Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

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

PEOVINCIAL CHAEITT ORGANISATION . To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —The time may come when brethren will contribute of their means to our three Institutions , without troubling themselves as to whether they have given to them an equivalent in the shape of votes , and when the election of candidates will be con . ducted , without the paraphernalia and expense of the ballot , by some

kind of a Committee of brethren elected from among the donors and subscribers . Bnt till that happens some Charity Organisation is in . dispensable iu every Province and it is impossible that such organi . sation can ever be sucoesf ul unless the support of all voters in such Pro . vinoe is freely and unhesitatingly given . If everybody is to be left , or elects , to vote as he chooses , anything like organised association

becomes impossible , and the whole thing is neither more nor less than a farce . It may seem harsh to say thafc a man shall have no voice in tbe exercise of his privileges as a donor or subscriber , bufc this is jnsfc one of those cases in which individual wishes sink into insigni . ficance in view of the common weal . Once a Province has adopted a candidate it should receive the support of all the brethren who have

votes . Having regard to the very probable eventuality of its sooner or later having a candidate of its own , the votes of the Province should be so manipulated that whenever a candidate present him . self there will be a reasonable chance of carrying his election . It is only by these means that even a large Province can ever hope to secure a return for the support accorded by its members to the Charities . I know there are many brethren who think the present

system of electing by ballot is a mistake ; but at all events there is the system in full force , and until some other is substituted for it we cannot do better than follow the plan which experience has shown to be the best calculated to promote the object in view , namely , for a Province to secure the success of its adopted candidate . I trust I shall read in your paper on Saturday that Essex has organised its Charity Association somewhat on the lines you have indicated in your latest article on this subject . Fraternally yours , London , 8 th August 1881 . L . H . Minns .

Lodge Of Benevolence.

LODGE OF BENEVOLENCE .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Your article should have the desired effect of drawing public attention to the present anomalous system of administering relief to the brethren who have the misfortune to fall into difficulties and are adjudged worthy of help by the Lodge of Benevolence . No blame , of course , can possibly attach to that body ,

whioh discharges its important functions not only iu accordance with the spirit as well as the letter of the Constitutions , but likewise , as you very justly remark , " with admirable firmness , delicacy , and judgment . " Ifc is the law itself which is at fault , the fault being traceable to the exercise of thafc most praiseworthy of Masouic virtues , Caution ! But Caution , as we see in this instance , may be carried to

excess . The Lodge of Benevolence , in the exercise of its discretion , recommends a grant of , I will suppose , £ 200 , but the Constitutions say £ 190 of that sum shall under no circumstances be paid till close on four , or it may be six , months have elapsed . Will any one have the hardihood to say this delay is necessary ? The case has been thoroughly sifted by the Lodge of Benevolence , which is

in fact , as regards the disposal of the Charity Fund , the Executive Committee of Grand Lodge . Having been sifted and a certain sum , which is considered to be adequate in the circum . stances , recommended , the case is then brought under the notice of Grand Lodge which approves of the recommendation . One would think thafc after these necessary precautions had been taken , the

money would be paid over , as ifc is in those cases in which £ 50 is •warded . But the Constitutions say , No . There must be a further delay of three months so thafc Grand Lodge may have sufficient time to make up its mind whether or not it will confirm its solemn approval of its Executive ' s recommendation . It will be said this delay ia necessary because the Lodge of Benevolence and even Grand

Lodge itself is liable to make mistakes . But this holds good equally of grants of £ 50 , and consequently , in order to he strictly logical , there should be the same delay in passing the smaller as tbe larger amounts . The argument seems to be this : the more urgent is the case of distress , the greater is the sum which the Lodge of Benevolence is likely to recommend , and as the greater the vote

recommended , the greater the delay in paying it , it follows that the greater and more distressing a brother ' s circumstances , the longer he has to wait for the relief he has been adjudged worthy to receive . I will not be at the trouble of asking if this is charitable , but I will venture to ask the impartial reader if this is logical . I think there is hardly one among us who has not at some time or

other in the course of his experience met with some one who has told him—and told him truly—that , could he but have commanded a given sum on some particular occasion , he might have done himself a very considerable service . Lacking the means , however , he lost bis opportunity . I need hardly say opportunities are not as plentiful as blackberries , and they do not crop up with the same commendable regu .

Lodge Of Benevolence.

larity . Ou the contrary , it is commonly recognised that an opportunity once lost never returns , and ifc does nofc need a Solomon to explain the meaning of the saying . Well , I will suppose a poor brother whom the Lodge of Benevolence has adjudged worthy of being assisted to the extent of £ 200 has the opportunity of making with ifc , or with the greater part of it , a fairly profitable investment .

whioh will give him the chance of recovering somewhat the position he has lost . The recommendation of the Lodge of Benevolence has been approved in open Grand Lodge . But two months more mast elapse before he can receive the £ 200 , or , rather all bufc £ 10 of it . Yefc the investment must be made at once or not afc all . The £ 203 is in nubibus . Outside the circle of his family and friends , who may not

be in a position to help him , thero is no one , unless it were , perhaps , an adventurous usurer , who would accept tbe amount of tbe vote as security for a loan , and the usurer would probably charge some 100 or 200 per cent , for the accommodation . Thus , owing to the delay imposed by Grand Lodge , the opportunity of making the profitable investment is lost , and ifc may be years before another such chance

presents itself . I feel certain that , though I have presented this as an imaginary case , many such must occur in the course of a single year . But be this as it may , there is no doubt the delay in paying the larger grants mnst be the cause of muoh seriius inconvenience , to use the mildest term , to many a worthy Mason against whom the utmost that

can be urged is that he has been unsuccessful or hns had his prospects blighted through the fault of others . Let every possible precaution be taken against imposition , but once it has been determined to help a brother in distress , let tho help be given with the least possible delay . There are , of course , cases in which a payment ou account should be made , as suggested by your correspondent of last week , " S . E . V ., "

but better still I think it would be if nothing more were required than the approval of Grand Lod ^ e , without waiting for the subsequent confirmation of that approval , for all grants of £ 50 and upwards . At all events , it is high time some amendment were made in the Constitutions in the direction indicated by you and your correspondents , and I hope Bro . Perceval will carry bis point at the meeting of Grand Lodge next month . Yours faithfully and fraternally , 0 . A . E .

Lodge Work.

LODGE WORK .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I agree with you that something might be done to make oar Lodges , and especially our Lodges of Instruction more attractive . As regards the latter , there is little doubt the monotony of the work thafc is done , and the very low standard of ability

To the Editor of the FRREMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Bros . Otto Klotz and Esuriens being , I presume , men in search of more light than they already possess , are very natnr illy anxious to find it within the precincts of oar Lolges . I am greatly afraid they will be disappointed . I have been a member of a Lodge for a good many years , and I have been likewise a frequent

visitor at other Lodges , as well as for a short time a tolerably regular attendant at Lodges of Instruction . But I must honestly confess that , in the course of ray experience , I have heard nothing outside tbe three degrees , with their respective ceremonies and lectures , varied , of course , on occasion , by a consecration and installation . The usual routine , as we all know , is : —Lolge opened ; minutes read and

confirmed ; balloting , initiations , passings , raisings—all or any ; other business , if any—mostly none ; notices of motion ; Lodge closed ; dinner or supper . This is the order of the day , and has been , for aught I know to the contrary , for as long as Speculative Masonry has been in existence . And this absolute state of stagnation has been allowed to prevail all thesi years , and may—and will probably—be

permitted to prevail for as many years more in a science which we are solemnly told is a " progressive science . " Much as I object to the French i-ystem of Freemasonry , now that they have altered their Constitutions , and excluded from them the doctrine of belief in T . G . A . O . T . U ., I must say that , as regards the work done in their Lodges , our Gallic brethren manage these things

far better than we do . I have before me Le Monde Macmnique for July , and turning to the "Chronicle" for that month , I find that , among the work done during the previous three months in the Lodges of Paris and neighbourhood , the following papers were read , namely : —In Lodge Les Amis de la Patrie , " Parliamentary Liberties in Europe , " by Bro . Demombynes , and " The Antiquity of Man , " by Bro .

Rizat ; " History of the Republic daring tbe last ten Years , " by Bro . J . Reisiach , iu Lodge La Bonne Foi ; in Lodge La Lnmiere , paper by Bro . Corra , " On the best means of diminishing Mortality amongst Newborn Infants ; " in Lodge La Rose du Pnrfait Silence , " Reflections on the Extinction of Pauperism , " by Bro . Rocher ; in

Lodge ^ eles Philanthropes , " Adult Education . I am far from saying these are subjects that would find much favour iu onr Lodges . A brother who has lunched early , and is eagerly looking forward to the banquet , is far more likely to trouble himself about the modernity of the turkey , goose , or fowls that may be placed on table than the " antiquity of man , " while the other

exhibited by a large majority of the Preceptors , are together sufficient to account for the absence of the better educated brethren . Let there be really capable instructors—men who can do something more than repeat a ritual and ceremonies they on ' y profess to understand—and I think you will have no difficulty in filling the Lodges . Sincerely and fraternally , ARTHUR .