Consecration.

CONSECRATION .

— : o : — BALIOL CHAPTER .

rjpHE consecration of this Chapter , No . 1230 , will take place JL at the Masonic Hall , Barnard Castle , on Friday , the 17 th inst ., at four o ' clock . The ceremony of consecration will be conducted by the Grand Superintendent Sir Hedworth Williamson , Bart .

The Founders of the new Chapter are : —Comps . Richard Luck , M . A ., P . Z . P . P . G . J . Z ., W . C . Barron H ., B . S . Beckwith J ., J . W . B . Heslop E ., J . R . Thompson N ., J . Atkinson P . S .. E . D . Walrond 1 st A . S ., J . M . Moore Treasurer , T . Dunn P . Z . P . G . D . C . D . C ., and G . C . Lee .

It is stated that the Duke of Connaught and Lord Wolseley are expected to be present at the consecration of the National Artillery Lodge on Wednesday next , at the Criterion .

The members of the Royal York Lodge , No . 315 , held their annual ball at the Royal Pavilion , Brighton , on Thursday , 2 nd inst ., the company numbering between 200 and 300 .

An enjoyable ball , under the auspices of the local Lodge of Instruction , No . 441 , was held at the Masonic Hall , Cambridge , on New Year ' s Day .

The third annual ball under the auspices of the Etruscan Lodge of Freemasons , No . 546 , was held in the Town Hall , Longton , on Thursday , 2 nd inst ., a large and distinguished company , numbering upwards of a hundred , being present .

The annual ball of the Pelham Pillar Lodge , No . 792 , is always a popular assembly , and the one which took place at the Town Hall , Hull , on the 7 th inst ., was no exception to the rule , under the control of Bro . Charles Maddison Worshipful Master .

The forty-seventh West Lancashire Masonic Educational Institution festival and ball is fixed to take place on the night of Tuesday next , the 14 th inst . The Brethren will appear in full

Masonic clothing , with the jewels and insignia of their rank and office in the Craft , and the event is likely to be a very brilliant one . It is patronised by , among others , Lord and Lady Derby , Lord and Lady Lathom , Lady Alice Stanley , Lady Hamilton , & c .

The Lessons Of Masonry.

THE LESSONS OF MASONRY .

WE teach morality , we teach temperance , and charity is the foundation-stone of all our work . Yet too often we neglect and forget all this when leaving the Lodge Room . When it shall be known and acceded that for a man to be a Mason is equivalent to his being an honest , upright man and a true gentleman , then it will be that our beloved Order will take her

proper place in the world of thought , and in the world of everyday life , and all the efforts of our enemies to injure our good name or blight our good influence will fall as dead and fruitless as a " cannonade of rosebuds against

the rock of Gibraltar . " And to accomplish this should be the effort of every Brother . By their fruits you shall know them , and by our works and by our conduct shall we be judged . — " New York Tribune . "

MASONIC DRAMATIC SOCIETY . IN accordance with long-established custom , the members of the Masonic Amateur Dramatic Society have , during the holidays , organised a New Year ' s Hydro , party , the destination this year being the Harrogate Hydro . Thither a large party journeyed on Saturday , 28 th ult ., and the visit , which terminated on the 2 nd inst ., proved an unqualified success . Greeted with extreme cordiality by the Hydro , officials and visitors , the party immediately made themselves at home in . the handsome , well-managed establishment .

Dancing took place each evening , excepting Sunday , and New Year ' s night was observed in the novel and enjoyable manner peculiar to the Masonic party . As is customary on these occasions , dramatic representations formed a leading feature of the programme . A sacred concert and an interesting lecture on " A Trip to Madeira , " illustrated by lantern slides , and given by Bro . David Flather , were much appreciated . The general arrangements were in the hands of Bro . C . F . Lawton . — " Sheffield Telegraph . "

FUENITQRE wanted ( second-hand ) for Eoyal Arch Chapter . —Address , " Furniture , " care of " Freemason ' s Chronicle , " New Barnet .

Masonry In And Out Of The Lodge.

MASONRY IN AND OUT OF THE LODGE .

THAT Masonry consists of something more than the forms and ceremonies of its ritual every member should know , and that its adherents have practical duties resting upon them every Mason does know .

That these duties are faithfully performed we often have good , substantial proof , though , in the reticient spirit of the institution , we seldom refer to them . Let those who visit our Lodges and see the silent charity speak ; we need no open avowal of our good deeds ; we desire no public acknowledgment

of whatever good we do—the silent , thankful glance of the widow , the grateful look of the orphan , and the hearty pressure of the hand of a Brother in distress relieved should be reward enough for every good Mason . And let every good Mason earn all these ; it is not sufficient to visit your Lodge or learn the ritual ; learn

the moral lessons which are taught in the ceremonies ; learn them by heart , and then take them home with you to your family . Take them to your counting-house , to your shop , to your stores ; practise them in your every-day life , keep not your Masonry locked up in the secret vaults or behind closely tiled

Lodge Rooms ; air it , show it to your neighbours , to your employer , to your family ; do not fear its exposure—show the world that you are a Mason , and that you practise what you preach—that you practise true , every-day Masonry , Do not be

afraid to let the world know that you are a Mason , not by hanging out the signs by way of emblems or charms and ring , but by your conduct , by your dealings in your every-day affairs . That is true Masonry , and will redound to your credit and to the glory of the great Brotherhood . — " New York Tribune . "

Masonic Symbolism.

MASONIC SYMBOLISM .

The light of the Craft and its uses in the ceremony .

HOW beautiful is this mysterious symbol that leads the novice , wandering in darkness , to recognise that his first need , his first trust , is a merciful , a loving , a helping God . He is right , because his heart spoke its need , and he is rightly told that bis faith is well founded . Therefore ,

when the darkness disappears , when his eyes salute the light , he beholds no further mystery ; he merely beholds that which his heart has already conceived . This point , Brethren , must always remain the most significant phrase of Speculative Masonry . No matter how much philosophy may be crowded in the upper degrees , the great central thought of Masonry is

illustrated in the initiatory degree , when the candidate , by the force of circumstances , and in the stres-s of his necessity , promptly verifies the experience of mankind , that the fundamental principle of society is God , and likewise our own experience that Masonry is so far interwoven with religion as to teach us the rational worship of Deity . Amplify this thought , my

Brethren , whenever opportunity presents itself . In that central truth lies the germ of our whole system of moral and Masonic philosophy . God means government , order , harmony ; God means life , death , and immortality . Teach your young Brethren that the foundations of civil society lie in God . Teach them that order without God is chaos , peace without Him anarchy .

Teach them , and you will indeed teach them truly , that we , who without these sacred precincts are divided into sects , castes and classes , are here on the level even as the humble apprentices in the north-east before the Master , recognising the generous influence that cpmeth from the East , as a bridegroom cometh forth from his chamber , rejoicing even like the war-steed to

fly on his course . We recognise as the fundamental principle of Speculative Masonry the great need of man , God , the all-Father , the Supreme Architect , the all-wise Disposer of life and death . We have felt the need of this guide . We never saw him , for we are not privileged to penetrate the mystery of all mysteries . But like the Entered Apprentice at the moment of his need , our

hearts have found Him , and such is the divine revelation that comes to all men . When we were tempest tossed ; when the whirlwind passed over us when the storm-clouds fought in the heavens ; when the sails of our frail ship were torn into shreds ; when we floated like the driftwood on the sea of life , helpless , powerless , spiritless , then we found the Grand Master of the

heavens and the earth . When darkness surrounded us ; when our feet trembled ; when hands , felt , not seen , led us on uncertain ways ; when we imagined an abyss where we found refuge ; when we knelt on thorns and cried out in pain—then , my Brethren , we found the Architect who inspired

the widow ' s son to draw his moral designs on the trestle-board of religion and philosophy . Then , like Moses and the workmen of King Solomon , we brooked no priestly supererogation , no sacerdotal ceremonialism ; we pierced the mysteries with our spirit , and we saw the Presence between the wings of angels overshadowing the covenant 1— " Voorsanger , " in " New York Tribune . "

That very successful publication of Messrs . Cassell and Company , entitled " Work , " an illustrated journal for mechanics , begins a new volume on the 18 th inst . Another of the celebrated supplements in which mechanics testify to the benefits derived from this publication , will be issued free of charge in the first number of the new volume .