Freemasonry—Operative And Speculative.

his station in life , to take a mop and a pail of water at the conclusion of the ceremony , and carefully clean out all traces of the drawing on the floor . I regret my inability to say definitely whether this was a practice in the Operative Lodges , but I think it not at all unlikely ;

ifc seems to me jusfc the sort of job that an Apprentice would bo set to do after his admission . I have no doubt that something of the kind was done , which led to its continuation in tho Speculative Lodges . In the course of time this old custom fell into abeyance , probably on account of

carpets coming into general use , or through laxity on the part of the Tyling fraternity , who neglected the art of drawing . A writer in 1806 gives a different reason , and there may be somo truth in it . He says : " People had taken notice and made game of them about the mop and

pail , so some of the Lodges use tape and little nails to form the same thing , and so keep the world moro ignorant of tho matter . " I should say this latter practice is notjikely to have been either extensive or popular , especially with fche proprietors of tho houses where tho Lodges met , who

would naturally object to nails being driven all over their floors . A more popular practice , I believe , was the use of a plain black board of the kind used in schools , on which tho various emblems of tho Craft were depicted . This probably gavo rise to the term " Lodge Board , " a name still

used instead of " Tracing Board " in thc Stability Lodge of Instruction , which is , 1 believe , the oldest Lodgo of Instruction in London , and probably in England . At the annual festivals of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement ifc used to be always referred to as the " Sister Lodge of

Instruction , " a similar friendly expression being used at the festivals of the " Stability . " I have hero the Tyler ' s bill for the " making " of his Royal Highness tho Prince of Wales ,

afterwards King George tbo Fourth . One of the items is " Drawing a Lodge 5 / -, " and another " Portridgoof a Large Drawing Board 3 / -. " On the floor are somo of the materials of another substitute for the old custom of

"Drawing the Lodge" —if there were others I regret to Bay they are lost beyond hope of recovery . Some years ago these were found in an old chest with other discarded furniture belonging to one of the oldest and most important Lodges in London . I qpnsider them highly interesting

as forming a sort of connecting link between the Tracing Boards of the present day and tho old custom of chalking the floor . They may also bo considered unique-, for several of my most learned Masonic friends have seen them , and they all agree that they havo never met with , nor heard of

anything of tho kind before . You will observe that the emblems of the First and Second Degrees aro combined , not separated as at present ; this is to be accounted for by the fact that in the last century it Avas enstomary in many Lodges to confer the two Degrees on a candidate at thc

same meeting * About tbe beginning of tho present century , permanently painted Tracing Boards came into use , gradually , no doubt . At firsfc thoy appear to have been painted in various ways , according to the taste ancl fancy of tbo artist . About 70 years ago a particular design is

said to have been approved by the Duke of Sussex , then Grand Master , and thc small set I have here were probably amongst the first of that kind . Thc Tracing Boards used in this Lodge were copied , by permission , from the original drawings of the large boards , at the Emulation Lodge of

Improvement , Avhich were painted in 1845 , under the supervision of the Committee of that Lodge , by the same person who designed these small ones—Bro . John Harris , a very celebrated Mason , who lost his sight in his old age , and spent the closing years of his life in

tho Asylum of tho Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , at Croydon , enjoying to the last the bounty of tho Craft he had long and faithfully served . Now , brethren , if you are not already tired of listening to me , 1 should like to engage your attention for a few moments longer , aud ask you to

imagine yourselves in a Lodge of Operative Masons , held , say five or six hundred years ago , in the neighbourhood of some largo ' and important building either in the course of erection or undergoing repair . The labours of the day

being over , the brethren are assembled for the examination and reception of candidates , or for the transaction of other necessary business , which having been disposed of , probably the master builder would have something to say to his

Freemasonry—Operative And Speculative.

workmen with regard to their employment for tho next day . Perhaps some difficult piece of work or intricate carving has to be undertakn , which could bo better illustrated on a larger scale thatfon tho ordinary plans . Paper and linen being scarce , what could be moro natural than he should

avail himself of the floor of tho Lodge , or a large board , m order the better to convoy his ideas and desires to his subordinates ? It is well known thafc what we sec generally makes a more rapid and lasting impression on the mind than what we only hear or read about . For instance ,

supposing you had never seen a Tracing Board , and I were to endeavour to describe ono to you , it would be utterly impossible for mo to givo you anything like so good an idea of what it is like as you can get by a single glanco at tho object itself ; neither

would the various emblems be so forcibly impressed on your memory . Before tho invention of letters , the common , and indeed the only method of convoying intelligence , excepting that of verbal communication , waa by the use of symbols and hieroglyphic figures . Of course , when a

regular system of letters was adopted , this primitive mode of intercourse naturally declined , although the use of signs and symbols was still adhered to , and their value and importance , as mediums of instruction , stronuouly upheld by some of tho ancient toachors and philosophers for a

considerable time afterwards , and now , after a long period of comparative neglect , wo find the same old system extensively practised in our modern schools . I firmly believe , however , that this venerable Institntion of ours is

tho only Society in existence thafc can fairly claim to have preserved and practised this valuable and important method of imparting knowledge from a far-distant period down to the present day .

Hereford Masonic Charity Association

HEREFORD MASONIC CHARITY ASSOCIATION

IiHE thirteenth annnal meeting of the members of this useful Association was recently hold at the Green D . agon Hotel , Hereford . Bro . William Parlby VV . M . of the Pnlludiun Lodge , was voted to the ohair , the other brethren present being the Rev . Evan Williams , the Eev . Douglas Seaton , II . 0 . Beddoo Treasurer , nod William Earle Hon . Secretary . The Hon . Secretary read the report and financial statement , from which we learn tbat afc the meeting lasfc year the ballot resulted in

five Life Subscriberships . Since August 1878 , when the Association waa formed , it has remitted tho following ; su ns to the Masonic Institutions : —Boya' School , £ 290 5 s ; Girlh' School , £ 267 15 s ; Royal Masonio Benevolent Institntion—Male fund , £ 131 5 s ; Female fnnd , £ 136 IO . * , a total of £ 831 15 > , an average of £ 56 a year ; aud these remittances are attributable almost entirely to the operation of thia Association .

The Committee risk fche charge of repetition by again expressing the wish that all the brethren in the Province , especially those holding Provincial or Lodge rank , would obtain at least one Life Subscriber , ship to a Masonio Institution , the cost of which is five guineas ,

payable , through this Association , by five annnal guinea instalments ; they also hops that the Masters , Past Master ? , Officers , and Brethren of the five Provincial Lodges will kindly aid in increasing the number of subscribers , in order that tho ancient Province of Herefordshire—which has received so much from the Masonic

Institutions—may occupy a position of credit in their annual repot ts . The ballot was thon taken aud resulted in the following Life Subscriberships being secured : —Bros . W . Parlby , Evan Williams , J . H . Bussell , A . P . Small , E . Bellow , H . 0 . Beddoe , and fche Palladian Lodge .

The Committee for tho ensuing year was then appointed aa follows : —Bros . T . Godwin Chance President , Charles Rootes Vice President , H . C . Beddoe Treasurer , William Earle Secretary . Bro . VV . Parlby ( for Palladian Lodgo ) , Bro . L . TJ . Wooler ( for Vi'iuviati Lodge ) , Bro . VV . T . Sale ( for Royal Edward Lodge ) , and Brother the Rev . E . Williams ( for the Arrow Lodge ); Bros . T . Smith and

Thomaa Blinkhorn Auditors . A cordial vote of thanks to Brother Parlby ( President of meeting ) , Brp . Beddoe ( Treasurer ) , and Brother Earle ( Secretary ) , brought the proceedings to a clofo . It appears that until the year 1878 tbo Province of Hertfordshire was somewhat noted in the Masonic world for tho smallness of the

sum it had contributed to the Institutions , although several Herefordshire children had been boarded and educated in tho Masonic Schools , and some of tho ancient local brethren and their widows had for many years received annuities from the Institutions .

In tbe year referred to , Bro . William Earle , dnring his Mastership of the Palladian Lodge , Hereford , took the preliminary stops towards forming the local Association , and has since continued the Honorary Secretaryship . Thc Committoo ' s report shows the amount of success . —Hereford Mercury .

The next session of the East Surrey of Concord Lodgo of Instruction , No . 463 , will commence on Tuesday next , the Sth insfc ., afc the Greyhound Hotel , Croydon , and meetiugs will be held every Tuesday until the beginning of May . Bro . W . Fox-Hawes is the Secretary .