Approaching Festival Of The R.M.B.I.

APPROACHING FESTIVAL OF THE R . M . B . I .

THE first meeting of Stewards in connection with this Festival was held on Tuesday , at Freemasons' Hall , London , W . C . There were present—Bros . J . J . Berry , H . A . Dubois , C . Hubbard , George Kenning , Edgar Bowyer , J . B . King , 0 . A . Oottebrune , W . S . Hunter , T . Hallett , Geo . Cooper , E . Montennis , Louis Hirsch ,

Samuel Poynter , "W " . Clarke , S . T . Catterson , B , Isaacs , E . Hopwood , W . H . Farnfield , Samuel H . J . Parkhouse , H . E . Cooper Smith , E . C . Woodward , Frank Green ,

J . B . Poole , E . F . W . Berger , G . W . Greenhill , Benj . H . Paul , J . Terry Secretary of the Institution , & c . Bro . C . A . Cottebrune was appointed Acting President of the Board , and took the chair on this occasion . The usual

preliminary details "were discussed , committees appointed , and routine matters settled . The meeting was adjourned until the 23 rd inst ., at four o ' clock . The number of Stewards at the present time is nearly 200 , a number very much under the total at the same period of last year ;

we trust the services of several more "will yet be secured , and that in every respect the Festival of 1880 will be as great a success as any of its predecessors . As is already known , the Earl of Zetland , Prov . G . M . for North and East Yorkshire , -will occupy the chair ; the following

distinguished brethren supporting him as Presidents of the Board of Stewards , viz .: —Lord Kensington , M . P . Senior Grand "Warden England , Major-General Somerset , J . G . Calthorpe Junior Grand "Warden England , Major

Marmadnke Bamsay District Grand Master Punjab , and E . W . H . Giddy District Grand Master Griqualand . Bro . W . H . Farnfield P . M . 907 , 1766 Sec . 1804 , was ap pointed Treasurer of the Board , and Bro . James Terry Hon . Secretary .

Touting For The High Degrees.

TOUTING FOR THE HIGH DEGREES .

THE Founders of Blue , or Craft Masonry , acted wisely in introducing the law making it imperative on every candidate for initiation to declare , before he could be admitted into the Lodge , that he sought participation in the mysteries of the Order of his own free will and accord ,

entirely unbiassed by the improper solicitation of friends . So generally is this law respected that no member of the Craft would , for a moment think of openly advertising for initiates , and it is likewise ' generally understood by those outside the mvstic circle that Freemasons are not

allowed to ask strangers to join their ranks . Most persons know that they must voluntarily express their desire , if they entertain one , to participate in tho benefits of the Order , before they can hope to have it gratified . By this restrictive law the members of the Craft are enabled

to confine the benefits of the Order to a class who at least have some desire for the welfare of the Brotherhood at the time of their initiation , however much their interest may dwindle when once they have been admitted to a partici pation in the secrets of the First Degree ; and to tms

we owe very much of our freedom from disputes . Of course there will always be a number of initiates who express themselves as disappointed by their experience of Freemasonry , and as a consequence do not proceed further than the preliminary step , but not one of these , no matter what may bo the nature of his

Touting For The High Degrees.

disappointment , can charge the Brotherhood with being the cause of it ; nor can he say that he was induced to join under false pretences . When wo remember that the advantages of Freemasonry aro mainly of a moral tendency , we cannot too highly approve of our

lawgivers having made this admission necessary ; for were it otherwise , we might expect disappointed novices laying all manner of charges against us , or bringing claims against the brethren for having overstated the benefits of the Craft . It cannot be denied , notwithstanding all our

precautions , that there are some who really do join our ranks in the hope that they will reap a financial benefit , or that their business will be advanced by their connection writh the Craft ; now , if such as these are disappointed , they have only themselves to blame . On the other hand , if

Freemasons were allowed to canvass for initiates , it would bo different , and we should at all times be open to the charge of having promised more than we performed . To prevent this it was wisely ordained that the first act of a candidate after he had been accepted by the Lodge should be to

declare that he offered himself freely , voluntarily , and unsolicited . Once admitted to a participation in the mysteries of the Craft , the restriction is relaxed , and as a consequence , brethren are frequently solicited to become

candidates for the higher degrees . We think it very questionable whether this course benefits either the degree it is intended to advance , or the brethren who , against their real inclination , are led to put themselves forward as candidates .

To such an extent is this " touting " carried on in some districts , that a mild protest is frequently necessary in order to check the ardour of the more energetic members . This appears to be the case in Kingston , Jamaica , from whence we have received a small pamphlet , entitled " A

Caution to the Younger Members of the Masonic Fraternity , against the so-called High Degrees . By H . J . Burger . " The arguments used by that distinguished Craftsman are very strong , but we cannot entirely agree with all he says , nor do we think such harsh remarks as

some he makes can be necessary to secure the end he has in view . He thinks that the definition given of Freemasonry in the ceremonies is so clear as to make it impossible that any one should " mistake the Eoyal Arch Degree , or the Knights Templar , or the Eose Croix , as constituting

any part or portion of our beautiful system , " and then proceeds to state that the Eoyal Arch Degree was formed by tho secessionists of 1717 , in order that some extra inducement might be offered to secure members for their independent Grand Lodge . We do not think it policy to

print here all our Brother has written regarding the work of the Eoyal Arch : his aim is to prove that it really has no connection with ancient Masonry , and that it is merely the concoction of a few disappointed Craftsmen of 1717 . He says that the mere fact of the arrangements of the

whole system of Craft Masonry on the triad system is sufficient to prove that there could never have been more than the three degrees . " There are , " he adds , " three chief Officers , three subordinates , three great Lights , three

lesser , three columns , three jewels , three steps , three modes of recognition , three points of entrance , three workiug tools in each degree , and consequently only three degrees . Any one may see that a system evidently built on the TRIAD cannot violate it in so essential a matter as

the division of its mysteries into four degrees , as such a proceeding would be anomalous . The Egyptian mysteries were divided into three degrees and no more , viz .: —Thoso of Isis , Serapis , and Osiris ; and wo know that in the