Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

We do not hold ottrselves responsible for the opinions 0 / our Cor . respondents . All Letters must hear the name and address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications .

OBSTRUCTION IN GRAND LODGE

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Onr very worshipful and esteemed brother the Grand Registrar , M . P . for Worcester , brought with him an experience gained in the Honse of Commons—of which , by-thebye , he proved himself an apt follower , by the perfunctory and deli , berate manner in which he presented the apppal from a brother of

New Zealand , the whole , or very nearly the whole of which case had , word for word , been before Grand Lodge a year ago . Onr able and astute Registrar opened his case at 9 30 , and he managed to spin the matter out for twenty-three minutes and a half . His action was then substantiated and approved by his reputed successor in office , who was stimulated without avail by the Grand Director of

Ceremonies , with watch in hand , to continne speaking . The summing-up of the M . W . G . M . in the chair completed the time , viz ., ten o'clock , after whioh no new matter can be introduced for consideration in Grand Lodge . Now , the Grand Registrar need not have given himself so much trouble , for the assembly having become smaller by degrees and beautifully less during his interesting discourse , I should

never have thought for one moment of going on with my motion ; but , with the permission of the chair , would have been content to defer it to the next meeting , and allow the annual motion of the Past Grand Treasnrer for the winter coab for the residents at the E . M . B . I . to take precedence . My motion , in order to make it clear to your readers , requires a

concise preface . Some two years or more ago , the then Board of General Purposes undertook , unknown to the Craft generally , a very important and much required work , that of revising the Book of Constitutions , many of the laws having from time to time been changed , while others had become obsolete . In fact , an entire re-arrangetnent of the work had become necessary , so that a

Worshipful Master might refer to the Constitutions with confidence when in doubt as to what course he onght to pursue . Between June and September of ' 82 the Craft were informed that they conld see copies of the revision at the Grand Secretary ' s office in London , or at the Provincial Grand Secretaries' offices in the Provinces ; this very limited and inconvenient opportunity did not suffice for the brethren ,

so , accordingly , when the Board of General Purposes asked Grand Lodge to accept the Eevision , in September , the members very naturally declined to do so , and it was then and there decided that copies of the intended alterations should be sent to every Lodge , and any individual member might purchase a copy or copies at a cost not exceeding 2 s each . Further , it was resolved , that amendments and

alterations should be sent to the Grand Secretary ' s office not later than 31 st of January 1883 , and that some time in February the M . W . G . M . should be advised to summon a Special G . L . to take the matter into consideration . The fruit of the error that the Revise Committee had committed in not consulting the Craft , and asking for suggestions and amendments while they were engaged on their

task , now displayed themselves , and the alterations which might have been considered during the first twelvemonths of the work now came in , to the number of some 800 or more . This precluded the calling of a Special Grand Lodge ; and when the Quarterly Communication took place in March , the matter was referred back to the Board of General Purposes , to report upon at the meeting in Jnne . Now ,

with the exception of my motion , there was not a word on the agenda paper of what progress , if any , had been made , and I have been informed that it was the intention to let the whole matter drop , lean hardly think that my informant could have been correct , or that the desire of Grand Lodge should be treated as a dead letter . At the same time , when I inqnired at the Grand Secretary ' s office if my

motion had b ? en acrepted ? I was told , "Yes;—for what it was worth ; " and , " Had I interest with the printers , as I wanted 800 amendments and alterations laid before Grand Lodge in September next ? " which latter date must of necessity be postponed until the Quarterly Communication in December . I consider the subject , i . e . the Rules and Regulations by which our ever-increasing

Order is to be governed , is of such importance that , in addition to the notice of motion now standing in my name ( with the date changed ) , I shall move , following the example set by the Committee for the Rebuilding of the Temple , "That as the defined Bulrs and Regulations under which our Order is to be governed is a matter of the gravest importance to our well-being , and owing to the great delay

that has hitherto taken place in bringing the matter to an issue , that a Committee should be formed , consisting of twelve members , six to be appointed by Grand Lodge , and six by the Board of General Purposes , to take in hand the reconsideration of the Revision of the Book of Constitutions , together with the suggested amendments and alterations , as soon as possible , and to lay the result thereof before

Grand Lodge in December;—for acceptance . " By these means both views of the case wilt be brought to bear ; the purple and the blue ; and the decision of the combined Committee should be final , ° nly requiring the confirmation of Grand-Lodge to become law . With regard to the word confirmation ; according to the ruling of the Pro G . M ., the word "verification , " or " that the minutes have

been correctly entered , " shonld certainly in some instances be substituted ; for there can be no doubt that the feeling of Grand Lodge ] s very strong in the desire to know what are , and what are not , the prerogatives of the Most Worshipful Grand Master . I am entirel y at issue with the Grand Registrar , that the Most Worshipful Grand Master can alter the law of precedence , or any other laws ,

Correspondence.

except with the consent of Grand Lodge . He has the power of appointing whom ho desires to the various offices ; he can give his consent to , or place his veto on , new laws ; but , per se , he cannot alter ; and any person who has studied his Royal Highness and his actions , in or out of Freemasonry , must feel convinced in his own mind that

the Grand Master is the last to suffer encroachments on his prerogative , or to infringe upon the privileges of others . The two or three cases of irregularity whioh the Grand Registrar brought for . ward , as having occurred in seventy years , only serve as exceptions to prove tho rale ; which not only the blue , but the purple , are called upon and are sworn to obey . Yours fraternally , C . J . PERCEVAL P . M . 1607 , AND V . P . OF THE TlIREE INSTITUTIONS . 8 Thurloe-placo , S . W ., 10 th June 1883 . * I . I .

ELECTION FOR COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . DEAR SIU AND BROTHER , —In yonr issue of the 2 nd inst , under the above bending , a brother signing himself " P . M . " attacks me on a question of my fitness to serve on tho Committee of the E . M . B . I ., and speaks disparagingly of my nominator . Permit mo to say that my nominator was the respected W . M . of

my mother Lodge—the Egyptian , No . 27—which is a Vioe . Patron of the Institution , a position that few Lodges have attained to . It was impossible for me to have a better qualified nominator . The Egyp . tian Lodge has been one of the stauuehest supporters of the Benevo . lent Institution , and " P . M ., " by insulting its Master , is not , in my opinion , farthering the interests of the Institution .

When " P . M . " ventured to recommend the Craft to oppose my election , he must have forgotten or been ignorant of the fact that in June last year I was at the head of the poll when Grand Lodge elected its members of the Board of General Purposes , and that I occupied the same proud position on the poll when in December there was an election in Grand Lodge of a Junior Vice President of

the Lodge of Benevolence . I trust I may be pardoned for referring to these matters , but I feel proud of the honour Grand Lodge thought fit to confer on me . Your correspondent " P . M . 's" appeal to the Craft to leave me " alone , " has been answered in a way that he little expected . As

regards his statement that when I bad the honour of being a member of the Committee 1 " rarely attended , " I beg to say he has been mis . informed . I attended rather too often to please some brethren , and had I been less anxious to discharge my duty as one of the Repre . sentatives of Grand Lodge on that Committee , you . would not have hearr ? from " P . IVf . " nnr finvn hefin f . rnnhlnrf wif . fi f . fiia nnmmnni . — ———

_ — — , . ~ ~ - „ .. , VVWWH — cation . Yours fraternally , CHARLES ATKINS ,

P . M . 27 and 1260 . Clapton , 12 th June 1883 .

THE LATE ELECTION OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE OF THE GIRLS' SCHOOL .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —There was a point in the Pro G . M . ' s speech you have , I am sorry to say , overlooked . I allude to his strong condemnation of the system of canvassing -for places by means of papers or cards . If Lord Carnarvon reprobated that course , what would he have said in reference to the scenes which occurred at the

Girls' House Committee Election , where candidates , after resorting to the pnfF advertising method so largely circulated among the Craft generally , awaited the arrival of voters , and persuaded those who were too indolent , or too innocent , to allow them { the candidates ) to fill up the papers for them . Talk about bribery and corruption , this leaves such practices quite in the shade . I do not know who most to condemn ,

those weak enough to hand over their privileges to others , or the can . didates who were shameless enough to take snoh advantage . At the next meeting , if convenient for me to attend , I shall certainly propose an entire change , nob only in the system of election , but that the polling shall take place under the supervision of Deacons specially appointed , and who shonld denounce any member attempting sneh an unfair act . I would add , in addition , that any candidate

so acting should be disqnalified for the place he is seeking to fill . What is the result of tho Girls' Election ? By set purpose an excellent , indefatigable , fearless Brother , who has worked diligently and nnceasiugly for over ten years , has been ousted ; while , doubtless an equally worthy Brother , but one who has not attended for the last two years , and whose residence and ocenpation preclude him from the possibility of attending , has been retained on the Committee . I am , Dear Sir and Brother , Yours fraternally , A V . P . or THE INSTITUTION .

Brother James Stevens P . M . P . Z . has been elected by the members of the United Pilgrims Lodge of Instruction as Installing Master on the occasion of rehearsal of the ceremony of installation of Worshipful Master , at the Surrey Masonic Hall , Camberwell , on Friday , the 22 nd instant .