Masonic Crotchets.

MASONIC CROTCHETS .

A LAUDABLE ambition on the part of the officers or members of a Lodge is always to be commended , and where we find a desire to make the meetings specially interesting , or the business notable in some particular respect , we usually discover a

successful Lodge , and one whose reputation for excellence is widely extended . It is astonishing to notice how insignificant a crotchet will have an effect ; on the whole doings of a Lodge , ancl how small a matter will make its power felt among the members . In one case we find the Worshipful Master ' s crotchet is to be punctual to the minute in opening his Lodge ,

in another the Treasurer s ambition is to state that the Lodge is free from debt whenever it meets , while in a third the Secretary makes a point of reporting to the brethren that the accounts of the Lodge are clear on each side of the Ledger , and so on in numerous ways right through the officers of the Lodge , for even some of the Stewards we have met

have had crotchets , as for instance the esteemed brother who has for some years filled that office in an influential London Lodge , and who makes the boast that no brother ever had to asked for wine when he had the ordering of supplies , and yet he keeps the bill down below the average ; he is simply alive to the fact that personal surpervision of the table is the one

method by which satisfaction can be secured , and he devotes himself faithfully to his work , and has the satisfaction of realising his wish for perfection in his particular crotchet , while the members of the Lodge and the visitors who take part in the meetings are equally satisfied , and go away from the meeting with the feeling that special efforts have been made to secure their enjoyment .

On the other side we find brethren who make themselves really obnoxious over their crotchets ; men who ride their hobbies to death , and not only make themselves uncomfortable , but also upset the comfort of air around ' them . This class usually has as a

crotchet a desire for strict observance of every form and ceremony known in Freemasonry , and will argue over some trivial matter of detail to such an extent as to upset the whole company . It must not be imagined we disapprove of a strict observance of

minor details , but we do object to crotchety members airing their particular views to the annoyance of all present . Such men will rise to explain that this proposition is not properly worded , or that a proposed amendment should be put in a different form ; while all the time it seems to those who have

to listen to such remarks that the alterations are suggested merely for the sake of giving the objectors an opportunity of speaking , or of maintaining their reputation for interference and obstruction . In other words they have a crotchet , and cannot allow an opportunity of exercising it to pass by , however much they may annoy their fellows .

Masonic Crotchets.

Going further afield , we come upon an oft-considered topic , that of class Masonry , which is little else than a huge crotchet ; one that has found favour in many quarters , and is now recognised as an established fact throughout the country by men

who , a few years since , could not have listened to its advocates without showing irritation and annoyance at the interruption caused by its consideration . Time , however , has worked wonders in this respect ,

and to-day we have to look upon class Freemasonry as quite regular , while its advocates are applauded and patronised by the very men who with less popularity surrounding the matter would condemn the action of those who sought to rob

Freemasonry of its freedom . Some of our readers may think that in writing thus of Class Masonry we are but airing one of our own particular crotchets . It may be they are right , for most certainly we look upon the subject as one of the

most important we have ever had occasion to refer to , and even yet we are by no means convinced that the leaders of the Craft are acting wisely in encouraging so rapid a growth of the system , which certainly does not commend itself to the free and unfettered members of the Craft , but rather opens up a field for the lovers of particular crotchets .

Architecture Of The Craft—Let It Be Pure.

ARCHITECTURE OF THE CRAFT—LET IT BE PURE .

THB Cathedral at the ancient City of Winchester is one of fche largest in England . In point of historical interest it is second to none . The interior especially is mnch admired . It was enlarged and almost wholly rebuilt in the reign of Edward III ., by William of

Wyckham , who was Bishop of the See , and alao , some say , Grand Master of the Freemasons of England . Thns , like most of the great church edifices of Europe , it was tho work of our operative predecessors . The style of architecture which prevails throughout the structure is tho

mediiBval Gothic . The nave , the choir , the side aisles , the chapels , all belong to this beautiful and pictmasque order , and harmonise perfectly with each other . In short , everything in the building , down to the minutest ornament , was fashioned after a Gothic desiga .

Early in the Eighteenth century it was thought expedient to make some improvements in the grand old church , and , among other things , to remove the oldfashioned Bishop ' s seat , which William of Wyckham had placed in the choir , and to put a Greek Episcopal Throne in its place .

At the time there was a perfect craze for everything classic . The works of onr fine old English poets and prose writers were made little of , and some of the very best of them , such as the Ancient Ballads and the Pilgrim's

Progress were openly ridiculed , while pompous high falutin essays , containing perpetual allusions to something Greek or something Roman , and flat , artificial verses filled with invocations to the heathen gods , were declared by the critics to be piodnntions o the highest literary merit .