THE BUILDER November 1929

A Canadian Masonic Manual

BY BRO. A. J. B. MILBORNE, Canada

THERE recently came into my possession a copy of the very rare
Mason's Manual issued by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Lower Canada
in the year 1818. The book is leather bound, measuring 5 1/4 by 8
3/4 inches, find contains 114 pages with an Index. It was printed
at 'The New Printing Office," by T. Cary, Junr. & Co., No. 21 Buade
Street, Quebec.

From the Preface we learn that "the design of this little work was
suggested by the Right Worshipful Deputy Grand Master, Brother
Snelling," and that it was

. . intended to supersede the inconveniences which all the
subordinate lodges, and particularly those in remote situations,
have hitherto suffered so much by, and to prevent the regularities
they have fallen into, arising frequently from a want of
acquaintance with the regulations as laid down in the BOOK OF NEW
CONSTITUTIONS," unanimously accepted by the United Grand Lodge of
England, at the memorable epoch when the Interests of ANCIENT and
MODERN MASONS were cemented forever in one Grand Plan of perpetual
Union, under the name of UNITED ANCIENT FREEMASONS OF ENGLAND" and
subsequently recognized and acted upon by the Provincial Grand
Lodge of Lower Canada.

The volume is dedicated to H.R.H., the Duke of Kent, Past Grand
Master of Masons in Lower Canada, a wood cut portrait of whom forms
the frontispiece.

At the Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge Lower Canada held
on the 2nd day of March, 1818, was resolved unanimously that "all
the Rules laid down in said Code (i.e., The Mason's Manual) shall
be the sole and only Laws for the Government of the Craft, hereby
repealing all those promulgated by this Grand Lodge, that are not
therein contained." It was also resolved "That every person
initiated into Masonry in this Province shall have a Copy of the
MASON'S MANUAL delivered to him by the Secretary of the Lodge, who
shall account for the same to the Grand Secretary."

In addition to the Rules and Regulations for the Government of the
Craft, the Grand Lodge and Private Lodges, there is an Appendix
containing the Installation and Funeral Ceremonies, various Charges
and Prayers, and 

. . . it being very essential, in order to preserve due decorum
when the Craft are at refreshment, and on other occasions, that no
songs, but such as are truly Masonic, or such as are moral and
chaste, should be used, the compilers of this little work have
inserted a few that are Strictly so, which they beg to recommend to
the Brethren.


One of these songs was written by Bro. Thomas Bennett, P. G. S. of
the Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia.

The "Short Charge to a new admitted Mason" is practically the same
as that printed in the Irish Pocket Companion of 1734 (See THE
BUILDER, Vol. XI, page 158), except that the phrase "the greatest
monarchs in all ages," etc., has been altered to read "the greatest
monarchs, governors and rulers in all ages, as well of ASIA, AFRICA
and EUROPE as of AMERICA, have been encouragers of the ROYAL ART."

There are a number of Christian references in the Prayers and
Charges. The Manual also contains a set of "Rules recommended to
the serious attention of every Christian FreeMason" as well as "A
Christian Masonic Hymn on the Nativity of our Blessed Saviour,"
written by the Rev. Bro. Doty of Three Rivers, Lower Canada. 

Many of the Regulations are of more than ordinary interest,
particularly those concerning the appointment of the Provincial
Grand Master. Prior to the Union of 1813 the Provincial Grand Lodge
of Lower Canada had apparently assumed powers it did not possess,
and had come to consider itself as a sovereign body. The Charters
which it had granted were carried on the Provincial Grand Registry
only, and few, if any, returns were made to the Grand Lodge of
England. This assumption of sovereign power was not deliberate, but
appears to have grown up as a result of the difficulties incident
to those days when the means of communication with the Mother
Country were irregular and slow, and at a time when, happily for
the Craft, the spirit of Masonry was stronger than the letter of
its constitutional structure. Following the retirement of H. R. H.,
the Duke of Kent, from the office of Provincial Grand Master of
Lower Canada, to which he had been appointed in 1792 by Warrant
issued under the authority of John, fourth Duke of Athole, Grand
Master of the Grand Lodge of England, " Ancients, " the Provincial
Grand Lodge met on the 27th December, 1811, and "elected" the Hon.
Claude Denechau to succeed him. The irregularity of this proceeding
is now apparent from a reading of the regulations contained in the
Manual, where it is stated that the appointment of the Provincial
Grand Master is a prerogative of the Grand Master of England. It is
known that Denechau applied to England for a Patent, so that it may
be presumed that the "election" was a temporary expedient to meet
the peculiar situation that had arisen. That a Patent was essential
to the holding of the office is also clear, for the Regulation goes
on to provide that the Provincial Grand Master was to be installed
on the 27th December annually, " provided his Patent has been
obtained this phrase being in italics. W. Bro. Pemberton Smith of
St. Paul 's Lodge, E.R. Montreal, has drawn my attention to the
fact that nowhere in the Manual is any reference made to the Hon.
Claude Denechau, the Manual itself being issued by the "Committee,"
and under the sanction of the R.W. Bro. William Handfield Snelling,
the Deputy Provincial Grand Master, which, he writes, "shows a
proper Masonic modesty and sense of discipline on Denechau's part."
In spite of the absence of the Patent, Denechau, however, exercised
the functions of his office, even to the granting of Warrants, but
he regularized these Warrants after his Patent had been received in
1820 by ratifying them.

A curious claim is made in Regulation 9;

The Provincial Grand Lodge has also the inherent power . . . Of
suspending those (Lodges) of other registers.

It is to be hoped that no attempt was ever made to exercise this
power.

The Regulations provided that all the Grand Lodge Officers were to
be appointed by the Provincial Grand Master; the appointment of the
Grand Treasurer, however, was to be made from three Brethren
nominated by the Grand Lodge. Lodge representation in the Grand
Lodge was limited to the Master, Wardens and one Past Master from
every warranted Lodge.

In the rules for the regulation of Private Lodges, it is provided
that no person shall be initiated or admitted if three black balls
appear against him; that

. . . no other Lodge shall initiate into Masonry, any non-
commissioned officer belonging to a Regiment or Battalion, to which
a military Lodge is attached, nor shall any Lodge initiate any
military person below the rank of Corporal, except as a serving
brother, or by dispensation . . .

and that;

no Lodge shall make a Mason for a less sum than Three Pounds,
exclusive of the registering fee.

Graham, in his History of Freemasonry in the Province of Quebec,
written in 1892, refers to the rarity of the Mason 's Manual, and
although I have found references to it in the Minutes of some of
the older Quebec Lodges, the only other copy that I know of is in
the possession of Golden Rule Lodge, No. 5, at Stanstead, which,
incidentally, happens to be the mother lodge of the Editor of THE
BUILDER.

With the slow and haphazard communications of a hundred years ago
it is not at all strange that with the best will in the world to
abide by Masonic law, the brethren in Canada were forced into many
irregularities. Even the home authorities added to these by their
discrepant and sometimes contradictory actions. And in addition
were the complications following on the existence of two Grand
lodges in England, both warranting lodges in the new world.

The Duke of Kent was inconsistently enough recognized by both
bodies, though originally belonging to neither, for he was
initiated in Switzerland. But it would appear that "Ancients" and
"Moderns" in Canada were on fairly good terms with each other. At
least when the Duke was about to leave Quebec for the West Indies
in 1794, a joint address from the representatives of the two
systems was presented to him, expressing a lope that his
"conciliating influence" might lead to a reunion. A hope which was
well founded, for he with his brother, the Duke of Sussex, presided
over the amalgamation of the two rival bodies into the United Grand
Lodge of England.

The Canadian brethren had requested that he should be appointed
Provincial Grand Master for the whole of Canada, and he to appoint
Deputy Provincial Grand Masters for Upper and Lower Canada,
respectively, and this the Grand Lodge evidently wished very much
to do, only Rt. Wor. Bro. Jarvis had already been selected when
this petition was received.
