Masonic History And Its Critics.

was ungainly , or a swan because it was graceful as to its neck , when as a matter of fact there was nothing about the sign as depicted which could justify the formation of any opinion whatever . These are the men who must have every date as accurately stated as it is in the consecutive

numbers of a daily or weekly paper , and who will have chapter and verse for every incident which is said to bo or to liavo been connected with the history of Freemasonry as clearly indicated as in a current item of news . There was a Lodge in Islington , says a matter-of-fact individual , who

has a good deal of faith in the legitimate antiquity of Freemasonry , and who has as much faith in the doctrine of historic probabilities as men of reading and ordinary powers of discernment are wont to have . There was , he affirms , a Masonic Lodge in Islington in the year 1730 .

Bro . Thompson , who was at the time the senior churchwarden of the parish , was the Worshipful Master . It met at tho sign of the " Duck " in High Street , and what is of greater moment , the Islington Recorder of December for that year speaks of a meeting of the Lodge having been bold on the 10 th of that month at the house indicated .

But , retorts our hypercritical critic , there never was such a house as the " Duck " in High-street , it was the " Goose . " Bro . Thompson was in Paris on 10 th January 1731 ; how could he then have been in Islington on 10 th December previous , in days when there were neither railways nor

telegraphs ? Moreover , the Islington Mercury of 1734 speaks of a Bro . Holloway having been installed Master of the first Lodge in Islington on 23 rd June of that year . Therefore , it is all humbug to say there was a Lodge as stated in Islington in 1730 , unless you can produce some

evidence from the archives of Grand Lodge itself to prove the case . To urge that these archives were very differently kept in those days as an apology for being unable to produce such evidence would be useless . The hypercritic must have it that , in 1730 , the house was called the

" Goose , " there was no such sign as the "Duck " in the neighbourhood ; Bro . Thompson could not have been in Islington in December 1730 , because he was in Paris in the following month , and mention of the first Lodge in Islington is distinctly made in 1734 . Moreover , he would say , in

addition , that in a somewhat similar case which had been submitted to him for investigation , it had taken him " only a quarter of an hour " to satisfy himself that certain records which were supposed to date from 1723 began in reality from 1750 only .

Perhaps some of our readers will consider this an extreme and somewhat childish illustration . This is far from being the case , however . There is a school of critics who insist that , in order to prove the existence of a Lodge in a particular locality , even the smallest and most trivial detail must

be verified , or in the absence of such verification , they reject the statement of there ever having been such a Lodge . For instance , it cannot be a matter of life or death to us whether Philadelphia is or is not the Mother-City of American Freemasonry . Yet we have never heard it

authoritatively contradicted that m 1730 the Duke of Norfolk , then Grand Master , granted a deputation to Bro . Daniel Coxe as Prov . Grand Master of New York , New

Jersey , and Pennsylvania . The minutes of our Grand Lodge record that early in the course of 1731 the said Bro . Coxe was present at a certain Communication , and they describe him as Prov . Grand Master of North America . A

Philadelp hia journal of 1732 speaks of Freemasons meeting in that city . There is , moreover , no inherent or antecedent improbability against the actuality of these circumstances ; while having regard to the meagreness of the records relating to the Speculative Freemasonry of that day ,

we cannot expect , we have no right to expect , that absolutely irrefragable evidence of the truth of any statement—such as a Court of law would insist upon havingshall be produced . It is not because we are under the necessity of rejecting the myths of Masonic history that we

must follow suit by rejecting as wild absurdities whatever events in its world-wide career are unsupported by chapter and verse , so to speak , in tho way of testimony . The school of hypercritics must excuse us for reminding them that the most difficult of all undertakings is to attempt to prove

a negative , and they who try , after the lapse of a century and a-half , to prove there were no Masons who met together in Philadelphia in or about the year 1730 will need more than

the wisdom of all the Seven Ages of Greece combined . There is a something in the shape of proof that there were such ; there is absolutely nothing in tbe way of disproof . If we deal with the history of Freemasonry , as we do with

Masonic History And Its Critics.

other histories , we shall havo nothing to be ashamed of on the score of either exaggeration or the reverse .

The Kidderminster Masonic Hall And Club Company.

THE KIDDERMINSTER MASONIC HALL AND CLUB COMPANY .

IT will be in the recollection of our readers that early in the course of last year a Masonic Hall at Kidderminster was consecrated by the Eight W . Bro . Sir E . Lechmere , Bart , M . P ., Prov . G . M . of Worcestershire . We are always pleased to note events of this kind , for established quarters which are one ' s own property are always

preferable to hired quarters . Our Kidderminster brethren acted , therefore , with a degree of circumspection when they resolved on erecting their own Hall and Club , and having , as good business men are wont to do , seen their way clear to do this , they are now , at the end of their first year ' s

experience , under the necessity of placing before their constituents a full record of what has been done since the consecration . This record , which is now before us , we rejoice to say , is eminently satisfactory . We do not , of course , mean by this to affirm that the Kidderminster

Masonic Hall has no liabilities . But its position seems to be sufficiently sound and satisfactory , to judge from the tenour of the Auditors' Report , which will be submitted at the first annual General Meeting of the Company , to be held at the Hall , 128 Mill-street , on Monday , the 7 th instant .

Under the Freehold Account there remain , after payment for | and and buildings of £ 2077 8 s 5 d , liabilities amounting only to £ 21 . The same must be said of the Furniture Account , in respect of whicb sums amounting to £ 683 6 s 3 d have been paid , while those yet to be paid are £ 90 18 s .

These outlays , and the expenses of forming the Company , have been met , as described in the Establishment Account , by the fully paid-up capital of £ 1500 , a sum of £ 1200 raised by mortgage , and a loan from the Birmingham Banking Company of £ 249 4 s 9 d , of which there remains

to be drawn a sum of £ 11118 s . From the Liabilities Account it appears that the still-outstanding liabilities represent a total of £ 127 13 s 9 d , and there is , as regards the Cash Account , a small sum in hand . In short , on the whole account , there appears to be a Balance of Profit not very

far short of £ 250 , which , under all the circumstances , must be regarded as a most satisfactory result , especially at the end of the first year . It is true the figures are not large , but the profit bears to the sum of the Capital ,

Mortgage , and Loan a very handsome ratio . We must congratulate the Directorate on the success of their management , and express a hope that the year they are now entering upon will be still more prosperous .

Special Meeting Of Provincial Grand Lodge Of Devonshire.

SPECIAL MEETING OF PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF DEVONSHIRE .

THE annual meeting of the Committee of Petitions was held on Thnrsday , the 27 th nlfc ., in the Market Hall , Torrington . There wero present the following Right Worshipful and Worshipful brethren : —Bros . W . J . Eogers ( chairman ) , J . B . Gover , Charles Godtschalk ( Representative of the Committee in London ) , John Stocker , Samnel Jones , J . Edward Curteis , James E . Moon , John Brewer , William Browning , Richard Cawsey , W . C . Oliver , George

C . Searle , Rev . Thomas Russell , E . A . Davies , J . H . Trounce , J . Russell Lord , E . Thomas Fulford , William Bvadie . The Secretary stated that his remarks would be embodied in the report of the London Representative of the Committee , and Bro . Godtschalk submitted as follows : — Brethren , —At the last meeting of this Committee , on tbe 19 th of

August last , held at Barnstaple , it was decided the boy Sydney E . Loveridge shonld be the adopted candidate to receive . tbe support and votes of the Province for election into tho School of the Royal Masonic Institntion for Boys . The election took place lltb October last . There were 74 candidates , competing for 16 vacancies . The highest of the 16 candidates polled 1994 votes ; the lowest of the 16

winning candidates polled 1498 votes . For use at this election I received from Bro . J . B . Gover—Boys , Devon Province , votes 304 ; and from Cornwall , through Bro . Gover , 68 ; total from Devon , 372 . Not a large number , brethren , for an election at which the lowest elected boy polled 1493 . However , working upon the principle I have adopted since the management of the Province votes has been

entrusted to me—viz ., that the candidate should be , if possible , elected the first time of asking , I obtained from Province of Berks 93 votes , from Province of Cheshire 300 , from Province of Shropshire 100 , from North Wales 100 , from Dorsetshire 276 , and by exchange for girls' votes and my own 77 , total 1532 boys' votes . Of these votes I polled for our adopted candidate Loveridge 1328 .