Random Notes And Reflections.

RANDOM NOTES AND REFLECTIONS .

THERE used to be a Lodge at the old historic town of Clare , in Suffolk—village now—but it died out . The spirit of the Craft , however , was only moribund , the ashes of the departed retained some sparks of life , and they have now been fanned into a bright flame . A new birth has

come forth , and the Royal Clarence Lodge is the lusty son of an almost forgotten progenitor . Not quite forgotten , it seems , for Bro . Fisher is a link connecting the past with the present . He was in possession of two jewels belonging

to the old Lodge , one of which he was unable to describe . The other was clear enough both in form and purpose . At the installation ceremony held on the 8 th ult ., Bro . Fisher presented these two jewels to the new Royal Clarence , and one of them will be attached to either tho Senior or Junior

Deacon s collar . — : o : — This jewel is a representation of the heathen deity Mercury , and is considered a fit pendant to the collar of the messenger in the Lodge , Mercury having been the

prince of messengers . One of hia duties was to conduct the souls of the dead to the infernal regions , with which he seemed to have a particular acquaintance , for it was here he tied Ixion to his wheel . The comparison between Mercury

and the Senior Deacon is rather remote ; it begins with being a messenger in common , and ends with being conductors , with a very great difference indeed . The brethren

will understand the allusion , and will not think the worse of the office of the Senior Deacon because his evil architype had such sulphurous connections .

Mercury was called Hermes by the Greeks . The FBEEMASON ' S CHRONICLB is printed on Hermes Hill , and from hence issue those messages to the Craft which we trust add to their pleasure and edification . But , then ,

Mercury was the god of thieves , and well he deserved the title . Ho began his depredations very early ; for before he had seen mortal light for twenty-four hours be was guilty of several petty larcenies . He stole the oxen that Apollo

tended , and subsequently he robbed Neptune of his trident , Venus of her girdle , Mars of his sword , Jupiter of his sceptre , and Vulcan of many of his mechanical instruments . These marvellous specimens of the art of thieving were

looked upon as claims to honour instead of leading to the hulks or to the gallows , and Mercury was presented by the King of Heaven with a winged cap and with wings for his feet . His figure is thus represented with these attributes .

He generally held in his hand what is termed the caduces , a rod entwined with two serpents , which he received in exchange from Apollo to whom he gave the lyre with seven strings , said to have been his own invention . The

stories about Mercury are both mysterious and wonderful ; fabulous to the last degree , and yet , with others , they form a never-ending source of amusement . Whatever connection there may be between Mercury and Masonry has

nothing to do with the baser qualities of the former ; only so far as they are in accord with the higher instincts of morality and reason can there be said to be any real association .

In speaking of dictionaries it may not be generally known that the Chinese had a standard work of their language as early as 1100 B . C . There were Greek and Latin dictionaries a century or more before the Christian era , but

it was not until the 16 th century that any work of a polyglot character was produced . Since that time the art of dictionary-making has progressed with rapid strides . Dr . Johnson laid a very solid foundation more than a

century ago , and many have followed his example . Of late years efforts of a more ambitious character have been made , most of which have been welcome additions to the libraries of English writers and students . With all this

activity , we are still behind some Continental nations , notably Germany and France , in the scope and completeness of our lexicons . In 1857 the Philological Society propounded a scheme for a new work which should bear

comparison with the " Woterbuch " of Jacob and Wilhelin Grimm , which was then in progress , and not even now completed . Since then M . Littre has brought out hia great French Dictionary without which no scholar ' s library is complete . — : o : — Tho work begun more than a quarter of a century ago

Random Notes And Reflections.

by the Philological Society , is now coming to maturity , and Part I . of "A new English Dictionary , on Historical Principles " has been issued by the Clarendon Press at Oxford , and may be obtained of Henry Frowde , Oxford University Press Warehouse , Amen Corner , E . C , and at Queen Street ,

Edinburgh . Some idea of the gigantic character of the work may be gathered from the fact that it will extend to six volumes , of 1400 pages each . The first part is only a portion of the first volume , and this contains no fewer than 8365 words , being twice as many as those contained in

corresponding portions of Webster ' s or Ogilvie ' s Imperial Dictionaries . " The Vocabulary is intended to contain all words English in form which have been in use since the 13 th century , and all foreign words that have been , or now are , more or less in use , including all scientific terms of

general interest . " The work , when complete , will contain 187 , 792 main entries , " making , with the subsidiary words explained , and words referred to their synonyms by cross reference , 231 , 115 entries . " Each word will bear its proper date , and quotations , illustrating their meaning , will be

collected from " 5000 authors of all periods . " The etymology of the words will be given upon " the most recent discoveries and accepted principles of modern philological science , " and the work as a whole will be as complete and as scientific as learning , patience , money , and labour can

make it . We have two specimen pages before us which fully bear out the promise of the prospectus , and we advise all who desire to have a work worthy of the English tongue and the scholarship of the age , to send for a copy of both prospectus and specimen .

Good Officers Essential To The Prosperity Of A Lodge.

GOOD OFFICERS ESSENTIAL TO THE PROSPERITY OF A LODGE .

SOME of the remarks contained in the following anonymous communication are worthy of consideration notwithstanding the elections of officers are now complete .

The welfare of a Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons depends on two conditions—one being its compositionthe character of its members , the other , its governmentthe character of its officers .

The membership of a Lodge may be all that is desirable . The dispositions of the brethren towards each other may be so well attuned as to render social harmony the law , and discord the rare exception , and yet , owing to the want of good and efficient officers , its affairs may languish , and it

may fail to meet with that share of success which , ] udgmg alone from its constituent elements , would seem to be its proper and natural reward . Where officers are slipshod , negligent , and incapable of properly discharging the duties of the stations to which they have been exalted , all

satisfaction disappears and dissatisfaction usurps its place ; and the attendance at the Lodge meetings will diminish , and its proceedings lose interest to those who continue , from a sense of duty , not from choice , to attend its communications .

Next in importance to a careful scrutiny of the character and qualification of candidates for initiation , should be the care bestowed upon the selection of the right persons for office . The right man in the wrong place is little better than the wrong man in the right place . In

each case confusion and failure follow . But the right man in the right place has a power and an influence which is not exerted in vain . All things conspire to second his efforts , and the whole of the machinery entrusted to him seems to move of its own accord . Nothing disturbs ,

nothing upsets his equilibrium , for he is supreme over the destiny of that which he has in charge , from acting in accordance with the laws of nature and circumstance . The earth does not grate upon its axis . The spheres sustain their reputation for harmonised movement . So it ever is

with the right man rightly located ; his labours are a pleasure to himself and to others . It is therefore of importance not only to pub the best men in office , but also to place them in those offices which are best fitted for a display of their peculiar talents . One brother might make a most

excellent master , but a wretched secretary . Another , a very indifferent presiding officer , and at the same time a most effective secretary—and so through the list . Fortunate indeed is the Lodge which has selected its officers wisely and well . —Hebrew Leader .