The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1878-04-30 00:00:00

INDEPENDENT ORDER OF GOOD
TEMPLA.R.S.

On Tuesday the Grand Lodge of England, of the
Independent Order of Good Templam was duly
mad annual business session at Si, George's
Liverpool, Brother Joseph Malin', Grand
Worthy Chief Templar, in the chair. 241 represents-
tires were in attandance—being elected, according to
the bye-laws of the Grand Lodge, on the beds of one
reprmentative to every 500 members—besides • large
number of Grand Lodge members, past officers. and
past representatives, and deputies of the Grand
Worthy Chief Templar. It was stated that on the
previou, day the number of throe who took the
Grand Lodge degree was 1,840, and yesterday there
was a considerable additional number. The conferring
of the degree and the appointment of the preliminary
committees was the principal busking of the day, the
remainder of the proceedings were open to the
public, in the shape of the reception of distinguished
visitors, the holding of great public demonstration in
liengler's circus, and • conferenise of ladies on future
aggressive work. The visitors ware suitably introduced
to the Grand Lags in recess by Brother Matins,
G.W.C.T., and most enthtudastically welcomed, which
some of them acknowlegsd in brief speeches. At the
conference of the promoters of the Grand Lodge
Extension, Sisters, and other funds, which was held
In the rooms of the Young Men's Christian Amnia-
tion, Mount Pleasant, Liverpool, and presided over
by Mr. Derringtou (Worcestershire), the chairman
announced that the amount collected by means of the
Templar Sister's Fund up to the 17th of April was
£1,067 ss. 101, an exceedingly gratifying result, and
tr at the Order stood now free from debt, with •
balance at the banker's. The other objects of tt e
fond (the aid of the juvenile and other movementa)
had not been forgotten, though of course the first
consideration of the executive committee was to fiee
k order to clear the Order from the incubus of debt.
This object had been greatly waisted by means of
the national penny collection in the lodges, instituted
by Sisters Docwra and Metford, and liberally assisted
by other sisters in different parts of the kingdom, and
this particular department had raised Kll7 17a 31.
Sister Metford supplemented this statement by
congratulating the members that the Order wee
now in • position to carry on a good aggressive
work, and she suggvested the formation tlrve
some
systematic work to be sustained by a permanent
subscription list. Attention was called to the
fact that the Grand Worthy Secretary, Mr. Kirton,
had in his °Metal report recommended that •
special effort should be made to arrange a system by
which the whole country could be regularly worked by
a staff of earnest agents.—The Chairman said he did
not consider that the amount spent on general
temperance work by the Order was worthy of It, and
the time had now arrived when the Order ought to
leave its part comparative inactivity and make It.
mark upon the country, and even in the education of
the members themselves, on temperance subjects.
An interesting discussion ensued, and ultimately it
was &Armed that it was desirable that • fund should
be formed for aggressive work, by which at least three
agents might be constantly employed one to
forward the juvenile temple work, ago:Kind for political
work, to carry on operations in co-operation with other
organizations, and • third for general temperatiee
missionary work. —A resolution was adopted conveying
to the Grand Lodge the views of the Conference in
accordance with this movement. The Grand Lodge
uaanimously passed the following resolution, on the
motion of Brother Collings, seconded by Brother
Craze :—" This Grand Lodge rejoices in the SUCCOM
that has attended the efforts of the Right Worthy
Grand Lodge of the World for the admission into the
Order of coloured people in the Southern States lef
America, and it reoognisee • complete justification for
the action which was taken in separating from the
negro-excluders and their friends, in the fact that
within two years no leas than 130 lodges had been
formed under its jurisdiction in States where the
African race had hithert, been persistently denied the
pr.( vllageo4 our Order. This Grand Lodge deliberately
and em reaffirm' its unswerving loyalty to
the t W y Grand Lodge of the World and its
earnest determination to support that body in Its
efforts to spread the principles of our Order to all men,
Irrespective of race or colour. That, inasmuch as this
Grand Lodge, at its annual esesion of 1106. gave
distinct bistros:thou to its representatives, and at the
session of 1877 unanimously approved of the manner
In which those instructions had been carried out, this
Grand Lodge would enter its protest against mist,-
presentations which are made with the apparent
Intention of Injuring
roreputation of our Grand
Worthy Chief Tem , Brother Josph bialins, by the
American secure the Order which, by the latest
advice" from the coloured people themselves, had done
absolutely nothing to secure their admission into the
Order in twelve of the Southern States. And this
Grand lodge would urge Brother Matins to presevere
in the line of conduct that has guided his action on
this question in the pest, with the knowledge that
truth shall in the end triumph over the prejudices
and merlon, both of individuals and nations,"