Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Cor . respondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications . AH Letters must bear the name and address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith .

THE EXCLUSION OF JEWS IN GERMANY .

To the Editor of THE FREEMASON S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIS AND BROTHER , —I am sure the Montefiore Lodge is wrong in stating , in their request to sign a petition to the Grand Lodge of England , that the " three " Grand Lodges in Germany do

not admit Jews in Freemasonry , as I know myself personally several Jewish brethren , now in England , who have been initiated in Berlin . There might be one " of the three , " where no Jew is admitted , but decidedly not all of them , ergo : " The Montefiore is wrong . " Yours , Sec , S . M .

To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I know as a fact that many Lodges had the intention of petitiouing the Grand Lodgo of England in regard to the " obnoxious law" of " non-admission of Jews" in one of the German Grand Lodges , but hearing that the Lodge of Joppa , No . 188 ,

have appointed a committee , first to inquire properly into the subject , they postponed all action till the report of this committee could be known . Might it not have been better if the Montefiore Lodga had done the same ? Tours , & o ., A GERMAN FREEMASON .

" THINGS NEW AND OLD . " To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Allow me to thank " Quiz " for so courteously and readily furnishing substantial evidence of his deduc tion that Bro . Dunckerley was Superintendent of Eoyal Arch Masons

in Cornwall . The excerpt he gave in his letter of last week , from one of Dunckerley ' s own letters , is strongly corroborative of his statement . Whether or not it is conclusive , I am not iu a position to say . Fraternally yours , "Q . "

THE MIGRATION OF LODGES . To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I noted , in a correspondence that occurred in your columns between Bro . Hughan and your Eeviewer , some allusion was made by the former to the migration of a London to Lodge Chatham , this one being now in existence as E . Kent Lodgo of Antiquity , No . 20 . He also suggested that , possibly , our

present No . 35 , Medina Lodge , at Cowes , I . of Wight , may have migrated in a similar manner from London . Some clays since I was turning over tho pages of an old Masonic magazine , in search of something I did not find , when I alighted on the following particulars of a Lodge now deceased , but which , at the closing up of the list in 1832 , figured on the roll as "Lodge of Philanthropy , " No . 28 ,

Stockton-on-Tees . The particulars will , doubtless , interest that learned brother in particular , and yonr readers in general . Lodge of Philanthropy , says my authority , was constituted on 2 nd February 1725 , by Dr . Desaguliers , Deputy Grand Master , and was held at the Swan and Bummer , Finch-lane . The first W . M . was Bro . Martin O'Connor , the first S . and J . Wardens Bros . Eichard Shergold and

Samuel Berrington . The Lodge flourished for many years . Lord Kinsale was initiated in ifc , and ifc was frequently visited during the G . Masterships of the Earl of Inchiqnin and Lord Kingston . Bro . Berrington was the second W . M . In 1728 , Bro . O'Connor was Junior Grand Warden . On 24 th February 1730-1 , the Lodge was removed to the Swan , Exchange-alley , but in November of the same year

returned to Finch-lane , and here , according to Eawlinson ' s and Pine '? lists , we find it located as Lodge No . 39 in 1734 . Up till this time ' it was greatly beholden to the services of Bro . Berrington , who in 1741 was Grand Warden . We have few particulars of the Lodge till the latter part of 1756 , when , ifc is stated , " the Constitution ancl Lodge wero transferred to Stockton , in the county of Durham , and

the Lodge was accordingly opened in dne form at the Queen ' s Head Tavern on the 2 nd December , Thomas Burdon M ., Thomas Endd and Thomas Whorlton S . and J . Wardens . " Here it flourished exceedingly , and on 23 rd August 1764 , by which timo it had become No . 23 , played the chief part in the ceremony of laying the foundation-stone of a bridge intended to be built OVLV tho Tees . From then till the

month of August 1794 , when the account from which I have extracted the foregoing particulars was published , the Lodge continued to work on flourishingly . By the latter date it had risen to No . 19 on the roll , and this place it continued to occupy till the union of Ancients and Moderns in 1813 . After this it became No . 30 , and at the closing up of Lodges in 1832 , it became No . 28 . Since then it has become deftraot .

Correspondence.

Here then is another conspicuous case of a London Lodgo removing into one of the Provinces , and , to all appearances , a well . authenticated one . It is a great pity that n Lodge , with such a record as this seems to have had , should have been allowed to pass away . I see the oldest of the present Stockton Lodges—Tees Lodge , No . 509—was founded in 1845 . Perhaps some member of this latter may be able to inform

the readers of your journal how it was tho venerable Lodge of t'hilan . thropy , with over a centnry of years to its credit , was so neglected ; or , perhaps , tho present Philanthropy , No . 940 , the second in order of seniority of the Stockton Lodges , may bo able to throw some light on the decease of its namesake , of Finch . lane , in the City of London , and subsequently of Stockton . Fraternally yours , " EEADER . "

Exclusion Of Jews In Germany

EXCLUSION OF JEWS IN GERMANY

TTSTE publish the following circular letter from the Montefiore ' * Lodge and tho petition it is in contemplation to present to Grand Lodge on the subject of Jewish Masonic Disabilities in Germany . Our remarks on the subject will be found elsewhere . 8 Bloomsbury-place , London , W . G ., 5 th March 1877 .

DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —A committee having been appointed by the Montefiore Lodge , No . 1017 , to carry out the objects mentioned in the accompanying resolutions , I beg to enclose herewith a copy of

the petition , and respectfully request yon will submit it to the conside . ration of the members of your Lodge . Should it meet with their approval , 1 shall be glad if you will sign the same , and return ifc to me at your earliest convenience . Yours fraternally , S . V . ABRAHAM P . M .

Eesolved unanimously : — 1 . That it appearing by the Book of Constitutions of the Three Grand Lodges of Freemasons in Germany , held at Berlin , that those only professing Christianity are eligible to become members of the Craft , or to join the subordinate Lodges in Germany , this Lodge of Freemasons assembled under the Constitution of the Grand Lodge

of England , with every feeling of fraternal regard for their brethren in Germany , hereby enters its most solemn protest against any law which prevents any properly qualified person from joining the Order on account of his religions belief , such exclusion being , in tho opinion of this Lodge , contrary to tho fundamental principles of Free , masonry .

2 . That with a view of obtaining tho repeal of what appears to be a most obnoxious law , a petition ho prepared for presentation to the Grand Lodge of England , askiug them to take such steps in tho matter as in thoir judgment , thoy may think advisable , and that such petition be first submitted to tho various Lodges in Great Britain , requesting their co-operation .

3 . That a committee of six be appointed for tho purpose of carrying out the above resolutions , and that the stun of £ 5 is hereby voted for defraying the preliminary expeuses . That the committee consist of Bros . Victor Myers W . M ., Gulliford S . W ., Lazarus P . M . J . W ., S . V . Abraham P . M ., Pollitzer P . M ., Lewis Jacobs Treasurer , Matthias Levy Hon . Sec .

To tho Most Worimipfnl H . ll . H . the Princo of Wales K . G ., & c , Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England , tho Eight Hon . the Earl of Carnarvon Pro Grand Master , the Eight Hon . Lord Skelmersdale Deputy Grand Master , the Present and Past Grand Officers and Members of the Grand Lodge of England .

We , the undersigned , Masters , Warden ? , Officers , and Members of the various Lodges make declaration as follows : — That it has come to our knowledge that certain Lodges under the Constitution of tho Grand Lodges in Germany , held at Berlin , exclude from the benefits of Freemasonry all persons except those professing

Christianity : And ib appearing to your petitioners that many good and worthy men are thus necessarily debarred from entering into the Order or eujoying its advantages , and that the Craft is likewise deprived of the assistance ancl usefulness of many intelligent and influential

persons : Your petitioners beg to call the attention of Grand Lodge thereto , and most earnestly and respectfully solicit that Grand L"dge will Vake the same into their serious consideration , » TKI vaU use such

means as may be deemed by them most advisable to secure a permanent and satisfactory alteration of the laws of the said Grand Lodges of Germany , which laws , yonr petitioners humbly submit , are , in their present rendering , contrary to tho first ; principles of Freemasonry . Signed W . M , ou behalf of the Lodge No . March 1877 .

FREEMASONRY is being liberally erected in South Africa . Some difficulty in the matter of personal insignia was at first experienced in dealing with the moro native and less attired part of the population , but these very aboriginal creatures finally consented to forego their prejudices BO far as to allow the indispensable symbols of the Craft to be , stencilled ou their bodies , Fiqaro ,