Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

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

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOB , BOYS AND ITS SECRETARY .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Yonr contemporary ha 3 given admis . sion , without oditorial note or comment , ' to a letter signed " E . V . GREATMAcn , " the statements in which are so outrageous that I oannot refrain from reply . Conceding , for the sake of

argument , the disclaimer of " malignity , " on the part of " some of us , at least , " what is to be said of that which really appoara to be a wilfnl disregard of veracity ? If statements are put forth as authentic — if figures are quoted as accurate — and vouohed for as such by the signature of tho writer , whon the absolute reverse

is the case , and when information con Id be readily ascertained by inquiry , what conclusion is naturally arrived at ? Utterly ignoring the primary lessons of Freemasonry , it would seem that the mot d'ordre ia vilify and traduce , without measure and withont stint , —ancl so create a justification for pertinaciously running to earth a Brother who

is not chargeable with any offence , but whose long official career has met with continuous approval , —until an opinion is suddenly arrived at that he has been too energetic ia the discharge of his duties , nnd that although his efforts have been uninterruptedly successful there are faults of an administrative nature , for which he must be

made a scapegoat and be relegated to tho uncovenanted mercies of a relentless , vindictive minority . And now for the figures , which havo the imprimatur of "E . V . GiiEATBACn ; " butprefatorily let mo notico the unfairness displayed in assuming tho salary of the Secretary as £ 700 per annum from the commencement of his duties , iul 861 , when

the remuneration was £ 150 per aunum on an income of about £ 2 , 500 . This amount was increased from time to time , but it was not nntil the lapse of some years that the present amount of £ 700 was reached . The income has been increased from £ 2 , 500 to an average of £ 14 , 000 ,

while in the period from 1861 to 1883 the sum of nearly £ 90 , 000 has been raised for the purchase of land and erection of School Buildings , with the funded property improved from £ 11 , 000 to £ 17 , 000 . Tho " £ 700 por annum " is supplemented by

1 . — " Average Annual Donation from Festival Stewards' Lists £ 125 . " This ia tho most intolerable , as it ia the most untenable , attempt to mislead that has been perpetrated throughout this misorablo

controversy . Tho " surplus from the Stewards' Festival Fund for 22 years , 18 (! 8-18 S 9 , has been £ 2 , 156 ; of this I have been the grateful recipient of an average of not quite £ 50 per annum , instead of £ 125 .

2 . —" Secretary to Grand Mark Lodge" £ 250 Of this , from the time of its first payment until June 1889 , I havo voluntarily surrendered , for remuneration of Clerk , or Assistant Grand Secretary , £ 125 per annum , so that deducting this sum £ 125

, an 1 tho Average Stewards' Surplus £ 125 - £ 50 , £ 75 = £ 200 , from £ 1 . 075 , leave 3 £ 875 , a difference perhaps scarcely worth consideration by ono whoso mission would seem to have been to detect inaccuracies in others .

With a necessitated annual expenditure of not ICES than £ 100 , entirely in association with official position ; legal expenses , and unfortunate investments , the " hope" indulged in by your correspondent as not " unreasonable , " must bo abandoned , and tho

truth confossed that " Bro . Binckes has ' not' been happy enough to bo able to mako liberal provision for himself "—ay , despite the obstacles stated , ho might perhaps have done had tho figures under review correctly represented the condition of affairs .

Faithfully and fraternally yours , FREDERICK BINCKES . London , 13 th November 1889 .

Reiteration.

REITERATION .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —King Charles ' s Head once more ; this timo tho ghastly and repulsive subject takes tho form of "The Inquiry Commission . " I am a dinor out , and spend a fair proportion rf my evenings in Masonic Lodge ? , and having nothing particular to

do , am at all times ready for a run out if there is anything Masonic on tho way . I look back with trepidation when I remember what a surfeit we had at prominent gatherings when our W . M . ' s never tired of alluding to the " memorable occasion , & c , & c , when our Most Worshipful the Grand Master was installed at the Albert Hall . " In

due conrse , however , this special 'head for a discourse becamo the signal for interruption , and the theme was changed . We havo since had several phases of the apparition , but ridicule has been tho most potent factor to place the troublesome spirit in a safe and socred repository . Now , Sir , my object in writing to yon is to

suggest wo have had enough of the Itiquiry Commission , and , as it is a recognised fact that the discussion of questions wherever there exists any likelihood of a difference of opinion cropping up—such for instance as politics or religion—should bo tabooed , I think we might

extend our limit to the subject I now have under consideration . Bro . Philbrick , when he presented the Report , said it had been drafted " without foar , favour , or affection " ; whether it was ever intended to make the Report a bone of contention or not , I leave others to

Reiteration.

decide . We do not all agree with its contents , and consequently many of ns object to its introduction at our Masonic festivities At a recent meeting Brother Philbrick is reported a 3 having said " They ( tho Inquiry Commission ) might , it was quite true , have endeavoured to do that which painters do when thoy leave their

work—put on a coat of varnish—and ho could assure them it wou'd have been much more congenial to that Committee if they could have said that which would have done as well , and felt they could do it and look their brethien in the face . " Our learned

brother will pardon me if I venture to suggest that a painter who desires to presorvo his work , and hopes to make it a beauty and a thing for ever does not spare the varnish , and I am weakenough to imagine that in this case the administration of a fair coat would not have been detrimental . Yours faithfully , SANDOW .

Obituary.

Obituary .

BRO . JOHN ECCLES , 1991 . THE funeral of Bro . John Eccles , Treasuror of tho Agricola Lodgo , No . 1991 , took place at York , on tho 31 st ult ., when the brethren paid a last tribute of respect to his memory . At one o ' clock the brethren and visitors assembled at the Masonic Hall , Oastle-gate , York , where tho Worshipful

Master , Bro . John H . Taylor , opened a Lodgo of Sorrow , and thence proceeded , with the brethren , to the church of St . Maurice , Monkgate , whero the first portion of the Burial Service of tho Established Church was conducted by tho

Vicar , tho Rov . P . G . Sandford , and the Curate , the Rev . H . E . Booty . The funeral cortege thence wended its way to the Cemetery , svhero the iutermeut took place in the presence of a large representative body of tho Craft and of

friends and neighbours of tho deceased . After tho concluding prayers had been said by Mr . Sandford , tho brethren filed past the grave , into which they dropped sprigs of acacia , in accordance with the Masonic rite

After tho funeral the brethren retnrned to their meeting , place , whero the Lodge was resumed , and a voto of condolence with the widow and family of the departed brother was passed , on the proposition of tho Worshipful Master

seconded by tho Immediate Past Master , and supported by the Senior Deacon . At the Lodge of Sorrow those present wero the W . M ., Bro . John H . Taylor , presiding , the officers supporting him being Bros . White I . P . M .,

J . E . Wilkinson S . W ., W . Harper Wigham S . D ., George Manton J . D ., Thomas Laverack Sec , D . Young I . G ., E . Osborne T ., W . Johnson Std . The members present included Bros . W . H . Beckwick , Thomas Bouttell , Joseph

Booth , Charles Garrood , brands Buckton , Robert A . Young , John Riley , Thomas Moyser , C . H . S . Brooke , J . Wilson , Paul Pearson , A . Sollitt , and John SutclifTe ; and the visitors Bros . J . A . McGee , St . Georges 190 S . C .,

Walter J . Cramp 437 , and A . Bellerby 1611 . Several othei Masons were present at the church and cemetery .

Bro. W. S. Scanes.

BRO . W . S . SCANES .

WE regret to note the decease of Bro . W . S . Scanes , in his G 2 nd year , an old member of the Merchant Navy Lodge , No . 781 . Since his 14 th year he has been connected ( from apprenticeship to the leading position under Mr . Amor ) with the Limekiln Dry Dock , transferred

within the last few year 3 from Messrs . Spence , Tebbutt , and Amor to tho Dry Docks Corporation of London . His course of lifo has been uniformly conducted on truly Masonic principles , and he dies lamented by a large circle of friends . His funeral took place on Saturday the 2 nd inst ., at the Bow Cemetery .

Bro . James Stevens P . M . P . Z . will deliver his popular lecture on " The Ritual and Ceremonial of tho Symbolic Degrees in Freemasonry , " in tho Camden Lodge of Instruction , No . 704 , held at tho Lord Northbrook Hotel , close to Lee Railway Station on the South Eastern Railway , Lee , S . E ., on Thursday , the 21 st instant . Ledge will be opened at 7 p . m . sharp . Master Masons only can be present .

Ad00405

mo THE DEAF . —A Person cured of Deafness and noises in tho 1 JL head of 23 years' standing by a simple remedy , will send a description of ! it FBBB to any Person who pp'ies o NICHODSOJ TJ 21 Becl . crf rqcare , W . O .