THE MEANING OF THE WORDS
“SPIRIT OF TRUE BUFFALOISM”
AND “BENEVOLENCE”
As practised by Minor Lodges throughout the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes under the Grand Lodge of England.
GRAND LODGE AND THE PROFITS
I will not pretend that the phrase which has inspired this article surprises me because having heard it and a hundred others distinguished by the same vacuum, nothing the human voice can utter now surprises me. The phrase? Yes, here it is: “Grand Lodge seems to be doing all right”, and the speaker went on to give figures alleged to show the profits made by Grand Lodge and included a plea for lower charges.
Let us examine it. Who, or what, is this “Grand Lodge” that is doing so well. What is it composed of and who picks up these profits of which complaint is made. What goods or services do they handle and what happens if we reduce their profit to the point of loss.
The commodity Grand Lodge handles is benevolence. Benevolence to members recovering from sickness, to the aged brother and his wife or the brother’s widow; and benevolence to the widow with orphan children. Benevolence is the balm we apply to ease the pain and suffering caused by age, ill health or the loss of a beloved husband and father. It is the symbol by which good men indicate their human sympathies and give practical expression to their natural desire to “defend the weak and render assistance to those in difficulty or in need”.
The medium by which men who combine for these purposes can find peace of heart by subduing the fear and sometimes desolation in the lives of others whose hearts have become heavy with the dread of want or the loneliness and despair which follows the passing of a breadwinner.
That is the commodity we handle and the question I ask myself and those of you who moan about the profits made by Grand Lodge or by any other section dealing with the distribution of our commodity, is “Can you find me anyone in the Order who thinks there is anything wrong with our final product, anyone who thinks we should produce less of it, anyone who thinks we should shut up shop altogether, anyone who thinks he can produce a substitute at a lower cost or even a more efficient substitute at a higher cost”.
If you wish to read more on this subject please click on this link Benevolence Story
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