Provincial Grand Lodge Of Cumberland And Westmoreland.

was made , amounting to over £ 18 , five guineas of winch will be devoted to au extra vote in perpetuity for Skiddaw Lodge , for ono of tho Royal Masonic Schools , iu accordance with a rule of the Provincial Grand Lodge , aud the remainder to tho " Indian Famine Relief Fund . " After church service , tho procession was re-formed in inverted order to the New Market Hall , whoro an excellent banquet

was served by Bro . Stephen Thwaite , Old Hall Inn , assisted by many of tho wives , daughters , and sisters of the members of Skiddaw Lodge , who cheerfully gave their services . Tho hall was beautifully decorated and fitted up , but proved totally unsuited for tho purposes of a largb dinner , the excessively bad sounding properties of the place rendering speechifying and singing most difficult tasks .

Colonel Whitwell , M . P ., presided , and proposed in succession "The Queen , the Patroness of Masonry ; " " Tho Princess of Wales , and the rest of the Royal Family ; " Tho Army , Navy , and Auxiliary Forces , " responded to by Bros . Captain Sewell and Captain Dodgson , 1002 ; and " The Bishop and Clergy of the diocese , " which was acknowledged by the Rev . J . Thompson and Rev . 0 . H . Gem . After the

chairman had given " The Prince of Wales , M . W . Grand Master of England , " which Avas enthusiastically received , Bro . Morton gave , in very complimentary terms , " Tho Earl of Carnarvon Fro Grand Master , Lord Skelmersdale Deputy Grand Master , and the rest of the Grand Officers , " which Col . Whitwell , as a Past Grand Warden of England , replied to . The remainder of the toasts were as follow :

— Tho Earl of Bective , M . P ., Provincial Grand Master , proposed by the chairman ; " Colonel Whitwell , M . P ., Deputy Provincial Grand Master , and tho rest of tho Provincial Officers past and present , " proposed by Bro . Lemon , and replied to by tho Chairman ; " The Masonio Charities , " proposed by tho Chairman , and acknowledged by Bro . Holme , of Kirkby Lonsdale ; " Tho W . M . and Past Masters of

Skiddaw Lodge , " proposed by Bro . M'Kelvie , of Whitehaven , and acknowledged by Bro . Lamonby , in tha unexplained absence of Bro . W . Taylor , W . M . of the Lodge ; " Tho Masters of Lodges in the Province , " proposed by Bro . Talbot , of Kendal , and responded to by Bro . Paitson , W . M . 119 , Whitehaven ; "The Visiting Brethren from other Provinces , " proposed by Bro . R . Robinson , P . M . Skiddaw

Lodge , and acknowledged by Bro . Ockenden , Lodges 1512 and 1656 , Hampton , Middlesex ; " ¦ To all Poor and Distressed Masons , " by the Chairman . Bro . Frears , of Whitehaven , P . P . Grand Organist , presided at the pianoforte , and tho following glees and part songs were sung by several of the Cockermonth and Carlisle brethren : — " God bless the

Prince of Wales " ( Masonic version ) ; " Hail , mysterious , glorious science ; " " Oh , who would not a Mason be ? " " Three cheers , brothers all , for tho Craft we adore ; " "Brothers all , of every nation , " & c . The proceedings wero brought to a conclusion a little before six o ' clock . It is twelve years since the last Provincial

Festival was held at Cockermonth , when Skiddaw Lodge was the youngest in the two counties , and the spread of the Craft may bo judged from tho fact that there are now above 1 , 700 Lodges under the English Constitution , whereas at the timo mentioned there ware little more than 1 , 000 Lodges .

Masonic Procession At Thirsk

MASONIC PROCESSION AT THIRSK

THE occasion of the re-opening of tho noble old Parish Church at Thirsk , in the North Riding of Yorkshire , on Tuesday last , was celebrated by the members of the Falcon Lodgo of Freemasons in that town by a Masonic procession , for which a dispensation was granted by tho Deputy Prov . Grand Master . Invitations had been sent to the neighbouring Lodges , and at 10 o'clock a . m . there was a

muster from various quarters at tho Masonic Hall—a most substantial and convenient building , erected on one side of the Castlo Green , mainly through tho instrumentality and aid of the first Master of the Falcon Lodge , the late Bro . F . Bell , of Thirsk . Arriving at the spot , the visiting brethren experienced a hospitable reception at the hands of Bro . Anderson , the W . M . of the Falcon Lodge , who was ably and

actively aided and abetted in his endeavours by his officers and brethren . At 10 . 30 the Lodgo was opened in the first degree , aud the dispensation having been read , the brethren were marshalled in procession ; and , preceded by a Tyler with a drawn sword , marched to the Parish Church , the bells of which were ringing out a merry peal . Seats immediately below the chancel had been reserved for

them , and soon after their arrival the choir and clergy entered in procession singing the processional hymn . Just before the commencement of the service , the W . M . of the Falcon Lodge advanced to the chancel and presented to the Vicar , Bro . the Rev . C . E . Camidge P . M . P . Z . and P . P . G . Chaplain , who ia also the Chaplain of the Falcon Lodgo , a beautiful alms dish , the gift of the Lodge .

There was a very largo attendance of the nobility and ' gentry of the county , tho largo church being completely filled by them and by the church dignitaries . Tho service was choral , tho organist being Bro . John Camidge , of tho Constitutional Lodge , Beverley , the accomplished organist of Beverley Minster , the sermon being preached by the Archbishop of York . At the close of the service , the brethren

returned in procession to tho Lodge room , whence they again proceeded to the large parish school room , where they sat clown to a public luncheon , presided over by the Archbishop . During the course of the speaking after lunch , Major Worsley , of Hovinghaui , proposed the health of the Masonic body , saying that it was au impossibility to be a good Mason and a bad man . Tho principles of Masonry were expressed in two words—Brotherhood , Charity—and if these two

words wero fairly brought into operation in active life the world wonld be different from what it was . Bro . Anderson , the W . M . of the Falcon Lodge , made a suitable response ; and , at the close of tho proceedings , the brethren returned to their Hall , and closed the Lodge . Amongst tho Lodges represented on the occasion , besides the Falcon Lodge , were : —York , 236 , represented by Bros . P . S , Camidge

Masonic Procession At Thirsk

P . P . G . O ., J . Gainforth , and J . T . Seller ; DeGroy and Ripon , 837 , represented by tho W . M . Bro . Dr . Palry , and several of his officers ; Anchor , 1337 , represented by Bro . T . S . Walton P . M . ; Eboracum , 1611 , represented by Bros . T . B . Whytehead S . W ., aud A . T . B . Turner , 4 c , & o . We noticed amongst the company and clergy many members of tho Masonio body , Avho , however , did not join tho ;

rocession . Tho Masons of Thirsk may be congratulated on a very happy and successful day , tho weather having been most beautiful . The attendance of Masons Avonld havo been very much larger , but for the fact of the Prov . Grand Lodge holding its meeting at Richmond on tho following day . The restoration of tho Church has cost £ 4 , 500 .

Correspondence

CORRESPONDENCE

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

OUR SCHOOLS . To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —My former letter was intended to havo been read , not as an " assault" upon either of our Charitable Schools as thfy exist , but as a suggestion of a means of giving them a more extended usefulness Avithout a proportionate increase of cost , by following a system very much in favour with many of tho most

active members of the Craft with whom I have the hononr of being acquainted . I regret that your two correspondents should have misunderstood my intentions , and I think that they would not have done so had they followed much that has recently appeared both in your columns and in those of another Masonic journal . Snch . being the case , I am not called upon to answer at any length

the letter of "An Old Public Schoolman , " but would simply venture to ask him how he calculates that if the education of 200 boys at a Middle Class School would cost 1 , 000 guineas per annum at a charge of 5 guineas a head , the cost of 200 girls at the same rate per head would only come to £ 840 per annnm ? I would also point out that in his calculation of tho cost of education alone at the two Masonic

Schools , he has entirely omitted interest upon money invested iu the buildings and land occupied , and this comes to no mean snm in tho course of a year . Only one more point—tho class of boys who are educated in tho Masonic School is not such as usually either ride or shoot ; these two branches of an English boy's education do not therefore call for our special care in the Masonic Schools .

I wonld beg to observe , in reply to " P . M ., " that in his opening sentence he has drawn conclusions without first ascertaining facts ; that I am not at all anxious to disown my former letter ; that I ara not aware who tho "Hercules" he refers to is , and that if I were , I should retort that it was a pity " Hercules " had not clone the best he could for himself in some business or profession .

In conclusion , Sir , I may say that had I not felt obliged to take some notice of letters addressed to you , in consequence of a letter of mine yon had been kind enough to insert having been to u great extent misunderstood , I should certainly have declined to tako any notice of your two anonymous correspondents , neither of whom is

able to write wichont introducing some amount of personality into his letter , a course most reprehensible in any newspaper correspondence , especial y when the person whoso letter is the subject of criticism has openly given his name , while his critics carefully withhold theirs . I of course decline to continue this correspondence .

Yours fraternally , HUGH H . RIACH , 31 ° P . M . P . Prov . G . Secretary , Oxon .

BEOS . " Q . " AND JACOB NORTON'S QUERIES

To tlie Editor of'THE FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —1 . Bro . " Q . " asks for light ( if possible ) to be thrown on an entry iu Smith's List of Lodges , A . D . 1736 , viz ., " 115 Scots Masons Lodge , Devil , T > mple Bar . " In tho absence of any evidence to the contrary , I think wo aro safe in assuming that it was simply a Lodge wherein Scottish Freemasons congregated ,

hence its title . We havo virtually a similar arrangement at the present day , as a " Jewish Lodge , " " Polish Lodge , " " Greek Lodge , " & o . There were many Lodges at work in Scotland before the advent of the Grand Lodge in 173 ( 5 , aud so to find a " Scots Masons Lodge " i > i London A . D . 1731 should not be considered strange . The Lodge is named in the lists of Rawlinson , Pine ' s ( 1734 ) , but omitted in Smith ' s

of 1738 . 2 . Brother Jacob Norton wishes my opinion as to his supposed discovery about " Master Masons' Lodges , " and though busy just now , I have endeavoured to gratify my friend by carefully examining thi > matter , the result being that I consider his views nn the subject t . 'j br ?

based npon a misapprehension , and consequently erroneous . 3 . The third degree was worked by several Lodges , other than those named in Pine ' s List , 1734 , & c , even as early us 1724 , and not us he supposes by those only which arc called " Masters' Lodges . " No . 73 , Lincoln , in Bye-Laws of 1732 , provided far n Im-ther euig passed Master ( raised aa we should say ) for a certain fee . So did 71 ,