Clarksville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1865-1867, 1866-12-05
MASONlC.
Grand Ledge OF Tenuouuee...
Report Of Grand Master
Thomas A. Hamilton.

| To the Grand Lodge Of Tennessee.
In accordance with time-honored usage,
| we ara again met together In Grand Lodge,
TO make due returns Of our proceedings
and official actions during the past year.
And In view Of the peace and harmony
which prevailed among the brethren and
the prosperity which has been vouchsafed
our beloved Order, we are under additional
weight of obligation and duty to render,
to Him who "doeth all things well" our
most gracious and humble prayers o!
thanksgiving and praise for His good provi-
dence and loving kindness to US, as men
and brethren.
We regret that il has not been our priv
ilege to visit all Of the subordinate Lodges
throughout the Grand Jurisdiction. It has
been our good pleasure, however, to visit
Q number Of them, and we are rejoiced TO
state that we found them in a prosperous
condition, peace and harmony generally
prevailing. We would commend the
brethren with our heartiest commendation
for the great zeal which they manifested
for the interests of the Order, and for the
careful scrutiny which they had observed
IN selecting the material for the building.
Ii affords us sincere pleasure to state that
so far as we could Judge, none but sober,
moral, industrious and upright men have
been received. Bearing high evidence Of
the prudent care which they had shown in
accepting none but good material, we were
little panied to learn that the opinion
prevailed among many of the brethren,
that all who applied should be recommend
ed to the Lodge, even though the brothers
signing the recommendation, felt that they
could not vote for the applicant. We must
condemn this over-good nature ON the part
OF the brethren, in presenting the petitions
OF unworthy men. II Is bad practice.
Bad material might sometimes get into the
Lodge. The brethren should never seek
to evade the responsibility of refusing to
recommend the unworthy, nor should they
shift the responsibility of refusal from one
to another. Firmness is Masonic virtue
and should always be observed, in preserv-
ing the purity OF our Order. No brother
should ever recommend any one unless he
Is satisfied that he Is every way worthy
and well qualified"
During the past year, we have caused
dispensations to be issued for new Lodges
at tho following places:
Nov. II, IS65-At Ten-mile Valley.
Nov. %, IS65-At Jscksboro'.
Dec. IS, Is65-At Riceville.
Dec. %, I865-At Lynchburg.
Jan. 19, lS66-At Yellow Greek.
Feb. 1, 1866 AT Barren Plains.
Feb. IS, Is6s-At Woodlawn.
March %, lS66-At Little Hatchie.
May 26. Is66-At Fountain Head.
May 26, lS66-At Lobeville.
All of the applications for these new
Lodges came properly recommended both
as to the necessity for them and As to the
ability and fitness Of the officers selected
to govern them.
We have rejected quite q number of
applications, for various reasons. In
some cases tn ere was total want of OBJ
servance OF the requirements of the
Grand Lodge; others came to hand In
proper form. but after the usual time for
granting dispensations These have been
referred to your honorable body for con-
siderstion.
We sincerely trust that the good Of the
Order has been promoted by the issuance
Of the dispensations which we have
granted, and that On presentation of their
work at this Grand Communication, they
will oil prove themselves worthy Of the
charters at your handA
During the year just closed, we have
been called npon for opinions upon almost
every question embraced in the laws and
usages Of the Fraternity. We have tried
10 render written opinions upon them all,
and hope We have met the requirements
of the brethren. Many questions were
submitted 10 Us upon minor points, which
We do not deem necessary to bring to
your notice. In the following cases,
however, questions OF general and
great practical importance to the Craft
are involved, and We present them to you
in the hope that they will fully meet your
views and receive your cordial approba-
ton:
In November, 1865, the Master of La
Grange Lodge No. 81, addressed rs as
follows: A gentleman, unexceptionable
in every respect as 10 moral worth, Is de-
sirOus TO become q member of our Insti-
tuition, but his right hand is disabled
Should he be admitted ?"
We decided that he could not be admit
ted, and that the law should be strictly
construed ss to the physical qualifications
Of candidates.
We received q communication from
Der IL, 1865, stating that he had been
elected Master of Meigs Lodge, No. 2l3,
but that he had never sci we'd as Master or
Warden In any Lodge, and praying dis
pensation to allow him to be installed.
We replied, making inquiry as to
whether or not it wasl necessary for the
good Of the Lodges; and il there was NO
Past Master or Past Warden belonging to
the Lodge; and that in either case we
would grant the dispensatiOn." No reply
ever came to our letter, and so far as we
know, the brother has not been installed
A brother who had received the degrees
In what was reported to US as an irregular
or clandestine Lodge in New Orleans, visi
ted the Lodges in the city Of Memphis, at
ter the usual examination. After time he
applied to US, in open Lodge, through
Brother Lewis Amis, Jr., to know in what
manner he could become a member, he
having no demit We learned from the
Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge OF
Louisiana, that the Lodge In which he had
received his degree was irregular and clan
destine. Learning his good character and
regular department, both before and afte
receiving the degrees, and being convinced
that if any wrong had been done, he was
not the guilty party. We decided to heal
him And this was done, therefore, in the
usual manner.
We have received number Of commu-
nications, in which questions were raised
touching the powers and prerogatives Of
Lodges while under dispensation- The
main point raised was this: Must breth-
rem demit from their respective Lodges
before associating together under dispen-
sation, or does the dispensstion necessarily
demit them from their former Lodges. We
decided that 1t is not necessary for them to
demit, and that membership belongs to
chartered Lodges only.
We received a communication from
WhiteviIle Lodge No 14S In regard to their
resuming labor in February last AS Il was
understood In Grand Lodge at the last
annual communication, that there Was no
disposition on the part OF the members OF
this Lodge To resume labor, q dispense
don was given number Of their members
to form Mount Moriah Lodge, in the vicin-
ity Of Whiteville In view Of this action
on the part of the Grand Lodge We de-
clined to reinstate Whiteville Lodge and
respectfully referred them to your presens
communication, for the solution Of their
troubles.
We received . communication from
ClarksviIle Lodge requesting dispensation
to confer the three symbolic degrees upon
q gentleman who had not resided the law
full time In their jurisdiction
We replied that in our opinion no such
power was rested in Us as Grand Master.
The W. NJ of Hesse Lodge wrote Us a.
follows: "a young man of undoubted in
tegrity and in no way likely to become .