Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-06-06
FREEMASONRY IN ENGLAND.
Its Wonderful Grow IN and Power
An Order of Mercy.
london Court Circular.

LOUuOH COuTJ CtfCUtdrs
The progress which the fraternity has
made in England since the commence.
ment of the present century is truly as
founding. In or about the year 1900
there were between fifty and sixty lodges
which acknowledged the jurisdiction of
the Grand Master of England, and they
numbered at most some 1900 brethren.
At the present time there are under
the rule of His Royal Highness the
Prince of Wales. Grand Master of Eng
land, no less than 2 900 lodges, which in
all number about 100 600 to 40 600
members. Besides these there are the
Grand Lodges of Scotland and Ireland.
which, though closely akin to that of
England, yet have separate rulers. They
have also enormously increased in num-
bers and power since the commence
ment of the nineteenth century.
Freemasonry seems to have peculiar
fascination for the American mind, and
we should be rather under than over
estimating the number of brethren in
the United States if we gave their sum
total at three.quarters of million. 1t
has been alleged by people hostile to the
order that Freemasonry in England only
fOurishes because royal Prince is at
the head of the craft and all his
brothers are associated with it. That
this is not the case we have conclusively
proved by the quotation as to the mum
Der of the brethren who exist on the
continent of America. There can, how
ever, be no doubt that since the heir an.
parent was elected TO the position in Ma
sorry which he now occupies, the craft
has, from the fact of its occupying more
public attention, made great strides in
the country. and it continues daily to
advance further on the path of pros
perity.
There is notion abroad that a great
part of the enormous funds over which
the Grand Lodge and its affiliated lodges
have control is devoted to banqueting, or
in other words to eating and drinking.
This is not the case. All the money col
lected goes for the purpose of maintain
ing the three great Masonic charities,
VIZ. 4; the old people, the boys and the
girls. Every lodge is bound annually
to contribute portion, and large por-
ton too, of its funds to the support of
these excellent institutions. The
other moneys collected are in the great
majority of cases expended in relieving
the immediate necessities of poor and
destitute brethren and their families 1t
is only necessary to glance at the list of
grants which the Board of General Pur.
poses makes monthly to the needy to see
how much great and useful work is &C.
complished by the Freemasons of Eng
land. IEstead of being, as their enc
mics represent them, body of men tax.
ing delight in few idle forms and cere-
monies and the pleasures of the table.
they, on the contrary, are the greatest
charitable and benefit society ever yet
established. The good they do is meal
culable, and most of it IS done by stealth.
The men who manage the machinery and
do the work of this great institution, do
it at frequent personal inconvenience and
discomfort. All the thanks and all the
reward they get is the knowledge that
they are instruments In forwarding a
great and glorious cause. The watch
word of the order is charity and brother
ly love, and all genuine Masons act up to
the great lesson 1t inculcates.