Universality Of Freemasonry.

UNIVERSALITY OF FREEMASONRY .

TpHE Constitutions of the English Craft enjoin •*¦ the Master and Wardens of a Lodge to visit other Lodges as often as they conveniently can , in order that the same usages and customs may be observed throughout the Craft , and a good

understanding cultivated among Freemasons . No reference is here made to visiting on the part of the minor Officers , or ordinary Brethren , but we cannot imagine

the omission is intended as an intimation that they are not to make a feature of so doing ; on the contrary , it may be assumed that our legislators desired that they also should make themselves conversant with the

practices of the Craft , and likewise cultivate the good understanding which should exist among its members . In addition to the actual benefits set down in the Book of Constitutions , one of the greatest pleasures to

be derived from a frequent practice of the injunction to visit other Lodges , is to be found in the knowledge thereby gained of what is going on in far off quarters of the Masonic world , and of hearing from Brethren ,

who have themselves experienced them in remote corners of the earth , how general are the workings of the Craft , and how widely the Fraternal assistance and advantage of our Brotherhood extends .

Without attaching too much importance to the tall narrations of some world-wide travellers , who tell us of lives being spared in the heat of battle , by the sign of distress being given and recognised , even at the

point of the bayonet or at the mouth of the cannon ; or how in an opportune moment the grip of a Mason saved an unhappy victim from being scalped , or something worse ; there is sufficient of an authentic and

reliable character to convince the most sceptical that there is a strong hidden power in Masonry , which has proved of material benefit to its votaries on occasions of special emergency , not only in habitable parts of

the universe , but in out of the way places , little , if anything , removed from barbarism . But beyond all this there is the oft repeated testimony that Freemasonry is a potent factor for good , and a strong help

to its members , in the every day pursuits of their life , apart from that thrill and excitement of danger or emergency which is generally considered necessary in order to lend colour to a picture , or clothe an event

with sufficient importance to render it worthy of being chronicled . In other words , that Freemasonry is a power to be reckoned with among ordinary people and pn ordinary occasions , equally with those favoured

individuals and the special events that have been recorded among the sensational happenings of the past . It is seldom a better tribute to the advantages of freemasonry has been presented , without any of the

colouring of sensationalism , than was referred to in a recent issue of our paper , when we reprinted a portion of a letter addressed to the " Stockport Advertiser , " by a traveller in the Klondyke gold region . It tells

Universality Of Freemasonry.

us of an impromptu Lodge meeting being arranged among the strangers sojourning at Lake Bennett , when no less than one hundred and twenty Brethren were present , presided over by an English Mason , a native

of Nantwich , Cheshire . We have all heard of Lodges of India and other distant parts wherein have assembled Christians and Jews , Mohamedans and Parsees , with others whose religion or caste would ordinarily keep

them aloof from each other , yet who can all unite under the banner of Freemasonry ; but we doubt if even such a gathering could boast so strange a mixture of character as must have answered the gavel of the

Worshipful Master when Masons were first called to order in this newly patronised region of North America —in the one case it may be said that civilisation is

established , in the other there is little or nothing to mark the educating spirit of the age . But who shall say what amount of ultimate good will spring from this out of the way gathering ?

On many occasions we have been present at Lodge meetings and have heard visitors speak of the work as it is performed in distant parts of the worldthere are differences , they have said , in style , in form ,

and in ceremony , but the spirit of Freemasonry is the same everywhere , the only difference generally being that the more out of the way the locality the greater the enthusiasm of the Brethren , and the stronger their desire to help each other in true Masonic style .

We remember on one special occasion listening to quite a number of "foreign" visitors , Brethren who had indeed come from the four quarters of the Universe . One told the company his experiences of the Craft

on the far-off frontier ^ of our Indian empire ; another recorded his experiences at his own Lodge in a remote corner of Canada , where it was no novelty to welcome Brethren who had ridden twenty or thirty miles merely

to attend the meeting , and greet their friends once again under the banner of Freemasonry ; a third recounted his personal experiences at the Cape and far up the country •while to complete the quartet we had a Brother who had travelled through the Australian

colonies and had there had many occasions of testing the truth of the Masonic tie . These and many others who have the opportunity of judging will agree with us that Freemasonry is universal throughout the world ,

while its members are always to be found ready and willing to render any assistance within their power . Long may such a state of affairs continue , and long may it be ere the work of the Craft is checked or its universality lessened .

The Lord Mayor of London , Bro . H . D . Davies P . M . 2396 , who will be accompanied by his daughter , Miss Davies , is about to pay a short visit to the United States , and leaves for New York in the " Teutonic , " on the I 7 st inst . This will be the first instance of a Chief Magistrate of the City visiting America during his Mayoralty . The Lady Mayoress and other members of his family are staying at Tenby .