The Revised Book Of Constitutions.

THE REVISED BOOK OF CONSTITUTIONS .

( Continued from page 370 . ) EULE No . 190—the first paragraph of which fixes the " Charge for initiation , " while the second deals with the " Initiation and status of serving brethren "—and No . 191— "Proposer responsible for fees "—correspond with Art . 9 , pp 86-87 , the two side by side reading thus : —

REVISED EDITION . " 190 . No person shall be made a mason for less than five guineas , exclusive of the registration and certificate fees , and no lodge shall remit or defer the payment of any part of this sum .

This is not to extend to the making of serving brethren , who may be initiated by the lodge which they are to serve , or for the service of grand lodge , provided that no fee be taken , and

that a dispensation from the grand master or provincial or district grand master be first obtained , which shall be specified in the return made to the grand secretary , when the serving

brother shall be registered free of expense , but must pay for his grand lodge certificate . A brother so initiated cannot be a member of the lodge in which he was initiated , unless he be

afterwards dnly proposed and elected as in the case of a joining member , upon which event he shall be liable to pay the same fees as an initiate , and on so doing he will be entitled to all the

privileges and benefits of the Craft . "He is , however , eligible to become a subscribing member of any other lodge ; and , upon being registered a joining member of such other lodge , and

paying his contributions in like manner with other members , he shall be entitled to all the privileges and benefits of the craft . " In case there be no other lodge in the vicinity of his

dwelling of which he can become a member , he may be permitted to pay through the lodge in which he was initiated the quarterly dues to the fund of benevolence ;

and after having served the lodge and paid such dues for four years at least , he shall be eligible to be relieved in case of distress , and entitled to the other privileges of the craft in the same manner as

if he had been a regular subscribing member . " " 191 . The member who proposes a candidate is responsible to the lodge for all the fees payable on account of the initiation . "

EXISTING EDITION . 9 . ( pp 86 , 87 ) . "No person shall be made a mason for less than three guineas , exclusive of the registering fee , nor shall a lodge on any pretence remit or defer the payment of any part of

this sum . The member who proposes a candidate most be responsible to the lodge for all the fees payable on account of the initiation . " This is not to extend to the

making of serving brethren , who may be initiated by the lod ^ e which they are to serve , provided that no fee or reward be taken , and that a dispensation from the grand master or

provincial grand master be first obtained , which shall be specified in the return made to the grand secretary ; but a brother so initiated cannot be a member of the lodge in which he was initiated

thongh eligible to become a subscribing member of any other lodge ; and , upon being registered as a joining member of such other lodge , and paying his contributions in like manner with

other members , he is entitled to all the privileges and benefits of the craft . " If " , however , there be no other lodge in the vicinity of his dwelling of which he can become a

member , he may be permitted to pay through the lodge in which he was initiated the quarterly dues to the fund of benevolence ; and after having served the lodge and paid such dues for font- years

at least , may be considered eligible to be relieved in case of distress , and entitled to the other privileges of the craft in the same manner as if he had been a

regular subscribing member . "

The Revised Book Of Constitutions.

So far as the increase in the initiation fee from three to five guineas , exclusive of the certificate as woll as registration fees , is calculated to ensure a better class of candidates , it must be set down as most desirable . At the same time it must be remembered that money is by no means a

criterion of worth . The removal of tho second sentence of the same paragraph , so as to form a Rule—No . 191—by itself , is also an improvement . In the first sentence of the second paragraph of No . 190 , there is inserted at the end a reasonable clause , " When tho serving brother shall be

registered free of expense , but must pay for his grand lodge certificate . " As to the alteration of that portion of the law which absolutely excludes a serving brother from being " a member of the lodge in which he was initiated " so as to allow of his becoming such after having been

" duly proposed and elected as in the case of a joining member , " we see no objection to this extension or to the provision that having been so proposed and elected " he shall be liable to pay the same fees as an initiate , and on so doing be will be entitled to all the privileges and

benefits of the craft . " Are we , however , to understand that , having been already " registered free of expense " as a serving brother , he is , regardless of any service he may have rendered to the Lodge , to be registered as an initiate , when , if he becomes a subscribing member of any other

Lodge it is only necessary he should be registered as " a joining member" thereof ? As to tho remainder of No . 190 , we have no remark to offer , except that in the last paragraph the words " may be considered eligible " have been altered into " shall be eligible . " This likewise

is a decided change for the better . Rule No . 192— " Intervals between degrees "—corresponds with Art . 7 , p 86 , and No . 193— " Initiate entitled to a grand lodge certificate" —with Art . 1 , p 89 , and Art . 16 , p 67 . With reference to the latter proposed rule ,

however , the words at the end— " for which certificate the lodge shall pay the fee "—appear to us to be irreconcilable with Rule No . 190— " No person shall be made a mason for less than five guineas , exclusive of the registration and certificate fees , " unless , indeed , we are to understand that ,

in respect of these fees , the Lodge is merely the channel through which the brother's money passes into the coffers of Grand Lodge . No . 194 is a new Rule , and provides for a brother who has lost his certificate obtaining a duplicate , " on payment of the regular fee . " The other Rules

relating to certificates are No . 195 , corresponding with Art . 2 , p 90 ; No . 196 , with Art . 3 , p 90 ; No . 197 , with Art . 6 , p 91 ; No . 198 , with Art . 5 , pp 90 , 91 ; No . 199— " Certificate for begging purposes " —with Art . 17 , p 67 ; and No . 200— " Private lodge certificates " —with Art . 7 , p 91 . They do not need any comment .

The four Rules which follow relate to " Offences , " No . 201— " Assisting at irregular lodges " —save for a few verbal alterations , being a reproduction of Art . 2 , p 79 .

No . 202— " Printing and publishing "—is much more comprehensive than Art . 3 , p 80 , and , as far as we can see from the following comparison , may be said to sufficiently provide for every possible contingency .

BEVISED EDITION . " 202 . No brother shall presume to print or publish , or cause

EXISTING EDITION . 3 . ( p 80 ) . "No brother shall presume to print or publish , or

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