Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The William Preston Lodge Of Instruction, No. 766.
high act of the majority present on this particular occasion of the members of the William Preston Lodge reminds us somewhat of the fabled conduct of the " dog in the manger . " They would have nothing more to do with the Lodge , and they were determined that none of
their fellow members shonld . Can anything bo more—we will not say unconstitutional , for it is not clearly established that the kw ~ qv \ otcd by " Q . " does in fact ov intention applj to Lodges of Instruction , but un-Masonic , than a course of proceeding such as wo have described ?
A further question of a still more delicate nature is raised in onr correspondent ' s letter . He suggests that this majority , which , be it remembered , is not necessarily the majority of the members , had no right to dispose of the Lodge propertv , in which the whole body had a vested
interest . They were , of course , at perfect liberty to withdraw from membership , but they were exceeding the limits of their power when they took upon themselves to sell what belonged to the Lodge in its corporate capacity ; and what , consequently , after their withdrawal , was not
theirs to sell . This , as we have stated , is a delicate and certainly a novel point , yet like all the others which " Q . " has raised , it commends itself to our reason ; ancl
if , on closer consideration , it should turn out to be correct , then it follows , naturally , that the William Preston Lodge of Instruction has been improperly dispossessed of the goods and chattels purchased for its use out of its funds .
In conclusion , we will merely add that the story , as told in the report wo published a fortnight since , is a most unpleasant one , from whatever point or points of view it may be regarded , and though we are far from wishing to stir up the muddy Avaters of discord in this ill-used Lodge
it strikes us as being the first , and , for the present at all events , the best course , to bring the whole matter officially under the notice of the parent Lodge , which is constitutionally responsible for the proceedings of its Lodge of Instruction , and may legally be callfcd upon , therefore , to express its opinions on the subject .
Reviews.
REVIEWS .
AH Books intended for Review should be addressed to tlie Editor of The Freemason ' s Chronicle , 23 Great Queen Street , "W . C . Through Sileria . B y H . Lansdell . Illustrated with forty-three engravings , two maps , and a photograph of the author in a Salmon skin dress . Sampson Low & Co ., London .
THIS is a deeply interesting work of travel , replete with well digested and carefully arranged information , about one of the most hospitable countries on the face of the earth . Though with a population compounded of about 30 different tribes , theirs is altogether an exceptional history , singularly devoid of intertribal rapine and bloodshed . The Cxar of Russia is styled " Lord of Siberia , " and is absolutely the lord
of more than he ever surveyed , seeing that the area of Siberia is 7 , 500 , 000 square miles . The Russian element is recruited annually by the addition of more than 17 , 000 convicts , political and criminal , who are distributed amongst the various penal settlements . Capital punishment in Russia being exclusively an infliction for military or treasonable crime , all other offenders , who are considered incorrigible ,
are deported to Siberia , where a chance of reformation is afforded them . And if immunity from very hard work , such as our English convicts are acquainted with , be one method of repairing criminal characters , it may be truthfully said that the Russian scoundrel ought to become a Russian saint at least . But as ho spends a great deal of his time basking in the snn , smoking , card playing , and other
diversions , the system he is ruled by is a gigantic failure in that respect . The author , Bro . Lansdell ( Grand Steward , and recently installed W . M . of the Royal Somerset House and Inverness Lodge , No . 4 ) , had visited many European prisons and penitentiaries before he was prompted to attempt a similar project in Siberia . This of conrse was no trifle , but the readiness of the Russian government to
second him in his endeavours to distribute portions of the Sacred Law and other works amongst the convicts , smoothed the path , and the result was that 55 , 812 copies were apportioned amongst the prisons , hospitals , schools and other establishments . To the unprecedented facilities thns afforded to an Englishman of becoming acquainted with all sides of Siberian existence , wo are indebted for
two very handsome volumes , in which the transit of tho convicts , their crimes and punishments , their miseries on the road and in prison , are all faithfully depicted . Yet we venture to say that many readers will be agreeably surprised at the differences between the report of an eye-witness and the Siberianesque imaginations of stay-at-home travellers . It is fact against fiction .
Midway across Siberia , Bro . Lansdell diverted his course over the Chinese frontier at Mainiatchim . At this town , which means "buy andj sell , " everything , is very quaint . There aro no women in tho town . Desperate husbands would find a temporary Paradise in Mainiatchim . Even the much-abused Mr . Caudle would hold up his head again " as a man , " and feel at home once more if he would banish himself to that earthl y oasis of happiness , And as for bachelors ,
perfect isolation is guaranteed . " Not that the men , however , are all bachelors " —we quote from Vol . I , p 338— "for some havo wives and families in China Proper . Nor are they all women-haters or hen . pecked husbands . " Nor aro they all like the " British subject who fled from his own island homo and retired to a housetop in Siberia , where he is living in prosperity , and where his spouse has not pursued
him , " but the inhabitants of Mainiatchim are subject to a treaty which oxclndes females . The town consists of four or five mud-paved streets , tho houses being of ono story , and built of unburnt bricks , and is < jiven over to tea merchants and their employes . The chief clerk of one establishment visited , " cultivated a straggling mous . tache , which is tho privilege of all Chinese men after they arrive at
thirty years of ago . Ho had also very long nails protruding , perhaps , half an inch , which evidently were considered beautiful . " " To eat a dinner at Mainiatchim had been one of the curious treats I had promised myself , a feast which most Europeans would rather undergo the incipient stages of starvation than come within the smell of it . By tasting firstand then asking what ifc was , all prejudice was
, taken away till ifc was too late to have any . We discovered that among the dishes we had eaten were beans , garlic , a kind of sea-weed cooked like sea-kale , and a green kind also ; likewise radishes out in slices , swallows' eggs boiled , and rissoles of meat ; various sorts of marine vegetables , and I think birds' nests . Further east I met a man who told me that when he dined afc Mainiatchim they gave him
sixty-four dishes ! " On the present occasion there were only thirty . We are enabled to deduce from this quaint chapter of Benedict innocence that if men are bereft ( voluntary or otherwise ) of one blessing , there is a wonderful compensating reward for them in adapting themselves to fche more primitive state of bliss . For full particulars about Mainiatchim and all other matters affecting Siberia , an elaborate index will direct the reader to the exact page of the volumes .
Synopsis of the Chess Openings . A Tabulated Analysis . By William Cook , a Member of the Birmingham Chess Club . Third Edition , with Additions and Emendations . London : W . W . Morgan , 23 Great Queen-street , W . C . 1882 . THERE are , doubtless , many of our readers to whom the game of Chess is familiar , and many perhaps by whom ifc is ardently pursued as an
intellectual study rather than as a pastime . To both these classesthose who study it , and those who merely play it—we can strongly recommend Bro . Cook ' s " Synopsis of the Chess Openings . " Tho fact of its having reached a third edition within the short snace of seven years speaks well for the estimation in which it is held by the Chess World . But this is by no means the only ground on whioh
we draw attention to this new issue . It has , in the first place , been very considerably enlarged , and contains 140 pages of matter as against the 82 pages of the second edition , published in 1876 . Bat mere increase in quantity does not necessarily imply improvement in quality . This , however , is , in the present instance , the case . Not only has the old matter been mosfc carefully emended , bufc much
valuable new matter has been inserted , and what is still more noteworthy , " variations that have occurred in actual play , " especially in the Irregular Openings , are presented by Bro . Cook , chiefly with a view of meeting the objections of those " who assume thafc but few of the positions given in theory occur in practice . " As to the sources to which the author is indebted for the basis of his tables , they are
far too numerous to mention ; but , as they include many of the mOsfc important Chess woi * ks and periodicals extant , ifc is unnecessary we should name them : they will be found enumerated in the Preface , in which also Bro . Cook loyally acknowledges much valuable assistance from well-known Chess players . In conclusion , tho recommendations that can be urged in favour of the book are many , the objections to its matter , its methodical arrangement , and the footnotes are none .
Irish Freemasons' Calendar for the year 1882 . Published nnder the sanction of fche Right Worshipfnl the Grand Lodge of Ireland . Dublin : Printed by S . Underwood , for the Grand Lodge of Ireland , and to be had at Freemasons' Hall , Molesworth-street .
THE manner in which this necessary guide to the different Masonic bodies in Ireland , their distribution in Lodges and Chapters , Preceptories , & c , with their dates and places of meeting , has been compiled , reflects great credit on the executive of Grand Lodge . Bearing in mind that the amount of information contained in a Calendar is
necessarily limited , we do nofc see how space could have been found for more , and even had this been possible that more than is furnished was required . Moreover , the arrangement is excellent , and , as far as it is possible for non-Irish Masons to judge , accurate . We may add thafc the needful Masonic information is supplemented by much else of a general character , so thafc the Calendar may be used for ordinary as well as for Masonic purposes .
Heport of the Committee on . Masonic Correspondence , Grand Lodge of Illinois . Dated Chicago , 28 th September 1881 . IDLINOTS is ono of the great strongholds in the United States of America . It has , if we remember rightly , a subscribing membership of some 40 , 000 brethren , nnd it labours zealously in support of the Craffc principles , as is evidenced by the intelligence we gather from time to time of the doings of its Grand and subordinate Lodges . This
Correspondence , which extends over little short of five hundred closely printed pages , is of a most elaborate and exhaustive character . Ifc deals with almost every subject which a brother could dream of in his philosophy , and many which , in the estimation of English brethren , are hardly worthy of being noticed in official correspondence . However , in the midst of this vast accumulation of matter will be found much thafc is valuable , as illustrating the strength and doings of
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The William Preston Lodge Of Instruction, No. 766.
high act of the majority present on this particular occasion of the members of the William Preston Lodge reminds us somewhat of the fabled conduct of the " dog in the manger . " They would have nothing more to do with the Lodge , and they were determined that none of
their fellow members shonld . Can anything bo more—we will not say unconstitutional , for it is not clearly established that the kw ~ qv \ otcd by " Q . " does in fact ov intention applj to Lodges of Instruction , but un-Masonic , than a course of proceeding such as wo have described ?
A further question of a still more delicate nature is raised in onr correspondent ' s letter . He suggests that this majority , which , be it remembered , is not necessarily the majority of the members , had no right to dispose of the Lodge propertv , in which the whole body had a vested
interest . They were , of course , at perfect liberty to withdraw from membership , but they were exceeding the limits of their power when they took upon themselves to sell what belonged to the Lodge in its corporate capacity ; and what , consequently , after their withdrawal , was not
theirs to sell . This , as we have stated , is a delicate and certainly a novel point , yet like all the others which " Q . " has raised , it commends itself to our reason ; ancl
if , on closer consideration , it should turn out to be correct , then it follows , naturally , that the William Preston Lodge of Instruction has been improperly dispossessed of the goods and chattels purchased for its use out of its funds .
In conclusion , we will merely add that the story , as told in the report wo published a fortnight since , is a most unpleasant one , from whatever point or points of view it may be regarded , and though we are far from wishing to stir up the muddy Avaters of discord in this ill-used Lodge
it strikes us as being the first , and , for the present at all events , the best course , to bring the whole matter officially under the notice of the parent Lodge , which is constitutionally responsible for the proceedings of its Lodge of Instruction , and may legally be callfcd upon , therefore , to express its opinions on the subject .
Reviews.
REVIEWS .
AH Books intended for Review should be addressed to tlie Editor of The Freemason ' s Chronicle , 23 Great Queen Street , "W . C . Through Sileria . B y H . Lansdell . Illustrated with forty-three engravings , two maps , and a photograph of the author in a Salmon skin dress . Sampson Low & Co ., London .
THIS is a deeply interesting work of travel , replete with well digested and carefully arranged information , about one of the most hospitable countries on the face of the earth . Though with a population compounded of about 30 different tribes , theirs is altogether an exceptional history , singularly devoid of intertribal rapine and bloodshed . The Cxar of Russia is styled " Lord of Siberia , " and is absolutely the lord
of more than he ever surveyed , seeing that the area of Siberia is 7 , 500 , 000 square miles . The Russian element is recruited annually by the addition of more than 17 , 000 convicts , political and criminal , who are distributed amongst the various penal settlements . Capital punishment in Russia being exclusively an infliction for military or treasonable crime , all other offenders , who are considered incorrigible ,
are deported to Siberia , where a chance of reformation is afforded them . And if immunity from very hard work , such as our English convicts are acquainted with , be one method of repairing criminal characters , it may be truthfully said that the Russian scoundrel ought to become a Russian saint at least . But as ho spends a great deal of his time basking in the snn , smoking , card playing , and other
diversions , the system he is ruled by is a gigantic failure in that respect . The author , Bro . Lansdell ( Grand Steward , and recently installed W . M . of the Royal Somerset House and Inverness Lodge , No . 4 ) , had visited many European prisons and penitentiaries before he was prompted to attempt a similar project in Siberia . This of conrse was no trifle , but the readiness of the Russian government to
second him in his endeavours to distribute portions of the Sacred Law and other works amongst the convicts , smoothed the path , and the result was that 55 , 812 copies were apportioned amongst the prisons , hospitals , schools and other establishments . To the unprecedented facilities thns afforded to an Englishman of becoming acquainted with all sides of Siberian existence , wo are indebted for
two very handsome volumes , in which the transit of tho convicts , their crimes and punishments , their miseries on the road and in prison , are all faithfully depicted . Yet we venture to say that many readers will be agreeably surprised at the differences between the report of an eye-witness and the Siberianesque imaginations of stay-at-home travellers . It is fact against fiction .
Midway across Siberia , Bro . Lansdell diverted his course over the Chinese frontier at Mainiatchim . At this town , which means "buy andj sell , " everything , is very quaint . There aro no women in tho town . Desperate husbands would find a temporary Paradise in Mainiatchim . Even the much-abused Mr . Caudle would hold up his head again " as a man , " and feel at home once more if he would banish himself to that earthl y oasis of happiness , And as for bachelors ,
perfect isolation is guaranteed . " Not that the men , however , are all bachelors " —we quote from Vol . I , p 338— "for some havo wives and families in China Proper . Nor are they all women-haters or hen . pecked husbands . " Nor aro they all like the " British subject who fled from his own island homo and retired to a housetop in Siberia , where he is living in prosperity , and where his spouse has not pursued
him , " but the inhabitants of Mainiatchim are subject to a treaty which oxclndes females . The town consists of four or five mud-paved streets , tho houses being of ono story , and built of unburnt bricks , and is < jiven over to tea merchants and their employes . The chief clerk of one establishment visited , " cultivated a straggling mous . tache , which is tho privilege of all Chinese men after they arrive at
thirty years of ago . Ho had also very long nails protruding , perhaps , half an inch , which evidently were considered beautiful . " " To eat a dinner at Mainiatchim had been one of the curious treats I had promised myself , a feast which most Europeans would rather undergo the incipient stages of starvation than come within the smell of it . By tasting firstand then asking what ifc was , all prejudice was
, taken away till ifc was too late to have any . We discovered that among the dishes we had eaten were beans , garlic , a kind of sea-weed cooked like sea-kale , and a green kind also ; likewise radishes out in slices , swallows' eggs boiled , and rissoles of meat ; various sorts of marine vegetables , and I think birds' nests . Further east I met a man who told me that when he dined afc Mainiatchim they gave him
sixty-four dishes ! " On the present occasion there were only thirty . We are enabled to deduce from this quaint chapter of Benedict innocence that if men are bereft ( voluntary or otherwise ) of one blessing , there is a wonderful compensating reward for them in adapting themselves to fche more primitive state of bliss . For full particulars about Mainiatchim and all other matters affecting Siberia , an elaborate index will direct the reader to the exact page of the volumes .
Synopsis of the Chess Openings . A Tabulated Analysis . By William Cook , a Member of the Birmingham Chess Club . Third Edition , with Additions and Emendations . London : W . W . Morgan , 23 Great Queen-street , W . C . 1882 . THERE are , doubtless , many of our readers to whom the game of Chess is familiar , and many perhaps by whom ifc is ardently pursued as an
intellectual study rather than as a pastime . To both these classesthose who study it , and those who merely play it—we can strongly recommend Bro . Cook ' s " Synopsis of the Chess Openings . " Tho fact of its having reached a third edition within the short snace of seven years speaks well for the estimation in which it is held by the Chess World . But this is by no means the only ground on whioh
we draw attention to this new issue . It has , in the first place , been very considerably enlarged , and contains 140 pages of matter as against the 82 pages of the second edition , published in 1876 . Bat mere increase in quantity does not necessarily imply improvement in quality . This , however , is , in the present instance , the case . Not only has the old matter been mosfc carefully emended , bufc much
valuable new matter has been inserted , and what is still more noteworthy , " variations that have occurred in actual play , " especially in the Irregular Openings , are presented by Bro . Cook , chiefly with a view of meeting the objections of those " who assume thafc but few of the positions given in theory occur in practice . " As to the sources to which the author is indebted for the basis of his tables , they are
far too numerous to mention ; but , as they include many of the mOsfc important Chess woi * ks and periodicals extant , ifc is unnecessary we should name them : they will be found enumerated in the Preface , in which also Bro . Cook loyally acknowledges much valuable assistance from well-known Chess players . In conclusion , tho recommendations that can be urged in favour of the book are many , the objections to its matter , its methodical arrangement , and the footnotes are none .
Irish Freemasons' Calendar for the year 1882 . Published nnder the sanction of fche Right Worshipfnl the Grand Lodge of Ireland . Dublin : Printed by S . Underwood , for the Grand Lodge of Ireland , and to be had at Freemasons' Hall , Molesworth-street .
THE manner in which this necessary guide to the different Masonic bodies in Ireland , their distribution in Lodges and Chapters , Preceptories , & c , with their dates and places of meeting , has been compiled , reflects great credit on the executive of Grand Lodge . Bearing in mind that the amount of information contained in a Calendar is
necessarily limited , we do nofc see how space could have been found for more , and even had this been possible that more than is furnished was required . Moreover , the arrangement is excellent , and , as far as it is possible for non-Irish Masons to judge , accurate . We may add thafc the needful Masonic information is supplemented by much else of a general character , so thafc the Calendar may be used for ordinary as well as for Masonic purposes .
Heport of the Committee on . Masonic Correspondence , Grand Lodge of Illinois . Dated Chicago , 28 th September 1881 . IDLINOTS is ono of the great strongholds in the United States of America . It has , if we remember rightly , a subscribing membership of some 40 , 000 brethren , nnd it labours zealously in support of the Craffc principles , as is evidenced by the intelligence we gather from time to time of the doings of its Grand and subordinate Lodges . This
Correspondence , which extends over little short of five hundred closely printed pages , is of a most elaborate and exhaustive character . Ifc deals with almost every subject which a brother could dream of in his philosophy , and many which , in the estimation of English brethren , are hardly worthy of being noticed in official correspondence . However , in the midst of this vast accumulation of matter will be found much thafc is valuable , as illustrating the strength and doings of