Church Service.

more take the question of " self . " Take the angel's question" Whence coinesfc thou , and whither wilt thou go ? " And God Incarnate answers—¦ " I came forth from the Father , and am come into the world ; again I leave the world and go unto the Father . In mv Father ' s house are many mansions ; I go to

prepare a place for you . " Ah ! how it comes to us , this voice of God , breathing peace over troubled minds . " In my Father ' s house are many mansions . " "The life is the light of men . " There is no human experience ; there are no human personal questionings ; there are no human aspirations that the life of

Jesus does not satisfy . In its light human life ceases to be pitiful and paltry , for it becomes eternal and progressive . " Whither shall I go ? " And Christ speaks to me of a Father ' s

house here and hereafter ; and the world is God-loved and Goddirected ; and even in fche darkest hour we can realise that the great world ' s altar stair , though it be in the darkness , yet it slopes through darkness up to God .

My Brothers in the Masonic Order , we , too , recognise the existence of the mysteries about which we have thought to-day . Above fche world we recognise the great Architect of the Universe , whose wisdom has contrived , whose strength supports , and whose beauty adorns His works . As Masons we recognise , too ,

the mystery of existence . We see around us pain and suffering and sin , but we believe that these are but the concomitants of * ' this little while ; " that Heaven , in spite of these , is joined to earth , and faith and hope and charity , these three are steps on a celestial stairway . And we believe that in the realisation of our

human Brotherhood and in the bearing of one another ' s burdens we become likest God , until we pass from the Lodge below into that Grand Lodge above where the world ' s great Architect lives and rules for evermore . My Brothers and my Christian Brethren , I pray God that vou and I may so live our lives , so do

our work as under the eye of the great Master Builder and amid the darkness which enshrouds the future may so keep our eyes fixed upon the bright and morning star that in the great hereafter we may be united in the eternal world , where in the

realised presence of our Father , amid the glory of that Temple whose polished ashlars are fche souls of men , the mysteries of life shall be made plain , and sorrow and orphanhood shall be no more ; neither shall be any more pain where God himself is moon and sun . — " Northern Whig . "

"A Sprig Of Acacia."

"A SPRIG OF ACACIA . "

IT is with deep personal regret ; thafc we have to announce the decease of Bro . George Badcliffe Cobham , who passed away peacefully , but with painful suddenness , on the 8 th inst ., at his residence , Edwin Street , Gravesend . Bro . Cobham vvas born at Camberwell in 1837 , and was therefore in his 59 th year . He

was initiated into Freemasonry at Chatham , in the Eoyal Kent Lodge of Antiquity , No . 20 , which is the most ancient Lodge in the Province , and became a P . M . in 1890 . He was also a P . M . ( 1888 ) and Secretary of the Lodge of St . John , No . 1343 , a Past Grand Superintendent of Works of the Province of Essex ,

P . Z . of Eoyal Arch Chapter of Antiquity , Grand Standard Bearer of the Province of Kent , one of the founders , P . M . and Sec . of the Gordon Mark Lodge , No . 364 , Gravesend , Grand Senior Overseer of the Province of Kent , a member and Past Preceptor of the Lullingstone Priory of the United Eeligious and Military

Order of the Temple , Past Grand Chamberlain of Kent , Past Sovereign and Sec . of the Pentangle Conclave , No . 147 , of the Masonic and Military Orders of the Knights of Eome and Eed Cross of Constantine , Eecorder of the Divisional Grand Conclave of Kent , Grand Histographer of the Grand Conclave of England ,

and member and office bearer of the Saye and Sele Sanctuary and Commandery , No . 22 , of the Patriarchal Order of Knights of St . John . For the past two years he acted as assistant editor of the " Freemasons ' Manual and Official Directory for Kent , " which position he recently resigned through ill-health . The

funeral took place last Monday , when , in spite of the inclement weather , a large number of Brethren and personal friends attended to show their respect . The body was first taken to Christ Church , Gravesend , which was built by his father , and of which he was a member , and acted as a sidesman for many years , being also a member of the choir . Several beautiful wreaths were

sent , notaoly that from Gordon Mark Lodge in shape of a Keystone , and that from the St . John ' s Lodge . The service was conducted by the Vicar , the Eev . F . A . Marsh , and the coffin was subsequently deposited in the family grave in the cemetery , where his wife and a daughter already lay . Among those present

were the following Brethren : E . J . Beamish Prov . G . S . B ., J . A . Whitfield W . M . 77 , C . West wood W . M . 1343 , Eev . F . Haslock Prov . G . C . Essex , F . Hitchens P . M ., G . Masters , W . H . Archer . A . C . Eayner , W . Swaffer , E . B . Wilks , J . Hyde , Fred Mitchell ,

and others whose names we could not gather . Mr . George M . Arnold , late Mayor of Gravesend and chairman of the Technical School , and several gentlemen representing the various societies to which he belonged , were also present .

Here And There.

HERE AND THERE .

IN reply to " Strebo " we are pleased to receive from Bro . W . J . Hughan an article written by him on " The Blue Blanket , " and which appeared in the " Freemason" for 30 th January 1886 . Bro . Hughan says : " You may like to reprint it . Since then my friend , Brother G . W . Bain , of Sunderland , has added to his grand Masonic Library the real 2 nd edition of 1756 , through that of 1780 is so entitled . "

THE BLUE BLANKET . A CUEIOUS ancl interesting work vvas published in 1722 , the author being Alexander Pennecuik , Burgess and Guild-Brother of Edinburgh , the title being " An Historical Account of the Blue Blanket ; or Crafts-Men ' s Banner . Containing the Fundamental Principles of the Good-Town , with the Powers and Prerogatives of the Crafts of Edinburgh , & c , " Psalm lx ., 4 , and Gen . iv ., 22 , being quoted on the same page .

In the series of " Sketches of notable Masonic works" I wrote in the defunct " Freemason ' s Magazine , " will be found one on this wee book , 15 th August 1868 . A second edition of it was issued in 1780 , " enlarged and adorned with the fourteen

Incorporations' Arms , " and another edition was published in 1826 , as a supplement to the " Municipal Constitution of the City of Edinburgh , " to which I alluded in an article recently in the " Freemason , " under the heading of the " Free Crafts of Edinburgh . "

Who Pennecuik was is not known , save thafc he wrote a small collection of poems— " Streams from Helicon , " in 1720 , and another volume in 1726 , " Flowers from Parnassus . "

Whatever may have been his skill as a poefc and author generally , he does not appear to have been " worldly wise , " according to Claudero ' s ( Wilson ' s ) Miscellanies , " in his " Farewell to the Muses and Auld Eeekie " :

" To shew the fate of Pennycuik , Who starving died in turnpike neuk ; Though sweet he sang , with wit and sense , He , like poor Claud , vvas short of pence . " As with the early Masonic historians , the author begins with

Adam , and gradually comes down to more modern times . He dates the origin of the " Blue Blanket , " or Craftsmen ' s Banner , as far back as A . D . 1200 , so that "it is older than any of the Orders of Knighthood , save that of St . Andrew , or the Thistle , " which may , or may not be . The " Blue Blanket , " it

seems , was so named because of its colour , and has been for many years highly valued by the various Incorporated Trades of Edinburgh . King James III . " was the first that gave it the Civil sanction , " and from that period it was known as " The Standard of the Crafts within Burgh , " bearing the

Inscription"Fear God , and honour the King , With a long Life , and prosperous Reign , And we the Trades shall ever pray . " The interest Masonically centres in the account by Pennecuik of fche Crafts , many of the particulars afforded being both curious

and valuable . The Arms of the Fourteen Incorporations are given in a series of six plates , viz ., those of the Surgeons , Goldsmiths , Hammermen , Wrights and Masons , Skinners , Furriers , Tailors , Baxters , Fleshers , Cordiners , Websters , Waulkers , and Bonnet Makers . The Arms of the Surgeons are certainly

suggestive of instruments , which make " the flesh creep , " indicative of surgical operations ; those of the Hammermen ( closely identified with the Masons in the olden time ) having a hammer in the centre of a shield surmounted by a coronet . The " Wrights and Masons , " though on separate shields , are placed

in juxtaposition , those of the former having a Square and Compasses interlaced , and the Masons being the ordinary operative Arms , which have been incorporated in those of our Grand Lodge , since its origin early last century , and are still a prominent feature thereof .

The " Hammer-Men" included the following Trades : — Blacksmiths , Cutlers , Saddlers , Lock-smiths , Loriners , Armourers , Peutherers , and Shear-Smifchs . " The Seal of Cause for the Hammer-Men , " 12 th April 1496 , and a ratification of date 16 th September 1681 , are worth a

careful study . The former provides that " Na Parsonis of the Hammyrman Craft sett up Buth fco wyrk within the said Burgh quhill he be made an Freeman thairof , and be examinit be thrie of the best Mastars of the said Craft , gif he be sufficient and wyrkand good ancl sovir wark , fyne stuff , and habill to serve our

Soverane Lord and his Leiges , and then to be admifctit to sec up Buth , he pay aud therefor to the said Uphold of Divyne Service to be clone at St . Elio ' s Altar , ancl Eeparacioune of the Ornaments thairof , Fourtey Shillings . " Though all the copies preserved of

the old Masouic Charges formerly used in Scotland are clearly of English origin , the foregoing of 1496 indicates that portions of the texts of those old Eolls were in use years prior to their formal adoption from South Britain , and not confined to the Masonic trade . The " Buth" [ Booth ] of the Hammermen