Craft : Metropolitan.

CRAFT : METROPOLITAN .

RAHERE LODGE , No . 2546 . THE installation meeting was held in the Great Hall of St . Bartholo-•mew ' s Hospital , on the 9 th ult ., when 110 members and visitors were present . Bro . Alfred Cooper P . G . D . was installed as the second W . M . by Brother Clement Godson P . G . D . W . M .

In the course of the evening Messrs . Balfour Neill , M . D ., H . W . Lance , E . . W . Willett , M . B ., H . W . Newton , M . R . C . S ., and W . H . Cross were admitted into Freemasonry . A Past Master's jewel was presented to Bro . Godson , in token of his services to the Lodge during the past year . The Brethren , subsequently adjourned to a banquet at the Frascati Restaurant , Oxford Street .

NORTHERN BAR LODGE , No . 1610 . ON Wednesday , 24 th ult ., the Worshipful Master ( Mr . Justice Bruce ) and the members of the Northern Bar Lodge entertained the members of the Chancery Bar Lodge at a banquet in the Middle Temple Hall , when about 120 members of the Craft were present . Mr . Justice Bruce occupied the chair , and was supported by Lord Herschell , Mr . Justice Kennedy , and many other distinguished members .

Nearly all the members of the Chancery Bar Lodge were present , among them being Mr . Pemberton Leach ( Worshipful Master ) , Mr . Horton Smith , Q . C ., Mr . Cutler , Q . C ., Mr . Swinfen Eady , Q . C ., Mr . A . Birrell , Q . C ., M . P ., Mr . Bramwell Davis , Q . C ., Mr . Warrington , Q . C ., Mr . P . 0 . Lawrence , Q . C .,

the Rev . Dr . Cooper Smith , Mr . G . Borthwick , and Mr . W . D . Rawlins . A few guests apart from the Chancery Bar Lodge were also invited , among them being Lord Methuen , the Right Hon . W . L . Jackson , M . P ., Mr . Bucknill , Q . C ., M . P ., Judge Philbrick , Q . C ., Mr . Hopwood , Q . C ., and Mr . E . Letchworth Grand Secretary . — " Daily Mail . "

ST . AMBROSE LODGE , No . 1891 . THE regular meeting was held at the St . James ' s Hall , Piccadilly , on Thursday , 9 th inst . Bro . Tavener acted as W . M ., with Bro . Sandland S . W ., H . Price J . W ., Wynman S . D ., Buxton J . D ., Whitcher I . G ., Hoggins Preceptor , and several other Brethren . The ceremony of initiation , was rehearsed , Bro . Hoggins candidate . A distressed Brother was relieved , and Bro . Sandland elected to the chair for the next meeting . The work was well rehearsed by the acting Master .

INSTEUCTION

HYDE PARK LODGE , No . 1425 . AT Bro . Stevens ' s , Prince of Wales Hotel , Eastbourne Terrace , Bishop ' s Road , on Monday , Bro . C . Riemann W . M ., H . Harris S . W ., G . D . Mogford W . M . 2362 J . W ., H . Crookes S . D ., A . S . Fowles J . D ., W . Smith I . G ., H . Dehane P . M . Sec , W . J . Ferguson P . M . Preceptor , A . Clark P . M ., J . H . R . Kelly , G . E . Harris , H . J . Stickland P . M . 177 S . C ., Johns 1402 , J . Wynman .

Bro . Riemann opened the Lodge , and at his request Bro . Stickland P . M . took the chair and rehearsed the ceremony of opening the Lodge in the Scotch manner , which proved very interesting to the Brethren . Afterwards Bro . G . D . Mogford W . M . 2362 assumed the chair and opened

in the second degree , subsequently rehearsing the ceremony of installation , with Bro . C . Riemann as candidate . The different addresses were given and the ceremony completed in such a way as to entitle Bro . Mogford to commendation . The Preceptor worked the second section of the first lecture , assisted by the Brethren .

On the proposition of Bro . Mogford the thanks of the Lodge were voted to Bro . Stickland P . M ., for his illustration of Scotch working . Bro . Harris was elected W . M . for next meeting .

EOYAL AECH

HORNSEY CHAPTER OF IMPROVEMENT , No . 890 ON Friday , 3 rd inst ., at the Prince of Wales Hotel , Eastbourne Terrace , Bishop ' s Road , Comp . J . C . Tilt Z ., W . Hillier H ., J . Burley J ., H . Dehane S . E ., J . Cruttenden S . N ., W . J . Ferguson P . S ., R . T . Godfrey , J . Wynman , and others . The Chapter was declared open , and the ceremony of exaltation was rehearsed , Comp . Godfrey candidate , the work being well carried through . A vote of thanks was passed to Comp . Ferguson , for his admirable rendering of the duties of P . S ., which compliment was duly acknowledged .

OUTING OF KENTISH LODGES . THE annual outing in connection with the Gundulph and Brownrigg Lodges took place on Wednesday , 1 st inst . The members and friends of both Lodges went by train to Gravesend , crossed to Tilbury and embarked on two different steamers for Clacton . The members and friends of the Rochester ( Gundulph ) Lodge , numbering about seventy , went by the steamer Koh-i-noor , and the Brompton party , to the number of forty , went by the London Belle . Dinner and tea where provided on board .

THE FRASCATI maintains its high position as one of the chief restaurants of the metropolis , and its patrons continue to evince satisfaction at the good things and the splendid accommodation provided for them . Not the least important factor in the general success of the establishment is the care with which Mr . A . Renders superintends the whole of the business , while he is ably supported by Bro . Ernest Kalla , the Manager .

Craft : Metropolitan.

The work of Freemasonry should be performed with dignity of manner , clear , crisp and distinct speech , so that the candidate may apprehend , comprehend , and become imbued -with the principles of Freemasonry . Masonry has just cause to be proud of its antiquity , proud of its ancient origin , dating back into the dim and misty past . We have just reason to be proud of our

many chanties and of our vast numerical strength , as well as of our standing in every community , but more than that , above all this , we have reason to be proud of the eternal truths ' , taught in our Craft , of the tenets and teachings of our great fraternity . Masonry at all times carried the torch of liberty and of thought ; carried always the light of love and universal tolerance to all

mankind . It ever held aloft its sweet signal of Brotherly love , and at all times taught the great truth of a fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man . At no time did Masonry ever lend its pure and sacred hand to wrong , to oppression , or to persecution , but quietly in silence and secrecy performs its great mission of charity and brotherly love .

Quietly and in silence it aids the widow and the orphan , succours the poor , and stands by the weak , shields and defends those who suffer in mind or body , and it is at all times ready to battle for the right . It is thus that the great Masonic fraternityhas just cause to be proud as the advance guard of liberal thought , as the pioneer of our civilisation , as the teacher of the

immutable truths that have been isolated in former ages , but through its agencies , and through the workers in our vineyards , has popularised them and brought them and kept them before the people . It is to this we can point as the great achievement of our great fraternity . It is in this we find our greatest pride as members of the Craft— " Minstrel . "

Scraps For Spare Moments.

SCRAPS FOR SPARE MOMENTS .

OUR W . M . is not content with being considered the representative of King Solomon . He has read more of the Bible since his election to the chair than he ever did during his life before , and naturally he may well claim , as he does , to know everything about " the wisest of men . " He is not without natural wit either , and as he likes being asked a question however trivial in connection with his pet study , all sorts are concocted to puzzle him , so far unsuccessfully . The other night , after a desperate conspiracy between

the S . W . and J . D ., the former , apparently satisfied this time that he had a puzzler—" a regular bobby-dazzler" as he described it with a mischievous wink to me—went up to the W . M . on leaving the Lodge Room , and said aloud , " W . Sir , it has occurred to me to-night that in one respect you are very unlike King Solomon . " "In what way ?"

Well , can your tell me if what I have been told is correct—that he never laughed ( which is unlike you ) , and if so , why ? " Certainly , Bro . S . W . " he answered promptly , with a grin of conscious satisfaction . "I do not say , mind you , that King Solomon never laughed , but if he could not there would in his case be nothing very remarkable about that . If you had 700 wives and a few hundred mothers-in law would you feel in a particularly good humour and a laughing mood at any time ? " There was a roar of laughter around them .

Both the S . W . and J . D . had forgotten something which was at the other end of the room , and I think we shall have no more historical queries of that kind for a month or two .

I do not vouch for the truth of the following story because I have never been in a Lodge where ladies could be seen . But it looks plausible enough ; and a particularly energetic lady of my acquaintance , who told it to me , may be , for anything I know , a Lady-Mason . The story goes that last week . it was an installation night . There were visitors , both ladies and gentlemen , and Mrs . Solomon was duly invested and chaired with great eclat . But at that point the ceremony abruptly ended , and the meeting broke up owing to

a singular circumstance and extraordinary scene that followed . It seems that the keeper of the rooms has a boy of 8 or 9 , who keeps white mice clandestinely , both his father and mother having forbidden him doing so . By way of airing his latter day wisdom and having his own way , he merely carried his mice and box into the Lodge room , when he was believed to have drowned the lot , box and all , in the kitchen pail according to promise . Well , the unearthly din the lady Masons made seems to have first struck terror into

the white mice , which were no doubt sleeping soundly enough over the canopy , just above Queen Solomon ' s ostrich feather , but of course they imagined , poor innocent mites , that the world was at an end . Immediately the storm had ceased , and the following calm had steadied their nerves , the little brutes carried out their fiendish revenge . Deliberately ignoring the royal presence , they began , one on each side , to descend the curtains tied back behind her majesty . One had got half way down , when the lady in the chair of office

directly opposite was seen to be standing horror-struck and speechless , with her finger pointing at the intruder , just then having a rest . Of course the other ladies looked , regarding the affair as a " mene mene tekel Belshazzar- " ous warning of some sort , but being all new-women they laughed at such superstitions . In the meantime another mouse on the other curtain , being perhaps more fond of daily gymnastics than the other , and consequently not requiring a rest , ran down to the bottom without stopping . Then there rang

out such a pandemonium of shrieks and screaming that it is impossible to describe . There was a simultaneous rush for the door , and Queen Solomon had such a crushing in her hurry to get out , and moreover had falleu full length over somebody or something in the middle of the room , that it is expected the next regular Lodge meeting will be put off by dispensation of the Grand Mysterious ( the latter word I may have caught wrongly , it is just possible that " Misthress" was meant , for my informant

had always a little of the brogue ) , until the W . Mistress recovers from the terrible effects of her shock . In the meantime I am certain all Free and Accepted Masons will join in my sympathy for her . If I accentuated my personal concorn by forthwith sending her a notorious mouser with a most terrifying caterwaul of his own , as my neighbours will testify , I freely forgive his return " with thanks , " which says much , for my forbearance under disappointed hopes . But selfishness never does go unrewarded in this world . GENIAL JAMIE ,