Our Literary Brother.

eccentric brother might do could amaze us . We frankly admit that he occupies no mean position in the ranks of Masonry , and that , barring his everlasting note-book , and his affectation of being a journalist , he is highly respected by the Fraternity . He is at home

everywhere . You seo him , without any feeling of surprise , chatting affably with Provincial G . M . ' s , or shaking hands with the Lord Mayor , or pushing his way through the crush at a Civic ball . You go to the Opera , and you find him seated in one of the best places , looking

as mystic and as profound behind his eye glasses as if he wero the Editor of the Times . You visit the Albert Hall , for the pleasure of seeing a Royal Duke tickle a fiddle into convulsions , and our literary brother " spots" you , and rushes down from his place to shake hands and talk about

Mansion House dinners . We know not "what Protean garb he may assume when next we run against him in society , but we are certain that wo have seen him assume the parts of art and dramatic critic , special reporter , descriptive writer , and paragraphist . He always tries to look the part

he plays to perfection , but that horrible note-book , which is ever in his grasp , at once tells an expert that he is acting . An experienced press writer , who visits a public place for the purpose of writing a critique or a descriptive article , never needs the doubtful assistance of pencil and

paper . His training has strengthened his memory , and his programme of the proceedings , or his play bill , help him to recal every point upon which he desires to dwell . There are occasions , of course , when it is necessary for a press contributor to note down every word that he hears ; but

we are not now speaking of mere reporting , but of those higher branches of journalism with which our friend sometimes playfully affects an acquaintance . To do him justice , he shines as a reporter of Lodge Meetings , and here his note-book is , of course , indispensable . He can ,

indeed , scent a Mason from afar , and even in such un-Masonic events as the swearing-in of the Sheriffs of London , or the election of Lord Mayor , he can find scope for the display of his fine bold Roman hand . In the City , and amongst Civic magnates , he is at home . The Mansion

House flings wide its doors to admit our literary brother , and on the 9 th November , when the streets are cleared for the Lord Mayor ' s Show , he can always produce a talisman which opens a way through the ranks of the police . We have seen him at the Lord Mayor ' s banquet , looking

profoundly wisebehmd his spectacles , with theprogrammeof the songs in his hand , apparently swallowing each note poured forth by the vocalists as if he intended to immortalise them in the next morning ' s impression of the Times . He has told us that he has passed the carefully guarded portals of

the Guildhall without a ticket , and we have believed him . Indeed , if perseverance could enable a man to achieve anything , our worthy brother should be able to perform seeming impossibilities . He never takes " no " for an answer when he desires to pass anywhere . He is the very personification

of good temper , and turns aside a harsh speech with a soft answer , like the good man of the Scriptures . Our Masonic friends may occasionally laugh at him , but they are sometimes glad of such fame as he can confer , and do not usually object to see their names in print , with an

ornamental appendage in tho shape of a string of well earned titles . He is , in truth , the Recording Angel of the Order , and such work as he does has a value of its own , which we gladly recognise . There are minds which can only take in the broad features of passing events , andothers which look

at everything through a solar microscope . Our literary brother is a man of this latter class , and we have reason to know that he sees much more with every sweep of those mysterious glasses of his , than we could possibly see if we were paid a princely sum .. to . write proper names and

Masonic titles by . the column . Such a line of composition is , perhaps , not our special gift , but we are conscious of our shortcomings , and shall never dare to tread upon the preserves of men who are our masters in the literary art . We shall never forget our brother ' s

appearance , during the summer months of last year , at a grand Masonic gathering , when the princes of the Order , with their ladies , were present . We were there merel y to describe ; he was in attendance to record . On the platform , in a post of honour , near the Lord Mayor , our hero , with

spectacles on nose , and note-book in hand , was gravely writing down the name of each speaker , while we , content to take our place in the crowd , watched him with silent admiration . Such consummate coolness was indicative of positive genius , of a sort , and we mentally confessed that

Our Literary Brother.

our devoted brother was intended by nature to be a journalist . We expected that no personal fame would accrue to us from the article which we were commissioned to write ; we felt assured that our brilliant Recording Angel would be regarded as the hero of the hour , nor were we at all

disappointed . That note-book and those spectacles might have imposed upon any one but an expert . That look of profound wisdom was sufficient to convince the most sceptical that a journalist was present , possessed of talent sufficient for the composition of at least an Edinburgh

lieview article upon the Talmud , or any other of the abstruse questions , which only addle the brains of meaner critics . We need only add that wo returned to our desk a sadder and wiser man . The lesson we learned that day has taught us that effrontery is the surest passport to notoriety , if not to an enduring fame ,

Masonic Numismatics

MASONIC NUMISMATICS

FROM THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF NUMISMATICS . WE copy , below , an article , originally published in " Norton ' s Literary Letter , " No . 4 , New York , 1859 , to which we have added a few notes . The subject is an interesting one , and doserve » more attention than it seems to have received . Within a few yeara several of tho Masonic Lodges in and about Boston have adopted what

is known as a " Lodge jewel , " whioh is in nearly every instance a medal struck from a dio belonging to the Lodge , and worn , suspended from the lapel of tho coat , as abadge of membership . The " St . John ' a Lodge , " established nearly a century and a half ago , have a medal in the form of a shield , boaring the Masonic arms and othor significant emblems . '' St . Audrew's , " founded in 1756 , the next in age in Boston

wear a jowel of gold and enamel , npon which is a St . Andrew ' s cross , and suspended below the medal is a dragon rampant , alluding to the famous old "Green Dragon Tavern , " their ancient place of meeting . "Columbian , " another very old Lodge , have a jowel of blue enamel and gold , containing a handsome head of Columbia , in high relief , surrounded by a garter , on which aro the name of the Lodgo , the date of

institution , a square and compass , & c , and above are emblems of corn , wine , and oil . " Winslpw Lewis Lodge , " named in hononr of the late distinguished President of the Boston Numismatic Society , wear a somewhat larger medal , on which is struck a device representing Jacob ' s dream , of the ladder to heaven ; below , a scroll inscribed Faith , Hope , Charity ; the whole withiu a ribbon , bearing the name of the

Lodge , and tho square and compass . Some othor Lodges in this vicinity wear similar jewels or medals . In most if not all cases , these Lodge jewels have an obverse struck in a die , while the reverse is plain , or has the owner ' s name and date of admission to membership engraved npon it . In the year 1 SG 8 , on the 24 th of June , the comer stone of the

Masonic Temple in Philadelphia was laid with appropriate ceremonies , and among the articles deposited in it were a copper . Masonic Medal strnck in 1790 , commemorative of the election of the Prince of VVales as Grand Master ( described in the note appended ) , a silver Medal of Past Grand Master PoterWilliamson , the thirty-fourth Grand Master , and at that time Treasurer of the Pennsylvania Grand Lodge , "a gold

Masonic Medal ' Keystone , '" aud a " gold Masonic Medal ( oircle ) . " We have no information of what these last Medals were . One of the most recent Masonic Medals struck in America , is probably that for the dedication of the new Temple in Now York , 2 nd June 1875 .. This is in the form of a shield , and bears on the obverse a view of the Temple ( corner of Sixth Avenue and West

Twenty-third Street ) . Above are the . words , " Masonic Temple of New York , " over them the All-Seeing Eye .. Below the Temple , "Dedicated June 2 nd , 1875 . " The reverse has the arms of the Grand Lodgo of New York , with the motto , " Holiness to the Lord , " and other Masonic emblems—the square , compass , plumb , & c * We have before ns a curious Masonic Medal , belonging to Mr .

Thomas P . Kitcme , of Brpokline . It is of silver , apparently struck in a die , aud then what would have been tho field carefully cut out , leaving the various objects represented , so that they aro equally to be distinguished on cither side . It may be described as follows : Obverse . —A circle bearing the words AMOK , HONOK .ET JUSTITIA . The rim is divided into quarters by the letters N . E . S . W , the E .

coming at the top , between the words Honor and et . •From , the bottom of the circle arise two pillars ; upon the top of these piilara rests a , level ; tho square and compasses on tho Bible , above ; the top of the level , and the . joint of the compasses being together nearly in the centre of tho medal . On the right of these , the sun ,. a gavel and two crossed pons ; on the left , the crescent moon , a plumb and a scroll

perhaps representing a charter : from the top of the plumb diagonally to the foot of the right hand pillar is the twenty-four inch gauge . The same description of the objects inside would apply to the reverse , except that of course the objects are reversed relatively to each other . The reverse of tho circle lias at the bottom the words SIT LUX KT LUX FUIT , and at the top the All-Seeing Eye , botween AM and 5763 . It has a loop attachod by which it was worn suspended from a ribbon .