Page 45 - Amo Amass A-muse is some of the fruit of a lifetimes love of Freemasonry - the Lodge of Nine Muses No. 235

mASONRy iN BuSiNESS
A ChARGE By ThE ChEvAliER BOuTEll

MONGST THE TREASURES OF THE NINE MUSES are two Loving
Cups. The earliest is a silver gilt one presented by Bro. F.J. Heseltine in 1899.
A He is believed to have been a descendent of Bro. James Heseltine who was
a famous Grand Secretary and then Grand Treasurer of the Premier Grand Lodge.
This cup has an Ivory Cover made for it, presented by Bro. E. Luxmore Marshall, our
Master of Ceremonies for many years. In the centre is has a golden Appollo to lift it
by and the Nine Muses in gold are displayed around in the Ivory, making the whole
an article of very great beauty.
However, it is the second cup of silver, which has the strong emotional appeal. It
was presented to the Lodge by our Bro. Chevalier F.H. Boutell who left London for
the Argentine in 1908. He gained most of the highest honours in Masonry becoming
the District Grand Master of South America, (Southern Division) in 1914. But his
great ambition was to become Master of his London Lodge. Several times he wrote
that he hoped to return to London and a Past Master was appointed a Warden to keep
his place warm. Alas, it was not to be and in 1927 he retired to Australia, when he
presented this cup to the Lodge with the stipulation that it should be drunk to “The
Brethren Over Seas.” The Lodge never drank the toast to “Absent Brethren” and it is
believed that this modern custom is derived from it.
Sometime between the wars, I forget exactly when, a senior District Grand Officer
from his district in the Argentine visited the Lodge, He told us about an impromptu
Charge which the Chevalier had introduced. After the completion of an Initiation,
a senior member of the Lodge concerned addressed the Initiate informally to this
effect.
“You may wonder what is the right attitude to adopt between Masons who have a
close business relationship. I must impress upon you that there should never be a claim
or business favour granted on that account. It is an abuse of the Craft to expect it to
help you to climb the ladder of material success. As an example:
“Let us suppose that you are directing a business and have the responsibility for
selecting someone for a job within it. You should never be biased in favour of any