Province Of West Yorkshire.

Grand Lodge was then closed in due form , and with solomn prayer , at five p . m . The Right Wor . Provincial

Grand Master presided at the tea at the George Hotel , at which upwards of 100 brethren were present .

District Grand Lodge Of Northern China.

DISTRICT GRAND LODGE OF NORTHERN CHINA .

A REGULAR Communication was held at the Masonic Hall , Shanghai , on Friday , 7 th January 1887 . Bro . J . I . Miller District Grand Master presided , and he was supported by

Bros . C . Thome Past District Grand Master , C . H . Dallas Past District Grand Master of Japan , T . W . Kingsmill Deputy District Grand Master , J . M . Cory District Senior Grand Warden , Lewis Moore Past District Senior Grand Warden aoting as Distriot Junior Grand Warden , W . H . Short Distriot Grand Treasurer , 0 . Middleton

President of the District Board of General Purposes , Reginald D . Starkey District Grand Secretary , E . P . Lalcaca Past District Grand Warden acting as District Senior Grand Deacon , T . F . Hough District Grand Standard Bearer acting as District Junior Grand Deacon , G . R . Wingrove District Grand Director of Ceremonies ,

A . M . A . Evans Assistant District Grand Director of Ceremonies , A . P . Macgregor District Grand Sword Bearer , R . W . ABUH District Grand Pursuivant , G . M . Hart Assistant Distriot Grand Pursuivant , H . J . Fisher , F . M . Gratton , James Baird and John West Distriot Grand Stewards , Cbas . Merritt Distriot Grand Tyler , with

representatives from Royal Sussex Lodge No . 501 , Northern Lodge of China No . 570 , and Tuscan Lodge No . 1027 . The following visitors were present : —Bros . C . Lalcaca , R . Pestonjee , Pestonjee Cooverjee , J . M . Land , E . Belbin , S . S . Adams , Royal Sussex Lodge No . 501 ,

E . C . ; G . Lanning , J . Clements , T . Liddell , D . O'Rourke , G . J . 0 . Rowland , R . E . Toeg , Tuscan Lodge No . 1027 , E . C ; A . Mack , Ancient Landmark Lodge , Mass . Const ., H . C . Kofoed , Zetland Lodge No . 508 , E . C , H . Stead , West Kent No . 692 , E . C , and C . F . Kirkland , Govandale , S . C . The brethren and visitors having assembled in their

respective places in the Lodge , the District Grand Master , accompanied by Bro . C . Thome , Bro . C . H . Dallas , and

the District Grand Officers , entered , and the District Grand Lodge was opened in due form with prayer . The circular convening the meeting was read , and the minutes of the

last regular Communication , held on the 22 nd September 1886 , which had been printed and circulated , were confirmed . The next business was to receive the report of the District Board of General Purposes , and Wor . Bro .

0 . Middleton , the President , read the report . On the proposition of Rt . Wor . the D . G . Master , seconded by W . Bro . A . P . Macgregor , the report was adopted . The District Grand Treasurer next presented the accounts for

the past year . The receipts had amounted to Tls , 292 * 74 , against which there had been an expenditure of Tls . 532 * 54 , leaving a balance of expenditure over receipts of Tls . 339 * 80 ) and deducting from this the balance brought forward from

last year the accounts showed Tls . 159 * 50 due to the Treasurer . The debit balance was accounted for by two items of extraordinary expenditure , viz ., cost of Regalia Tls . 282 * 42 , and subscription to the Masonic School Fund

Tls . 100 . Taking this and the value of the assets into consideration the accounts were deemed satisfactory . A report , with a suggestion from the D . G . Treasurer as to

insurance of the Regalia , was adopted . In proceeding to the election of a District Grand Treasurer for the ensuing year , the D . G . Master said that escape from greater indebtedness was greatly owing to the exertions of the

P . D . G . Master , to whom the best thanks of the D . G . Lodge were due . In alluding to Wor . Bro . Short's willingness again to accept the office of D . G . Treasurer , he bore testimony to the way that brother had managed the finances during his terms of office , and to the interest he

had taken in its duties , to carry out which he had foregone well-earned promotion . While the ballot was proceeding , letters from Wor . Bros . Allcot and David , of Chinkiang , regretting their inability to attend the

Communication , were read , as also a letter from the D . G . Secretary of Bombay conveying the congratulations of the Rt . Wor . the Grand Master of that District to Rt . Wor . Bro . Miller on his installation as District Grand Master of Northern China . The result of the ballot was

in favour of the election of Wor . Bro . Short . The elected members of the District Board of General Purposes were Bros . Wingrove , Johnsfbrd , and Hough . Bro . M-. iler was

elected representative of the D . G . Lodge on the Masonic School Fund in place of Bro . Thorne , who suggested that some other brother should take his place . The Rt . Wor . district Grand Master then proceeded to appoint and

District Grand Lodge Of Northern China.

invest the following brethren as District Grand Officers for the ensuing year : — Bro . Thomas William Kingsmill - - - Dep . Master John Morris Senior Warden Reginald Digby Starkey - - - Junior Warden

William Henry Short- - - - Treasnrer Algernon Moantford Adams Evana - Registrar John Findlay Pres . Bd . of G . P . George Mercer Hart .... Secretary George Albert Allcot- - •- Senior Deacon

George Richard Wingrove - ••Junior Deacon Alexander Pendarves Macgregor - Sup . of Works Thomas Frederick Hough - - - Direc . of Cer . Henry John Fisher .... Asst . Direc . of Ce James Baird Sword Bearer

Robert William Astill - - - Standard Bearer Sydenham Moutrie ... . Standard Bearer George Lanning .... Organist Frederick Montague Gratton - - Asst . Secretary

John West Pursuivant John Fryer Asst . Pursuivant Charles Merritt Tyler Samuel Robert Gale . - - . "" 1

Rnstonjee Pestonjee - - - - i Raymond Elias Toeg - - - - L StowardB Charles William Ure - Jesse John Mansfield - - - ¦ •. Augustus Hildebrand Alsing - -J

The Masonic Ladder.

THE MASONIC LADDER .

FAITH in your own honest mission , Whenever the right is your cause , And trust to see fruits of your labour ,

Whenever you follow God s laws . Faith in the words of the prophets , And in the deep power of love , And better than oreed or profession ,

All trust in the Father above . HOPE for a joyous to-morrow , And work in the field of to-day , Believing that even earth ' s sorrow

Refines our true souls in the clay , Hope for the grander reanion When life and its trials are o ' er , If Brother is true to his Brother , And each seeks the golden bright shore .

CHARITY for faults of each pilgrim , Who struggles with us on the road , Enough to give hand and assistance In sharing a part of the load . Charity broad as the ocean ,

Unfettered by oreed or by race ; For all of our gifts from the heavena Are sent by the Master ' s free grace . The rounds of the ladder are triple , And lead from the earth to the Bkies ; Up one at a time is the method ,

Apparent to only the wise . Beyond , in the courts of the Temple , By Faith the GRAND MASTER we see . Approval our highest ambition—He's waiting for you and for me .

The steps from the outer to inner By three ' s o'er our pathway are cast ; Faith , Hope , and Charity golden—The greatest of all is the last . For Faith must end in fruition ,

And hope in the sight of the soul ; But Charity dwelleth for ever Where heavenly visions unroll . 'Tis part of the grandest of anthems To sweep through the Paradise land ;

The harps of the redeemed will sing it , And so will the angelio band ; That He who sits on the heavens ,

And judges His creation , earth , Is Charity's i ' ount of emotion , GRAND MASTER , who gave man his birth Voice of Masonry .

The Rating Of Charities.

THE RATING OF CHARITIES .

A Bill has been prepared for presentation to Parliament by the friends of some of the London and other hospitals which proposes "to restore the exemption from taxation which Charitable Institutions enjoyed for 250 years , " but to which it is alleged they have been subjected since 1866 owing to the decision of the House of Lords in the case of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board . In

Ireland and abo the Colonies the public charities are , it is said , free from rates and taxes , and in England churches , chapels , meetinghouses , ragged schools , and literary institutions are exempt , and the rating of the charities themselves by the local authorities is very unequal and anomalous . St . Thomas's Hospital , with 590 beds and

an annual expenditure of nearly £ 39 , 090 , has to pay £ 2 , 133 for rates and taxes , whereas the London Hospital , with 790 bed 3 and an expenditure of about £ 49 , 000 , has only to pay £ 56 ; Poplar Hospital , with 51 beds aud an expenditure of about £ 3 , 360 , pays £ 4 , whilst Chelsea Hospital for Women and Children , with 63 beds and an expenditure of £ 3 , 043 , has to pay as much as £ 146 . —DcVy News .