Examination Of Candidates.

EXAMINATION OF CANDIDATES .

7 _ 0 _ Y _ 9 O _ V , SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER 17 , 1 S-50 .

IT has been judged advisable by the compilers of our Constitutions , to enjoin that an examination ( upon subjects previously communicated ) shall bo required of every brother desirous of receiving a higher degree ; attaching considerable importance to an observance of this rule . It has been further decreed that the said examination shall take

p lace in opon Lodge , in order that the members present may enjoy an opportunity of watching the proceedings , ancl be enabled to judge , collectively , of tho candidate ' s fitness for advancement . That such caution ancl circumspection is not altogether uncalled for , ive may conclude , from the preface in thc Constitutions to the above-mentioned

requirement , viz . — "Great discredit ancl injury having been brought upon our antient and honourable fraternit y from admitting members and receiving candidates , without due notice being g iven , or inquiry made into their characters and qualifications ; and from passing and raising Masons without duo instruction in the respective degrees—it is declared that a

violation or neglect of any of the following laws shall subject the Lodge offending to erasure ; and no emergency can be allowed as a justification . " Let us see hoiv much this warning avails ; will it not be found indeed that there are many Lodges which , according to its strict wording , would be liable to erasure ?

A Mason who has attained tho third degree , without a gradual ancl increasing jwoficiency having been required during his onward progress , instead of being indebted to his Lodge for its leniency , has good reason to reproach the members thereof for a very mistaken kindness ; although . s pared somo slight exertion and attention , by being let off so

easily , he is yet a sufferer , and the Lodge greatly in error . There are several important reasons ( either of which , in itself sufficient ) why instruction should accompany advancement . In tho first place , the Constitutions have so ordained . Secondly , it is but fair to the Craft that an ample knowledge of the scienceas for as tlie brother has proceededshould be

, , communicated , that an unfavourable , or merely moderate opinion of tho Order may not be conceived by lu . ni , owing to tlio paucity of information afforded . Thirdly , the brother lias a right to be placed upon a par with Masons of his own degree ; and . whether or not he insists upon adequate

information being rendered , it is nevertheless tho duty of the Lod ge by which he has boon advanced to take care that ho is not defrauded of his just dues ; and lastly , because by peremptorily requiring a certain proficiency beforo tho conferring of a hi gher degree , you compel the candidate to seek fin d acquire information , whereas after attaining the third

degree , instruction , on his part , must bo voluntarily sought for . As a general rule , brethren imperfectly grounded in the rudiments of tho science , when they havo arrived at the position of M . M ., having nothing further to desire in the Craft for which in examination is obligatory , are naturall y loth to acquire , by laborious studadditionaland what to ho

uiiiieccsy , , appears s * i'y , knowledge . Such brethren—and many there arc so Muatcd—usually content themselves during the remainder of their Masonic career , with attending occasional Lodgo '" oetings , and remain invariably mere spectators of tho ceremonies .

A reall y strict Master—one exact in observance of the "sages and customs sanctioned and ordained by the Constitutions—is rarel y disliked , even though the members of his Lod ge , under former rulers , have been accustomed for a series of years to laxit y and indulgence . A . fixity of purine , and unyielding determination to adhere to our antient

jmdmarks , cannot but be commended ; at first some , dissatisfaction may be manifested at the rigorous sway of the vn i 1 '" 101 ' 1 and the cuvtailment of certain abuses , but this 1 JJ be short lived , and the efforts of an able ancl sincere

Master will nearly always be properly appreciated . It is to brethren of this stamp that the Craft is indebted for a stead y though tardy improvement in Lodgo discipline—brethren who , regardless of former years of aputhy and unmindful of thc opposition of indolent members , work in a regular and constitutional manner . Questions addressed to candidates

for preferment are expected to be answered without prompting from attendant deacons ; when this is the case , brethren taking their seats as Master Masons , having received all three degrees , or even tho third only , in such a Lodge , enjoy acomplete knowledge of the subjects comprised throughout ; differing materially from , those Masons with whom aprons

and certificates are tho only proofs of brotherhood . This desirable state of affairs ought not to be of merel y occasional occurrence , and the attention of the Craft mi ght be advantageously directed to the professions made by every "W . M . prior to his installation . If any Mason of experience be asked whether , when a strange brother

has joined his Lodge ( the same never having previously held office ) information , or ignorance on Masonic matters , chiefly characterise him , the answer , in most cases , will Tie condemnatory of thc \ system of instruction jmrsued by the new member ' s mo ' ther Lodge . Instances of a , perfected knowledge of-the mysteries of the Crafttogether

, with its antient usuages , are , on the part of joining brethren who have never held office , rare ancl exceptional , whicli fact if admitted , shows at once the evils of one existing system ; indeed if one of . these brethren , when requested to occupy the chair of au absent officer , discharge its incumbent duties

with credit to himself and to tho satisfaction of the members present , there is an anxious and universal inquiry as to what Lodge ho hails from , and liberal commendations are showered upon that Lodge . Nothing exemplifies so strongly the regularity of a Lodge ' s proceedings and the constitutional manner in which its arrangements are conducted , as the fact of tho

brethren who have therein received degrees , becoming , in . turn , expert workmen . It may bo observed that a distinction has been drawn between the customary acquirements of tho officers of tho Lodgo and of members generally , for though it is at all times a refreshing and gratifying sight to witness the various

coremonies pro ] ierly conducted and the actors efficient , yet this excellence may be superficial , and perhaps leave hidden tho more defective parts of a Lodge system . There are few Lodges which are utterly regardless of fraternal censure , to avoid which great pains are frequently taken , in perfecting the officers in a knowledge and exercise of their respective

duties ; by so doing visitors are favourably impressed , ancl the Lodge gains a character for good working , and thus far , justly . The claims of recently admitted members , however , should not be made subservient to an exclusive attempt ( in . other respects most praiseworthy ) , at rendering the Lodge ' s working onni ghts of public meeting highly extolled by visitors ;

thc Master , Past Masters , and other veterans contenting themselves but too often with imparting instruction to the officers connected with thc working , and unless upon earnest entreatv , leave tho newly admitted to gather what information , they can from , conversing with older Masons .

It is necessary to jirove a complaint before suggesting a remedy ; let us suppose this has been done ancl that tho evil is admitted , the subject of improvement becomes a difficult question to grapple with ; for beyond what is at present in force in the Constitutions , Masonic legislation cannot go . A more careful and exacting exercise of the authority vested iu

them may be suggested to Masters of Lodges , as well as a real , instead of a nominal , examination of candidates , ivhose advancement should bo made entirely dependent upon their proficiency ; but unless well supported and occasionally kept up to their work by vigilant members , very little can be expected . However the present system may be denounced and its faulty arrangements exposed , no amelioration can take