Provincial.

Bro . Brandon proposed the health of the I . P . M ., who had attended sixteen meetings in ten months , and shown an example of punctuality and the genial qualities essential to a Master in the chair .

Bro . Wood said he had been two years W . M . of the Etruscan Lodge and one of St . Michael ' s , in which time he had initiated , passed and raised twenty-nine Brethren . He did not think there was one amongst the number who would ever disgrace the Order .

Masonic Honours And Log-Rolling.

MASONIC HONOURS AND LOG-ROLLING .

To the Editor of the Liverpool " Porcupine . " SIR , —The last time you took up the cudgels in a Masonic cause showed a miserable ignorance of the whole question . Your informant had certainly given you the balance sheet of a Lodge for your guidance , but you displayed a great want of knowledge in

handling the matter placed before you , and the reply in your contemporary was considered—by those who know—to have completely knocked you out . You are now making another attack upon an excellent body of men , and a body who are acknowledged to have the most able men at its head that can be found in the

kingdom . It is quite clear that your present informant is some disappointed member who has not received what he considers his legitimate due—that is , honours in the Provincial Grand Lodge , and in consequence of this you think the whole institution is feeling the bad effects of what " Porcupine" previously wrote .

You go on to tell us that £ 20 judiciously spent in treating is said to gain all tho honours desired by an ambitious Mason . By this , am I to understand that the boss is the recipient of all these good dinners , and if so who is the boss ? In my time ( when the Province was not so large in number of Lodges or in the number of

members ) I have known a man to receive that very questionable honour by presenting the boss of that day with a pair of comfortable boots for his poor old feet , but in those days things were much easier to work than they are to-day . But what does the whole question amount to ? Majnly this , that some silly fellow has not

got all he wants ; but if he would weigh up the words used by the Earl of Leicester in " Kenilworth , " when alluding to the collars of his various orders , that " they are bonds which knaves have invented to fetter fools , " he would not desire to have that which by common consent is thought no longer an honour , because it is

conferred by a paid servant , and not , as in the good old times , by a gentleman who filled the post without fee or reward . However , if he is still dissatisfied with his treatment , the best thing for him is to try to divide the Province by petition to the Provincial Grand Master or otherwise , and the more Provinces he can make out of

the present 110 Lodges the more chances he will have to get recognition at the hands of perhaps an honorary boss . In last week's " Freemason " I notice that the Grand Secretary , when consecrating the Lancastrian Lodge , in London , said , "It was dedicated to the service of God . " If you will refer to the last balance-sheet issued

by the Treasurer of this Province you will find the income was under £ 800 , and the salary and the expenses of the Secretary were over £ 500 . Therefore , this Province cannot be devoted to the same purpose . Yours , & c , A MASON .

THE Chrysanthemum Show and Fete of the year will be held by the National Chrysanthemum Society , on Tuesday , Wednesday and Thursday , 6 th , 7 th and 8 th November , at the Royal Aquarium , Westminster . This' will be the largest Exhibition of the Golden

Flower in the United Kingdom , the National Society reserving their efforts for this event , which is eagerly anticipated by all lovers of tho " Mum . " A great featuro will bo the latest novelties from Japan .

o o o THE Midland Railway Company has now extended its arrangements for the booking and delivery of passengers' luggage to their hotel or residence , so as to apply to all the towns served by the Midland system in which that Company delivers with its own

carts . Smaller towns are , therefore , now placed in the same advantageous position as London , Manchester , Liverpool , Birmingham , Nottingham , Leeds , Bradford and the other principal centres in this respect , and we anticipate the arrangement will become very popular .

0 o o THE Bishop of Ripon will contribute a paper entitled " The Heart of Religion " to the November part of " The Quiver , " which commences a new volume .

So great has been the demand for the second volume of Mr . Traill ' s "Social England" that , although the work was only published last month , a second edition is already in the press . The first volume has also been reprinted .

o o o Some idea of the cost of mounting modern plays is given by the statement that the weekly expenses in connection with the production of " The Derby Winner " at Drury Lane Theatre amount to two thousand pounds .

Masonic Honours And Log-Rolling.

In Catholic Spain to accuse anyone of being a Freemason is regarded as libellous , and the Queen has

accordingly directed the Minister of Justice to prosecute a Dominican monk , of Valencia , named Corbato , for having stated in a book entitled " Leo XIII ., the Carlists aud the Liberal Monarchy" that she had become a

member of a Freemasons' Lodge . The object of the book , says the " Sunday Times , " is to promote the cause of the Carlists , and its author seemed to think that he could not do better to bring the present dynasty into discredit than by representing the Queen as an advocate of Freemasonry . He is now in prison , and will shortly be tried . The Ultramontane Party say that whatever .

may be the result of the trial it must be favourable to them , as it will give a legal sanction to the prejudice against their old enemies the Freemasons .

o o o The " American Tyler" describes how on a recent occasion a Brother was listening to the words of wisdom

falling from the lips of the W . M . preparatory to being raised , when an earthquake occurred . The Brethren , including the W . M ., disappeared rapidly without the formality of being passed out , and when , in a quarter of

an hour they returned , tbe Candidate was observed still standing amid the ruins . The W . M . tried to apologise , but the Candidate explained that he-had been under the impression it was all a part of the ceremony . Um ! t r \ *\ f \

" Made in Scotland" will ere long be regarded by Masons in much the same light as " made in Germany "

is regarded in mundane affairs , unless our Brethren across the border reform their ways . They not only " rush " candidates , but do it in a wholesale way , as evidenced

when we read that at a . regular Lodge meeting no fewer than nine candidates had the first degree conferred on them . Let us hope the quality in this case was as much in evidence as the quantity . o 0 o

Bro . J . A . M'Callum , on behalf of Ayr St . Paul ' s Lodge , has purchased from the Ayr Town Council one of the vacant sites in High Street for the purpose of building a Masonic Hall . It is proposed to proceed with the building at once , plans having been completed for some

time past by Bro . Eaglesham , the architect of the Lodge . A bazaar in Ayr is going to be the means of raising the wherewithal , says " The Trowel , " and it is hoped that the promoters will meet with the success they deserve .

o o o The most destructive fire known in Leeds for many years occurred a few days back , when the Crown Point

Works of Bro . Ex-Mayor Alderman Alfred Cooke , one of the best known colour printers in England , were completely gutted , the damage being roughly estimated at £ 100 , 000 . o o c

In giving a description of the badge to be presented to Mr . Sheriff-Elect Hand , the " City Press" says the right and left shoulders of the badge are charged with the five-pointed star and double triangle , denoting Mr . Hand ' s close connection with Craft and Royal Arch Masonry .

o o o The Annual meeting of the Grand Lodge of Scotland , for the election and Installation of the Grand Officers .

and the celebration of the Festival of St . Andrew , will be held in the Queen ' s Rooms , Glasgow , on Friday , 30 th inst ., at 4 o ' clock . o o o

A Masonic ball under influential patronage was held last week in the Town Hall , Wolverhampton , in aid of the funds of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , and was a great success .

o o o It is announced that the Masters and Officers of the Bromley St . Leonard Lodge , No . 1805 , hope to arrange a Masonic dance , to take place on the 28 th inst .