Morning journal and courier., 1883-01-18
Masonic.

4AAls~kS%SAAA%e The Annual Meeting of the Grand Lodge
 --COnt1nued Prosperity - Sugg estiOns
 From the Grand Master.
 The Grand Lodge, F. & A. M., of this State is holding it's annual session. in this city at the Masonic Temple. The meeting began yesterday and continues to-day. About 300 members are in attendance. All the Grand Lodge officers are present except Grand Sec : retary Wheeler, who is retained at home by illness. General L. A. Dickinson, of Hart ford, oficiatsd in his place. The grand master. MT. McCormick, read his report, which was warmly applauded. The report says: T welcome you to the 95th annual communication of the Grand Lodge, and am gratiHed to report that the past year has been one of unusual prosperity to the craft. The increase from limitations has been larger than for many years, the financial condition of the lodges has been improved, and peace diction and we have cause to be grateful i that no officer, member or past grand officer of this Grand Lodge has been removed by death during the year.
 District deputy grand masters are appoint ed as follows: Foster A. Whitney, for Hart ford county; D. L. Durand, for New Haven county; J. H. Swartout, for Fairfield county; 0. J. York, for LitchfeId county A. S. Com stock, for New London county; A. E. Good rich, for Middlesex county H. W. Cove, for Holland and Windham counties
 Nearly all the 66 lodges that reported are in excellent condition. A few are weak on account of the small population they have to draw from, and only one lodge room is re- ported insecure. Forty six lodges report an expenditure of $2, 2,657.44 for charity. The number of lodges in this jurisdiction should
 be reduced to 100, in order to give the weak est lodges more chance, or larger area to draw from.
 The amount of contributions to the Ma.
 sonic charity fund is much larger than in any | previous year. Appeals for aid in other
 Grand Lodge jurisdictions have met with 8
 generous response; but is not charity at
 home entitled to at least as much considera-
 ton I? North Carolina and Kentucky point with pride to their institutions for the SUD- | port of the needy and destitute In 1881,
 the Grand Lodge of England expended more l than $54, 900 in the support of their Mason | ic Home, and nearly $36, ,O0O in charity to l benefciaries outside the home.
 The bylaws of 27 lodges have been exam 1 ined by the grand master, who found in that all but six there were articles in conflict l with the laws of the Grand Lodge or other l wise objectionable. He recommends that l hereafter the committee on bylaws shall
 consist of one only and that the lodges adopt 1 the standard form of bylaws as laid 1 down in Lockwood's Jurisprudence. l The recommendation at the last annual l | T l ted to alter the time of their meeting and 1 amount of lodge dues without submitting 1 the amendments to the committee on bylaws, ! is renewed.
 On the question of the principle of rota- | ton in office, the report says In more than | found that the refusal by the lodge to elect 1 officers to a higher station than they had 1 previously filled has been the cause of dis | cord, and in one case threatened the very
 existence of the lodge, and on the other
 hand, find the interests of the lodges suffer
 ing from the election of incompetent
 officers. The prosperity, efficiency and
 pends much upon capable and
 efficient officers, and this is especially true of
 Masonic lodges. I believe that officers
 should be advanced always when capable
 not from the fact that they have held some other position, but because they are capable.
 And perhaps it would be wise if the Grand
 Lodge would declare that brother acquires
 no right to any office by reason of having | filled another, either in the grand or subordi | nate lodges.
 J. K Wheeler, the grand secretary, report l ed that the contributions to the Masonic
 charity foundation fund amounted during
 the past year to $1, ,3O2.85. The report of
 returns and dues exhibited 8 marked increase | of work over the preceding year. The total
 number initiated has been 554 affiliated
 from other lodges, 102; reinstated, 52 ; di-
 mitted, 122; stricken from the roll for non- | payment of lodge dues, 162 suspended for
 unmasonic conduct, z; expelled, 8; died, 1 POO; number of affiliated master Masons in l the jurisdiction, +, ,612. From this number I the lodges have deducted 2, I65 OF which the | per capita tax has not been paid in accord | with the resolution that those who are out of | the jurisdiction and have not been heard
 from for the five preceding years, and those | who have been for thirty years Masons in good standing, shall be exempt from the Grand Lodge tax. The receipts from dues will therefore be about $2, 800. The joint committees were named yester- day as follows:
 Grand Officers Addresses-E. B. Rowe, Dwight Phelps, Asa Smith.
 White, E. H. Mills, Chester Tilden, A. H. Most, M Thomas, 2d. Jurisprudence-L. A. Lockwood, J. Fl. Barlow, Ed mund Tweedy.
 Delinquencies-E. o. Goodwin, Samuel Bassett, A. Leffett, Jr.
 Finance H. Tucker, T. Stanley Bradley. A. ". Lewis.
 Auditing-stephen Bali, s. J. Osborn, H. S. Whife. Appropriations William Veitch. George H. Foltz, John Carter
 Grievances-J. H. swartout, A. s. Comstook, T. A. Whitney, George D. Waters w. F. Benhsm.
 The lodge at their meeting this morning will elect the officers for the ensuing year.