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fiojjal cPas 0 Hit jnstiixttxon wx jtoj ^ WOOD GBEEN , LONDON , N . Grand Patron : HER MAJESTIC THE QUEEN . President : His R OYAII HIGHNESS THE PBINCE OP WALES , K . G ., M . W . G . M . E I G _ TT Y ^ s fx T H ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL , THE RIGHT HON . THE LORD MAYOR , B . W . Bro . ALDERMAN R . N . FOWLER , M . P , GRAND JUNIOR WARDEN , Who has kindly consented to preside , has Axed the ilate for TUESDAY , 24 th JUNE 1884 , AT The Crystal PaHace , S y denham . Dinner Tiokets—Ladies 15 s ; Gentlemen 21 s ; including admission to the Palace . The services of brethren as Stewards are earnestly solicited . FREDERICK BINCKES ( P . G . Std . ) Vice-Patron , Secretary . 0 mo _—6 Freemasons' Hall , Great Queen Street , W . C . 8 th May 1881 .

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MACKEY' 8 LEXICON OF FREEMASONRY . TLfESSRS . CHARLES GRIFFIN & Co ., Publishers of - ' ¦* - Maokey ' s "Lexicon of Freemasonry , " think it right to caution Freemasons and others against giving orders for this work to any persons representing themselves as their agents . Messrs . Griffin have given no authority to any person to colleot moneys for them for the above work . OHAELES GRIFFIN & COMPANY , 12 EXETER STREET , STRAND , LONDON .

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Mark Masonry.

MARK MASONRY .

— : o : — PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF WEST YORKSHIRE . T ^ HE half-yearly meeting of this body was held at Sheffield on the - * - 23 rd nit ., under the banner of the Britannia Lodge , No . 53 , when there was a very general muster from the Province . The Britannia was opened by the W . M . ( Bro . Unwin P . S . G . W . ) and his Officers at 4 . 15 p . m ., and at 4 . 30 the R . W . Prov . G . M . M . ( Bro . C . L . Mason ) accompanied by his Depnty ( Bro . the Rev . W . C . Lukis ) and

other Officers , entered the room , when the P . G . Lodge was duly opened and the usual salutations given . The R . W . Provincial Grand Master , in response to the salutation , then delivered the following able address to the brethren : —Brethren , —I thank you for your kind salutation and hearty reception to-day . Since we met in Leeds in October last , two events of great importance have occurred which will

lQ no mean degree affect the future interests of our Order . At the Meeting of Grand Mark Lodge in June last , the M . W . Grand Master announced that H . R . H . the Prince of Wales was about to join the " rder . Although some may have thought that snch a step as this Was a first indication of what some brethren have longed for , viz ., an amal gamation of our Order with the Grand Lodge of the Craft , yet ,

as our Most Worshipful Grand Master then pointed out , the Prince "' d not wish that his taking the degree should in any way be conatrued as a deBire on his part to see tbe Grand Mark Lodge amalgamated with the Grand Lodge of tbe Craft ; and , for my own part , fw ° ' 8 ee w ^ ^ snon ^ - I' "" Sht as we 'l aai"d > when the Prince oi Wales became Grand Master of the Order of the Temple , it was — - ~— - — < u *_ -vs v ^ ltVUlt l > -HaUU _ V * uuw «_ r-. «_ w _ _¦_ . V _ JW _ . (?_ - _ £ / , _> £ J . U l > aci

° PJ desire to see all Masonic Orders nnited under one head . Such a thing is not possible ; and clay by day , as the Mark Lodges increase i ? number and importance , a union becomes more and more unlikely . " U . H . the Prince of Wales was advanced to this honourable degree ° a the 30 th October last , and installed as a W . M . the same day . Un tho 4 th of December he was elected a M . W . P . G . M . M . ; and at a special meeting of Grand Mark Lodge , held on the 8 th of December ,

Mark Masonry.

was dnly invested . Some of our West Yorkshire brethren were pre . sent , and it . was one of the largest and most important meetings of Grand Mark Lodge ever hfild . Apart from any selfish motives , I think the accession of H . R . H . the Prince of Wales to the high office he now holds will be beneficial to the Order . Prom this let me turn yonr thoughts to what I consider a very great loss to our

Order—I mean the death of H . R . H . the Duke of Albany . He was the first of the Royal Princes who was advanced to our degree , and 1 think I may say , without fear of contradiction , that it was to his apprecia . tion of our Order that we have now his Royal Brother as one of our number . H . R . H . waa advanced in the University Lodge , No . 55 , on the 25 th November 1875 ; was elected to , but had not filled , the office

of W . M . ; and in 1881 was elected and invested as a M . W . P . G . M . M . ; and it was with great pleasure that I , with other members of thia Provincial Grand Lodge , on the 5 th December 1882 , attended Grand Mark Lodge , and took part in the presentation of that wedding gift subscribed for by Mark Masons all over the habitable globe . The same evening he consecrated the Grand Mark Master ' s Lodge .

I believe he took a great interest in Freemasonry , and had bislifebeen spared he would have raised the prestige of the Craft still higher ; but upon this we must not dwell ; may we say , with all reverence and respect , Requiescat in pace , " till the day dawn and the shadows flee away . " I shall ask you shortly to pass a vote of condolence to Her Majesty the Qaeen and also one to the widowed Duchess .

A few words about our Order . Is it of ancient origin or only a modern institution ? Closely conneoted with it i 3 that of Masons ' Marks . We are told by those who have a right to speak that , prior to the Union of the two Grand Lodges in 1813 , the Mark Degree waa regularly worked in many Lodges , but at the Union it was rigidly excluded . Tho Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland governs the Mark

Degree m that country , and it was reported in 1865 , by a committee appointed to investigate the subject , "In this coantry , from time immemorial , and long before the institution of tbe Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1 * 736 , what is now known as the Mark Masters' Degree was wrought by the operative Lodges of St . John ' s Masonry . " Whether any ceremony was used in the conferring of the Dpgre ' e is not known

at present ; but we may fairly hope thit , as time progresses , and old minute books are more carefully studied , some definite information may be obtained . In Scotland and Ireland it is a necessary prelude to the Royal Aroh . Let us , however , bear in mind that formerly only two Degrees were given in an ordinary Lodge—the Entered Apprentice and the Fellow Craft—the Third Degree being conferred in Grand

Lodge only ; but more about this at some future meeting , This fact is patent to all—that Masons' Marks have been found on buildings of the greatest antiquity , aud that the marks found on the stones used in building the Temple of Jerusalem have proved the correctness of the Bible statement that Phoenician artizans were employed , and " That Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew the stones . "

The study of Masons' Marks is one that may well commend itself to our notice , and I hope , ere long , we may be favoured with a paper specially on the subject . The present Grand Mark Lodge waa formed in June 1856 and comprises several Lodges which have worked the Degree for about a century . Its growth , at first slow , has of late rapidly increased , and

there are now between 300 and 400 Lodges working under the' English Constitution . At the same time , I am sorry to say there has not been very great increase in our own Province , but rather , may I say , a backward tendency . We have on our roll in West Yorkshire nominally eight Lodges . Two working under warrants of confirmation ( Time Immemorial ) , viz . —

14 Prince Edward , Eastwood , warrant of confirmation dated 28 th May 1862 . T . I . Old York , Bradford , warrant of confirmation dated 8 th November 1873 . Ancl six other Lodges , viz .,

53 Britannia , Sheffield , warrant dated 21 st Jauuary 1861 : 58 Fearnley , Halifax „ 13 th October 1865 . 110 Integrity , Wakefield „ 11 th March 1870 . 111 Copley , Leeds „ 20 th June 1870 . 127 Portal , Dewsbury „ 25 th January 1871 . 137 Truth , Huddersfield „ 9 th Augast 1871 . So that dnring the last thirty years we have had no increase in the number of Lodges .

No . Name . Members . P . M . ' s & Officers . 14 Prince Edward , Eastwood 22 22 53 Britannia , Sheffield 94 14 58 Fearnley , Halifax 37 20 110 Integrity , Wakefield ( no return ) 111 Copley , Leeds 45 15 127 Portal , Dewsbury ( no return ) 137 Truth , Hnddersfield 23 14 T . I . Old York , Bradford 59 16

Now , although nominally we have eight Lodges on tho roll , practically we have only six Lodges ; ancl from the balance-sheet attached to the summons convening tbis meeting , we find two of these had no additions last year to their number . Brethren , why tliis apathy ? Is the De"ree worth nothing ? Has it no symbolical teaching ? I know there is in Freemasonry , like everything else , a time of ebbing and one of

flowing . Trade is bad , and it is said Masonry is a luxury , and the higher degrees greater luxuries , so that we must deny ourselves , and wait for brighter and more prosperous days . There are others who ignore the Degree altogether ; but these I will dismiss without a word . Masonry is a science , ancl the several Degrees are successive steps : " She does not unfold her mysteries to all who seek her shrine . " It

bath been said of our Degree , " It assists in strengthening the social affections , it teaches ns the duty we owe to our Brethren in particular , and the whole family of mankind in general , by ascribing praise to the meritorious and dispensing rewards to tbe diligent and industrious . " May I ask , and ask not in vain , for the kind co-operation of the Brethren in resuscitating tho dormant Lodges in this Province , either . y re-kindling new life into their dying energies , or by the transfer