UNDER ONE BANNER. a Few Weeks Since We Published a Circular Letter
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Quebec, which in their turn culminated in the secession from CONTENTS. Canada of the lod LKADBR — P AGE ges in the latter Province and the establish- Under One Banner ... ... ... ... ... ••• 3S3 ment of the Grand Lodge of Quebec, the new body, as soon as Time Immemorial Lodges ... ... ••• ••• ••• 3^3~ it had overcome the difficulties attending its formation and Science, Art and the Drama ... ... ... ... ••• 3Sf > Moderns " and " Ancients," 1757-17 65 ... ... ... ••• 3$7 set its house in order , app lied for recognition to the Grand " ¦¦• Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... 3S7 Lodge of England. This was in 18 75, and our Grand MASONIC NOTES— ~ Lodge at once acceded to the request, but on the usual Festival of the Royal Masonic Irslilution for Bnys ... ... ... 3^9 Anniversary Festival of the Mark Benevolent Fund... ... ... 3S9 condition that such English lodges as might prefer Death of Bro. S. C. Burke ... ... ... ... ... 3S0 remaining in allegiance to their parent Grand Ex-Pupils ' Day at the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls ... ... 3S9 Lodge should South African Masonic Relief Fund .:. ... ... ... 3S9 continue in the exercise of all their rights and privileges. The Annual Festival of the Al pass Benevolent Institution ... ... 3S9 Grand Lodge of Quebec, however, declined to accept these Correspondence ... ... ... ... ... ... 39° Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 390 terms, with the result that the three Anglo-Montreal lodges, and Annual Supper of the La France Lodge of Instruction , No. 20C0... ... 393 Royal Aich ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 393 those on the register of the Grand Lodge of Quebec, have held Allied Masonic Degrees... ... ... ... ... ... 393 aloof from each other, and for a time, at all events, were at Obituary ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 393 Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of Middlesex... ... ... ... 394 variance ; nor, though the members of the two Constitutions are Instruction ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 394 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... 396" now on terms of friendl y intercourse , have the several attempts that have been made from time to time to bring them together under one supreme Masonic authority proved successful. What UNDER ONE BANNER. makes this state of things the more regrettable is that, if on the one hand the Grand Lod ge of Quebec should take any A few weeks since we published a circular letter—with steps to force a union of the two bodies, the friendl y intercourse introductory paragraph—addressed b an old 1'ast Master of the y presently existing between them will be changed into a state of St. Paul's Lodge, No. 374 (E.C.) to the more prominent English hostility ; while, on the other hand , the Grand Lodge of Masons in the city of Montreal , in which he suggests that the England is powerless in the matter, and so Jong as its three time is opportune for those lod ges which have stood aloof from daughter lodges in Montreal determine to remain under the Grand Lod ge of Quebec to cast in their lot with that bod y, its banner, so long is it bound by the terms of its own and so place the whole of the Masonic community in the Pro- warrants to respect their wishes. Thus the solution of the difficulty rests with the members of the English lod vince under its banner. In offering this suggestion , the Past ges, and Bro. M CCORD has done well to address his earnest appeal to his Master in question—Bro . DAVID R. M C CORD —is careful to English brother Masons to reconsider their position at the point out that he alone is responsible for it , but that he has present moment, when , as he says, " the colonies are occupy ing been prompted to address it, as being based on what he con- a larger space in the Imperial eye than ever before," and when, siders to be " in the present best and widest interests of as with equal justice , he infers that, as no successor has been Masonry ." We are entirel y of his op inion , and gladly avail appointed to the late Bro. Jud ge BADGl.l ' Vas Dist. G. Master, and ourselves of the opportunity which his letter has put in our way having regard to the alterations made in the Book of Const.tu- nf urging upon our lod ges the propriety of adopting the advice; tions in 1S97, tne ""ion of its three lod ges with those of he tenders. Quebec under the one banner of the Grand Lotlo-e of that Province would be hailed by it with satisfaction. Moreover , There are three lod ges in Montreal which have elected to there is a still stronger reason , which has evidently induced Bro. remain on the register of the Grand Lodge of England in pre- McCORl) to address his circular letter , namely, that the union ference to j oining the local Grand Lodge. These .are the St. of the English with the Quebec lodges will materiall y strengthen Paul' s Lodge , No. 374, which was warranted in 1824, and of the position of the Craft in the Province , not merely numeri- which Bro. McC' ORI ) is an old Past Master : the call y, but rather by the evidence it will furnish to the world St. George's Lod ge, No. 440, which dates from the year generally that the unity of Freemasonry is something more than a formal expression which may be used or abused 1836 ; and the Lodge of St. Lawrence, No. 640, which was con- at pleasure. stituted '111-18 54. When shortl y after the last-named date the troubles bega u between ihe lod ges in Canada and their parent TIME IMMEMORIAL LODGES Grand Lodges in the United King , dom which culminated in the —————• i of ^•cession the former from the latter , and the establishment of By B RO . R. F. GOULD , P.G.J). the Grand Lodge of Canada as the Supreme Masonic - Authority IV. in that part of British North America , our Grand Lodge very (Continued from p age j39 .J wisel y accepted the position and agreed to recognise the newl y- According to its traditional history , the Mason Lodge of lormcd body on condition that those of its lodges which preferred Scone (now Scoon and Perth , No. 3), was erected in very early times by those, artificers who were 10 remain in alleidance to it should so remain and in the full emp loyed to build the Abbey, the Palace , and other buildings which were required '¦'tj oynient of in this the ri ghts and privileges conferred upon them ancient cap ital of Scotland. When , however , Perth became the "itder their respective warrants of constitution; and among those cap ital of the kingdom , the Lod ge of Scone was removed to it , "'Inch adopted this course; were the three lod ges we have speci- and remained there, when in the middle of the 15th century , lu the seat of government was transferred to Edinburgh. 'l b When some 23 years later difficu lties arose between tin The earliest records go back to 1658 , and a minute of that |(,( l ges on the Canadian Register in the Provinces of Ontario and year recites that King James the Sixth of Scotland , by his own desire, had been " entered ffrieman , measone, and fellow craft , structors), and engaging in prayer at the opening ceremony with a circumstance which Bro. D. Crawford Smith—in his admirably- the special object of ensuing strict impartiality in the transac- written History of the Lodge (18 98)—thinks is entitled to our tion of business — otherwise called " Fencing the Lodge." credit , and considers must have taken place in A pril , idoi. Sketches of No. 24, have appeared from the pens of Bros The Lodge of Glasgow .St. John for a long time claimed an Robert Saunderson (" Scottish Freemason,0 and " Masonic extraordinary anti quity, by virtue of a charter supposed to have Magazine "), and W. F. Vernon (1893). been granted by Malcolm III., King of Scots, so far back as the St. Andrew, St. Andrew's, and St. Joh n , Dunfermline , Nos. year 1057. But the earliest authentic notice of the lod ge occurs 25 and 26 , are, in all probability, identical with the " Lodge of in a document bearing the date of 1620, which refers to its Dumfcrling," and " Sanct Androis ," parties to the St. Clair existence in 1613. It was a party to the St. Clair charter of Charter of 1601. If this be so, the latter , without doubt, must 1628, but did not join the Grand Lodge until 1850 , when it was also have been present at the Convention of St. Andrew's in the enrolled under its present name and number (3 bis). Unlike previous year. Glasgow St. Mungo, No. 27, originall y held its other pre-18th century lodges, its membershi p was exclusively Charter from the Lodge Glasgow St. John , which being an Opera- Operative, and though doubtless giving the Mason Word to tive Lodge, and connected with the Incorp orated Masons of Entered Apprentices, none were recognised as members until Glasgow , refused to enter Speculative Masons , but granted a they had jo ined the Incorporation , which was composed of Mason Charter to St. Mungo, as a Speculative Lodge. It afterwards— Burgesses. The admission of non-Operatives did not take place about 1728 or 1729—obtained a second charter from M other until 1842. A " Sketch of the Incorporation of Masons and the Kilwinnin g, under the name of " St. John Kilwinning, Kirk of Lodge of Glasgow St. John " has been written by liro. James Glasgow St. Mungo Lodge." Cruikshank (18 70). Ancient Stirling, No. 30, claims a venerable antiquity, as Old Kilwinning St. John , No. 6, is sakl to be the oldest of representing the bod y of Masons who were engaged in the con- the "Kilwinning" Lodges, and to date from 16 78, which seniority struction of Cambus-Kenneth Abbey, founded by David I., in has been confirmed by the Grand Lodge.