Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

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

THE JUBILEE JEWEL . To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DKAR SIR AND BROTHER , —We have already been officially informed thafc a commemorative jewel is to be issued , which all Masons who are subscribing members of some English Lodsjo on 20 th June 1887 will be entitled to wear . May I suggest thafc all

Masons who have forwarded their guineas and applied for tickets for the Festival at the Albert HaU on 13 fch June shonld bo entitled to add a special bar or clasp to this jewel . The concession would be a small one , and the memento would thereby be rendered additionally interesting . I remain , Dear Sir , yours fraternally , W . SILVER HAM , P . M . Prov . G . Assist . Secretary Derbyshire .

30 th May 1887 . THE " DEVIL " AMONG THE TYLERS .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON a CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —What a stir and botheration your correspondents have kicked up amongst tho noble army of Tylers , to be sure ! Why cannot the scribblers for tho Press leave thoso immaculate and dignified gentlemen alone ? I do nofc mean to say

that his Satanic Majesty has actually got amongst them , as he is said fco have done amongst the proverbial "tailors , " but really it would seem that the imp of the printing-office who rejoices in the nickname of " devil" is almost as mischievous and capable of kicking up a dnst . Why , bless you , a bomb-shell could nofc have

played more havoc amongst them than that awful word " idiosyncrasy . " Tou might as well cal' an infuriated woman a " parallelogram" at once . I overheard a conple of these worthy men the other clay discussing the question , evidently from what they had heard of the matter—not read . And never was offended dignity

better exemplified by a theatrical " Jeames , whose rights and privileges had been infringed upon , than by these poor men who had been shot at in your columns by anonymous writers . Each one thought himself the target that had been aimed afc , and both were deeply wounded . As they

sipped their whisky hot in the bar parlour of a tavern , not a hundred miles from Great Queen Street—where I presume they had been on official business , or probably to enter a protest in Grand Lodge against the calumnies showered upon them under the guise of "idiosyncrasies "—I could overhear snatches of conversation

somewhat after this fashion . Mind yon , lam not going to commit any such folly as to even indicate who fche speakers were , but this is something after the style of the dialogue . " Well , " ventured the first , "I haven't seen the letters myself , but from what So-and-so tells me , tbo writers are down on ns all round . "

" Let 'em ! " rejoined the other , " I don ' t much mind it , for I don ' t believe Masons read the papers much , only for their own Lod ^ e reports , when their names are mentioned . " Here he winked slyly , as much as to say , " I know . " "But , " continued the first , " what right have they to find fault

with us , when there are so many other people and things they could pitch into with far more reason and justice ?" "Well , after all what do they say ?" "Say ! They actually accuse us in print—in black and white

mark you ' . — of being guilty of idiosyncrasies . I don ' t exactly know the meaning of the word . Anyhow , if they can't say any good of us , why can't they leave us alone ? I heard our W . M . the other night , at fche banquet , recite the lines : —

' Be to our faults a little blind , And to our virtues often kind , ' And that's what I call trne Masonry , not picking holes in other people's coats and calling 'em hard names . If thafc man who writes in the name of 'AN OLD TYLER' means me—if I really thouo-hfc he

did—when he talks of 'dancing round with a box'and that sort of stuff—I'd go direct to my W . M ., who is a lawyer , and demand the name of the writer , so as to have him up for libel . That I would !" " Hear , hear , and quite right , too , " quoth the other . " And you'd get it , too ; no mistake about that . "

"One thing I can say , " continued the first , waxing warm "J never smoked a briar pipe in a banqneting-room , as So-and-So tells me some one of us is accused of doing ; and that ' s another libel . I never saw such a thing done in my life , did you ?" "Certainly not , " was the emphatic reply , " auy respectable

Tyler would scorn the action . If he tyles a Lodge where he can ' t get a decent cigar , without having to find his own 'baccy , more fool he to hold the situation . That's what I say . " " Right yon are , " observed the other , who was evidentl y tho eldf r of the two , and the more loquacious . "And what if he do hint to the

candidates that , as they must have aprons and calendars , nnd so on they can get ' em as cheap , or perhaps cheaper , through us , than they could at the shops . What of that , I should like to know ? I don ' t see auy trading on Freemasonry in that . If it is , why not shut up all the shops that sell such goods ?" "Well , " interposed the quiet one , "I suppose they must have

Correspondence.

something or other to fill up their blessed papers with , and what does ifc matter to us so long as we do our duty all right , and get paid for it ? I shall certainly borrow the paper and see for myself what theso penny-a-liners have to say . " A loud guffaw from the other , followed by the remark , " That ' s

just tho namo for ' em , " betokened his entire acquiescence , and tho glasses wero replenished . The conversation , however , took a more methodical turn , in the particular business in whioh they were respectively engaged ; but , before separating , wifch "just one more , " Mr . Tyler sen ., who seemed to have taken the matter more to heart

than had his confrere , expressed his determination fco ' fish out who the follow was that dared to charge the Tylers with having "idiosyncrasies , " and that if he did succeed he would hold him up to scorn and ridicule as a slanderer , and no Mason . At which they shook hands and parted , and one apparently

resolved to take upon himself a mission for relieving himself particularly , aud fche great body of Tylers generally , from a palpable and unjust accusation , tho whole string of which was summed up in tho word " idiosyncrasy , " the moaning of which he admittedly did not understand , and the other not caring a rap for all the papers or

all the writers in the universe , so long as he stuck to his post and got paid for it . Here the matter ended , and it is at the suggestion of a friend who was with me , and who hinted that the "devil " ( of a printing office )

had been playing the deuce with tho poor Tylers that I jotted down the above conversation , so far as memory serves , thinking the episode rather too good to waste its fragrance on the redolent amosphere of a public house parlour .

I remain , Dear Sir and Brother , Fraternally yours , Quiz .

THE ALBERT HALL FESTIVAL . To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR . BROTHER , —I regret to observe a wide-spread and increasing apprehension among the Provincial brethren in various pnrts of the country that the approaching ceremony at the Albert Hall will be of the baldest , briefest , and most perfunctory character ;

and this apprehension is naturally coupled with a sense of disappointment in tbe minds of those who have remitted their guineas and applied for tickets in the expectation that the ceremony would be one of a more imposing and impressive character than anything that has been witnessed since the installation of H . R . H .

our Grand Master . To us Provincials , to many of whom the cost of the ticket bears but a small proportion to the total expense of the trip and the inconvenience of one or two days' absence from business , snch a disappointment of our expectations would be additionally severe :

and it is mnch to be hoped that those who are engaged in elaborating the programme of that day's proceedings will take an early opportunity of dispelling these—as I hope and trust—unfounded apprehensions . •••».

It wonld also be a convenience to those of us who wish to return the same night if some intimation were given as to the probable hour when the proceedings will be concluded . I remain , Dear Sir , fraternally yours , PROVINCIAL .

JOHN BROWN , 20 , private in the Royal Irish Rifles , stationed afc tho New Barracks , Gosport , was charged on remand with stealing a Master Mason's apron aud jewel in case , Royal Arch jewel and case , American timepiece , and cardigan jacket , value £ 8 2 s 6 d , the property of Lance-Corporal Carmack , on Tuesday ; also with stealing a pair of boots and a towel , value 10 s 6 d , belonging to

THEFT OF MASONIC REGALIA .

P . C . Gorman , and a flannel vest and soldier's cap , value 6 s 6 d , the property of Lance-Corporal Day . The articles in the first case were left in the barrack-room , on a shelf , by the prosecutor , who on his return from the Review on Southsea Common missed them , and gave information to tbe Police . P . S . Wyatt the same afternoon

went to Portsmouth Police-station , and received prisoner in custody from P . S . Arnold , of the Portsmouth Police , by whom prisoner had been detained on suspicion , having been found in the act of dealing with the missing articles . In reply to the charge prisoner admitted

the theft . He now declined to say anything in extenuation , and an officer from his regiment said prisoner bore a very bad character . The Bench sent him to gaol for six months with hard labour ; the other charges were withdrawn .

Our suburban brethren may be glad to hear thafc a Lodge of Instruction will be held at " Heathfield , " Streatham , ou every Thursday , afc 8 30 , under the sanction of the Ebury Lodge , No . 1348 . The first meeting was

held on Thursday , when the Preceptor , Bro . J . Warren P . M ., rehearsed the ceremony of the first degree . Bro . Barnes was elected W . M . for next meeting , to rehearse the ceremony of the second degree .

HOLLOWAY ' O NIMENI AXD PILLS . —Though it is impossible , in this climate of cha' ging temperature , to prevent il ' -health altogether , yet its form and frequency mny be much mitigated by the early adoption of remedial measures . When hoarseness , cough , thick beafching , and the a tending slight fever indicate irritation of the tbioat or chest , Holloway ' s Ointment should be rubbed upon these parts without delay , and his Pills taken -n appropriate do > 3 , to p . omoto its cinative action . No catarrhs or sore throats can resist these remedies . P ^ nted directions envelope every package of Hollowiiy ' s medievmonts , wh ' ch rre suited *> all ages a id con " .- " o : 3 , rid to eveiy ordi' r-y dis so to which hnrap'iity is Jfablo .