The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-11-07
Grand Master of Maine and the Masonic
Mission, ~
OFFICE OF THE GRAND MASTER,
PORTLAND, Nov. 4Eft. 1864.


PORTLAND, Nov. 4tI, 1854.
REV. w. Fl. HADLEY--
Dear Sir and Bro:-Having read your ar
ticle in the Press Of this morning in regard
to the @Masonic Mission" and finding myself
alluded to in it, have deemed it but right, in
Justice to you, and to avoid all misapprehen-
sion as to the position Of the Masonic Frater-
nifty of this city as far as the mission" is con-
concerned, to notice some few statements
made in the article referred to. M
And first, as far forth as the matters stated
by you in that article are within Jmy knowl-
edge, they are strictly true. - -
The GOODNESS you refer to, of the members
of the fraternity on your first return to this
city, arose from a variety of reasons. Many
were and are of the opinion that there are al
ready as many. organizations Of this kind as
can be respectfully supplied with. money and
articles necessary for successful carrying
out of their design; that in order to sustain
these organizations they must have large
corps of officers, more or less of them to be
paid; that q considerable proportion Of both
the money and materials furnished is consum-
ed in running the machine" while but a
comparatively small part reaches the destina-
ton intended by the donors. Others objected
to the large field the organization undertook
to occupy, believing that a far greater amount
of good could be accomplished with the same
means by two or three small simple organiza-
| tons than by one, hampered down by a sys-
tenn Of red tape; it being matter Of notorie-
ETY. and susceptible of proof, that many a
brave defender of his country has died for
want of articles in the hands of the agents of
some of these organizations, when those arti.
Giles were close at hand, because it took SO long
to unite the red tape. a9 III
With some of these objections sympathize !;
but had other objections I had heard some
of the reports alluded to by you, although
none touching your integrity and honor as a
man, and before giving you a hearing in rela-
ton to the Mission" which you requested,
l wished TO satisfy myself as to the truth or
falsity of those reports. After waiting what
to you must have seemed an unaccountably,
if not unreasonably long time, and not re-
ceiving any reliable evidence to substantiate
the reports, l notified you of my readiness to
meet you at your convenience. aH
But another, and to me very serious objec-
ton, was the apparent design of inducing the
Lodges to appropriate more or less of their
funds to be dispensed by other parties than
their own appropriate officers, who are, in
my view, the only proper almoners of their
Lodges funds. s,ses .s.,-,s
At the meeting above referred to, after you
had stated the purposes of your organization,
and we had freely expressed our views and
objections with such mutual explanations as
were deemed necessary, and you had assent
to such position on the part of the fraternity
as was decided upon in accordance with the
views already expressed, we assured you o
our sympathy and good wishes, and DISPOSE
ton to render you such assistance as was il
our power, and the interview closed with thu
best of feelings on our part. -., gss,.eF
Yours truly and fraternally,
VIM. P. PREBLE.