Masonic Literature.

ing , there is hardly a district presided over by a Grand Lodge , which does not support one or more Masonic magazines or newspapers , while many other papers ,, of general interest devotes a portion of their space to Masonic intelligence . Thia contrast between the support accorded

there and here to Masonic journalism is certainly not flattering to British Freemasonry . Our Lodges are scattered throughout the length and breadth of the land , and it is well nig h impossible but some interest must be awakened as to what is going on around us . We in

London must delight to hear of what is done in the provinces ; those in the provinces must feel an interest in the proceedings of London Lodges . Here then is one reason why our publications should receive encouragement . Then there are innumerable questions which may safely be

discussed in the columns of a newspaper or magazine . The philosophy of the Craft will be dissemeinated , nor is there the slightest ground for imagining that the " recondite secrets of the Order " will be " profained . " Nothing of the kind has happened in America , why should there be

the slightest fear that English Masons will be less mindful of their obligations , and make public what should not be revealed ? Speaking generally , and without regard to any interests of our own , we say the apathetic support accorded to English Masonic literature is not creditable to English Masons .

Masonic Portraits (No. 5). A Corner Stone.

MASONIC PORTRAITS ( No . 5 ) . A CORNER STONE .

WE have have had occasion , in the course of our busy career , to notice the effect of popularity upon a man of ordinary mental calibre . We have watched some unknown person struggling to lift his head above the crowd around him . We have heard his strongly expressed opinion

that those who are high in office in the world are puffed up with pride , too conceited to recognise an old friend , and too big to know anybody who could not in some indirect way add to their importance . We have heard , with a secret smile , the aspirant for popularity speak thus , for

we were fully assured that when the time came for him to mount the ladder of fame , he would kick away those who had given him a " leg up , " and act like any of the big snobs whose daily doings afford us a cheap and harmless amusement . It is only brains of the strongest fibre which

can stand the fascinations of so called fame , or value at its true worth the hollow applause of the multitude . Such biains are rare . The heads of most men are turned by trifles , and he who has once been " high and lifted up , " always feels that he is walking on stilts , even when cruel

fate has pulled him down again to the level of common humanity . How bitterly we might laugh at these foibles if we were inclined to be cynical ! What cruel but true things we might say of those " servants of the public , " who are servile enough to the people en masse , but arrogant ,

indeed , to individuals . It is , however , useless to laugh at failings which are as old as the human race itself . The savage who is tattooed more handsomely than his followers , or who can show a larger collection of the scalps of his enemies , is doubtless just as arrogant as the civilized man

who is privileged to wear a glittering bauble or a bit of ribbon , or who , for a brief period , struts across the stage of life in the character of a petty king . The day may , indeed , come when men will discard baubles , and all the outward

symbols of power , but while they remain as they are , power itself , or the semblance of it , will always have its fascinations , and few will be able to resist the intoxication of its subtle influence .

The gentleman whose lineaments we are about to trace upon our canvas has known what it is to be famous ; he has been a leader of his fellow men , and a Corner Stone of that great edifice which contains within it all that is best and brightest of civic life and civic tradition ; he has been

called by his fellow citizens to occupy that chair of state which , from the Conqueror downward , has been filled by a long list of illustrious merchants and traders ; he has entertained princes and kings , and has carried the stately

symbols of his office into a land where the love of state trappings is more deeply rooted than the love of democratic institutions . He has played his part well and wisely . The dignity of his great office has been nobly upheld , and he has displayed a stately courtesy to the meanest of those

Masonic Portraits (No. 5). A Corner Stone.

with whom he has been brought into contact . As a host , he has had few equals ; as a magistrate , he has administered justice with rigid impartiality and as a man of business , he was and is still unrivalled . A long and honourable professional career had indeed prepared him for useful public

work ; and when his fellow citizens bestowed upon him the first mark of their confidence , and started him upon a career which ended in the chair of state , his modest demeanour won all hearts and captivated . every eye . It was evident that there was sterling stuff in , this , man , who when honoured and rewarded with such distinctions as his

fellow men could bestow , was content to carry himself as quietly as of old . He speedily mastered the duties of the office he was called upon to fill , and played an important and conspicuous part in the dry practical business of the great Corporation of which he was member . For years he

was Chairman of the Police Committee , a body which has steadily kept the City police force at the head of all similar forces in the country . He was Sheriff at a time when no public event of any importance could have justified the sovereign in awarding special honours to the chiefs of the

Corporation , but when his time came to fill the Civic chair , every one hoped he would bo added to the long roll of Civic magnates who have founded great families upon the letters patent of a baronetcy . Perhaps he himself thought so . The sovereign had rewarded lesser men , for work less useful and

lasting than his , and it has been admitted on all hands that his Mayoralty was magnificent beyond precedent . Right royally did he maintain the state of a Civic king in the eyes of the critical Parisians ; nobly did be revive all the best traditions of Mansion House hospitality , and under his

sway a brilliant and unprecedented entertainment was given at the Guildhall to the chief representatives of home and foreign municipalities . Yet our Corner Stone of civic life retires to comparative obscurity without a handle to his name , and although it is impossible not to regret the fact ,

we are assured that our illustrious brother is not the man to indulge in vain regrets over the proverbial ficklenes of fortune . He has still a prominent career before him , and his talents will be again devoted to the service of his fellow

citizens . Honours and rewards do not always fall to the lot of the worthiest , and perhaps he is better pleased with the approbation of his fellow citizens , and with the stately but cordial language in which the City has expressed its thanks than he would have been with the mere tinsel of an

empty title . His year of office was a memorable one in the annals of Masonry , and he , as a Mason , was called upon to play an important part in the ceremony of the Installation of the Prince of Wales . As a Corner Stone of the Order he has

yet his reputation to win , but if he carries into the work the same capacity for business which has marked his public career , we do not doubt that he will win golden opinions from the brethren . The calls upon a public man are numerous and exacting , and our hero has had to confess that he

has not hitherto devoted as much time and attention to Masonry as its importance deserves . The apology was not needed , and his election as one of the officers of Grand Lodge was received with acclamation by the brethren . His visit to the Great City Lodge was in itself an event of some

importance , and marks a new point of departure m Masonic history . Henceforward distinguished public men will seek admission to our ranks , fully assured that the claims of Masonry are too important to be ignored by the busiest or the wisest . We expect much of our new Corner Stone , and

we are sanguine that our anticipations will be realised . We do not indeed believe that Masonry is dependent upon the exertions or the talents of any individual . Its own grandeur and the nobility of its aims , commends it to the

notice alike of the exalted and the lowly , but it has peculiar claims upon those who bring special talents within its mystic temple , and we shall expect our hero to prove a true Corner Stone , if not a buttress of the Order .

Masonic Studies.

MASONIC STUDIES .

WE are minded once again to revert to this subject , for it is quite impossible to over estimate its importance . As we said last week , far too many brethren are content with knowing just so much as will prove them to be

members , as , in fact , will suffice to secure their admission into a Lodge . Familiarity with the necessary forms and formula ? and signs is the sum of their Masonic knowledge . It