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 .

LODGE OF FEIENDSHIP , No . 44 .

. To the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . SIB , —The letter of Bro . Chadwick would lead any of your readers to believe that the Lodge of Friendship was warranted on the 23 rd of February 1803 , whereas the warrant hanging in the Lodgo Room , signed by the Duko of Sussex and Lord Durham , recites that the Lodge was warranted on tho 18 th day of June 1755 .

If Bro . Chadwick is correct in his surmises , the Duke of Sussex and Lord Durham must have been seriously misled , which I think scarcely probable . Bro . Chadwick ' s objection comes too late in the day to carry much weight in face of such documentary evidence . Referring to the second paragraph in Bro . Chadwick ' s letter , the W . M . used his discretion in declaring the state of the poll . Yours fraternally , NATHAN HEYWOOD .

STATE AID FOE OUE SCHOOLS .

To the FREEMASON S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIB AND BROTHER , —One continually hears it stated that free education is provided by the State , and I have also heard it urged that the Masonic Educational Institutions should have some recognition from the same source . Is such a thing possible ? or is State aid limited so as to exclude such grand and purely philanthropic Institutions as our Schools must be admitted to be from its benefits ?

I have enjoyed the privilege (?) of paying School Board rates , but have never had an opportunity of sending my children to a Board School—false pride , perhaps , has kept them away ; and I am also a supporter of the Boys and Girls Schools , but I believe I get no relief from the rates in that direction , which is certainly an anomaly . But I must not occupy yourspace discussing' the pros arid cons of educational legislature , except so far as it concerns " my original query .

In considering the estimates for education , & c , in the House of Commons , Mr . Ackland said that at the present time tho State was giving for elementary education alone more than 28 s per child in average attendance . Now , I presume this means an average payment of 28 s per child , and as some must bo below the average , others of course must be above it , so that there is little doubt but what many get 30 s each . Now , what is the reason our Boys and Girls cannot earn this sum , or even more , for the Scholastic Institutions of

Freemasonry ? I do not think there would be any risk of their failing m the examination , and it is fair to assume tbat the two Institutions would benefit to the extent of some £ 800 a year if such a course was possible . It seems to me absurd to say that the State provides free Education for every child in the country if there is no way of getting the grant for such deserving Schools as those of Freemasonry . Is it that they are too well conducted to como within the scope of tho Act , or what is tho difficulty to be surmounted ?

I shall be very pleased if someone more conversant with the Education laws than I am will enlighten mo on the point , which concerns not only tho two Schools of English Freemasonry , but every other Scholastic Charity of the country—is , indeed , of such moment as to call for amendment , which I feel could be secured by united action on thc part of thoso who would benefit by the change . Yours , & c ., GIVE AND TAKE .

Our Wicked (?) Designs.

OUR WICKED (?) DESIGNS .

TiHE controversy at Weston-super-Mare as to the designs of Freemasonry seems likely to end in the usual way when an opponent finds he has a bad case—our assailant ' s course now is to abuse the other side , and pretend to retire on his dignity , as his latest letter ( in the " Weston Mercury ") shows : SIR , —Having given authority for my assertions , to which men of goodwill

are sure to refer , I have no intent'oa to trespass on your space by useless controversy with those unwilling to sock the truth . When these have been studied and disproved , I shall be prepared to tender still further evidence by reference to responsible authors . Disinterested acts of pure benevolence cannot possibly demand profound secrecy . Yours faithfully , THOS . H . SHAW .

Masonic Charity?

MASONIC CHARITY ?

TT ^ HE following appears a Melbourne weekly paper which I has been sent to us carefully marked for insertion : The Masons are supposed to be a charitable body . A lady writes the following letter concerning the widow of a Freemason , who for four years has struggled to support her two children : —

Two monthn ago she appealed to the Masons of the Grand Lodge , Melbourne , for assistance . A printed form of queries was sent to and answered by her , she at the samo time forwarding her husband ' s clearance

from his Lodge . She was then requested to appear before the committee , which she obeyed , though she remarked to a friend , " I would sooner starve , if I had only myself to consider , but for the sake of the children I'll go . "

Masonic Charity?

She went , a delicate refined woman , before a dozen or more—must I call them men?—to be questioned and cross-questioned , irom which ordeal she came , looking as white as a sheet and nearly fainting , with au order to wait outside and thoy would see what they could do for her ; that was—what do you think?—she must write to New Zealand , to the Lodge to which her

husband belonged , for assistance . Such is the way Freemasons keep their promises . I have always understood that one of the salient points of Masonry is to assist and protect a Brother ' s widow and children . The letter was written to New Zealand on the following day , eight weeks ago , and remains unanswered yot . Do the Masons of Australasia understand the real principles of Masonry ? " — " Masonry . "

Here And There.

HERE AND THERE .

I AM writing this in sight of a calm and placid tea , a promenade full of holiday seekers , and rather a dull sky at Manchester-super-Mare . The town of the present day , with a populat-on of nearly 24 , 000 , its—shall I say —myriads of lodging-houses , numberless hotels , gardens , and other places of recreation , and last , though decidedly not least , its magnificent tower , is widely different to the Blackpool of a hundred j ears ago . In 1789 a writer

named Baldwin , of Paternoster Row , London , published a description of it , wherein he says that " Blackpool has ever been aiavourite watering-place of Manchester people . " It was then only rising into existence , was quite in its infancy , and too insignificant to be noticed by tho gay or invalids at a distance , It derived its chief support from Lancashire , and especially Manchester . In August the company were most numerous , then amounting

to about four hundred ; but in October no one was to be seen . At that time there were only about fifty scattered houses to tho extent of a mile along the beach , and none of the superior houses for tho reception of company seemed to have been moro than seven years old . A gentleman who had regularly visited Blackpool since 1770 , declared to Mr . Baldwin that when he first

knew the place the little white cottage at the lane ond , which became the news-house in 1788 , was the only one of public resort . There was no place of worship in Blackpool , nor was any service performed in any of the rooms , " nor was there to be seen , " says the author , " one Methodist preacher roaring against a wall . "

There were fine sands for walks or rides , a parade , and a pretty grass walk on the verge of the sea , about six yards wide and 200 long , with an alcove at one end and a vile pit at the other . The chief inns or boardinghouses in 1788 were those of Bailey , Forshaw , Hull , and Hudson , tho first being the most fashionable .

In the present day , however , visitors crowd not only from Manchester , but from such distant places as London , Paris , & c , and I have often heard the highest eulogiums passed upon it on account of its peculiarly enervating and bracing air . Anyone who wishes to " recreate , " and have the very best value for their money , may safely pay a visit to this watering place , sometimes termed the " Brighton of the North . "

There are three handsome piers , the North , the Central , and tho South , and from one or other of these steamers sail daily during the season to Southport , Douglas ( Isle of Man ) , Barrow-in-Furness , and other places .

The term " civil engineer" was applied about the middle of the last century to a person who devoted himself to occupations of the kind originally practised by military engineers , and who belonged to the civil , and not to the military community . John Smeaton , Fellow of the Royal Society , who in 1759 completed the construction of the new Eddystonc lighthouse ( the former one was destroyed by fire in 1756 ) , is said to have been probably the first civil practitioner , at least in England , who formally adopted the title " civil engineer . "

The lacuna between his time and that of the Stephens and Brunels , which latter inaugurated the era of railways , was worthily filled by such names as James Brindley , James Watt , Robert Mylne , John Rennie , and Thomas Telford . A very old Engineering Society , founded by Smeaton , adopted two mottoes , one in Greek and the other in Latin . The former says , " We conquer by art the difficulties offered by Nature . "

The Eddystone Lighthouse is placed on a rock about 12 miles south-west of Plymouth . In 1696 , a gentleman of Essex , by name Winstanley , was engaged to erect a lighthouse upon the Eddystone rock , and in four years completed it . But while undergoing some repairs under his direction in 1703 ( on the 29 th November ) , a violent hurricane came on , which blew tho lighthouse down , ancl Mr . Winstanley and all his workmen perished , nothing remaining of the erection but a few stones and a piece of iron chain .

In the spring of 1706 an Act of Parliament was obtained for rebuilding the lighthouse , and a gentleman named Rudyerd , a silk mercer , was thc engineer employed . He placed five courses of heavy stones upon the rock , and then erected a superstructure of wood . The lighthouse on the Bell Rock , off the coast of Fife , and the one placed at thc entrance of the Mersey , on the Black Rock , were similarly constructed , so that there seemed good reason for adopting the principle .

BIr . Smeaton thought that the work was done in a masterly manner , but in 1755 the edifice was destroyed by fire , and Mr . Smeaton himself was afterwards retained on the new structure , which , begun in 1756 , took four years to complete , and became the admiration of the whole world .

The name of Winstanley recalls to my mind a very talented actress and author , a descendant of the unfortunate gentleman who perished in the terrible storm which carried away the Eddystone structure . Miss Winstanley , the lady in question , was married at the age of eighteen to Captain George Sterling Offlahertie , of Galway , Ireland . At the age of fifteen she had appeared before a Sydney audience , and was considered to be very

attractive . Manchester , however , bad the honour of witnessing her first appearance on any stage in this country . She made her debut at the Theatre Royal , as Constance , in Shakespeare ' s tragedy of " King John . " After various provincial successes , she found a home at Drury Lane , and next at the Princess's , which was then under the management of Mr . Charles Kean .

Mrs . Winstanley ( she retained her maiden name on account of her profession ) was a prolific writer , and three of her books which were very popular a quarter of a century ago deserve a prominent place in the literature of the country , viz ., " Dora Riversdale , " " Twenty Straws , " and " The Mistress of Hawk ' s Crag . " STREBO .