Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Correspondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications . VI Letters must bear the name and address of the Writer , not n » : essarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith .

THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITU TION FESTIVAL .

To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAK SIRANDBROTJIEII ,--I think HAUTE GRADE ' S pointed reference to tho threo " prominent members of ono Masonic organization , which has recently come very much to the front , " who are " ndornod with the pnrplo , " is most unfortunate—I may oven say unjust ; and I doubt ; not HAUTE GRAKE when he reads this communication , which is from

a simple Craftumau , will be tho fu-sl to ackuowlodgo and regret tho injustice of which—I am sure unintentionally—ho has beou guilty . I write subject to correction , bni T fancy there can be no qnestiou but that the three purple brethren he alludes to are one of the Senior and the two Junior Grand Deacons . Now , the Sonior Grand Deacon was a Steward at the Boys' School Festival in 1876 , when his list

amounted to £ 239 8 s . He was a Steward afc the Girls' School Festival in 1877 when tbe subscriptions he collected realised £ 282 9 s , and lasfc year he officiated in a similar capacity afc the Benevolent Festival , and collected subscriptions amounting to £ 202 . Thns he has distributed his attentions very impartially among the three Institutions , and the result of his labours at the threo Festivals

has been the collection of a fraction short of £ 721 . Not bad even for a purple brother ! Ono of the Junior Grand Deacons was a Steward afc the last Boys' Festival , and his list amounted to £ 158 lis , and the othwr Junior Grand Deacon has served as Steward at fivo out of the last ten Festivals , os tho following record will show . At the Benevolent in 1876 , with a list of £ 222 ; at the Girls' School

in 1877 , with a list of £ 180 12 s ; and last year at all three Festivals , when ho took up £ 150 for the Benevolent , £ 110 lis for the Girls' School , and £ I 0 L 12 s for the Boys' School , or a total for the year of £ 6 ( 58 3 s . His labours iu theso fivo Stewardships hare resulted in the addition of £ 1 , 070 15 s to the funds of onr Institutions . Theso three brethren have raised among thom jnsfc over

£ 1 , 953 . I may add that the latter Jnnior Grand Deacon , who resides in a somowhat distinct province , has served no loss thau twelve Stewardships . Under theso circumstances 1 consider tho three purple brethren alluded to may fairly be excused their non-attendance at the Festival of the 12 th inst . Even Grand Officers , who are " prominent memb'jrs of one Masouic organisation , which has

recently come very much to tho front , " when they have so recently , and either just before appointment to , or during their tenure of , office , fulfilled this particular duty , may claim to bo dealt with in u spirit of charity . 1 have shown they havo not , ignored tbo claims of Masonic charity , and , that being so , ifc would bo absurd to suppose their absence was intended as a slight to " a brother Mason who docs

not , happen to beloug to their community . " That" the East Lancashire men havo a right to fool proud of the result , " will be heartily conceded by everybody ; and if there is " any apparent neglect , " of which they may justly tako notice , it is not that " present and past Grand Officers , who reside in aud about London , were not present in sufficient numbers to welcome Lt .-Col . Starkie ,

and the sixty Stewards who accompanied him , " for most of tho purple brethren present were London men . Rather do I think if East Lancashire has any cause for complaint , ifc must bo because , with the exception of Sir Henry Edwards , tho other Grand Masters of Provinces were " conspicuous by their absence . " The majority of them innstbe now in London , attending to their Parliamentary duties , aud

we know the Lords do not sit , on Wednesdays , while the Commons rise afc 6 p . m . But , perhaps after all , ifc will bo far bettor if the East Lancashire men , with tvno Masonio instinct , take it for granted thafc no pnrple brother ' s absence was intended as a slight to their chief . They have the satisfaction of knowing thov have done whafc an

American would probably describe as the " biggest" thing evei known even nmong Masonic deeds of Charity . Fraternally yours , A BLLJT MASO . V OXLV . London , 24 th February 1879 .

FREEMASONRY AND ITS CHARITIES .

HOW THEY ARE CONDUCTED , AND HOW VHEY SHOULD UK . To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —With this presumptuous heading , I take the liberty of addressing the brethren generally . I suggest not au unchangeable law as of the Medes and Persians , but a groundwork upon which abler heads than mine can erect a superstrnctnre

detrimental to none and beneficial to all . What does Freemasonry profess to be ? A well cemented universal Bridge of Benevolence , with Charity for its keystone , over which brethren , rich and poor , ono with another , have equal claims to travel . How is this principle carried out ? By those who havo influence riding rnthlesly and with unnecessary severity ever the heads of tho friendless .

Such a state of partiality is not the lesson taught yon and me , Sir , years ago at onr initiation , and ever since , unless there was no spirit , no meaning in those lessons , unless tho keystone of Freemasonry is rotting away from within , the whole fabric soon lo crumble away . Masonic Charity should be distributed , like impartial justice , blindfold ; not one law for the poor and friendless ,

Correspondence.

and one for the rich in influence , and comparatively so in worldly means . Dear Sir and Brother , my suggestion and assertion is , that by judicious management of the votes ( even before the present law was passed , which prohibits two brothers or two sisters in the respective schools afc the same time , unless thero are vacancies ) not one of the candidates need over have gone away in despair ;

not one need havo been tnrned out to tho cold Charity of tho world , an additional burden and distress on tho already over-taxod parent or guardian , who appeals iu vain to our ranch vauntod Charities . How , you ask , can such a desirable end bo obtained ? Thus . In any one year thero aro from twenty to thirty vacanoies , but thero aro nover twenty—let alono thirty—lasfc applications on

tho list of candidates . Let us take thom , after thoy have been recommeuded by their Lodges , and afterwards passed the committee of investigation ; lot us take thom for granted as all equally deserving of support . Let a committee be appointed ( to be paid , I think , is preferable ) by tho Masonic Toico of tho Metropolis and the Provinces : let all the cases be brought before it , let all the lasfc

applications be receivod , and as many of those last bub one as theio aro vacancies for ; then , continuing this systom , all applicants will , in rotation , bo successively elected , without oue being cast out . Of course , extraordinary cases of first application presenting themselves tho steady onward movement would be temporarily checked . The advantages to bo derived are numerous;—the lessening of expense of

those seeking votes for their special cases ; tho doing away with the trying anxiety and heart-breaking despair to be seen depicted on the facos of anxious mothers on the days of olection , and substituting the contented look of certainty , sooner or later ; the allaying of the jealousies already existing between somo of the Provinces and the Metropolis , and to prevent the needless crashing the chance of one candidate for the mere sake of bravado in rnshing another through on

the first application . Finally , let all Lodges bo particularly carefnl to send up no candidates but thoso for whom tho Charities are really intended ; let all be put forward and passed in by seniority , then by the aid of the new law a happier state of things will exist , and one more equitable and creditable to Freemasonry at large . Trusting that the single heartedness I havo tried to bring to bear on this vitally important subject will excuse any apparent presumption is the earnest desire of , Yonrs faithfully and fraternally , CHARLES PERCEVAL , T . P .

THE PRESTONIAN LECTURES

To theEaitor oj the FUEEMASOX ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Some weeks ago I drew , throngh your valuable journal , the attention of the Craft to an item in " The Freemason ' s Calendar and Pocket Book , " under the head of " Remarkabla Occurrences in Masonry , " wherein it is set down as follows : — " Brother William Preston , of tho Lodge of Antiquity , author of

the ' Illustrations of Masonry , bequeathed , amongst other Masonio gifts , £ 500 Consols to the Fund of Benevolenco , and £ 300 Consols for the Prestoniau Lecture . " On that occasion I vontured to ask for information on the latter point , in reference to the Prestonian Lecture ; trusting that I might receive some reply to my questions , but up to the present time , as far as I can learn , thero has been no reply , and

therefore ifc is thafc I ask your permission to repeat them . I was present some years ago when Bro . Henry George Warren delivered the Prestonian Lectnro of the second degree , and then I certainly experienced a great Masonio treat , a feeling thafc I believe was fully shared iu by all present , althongh this lectnre very materially differs from the ritual as at present adopted by the disciples ot'Gilke 3

or Peter Thomson . Now this rendering of the Prestonian lecture , aa I have said , took place many years ago , and I havo never heard of that or auy other Prestonian Lecture having since been delivered , therefore I took the liberty of enquiring in whoso hands the matter rests , and who are responsible for the will of tho eminent and talented donor being

complied with . If ifc rests with the Lodge of Antiquity , of which Bro . Preston was a member , surely there is some member , of a Lodge which prides itself on its existence " from time immemorial , " who would feel a natural interest in being the exponent of the works of a Mason , who , like onr immortal bard , wrote not for a day , nor for an age , but for all time , and for all places wherever a Mason can

be found . Tears havo rolled on since I lasfc had tho pleasure of listening to the sublime precepts of Bro . Preston , and therefore I again ask the reason why the Prestoniau Lectures aro not delivered ? and an equally pertinent question , if no expense is incurred on account of their delivory , to what use is the interest of the " £ 300 Consols " applied . Trusting thafc my enquiries may elicit a reply ,

I am , Dear Sir and Brother , Yonrs fraternall y , P . M

DISPOSAL OF LODGE FUNDS

To the Editor of the FKEEMASON ' CHRONICLE . DEAK SIR AND BROTHER , —I have to thank " OLD FILE , " for his greeting , and hope I shall have his assistance in the future as I have had in the past . I must , however , take exception to his remark about Secretarial duties being " not very onerous , " my experience is ,

that with even a small Lodge , the post is no sinecure ; and as to his managing a hundred , it would simply resolve itself into a labour , and no very light one either . The fact of the members of the Lodge , the balance sheet of which you inserted last , allowing their Secretary over twenty guineas for his trouble , is , I think going too far . Snrel y the customary " remittance of fees" is sufficient .