Morning journal and courier., 1880-01-22
Masonry.


 The Grand Lodge, F. & A. M.-Ihe An-
 nual SessiOn-DecfaiOns-EO Re-
 IaafOns-DOmeStic Affairs.
 The annual session of the Grand Lodge, F. tS A. M, of this State, was held at Hartford yesterday. There were about 400 present. Grand Master Barlow presided. In opening the Grand Master paida fitting tribute to the memory of Grand Master Israel Bullock, de- ceased. During the year two other venerable past officers of the lodge died. These were Rev. William Cooper Mead, D. D., Grand Chaplain in 1855-6, who died at Norwalk, June IT, 1879, and Rev. George B. Atwell, Grand Chaplain in 1s75-6, who died at Pleas ant Valley, April 23, 1879.
 Of the veteran association twenty-six died during the past year. Grand Master Barlow finds DO record of decisions left by Grand Master Bullock and has rendered the follow ing himself:
 First-secton 12Eh, chapter 9th, Lockwood's Mason ic Law and Practice, does not apply member der sentence of indefinite suspension member uu- seoond-The by-laws of lodge requiring unani- nous ballot to restore member under indefinits pension (said bylaws having been approved by this Grand Lodge), member under said sentence to be restored must receive unanimous ballot in his favor notwithstanding the permisstve clause in Lockwoods Masonic Law and Practice. Section 8h, chapter 7th Third-A member cannot be deprived Of his vote upon question before the lodge by being in ar for dues, until his membership is severed by suspension, striking from the roll.
 Fourth-An applicant rejected by one lodge and ai-
 1es application without consent of the other. After mentioning the dispsnsations, dedics- tions installations and visitations of the year, Master Barlow came to the subject of Dis trict Deputy Grand Masters. On this he says |: kIav IokS nf md Ina numerous questions propounded, am con- ' vinced that some system of instruction to the subordinate lodges should be provided by the Grand Lodge. We have now neither Grand Lecturer or District Deputy Grand Masters, ! and officers of subordinates wishing instruc- | tion or information on any point have no re K course but to the Grand Master. I would \ recommend that our jurisdiction be divided ' into suitable number of Masonic districts, and that the Grand Master annually appoint a District Deputy Grand Master for each Ma ' sonic district"
 The Master recommends review of the Wobetuck matter, and in closing eulogizes ! the high aims and aspirations of the order. The Grand Secretary, MT. Wheeler of Hart \ ford, reports in answer to his efforts the re- | ceipt of the following from the Grand Secre ! tary of the M. W. Grand Lodge of Scotland. \ The Grand Secretary says: Meantime per ! init me to say for the information of your ' | land has no intention of invading the Masonic \ territory of any Grand Lodge in the United States; on the contrary, the Grand Master | and other office bearers and members of the 1 Grand Lodge of Scotland are most desirous \ of cultivating fraternal relations with these grand bodies. It is right. however, that you | should know that the charters issued to new | lodges in the city of Montreal, province of \ Quebec, will certainly not be withdrawn" During the month of March last received \ 8 communication from the Grand Lodge ot ! Ireland, giving notice of the death of our Grand Representatiye, Brother George Hu- band, who had been but recently appointed to ! that position, with request that another be | appointed to fill the vacancy. Consequently, | Grand Master Bullock, on the 7th of April, ! appointed James Vokes Mackey as our repre-
 sentative near the Grand Lodge of Ireland The following other appointments have
 been made during the year, and commissions
 issued to brothers: George M. Parsons, oi | Idaho; Luther Cole, of Rhode Island; Silas Rogers, Chickasaw Nation, I. T.; and N. s. \ Woodward, of Tennessee, as representative oi
 the Grand Lodge near their respective juris- | dictions.
 In reply to the circular of Grand Maste,
 John Fl. Barlow, soliciting subscriptions to
 the Masonic charity foundation fund, forty | eight lodges responded, and the sum oi l $342. g was received.
 ! The returns show fair amount of work
 for the year, though not up to the average
 of the past few years. From the returns re-
 ceived we are able to report the following :
 Number of limitations, 4O1 number admit.
 ted by admit from other lodges, 70; numbe,
 reinstated, 45 number admitted, 122; strick-
 en from the roll, 234; suspended, 14: ex-
 pelled, 5 /; died, 157. The total number oi Masons who are at present members of the lodges in this State is f4,66O, of which 2,053 are exempt from Grand Lodge per capita tax by the lodges, under our recent legislation.
 ! The largest number of limitations is report ed from Hartford Lodge, No. 88, and the next \ largest by Columbia, No. 26, East Haddam
 Thirteen lodges report no work, and twenty | three but one each.
 | There are at present 112 lodges in this State,
 and the average membership to each is frac. ! tion less than 131. Hiram Lodge, No. 1, is
 the largest in the State, reporting 72O mem bers, while Evergreen, No. IA, with it's 21 | members, is the smallest.
 The report of George Lee, the Grand
 Treasurer, shows receipts of $2, 825 25, and expenditures $1,694.O6; leaving balance on | hand of $1, 131.2O.
 Last evening an address was to be delivered
 by Hon. Gilbert w. Phillips upon the life and | character of the late Grand Master Israel M.