Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Correspondents . All Letters must bear the namg aud address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications .

— : o : —• CASUAL RELIEF .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —In your issue of 15 th October 1892 , you publish an article on " Casnal Relief" in connection with the Craft work . Yonr article is good , as far as it goes , but had the writer been folly seized of all the facts relating to tbe system of granting relief nsed in Masonio bodies in the United States ancl

Canada he would have been materially aided in his argument . AB your readers are doubtless aware , there are , in tbe United States and Canada , hundreds—perhaps thousands—of Masonio tramps . Some are members of the Order , initiated when they were good men and true , bnt wbo by neglect of self and a desire to live on chafTty have fallen low in the scale of man ' s estate . Others , not a large number ,

have never been within a Masonio Lodge , while a not inconsiderable portion are women , the wives and daughters of Mason ? , who live on the principle that because their husbands , fathers or brothers were Masons , they are entitled to the support of the Craft . To , if possible , remedy this state of matters and protect the Craft from the raids yearly made on the money alloted for relief , a combined effort

was made in 1885 by prominent Masons from leading American and Canadian jurisdictions , and the General Masonio Belief Association of the United States and Canada was formed . It should really be called " The Masonio Protective Association . " All the leading cities on this continent have in connection with the Crafc Lodges Boards of Relief , and all applications of relief of a transient

character are referred to these Boards . I use the term " transient" in contradistinction to the word " local , " for local applications of members , widows and orphans in eaoh locality are attended to by the local Lodges . The General Masonio Relief Association is composed of two representatives from each affiliated Board of Relief and two

representatives from each Grand Lodge or Jurisdiction whioh is affiliated . The rate for affiliation is one-half cent per capital for the membership , that is , if a Board of 'Relief is composed of ten Lodges with a membership of £ 1 , 000 , it pays 500 dols . per year . The affiliation of a Grand Lodge inolndes that of its various Boards of Relief . A Grand Lodgo wifch a membership of 80 , 000—as , for

instance , that of New York State—would pay 400 dols . per year . Canada , with its 20 , 000 members , pays 100 dols . per year . In return for this fee the General Association sends once a month for one year to each Lodge of those forming the Boards of Relief a warning circular , containing a list of all oases examined and known to be unworthy . In the case of a Grand Jurisdiction eaoh Lodge

receives monthly the warning circular . The Association hai jast closed its seventh yearly meeting at Cincinnati , Ohio , and the returns show that 17 Grand Lodges ( with 2 , 300 Lodges ) aud 24 Boards of Belief have affiliated . Tbe results of the organization have been wonderful , and it is estimated that from 15 , 000 dols . to 20 , 000 dols . have by the system of the association , been saved to the Croft . Bro . William Delamater , of New York , is

the Treasnrer . Bro . L . C . Williamson , 492 Louisiana Ave , Washington , D . C , and Bro . J . Ross Robertson , of Toronto , Canada , is the President . The Secretary and any of these will give to auy one interested all information desired . A detailed history of the work of the association would be highly instructive to those of the Craft who have considered the work of relief , the demands made upon the Craft , and the best means of protecting the Masonio fraternity from the raids of imposters and unworthy claimants of Masonic charity .

Yoors fraternally , CttAJr'TSMAN Toronto , Canada . 18 th November 1892 .

The annual ball in connection with the Old Concord Lodge , No . 172 , will fcako place on the 25 fch January 1893 , afc tbe Princes' Hall , Piccadilly , W . Further particulars will shortly be announced .

The new Borough of Richmond has recently been extending its scope for usefulness , and amongst ; new members wbo will in future take seats at its Council Board are Bros . B . B . Blasby ( the first W . M . of tbe Richmond

Bro . Joseph Haswell , the oldest member of the Lodge of Rectitude , at Rugby , and well known to Warwickshire Masons , died on fche 22 nd ult ., of illness due to senile decay . He held high office in the Craft , and belonged to tbe Royal Arch , while as a Rugbeian he waa one of the Uosb hig hly respected townsmen ,

Lodge , No . 2032 ) , and Messrs . Godby , Marsh Ray , and Long ( for Petersham ) and Messrs . Ctmdell and Dalbiac ( for Kew district ) . Bro . Blasby has also been elected , with Mr . Godby , as Aldermen . We wish tbe new municipality every success .

Masonic Service.

MASONIC SERVICE .

ON Wednesday , the 30 th nit ., Brc . the Rev . T . Varney , Rector of Sr . Andrew ' s Church , Sonth Shoebury , and Chaplain of St . Andrew ' s Lodge , No . 1817 , held at the Cambridge Hotel , Shoe * buryues ? , held a special service at the above named church in aid of the Masonio Charities , and in commemoration of the Saint whose name the Ledge bears . Prior to the service in the church the Lodge

was opened in dne form by the Worshipfnl Master . There was a goodly attendance of brethren from the sifter Lodges of Sonthend and Rcahford . Owing to the church being small it was arranged that admission should be by ticket , and theie were eagerly sought after by friends of the brethren . The church was well filled and tastefully decorated with plan to , flowers , and tha banners from

the Lodges . In his address the Rev . Brother made some eloquent allusions about the antiquity of the church , whioh is many hundred years old , and abont the patron Saint , St . Andrew , and also about Freemasonry and its Charities . For the latter a collection was made at the olose of the service , aud we hope that a good sum waa the result . The brethren , who wore Masonio clothing , were formed in procession and marshalled from and to the Lodge room by Brother

Glasscock , of St . Andrew ' s Lodge . The brethren sat down to a banquet at the Cambridge Hotel , to whioh ladies were invited . A festival of this kind would be well to be held annually , and it would go a long way to make Freemasonry more popular with the ladies if they were permitted more often to join the members of oar ancient Order in what is often termed the fourth or knife and fork degree .

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