E. H. ADDINGTON

ON FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE. 95
Grand Lodge "recognizes the right of officers to resign and does not
regard the rights of the Senior and Junior Wardens to the succession of
the Mastership." If Brother Howard would reflect a moment he would
surely perceive that the granting of a Dispensation is a leave to avoid
a law, and its issuance proves the existence rather than the absence of
law. We certainly'do not recognize that a Warden as such has a right
to the Mastership—no one has a right to it but he who is elected thereto
by the free suffrage of the members of the Lodge and duly installed
therein. The only right a Warden has in respect to the Mastership is to
act as Master during the Master's absence.
Writing of the numerous decisions and rulings of Grand Master
Thomas he gives this very good advice to the membership of our
Lodges:
"Many of these matters seem to me to be of minor importance and
well settled by local regulations and edicts, if not by general Masonic
law, and I can but look upon the haste to submit questions to the Grand
Master for interpretation of the law as an imposition upon his time
and patience when an investigation by the Brethren would in most
instances relieve him of the burden."
Brother Howard quotes at large our resolutions relative to recognition
of foreign Grand Lodges while remarking that they are repugnant
to his 1 ideas of the teaching of Ancient Craft Masonry.
In respect to a criticism made by us in a former report upon a
ruling of a former Grand Master of West Virginia that a ballot upon
a petition for membership had precedence over an objection he writes
that he thinks our statement "logical."
He well says in his concluding remarks:
"But another side to all this rosy-hued condition is the almost
universal complaint of small attendance at Stated Communications, which
indicates that there is a lack of something to interest and claim the attendance
of the members. What that 'something' is is an 'unknown
quantity,' and it is up to the Master and officers of each Lodge thus
affected to ' smoke it out' and apply the remedy.''
WISCONSIN, .1911.
The Grand Master, M. W. Bro. Ernest B. Gatehell, said in his Address:
"It is a pleasure and a satisfaction to announce that peace and
prosperity have held almost undisputed sway during the past year—
so much so that there is no work laid out for the Committee on Appeals
and Grievances, a situation almost, if not quite, unprecedented in the
history of this Grand Lodge.
'' To-day we represent 264 chartered Lodges, and a membership of
over 26,000—a net gain of 741 for the past year. It is a great pleasure
and satisfaction to report to you that, with this large membership and
all the .work that this increase represents, there have been no troubles
of sufficient importance to report to you for your consideration. Surely
neither envy, discord nor confusion has interrupted that peace and
tranquility which should characterize Masonic intercourse."