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gpg * BgiMflAS-M ^^ . y ^ ftfl- \ vqTOW ?™ t ^^^^^^a SATUEDAY , 8 TH JUNE 1895 .

The Late P.G.M. Worcestershire.

THE LATE P . G . M . WORCESTERSHIRE ,

fpHE Provincial Grand Master of Cheshire Lord Egerton of J _ Tatton writes to the " Daily News " with regard to the memorial to the late Sir Edmund Lechmere . As he interested himsslf very much in the establishment of the Ophthalmic Hosp ital at Jerusalem , the memorial will take the form of a fund

for p lacing that hospital on a permanent basis . This proposal has the entire concurrence of the Grand Prior of the Order of the Hospital of St . John of Jerusalem in England , the Prince of Wales . Lord Egerton , as Chairman of the Committee appointed by his Koyal Highness , invites support to the scheme . People

come to the British Ophthalmic Hospital at Jerusalem from all parts of the Holy Land to seek the restoration of sight , or to obtain relief from suffering . Katherine , Lady Lechmere , will

contribute £ 1 , 000 as a donation to the fund . Other donations should be sent to the Honorary Secretary , Mr . E . Gofton-Salmond , 73 Cheapside , E . G ., or to the account of the hospital at the London and Westminster Bank .

Consecrations.

CONSECRATIONS .

JUSTICIA LODGE . THIS new Lodge , numbered 2563 on the English Begister , was consecrated at Freemasons' Hall in the presence of a large gathering of the Craft . The idea of the Pounders is that

the Lodge shall appeal especially to those who are engaged in repressing the crime of the country . The Master is a Justice of the Peace , and among the Officers of the Lodge are a Chief Constable of a county and a superintendent and chief inspector of Metropolitan Police .

WHO says that North London Freemasonry is not up to the Mark ? Last Thursday as ever was the only Mark Lodge that ever is—in the province of Middlesex—was consecrated at the old " Cock-a-doodle-do " at Highbury , and will be

HIGHBURY MARK LODGE

henceforth known as the Highbury Lodge , No . 485 . Friar Tuck was at the bottom of the founding thereof , and has got together a goodly brotherhood for the practice of this advanced degree of Masonry .

The ceremony of consecration was performed by the Eight Worshipful Col . A . B . Cook Provincial Grand Master of Middlesex , assisted by Dr . F . Lawrence P . G . A . D . C . Prov . G . J . W . Middlesex , and Colonel Wyndham Hart P . G . Sword Bearer Prov . G . J . W . Middlesex .

The new Lodge is to be presided over by Major A . McDowall P . G . A . D . C . England , with Past Grand Steward George Gregory as Senior Warden , and Bro . Ffrench Bromhead as Junior Warden .

The banquet that followed was a special effort on the part of Friar Tuck , and was , as the coster observes , very " rekerky . " The usual Masonic toasts were sandwiched with vocal music , under the direction of Bro . J . Bayne , who was supported by such men of note and notes as Bro . Egbert Eoberts , Bro .

-Lieieiyn David , and Bro . Cecil Barnard , the piano being occupied by Bro . H . S . Trego , Mus . Bac . It is a curious circumstance that Middlesex has not had a Mark Lodge until now , and Friar Tuck supplies a want , like the proprietor of Thingumy ' s pills . "" Islington Gazette . "

The new Masonic Temple at Cardiff ( says the " Craftsman , " 'M June ) will be opened in September , on a date as near the anniversary of the installation of Lord Llangattock Prov . G . M . I 0 f the East Divisinn nf Smith Wn . lps ns nnssihlp .. Thp . tpmnlp

WlU be furnished on the most sumptuous scale , no expense being spared in this direction . The occasion of the opening of the new e mple will be marked by a notable event , viz ., the consecration w the new Duke of York Lodge , of which Bro . C . E . Dovey is the popular and esteemed W . M . designate .

Consecrations.

The Preceptors and such of the members of the Nelson Lodge of Instruction , No . 700 , who were present at a recent gathering , desire it to be made known that the attendance at late meetings has been far from satisfactory , and express the

opinion it would be a great pity if the meetings had to be discontinued through the members not supporting the Lodge , as it has now been established over seven years , and has done an

amount of good work . The meetings are held every Tuesday evening , at the Star and Garter Hotel , Powis Sfcreet , Woolwich , under the Preceptorship of Bros . J . Warren P . M . 700 and G . B . Davies P . M . 13 , with Bro . H . Tufnell W . M . 700 as Secretary .

The purse of one hundred sovereigns presented in March lasfc to the Deputy Provincial Grand Master of North Connaught ( Eev . Dr . Clarke ) has been laid out in plate . The presentation consists of a massive silver bowl of Grecian design in bas relief ,

standing on an ebony pedestal with shield bearing inscription . One side of the bowl has the family crest and motto engraved , and on the other fche square and compasses . There is also a beautifully chaste and very solid Louis X"V . tea and coffee service richly embossed . Each article bears the same inscription , viz .:

— " Presented by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Freemasons of North Connaught to E . W . Eev . Francis E . Clarke 31 , LL . D ., M . D ., Provincial Deputy Grand Master , 12 th March 1895 . "

The Paris correspondent of the " Vossische Zeitung says that at the eighth centenary of the first Crusade , held in Clermont-Ferrand , fche celebrated Dominican preacher , Father Monfcfabre , broke into a fury of speech . He declared that France must once

more undertake a crusade , this time against the Godless , the usurers , and fche Freemasons . He made a vehement appeal fco undertake the work tp the two Cardinals and forty Bishops

present . The congregation received his utterances with loud applause , clapping their hands and crying oufc " God wills ifc 1 " Bufc the ecclesiastical princes were unmoved by Father Monfcfabre ' s eloquence . — " Daily News . "

History Of Freemasonry.

HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY .

FREEMASONRY is a principle •which has existed in all stages of civilisation . The state in which we know it , of a vast Brotherhood of amateur Masons , who aro not really builders , but who , as everybody is aware , have adopted the signs and symbols of the building craffc to express their own secret principle , is , as far as we know , about two and a half centuries old .

The first instance of a gentleman or amateur being accepted into one of the Lodges of the old building crafts is that of Elias Ashmole , the antiquary ( afterwards Windsor Herald to King Charles II . ) , who , along with Colonel Mainwaring , was entered at Warrington in 1646 . It is believed that there aro now more than 1 , 000 , 000 members . The conception of Freemasonry

implies , like the Christian Church , cosmopolitan or universal brotherhood , and was impossible to the ancient world , or until the brotherhood of man was taught by Jesus of Nazareth . But the principle of sacred moral and religious societies on the one hand , and tho principle of brotherhood of the building craft on the other , are as old as civilisation itself : and it is of these

two that speculative Freemasonry is the modern representative . The principle of moral and religious societies is represented in ancient times by the Pythagoreans and the Eleusinians among the Greeks , by the Essenes among the Jews , and by the Carmathites and Fedavi , who were the mystio Rationalists of the Mahometans .

But the true historical precursors of our modern brotherhood of Freemasons were the mediaeval building corporations , who may themselves have a remote connection with the East , while among the Romans there wero collegia , or skilled fraternities , for the same purpose . These Roman collegia had an exchequer , an archive , patrons , religious ceremonies , an oath , a

benefit and burial fund , and a register . Their officers were masters , warders , recorders , and censors , and they instructed their apprentices to a certain extent in secret . There can be no doubt that such fellowships existed for centuries in Gaul and Britain , and it is probable that they deposited in theso countries the tradition of their ideas and habits . The

taste and science of Gothic architecture were to a large extent tho possession of the Bauhutten , or wooden booths , where the stonecutters during the progress of their work kept their tools , worked , held their meetings , and probably also took their meals and slept . Hence our modern institution of

the Lodge . In the twelfth century there are distinct traces of a general association of these Lodges throughout Germany , acknowledging one set of craft laws , one set of secret signs and ceremonies , and , to a certain extent , one central authority in the Grand Lodge of Strasburg .

The Jewish and Arabian symbols , which were so popular in these Crafts , are supposed to have been introduced by Albertus Magnus early in tho thirteenth century . The atmosphere of these medifeval building

societies seems even at an early date to have been favourable to liberty of thought and religious toleration . Hence thoy were prohibited at the Romish Council of Avignon , in the year 1326 . The authority of the Grand Lodgo was recognised at the great assemblies of Ratisbon and Strasburg in 1459 , tho