Correspondence.

swords , belts , symbols , and all kinds of crosses ; and as already remarked , my new friend , like most of the new High Degreers I have met with , actually believed himself to bo one of the greatest of the Masonio Illnstriouses . It did not take me mnch time to shake his faith in all his illusions . Bnt however great a sinner Bro . De La Grangea may be deemed

among the High Degreers , I found him a very obliging man , a perfect gentleman , and enjoyed his conversation on varions topics . The scene above described , and other information Riven , I did not receive from the Doctor . He afc once consented to translate the ritnal of tho R . A ., and the R . A . Companionhood ought to be very thankful to tho Doctor for what I may call a new R . A . Revelation . The Doctor ' s mnv I nresented to Bro . Nickerson , but a conv I took therefrom I

sent to tbe R . W . Bro . Shadwell Gierke , G . S . of England . I shall only add that those who have access to Bro . Gierke ' s sanctum , and are willing to devote half an hour to the perusal thereof , will learn more in that half hour about the origin and history of the R . A . than all the Grand Preceptors in your Chapters of Instruction will teach them dnring their lifetime . Indeed , after perusing it ,

you may with a good conscience tell the great Preceptors that they don't know anything at all about it . Respectfully and fraternally yours , JACOB NORTON . Boston . U . S ., 15 th August 1882 .

THB EVENING NEWS AND FREEMASONRY . To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Upon what data the Masonic writer for the Evening News founds his assertion that the confirmation of the minutes , carried in June , is a foregone conclusion , I am at a loss to understand . With the facts before him that the minute of December 1881 relating to the additional grant of £ 800 to the Royal Masonio

Benevolent Institution was non-confirmed , in order that the Board of General Purposes might have time to ascertain their financial position , or ability to make the grant;—the answer to which very inquiry and the Auditors' verification of it , would in a few minutes have been read out by the Grand Secretary . If , npon one occasion , because members of Grand Lodge are too negligent , or careless ,

to listen to statements to which they are asked to assent or dissent they are to delay the carrying out of an important item on the agenda paper for six months , some other equally reasonable cause may be found for a further delay of six months . Grand Lodge , as at present constituted , is a great , unwieldy body , without any consistency ; and how can it be otherwise ? Let us for a moment analyse

its component parts . There are in England and the Channel Islands some 1200 Lodges , more or less , under the English Constitution . Now , the W . Master , two Wardens , and all the Past Masters of each and every one of these Lod ges is entitled to attend afc the Quarterly Communications , and if we take fche very low average of three Past Masters for each Lodge , we have the enormous number of 7200 as

having a voice , and a right to a vote , personally in the framing of our laws and our government . " In the multitude of councillors there is wisdom ; " but I take it , you can have too many , as well as too few . _ Again , the utmost that can be massed into our legislative Temple is aboufc 700 . Afc one of these meetings a resolution is

earned , and at the next it is asked to be confirmed by the same number , bufc not one-half of whom were present on the previous occasion , and the large majority of the others are unacquainted with the facts of the case , or the reasons adduced which cansed the said motion to be carried . The numbers I have

previousl y mentioned are exclusive of the brethren who wear the purple , who may be reckoned at another 400 or 500 , and also all the qualified brethren of colonial Lodges nnder the English Constitntion who may be staying in town . Now , while not for a moment doubting thafc the groundwork for a remedy to this grievous evilwhich I venture to suggest—will meet with strenuous opposition by

some , as well as warm support by others , it will at all events open tire ball and invite discussion , ont of which some plan may be shaped which will meet the object I have in view in broaching the subject . 1 st . Though nofc approving of the mode in which Bro . Jas . Stevens has endeavoured to bring about a division of the Metropolitan district , which no one can deny is immeasurably too larsre . lam still in

favour of his principle , and am of opinion that its division into font or more districts would be of great advantage to the Craft in general , besides giving opportunities for those desirous of the honours of the Purple and scarlet , and a better chance of attaining them . 2 nd . That ifc shonld be the dnty of every Province afc ifcs annual meeting to ballot for and elect a certain number of representatives to

attend the Quarterly Communications of G . L . on behalf of theii several Lodges . 3 rd . Thafc every Province should send up fcho samo number , and 5 ° t in ^ proportion to its strength , otherwise Provinces snch aa West Yorkshire , East Lancashire , & c , would have the power of ca "ymg all before them .

h «? ' C ^ skonld bo represented by a certain number appointed oy the M . W . G . M ., besides the Officers of G . L . necessary to conduct lne business thereof . has there would be , including Jersey and Guernsey , forty-two all VIn 5 ? ' or W 1 ' th the proposed four London districts—forty-six iu ten t 0 this the G , L * itself > won - d make forty-soyeii ; allow ' Representatives for each Province , and nn extra ten for G . L .. and

n h 6 the comparatively manageable number of -ISO , or in ronurl ordi - ^°' " ** > 3 moro ^ enough to transact all the business , nary and extraordinary , appertaining to Grancl Lodge . they ^ ° otlier charitable assertions of the Evening News writer , them t ! ° ** D 0 t novel * * certain dyspeptic individuals have uttered 10 oetore ; but they partake of the nature of & novel , —they con-

Correspondence.

tain a modicum of fact and a largo amount of fiction ; of this I shall be pleased to try to convince him and his readers in a fntnro letter . Yours fraternally , P . M . 1607 .

P . S . —Since writing the abovo , I have seen tho agenda paper for the next meeting of Grand Locige , aud find chat so far from tlio confirmation of Bro . Raynhnm Stewart ' s motion being ii foregone conclusion , that thero is actually a notice of motion , by Bro . Ft . T . Budden , P . M . 022 , St . Cuthberga , to iioii-confirin that special minute

which was carried in June and December last , and substituting another , reducing the extra grant , from £ 800 to ti'iOO . I appeal to the brethren to attend on tho 6 ih September , ancl not let it be said that Grand Lodge doos not know its own mind from one quarter to another .

Referring to the remarks in tho Evening News ( made out of place , I maintain , in a general daily paper ) , about the recipients of our Charities , the following tables are aboufc correct , and confirm , more nearly than I had hoped , the writer ' s statements . They are taken from the polling papers of the Old People ' s election in May last , and the forthcoming ones of the Boys and Girls in October next : —

dates , been paid . tions . Aged Masons 47 21 nearly 5 or nofc quite 10 per cent . Widows 63 20 * 5 6 or about 10 per cent . B ° ys 62 9 14 or nearly 22 per cent . Girls 20 10 £ 3 or 15 per cent .

Average Number * 5 fears Contribnof Subscrip- tors to the Candi- tions have

Institu-Of course there may be some ' eontributors among the foregoing whose light is hid nnder a bushel , but it is very improbable , for candidates naturally try to make their claims as strong as they can ; and what they had done for others in their time of prosperity would snrely be one , and thafc a strong one .

IS MASONRY REALLY FLOURISHING ?

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —To this query , recently put in an article in your columns , with an invitation for an expression of opinion , I had hoped some more comprehensive correspondence would have taken place , as certainly the issues raised are worth careful consideration afc the hands of all who are anxious for the welfare of tho Craft . The

tendency of your article , and thafc also of the recent interesting cor . respondence in the FREEMASON ' S CHKONICXE relating to Masonio Mendicancy , is to show tho undoubted existence of an undesirable element in the Craffc , which , though it might be impossible to eradicate , may , as " M . M . " so pertinently observed last week , be guarded against in the future . Ifc is hardly within the province of individual

members to suggest even as to the discretion of Grand Lodge in the issue of new warrants , though , as yonr correspondent points out , the number of Lodges now on the roll should suffice for the reasonable necessities of the Institution for somo time to come . We may bo perfectly certain that our Grand Officers , much as they may desire to meet the wishes of the brethren who asoire to found new Lodges , aro

¦ veil advised , and carefully weigh the nature of the requests made to them before they accede to the prayer of petitions . On this score , it appears to me they are equally at no option , as are the members of Lodges , in following " the late Bro . Hervey ' s advice" as to their being " cautious in the reception of candidates . " The latter , as one or two of your correspondents rightly remark , cannot fathom the

hearts of those who seek to participate with us in tho mysteries and privileges of the Order ; neither can Graud Lodge at all times gauge the feeling locally prevailing , and which animates brethren in pray , ing for a new warrant . More than ono instance might be recorded of men who , being ambitious for office , and not seeing theirway clear to the attainment of their desire for perhaps a considerable time ,

gather around them chosen friends , and privately concoct a design for the establishment of a new Lodge . Ifc is perfectly true snch a petition must be supported by a certain number of signatories from the mother Lodge , but are these nofc sometimes influenced by a personal desire for the advancement of those who are striving after distinction , and in others by an equally urgent wish to rid the Lodge

of troublesome and officious malcontents ? When a servant leaves your employ , yon do not always refuse him a " character , " though he may not have been all yon conld have desired in him . He may have done his work in a manner such as would nofc justify yoa in withholding from him the means of obtaining other employment , but still you are " glad he is gone , " and you would rather aid than impede

his progress by giving him a recommendation . Thus it has been found fchafc in many cases whore Lodges have become too strong numerically there havo grown up amongst them—from , the " infusion of new blood " as we avc apt to say—yonng and enthusiastic men who aspire for , and may be deserving of , office , but who from the very fact of fche Lodge beiug so full see their chances very remote indeed . The

consequence is that they hold a tete-a-tete with the view of starting an offshoot of the Mother Lodge , and the Mother Lodge is only too glad to get some of her obstreperous children off her hands . Is nofc this the true explanation why so many now warrants wero applied for , until the " brake " was put on a few years ago ? I quite agreo with the comments made npon your recent leading article , contained

in tho Evening News—n paper which is davoting some judicious mention to the affairs of tho Craft—that this is " a subject of great ; importance , and which , it is a pity has not been taken up in print before this . " Still , now tho matter is broached , it will be well for all of it . * to consider that " the evils which affect the fair fame of Freemasonry arc not irremediable . Let the late Grand Secretary ' s advice be seriously takon to heart by individual Lodges , and let every care be