SECTION I.

THE WORSHIPFUL MASTER.
In the whole series of offices recognized by the Masonic institution, there is not one more important than that of the Master of a Lodge, Upon the skill, integrity and prudence of the presiding officer depend the usefulness and welfare of the Lodge, and as Lodges are the primary assemblages of the craft, and by representation constitute the supreme tri- bunal or Grand Lodge, it is evident that the errors of government in the primary bodies must, if not duly corrected, be productive of evil to the whole fraternity. Hence, in the ceremony of installation, it was required, as a necessary qualification of him who was proposed to the Grand Master as the pre- siding officer of a Lodge, that he should be " of good morals, of great skill, true and trusty, and a lover of the whole fraternity, wheresoever dispersed over the face of the earth,"* And it was on such a recommendation that it was to be presumed that he would " discharge the duties of the office with fidelity."
It is proper that such stringent qualifications should be required of one whose duties are so exten- sive, and whose rights and prerogatives are so su preme as those of the Master of a Lodge. But
* Such is the language of the Installation service used in 1723 by the Duke of Wharton See the first edition of Anderson's Book of Constitutions, page 71.
J44 WORSHIPFUL MASTER.
«
these duties and prerogatives are so numerous and so complicated that the importance of the subject requires that each one should receive a separate consideration.
1. The first and most important prerogative of the Master is to preside over his Lodge. With this prerogative are connected many correlative duties, which may be most properly discussed at the same time.
As a presiding officer, the Master is possessed of extraordinary powers, which belong to the presiding officer of no other association. He presides over the business, as well as the work or Masonic labors of the Lodge ; and in all cases his decisions on points of order are final, for it is a settled principle of Masonic law that no appeal can be taken to the Lodge from the decision of the Master. The Grand Lodge alone can overrule his declared opinion on any point of order. But this subject has already been fully discussed in a preceding part of this work, and to that the. reader is referred.*
The Master has the right to convene his Lodge at any time, and is the judge of any emergency that may require a special meeting. f Without his con- sent, except on the nights of the stated or regular communications, the Lodge cannot be congregated, and therefore any business transacted at a called or
* See ante p. 239.
f " The Master of a particular Lodge has the right and authority of con- gregating the members of his Lodge into a chapter at pleasure, upon any emergency or occurrence, as well as to appoint the time and place of then asual forming." — Regulations of 1721, Reg. ii., Akderson, p. 59.
WORSHIPFUL MASTER. 345
special communication, without his sanction or con- sent, would be illegal and void.
Even at the regular communications of the Lodge, if the Master 1 e present, the time of opening is left to his discretion, for no one can take from the Mas- ter his prerogative of opening the Lodge. But if he be absent when the hour of opening which is specified in the by-laws has arrived, the Senior Warden, if present, and if not, then the Junior may open the Lodge, and the business transacted will be regular and legal, even without the Master's sanc- tion ; for it was his duty to be present, and he can- not take advantage of his own remissness of duty to interfere with the business of the Lodge.*
The selection of the time of closing is also vested in the Master. He is the sole judge of the proper period at which the labors of the Lodge should be terminated, and may suspend business, even in the middle of a debate, if he supposes that it is expe- dient to close the Lodge. Hence, no motion for adjournment, or to close, or to call off from labor to refreshment, can ever be .admitted in a Masonic
* On this subject, Bro. J. F. Townsend, Deputy Grand Master of Ireland, makes the following remarks : " It is unfair to call men from their occupa- tions and pursuits without good reason ; and the goodness of the reason must be left to the Master's decision. Certainly the Secretary has no right to convoke the Lodge on emergency, at his own pleasure ; but as the Master, as well as all the members, is bound by the by-laws, which also provide for the regular meetings, the Secretary need not obtain his permission to issue sum- monses for them. And I think that if the Master were to die or be expelled, the Wardens might convoke the Lodge, since there would then be no Master, and they, as well as he, are intrusted with the government of it/' The duty of the Master in the government of a Masonic Lodge — See American Quart. Eev. of Freemasonry , vol. i p. 19G.
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346 WORSHIPFUL MASTER.
Lodge. Such a motion would be an interference with the prerogative of the Master, and could not therefore be entertained.
This prerogative of opening and. closing his Lodge is necessarily vested in the Master, because, by the nature of our institution, he is responsible to the Grand Lodge for the good conduct of the body over which he presides. He is charged, in those questions to which he is required to give his assent at his installation, to hold the Landmarks in venera- tion, and to conform to every edict of the Grand Lodge ; and for any violation of the one or disobedi- ence of the other by the Lodge, in his presence, he would be answerable to the supreme Masonic au- thority. Hence the necessity that an arbitrary power should be conferred upon him, by the exer- cise of which he may at any time be enabled to prevent the adoption of resolutions, or the commis- sion of any act which would be subversive of, or contrary to, those ancient laws and usages which he has sworn to maintain and preserve.
From the principle that the Master, when present, must always preside over his Lodge, arises the rule that a Masonic Lodge can never, under any circum- stances, be resolved into a committee of the whole. " Committees of the whole," says Bro. B. B. French, who is able authority on the Parliamentary law of Masonry, " are utterly out of place in a Masonic body. Lodges can only do business with the Mas- ter in the chair ; for, let who will preside, he is, while occupying the chair, Master — invested with
WORSHIPFUL MASTER. 347
supreme command, and emphatically ' governs the Lodge.' Any committee presupposes a ' chairman/ and no Freemason would feel at home were he pre- sided over by a ' chairman.' This single fact is conclusive ; and yet," adds Bro. French, " I have seen, in my day, a Masonic body pretending to be in committee of the whole. I raised my voice against it, and believe I convinced my brethren that they were wrong. "*
2. It is the prerogative of the Master, with his Wardens, to represent his Lodge in the communica- tions of the Grand Lodge. Originally the whole craft were not only permitted but required to be present at the General Assembly, which was an- nually held ;f and every member of a Lodge was in this way a member of that body, and was able, by his personal presence, to protect his rights and those of his brethren. But soon after the beginning of the last century, it being found inconvenient to con- tinue such large assemblages of the fraternity, the Lodges placed their rights in the protecting care of their Masters and Wardens, and the Grand Lodge has ever since been a strictly representative body, consisting of the Masters and Wardens of the seve- ral Lodges in the jurisdiction.:]:
* Application of Parliamentary law to the government of Masonic bodies. B. B. Frexch — Amer. Quart. Rev. of Freemasonry , vol. i. p. 323.
t " Every Master and Fellow shall come to the assembly, if it be within fifty miles of him." — Ancient Charges at Makings ; see ante p. 52.
X The constitution of the Masonic Order has always been of a strictly de- mocratic form. At first it was the pure democracy of the ancients, in which every freeman had a voice in the government. Now it has assumed the
348 WORSHIPFUL MASTER.
As the Grand Lodge is the supreme tribunal of the jurisdiction — as all its decisions on points of Masonic law are final — and as there can be no ap- peal from its judgments — it is evident that it is highly important that every Lodge should be repre- sented in its deliberations. The Master and Ward- ens become, like the old Roman Consuls, invested with the care of seeing that their constituents re- ceive no detriment. It is essential, therefore, that one of them at least, and the Master more particu- larly, should be present at every communication of the Grand Lodge ; and accordingly the observance of this duty is explicitly inculcated upon the Master at his installation into office.*
3. Another prerogative of the Master of a Lodge is that of controlling the admission of visitors. lie is required by his installation charge to see that no visitors be received without passing a due examina- tion and producing proper vouchers ;f and this duty he cannot perform' unless the right of judging of the nature of that examination and of those vouchers be solely vested in himself, and the dis- cretionary power of admission or rejection be placed in his hands. The Lodge cannot, therefore, inter- modern form, in which the power of legislation is delegated to responsible representatives.
* " You promise regularly to attend the committees and communications of the Grand Lodge, on receiving proper notice." — Ritual of Installation. Preston, p. 74- ; Webb, 1812, p. 97.
f " You agree that no visitors shall be received into the Lodge, without passing under due examination, and producing proper vouchers of a regular initiation."- -Ritual Prestos p. 75 : Webb, p. 98.
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fero with this prerogative, nor can the question be put to it whether a particular visitor shall he ad- mitted. The Master is, in all such cases, the sole judge, without appeal from his decision.*
4. Coincident with this power of admitting or excluding a visitor from another Lodge, is that of refusing or consenting to the admission of a mem- ber. The ritual of opening expressly says that none shall " pass or repass but such as are duly qualified and have the Worshipful Master 7s permis- sion ;" and if the prerogative of refusing admission to a brother hailing from another Lodge is vested solely in the Master, that he may be enabled, by this discretionary power, to maintain the by-laws and regulations of the Order, and preserve the har- mony of the Lodge, it seems evident that he should be possessed of equal power in respect to his own members, because it may happen that the admission even of a member might sometimes create discord, and if the Master is aware that such would be the result, it must be acknowledged that he would be but exercising his duty in refusing the admission of such a member. But as this prerogative affects, in no slight degree, the rights of membership, which inure to every Mason who has signed the by-laws, it should be exercised with great caution ; and where a member has been unjustly, or without sufficient cause, deprived of the right of visiting his own Lodge, there can be no question that he has the right of preferring charges against the Master in
* See ante p. 203, where this subject is discussed.
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the Grand Lodge, whose duty it is to punish every arbitrary or oppressive exercise of prerogative.
5. It is the prerogative of the Master to take charge of the warrant of constitution. This instru- ment, it has already been observed, is the evidence of the legality of the Lodge, and should always be placed upon the Master's pedestal while the Lodge is open. During the recess of the Lodge, it is con- structively supposed to be in the Master's personal possession, although, for the sake of convenience and safety, it is most generally deposited in the Lodge room. The Master is, however, always re- sponsible for it, and if demanded by the Grand Lodge, it is of him that the demand must be made, and he alone is responsible for its production. In like manner, when going out of office, he must de- liver it to Lis successor, who is to retain charge of it under the same regulations ; for the Master of the Lodge is always the proper custodian of the warrant of constitution.
6. The appointing power constitutes an important prerogative of the Master of a Lodge. In England, he appoints all the officers, except the Treasurer and Tiler ; but in this country the power of appoint- ment is restricted to that of the Senior Deacon, and in some Lodges, of the Tiler. As the Senior Deacon is the proxy of the Master in the discharge of his duties,* there seems to be a peculiar propriety in
* " R is yonr province to attend on the Master and Wardens, and to act as their pioxies in the active duties of the Lodge." — Charge at the installa iion of the Deacons. Webb, p. 104.
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placing the selection of that officer in his hands, and for a similar reason, it is advisable that he should also have the appointment of the Tiler.
The Master has also the prerogative of appointing all special committees, and is entitled to be present at their meetings, and when present, to act as chair- man. This usage seems to be derived from the principle that wherever Masons congregate together on Masonic business, the Master is entitled to govern them and to direct their labors.*
The Master of the Lodge has also the right, dur- ing the temporary absence of any officer, to appoint a substitute for the meeting. It has been supposed by some that this power of appointment is restricted to the elective officers, and that during the absence of the Junior Deacon, the Junior pro temjoore must be appointed by the Senior Warden ; and in like manner, during the absence of any one of the Stewards, the substitute must be appointed by the Junior Warden. And this opinion is founded on the doctrine that as the permanent Junior Deacon and Stewards are respectively appointed by the Senior and Junior Wardens, their temporary substi- tutes must be appointed by the same officers ; but if this argument were good, then, as the Wardens themselves are elected by the Lodge, it would fol- low, by a parity of reasoning, that in the absence of either of these officers, the substitute could not be appointed by the Master, but must be elected by the Lodge. In case of the death of a Junior Deacon.
* See Axdekson first edition, p. 52.
ao'A WOESHIEFUL MASTER.
where a dispensation for tlic appointment of a new cii-3 has been granted, it is evident that that appoint- ment "would vest in the Senior Warden : bat all temporary appointments are exclusively made by the Worshipful Master, for the appointing power is one of his prerogatives.
7. The Master has one vote in all questions, as every other member, and, in addition, a casting- vote, if there be a tie. This usage, which is very general, owes its existence, in all probability, to the fact that a similar privilege is, by the Regulations of 1721, enjoyed by the Grand Master in the Grand Lodge, I cannot, however, find a written sanction for the usage in any of the Ancient Constitutions, and am not prepared to say that the Master pos- sesses it by inherent right. The local regulations of some jurisdictions explicitly recognize the prero- gative, while others are silent on the subject. I know of none that denies it in express words. I am disposed to believe that it has the authority of ancient usage, and confess that I am partial to it, on mere grounds of expediency, while the analogy of the Grand Master's similar prerogative gives it a show of authority.
8. No one is eligible to election as the Master of a Lodge, unless he has previously served in the office of Warden. The authority for this doctrine is to be found in the Charges approved in 1722, which say that no onfi can be a Master " until he has acted as a Warden." It does not seem to be necessary that the Master elect should have served
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in the capacity of a Warden, in the Lodge over which he is called to preside. The fact of having once filed a Warden's chair in any other Lodge will meet all the requisitions of the law ;*" for it is a settled principle that when a brother affiliates in a new Lodge, he carries with him all the official rights which he had previously possessed in the Lodge to which he formerly belonged. If he was a Past Master or a Past Warden in the one, he re- tains in the other all the prerogatives which were acquired by such a position,
There are two exceptions to the rule requiring preparatory service in a Wardenship, in which a Mason may be elected to the office of Master, with- out having previously passed through that of a Warden. The first of these is in the case of a new Lodge, which has just received a warrant of consti- tution from the Grand Lodge, and in which the officers are, for the first time, to be installed. Here it is not considered necessary that the new Master should have previously served as a Warden. The second case is where, even in an old Lodge, neither of the Wardens, nor any one who has previously filled the office of Master or Warden, will consent to serve as presiding officer. As this is strictly a case of emergency, in* which the usage must be ne- glected, or the Lodge cease to act for want of a
* In the second edition of thu Constitutions, published in 173,8, by Ander- son, in which he very materially altered the phraseology of these Charges from that contained in the edition of 1723, he expressly states this principle by the addition of a sing'e but important word. His language is : " till he has acted as Warden somewhere" — Second edit., p. 145.
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Master, it Las been thought advisable to permit the Lodge, under such circumstances, to elect a Master from the floor. But as this is an infringement of the regulations, it is necessary that the Grand Mas- ter should legalize the act by issuing his dispensa- tion to authorize the irregularity.*
9. The Master is eligible to re-election as often as the Lodge may choose to confer that honor on him. This is the invariable usage of this country, and I refer to it only because in England a different rule prevails. There the Master, after having served for two years, is ineligible to office until after the expiration of a year, except by dispensa- tion ; but no such regulation has ever existed, at least within my recollection, in America.
10. It is the prerogative of the Master of a Lodge to receive from his predecessor the Past Master's degree at the time of his installation. The subject of this degree has already been so fully discussed in the appropriate place, that nothing now remains to be considered, except the very important question whether ii is essential that the Master elect should be invested with the degree of Past Master before he can exercise the functions of his office.
In the discussion of this question, it must be borne
* Anderson, in his edition of 1738, alludes to both these cases ; for, after stating the general law, he says : " except in extraordinary cases, or' when a Lodge is to be formed where none such can be had ; for then three Master Masons, though never Masters or Wardens of Lodges before, may be consti- tuted Master and Wardens of that new Lodge"— p. 145. Whatever may be said of the authority of this second edition this at least shows what was th$ usage in 173P.
WORSEIPFUL MASTER. 60&
in mind that the degree of Past Master constitutes a specified part of the ceremony of installation of the elected Master of a Lodge. No Master is deemed to be regularly installed until he has re- ceived the degree. This is the ceremony which in England, and sometimes in this country, is called " passing the chair." The earliest written authori- ties always refer to it. Anderson alludes to it, in all probability, in his description of the Duke of Wharton's method of constituting a Lodge ; Pres- ton says distinctly that the new Master is " to be conducted into an adjacent room, where he is regu- larly installed ;" and Oliver, commenting on this passage, adds, that " this part of the ceremony can only be orally communicated, nor can any but in- stalled Masters be present."*
This portion of the installing ceremony consti- tutes the conferring of the Past Master's degree, It is, in fact, the most important and essential part of the installation service ; but the law of Masonry prescribes that no one shall exercise the preroga- tives of the office to which he has been elected, until he has been regularly installed. Now, if the con- ferring of the Past Master's degree composes a necessary part of the ceremony of installation — and of this it seems to me that there can be no doubt — then it follows, as a natural deduction, that until the Master elect has received that degree, he has no right to preside over his Lodge. This decision, however, of course does not apply to the Master of
* Preston. Oliver's cd. p. 7fi.
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a Lodge under dispensation, who, as the special proxy of the Grand Master, and deriving all his powers immediately from that high officer, as well as exercising them only for a specific purpose, is exonerated from the operation of the rule. Nor is it requisite that the degree should be a second time conferred on a Master who has been re- elected, and who at his previous installation had received it, although a number of years may have elapsed. When once conferred, its effects are for life.
Now, as it is the duty of every Mason to oppose the exercise by any person of the functions and pre- rogatives of an office until he has been legally in- stalled, the question here suggests itself, how shall a Master Mason, not being himself in possession of the degree, know when it has not been conferred upon a Master elect ? To this the reply is, that if the elected Master attempts to assume the chair, without having undergone any semblance of an in- stallation, the greater part of which, it will be re- collected, is performed before the members of the Lodge, it must follow that he cannot have received the Past Master's degree, which constitutes a part of the ceremony of installation. But if he has been installed, no matter how carelessly or incorrectly, it is to be presumed that the degree has been confer- red and the installation completed, unless positive evidence be furnished that it has not, because in Masonry as in law, the maxim holds good that " all things shall be presumed to have been done
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legally and according to form until the contrary be proved."*
11. The last prerogative of a Master of a Lodge to which I shall allude is that of exemption from trial by his Lodge, on charges preferred against him. The Grand Lodge alone has any penal juris- diction over him. There is now, I believe, no doubt of the correctness of this decision, although the reason assigned for it is not, in my opinion, the cor- rect one. The incompetency of a Lodge to try its Master, and his right to trial by the Grand Lodge only, is generally based on the legal axiom that every man is entitled to a trial by his peers.t But how are we to apply this axiom to the case of the Master of a Lodge ? Is he entitled to trial by the Grand Lodge because he is a member of that body ? He derives this membership from his representative position only, and that representative position he shares with the two Wardens, who are equally members of the Grand Lodge, and who, if tile principle were legitimately carried out, would be equally entitled to trial by the Grand Lodge, as
* Omnia prsesumuntur legitime facta donee probetar in ccntrarium. "Where acts are of an official nature," says Broom, {Leg. Max. 729) " or require the concurrence of official persons, a presumption arises in favor of their due execution." This is peculiarly applicable to the point discussed in the text.
f Thus the Constitution of the Grand Lodge of New York says : " Every Mason must be tried by his peers, and hence the Master cannot be tried by his Lodge." — § 8, s. 21. But if this be true, the Master can only be tried by a convention of Masters ; for neither Past Masters nor Wardens, who assist in composing the Grand Lodge, are his peers, in an official sense — the onbj one in which, I suppose, the word can with any propriety be used.
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their peers. We must look, therefore, somewhere else for the cause of this peculiar privilege enjoyed by Masters, and Masters alone, for Wardens are amenable to trial in their Lodges. We shall find it then in the peculiar relation existing between the Master and his Lodge — a relation which no other officer or member occupies. Under no circumstances whatever can he be deprived of his right, when present, to preside over his Lodge ; and whenever the Lodge is exercising judicial functions, and is engaged in the trial of an accused member, the Master, virtute officii, becomes the presiding Judge. No one can deprive him of this position ; he has. in fact, no right to yield it to any other, for he alone is responsible to the Grand Lodge that the Lodge shall, in the transaction of such grave business, con- line itself within the limits of law and equity. Now, if he were himself on trial, his presence would be necessary. Being present, he would have to as- sume the chair, and thus the anomalous spectacle would be presented of a Judge presiding in his own trial. Such a spectacle would be shocking to our sense of justice, and could not for a moment be per- mitted.* And yet, if the Master is to be tried by his own Lodge, there is no possible way of avoiding it. On this account alone, therefore, it was neces- sary to find some other tribunal which should act as
* " It is a fundamental rule in the administration of justice that a person cannct be judge in a cause wherein he is interested.'" — Broom. Legal Maxims, p. 84. This is precisely the rule which prevents the trial of a Mas- ter by his Lodge. Nemo debet esse judex in propria sua causa, says the maxim of law.
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a court in the trial of a Master, and the Grand Lodge sieems in all respects to be the most appro- priate. This body has therefore been selected as the proper court for the trial of Masters, not be- cause it is composed of the peers of these officers — for this it is not, as many of its members are only Wardens — but because it is not practicable to try tli em anywhere else.
But it will sometimes happen that the offences of the Master are of such a nature as to require imme- diate action, to protect the character of the insti- tution and to preserve the harmony of the Lodge. The Grand Lodge may not be in session, and will not be for some months, and in the mean time the Order is to be protected from the evil effects that would arise from the continuance of a "bad Master in office. The remedy provided by the usages of the institution for such an evil are of a summary nature. The Grand Master is, in an extraordinary case like this, invested with extraordinary powers, and may suspend the Master from office until the next communication of the Grand Lodge, when he will be subjected to a trial. In the mean time the Senior Warden will assume the office and discharge the functions of the Master.* In New Yoik, the
* Thus the Com. of For. Corres. of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee, in 1845, said : " The proper course to be pursued when a Master so far forgets the dignity of his office, and the duties he owes to himself and the brethren, is tc petition the Grand Master for a suspension of the offending Master from office, until the next meeting of the Grand Lodge, when charges may be pre- ferred, and such punishment inflicted as the heinousness of the offence shall merit. In this case the functions and duties of the Master devolve upon the
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Grand Master immediately appoints in such a case a commission of seven, who must be not lower in rank than Wardens, and who try the question and make up their decision, which is final, unless an ap- peal is taken from it, within six months, to the Grand Lodge.* This, however, is a local regula- tion, and where it, or some other satisfactory mode of action is not prescribed by the Constitution of a Grand Lodge, the Grand Master may exert his pre- rogative of suspension under the general usage or common law of Masonry.
Invested with such important prerogatives, it is to be expected that the qualifications required of such an officer must be in a corresponding degree. The Master of a Lodge is, in fact, he who, as his Latin name Magisier imports, should have, more than others, magis quam cceteris, the care and con- trol of those over whom he has been placed, and who, with more of power, should also be distin- guished by more of virtue and more of wisdom than his brethren. " Those," says Festus, " are called Masters upon whom the chief care of things de- volves, and who, more than the others, should exer- cise diligence and solicitude in the matters over which they preside."
The proper qualifications of the Master of a
viext succeeding officer, the Senior Warden, until the accused shall be brought to trial, and acquitted or condemned." This is perhaps the highest preroga- tive that the Grand Master possesses, and I need scarcely say that it should be exercised with the utmost caution, and resorted to orly with great reluctance. * Const G. L. of New York, § 54.
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Lodge are laid down in the installation service as follows : He is required to "be " of good morals, of great skill, true and trusty, and a lover of the whole fraternity." There is much significance in this language : it portrays the qualifications of a Master under the three-fold heads of moral, intellectual, and social.
He is required, in the first place, to be " of good morals." The teacher of the principles of virtue and morality, which it is the design of Freemasonry to inculcate, should himself be, if not an admirable pattern, at least not a notorious transgressor of those principles ; for, as a distinguished member of the craft (Dr. Townsend, the Deputy Grand Master of Ireland,) has remarked : " The most elegant homily against those vices for which the preacher is distinguished, falls dead upon the ear ; the most graceful eulogy of virtue is but disgusting in the lips of a man whose conduct gives the lie direct to his words ; but he who teaches good by example, will ever be listened to with respect"*
But the Master is not only a teacher of his brethren, but he is their representative to the world, and it becomes peculiarly his duty, by his own exemplary conduct, to impress the world at large with a favorable opinion of the institution in which he holds so high a position, and of which his own exemplary or unworthy conduct will be considered
* Lecture on the duty of the Master. — Am. Quart. Rev. of Freemasonry, vol. i. p. 202. Thus, too, Aristotle says, " he who is to govern (the upxuv) must be perfect in (rjdina apery) moral virtue." — Pol. lib. i. cap. xiii.
16
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by the uninitiated as a fair exponent. Mankind will very naturally presume that the members of a moral institution would hardly confer so important a trust upon an immoral or licentious brother, and they will judge of the nature and character of the Lodge by the behavior of its presiding officer.
Intellectually, he must be " of great skill.'7 Much stress is thus laid upon the mental qualifications. He who desires to be the Master of a Masonic Lodge, must not be satisfied with a moderate share of skill. His knowledge and attainments must be great. If he proposes to be a teacher, he must thoroughly comprehend the subject which he in- tends to teach, and by the fluency and readiness which education gives, be capable of communicating his instructions in a pleasing and impressive manner. "A man of education and talents," says Dalcho, "will elucidate with admirable beauty, perspicuity and interest, the origin and progress of the arts in different ages, the development of genius in the organization of our Order, and the adaptation of the
system to the wants and happiness of man
He will, in short, speak upon literary and scientific subjects as a Master ; he will understand what lie professes to teach, and consequently he will make himself understood by others. All will listen to him with delight, and all will be benefited by his instructions."* This passage was written nearly half a century ago, and since then the developments of the Masonic system in this country have required
* Ahiman Rezon, 1822, p. 55.
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a still greater amount of intellectual qualification than has been described by Dalcho. An educated man, however well skilled in general literature and science, will make an incompetent Master of a Lodge, if he does not devote his attention to the peculiar science of our Order. If Masonry be, as it is de- fined, " a science of morality, clothed in allegory and illustrated by symbols," it is evident that a suc- cessful teacher (and the Master is, in an emphatic sense, a teacher) must qualify himself by a diligent investigation of these symbols and allegories — the myths and legends of Masonry — their mystical ap- plication, and the whole design of the institution in this, its most important feature, must constitute his study.
Socially, that is, as a member and officer of a peculiar society, exclusive in its character, he must be " true and trusty, and a lover of the whole fra- ternity." Each of these indicates a particular quality ; his truth and fidelity will secure his obedi- ence to all the regulations of the Order — his observ- ance of its Landmarks and ancient usages — his opposition to all unwarrantable innovations. They will not only induce him to declare at his installa- tion, but to support his declaration during his whole term of office, that "it is not in the power of any man or body of men to make innovations in the body of Masonry." They are his guarantee that he will not violate the promises he has made of fidelity and obedience to the constituted authorities of the Order.
364 WCRSHIPFUL MASTER.
His love of the fraternity will be an evidence of his zeal and fervency in the cause — of his disposi- tion to cultivate all the benign principles of the institution, and to extend its blessings in every unobjectionable way. Where there is love, there must be reasonable service, and affection for the brethren will show its results in devotion to the association of which these brethren form a compo- nent part.
But, besides these, there are other qualifications necessary to the Master of a Lodge, not so much as a teacher of Masonry, as in his capacity as a presid- ing officer. He should rule his brethren with love, rather than with force. He should exercise firmness with moderation ; cultivate a spirit of conciliation ; learn to subdue by mildness and urbanity the irri- tations which will too often arise in an angry de- bate ; and in the decision of every question which is brought before him, seek rather to establish the cor- rectness of his judgment by the persuasions of reason than to claim obedience by the force of authority. The office of a Master is one which should not too readily be sought, for its functions are not easily discharged.
The Succession to the Chair. — This is perhaps the most appropriate time to discuss the important question of the succession to the chair — that is, to inquire upon whom the functions and authority of the presiding officer devolve, at the death, expulsion, or absence of the Master of the Lodge.
Two principles seem now to be very generally
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admitted by the authorities on Masonic law, in con- nection with this subject.
1. That in the temporary or permanent absence of the Master, the Senior Warden, or, in his ab- sence, the Junior, succeeds to the chair.
2. That on the permanent removal of the Master by death or expulsion, there can be no election for a successor until the constitutional night of election.
Let us inquire into the foundation of each of these principles.
1. The second of the Regulations of 1721 is in these words :
" In case of death or sickness, or necessary absence of the Master, the Senior Warden shall act as Master pro tempore, if no brother is present who has been Master of that Lodge before. For the absent Master's authority reverts to the last Master present, though he cannot act till the Senior Warden lias congregated the Lodge."
The lines which I have placed in italics indicate that even at that time the power of calling the brethren together and " setting them to work," which is technically called " congregating the Lodge/' was supposed to be vested in the Senior Warden alone during the absence of the Master, although perhaps, from a supposition that he had greater experience, the difficult duty of presiding over the communication was entrusted to a Past Master. The regulation is, however, contradictory in its provisions ; for, if the " last Master present1' could not act, that is, could not exercise the author-
368 WORSHIPFUL MASTER.
ity of the Master, until the Senior Warden had con- gregated the Lodge, then it is evident tnat the authority of the Master did not revert to him in an unqualified sense, for that officer required no such concert nor consent on the part of the Warden, but could congregate the Lodge himself.
This evident contradiction in the language of the regulation probably caused, in a brief period, a further examination of the ancient usage, and ac- cordingly, on the 25th of November, 1723, a very little more than three years after, the following regulation was adopted :
" If a Master of a particular Lodge is deposed or demits, the Senior Warden shall forthwith fill the Master's chair till the next time of choosing ; and ever since, in the Master's absence, he fills the chair, even though a former Master be present."
The present Constitution of the Grand Lodge of England appears to have been formed rather in reference to the Regulation of 1721 than to that of 1723. It prescribes that on the death, removal, or incapacity of the Master, the Senior Warden, or in his absence, the Junior Warden, or in his absence, the immediate Past Master, or in his absence, the Senior Past Master, " shall act as Master in sum- moning the Lodge, until the next election of offi- cers." But the English Constitution goes on to direct that " in the Master's absence, the immediate Past Master, or if he be absent, the Senior Past Master of the Lodge present shall take the chair. And if n^ Past Master of the Lodge be present, then
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the Senior Warden, or in his absence, the Junior Warden shall rule the Lodge."*
Here again we find ourselves involved in the intricacies of a divided authority. The Senior Warden congregates the Lodge, but a Past Master rules it ; and if the Warden refuses to perform his part of the duty, then the Past Master will have no Lodge to rule. So that after all, it appears that of the two, the authority of the Senior Warden is the greater.!
But in this country the usage has always con- formed to the Regulation of 1723, as is apparent from a glance at our rituals and monitorial works.
Webb, in his " Freemason's Monitor," (edition of 1808,) lays down the rule that "in the absence of the Master, the Senior Warden is to govern the Lodge ;'" and that officer receives annually, in every Lodge in the United States, on the night of his in- stallation, a charge to that effect. It must be re- membered, too, that we are not indebted to Webb himself for this charge, but that he borrowed it, word for word, from Preston, who wrote long be- fore, and who, in his turn, extracted it from the rituals which were in force at the time of his writing.^
* Const, of the G. L. of England, edit. 1847, p. 79.
f The confusion which at one time existed in relation to the question of who should be the successor to the Master, seems to have arisen partly from the contradiction between the Regulations of 1721 and those of 1723, and partly from the contradiction in different clauses of the Regulation of 1723 itself.
+ " In my absence you are to rule the Lodge." — Pkeston, p. 79. " In th« absence of the Master, you are to govern this Lodge." — Webe, p. 102,
388 WORSHIPFUL MASTER.
In the United States, accordingly, it lias been held, that on the death or removal of the Master, his authority descends to the Senior Warden, who may, however, by courtesy, offer the chair to some Past Master who is present, after the Lodge has been congregated.
2. In respect to the second principle, there is no difference of opinion among the authorities. Whether the Senior Warden or a Past Master is to succeed, the Regulation of 1721 makes no provision for an election, but implies that the vacancy shall be temporarily supplied during the official term, while that of 1723 expressly states that such tem- porary succession shall continue " till the next time of choosing," or, in the words of the present English Constitution, " until the next election of officers."
But, in addition to the authority of the Ancient Regulation and general and uniform usage, reason and justice seem to require that the vacancy shall not be supplied permanently until the regular time of election. By holding the election at an earlier period, the Senior Warden is deprived of his right as a member, to become a candidate for the vacant office ; for the Senior Warden having been regularly installed, has of course been duly obligated to serve in the office to which he had been elected during the full term. If, then, an election takes place be- fore the expiration of that term, he must be excluded from the list of candidates, because if elected, he could not vacate his present office without a viola- tion of his obligation The same disability would
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affect the Junior Warden, who, by a similar obliga- tion, is bound to the faithful discharge of his duties in the south. So that by anticipating the election, the two most prominent officers of the Lodge, and the two most likely to succeed the Master in due course of rotation, would be excluded from the chance of promotion. A grievous wrong would thus be done to these officers, which it could never have been the intention of the law to inflict.
But even if the Wardens were not ambitious of office, or were not likely, under any circumstances, to be elected to the vacant office, another objection arises to the anticipation of an election for Master, which is worthy of consideration.
The Wardens, having been installed under the solemnity of an obligation to discharge the duties of their respective offices to the best of their ability, and the Senior Warden having been expressly charged that " in the absence of the Master he is to rule the Lodge," a conscientious Senior Warden might very naturally feel that he was neglecting these duties and violating this obligation, by per- mitting the office which he has sworn to temporarily occupy in the absence of his Master, to be perma- nently filled by any other person.
On the whole, then, the Old Regulations, as well as ancient, uninterrupted and uniform usage, and the principles of reason and justice, seem impera- tively to require that on the death or removal of the Master, there shall be no election to supply the vacancy ; but that the authority of the absent Mas*
370 WARDENS.
ter shall be vested in the Senior Warden, and in his absence, in the Junior.
In conclusion, it need scarcely be added that as this right to succeed the Master is a personal right, vested in the Wardens, no dispensation can issue to set it aside and to order an election ; for it is an undoubted principle of justice that the Grand Mas- ter has no prerogative to interfere, by his dispensing power, with the rights of individuals.