The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-03-19


Brothers in holiness, thing the heart
HOLLY, holly, tile the door holly.
Tile the door holly, door of the heart
But should the angels Of mercy draw nigh,
Messengers sent from the Master on high
Should they come knocking with mystical art
Joytully open the door of the heart
Joytully, joytully, ope the door iovfully,
Ope the door joyfully, door of the heart
Are they not present, those angels. tonight.
Laden with riches and sparkling with light?
u to ENJOY all the bliss they impart,
Let us in gratitude open the heart
Gratefully, thankfully, ope the door thank
fully,
ope the door thankfully, door of the heart.
HEAVY MoRTALITY-Three hundred and
eleven Masons died in Mississippi during 1878,
of whom 1873 died of yellow fever. The av-
erage annual mortality of this Jurisdiction for
the previous ten years, is about two hundred
Funeral Honors to Non-Afiliates.
Grand Master Murphy, in his Address at
the last Annual Communication of the Grand
Lodge, reported the following among his special
dispensations
granted one TO Newton Lodge, No. 372 to
| perform our burial ceremonies at the grave of
| a brother who died a non-affiliate While |
| declare 1t my matured conviction that non
| animation Is per Sc, a masonic crime which
| deserves punishment, l am equally confident
that there are many who by it deprive them
selves of the rights of membership rather
| than make issues which could not fail to bring
reproach upon the Craft and disturb the har-
mony OF Lodges. As a rule | think it not
unsafe to let the Lodges decide, each for itself,
| who shall receive Masonic burial 1t is at
| best only a matter of taste
The Committee on Jurisprudence, Bro. Speed,
Chairman, approved all the decisions of the
Grand Master and also rendered a decision as
| follows:
Question 3.-Can member of a Lodge par
| ticipate as such in the funeral of a Compnion
| Royal Arch Mason, who, at the time of his
death, was not affiliated?
| Answer.-The Lodge may grant the request
| Tor funeral honors made by non-affliated
| Mason at its option. 1t being Lodge benefit
he could not demand it a right, but the
| Lodge might grant it as favor. Vide l.. & ].
report, p 225, pro- 1870, and p l6S Text Book
Sec. % of Bylaws, which aims to define the
status of non-affiliates, says that when they
| neglect or refuse to contribute annually to the
| funds of the Lodge an amount equal to the or
binary dues, they shall not be entitled, among
other things, to " the right of Masonic burial"
If not entitled, under the law, to the right
which they had forfeited, we fail to see
| the authority of a Lodge to " grant it as a fla
vor." The decision of 1870 was rendered
prior to the adoption of the present Code, in
1871. Since then, the Lodges have generally
understood that they could not extend funeral
honors to non-affiliates; but the action of
Grand Master Murphy, and the decision of
| the Committee, quoted above, RENTS the
| matter to the discretion of each Lodge, and
henceforth a right than non-affiliates have for
feited may be granted them as a favor. Grand
Master Fearn decided that reinstatement of
one dead is an impossibility; but where the
| necessity of reinstatement, if funeral hOnors
| can be granted as favor?" The Lodges
are all charitable and sympathetic on such
occasions, and now let there be no discrimina-
ton in favor of " distinguished" non-affiliates
The Grand Lodge, in 1860, refused permission
to the Masonic fraternity of Jackson to pay
| funeral honors to eminent citizen who died
during the Annual Communication, and that
delverance of the Grand Lodge has been inva.
riably observed here since; but some, who con
tended, that the ruling was harsh and unchar-
table, can take comfort from the more recent
| deliverances.
! CHARTERS ARREsTED.-Grand Master Bur
kilt has arrested the charters of Clinton Lodge,
! No. 10, and Vannatta Lodge, No. 68-the lat
ter at Raleigh, Smith county, for failure to
comply with Grand Lodge Regulations as to
making returns and paying dues. For like
reasons, Grand High Priest Brannin has arrest
ed the charters of Chapters at Liberty and
Walden.
THE proceedings of Grand Lodge and Grand
Chapter will be ready for distribution within
| the next week.
THE Grand Secretary has distributed nearly
ten thousand dollars of relief fund since the
meeting of Grand Lodge. The last check will
soon be issued.
| AFFILIATED is the heading which some
of the Masonic journals give marriage notices.
| THE Council degrees are being successfully
worked in several Chapters. Nearly two hun
dred Royal Arch Masons in Mississippi re-
ceived the degrees last year. The regulations
for the transfer and comforting of these degrees
do not seem to be well understood. We shall
state them in next issue.
THE Grand Commandery will hold its next
meeting at Columbus on the 21st May. Atten-
ton, Sir Knights-prepare to mount! A horse
parade was feature of last Grand Conclave
| in Columbus.
THE Graud Lodge of Maine has resolved
4" that the word compasses be adopted the
authorized word to be used in the work and
lectures instead of compass"
Iowa uses the lamb skim or White leather apron
no cotton or linen, but the real genuine
badge of a Mason-and every candidate for
initiation is presented with one, which becomes
his own. The representatives to the Grand
Lodge use the same, and the Grand Tyler il
directed to purchase one hundred for Grand
Lodge use. There is nothing more appropriate
| than the lamb skin without any adornments
PAST GRAND MASTER Rev A. H BARKLEY
was in our city several days last week. He il
one of great lights of our Grand Jurisdic
ton. He is Grand Chaplain for the present
year.
THE New York Masonic Newspaper for Feb
ruary 22nd, contains an excellent portrait O
Bro. w. G. Paxton, of Vicksburg-one of th'
most jealous and one of the best informed Ma
sons in Mississippi. Bro. Paxton was frs
made Mason in 1867. He has been at th'
head of all the Masonic Bodies in Vicks
burg, (other than the Scotch Rite,) Grand Mas
ter of Grand Council, and present Granc
Commander Knights Templar. He is not on
Iy a go-ahead Mason, but an enterprising an'
successful citizen.