapter 38 Page 184 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop one lodge, Electric Lodge, No. 495, Hamilton, and given further impetus by the disastrous Moose Hall fire in Hamilton, has now been taken up not merely by other lodges, but by whole Districts -Chatham, London, Ottawa, Toronto, Windsor, Wilson, Prince Edward -all together comprising a total of 228 lodges. London, since taking up the scheme in 1952, has had 618 registered donors and 635 blood replacements, and has cared for 119 patients. Ottawa, in 1954, reported 310 blood donations and 233 blood transfusions. Toronto, over a five and a half year period, under the guiding hand of dynamic V.W. Bro. Stan Boyde, has had 2197 registered donors and 4234 blood replacements; 2,017,000 cubic centimeters or 502 gallons of blood valued at $84,680 have been given; 879 pa- tients have been cared for. In large urban centres, the great problem has been to find the man -unless he is already retired -willing to assume the day and night demands upon his time. That is the reason that the quite extraordinary services of V.W. Bro. Boyde in Toronto merit the highest praise and commendation. During M. W. Bro. Hearn’s term of office, the number of lodges instituted, lodges constituted and consecrated, and lodges eligible to wear the gold braid in recognition of 100 years of active service is noticeably on the in- crease. The following new lodges were instituted: • Coronation Lodge, U.D., Weston, September 24th, 1953, by RW. Bro. H. W. Hill, D.D.G.M.; • Mercer Wilson, U.D., Woodstock, January 20th, 1954, by RW. Bro. K. C. Emerson, D.D.G.M.; • Centennial Lodge, U.D., Stamford, June 26th, 1954, by RW. Bro. C. C. Martin, D.D.G.M.; • Woodland Lodge, U.D., Wawa, Nipissing West, September 25th, 1954, by R.W. Bro. D. J. Broom- head, D.D.G.M.; • Claude M. Kent Lodge, U.D., Oakville, January 5th, 1955, by R.W. Bro. D. W. Cathers, D.D.G.M.; • Astra Lodge, U.D., Weston, January 13th, 1955, by RW. Bro. Edgar F. Bevis, D.D.G.M.; • Wexford Lodge. U.D., Agincourt, June 17th, 1955, by RW. Bro. John Watt. D.D.G.M. These lodges were constituted and consecrated: • West Hill Lodge, No. 670, Agincourt, November 2nd, 1953, by M.W. Bro. j. A. Hearn, G.M.; • Westmount Lodge, No.6 71, Hamilton, October 15th, 1953. by M.W. Bro. T. H. Simpson, P.G.M.; • Superior Lodge, No. 672. Red Rock. September 11th 1953, by M.W. Bro. J. A. Hearn. G.M.; • Kempenfeldt Lodge, No.673. Barrie. November 30th. 1953, by M.W. Bro. j. P. Maher, P.G.M.; • South Gate Lodge, No. 674, Port Credit, October 6th. 1953, by M.W. Bro. j. A. Hearn. G.M.; • William James Dunlop Lodge, No. 675, Peterborough, October 21st, 1953, by M.W. Bro. W. j. Dun- lop, P.G.M.; • Kroy Lodge, No. 676, Thornhill. October 15th, 1954, by RW. Bro. John R RumbalI; • Coronation Lodge, No. 677, Weston, September 27th, 1954, by R W. Bro. H. L. Martyn; • Mercer Wilson Lodge, No. 678, Woodstock, October 29th, 1954, by M. W. Bro. Nelson C. Hart, P.G.M. Requests from ten lodges to wear the gold braid were received, investigated and approved: • St. Mark’s Lodge, No. 94, Port Stanley, December, 1952; • Consecon Lodge, No. 50, Consecon, June 24th, 1954;

Chapter 38 Page 185 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

• Vaughan Lodge, No. 54, Maple, September 21st, 1954; • Trent Lodge, No. 38, Trenton, February 1st, 1955; • Doric Lodge, No. 58. Ottawa. March 28th, 1955; • Harmony Lodge, No.5 7, Binbrook. April 5th, 1955; • United Lodge, No. 29, Brighton, August 1st, 1955; • Merrickville Lodge. No. 55, MerrickvilIe. August 15, 1955; • St. John’s Lodge, No. 68, Ingersoll. March 15th, 1956; • Ki1winning Lodge, No. 64, London, June 30th, 1956. The numbers receiving the various medals donated by Grand Lodge were likewise appreciably on the increase. During the two years, 497 received the Veteran Jubilee Medal (fifty years a Mason); and 31, the Long Service Medal (fifty years a Past Master). For the same period, 27 Sixty-Year Pins were awarded for those qualifying for sixty years’ service as Masons; and 5 were awarded to those qualifying for sixty years’ service as Past Masters. The Fifty-Year Bar has been awarded up to the present to the following Past District Deputy Grand Masters who have reached the fifty-year mark as Past District Deputies: • RW. Bro. J W. Shaw, Clinton Lodge, No. 84, Clinton; • RW. Bro. Ed. Worth, Tecumseh Lodge, No. 254, ThamesvilIe; • RW. Bro. A. J. Whitby, Granite Lodge. No. 352, Parry Sound; • RW.Bro. J. E. Francis, Patterson Lodge, No. 265, ThomhilI; • RW. Bro. R A . WilImott, Beaver Lodge, No. 83, Stratnroy; • RW. Bro. A. M. Fulton, Faithful Brethren Lodge, No. 77, Lindsay. The following doughty brethren were awarded the William Mercer Wilson Medal: • Robert Johnson, Corinthian Lodge, No. 101, Peterborough; • Bro. Frederick A. Lewis, Wellington Lodge, No. 635, Toronto; • Bro. Charles W. Ross, Ionic Lodge, No. 526, Ottawa. The Centennial Committee, appointed two years previously by Grand Lodge to make preparations for the Centen- nial Anniversary in July of 1955, was composed of the following members: M.W. Bro. J. P. Maher (Chairman), M.W. Bro. W. J. Dunlop, RW. Bro. E. G. Dixon, R. W. Bro. H. L. Martyn, RW. Bro. I W. McKnight, R. W. Bro. J. R Rumball, V.W. Bro. B. S. Edmondson, V.W. Bro. Hiram E. McCallum, W. Bro. Lane E. Chester (Secretary), Bro. Ivan M. Brodie, Bro. Maurice SilIs, Bro. Arnold Taylor, MT. James Blay. In 1954 M.W. Bro. Maher reported to Grand Lodge the Committee’s tentative plans for the Anniversary. In 1955 the Committee implemented those plans in all their amplitude and detail. Each member of the Committee apparently had a special part to play in shaping the great mosaic and each performed his allotted part with remarkable foresight and skill. On the evening of the Grand Master’s Banquet, members of the Committee expressed their admiration of the superb contribution, made by the Chairman, in a surprise presentation to M. W. Bro. Maher. To one other member of the Committee, this Centennial Session of Grand Lodge must have been a source of secret pride and delight, far sweeter perhaps than the “golden opinions” he has won from succeeding Grand Masters and Chairmen of Committees over the past seventeen years-R. W. Bro. E. G. Dixon, Grand Secretary, wise counsellor, and indefatigable and peerless master

Chapter 38 Page 186 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop of detail. We shall record here what appeared to have been the essential features of the Centennial Anniversary: the great religious service at Exhibition Park. the session of Grand Lodge. and the Grand Master’s Banquet.

THE MASONIC CHURCH SERVICE The Masonic Service of Thanksgiving, held in the grandstand of the Canadian National Exhibition grounds on Sunday afternoon of July 17, opened the Grand Lodge Centennial Anniversary. It was a grandly impressive and memorable event. It was memorable because in the history of our Canadian Freemasonry no such numerous gathering of Masons and friends had ever assembled for such a service of thanksgiving. At the Anniversary in 1892 commemorating the introduction of Freemasonry into this Grand Jurisdiction the Metropolitan Methodist Church in Toronto, for a similar service, was easily able to accommodate all who came to hear and see; but at this 100th Anniversary, the 26.000 seating capacity of the C.N.E. grandstand could not accommodate them all. It was memorable, too, because of the presence of the great company of distinguished Masons from all the sister Provinces, from almost every State in the Union, from England. Ireland. Scotland. Australia, all bearing witness to the harmony and solidarity of the Order. Profoundly impressive was the singing by that immense congregation of the great and enduring hymns of the Church: “Unto the hills do I lift up My longing eyes.” “All people that on earth do dwell Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.” “O worship the King All glorious above.” Impressive. too, and exhilarating were the Responsive Readings, the glorious singing of the choir of 150 voices, and the sermon with its Lincoln touch of brevity, clarity, and singleness of purpose and message. When the vast audience was seated, the 48th Highlanders’ Pipe Band conducted the Past Grand Masters, the Grand Lodge Officers, and the visiting dignitaries from the west entrance to their centrally reserved seats; then the band conducted from the east entrance to the dais facing the stands the officiating clergy and the choir with their organist and choirmaster, Dr. Charles Peaker of St. Paul’s Anglican Church. Promptly on the hour, the service began. The Deputy Grand Master, R. W. Bro. W. L. Wright. Archbishop of Algoma and Metropolitan of Ontario, conducted the Service, reading the prayers and leading in the Responses; the Grand Chaplain, R W. Bro. H . G. Cleghorn, read the lesson; Dr. Harold Young preached the sermon. Dr. Young found the key note for his message in 1 Timothy 6:20 –“O, Timothy, keep that which is committed unto thee.” To that great audience those words were not merely the injunction of St. Paul but “of that vast company of worthy men who have preceded us in this rich fellowship and who look to us to continue and extend that which they began”; and this solemn trust was none other than the basic principles of Freemasonry -faith in God and belief in the brotherhood of man. Never was such an injunction more needed than in this day with its restlessness and its fears, its widening atheism. and its wide-spread enmities and hate. “This is not an age which is conspicuous for its vital faith in God,” said the speaker. ‘There are multitudes who do believe in God and live on the basis of that faith day by day. They are the hope of the world. But side by side with them are other multitudes who effec- tively deny Him ... Atheism in one form or another is the great evil of our age and, directly or indirectly underlies every other evil by which we are beset.” To the speaker there were two manifestations of this atheism: Marxian Communism with its materialism and its contemptuous dismissal of faith in God; and another, less dramatic but

Chapter 38 Page 187 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop no less effective, which declares “that some human programme like democracy or technology can of itself save the world, ignoring the fact that the real problem is a moral problem to which no form of outward organization of society supplies the answer.” Against this misleading faith or non-faith, Dr. Young placed the great affirmation of Masonry -faith in God and belief in the brotherhood of man. “Despite all the differences that do exist in race, co- lour, tradition, language, culture, station, all men are in the deepest sense, brothers one of another and so stand in the sight of God.” But here again is a truth widely denied to-day, denied, as the speaker put it, in the gas ovens of Dachau and Buchenwald, in the exquisite tortures of brain washing, in the philosophy of total war, and in a world shadowed by the hydrogen bomb. “It is all a monstrous lie, this philosophy of enmity and mutual antagonism that is so widespread in the world.” There was a note of profound conviction in the speaker’s message: Masonry can help supply the crying need of the world, and its principles can help in the healing of the nations. There was, likewise, in the message the resonant clarion call: “Keep that which is committed unto thee.” The whole programme was splendidly and imaginatively conceived, and carried through with dignity, solemnity, and impressiveness. Everything seemed to work together for this supreme occasion: trains, cars, street cars, and buses laid down their human freight in seemingly endless throngs on schedule time; police were the acme of ef- ficiency and courtesy; Boy Scouts and , who served as ushers, were commendably efficient; the St. John’s Ambulance responded promptly in every emergency; even the storm clouds which rimmed the horizon reluctantly obeyed a restraining hand. The Centennial Service of Thanksgiving on that hot Sunday afternoon of July 17 was an auspicious opening to the 100th Anniversary of the Grand Lodge A. F. & A. M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario.

THE COMMUNICATION OF GRAND LODGE The Centennial Communication of Grand Lodge was marked by four distinctive features: the heavy registration, the commodious accommodation, the presentation to Grand Lodge, and Grand Lodge elections, There was a reg- istration of 3,812 Past Masters, Masters and Wardens, representing 584 lodges out of 596. Thanks to the good of- fices of W. Bro. H. E. McCallum, General Manager of the Canadian National Exhibition, the Coliseum provided commodious and comfortable accommodation for registration, for the elections, and for the business sessions of Grand Lodge. An interesting feature of the opening session was the presentation to Grand Lodge by the lodges of the four Toronto Districts of a set of drapes or covers for Grand Lodge furniture to mark the centennial year and to convey to Grand Lodge a token of their continued loyalty and esteem. All pieces were in their respective places, when Grand Lodge convened, to await their formal presentation to the Grand Master by four Worshipful Masters, one from each of the Toronto Districts. The following comprised the ensemble of the presentation: the altar drape of garter blue, trimmed with gold bullion fringe and gold tassels, one face embroidered with the Great Seal of Grand Lodge in appropriate colours and gold; the cover for the Grand Master’s table of like material; the stole across the Grand Master’s table with the front drop bearing the name “The Grand Lodge A. F. & A. M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario” in ribbon scroll, and beneath the name, the compasses extended upon an oval irradiated; the stoles for the pedestals of the two Grand Wardens, that of the Senior Grand Warden bearing the level and that of the Junior Grand Warden bearing the plumb rule. All pieces had embroidered in their lower left and right corners respectively the dates 1855 and 1955. The Grand Lodge elections had one noteworthy result -the election of R.W. Bro. and Most Rev. W. L. Wright, Archbishop of Algoma and Metropolitan of Ontario to the office of Grand Master; and of R.W. Bro. Harry L. Martyn, Public School Inspector in the city of Toronto, to the office of Deputy Grand Master. This was the first time in the history of Grand Lodge that a clergyman has had the honour to preside in the Grand East; and the first time that our public school system has provided a Deputy Grand Master. These two men have many virtues in Chapter 38 Page 188 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop common: boundless energy for energy-consuming tasks, tireless industry, an intense interest in Masonry, initia- tive, and broad shoulders to bear heavy responsibilities. The 132,000 Masons in almost 600 lodges in the Grand Jurisdiction wish them well.

THE GRAND MASTER’S BANQUET The test of a successful Grand Master’s Banquet is the superior quality of the food, the entertainment, and the address of the guest speaker. The Centennial Grand Master’s Banquet met all these tests perfectly and then had something more. I t was the biggest banquet ever served on any occasion in the history of Canada. It was held in the Automotive Building of the C.N.E., the only place available in the City of Toronto capable of holding the maximum number of those who would have liked to attend. Close to 3,300 diners passed the turnstiles and there were 150 guests seated at the head table, which for this occasion was two elevated tiers of tables, one above the other, the upper slightly to the rear of the lower. It took 400 people to prepare and serve the dinner. There were 56,000 pieces of silverware and dishes used at the banquet; and the tables, placed end to end, would have reached three-quarters of a mile. There was plenty of food: 3,000 pounds of chicken, 4,000 pounds of potatoes, 250 gal- lons of coffee. No doubt, the historian of 2055 will smile at our presumptuous notions of bigness. Be that as it may, the entertainment, provided by the Toronto Men Teachers’ Choir under the direction of Mr. Eldon Brethour, will be difficult to surpass in 2055 or even at any time; and it will require a diligent search of the American con- tinent to match the sustained eloquence and the cogency of the message of the guest speaker, Judge Ellsworth Meyer, Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of California, speaking on a theme almost identical with that of Dr. Harold Young, faith in God and belief in the brotherhood of man. EPILOGUE In the past century, the best years of our Ontario Freemasonry have been years when Grand Lodge was meeting and surmounting difficulties, facing problems and solving them. The problems during the first forty-five years of its history were, in the main, pioneering problems -achieving unity out of disunity and chaos; winning goodwill and recognition in place of enduring ill-will and outright censure; dispelling Masonry’s disrepute and replacing it with public favour and esteem; establishing uniformity in ritual in place of a disconcerting variety; and the shaping of a Constitution to govern Masons and Masonry in the whole Grand Jurisdiction. These were really great problems, but Grand Lodge found a solution for every one of them with an astonishing promptitude and a gratifying soundness of judgment. The problems of the past twenty-five years have been essentially the problems created by the depression, the war, and the social and economic conditions following the war. Here, too, Grand Lodge has shown the commendable virtues of the pioneer. The grandly impressive Centennial Anniversary has put the stamp of approval and commendation upon all that it has attempted and achieved. M .W. Bro. W. L. Wright and R.W. Bro. H. L. Martyn now stand facing the second century of Ontario Freemasonry as Wilson and Ridout, and Harington and Simpson faced the uncertainties and the problems of the first century. Quite a different set of problems are already challenging attention; and we venture to suggest the following as some that are pressing for an early and satisfactory solution in the near future: 1. The Problem of Masonic Education. Masonic education, like the poor, we shall now always have with us. It is no over-estimation to say that the initiating and the vigorous promotion of a scheme of Masonic education has been Masonry’s crowning achievement in the past quarter century. To seven men must be assigned, in good measure, the credit for this achievement: M.W. Bro. W. J. Dunlop, M.W. Bro. J. A. McRae, Bro. C. W. Robb, M.W. Bro. Nelson Hart, R.W. Bro. Harry Martyn; and the two Grand Lodge librarians: Bro. N. W.

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j. Haydon and R.W. Bro. A. E. MacGregor. R. W. Bro. Martyn, Chairman of the Committee on Ma- sonic Education since 1949. despite the buoyancy and elation evident in his earlier reports to Grand Lodge, felt impelled in his report in July, 1955, to speak with a candour and forthrightness not unlike that of M.W. Bro. Hart, his predecessor in that office. These are R.W. Bro. Martyn’s words: “From individual reports from Districts, it is noted that over the years interest waxes and wanes. One district Deputy Grand Master is able to create much interest in Masonic Education during his term of office. Then he is succeeded by one who does little or nothing. Sometimes the new one does not even bother to appoint a supervisor. He, therefore, regretfully reported that 34, and not the full complement of 35, districts had a Supervi- sor of Masonic Education. There in a nut-shell is the problem. But the solution of that problem is still complicated by the presence of another problem. 2. The Problem of Excessive Initiations into Individual Lodges. Here is the statement of that problem as one may find it In Grand Lodge Proceedings of 1955 in the ‘’Returns of Lodges”, as at December 31, 1954: No. of Initiations Lodges 0 15 1-5 237 6-10 184 11-15 95 16-20 42 21-25 12 26-30 4 31-35 3 36-40 0 41-45 0 46-50 0 Total 592 A Chairman of a Committee on Masonic Education might draw some comfort from these figures, if he compares them with those of earlier years; there has been definitely less of the “milling” process. Yet there were 78 lodges with 15 or more initiations and 191 with 10 or more initiations. These lodg- es must have found it embarrassingly difficult to give any but the most meagre attention to Masonic education. But there is nothing in the figures to explain, much less excuse or condone, an obvious neglect of duty by a Grand Lodge official and a whole district. 3. The Problem of the Lodge of Unwieldy Proportions. High rentals and costly banqueting place the “super” lodge in a favoured position; and. while so- called “Big Nights” are still temptingly fashionable, the strong membership and generous inflow of candidates will continue to relieve the economic pressure. What has been the trend as regards lodge Chapter 38 Page 190 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

membership over the past ten years? The following table is revealing: Lodge No. of Lodges as of December 31. Membership 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 25-50 10 8 8 6 7 4 4 8 3 2 51-100 156 130 126 120 118 109 104 97 102 93 101-150 141 143 144 141 127 137 142 140 134 146 151-200 82 92 87 88 86 83 81 84 85 84 201-250 56 51 60 59 75 74 72 70 69 67 251-300 39 43 47 53 46 45 47 49 55 56 301-350 31 30 29 27 30 33 35 37 42 41 351-400 30 31 29 32 35 37 36 41 40 38 401-450 17 20 27 26 22 24 23 21 19 22 451-500 3 7 7 11 18 19 19 19 21 23 501-550 3 4 4 6 9 7 10 10 10 10 551-600 0 0 2 1 0 3 5 6 7 5 601-650 0 0 0 1 2 1 1 1 0 2 651-700 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 701-750 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 2 2 751-800 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 One might ask. What is the special merit of these large lodges apart from their apparent numerical and financial strength? Whatever the merit may be, these large lodges present a problem and that problem is significantly linked with another disturbing problem: 4. The Problem of Resignations and Suspensions. In previous chapters we have already drawn attention to the marked improvement during the past few years over the ten years of the depression and even of the boomingly prosperous years of the twenties in the matter of resignations and suspensions. But for all that, R. W. Bro. Pitts, Chairman of the Committee on the Condition of Masonry, made this discerning comment in his report to Grand Lodge in July, 1955: “The steady increase in suspensions since 1944 is another factor which deserves attention, although no reference is made to this in any of the District Deputy Grand Master’s reports.” With but one exception in each case, this increase in resignations and suspensions since 1944 has been steady. To say that with increased membership we must necessarily have increased resignations and suspensions is to evade the problem and play the ostrich. Here is the situation for all lodges in the Grand Jurisdiction during the two years ended with December 3 I, 1945 and 1954:

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Year Resignations Suspensions Membership 1945 530 393 99,509 1954 885 794 130,177 Increase 335 401 30,668 % 66.9% 102.0% 30.8% Here is the situation for those lodges with the numerous membership - 351 and over: Year Resignations Suspensions Membership 1945 88 71 20,666 1954 235 300 45,948 Increase 147 229 25 ,282 167.0 % 322,5% 122.3 % Here is the situation for those lodges with 15 or more initiations for each year: Year Resignations Suspensions Membership 1945 130 102 27.044 1954 179 213 31.316 Increase 49 111 4.272 37.6 % 108.8 % 15.7 % In this latter instance, had we used the returns for 1953 instead of those for 1954, the result would have been more disturbing: 71.1 % increase in resignations and 196.6% increase in suspensions against a 46.3 % increase in membership. R.W. Bro. Pitts has given a timely warning. It merits atten- tion and study. 5. The Problem of Lodge Attendance. Referring to District Deputy Grand Masters’ reports, R.W. Bro. Pitts said: “But they do report satis- factory attendance.” We might ask. How good is satisfactory attendance? 30%, 50%, 65%, 85% of the resident members? One fears that the matter of lodge attendance is akin to that of Church attendance; we are too ready, so long as the membership remains steady and firm, to chant with Browning: “God’s in His heaven; All’s right with the world.” But it does seem that returns for lodge attendance should be a vailable for observation and study; then one would be in a position to determine how good satisfactory attendance is ; to determine how the rural lodges compare with urban lodges in the matter of attendance; how the big lodge compares with the small or moderately large lodge. Lodge attendance should be of concern to Grand Lodge. 6. The Problem of the Non-Resident Mason. Every lodge has its quota of non-resident members, large or small. Of that quota, it may safely be said that a very large proportion do not attend lodge. Is there a solution to this problem of the large floating membership which make no contribution to Masonry nor

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receive any of its benefits? 7. The Problem of Masonic Research. Masonic research and Masonic education are two quite different things. Grand Lodge might very well encourage interested and competent Masons to begin intensive studies of Masonic activities and of outstanding Masons during the past hundred years. This could be as meritorious an achievement for the next Grand Lodge Centennial Anniversary as copious assets and numerous membership.

FINALE So much for the history of Ontario Freemasonry in the past hundred years; and so much for the problems that would seem to await solution in the future. With pride and admiration we salute the architects and builders of the past; we pray that the custodians of the heritage which they have bequeathed will emulate their courage, their fidelity, and their wisdom.

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GRAND MASTERS’ RULINGS 1930-1955

1930 An applicant who has not sufficient knowledge of English to understand and appreciate our ceremonies is ineli- gible for initiation. The petition of a candidate before his 21st birthday, although he would be of the full age of 21 at the time of his initiation, is not valid. When a petition is received, a Committee of Investigation must be appointed. The Committee must report and if the majority report adversely, and if it is adopted, the petition is rejected. If the Committee report favourably, the ballot must be proceeded with as provided in section 91. A lodge has no authority either by resolution or by by-laws to enforce a special levy on the members for any purpose. It is the duty of the Worshipful Master to appoint all standing committees and a Lodge of Emergency must be called at his direction.

1931 NO RULINGS

1932 A lodge may go in a body in full regalia to deposit a wreath upon a cenotaph providing it was solely a Masonic function and not participated in by any other organization. A lodge may not take part as Masons with or without regalia in a procession with other organizations in the cen- tennial celebration of a city. The officers of a lodge from a foreign jurisdiction may exemplify but not confer a degree upon a candidate for initiation or advancement in a lodge in our jurisdiction. A brother may be put upon his trial for a masonic offence even though a physician’s certificate is produced that he was not responsible for his acts. It is for the lodge to determine whether he was responsible or not, giving such effect to the certificate as they see fit. When a motion to amend a by-law of a lodge of which proper notice has been given comes to a vote in the lodge, it is not in order to receive and vote upon an amendment substantially at variance with the original proposed amend- ment of which notice has been given.

1933 A Worshipful Master would be justified in conferring the next degree upon a brother who finds it impossible to memorize the necessary ritual entitling him to advancement, providing that the brother has an intelligent under- standing of the work.

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Freemasons may without let or hindrance from Grand Lodge engage in any legitimate business enterprise but it is improper and contrary to all precedents to make membership in the Craft an essential qualification to participating in the anticipated benefits of such business. The expense of procuring the clothing and jewel for the D.D.G.M. as provided in Section 233 of the Constitution shall be paid for upon a per capita basis, each lodge contributing in accord¬ance with the number of members upon its roll.

1934 It is improper at the annual election of the officers of a lodge for a motion to be passed empowering the Master or some other designated brother to cast a single ballot for the election of a brother to office. The use of any other musical ritual except that adopted by Grand Lodge for use in constituent lodges is barred except by special permission of the Grand Master. Grand Lodge definitely controls the ceremonial work of the lodges, and this control covers any musical numbers that may be used while the lodge is in session.

1935 It is improper for members of our lodges clothed as Masons to walk in a funeral procession in which members of other societies clothed as such participate. At a Masonic funeral, all those who take part in any capacity, with the exception of the officiating clergymen, must be clothed as Masons, and under no circumstances can we participate as Masons if the representatives of any other organization have any part whatever in the ceremony or if the insignia of any other organization are used or displayed in any way.

1936 A brother who does not reside within the limits of the jurisdiction of his lodge may not be installed as Master except with the consent of the Grand Master.

1937 Gambling and lotteries are contrary to our law. As Masons we are charged with the duty of respecting and uphold- ing the law of our own country and that of the country which affords us protection wherever we may be.

1938 NO RULINGS

1939 It is permissible to have a band at a Masonic funeral and it is not necessary that the members of the band be Ma- sons

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The pallbearers who participate in a Masonic funeral need not be Masons. If a group of Masons wish to visit a lodge or lodges in another Grand Jurisdiction for the purpose of exemplify- ing a degree, the group must, through the Grand Secretary, obtain permission of the Grand Master of both Grand Jurisdictions.

1940 NO RULINGS

1941 NO RULINGS

1942 A lodge cannot act on the application for affiliation of a brother who does not reside in the Province of Ontario. Residence in the Province of Ontario is a necessary condition for affiliation. The Worshipful-Master-Elect must not be in arrears at the time of his installation. Otherwise Rules 69 and 70 respecting trials cannot be put into operation.

1943 In the event of a tie vote for the election of an officer of a lodge, the Worshipful Master cannot cast a second vote. It is improper to take up a collection for charitable purposes during the ceremony of any degree. All officers of a lodge must be Master Masons.

1944 Craft regalia must be worn only at meetings of the Craft and at authorized public appearances within the meaning of the Craft, such as church services, funeral processions, and the laying of cornerstones. The permissive clause does not include meetings of other organizations which do not come under the control or regulation of Grand Lodge. It is contrary to Masonic precept to use the envelope which carries the lodge summons for the distribution of anything printed or otherwise with respect to any activity other than Craft Masonry unless by permission of the Grand Lodge. Craft regalia cannot be worn at meetings of other organizations which do not come under the control or regulation of Grand Lodge. No meeting can be held by a constituent lodge on Sunday, except for the purpose of attending Divine Service or for performing the Funeral Ceremonies of the Craft.

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1945 Past Masters’, Masters’ and Wardens’ Associations are now, in this jurisdiction, recognized as part of the Craft, so that it is permissible to refer to them in the lodge notices. Lodges of this Grand Lodge which confer degrees under a ritual which differs from that in general use cannot confer degrees under that special form of ritual on candidates of other lodges. Degrees may be exemplified in other lodges but not conferred. The Grand Master has the power to direct a lodge not to initiate or advance a candidate whom he deems unworthy of initiation or advancement. Degrees can only be conferred in rooms dedicated to Masonry, except where the lodge is homeless or where new premises are occupied awaiting dedication. No member of a lodge, suffering under a physical disability which prevents him from literally complying with our ritual and ceremonies, may hold the office of Master. Senior Warden. Junior Warden, Senior Deacon, Junior Deacon, without a special dispensa¬tion from the Grand Master. As regards any organization, lodge, or society unaffiliated with, or not now recognized by Masonry in our juris- diction, it shall be and is hereby declared to be improper and unlawful for any Freemason under the jurisdiction of this Grand Lodge, to become a member of such organization, lodge or society. if membership in the Craft is in any way or to any extent a prerequisite of membership therein unless such organization has received and continues to possess the express recognition and approval of this Grand Lodge. (1922) In accordance with the above resolution adopted by Grand Lodge, the organizations, known as the Royal Arch Masons, the Knights Templars, the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, the Royal Order of Scotland, and the Ancient Order of the Mystic Shrine are hereby recognized and approved as proper and lawful for Freemasons to join as members. (1922)

1946 No member who is not a Master Mason can be awarded the Veteran Jubilee Medal (fifty years a Mason) without permission of the Grand Master.

1947 Suspension in a lodge in any recognized jurisdiction automatically affects suspension here.

1948 Every candidate must kneel while being obligated in each degree unless unable to do so through physical disabil- ity, in which case permission of the Grand Master must first be obtained. The serving, use or consumption of intoxicants at any function held under Masonic auspices or at any gathering of Craft Masons is prohibited.

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1949 The Traditional History is part of the degree and should be given when a Third Degree is conferred. Nomination of candidates in an election of officers for a Masonic lodge is irregular in the case of those officers authorized to be elected by open vote of the lodge.

1950 The Worshipful Master has power to refuse to initiate or advance any candidate if he deems it to be in the interest of the lodge or Craft to do so. He should not initiate or advance any candidate whom he knows to be unworthy.

1951 The Worshipful Master has charge of all debates and may close them when he chooses. The Master of a lodge has not power to suspend the action of a resolution regularly and legally passed by the lodge.

1952 It shall be the duty of the members of any investigation com¬mittee to assure themselves that the information supplied by the petitioner for initiation or affiliation is correct. No member of a lodge who has a physical disability which prevents him from complying literally with our ritual and ceremonies may hold office which leads to the Master’s chair without the special dispensation of the Grand Master. A brother who does not reside within the limits of the jurisdiction of his lodge may not hold office without the special permission of the Grand Master. The Examining Board shall examine the Master-Elect and shall report on his familiarity with the duties of Master, including his knowledge of the Work, the Constitution, Rulings of Grand Masters, and By-laws of his lodge.

1953 A lodge may not receive an application for initiation from a man who is totally deaf, unless the petitioner can hear distinctly with the use of hearing aids.

1954 All Masters-Elect, including those who are already Past Masters, must be installed according to the full installa- tion ceremony, without abridgment. The Processions in the three degrees must be carried out and the presentations of the Working Tools and the Final Charge may be abbreviated as outlined in the Ceremony of Installation and Investiture, 1952 edition.

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1955 NO RULINGS

Grand Master's Rulings Page 199 History of Grand Lodge Herrington, Foley, & Dunlop

PAST GRAND MASTERS OF THE GRAND LODGE, A.F. & A.M., OF CANADA IN THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO Year Name Year Name 1855 William Mercer Wilson 1937 William James Dunlop 1857 William Mercer Wilson 1939 John Albert Dobbie 1859 William Mercer Wilson 1941 John Alexander McRae 1860 Thomas Douglas. Harington 1943 Timothy Clark Wardley 1864 William Benjamin Simpson 1945 Charles Stanton Hamilton 1866 William Mercer Wilson 1 1947 Thomas Hamilton Simpson 1868 Alexander Allan Stevenson 1949 James Patterson Maher 1870 Alexander Allan Stevenson 1951 Nelson Collins Hart 1871 James Seymour 1953 Joseph Alonzo Hearn 1872 William Mercer Wilson 1955 William Lockridge Wright 1874 William Mercer Wilson 1957 Harry Laishley Martyn 1875 James Kirkpatrick Kerr 1959 Clarence McLeod Pitts 1877 William Henry Weller 1961 Russell Williams Treleaven 1879 James Alexander Henderson 1963 John Alfred Irvine 1881 James Moffat 1965 James Noble Allan 1882 Daniel Spry 1967 Donald Jamieson Gunn 1884 Hugh Murray 1969 Bruce Brown Foster 1886 Henry Robertson 1971 William Kirk Bailey 1888 Richard T. Walkem 1973 George Edward Turner 1890 John Ross Robertson 1975 Eric William Nancekivel 1892 John Morison Gibson 1977 Robert Edwin Davies 1894 William R. White 1979 Norval Richard Richards 1896 William Gibson 1981 Howard O. Polk 1898 Elias Talbot Malone 1983 Ronald E. Groshaw 1900 Richard Beecher Hungerford 1985 A. Lou Copeland 1902 John Elly Harding 1987 William R. Pellow 1904 Benjamin Allen 1989 David C. Bradley 1905 James H. Burritt 1991 Norman E. Byrne 1907 Augustus Toplady Freed 1993 C. Edwin Drew 1909 Daniel F. .MacWatt 1995 Durward I. Greenwood 1911 Aubrey White 1997 William Thompson Anderson 1913 William David McPherson 1999 Robert J. McKibbon 1915 Sydney Albert Luke 2001 Terence Shand 1917 William Hugh Wardrope 2003 Donald H. Mumby 1919 Frederick Weir Harcourt 2005 Gary Laverne Atkinson 1921 William Nisbet Ponton 2007 Allan J. Petrisor 1923 William John Drope 2009 Raymond S. J. Daniels 1925 John Albert Rowland 2011 D. Garry Dowling 1927 John Strickler Martin 1929 Roderick Bernard Dargavel 1931 Walter Stevens Herrington 1933 Frank Armitage Copus 1935 Alexander James Anderson

Past Grand Masters Page 200