Australian Freemasonry.

AUSTRALIAN FREEMASONRY .

ALTHOUGH the Brethren of Australia had not the privilege of welcoming the heir to the throne among them as a Member of the Masonic Order , it is but natural that the

Craft should have found special opportunities for the display of its loyalty during the recent visit of their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York to the colonies : while as

is so very often the case , we find many of the leaders of the Craft were among those who took a prominent part in the festivities and welcome accorded by the antipodean members of the Empire to their distinguished guests .

We have read much of the unity of . the Jimpire , and we appreciate the many pledges that have been made during the most interesting tour of our future King and Queen , but above them all we seem to specially appreciate the

utterances of our Brother Masons of Victoria and New South Wales , as referred to more fully elsewhere in this issue . Loyalty has been everywhere shown by the people of the Australian Commonwealth , and 'Brotherhood .- ¦ has been

claimed by many of the speakers , so that we have the leading characteristics of Freemasonry to the frorit as daily occurences , but above them all we think we can trace a keener appreciation of those principles ,- and an even closer

attachment in what the Masons of Australia have been able to offer in the way of welcome to the son and daughter of their beloved King—the Patron of the Order in the States of the Commonwealth and the former Grand Master of many

of its Masonic members . We think we may safely say that the wish of the Brethren of the Mother country is . that the motto " Advance , Australia" may be fully exemplified in the future , under the new conditions so auspiciously started in the antipodes .

Hampshire And Isle Of Wight.

HAMPSHIRE AND ISLE OF WIGHT .

¦ ALDbRbHOl has been honoured again , after the lapse of many years , by the holding in the town of the annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge , which took place on Tuesday , 6 th inst , in the Church of England

Soldiers' Institute , Victoria Road . A gloom was cast over the proceedings by the tragic death of the Provincial Grand Master the Right Hon . VV . W . B . Beach , who was to have presided , the ueputy Provincial Grand Master Bro . E . Goble

P . G . S . B . Eng . being called on to officiate , supported by Bro . J . E . LeFeuvre P . D . P . G . M ., Commander Giles , R . N ., Prov . G . Sec , Bro . Gieve Prov . G . Treas ., and Bro . G . F . Lancaster Prov . Assist . G . Sec . There was a good attendance .

During the proceedings touching reference was made by the Deputy Prov . G . Master to the loss sustained by the Craft in' the death of their highly esteemed and beloved Provincial Grand Master , and a vote of sympathy was passed to Mrs . Beach in her affliction . Bro . J . LeFeuvre , who had

been associated for thirty years with their Prov . Grand Master , also expressed feelingly the grief of all Masons at the loSS 0 f their esteemed Brother . The vote was carried in silence , the whole of the Brethren rising , the Organist playing the Dead March in " Saul" meanwhile . The business of the Lodge was proceeded with .

Hampshire And Isle Of Wight.

Lord Brooke , son of the Earl of Warwick Deputy G . M . of England and Prov . G . M . of Essex , who has recently been appointed A . D . C . to Lord Milner , has the distinction of being the youngest officer to serve in the South African campaign , for he was only seventeen when he went to the front . He is now in the ist Life Guards .

********** Two interesting ceremonies took place at Lerwick on the 8 th inst , when the foundation stones of the Gilbert Bain Memorial Hospital and of the new Board School were laid with Masonic honours by Major Henderson Provincial Grand

Master Caithness , Orkney and Shetland . The first named building is a gift to the town , under bequest , by the late Miss Inga Bain of Edinburgh , a native of Lerwick , and an endowment by her sister Mrs . Anderson . The hospital will be capable of accommodating ten or twelve patients . The

new school is designed to accommodate 600 scholars , and the estimated cost is £ 7 , 000 . The ceremonies connected with the laying of the foundation stones were successfully performed under pleasant auspices . A cake and wine banquet was afterwards held in the County Hall under the chairmanship of Sheriff Moffatt .

Misuse Of The Black Ball.

MISUSE OF THE BLACK BALL .

IT is stated that there has been during the past year in the State of Iowa evidence to show that there has been gross misuse of the black ball . In one case it was the principal

cause of the surrender of the Lodge Charter and re-brganisation under dispensation . In one Lodge eight candidates were rejected at one meeting without apparent cause , while in another , where the trouble had existed for a year or more , the ultimatum appears to be that no man belonging to a certain one of the two great political parties need apply .

Upon this subject Grand Master Lambert said : ' To deposit a black ball and keep from our ranks one not worthy to be made a Mason is the sacred right of every Master Mason in good standing , and he who fails to exercise that right when he has knowledge of the facts that would justify

him in so doing fails to do his whole duty to the Craft . But the Brother who deposits a black ball to avenge a personal spite , or for any other un-Masonic cause , thus keeping a thoroughly worthy and deserving man out of our ranks , is not

a true Mason , and has that in his heart which will prevent him from being one until it is cast out . rie needs to be ' born again , ' and the sooner the better , if he expects to be worthy the honours that have been bestowed upon him . "

It is our opinion that this evil of the misuse of the black ball will hardly be remedied by mere remonstrance . There needs to be devised a severe punishment for the Brother who so far forgets himself and his Masonic obligations , and for the Lodge which permits such misuse , when it can be proven .

It is undoubtedly true that there is more misuse of the black ball than ever comes to light . It is as wrong and unjust to keep applicants from entering our Order for any reason other than that of unworthiness as it is to admit unworthy material ,

and , though the evil effect of such a practice is not so readily apparent , an evil effect exists nevertheless , and it behoves us to remove the cause before it becomes necessary to combat the disastrous results . — " American Tyler . "

* * ^^» * ^ . . n A Tl fl A IF n R II H A A A II A R A X Many members of ¦ the "higher degrees , " by their indifference to the blue Lodge in not attnding its meetings

and affiliating therewith , are ( perhaps unknown to themselves , or unthinkingly ) sapping and undermining the very foundation upon which the " higher degrees" are founded . — George H , Stover , Idaho ,