Correspondence.

the price of a bed and breakfast , just as the true London beggar will curse the passer by if the latter gives a loaf of bread instead of the price of a quartern of gin . Moral : Extreme caution iu bestowing alms must be avoided quite as much as extreme laxity . Fraternally yours , LONDONER .

PROVINCE OF DEVON AND THE E . M . I . B .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —It may be some consolation to Brother Godtsohalk if I , who Tead your late analytical article quite independently of all considerations save of those interest in what I was reading , and impartially as between one Province and another , assure him that , in what you said respecting Devon , I understood you to write

in the sense yon have since explained . I had no idea you were doing anything else than endeavour to account for the Province -which , with its fifty Lodges , ranks in respect of numerical strength next after the two Lancashires and West Yorkshire ,, contributed what , seemingly , was so small a sum . I have noted these articles of yours with especial interest ever since they were begun , and I have remarked with

satisfaction , not only how generally accurate they have been , but how careful yon have been to offer what seemed to yon to be a reasonable explanation for any apparent shortcomings on the part of this or that Province . If a Province has been absent from the subscription list to a Boys' Festival , you have accounted for that absence on the ground that it had figured at the preceding Girls' or

Bene-Benevolent Festival . If its contribution is only a small one , yon point out , where possible , that more could not have been expected , as it had already given liberally the year previous , or that , instead of giving one fairly large amount to a single Institution , it had preferred distributing its favours impartially among the three . When , therefore , I read your remarks about Devon in the present instance , I saw at

once as I have already explained , that by the sentence— " But here again we have a local Charity , -which diverts to its own use some of the moneys raised by the Craft iu the county "—you intended nothing else than that , as it had a local Charity of its own , it could not in reason be expected to give as liberally to our central Charities as doubtless it would otherwise be desirous of doing . I recognised that

the local fund which , I believe is an educational one , was doing good service , by relieving the Schools of a certain proportion of the pressure upon their resources , and under such circumstances , I felt with you that it would be unjust to expect its contribution should have been as large as if there had been no such Devon Fund or Institution . We all know how hard Bro . Godtsohalk works for his Province , and

none know better than he and Bro . Curteis bow great are the difficulties which brethren circumstanced as they are , must encounter in " raising the wind . " I trust , therefore , after the full explanation you appended to his letter in your last week ' s issue , that he will see clearly , at all events not less clearly than your humble servant and brother , and independent reader , that nothing was further from your

mind—if I may take the liberty of attempting to interpret it—than to suggest that , in what you said , you had any idea that the Provincial funds were diverted from the central Charities to the local . I ask you to find space in your columns for this letter , simply because I imagine the independent testimony of one who is not a Devon Craftsman will go some way towards strengthening your explanation , shonld any doubt still linger in the mind of Bro . Godschalk .

I remain , Dear Sir and Brother , Faithfully and fraternally yours , OUTSIDER ,

OUR GIRLS' SCHOOL AND ITS RULES .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . To amend Rule 50 as follows ¦ . — " No girl shall be eligible for election , or for admission by purchase or otherwise who has a sister in the Institution , unless the number of vacancies is in excess of the number of candidates . " 8 Thurloe-place S . W . 8 th July 1882 .

DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —At the Quarterly Court held this day , at Freemason ' s Hall , the above motion was brought forward by Bro . Tattershall , and carried by twelve to nine . The question wa * s well argued on both sides , but as far as I could jndge , the pith of the discussion was , —What is the proper definition of the word qualification in contradistinction to the word eligibility ? On referring to the

rules laid down for our guidance , we find that some of them are slightly contradictory the one of the other ; for instance , Knle 5 ( 5 says : "No Petition shall be received on behalf of any Girl wlo has a sister in the Institution unless the number of vacancies is iu excess of the number of candidates , " while Rule No . 63 says : " Any person may place a properly qualified Girl in the Institution , provided such

Girl can be conveniently admitted , upon payment of 170 guineas in one sum , without voting in respect of any part thereof . " Now , what I deduce irons this last rule is , —that if tbe Girl can be conveniently admitted , and is properly qualified , there is nothing to prevent herafter payment of the above sum—being placed on the roll , whether she has a sister there or not . Now , we will imagine that the neen ? -

sary qualifications are duly complied with , viz ., that tho father is , or was , a Mason of seven years' standing , or had suffered death from fire or shipwreck , or had become incapacitated from earning his livelihood from blindness or other infirmity , " that he was duly registered , and had paid his quarterages , " " that he was lawfully married to tbe mother of the candidate , " " that the certificate of his death or incapa .

Correspondence.

city were in proper form , " " that a certified copy of the register of birth of candidate , or other proof thereof , was produced , " and " that the cer . tificate of her health was satisfactory , " then the child is eligible for admission , whother she have a sister or not . On the other hand , according to " Enle 5 B" no girl , whose admittance depends upon the number of votes she obtains , and whose support is received from the

funds of the Institution , is eligible ( though in other respects dul y qualified ) if she has already a sister in the School on the same terms . My contention is , that when a petition is presented for the admission of a candidate ( in all respects dnly qualified ) , at thecost of extraneous friends , that she is a fit aud proper child to be admitted , whether shohas a sister or not , always provided that she can bo

conveniently admitted , that is , there is room for her in the Institution . One argument brought forward was , that where one girl had been brought forward in the usual way , and another by purchase , it might have been done in the former case ; but a little thought will prove the fallacy of that , for who has not heard of favourites in a famil y , or one child having a more fairy godmother , or wealthy godfather

than the other ? I am still further of opinion that no two sisters should be on the funds of tbe Institution at one time , for though at one election there may be a vacancy , yet at the next there may be , and generally are , more candidates than vacancies , and the two sisters may be in tho School for three or four years , to the exclusion of other single candidates ; but where the funds come from other sources ,

I can see no objection . After all , the rules at present admit sisters if there are vacancies , and candidates by purchase if they can be conveniently accommodated . So that yon may have perfect qualification without eligibility , but not eligibility without the necessary qualification . This may be a subtle distinction , but there is a difference . For instance , it might so happen that the funds

of the Institution did not admit the filling up the vacanoies . Is , then , the girl to be disqualified where friends supply the funds because she has a sister in the School ? I trow not . Again , it was brought forward that a petition in a purchase case was not necessary , but I opine that a petition is as necessary in the one case as the other , in order that proof of the necessary qualifications under

any circumstances may be duly ascertained . According to my reading , I am of opinion that no sisters should be supported aud educated out of the funds of the Institution for the same period , or any part thereof , but that there can be no objection to two or more , provided that only one is dependent on' the general Fund , and the other or others from private sources . Yours fraternally , P . M . 1607 .

CONSECRATION OF THE WALDECK LODGE .

THE principal Masonic event of the week has been undoubtedly the Consecration of the new German Lodge , which took place at Freemasons' Hall , on Monday evening . Although there are so many Germans resident in England , and particularly in London , where there is a strong German element in the mercantile and trading community , there has , down to the present time , been only one Lodge essentially German in its character . That one Lodge , however , is German to the backbone , for in it the ceremonies and the whole of the transactions are carried on in the German

language . The Lodge is called the Pilgrim , but one Lodge is insufficient to satisfy the Masonic requirements of the German portion of our metropolitan population ; and a petition was presented to the Prince of Wales , as Grand Master of English Freemasons , to grant a warrant for a new London Lodge specially devoted to the promotion of Freemasonry amongst Germans resident in London . In

drawing up their petition a happy thought appears to have struck the gentlemen interested in the matter , and they seem to have won the sympathy of the Duke of Albany , Provincial Grand Master for Oxfordshire , by a compliment they paid to his bride , by asking permission to name the new Lodge the Waldeck Lodge , and to adopt as the insignia of the Lodge the arms of the house of Waldeck . The

Grand Master , although he has of late years very wisely hesitated to grant warrants for additional new Lodges in London , and has for tho most part only granted such warrants when the Lodges sought to be established have been of really representative character , was graciously pleased , under the circumstances of the case , to grant the requisite warrant , and the Duke of Albany consented to become one

of its honorary members , aud formally , through his Secretary , gave his sanction to the adoption by the Lodge as its insignia of the arms of the House of Waldeck . On Monday evening the new Lodge was consecrated , and the founders left nothing undone to secure for it an honourable position amongst London Lodges . Behind tho Master ' s chair was displayed a very handsome banner bearing the Waldeck

arms , which were also displayed upon the Master ' s collar . The ceremony of consecration was performed by Colonel Shadwell H . Clerke Grand Secretary of England , and it may with confidence be asserted that that solemn ceremonial was never conducted in a more impressive manner . The Grand Secretary was assisted by Bros . Dr . E . E . Wendt , D . C . L ., Grand Secretary for German

Correspondence as S . W ., John Messent Grand Sword Bearer as J . W ., H . G . Buss Assistant Grand Secretary as Inner Guard , the Eev . Thomas Cochrane , M . A ., as Chap ain , and Frank Eichardson Past Grand Deacon as Director of Ceremonies . There was also a very largo number of Grand Officers and Provincial and District Grand Officers present , to witness the ceremony aud grace the occasion-Urn . . Tnlins Onitman , a Past Master of La Tolerance Lodgo , is the

( ir 3 t Master of the Waldeck . Bros . H . L . Wolters and Gustav Pant Wehlen , both of whom are Past Masters of other Lodges , occup ied the principal chairs . Dnring the course of the ceremony the Rev-Thomas Cochrano delivered an admirable oration npon the princip les and objects of Freemasonry , which was listened to with profonnc attention . The musical arrangements were entrusted to Bro . Fred-H . Cozens , who was assisted by Bros . Lawler , Carter , aud Aahton <