Lodges Of Instruction On Board Ship.

LODGES OF INSTRUCTION ON BOARD SHIP .

IN our last issue we inserted a brief notice of a Masonic meeting held at sea , on board the Trojan , on her voyage from Southampton to the Cape , at which it was resolved that a Past Master , then present , shonld , on his return to England , " apply to Grand Lodge to ascertain

under what regulations travelling Masons may he permitted to hold Lodges of Instruction on board vessels at sea . " At first glance we fail to see the actual use of an established Lodge of Instruction on board ship ; but if it is deemed desirable , we cannot imagine any difficulty in securing it ,

provided the captain , or some of the chief officers , were themselves Masons , and would undertake to see the meetings properly conducted . Assuming then , that the captain of the vessel is a Mason , he could , on application to his Lodge , secure the necessary permission required by Article

1 , page 88 , of the Book of Constitutions , or he might even apply for " the special licence and authority of the Grand Master , " a course which would perhaps , until a precedent was established , be the best , and one which we think would prove successful . Having obtained the necessary authority ,

the great difficulty would then present itself—that of properly testing applicants for admission—and this , we think , would be a grave responsibility to impose on any brother . It is not likely that an actual Lodge of Instrnction would be allowed unless someone did take this responsibility , and we therefore think the matter at once resolves itself into

a virtual impossibility . At present it is possible for a number of Masons to hold a private meeting among themselves for tbe purpose of Masonic intercourse , and then one and all take upon themselves the responsibility of testing their fellows , and they can exclude any one they like , but if

once a Lodge of Instruction was in existence a sort of right of attendance would be created , and no one could be excluded who pertinaciously set to work to gain admittance , without an amount of ill' feeling being engendered among the passengers which we question if any captain

would care to run the risk of . Even if a permit was in existence , the brethren conld not do more than they can without one , except perhaps that they would then be obliged to keep a minute book , a perusal of which would afford amusement to future meetings , but this could be got

over by starting such a book , and handing it to the captain , who would no doubt be pleased to hand it over from time to time to the Masonic section of his passengers . Further , he would soon acquire such experience as would enable him to decide the possibility of having a

regularly authorised Lodge of Instruction on board . One other advantage which an established Lodge would possess would be the facility it would offer as a means of raising subscriptions for onr Charities , but even this could bo as successfully carried out by a

number of private meetings as it could be by a series of regular ones , provided a record of each journey ' s assemblies was kept . The amounts could be handed over to the captain , to be paid into the Institutions in the name of the vessel from which they emanated , and in time wo think

a goodly array would be the result . On the whole we believe regularly established Lodges of Instruction ° n board ship would be found impracticable , while ^ G fail to see any' advantage that would accrue from them beyond those now enjoyed by private meetings .

Lodges Of Instruction On Board Ship.

Another question which would affect travelling Lodges of Instruction , as indeed it does every Lodge of Instruction to a certain extent , would be tho variations in working . These variations would become more apparent , in an assembly of some twenty brethren , who may have been

brought up in twenty different parts of the country , accustomed to , perhaps , twenty different renderings of our ritual ; and although in many instances the differences might be very slight , they would yet be sufficient ,

especially if two or three " letter perfect brethren were among those assembled , to form food for discussion and argument during a lengthy voyage . Who , then , should decide as to the form of working to bo adopted in the « Ship Lodge . "

The Value Of Our Boys' School Votes.

THE VALUE OF OUR BOYS' SCHOOL VOTES .

IN" view of the great difficulty which is now experienced in securing admission for a child to one or other of our Institutions , the more particularly as regards the Boys ' School , we think some consideration given to this subject desirable . It seems pretty certain that at the election on Monday next nothing short of 2 , 500 votes will be safe for

a boy ' s case , and we even question if that number can be relied , upon as devoid of risk . What , we ask , is the monetary value of these 2 , 500 votes ? Judged by the price charged by the Institution—one guinea for two votes—they represent - £ 1 , 312 10 s , and this in face of the fact that

admission may be purchased for a boy for one hundred and seventy guineas ( £ 178 10 s ) . To judge of this value from a Life Governor ' s point of view , we ought to be in possession of calculations as to the average life of a Governor , but for our purpose we think that twenty-one years will be a

fair term , although we are pretty sure the average is much below that . On the basis therefore of twenty-one years ' enjoyment of the privilege of Life Governorship , we find the 2 , 500 votes represent a cash amount of £ 312 10 s ; that is to say , a subscriber of ten guineas , receiving four votes per

year for twenty-one years , would get m all eighty-four votes , which would give an average cost of two shillings and sixpence each . We shall perhaps better illustrate the Life Governor ' s case by pointing out that if thirty-four brethren combined , they could , by their donations , secure

the immediate admission of TIVO lads into our Boys ' School , while it would be eighteen years and a half before they could accumulate sufficient votes to carry the election of ONE , even supposing they all lived that timea very unlikely event ; and an election then could be carried

with the same number as now—another very unlikel y event . It is , we think , evident from these figures that there is something wrong ; either the price of purchased admission is too low , or the votes are not of the value they should be ; both of which subjects should be matters of importance to all connected with our Schools .

The Committee of the Portsmouth " Masonio at Home" commenced their winter session on Wednesday last , and from the considerable snpport hitherto accorded to the class , intending subscribers shonld communicate with the Secretaries before the list is closed , as the number is necessarily strictly limitel , to ensure the comfort ot the n : embers .