Installation Concerts.

themselves , I do not propose to dilate , except to say that their effusions appear to me full of contradictious , and beside the question at issue . I have attended several Installation meetings , at only one of which , I am happy to say , tho musical part of the programme was left to the members of tho Lodge and their bona fide visitors ; and , I must

say , although " comparisons aro odions , thafc the manner in which the work has been expedited ancl completed in those Lodges whioh had made arrangements for everything , viz ., visitors' speeches , music , & c , have , in my humble opinion , always carried off the palm . It is something new to bo told , by inference , thafc tho hononr of attaining the chair of K . S . is only for him who can manage , by hook

or by crook , to keep up his subscriptions , and that any one higher in the social scale , who is entitled and finds himself elected to fill that honourable position , should not be allowed to put his hand into his own pocket in order to minister to the pleasure and edification of the members and visitors to his Lodge . The merest child in Freemasonry should know , that although it makes brothers of ns all , it fails to

make the poor rich , or the rich poor ; and , therefore , ifc should be no reason , because there happens to be two or three brothers in a Lodge who are in less affluent circumstances than the other members , why the whole body shonld bo afflicted with two hours or more of bad singing and worse speechifying at the principal Masonio meeting of the year . No one would expect or like a brother , who had been

elected to fill the chair of K . S ., to launch out into an expense which he could not afford , and wherefore , then , should such a brother envy and carp at the laudable endeavours of another to do honour to his Lodge who it is well known can afford an extra fivo-ponnd note on one of the most auspicious occasions of his life ? - We have heard and read of some peculiar " innovations in Freemasonry , " but ifc would be difficult , I think , to imagine a greater , or

one more outrageous to common sense , than that the majority of fche members of a Lodge should be made to look niggardly or contemptible before their visitors merely because there are in the Lodge a few brethren who , i . they had previously wisely considered their circumstances , would have never become members of a society which , of necessity , is always calling upon its solvent members for fresh proofs of their charity and love .

Yours faithfully and fraternally , J . G London , 31 sfc October 1883 .

Scrutineers And Their Responsibilities.

SCRUTINEERS AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIB AND BROTHER , —The October election for the young folks is over ; and some of their representatives have gone away with hearts full of thankfulness and rejoicing , others buoyed np with hope for the future , and others again in sorrow and despair that their efforts have been in vain , and that they are debarred from a l further

chance . But such is the lottery ; all cannot win , some must of necessity lose ; at least until the laws of our Institutions can be rendered more perfect . There are several circumstances which have occurred during this election ( not new , because they have happened before ) to which it might not be considei .. ! time lost to direct the attention of the Craffc at hr . 'ge , more especially of those brethren who

are actively engaged in working the several cases which come before the Quarterly Courts for decision . Like an Llshman I commence at the end of the proceedings , as the cases in point are more tentitive , and require more steady judgment than the first part . I mean , for instance , when a representative officer challenges tho correctness of tho return of the Scmtineers . Either he shonld demand a scrutiny

or he should be silent , if not certain as to tbe correctness of the number of votes he has sent in . That there should be mistakes in the enumeration of such a large number of votes is not only possible , but probable ; ifc therefore behoves a brother to be particularly careful before making such a charge . For the information of those who are unacquainted with the business , it may be as well briefly to

explain how the counting is done . On the ballot boxes being brought up to the Scrutineers , two brethren open them , take out fche papers , and arrange them according to the order of the cases , on shelves dnly numbered and set apart for that purpose ; they are then taken into an inner room , pncl each bnndle of papers is gone through by two counters , who check each others work ; the papers are

then handed to a third Scrutineer , who looks them throngh again , and verifies or rejects them ac ... rdi . g to circumstances . When correct they are handed to a fourth inspector , who sees whether , even after these tests , they are signed and filled in for the names on the bundles . Thus every provision is made to avoid the least possible chance of error . Now , when a brother challenges the correctness of

tbe return , ancl when called upon declines to demand a scrutiny , but yet , outside the Court , expresses his opinion thafc he has been sat npon by fche Scrutineers , I venture to assert such a proceeding is not only unfair to himself , but to the Scrutineers , whose honour is at stake as to the correctness of the retnrn they send in . My second point is , the position of a successful candidate , eligible for election ,

but not to enter the School for a period , it may be of nearly twelve months , and who thus excludes the next highest unsuccessful candidate for a lonaer period , which difficulty I think might be met by the following method : —Tbe candidate to whom I refer shall be declared elected , and be eligible for the first vacancy that may occur after he has reached the requisite age . It is only natural the friends of

a particular candidate desire to secure the benefits of the School at * early as possible , and by this means they could still do so , without leaving a vacancy unfilled for any length of time . If this should meet the views of the Fraternity , I shall he happy to propose such a course be adopted at tbe next Qaarte-ly Conrt . With regard to the manner in which some of tho worthies in ques . tioa send iu their votes attention has been called previously , and

Scrutineers And Their Responsibilities.

with marked success ; but there are still some to whom a few remarks will be a propos . First of all , they should open their papers , and see that they aro both properly signed and filled np , and then arrange them in bundles , placing the papers together according to their re . lative value . These suggestions , if attended to , would facilitate the enumeration , and hasten the declaration of the poll . Ou the other

hand , the opposite course causes much trouble and inconvenience ; ( 1 st ) when the proxies are sent up singly each paper has to be opened and placed in its respective bundle on the shelves ; ( 2 nd ) unsigned proxies are of no use to any body ; ( 3 rd ) when papers are improperly or carelessly filled in , the votes may be recorded to a wrong case ; the instructions on the proxy papers are plain

enough for any one to understand , viz .: " Thafc you are to place the vote or votes you intend to give opposite the name of the candidate or candidates yon are desirous to assist , taking care not to put down more than the paper entitles you to . Thus , if you have three votes , and you desire to poll for John Thomas Smith , the number should come after Smith , nofc before John .

Supposing , which is usually fche case , there are two or moro columns of names , be careful not to place it on fche dividing line , but clearly in front of the case , or still better run a doable pencil mark through all the names bnfc that one or those yon intend to vote for . Then , unless you have divided your favours , the number does not so

much signify , as it will be taken from fche value written or printed on fche paper . Now , with a few statistics of the polling I will close this already lengthy letter . Votes . Votes

Boys—Brought forward ... 28 , 540 Issued 47 , 703 Issued 47 , 700 Polled 43 , 795 76 , 240 3 , 905 Spoilt 127 Unpolled ... 3 , 778 Highest successful , 3 , 237 ; lowest successful , 2 , 285 ; average , 2 , 544 £ Girls—Brought forward ... 2 , 133 Issued 32 , 877 Issued 32 , 877 Polled 29 , 399

35 , 010 3 , 478 Spoiled 56 Unpolled ... 3 , 422 Highest successful , 3 , 101 ; lowest successful , 1 , 862 ; average , 2 , 372 .. The Boys carry forward 19 , 415 votes for next April , and there wille be , as far as can be ascertained now , 29 vacancies ; for these

there are already 40 candidates . The Girls carry forward 12 , 281 votes , and there will be 23 vacancies , for which at present there are only 21 applicants . Three last chances failed at this election .

I remain , Yours fraternally , A SCRUTINEER , 60 Queen Victoria-street , E . C . 20 th October 1883 .

Royal Arch.

ROYAL ARCH .

To the Editor o / the FREEMASON s CHRONICL _ . DRAR SIR AND COMPANION , —Like " Rosa Darfcle , " I want to know . A summons has been issued for Grand Chapter for next Wednesday , enclosing the minutes of the last Quarterly Communication . In the list of Grand Officers then present—presumably printed in

the correct order of precedence—one member is described as Pa . i A double s ist 0 . Sojr . and the next as Past A single s isst Q . Soj . Will you kindly advise if either rank is both , or both is neither , or if either is which , or if both have been mixed ? or , if in Grand Chapter A double ss ist . takes precedence of A single s isst . F

how either shonld be distingnished from each in a private Chapter if both shonld favor ' . * with their company at the same Convocation ? Yot-. 's fraternally , A PUZZLED P . Z .

31 st October 1883 . [ We have heard it said , that " printers are very stupid people ; " if fchis attempt at au explanation does nofc meet the views of our correspondent , we fear we must give his conundrum up . —ED . F . C . I

An Irrepressible Masonic Blunderer.

AN IRREPRESSIBLE MASONIC BLUNDERER .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON s CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —There is an old adage , viz ., those who cannot bear the smell of powder should not go to war , and in like manner I would recommend those who are apt to get excited by a criticism to keep away from the Press . There seems , however , to be in England a Masonio writer who cannot bear to be criticised , and who is more especially galled when the criticism happens to be

unanswerable . Now , I happened to designate the originators of certain fallacies as Masonic blunderers . The cap happened to fit that party ; he knows that he has blundered , but he is so over and above opinio" ' ¦ ited , and so determined to maintain his assumption of Masonio inf allibility , that he must still rush to the Press with something ; and as be has not a peg to hang an argument on , and has probably been on to ^ look out for some time for something to sting me with , he very io