The Revised Book Of Constitutions.

between , or complaints of members of London lodges or of lodges in places where no provincial or district grand master is appointed , that cannot be accommodated privately or in a regular lodge , shall be reduced into writing and delivered to the grand secretary , who shall lay the same before the grand master or the board of general purposes , or the colonial board , or other board or committee specially appointed b y the grand lodge . When

all parties shall have been summoned to attend thereon , and the case investigated , such order and adjudication shall be made as the laws and regulations of masonry authorize . " No . 212— " Differences and complaints in the provinces " —compares with Art . 1 , p 72 ( part ) , and Art . 5 , p 47 ( part ) .

REYISED EDITION . " 212 . Complaints against brethren in the provinces must in all oases be made to the provincial grand master , or his deputy ; failing whose attention thereto

the complaint may be trans , mitted to the board of general purposes . "

EXISTING EDITION . 1 ( p 72 ) . " All country lodges are under the immediate superintendonce of the provincial grand master of the district , to whom , or to his deputy , they are to

apply in all cases of difficulty aud doubt , and to whom all complaints must be transmitted . If those officers should neglect to proceed in the business , the

application or complaint may be transmitted to tho board of general purposes , " .... 5 ( p 47 ) " If the provincial grand master or his deputy shall

neglect to proceed forthwith on any case submitted for his decision , the application or complaint may be transmitted to the board of general purposes . " ....

Here , though a function of the Provincial Grand Master is concerned , the Rule makes the complaints of brethren the subject , and is rightly , therefore , included under this division . No . 213 concerns complaints in Districts , and No . 214 embodies the Rules at pp 95 , 73 , 57 , 47 , which

relate to appeals from subordinate authorities—including District Grand Master and District Grand Lodge . We notice , however , that the sentence , " At the hearing of the appeal no fresh evidence shall be adduced by either party , " which occurs in the existing Article on Appeal , at pp 95 , 96 ,

is excluded from the proposed new Rule , and we presume , therefore , that fresh evidence may be adduced . Rule No . 215 is the same with Art . 10 , p 32 , except that applications on business to the Grand Master cannot be made " except through the grand secretary , " the Deputy Grand

Master and Grand Registrar being no longer channels of communication between the Grand Master and Lodges or brethren . No . 216 is Art . 29 , p 71 , the last clause , " but if all the members of a lodge withdraw , the warrant becomes extinct , " being altered into " but should the

number of members remaining at any time be less than three the warrant becomes extinct . " Rules Nos . 217— " Lodge failing to meet "—and 218— " Surrender of warrant "correspond with part of Art . 26 , p 70 , and Art . 27 , p 70 , respectively , except that in the latter the words " without

his ( the Grand Master ' s ) "consent , " are altered into " under any circumstances . " No . 219 is new , and provides as follows : " In all cases not expressly provided for , the

laws and regulations for the conduct or proceedings of the grand lodge are applicable to , and are to be taken as the rule for , private lodges . " This brings us to the end of the third principal division , " Private lodges . "

The Province of Hertfordshire , over which R . W . Bro . T . F . Halsey , M . P ., so ably presides , is about to make an addition to its muster roll . The Earl of Clarendon Lodge , No . 1984 , is to be consecrated on Wednesday next , the 13 th inst ., at the Masonic Hall , Watford . The ceremonies

of consecration and installation will be conducted by the Prov . G . Master . Bro . F . H . Wilson lies , Dep . Prov . G . Master , is the W . M designate , and Bros . J . L . Mather and H . J . Giller are , respectively , the Senior and Junior Wardens designate .

The Martyn Lodge , No . 1983 , will be consecrated on Monday , the 18 th inst ., by the Lord Waveney , Right Wor . Provincial Grand Master of Suffolk . The ceremony will take place at the Town Hall , Southwold . Bro . John M .

Canova is the Worshipful Master designate , and the Rev . C . J . Martyn , Past Grand Chaplain , D . G . M . of the Pro vince , has kindly undertaken the duties of installing officer .

United Grand Lodge.

UNITED GRAND LODGE .

THE decision arrived at on Wednesday last , at the Qnarterly Communication of Graud Lodgo , on the question mooted somo time past as to tho advisability of increasing the dues payable by every registered Mason to the Fund of Benevoionce , is one which will materially affect the future of English Freemasonry . The actual

question before the English Brotherhood was , whether or not the dues should be increased from four to six shillings per annum in the case of London brethren , and from two to three in the case of Provincials ? bnt the issue involved was of far greater importance , even if it did not affect the

whole structure of Freemasonry . Up to within a very few years—we might say months , for it is only since 1879 that the change has taken p lace—the dues payable to the Fund of Benevolence not only provided for every grant made from it , but left a surplus , reaching at the time to which

we refer to something like £ 50 , 000 , but for some unexplained cause the expenditure since then has so far exceeded the income as to arouse the gravest fears in the minds of many brethren , who see that a continuance of the course now adopted will not only swallow up the

accumulated fund , but will lead to the greatest difficulty m dispensing relief to necessitous members of tho Order . It cannot bo denied but that the Masonic Charities occupy one of the foremost—if not the first—place among the Benevolent Institutions of this country , and therefore anv

question which concerns them not only affects the Brotherhood , but also has great weig ht on the general public . Freemasonry has become very popular during the past few years , and its popularity has led to greater publicity of its doings , until its great principle of charity has become a

matter of general comment , instead of , as it formerly was , one of Masonic interest only . The amounts expended month by month in relief of those whose position necessitates an appeal to the Fund of Benevolence , the sums annuall y raised for the Masonic Institutions , and

the grants of Grand , Provincial , and Private Lodges , are all matters which we Freemasons may justly feel proud in publishing to the world , but , the greater publicit y of these benefits of Freemasonry has , perhaps , caused a feeling of unworthiness in many , who see in Freemasonry

nothing but a great benefit society , and who thus seek to join it with a view of reaping advantages should occasion offer . We do not care to commit ourselves to an expression one way or other as to whether this feeling has had any effect on the number who have recently joined

Freemasonry , suffice it to say that the opinion that it has is a pretty widely spread one , while the ever increasing number of the claims made for assistance go far , in the eyes of many , to prove it . It cannot lie wondered at , then , that a proposal to increase one of the funds available for

relief by an addition of fifty per cent , in its chief item of income should call forth strong expressions of opinion , or that it should bo strongly opposed by all who entertain tho feeling that so much actual giving of money is detrimental to the best interests of the Order .

As we have said , the expenditure of the Fund of Benevolence during the past few months has so far exceeded its income as to arouse the gravest fears for the future ; and the question which presents itself is , how to stop the heavy calls which have recently been made on the

funded property ? There are two methods—either to increase the income , or lessen the expenditure . Tho latter course entails—so say those who argue in favour of the former—a disregard of the true principles of Freemasonry , and of the necessities of those who appeal ; while the other

side argue , that what wns sufficient a year or two hack might bo marie sufficient now ; and the latter is , we think , the more generally accepted idea . The causes which have led to this unsatisfactory state of affairs have not , as yet , been officially explained ; we think , however , there is

but one feeling as regards it . Up to 1879 there was a surplus , which about that time caused great trouble . It was getting so large as to be a disgrace to the Order—so much money lying idle , and still accumulating , was wrong—and so a proposal was made to spend some of it ;

and , strange tn say , by the same brother who now ( less than two years later ) argues that the funds are insufficient to carry on the work which was then insufficient to absorb the income . Brother Clabon at that time argued ablv in support of hi ? scheme ; the income of the Fund ol Benevolence v . as amply sufuci ' . T . t , n < t only to satisfy ali