Lodge Meetings Next Week.

761 St . John , Dursley 777 Royal Alfred , Guildford 802 Repose , Derby 833 Afan , Aberavon 900 St . George , Tewkesbury 939 Pelham , Worksop

940 Philanthropy , Stockton 1000 Priory , Southend 1011 Richmond , Manchester 1037 Portland , Portland 1042 Excelsior , Leeds 1130 Rutland , Melton Mowbray

1104 Eliot , St . Uermans 1184 Abbey , Battle 1235 Phoenix St . Ann , Buxton 1247 St . John , Plymouth 1327 King Harold , Waltham Cross 1332 Unity , Crediton 1393

Hamer , Liverpool 1432 Fitz-Allan , Oswestry 1459 Ashbury , West Gorton 1464 Erasmus Wilson , Gravesend 1470 Chiltern , Dunstable 1512 Hemming , Hampton Court 1534 ConcordPrestwich

, 1562 Homfray , Risca 1594 Cedewain , Newtown , Mont . 1776 Landport , Landport 1821 Atlingworth , Brighton 1869 Sandown , Sandown , I . of W'ht . 1872 Sti . Margaret , Suxbiton

1887 St . Hilda , Wallingford 1892 Wallington , Sutton 2028 Granite , Narborough 2091 Castleberg , Setae 2107 Etheldreda , Newmarket 2158 Boscombe , Boscombe 2189 Ashburton , Ashburton

2226 St . David , Rhymney 2268 Hallamshire , Sheffield 2302 St . Mary , Southwell 2305 Stour , Ashford , Kent 2325 Rose of Lancaster , Southport 2341 Clemency , Oldham 2390 Exmoor , Minehead 2555 England Centre , Weedon 2570 Prince Llewellyn , Cardiff

Friday . 143 Middlesex , Albion 1118 Oxford and Cambridge , F . M . H . 1962 London Rifle Brigade , And't ' n ' s . 2157 St . Mark ' s College , H'lbornRest , 2243 Argonauts , Putney 2346 Warrant Officers , F'masons ' -hall

Lodge Meetings Next Week.

152 Virtue , Manchester 271 Royal Clarence , Brighton 347 Noah Ark , Tipton 355 R'l . S'x . Emulation , Swindon 401 Royal Forest , Slaidburn 404 Watford . Watford

445 Fidelity , Towcester 460 Sut'land Unity , N ' castle-u-Lyme 516 Phoenix , Stowmarket 541 De Loraine , Newcastle-on-Tyne 566 St . Germain , Selby 652 Holme Valley , Holmfirth

951 Prince of Wales , Stow on'Wold 993 Alexandra , Levenshuhne 1034 Eccleshill , Eccleshill 1074 Underlay , Kirkby Lonslade 1108 Royal WharfedaU ,, Otley 1224 Stour Valley , Sudbury — ¦ —i

——^ ^ 1232 Hereward , Bourn 1311 Zetland , Leeds 1330 St . Peter , Market Harborough 1357 Cope , Sale 1389 Fenwick , Sunderland 1644 Alma Mater , Birmingham

1739 Carnarvon , Swadlincote 1773 Albert Victor , Pendleton 1794 De Vere , Nottingham 2063 St . Osyth Priory , CFct ' n-on-Sea 2078 St . Lawrence , Scunthorpe 2231 Talbot , Stretford . 2447 Palatine . Manchester

Saturday . 715 Panmure , Cannon Street Hotel 1139 South Norwood , S . Norwood P . 1329 Sphinx , Camberwell 1364 Earl of Zetland , Guildhall Tav .

1732 King s Cross , Anderton's 1767 Kensington , Kensington 2308 Viator , Anderton ' s 149 Peace , Meltham 370 St . George , Chertsey 416 Surrey , Reigate 811 Yarborough , Brighton 1126 Oakwood , Romiley 1194 Villiers , Hampton Court

1556 Addiscombe , Croydon 1597 Musgrave , Hampton Court 1871 Gostling Murray , Hounslow 2035 Beaumont , Kirkburton 2318 Lennox Brown-, B'kmirst Hill 2437 Downshire , Wokingham ' 2458 Eton , Eton il 548 Herga , Harrow

Church Service.

CHURCH SERVICE .

ON Tuesday evening , 27 th ult ., a special Masonic Service under the auspices of the local Lodges , Nos . 20 and 165 , ¦ was held in Calry Church . The proceeds were in aid of Lady Roberts' Widows and Orphans Fund , and the congregation on the

occasion was very large and ' representative . The Brethrenamongtt whom were representatives from the Provincial Grand Lodge , wearing their regalia , entered the church in procession and took their seats in the eastern portion of the nave .

The Service , which was a most impressive one , was choral throughout , and the singing was much enjoyed . The preacher was Bro . the Bev . F . E . Clarke , M . A ., M . D ., LL . D ., Deputy Provincial Grand Master North Connaught , who delivered a most eloquent address from the text Joshua iii . 4— " For ye have not passed this way heretofore . "

Our Beverend Brother said they were met together that evening by request of the Masonic Lodges of the town of Sligo to hold a special service of prayer and praise to the Great Architect of the Universe , in connection with the present lamentable Transvaal war . There was a universal wish expressed on the

part of the Freemasons of the two local Lodges to inaugurate such a Service , that on behalf of the ancient Fraternity , founded on the grand principles of brotherly love , relief , and truth , and in that temple situated so very near the building dedicated to the exposition of their symbolic teaching , solemn prayer might be

offered up to the Most High , invoking His aid upon the operations of our armies in the field , and His especial blessing upon their Brothers , so many of whom were responsibly engaged , beseeching forgiveness for our past spirit of over-confidence and self-reliance , and thanking the Great Giver for blessings already received :

while at the same time expression should be made in the name of the Freemasons of Sligo of their deep sorrow at the loss of so many valuable lives , the deaths of so large a number of their Brethren in their prime , and sincere sympathy , which was widespread among them all , with the widows , orphans , and bereaved

ones . From his first hearing the conception of their project by his worthy Brethren of Sligo it received bis eordiai support , and it was his desire to attend as an humble worshipper , and that the pulpit should be occupied by their kind Brother and respected rector of that parish , or by one of the official Chaplains of the

Church Service.

Masonic Order in the Province of Connaught or of the Lodges of Sligo . The words of the text were taken from the command of Joshua , the greatest general of Biblical history , relative to the crossing of the Jordan before taking possession of the Promised Land . The vast hosts of Israel , notwithstanding all their

struggles , had this new experience still before them—the Jordan was Joshua's Tugela , and it had to be crossed . Consequently subordinate officers were sent round to inform the army of the details they were to observe . The signal for the advance was to be the Ark of Covenant borne forwa . rd by the priests . The pillar of cloud bv day and the pillar of fire by night , those mystic

symbols which bespoke God's leadership and His love of poor dependent humanity , had disappeared . They were only temporary , but the Ark of Covenant was to have a perrnanant place in the economy of the corporate life of the chosen people . And at this momentous crisis—the Jordan march—the army were

ever to keep the Ark in view . A respectful distance was to be maintained between it and them , but they were to follow , and never to lose sight of it . With watchful eye and careful step they were to follow the Ark . And why ? Because they had not passed that way before I

It was their guide , their light , their all , It bade their dark forebodings cease , And through the storm and dangers thrill It brought them to the port of peace . And in this Ark he reminded them were the tables of God ' s law , the perpetual sign and symbol of the presence and fellowship

of the Supreme King , and the perpetual reminder of the reciprocal obligations of obedience and reverence and duty on the part of the people to Him . And so they were directed to follow and keep well in touch with the symbol of the Divine presence , because they had not passed that way before . It was a new way they had to take , notwithstanding the past experiences and eventful

vicissitudes of their history , and although they might have imagined that the passage of the Bed Sea and their previous hardships , with occasional victories and sometimes defeats , would have sufficed as trials of faith and courage and enable them to guide themselves , it was not so—they had not been that way before . And so it was generally with regard to humanlife ; the

experiences of our yesterdays can never be literally reproduced m our to-days , and we are called upon to act each day as though it were new , and with uplifted eyes , upright intentions , and square steps , to follow the Ark of Divine Guidance , and Divine Law throughout our march , with reliance and submission every day because " we have not passed that way before . "

In a certain sense man has to be his own pioneer , and using the lights afforded to him has to pursue his journey as though he was a fresh explorer , walking from day to day on paths he has not trod before . There was an old proverb that " experience teaches , " and Dr . Samuel Johnson philosophically enjoined that "human experience which is constantly contradicting throng , is

the greatest test of truth , ' and the man who ignored the light derived from past experiences was certainly an unwise one . But notwithstanding all this the experiences of to-day could never be sufficiently projected into to-morrow , that the thing to be done will not be somewhat involved in doubt , and that many sharp surprises will not await us as we advance . " For who , " says

Shakespeare , " can look into the seeds of time , and say which grain will grow , and which will not ? " And to our detriment we will be often deluded if we trust to our past successes or our experiences , and our consequently deduced judgment apart from God . As in Macbeth the great poet reminds us , as he does of

many a failing— And often times to win us to our harm The instruments of darkness tells us truths ; Win us with honest trifles , to betray us In deepest consequence .

And as with individuals , it was similar with communities and peoples . They were passing at the present time through a momentous crisis—passing in a way we have not been before . Events in South Africa and the political negotiations regarding them last Autumn gradually but yet rapidly brought them into the great conflict in which they were now engaged , whereby

numbers of those near and dear to them were at that moment fighting at the risk of their lives for Queen and country , and hundreds , even thousands , bad already fallen victims to shot and shell . Too much they trusted to their great name , their mighty influences , vast resources , and the long years of peace so providentially enjoyed . He feared there was an over-weaning confidence in our own powers and past traditions , a feeling of

national self-exaltation and the tendency gradually creeping in of forgetfulness of the Great Architect and Divine Law which should be kept at all times before the national eye , and centralised in our national life , as day by day with our ever increasing responsibilities amongst the nations of the world and incessant obligations to humanity at large we walk as a nation where we have not passed before . The first three months of this campaign had doubtless been calamitous and the disasters lamentable . We had